#i promise i am not hate-playing!! it is a fun game!

[kitausuret]

I hate to say it but I think Midnight Suns might have some of my least favorite Eddie Brock dialogue ever. I literally cringe every time he opens his mouth. I would expect some of this from Flash or even Mac Gargan, but like... even Dan Slott could write a better Eddie than this. Like, much better, even. There's no eloquence. There's no sense of drama. There's no richness. There's no MASK.

They could have picked at least one thing you liked from any writer who's ever touched Eddie Brock, and incorporated that, and yet, there's nothing. I just. I feel nothing when he's on the screen. They could've even taken a slightly goofier approach like Larry Hama or Gerry Conway but there's nothing!!!!

And normally it wouldn't even bother me that much but they made Venom a HUGE part of the early plot and incorporated DLC just to capitalize on that.

It just kinda feels like a monkey paw curled? I finally get an adaptation that not only doesn't straight up demonize the symbiote, and it acknowledges that other hosts have been Venom, but, but! The dialogue for Eddie is straight up bland.

Does it get better??? I'm only on friendship level 2 and yes I fully intend to max out his friendship just on principle but I'm also weeping for what could have been.

[six-improbable-things]

I had to open the ship combat rules doc I made for Rook's campaign the other day, and man, that thing was (and still is tbh) my fucking magnum opus. I put so much effort into creating rules for a type of combat that dnd doesn't naturally support, and it was SUCH a fun challenge. I'll admit it's not perfect, but it works for our campaign, and everyone seemed to like it during our one test so far, so that's good enough for me.

I think between the stat blocks, the rules themselves, and the maps of the ships, I spent easily 48 hours total on making this sailing arc happen. (No, I'm not the DM, I just like homebrewing shit, and also happen to be the one who decided to play a pirate and make that involved in the story.)

[notlongtolove]

like a lover

he doesn’t answer. he doesn’t even look at you again. he just shakes his head and walks into the bedroom. by the time you follow him, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it holds the answer to whatever’s boiling inside him. fine. If he wants to ice you out, two can play that game.

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader (second person, no y/n)

genre: hurt comfort

content: student!reader gets drunk after a brutal final and spencer is beyond mad. very brief mention of abduction. lowkey spencer is in the right bc #safety but he made reader cry n for that he is found #guilty!!!

word count: 3.1k

note: based off this ask! random fact the last line of this fic was the inspiration for empty my soul but idk why i just couldnt fit it in there, anyways i hope you guys like it! (pls tell me if u do i was struggling with a resolution for this)

a line: Spencer thinks, for a split second, that he’d rather die than ever have to see you cry like that again.

I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper. It promises light like the careful undressing of love. Here. It will blind you with tears like a lover. It will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief. I am trying to be truthful. - carol ann duffy

You probably should’ve stopped five drinks ago—maybe four if you were feeling merciful. That last Vodka cran? A spectacularly bad idea. But whatever. You earned this. You’re young, you’re fun, you look good, and for the first time in weeks, you have no deadlines clawing at you. The final had been a nightmare. You knew your fate was sealed the second you flipped to question three. What the hell is textual and symbolic environmentalisation? But it’s over now. That’s all that matters.

The wind bites at your bare legs as you stand by the curb, aimlessly kicking a pebble. You hug your arms close, fighting off the chill. Maybe you should’ve brought a jacket. Spencer had suggested it, but you’d waved him off. He’s usually right.

You frown, glancing up at the street sign. He said he’d be here. Right? Your phone’s dying battery blinks at you in its final moments, mocking you before shutting off completely. Definitely should’ve taken his offer of a portable charger, too. You sigh, shifting your weight from one foot to the other.

A man stumbles by, reeking of booze. You don’t need to look to know.

"Hey," he calls out, voice slurred and gravelly.

You keep your eyes down, pretending not to hear.

“Hey,” he says again, louder this time.

Where the hell is Spencer?

"D’you know when the bus starts running again?"

You hesitate, half-relieved that he’s asking something semi-coherent. "I—I’m sorry, I’m not sure."

He nods to himself, swaying on his feet. 

"I told you to wait by the bodega on 3rd," a familiar voice mutters. Spencer’s hand closes around your arm, already steering you away.

"Oh, hey," you say softly, relief washing over you. "Is this not—" You glance at the street sign overhead—4 Maple Drive. Shit. "I—sorry, I thought—"

"It’s fine," he says, but the sharp edge in his voice tells you it’s not.

The car ride is suffocatingly silent. When he pulls open the passenger door for you, there’s no trace of his usual warmth. No soft smile, no gentle tease about your perpetually dead phone. Just a click of the door and the quiet thud of it shutting behind you.

You hate this. Hate the tension humming between you, the way his jaw is set tight as he drives. He was so different this afternoon, greeting you after your final with those cupcakes he knows you love from the bakery on the other side of town, his lips brushing yours in endless, giddy kisses. This Spencer is nothing like that. 

"They played ‘Dancing Queen’ tonight," you venture, voice tentative. He knows it’s your favourite. Knows it always pulls you to the dance floor, no matter how tired or tipsy you are. "It was so funny—some guy bought us a round of shots—"

"And you drank it?"

The question lands heavy. His first words to you since he’d started driving. 

"Well... yeah?"

"What else did you drink?"

"Not a lot," you say quickly, tripping over your words. "Just vodka, tequila, a bit of wine—"

"You mixed?" 

The way he says it makes you bristle. There’s a hint of disbelief, maybe even disappointment. 

"Spence," you say softly. "I’m not that drunk, I promise."

Nothing.

His knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. The silence in the air is almost tangible, a crackling, oppressive thing. When he pulls into the driveway and kills the engine, he doesn’t move to open your door. He always does that. But not tonight. 

You’re pretty sure he’s mad at you, though you’re not entirely sure why. It’s not like you go out that often, and you can’t even remember the last time you let yourself get this drunk. Tonight was an exception, a celebration. He understands, doesn’t he?

You follow him inside, trailing behind like a shadow. He doesn’t head to the kitchen like he does after you get back from a night out—no tea, no toast, no quiet ritual of making sure you’re okay. Instead, he walks straight into the study, his back to you. Yeah, he’s definitely mad. 

"You’re mad at me," you say, standing in the doorway.

He doesn’t answer. His hands grip the back of his chair, his head bowed like he’s trying to gather himself. You’re not one to push, usually giving him the space he needs when he gets all broody like this, but the alcohol that’s running through your system is making it hard to practice patience. 

"Why are you mad at me?"

Still nothing. 

When he finally moves, it’s only to brush past you, heading for the bedroom without so much as a glance. "We’ll talk about this tomorrow," he says, his tone flat, clipped. "I can’t talk to you when you’re like this."

This. The word hits like a slap, sharp and dismissive. It irks you. 

"If you didn’t want to come, then you shouldn’t have come," you mutter under your breath, the words slipping out before you can stop them. "I could’ve gotten a ride—"

"You were slurring on the phone." He stops in the hallway, turning just enough for you to see the tight set of his jaw. 

"Yeah, no shit, Spencer. People slur when they drink," you fire back a little too harshly, the alcohol fueling your irritation as you cross your arms defensively.

"Don’t," he warns, his voice low, dangerous in a way that makes your chest tighten.

​​You glare at him, heat rising in your cheeks. "Don’t what? Don’t point out how ridiculous you’re being right now?"

He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even look at you again. He just shakes his head and walks into the bedroom. By the time you follow him, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it holds the answer to whatever’s boiling inside him. Fine. If he wants to ice you out, two can play that game.

You head to the bathroom without a word, your movements jerky as you swipe at the remnants of your makeup. You grab your moisturizer, fingers fumbling with the cap. A sharp tug and it goes flying out of your hands, clattering to the floor. 

"Fuck," you mutter, bracing yourself for a bout of instability as you bend down to retrieve it.

Before you can grab it, Spencer moves. He scoops it up, straightening with an ease that feels almost mocking. When you meet his eyes, they’re unfamiliar. It’s not the Spencer you know. Not the Spencer who covers your eyes during scary movies or kisses your forehead when you’re half-asleep. No, this Spencer feels distant, cold. 

"And I’m supposed to believe you’re not that drunk," he says flatly. Your chest tightens, a lump forming in your throat as heat flushes your face. He offers a hand as you steady yourself, trying to rise to your feet, but you brush him off, snatching the bottle from his grip with a bitterness you don’t try to mask. 

"What the hell is your problem?" you snap.

"My problem?" he repeats, incredulous. "I’m not the one blackout drunk on a Wednesday night."

"I’m not—"

"Would you—would you just stop!" he barks, the words sharp enough to make you flinch. "You’re slurring your words. You got the streets wrong. You couldn’t even get the damn moisturizer open," he snaps, gesturing toward you harshly with a mixture of frustration and exasperation.

Your knuckles whiten as you cling to the edge of the sink, unsure if you’re holding on for balance or just to keep from breaking. You spin back toward the mirror willing yourself not to cry. The frustration, the confusion, the ache in your chest—everything wells up at once.

"God, you’re being so—"

"So what?" he interrupts, his voice rising as he steps closer. His eyes bore into yours, daring you to say it. "So concerned? So worried? So—"

"So fucking mean!"

The silence that follows deafening. For a moment, he freezes, the hard edges of his expression softening into something else—shock, regret, guilt—but it’s fleeting.

"So what if I’m drunk?" Your voice cracks as the words tumble out, your frustration too overwhelming to contain. "And yeah, maybe—" You shake your head, swallowing the lump in your throat as you glare at him, "Maybe I’m slurring a little but forgive me for wanting a drink after the final I’ve been stressing over all fucking month."

He exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair, his frustration barely contained. "It’s not about you having a drink. It’s about you not knowing your limits—"

"Oh, for fucks sake," you interrupt, throwing your hands up. The movement makes you sway slightly, and you hate how it only seems to prove his point. "Newsflash, Spencer, I’m a university student. Sometimes we get drunk. You don’t get to make me feel like shit just because you don’t drink.”

You push past him, your shoulder grazing his as you move to sit on the edge of the bed. The mattress dips under your weight, and you grip the edge, willing the room to stop spinning.

"You were being reckless," he bites back, the word hanging heavy in the air. "You don’t see what I see. You’re out alone, you don’t—"

"I wasn’t alone," you say, your voice rising to meet his. "I had friends—"

"Yeah, friends who left you alone on a curb at 3am," he shoots back, cutting you off. The words land with precision, a calculated jab, but you refuse to flinch.

"Because you said you were on the way!" you fire back.

His voice is cold now, practically seething. "And what do you think would’ve happened if I hadn’t reached you just as that guy was coming on to you?"

"He was asking for the bus!" you shoot back, the words ringing out louder than you intended. You hate everything about this fight. You hate how unfamiliar he feels, hate the part of you that wonders if you’re the one who brought this out of him. "Nothing would’ve—"

Spencer’s expression darkens, his gaze narrowing. "Nothing?" He scoffs. "Tell that to Nina Radha. To Caroline Wrenley. To Mindy Denver. They were all ‘just waiting for a ride home’ last week. And now? All abducted. All dead." 

The room goes silent. Your chest tightens, and the fight drains out of you as his meaning sinks in. 

"You’re being cruel," your words are barely audible, trembling on the edge of your lips. The tears come faster now, streaking your face, but you don’t bother wiping them away. "Why—" you whisper, weak and watery, "Why are you being like this?" 

When Spencer finally turns to look at you, the sight of your tears stops him cold. They streak your face in uneven paths, and he feels something inside him splinter. Spencer never likes seeing you cry—he hates it, actually. It’s not just discomfort or unease; it’s a literal, physical ache. But knowing he’s the reason for your tears tonight? That’s pain in its most visceral form. It’s failure in its purest state.

"I—" he starts, his voice faltering. It cracks mid-sentence, and he stops, swallowing hard. His breath shudders as he exhales, trying to find the words, but all that comes out is a quiet, broken, "I was scared." 

Your tears have momentarily slowed, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone. The anger in his voice has faded, replaced by something softer, something raw—fear, tangled with guilt, with regret. He takes a tentative step closer, then hesitates, unsure of what to do. 

"I thought that… something could’ve happened to you, and I—I didn’t know how to handle it." 

After a moment, he lowers himself to your level, crouching in front of you. He lifts his hand, reaching out to wipe away the tears that stain your face. But the instant his fingers near you, you flinch, turning your head to avoid his touch. The movement is small, but Spencer’s heart shatters at the rejection all the same. He hates that he’s made you cry, hates that you won’t let him near you, hates that you won’t even look at him.

"I’m sorry," he says, the words low and weighted with sincerity. He knows it’s not enough, but it’s all he has left to give. 

Your tears fall, dripping onto your hands that rest limply in your lap. You shake your head, your shoulders tense, refusing to meet his eyes. The rejection stings, sharper than he expected, but he doesn’t blame you. He knows he deserves this. The room is still except for the sound of your quiet sniffles. 

Spencer tries again, his voice quieter now, almost pleading. "I just—" His breath catches as he exhales, his hand running through his hair in agitation, the movement more to calm himself than anything else. "When I saw you standing there alone—alone and with that man, I got scared. And I lashed out. I shouldn’t have. You didn’t— you didn’t deserve that."

The silence that follows is thick, but finally, you break it. Your voice is quiet, bitter. 

"I’m not them."

You’re still not meeting his eyes, still keeping that distance, but at least it’s something. 

"Those girls… I’m not them, Spencer."

"I know, I know. I was—", his voice is low, the regret weighing heavily on every syllable.

​​"That case was tough on you, I know it was," you interrupt, "And what happened to those girls, it was horrible. But I'm not them, Spence. I'm not…" Spencer watches helplessly as you furiously wipe away a tear from your cheek. 

"I'm not dead. I'm here."

“I was projecting, I—” His voice catches, “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” he admits quietly. You nod, grimly. Another single, heavy tear slips down your cheek and Spencer feels his heart break all over again. 

"I know you’re scared. How do you think I feel every time you go out into the field?" You take a deep breath, and say bitterly, "I get it." 

Each word is a struggle, but you say it with conviction. He can see how much you’re holding in, the effort it takes for you to keep your voice from cracking. 

You pause, swallowing hard as you steady yourself, "But you—You don’t get to talk to me like that." When your eyes meet his, they flash with both anger and sadness. "You don’t get to take that out on me." 

"I know, I—That was—I was being horrible, I was an ass," Spencer admits, his voice small. "You didn’t deserve that, honey. God, I’m just—I’m so, so, sorry." 

You look at him for a long moment, searching for any sign that he’s being sincere. All you see is regret, raw and heavy. And something else, something softer. Love. He reaches out, and this time you don’t pull away. Just getting to touch you is a brief, bittersweet, blinding relief. Spencer lets his fingers graze your cheek as he wipes away your tears gently, his thumb brushing over the wet path they’ve left behind. 

A soft, almost bitter laugh escapes you. "An ass is putting it lightly." 

Spencer’s chest tightens, a small breath of relief escaping him, though it’s quickly replaced with guilt. "M’so sorry sweetheart," he breathes out, comforted by the familiar bite in your tone. It lightens the air between you, just a little.

He shifts to sit next to you on the bed. "I didn’t—I really didn’t mean to," he says quietly. You rest your head on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh, the fight slowly draining out of you. Spencer gently takes your hands, cradling them in his. 

"I—I never want to hurt you, never want to make you cry. Ever." Spencer's voice cracks slightly as he talks, fingers tracing your palm. "You know that, right?"

You nod, your voice small but steady. "I know."

Shifting, you tuck your legs beneath you, turning to face him fully. Your hands lift to cup his face gently, your thumbs brushing against the faint stubble on his jaw. The touch is tender, almost protective, as you guide his face to meet yours. His eyes can’t hold your gaze for long, shame clearly written across them.

"I was just—I was—" He stumbles over his words.

"Scared," you finish softly, filling the silence for him. 

"I—I’m sorry," Spencer’s voice falters, "I’m really sorry honey, I should’ve never—That was—"

Your hands guide his face back toward yours, coaxing him to meet your eyes. This time, he doesn’t resist, his breath shaky as he clings to the comfort you offer. "S’okay, baby. M’not mad anymore," you murmur.

"Sad?" he asks, his voice barely audible, like he’s afraid of what you’ll say.

"No," you smile faintly, shaking your head, "Not sad, baby," you whisper, leaning closer. Your thumb traces the curve of his cheek in silent reassurance. His shoulders relax just a little. "I just—" you sigh as you let out one last, quiet sniffle, "I really hate fighting." 

Carefully, he coaxes you into his lap, his arms wrapping around you. "Me too, honey," he says, his voice thick with emotion as he shifts closer. You don’t resist, letting your head rest in the crook of his neck, your breath warm against his skin.

"S’not nice," you murmur against him, your words muffled.

"I know, I know," Spencer whispers, his fingers tracing slow, soothing circles along your back. You let out a shaky sigh, sinking further into his embrace. “Was awful, wasn’t it?” he says, quietly.

"Mhm," you mumble quietly, your voice soft but pointed as you lean into his touch. "Made me cry," you say, looking at him through wet lashes to prove your point. Spencer thinks, for a split second, that he’d rather die than ever have to see you cry like that again. After a beat of quiet, he tilts his head just enough to press a soft kiss to your temple. 

"I love you, you know that?" 

You hum softly, nuzzling your face into his neck with a contented sigh, "Love you too."

"Love you so much, sweet girl," he says again, quieter this time, like it’s a truth meant only for you.

"Sap," you tease, lifting your head just enough to meet his gaze, the faintest hint of a smile on your lips.

Spencer grins, soft and boyish. "Always for you," he mumbles fondly, and before you can respond, he leans forward, pressing a playful kiss to the tip of your nose.

You stick your tongue out at him in mock protest, but he’s already chasing the moment. A kiss lands on your cheek. Then another on the other side. Each one dripping with easy affection. 

"Spence—" you laugh, the sound bubbling up. It spreads a warmth through Spencer’s chest. 

"My sweet girl," he says quietly, almost to himself. 

His smile only grows as he drinks in the sound of your giggles, tears long gone. He presses a fluttering series of kisses across your form until you’re laughing into his lips, each kiss softer than the last. 

One on your cheek, two on your shoulder, a thousand on your lips.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ hi if you're here! thank you for reading! feel free to like or reblog or comment or reply!

ᯓ★ song recs if you feel like it: false god by taylor swift moon river by frank ocean

[simpjaes]

who in enha do you think would take you on a dinner date while ur plugged with a vib and he has the remote >•<

hyung line vibes

★ heeseung:

he's the one who suggested it, buying the remote control vibe as a surprise for you before watching you open the package with a mischievous lil smirk. "come on, just wear it to dinner with me tonight!" and "i promise, i won't go too crazy with it." are his main arguments, and shame on you for believing him. heeseung is the worst when he's sitting across from you with those big, fake-innocent eyes blinking at you, waiting for you to break. He turns the nob up, up, up, til he can hear the vibration inside of you hitting the seat under you. And still, he's smile. "What's wrong baby? you haven't even touched your food," he'd pout at you, watching you sweat and struggle to pretend you're okay before catching your breath.

heeseung would be evil with it.

☆ jake:

desperate to see you cum everywhere, all the time. you're the one who originally suggested it, just as a fun little anniversary thing you guys could do, but it was game over the second he saw you struggle to hide your pleasure in the face of a waitress asking if you'd like broccoli or fries as a side. You don't exactly regret asking him to try it with you, but goddamn, he doesn't give it a rest. you'll need to go to the fucking grocery store because you forgot flour or something and here comes turbovibeman, prancing to you with that thing and putting it in you himself , with a hand down your pants and another holding you tight against him so you can't wiggle away. that grin on his face wide, like "you always pretend to hate it, but you jump me the second we get into the car." sadly, you can't argue with that.

you're into it, it's just more fun to act annoyed and fight him on it. additionally, jake probably would buy one for himself too, asking you to fuck him up in the middle of dinner, or the grocery store.

★ sunghoon:

kinda shy about it but you know he's a goddamn liar. You bought it, you put it in you, you held the remote in your bag up until the two of you got your food, then you slid it across the table at him. "Go on, push a button." you'd urge him, and ofc he'd look at you with a raised brow, thinking his girl done went crazy or something. He does push the button, and in that moment he watches you jolt. You practically see him making the connection before he smirks, narrowing his eyes at you and turning it all the way up. It's...too much. It makes you too sensitive. And when you look at him with pleading eyes, almost moaning out, he just smiles and sips his water with a death grip on the remote. "You knew i would." He comments. You did know. You played yourself with this one.

☆ jay:

the type to moan with you even though he's neglected. the type to get up mid-dinner, forget to pay for the meal, and walk out with a very blatant hard-on in his pants, dragging you out so he can fuck :( i almost think jay would enjoy it, but i also am very biased and believe he'd do it for you, but suffer watching you feel good over a silicone toy in you. Yeah, he's controlling it, but!!!! that could be his fingers!! his mouth!!!! his cock!!!! not saying he'd get jealous of the toy, but he would, and that would even be part of the fun for you. It's not even you who ends up edged when you guys do this, it's him. Watching you like that kills him, seeing you get so close, makes him struggle not to lay you out right there on the table and fuck you for everyone to see :( but hey, he suffers for you, and you suffer for it. true love baby!!!!

[sweetsungiie]

Stolen Glances

|situationship!Sunghoon x f!reader, (kind of) toxic!Sunghoon, enemies to lovers (but not really)|

|warnings! cursing, mentions of alcohol and smoking, alcohol consumption, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), smut with plot, piv, protected sex, slight degradation and praise, minors dni! , pure filth so have fun|

|wc about 8k|

“I just don’t see why we’re throwing a ‘going away’ party, he’ll be back in like two weeks? Isn’t this a bit excessive?” With a roll of your eyes you let out a sigh from the back seat. Your fingers found the hem of the black mini skirt adorning your thighs, messing with it more the closer you got to your destination. 

“It’s not just a going away party, ok, it’s also a good luck party! Sunghoon’s going to Nationals this is a big deal and enough reason to celebrate, not that Heeseung and Jay ever really need a reason to throw a party.” Julie responds from the front seat with an excited smile on her face. 

“Okay but why do I have to come? Sunghoon and I can’t stand each other in case you forgot.” Outside the car window you notice the familiar street signs and houses leading towards the guys house, you knew you were approaching their street and you couldn’t ignore the nerves floating around your stomach. 

Sunoo groans from the passenger seat as he shifts his body to face you in the backseat. “Yeah, yeah, you hate each other but you’re also two grown adults in the same friend group so suck it up. Heeseung and Jay invited you and Sunghoon is very much aware. If he truly didn’t want you there he would have said something but he didn’t because he knows we’re all friends. It’s a big party so you probably won’t even have to speak to him.”

Of course you couldn’t tell your friend the real reason you preferred to stay home tonight so you would just have to suck it up and attend this party with a fake smile on your face the entire night and just hope Julie wants to go home early.

Sunoo wasn’t lying when he said this was a big party. You were still partially down the street and you could already see a line of cars parked on the side of the road. “Damn it, I knew we should have taken an Uber. Where the hell am I supposed to park now?” Julie jerked her head from left to right but it seemed the entire street was full of cars with no space in between. 

The blonde haired boy in the front seat only smiled brightly and pointed down the street, “Luckily I thought ahead. I called Soobin and he said we could park in his driveway. One of his roommates is out of town for the weekend so there’s an extra spot with our name on it.” Julie doesn’t hesitate to pull into the familiar driveway and before you knew it you found yourself walking through the doorway of a house you knew all too well. 

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you guys.” Jay is the first to greet you once you’re inside, his arm resting around a taller boy with dark black hair. You recognize him as an underclassman, the name Niki sounds promising but you’re not sure so you just smile kindly at the two of them.

“Now this isn’t exactly role model behavior, Jay. What will your underclassman think?” Julie shakes her head at him teasingly to which Jay just chuckles in response. 

“Nah, I’ve got a close eye on Riki, don’t worry about him. I’m getting him some water now. Man of the hour should be in the living room, think he was mid game with the others. I’ll be right back.” 

You held any further comments until Jay and the underclassmen were out of earshot, turning your head to watch them walk away before dropping the forced smile on your face. “Man of the hour? As if his ego wasn’t big enough.” 

“Play nice for a couple hours, you’ll survive. I’m going to look for Soobin and Beomgyu, bye girls.” Sunoo smiles and waves as he turns and makes his way deeper inside the house. 

“Come on, we can’t stand at the entrance all night.” Julie grabs your arm and pulls you in the direction of the living room and sure enough, there he was. Standing around a rectangular table scattered with red solo cups were the group of boys you had grown so fond of and Sunghoon was there too. The taller man was standing at the end of the table, a ping pong ball in his right hand with Jake hyping him up from his left side as he was about to toss the ball. He tosses it and to no one's surprise, he makes it into one of the cups making Heeseung, who stood at the opposite end of the table, take a drink. 

“Hey, nice! Hee you’re slacking.” Julie cheers with a laugh. Suddenly their eyes were on the both of you, no longer focused on the game of beer pong. You smile at the others kindly before allowing your eyes to drift over to Sunghoon, his eyes sparked with something you couldn’t explain but chose to ignore. 

Sunghoon quickly recovers, smiling brightly at Julie as he straightens up. “Julie, good to see you as always, thank you for coming.” His gaze shifts as his eyes meet yours again, this time a bitter look paints his features, “Y’n, you didn’t have to come all the way out here for me, seriously you shouldn’t have.” 

You felt a sting at his words but don’t let it show, instead you smile back, “You guys never really need an excuse to throw a party but celebrating you going away? How could I refuse something so sweet?” 

“Is that why you got all dressed up? Is that all for me?” He teases whilst dragging his eyes up and down your figure in front of everyone, but you don’t take the bait, instead you take the cheap shot that you know will come back to bite you but that's what he gets for ignoring you for the past week. 

“No, actually I remembered Heeseung said he liked this skirt on me once. What do you think, Hee? Still like it?” You spin around with a smirk on your face, stopping once you were facing Heeseung directly. He stares at you with a confused look on his face and his lips move as if he’s struggling to find the right words to say. You let out a giggle and slap his arms softly, “Don’t worry! I’m just teasing, I know I look good.” 

Heeseung chuckles and shakes his head at your humor, “When don’t you look good, Y/nnie.” His hand reaches up to ruffle your hair slightly which makes you huff. 

You don’t miss the way Sunghoon's eye burn into you at the action and it brings a smirk to your lips once you turn away from Heeseung only to find Sunghoon is still staring at you. You’re so focused on him you don’t even notice Julie grab at your arm and pull you away toward the kitchen with an announcement of grabbing a drink. 

Sunghoon doesn’t bother looking away from you as Julie pulls you away, not even trying to hide the distaste on his features. Jakes bumps his shoulder against him, “Dude, cut it out.” But the younger boy ignores him, turning his fiery gaze over to Heeseung now. 

“What the hell was that?” He asked before he could convince himself to stay quiet. Heeseung looks up from the ping pong ball in his hand and cocks his head to the side in confusion, he waits for Sunghoon to elaborate before answering. 

“Since when do you flirt with her?” If he had his head on straight, Sunghoon would have probably realized this line of questioning sounds a bit suspicious coming from him but Sunghoon never really thought clearly when it came to you. 

“You call that flirting? Man, stop playing around.” Heeseung dismisses him with a wave of his hand and turns his attention back to the game of beer pong in front of them. Despite Heeseung tossing the ball and making it into one of the cups, Sunghoon no longer seems interested and instead decides to walk away from the table altogether, leaving Jake and Heeseung standing with bewildered expressions on their faces.

He wasn’t sure what got over him tonight, he was usually much better at controlling himself around you. This little game the two of you have been playing has become almost second nature to him by now but there was just something about tonight. Maybe it was the way that cute mini skirt sat on your curves, or the way your soft hair cascaded down your back. Or perhaps it was because he had been so busy with practice and meetings the past few days that he’s barely been able to speak to you let alone see you in person. Sunghoon internally curses at himself for missing you just after a few days, this wasn’t like him at all. He’s not supposed to care, surely not supposed to miss your presence and get pissed off after you jokingly flirt with one of his friends. 

The rational part of Sunghoons brain is well aware that you are not actually hooking up with Heeseung nor are you actually interested in him but that side of him is being clouded at this moment by the overwhelming sense of irrational jealousy. This feeling was unknown to Sunghoon, he had prided himself in being nothing if not rational in all aspects of his life.  As he found himself walking up the stairs towards his bedroom for a moment of quiet, Sunghoon realized he would have to make a very complicated decision. He would either have to push you away or finally admit the harsh truth that his feelings towards you are anything but casual. Unfortunately for him, he was not prepared to do either. 

Whilst Sunghoon underwent a mild internal crisis just up the stairs, you were still in the kitchen with Julie who was currently building up some colorful concoction consisting of multiple different kinds of liquor and juices. “You know I thought I saw a bowl of jungle juice in the living room, you could’ve just grabbed some of that instead of whatever this is?” Your nose scrunches up as the strong scent of alcohol exudes from Julie’s so called expertise. 

She only shakes her head at you, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Here, try some.” She stirs up both drinks with a bright pink straw before handing you the disposable cup. The liquid nearly reached the brim which only caused a shiver to run down your spine. Deciding at that moment that you probably were going to need the liquid courage to survive the night you only slightly hesitated before bringing your lips to the cup and chugging down a large gulp. 

The liquor burned your throat and the sweetness of the juices only caused your stomach to groan in a disagreeing manner. There was no way you were finishing the entire cup but you smiled up at Julie nonetheless. The older girl smirked at you before taking a sip of her own drink. The way her eyes squeezed shut at the taste told you exactly what you already knew. Julie did not know jack shit about mixing drinks but who were you to tell her that. 

“Okay, now that you have alcohol in your system you can tell me what the hell that was about with the guys?” Her eyes squint at you as she purses her lips waiting for a response. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You feel your shoulders shrug and your hand brings the questionable cocktail back towards your lips to avoid answering her question. In reality you knew exactly what she was talking about of course, you had acted differently tonight and it was all because of him. It was slightly embarrassing realizing the effect he has on you, how you never would have acted that way if it weren’t for him. Heeseung was your friend and sure you teased him every now and then but openly trying to flirt with him just to get a reaction out of his friend was a new low. Part of you felt guilty, but another more shallow part of you is still riding the high of the pure look of jealousy on Sunghoons face. It was good to know you had an effect on him as well. No matter how crazy he drives you, you could rest easy knowing it was not just your emotions getting the better of you. 

In the moment you hadn’t realized how strange your actions may have seemed to the people around you, you had only wanted to get under his skin in the only way you knew how. Sunghoon was an athlete therefore being competitive is in his nature so what better way to show him what he’s missing than introducing him to his “competition.” 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t play dumb it doesn’t suit you. Acting flirty with Heeseung? Teasing Sunghoon?” She raises an eyebrow at you with surely hundreds of assumptions circling around her head. 

“I wasn’t flirting or teasing anyone, I was just joking around.” Hoping your nonchalance would shut the subject down, you’re quick to shrug and spin on your heels to walk back towards the living room but of course Julie is following right behind. She quickly steps to the side before stepping right in front of you, the two of you stood frozen in the middle of the hallway but no one seems to notice the death glare she’s throwing your way with her hand on her hip. 

“Y/n, don’t insult me by lying to me. What was that? I thought you hated Sunghoon but you were acting like you wanted to get a reaction out of him. Don’t play, you know I know you too well.” Poor Julie doesn’t realize how ironic her words sound to you. Julie knew you better than anyone but even she didn’t know the secret you’ve been dragging around with you for the past three months. 

“I do hate him, I can’t stand the man. Let's not forget who forced me to come tonight so forgive me for trying to find some entertainment while I’m here.” Once again you try to squeeze past her through the tight hallway. You end up back in the living room spotting the guys all scattered around now. 

“You’re acting weird, but I’ll drop it for now.” The two of you are quick to have a seat on a loveseat and fall into an easy conversation with Jake and Jungwon. The minutes pass and Sunghoon is nowhere to be found which only causes even more annoyance, you haven’t seen him all week and while you enjoy the peace without his bickering you would rather have him teasing you than not have him here at all. Before you can dwell on it too long, you hear the song change into one of your favorites and suddenly Julie is pulling you and the guys up to dance together and you don’t even have to fake the smile on your face when you do so.

Sunghoon doesn’t realize how long it had been before he decided to make his way back down the stairs to rejoin the party. However as soon as his foot landed on the last step his eyes found you, dancing in the middle of the living room. You were swaying your hips with Julie right behind you. Honestly you were practically grinding on your friend which didn’t bother Sunghoon, what bothered him was the way Jake was watching you. Sunghoon watched with heat in his eyes as you made eye contact with Jake and smiled at him. Suddenly that irrational jealousy he had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to dissolve was shooting right back up to the surface. The athlete wasn’t thinking clearly when he decided to do a 180 back to his room all whilst pulling out his phone. His fingers were typing away before he could stop himself and soon enough he had hit send and there was no going back. The message sitting within that blue bubble haunted him, it was too late now so he once again fails to stop himself from sending a second text just for good measure. 

The first message had gone unnoticed by you, the ding was nearly silent compared to the loud music blaring throughout the living room. Now the second message was a bit clearer since it came through as soon as the song was starting to end. 

DNI

Come upstairs

DNI

Now.

You’d be lying if you said the message didn’t bring a shiver down your spine, after all you were just a girl and a weak one at that because without even realizing it you found yourself inching towards the staircase. Julie was too busy dancing with Jake and a few others who had joined in to notice your leave. This was risky, the two of you had never met up like this with all your friends around and it was filling you with an alarming amount of excitement. The thought was unfortunately not enough to stop you from quickly making your way up the stairs without a lick of hesitation in your step. With the amount of times you had snuck in here while the others were gone or sleeping you knew exactly where you were going. 

For a moment you considered knocking on his bedroom door but the impatience bubbling within you wouldn’t allow such a thing so with your hand wrapped around the door knob you push his bedroom door open before sliding inside and shutting it behind you. You pause then with your back resting against the door. Sunghoon was sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his knees. His right leg was bouncing impatiently and you could tell how angrily he clenched his jaw from where you stood. 

“Lock it.” Is all he says without bothering to look up at you, his eyes are trained on the wall in front of him. You don’t hesitate to follow his order, turning the lock over and not daring to do anything else. Sunghoon smirks as soon as he hears the click of the lock. You always were so good at following orders when it was just the two of you, but why is it that in front of everyone else you just had to be such a brat? 

You blink and suddenly Sunghoon is standing up and walking towards you. He towers over you now to which you have to crane your neck to make eye contact with him. His right hand comes up to wrap around your exposed throat, not squeezing you but putting just enough pressure to make you aware that he could if he wanted to. His other hand reaches down to toy with the hem of your mini skirt, the material scrunches at his touch and he can’t help but scoff. The air around you was so tense but it was the look in Sunghoon’s eyes that made you feel like you couldn’t breathe. His gaze was burning through you and setting you aflame but you couldn’t look away, couldn’t push him away. Not like you wanted to anyway.

“Did you have fun down there? Flirting with Heeseung, dancing with Jake? Are you that much of a slut that you turn to my friends when I don’t give you attention?” His voice finally breaks the silence between you. His cruel words should have angered you but you nearly had to hold back a whine in response. The universe was so unfair presenting you with this insufferable man and then make it impossible for you to resist him. 

“I asked you a question, angel.” His voice is barely above a whisper but yet it startles you. In the short moment you found yourself losing your composure, Sunghoon had managed to lean down closer to you. His lips were a breath away from the skin of your jaw. 

You could tell he wasn’t playing around anymore with the way his grip on your throat tightened and the hand previously toying with the material of your skirt drifted upwards to grab at your waist instead. There was a choice to be made here. You could either answer his question in earnest or provoke him and since you knew very well Sunghoon already considered you a brat, why not push the agenda even further. 

“If you don’t give me attention someone else will, Sunghoon. Whether or not that happens to be a friend of yours is none of my concern.” You force your eyes to bore into his despite the nerves running down your spine. His jaw clicks, clenches and unclenches before he forces your head up even further, stretching your neck up the entire way as he leans down to drag his lips down your neck, not quite kissing you yet. He inhales your scents and sighs against your skin. 

“I’m sure they’d jump at the chance but you don’t want their attention, do you baby? No, your body craves me, doesn’t it?” His eyes travel down the length of your trembling figure and a scoff pushes past his lips at the sight, “I mean you’re practically shaking and I haven’t even touched you yet.” 

“Call it pent up sexual frustration after being ignored for a week.” You counter with an attempt to stabilize yourself. Sunghoon arches an eyebrow at you in disbelief. 

“I wasn’t ignoring you, brat. You know I was busy with practice and don’t act like you haven’t been touching yourself all week to the thought of me.” He pulls away from your neck only to push you even further up against the door and press his body against yours. The contact of his skin on yours brought a wave of heat all the way down to your core. It should be concerning how much your body yearned for him but you weren’t prepared to deal with that revelation. 

“How would I know that if you never told me? One text would have been enough but I didn’t hear from you at all for a week and instead I had to hear it from Sunoo.” His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion for just a moment before he masks it. 

“What does it matter who you heard it from, you knew I was busy.” His words light a different kind of fire within you now. The anger rises before you have a chance to stop it.

“You are such an asshole. Of course it matters, I should have heard it from you. All you had to do was tell me you were going to be busy this week but instead you ghost me for a week and then you throw this party and you act like a dick.” 

This time Sunghoon doesn’t bother hiding his confusion, he backs away slightly and the hand on your throat loosens. “I don’t have to do anything, last I checked I’m not your fucking boyfriend, Y/n.” His head tilts to examine your reaction. 

Your eyes widen in surprise before squinting back into a glare and you nod up at him lifting your arms up to push him away. “You’re absolutely right you aren’t my boyfriend nor do you want to be as you have made perfectly clear. Luckily for me there’s at least ten guys right downstairs who would kill to be, including your best friends.” 

Once you force Sunghoon back you turn to unlock the door and leave the room but of course Sunghoon wasn’t about to let you leave after saying something like that. You barely have the chance to twist the lock before he pulls you away from the door completely. He turns to step in front of you, his hands finding purchase in the same place they were before. His hand on your waist guides you to walk backwards towards his bed as the hand on your throat inches upwards to squeeze at your jaw instead. 

“Don’t be stupid, what did I just tell you? You and I both know you don’t want anybody downstairs, you don’t want anyone else.” His words come out almost as a growl whilst his eyes were burning into you so fiercely you almost couldn’t recognize him. 

“What do you want, Sunghoon?” The question forced its way out of your mouth before you could stop it. Sunghoon glares down at you, his eyes erratically jumping across your features not fully deciding where to focus.

“Fuck.” He lets go of you then and brings his hands up to grip at his hair, pushing his hair back out of his face. “You’re no good for me. I can’t think straight around you, you’re fucking with my head and I can’t stop it. I don’t want to stop it because I want you.” He steps up to you again this time bringing both of his hands to cup your jaw. “What are you doing to me?” His pleading eyes search your face for an answer. 

You can’t help the shock that crosses your features at his confession. Your hands hesitantly lift to rest over his own on your jaw, you caress the back of his hands with your thumbs as you look up at him, the anger within you dying down if only slightly to look up at him adoringly rather than scorchingly like before. 

“Same thing that you’re doing to me. I’ve never known you to be a coward, Hoonie. Tell me what you want.” It’s barely above a whisper but to Sunghoon you might as well have shouted it. The words slammed into his chest so intensely he almost leaned back in response. He shuts his eyes for only a moment before responding to you. 

“I want you. I want you so bad it scares me, I’ve never felt this way before. I can’t focus because all I do is think about you. This week was so important for my athletic career but the only reason my practices kept running late was because I kept fucking up thinking about you, I was so distracted that I was making stupid little mistakes. I thought staying away from you would help but I only grew more frustrated. I don’t just want you, I need you, I crave you so bad I don’t think it’s healthy. Fuck I’ve never-” He cuts himself off by looking down at his feet with his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. 

“I don’t know what to do with how I feel.” He admits after a moment and his eyes find yours again in the darkness of his dimly lit bedroom. You were aware that before you got involved with Sunghoon, he had never really had a girlfriend. Growing up the guys always referred to him as the romantic type, Heeseung would even tease him that he would be the first to get married but once they hit college it seemed all Sunghoon would allow himself to indulge in were casual hookups. It didn’t happen very often, you knew of only two other girls that the boys had brought up, both which Sunghoon hooked up with casually a few times before cutting it off. From what you heard they didn’t last longer than a couple weeks. You knew you weren’t crazy for thinking things were different between you two, there was something else here stronger than the “casual” title you liked to convince yourselves described your situation. 

“You talk to me like an adult, Sunghoon. You tell me how you feel honestly and you don’t push me away when you get scared, I’m scared too, ok?” You pause to allow him a moment to take that in, he nods and breathes in all while relishing in the feeling of your hands still over his own. He wonders to himself if your touch has always brought him this much comfort. 

“But, for now, you can start by kissing me and showing me exactly how much you missed me this week.” A grin lifts the corners of your lips at the sight of Sunghoon’s eyes widening in surprise. He wasn’t expecting your forgiveness tonight, he didn’t think he deserved it, didn’t think he deserved you but he wasn’t about to let this chance pass him by so he decided to earn your forgiveness in the best way he knew how. 

His grip on your jaw tightened and he didn’t hesitate before bringing his lips to yours. The kiss was soft at first full of so much emotion and desire that it made you feel all weak in the knees, you would have surely collapsed if it weren’t for his hold on your jaw. His lips were so soft against yours you never wanted it to end but when the kiss evolved into something hungrier you wouldn’t be caught dead complaining with the way his hands traveled down to your waist squeezing you so tightly as if he was afraid you’d disappear otherwise. He sucked at your lips before pushing his tongue into your mouth, it was intoxicating, he was intoxicating. Your own hands found their way around his neck to pull at his hair as he pulled you closer into his body to feel exactly how much he wanted you. The prominent bulge in his pants mirrored your own arousal if the slickness pooling in your underwear was anything to go off of. Sunghoon caught the way you squeezed your thighs together and he had to hold back a groan at the sight. 

“Oh baby, let me take care of you, please. Let me show you how sorry I am, please angel, let me make you feel good.” He was practically begging which only added to your arousal as you felt yourself growing wetter. You granted him permission with a soft nod but that wasn’t enough for him, despite literally begging to satisfy you, he had to make it known he was still in control. 

“Use your words, angel.” He whispered against your lips waiting for an answer. You mutter a ‘yes’ which is when Sunghoon allows himself to kiss you again. His right hand finds your throat again and he pushes your head back softly exposing more of your neck to him. “You’re so gorgeous, fuck.” You’re not allowed a moment to answer before his lips latch onto your neck. The way he kisses and sucks at your skin pulls a whine from deep within you, at this point you had no shame in showing him exactly how needy you were for him as if he didn’t know it already. His other hand that was previously on your waist traveled to grab at your ass, groping and caressing as he saw fit.

“Sunghoon please.” The whines escaping past your lips only encourage Sunghoon to continue to tease you, kissing and sucking and biting at your throat roughly enough that he was sure he’d leave marks but he didn’t care anymore. He lifted up to kiss your lips once more before he pulled away slowly. The sight of Sunghoon falling to his knees before you was not one you were unfamiliar with but tonight was different, the way his eyes never left yours as he lowered himself onto his knees ignited you and you don’t think you’ve ever been this turned on before. There was something vulnerable in his gaze as though he was giving you much more than what it seems right now. 

Once on the floor he trails his fingers up to pull your skirt and underwear down your legs in one go. You lift your legs one at a time so he can fully remove the clothing before taking a seat on the edge of his bed still with your legs closed. Sunghoon rests his hands on thighs and presses a kiss on your knees before softly pushing your legs open and pulling you even closer to the edge of the bed so he was facing your bare glistening cunt. 

“Fuck, you’re so gorgeous, angel.” He presses a kiss on the inside of your thighs before biting at the skin of your inner thigh. With a smirk he leaned closer to where you needed him most before blowing softly onto your pussy causing you to groan out before leaning back on your elbows to watch him. 

“Hoonie, please please.” You begged with frustration dripping from your tone. You needed him so bad you were convinced if he didn’t do something soon you would explode. 

“Please what, angel?” He teased whilst pressing another kiss on your inner thigh. “Fuck, please I need your mouth.” The smirk on his lips only grew at your words, “You need my mouth? Where, angel? Here?” He brought his lips back to your thighs, kissing and sucking at your skin to which you groaned. 

“Need your mouth on my cunt, Hoonie.” You squealed out before grabbing the back of his head and pushing him towards your dripping center. He chuckled but didn’t stop you after all he was supposed to be the one grovelling for your forgiveness not the other way around. The relief you felt as he licked a stripe up your cunt was instant and so prominent that you couldn’t stop the loud needy moan that came out of you just from one touch. Sunghoons hand gripped your thighs tightly as he dived into your sweetness, he was like a man starved licking and sucking to swallow as much of your taste as he could. His tongue trailed up to circle you clit before pressing against it entirely, relishing in the way your entire body shook in response. 

“This pretty pussy missed me, huh? Fuck I missed your taste too, baby. The sweetest pussy, made just for me.” He groaned into your cunt, sucking your clit harshly into his mouth. You were moaning so loudly and shamelessly if it weren’t for the loud music from the party downstairs you were sure everyone in the house would hear exactly how good Sunghoon was making you feel. 

You don’t even realize him taking two of his fingers to circle your hole as he licks at your clit. It doesn’t take long for his cold fingers to be coated in your arousal making it entirely too easy for him to slip two fingers inside of you. The action causes a moan from both of you, Sunghoon pulled away from your clit to admire how easily his fingers slid in and out of you whilst you were so pleased to finally be filled by something other than your own fingers. Sunghoon’s fingers always felt so much better, being longer and thicker than your own made it so easy for him to find that spot that made you see stars, a spot he was currently making sure to hit with each thrust. 

“That’s my girl, squeezing around my fingers so tight, fuck. I need you squeezing my cock like that, okay?” He groans as he lifts his free hand to slide underneath your shirt and squeeze at your breasts. You nod along to his words before moaning again, “Yes, yes, I need your cock please fuck me. Want to cum on your cock, Hoonie.” Your eyes squeeze shut as you feel your lower stomach begin to tighten. 

Sunghoon smiled at the sight as he thrusted his fingers into you at a faster pace. “You will, baby, but first I need you to cum on my fingers. Can you do that for me?” He brought his lips back down to your clit, licking and sucking just right all while his long fingers continue to hit that spongy part inside you. The moan you released at the action was so erotic and breathy Sunghoon couldn’t stop himself from lowering the hand previously groping your tits down to press against his throbbing hard on. 

He felt you clench around his fingers as you arched your back toward him letting him know you were close. “Come on baby, cum on my fingers like a good girl.” He mumbles against your clit before going back to sucking at it vigorously until he felt your walls squeeze his fingers so tightly he was convinced they would break off. You felt your orgasm crash through you before you could say anything, you cum with a moan of his name, pulling at his hair whilst he continues to thrust his fingers in and out of you at a slower place allowing you time to ride out your orgasm. You hadn’t even noticed the way your hips practically grinded against his face on their own until you felt his nose hit your clit in a way that had you shaking with over stimulation. “That’s my good girl, fuck you taste so good for me, angel. You did so well.” He praises all whilst still pressing kisses on your clit and on your thighs before pulling his fingers out of and sucking them into his mouth all while keeping his eyes on yours. You let out another moan at the sight. He lifts himself up off the floor and you take the hint to move back to allow him room on the bed with you. 

His hand grasps the back of your neck and pulls your head until he’s hovering right above you. His thumb presses against your lips which you part instantly for him. Now understanding what he wants, you lean your head further back and stick your tongue out for him to spit into your mouth, a mix of his saliva and your release drips onto your tongue as you moan. “My good girl, you see how good you taste, see why I can’t get enough?” You nod along to his words despite barely being able to comprehend anything post orgasm right now. 

“I need to be inside you, baby. Need to feel you around my dick.” You aren’t sure if he’s expecting a response or just talking to himself but either way you’re not given the chance to react before Sunghoon lifts you and moves you to lay on your back on the bed and hovers above you. His lips connect with yours again and on instinct your legs wrap around his waist already grinding your hips upwards. “Fuck, needy baby, one wasn’t enough you grinding on me for another? I love it, I’ll give you what you need.” In a flash he lifts his shirt over his head, yours following right after. He takes a moment to admire the pretty bra he knows you put on just for him but it’s not long before it ends up on the floor as well so he can finally suck one of your nipples into his mouth whilst his other hand toys with the other. His hips grind down into your bare cunt all on their own, he could care less for the wet mess the action leaves on his pants. 

“Sunghoon, please I can’t take it anymore. I need you inside me, I want to feel you.” Your hands grab at his head to bring him back up to your lips, pulling his lips to kiss yours as your hands lower to unzip his pants and push them down to which he doesn’t hesitate to help you do. He gets up momentarily to pull his pants and briefs off and grabs a condom from his nightstand. 

His body is back on top of yours before you know it, his fist wrapping around the base of his cock to angle it towards your cunt. He drags his mushroom tip up and down your folds to coat it in your slick. He groans at the feeling and you respond similarly while arching your back and grinding your hips against him. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you feel his tip press against your hole before pushing in. Both of you sigh at the feeling of being connected in such a way. 

Sunghoon hides his face in the space where your neck meets your shoulder, kissing and biting at the skin there as he feels your walls clenching around him. You felt so warm and tight he had to hold back before he came right then. Your legs wrapped around him and your left hand pulled at his hair whilst the other squeezed around his bicep. You moaned right into his ear once he pulled out just slightly only to thrust back in slowly. Sunghoon all but hissed at the feeling as he began thrusting into you at a pace both of you seemed to enjoy if your sounds of pleasure were anything to go by. 

“Shit, I’ve missed this, missed you.” He groans into your ear which sends shivers down your spine. “Hoonie, harder please.” You squeeze your eyes shut at the request, relishing in the feeling of being so full. 

“I’ve got you, baby. Fuck this pussy was made for me, you were made for me.” His thrusts grow harder and faster which rips a moan from your chest and brings a grin to his lips. His hips are now slamming into you and Sunghoon drags himself down to kiss and lick down your chest until he reaches your tits again. “Feels so good, Hoonie.” Your words are just barely understandable but Sunghoon nods along in agreement anyway. 

“I know, baby, I know.” His right hand drops down so he can circle your clit with his thumb, only increasing your already growing pleasure and pushing you towards that all too familiar edge. His hips snap against you at an unthinkable pace and with the way he plays with your clit at a matching speed you just barely have enough time to warn Sunghoon before you feel the beginnings of your orgasm. 

“Hoon…nh-I’m coming.” You open your eyes as you feel him pull away from your neck only to look deep into your eyes, “Come for me, angel. I need to feel you, shit.” He witnesses the moment you begin to orgasm as he watches your pretty mouth form an O shape as your eyebrows furrowed together. You always looked so beautiful when you orgasmed but tonight was different, just the sight alone was enough to push Sunghoon over the edge and before he could stop himself he felt his thrusts grow sloppy as he released into the condom. He groaned out as he continued to thrust slowly to allow both of you time to come down. 

The exhaustion hits him without him even realizing it. His body collapses against yours, not bothering to pull out of you as he gets comfortable just laying with you. As though it was normal for you, your hands wrapped around him and you smoothed out the hair on the back of his head hearing him sighing in content at the feeling. 

“I like this. I could fall asleep like this every night.” He whispers into your neck before pressing a tender kiss there. You smile at his confession beginning to like this new side of Sunghoon he had hidden from you before. 

“Like inside me?” You teased with a playful laugh. He groans but it morphs into a laugh midway. “That’s not what I mean but if you’re offering I won’t refuse.” The two of you giggle into each other at your banter before it grows into a calming silence again.

“I know what you meant. I like it too.” You can feel him smile against your skin which brings a blush to your cheeks. The two of you spend a few minutes just laying there in each other's hold enjoying the calm silence and each other's presence. However you knew you couldn’t stay there for the rest of the night, the bass of the music downstairs was an unfortunate reminder of why you were here in the first place. Your nails scratch at his back to softly get his attention. 

“Hoonie, we’re going to have to get up now.” He shakes his head in response, mumbling something unintelligible into your neck. “I know, I don’t want to move either but this party is for you and I’m sure we’ve already been gone long enough for it to be considered suspicious.” 

“I don’t care.” His hold on you tightens. “Baby, if we go back out there I can let Julie know to go home without me so I can spend the night here, deal?” That gets his attention as he immediately rises up and presses a kiss to your lips, “Deal.” He softly pulls his now softened dick out of you, hissing at the feeling. 

“Fuck, let me clean you up baby.” He gets up to grab some wipes before cleaning you up in such a caring manner you would have never thought he was capable of. “Uh, I think you might have to wash your makeup off.” He sheepishly smiled at the sight of your runny mascara and smudged lipstick. 

You groan as Sunghoon guides you to his private bathroom for you to see the damage. Sure enough, Sunghoon was right, there was no way you could go back downstairs like this so you wash your face and decide to go without makeup for the rest of the party. The two of you get dressed pretty quickly and whilst doing so you decided to not say anything to your friends tonight, although they would probably figure it out on their own you don’t want to say anything to bring too much attention to the two of you tonight especially since it wasn’t just your friend group at this party tonight. Therefore, you agreed to walk back downstairs first with Sunghoon following behind you a few minutes later. 

Sunghoon steps in front of you to open his bedroom door, once he finds the hall is empty he opens the door a bit more allowing you room to step out but not before he pulls you in for another kiss. 

“Oh shit.” The two of you jump apart at the sound of another voice quickly turning to find Heeseung stepping out of his own bedroom that was right across the hall with an unlit blunt between his lips. 

“Oh..” There goes your plan to keep things a secret for just a little while longer. 

“Hey hyung look, we can-” Sunghoon starts only to be interrupted by his older friend. 

“I knew it! Damn, Jake owes me a twenty for this, this is a great night.” He grins before shutting his bedroom door and making his way down the stairs as though nothing happened. 

“Um, what just happened?” You tilt your head up to look at Sunghoon who seemed equally as confused.

���Well, clearly our friends bet on us. I don’t know how to feel about that.” A small grin paints itself on his lips once his eyes find yours and you can’t help but smile back at him. 

“Come on, we gotta do damage control now before the entire house hears about this.” Sunghoon follows behind you without a hint of hesitation although at this point he could care less if everyone at this party knew about the two of you. Actually, Sunghoon thinks he would prefer it that way. 

[falciesystemessays]

I honestly think that Dizzy's entrance to Guilty Gear Strive should be as much of A Moment for plural systems as Bridget's was for trans women. The character's not out yet, but every bit of promotional material for the character points in a very promising direction. So for people who don't go here, or who have only played Strive, allow me to tell you why a character trailer for a three-year-old game put me on the verge of tears.

For some quick context, plurality in a person is essentially the state of having multiple entities in one's head. The most commonly known form of this comes from having dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personalities. But plenty within the plural community (including me) have a broader umbrella for the term. The main terminology you'll want to know for this is that a "system" is a group of entities within one body (I for example am part of the Fal'cie System), and "aspects" are entities that aren't quite separable from the host, because they're the manifestation of specific parts of them. For the record I am very aware of how buckwild this sounds to an outsider, and I frequently get existential about it. A lot of characters in anime and games are incidentally plural due to their layers of fantasy nonsense. Some examples of this in action are Yami and Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh, Sora gaining Ventus's heart in Kingdom Hearts, and the explicit dissociative identity of the Storyteller System in Ace Attorney.

Now then! To sum up Dizzy's backstory real quick, Dizzy is a Gear, basically a living weapon, and the daughter of original antagonist Justice. Most of her character up until this point has been desperately trying to cover that and live among humans, to... mixed avail. In the series' story mode she manages to start a family with the human deuteragonist Ky Kiske, who loves her a lot despite formerly being one of the best Gear-slayers. Ky is such a wonderful character, because throughout the series we see him go from hating Gears to tolerating a few of them to having a kid with one and actually becoming a little bit Gear himself. But this essay isn't about Ky Kiske.

In actual gameplay, as in the 1v1 fighting game battles, the main thing stopping her from relative normalcy is her two wings, Necro and Undine. The reason I say this character is a plural dub is because these wings are actually aspects of Dizzy, Necro being her rage and Undine her compassion. A lot of Dizzy's attack animations in Guilty Gear XX (the one where I've played Dizzy a lot) actually have Necro doing violent things while Dizzy herself is either distracted or afraid. This continued in Guilty Gear Xrd, where her instant kill move (every character gets one) has Necro unleashing a fuckoff gamma ray while Dizzy begs him to stop. Worth noting also that gamma rays are one of the moves her mother Justice used. Dizzy and Necro have clearly not been getting along, and while it's fun as a fighting game character bit, there is a certain level of sadness to it.

But in Strive? Oh my god, she looks so happy now! So at peace with herself and with her system. Lemme just rattle stuff off right now.

-Dizzy's attack animations all put her in control. Necro and Undine do a lot of fighting still, but never without Dizzy's control. They are fighting in tandem.

-Dizzy's victory animation has her hold out two hands. Undine naturally puts her whole hand onto one, and Necro finally puts a single finger on the other with a smile.

-Their super move, Gamma Ray, starts out with Necro and Undine firing a beam, and Dizzy getting scared. But after glancing at them and realizing it's okay, she joins in on the beam attack.

-She has a new move now, Michael Sword (Pronounced Mik-hai-ull), a full-screen slash that Justice used to have, indicating that she's come to terms with her origins and wants to use them for good.

-God, her opening animation and taunt where she communes with the animals like a Disney princess. Her new beautiful design. Her new theme song! She has never been this happy in her life!

The thing is, right, I can imagine people saying that this character growth isn't remotely the same kind of moment as Bridget's, because Dizzy's whole thing is based in sci-fantasy that could never be real in the same way that like, dissociative identity is real. Plenty more would deny that plurality exists at all outside some deluded roleplayers. And, I mean, was series director Daisuke Ishiwatari really thinking about people like me when choosing to take the character this way? I don't know, honestly. But I do know that Dizzy's character arc is authentic, to me. If there's one thing Guilty Gear Strive's story is really good at, it's giving long-suffering characters some well-earned peace. And if this is how Strive Season 4 is starting, I can't wait to see what they do next.

[mofongomuncher]

𝙃𝙚𝙧 (PT 2)

(Ekko X Reader)

❥ cast : ! Ekko and Reader ¡

The days following their argument were long, stretching into what felt like an eternity. Y/N tried to keep her distance, give him time to breathe, but every moment apart only deepened the chasm between them. It wasn’t just Ekko anymore—it was.

It was jinx

Every time she thought about her, Y/N could feel her blood boil, could feel the growing resentment bubbling beneath her skin. It wasn't rational, she knew that. Ekko had said it himself—Jinx wasn't the same person she once was, that she wasn't even the same person anymore.

But it didn't matter. The truth was, Y/N was starting to hate her. She hated the way Jinx still haunted Ekko, the way she lingered in his every thought, in every word he spoke.

She wasn't stupid. She had seen the way Ekko's face softened whenever Jinx was mentioned, the way his voice trembled with guilt and regret. She could feel it—a constant reminder that he wasn't fully hers. Not while Jinx was still there, buried deep inside his heart.

Y/N didn't even want to think about what they had gone through. The loss, the violence, the twisted game Jinx had played on that ship. Every time she closed her eyes, the memory of the Firelights' death toll flashed before her—the way Jinx had obliterated their lives, the way Ekko had carried the weight of that destruction like a curse.

And he had the nerve to say those things to her.

To attack her and not Jinx.

The resentment festered, a dark seed growing in her chest. It twisted the memories of Ekko's smile, his touch, and his promises, turning them into something bitter. Y/N had given so much of herself to him, only to feel like she was always going to be second place. Everything was a lie.

All of it.

The voices that once whispered assurances now screamed in fury.

Why wasn't she enough?

Y/N walked the streets of Zaun, the lights from the neon signs flickering and buzzing around her. The night air felt cold against her skin, her steps were heavy, like each movement took more energy than the last.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something, anything, just to feel something other than the ache that seemed to consume her. But all she could do was walk, lost in her own thoughts, drifting through the world without really being a part of it.

The Last Drop was always there when she needed it. The familiar clink of glasses, the low hum of conversation, the smoky air—it all felt like a distant memory of better times, of times when she could forget about the weight of her world.

She wasn't there for fun. She wasn't there to be social. She was there because she needed to disappear, even for just a little while.

She pushed through the door, the warmth of the bar greeting her, a stark contrast to the chill outside. The usual faces were scattered around the dimly lit room...But.

Her eyes immediately landed on the corner booth. There was a man sitting there, Sipping a drink, his posture stiff, his face drawn in frustration. He didn't belong to the usual crowd of drunks and gamblers that populated the bar. There was something different about him—something that made her pause for a second.

She could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the way his fingers gripped his glass as though it was the only thing keeping him grounded. She didn't know why, but she felt...drawn to him.

With a deep breath, Y/N made her way to the bar, ordering something strong to quiet the storm inside her. But she couldn't stop glancing toward the man in the corner. His energy was familiar in some way, she wasn't sure what possessed her, but she found herself walking over to his booth—taking the seat across from him without asking.

He didn't even look up when she sat down, his gaze fixated on the swirling liquid in his glass.

"You look like you're carrying the weight of the world huh..." Y/N said, her eyes studying him carefully.

The man's eyes flickered briefly toward her before he sighed, rubbing his temple with one hand. "Maybe I am.." he muttered, his voice. "Isn't that how it goes though? You give everything, and it's just...still not enough."

Y/N tilted her head, her heart skipping a beat all of sudden. She had never met this man, but those words hit her like a punch to the gut.

She swallowed hard, fighting the wave of emotion threatening to overtake her. "Ye—yeah..." she replied softly. "You do everything you can for someone, and you still end up feeling like you were never really part of their life. Like they were just passing time until something better came along."

The man turned his gaze toward her then, studying her face with a strange mix of curiosity and recognition. "Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about, huh..." he said, his voice softer now, the walls around him crumbling just a little bit.

Y/N forced a small, humorless laugh. "Yeah, well... I guess I know the feeling all too well. Thought I was helping someone, thought I was worth something to them. Turns out, I was just the backup. The second choice."

The man's eyes softened, and for a moment, Y/N could see the pain in them, the weariness that matched her own. He leaned back in his seat, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass, lost in thought.

"You ever wonder if you're the one who's wrong? Like...maybe you're the one who's been selfish this whole time, thinking you were the one who should be chosen?"

Y/N stiffened at the question. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean...." he continued, his gaze steady on her, "....maybe they had their reasons. Maybe you weren't the one they were supposed to be with. Maybe they had their own battles, their own reasons for making the choices they did."

Y/N clenched her jaw, the anger rising again.

"It doesn't matter. They chose someone else, and that's all that matters. I gave everything to them, and that still wasn't enough."

The man studied her carefully, his brow furrowed. "You're angry because you didn't get what you wanted....But sometimes, what you want isn't the best thing for you. Sometimes, letting go...is the only thing that can set you free."

Y/N stared at him for a long moment, the weight of his words sinking in. There was a truth in them—one that was hard to face, but so impossible to ignore. She had been so consumed with wanting Ekko, with trying to prove that she was the one who mattered, that she hadn't stopped to think about what was best for her.

"Maybe..." she muttered, her voice distant now, lost in the realization. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I need to let go."

The man offered her a small, understanding smile. "I know It's never easy, but sometimes...holding on to something that's already gone only makes it harder to move forward. You can't keep fighting for someone who's not fighting for you."

Y/N looked down at her drink, the truth settling heavily in her chest. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew.

he was right.

"Guess we're both just in the same boat right now huh?" she said, her voice softer now.

He chuckled, a quiet, dry laugh."Yeah. I guess we are."

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, but there was an unspoken understanding between them. A shared pain, a shared loss, and perhaps, a glimmer of hope that they might both find a way to heal. The quiet was heavy, yet somehow comfortable, as though their presence alone was enough to ease the weight of the world for just a while.

The man sitting across from her had a quiet kind of beauty, the kind that spoke of sadness but also strength. His face was striking, with chiseled features that seemed sculpted by time and hardship. High cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and full lips that had a softness to them, as if the weight of the world hadn't completely hardened him. His dark brown eyes held so much depth, a sadness that she could relate to, yet there was a quiet warmth in them, as though he carried his own story and understood hers without needing to ask.

His skin, a rich hue of warm caramel, seemed to glow faintly under the dim light of the room, and his hair was dark and unruly, falling just above his eyebrows in waves. There was something about him—something raw and real—that made it impossible to look away.

"You know." he said quietly, looking at her with those intense eyes. "Healing... healing is possible." His voice was steady, a gentle reassurance that seemed to cut through the fog of her own doubts.

"You're stronger than you think. You've been through more than most people ever will, and you're still here. That means something."

Y/N swallowed, feeling a weight lift in her chest at his words. There was something about the way he looked at her, as if he truly saw her, not just the surface but the person beneath the layers of hurt. It made her feel... lighter, in a way. It made her feel like she wasn't as alone as she had thought.

But as quickly as it had begun, the moment seemed to come to an end. He stood slowly, his movements deliberate but soft, like he was giving her space to breathe. "I should head out now...it's getting late." he said, his voice gentle. "I'm Levi, by the way. It was really good talking to you...I hope... I hope you find peace."

Y/N nodded, her heart stirring with sadness.

"I'm Y/N." she whispered, her voice a little stronger than she had expected. "Thank you, Levi. For everything...really."

Levi offered her one last smile, a sad but sincere one, before turning to leave.

Y/N was left sitting there, the weight of the moment settling on her chest. She didn't know what it was about Levi or why their brief exchange had felt so significant. But as she sat there, she realized something—something small but important.

Healing.

Y/N stormed out of the Last Drop, her mind now a whirlwind of frustration, confusion, and anger. The conversation with Levi, though brief, had rattled her in ways she wasn't prepared for. His words echoed in her mind, a reminder of the things she wasn't ready to hear. Things about moving on, about not letting the past define her.

But how could she let go when every step forward felt like a push to forget everything she'd ever cared about?

She needed to release the pressure building in her chest—the tightness in her throat, the weight pressing down on her heart. She needed to stop pretending that everything was okay.

As she walked, her steps quickening with each passing second, her thoughts turned darker. She wasn't just angry at the world, at the people who kept letting her down.

No, the anger had a target, a name.

Ekko.

It was his fault she felt so torn. He had pulled her in, made her believe that there was something more between them, something worth fighting for.

But then there was Jinx—always in the back of his mind, always there, even when she wasn't.

"Why am I always second place?" she muttered to herself, the irritation simmering just below the surface. She walked faster, her fist clenching at her side.

Suddenly, a group of men appeared ahead of her, their figures blurry from the haze of anger and alcohol clouding her mind. They eyed her with a mix of amusement and mockery, clearly seeing her as an easy target.

One of them stepped forward, a grin playing at the corners of his lips.

"What's a girl like you doing out here alone, huh?" one of them sneered. "You look like you could use a little help... or maybe some company?"

Y/N gritted her teeth, her fists clenching at her sides. "Don't touch me..." she mumbled.

She wasn't in the mood for their games, not after everything she had been through.

The man chuckled, clearly unfazed. "What's wrong? Scared?" He took a step closer, reaching out as if to grab her, but she swatted his hand away.

"Don't.." she said again, her voice firmer now, though the slight tremble in her tone betrayed her.

Another man laughed, stepping forward as well. The situation shifted in an instant. The first man lunged toward her, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her forward, trying to pin her against the wall. The others crowded in, grinning and jeering, as they made a move to steal whatever coins she had on her.

"Let go!" Y/N snarled, swinging her free arm at one of the men, landing a punch across his cheek. The other men stepped back, laughing at her resistance as if it was all some kind of joke.

But her blows weren't enough to stop them. One of the men twisted her arm behind her back, the pain shooting through her body as she struggled against his grip.

Panic surged in her chest, her mind spiraling. She tried to kick out, but another man knocked her to the ground, pinning her there.

The weight of it all came crashing down. Her anger, her sorrow, her fear, her confusion—it all hit her at once, and in that moment, all the walls she had built around herself shattered. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped for air, her body shaking. She had fought so hard to hold herself together, but here she was now, on the dirty ground with these men looming over her, she felt like nothing.

Like everything she had ever done had led to this. To this moment right here.

"Get off me." she sobbed, voice breaking as she cried out for help, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Just as one of the men raised his fist to hit her, the air around her shifted. She felt a shift in the chaos. In an instant, the man was knocked to the side with a force that made her blink.

She didn't know what was happening at first, too disoriented by the rush of adrenaline. But the sound of the hoverboard—the unmistakable hum she had come to associate with reached her ears before she could register anything else.

In a flash, Ekko appeared, taking out the men one by one with ease. His movements were fluid,

calculated—each strike swift and precise. He didn't hesitate, didn't give them a chance to fight back.

The men were on the ground in a matter of seconds, groaning in pain, unable to get up.

Y/N's heart raced, a surge of relief washing over her for just a second. But then, as Ekko slid to a stop in front of her, his boots barely scraping against the pavement, her stomach sank.

He was standing there, breathing heavily, looking at her with that familiar, protective look she had seen so many times before.

"Y/N..." he said, his voice softer than usual, eyes scanning her body for any visible harm.

But before he could even take a step toward her, she shoved him away, her hands pressing against his chest with more force than she intended.

"D-Don't!" she snapped, her voice shaking with anger. She couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eyes. "Don't you dare say it..."

Ekko stumbled back, confusion flashing across his face. "What? I'm just trying to—"

"Trying to what?" she cut him off, her eyes blazing with fury. "Trying to tell me how reckless I am? How I always mess everything up? Just like you did before? You think you're the only one who can handle things? You think I need you to save me every damn time?" Her voice cracked at the end, her anger suddenly giving way to the overwhelming emotions she had been holding back for so long.

Ekko's eyes widened as her words hit him, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. His chest tightened, a heavy weight pressing down on him. He had seen her angry before, but this... this was different. This wasn't just about the fight.

It was everything that had been building up for weeks, everything he had said to her—everything he hadn't said. He'd hurt her more than he realized.

He stepped back, his gaze dropping to the ground.

"I didn't mean to—" His voice faltered, thick with guilt. "Y/N, I—"

"No Ekko.." she snapped, tears welling in her eyes despite the fierce expression on her face. "You don't get how it feels to be the one who's always fucking second. To be the one who's constantly told that I'm not good enough, that I'm a liability....You think I don't know what you really think of me? How you'd rather save her than me." She wiped at her eyes angrily.

Ekko's heart dropped. He knew who she was talking about.

The realization hit him like a wave. All this time, he had been so focused on protecting her, on trying to keep her safe, that he had completely ignored what she needed from him. She didn't need saving. She didn't need his constant worry, his control. She needed him to understand her, to be there for her in the way that mattered, not just when things got bad.

And he had failed her.

His voice was quiet now. "Y/N, I...I never wanted to make you feel like that. I never wanted you to think I cared more about her. It's just—"

"No..." she interrupted, shaking her head violently. "You're so damn obsessed with her, and you can't even see what's right in front of you." Her voice cracked again, but this time, she didn't try to hide it. "I'm right here, Ekko. I'm always here. I always have been."

Ekko stood there, completely frozen, as her words slammed into him. The truth of what he had done to her finally settled in, heavy and suffocating.

The anger, the hurt in her eyes—it all became clear.

He hadn't just been protecting her...he had been holding her back. He had been so caught up in his own fears, in his past, that he had completely disregarded what she truly needed from him.

that realization crushed him more than anything else.

"Y/N...please.." he said, his voice breaking as he took a hesitant step forward. "I... I didn't know. I didn't know how much I was pushing you away. I never meant to make you feel like you were second. You're not. You're never second."

Y/N didn't answer at first. She just stood there, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was so frustrated and heartbroken, but underneath it all, there was something softer—a part of her that was just as desperate, desperate for him to understand.

I don't want to be a shadow anymore Ekko" she whispered, her voice barely audible now. "I just want to be enough."

The words hit him like a punch to the gut, before he could even process them, she collapsed—her knees giving out beneath her as she crumpled to the ground.

Her body trembled with each sob, her face hidden in her hands as the alcohol and the weight of everything she had been carrying overwhelmed her all at once.

Ekko stood frozen for a moment, his heart in his throat. He didn't know what to do. Didn't know how to fix this, how to make things right. But as he watched her fall apart in front of him, everything he had been holding back came crashing down. This wasn't just about Jinx anymore. This wasn't about him trying to protect her or save her from herself.

This was about him failing her when she needed him the most.

Without thinking, he dropped to his knees beside her, his arms reaching out instinctively. He pulled her close, cradling her against his chest as she cried. She wasn't saying anything now, just letting the tears flow, the weight of everything she had been carrying threatening to crush her completely.

Ekko didn't speak. He didn't say anything at all. He just held her. In complete silence.

His hand brushed over her hair, trying to comfort her in the only way he knew how. "I'm sorry.." he whispered after a while, his voice thick with emotion. "...I'm so sorry Y/N."

Her sobs began to go quiet. She didn't answer at first, still struggling to regain control of her breath, her chest rising and falling in uneven gasps. The weight of everything—the alcohol, the anger, the broken trust—was starting to lift just a little, but the pain was still there.

Deep, raw, and unrelenting.

Ekko held her tighter, unwilling to let go, unwilling to let her face this alone anymore. He knew his words could never fix what had happened. He had failed her, hurt her, and he was going to have to work harder than he ever had before to earn her trust again.

"I never meant to hurt you baby.." he continued, his voice soft but full of regret. "I should've seen it. I should've understood how you felt. I... I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I was protecting you, but I was only pushing you away. And—And I'm so sorry."

There was a slight shift in her posture. She wasn't pulling away, but she wasn't completely letting herself fall into him either. The hurt was still there, and it wasn't going to disappear overnight. It couldn't.

After a long moment of silence, she spoke. "I don't know if I can trust you again" she whispered, the vulnerability in her words cutting through him like a blade. "I just...can't keep doing this."

Ekko's heart sank at the raw honesty in her voice. He knew she was right.

"I know.." he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've made you feel like that, and I hate myself for it...So fucking much. But you are enough Y/N. More than enough. And I'll spend every day proving that to you if I have to."

The words hung in the air, but for Y/N, they felt so distant. Something shifted inside her as the weight of Levi's words settled like an anchor in her chest.

You deserve someone who makes you feel like you're the only one.

The sharp clarity of that truth hit her hard, the bitter realization that no matter how hard Ekko tried, no matter how much he cared for her, she was always going to be second place in his heart.

Her gaze flickered away from his, her throat tightening as she struggled to find the right words. She could hear Ekko's voice, soft and sincere, but it couldn't drown out the inner voice that had been growing louder in her mind. The truth she had been avoiding for so long...

Ekko will always have one foot in the past.

She knew, deep down, that he was still tethered to Jinx. No matter how much he tried to prove otherwise, no matter how many promises he made, he could never fully release her. She would always be the first choice in his heart.

That lingering ghost that casted a shadow over everything Y/N dreamed to build with him.

Y/N took a slow, shaky breath. "I—I don't know what to say Ekko."

Ekko's face tightened with concern, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

Y/N shook her head, the tears that had threatened to fall now blurring her vision. "I...I want to believe you. I really fucking do..." she whispered. "I want to believe that you can love me the way I deserve. But I... I can't keep fighting for a place in your heart."

The words felt like a punch to her own chest, but they were the truth.

She had to say them.

Ekko's expression faltered, the guilt and regret washing over him. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, wanted to say that Jinx didn't matter to him anymore, that Y/N was his choice. But he couldn't.

Y/N took a step back, her chest tightening as she wiped away a tear. "I can't keep pretending that it doesn't matter Ekko. I can't keep pretending that I'm enough when you're always looking back at her."

"I'm not—" he started, but Y/N cut him off.

"No.." she said, her voice a little stronger now, though it still trembled. "You can't choose me the way I need you to. And...I—I deserve someone who chooses me, not someone who's always going to have a piece of their heart somewhere else."

Ekko stood there, speechless. He wanted to say something, to make her understand that he never meant to hurt her, that he loved her so much, but the truth was..

she was right.

Y/N could see the pain in his eyes, but it wasn't enough. Not anymore. "I think it's time for me to move on..." she whispered, her voice cracking.

Her words hung heavy in the air, like an unspeakable truth, and Ekko's chest tightening with each syllable she uttered. His mouth opened, but no words came out. It made it impossible for him to respond.

Y/N took a shaky breath, "I've given everything I can to this... to us" she continued, her voice a little steadier now. "But I can't keep sacrificing myself.."

Ekko's heart cracked at the finality in her words. She did deserve better than the half-hearted love he was giving her.

"I'm so sorry Y/N." he murmured, the words feeling empty as they left his mouth, too late, too little.

But Y/N couldn't let herself be swayed by his sorrowful tone anymore. The trust she had placed in him had been shattered over time, and now all that remained was the stark truth of what was.

She took another step back, her shoulders squared, her chin raised high. She wouldn't let him break her again.

"I know.." she whispered, her voice quieter now, the words more for herself than for him. "But knowing doesn't change anything." She paused, taking a deep breath before the words she knew she had to say. "I'm sorry too Ekko. But this is goodbye."

The finality in her voice struck him right then and there. For a moment, he just stared at her, his mind racing, trying to comprehend what she was saying. He didn't know how to make her stay now, everything he had done had already pushed her too far.

Ekko's sudden frustration grew. He moved toward her quickly, grabbing onto her arm with a fierce grip. "No Y/N" he growled, his voice rough. "You can't just—"

But before he could finish, he saw it. The way she stiffened at his touch, not even glancing at him. The realization hit him like a cold wave. She was done. Completely done. She wasn't going to let him hurt her anymore.

His fingers tightened around her arm, almost instinctively, but her cold silence forced him to slowly let go. Every ounce of frustration, and heartbreak he had been holding onto drained out of him in that one moment.

"Please baby..." he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking as the weight of what he had done sank in. "Please...not like this.."

Y/N didn't respond. She just pulled her arm free and took another step back, distancing herself from him.

Ekko stood there, stuck—feeling like the ground had been pulled out from under him.

it was too late.

Y/N had already made up her mind.

"Goodbye...Ekko..."

With one final look, she turned and walked away from him, the sound of her footsteps echoing in the empty street. And as he watched her leave, he finally understood. This time, he couldn't fix it.

And this time, he wasn't sure if he even deserved to.

She was gone. And it was his fault.

The night air felt cold against his skin, a stark contrast to the heat building in his chest. Every emotion that had once fueled him had been extinguished, replaced by a hollow emptiness that felt like a slow suffocation.

He had pushed her away. He had let his insecurities, his fears about Jinx, and his own selfishness dictate his actions. And now, he was left with nothing but the echo of her words, ringing in his ears.

"I think it's time for me to move on..."

He thought back to everything he had said. He had never given her what she needed, and now, she was gone.

He didn't know how long he stood there, lost in his thoughts, but eventually, the reality of the situation settled in. She wasn't coming back.

He had lost her, and he had no one to blame but himself.

Ekko finally turned away from the spot where she had stood, walking slowly through the streets. The city was as chaotic as ever, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing mattered anymore.

He didn't know what to do next, or how to fix what he had broken. But one thing was clear.

he would never forget her.

He would never forget Y/N.

Y/N found herself lying on the cold ground. She didn't know how she had gotten there, didn't even bother to care anymore. Her body felt numb, her mind in a haze from the alcohol and the emotional wreck that had occurred. She stared up at the sky, trying to steady her breathing, but the weight of everything, the loneliness—pressed down on her chest.

For a moment, she thought she might suffocate under it all.

But then, something shifted next to her. The air around her seemed to change, as if the world was still holding its breath. She turned her head to the side.

And there he was again.

Levi's familiar face appeared beside her, his features soft in the dim green light, his eyes blinking as if he'd just woken up. He was lying next to her, his arm stretched out across the cold ground, looking every bit as confused as she was right now. His dark hair fell messily around his face.

and for a brief second, Y/N felt a strange sense of peace.

Levi blinked a few more times, his confusion slowly giving way to a soft smile as he realized it was her. "Y/N?" he muttered, his voice low and slightly groggy. "What the hell are you doing out here? Did you follow me here?"

Y/N didn't respond immediately. She just kept staring at him, taking in the sight of him as if he were a lifeline thrown her way in the midst of drowning. His presence was a stark contrast to everything she'd just gone through.

Without even thinking, she threw her arms around him. The hug came out of nowhere, and for a moment, Levi froze in place, his breath catching in surprise. But then, slowly, his big strong arms circled around her too. She buried her face in his chest, holding on tightly, as if afraid he might disappear the moment she let go.

Levi, still shocked but now fully awake, whispered into her hair. "Y/N what's going on? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, her voice muffled by his shirt as the tears she hadn't let fall earlier started to come. She couldn't find the words to explain the storm swirling inside her, but the hug was enough to make her feel like she wasn't entirely alone. Not for now. Not in this moment.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I don't know anymore."

Levi didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he just held her tighter, letting her cry into his chest. The city of Zaun seemed distant, as if the noise of it all had faded away. For now, in his arms, she found something she hadn't realized she needed—comfort. Understanding. And for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like she was falling apart completely.

As her tears slowed, she pulled back away from him to meet his gaze. There was something in his eyes, something so kind. He was there. And for the first time in a long time, Y/N didn't feel like she was carrying the weight of the world alone.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered again, her voice quieter this time, her eyes searching his face.

Levi gave her a small, almost sad smile. "Don't apologize...We all have our moments. I'm just glad you found me, even if it's in the middle of the damn street."

Y/N chuckled softly, wiping at her eyes. "Yeah, well... wasn't exactly the plan."

Levi tilted his head, a crooked smile playing on his lips. "The best things never are I guess..."

She smiled faintly, the weight on her chest lifting just a little. For the first time in what felt like forever, she didn't feel completely alone. They sat there in comfortable silence, the distant hum of Zaun's chaos fading into the background.

As the minutes stretched, the exhaustion of the day began to settle in. Y/N leaned back against the cold ground, staring up at the patch of stars visible through the smoke-filled air. Levi followed, his arms folding beneath his head as he lay beside her.

"You know..." he said after a moment, "this is probably the strangest way I've ever made a friend."

Y/N turned her head to look at him, a faint laugh escaping her lips. "Friend, huh? Is that what we are now?"

"Would you prefer being enemies now?" Levi replied, chuckling.

She rolled her eyes, but there was a softness to her expression. "Nah, I could use a friend right now."

"Good." he said, his tone light. "Because I could use one too."

They stayed like that, lying side by side under Zaun's polluted sky. Y/N's eyes grew heavy, the day's events finally catching up to her.

"Levi?" she murmured sleepily.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for... being here. Even though we just met today.." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Anytime" he replied softly.

"Get some rest, Y/N. You're safe."

And she really did believe him.

They both drifted off there on the cold ground of Zaun, two broken souls finding solace in each other's company.

It wasn't perfect, and it didn't fix everything, but it was a start.

I will be posting a happy for the Reader and Ekko ending soon <3.

Just had to let this one sink in fr.

Check out my Ekko one shots on Wattpad for more stories!! :3

[theonottsbxtch]

POWER OVER YOU | FC43

an: i don't encourage this type of behaviour i promise i just somehow always end up writing the most unhinged things ever lol

wc: 8.8k

warnings: emotional abuse, mental manipulation, age gap (older!reader), exploitation

The first time Franco flirted with her, it was live on camera, in front of millions.

It was bold. Reckless. Utterly ridiculous.

She barely flinched, her practiced professionalism taking over as effortlessly as the hum of engines in the paddock. She dismissed it as a rookie’s desperate attempt to make waves, the kind of bravado that burned bright but fizzled out under the grind of a Formula One season. A boy playing games in a world of professionals.

But that boy had the nerve to smirk at her like he knew something she didn’t.

“Maybe one day, you’ll be answering my questions,” he’d said, leaning into the mic, his voice dripping with that unmistakable Latin charm that made headlines and broke hearts before the ink on his contract was even dry.

She had laughed it off then, smooth as glass, redirecting the conversation like the master she was. Years of experience had given her an edge that no rookie could rattle. Yet as the weeks passed, something shifted.

She caught herself replaying the moment in her mind. Not his words—those were easy to brush off. It was the look in his eyes. The way they lingered a second too long, daring her to react. He wasn’t like the others—those boys who looked up to her, respected her, feared her. No, this one wasn’t afraid.

And that made him dangerous.

She didn’t fall for things like this. She was untouchable. A name spoken in reverence across the paddock, her presence a force even team principals didn’t challenge. Her life was built on control—over her career, her family, herself. She had everything to lose, and yet...

Every time Franco stood in front of her, that same smirk tugging at his lips, she felt it unraveling.

And the worst part? He knew.

By the midpoint of the season, the tension was palpable. She told herself it was nothing—just a passing distraction in the relentless chaos of the Formula One calendar. Franco was making headlines, not just for his undeniable talent but for his charisma, the sort that could light up the dullest press conference.

The fans adored him. The media buzzed around him like moths to a flame. And he, with his easy charm and devil-may-care attitude, soaked it all in. Yet somehow, amidst the whirlwind of attention, he always found time for her. A glance. A comment. A fleeting touch on her arm as he passed her in the paddock.

It wasn’t just cheeky anymore. It was calculated.

“Am I going to see you at the afterparty tonight?” he’d asked once, leaning casually against a stack of Pirelli tyres, his fireproofs unzipped to his waist, revealing a damp racing shirt that clung to his chest.

She didn’t look up from her notepad. “I don’t do afterparties.”

“You should. It would be fun.” Franco’s voice dropped a notch, just low enough for her to catch the suggestion laced beneath the words. “I think you deserve a little fun.”

Her pen paused mid-sentence, and that was enough for him. He smirked and walked away, leaving her to question why her pulse had quickened, why her skin felt warmer beneath the Mediterranean sun.

She hated him for it. Hated the way he wormed his way into her thoughts, the way her mind replayed his voice at night when the house was quiet, her children asleep, her husband on a late call in the other room. It wasn’t real, she told herself. Just a trick of the adrenaline that came with this world, the intoxicating rush of speed and spectacle.

But as the summer races rolled on, so did his games. Each one bolder than the last.

In Baku, he brushed past her in the media pen, close enough that his hand grazed the small of her back.

In Singapore, he made a comment about her red dress, murmuring something in Spanish she didn’t quite catch but didn’t need to. The look in his eyes said it all.

And in Austin, after once again finishing in the points, he sought her out before the press conference. His champagne-dampened hair clung to his forehead, his grin still wide with the thrill of victory.

“Maybe this deserves an interview,” he teased, stepping just close enough that she could smell the sharp tang of champagne and sweat on his skin. “You know, something exclusive. Just you and me.”

She forced a laugh, masking the way her breath hitched. “You’ve already had your time in the spotlight. Go celebrate with your team.”

“Oh, I plan to.” His gaze dipped for the briefest moment before snapping back to hers, filled with a heat that made her heart pound. “But I wouldn’t mind celebrating with you too.”

This time, she couldn’t hide the blush that crept up her neck. Franco saw it—of course he did. And as he turned to walk away, he glanced over his shoulder and winked.

For the first time in her career, she felt like prey.

That night the hotel room was quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning. She perched on the edge of the bed, phone pressed to her ear, smiling at the sound of her daughter’s sleepy voice.

“Goodnight, Mum,” the little girl murmured, her words heavy with the weight of sleep. “I love you.”

“I love you too, darling,” she replied, her tone soft and warm. “Be good for Daddy tomorrow, all right?”

Her husband’s voice came through next, deep and steady. “Everything okay over there?”

“Yes, all fine,” she said, though her mind flickered to the chaos of the paddock, to Franco and his maddening smirk. “Just the usual madness.”

“Well, don’t let them work you too hard,” he said, his voice laced with familiar concern. “You need rest too.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, glancing at the clock. It was late, and exhaustion tugged at her limbs. “Give the kids a kiss for me. I’ll call again tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, love.”

“Goodnight.”

She ended the call and set the phone down on the bedside table, exhaling a long, steady breath. The day had been relentless, as they all were, and all she wanted was a moment of peace. Clad in a simple pair of pyjama shorts and a loose tank top, she crossed the room to pour herself a glass of water.

The knock at the door startled her.

It was firm but unhurried, the kind that demanded attention without urgency. She hesitated, her heart giving an involuntary flutter. It was late. Too late for anything routine.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she padded barefoot across the carpet, unlocking the door.

Franco was there.

Still in his team polo and slim-fitting jeans, his dark hair slightly tousled, Franco leaned casually against the doorframe, his eyes gleaming under the dim hallway lights.

“Evening,” he said, his voice low and smooth.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended, though the crackling tension between them softened the edge.

“Wanted to see you.” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over her. “You look beautiful.”

She stiffened, glancing down at herself. Pyjama shorts, a plain top, no make-up. Hardly glamorous.

“Don’t flatter me,” she said, though her tone lacked conviction.

“Not flattering,” he countered, stepping forward before she could stop him, the door clicking shut behind him. “Just telling the truth.”

She swallowed hard, acutely aware of how close he was now. The air between them seemed thinner, charged. He moved with an ease that was unnerving, like he belonged here, like her space was already his.

“You can’t just show up at someone’s hotel room uninvited,” she said, but even to her own ears, the protest sounded weak.

“Then kick me out.” His voice was a challenge, soft and steady.

She didn’t move.

Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against a stray lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. The touch was light, almost imperceptible, but it sent a shiver down her spine.

“You’ve been running through my mind all night,” he murmured, his voice dropping lower. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Her breath hitched, her resolve cracking under the intensity of his gaze. “You’re out of line.”

“Maybe,” Franco admitted, stepping closer still, his presence now overwhelming. “But I think you like it.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat as his hand trailed along her arm, his touch igniting every nerve in its wake. The space between them dissolved, and she realised she wasn’t stepping away.

Didn’t want to step away.

His hand moved slowly, almost reverently, as though savouring the moment. Fingers rough from hours gripping a steering wheel trailed up her bare thigh, his touch sending a molten heat through her veins. She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyelids fluttering involuntarily.

It was maddening—humiliating, almost—to feel so undone by a simple touch. She was stronger than this. She had built a career on composure, on unshakeable self-control, and yet here she was, trembling beneath his fingers, her resolve slipping through her grasp like sand.

“Stop,” she managed, though her voice was barely a whisper.

He didn’t stop.

Instead, he took another step closer, his other hand brushing her waist, his palm warm against the thin fabric of her tank top. His breath was a soft caress against her cheek, his lips so close she could almost feel their heat.

“Do you want me to?” he murmured, his voice low and intoxicating, the kind of voice that made promises it had every intention of keeping.

Her mind screamed yes, but her body betrayed her. She stayed rooted to the spot, her pulse pounding in her ears, her lips parting ever so slightly.

That was all the invitation he needed.

Franco kissed her.

It wasn’t gentle or hesitant. It was fiery, unrestrained, and filled with a hunger that left her breathless. His mouth claimed hers with an intensity that shattered every barrier she had spent years building. Her hands, which had been poised to push him away, tangled in his shirt instead, pulling him closer.

The taste of him—sharp and heady—only made her want more.

She barely recognised the sound that escaped her, a soft, desperate whimper against his lips. The kiss deepened, and for a moment, the world outside ceased to exist. No hotel room, no career, no family. Just him.

But then reality snapped back, sharp and cold. She broke the kiss, her lips hovering against his, her breaths coming in shallow, uneven gasps.

“We shouldn’t do this,” she whispered, the words trembling between them.

Franco didn’t pull away. His lips quirked into a small, maddening smirk that she felt against her own.

“We?” he echoed, his voice filled with quiet amusement. “You kissed me.”

Her cheeks flamed, her embarrassment flaring like a physical heat. “I didn’t—”

But he silenced her with another kiss, softer this time but no less consuming. His hands stayed where they were, one on her waist, the other resting just above her knee, holding her firmly in place as though daring her to argue.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead resting against hers, his voice was a whisper in the charged air.

“Tell me to go, and I’ll leave,” he said, his thumb brushing a slow, agonising circle against her thigh. “But if you want me to stay...”

She didn’t finish the thought, but he could see the war raging in her eyes.

“Say the word.”

Her chest rose and fell against his, her breaths shaky as the weight of his words hung in the air. She knew what she should say, what the right answer was. But the way his thumb stroked her thigh, the heat radiating from his body, and the fire still simmering in her veins after that kiss… logic had no place here.

She didn’t say a word.

Instead, her hands tightened in his shirt, pulling him back to her, and their lips collided again, this time with a desperation that bordered on frantic. His hands roamed with purpose now, sliding up her thighs, over the curve of her hips, and under her tank top. His touch ignited every inch of skin it found, and she arched into him, a soft gasp escaping her as his fingers traced the bare skin of her waist.

Franco backed her towards the bed, their kisses never breaking, never slowing. His lips left hers only to trail down her jaw, to the sensitive spot just beneath her ear. She tilted her head instinctively, granting him access, and when he bit down gently, her knees nearly buckled.

“God,” she whispered, the sound barely audible, her hands clutching at his shoulders for support.

His low chuckle sent a shiver through her. “I’ve been thinking about this all season,” he murmured, his voice rough with desire. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

Her heart pounded at his words, the sheer intensity of his focus on her making her feel dizzy. She should’ve stopped this—could’ve stopped this. But as his hands slipped beneath the hem of her shorts, as his lips found hers again, her resolve crumbled completely.

She fell back onto the bed, his body following hers with a fluid grace that made her breath hitch. Franco’s weight was warm and solid above her, his hands exploring with a careful yet insistent hunger. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word made her forget everything else—her name, her career, the rules she had so carefully crafted for herself.

The rest of the night was a blur of heat and passion, their bodies tangling in a way that felt both forbidden and inevitable. He was everything she shouldn’t want, yet in that moment, he was the only thing she needed.

The following morning The shrill ring of her phone jolted her awake. Disoriented, she fumbled for it on the nightstand, her heart pounding as reality flooded back in sharp, unforgiving waves. The warmth of the body beside her—the body that shouldn’t have been there—brought everything crashing down.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw him lying on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching her with a lazy, satisfied smirk. Her stomach churned, and she quickly turned away, her eyes locking on the screen of her phone instead.

Her husband’s name flashed across it.

A knot formed in her throat as she pressed accept, forcing her voice to sound steady. “Good morning.”

“Mummy!” her daughter’s excited voice chirped through the speaker. “Good luck today! Daddy said you have another race.”

Her chest tightened. “Thank you, sweetheart. Are you ready for school?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Both of them are,” her husband’s voice cut in, calm and steady, utterly unaware of the chaos that had unravelled in the past twelve hours. “They wanted to call and wish you luck before we headed out.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes darting to the man in her bed, who was now stretching languidly, clearly amused by her discomfort. She turned her back on him, clutching the phone tighter. “That’s sweet of them. I’ll call again tonight, okay?”

“Of course,” her husband replied. “Have a good day, love.”

“You too,” she whispered, her voice barely audible as guilt clawed at her chest. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The call ended, and she set the phone down with trembling hands, her mind spinning. She felt sick—sick with shame, with regret, with the weight of the choice she had made.

“We’ve made a mistake,” she said softly, her back still to him.

“Oh, no.” Franco’s voice was smooth, far too composed. “We haven’t made a mistake.”

She turned to face him, her brow furrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. “We can’t do this.”

He sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist, his smirk growing wider. “Can’t? That’s not what you said last night.”

Her cheeks burned, but she didn’t waver. “This was wrong. It can’t happen again.”

His expression darkened, a flicker of something dangerous passing through his eyes. Then, to her horror, he reached for his phone on the bedside table, unlocking it with a swipe of his thumb.

“Oh, but we were just getting started,” he said, his tone casual but laced with malice.

She stared at him, confusion giving way to dread as he held up the screen for her to see. It was a photo—a candid shot of the two of them tangled in bed, unmistakable and damning. Her blood ran cold.

“One phone call,” he said, his voice dropping to a low murmur, his smirk curling into something more sinister. “And your career is gone.”

He snapped his fingers, the sound sharp and mocking.

Her breath hitched, her hands clenching into fists. “You wouldn’t—”

“Wouldn’t I?” he interrupted, tilting his head slightly, his confidence oozing with every word. “You’re smart enough to know how much I have to gain. I’m untouchable now. No team would dare sideline me, not with you on my side.”

Her chest tightened, panic swirling in her stomach as his words sank in. He wasn’t just a cocky rookie with a reckless streak. He was calculating, dangerous, and he knew exactly how to wield the power he’d taken from her.

“You don’t scare me,” she said, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

He leaned in, his face inches from hers, his smirk never faltering. “No?” he murmured. “Then why are you shaking?”

She hated him in that moment. Hated the way he had stripped her of control, the way he had turned her own mistake into a weapon. But most of all, she hated the flicker of doubt in her chest—the part of her that feared he was right.

The weeks that followed blurred into a surreal nightmare. Every time she stepped into the paddock, she felt his eyes on her. Watching. Waiting. The weight of his presence had shifted from seductive to oppressive, the once thrilling tension between them now a suffocating reminder of the line she had crossed.

And the worst part? Franco knew it.

At first, his demands were subtle. A flattering mention in an article here, an offhand comment about his impressive maturity during interviews. She told herself it was harmless—easy favours to buy silence. But it didn’t stop there.

“You’ll want to lead with this,” he told her one morning, sliding into the seat opposite her in the press lounge. He pushed a folded piece of paper across the table. “It’s a great angle.”

She didn’t even need to read it to know it was about him.

“Stop showing up uninvited,” she snapped, her voice low enough that the other journalists around them wouldn’t hear.

He only smirked, leaning back in his chair. “You should be thanking me. That’s the kind of insight people pay for.”

She stared at him, her jaw clenched, but he didn’t flinch. He never did.

“Clock’s ticking,” he said, his voice calm and maddeningly confident. “You wouldn’t want your editor hearing about… us, would you?”

Her stomach twisted. She snatched the paper and left without another word.

The next day, his name was front and centre in her column.

The exploitation only grew bolder.

After a chaotic race weekend in Brazil, he approached her in the paddock as the crews packed up for the night. The lights of the arena glinted off his sweat-dampened skin, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of another top-ten finish.

“I’ve got an idea for our next exclusive,” he said, his tone casual but his words barbed.

She barely looked at him, her hands tightening around her tablet. “We don’t do exclusives. I’m impartial.”

He chuckled softly, stepping closer. “Impartial?” Franco repeated, his voice dripping with mockery. “Come on, don’t ruin the fun now. Write it.”

When she didn’t respond, his tone sharpened, dropping to a low whisper. “Or do you want me to remind you what’s at stake?”

Her breath hitched. She hated the weakness he brought out in her, the way her body betrayed her with fear and frustration in equal measure. But she nodded. She always did.

The article went live the next day, an in-depth feature on the rookie sensation, full of praise and insights that made the racing world buzz. His face was plastered across every headline, his name chanted louder by fans at every circuit.

And he made sure she knew it.

She couldn’t escape him, not on the track, not off it. Every time she thought she could reclaim some semblance of control, he reminded her just how easily he could destroy her.

“You’re good at this, you know,” he told her after a post-race interview, his hand brushing hers as he handed back the microphone. His lips curved into that infuriating smirk. “I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”

Her professionalism was cracking, her mask slipping more with every encounter. The guilt of lying to her family, the shame of letting him dictate her career—it was consuming her. Yet she couldn’t stop.

Not when his smirk carried the weight of an unspoken threat.

The nights were the worst.

Under the harsh glare of the paddock lights or in the sterile silence of press rooms, she could maintain some semblance of control. But when the sun went down and the doors to her hotel room locked behind her, he always found her.

And she always let him in.

A week after the Brazil race, she paced her hotel room, her nerves frayed and her head spinning. The TV in the corner was on mute, but the images were unavoidable: him, stepping onto the track, his face lit with triumph, her words from that morning’s feature being quoted on screen. Her name tied to his glory yet again.

She turned away, running a hand through her hair, but a knock at the door stopped her in her tracks.

She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

When she opened it, Franco stood there with that same cocky smirk, still wearing the outfit she saw him earlier, the team shirt clinging to his chest. His hair was damp from a shower, and he carried the faint scent of cologne and adrenaline.

“You’re insatiable,” he teased, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, closing the door behind him. Her voice was firm, but her resolve wasn’t.

“I couldn’t stay away,” he said smoothly, turning to face her. His gaze dropped to her bare legs, the hem of her silk robe brushing her thighs. “And clearly, neither can you.”

She hated how easily he could disarm her, how her pulse quickened when he stepped closer. “This is a mistake,” she murmured, even as her body betrayed her, leaning into him when his hands slid around her waist.

“Say that again,” Franco whispered, his lips brushing her ear, “and I’ll stop.”

Her breath hitched. She said nothing.

His mouth found hers, and the rest of her objections burned away. It was always like this—intense, fiery, and utterly consuming. He kissed her like he was claiming her, his hands roaming her body as if he already owned it. And in those moments, she let him.

For all the guilt, the shame, the fear of what he held over her, she couldn’t deny the thrill of it—the way her pulse raced when he touched her, the way he made her forget everything but him.

The next morning, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, the faint marks he’d left on her skin hidden beneath her blouse. She felt like a stranger, someone unrecognisable from the poised, confident journalist she had been just months ago.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up, already knowing it was him.

Great feature. We’re trending again. Be ready for the next triple header.

Her fingers tightened around the device. She wanted to throw it across the room, to smash it into a million pieces. But instead, she typed a reply: Fine.

Her reflection sneered back at her, and for the first time, she hated the person she saw.

Las Vegas was a circus, as it always was. The glitz, the glamour, the impossible tension. He thrived in it, playing the cameras like a virtuoso. Every wink, every sly smile, every clever soundbite only amplified the buzz around him.

And she was part of it, just as Franco had planned.

That night, as fireworks lit up the sky over the strip, he found her on the balcony of her hotel room. She didn’t even flinch when he slid his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest.

“You’ve been quiet,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

“I’ve been thinking,” she replied, her voice cool but distant.

He turned her to face him, his hands trailing down to rest on her hips. “About us?” he asked, his lips quirking into a playful smirk.

“About what happens if this gets out,” she said bluntly, her gaze locking with his. “About what you’d do with that photo.”

Franco’s smile didn’t falter. “I told you before, I wouldn’t do anything… unless you made me.”

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding as his thumb brushed the curve of her jaw.

“And you haven’t made me,” he added, his tone softening, almost tender. “Yet.”

It was a lie, of course. Everything about him was a lie, crafted with the precision of someone who knew how to manipulate people to their breaking point. But when his lips met hers again, when his hands explored her body with that same maddening confidence, she didn’t stop him.

It wasn’t always passion. Sometimes it was spite—her way of reclaiming control, of saying if you’re going to ruin me, I’ll ruin myself first. But even in those moments, when she swore she hated him, the thrill was undeniable.

The danger, the secrecy, the power struggle—it was intoxicating.

And that terrified her more than anything.

There were two races left of the season and she knew something was wrong the moment she walked into the paddock that morning. The usual buzz of race-day excitement was different—charged, oppressive. People stared as she passed, whispers trailing in her wake like a shadow.

Her heart raced. Her hands tightened around the strap of her bag, her chest heavy with dread.

When her phone vibrated in her pocket, she pulled it out with shaking fingers. There were dozens of notifications—texts, emails, missed calls. All from colleagues, her editor, even friends she hadn’t spoken to in years.

Then she saw the headlines.

SCANDAL IN THE PADDOCK: F1’s Most Powerful Journalist and the Rookie Star’s Illicit Affair!

Her breath caught in her throat. She clicked on one of the links, her vision blurring as the images loaded.

Her. In bed. Bare skin illuminated by dim light, her face unmistakable, her body tangled with Franco’s. Another photo of her standing by the window of a hotel room, wearing nothing but a robe that hung loosely off her shoulder. The intimacy, the vulnerability—it was all there for the world to see.

“Jesus Christ,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she stumbled into an empty corridor. Her stomach churned, the bile rising in her throat as she scrolled through image after image.

Her phone buzzed again, his name flashing on the screen.

She answered it with a shaking hand. “What the hell have you done?”

“Me?” Franco’s voice was sharp, defensive. “I didn’t do shit!”

“Oh, really?” she snapped, her voice rising. “Then explain why there are pictures of me all over the internet, pictures you took without my permission!”

“I didn’t leak them!” he growled, his frustration matching her fury. “My iCloud got hacked—this isn’t on me!”

“Not on you?” she spat, her hand tightening around the phone. “You took them, you kept them, and now my life is falling apart because of you!”

Her chest heaved as she paced the corridor, her free hand trembling as it raked through her hair. She felt like she was coming apart at the seams, every word from him only fuelling her rage.

“Look,” Franco said, his tone softening, “we’ll handle this. I’ll make a statement, say they’re fake or something—”

“Fake?” she interrupted, her laugh sharp and bitter. “Everyone knows they’re real. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to me? To my career? To my family?”

As if on cue, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was her husband.

Her stomach dropped. “I need to go,” she muttered, cutting him off before he could respond.

She answered the call, her voice weak. “Hi.”

There was silence on the other end, heavy and damning. Then came his voice, low and cold. “I saw the photos.”

She closed her eyes, her throat tightening. “I—”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “Don’t insult me by trying to explain. I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“It wasn’t supposed to—”

“To what?” he snapped. “Get out? Be exposed? Do you think that makes it any better?”

Her hand gripped the edge of a table, her knuckles white. “Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t—”

“Don’t what? Let this affect the kids?” His voice cracked, fury giving way to something far more painful. “They saw the news, you know. They don’t understand it, but they saw. And I had to lie to them, to protect you. But I can’t keep doing this. I can’t let you see them right now.”

Her heart shattered. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered, tears blurring her vision.

“I do,” he said, his voice firm. “Until you sort this mess out, I don’t want them anywhere near you.”

The line went dead.

For a moment, she stood frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear. Then the weight of it all crashed down on her, and she let out a scream of pure rage, throwing the phone against the wall. It shattered, the pieces scattering across the floor like the fragments of her life.

Behind her, he stepped into the room. She hadn’t even noticed his arrival, but now he stood there, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

“Well,” Franco said, his tone light, almost mocking, “sounds like you had an eventful call.”

She turned on him, her eyes blazing. “Get out.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” he said, stepping closer. “I can help—”

“Help?” she snapped, her voice breaking. “You’ve done nothing but destroy me. My career, my family—everything’s ruined because of you!”

He stopped a few feet away, his expression shifting from smug to something colder. “You’re acting like I planned this,” he said evenly. “I told you, I didn’t leak those photos. Someone else did. But if you’d rather blame me, fine.”

Her fists clenched at her sides, her whole body trembling. “You don’t get it, do you? You’ve taken everything from me!”

“No,” he said softly, his eyes locking with hers. “You gave it to me.”

Her breath caught, the truth of his words hitting her like a punch to the gut.

Franco stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But don’t worry. You still have me. And maybe, just maybe, I’m all you’ll need now.”

Her stomach twisted, and for the first time, she realised just how deep she had sunk.

She didn’t even hear the door open as the next person walked in.

“Just the person I was looking for.”

The sound of her manager’s voice snapped her out of the suffocating silence. She turned to see him standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable but his posture rigid. Behind him, Franco straightened, the smug veneer slipping into something closer to indifference as he slid his hands into his pockets.

“Give us a moment,” her manager said curtly, glancing at Franco.

Franco tilted his head, his lips twitching into the faintest smirk. “Of course.” He brushed past her, the scent of his cologne lingering in the air. But not before he shot her a knowing look, one that made her blood boil.

When the door clicked shut behind him, her manager turned back to her. His face was pale, the lines around his mouth deeper than she remembered.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “We’ve done everything we can to mitigate the fallout, but the board has made their decision.”

She swallowed hard, her chest tightening. “What decision?”

He looked at her with something like pity. “You’re dismissed. Effective immediately.”

Her heart dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid I am.” His tone was calm, rehearsed, like he’d been preparing for this conversation for hours. “Your credentials are revoked. Your paddock pass has been deactivated. You’re no longer affiliated with the network.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“I made sure the hotel is covered until Monday,” he added, almost apologetically. “But after that…” He trailed off, his meaning clear.

She shook her head, her voice finally finding her. “You can’t do this. I’ve given everything to this job, to this sport—”

“And I know that,” he interrupted, his tone soft but firm. “But this scandal is bigger than you or me. The board doesn’t want to risk the network’s reputation, and frankly, neither do our sponsors.”

Her legs felt weak, her vision blurring with unshed tears. “So that’s it?” she whispered. “I’m just… done?”

He hesitated, then nodded. “I’m sorry.”

The words hung in the air like a death knell.

When he left, closing the door behind him with a quiet finality, her knees buckled. She sank to the floor, her hands trembling as the tears finally spilled over. Sobs wracked her body, raw and uncontrollable, the weight of everything crashing down on her at once.

Her career. Her family. Her dignity.

Gone.

She didn’t hear him come back in.

Franco’s voice broke through her sobs, low and measured. “Amore.”

She lifted her head, her vision blurred with tears. “Get out.”

Instead of leaving, he crouched in front of her, his eyes scanning her face. “You’re crying over them?” he asked, his voice laced with mockery. “Over people who turned their backs on you the second things got messy?”

Her jaw clenched, fury flaring through her grief. “This is your fault,” she hissed, her voice shaking. “You ruined me.”

Franco’s expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked almost… amused.

“Stop it,” she snapped, her hands curling into fists. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” he murmured, his tone infuriatingly calm.

“Like you own me.”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached out, his thumb brushing over her trembling lip. She flinched, but he didn’t pull back.

“Shhh,” he whispered, his touch lingering. “You’re spiralling, querida. And that’s not a good look for someone who needs to rebuild.”

Her breath hitched at the intimacy of his gesture, but her fury burned brighter. “I don’t need anything from you,” she spat.

“Don’t you?” he asked, tilting his head. His thumb traced the corner of her mouth, his smirk returning. “Because from where I’m standing, you don’t have anyone else.”

Her hands shot up, shoving his chest. “Get away from me.”

But he didn’t budge. His hands caught hers, holding them firmly but gently, his gaze locking with hers.

“I’ve got you now,” he said, his voice low and steady, the words cutting through her resistance like a blade. “And you’ll see soon enough—that’s not a bad thing.”

His confidence, his control—it was maddening, suffocating. Yet a tiny, treacherous part of her couldn’t deny the truth in his words.

She pulled her hands free, her voice breaking. “I hate you.”

He smiled, soft and infuriating. “No, you don’t.”

The tears fell harder, but this time she didn’t stop him when he pulled her into his arms.

And maybe that was the worst part of all.

By the time her flight landed in London on Monday, the storm of the past week felt like a distant roar, dulled but ever-present. The drive to her house was quiet, the cab driver offering polite silence, though she caught his occasional glance in the rear-view mirror. Her name had been plastered across headlines for days; even here, half a world away from the paddock, she couldn’t escape it.

The house came into view, the familiar brick façade standing as stoic as ever. But as the cab pulled to a stop, her heart sank.

Her husband was waiting at the gate.

He didn’t move as she stepped out of the car, her suitcase dragging behind her. The set of his jaw, the stiffness in his shoulders—it was all wrong. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she approached.

“I’m here to see the kids,” she said quietly, her voice tentative.

“You can’t,” he replied, his tone clipped.

She blinked, confusion laced with growing panic. “What do you mean, I can’t?”

He held up a manila envelope, the weight of it hanging heavily between them. “You’re being served.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She stared at the envelope, her breath catching.

“Divorce papers,” he clarified, his voice flat. “I don’t want you in this house. I don’t want you near the kids until this is sorted. Do you understand me?”

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Please,” she whispered. “They’re my children—”

“They’re our children,” he interrupted harshly. “And I’m not going to let you drag them into this mess. You made your choice.”

Her hands trembled as she took the envelope. She wanted to scream, to beg, to fight, but the look in his eyes—cold, unyielding—stole the words from her.

“Don’t come back here,” he said, stepping back. “Not until this is over.”

And with that, he turned and walked inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

She stood there for what felt like an eternity, the envelope clutched in her hands, the weight of everything crashing down on her shoulders.

The hotel room she found last minute was sterile and impersonal, the kind of place meant for fleeting stays and forgettable nights. She dropped her suitcase by the door and collapsed onto the bed, her body heavy with exhaustion.

But sleep wouldn’t come.

Her phone buzzed incessantly, the onslaught of notifications a cruel reminder of her reality. Against her better judgement, she opened her browser.

The headlines were relentless: “Scandal Rocks F1: Rookie’s Affair with Veteran Journalist Exposed!”“Power Dynamics Questioned in F1 Affair—Who’s Really to Blame?”“F1 Reporter’s Career in Tatters After Shocking Scandal with Rising Star.”

Each article seemed worse than the last, painting her as a manipulative predator who had taken advantage of Franco’s naivety. The comments were even crueler, people calling her names she couldn’t bear to read twice.

She scrolled through social media, the vitriol stinging like acid. Every tweet, every post, every meme was a dagger to her already shattered sense of self.

But then she stumbled upon something different.

A Reddit thread, buried beneath the chaos, caught her attention: “Anyone else think this isn’t what it seems?”

She clicked on it, her heart pounding as she read the comments.

“I don’t buy it. Have you seen how cocky that rookie is? He’s been flirting with her on camera all season. She never encouraged it.”

“Right? She’s one of the best journalists in the sport. Why would she risk it all for him?”

“Exactly. Feels like he took advantage of her, especially with the way he’s spinning this in interviews. Classic power play.”

“And the leaked photos? Who even keeps that kind of stuff on their iCloud? Feels like he knew what he was doing.”

Her hands shook as she scrolled through the thread, her tears blurring the screen. For the first time, someone—strangers, no less—saw what she hadn’t dared to admit to herself.

Maybe this wasn’t entirely her fault.

But the small flicker of validation did little to ease the storm inside her. She closed the browser, tossing the phone onto the bed.

The room felt unbearably quiet, the weight of her isolation pressing down on her. She curled up on the bed, tears streaming down her face as exhaustion finally overtook her.

When she finally woke up the following morning, her face felt raw from all the tears and her bones stiff from the awkward position she slept in.

She wasn’t a day drinker really but somethings changed.

She sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her fingers hovering over the rim of a half-empty glass of wine. The muted glow of the TV cast long shadows across the room, the low hum of some mindless programme barely masking the oppressive silence when she heard the knock at the door, sharp and insistent.

Her heart leapt into her throat, dread gripping her. Franco? No. Not here. Surely he wouldn’t…

But the knock came again, firmer this time.

She stood slowly, tiptoeing to the door, her breath shallow. Peeking through the peephole, she exhaled in relief. It wasn’t him. It was— Ellie?

She hesitated, unsure of how to feel. Ellie, the young, bright journalist she’d taken under her wing years ago. She cracked the door open, her voice wary. “What are you doing here?”

Ellie offered a tentative smile, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her oversized coat. “Can I come in?”

She hesitated for a moment longer before stepping aside, allowing Ellie to enter.

“How did you know I was here?” she asked, shutting the door behind her.

Ellie turned, her expression cautious. “I went to your house. Your husband answered. He… mentioned you were here.”

She let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “Of course, he did. Probably thought you’d come to gloat.”

“I’m not here to gloat,” Ellie said firmly, her voice tinged with something close to defiance. “I’m here because I wanted to talk to you.”

She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. “Talk about what? How associating with me is going to get you fired?”

Ellie’s gaze softened. “I’m not going to get fired.”

“That’s naive.” she sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. “The network doesn’t want anything to do with me. You shouldn’t either.”

Ellie shook her head. “That’s not why I’m here. I came because… I don’t believe it. I don’t believe you seduced Franco. It doesn’t add up. I’ve worked with you. I know you.”

She blinked, her throat tightening as the weight of Ellie’s words sank in. It had been so long since anyone had spoken to her like that—with trust, with belief.

“I know you didn’t do this,” Ellie continued. “I think he’s the one who manipulated you.”

The tears came before she could stop them. She turned away, covering her mouth as a sob escaped.

Ellie stepped closer, her voice gentle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—”

“No,” she said, her voice trembling. “It’s not that. I just… no one’s said that to me. Everyone’s so quick to assume the worst.”

Ellie hesitated before placing a hand on her shoulder. “I know what kind of person you are. And it’s not too late to set the record straight.”

She let out a bitter laugh, wiping her eyes. “It is too late. My career’s in ruins. My family’s gone.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s over,” Ellie insisted. “We can fight back. Tell your side of the story.”

She turned to face her, scepticism etched across her face. “And how do you propose I do that? I’m a pariah.”

Ellie’s expression hardened, a flicker of determination in her eyes. “We go public. But not through the networks—they’re too invested in tearing you down. We do it ourselves. An exposé, a documentary, something raw and unfiltered. You’ve got a following. People will listen.”

She stared at the girl before her, the weight of the idea settling in. “You’d risk your career for this?”

Ellie shrugged. “You risked your reputation for me when no one else would give me a chance. I’m just returning the favour.”

The room fell silent, the air thick with unspoken possibilities. Hermind raced. She wanted to believe it was possible, that she could claw her way back from this abyss.

But doubt lingered.

“Ellie,” she whispered. “If we do this… he won’t just sit back and let it happen.”

Ellie’s jaw tightened. “Let him try. He’s already losing control of the narrative. People are starting to see through him. All we have to do is show the world the truth.”

For the first time in weeks, she felt a spark of something she thought she’d lost—hope.

“Okay,” she said finally, her voice steadying. “Let’s do it.”

Ellie returned to the hotel the next evening, her arms full—a compact camera, a tripod, a microphone, and a laptop. She looked almost nervous as she set everything up, her hands fumbling slightly with the equipment.

“This isn’t exactly the BBC studio,” Ellie joked weakly, glancing at her, who sat on the edge of the bed, clutching a glass of water for a change.

Her lips curved in a faint smile, but the tension in her posture was unmistakable. “It’s fine. Better this way. No filters, no edits. Just the truth.”

Ellie nodded, adjusting the tripod until the camera was level. She attached the microphone and tested the sound, her voice echoing softly in the quiet room.

“Right,” Ellie said, straightening. “Are you ready?”

She stared at the camera, her reflection distorted in the lens. She wasn’t sure if she was ready. But she had no choice.

“Let’s get this over with,” she murmured.

Ellie pressed record, the small red light blinking to life. She settled into the chair opposite her, the notebook resting on her lap.

“Right,” Ellie began, her tone measured and calm. “I know this is difficult, but I want you to tell me what happened. In your own words.”

She exhaled shakily, her gaze flickering to the camera before settling on Ellie. “At first, it was… flattering,” she said quietly. “Franco’s attention, I mean. He’s young, charming, confident. He made me feel… noticed.”

Ellie nodded, her expression encouraging.

“But it wasn’t just that,” she continued, her voice growing steadier. “He knew how to play the game. On camera, off camera—it was all calculated. I didn’t see it at first. I thought it was harmless, just a bit of flirtation. But then…” She hesitated, her hands tightening around the glass.

“Then what?” Ellie prompted gently.

She swallowed hard. “Then it became something I couldn’t control. He was in my hotel room every night. At first, I let him in because I didn’t want to cause a scene and I liked the attention. I thought if I played along, he’d lose interest. But he didn’t. He kept pushing, and I felt like… like I couldn’t say no.”

Her voice cracked, and she looked away, blinking rapidly.

Ellie leaned forward, her tone soft but insistent. “Why did you feel like you couldn’t say no?”

Her laugh was bitter. “Because he had power. Not the kind of power people think—the rookie versus the journalist. It wasn’t about status. It was… personal. Intimate. He knew things about me—about my family, my career, my weaknesses. He knew exactly how to use them against me.”

Ellie’s pen moved swiftly across her notebook, but her focus never wavered. “Did you ever feel like you could talk to someone about this? A colleague, your husband?”

“No.” her response was immediate, her voice sharp. “I didn’t think anyone would believe me. It’s Franco Colapinto. He’s—what do they call him? The golden rookie of F1? And me? I’m the woman twice his age who should’ve known better. Who would’ve believed me?”

Ellie nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. “But you’re speaking now. What changed?”

Her gaze met the camera, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and determination. “Because I’m tired of being silent. Tired of being painted as the villain in a story I never wanted to be a part of.”

Ellie paused, letting the weight of her words settle before she spoke again. “What do you want people to take away from this?”

Her voice softened, but her resolve remained firm. “I want them to see the truth. I want them to understand that power doesn’t always look the way you think it does. And I want them to know that I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this.”

Ellie nodded, closing her notebook and turning off the camera. “That was incredible. Thank you.”

She let out a shaky breath, her shoulders slumping. “I just hope it’s enough.”

Ellie reached over, placing a hand on her knee. “It will be. We’ll edit this tonight and get it out tomorrow. You’re taking back the narrative. This is your story now.”

True to her word, the next morning, she was sitting curled up on the hotel bed, her nerves frayed and her stomach in knots. The weight of last night’s confession still hung heavy in the room, and she hadn’t slept much. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the blinking red light of the camera, the words she’d spoken playing back in her head.

A knock at the door startled her, but when she peered through the peephole, relief washed over her. It was Ellie, holding two takeaway coffees and a determined expression.

She opened the door, and Ellie breezed in, setting the coffees down on the small table by the window. “Morning,” she said, glancing at her. “How are you holding up?”

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. “I feel like I’m waiting to step on a landmine.”

Ellie gave her a reassuring smile, unpacking her laptop from her bag. “That’s normal. But trust me, you did the right thing.”

She nodded, though she didn’t entirely believe it.

Ellie set up the laptop, quickly uploading the edited video to her dormant personal YouTube channel where she once posted vlogs about being a journalist in Formula One. She added a brief caption: My Truth.

“Okay,” Ellie said, her voice steady. “Are you ready?”

She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the trackpad. “What if it makes things worse?”

Ellie reached over, placing a firm hand on her arm. “It won’t. You’re not alone in this. People will listen. People already are.”

With a deep breath, she clicked Post. The video went live.

For a moment, they just stared at the screen, the thumbnail of her weary but defiant face staring back at them. Ellie closed the laptop with a decisive snap.

“Now,” Ellie said, turning to her, “we wait.”

She nodded, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Her eyes filled with tears as the reality of what they’d done settled over her. She turned to Ellie, her voice breaking. “Thank you. For believing in me. For… for doing this when no one else would.”

Ellie smiled softly, pulling her into a warm hug. “You don’t have to thank me. You would’ve done the same for me.”

She held on tightly to the girl she’d once taken under her wing, her tears spilling freely now. “I just… I didn’t think anyone would ever believe me again.”

Ellie pulled back slightly, gripping her shoulders. “You’re stronger than you think. And this? This is just the beginning.”

The moment was interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone on the bedside table. Both women froze, their eyes darting to the device.

Her heart sank when she saw the name on the screen. Franco.

Her hand trembled as she reached for the phone, her thumb hovering over the decline button.

“Answer it,” Ellie said quietly. “You need to know what he’s going to do.”

She nodded, her throat tightening. She swiped to accept the call and brought the phone to her ear.

“Amore,” Franco’s voice drawled, smooth and infuriatingly calm. “I see you’ve been busy.”

Her stomach churned. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to congratulate you,” he said, his tone laced with mockery. “That little video of yours? Brave move. Stupid, but brave.”

She gritted her teeth, her grip tightening on the phone. “It’s the truth, Franco. Something you wouldn’t recognise if it slapped you in the face.”

He laughed, low and cold. “Oh, querida. You think you’ve won something here? All you’ve done is draw more attention to yourself. To us. Do you think people won’t pick apart every word you said? That they won’t find the cracks in your story?”

Her hand shook, but she forced herself to stand firm. “They’ll see through you, Franco. You can’t control this anymore.”

His voice dropped, dangerously soft. “We’ll see about that. But let me give you a little advice, free of charge—enjoy the calm while it lasts. Because this storm? It’s far from over.”

The line went dead.

She lowered the phone slowly, her chest heaving.

“What did he say?” Ellie asked, her voice cautious.

SHe turned to her, her jaw tight. “He’s scared. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Ellie gave a grim nod. “Good. Let him be scared. We’ve got more than the truth on our side now. We’ve got momentum.”

She sank onto the bed, her pulse racing. The fear was still there, coiling in her gut like a snake, but alongside it was something new. A flicker of hope.

For the first time in weeks, she felt like she wasn’t fighting this battle alone.

taglist: @waytooobsessedwithlife @maxivstappen @heli991113

[maxinehufflepuffprincess]

Jack of Hearts

Chishiya Shuntaro x Reader x Niragi Suguru.

(It's finally here. I am so sorry for the long wait, and I am praying this is worth the wait. I'm hoping it lives up to expectations. Please enjoy and have fun reading.

Masterlist. Progress Update. Love Line Collection.

Summary: Niragi, you and Chishiya play the Jack of Hearts game.

After being separated from Arisu, Kuina, Usagi, Ann and Tatta during the King of Spades games, you, Chishiya and Niragi had found a place to hide. It was a moment for the three of you to breathe. During your time hiding, you discussed where to go next. Niragi originally wanted to go to the King of Clubs, but Chishiya felt a pull to the Jack of Hearts. With you being the deciding vote, the three of you made your way to the Jack of Hearts game, promising to join the King of Clubs game if no one had beaten it by the time you were done.

The three of you arrived at the prison and walked inside. Some collars on a table greeted you. You each took one and put it on. You shivered as it clicked into place. You hated this already. The three of you made your way to the central guardroom. On your way there, a noise came from one of the cells. Niragi let out a snort as you blushed. “Oh, good lord.” Chishiya smirked.

“You know, we could always find a cell of our own and have some fun before the game.” Niragi suggested with a grin on his face. As much as you may have liked the idea, now wasn’t the time. “Don’t you think of anything else?” Chishiya asked, his hands in his pockets, turning to face Niragi. Niragi scoffed at him. “Don’t be like that. It’s good to let off some steam.” Niragi countered. You let out a soft sigh. “After the game, sure. But for now, let’s focus.” You said, and with that, the three of you continued to walk. Inside the guardroom area were a few people. Chichiya leant against a wall. You stood beside him, taking in your surroundings. Niragi stood slightly in front of the two of you. The three of you were there for a while. Watching as more people arrived. Then, finally, the final player appeared. Chishiya let out a small sigh. 

“Difficulty level, Jack of Hearts.” “Game, Solitary Confinement.” “Rules: Guess the car suit that appears on the back of your collar. However, you may not look at the symbol yourself.”

“I can’t see anything.” A woman on the opposite side of the room spoke as she and everyone else pulled and felt their collars. A woman near her walked over, attempting to look at the collar. 

“The time limit is one hour per round. In the final five minutes, enter your cell and disclose your symbol.”

The lights came on, showing the endless number of hallways where all the cells were. You bit your bottom lip softly. Thank the heavens you had two people you trusted with everything you had. Or else, you fear you would have been doomed. 

“If you do not answer with the correct symbol, it is game over. The collar will explode, and you will die. Additionally, when the time limit reaches zero, the symbol on the collar will reset and change for each round.”

“Wait a sec. So that means we just have to ask each other what our symbols are.” A voice came close to where the three of you were stranded. “That’s easy.” He nodded as he turned to look at Chishiya, who was still leaning against the wall.

“I’m not so sure.” The blonde spoke. “They haven’t told us what the conditions to win are yet.”

“The Solitary confinement game is about how much you can trust your fellow players. Be aware that your opponent, the Jack of Hearts, has already been placed among you.”

“Oh. That’s good.” Chishiya spoke, causing you to look at him. You could see he was intrigued with this game. You looked over at Niragi, who simply shrugged at you. He had no worries. He trusted you both. He knew the three of you were walking out of this place alive and together. 

“So one of us is the Jack of Hearts?” A random man asked.

“How to win: Rounds repeat every hour. You win the game when the Jack of Hearts dies.” “Prohibited actions: Looking at your symbol with a reflective surface is cheating. Players may not use weapons or violence to kill fellow players.”

That made Niragi scoff. So he couldn’t use his gun? Typical. “Seriously?” He asked as he let out a tut. “This means that the only way this game will ever end is if the Jack gives the wrong answer,” Chisyia stated. You and Niragi looked at him. “No one here is getting out alive, unless they lie to the Jack.”

“There is no limit to the number of rounds. Enough food has been provided. While participating in this game, no days will be removed from your visas.”

Chishiya nodded as he took in the words. “So we need to start lying, find the Jack of Hearts, and kill them off, or we’ll live out the rest of our days in this prison. Solitary for life.”

You shook your head gently. “No, thank you.” You didn’t like the idea of being in solitary for life.

“The game will now commence.”“You can roam freely until it is time to enter your cell.”

Everyone stayed still for a moment before people started to couple up and form groups. “So, the 22 of us need to eliminate each other. Until we somehow figure out who the Jack of Hearts is. What makes you think anyone is trustworthy?” A man in a suit spoke, unsettling everyone. 

Slowly, the players all went their different ways. However, you, Chishiya and Niragi stayed where you were. 

“Hey, wanna tell each other the answer?” A man in a yellow shirt, Ippei asked, walking closer to Chishiya. “If you’re trying to survive, I would examine all the people here a little more carefully. Make sure you keep the ones who don’t lie close. For all you know, I’m the one who might be the Jack.” Chishiya told the man, who looked startled. “You see? They all started breaking off into groups. Everyone wants to know who’s trustworthy and who’s not.” He turned away from the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Take those two.” He said, gesturing to the man in a suit and a woman. “Before the game started, you wanna know what they were doing?” You grimaced as you thought back to it. What a way to be welcomed to the game. Beside you, Niragi let out a laugh. You noticed the man was looking at the four of you. You locked eyes for a moment, and a cold shiver ran down your spine. You instinctively grabbed Niragi’s hand and held onto a part of Chishiya’s sleeve.

“What?” Ippei asked. “That guy wants to control everything she does to exert power over her. So that she can’t interact with any other players. Which is smart, in the long run. If you’ve got someone you can trust that much, that’s how you win the game.” You let out a soft sigh. “Chishiya, a yes or no would have worked wonders to answer the guy.” You said, looking at your blonde boyfriend. He smirked at you. His attention was then brought to the ground where he could see the players downstairs. He took a few steps forward to get closer. Hoping to hear the two men downstairs talking.

A woman in a blue dress walked over to Ippei. “Hey, do you wanna join our team?” She asked him. “No pressure or anything.” Ippei thought for a moment. He was nervous. “It’s not that I don’t want to.” He said, turning to face the three of you.

“Okay, we’ll join the group.” Chishiya stated. Niragi didn’t like that idea. He preferred the idea of the three of you sticking together, alone. However, the three of you followed behind the group. Whilst Chishiya and Niragi were getting a layout of who everyone was. You were picking at your nails. You knew the boys would figure this out. Niragi tapped your hip. “Let me see, baby.” You turned around. Niragi moved your hair out of the way. “Look at that. A heart.” He said before placing a kiss behind your ear, causing you to giggle as the heat rushed to your cheeks. 

You smiled and tapped Chishiya’s wrist. “You’re turn, love.” You spoke softly to him. Chishiya turned around. “Diamond. Hmm, very fitting.” You told him happily. You then turned to Niragi. “Your turn, handsome.” Niragi turned around. You and Chishiya looked at the symbol. “Spade.” The three of you stood there, mainly because Chishiya was busy thinking. You let a small huff. This was going to be a long night. 

“It is time to give your answer. Please enter a solitary confinement cell of your choosing.”

The three of you walked to your cells. Yours was in the middle between Niragi and Chishiya’s cells. You stood in your cell, the door locking behind you, causing you to bite your bottom lip. “Heart.” You were confident. Of course, you were. Your two loves would never lie to you. The door unlocked once the round was over, and you stepped out of the room. You and the boys made your way back to the guardroom, and Ippei followed after the three of you.

–

“I keep wondering how long this is going to go on for.” You heard a man say. His partner spoke up. “Either the Jack will start killing people, or someone who’s afraid of the Jack will start to kill. Until either or both of those things happen, this will never end.” 

“Exactly.” Chishiya agreed. “As long as we keep being honest with each other, we’ll be all right.” Ippei gasped out. “Or not.” Niragi added with a smirk, watching the man shrink back a little. You gently smacked his shoulder. He was having too much fun watching this guy cower. 

“What the fuck!” A voice came, and a man was thrown to the floor. Everyone stared as a man walked over to the sobbing man on the floor. “I told you to give me the answer!” He shouted. That was so not okay. You went to take a step forward, however, Chishiya grabbed the sleeve of your cardigan. Niragi placed his arm in front of you, stopping you from moving. “Don’t.” They both whispered to you. Neither wanted you to be involved. You all watched as a man in blue, the man Chishiya had agreed with, got up and walked to the sobbing man. “You all right? Tell him he’s a club.” His voice was low, however, the three of you heard him. The sobbing man told the bully that his symbol was a club. The bully smirked and walked past you, your boyfriends and Ippei. 

Ippei let out a gasp at seeing that the symbol was actually a diamond. “Shh! Now the game is really starting.” Chishiya was ready for the game to truly start. You shook your head lightly but stayed quiet. He was right. Now the game could start for real. Which meant the three of you would be closer to getting out of here and finding the others. 

“It is time to give your answer. Please enter a solitary confinement cell of your choosing.”

You walked over to a cell and stepped inside. “Club.”

The first person was now dead, and all the other players were tense. Well, a lot of them were. A select few seemed calm and collected. A woman in a blue dress, the leader of the group you had joined, was plotting to kill the guy who had been getting bullied. Which to you was just wrong. He wasn’t the Jack of Hearts, and he had clearly been scared. You looked over at Chishiya, only to find him staring at a man who was sitting on the floor. The same man who had kick-started all of this, Banda. The two seemed to lock eyes and study each other. 

You turned to Niragi only to find him doing the same. Except with that man in the suit, Yaba. The one who always had that woman with him. You let out a small scoff and crossed your arms over your chest. You weren’t jealous. You knew they were both trying to figure all this out. After a minute had passed, you walked forward. “Well, I’m gonna go see what food they have here.” You told your boys as you turned to walk off. 

You were pulled back as Niragi grabbed your arm. “You’re not going anywhere without at least one of us with you.” He told you. You smiled up at him. “And here I thought you two were scoping out new additions to our relationship.” That made Chishiya snort beside you. Niragi shook his head. “You’re such a brat sometimes.” You grinned up at Niragi, placing a hand on his chest. “You love when I’m bratty. Hell, you love it when we’re both bratty. Right, Shiya?” You asked, turning to the blonde, who finally looked at the two of you. He smiled and nodded his head. “You love fucking the brat out of us.” He added as he stepped forward. You giggled. Niragi licked his bottom lip. “You two are on a very dangerous path right now.” You reached out and grabbed their hands. “Let’s go get some food.” You pulled them with you as you walked.

—---

You soon found yourselves sitting at a table in the cafeteria. The group you were with were all telling each other their symbols. Lying to one of the members. You and your boys already told each other your symbols. Chishiya was a heart, Niragi was a diamond, and you were a spade. Chishiya was munching on some cookies, you were eating cookies and cream flavored Pocky. Niragi had a drink and was just stealing the odd treat from you two. “When we get out of here, we should take as much of this with us as we can.” Niragi nodded at your idea. “Good idea.” You leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m full of good ideas.” Chishiya let out a chuckle and shook his head at you. 

‘It is time to give your answer. Please enter a solitary confinement cell of your choosing.’

You made your way to the cell and said your suit. Once again, you were alive, but that wasn’t exactly surprising, was it?

‘Round four begins now.’

Everyone stood in the central guard room. Some people were confused that the guy the group just killed wasn’t the jack of hearts. Niragi let out a scoff. “How stupid are these people?” He asked, leaning against a wall beside Chishiya. 

“People are starting to get nervous. I know they said there was no time limit…”Chishiya looked up as he let his words linger for a moment. “Except that people are starting to die now. I’m not sure we’ll find the Jack at all.” Well, that threw you through a loop. You and Niragi looked at Chishiya in shock. 

“What the hell has gotten into you? We’ll figure this out. You’re smart enough, pretty boy.” Niragi lightly tapped his cheek. The three of you made your way downstairs to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. Once again, Chishiya was eating those biscuits from that yellow packet. “I’ll be sure to grab all of those for you when we leave this place.” Chishiya looked at you and gently squeezed your thigh in thanks. 

“It is time to give your answer. Please enter a solitary confinement cell of your choosing.”

Of course, you went to your cells. Each confident as you all stated your symbols.

“Heart.”

“Club.”

“Diamond.”

—---

‘Round five begins now.’

Standing outside of the cells, Ippei was pacing. Chishiya was leaning against the wall. Arms crossed over his chest. Niragi was next to him, one hand wrapped around your waist, keeping you close. The other was in the pocket of Chishiya’s jacket. Keeping him close.

“Why are they all tricking each other?” Ippei asked as he turned to look at the three of you. 

“Wow, are you really surprised?” Chishiya asked him without even looking at the poor guy. He was having a hard time with all of this. “No one wants to be the next to die.” Ippei trembled with fear. He was feeling stressed out. 

You looked at your boys for a moment. You turned in Niragi’s arms. “I’m bored.” You told him, causing Niragi to chuckle. “We’re in the middle of a game and you’re bored? You hearing this?” He asked, tugging on Chishiya’s pocket to get his attention. “She knows she’s safe. She’s not worried for her life, of course, she’s bored.” Chishiya replied with a small shrug. You looked between the two of them. “Wanna make out?” You asked them both, a bright smile on your face. 

“Sure.” They said in unison. And so the three of you walked off to find a cell, where you wouldn’t be interrupted. 

—----

‘Round six begins now.’ ‘Round seven begins now.’ 

Standing in front of the shelves of food. You grabbed another box of Pocky. This time, crunchy strawberry. Every time you came down here, you seemed to be collecting the flavors. You looked around, trying to find the snack Niragi wanted, only to find it on the top shelf. Typical. You shoved your Pocky and Chishiya’s favorite cookies in your pocket. You reached up, standing on your tiptoes to try to reach, when a hand reached out from behind you to grab a packet. You turned to see Yaba and Banda behind you. Yaba held out the snack to you. “Here, you go dear.”

You smiled up at him and took the snack. “Thank you.” You looked between the men for a moment. Both seemed to be studying you, and you couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “You’re pretty.” Banda stated, a smirk on his face. 

“Oh, thank-” You were cut off by Niragi’s voice. “Hey Princess! Come here a minute, Chishiya had an idea he wants to tell us!” He called out. He was standing up from the table. The two could see you clearly. You turned to the men in front of you and shrugged. “Thanks for the help, gentlemen.” You then made your way to your boys. You sat down next to Niragi, across from Chishiya. 

“Stay away from those two.” Niragi said as he sat back down. He gently ran his fingers through your hair. 

“Banda is a murderer, so stay clear. No more going anywhere alone.” Chishiya added with a tone that made it seem like that was common knowledge. 

Then the words of what he had said sank in. “Wait, what? How do you know that?”

“I read.” 

‘Round eight begins now.’ ‘Round nine begins now.’ ‘Round ten begins now.’ ‘Round eleven begins now.’ ‘Round twelve begins now.’

Round after round and more people were being killed off. You had watched the group kill each other off. It was brutal, but there was nothing you could do. 

“I don’t think I can keep playing this game.” Ippei sobbed out. 

“Diamond.” 

He turned to face Chishiya, who had spoken. “How much longer, man?” He then sat down on the ground. “It’s so messed up.” He sniffled. “I thought that… people were much better than this.”

“Man, you led a charmed life.” You smacked Chishiya on the arm. “I’m sorry. But this is our reality now. Maybe we won’t get out of this alive. But even so, all we can do for now is help each other. So we can get out of this game.” You watched Chishiya walk over to Ippei and crouch down beside him. “Okay? We can do this.”

‘Round Thirteen begins now.’

Ippei was dead. The three of you stood outside of this cell. “You were too kind for this world, Ippei.” Chishiya sighed and turned to face the opening doors. “Well, that’s settled. Looks like we lost our partner.” Niragi chuckled at Chishiya’s words. “More like you lost your admirer.” He stated with a smirk. Chishiya shoved him slightly. “Shut up.” He said as the three of you watched the remaining players staring at you all. They all then walked away. 

—-

Back downstairs, the three of you got food again. Chishiya had just finished telling you both who he thought the Jack was and why. Then, low and behind, the man you were speaking about came into the room. Matsushita was heading towards the same cookies he always got. A selection of the same cookie but different flavours. 

Chishiya got up, his yellow packet of cookies in his hands as he walked over to Matsushita. He leant against the shelves of food. “These cookies taste better.” He said, causing Matsushita in the grey cardigan to turn to face him. Niragi walked over, appearing behind Chishiya. Matsushita stepped back slightly before walking past the two, just as you walked over. The guy looked you over for a moment as he continued to walk. 

“That guy you hang out with? You should know that he’s a murderer.” Matsushita turned to look at Chishiya in confusion.  

“What?”

“His name’s Sunato Banda. It was in the newspaper. Murdered four women, so that makes him a serial killer. And, you know, that’s punishable by death.” 

“That’s a filthy lie.”

“No. It’s true. Know what I think? I think he’s the Jack of Hearts. There are only seven of us left. Time is running out. So the Jack’s gonna start to get aggressive now. Might as well share symbols. Chishiya began to walk over to Matsushita. “For the moment, you’re in a good position. The Jack still trusts you. So if anyone is going lie to the Jack. It has to be you.” Chishiya walked to the other side of the man. “Which means the game can only win one way. The key player here is you.” He let out a breath before crossing his arms over his chest, still holding the yellow bag of cookies. “I’m sure this is a lot, and you don’t trust me yet. For what it’s worth, there’s no advantage for me to lie. So I’ll tell you the truth about your symbol. Don’t you wanna make sure that Banda’s telling you the truth?”

“What makes you think that I would trust you over him?”

You don’t have to if you don’t want to. If I were in your shoes, I’d want to weigh my options. And I’ve got no reason to lie to you. Banda’s a murderer, and that’s a fact.”

“I still don’t trust you.”

“Fine. You’ll see for yourself once the next round is over. You’re a spade. Just so you know.” Chishiya turned around. “So, will you tell me mine?” There was a beat of silence. “Come on. I told you what yours is.”

“I never agreed to this deal.” Matsushita walked away from stopping. “Heart.” And with that, he left. 

“What a fucking liar.” You couldn’t help but say once he was out of earshot. Chishiya was a diamond. But he already knew that. You were a club, and Niragi was a spade. Niragi shook his head and chuckled. “Baby, we knew he was going to lie.” He told you with a shrug. Chishiya walked back over to the two of you. “It’s him. I’m sure of it.” He confirmed. Niragi nodded his head in agreement. 

“I still don’t like that Yaba guy or that Banda.” Niragi stated, arms crossed over his chest, remembering you talking to them.

You and Chishiya looked at each other, sharing a knowing smile. “Jealous.” 

“Shut up.”

—-

After a while, Kotoko came into the room. She was picking up the same cookies she always did. Once again, Chishiya made his move. 

“There are only seven of us left. Unfortunately, one of my partners is dead. I asked that guy, Matsushita, what my symbol is, but he told me he doesn’t trust me.” He inhaled. “And I’m pretty sure he lied to me. Sort of a hunch, I guess. So, would you mind telling me what my symbol is? I know this is kind of a big ask. But if you want, I promise to tell you your symbol in exchange. I … don’t mean to presume, but you strike me as an honest person. At least from over here. Also, that Yaba guy strikes me as a bit of a conman, and since you’re aligned with him, I thought you should know.”

Chishiya walked past Kotoko. “Your symbol is a heart. Now, what about mine? It’s a club, right?” 

Kotoko walked away, her head down. Chishiya raised his packet of biscuits. “These are better, you know!” Chishiya let out a sigh and made his way to your table, where you and Niragi were sitting. The two of you had been having a lightsaber battle with your Pocky. Though your attention was brought to Chishiya was he sat down.

“I thought you were a doctor, not a salesman. Are you trying to sell those cookies to everyone or something?” Niragi asked him with a teasing grin on his face. Chishiya picked up a cookie and threw it at Niragi, intending to hit him with it. Though Niragi caught it in his mouth. “Shut up.”

You let out a giggle. The three of you spent the rest of the time sitting around the table, eating and talking about whatever you could. 

—--

Walking back to the central guardroom, Yaba walked past three of you. He and Chishiya slowed down for a moment before he walked off to Kotoko. The three of you turned and watched Banda walk up the stairs before heading off to Matsushita. 

“Seven people left, two pairs and one trio. The jack’s definitely going to make a move this round.” He took a step forward, standing on the podium thing. “I guess that this is the last round.” The blonde turned to look at the two of you. Niragi scoffed. “When did you become so dramatic?” 

“It is time to give your answer. Please enter a solitary confinement cell of your choosing.”

You walked into your cell. You smiled slightly. Hopefully this was the last round. “Club.” You waited for a moment. The same sound echoed to show someone had died. The place was quiet until you heard an unsettling cackle like laughter. It sent chills down your spine. Hearing a door open, you opened your door. You stepped out. Niragi walked out of his, which was on your left. Chishiya walked out of his, which was on your right. 

“I had a feeling you were the Jack of Hearts.” The three of you turned to face Matsushita. Chishiya’s hands were in his packers. Niragi’s were crossed over his chest. You put your hands on your hips. All three of you are watching the man in front of you. 

“But how did you…?”

“You teamed up with Banda from the start, and he’s a murderer, so it just made sense. Even if somehow you were moved by Banda’s little monologue, I knew you wouldn’t trust him. You don’t trust strangers and certainly not that fast.” Chishiya stated calmly. God, it was hot seeing his brain work. Very sexy. Nope, now was not the time for that.

Another door opened and out came Banda. “Most people won’t even talk to a guy like me. But you wanted to kill me. I could sense that in you right away. So I wanted to see if you were smart, or just stupid or whether you were a true psychopath.”

“You mean..”

“You thought you were controlling me this whole time.” He began walking towards Matsushita. “But I was manipulating you into thinking that way. Ultimately, it was your huge superiority complex that gave you away.”

“That kind of self-importance usually comes from being put in a special position. Something that made you feel untouchable. Like being chosen as the Jack.” Chishiya started. 

“You guys are wrong about this. Banda is the Jack of Hearts!” 

“Sorry, kid.” Yaba’s voice came from the stairs. “It’s not Banda.” Yaba walked over, hands in his pants pockets. “You and Kotoko were connected. I told Kotoko what her symbol was, and yet, she still died. Which means, Kotoko was being manipulated by someone other than me.”

Matsushita nodded. “Well, then, you should be accusing one of those three instead!” 

“Everything I went to the cafeteria, you and Kotoko would always be there, getting snacks at the same time. And each time, you’d get the same kind of snack. You and Kotoko were secretly communicating in the cafeteria. Both of you were just pretending that you were being controlled.” Chishiya spoke. 

“No one knows what being controlled looks like until they’ve seen you in the bedroom.” Niragi chuckled in your ear. You wizzed around and slapped his chest. “Niragi, now is so not the time. Chishiya is showing off his sexy smarts, so please shut up.” 

“There were four different flavors of the snack. You would confirm your symbols by checking the packaging. Using those snacks as a code with each other. I caught on pretty quickly.” Chishiya finished. 

Yaba then spoke up. “And then, you told Kotoko to give me the wrong symbol. I did trust her. Except at the end.”

Matsushita gasped. “When did you lot start working together?” 

“Well, the very first announcement said that this game is about how much we can trust one another. So we simply followed that principle. To gain someone’s trust. You can’t control, manipulate or guide them in any way. You can’t brainwash or hypnotize them, lie to them or instill fear.” Yaba spoke with every step he took. Only stopping once he came to stand beside Banda. “It’s called equality.” 

“Wait, what makes you so sure it’s me? The Jack of Hearts could easily be one of your five. Okay, maybe I did try to blame everything on you by setting you up, but look! But that’s not enough, huh? You guys don’t have any proof that I’m the Jack of Hearts, huh?”

“You sure about that?” Chishiya asked. 

“Huh?” Matsushita turned to face him. Chishiya stepped forward. “Just think about it. If they suspected that you were the Jack, then why did you survive this last round? Why didn’t Banda Lie? Tell you the wrong thing?”

Niragi stepped forward, a sick grin on his face. “The reason you’re still alive is because you’re the Jack. And these guys planned to keep you alive. Because they decided they wanna get information out of you.” 

‘Round fourteen begins now.’

—--

Walking out of the prison, the boys opened a gate each, letting you walk out first. The three of you walked about before stopping to look at the blimp as it blew up and set on fire. You each had a bag, filled with food and drinks. 

“Well, that was fun.” You told them, causing the two to look at you. You smiled up at them. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so chill about a game before.” 

“That’s because Chishiya did all the work, baby.” Niragi told you with a raised eyebrow. 

Chishiya nodded. “Well, you made some good commentary.” He said to Niragi, making him puff out his chest a little. 

“And I had the hardest job of all. Looking pretty and eating all the Pocky.” You told them, mocking a sad expression. Your hand on your chest. 

Suddenly, your bag was snatched from you by Chishiya. “Hey!” Niragi grabbed you and lifted you from the ground.

The sound of your laughter filled the streets. The three of you are happy and heading off to find your friends.

Taglist: Thank you for supporting me.

@thecheshireprincess @mocchii-writes @moonchild323232 @potato-vagina @monkey4lifer @kimsrie @so-dramatic1 @28361573 @onceinablueberrymoon @spanish-delulu-23

[larkingame]

so, it's 2025...long time no see.

I'll skip they hi, how are yous and get down to the real meat and potatoes of what I'm here to say. TLDR: Larkin is still being worked on (screenshots + such below) and it's always going to remain a free game, but it's under heavy construction atm. thanks for checking in 🫡

for the two people who want to hear the long sob story that usually comes with these type of posts from online creators: I fucked up my back majorly and was out of work for a long time. I went back to work pre-maturely and! I've fucked it up again. the stress of this, lack of income and the fact that i've been taking a lot of meds to help the injuries (but mess with my ability to stay coherent) has made it really difficult to consistently focus on larkin, writing, social media in general, but it is still getting worked on in bits and pieces.

that said, some back story: I started working on larkin in 2019/2020 and it was really really fun! loved it. had a great time. but then i started posting about it and showed it to other people (and to my surprise they??????? liked it????) which made me put a very large amount of pressure on myself that made it not so fun any more. over time i would go through cycles of it's fun! to it's not fun! and so on and so forth. throughout this time I also had pressure from a lot of people around me (irl) to somehow like. strictly monetize larkin somehow, and as someone who was like VERY INSECURE and obsessed with people like mishka making like insane funds off of her game of the same type?/genre? i gave in to that pressure (if you could not tell by all my occasional dirty deletes of shade towards twc. truly pathetic and if any of yall saw. apologies and thanks for ignoring it.) addressing that: i liked twc when it came out, it was fun for what it was and larkin would not exist without it. so thanks for that miss jenkins and i will probably still passively engage with it on my own time.

but, back to larkin. anyways, the looming pressure of this need to monetize made me hate everything that i was doing and constantly feel like i needed to re-evolve and rework and just, overall not have a fun time with it. throughout the months of november, december and january when i was really missing the days of larkin's existence as an idea when me and my sister would just like walk around our neighborhood and i would just infodump to her about my cowboy vampire ocs. so i found my old larkin notebook and the stickies i made planning plot stuff and avoiding tumblr i just. had fun working on my little cowboy vampire game. like not really thinking about other stuff. and that's essentially it.

so I came to a conclusion: larkin is something i love, and i want to continue loving it. so essentially, i won't be monetizing the game itself. episodes/chapters whatever they end up being in the end will always be free. yay. if you want extra content/want to support me in some way monetarily, feel free to join the patreon, however, I won't really be active on it until i have something substantial to show you game wise. that being said, you can still subscribe for access to the backlog of short stories and art etc. I'm turning off charges each month until i have like a real game for you to play that doesn't make me sick to my stomach to look at or think about. another note: pc players are going to be priority until it's finished. I will have a mobile version but i can't promise you she will be all that pretty.

another note, because larkin is free i can't promise quick turnarounds on anything but what i'll be offering on patreon when i start charging again and additionally: i'm back to making larkin a game for me. i really lost a lot of enjoyment for doing this stuff when i thought about that pressure i put on myself like i mentioned above but also, when i started writing it for other people in mind. first and foremost i am making larkin because i like cowboys, i like vampires, i like horror and religious trauma themes. i'm writing this for me: kc, so i can go on my computer and teehee at all the kissing scenes and make a cool cowboy character with fights. i'm going to make it gay and self-indulgent and basically just have fun with it because it's my game and i am making it and i said so.

all that said here are some of the major things i've done with larkin over this past little while:

updated the website so that it is now useable :)

done a lot of work on the ui:

and i have been rewriting a lot of stuff because I FEEL like it was not good and was not fun for me. THE DEMO FROM LAST JUNE ESPECIALLY. it hurts my stomach to look at.

visually, dan (@tapeworrmart ) has been on his fucking a-game with the art even through my crisis. here's the male ace portrait he put together for me last fall and the art for the main menu:

we also have some more art in the works that i am very excited for because they are in pursuit of new fun features :D

all that said. thanks for the continued support if you're still reading this, appreciate any interest you have in my game.

[iamthecomet]

Comet my beloved my darling. Can I invite you to consider: Aeon, causing problems on purpose. Trying to get a rise out of Dew, because Dew is just so much fun when he's Mad. And Dew knows all the little tricks, knows exactly what that little shit is up to and refuses to give him the satisfaction.

Buug's about to have the slowest, softest lovemaking he's ever suffered through and he's gonna hate every second.

Mal, my sweet, this made me black out it's delicious. This is my favorite type of Dew/Aeon dynamic FUCK.

700-ish words of Dew giving Aeon exactly the opposite of what he was hoping for, under the cut.

"Please, Dew. I—" Aeon's voice is a desperate, disappointed whine. Dew grins against the inside of the little ghouls knee, lips curling against tender flesh as he fingers him. Just one finger—though Aeon is definitely ready for more. Dew's hand is slick with lube, more than he needs. He presses in again, feeling Aeon clench around him. There's no friction, no stretch, no burn. Dew nips at the inside of Aeon's knee just to see what a little pain will do to him and Aeon bows off the bed.

"I'm just giving you what you wanted," Dew murmurs. He keeps his pace slow. A promise of what's to come once he finally get inside. He can do this forever. Finger Aeon open nice and slow, fuck him like that too. Facing him even. Forcing Aeon to look in his eyes as he takes him so gently it's basically torture. Satanas he hopes Aeon cries. He wants to press his lips to those flushed cheeks and taste salt.

It is torture after all, considering what Aeon's put him through today. Pushing every button. Desperate for Dew to break. Dew knows the game, can smell the need all over Aeon. If Aeon had asked him nicely—had told him what he really wanted—Dew would have obliged. Of course he would have. He would have pinned Aeon down, shoved himself inside, bit down so hard on Aeon's shoulder as he railed him that he drew blood. But Aeon didn't ask. He badgered. He bothered. He tried to dig himself so far under Dew's skin that Dew snapped.

Dew adds another finger, Aeon makes a sound between a moan and a sob—relief. Dew scissors his fingers apart, then presses deep. He skims his fingers over Aeon's prostate once—just to hear the strangled sound Aeon makes. Just to watch Aeon's cock bob and spit. Aeon looks down at Dew, stricken, panting. Cheeks flushed an adorable violet, hair—sweaty already—plastered to his forehead. Amethyst eyes wide and wild, black eclipsing purple as Dew works him open as slowly as humanly possible. He's a caged animal, Dew holds the only key to release.

Dew kisses his thigh again, feigning reverence, love, when really they both know this is a crueler torture than Aeon ever could have asked for.

"I need—Dew I need more."

Aeon grinds his hips down on Dew's fingers, and Dew rewards him with a firm hand on his hip, pinning him to the bed.

"Don't move. You don't have to do anything. Let me take care of you," Dew peers up at him, eyes molten amber, holding him with a gaze that is equal parts devotion and demand. "I know what you need."

Dew takes pity on him and gives him another finger. He hitches up on the bed to press a line of soft kisses to the shaft of Aeon's cock. It kicks beneath Dew's lips. Hard and velvet soft. Dew presses in deep, drags his tongue over the head of Aeon's cock tasting salt and musk and longing.

"All you've ever wanted was for me to love you," Dew whispers against the sensitive underside. "And now that I am you don't want it anymore."

Aeon whines. Past words as Dew strokes his prostate, makes out with the head of his cock. Aeon fists his hands in the sheets, always so good about playing by Dew's rules and keeping his hands to himself.

Dew slips his fingers free and shifts onto his knees. He presses the head of his cock against Aeon's hole. He reaches for one of Aeon's hands, lacing their fingers together by Aeon's head. The other he curls around Aeon's hip, finger so hot they feel like a brand.

He pushes forward, the head slipping in, surrounding himself with the warm tight heat of Aeon's body one slow centimeter at a time. Dew bends to kiss Aeon's jaw, reverent mouth dragging along that prominent bone

"If you hate it so much," Dew whispers pressing deeper, closer. "Tell me to stop."

Aeon looks at him, eyes wide, wet. Tears catching in his lashes. He shakes his head.

Dew nudges forward. Seats himself to the hilt with a low satisfied groan.

"Yeah." He nips at Aeon's lower lip. "That's what I thought."

[beepboopkek]

— Strip Starchess with Jing Yuan (Female Reader)

Including: Jing Yuan cw: afab!reader, pwp but barely, slight mention of reader having a size kink, unprotected p in v, first time writing a proper fic, first time writing smut (please send help), reader is a little bashful, overall its kind of a self-projection I guess. Jing Yuan is a little bastard (affectionate), stripping (who would've guessed), grammatical errors(I tried), Jing Yuan calls you pet names (dear, love), no use of y/n, light bondage ( reader gets their hands tied with a t-shirt nothing too bad), safe sane and consensual w/c: 3941 (might be a little off since I made a few edits in this post) a/n: I am so sorry for this I am going to die of cringe later but I needed this out of my brain so I made my best attempt at writing. There is a lot of stuff that is bad but I do not have the energy or patience to do it so, you have been warned, this is a first-time smut from an inexperienced writer whose first language isn't english :3 hope someone out there likes this

You were bored.

Extremely bored.

Jing Yuan had promised you he’d come home on time so that the two of you could enjoy dinner together. You had something fun planned for the evening for the two of you. Something you were excited to try out.

One problem though, there were still no signs of your boyfriend’s arrival.

You sent him a few messages asking him where he was but to no avail, you knew for a fact he wouldn’t be able to respond anyway.

The sound of a door opening broke you out of your thoughts as you turned around and were met with an apologetic soft smile on Jing Yuan’s face.

“Yu.”

“My Love.”

You huffed at him in annoyance, realising what he was trying to do. He always knew how to soften you up.

“You’re late.” You said as you watched him unstrap his boots and place them near the shoe rack before he turned to look at you.

“I apologize, I overslept in the afternoon and had to compensate as a result.” Jing Yuan gave you a pitiful look.

“Regardless, I am here now,” He walked over to where you were seated and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on your head. “And I’d love to eat what my dear has cooked for me.”

You rolled your eyes at him a little and turned towards the table again as he took his seat opposite to you. You began eating in silence while Jing Yuan served himself some of the food you’d made.

“C’mon, don’t be like that.” He spoke suddenly as you focused on eating and ignoring him.

“Be like what? I didn’t do anything.” You huffed back to him again while continuing to look at your food when you suddenly heard the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor, you looked up, only to be met with your boyfriend’s amber eyes boring into yours.

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

You grumbled something with your mouth full.

“I didn’t catch that, love.”

You gulped down your food, 

“I said, play Starchess with me”

“Do we not play Starchess on a regular basis already?”

“We do, yes, but I found a new variation of the game that I thought would be fun to try out. Only if youre up for it, though.” You made eye contact with him again as his eyebrow shot up in surprise.

He leaned in on the table and rested his head on the palm of his hand as he tilted his head lazily.

“Go on.”

Your confidence and annoyance all but vanished this exact second, you really hadn’t expected him to be this interested and knowing him , he probably already has an idea simply based off of the tone of your voice.

“...Nevermind.” You looked away, blushing as Jing Yuan continued to watch in lazed amusement.

“Is it-”

“Yes it’s Strip Starchess, okay? I thought it would be fun to play.” You blurted out as your ears turned a light shade of red.

“I was going to say Blitz Starchess.”

Your eyes widened in horror as you turned back to look at Jing Yuan who was now miserably failing at holding back his laughter as his shoulders shook silently and he pressed his lips together.

“I hate you.”

Jing Yuan laughed and you pouted.

“I didn’t do anything, though?”

“You know exactly what you're doing, Yu.”

Jing Yuan smiled apologetically once again as you pouted while avoiding eye contact with him. He sighed fondly and picked up his chopsticks again.

“Strip Starchess, hm? Let’s finish dinner and begin.”

You huffed again and turned back to your food and soon enough, Jing Yuan started some casual conversation and the whole ordeal was pushed to the back of your mind.

. . .That was until after you both finished eating and cleaning up.

Shit.

You suddenly had very important things to do in your library so you quietly started walking towards it, hoping Jing Yuan had all but forgotten about your earlier conversation. Just as you were about to open the door, a familiar voice called out from behind you,

"Dear?" 

You slowly turned around, trying not to look like you were caught committing a crime.

"...Yes?"

"Where would you like to play? I think the living room would be best since it is rather spacious. We can close the curtains but,"

Jing Yuan paused as he looked towards the box in his hands and back to you,

"I'm saying that while assuming that we will be taking off our clothes sooner or later. Am I wrong?" 

He smiled innocently. This bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

"... Fine, let's go to the living room then, I'll explain the rules to you." 

Jing Yuan hummed pleasantly as he walked behind you, setting the board down onto the hard wooden flooring as the both of you sat down facing each other. 

He opened up the box and set up the game and looked at you expectantly.

There was no backing out now, so you might as well give it your best.

"It's in the name, you strip when you lose a pawn." 

"Strip entirely? Or just an article of clothing?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

You gave an exasperated sigh as you stared at him with the grumpiest expression you could muster.

"I'm afraid I don't, love."

He gave you a cat-like smile as he patiently waited for you to explain.

"...Only a piece of clothing. The one who has the most clothes off at the end of the game is the loser,"

You made yourself comfortable, you need your initial confidence back desperately.

"We'll play 3 games and see who wins. I won't be going easy on you."

You smiled at him mischievously as he chuckled and re-adjusted his seating position before looking right into your eyes.

"Very well then, let the games begin." 

You focused your eyes on the board and played your first move, positioning the soldier pawn in front of your king 2 steps ahead.

Jing Yuan’s eyes lit up as he countered it by moving the same piece on his side. He knew exactly how you were going to play and he was going to ensure he won.

The game progressed and you eventually lost your first pawn, you sighed in annoyance at the realization as you looked up to see your boyfriend with his cat-like smile and of course, he had the most innocent look on his face.

Damnit.

You sighed reluctantly as you cursed him under your breath and removed your jacket.

“Happy?” You deadpanned at him.

“Very much so. Don’t be upset, you still have a chance to win.” He smirked lazily as he waited for you to play your turn

You were more cautious now, not letting him take any of your pawns when you realized you had a safe opening to take his pawn!

You took the chance and took his soldier with your bishop. Looking up at him in triumph.

He smiled back at you casually as he raised his hands in surrender,

“You got me there,”

You watchedn him in anticipation as your mouth watered a little, sure you’d been living together for a few months now but, nothing beat seeing Jing Yuan’s body.

He place his hand on his shoulder guard and removed it before smiling at you pleasantly again.

You blinked once.

Twice.

Scanning him to see if he removed anything else while you were day-dreaming.

Nope, nothing.

"I said one piece of clothing, your shoulder brace doesn't count as one." 

"You never specified if accessories were also counted."

You huffed at him, "You never asked!" 

"I don't recall having to ask, I gave you the chance to explain everything to me." He smiled innocently again.

He was right. 

He knew he was and continued to play his next move.

Bastard.

Suddenly, it dawned on you that he was still in his armor and work uniform, meaning it would take at least 15 individual games of Starchess to get even the first layer off of him. Your eyes widened in realization as he looked at you and stifled his laughter.

Well, you certainly weren't in your work clothes and barely had anything on in the first place but you might have a few accessories on your person if you looked hard enough.

Two can play that game.

The game continued as you tried your best to defend your pieces from his attacks but he was too good… much to your displeasure.

By the end of the first game, Jing Yuan barely looked any different from how he was when he entered your shared home while you had to remove your own rings and piercings, putting them away in a corner neatly as to not lose them.

Jing Yuan won the first game by the rules of normal Starchess and the two of began your second round.

You were determined, but so was he.

Time passed rather quickly as you watched your boyfriend remove more accessories and you really wondered how he was able to walk or even fight with that much on his body.

You shook your head. Now's not the time for distractions.

The game progressed as you watched your pawns get taken one by one.

Rook, Bishop, a couple of soldiers and the list went on.

…You realized very late that you were going to lose.

You've never beat him in a game of starches, partially because he sneaks away your pieces but also because he's genuinely skilled at playing the game.

You were down to your last game, Jing Yuan in his shirt and pants along with some random trinkets of his uniform that you didn't even know the purpose of, you, however, were a different story.

You'd managed to get down just to your t-shirt and panties, shivering a little in both anticipation and the chill of the night.

“Do you need a blanket? You won't have anything to cover you soon enough, I'd hate to get you sick, dear.” Jing Yuan looked at you lazily.

Bastard.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

“I'm good. This is the last game and by the look of it, you've lost more pieces than I have.”

He made a content noise in the back of his throat as if agreeing with you before looking down at the board and smiling.

“I'm afraid you are correct, I admire your confidence in the face of calamity. However,”

He moved his bishop in line with your king.

“Checkmate.” 

You glanced around the board, trying to find an escape route but there were none. 

There was no denying it, you had lost the third game as well.

But the rules were about clothes, you looked up at him and back at yourself.

“. . . Fuck.”

You sighed, reluctantly admitting defeat.

“Alright , alright. You win the 3 games and the whole game considering you have more layers on you than I do.” 

Jing Yuan smiled in amusement as he crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly,

“So, what's my reward for winning?” 

You were already packing up the board as you looked at him with a huff and stood up.

“I'll let you nap in the afternoon more tomorrow, that's your reward.” 

But before you could move your half naked self away, Jing Yuan moved closer and swiftly knocked your knees back so you toppled down onto him.

“Jing Yuan! I almost knocked the board on your head!”

You had wrapped your arms around his neck, scared to lose balance and plop onto the floor if he were to drop you.

“I'm interested in another reward.”

“What?”

“I'm the winner so isn't it natural I get to pick my reward? Besides, no proper terms were set for it when you explained the rules to me.”

“You little shit, you knew this was going to happen.”

“Dear, I am the divine foresight for a reason.” 

He chuckled as his hands slowly moved down your torso and to the hem of your t-shirt. 

He grasped the hem as he leaned into your body and spoke lowly in your ear

“Of course, if you don't want this, we could just revert to my original reward.” 

His hold on you was firm but gentle, indicating that he'd let you go if you wanted him to.

“But, something about the way you're trembling in my hold tells me you don't want to stop, do you?” 

Your breath was coming out in shaky puffs now. You simply looked away in embarrassment before he pressed himself closer to you, you could feel the warmth of his body through the clothes he was wearing.

“Answer me.” 

“. . . I don't want you to stop” 

He smiled against your ears and you swear if he had a tail it would be swishing around in excitement by now.

“That wasn't so hard, was it?” 

Kissing the red shell of your ear he moved your face towards him and kissed you deeply before pressing his forehead to yours.

“Now, allow me to claim my reward.”

He peppered kisses along your jaw as his hands finally, finally took your t-shirt up to your neck as you raised your arms to help him get it off.

You were down to your panties and bra now, coincidentally, you were wearing one of his favourite sets’.

His kisses continued downward, unbuckling your bra with one hand while the other appreciatively squeezed around your body.

He leaned down on your chest, taking a nipple into his mouth as his other hand tweaked with the other and you gasped, sparks of pleasure shooting up your spine.

Your hands immediately found purchase in his soft hair as you closed your eyes and whispered his name.

Jing Yuan always , always made sure to lather extra attention to your chest, you never understood why but it had now become a sensitive spot for you.

He kissed and licked around your nipples, leaving little bites in between so that he can see them in the morning and fuck you all over again.

Deciding he'd done enough to your chest (for now) he moved his attention downwards, chuckling breathlessly at the small wet patch on your panties.

His large hand slid down as he started moving his finger up and down on your panties, making the wet patch grow bigger.

“You call me a bastard and yet have the nerve to be this wet for me, hm?” 

“S-Shut up.” 

You panted as your brain became fuzzy and warm, not being able to think of anything else except Jing Yuan touching you.

He smirked as he added pressure with his finger on exactly where your clit is and you gasped loudly. The fabric of your panties providing a weird but not unwelcome feeling.

“Do you think you can cum just from this alone?”

“I don't k-”

You cut yourself off with a loud moan as he pinched your clit and rubbed it.

“You don't know? Well, that's too bad. We'll just have to find out it seems, hm?”

You were gasping for air and moaning loudly at this point, thrashing and tugging at Jing Yuan’s hair like your life depended on it.

“I'm feeling nicer today, let's take this off, dear.” 

He tugged at your panties and your hazy mind cleared for a second 

“Jing Yuan! Don't I-”

A loud ripping sound echoed through the room as you stared in horror at the shredded remains of your panties but before you could utter a word, Jing Yuan kissed you and simultaneously continued to make circles around your clit.

You weakly slammed your fisted hands onto the hard planes of his chest but to no avail, he wasn't going to let up.

He continued flicking your clit at a faster pace before speaking into your ear.

“Be a good girl and cum for me”

You moaned as you clenched his (now crumpled) white shirt in your hands as your eyes rolled back and your orgasm flooded over your body in waves.

The general continued to make slow and gentle circles on your clit as you got down from your high, peppering your body with kisses and bites everywhere.

You were still breathing heavily when you regained your senses again.

“So, my hypothesis was correct.” 

“You're gonna pay for that, Yu.”.

You said, not sure if youre referring to the torn panties or the fact that him massaging your clit was enough to get you to cum.

“Of course I will, and any other matching set you like so I can rip them all off of your body.” 

His voice was so calm while speaking you'd almost think he was unaffected by the situation but that was far from the truth, sitting on his lap gave away that he was extremely hard underneath you.

He kissed you again, gently this time as he pulled back and bore his eye into yours.

“Do you want to continue?” 

You didn't respond, only leaning in to kiss him before bringing your hands to the collar of his shirt and unbuttoning it.

“I'm not the only one that's going to be naked here.” 

He helped you take off his whole shirt, watching you as you admired his sculpted and scarred torso. 

“Turn around for me, love.”

You did as you were told, sitting in his lap with your back against his chest.

His hands suddenly came up on you again, going downwards to your pussy as he outlined your lips. Pressing gently on the soft flesh.

Your hands immediately found purchase on top of his much bigger ones, your breathing picking up again.

He inserted two fingers in you, pushing them in and out and curling them in just the right spot, hitting your already frayed nerves and stretching you open for him. Keeping the rhythm of his fingers up, slowly getting you towards the edge again when suddenly,

You were left empty as Jing Yuan retracted his hand and wiped it onto his pants as he unzipped them, before hooking both his hands under your plush thighs and lifting your slit above his cock.

“Tell me if you need a break.”

Before you could respond, he was already impaling you on his cock, pushing you down slowly as you reached back with your hands and grabbed his neck while arching your back.

“F-Fuck- too much-”

“You can take it, I know you can.”

He whispered breathlessly as he continued pushing you down until you met the base of his cock.

“There we go.”

Jing Yuan waited for you to adjust while rubbing gentle circles on your clit, watching intently as you fought to gain back your breath.

You were struggling at this point, mind in a haze at the feeling of being so full. Not knowing where to place your hands you blurted our the first coherent thought that came to your mind.

“. . .Tie my hands, please.”

Now it was the general’s turn to be surprised, you were not one to beg usually. He smiled coyly as he grabbed your discarded t-shirt and rolled it up to form a makeshift knot.

“If i was aware we were going to this tonight, I wouldve prepared more.”

You pushed your hands out together in front of you impatiently, just wanting to move but not trusting your shaking legs to carry through.

Jing Yuan kissed around your ears again started working on binding your hands immediately. Securing it as tight as he could, he tugged on it before pecking you on the cheek.

“There. Is that better?”

“Yes.”

You were fully panting now, subtly grinding yourself on his cock.

Jing yuan took it as his cue to move and hooked his hands under your thighs again before lifting you off his cock.

The split second where you were left empty was enough for you to whine. He wasn’t a cruel lover, though, he thrusted back in, filling you instantly.

He kept the tempo of fast but deep strokes and before long you could feel your second orgasm approaching.

Suddenly, there was a change as he pushed you down onto the wooden floor face first and ass up, the angle making him reach in different areas.

Your tied hands were above your head as you got rubbed on the floor like a mop cloth from his powerful thrusts. Jing Yuan bent over and draped his larger frame over your back, holding down your shaking hands with one of his own and thrusting faster.

“Come on, come for me.”

He whispered into your ear, again, reaching his other hand down to play with your clit.

And that's all it took for you to orgasm, releasing over his cock as he kept his pace.

For a few seconds, you blanked out completely, caught up in the haze of your orgasm that you didn't even notice Jing Yuan continuing,

That was until you were brought back to reality by a hit of overstimulation, tears already collecting at your lashes as the pleasure soared through your entire body.

“Y-Yu-”

“Just a little more.”

He continued rubbing fast circles over your clit and you could feel the tendrils of your third orgasm creeping up on you as you clenched around him hard.

It pierced through you just as your boyfriend finally released inside you, hot liquid filling you up and you felt so full.

Jing Yuan panted as he rested some of his body weight on you, essentially pinning you in place and having no way to move. Just the way you like it.

He grabbed your hips with both his hands as he gently thrusted a few times to get the last few seconds of pleasure in, wrecking your already overstimulated pussy.

“. . . I think my reward is incomplete.” He said after a few beats of silence.

“Absolutely not.” 

Jing Yuan laughed breathlessly as he pulled you back onto his lap and rested himself against the sofa, wrapping his hands around your waist and putting his head on your shoulder.

The both of you relished in the afterglow for a bit with him still stuffed inside you, just enjoying and soaking each other’s presence, you were the first to speak.

“Horny bastard, you really piledrived me on the floor of our living room.” You laughed while pecking at his cheeks.

“Me? I’m the horny one now? You were the one that suggested this game in the first place!”

Jing Yuan feigned hurt as he tightened his hold on you, eyeing you cheekily as your ears turned red.

“I didn’t proposition sex! It was a game to-”

“To what? Play house with each other?” Jing Yuan asked in an amused tone before continuing,

“You wanted it to end like this, didn’t you?”

“Not on the goddamn floor! I’m gonna have bruises from this tomorrow, I hope you're happy.”

You pouted and held your (still bound) hands close to your chest, hearing Jing Yuan snicker and feeling his chest shake.

“I’ll give you a massage right now, on the bed this time, to make up for it”

“And then what? Escalate it into having sex again? I need to walk tomorrow, Yu.”

“You know me too well.”

You looked at him into his eyes and he simply gave you a crooked smile

“Untie my hands, we need to clean up and get to bed”

“Hmm… How about I let you go now and you let me enjoy my reward in the shower again?”

You sighed before nodding in acceptance, you weren’t going to feel your legs tomorrow.

This is the price you pay for provoking the sleeping lion.

“Horny bastard.”

[slxtarchive]

𝐁𝐅!𝐃𝐘𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

⌗ 𝐛𝐟!𝐝𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 ! nsfw later on

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. hope you enjoy this honey, been a long time since i’ve done headcannons

𝐬𝐟𝐰 !

bf!dylan who always wants to serenade you anytime anywhere.

“let me singgg.” dylan whined as you put cucumbers in the plastic bag provided.

you giggled at him. “i told you to go get me tomatoes.” you replied, hand on your hip.

he huffed, “yeah but singing you my new song would be way more fun. plus, you know it’s about you.”

you pressed your lips together as he grabbed one of the plastic bags. “later on. right now let’s get this grocery shopping done then you can sing to me all you want.”

bf!dylan who is always up to help you with anything possible. doesn’t matter if it’s household chores, fixing up things for you, shopping with or for you — anything.

he scrolled through the multiple lines of items on his screen. “baby, which one is best for your office? you said you wanted a chair but what kind?”

you looked up from your phone. “dyl, you don’t have to get me a chair, i was just going to use the one from our old apartment. i still have it in the garage.” you shrugged.

he shook his head. “uh uh..” he said standing up with his computer in hand. “you’re getting the best of the best, no buts.” he said leaning down and pecking your lips surprisingly. “now choose.”

bf!dylan who wants you always wearing his clothes not yours.

he pouted holding out the hoodie toward you. “c’mon mines better.” he whined, pulling you by your waist to stop you from walking away.

you groaned, “you’re such a baby dyl. i’m fine in this i promise. let’s go watch the movie.” you smiled, knowing what would come next.

“not watching it until you put my shit on.” he placed the hoodie on top of your head letting it fall in your arms.

you rolled your eyes. “okay okay. go get the movie ready.”

bf!dylan who constantly writes you little notes for you to find

you picked up the note that was tucked into your bag while you were on your way to work dying to know what it said this time.

“i know today is a busy day for you but never forget how much i love you and how amazing you are. see you tonight, love dylan ♡”

you texted him about it receiving a light-hearted message back. “i am a romantic… flip it over.”

you turned back to the note flipping it over. “p.s. you owe me a kiss.”

bf!dylan who memorized practically every order you have for food or drinks.

bf!dylan who gets overly competitive when you play games together in the cutest way.

“you’re literally sabotaging me right now! it’s gonna bite you in the ass watch.” you laughed, watching as dylan tried to bump you off the track of rainbow road in mario kart.

he teased you, “it’s every racer for themselves! don’t have the player hate the game.” he cutely added.

at the end when you ended up beating him he groaned dramatically. “oh you definitely cheated.”

you giggled, “you’re just a sore loser.” setting the controller down.

he raised a brow. “oh sore loser huh? well, the winner gets a price right? let me give you a prize..” he licked his bottom lip.

𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐰 !

bf!dylan who loves taking care of you. he’s a dom at heart.

“don’t worry baby, gonna wipe all your worries away.” he groaned as he thrust deep into you. you were lying back arms wrapped around him as your hand was in his hair. “worked so hard today you deserve to be taken care of, huh mama?”

your moans got stuck in your throat as his soft passionate thrusts hit that sweet spot inside you. “oh fuck dylan…” you whimpered.

“that’s right baby. indulge in it. c’mon, you deserve this. such a good girl. my good girl.”

bf!dylan who can’t help himself in public

“please baby, need you so bad.” he rubbed himself slightly as you both waited in line for food.

you looked around. “dylan… oh my.” you tried not to smile at how needy he became.

“i need to wait in the car,” he said giving you a sloppy kiss before leaving. later on, as you came back his bulge was still there but there was a slight wet stain in front of him. “tried to wait.” he groaned.

“you’re unbelievable.” you groaned before grabbing your hair.

bf!dylan who likes playing guitar as you give him head

dylan strummed the strings of his guitar a few times as your head bobbed up and down. “jus’ like that.” he groaned, changing the notes of his strums. “mmm.” he hummed along with the guitar.

a few more seconds and he was about to cum in your mouth. “fuck — ladada..” he hummed again feeling his stomach tighten. “shit, right there.” he stopped his strumming as he let go on your tongue. he smiled down at you pecking your lips. “now let me sing to you for real this time please.”

bf!dylan who loves morning sex

“mmph, jus’ let me slide in please.” he whispered against your ear. “i’ll go slow and be so gentle. just want you wrapped around me.” he groaned, his bludgeon poking against your ass.

you were half asleep but nodded reaching behind you and resting your hand behind his head. he took his cock and nudged your entrance pushing into you slow and steady. “wrapping around me so good. always so good and ready for me.

© 𝐬𝐥𝐱𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞

[theyanderespecialist]

Base Yandere Sentient CatNap Headcanons: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These (Poppy Playtime)

[Hello, My sexy muffins I am back with a new chapter, in this chapter it is SENTIENT Catnap, no Children Souls! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter here!] 

(Disclaimer: FIRST OFF CATNAP IS SENTIENT IN THIS NO CHILD SOUL IN HIM, HE IS A SENTIENT TOY/MONSTER! HE WAS NEVER HUMAN IN THIS, THANK YOU! 

Disclaimer 2: Catnap is once again sentient but he is not yandere in canon! This is just for fun and not to be taken seriously! Simping for fictional characters and yanderes is fine! Just do not be illegal or gross about it. Also, remember to separate fiction from reality and headcanon from canon!! Yanderes are not ideal partners to have in real life. Thank you!) 

-Base Yandere Headcanons With Sentient CatNap From Poppy Playtime- 

.At the Start Catnap was more so docile and gentle 

.He cares for children and would want them to get good nights of sleep 

.He had been very loyal to them, but that changed with the prototype. 

.The prototype promised him the one person that he loved the most, and that person was you. 

.He fell for you the moment you started to work at Play co, working closely with him to help take care of the children.

.He was protective of you and very much loyal to you as well, but he wanted more. 

.You would leave the factory time and time again, leaving him behind and he hated it. 

.This caused him to have a hatred for the factory workers to whom he was once loyal. 

.As a yandere he is very protective and possessive. 

.He does not want to share you with anyone else and he made sure that you were safe and sound from other toys and monsters. 

.He is the yandere that would follow you around and if you got in trouble or went too far he would pick you up by the back of your shirt and carry you back to where you are supposed to be. 

.He is the type of yandere who also is always watching you, how you work, and how you have relationships with others. 

.He hated when you would spend time with others and he did not like sharing you. 

.So he would have dealt with his rivals by trying to keep them from you as much as possible and even swiping at them if they spent too much time with you. 

.After the hour of Joy though he would have killed any rivals that tried to get close to you, especially ones like Dog Day. 

.He is the type of yandere that also, stalks his prey and even stalks you. 

.Following close behind and ready to pounce on rivals to end their lives or teach them a lesson. 

.Or to pounce on you and snuggle you or take you back to where you belong. 

.He would love to use his gas on you to put you asleep. 

.This way if you got close to leaving him he can knock you out. 

.He also uses it to break you down and play mind games with you mentally. 

.That way your will to fight against him and leave him is broken down and you will learn that you can never ever leave him. 

.He would have confessed his love on the hour of joy, telling you how much he loved you and that he would keep you. 

.If you say yes he is over the moon and lets you hide so you are safe from the massacre that happens. 

.If you say no? Well, then you are knocked out with the gas and are hidden while the massacre happens. 

.He comes back once it is over and makes sure you are okay. 

.Either way, you will be trapped in the factory and he will snuggle you always even when your life has ended and you have become nothing but a corpse. 

.You are his, in life and death. 

.If he does get the prototype to help him he will be able to turn you into a monster as well, then you will be by his side, forever and ever. 

.Also, remember, your sweet dreams are made of the obsessive love that CatNap has for you. 

.Be his good little kitten and you will have nothing but sweet dreams. 

.Be a naughty little kitty and your mind will be tormented until it breaks and all you know is Catnap. 

.Sweet Dreams are Made Of These, who are you to disagree~ 

[YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Another chapter is done, I hope that you all enjoyed this, and stay sexy, all of my sexy muffins! DogDay will come up soon I hope!] 

[irisintheafterglow]

One-Shots

Gojo Satoru

You Are In Love - "you're my best friend," and you knew what it was

...Ready For It? - knew he was a killer first time that I saw him

Hits Different - it hits different 'cause it's you (or, struggling in a situationship with gojo satoru)

Never Grow Up - meeting megumi for the first time

The Archer - all of my enemies started out friends, can he hold on to you?

invisible string - the first time megumi uses ten shadows

even in my worst times, you see the best in me - being the strongest has its downsides, but at least you're suffering with him

life's no fun without a good scare - you have the brilliant idea of playing hide and seek in a corn maze against the most powerful sorcerer in the world. should be fun, right?

it's all me, just don't go (meet me in the afterglow) - satoru is jealous but refuses to admit it.

every dead end street led you straight to me - former fuckboy gojo has some things to say at the top of a mountain

i hate accidents, except when we went from friends to this! - coworkers to lovers with a healthy amount of teenage eavesdropping

he's the death you chose (you're in terrible danger) - married life with husband!gojo means cleaning up bodies at 2am.

Geto Suguru

The Great War - somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed

Back to December - you gave him all your love and all he gave you was goodbye

say you'll remember me - you were destined to fail from the start, so why does it hurt so badly when he's gone?

dazzling haze, mysterious way about you, dear - need some fluff after reading all the angst above?

tell me that you love me, love me 'til my lips turn blue - being partnered with suguru on a mission takes an unexpected turn

what if all i need is you? - after failed attempts to find a date to a relative's birthday party, your best friend acts as your fake boyfriend.

you know i love you so. - what if he never left you?

Nanami Kento

of daisies and collisions - nanami kento felt a little out of his element, with a small bundle of flowers sitting in his lap and brooding in the dark corner of the jazz bar. yet, you play that song he likes again, and nothing else matters.

Blurbs/Drabbles

the stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours - holding satoru and letting him rest, even if it's only for a little bit

it took so long to know someone like you - he doesn't know who he is with you and it scares both of you

bad days and blanket burritos - good ol' satoru bf fluff

Imagines/HCs

And the touch of a hand lit the fuse

how gojo and geto react to their partner being obsessed with them (fluffy !!!)

summer camp counselor!gojo

Gojo Satoru

What, like it's hard? -> law student!gojo / university!gojo

general hcs

when he buys a motorcycle

flirting via the library

I'm with the band -> rockstar!gojo

rockstar!gojo meet sexyy

the valentine's day show

quiet moments and teaching you guitar

awards show

Falling for you, on and off the ice -> hockey player!gojo

someone steals your usual rink slot

watching a game

living in winter, i am your summer - he's terrible at figure skating

Kachow -> professional racer!gojo

on the radio

smoke his ass! - pro racer!gojo needs some motivation after a newcomer to the track pisses him off

Geto Suguru

oops? - satoru finds out that you've been seeing his best friend

a quiet moment in the aquarium

napping with you :)

scare actor!suguru

wooing the rec center worker (university!suguru)

Save a horse, ride a cowboy -> gunslinger!suguru

gunslinger!geto au

big iron - he's not the first to go after the crystal-eyed bandit, but something tells you that this one will keep his promise to buy you a drink when the hunting is done.

Theta Phi Fuckhead -> enemy frat!suguru

ancient grudge, new mutiny

move fast, keep quiet

half the things that haven't happened yet

Series Masterlists

End Game (volleyball captain!gojo x you) COMPLETED

Co-Parenting Megumi with Satoru COMPLETED

I Don't Wanna Live Forever (gojo x you during shibuya) COMPLETED

VIGILANTE SHIT (vigilante!au, IN PROGRESS)

[threepandas]

Bad End: Witness

"Specimen '873 is starting to disappoint me. He was showing such promise. These numbers, however?" My keeper muttered to himself, distaste painting his face as he watched the feed in front of him. "Unacceptable for a battle class. He might as well be spare biomass at this point."

He was supposed to be wearing his glasses, not holding them. They may have been called "reading" glasses? But they were not, technically, just for that. They also had a blue light filter. Helped with headaches and eyestrain. He just hated wearing them because he thought they made him look old.

A God Forbid ANYTHING remind him of the passage of time.

He did NOT take it kindly.

I managed to avoid THAT landmine by virtue of having witnessed his receiving them. An "incident" that resulted in his head slamming against a screen. Protocol demanded he get checked. In the process, they discovered his eye sight was declining. It was a... bad day. I brought him things to break and stayed very, very quiet.

He bounced back fairly quickly, though. Once the arrogant researcher who had arranged for the incident to even OCCUR? Tried to come lord his "weakened old man" status over him. It was one thing to "accidently" let the battle class get unfettered access to weapons before loyalty train. But to be dumb enough to step into his lab, call him weak, and gloat about it?

Dr. Raghnall Periculum was many things.

But "unwilling to bludgeon a man to death with the nearest object" was not one of them.

He was dangerous like that. Murderous. It came and went like shifting storms, all you could really do was learn to read the triggers. Get good at knowing when to back up. When to hold really, REALLY still. After all... this was a lawless, immoral place. No one here could or WOULD stop him.

They were all just as bad.

Gritty Sci-Fi Otome games are... a lot less fun to LIVE. To be honest? They are actually pretty horrifying. Traumatizing, really. Hellish. As in, I am pretty sure this is a futuristic version Of Hell (but that is a personal opinion). I regret EVER playing a single damn one. But... BUT? I CLING to the knowledge I gained from it. So I can not regret it completely. Because through them? Through KNOWING this world?

I KNOW this will end. KNOW we will be free. That these monsters will pay for what they've done. The epilog promises a golden age. A beautiful, peaceful dawn after this long and terrible night, filled with horrors. I just... I just have to survive. Hold on. Keep my head down and pray.

I may be trapped in hell, but I'm not broken.

We will be Free.

I have SEEN IT.

Sometimes the greatest defiance is just refusing to die. Just keeping hope alive. I... I can do that. May not be able to fight my way out. Not smart enough to hack or sabotage these nightmares. But I can stay alive. I... I can do that. Bear witness, that someday I may stand against them in trial. Record. So no one is forgotten.

It doesn't feel like enough. I feel tired and angry. Hateful and small. But for the sake of my sanity? I make myself feel nothing. Compartmentalize. I've... I've become unfortunately quite good at it. Good at a lot of terrible things. Like placating. Making myself small. Being invisible. A retail smile. Being one with the furniture.

See, just like the poor souls on the screens in front of him? I'm a Clone. Of who? I have no idea. None of us do. They use old DNA databases. From when it was first commercially available, I think. Like those ancestry tests. Here it was squirrelled away, kept for later use. Which... was us.

My template has been dead for centuries, I think. Or perhaps? She would have considered herself my mother? I hope she would have, strange as I turned out to be. We are all children of the dead. It'd be nice to think they'd have wanted us.

Dr. Periculum's cup lifts lightly as he take a drink, more focused on his work then anything else. That heft is about midway point. I've discovered if I begin brewing now, it will be done by the time his cup is empty and he wants more. A glance at the closest screen gives me the time. Food too, is a good idea.

He likely won't eat it. But if it's there? The chances are higher. And when he comes out of his focus, it'll be available. Less chance of him getting irritated by hunger.

On a well practiced route through piles of notes and projects I know better then to touch, I quietly make my way to the coffee machine. Begin another round of abomination the caffeine tar. It is, quite honestly, a wonder he hasn't accused me of trying to poison him to a heart attack.

A few granules of salt, a bit of cinnamon, some expensive fatty creamer, aaaand? There. Unholy bitterness gone. "Just" a cup of liquid tar so potent it could make a rhino taste time.

I also grab one of the meat pies and put it on a little paper plate.

Ah... what has my life become? That I am so well practiced in make snacks for a monster? Picking them up, I don't dare answer that. That way lies madness. Don't think about it. It can wash out in therapy. After. Because there WILL be an After. There HAS to be an After.

Careful steps and...? Just as I estimated. He just ran out. I nearly silently tap the paper plate down to the edge of the table then slide it forward, with-in ease of reach, but not too close. Then I swap the cups. Go to step away. Only to freeze. As, out of the corner of my eye, I see one of his hands briefly leave his keyboard to make a nearly dismissive "one moment" gesture.

Stay put. Don't move. I'll address you when I'm done with my, more important, thoughts. I feel the flash of fear, of panic, but let it go. There is nothing I can do. I will be hurt or I won't be hurt. There is no use suffering twice, through speculation and fear, I remind myself. Force my mind empty and pleasant. Retail smile. Happy to serve.

He finishes. Leans back, dissatisfied with some project or other, and finally slips on his glasses. Gestures imperiously for the cup in my hands. I do not question of course, merely hand it to him. He takes it, passes it to his other hand, and sets it aside. Then, casually, leans slightly over and wraps a thickly muscled arm around my waist. Dragging me off my feet and into his lap.

"You know, girl? B-21873 really was, actually quite promising. I was starting to think I'd keep him. Decent speed, good stamina, excellent problem solving. His test scoring was exceeding all expectations. Really thought I might have gotten you a little friend to play with. A gaurd so I could send you out on some chores safely. But no, he just HAD to be a failure." He said, leaning forward to grab his cup.

I was crushed awkwardly close. Could feel every moment. Acutely aware of his woody and sea air cologne, the coffee on his breath as words were spoken far to close, the beating of a heartbeat I could feel against my arm. Hyper aware of him. Why was I in his lap? This felt dangerous. I should not be in his lap.

Between sips, he turned his head and pressed his lips to my temple, not kissing... somehow worse. Just... just breathing me in. Slow, deliberate, and deep. Like savoring a scent, a sensation. The subtle back and forth, as though rubbing his lips against my hair. Enjoying the feeling against sensitive skin. It could almost be a cuddle on any other man. It took everything I had not to shudder.

"Unlike you of course. You pet, could never disappoint me. If these rejects tried even half as hard as my perfect darling girl? The world'd be a better place." He paused his almost nuzzling. To simply rest his head against mine, pulling off his glasses so he could tuck his head closer. His breathe was hot against my ear. His voice gravel and distain as it spoke of others.

"It's disgusting. Like they don't even try. We spend countless resources breeding, feeding, and training them... for what? Failure? I'm starting to think those bastards are deliberately sending me bad specimens."

Every word he said was horrifying. I could not cry. Dare not. But my heart screamed for those poor souls. They were just kids. Trapped in hell. Tortured from birth. Disposed of when they no longer met some arbitrarily impossible anime standard. If I turned my head, even slightly, I KNEW, I would be faced with screens of untold suffering. Feeds of "testing". So called training. Autopsy reports and datapoints.

Lists of who... who had been deemed "not good enough".

Who were scheduled to become "recycled biomass".

But if I looked? I would weep for them. And that? That was dangerous right now. Right NOW? I had to be pleasant company. A child's doll to be dragged around. No thoughts, no differing opinions. Preferably no opinions at ALL. Just warm and huggable. Soft. A beloved pet who serves coffee and brings things when told. Endure. I just... I must simply ENDURE.

The night will end. Dawn will come. Believe in her.

J-Just empty your head... and Believe In Her.

An alert pops up. I can hear it on a screen somewhere behind me. Dr. Periculum turns his head to look, reaching for his snack. Freezes. Then, a sharp bark of laughter. It's violent, like the strike of a lightning bolt, jostling me. The ones that follow just as harsh. He's not a man that laughs often. And it's not a kind sound.

Filled with schadenfreude, his laughter is like the vicious barks of hunting hounds. The shots of a weapon. A short and harsh to the ears sound, over and over. Delight in the suffering of an enemy. The fall of a rival. It strikes through his body like seizures. Making him lean forward to read. Brace against the desk, tighten his grip around me, widen the brace of his legs.

Glancing up, his eyes are alight with manic glee. His grin is vicious.

He looks Feral.

"Well, well, WELL! What do we have HERE?! Is that Jack ANDERSON'S facility I see? Mr. 'Master of the genome' himself? Looks like SOMEONE got AHEAD of themselves! Ha!" Raghnall cackles spinning his chair so I can see the screen. Leaning back to grab his cup and toast with it. "Look what we have here, pet! Some fucking KARMA! I knew that little shit wasn't worth the paper his degree was printed on! See this? THIS is what happens when you can't control your own damn compound!"

"Rest in PIECES, you worthless little SHIT!"

I sat. Frozen. As Dr. Periculum laughed and laughed, his mood viciously pleased. Because... because I recognized that facility. Chapter Two. There was an animation that played. The... the BREAKOUT! Joy filled me. Like the first rays of dawn. That was HER. S-she was OUT! Free! She DID it! Oh god... oh god she was COMING! It had finally BEGUN!

I caught myself. Barely.

My eyes felt a bit wet so I disguised it with a fake yawn. I dare not show empathy. NEVER show empathy. Keep it guarded like diamonds in your chest. If he thought, for even a moment, that I empathized with anyone but him. CARED about anyone but him? They wouldn't last the hour.

And it would be the longest, cruelest, hour in existence, as they died.

You make that sort of mistake exactly ONCE.

"Ah~ todays a GOOD day. And you know what we should do?" He hummed, nearly a coo as he spun us almost lazily around on his chair. In whimsical circles like a bored child. "We should celebrate. Ding dong, the fuckers dead~ HA HA! Not to mention? It's been entirely too long, pet, since I've spoiled you rotten. We should get a cake, hmm? You want a cake? Lil treat? Sweet lil treat for my girl?"

"I could get you that new dress I've been looking at. Bet you'll look like a classy lil princess, won't that be nice? Can even make it match the trackers I'm finishing up! No more uncomfy collars when we go out! Just pretty lil bracelets, ain't that nice?"

I force myself to smile. Nod. Ignore the fear and anger, the humiliation and helplessness. It's not time yet. Bid your time. You will LOSE your chance for True Freedom if you give in to your anger. Your hurt. Patience, THEN strike. Remember! Chapter two! There are FIVE.

It is COMING.

He stopped spinning, planting his feet on the floor. His manic grin softening. No less unhinged, less full of teeth, but perhaps the closest a man like him could come to loving. His eyes obsessive as the roam my face. Cataloging everything.

"You know, pet? You really might be might greatest creation. Best thing I've ever made or done. Anyone wants you? They'd have to pry you from my cold, dead hands. I'd burn EVERYTHING down. Kill just about EVERYONE." His voice was the sort of whispered confession meant for churches, not the heart of this hell he had built. It felt unholy. Dangerous.

Exactly like him.

"Once I figure how to take humanity to it's next stage? Reverse aging? Heck, even stop it. I promise, pet. Gonna take you with me. You're coming along for the ride. Straight to the end. Heat death of the universe. Well become GODS, pet. Live forever and a day. Bet you can't wait, huh?"

"Don't worry. The futures going be BEAUTIFUL. Just you wait."