#i hope it was ok to tag you mushy

[aroaceweirdos101]

'Dear diary,

It has been 2 days since Anon fucked up and made @sm-baby mad, which led to her giving us all a collective punishment.

We have decided to track down the Anon and sacrifice them to Mama Mushy as an offering, in hopes that she will return to answering our prayers.

We are not sure if this will work, but we are hoping it does.'

Count your days Anon, we will be coming for you...

[bratkook]

deep six: dancing with death. (m) jjk

part one. part two. v-day drabble

pairing. biker!jk x reader genre. smut, fluff warnings. infidelity (but its ok i promise), protected s*x, oral, jungkook is kinda whiny and that itself deserves a warning, they're just fluffy and mushy and love each other they just dont know it yet word count. 12.2k summary. you've always known to stay away from the tombstone patches, told they were the enemy, that you'd be betraying your club if you chose not to listen. but an unsuspected friendship makes you think that maybe not everyone was as bad as you were made to believe. author’s note. hihiiii, this is a prequel to the deep six series! aka how jungkook and oc start their friendship and have it blossom into what it becomes in part one of deep six. i truly love these two so much, something about their forbidden love and how jungkook is tough and dangerous but oh so sweet to her makes me fucking melt!!! ok hope u enjoy it bye ily muah

The world is a constant blur, days merging, memories hazy and bleeding together in your mind. The only time you enjoy the blur is now, sitting on your bike as you flow through the streets. Exiting Cobra territory made you feel free, the streets widening up the further you got, allowing you to cruise without the fear of getting swiped by a careless driver. 

Your eyes fall shut briefly, taking a slow breath as you try to push the earlier feelings away. Minho was having a bad day, a deal he had hoped to make to start running ice falling through, the man in charge deciding to go with a neighboring club instead. It wasn’t your fault the man thought Minho was too hot headed and messy to not find a way to mess this deal up, wanting a club with more reach, more connections and reliability than the Cobras could offer. That didn’t stop Minho from treating you like it was your fault, doing what he did best before barking orders at you to go for a run, desperately needing alcohol to drown his emotions. 

The earlier fear still rattles you, leaves your fingers trembling slightly as they clutch the handles and accelerate. He couldn’t hurt you here, and that's all the comfort you need at the moment, finally pulling into the familiar parking lot of the bodega. There’s a few cars parked inside, a lone scooter tossed by the sidewalk, and a shiny black bike parked by the entrance. 

You eye it for a moment, always checking for visible tags that let you know if the bike belonged to a club that had the Cobra’s high on their hit list. It’d be easy to act dumb if it was, no identifying items on you, knowing better than to roam the streets without Minho with a serpent stamped on you. 

When you find nothing you decide it’s fine, knowing you were on a time crunch to get what he wanted. With another slow breath you step off your bike, already feeling your earlier nerves fade away as you enter your comfort space. It seems odd to consider it one, but something about the buzzing fluorescent lighting and peeling laminate made you feel like an individual. 

Music plays through a portable speaker by the cashier, the worker greeting you with a smile that you return before you turn down your favorite aisle. That’s when you spot him again. The Deep Six member in the same spot he was in the last time you saw him a few weeks ago. It had been a close encounter then, not realizing who he was with your boyfriend standing outside. But his arms are revealed to you now, markings on his skin making it clear what club he belonged to, leaving no room for confusion. If that somehow wasn’t enough the giant patches on his vest and the glimmering rings on his fingers spell it out, literally. 

You approach him slowly, not sure if you trust him but not fully on edge like you were before, knowing Minho’s watchful eyes weren’t observing your every move. Without the ticking bomb a few feet away you allow yourself to slightly relax in the presence of him, assuming he had no idea who you were, clearly too focused on his candy selection. 

Sure you were on a run for Minho but you always pick something up for yourself. A small smile is already on your lips as your eyes land on the sour straws, ready to pick your flavor of choice, only to find it completely empty. Instantly you know the culprit is the man next to you, remembering the way you had reached for the same candy last time you saw him here by chance, and as you turn to stare at him you see his palms cradling four packets of the sour straws, a teasing smile on his face as he meets your eyes. Greedy. 

“Sorry,” he breathes out, sounding anything but, trying desperately not to laugh and failing as he makes his way to the front to pay. You don’t even respond to him, admitting defeat as you settle on the green apple flavored ones before you return to your earlier task, finding a case of Minho’s favorite beer and paying for it. 

The heat welcomes you once more outside, loading up the beer and candy into the saddlebags on the side of your bike, already forgetting about the candy thief from inside. 

“Hey, Snake!” A voice cuts through the air, making you freeze as you search for it, finding the Six standing by the shiny black bike you had spotted earlier. He reaches into his pocket, still smiling as he pulls out the blue raspberry sour straw packet, tossing it your way with ease. 

You catch it with both palms, momentarily stunned at the small gesture and at the fact that he clearly knew you were associated with the Cobras. The rumble of his engine snaps you out of it, smiling slightly as you look up at him once more, a breathless thank you escaping your lips before he is smiling back and peeling out of the parking lot. 

When you live the life you do, constantly on edge with a paranoid boyfriend questioning everyone’s intentions, it's hard not to let his way of thinking affect your own. Even as you sit back at the clubhouse, holding onto that packet of candy, you can’t help but wonder if maybe the Six’s seemingly sweet gesture was a trap. Maybe he was testing to see how gullible you are, stupid enough to interact with him, to use you to send a message to the Cobras. It wouldn’t be the first time. Minho’s reign made you an easy target, knowing you had a lot of enemies that would love to make a lesson of you. 

It's been so long since anyone has shown you genuine kindness with no strings attached, and as you finally enjoy your treat, you can’t stop the warm feeling of hope in your chest that maybe not everyone was as bad as you were made to believe. 

You don’t return to your comfort space again until two weeks later, on another run for the club. Minho seemed to think if he gave you pointless errands to run you’d be satisfied, content with the loveless relationship and mundane everyday life. It was his way of keeping you on a leash, making you follow orders and letting the lead slacken up, only tightening it back up to remind you he was all you had. But you’d take the small moments of peace wherever you could get them. 

The lot is empty today as you pull in, the only car belonging to the worker inside. The moment of solitude only lasts for a minute, a loud rumble cutting through the air as another bike pulls in beside you. You tense up immediately, whipping your head to assess the situation, spotting the familiar Six too lost in his thoughts to realize you were here. He furrows his brows as he takes off his helmet, adjusting the large rings on his fingers before he glances your way, jumping slightly when he notices it's you. 

You eye him curiously, hands coming up to the key in the ignition, ready to start it up and tail out of here if he made a move. Minho had made a claim of some other club trying to ambush a deal earlier today, an unlucky hangout being the only one hurt, but without an identifying patch it left him on edge more than normal. So far the Six didn’t make you feel like you had to be wary, but you couldn’t be so sure. 

He seems to sense it, his arms raising up in surrender as he stays on his bike. “It’s okay snake, I don’t bite.” He smiles at his own stupid remark, but it slowly falls off his face when he sees the stoic expression remains on yours. “Seriously though, I’m just here for some smokes and a treat. I can go somewhere else if it really makes you this uncomfortable though.”

“Why aren’t you somewhere else to begin with?” you bite back, still not trusting that he wasn’t trying to trap you. 

Jungkook just sighs, hand coming up to ruffle up his helmet hair. “It’s nice to get away sometimes. This is neutral grounds, you know as best as I do that anything club related done here is a death wish.” He lets you process his statement, seeing the way you continue to eye him, your gaze tracing along the patches he wears. The large tombstone taunts you, torn and a little rugged on the edges, showing just how long he’s been wearing it. “Why aren’t you somewhere on your side of town?”

You purse your lips, looking away from him as you pull your hand away from your key, getting off your bike, deciding this conversation was better to have inside your little safe space. “Like you said, it’s nice to get away sometimes.” You hook your helmet over your handle, reaching the bodega’s door and holding it open as you look back at him. “You coming?”

He seems to snap out of it, quickly hopping off his bike and jogging your way, saying a quick greeting to the worker before going down the familiar aisle. He smiles when he sees you next to those damn sour straws. 

“Those must be your favorite huh?”

You give him a quick glance, seeing the smile on his lips before you turn back and grab a packet of the candy. “They are, so try not to take all of them at once again.”

He lets out a soft laugh, reaching forward and grabbing a couple of the same. “I gave you one last time, which says a lot because I don’t really like sharing.”

“A Six that doesn’t like sharing? That’s not surprising.” Your words are light, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips as you turn around and continue roaming the aisle. 

“Not as surprising as a Snake trying to tell me what to do.” The crinkling of plastic fills the store as he rips open his packet, taking a bite of a sour straw as he tries to hide his own smile when you give him an eye roll. 

“I’m not technically a Snake,” you mutter out, finger tracing along the chocolate bar you were contemplating grabbing. It wasn’t a lie, you didn’t wear the patch, you weren’t granted the perks of being a part of the club, nothing you said held any weight on the decisions they made. You weren’t a Cobra, you just belonged to one of them. Though that didn’t seem like the wisest thing to tell him, you knew the history between Deep Six and the Cobras, and telling him you belonged to Minho of all people would put you high up on his list of people to hurt if he had bad intentions to begin with. 

“Oh? You just like to hang on to the back of one then?”

“Something like that,” you sigh, deciding not to grab the extra treat, turning to look at him fully once more. “Are you gonna keep calling me a snake?”

His tongue prods along his cheek as he looks down at you, eyebrow slowly cocking up. “What would you rather I call you?”

“Y/N.”

He nods slowly, letting your name settle into his mind before he was reaching his hand out, the golden glimmering rings spelling out SIX shining in the light. You eye his hand for a minute before grabbing it in a gentle handshake, seeing the way he smiles before saying his own name. 

“Jungkook.”

Jungkook was proud of his club, wore his patch with pride, did everything he could to show his loyalty. So why was he starting to tell white lies to his brothers, making up excuses to justify why he was going to the bodega on neutral grounds directly after finishing a job. He knew what would happen if they knew who he was talking to, slowly befriending. His only rational excuse was the fact that you had said you weren’t technically a Cobra, and although he’s not sure how well that would hold up to the rest of his members, it was the only excuse that helped ease his guilt. 

He was currently sat on the small sidewalk outside of the bodega, elbows leaning on his knees as he glanced around the empty lot. You had been meeting here once every week or so. He had started to take note of the typical times you’d be sent on runs of your own, choosing to coincidentally run into you at the same time. You had yet to arrive today though, leaving him waiting for fifteen minutes, wondering if maybe you wouldn’t be showing up today. 

Just before he decides to head out, you pull into the lot on your Dyna, a smile on your face when you spot him sitting on the sidewalk like a child. 

“You’re late,” he calls out, grabbing a packet of candy and tossing it your way when you get off your bike and head towards him. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t aware we had a time set for our little play dates.” You open up the candy, taking a bite and shutting your eyes at the sour taste. Jungkook laughs at your expression, patting the sidewalk beside him for you to settle into. 

“I can’t be left unsupervised, you should know this by now.”

You laugh now, taking a look at the bodega and the surrounding area. “Nothing seems to be destroyed, I think you do just fine unsupervised.”

He leans back on his palm, raking back his dark hair as he stares into the sky in thought. “I tend to cause psychological damage, not too big on destroying property.”

“Got it. So you torture people?”

Jungkook chuckles, turning to look at you slightly, a small twinkle of mischief flashing in his eyes as he smiles. “Exactly.”

You can only laugh, not exactly sure how truthful he was being with his little joke. The both of you made an effort to not discuss the intricacies of your clubs, not entirely sure what it was that you both did for them, knowing things would get too messy and tangled up if you did. Instead you talk about yourselves, knowing small anecdotes of each other’s childhoods, recounting stories of when he took a few tumbles on his bike when he was just starting to learn to ride, ones of you before the life of the Cobras was all you knew. 

It was a brief moment of normalcy, being able to talk to someone else, laughing over dumb jokes while sharing candy. It made you forget how twisted all of it was until you returned back home. 

Jungkook just appreciated having a new friend, someone to talk to about things that didn’t have to do with his club. He just wished he could talk to you in moments that lasted longer than the brief bodega hang outs. So as you both finish up, loading up your bike with the items you were told to come pick up, he takes a leap of faith. 

“Hey, can I—uh. Can I have your number?” He looks uncharacteristically shy as he asks this, one hand rubbing along the back of his neck. “To arrange our play dates,” he adds jokingly, a small smile on his lips in hopes of softening the blow of potential rejection as he reaches for his phone and hands it over. 

You freeze instantly, staring at his device as the voice in your head tells you not to, screams that this would get you in trouble. But the hopeful look on his face is enough to shut it up, grabbing his phone with a nod. “Sure, but uhm, I can’t text often.”

His brows furrow slightly at the tone you use, watching the way you type in your number and text yourself. Something about it made it seem like you were nervous, and the only thing he can assume is that the people you were around would grow curious over who you were texting. 

“Why? Scared your Snake friends would be pissed that a Six is texting you?” His tone is playful, but as you hand him his phone back, the look on your face makes his smile slowly fade away. 

“My boyfriend, specifically.”

Jungkook feels his heart drop at the revelation. He knew you were most likely involved with a Cobra, having seen you the first time you met on the back of one’s bike—more specifically, Minho’s bike. He had just assumed you were Minho’s chosen girl for the day, but if you were mentioning a boyfriend now, Jungkook could easily piece together who exactly that is. 

The third cardinal rule of his club replays in the back of his mind, “Never get involved with a Cobra”. It makes his head hurt, desperately trying to find a deeper excuse, a loophole to allow this to continue. It shouldn’t mean anything, you two were just friendly, barely even toeing that line as it was. But just knowing you were spoken for, by the leader of the Cobras especially, made the guilt he already felt for speaking to you get worse. 

But he does his best to shake it off, drowning out his thoughts as he takes his phone back and shrugs. 

“We’re just two people who share a love for sour straws, but if it makes you feel better you text me whenever you want.”

You don’t text him for a while, the fear of your tiny little secret being exposed keeps you from responding to the text you had sent yourself from his phone. There was also the small feeling of guilt festering in your stomach, feeling like you had lied to him by keeping your relationship a secret. All he had assumed from the get go was that you liked to hang around Cobras, but you noticed the way his face had changed when you mentioned a boyfriend, and you can only imagine how he’d react if you told him your boyfriend was the leader of the Cobras. 

You find yourself staring at your device any chance you get, hidden in the bathroom of your place, lounging on the couch in the clubhouse, until you finally get the courage to send the first text. It makes your heart race, saving his number under your best friend's name, changing the emoji at the end so you know the difference, going as far as putting his messages on do not disturb. Clearly hiding, keeping him a secret. 

Jungkook knows it's wrong, because he’s keeping it a secret too. But once that first text was sent, they never stopped. He responds when he has time in between club duties, knowing you’ll reply when you get a moment alone. Your messages are short, random conversations that never crossed any lines, but he meant what he said, taking full advantage of having your number to coordinate your play dates. 

The guilt you feel slowly fades away with each passing day, becoming comfortable in your ways as you let him know what days you’ll be on that side of town, and before you know it, your hang outs become your favorite thing. You slowly start to consider Jungkook your friend, another rare slice of peace in your messy life. It makes you feel like your younger self, excited to speak to a cute boy and laugh until your cheeks hurt. 

And it should make you feel icky to have these thoughts about someone who wasn’t your boyfriend, but your relationship with Minho had been romantically dead for years now, not able to remember the last time he did something for you that didn’t solely benefit him. So you choose to enjoy the small flutters in your stomach that occur around Jungkook, allowing yourself to sit closer to him each time, friendly touches beginning to get more courageous while still toeing the line. 

Jungkook doesn’t mind it, he thought you were pretty and would let you trace the patches on his jacket or analyze his tattoos up close if that's what you wanted. You were the one with a boyfriend, who was he to tell you what was right or wrong for you to do, he wasn’t one to judge or pull a morality card on you considering the things he does in his club. It was all mostly innocent anyways, even now as you stand a good few feet away from each other, respective candy in each other's hands, attempting to toss them into your mouths. 

It was innocent. 

“God, your aim is horrible!” you laugh out, feeling the candy hit your forehead and bounce right off. 

“What are you talking about? That was a clear headshot.” He has that charming smirk on his face as he says it, tongue flicking against his lip ring while he laughs too. 

“You’re not trying to kill me Jungkook, we’re trying to see who wins first.” You swat the remnants of sugar off your face as you reach into your own bag for a piece of candy, motioning for him to be ready. He gets into position, slightly bending his knees and angling his head back with his mouth open, ready to catch whatever you throw. With a small snicker you grab four small pieces of candy, aiming right for his face with one eye shut and sending them flying. Jungkook is totally unsuspecting until suddenly, he’s being pelted all over his face, his eyes squeezing shut at the shock. 

“Dude,” he laughs, eyes finally opening up to spot you cackling away, perfectly content at your little stunt. 

“Okay, okay sorry. For real this time. I got it, I can feel it in my bones.” Jungkook should tell you no, say you wasted your turn and deliver payback, but you look too happy right now for him to do anything but smile and nod as he gets back into position once more. He sees the way you bring your hand close to your face, shutting one eye to try to aim, tongue slightly poking out in concentration before you toss the candy across a few feet of distance. 

Jungkook doesn’t even register that the candy successfully landed in his mouth until you’re gasping in shock. That’s when his eyes widen, his mouth shutting as he begins to chew, standing up straight and feeling his heart start to warm at how proud you look at having beat him. He closes the distance between you, extending a hand out for a high five that you gladly give him. 

Now that you’re closer, you see all the sprinkles of sugar on his face. It dusts along his cheekbones and the top of his nose, looking like small freckles on his skin. You give him an endearing smile as you cup his face and swipe it away from his skin. You do it without thinking really, tips of your fingers gently flicking away the evidence of your tiny prank. 

Jungkook’s chest tightens at the soft gesture, eyes wide as he watches you, too scared to move, almost like it would startle you or make you come to your senses and remember he was a Six. He chooses to just focus on how soft your hand feels against his cheek, how sweet you sound when you say he looks like a mess, your eyes filled with what he hopes is the same adoration he has as you look up at him, a lot closer than you need to be.

Jungkook knows all the sugar is gone now but you’re still there, thumb rubbing along his cheek, tracing the scar under his eye while your gaze lands on the piercing on his lip. He holds his breath when you look up at him once more, and maybe it's his wishful thinking but he swears the way you look at him tells him to make a move, so he does. Slowly at first, wanting to give you a chance to deny his advances, but you meet his lips before he can close the distance himself.

The innocence is gone now. Jungkook had felt something brewing with each of your interactions, chalking it off to pure friendliness, but he knows a small spark had been lit the second you started speaking to each other. 

The kiss burns, the guilt and betrayal to his club clawing at his mind but he doesn't care, welcoming it as he deepens it, sliding his hand into your hair and focusing on the way you let out a soft breath as he does so. It makes your mind spin, your hands gently looping around his neck to bring him closer. You don’t have time to think, too enveloped in the way his piercing feels against your lips, how his fingers softly rake through your hair, how he takes a deep breath when you kiss him back harder. 

It's brief, a small moment of weakness led by temptation, but you can’t deny how you both feel exhilarated, wide eyes and smiles on your faces when you pull back. "You taste like candy," you giggle.

“Your favorite,” he mumbles, still close enough to nudge the tip of his nose along yours. His voice is low as he lets reality settle, slowly inching back, his eyes meeting yours and seeing the small clouds of panic start to form around you. Reality seems to be hitting you too, fear of what would happen to him if Minho ever found out, or what would happen to you if he even had an inkling. A small harmless crush had just passed over into dangerous territory. 

“Hey,” Jungkook starts softly, hand gently coming to rest on your shoulder to bring you back to the present. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“No, but it does,” you groan. It did mean something, it didn’t matter how small it seemed, but you know the kiss meant something. Your small panic had nothing to do with being unfaithful, you knew Minho cheated on you with any girls who were willing to show their loyalty to the club, and if it kept him off of you then you didn’t mind it. You were scared to put Jungkook in danger. “It means something and my boyfriend’s crazy, he’ll kill both of us if he finds out.”

“I know he is.” He shrugs, looking directly at you, seeing the shocked look on your face at his admission. 

“You know what?” you whisper. 

“I know he’s a psycho. I kind of put two and two together when you mentioned a boyfriend. It is Minho right?” When you nod slowly, still unsure how to respond he just continues speaking. “But look, I know. All of it. I know I’m not supposed to be speaking to you, let alone kissing you and enjoying it, but it happened. I know it’s wrong, that I should feel bad and I don’t, but I also know where my loyalties lie within the club and what rules I’m willing to bend. If you’re saying it means something, then it does.”

You can only stare at him, feeling the clouds of panic start to fade. “But I'm telling you, I know what's at risk and I won’t be using it to harm you.”

“I mean…it is both our asses on the line,” you mumble out, still feeling his hand on your shoulder. He smiles at your words now, making you slowly smile back. 

“So, we’re taking it to our graves?” His voice is light again, the playful tone you were used to back. When you nod he smiles wider. “Cool, should we kiss on it?”

Jungkook laughs when you shove his shoulder with a cackle, rolling your eyes as you step back, walking back into the bodega to get what you came for. “You’re so unserious. Get away from me.”

The issue with this imaginary line being crossed is that it leaves you thinking “what’s next”, constantly wondering just what else you could get away with. One kiss shared turns into two which turns into five, given so casually it feels like second nature. It seems like both of your guards have dropped now, more at ease with each other, touches getting as bold as they could in public. 

“Are you sure my skin isn’t gonna burn off?” you joke, laughing when Jungkook gives you an eye roll. His jacket is in his hands, shaking it off before he’s swinging it around your frame, helping you slide your arms into it. He had jokingly said it would swallow you whole, and you honestly just wanted an excuse to be closer to him so when he suggested you try it on you couldn’t deny him. 

“You might burst into flames, so just drop and roll baby.” He snickers when you playfully glare at him. Jungkook looks down at you with a smile, his hands smoothing the collar before he’s taking a step back to admire how the large leather jacket looked on you. The patches cover the arms and back, his first initial, last name and rank displayed over the left breast pocket, something your finger comes up to trace absentmindedly.  

“I don’t know, the jacket suits you. You sure you don’t wanna become a Six?”

“Very funny Jungkook. They’ll be putting a Cobra on my tombstone when I’m dead.” 

He waves you off, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. “Let me live in my fantasy world, yeah?”

“Your fantasy world involves me being a Six?” you giggle, looking up at him with a sly smile.

“Don’t kink shame me. Now smile for the picture,” he sings out, bending down as he extends his arm out, ready to take a selfie. You had yet to take photos of you both, too scared to be caught by Minho, but you allowed Jungkook to document your newly formed friendship as much as he wanted, knowing he had less to worry about when it came to snooping. 

Your arms wrap around him, the tombstone patch on display as you both smile widely for the picture. He looks at it with a cheeky grin, mumbling out how cute he thought it was before putting his phone away. 

“Do you need the usual for your run today?” he asks, knowing Minho always had you stocking up his alcohol. 

“Not today. I’m technically supposed to be locked inside our place. A few Cobra’s headed out of state this morning for a meeting.”

Jungkook hums, having briefly heard of an arms deal happening out of state, he just hadn’t been aware it was the Cobra’s doing. “Why didn’t you go with?”

“Too risky.” You lean back against the textured wall of the building, still cozy in his jacket. Minho loved to have you right by his side at all times, so if he said it was safer for you to stay here then you wouldn’t question him. “He has to make sure his prized possession stays safe.”

Jungkook laughs, slinging an arm around you and bringing you to his side obnoxiously. “Well you tell him I have that covered.”

“Jungkook, he’d cut your tongue out. Stop it!” you cackle. 

“I’d like to see him fucking try,” he grunts out, enjoying the way you playfully swat at him. He’d like to think he could have Minho’s head served on a silver platter if he ever got close enough to put his hands on him. 

“What about you? Any fun club plans after our playdate?”

Jungkook sighs, a smile still on his face. “Nope. I’m officially clocked out.” Your laugh is felt against his side, only making his smile widen. “I just have to stop by the clubhouse to grab something before heading home.”

“How far is the clubhouse from here?” You’re looking up at him with a twinkle in your eye, your smile still as sweet as can be, but he senses some undertone that he hopes he isn’t imagining. 

“Not far, about 20 minutes. Why? You want a tour?”

That was all he had to ask before you were following his bike down the busy streets on his side of town. His jacket is still on you, providing you with a small sense of security, knowing if anyone spotted you they’d assume you were with him. It leaves you at ease, entering the secure lot of his clubhouse, coming to a stop beside him and glancing around as you take off your helmet. 

It’s empty, a few cars parked around that looked like they were in need of repair, but no other bikes or lingering people. Jungkook steps off his bike, motioning for you to follow him, excited at showing you his favorite place. 

As you follow his lead you instantly see how different Deep Six’s clubhouse is compared to the Cobras. The space is taken care of, decorated thoughtfully, a space made for business as well as hanging out with their friends and families. Touches of the club are nestled around, a large Harley on display on a far wall, a frame showing the timeline and evolution of their patch tucked between other photos, and the most obvious and slightly obnoxious ode to the club comes in the gallery wall displaying all of their mugshots. Cute. 

“It’s nothing fancy,” he mumbles, spreading his arms out as he stands in the middle of the main room. A brown tufted leather couch is right behind him, a giant pool table behind it and a fully loaded bar to the right. 

“Compared to ours it sure is.” The Cobra’s clubhouse was made for business only, the meeting room was kept in pristine condition while the rest of it was only made to be nice enough to house drunken members and whatever hangouts were in the process of joining. 

“Really?” When you nod he just frowns, approaching you to grab your hand and pull you along, trying to show you more. “I’ll show you my space.”

“Your space?” you wonder, smiling when he squeezes your palm lightly, leading you down a hall to the right. A few doors line both walls, different ranks tacked on the middle of them, coming to a stop in front of one that says Road Captain. You had never really paid attention to his rank on his jacket, never really caring to read anyone’s rank in general, but seeing it displayed on this door let you know just how deep his involvement in his club was. 

“Only ranked members get private rooms.” He sounds almost bashful as he says this, grinning before opening up the door and switching on the light. A desk is on the right, paperwork neatly stacked in piles, a dresser is along the other wall with pictures tacked onto a cork board right above it. His bed is in the middle, sheets a dark gray and neatly made. It’s nestled between two windows on either side, letting in the slowly setting sunlight. 

You step into the room, walking to the dresser to look at the photos he has tacked up. He looks younger in some of these, hair messier and longer, no piercing or tattoos yet as he leans on his bike, another member attempting to put him in a headlock. They’re all club photos for the most part, the only one standing out is a photo of a teenage looking Jungkook holding up a diploma with what you can only assume is his parents beside him. 

“Cute,” you mumble out, smiling as you turn back to face him. It was odd to feel this calm around him, so used to the faint ticking heard in your head, reminding you that you were running on borrowed time, forced to interact in small bursts. With Minho completely occupied, the ticking disappears, allowing you to fully enjoy the moment for what it was. 

“I didn’t expect you to be sentimental like this,” you tease, smiling at the way his eyes narrow at you as he approaches, his tongue poking at his cheek as he fights a smile. 

“I’m full of surprises,” he murmurs, standing a foot away from you now, peering down at you with an aura of playfulness surrounding him. Your hands reach out to gently play with the material of his shirt, tugging him even closer. Jungkook could feel the tension, the same slowly growing tension that had been brewing with each day spent together. He can only watch as your hands slowly trail up his stomach, gliding up to gingerly rest against his chest. 

He wanted to kiss you, wanted to feel you gasp against his lips, but the last thing he wanted to do was make you feel like he had suggested showing you his clubhouse to be a total sleaze. Jungkook knew the line had grown blurry, kisses and touches shared with ease, but he wasn’t bold enough to assume you’d be okay with taking anything further. So when you decide to make the first move, leaning up to ghost your lips over his own, he can only hold his breath, eyes fluttering shut when you softly press them together. 

Your hands rest on his shoulders now, holding yourself steady as you kiss him, feeling the way his body melts into it. You pull away with a soft smack of your lips, inching back slightly. “What other surprises do you have?” 

Jungkook holds in a groan when you start to pepper kisses on the corner of his mouth, trailing them down his jaw, gently nipping the skin of his throat right below his ear. You giggle when he shudders, his hands gripping your waist, fingers tightening around you. 

“If you let me, I can show you.” His voice holds a tinge of unsureness, wanting for you to be okay with this without sounding pushy. But Jungkook had been thinking of this since your first kiss so he couldn’t help the desperate tone laced between each syllable. 

“Show me. Show me whatever you want,” you whisper, hand coming up to cup his cheek, looking up at him through your lashes. When his eyes meet yours he finally lets his resolve crack, attaching your lips once more in a heated kiss, finally feeling you gasp against him. 

Jungkook is a little ashamed to admit how easily this was affecting him, his heart already racing in his chest, stomach fluttering with each shared moan, bulge growing in his jeans when your hand slips into his hair and pulls. His hands slide down the material of his jacket you have on, pulling it off your body and tossing it aside without a care. He feels you smile against his lips at the action, clearly enjoying the way his hands roam along your body, desperate to touch you in ways he wasn’t able to before. 

It’s an eager dance to his bed, blindly stepping back as he guides you to it until your knees buckle against the mattress, giggling as you flop onto it. Your arm rests back to hold you steady, other hand gripping onto his shirt to yank him back over you, reattaching your lips in a heated kiss. 

Jungkook laughs into the kiss, his arm wrapping around you to haul you further up the bed properly, slowly pushing you back until you’re flat against the bed. His body settles over you, the cute visual of his hair framing his face is the first thing you see when your eyes flutter open as he pulls back. His eyes are hooded as he stares at you, his hand coming up to gently cradle your jaw, thumb rubbing along your bottom lip as he smirks before dipping back down. 

He kisses the corner of your mouth, following the same trail you had left on him earlier, smiling against your skin when you shudder as he nips your neck. Slowly, his hands slide down your body, fingers toying with the hem of your shirt and tugging it up to reveal your stomach. 

“Can I take this off?” he mumbles, eyes peering up at you for confirmation. When you breathe out a yes, he slides it further up, helping you slip out of your shirt fully before you’re settling on your back again. A thin bralette covers your boobs, lacey cups revealing a glimmer on your nipples that has him tilting his head in curiosity. 

You catch what he’s looking at, smile spreading on your lips as you reach up to touch his jaw, finger gently tapping along the small mole he has below his lips. “I’m full of surprises too,” you mumble, smiling wider when he boldly cups your chest, thumb swiping at your pierced nipple through the lace. 

“I can see that,” he mumurs, voice low and raspy, making your stomach flip. He looks at you once more, brow cocking up in question as his fingers toy with the fabric. You nod your head, knowing what he wanted, allowing him to slip the straps off your shoulders before he’s sliding a palm under your back to properly unclasp your bra, giving himself the perfect view. 

Its hard to ignore the small burst of confidence that surges through you when he groans, eyes hooded while he leans down to pepper kisses down your chest. It had been such a long time since you’ve felt truly desired, since you’ve been kissed delicately, had hands touch your skin so gently it tickles and leaves you breathing out a laugh. So you relish in it. You shut your eyes and enjoy the way Jungkook presses wet kisses to your skin, you let yourself gasp in pleasure when he wraps his lips around your pierced nipple and sucks. 

Your hands instinctively slip through his hair, fingers yanking his thick strands as he hums against your skin, tongue flicking along the piercing. Jungkook feels the way you jut your chest further out, back arching at the sensation. A deep groan escapes you as his palm comes up to cup your other breast, the cool feeling of his rings sending a shiver down your spine. 

He smiles as he pulls back, cocky with eyes twinkling with mischief as his fingers playfully dance down your body. 

His eyes are locked with yours as his fingers reach the waistband of your jeans, teasingly dipping past it as he lifts a brow in question. He needed clear boundaries, not wanting to cross any lines. You find it cute, how despite the fact that you’re laying here, chest heaving with anticipation, eyes surely wild with desire, he’s still wanting to make sure. 

“Can I?” He repeats his earlier question, features soft as he waits for your answer. 

“We need to even out the playing field first Six,” you tease, smiling when he chuckles and points to his shirt. You nod, staring up at him from the bed as he kneels up, staring right at you as he reaches behind his neck and yanks the shirt off of his body. 

Your blood warms up further at the sight of him, seeing his muscles flex under his tattoos as he straightens back up. Jungkook tilts his head slightly, biting on his lip ring as he fights back the smile at your clear admiration. The black marks his skin, some tattoos looking darker than others, showing you just which ones were recent additions. 

The owl on his chest looks the brightest, edges still crisp, shading looking rich in the skulls beneath each wing. They seem to move as Jungkook takes a breath, snapping you out of it as you look back into his eyes. 

“Is this even enough for you?” he jokes, smiling wide when you nod in confirmation, your eyes following his movements as his hand returns to your jeans. You watch with bated breath as he unbuttons the top, slowly pulling down the zipper before his hands hook into the waistband and starts to tug. Your hips lift from the bed to help, allowing him to pull them off, tossing them to the side along with your shoes and socks. 

You can feel your stomach flipping with nerves, the worry of doing something new with someone new, the small clouds of insecurity rolling in, wondering if you looked good in this angle, if maybe Jungkook preferred you to look a certain way or wear cute underwear with bows on the front instead of the black regular cotton ones you currently have on. 

It all settles down as he drops lowers, eyes looking up at you as he presses kisses onto your hips and slowly tugs your underwear down, clearly not paying any mind to them. A trail of goosebumps blossom down your thighs, following your underwear as he pulls them off too. He stands up once more, eyes swimming with want as he sees you. 

“Let me get a good look at you,” he murmurs when he notices the way your arms begin to want to cover yourself up at being fully exposed. He thinks it's cute how shy you seem now, eyes bouncing away from his as he takes his time drinking you in. With your eyes diverted, he thinks it's a great time to dive in, his hands coming down to grip your palms while his face nudges its way into the crook of your neck to kiss your skin, smiling at the way you gasp and laugh at the ticklish feeling

“Jungkook!” you giggle, feeling his hands pin your own down on the bed, his mouth traveling down your body as he guides your hands into his hair, letting you know he wants you to keep playing with the strands. Your finger twirls his hair around, feeling him smile against your skin as he descends once more. 

“Everything about you is so pretty,” he mumbles into your stomach, eyes peering up at you while his hands return to your hips, slowly sliding down to your thighs to grip the flesh. Wet kisses smack into your skin, leaving a trail on each hip and down your thigh until he’s suddenly biting. He laughs when you gasp, your fingers tugging his hair on instinct when you look down with a shocked expression. 

“Looked so good you had to take a bite?” you joke, smiling down at him, feeling the fluttering in your stomach when he winks. 

“Oh I need more than just a bite,” he groans, fingers tightening their hold on your thighs before he presses a kiss directly onto your mound, slowly sticking his tongue out to gently flick along your slit. 

Jungkook loves the way your breath gets shaky as you exhale, a soft moan of his name reaching his ears when he gently parts your folds and teasingly flicks against your clit. A part of him knows this might be the one and only time he’ll ever get to experience you like this, the only time he’ll see you flush on his bed, gasping for more as your hips roll into him. So he wants to store every moment in his brain, keep it locked away until the next time he misses you. 

“Fuck Jungkook, that feels good,” you moan, fingers locked in his hair, keeping him close as he ravishes you. The praise makes his ego grow, lips wrapping around your clit and sucking with the perfect amount of pressure. It makes your stomach tense, short little zaps of electricity flowing through your body with each flick of his tongue. 

“Good, I just wanna make you feel good.” He leans back a bit, admiring the look of your sodden folds for a moment before he's letting a glob of spit drip from his mouth directly onto your clit. He bites his lip as his fingers spread it around, coating his digits as he circles your entrance. His eyes meet yours again, brow raised in question, smiling when you nod in response. Slowly, he pushes forward, eyes focused on your reaction, seeing the way you bite down on your lip as his finger sinks in. 

Jungkook tries not to let his mind get carried away when he feels your walls fluttering around his digit, already imagining how you would feel around him, feeling his cock aching in his jeans as he sinks a second finger in to properly stretch you out. With each thrust of his fingers his mind wanders further, the need to see you falling apart leading his mouth back onto you, the combining sensation making you moan louder. 

The stretch of his fingers has your head spinning, eyes falling shut as you mewl on his sheets, fingers raking through his hair. “More Jungkook, please,” you whimper, not able to get enough of him. 

The desperation lacing your voice makes Jungkook’s heart flutter, ready to comply with anything you want. He moans against your folds, a third finger adding to the delicious stretch. The wet clicks of his fingers thrusting into your drenched pussy fill the room, and it's the greed living inside of Jungkook that makes him want to thrust into you faster, make it so that all you can hear is the sound of your pleasure. 

Your breath hitches in your throat when he curves his fingers upwards, tickling the sweet spot that makes your eyes roll. That’s when you feel the familiar cool sensation of his rings once more. You were used to feeling them on your arms when he playfully pulled you around, used to the feeling of them on your cheeks when he gripped your face before kissing you, but feeling them against your cunt each time he thrust his fingers forward, it made your body burn up with lust. There was something about having the name of a club you were told to stay far away from pressed against you salaciously that only made the waves of pleasure you feel crash over you even harder. 

“Mm, close Jungkook,” you whine, your free hand sliding up your body to tug and pinch at your nipples. Jungkook peers up at you from between his thighs and the visual of you playing with yourself while he ate you out has him making a mess in his underwear. He doesn’t even care how easy it is for you to make him this needy, knowing you were enjoying yourself because of him was all that mattered. 

“Wanna feel you baby,” he mutters out, lips shiny with your arousal, fingers scissoring inside of you, feeling the way your walls tighten around him. Your hands grip his hair tighter, making him hiss, a breathy laugh hitting your messy folds when you guide his mouth back onto you. 

Jungkook knows you’re right on the edge, the craving for your release making you arch your back, moans of his name slurring together with pleas for more more. All it takes is a few more flicks of his tongue for your climax to crest, the prettiest moan he’s ever heard reaching his ears as you gush around his fingers. 

“There you go, good girl,” he groans, pulling back as he licks his lips, staring at your trembling body with eyes swimming with lust. His thumb replaces his mouth, rubbing your swollen clit, enjoying the way you writhe at the slight overstimulation. 

“Ah, ‘Guk,” you whimper. And the new nickname has him smiling, loving the way it sounds coming from you so much he almost doesn’t want to stop. It takes your small hands coming down to grip his wrist for him to finally pull away, your soft giggles of enjoyment coming to a halt when he slips his fingers into his mouth. 

“Told you I needed more than just a bite,” he teases, making an absolute show of licking his fingers. “What about you, are you satisfied?”

You lift yourself up with one arm, the other reaching forward to grip his belt loop, tugging him closer as you look up at him through your lashes. “Mm, no I don’t think I am.” His abs tense when your finger trails along his skin, toying with the button on his jeans, slowly popping them open and pulling down the zipper. 

“Then I need to fix that,” he mumbles, tongue flicking his lip ring as he stares down at you, watching the way you reach down to palm at his bulge. Your face lights up at his words, a smile spreading on your face as he helps you tug down his jeans, obviously eager. Jungkook’s smirk only deepens when your eyes widen once you finally release his cock, a small gasp escaping you at the size of him. 

Pearly beads of precum collect at his tip, swollen and aching for your touch, so when you finally grasp his length and swipe your thumb along the bulbous tip he lets out a deep groan that has your core clenching. 

“Fuck, babe.” He grunts when your palm starts to slide up and down, his eyes focused on the way you slowly inch forward, your tongue peeking out to gently lick his tip. Jungkook knows he’s in trouble, already feeling his body react to your touch. All you had done was give him a few teasing touches and his mind was already spinning. Its an inner battle as he watches you take more of him into your mouth, his jaw dropping at the warm feeling, hands clenching by his side when you moan at the taste of him. 

“Y/N,” he groans, “you’re gonna make me cum too fast.” You pop off of him with a wet smack, a saccharine smile on your lips as you giggle. 

“And that’s a bad thing?” Your head tilts as you question him, hand still lazily pumping his length. 

“It is when I want to fuck you first.” That makes your hand finally stop, brows raising in interest. Your free hand slides up his body, carefully cupping his face, guiding him down to kiss you. 

“Then fuck me, Jungkook. I’m yours,” you murmur against his lips, feeling him groan against you as he kisses you harder. You know what you mean. You’re his for the night, despite how strong your connection with him is, the reality was that as long as Minho had his claws sunk into you, there would never be a chance for you and Jungkook to delve deeper into this relationship. But this tiny bubble you were both in was enough for you. 

The energy is different than what you’re used to, the both of you smiling through the kisses, soft words whispered against skin as you help him take off his jeans. Jungkook’s laugh is infectious when you gasp at the sight of his thighs, the double headed wolf tattoo catching your attention immediately, praising it under your breath before he’s kissing you once more, telling you he’ll let you properly see it later as his hands grope your sides. 

“How do you want me?” you mumble, gently nipping his lip. 

“If it was my way I’d have you in every position I could think of. You tell me, baby.” If Jungkook let his selfish desires take over, he’d tell you he wanted you to ride him, let you bounce on top of him and use him while he got to watch your pretty face. But he can’t be that selfish, even if the small pestering voice in his head tells him that this might be his only chance to. Still, his eyes are soft as he pulls back, ringed hand caressing your face with a tenderness that makes your heart clench

“Can I ride you?” Your voice is timid, just above a whisper, but it makes Jungkook shut his eyes and groan. You see, he wasn’t corny, didn’t believe in fate or anything like that, but for a brief moment Jungkook's convinced this was meant to be. 

“Fuck,” he groans, leaning forward to rest his forhead against yours. “Yes, please.”

The way he begs makes your pussy ache, hips instinctively rolling up into his, enjoying the way he hisses, rutting his cock against your inner thigh. The beads of precum leak off his tip, leaving a small puddle by your hip, smeared around as he repeats the action. 

“O-okay,” you gasp, biting down on your lip as you peek at the visual, trying not to get lost in the way he teases himself. “Let me ‘Guk, wanna feel you.”

He nods, tendrils of hair tickling your face as he kisses you again before leaning back. You try not to stare but it's so hard when he looks like that, length hard and bobbing as he rummages through the drawer by his bed, a sheepish smile on his lips when he plucks out a shiny square packet. 

Your heart races in your chest as you sit up, coming onto your knees and crawling to the head of the bed, gently patting the space next to you. Jungkook’s quick to settle beside you, back leaning against the small headboard, large hands reaching to grab your hips and hoist you over his thighs. A small laugh escapes you at being manhandled, the toned muscles of his thighs felt underneath you, his cock poking at your belly from your proximity. 

Your eyes are glued to it, watching in awe as he pulls out the condom and carefully rolls it on, a small sigh meeting your ears. 

“Can’t wait to feel you,” you whisper, pressing a kiss to his jaw, your hand meeting his around his cock as you lift your hips just enough. His free hand finds your hip again as you guide his tip to your entrance, teasingly circling it, slipping the tip inside for a second before popping it back out, the two of you gasping at the feeling. 

“Mm, sit on it,” he groans, brows pinched together as he nudges his nose into your neck. Wet kisses mark your skin, his hand getting tighter on your hip when you repeat the action again before finally sinking further down. Your walls clench around him, the stretch making you whine. You had seen his size, knowing just how big he was, but now that he’s inside of you and you feel it, you pace yourself. 

It's unintentionally torturous, the warm tightness slowly enveloping more of him and all he could do was clench his jaw and grip you harder. Jungkook is patient, fighting every urge he has to thrust up or sit you down fully. Instead he murmurs praises into your skin, tells you how good you feel, how good you’re doing, that you’re almost there until you’re butt rests flush against his thighs. 

A shuddering breath hits his shoulder, your face coming up to stare at him properly now. He’s staring at you with hooded eyes, mouth slightly opened as he gasps when your walls flutter. 

“So big,” you mumble, kissing him gently, lips ghosting over his, hips slowly lifting an inch before coming back down. 

“I know, baby. Take your time.” He groans, kissing you harder, teeth clicking together in his haste, breathing into each other. Jungkook felt like he was dreaming, some sick fantasy teasing him while he slept, giving him a taste of you before reality would settle in and snatch it all away. But you don’t usually feel this way in his dreams, don’t dig your nails into his shoulder as you quicken your pace, your wetness dripping down his cock and pooling at the base. And Jungkook is glad that he prefers reality over his dreams for once. 

“Oh god ‘Guk,” you moan, skin slapping together with each rise and fall of your hips. His lips are coated in a sheen of spit, swollen from your kisses and gentle bites, but he gives you a smile, clearly enjoying your reaction to him. 

“Does it feel good baby?” he murmurs, voice deep and raspy at the edges, his hand sliding up your thighs, pressing into your tummy with a tilt to his head. “Feel nice and full?”

You shudder at his question, feeling the pressure of his palm, and you swear you can feel the tip of his cock nudging into it. “Y-yes, so good, so full. Just wanna fuck you forever.”

He hums, feeling your words deep inside of him. It makes him melt into the headboard, hand traveling further up until he has a handful of your tits in them. Jungkook plays with them a bit, finger pinching and twisting the hard buds, tugging gently at the silver bar, hearing you moan at the sensation. 

“You can fuck me whenever you want,” he grunts at a particular drop of your hips, the wetness aiding in your pace. 

“Really?”

“Mhm,” he groans, thumb rolling along your nipple, softly rutting up into you. “Just text me whenever you want it. Pretty face, delicious pussy, I’ll always be here for you.”

“You’re such a romantic,” you giggle, throwing your head back as you get lost in the motion. Jungkook laughs with you, arm scooping around your back to pull you closer, his mouth kissing up and down your neck, teeth grazing the surface with the urge to suck but he knows better. 

“Just for you,” he breathes into your skin, feeling you laugh again. 

It feels like nothing else matters, not the potential consequences to this, no worry about what this meant for your special friendship. All that matters is that Jungkook is grabbing you like he can’t get enough of you, kissing you like his life depends on it, not shy at all at vocalizing how good it all feels. 

“Wanna cum,” you gasp, cupping his face, seeing the way he focuses on your lips as you speak. 

“Yeah? Tell me what you need.” He bends his knees slightly, pressure on his heels as he fucks up into you. The jiggle of your tits makes his mouth water, caught in a daze. 

“Need you to touch me.” It's the softest plea, tone dripping and needy, making Jungkook nod immediately. He bites his lip as he trails a hand up your chest, over your neck until he’s cupping your jaw, his thumb rubbing along your lower lip. With a gentle tap, you’re opening up, eyes locked together as you wrap your lips around the digit and suck, giving him a teasing bite as he tries to pull it out. 

He smiles at you, bringing down his soaked thumb in between your bodies until it reaches home directly onto your clit. The sudden touch makes you gasp, bundle of nerves swollen and sensitive, and its almost too much. But he’s gentle, easing you into the feeling, only applying more pressure when you finally relax, falling back into the delicious rhythm you have going. 

Jungkook can feel the coil tightening inside of him with each pulse of your pussy, walls clamping around him on each lift, making an absolute mess as the arousal drips onto his balls. 

“More?” He quickens his finger, circling your clit faster, paying close attention to your reaction. 

“Oh, fuck. No, like that. Just like that.” So he does, jaw dropped open as he watches you get lost in it all, bouncing on top of him as fast as you wanted, using him just like he wanted. Your thighs burn but it feels too good to think about stopping, the beginning signs of your orgasm licking at your skin, encouraging you to fuck him faster. You can hear how messy you’re leaving him, the squelch of your pussy blending in with the moans and thumping of the headboard. 

“Close, fuck—ah,” you stutter and gasp, brows pinched together tightly, only able to stare at him as you start to fall apart. He looks at you in awe, breathing in time with you, matching each gasp and moan, thumb slipping around in your slick. It's the accidental flick of his that has you tumbling over the edge, nearly shrieking out his name as your high comes barreling at you. 

Jungkook curses under his breath as you tremble above him. Your hand curls into his hair, yanking him forward into a messy kiss as you moan unabashedly, his thumb continuing to flick along your puffy clit for another minute to work you through it before he’s clutching onto your hips and controlling your speed. You’re still twitching at the aftershocks, small sparks kissing your skin and leaving you in a comfortable haze as you tangle your tongue with his, pulling back with a smile so sweet. 

“I wanna see you cum Jungkook,” you kiss him again, teasing him as you pull away and watch him chase you for more. “Made me feel so good, want you to cum for me.”

Jungkook groans, nodding as he wraps his arm around you, pushing off the headboard until the air is whooshing around you and your back is meeting the sheets once more. He cages you in easily, arms under your back, cradling your head as he buries his face into your neck and surges his hips into you. 

Your breath leaves you at the change in position, legs wrapping around his hips, shuddering as his pelvis nudges your sensitive clit. He doesn’t care how desperate he looks, fucking you like he was starved of affection, the need to cum taking over all of his senses. 

“Fuck, you’re so hot.” Your nails dig into his back, scratching along his skin, making him groan into your ear. His thrusts grow more sporadic, shallow, losing their grace as your purposefully clench around him. 

“Oh shit, you’re gonna make me cum.” He whines, voice breathy against your neck, and you swear you’ll cum again. 

“Yeah? Cum for me, c’mon,” you whisper, grazing his back and tightening your walls again. He nods against you before he’s leaning back, giving you the view you so sweetly asked for. His thick brows are furrowed on his forehead, eyes heady with lust, and a deep groan of your name spilling past his lips as he cums. Your feet urge him closer as his hips stutter, rutting into you to milk his orgasm as he fills up the condom. 

The room falls quiet for a moment, the both of you catching your breath, hearts slowing down as the high settles over your bones. And then he’s laughing, flopping back over you and tightening his hold on your body. 

“Why are you laughing?” You giggle too, hands running through his hair as you smile in a love sick daze. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever came that hard,” he admits sheepishly, kissing your warm skin, leaning back with a childish smile as he kisses your nose and ever so slowly starts to pull out of you. The sound is filthy, core sensitive and messy, and when he fully pulls out you can’t help but close your legs. 

He simply laughs, hand softly rubbing at your calves before he’s getting up and disposing of the condom. 

You’re still in that same foggy haze from earlier, even as Jungkook returns with a damp cloth to clean you up, all you can do is hum in thanks as you melt into his sheets. It doesn’t take long for him to settle in beside you again, holding you close, hand tickling the skin of the thigh you have hooked over his hip. 

“You have such pretty legs.” It’s a soft compliment, almost like it wasn’t meant to escape him. But when you look at him with a sincere smile he continues. “If you were mine I’d beg you to wear skirts all the time just so I could stare at them, touch them—“ he grips your thighs playfully, smiling at your laugh, “I’d be able to flick it up so easily and fuck you in it.”

Your laugh is louder now, your hand playfully swatting at his chest at how quick he was to get raunchy. 

If you were mine. 

That phrase repeats in your mind, sounding like a sweet song that you’d never get tired of hearing. 

“I’ll wear one at the meet next week,” you promise, running your hand over his chest. You knew you’d be seeing him there, able to freely ogle at him with all the neighboring clubs gathered together in an attempt to keep the peace. You might not be able to interact like you usually do, but just seeing him was enough. 

Just as he’s about to reply, the sound of a familiar engine cuts the air. You freeze instantly, wide eyes staring at Jungkook, seeing the confused look on his face. He lifts a hand up, motioning for you to stay as he sits up straighter, ears perking up when he hears the front door of the clubhouse open up. 

“Stay here. They won’t come in here but I know they saw my bike so I’ll get rid of them.” You can only nod as he hurries into his clothes, buttoning his jeans in a haste and deciding to forgo his shirt and shoes as he all but runs out of the room, shutting the door behind him. 

The haze you felt earlier is long gone, anxiety settling into your bones once more, realizing just what sort of situation you were in. Jungkook seemed to think the golden rule of staying away from Cobras was fine with you, but who knows just what kind of loyalty the Six member in the other room holds. 

All you needed was one man hell bent on loyalty to come barging in, and you don’t even want to think of what would become of you. Your heart rattles in your chest as you sit up too, eyes glancing around the room to find your pile of clothes. 

You can hear them mumbling in the main room, Jungkook’s laughter sounding out as he jokes around with his fellow brother. You can only imagine what he’s telling him, maybe explaining why theres a second bike parked next to his, or giving his reason for being shirtless and disheveled at the clubhouse this late in the day. Whatever is going on, you know you shouldn’t wait around to see how it plays out. Being with Jungkook makes reality pause, fade away and leave you to believe that things were meant to be this easy. 

But that's not your reality. 

You knew you wanted this to happen, could still feel the butterflies in your stomach as you remember the way he kissed your skin. But you couldn’t let the line be crossed this far again. You’re not sure karma would be too kind to you the next time. 

As quiet as you can, you slip out of bed, carefully putting your clothes back on and looking at the desk in the corner. Before you overthink it, you grab the pen and notepad he has resting on top of paperwork, scribbling out a quick note before you’re returning to his bedside, yanking up the curtains and wiggling the window open to slip out. 

Back in the main room, Jungkook is sitting on the bar stool, Hoseok resting against the counter as they both joke around. Jungkook is thankful that Hoseok doesn’t seem to ask too many questions, knowing very well that he must have some girl in the room, but he wasn’t nosey enough to want to know who. 

“So you’re not gonna introduce your friend?” he jokes, giving Jungkook a coy smile, enjoying the way his younger friend blushes and shoves his shoulder. 

“No you weirdo, you fucking scared her by showing up like this. Why the hell are you here anyway?”

Hoseok cackles, pushing away from the counter and walking towards the meeting room. “Sorry, I didn't mean to be a cockblock. I forgot to grab some paperwork.” The way he says it makes it seem like it was work documents, contracts that needed to be signed instead of files detailing the amount of guns they’d be receiving in the next drop. He disappears into the room, returning a few moments later with the folder in his hand. “I’ll be out of your hair now.”

And he does just that, waving goodbye and stepping back outside. But as he approaches his bike he realizes the bike he had seen next to Jungkook’s was missing now. 

Jungkook is none the wiser as he walks back to his room, a smile on his face that falls when he doesn’t see you on the bed. The sheets are a mess, your clothes are missing, his curtains are drawn up and his window remains cracked open. He steps closer now, a white sheet of paper catching his attention on his desk. 

Thanks for the tour, I think your room might be my favorite<3 Remember, we take this to our graves. We’ll kiss on it over sour straws soon x

Ps. I’ll see you at the meet, I’ll be the one in the short skirt. 

Maybe it's the sick hopefulness he feels in his chest, but Jungkook can’t help but smile as he thinks this won’t be the last time afterall.

[worldlxvlys]

part 18 dwb!chris fic pleaseee!!!! i have an idea. okay, here it goes: reader is feelings anxious due to family stuff and chris comforts her. i thought this would be great if there are a few text messages and then a fic??? idk tho you do you🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️ ily

texts w/ dealer w benefits! chris (part 18)

chris sturniolo x reader

warnings: this shit is VERY fluffy and mushy y’all, also mentions of reader’s mom treating reader badly

dwb! chris masterlist

a/n: i love youu, hope you like :)

i was listening to constellations while writing this and it made it so much sweeter, so if y’all want to listen while you read the fic part you should <333

knock, knock, knock.

i opened my door, seeing chris standing at my door. he wore a hoodie that said

“I ❤️ MY GIRLFRIEND” across the front .

his face was covered in a wide grin. “hi baby”

“that” i said pointing to his hoodie, “is incredibly corny” i covered my mouth, smiling.

“yup, and i know you love it” i shook my head at him, placing my lips on his.

i went to pull away, but he hooked his finger under my jaw and continued to kiss me.

i kissed him back, trying to control the growing smile on my face.

when we pulled away, i stared at him while continuing to get flustered.

“i love you”

my stomach was in knots, chris never failed to make me nervous.

“ok, come on”

“wait! you never told me where we’re going!” i said, stopping him.

“i’m taking you to this cute little diner i saw. we can get some fries and a milkshake” my jaw was starting to hurt from how much smiling i was doing.

“we can even share one milkshake and drink it with two straws” he said.

“are you feeling ok? you’re acting all mushy and shit”

“yeah, that’s just cause” he pointed to his hoodie “I LOVE MY GIRLFRIEND” he shouted.

“CHRIS!” i yelled at him and laughed “i think the whole neighborhood heard you”

he rubbed my jaw with his thumb and inched his face closer to mine, making our noses touch.

“good” he said before pushing his lips to mine.

————————

going to sleep on the side of the highway tn

i need dealer chris so bad😭

:)

masterlist

tag list: @lovingsturniolo @lustfulslxt @gwenlore @flowerxbunnie @sturnssx @mattslolita @its-jennarose @chanelsturn @sophssturn @bernardsleftbootycheek @queen161718 @chrisdevora @cupidsword @nickmillersn1gf @stramboli4life @mattsneezing @chrisstankyleg @sturniolobltch @vib3swithanuk @ciarasturn1 @bethsturn @bernardenjoyer @mbbsgf @soursturniolo @rac00ns-are-c00l4

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N ::: Literally, I'm not gonna tell you what I was doing when I though of this 🫣. But uh, my god, dude. Stick a fork in me cuz I'm super, super done.

C/W ::: Just like, gross lovey dovey shit. Fingering, teasing, um, I don't even think this has language. So yeah. If you hate romantic stuff, mushy stuff, this is not for you.

WC ::: 646

Song Rec

Kafka laid down to your right, next to you on your bed. He thinks it's a lot like you: Warm, soft, and he never wants to leave.

And for the last 45 minutes, he's been kissing your neck so slowly and gently that you feel like you're either going to cum from the tension that has been racking your body or crawl out of your skin.

His right hand has been drawing tiny circles on your belly. His thumb rubs the parts of you that you wished he'd never notice. Never pay attention to.

Still kissing you, he slips his hand just below the elastic on your probably too-casual-for-the-occasion panties. He just looks down at you, locking eyes, and smiles that loving smile that he gives you when he knows something you're not quite privy to.

Your brows furrow, hips jutting upward as a nearly inaudible whine slips from your throat.

But his superhuman hearing caught that and the way your heartbeat increased dramatically as he sought out your wetness. His fingers danced further down with every intention of filling you. But at the last second, he withdrew his destination.

He put his middle finger into your mouth and tipped his chin up at you, silently reminding you that you know exactly what to do right now.

You obliged and let it slip passed your lips, sucking him in. You swirled your tongue around him, tasting yourself. Eyes rolling uncontrollably at how utterly sexy this man is right now and always.

Kafka had a way of making you feel like you were the only thing he needed in this world. The way his eyes dilated as you sucked on him made you feel like the only thing in his world his sights were set on.

His voice was barely a whisper as he asked, "Is this what you want? Is this what you need?"

He knew the answer already, but he loved hearing you say it. You wanted him. You needed him. You were his. He was yours. And right now, all you could focus on was him making you cum with his fingers, his mouth, his dick, or any combination thereof.

And so, he put his middle finger back in your mouth and took his index finger back down to your pussy. He spread your wetness over your clit. Your breath hitching in your throat as you felt his touch getting heavier.

He pressed down on it with a gentle but firm touch, and you melted into his embrace. The feeling of his hands on your body and his breath on your neck made you feel like you were floating.

Your orgasm was coming on quick. You couldn't help but wrap your arms around him and grip onto him like he was the only thing keeping you tethered to the earth.

With every kiss and stroke, he carried you closer to the edge. Your hips bucked as you felt the pressure building even more inside of you.

Your moans grew louder and louder until finally, you couldn't hold back any longer. You came, cursing any deities that were within range of hearing you. And, finally, a sigh. You were left feeling like your body was going to explode from the sheer pleasure of it all.

Kafka held you through it all, his fingers never leaving your clit, until you'd completely released every ounce of energy he'd made your body stockpile.

He held you close and kissed your forehead gently. "You're so … I love you so much."

You knew he meant it. You knew he loved you more than anything else in this world. You just wished you knew why. Why did he choose you? How did you end up with someone who was so perfect for you?

As he lay next to you, Kafka gently nibbled your earlobe and whispered, "I'm never letting go."

@supersecretsaga @kazutora-kurokawa @katkusuo

@witchy-scribblings (I hope it's ok to tag you?? I figured if you love him as much as I do you want to see everything ever written for him lol. Let me know if you don't want to be tagged and I'll cease and desist! =) )

@darkstarlight82 @arlerts-angel @bakubunny

@viburnt @reiners-milkbiddies @southside-otaku

@trevengersprincess (Sun-Ray? Do you want to be tagged in this stuff? Lmk! =) <3)

[ramblingoak]

Peonies

Mushy May in Lucifer's Hollow: Day 13 - I Just Wanted To Hear Your Voice

Mountain x Rain

This fic is set in an alternate universe in a town called Lucifer's Hollow. It's sort of like a Satanic version of a Hallmark town. For Mushy May I'll be using the prompts to post little snippets of life for the humans and ghouls that live there 💙 Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together!

~ In Lucifer's Hollow Mountain has a little farm and sells flowers at the local farmer's market. Rain meets him there while selling his art. ~

Warnings: none, sfw, 570 words (thank you to @ghuleh-recs for the dividers!)

His phone started ringing as soon as Mountain threw the truck into park.

“Shouldn’t you be schmoozing the crowd right now, duckweed?”  He grabbed his wallet and the flowers before getting out.  The art gallery was across the street and Mountain took a fortifying breath before beginning to cross.  Fancy events weren’t his thing but he’d suffer through anything for Rain.  “You there?”

“Yeah.”  

Mountain frowned at Rain’s voice.  It sounded off, quiet and wavering.

“Everything ok?”  

“Sorry.  I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Hey, you don’t need to apologize for that.”  He paused outside the building, peering into the windows to try and find Rain amongst the crowd inside.  “Did something happen?”

“No, no, everything's ok.  I promise.”  Mountain heard Rain sigh and when he spoke again his voice was barely above a whisper.  “I wish you were here.”

The guilt was immediate, gripping his chest like a living thing.  Mountain had felt terrible about not being able to come with Rain.  The water ghoul had gotten invited to display his work during an art show in a nearby town, his very first art show, but Mountain had needed to stay behind.  Every year Lucifer’s Hollow had a huge community picnic and Mountain made more money that day then he did throughout the whole winter season.  It wasn’t something he could miss.

He had spent his entire day there, selling bouquets and plants nonstop.  Right up until Primo and Sunshine appeared, sending him home to change and get on the road.  Mountain hadn’t wanted to at first, not wanting them to miss out on spending time with their own families but his friends had been insistent.  He raced home to throw on the nicest jeans and flannel he had, quickly clipped some flowers and managed to make it to the art show right before it started.

“Yeah, about that,”  Mountain pulled open the door to the gallery and strode in, his eyes scanning the crowd.  It would probably be easier for Rain to find him amongst everyone.  Even without his horns Mountain was nearly a head taller than anyone else.  He was also sticking out like a sore thumb with how he was dressed but right now all he cared about was finding Rain.  “Where are you?”

“I’m at the gallery.”

“Where in the gallery?  I have a delivery for you.”

“What?”  Mountain grinned when he heard the sound of a metal door creaking open, realizing that Rain had probably been hiding in a bathroom stall.  “What kind of delivery?”

“Quit hiding and you’ll find out.”

Mountain ended the call, shoving his phone into his pocket and then fixing the bouquet up a bit.  He had chosen peonies since they symbolize good luck.  The only ones that were blooming were pink but it was the exact same pink that graced Rain’s cheeks when he made the water ghoul blush so they were perfect.

“Mountain?”  He turned at Rain’s hopeful voice and his arms were immediately full of his boyfriend.  Mountain buried his nose in Rain’s hair, inhaling his scent and then pressing as many kisses he could into the dark blue strands before Rain pulled away.  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too, duckweed.”  Mountain handed Rain his flowers, pleased to see his cheeks brightening.  With his hands free he cradled those same cheeks in them, tilting Rain’s face so he could lean down and kiss him.  “Me too.” 

If you'd like to be added/removed from the tag list (or if I accidentally left your name off) of this fic or any of my others please leave a comment or send me a dm! Thank you 💙

My Masterlist ~ My Archive of our Own ~ My Ko-Fi Tip Jar

More fics in the Tales From Lucifer's Hollow masterpost

[base0h]

idk if you’ve done this before but can you do either zoro or luffy finding out that their s/o is actually alive? like they watched them die and stuff and then a while later, they just come back like

a/n - I woke up at 3am today and I’m very motivated for some reason :) thank you for this request anon!

Warnings ⚠️ - angst, g/n reader

You had died a while ago, and Zoro still hasn’t recovered from it. Your death was… Enough to break the unbreakable man. Everyone in the strawhat crew knew how much you meant to him, he would die for you.

He still had little pictures of you laying around, little things to remember you by. It was sad, feeling how the bed you two shared was now one for only him. How when he trained, you weren’t hanging out with him. You didn’t save him from the pervert cook ever again… Nor did you help him deal with Luffy’s recklessness.

it was so… empty with you not there anymore. As if his life wasn’t complete. He was with his best friends for life, on his way to fulfill his dreams, and help his captain fulfill his. It was everything he could’ve wished for. Except you. You weren’t there anymore.

On the next island, zoro reluctantly came along with Nami and Robin to help with the supplies shopping. They thought it would be good for him to get out of the ship for a little while. He walked, his head hanging low, his hand perched on the hilt of his katana in case anyone dared to attack him.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice, he could’ve sworn it was yours. How could he ever forget it? Your tone that always brought comfort to him, whenever you spoke, it put him at ease, no matter what you were talking about. He looked up to see a hooded figure speaking with a merchant, negotiating a price.

His body moved for him, walking towards the person quickly, taking off their hood and staring at them to see if it was you or not.

It wasn’t.

“What the hell man?! What’s your problem?!” The man yelled at him angrily, swatting his hands away. Zoro sighed heavily, great, now he was hearing things.

“Zoro?!”

He looked up at the merchant. No fucking way. It was you.

He literally jumped over the stands of fruit and tackled you, wrapping his bulky arms around you so tightly you couldn’t even breathe. No, what are you thinking? He totally wasn’t crying!

“Y/n- where the hell were you? And how did you survive? I saw you-“

“Die? Yeah nope that didn’t happen. I’ve been waiting here for a while since I know you guys had planned on coming here.”

“You could’ve sent a letter dammit! And there’s things called den den mushis where a literal fucking snail can call me?!!”

He was mad, happy, sad, confused, but most of all? Relieved, to see you alive, safe, and in his arms again. “Sorry Zoro- but I’m too broke to afford one! I can barely pay for an apple in this expensive town!”

He chuckled a bit, kissing your cheek before leading you out of the stand. “Ahem?! My fruit?!” The hooded man asked before Zoro shot him the nastiest death glare he’d ever experienced. Anddd- that shut him up pretty quickly, sending him running away with fear.

“Come on, I bet everyone’s going to be excited to see you again.. don’t ever do that again or else I’m going to kill you.”

“Ok ok- sorry babe.”

Luffy was never- truly the same after your passing. Watching you take that hit for him as you fell off the cliffs into the steep waterfalls. God he remembered it as if it was yesterday, it kept haunting him, following him, stalking his life.

He still smiled, had his rambunctious attitude, reckless behavior, and meat loving self. But whenever your name was brought up, he wasn’t smiling anymore, in fact, he never could find happiness in hearing about you anymore.

All he could think about was how he let you die. Just like he did with ace. Everyone knew, everyone saw the changes from his old self. They hoped that this new island would help cheer him up, since it had been known for its very delicious meat.

He obviously tagged along with Robin and Sanji to pick out the “best” meat. When he was standing around, struggling not to eat it before Sanji even got a change to cook it, he saw a glimpse of someone he used to know. They looked- just like you!

It took him not even a moment to start running towards the person, turning them around to see that it… it was you!

“Y/N!”

He tackled you down, his arms wrapping several times around you, his face nuzzling into the crook of your neck. “LUFFY!”

Oh god you missed him so much- just to be able to hug him like this again was more than enough to bring life back into your heart again. “How are you here?! I thought you- fell off the cliffs?”

“I did, and Luffy. It wasn’t your fault ok? I’ve been wanting to tell you that for so long. Don’t blame yourself, I was the one that was too angry, and just attacked with no plan. I was the one that got myself almost killed ok? Not you.”

You kissed his forehead, you definitely knew Luffy had been blaming himself this entire time for your “death”. He grinned, peppering your face with his kisses, tickling your cheeks. “Sanji picked out some yummy meat, tonight we’re gonna have a feast!!!”

You smiled at him. Finally, you were home.

a/n - this was adorable help

[gravehags]

unraveling a stitch

Pairing: Cardinal Copia x f!Reader (Curator!Reader)

Rating: Teen

Tags: mushy gushy feelings, first meetings, Imperator serving cunt, reader thinks she's going to be murdered, ministry backstory

Words: 1,981

Summary: This is the weirdest job interview you've ever had.

a/n: ok this ended up being like 1,500 words of conversation between reader and Sister Imperator but one thing about me is I'm a bitch who loves backstory so

divider by @gothdaddyissues!

To say you are nervous would be putting it extremely fucking lightly.

You’re sitting in the back of a car - a very nice car at that - and being driven out to somewhere in the middle of the countryside. Idly, you hope that Sister Imperator isn’t actually some kind of serial killer. She seemed nice enough on the…what was the system they used? Doom call? The preliminary interview went well, you thought. You had managed to succinctly answer all of the questions the older woman had thrown your way, surprising even yourself with the calmness in your voice. So impressed was she by you that she asked you fly out - fucking fly out - to visit her at what she deemed “The Abbey.” When she emailed you a ticket confirmation later that night, you were stunned.

And now, here you are.

You had left the airport about an hour ago, meeting up with the large man who stood stoically in the arrivals area with a small sign bearing your name. The driver has remained silent the entire drive, but every once in a while you catch him glancing at you in the rearview mirror. When you crest a hill and descend into a forested valley you gasp audibly at the sight. A vast collection of stone structures - probably the size of a university - sit within the trees. You gaze out the window with your jaw dropped as you drive through a multitude of well-manicured lawns and gardens towards an enormous gate, which opens as the car approaches. The driver pulls in and continues down a long driveway up to a large wooden door.

Oh shit, you think, this is happening.

Panicked, you adjust your hair and straighten your skirt before clambering out of the car. You turn to thank the driver but he’s already gone. Weird.

“Welcome,” a warm female voice says from behind you. The woman from your interview, Sister Imperator, stands in the doorway and for the first time you’re finally able to get a good look at her. She’s a handsome woman, her grey hair in a neat bun, wearing a suit. Very prim and proper, you think, until your gaze turns downwards and you see the electric red stilettos on her feet.

Oh work, grandma.

You smile and look back up at her, meeting her incisive gaze. You can imagine what she was like in her youth - hell maybe what she’s like now - and the men she’s cut down to size.

“Hello, Sister,” you say, extending your hand for her, which she takes in both of hers. “Thank you for having me.”

She steps sideways and gestures for you to enter the impressive stone building. When you walk in your jaw drops at the gorgeous stained glass that illuminates the space with bouncing colors. 

“Wow,” you say, slowly turning in a circle to drink everything in.

“I’m pleased you like it,” she says with a small smile, guiding you down the hall, “I’m sure you’ll enjoy many things the Abbey has to offer.”

The walk to her office is quiet, punctuated by the crisp snap of her heels on the marble floor. Your little black heeled witch boots, which you had thought were quite chic, pale in comparison. After climbing a flight of stairs you reach a solid door at the end of a hallway, which she opens for you. The room inside is equally as impressive as the rest of the Abbey, with high ceilings and large windows that look upon a green little courtyard. She takes a seat behind the large desk and gestures for you to take yours, which you do with some anxiety.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” you say, fingers tangling in your lap.

She smiles again. “Of course, dear. I will be blunt with you, I may have misled you regarding this interview and indeed…about this job.”

Your own smile slowly drops, as does your stomach.

“What,” you begin nervously, eyes darting around the room, “what do you mean by that?”

Shit, shit, shit. You really were fucking stupid, just agreeing to come out here to the middle of nowhere to meet a woman you’ve met once over the fucking internet. Your mind reels back to the serial killer thought you had earlier and you’re convinced you’re going to die here and this woman is going to bury you under a topiary.

She must see the panic in your eyes because she holds up her hands in an assuaging gesture. “You’re perfectly safe, I apologize for my ominous wording. What I mean to say is the nature of this collection is quite…sensitive. As is our organization who holds it.”

Your shoulders drop from their tense fight-or-flight position and you sigh. You feel silly as you clear your throat.

“Er…what exactly is this organization? You call it the Abbey and you carry the title of Sister…is this some sort of religious institution?”

“Yes,” she begins slowly, eyeing you cautiously, “ah, if I may ask…do you hold any religious beliefs? I apologize for the intrusive nature of this question but it is relevant.”

“Oh, um. I don’t,” you say, slightly hushed, “I’m sorry, I’m not Catholic or a believer of…well anything really.”

You’re taken aback when she sighs in relief.

“Oh good,” she says, steepling her fingers. Good?

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” you say after a beat, confused. “You want someone who isn’t religious to care for your collection?”

“Let’s just say we want someone more ah…open minded.”

You’re growing frustrated with the way she’s dancing around the truth and you frown.

“Sister Imperator, I don’t mean to be blunt but can you please just tell me what it is you do here?”

Her lip curls into a wry half-smile, clearly pleasantly surprised by your directness.

“The Ministry,” she begins, “represents those devoted to the cult of the Olde One. We are as old an institution as the Catholic Church yet far more…subtle in our ways. Out of necessity, you understand.”

Your jaw drops a little.

“You’re Satanists?” It’s more of a statement than a question and she’s pleased you’ve put two and two together.

“Indeed. We’re a small but mighty group that is spread throughout the world. This location,” she gestures to the walls around her, “is like our Vatican. Our collection here is that of Satanic art throughout history and requires someone with a special understanding of our church but most of all a level of education and expertise that many here lack.”

You’re stunned. You had no idea these people existed beyond individual belief systems and teenagers rebelling against their parents.

“If this is your Vatican,” you begin slowly, “does that mean you have a pope?”

Sister Imperator lets out a dry little laugh.

“All in good time, my dear. But first I must tell you, this ‘interview’ is entirely a formality. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve had the job since we ended that call.”

Your shock and wonder rapidly turns into joy as a grin splits your features. You fucking did it.

“Oh my God,” you blurt out, “wait, sorry. Is that offensive?”

When the sister snorts out a far more genuine laugh this time, you beam at her.

“Does this mean you accept the position?”

“Yes,” you say a little too quickly. The opportunity to work with an art collection held by fucking Satanists has you spinning. “Absolutely.”

“Wonderful,” she says, clapping her hands together and standing. “We’ll sort out the details of your employment and your move to the Abbey later but for now there is someone I would like you to meet.”

You dutifully follow her out of her office, practically floating as she leads you down the hall and down the stairs. You exit onto an open-air cloister and you encounter the first people other than the sister and the driver you’ve seen here. People of all genders in black habits of all styles - some very racy, you notice with a blush - congregate and walk down the halls. Sister Imperator leads you through and you notice the way they shy away from her in either deference or fear. It’s hard to say which.

She stops at a closed door and waves a hand towards it.

“This will be your office,” she says lightly, “it once belonged to our dear departed Cardinal von Shreck who was previously in charge of our collection. His work, however, fell to the wayside in recent years with his declining health. You will be inheriting quite a mess of paperwork from him, I’m afraid.”

You shrug.

“I’ve had worse,” you respond and Imperator continues down the hall and makes a left. The Abbey is massive, you think, much larger than you previously thought. Once again she stops at a door and gives you a brief smile before knocking.

“Entrare!” comes a muffled voice, and she pushes the door open.

The room is cozy but beautiful, filled with books and papers. But that’s not what draws your eye.

Making his way towards you and the sister from behind the desk is a man. He wears a vivid red cassock with an unusual bejeweled symbol you make a note to ask Sister Imperator about later. On his head is an angular hat and you smile at how it looks like he’s wearing horns. He’s not tall, but he still makes for a surprisingly commanding presence when he moves before you. Now that he’s closer you can better see the rest of him - his startling mismatched eyes surrounded by black paint, his swept back brown hair littered with silver, the pristine sideburns, his large, straight nose and the neat little mustache underneath it. Everything about him is charming, you think. Even dashing.

And then you realize you’re staring.

Imperator notices and gives you a peculiar look.

“This is Cardinal Copia,” she finally announces, “you will be consulting with him as you work with our collection.”

Cardinal, you think. Wow.

“Your Eminence,” you say, extending your hand. Sister Imperator smirks at the title and Copia blushes. Not missing a beat, he takes your bare hand in one of his gloved ones and lifts it to his mouth to place a slightly damp kiss on the back. His black lipstick leaves a little mark on you and you feel a flutter in your belly.

“No ‘Eminence’, signorina,” he finally speaks, his voice filled with nervous energy, “Simply Copia.”

You beam at him, you can’t help yourself, there's just something about him that makes you feel warm and mushy inside. He’s barely spoken half a dozen words and already you know that there’s something special about this man.

“Poor von Shreck,” Copia says, wringing his hands, “we lament his loss, but I am glad to see that Sister has found such an excellent replacement. And such a lovely one at that.”

He looks stricken with fear as soon as the words leave his mouth and you flush from head to toe.

“I’ve heard he’s left behind quite a bit of work, but I’m sure I’ll be able to tackle it, especially with your help.” Your smile is encouraging and he seems to relax a little under your kind gaze.

“Indeed. I am at your service, signorina,” he says with a little bow that makes you giggle. Clearly having reached her limit of the two of you interacting, Imperator places a hand on your shoulder to guide you out.

“I’ll see you soon, Cardinal,” you say with a little wave as the sister steers you out of his office. He gives a little wave back and you find that after the door shuts you miss his presence already. Imperator eyes the goofy smile on your face shrewdly before starting back down the hallway to her office. You follow, feeling as if butterflies are ricocheting off the inside of your stomach.

Cardinal Copia, you think. What a lovely man.

[metaltea]

(Thanks again Tea for giving me permission to send this over! Wasn't too sure at first, but I decided to go ahead and just do it lmao,,)

This is a gift for Tea for being such an amazing friend! You've had such a rough year, but you were able to push through and I couldn't be more than happy!! I'm hoping 2024 will be easier on you, but if not, know that me and so many other people will be here for you <3

Now, no more mushy-gushy stuff behold!!! horni!!!

OK I realized I can't put this under a readmore since it's an ask lol so taggin is gonna have to do, that is what the blacklist is for after all~ If ppl who don't wanna see stuff like this see it bc they couldn't be bothered to blacklist these tags then that's on them

It is BEAUTIFUL!! Thank you so much again :DDDD You have such a fun style, I love how their grins curl up like a tim burton character and ofc all the lil details with the wrinkles and bows and such. You're a great artist! :D ❤️❤️❤️

2023 sucked ass BUT this fandom and all you lovely creative ppl made it so much more bearable. May this coming year be kinder to us all ❤️

[deanwax]

Writing Whispers

Cheers for the tag, @mrbexwrites!

Rules: Find a few paragraphs of writing from as long ago as you can. Re-write them how you would now.

Gonna do a mostly open tag for this, but I also poke @dyrewrites as this could be a fun activity.

Wailing is a WIP that started in 2012. It's devoid of hope so I'll never finish it, and it's posted on an old AFF.org account that I lost the password to so it can stay there for all I care. Let's do the first 3 paragraphs.

Original chunk

My name is Mikey Rose Smith. Well, not Smith. I’d like it to be, because then I could sign my name M.R. Smith on each and every school report and imagine the R. stands for Robert. But that would be trying a little too hard. My surname is Lamont, not that it matters. Where I like to go, surnames don’t matter; sometimes not even first names. I could have made an edgy nickname for myself, like the countless Xaviers and Ravens you meet on the street. But I didn’t, because Alistair Wright didn’t. He uses his own name, his whole name, and that’s just how cool he is. Everyone knows who Alistair is, and by proxy they know who I am. Because he and I are really close.  Not that we’re dating. Alistair doesn’t do mushy stuff like that. We’ve made out a lot, I’ve even sucked him off, but that’s a totally normal thing in our group. It’s cool to be fluid, it’s cool to make out and fool around and swap sex for cigarettes or whatever. It’s all part of a bigger picture of decay; Alistair is usually talking about something like that. I’ll admit that usually I’m too buzzed or stoned to listen properly, but when I do; man, his words are like poetry. I could listen to him for hours, staring at a bedroom ceiling through a haze of spliff smoke backed by the crooning of The Cure. But certainly not out here in the shitty ‘burbs, with white picket fences and snotty little kids with white picket faces making a racket in the streets. The only person even remotely interesting is that weird gangly creep ‘Flicker’ Prescott and that’s only because he has some sort of dress sense apart from being a complete loser. His name is Adam, by the way. I can’t remember when he picked out his stupid nickname. At least it’s not Raven.

Notes

I still dig the "partially speaking to the reader vibe"" but Mikey's characterisation is off. He does OK in school but he's not a nerd, so terms like 'by proxy' don't belong in his inner monologue.

His feelings towards Flicker are also off. I can see what I was doing, I wanted to obscure the truth from the reader because it's revealed in a later chapter from Flicker's perspective that Mikey is trans and Flicker is the only one who knows about it, so he's a threat to Mikey's identity. Still, to treat him as a total stranger instead of an awkwardly-still-around childhood friend is a smidge too aggressive.

I refuse to remove "white picket faces".

Chunk rewritten

My name is Mikey Rose Smith. Well, not Smith. I’d like it to be, because then I could sign my name M.R. Smith on all my notebooks and imagine the R. stands for Robert. But that would be trying a little too hard. My surname is actually Lamont, if you care. Where I go, names hardly matter; I've swapped spit with total strangers. I guess I could have picked some cool handle for myself, like the countless Xaviers and Ravens you meet on the street. But I didn’t, because Alistair Wright didn’t. He uses his own name, his whole name, and that’s just how cool he is. Everyone knows who Alistair is, and that means they know who I am. Because he and I are really close.  Not that we’re dating. Alistair doesn’t do mushy stuff like that. We’ve made out a lot (I’ve even sucked him off) but that’s not a big deal. Totally normal. Our group is fluid, cool; we make out for fun and swap sex for cigarettes. Alistair says it’s all part of a bigger picture; something about 'decay' or whatever. I’m usually too buzzed or stoned to listen properly, but when I do; man, his words are like poetry. I could listen to him for hours, staring the ceiling through a haze of spliff smoke while The Cure croons from an old CD player. But not out here in the shitty ‘burbs, with white picket fences and snot-nosed kids with white picket faces infesting every lawn. The only person even remotely interesting is ‘Flicker’ Prescott, and that’s only because he has some dress sense. He got hired at the library over me, and when I see a new outfit wasted on his weird, gangly body, I still get sore about it. Mother dearest will buy black lace but she won't cough up for red tartan and zippers. His real name is Adam, by the way. I can’t remember when he picked out his stupid nickname. At least it wasn't Raven.

[njmweb]

this is going to be super corny ok !

@heartjnh - (maybe you'll see this maybe not) god where do i even start . you are quite literally the best thing that happened to me and i cannot stress enough on that . i was acc so happy when we could finally talk yesterday n ive been thinking of our conversation still . you're so cute adorable amazing n everything n you're always there to support me no matter what n i feel so happy knowing that i have you , really . we've known each other for a while now n i often still read our texts from when we first talked . you're all i asked for n youre js so perfect . from our stupid inside jokes to js being an amazing person i can rely on , you're everything . i hate being mushy but i genuinely love making things for you . i love writing poems for you , i love drawing you n me , i love sending you big ass messages on how much i love you , i love getting into media you like js so i can go crazy over it w you (i started w little women for you. Btw) , i love sending you pretty pictures , i love seeing cute things in red cuz they're your favourite colour . this is getting super long but im genuinely over the moon for you n i really really really dont know what I'd do without you . you have the most special place in my heart n trust me when i say no one has even come close to being as special as you are . I love you .

(happy 669 days .. LMFA)

to the sweetest angel, my baby, the jark to my jarchan 💞

@y-vna - OOOHHH MY GOOOOOD I LOVE TALKING WITH YOU you literally make my day 1000000 times better ISTG YOU'RE THE SWEETEST PERSON EVER . reading your message made me tear up n im acc so glad we met even though i dont even know what i did to deserve you like ☹️☹️ i will remember you forever . plz dont stop sending messages like these i genuinely cherish them . so much you're one of the biggest reasons i open tumblr everyday im not even kidding . every interaction between us makes me smile sm n i always get feel so happy everytime you tag me 💓💓💓 im so happy im a person you can come to for help . i hope we continue to get to know each other better ^__^ i love you sosoosos much i cant even put it into words Ookk <33333 /p

@pupicito - LITERALLY MIY FAVOURITE PERSON ON THIS APP EVER . I loveeee talking to you smmmmm n you're so nice you always tag me in silly events in which we can participate together which means sososo much to me 💞 you never fail to make me laugh n i love getting texts from u !!!!! i hope we get to talk more n be silly when we're both not so busy i loev you !!! /p the best carat on this app !!!!!! you've been here since my tzugore era n i appreciate you supporting me up to this point <33333

@silvrrz - i dont even know how we met but like ??? you're one of my fav people ever and i love waking up every day knowing i get to see n be silly w you . i have one of theee best memories ever with you and i would kill to experience them for the first time again . n the way you dont even like skinship but you willingly let me hug and cry into your shoulder on our sports meet says sm abt you . i love every minute of our time together n i love going out to diff places n window shopping w you its genuinely my fav thing ever !!!! after all of our exams are done i hope u me isa n elili can hang out together again <3

@jdopes-recorder - you're a little too obsessed with me but ok 😒 i hope we stay friends for a really long time though ! im so glad you feel comfortable enough to open up to me n im so glad i could be of some help . i love spending time together n we definitely havent spent enough 👎🏼👎🏼 you're also one of my fav ppl ever n even though you barely talk to me i still like getting texts n voice mails from you i Guess . thank you for being the loveliest wife 🎀 (although a shitty co parent ....) n i hope we still can talk frequently in college bc if not i will show up in your house bc of how much ill miss you (although ill never admit that.)

being madly in love with someone platonically is so ridiculous. hey man i think about you all the time. i wish you were here right now. talking to you makes me indescribably happy. i miss you. honestly what the hell

[beardyboyzx]

Hi. I love your writing and I’m so excited for your new fic! It sounds amazing. I want to thank you for something in advance of reading it and I really hope this comes across ok. I saw you tagged “open ending” and then put “it kinda ends on a cliffhanger.” And I saw that it’s the first in a series. Thank you SO much for mentioning the ending is at least somewhat a cliffhanger. I love your fics, but I really struggle when something ends on a cliffhanger. I don’t know if it’s from my autism or not, but when there’s a cliffhanger, I just feel so unsettled and fixate on it, and it takes away the joy I get from reading and instead becomes kinda miserable. I’ve subscribed to the series so whenever another part comes out, I’ll know right away and I know I’ll love binging it then! Again, I really really hope this doesn’t come across as anything other than a compliment and a big thank you. That tag is a really kind and thoughtful thing for someone like me. ❤️

Hi, nonnie! I can finally reply to you now that my brain isn't mushy anymore!

I'm glad you enjoy my writing and that you're excited about my big bang fic!

You don't have to thank me for having tagged it for what it was, really! I was hoping it would be helpful for people who don't like open endings/cliffhangers (because I don't like them either, ngl 😅), especially since it was kind of a forced decision, because I really didn't want to drop out of the fest!

Your point came across pretty well, so don't worry about it! ❤️

I think I will post the second part either by the end of the year or the start of the next, so I really hope you'll enjoy the series once you will read it!

Thank you again for this lovely message <3

[peachy-wolfhard]

He's an asshole but he's MY asshole (IV)

A/N: still can’t believe how many people love this series, thank u sm :,). u alr know dialogue is from the episodes

Taglist at the bottom, feel free to ask to be tagged in upcoming parts!

Warnings: reader is described as a bitch bc same, swearing like normal, comic book references, body gore? (Grace loses her eye), drinking, talks of sex, mentions of tentacle sex bc im a degenerate, reader gets burned (not severely), knocked unconscious

Word Count: 3.3k

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7

ok but does anyone know what song plays at the end of episode 7? ive been looking for it but still cant find it

     Luther doesn't keep to his promise and lets you wander about the hotel. No big deal though you’d rather be on your own than have to listen to Sloane and Luther talk all mushy to each other. Finding an unlocked room you start to see if you can find anything else to wear. Unable to find anything, you spot the housecleaning and start walking over, hoping that they can point you in the exit direction. Upon closer inspection, you realize that it's the weird guy, who you now know is Klaus, and the small pyromaniac child. Turning away as soon as possible you blindly walk until you find the balcony. You sit on the pool table, looking towards the foyer where Jayme and Alphonso’s bodies were still laid out, for all to see. Soon the others start to arrive, Sloane, standing next to you while Allison, Diego, and Viktor are in front of you and Luther in the middle mediating. “We use Sloane and y/n as an olive branch,” Luther explains. “We let them go as a gesture of peace, along with the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso.” “Once we’re back with our family we can-” “We?” you interrupt just wanting to go home. “Fine, I can convince them the old guy had nothing to do with you and get them to stand down,” she continues. 

     Tuning out the ensuing argument you turn to Sloane. “I hope that you know that I'm not going along with this, I just want to go home and get Jayme and Alphonso home,” you whisper almost to the point of tears. “I know, I know,” she says rubbing your arm. Typically you wouldn't allow yourself to be this vulnerable around people but especially the ‘enemy.’ You want to be home, in your husband’s arms, mourning your siblings, not arranging a peace treaty. Luther and Diego continue arguing, about some prince or king before Sloane steps in and tells Allison to rumor her to prove that she isn't hiding anything. “Do whatever you wanna do, Luther. That’s on you. I’ve got bigger shit to deal with,” Allison hisses before walking away Diego follows. 

     In the car, Viktor starts to talk to you, “I’m sorry about them,” he whispers leaning towards you so that Sloane and Luther don't hear. Ignoring him you look out the window. It was always so pretty at night, that’s why all your dates with Ben were at night and the fact that before him you were primarily nocturnal. “So you and Ben huh?” he says smiling, you have to admit he does have a kind smile, one that feels warm and inviting. Turning towards him you say “Yes, we’ve been together for some time now,” cracking a small smile but still keeping your stone-cold poker face. “Oh yeah it’s like y/n was always been at the academy,” Sloane smiles. “You should've seen them when they were teenagers oh god he would follow them around like a lost puppy,” Sloane laughs, embarrassing you in the process. “So…I’ve been meaning to ask this.” you start cautiously. “What was I like? Like what was your y/n like?” Luther and Viktor become visibly uncomfortable with your question but answer still. “So um, you were nice and kind but also kind of a-” “Bitch, like as bitchy a person can be,” Viktor interrupts Luther. “Good fighter, too. Kind of brutal but that goes without saying,” Luther laughs, managing to make you smile at that before turning back to the window.

     Standing around the car you wait for your family to come get you. You stand with Viktor leaning up against the car. Finally, they're here, leaning off the car as Ben steps out of the car. Running towards him you jump into his arms as he embraces you as tightly as possible. Luther puts Jayme and Alphonso in the back. “Well, this is it. This puts an end to it,” Viktor says tiredly. “No. We want the old man too,” Ben sharply says causing Fei to ask what he’s doing. “You wanted a plan. Here it is,” Ben replies. “It’s a stupid plan!” Fei whisper shouting at Ben. Viktor reminds Ben that he isn't a part of the plan. Sloane steps in and tells him that the family had nothing to do with the attacks but Ben doesn't stop stating that since he has nothing to do with them they won't mind finding him and handing him over. “Bring us the man that killed our siblings, and this will all be over.”

     Being home was the best thing ever. As soon as the car stopped in the driveway you were rushing inside, just wanting to be in bed. After changing and getting nestled under the covers, Ben comes in and quickly changes. Crawling into bed he pulls you close, so close that if he pulled you any closer you would merge into one. Peacefully drifting off to sleep like the past two days haven't existed, as if it was just an average day.

     Waking up you see your husband still peacefully asleep. Looking toward the clock you see it's 7:25 in the morning. Deciding that it's an appropriate time to get out of bed and start the day, you pry yourself from your lover’s arms and get dressed. Nothing of note happened at breakfast, everyone was silent just wanting to leave and mourn alone. Retreating to the living room, deciding that the best way to work through your emotions was by painting. “People from all over the world are disappearing now,” you hear Fei say. Sighing you stand and start cleaning up your area, picking up the discarded paper towels and your mason jar of paint water that Ben once drank as a dare. “We need to work together with the umbrellas,” Fei tells Ben. “The man who killed our siblings is an outsider. Neither Sparrow nor Umbrella. He needs to be dealt with before we can merge the families,” “And if they refuse? How do we save the world?”

     In the basement standing before…God; Ben asks Grace for her right eye stating that if we’re going to beat it, we first need to understand what it is. Taking her eye, he put it into… it? God? Whatever it is. As soon as her eye is in it, energy soon starts pulsating out of it; a shockwave is sent out that pushes you all back a bit. Grabbing Grace you hold on for dear life along with Fei and Ben. Struggling to keep a hold on Grace, you brace yourself holding around her waist with your feet planted, one bent and one outstretched. Suddenly her eye cable flies back, eye eyeball not attached. “God has a million eyes, each one falling into themselves,” Grace says cryptically. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ben questions. Christopher then tells Ben that what she saw could be a black hole or multiple. Ben shuts him down quickly, remarking that he's surrounded by morons, which earns him a smack on the arm from you. 

     “What if what Grace is describing is a black hole collapsing in on itself?” Fei asks, willing to what Chris out. The black hole starts pulsing energy again, “God is angry with us,” Grace yet again cryptically says. “We are wasting precious time. This is bigger than just us. We need help,” Fei pleads with Ben. “Harlan first, then we can kill whatever the hell this is.” Walking out of the basement scared your mind starts to race again. What if we cant do it? Even with the hellish in-laws alongside us, can we do it? I mean we’ve faced off with some vicious foes in our life but a black hole? Pulling you from your endless spiral of dread and fear, Ben places his hand on your waist. Looking up he gives you a small smile, already knowing your mind is wandering. “Listen babe, we got this remember The Conductor? Dr. Terminal? We kicked those guys six feet under, we got this. Plus we’re gonna have us five and six other superpowered people. Don't worry,” Ben says managing to lift your spirits slightly.

          “Oh my fucking god,” Ben says while tossing and turning. “Can they just shut up? She dares to be annoyed with us when the entire block knows what they’re doing?” Ben continues to complain. “I feel sorry for Fei,” you snort, turning and facing the wall. “Squeakiest bed in the fucking world,” he says while turning to lay with you.

     Walking down to the living room you see Luther and Sloane sitting on the couch, right never to next other as if they're joined at the hip… or Luther’s hip and Sloane’s ribs. “For all, I know y/n could jump up from behind that couch and stab me to death,” “I'd never let them lay a finger on you.” Oka,y kind of gross but still kind of cute. “Good morning to you too?” you say chuckling. “I’m honored that you think I’d do that.” Turning towards you Luther starts to speak, “Oh, good morning y/n. Uh how did you sleep?” he asks nicely. God stupid people are so fun to be around. “Well if you must know not good. Sloane, your bed sounds like a bunch of mice being crushed,” you say half-joking and half-serious. “Oh okay I’d rather not hear you say anything about noises, the shit that I’ve heard is awful,” she laughs as she leans over to whisper something to him. “Tentacles w-” “And I'm done with that conversation,” you say walking and turning one of the chairs around the fireplace to face forwards and sitting down. 

     “Give us a minute,” Ben says making you and Sloane walk out and act as if you left to your rooms. After some time, Grace comes into the room with a Sparrow academy box. Peeking into the room you watch Luther open the box; Sloane walks into the room in disbelief that Ben would let him join you. Joining your family you welcome him to the team with a small smile before being whisked away with Ben. “So, Luther’s with us now. What’s the plan when that goes to shit?” you joke. “It's a secret,” Ben smiles. “A secret? From your spouse?” you say with a faux offense as you continue down the hall to the training room. A few hours later here you and the entirety of your family are, waiting for Allison to bring Harlan. Seeing her pull up, she gets out of the car and opens the trunk. Ben and Fei go to make sure it's him. “You got what you wanted. This is done,” she says as Ben nods to Reginald before seeing Luther in his Sparrow jacket and walking in.

     Ben soon calls a family meeting; both families. “So, uh… this is kinda nice, right?” Luther awkwardly starts. “All of us here together. One big happy family.” Oh, I fucking wish that’s what we are. “Look I know there's bad blood between us. Whatever. Bygones, right?” Ben says making you smile, even when he's being an ass he still manages to make you smile. “Question?” Ben asks Diego who shot his missing finger hand up. “Yeah, if I kill you two, do we get our Ben and y/n back?” Diego genuinely asks making your eyes go wide and Fei snickers. Ben throws threats toward Diego before Viktor comes in asking where Harlan went. Viktor rightfully asks what you did to him but Allison says that she did something to him, stating that she killed him. Anticipating a fight you walk towards Ben who read your mind and grabbed you and the cheeseballs and sat down next to Five, pulling you into his lap. 

     “20 bucks on the little one,” Ben bets with Five, taking his action, munching on the cheesballs as Viktor and Allison argue. Finding out that Harlan didn't just kill your siblings but the Umbrella’s mothers (effectively causing a paradox where they don't exist) you start paying more attention to the fight. “This wasn't about saving the world. This was about hurting me. Payback for--” “Go on,” Allison interrupts while starting to stand. Luther tries to intervene before Allison gestures him away. Allison and Viktor continue arguing, making you worry for Allison. She continues arguing, bringing up many personal experiences of people trying to fix Viktor’s problem and not even acknowledging her’s. Five tells Allison to take it easy as Ben slightly pushes him back in his seat. Viktor tries to speak but is shut up when Allison screams for him to, causing his mouth to close and choke for air. “We should've left you in the basement,” She says causing every one of the Umbrella’s to stand “Whoa! Allison, all right!” Diego yells at her while standing. After catching his breath Viktor backhands Allison earning a face from Fei and a gasp from you. “Sweet. You guys fight just like us,” Ben tells Diego who replies that they don't fight like that. Continuing with the family meeting without Viktor, who had rushed upstairs.

     After the meeting, you showed the Umbrella’s (what you now know is) the Kugelblitz. “Oh cool it's German,” you say trying so desperately to lighten the mood. That's what you did during your family’s fights, lighten the mood and be the mediator. You always joked that maybe your true power was settling sibling disputes. Five and Sloane start talking about science stuff; you were always more of a chemist than a physicist. “I'm in,” Five says impressed with Sloane’s data. “We don’t need you,” you say causing Allison to say “Excuse you?” Fei explains that we need Lila, Christopher, Sloane, and--“Viktor,” Allison interrupts. Before the others do their thing with the Kugelblitz, you have some time before. Walking with Ben upstairs to get his jacket, stopping before you get to the door to wait. After some time Ben comes out and tells you that Viktor was in there getting his emo all over your sheets. “Okay, Mr. has every Fall Out Boy album on vinyl,”

     “Okay, how do we start?” Viktor asks Sloane. “Have you ever moved a nest of bees?”Sloane asks the group. “No, because that’s weird.” Lila returns. “You can't just pick it up. You have to keep the nest calm while you build a box around it, and then you trap it.” After Sloane explains she starts levitating; Fei warns Viktor that one of the black holes is vibrating at a different rate from the others and that he shouldn't let them speed up or change. Taking her advice, he encompasses the Kugelblitz. Fei tells Lila that whenever she’s ready she needs to do exactly as Viktor does. Sloane uses the Kugelblitz’s gravity to condense it. “You didn't tell me you were building a prison for God,” Grace says, walking down the stairs holding something. “You have no right to do that,” she says menacingly. “We’re a little busy here, Grace,” Luther shouts hoping to make Grace turn back. You turn and start paying more attention to Grace than whatever cool shit your siblings were doing. “The day of vengeance was in my heart…” Grace says as you walk behind Diego. Soon almost everyone is looking at her, dressed in a nun costume. “What do you mean by that?” You ask Grace, just wishing she’d go back to making her bombass cookies. “...and my year of redemption hath come,” she finishes before firing a flamethrower. “Shit!” Diego ducks left, grabbing your arm and pulling you down with him.

     Grace continues firing the flamethrower as the others try and eliminate the Kugelblitz. Diego leaves your hiding spot to reason with Grace saying “Don't make us hurt you.” Grace repeats the quote she said before. Getting up before Grace starts firing again you pull Diego back to your spot, managing to burn your arm in the process. Yelling out in pain, Diego wraps your wound in some loose cloth he found. “I’ll be fine, it’ll heal real fast, don’t worry about me,” you protest, out of breath from the pain and close to tears. “Hell no.” he says sharply “I’m not losing you again,” he quietly says. Soon Five teleports Grace out of the basement. Peeking around the corner you see Christopher come apart and start to close around the Kugelblitz. Standing around you watch them as they successfully shrink the Kugelblitz; Chris absorbing it in his cubed body. “Did it work?” Five says, back from what you presume was killing Grace. “Next Kugelwave in three, two…one,” Sloane counts. When the next wave is supposed to happen, Chris instead farts. Causing everyone to sigh in relief.

     Upstairs a party commences; full of dancing and lots of alcohol. Ben opens a bottle and starts to drink, handing the bottle over to you which you eagerly accept. It's been a long and rough couple of days. After dancing around you remember your burn. Taking the cloth off you see it has completely healed. “Whoa, so-so you're like Klaus,” Diego comments, flopping next to you, staring and touching your arm. Diego continues talking wanting to learn more about your regenerative abilities, “Damn so, like, hypothetically, if you got staked would you come back?” he asks making you scoot further away in a joking manner. “Um, probably not, cause like, when you get staked that means your dead, like really dead,” you try and explain. “Huh, cool,” he says before getting up and walking away. God, they're so much weirder than us before getting up and continuing to party, Ben eagerly waiting to dance with you.

     Sitting around the fireplace, continuing to drink with Chris, Ben and Fei. “I’m glad we made peace. It all worked out, “ Ben says to Fei while pouring more into her glass. “Yeah. but we’re definitely killing them in the morning, right?” “I have dibs on knife boy,” Chris jokes. “No one is killing anyone.” “why not? We followed your plan, merged the families, saved the world--” “Universe actually,” you interject causing Fei to make a choking gesture to you. “We don't need them anymore,” Fei finishes. “I'm not done with them yet,” “Done what?” Fei asks. “That's between me and Dad,” Ben concludes. “You made a deal with Dad?” Fei asks annoyed that he would do something stupid like that. “I may have,” Ben answers much to Fei’s displeasure. “Fine. I’m done--” “Sit back down,” “No, we don't recognize your authority. You’re a terrible leader with no loyalty to anyone but yourself,” Fei responds standing up to Ben yet again. “You don't speak for Chris or y/n,” Fuck don’t throw me in this mess. Chris speaks up and tells Ben that Fei’s right and that he is a shitty leader and brother causing Fei to snicker and you to cover your mouth, hiding the smile. “Really dude? I’m number one. You’ll do as I say when I say it,” Ben says to Fei. “Not anymore,” Fei says leaning in and smirking 

     “Here's to a new life without this dickhead,” Fei says as she cheers with Chris. Chris starts to spin and glow brighter than normal. “Christopher, what’s wrong?” Fei asks worriedly. “Hey Chris it's gonna be okay,” you say walking closer before being pulled back by Ben. “Back away guys,” Ben warns. “Chris, it’s going to be okay,” Fei repeats trying to calm him as they walk closer to him. “It's going to be okay, I'm going to help you,” “Fei!” Ben yells trying to get her away from Chris. Not a moment later Chris explodes, pulling Fei in and knocking both you and Ben down. Anticipating a Kugelwave you cover Ben’s head and neck with your body. As the wave hits Chris is completely destroyed. The house starts crumbling, a piece of the balcony hitting you knocking you out.

Taglist: @0x1lovesonq @bryannabarradas @ac-book-nerd-13 @4okkotsu @kraken-00-22 @fivehargreevessuit @isaefire @xhiiyuv @fridatessacm @gloriousstudentoperamug @j-panic @salted-fis @siriusly-rem-writes @gamingdevil101 @sanguinelabyrinth @muzanslander12 @mihhggvggh @choichaeyiul @mitsuri-darling @birbtweettweet @choclate32 @ddeonubaby @nao-cchi @i-bitch-you-bitch @mylesofasgard @darlingsuna @blogname197 @mivzai @emmeowo @yanelly1085 @mukbee @aceofspades190 @jui36oxx

[transmasc-wizard]

Here's my writblr intro

you know, the one i've been saying 'i'll get to' for like 2 weeks

Hey, I'm Nico, and my pronouns are he/they! I'm a queer teen writer, and i'm (sort of) a writblr now!

(To be clear: i'm still absolutely gonna post other stuff. However, i'll now tag that stuff "not writblr"--that way if anyone wants to follow solely for writblr content, they can.)

I write epic fantasy, urban fantasy, supernatural fantasy (i like fantasy ok), thrillers, queer fiction, and YA.

the FAQ:

"hey nico what's nanowrimo?"it's a writing challenge where you write 50k words, here's the website, have fun

"hey nico will you do tag games?" fuck yeah tag me, also do not worry like "hey maybe i've tagged him too much lately", i LOVE tag games.

"hey nico can i tag you in something random/a meme/a cat picture/a social justice post?" yep, go nuts

"hey nico can i know your exact age" no (this. has been asked)

"hey nico how can you be a bi aroace" like this!

"hey nico do you give writing advice" yeah, and I have a masterpost here that I update... mostly-frequently

"hey nico can i be on your taglist for {blank}" absolutely, i'll always say yes, you can just say "add me to {blank} pls" and i will

My WIPs (more extensive WIP intros themselves will happen later):

WIP: Gay Fairytale Series (GFS). books: 5. I talk about: 1 (Gay fairytale WIP 1), 2 (GFW2), the series as a whole. Genre: epic fantasy.

WIP's OCs: Angelique, Rowan, Cor, Ollie, Tasya, Vanya, Bea, Hope.

General synopsis: GFS is a queer fairytale retelling (cinderella mainly, and some others later on) about a group of teens destined to destroy the world and how they spite the government as much as possible while trying not to succumb to their fates. (I know it doesn't sound like cinderella but it is i promise--)

Taglist: @the-gay-lady-of-ravenclaw-tower, @timelybees, @stormharbors, @citywillow, @strawberrie-faerie, @void-fireworks, @pigeontnt, @phoenixistrans, @dauntlessshadowice1, ask to be +/-

Status: drafted (books 1/2), second drafting (GFW1), plotting (book 3), generally planning (books 4/5).

~

WIP: Nano Thriller 2021 (NT21). books: 1. Genre: supernatural thriller.

WIP's OCs: Lissa, Ace, Raf, Winston, Thalia, Jade.

General synopsis: a group of prodigies are the first students to go to a new prestigious academy. But when murder hits the halls, they realize it's haunted by both monsters and a serial killer and they must figure out who's behind it, or be the next victims.

Taglist: @the-gay-lady-of-ravenclaw-tower, @stormharbors, @googolplexicon, @bluewritesbadly, @judylunsford, @void-fireworks, @citywillow, @strawberrie-faerie, @dauntlessshadowice1, ask to be +/-

status: first drafting

wip intro | comic sans powerpoint | wip page

~

WIP: Valarie Saintly is Totally Normal

OCs: Val, Mack, Leah, James, Spacey, Franklin

General synopsis: Val saved the world! now she's trying to live life even though people keep trying to get her help again. She's welcomed into a group of slightly criminal weirdos and shenanigans ensue as she learns self-care and other mushy stuff.

Taglist: uhhhh @goldentangerines i think. please correct me if im wrong. also @dauntlessshadowice1, @inked-fables, @master-of-fluff and @void-fireworks. ask to be +/-

status: plotting, will be drafting in January 2022.

the comic sans powerpoint which is also the wip intro

~

WIP: Golden Heists

OCs: they don't have names yet but they kill people and they're gay

General synopsis: a bunch of criminals break out of prison then work together to steal from monarchs and get revenge on those who've wronged them. Almost everyone dies, or worse!

Taglist: @writeblrfantasy, @stormharbors, @citywillow, @master-of-fluff, @dauntlessshadowice1, ask to be +/-

status: plotting, will be drafting at some point in 2022.

~

If you'd like to be added to a taglist, please specify the WIP or if you'd like to be added to all in general!

Also it'd be great if this was reblogged (no pressure), i'd love to find more writblrs to follow! (especially if you write similar stuff!)

[luckychild]

Hey, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the boys responding to hearing “I love you” for the first time - only if you want, of course - you’re blog is awesome :)

I love this prompt (pun intended)! Super cute ask just in time for Valentine’s Day. This turned out to be an x-Reader piece; hope you don’t mind!

(Confession: The Kuwabara scenario is pretty close to how me and my boyfriend confessed to each other. He said ‘I love you’ really early and I came around slower. So that section really means a lot to me.♥ Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Warnings/Tags: Some light cursing. SFW. Gender neutral reader. There’s some Yukina/Kuwabara in Hiei’s section.

Hit “Keep Reading” to dive in!

KURAMA

So… Kurama knows how you feel before you drop the L-word.

He’s perceptive! And you keep looking at him askance and biting your lip all cutely, demurring from answering when he asks what’s up.

You’ve been dating for a long time, so it would make sense you’re finally about to say those three little words aloud.

He has a hunch you’re about to admit your feelings, and his hunches are usually right.

So, smarmy fox-boy that he is, he teases you about it a bit before the weeks leading up to your confession.

He’ll sort of murmur your name to get your attention, look deeply into your eyes, then say:

“I love…” [dramatic pause while you hold your breath and your eyes go wide] “... this food we’re eating right now, don’t you?”

And then he’ll act all innocent and pretend not to understand why you just choked on the food he said he loves so much.

He thinks it’s hilarious to watch your face go supernova.

Kurama is low-key an asshole, but that’s why you love him.

But when you actually do work up the nerve to tell him how you feel?

He’s not laughing anymore.

He knows this is serious for you.

He knows that saying ‘I love you’ makes you feel vulnerable, and he won’t devalue this moment by not taking it seriously.

So he doesn’t make any jokes after you say it and stand there looking at him, shaking like a leaf.

He just smiles, pulls you to him, and presses a kiss against your forehead.

“I love you too,” he murmurs, lips ghosting over your skin—and he only lets you go once he feels you relax against him, relieved to have your affections returned.

HIEI

You know that meme about “alternative responses to ‘I love you’”?

Hiei falls into multiple categories of that meme, cycling through them one by one until he lands on his final reaction.

After you say ‘I love you, he just sort of looks at you. Like, really looks at you with a blank expression on his face, like he can’t quite grasp what he just heard.

And then Hiei laughs.

It’s not a nice laugh.

It’s a throw-back-his head laugh, a harsh bark of sound that makes the hair on your neck stand up.

“You fool,” he spits. “Attachments make you vulnerable. If you’re too blinded by emotion to see that, then you’re not who I thought you were.”

And then Hiei… just kind of vanishes.

You don’t hear from him for a few days, and the hurt you feel is the kind of hurt only someone you truly care for can inflict. It’s proof of your feelings, sure, but…

You spend a lot of time in a glum or agitated mood, because while you knew Hiei wasn’t the most emotional, this wasn’t what you thought would happen when you confessed your love.

Meanwhile?

Hiei’s off training in the woods and attacking trees with 900% more ferocity than usual.

He isn’t sure why he’s in such a foul, vengeful mood at first, but the fact that he can’t get your shattered expression out of his head?

That’s... a hint, he supposes, as to the source of his ire.

Eventually he emerges from the woods and wanders around until he reaches Genkai’s temple, where he spends a good deal of his time when not in the city with you.

Yukina is there (this is part of the reason he goes there a lot, predictably).

So is Kuwabara (this is part of the reason he doesn’t go there all the time, also predictably).

They welcome Hiei into the temple like they usually do, and while Hiei normally leaves as soon as he spots Kuwabara, he allows his sister and her boyfriend to lead him inside for once.

He watches the pair of them cook dinner in silence, observing the way Yukina and Kuwabara talk and laugh with each other, and the way they wordlessly communicate as they work.

It’s… not the worst, he thinks, seeing them together. His opinion on Kuwabara has changed over the years (mostly thanks to you poking him to give Kuwabara a chance) and he knows Kuwabara would give his life for Yukina.

Kuwabara demonstrates exactly this when he opens a cabinet and a heavy pot falls out of the cupboard; Kuwabara leans over Yukina to take the brunt of the blow, sheltering her from harm.

Yukina gasps and grab’s Kuwabara’s arm, inspecting him for damage and fussing over his injury.

But Kuwabara just grins, takes her hand, and asks her if she’s OK.

“I love you,” he tells her when she scolds him for being reckless. “I didn’t want you to get hurt!”

That scene replays in Hiei’s head for a few days afterwards, looping through his head along with the image of your sweet, earnest face when you told him that you loved him.

The image of your shattered heartbreak makes a few appearances, too.

It takes a few more days after that for him to realize something.

Love hadn’t made Kuwabara weak (or any weaker, at least). In fact, love often powered Kuwabara up in fights. It gave him things to protect, a reason for fighting, a purpose for his power—

Hiei goes cold at the realization.

Attachments aren't always signs of weakness.

Attachments can be powerful.

Was he the fool, not you, for rejecting an attachment so quickly?

Hiei suspects he made a terrible error, and the moment he has this realization, he breaks into a run and rushes to your side.

He’s not sure what he’s going to do or say to you to fix things, but he is determined to do exactly that.

Only you can say whether you forgive him or not, though.

KUWABARA

So Kuwabara hasn’t been shy about his feelings for you.

Like… he hasn’t been shy AT ALL.

He sings your praises to anyone who’ll listen.

He tells you you’re gorgeous every single day.

He says he loves everything about you all the time!

It was basically love at first sight for him. (Because that’s just who he is!)

But as for you? It took you a little longer to come around.

It’s not that you disliked Kuwabara or anything.

It’s just that he came on strong and you were a little more cautious about jumping into a relationship than he was, that's all.

And he was totally cool with that!

“Hey, you don’t have to reciprocate!” he tells you when you indicate you don’t feel the same way. “I’d wait for you forever, but if you never like me back, that’s OK, too. I just want you in my life; if it’s as friends, that’s fine, too!”

Your friendship is just as valuable to him as your romantic feelings.

He’s not pushy at all despite his declarations; he’s a gentleman to the extreme, content to love you on your terms and never push for reciprocity.

But after a while, you start to look forward to seeing him.

You start to search for him in crowds, hoping to spot his shock of orange hair.

You start to miss him when he isn’t around, craving his bone-crushing hugs and booming, exuberant voice.

And then one day you see something on TV and it reminds you of him, and you start smiling to yourself as you think about him—and it hits you.

OH NO.

YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH HIM, AREN’T YOU?

But he’s been saying he loves you for AGES… is it awkward that you’re just now ready to say it back?

You argue with yourself for days and days about what to do… but eventually you’re hanging out, and you’re listening to him be his boisterous and enthusiastic self, and it just spills out.

“KUWABARA-I-LOVE-YOU-OK!?” you blurt when he pauses for breath.

But… he doesn't react the way you think he will.

He just stares at you in silence, stunned, and you take that as a bad thing.

You get up to leave, muttering an apology as your cheeks burn, saying you’ll see him later—

His hand darts out and closes around yours.

His face is on FIRE, but he stares up at you in wonder. In awe, even. Like the clouds parted and angels started singing.

“Y-you do?!” he says, voice pitched up quite high, eyes as wide as they can go. “D-do you really? Do you mean it? Do you really love me back?!”

And you start smiling, and you start laughing and nodding, and he laughs too, and then you’re both in a puddle on the floor, arms around each other, just laughing together for the joy of it.

YUSUKE

Yusuke has been wanting to tell you how he feels about you for, uh..

Well. It’s been a long time.

You’ve been dating for a long time, and you’ve been through a lot together, and he can barely even look at you without blushing these days.

He’s been in love with you for a long while, but like hell if he’ll actually admit it.

Yusuke is NOT a mushy person, nor is he very in-touch with his feelings.

In fact, he’d rather take a sharp stick to the eye than ever admit how he feels about anyone.

But when YOU end up saying you love him FIRST, it does something to him.

He freezes. Stares at you. Blue-screens for a second.

And then he falls back on the one thing that has consistently aided him throughout his life:

Snark.

“Well damn, babe,” he drawls with a lazy grin (one that does NOT reflect how rapidly his heart is beating). “I knew I was irresistible, but if you really wanted to get laid, all you had to do was ask.”

You shriek and huff and walk off (and probably swat at his arm, though of course he dodges).

It’s only when you’ve stalked a good dozen meters away that his brain catches up with his mouth and he realizes that he’s fucked up.

Like, really fucked up.

So Yusuke curses and lurches after you and shouts, “Hey, hey, wait a freakin’ second!”

But you don’t stop walking.

You get halfway down the block with him trotting at your heels, telling you to just cool down and let him talk.

Eventually he gets in front of you and holds up his hands.

“Now, now,” he says (nervously; very nervously). “Just give me a chance to—”

NOPE. He ruined what could’ve been a cute moment and you aren’t having it, so you dart around him and keep walking with your head held high (and a tear in your eye).

His arms are around you before you get far, though.

He buries his head in your shoulder and just holds you, and finally you feel it—the way his heart is racing, thudding against your back.

“Look, I… I love you too, OK?” he mutters. “So please don’t go…”

It almost makes you giggle, seeing him blush like this.

Almost, but not quite.

You know how big of a deal it is for him to say those words, so you just hold him right back.

Headcanon & Imagine Masterlist | Tip Jar

[sequinsmile-x]

As the Years Go By

Chapter 1 of 2. (Part 2 coming tomorrow)

Part of the Whatever Tomorrow Brings universe

A birthday present for my dear friend @sweetsecretskeptinside

Happy Birthday my love!! Becoming your friend has been one of the best things to happen to me this year, and arguably one of the best things to happen to me ever.

You are kind, and funny and so smart (and gorgeous btw) and you make me laugh every damn day. You are insanely talented (to the point where sometimes I am still in shock that I get to be your friend?! Seems fake) and it is a true privilege to read your work.

I know you’re working today, but I hope you have a lovely day. And that you know how treasured you are <3

The tags are also mushy you haven't escaped that

Love you so much!

Now onto the fic - which has been specifically designed to make you cry.

Words: 4.3k

Read on Ao3, or below the cut

Aaron knew his wife better than he knew anyone else. Part of it came from all the time they’d had together, the almost 15 years since she had first kissed him, creating a good basis for them. They were each other's person, the one each would seek out when they looked across a room. A cornerstone in each other's lives.

He was also a profiler, so he could read her like a book. Her tells were as obvious to him now as her beauty, striking in the way they would blow him away. Take his breath away for a moment at the first signs of distress on her face, the way her brow would tighten slightly, her eyes hardening under his gaze. Everything in him would itch to make it better, to hurt whatever, or whoever, had hurt her.

She was nervous. He’d noticed it the moment she woke up, the way she was keeping her hands busy. Helping Theo with his breakfast even though he was definitely old enough to do it himself, folding laundry without comment even though Jack should have done it the night before.

“Em.” He tries, his voice soothing as he places his hand on her back as he joins her by the kitchen counter, the boys both sat at it eating their breakfast.

“I’m fine.” She says, far too quickly for it to be true. She looks up at him and she huffs out a laugh, moving her hand to her belly. “The baby is kicking.”

He smiles, letting her redirection of the conversation go for now, knowing she will always speak to him eventually.

“It’s because she knows we are seeing her again today.” He says, putting his hand over hers.

“You’re still sure it’s a girl?” She asks, smirking. “It’s not too late to back out of our bet.”

He stamps a quick kiss on her lips, and rolls his eyes when Jack, and Theo because he always copied his brother, made noises of disgust.

“I’m not backing out because I’m right.” He kisses her again, just to get a reaction out of his sons, and pulls back. “Your $50 is mine.”

They go about their morning, and she continues to act like everything is fine. It’s only when they get to the doctors that he can practically feel the anxious energy roll off of her, her leg bouncing as they sit in the waiting room of her OBGYN.

“Em.” He says, putting his hand on her knee, stopping the movement. He grabs her hand at the same time, knowing her next move would be to bite the skin around her nail, her cuticles already torn up. “You’re ok.”

It was a scheduled appointment, her 20 week scan, but he had sensed her nerves building in the lead up to it. She spent most of the time convinced that something was going to go wrong, that this would get taken away from her. After so many years of thinking that this wouldn’t happen for them again, that their family was complete as it was, this still felt too good to be true.

He caught her sometimes, standing sideways and looking at herself in the mirror in their closet with her hands on her belly as if she still somehow didn’t believe it.

“I know.” She replies, forcing a smile at him. “I’m just worried.”

“I know you are, love.” He says, placing his hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles there. “But it will be ok.” He squeezes her shoulder, the firm line her mouth set, making him change tactics from reassurance to distraction. “Is your money still set on the baby being a boy?”

She beams at him, her hand on her bump as she nods. “Definitely.”

“Emily?” Joanne walks out of her observation room, interrupting them before they can continue their playful argument, and she smiles at them. “Do you want to come in?”

Emily’s nerves return instantly and he holds her hand tightly, his thumb tracing back and forth over her wrist as Joanne goes through the results of the battery of tests that had been done, all of them thankfully the results they wanted. Joanne encourages her onto the bed so she can do the ultrasound, and they watch in fascination as she points out different parts of their baby. Aaron kisses his wife's temple when the sound of the heartbeat fills the room, a beautiful sound that he knew would always leave him breathless no matter how many times he heard it.

“Are you ready to find out what you’re having?” Joanne asks, a knowing smile on her face. They both nod and Aaron feels Emily’s hand tighten its grip on his, and he looks at her to see a tremor to her smile. There was so much happiness flowing off of her it almost burned him, leaving him happy to be caught up in the flames, a wildfire of a thing that he was easily swept up in.

Her joy had always been addictive to him, her smile making something bloom in his chest the first time he had seen it, a bright spot in an otherwise dark time in his life. Her laugh was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard, making him always seek to tear it out of her.

“Well, I hope the boys are ready to have a sister.” Joanne says, beaming at them. “You’re having a girl.”

“A girl?” Emily chokes out, her voice thick with emotion that overwhelms them both in an instant.

It was something he hadn’t realised he wanted until that very moment. The final piece of the puzzle falling into place. He looks at the screen, at his daughter, and he feels overwhelmed immediately. He kisses Emily’s forehead, his eyes not moving from the screen as Joanne points out that the baby was waving.

“Oh, honey.” Emily says, her voice unsteady. She puts a hand on his cheek and makes him look at her. She laughs at him as she wipes tears off of his face with the heel of her hand as if she isn’t crying too. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.”

Aaron laughs, and tells her she can keep her $50 because she had already given him everything he would ever need.

They tell Theo and Jack they are having a sister when they get home from school and they are both delighted, even if Jack tries to hide it in his teenage aloofness. Aaron doesn’t miss the way Emily’s smile flickers slightly when Jack mentions Elizabeth, asking what she would think. Aaron watches as Emily’s mood sours throughout the day, her initial joy fading into something that seemed a little too close to apprehension.

He waits until the boys are in bed, Theo having to be allbut dragged from his mothers side, always happy to curl up next to Emily on the couch. It was something that had been the same way since he was a newborn. A tiny baby that wanted nothing more than to be near his mother.

Aaron had never been able to blame him, Emily’s side was his favourite place to be too. He sits next to her and waits her out, knowing she would always speak to him eventually. That she needed to process things herself before she brought them to him.

“What if I’m not any good at it?” She asks finally, her voice small as she focuses her attention on her hands.

“At what?” Aaron replies, catching her hand in his to stop her from picking at her cuticles before she can even start. She looks up at him with a sad smile on her face.

“Being a mom to a little girl.”

It throws him, his brain briefly short circuiting and stopping him from replying. It wasn’t something that had even crossed his mind. She was an amazing mother, the best. The way she loved Theo and Jack was endless, unconditional in a way that somehow made him love her more.

“Em-”

“It’s just…my relationship with my own mom has always been so hard.” She says, sniffling as she wipes her nose and cheeks, the tears she has clearly been holding back for hours finally slipping free. “And I’d hate it to be like that with her.”

Her hands fall to her bump, cradling it with such devotion and care he wishes she could see herself. That she could see how much of an amazing mother she already was to their daughter.

Not for the first time, he really wants to give Elizabeth Prentiss a piece of his mind.

“I want to be the first person she calls when she’s engaged, you know?” She says, wiping her face again. “I don’t want to accidentally find out because she doesn’t want to deal with my reaction.”

It had been 13 years since they got engaged. 13 years and soon to be 3 kids, and Elizabeth would still bring up on occasion that she found out her only child was getting married through someone else telling her. He still remembered the look on Emily’s face when she got the call from her mother, furious that she had found out that way.

“Emily.” He says, finally getting her attention. “She’s still got another 20 weeks to go inside of you, I think we can hold off worrying about her engagement.”

She glares at him, but there is no strength behind it, not an ounce of actual anger or annoyance. He smiles at her and wipes a stray tear off of her cheek. He decides to try a different tactic. Make her see herself through his eyes like she so often did for him.

“Do you think my relationship with my father affects how I am with the boys?” He asks bluntly, putting his own insecurity out there. Her eyes widen, fury flooding them immediately. Fierce protectiveness for him briefly overriding any lingering anxieties.

“Of course not.” She seethes, her eyebrows furrowed. She was the one who had comforted him over the years, telling him that he was not and never could be his father. Soothing him when he would discipline the boys, her gentle reassurance that it was justified was the only thing that would pull him back from the edge. She narrows her eyes at him and the tension leaves her shoulders and he watches as she physically reacts. “Very clever, Hotchner.”

“I thought so.” He replies, closing the gap between them to kiss her, his palm splayed across her bump. He pulls back and rests his forehead against hers, both of them laughing when the baby kicks against his hand. “You’re an amazing mom, Em. Our sons are lucky to have you, and our daughter will be too.”

“I love you.” She says as she reaches up to cup his cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out.” He promises, stamping a kiss to her lips. “We’ll have to come up with a name.”

She smiles at him widely. “Go get me the book.”

Emily names her, their daughter. She smiles at him as she claims that he had come up with the name Theo, so it was her turn. He remembers teasing her at first, asking just how many pages she had got into the baby name book before deciding on the name Ameila.

She sheepishly admits it’s because she likes how it sounds with his name, how she’d always dreamt of the relationship he’d have with a daughter she never thought they’d get to have. Any other teasing he had lined up falls away and he pulls her into his arms. Grateful that somehow this was their life. ____________

He wakes to the bed shifting, his wife grumbling next to him as she desperately tries to get comfortable.

“Em, are you ok?” His voice is thick, rough with sleep as he sits up and rubs at his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She sounds far too close to tears for that to be true. “Go back to sleep.”

He turns on the lamp on his nightstand and turns to look at his very pregnant wife. She’s facing away from him, curled around her pregnancy pillow, her hand rubbing at her stomach.

“She won’t stop moving.” She says, moving her hand to briefly wipe tears away from her cheek before returning it to her abdomen, rubbing soft circles there in an attempt to calm their daughter down. “And I love her so much, but I am so tired, Aaron. I just want to sleep. I need to sleep before she gets here and I can’t.”

“Sweetheart-”

“Just go back to sleep.” She sniffs, her voice wavering. “I’ll be ok.”

“We both know I’m not going to go back to sleep when you’re upset.” He says as he leans down to kiss her temple. “How can I help?”

She laughs mirthlessly. “Well if you can go in there and tell her to sleep that would be great.”

“Ok.” He says nodding, guiding her to sit up, turning her body towards him. “Face this way.”

“Aaron-”

“Trust me.” He leans over her to grab her pregnancy pillow and lays it between them, helping her settle back down next to him. He shifts down the bed so he is in line with her stomach, his palm coming to rest on her bump. “Amelia, you’ve got to start being nice to Mommy. She needs her rest before you make your appearance.”

His answer comes in a firm kick against his palm, and a laugh from Emily.

“Not even born yet and she’s already ignoring you.” She says, her hand coming to rest on the top of his head, her fingers trailing through his hair.

He shushes her. “You’re meant to be trying to sleep.” He turns his attention back to her stomach and starts to talk about everything and nothing. About his day, how he’s looking forward to meeting her, how much her mother and brothers are too. He even sings at one point, poking Emily in the ribs when she laughs at him as he tries to remember the lyrics to Blackbird.

Eventually he notices Emily’s fingers have stopped trailing through his hair and he looks up to see her fast asleep, her face half buried in his pillow. ____________

He holds Amelia first. His impossibly tiny baby was placed in his arms on a day when he didn’t even think she’d be born. She was born a whole month early, her arrival the complete opposite of Theo’s long, drawn out labour. The love he feels for the tiny baby rushes through him, and he’s grateful he’s sitting down. He looks over at Emily and sees the fear on her face, mixed with adrenaline and love as she lays torn open to bring their baby into the world. He holds Amelia to her, lets her kiss the little girl's forehead and wipes a stray tear from her face before it falls into her hairline.

He promises them both right there and then that he'll do anything to protect them. It’s less than 12 hours later when he needs to for the first time.

The doctor who had initially assured them everything was ok with Amelia, despite her early arrival, walks into Emily’s room with a slightly solemn look on his face. It was one of the first times in his career that he wished he didn’t know how to read behaviour, that his wife didn’t, because they instantly know something is wrong. He can sense the panic rise in her, the fear as she grabs at his hand, her eyes fixed on the doctor standing at the end of her bed.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asks. “Where’s my baby?”

“Mr and Mrs Hotchner, there have been some concerns overnight about Amelia’s breathing, so we have moved her from the general nursery to the NICU for a few days.”

“Wh..what?” Emily chokes out, her grip on his hand so hard Aaron can feel the bones shift beneath his skin, his knuckles almost cracking together. “You said she was ok.”

“She was, she is.” He reassures them, and Aaron can quickly feel the emotions building in his wife. Her usual control torn down by the stress of Amelia’s arrival, the pain from her surgery and the rush of hormones after birth. And their kids were her soft spot, they were for both of them. He puts his arm around Emily and pulls her closer. “The nurses overnight had some concerns that I shared and we made the decision to move her. We don’t believe there is any cause for concern in the long run, if anything we are being overly cautious. She is very small, even for a 36 weeker.”

“Can we see her?” Aaron asks, attempting to maintain his cool. Keep his strength for the two of them.

“You can go see her now Mr Hotchner.” He purses his lips and turns to Emily. “You can in a while Mrs Hotchner, but you are recovering from surgery and we’d rather you stayed in bed a little while longer.”

“I need to see her now.” Emily chokes out. “She needs me.”

“Someone will come by and get you later.” The doctor says, as if the conversation was over. He turns to Aaron. “If you ask one of the nurses where to go they will show you.”

When they are alone again he expects the last tiny bit of Emily’s resolve to snap, for her to fall apart. But he can feel her recoiling in on herself in his arms.

“You need to go see her.” She’s still crying, with all the will in the world she wouldn’t be able to stop it if she wanted to. She pulls away and looks at him, her face screwed up as she sobs. “She can’t be by herself.”

“Em-”

“Aaron, she’s so small. She’ll be scared.”

“And what about you? You’re scared.” He says, cupping her cheek and wiping away her tears. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“I’ll be fine.” She says, smiling at him even though she's trembling. “Please? Until I can be there.”

He reluctantly agrees, leaving her in her room alone with a kiss and making her promise to text him if she needs anything.

His heart snaps in two in his chest when he hears her start to cry in earnest the second the door to her room closes behind him.

He sits next to Amelia, looking impossibly small, for a few hours before Emily is wheeled in, looking furious about having to be in a wheelchair and delighted to be able to see their daughter.

She keeps a vigil after that. Barely returning to her own room to rest, only agreeing when she was practically strong armed into it by Aaron or the nurses.

He tries to reason with her at first. He tries to get her to go home once she’s discharged, to remind her that she had just had major surgery and needed to recover herself. Emily’s wilful nature has her ignoring him, a barely disguised wince on her face as she sits upright in the uncomfortable chair near the incubator Amelia was being kept in, an impossibly small cannula on her face delivering her oxygen. Emily’s eyes were fixed on their daughter as she rested a hand low on her own abdomen, gently covering her new scar, the physical evidence of what she had gone through to bring their little girl safely into the world.

He knows he’s playing dirty when he tells her the boys miss her. That it’s unfair when he tells her that Theo isn’t sleeping well and Jack’s anxiety is getting worse with her long stay at the hospital, the vigil she is keeping at their daughters side. She glares at him, and he knows he deserves it, but she gives him a short, sharp, nod. She only agrees to go home if he stays, quietly admitting she could do with sleeping in their own bed.

Aaron agrees, and he takes her home only to immediately return to the hospital. He sits and watches Amelia sleep, his hand through the slightly too small hole in the side of the incubator so she could grip his finger.

When she opens her eyes and looks up at him he falls in love all over again. ____________

“Theo, Jack. If you aren’t in the car in the next 2 minutes I’m telling your grandmother that you want to go to Germany with her this Christmas.”

Aaron barely suppresses his laughter when he hears the rush on the second floor of the house, Jack down the stairs in a matter of seconds, Theo on his tail, the threat of an extended period of time with Elizabeth over the holiday’s enough to get them moving despite his insistence for the last twenty minutes. He turns to Amelia, already in her car seat, and smiles at her.

“Your brothers are silly.” He says and she smiles back, like she always did when he spoke to her, and it makes warmth spread through his chest. He lifts up the car seat and leaves the house, securing the front door behind him before he walks down the porch steps.

Theo and Jack are already arguing in the car about what music they would play on the journey over to Elizabeth and John’s house. As Aaron clips Ameila’s car seat into the back of the car he feels the hair stand up on the back of his neck, a familiar feeling of being watched prickling at his senses. He looks up and briefly thinks he sees a man standing a few cars down, watching him intently.

“Dad! Theo won’t let go of the aux cable.” Jack seethes, turning from his place in the passenger seat in the front of the car.

Aaron sighs and looks at him as he does the final clip on Amelia’s car seat. “Who picked the music last time?”

“I did.” Jack says, avoiding his gaze, knowing he has already lost the argument.

“Then it’s Theo’s turn.” He says, looking at Theo with a raised eyebrow when the 6 year old celebrates in a way a little too close to gloating.

He closes the car door and looks back to where he had seen the man standing, and there was no one there. No sign of anything unusual in their street.

As he gets into his car he convinces himself that he imagined it, that his first time alone with three kids since Emily went back to work was getting to him. That the lack of sleep was making him less sharp than usual, and he was looking forward to having his wife back soon.

“Daddy, when’s Mommy coming home from Canada?” Theo asks as the car starts.

“Tonight, bud. She’ll head over to Grandma and Grandpa’s to see you when she’s back.”

He thinks he’s imagined it, the man stood staring at him, until Dave drops him home to an empty house almost a week later. His family gone, and the slamming of a car door reminding him of the moment he saw George Foyet watching his family. ____________

He’s woken up by the sound of Amelia crying. It shocks him awake, makes him sit up in bed a little quickly and he looks at his wife sleeping next to him, mercifully still asleep thanks to the heavy pain killers she was on. He knew how much pain she must be in after the car crash she was in to even agree to take the medication. He was still so sad, so angry that she had been hurt on her first case back, and he wondered when their family would catch a break.

It was unlike her to sleep through one of the kids crying, so attuned to their needs, so he quickly stands and rounds the bed to pick up Amelia.

“You’re ok, sweetie.” He says as he picks her up, settling the fussy 10 month old onto his chest.

She was still small, certainly smaller than Theo had been at her age, and every time he held her he felt a wave of protectiveness for her, the need to stop anything from harming her.

Amelia was slowly warming up to him. It still stung, cutting through his chest worse than Foyet’s knife ever had, when he thought about the way she didn’t remember him when they were first reunited. That his daughter, his precious little girl, didn’t know who he was.

Things were getting better. She’d reach out for him now instead of hiding in Emily’s arms when he walked into a room, and she’d smile at him, babble nonsensical sentences at him whenever he was near.

It felt like something new, something that George Foyet couldn’t touch.

He settles back into bed and Amelia almost immediately calms down, pressing her forehead into his chest as if she was trying to crawl under his skin.

“You just wanted to cuddle, huh?” He asks, his hands securing her to him, holding her close.

“She ok?” Emily murmurs, her words slurring as she turns to face him, her hand resting on Amelia’s back as she snuggles closer to them.

“She’s fine, love.” He takes one of his hands from Amelia’s back and pushes some of Emily’s hair from her forehead, his thumb gently tracing her skin. “Go back to sleep.”

He’s not sure she was ever fully awake because she’s asleep again in seconds, her hand over his on their daughter’s back as Amelia drifts off on his chest.

He feels happy, like things were slipping back into place after everything they almost lost, and he falls into a dreamless sleep.

[enigma-im]

First Day of Christmas...

Trope: Childhood friends who remeet as adults Relationship: Orc x Human Word Count: 3,323

I wander around by the creek during a hot summer day. My mother has warned me against traveling here alone, but the chance of catching a frog to terrorize the other kids is far too tempting. With a stick in hand, pants legs rolled up, I waddle through the shallow. Little fish swim by my toes, frogs scurrying out from under the mud. The task is far more challenging than I thought. I poke the stick at every leaping creature, falling short every time.

"What are you doing," a boy asks from the other side of the creek. Startled, I snap to attention, looking at a small orc. He looks to be older than me, definitely taller, but how can I know?

"catching frogs," I answer.

"really? Why," he asks.

"I don't know," I grumble," because frogs are neat." I look to my feet, spotting a frog lazily swimming by. I ready my stick, slowing guiding it towards it's back. As fast as I can manage I push down. Crouching down I look to the stick, huffing in frustration as I'm left empty-handed.

"Why a stick," he interrupts my pity party.

I shrug," it's how Tommy Howser caught his frog."

"Well Tommy Howser is an idiot," he chuffs, bending down to roll up his pants.

"Oh yea," I snap," why is that?"

He trod through the water," because you're just stabbing the frog, so unless you want to eat them I suggest not poking them super hard with a stick."

The orc stops before me, snatching the stick from my hand with a huff. He tosses it aside before looking around. I watch him, observing his small tusks and short shaggy hair. I've never seen an orc with short hair. He catches my attention, pointing to the shore. I spot a frog resting on the bank, the water barely lapping at its body. The orc sneaks over, hands raised as he angles himself. Quickly, he strikes out, cupping his hands around the frog. He pinches the little creature by the legs, making it stretch out as he walks over all smug.

"See, Tommy Howser is an idiot," he grins. I ignore the jab, waddling over to look at the frog.

"Whoa," I reach out and pet it," you were so fast!"

"Of course I am," he puffs his chest," I am orc, orcs are meant to be quick and strong."

I don't pay him any mind, stretching out my hands," can I hold it?"

"Yea," he arranges his grip," pinch him around the legs and he can't hop away." I nod eagerly. I do as he says, pinching the legs, holding it with utter fascination. The little guy wiggles in my hand, it's legs trying to kick, but he can't get away. I admire it's dark green skin, comparing it to the orc's similar tint.

"I'm Lum, by the way," he says.

I smile up at him," I'm Thea. You think you can teach me how to catch a frog?"

"Of course I can," he thumps his chest," I can teach you anything."

We spend the afternoon waddling around the creek, catching and releasing frogs together.

The summer is spent similarly to that day. We upgrade from frogs to fish, from fish to birds. I learn a great deal about hunting from him, enjoying myself more than I ever have. I even get to teach him a few things, though nothing as useful as what he teaches me. The day I find out he doesn't know what tag is, is the day I begin my mission to play every child's game I know.

In the middle of fall, I sit down next to Lug eating lunch. He has been silent most of the day, barely saying anything even when I bait him into a conversation.

"What's wrong, Lug," I finally ask, setting my apple down. He sighs, dropping his head.

"I'm leaving next week," he pouts.

"Leaving," I ask," where?"

"I don't know, just south," he answers," my ma told me we have to follow the herd for winter."

I scoff," I don't even know what that means. Why would you follow a herd?"

He smiles, turning to me," we follow the herd so we don't starve. The land becomes barren in the winter and we need to eat a lot as orcs. So if we follow the herd, we can follow the food."

I huff, arms crossed," well I don't like it." Lug chuckles, scooching closer to give me a side hug.

"It's ok, Thea, we come back here every spring. So I'll be back, it will just be a while," he squeezes my shoulder," besides, it's not like I can teach you anything in the winter anyway. Everything is migrating or hibernating that hunting here would be difficult."

I push off his arm, pouting as I turn my back on him," I don't care, I want my friend here."

I hear him sigh, the leaves crunching as he walks around. His feet stop in front of me, crouching to catch my eye. I give in, looking at his stupid cocky face. He drops a hand onto my shoulder.

"I'll be back by the time the last snowfall melts, I swear it," he places his hand on his heart," I make an oath to always come back."

I snort back some snot," you better."

"I will. Now enough with this mushy stuff," he stands," I bet I can catch more frogs than you."

I hop up to my feet," you wish!"

The winter was sad, like many after that. As he promised he comes back every spring, meeting me by the creek with a cocky smile and slightly longer hair. He always has something new to teach me, happy to do so. My father doesn't much care for it once he found out, but I could hardly care.

My parents find out about Lug the first spring he came back. They noticed my dower mood during the winter then my grand smile in the spring. To my surprise they were alright with Lug, asking to meet him. We share a meal, my father asking way too many questions till mother shoos us off to play.

Every spring is started with a meal with my parents then a long recap on our winter. It's a lovely tradition that lasts a few years.

Lug and I are strong friends well into the years. Things hardly change between us, being close as ever. We play and fight, arguing and making up quickly. Growing into our own as we become teenagers. My father hovers around then, setting curfews and weird rules. The attitude change with my father and Lug is one I had to confront Lug about. He waved it off as nothing, distracting me easily.

It isn't till 15 that I understand why father was so uptight with Lug's and I's friendship. Weeks of build-up brings me to startling discoveries about new wants. I've been looking at Lug in a new light, noticing him doing the same. He is my first kiss, sharing an awkward chaste one near the creek. It's weird and right at the same time. That summer we learn very different things besides hunting and gathering. Kisses become way more enjoyable after a while.

My sixteenth year is the worst year of my life.

Fall approaches too fast, I've never had a reason to hate fall until Lug came into my life. The trees changing colors now puts me in a sour mood. The walk to the creek knowing that it may be the last time this year that I get to is troublesome. Though Lug has ways of distracting me from those thoughts until he has to wave goodbye that evening.

I meet Lug by the creek like usual, plopping down beside him with a huff. He seems far worse than I do today, the worry rising more and more the longer he stays silent. I grab his hand, threading my fingers between his.

"What's wrong," I bump his shoulder. He sighs, squeezing my hand in his.

"I have something to tell you that I know you won't like," he starts, his voice low and angry. It's rare to hear him angry, only truly seeing him mad once when his father forbade him from joining the hunting pack when he was a fresh teen.

"You can tell me anything, I can take it," I try to be courageous. It's easier to act strong when he needs it.

"I'm leaving for a little longer than before," he glances at me out the corner of his eye.

"W-well, that's ok," I try to be optimistic," I've waited months for you, what's a few more?"

He winces," it's not going to be just a few months."

I stutter on my attempt of cheer," a-a year? That's ok, I'll be fine. It's just one year, right?" he looks up to me, his eyes a bit red. My heart squeezes at the sight.

"It's a lot longer than a year, Thea," he answers. My throat tightens, threatening to choke me.

"H-How long," I ask, trying to fight back the stinging in my eyes.

"I don't know, I just know it's going to be a long time," he says, reaching out to cup my face," but I promise I'll be back. I will come back for you." he tugs my head down, resting his forehead against mine.

I sniffle," you better," I mimic the words I said that first time. He chuckles, lifting my hand and twisting it palm up. His hand covers mine, something cold sitting between our palms.

"I vow to you that I'll be back, and you know an orc never breaks their vows," he thumps his chest. I clench whatever's in my hand as I laugh.

"Yea, I know," a tear rolls down my cheek. He pets the drop away, pulling me in for a kiss. It's bittersweet, but sweet nonetheless.

We sit like this, holding one another for longer than necessary. He reluctantly lets me go, getting up off the ground. We part with a final kiss, neither one of us ready to let go knowing that we won't see one another tomorrow.

"I love you, Thea," he pecks my forehead.

I shut my eyes," I love you too, Lug."

He leaves me standing near the creek. I cry to myself, nearly falling back to the ground in my pain. I finally look to my hand, uncurling my fingers to see a thread with a wooden totem attached to it. I smile despite it all, admiring the little carving with care. I'll see him again, even if I have to wait a lifetime.

Fall becomes winter, winter becomes spring. It's hard to see the snow melt knowing that Lug won't be waiting for me. I still end up waiting by the creek, looking at the frogs as I remember the many failed attempts of snatching one. Every year I come back to the creek, hoping that this year would be the year. I always leave feeling a little more empty.

Time goes on as I grow into my own, no longer a bumbling teen but a grown woman. I get my first job at a bakery, working for a family friend until their son can take up the business. It's humbling work, though suitors take the chance to flirt while I cook in the back. My father is rather angry that I shoo off the young men trying to get a nibble of something more than pastries. I can't bring myself to argue with him.

I gain my second job at a bar, working as a waitress in my 20s. The lively people bring on a new level of enjoyment that the bakery didn't have. Fellows still take the chance to flirt but it's easier to cast aside as they are mostly drunk. Travelers come in, sharing tales of the adventures that make the time go by quicker. I like my job, though going home makes the emptiness inside louder.

I wipe up the bar, picking up empty glasses and litter as I go. The night is rather dull, only having the normal regulars in. it's to be expected as the winter comes to an end. Business should pick up as spring begins and the critters come out of their holes for mating season. The bell at the front door rings, catching my attention.

I look up to see an orc walking in.He is rather large, clearly strong, and proud of it. His hair is braided down his back, beads adorning a few smaller strands. He is very handsome like most orcs are. I don't pay him any mind, use to orcs quickly finding their spots and calling out their orders.

Polishing a glass I catch sight of the orc sitting in front of me at the bar. His large hands rest clasped on the bar top, a ring resting around his thumb.

"Hello," I smile sweetly at them," what can I get ya?"

He smirks, dropping his eyes to his hands," Fire Brandy, please."

"Please? Already the most polite customer I've had this month," I tease as I grab a tumbler, pouring his brandy.

"Is please such an unused word nowadays? Damn the discipline of mothers, not teaching their children manners," he jokes back. I snort, passing him his drink.

"well said," I knock on the bar," a please and a thank you can get you far these days."

"That right? The only thing it's gotten me is brandy and a word of praise from a cute barmaid," he smirks.

I fluster at his words, turning away to grab a dry rag," don't know about that last bit but I hope you know basic manners doesn't pay for your drink."

"Damn," he huffs," what's the point now, ain't getting anything out of it."

"Gets my respect," I offer.

He pretends to ponder," I'll take it."

I smile to myself, focusing on polishing the glasses. The orc watches me, drinking his brandy slowly. I pass him a few glances, blushing each time he offers me a smile. He really is cute, but I can't say that I'm too interested.

"Lovely necklace you have there, can't say that I've seen that totem too often," he says. My hand immediately grasps the little wood craving, my heart fluttering with the action.

"Yea, a friend made it for me," I answer casually.

"A friend? I don't think that's what that totem means," he leans forward on the bar, inspecting the carving.

"Well, friends is just an easier term. We weren't lovers, being too young for something like that," I blush at the idea.

"Yea? Don't mind telling me about this 'friend' while I waste some time," he asks. I can't help but jump at the offer, wanting to finally break the seal that's bound these memories away. Mother and Father didn't want to hear about Lug so often. Which is understandable.

"No, you don't wanna hear a story of lost love," I shuffle away, putting the freshly polished glasses away.

"Of course I do, what better story than one with young love," he rests his chin on his head," please, I'd love to hear it."

I watch him, nearly smiling at his devoted attention. With a sigh, I lounge against the bar.

"We met when we were like eight, at least I was eight. I was catching frogs by the creek when he just appeared across the way," I start.

"Why were you catching frogs? I thought little girls hated that kind of stuff," he asks.

I shrug," I wanted to show off to the boys that I could catch a frog too. One of them said he caught one using a stick to trap it against the dirt. I wanted to try it."

He scoffs," why would anyone use a stick to catch a frog?"

"I don't know," I laugh," he probably didn't want to get his hands dirty."

"Damn Tommy Howser," he shakes his head with a smile," such a wimpy boy."

"Yea, he was," I laugh with him," makes sense he moved out to the city then."

"He moved out to the city? Gods, his parents should have taken him there when he was a child," he scoffs. I can't help but smile, the words taking a bit longer to register. When it does, I startle.

"How did you know about Tommy Howser," I ask. He stiffens.

"Uh, I heard about him," he lies," from other people."

I cross my arms," what other people? Tommy hasn't lived here in three years." he flounders for another lie, falling short with a sigh of defeat.

"Hello, Thea," he nibbles on his cheek," I see you kept the necklace."

I freeze. It can't be, surely this large hulking orc couldn't possibly be him.

"Lug," I ask with a choked cry. He smiles wide, nodding. I can't speak, my eye stinging as I finally see the resemblance. He truly has grown into the man he always said he would be. As handsome as he was seven years ago.

Without much thought I jump over the bar, him helping me down before pulling me close. I hug him, my arms barely touching around his hulking frame. A sob rips from my throat as I cry tears of pure joy. He pets my back, nuzzling his head against mine.

"I'm sorry I took so long," he mumbles as he kisses my cheeks," I didn't expect to be gone so long. I apparently had a lot more to learn from the elders than I anticipated."

"You’re here now," I look up at him," that's all the matters."

Lug smiles like a fool before roughly pushes his lips against mine, his tusks way more prominent now than when we were kids. I cup his rough cheek, feeling the hairs prick at my palm. He is so different now, but still exactly the same. God, I've missed him.

We part, smiling like idiots in love. He wipes the tears off my face, I pet at his cheek. My heart feels ready to explode at the happiness coursing through my veins. Lug looks the same with his great toothy grin and wondering hands.

"I waited for you, I'm so glad I did," I look him over," you got hot."

He barks out a boisterous laugh," glad you think so, I got big and strong for you. And you…gods, you look amazing."

"oh stop," I blush.

"No," he tugs my hips to his," now that I finally have you I'm going to shower you with sweet praises and worship your body like a holy temple." I gulp, my insides turning to mush as he leans down to kiss at my neck.

"Whoa, let's slow down," I grab at his braid," I'm still at work."

He growls in frustration, pulling back," alright. How much longer?"

"Till close, which should be soon," I answer," you don't mind waiting around, right?"

"I've waited seven years, what's a few more hours to that," he says.

Lug keeps me company till the last patron leaves. The second I finish the last bit of cleaning he has me in his arms, kissing me breathless. He has half a mind to pull back, smiling down at my dazed face with glee.

I break out of his arms, grabbing his hand to tug him out the bar and into the cold night. I pull him down into a kiss, not able to hold off for another second.

"I love you, lug," I mumble against his lips.

"I love you too, Thea," he answers in kind.

"Are you going to take me home now," I ask with a wicked grin.

He growls, lifting me up and over his shoulder. I laugh, blushing as he palms my rear. I've missed him so much and we have a lot of time to make up.