#i think part of it is due to how old the game is. like without the og creators from 2004 we wouldn’t have the insane mods and content we

[cetoddle]

i love the sims 2 community so much. everyone is so respectful and truly kind

[bittersw33t-lotus]

Surprise

Ghosting pt. 1

Simon “Ghost” Riley x Fem! Reader

Cw: swearing, unplanned pregnancy, mentions of abortion, angst, arguments, abandonment, younger Simon, story takes place when he’s 25 and you’re 23.

Part 2 here

“kids?”

“What about them?”

“Would you ever want any?”

It was yours and Simon your one year anniversary. It was nothing special, just some takeout and card games with a movie playing in the back. You don’t know how the conversation of your futures came to be but you both knew it had to be said at some point in your relationship. You asked what Simon planned to do once he got older and retired from the military. He asked you questions about your plans as you grew older. That’s when you decided to be the one to bring up the very question that tends to either strain or strengthen a relation, children.

“No. Hard pass. I don’t do well with them nor do I want any of my own.” He never meant to say it with such a rude tone but It didn’t bother you much. You knew that there was a deeper reason why with the way his brows furrowed and the tension in the shoulders. You wanted him to elaborate more but you decided against it.

“Yeah I’m not too keen on children. At least right now anyways.” You said placing down your card on the table as Simon continued to examine his cards to find a way to defeat you. He looked at you as you spoke your last words as you kept your eyes on your cards. You liked kids to a certain extent and wouldn’t mind one later on in your life as you settle down or just none at all. You tried not to let Simons words get to you, since you don’t mind a childless life, as long as you had Simon by your side, but sometimes there would be days where you felt lonely without Simon when he’s deployed to his job. There’s also days where you fear he’ll never come back home and you’d be left with nothing to remember him by but memories, pictures and his possessions. A kid would be something that not only would be a piece of him that breathes and moves but they would be the physical embodiment of yours and Simons’ love, something that would keep you two tied to each other.

As nice as a child with Simon would be, you respected his wishes and you would have to come to terms with it. It’ll just be you and Simon, growing old together in a little house on the far side of town where no one can bother you and it’ll just be you, your grumpy (eventual) husband and your animals to keep you company. Yeah, you could live with that.

Hopefully, if he doesn’t die on the job…

“It’ll just be the two of us and a bunch of animals.”

That’s how you’d thought it be. Until it wasn’t.

You sat there on your bed holding the white stick in your hand. The pink plus sign was burning your eyes. You could feel your stomach churning. What the hell were you gonna do? You were panicking. You had been throwing up the past few days, Simon suggested you’d go see a doctor worried you ate something bad or caught some stomach bug but you refused and said you’d be fine thinking it go away within a few days however more things surfaced on your body that caught your attention. You breast grew a cup bigger and felt sore as hell, you assumed it was due to your period, it was due to arrive in a week anyway but you still found it abnormal that your breast swelled up so much. When the week passed you figured it was delayed due to your little stomach bug but another week passed. That’s when the thoughts hit you. You couldn’t be right? There’s no way you could be pregnant. You and Simon were always careful.

That same day of realization you went to the drug store just to be sure. You brought three sticks and each one came out with the same pink plus sign appearing on the little box. What the hell were you gonna do? How were you going to tell Simon? Maybe you don’t. You can just get an abortion and get it over with. Well, maybe it’s best if you tell him either way. But the more you thought about the baby, the more harder it seemed for you to think about getting rid of it.

You never really made your decision on not having kids, you figured that when it happens it happens, but what about now? Simon doesn’t want a baby, but you’re pregnant with the child you created with the love of your life, Yours and Simons baby…

Tears prick your eyes as you stared at the stick. What are you going to do?

Simon was out drinking with his ‘comrades’ so you had some time to yourself before he came back. You needed to plan a time when you’d tell him. But you were beyond terrified. You know having this baby was putting your relationship with Simon at risk. But this was just as much of his doing as yours, but at the same time, your IUD should’ve prevented this from happening.

You tired to gain the courage in the past couple days since you’ve found out, to tell him but you never could. For days Simon could tell something was bothering you, and it wasn’t the sickness you had. It was something that was clouding your mind. He could see in your eyes that something was troubling you.

Simon had just returned to home from the bar, feeling dreadful about having to be deployed once again here in a couple of days, he doesn’t want to leave you. He hates it, he hated leaving you here all alone, he can’t be there to protect you, hold you and love you but his job makes it worth it if it means you get everything you deserve. Even if he isn’t around for long periods at a time.

As he walks into the house you greet him with a smile, he’s a little tipsy but just barely since he still had to drive home, he did enjoy his time with Price, Soap and Gaz though. Even if he didn’t outright admit it.

“How’d it go?” You asked him as you approach him with a small smile. You’re too nervous to give him his usual greeting kiss which made Simon’s suspicions of your worry confirmed.

“It was fine, not too shabby and the boys were okay as usual. I need to ask you something.” He said glancing your direction aa he looks into your eyes like he’s trying to read your mind, he cups your face gently as he approached you. He saw your body tense up, you tried to save yourself by quickly relaxing before Simon could see but it was too late, he already did. That was his que. “There’s something bothering you, I can see it. You know you can’t hide things from me and I understand you don’t wanna talk about it but at least let me help you the way you help me.”

Your throat grew dry, ‘Shit.’ You thought. You could feel your anxiety flow through your nerves as your hand began to tremble slightly. Your silence worried Simon. “Yn…” He called out but you stood silent.

‘It’s now or never, i can’t hide this forever, not when I start to show.” You thought, Simons hand gently rubbed your cheekbones which brought your attention back to him. Your teary gaze met his concerned ones. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry…” You quivered out. You tried to keep your composure but the hormones betrayed your body. “For what? What happened love?” He grew more worried as the tears rolled down your face. He wiped them away with his fingers as he cradled your face, as you both stare into the others gaze. “You promise you won’t be mad, I’m scared you’re gonna hate me, leave me and…” You whisper but Simon cuts you off as he leaned down to take your lips into a soft but passionate kiss, pulling away you look at him such vulnerability as you wrap your hands around Simons wrist gently. “I won’t.” He whispers back to you, his eyes filled with concern and love in his eyes. It makes your heart break thinking about what can happen next.

Your breath hitched before you inhaled and closed your eyes leaning into Simons touch. “I’m pregnant…” it was silent for a hot second. You felt his hands stiffen up but quickly relax as he looked a bit surprised. Your IUD should’ve been working, but he can’t blame you, there’s still a small chance.

“Have you made an appointment?” He asked after a long silence.

“For what?” You look up nervously, your guts telling you things were going downhill soon now, it’s too late you’ve already made up your mind.

“To get rid of it.” He asks you confused but something was telling him something else is going on. It was dead silence after that, you didn’t even need to say anything, the look in your eyes were enough to tell Simon what your intentions were. His hands were stiff it almost felt like a mannequins hands were placed on your face but then they were quickly snatched away from your grasp and face. You gasped lightly at the action. He took two long strides away from you, his eyes were slightly wide and had a blank look in them as he stared at you.

You wanted to call out to him but his eyes alone were enough to tell you that he was about to run. Your heart throbbed and your stomach began to churn again. More tears began to flow and obscure your vision. “Simon…” You called out to him, you refrained from walking towards him, terrified that one wrong move and he’d run and leave you in the dust. But it seemed to trigger him.

His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes began to show frustration. “No.” He shook his head as you sobbed. “Dammit yn I thought we established this. You promised!” He began to raise his voice, his fear coming to light. Not only was your relationship beginning to strain but you were planning to bring a child into this world. His child. All he could think about was his father and his family something he doesn’t want to experience or risk history to repeat itself.

“I’m sorry Simon but I never made a promise! But I truly didn’t mean for this to happened but it did and when I thought about having an abortion I couldn’t bear that thought of it. I know what we had in mind was to not have any kids but I can’t bring myself to get rid of our baby.”

“No we agreed that we’d have no kids, for Christ sake, I’m always at base and deployed. I can die and leave you to raise a baby alone. And I’m not ready to care for a baby, nor did I ever plan on having one.” He didn’t yell but his voice sounded distant like he was guarded. Like how he used to be when you first met him back in high school, stiff as a stone with years and layers of built up walls around him to keep anybody out from his heart and mind, a troubled Simon who was haunted by his abusive father wanting to save his mother and brother the ones who are now six feet under. One that took you years to slowly tear down and let him trust you with more than one few but big bumble in the road but in the end you never gave up on him and always stuck by his side. “I can’t do this.” He didn’t sound like your Simon anymore. He sounded like Ghost now. The Ghost he separated you from, the Ghost that was cold hearted and never cared about anything or anyone else but getting his priorities done and missions finished.

Your breath hitched. “What do you mean?” Your voice quivered. Ghost didn’t even bother to answer you he made his way to the bedroom. “Simon please!” You treaded after him, your anxiety surfacing again.

You walked into the bedroom to see him reaching into the closet and pulling out his bag, already packed with all the gears and items he needed for his deployment. Slumping the strap over his shoulder as you watched made your throat tighten.

It was nothing but silence the whole time as you watched Simon pack away a last minute items he’d need. You watched as he began to tie on his boots. “You’re right,” you finally spoke. Your voice soft as you tried not to let out a sob. “You don’t have to do this, you can keep doing what you do. I’ll keep the baby without you.” Simon just sat there listening to you as he kept his gaze glued to the ground. You couldn’t see what he was thinking with his Balaclava on now but you could see his fists clenched tightly. “I won’t make you go through this but just know, I still love you Simon, but I want this baby. You won’t hear from me asking you for anything at all. Just know once you walk out that door. I’ll be gone, unless you say something Simon...” you stand there staring at him hoping he’ll say something… anything. A sliver of wanting to be around at least or try to work something out but you know it’ll never come. He’s Simon, Ghost, he’s not, and may never be, mentally prepared nor does he have a lifestyle fit enough to raise a baby. Without a single noise Simon gets up and walks past you to the bedroom door, you watch his back, he doesn’t spare you a single glance before he walks out without another word.

After a few seconds, you hear his boots stomp down the stairs, the door opening and slamming shut. Your que to finally let all your sobbing out easing the pain in your throat. You sat on the floor holding your stomach. You were really on your own now. Just you and your baby.

You were lucky you managed to gain contact with your older sister, Stacy, she and her husband had welcomed you into their home with no hesitation, surprisingly. Granted you and your sister had some mending to do but it was mostly cause by your parents. Your mother had always founds way to turn you and your sister against one another when you two were younger. You both always fought and tried to better the other for praise of your mother she’d always compared one over the other, “Your sister is skinner than you,” “You eat like a pig, your sister eats better than you,” “your sister this” or “your sister that”. You mother always tried to make you two compete against the other that both physically and mentally damaged you both.

Your father never bothered with you two, you could never talk to him without every conversation ending in a some form of abuse or never in the right mindset being constantly high off his mind with drugs. But as you grew older you began to see the things your mother did to you and your sister but you never took the chance to make amends, your sister met her then boyfriend and ran away with him the first chance she got, you did the same when you met Simon.

“Are you alright?” She approaches you as you got out the car. The moment you came face to face with her you wrapped your arms around her shoulders and brushed into tears. “I’m sorry!” You cried out. “It’s okay.” She hushes you and cradled your head. “No it’s not, I should’ve talked to you, we should’ve made up long ago but I ran off…”

“And so did I!” She cut you off. “I was the one that ran off first, I was the one who left you in the dust for some guy that turned out to be a fraud. I chose a man over my own sister but I was too dumb to see it. We both made mistakes but now that we’re here, let’s take this chance to make it right.” She wiped your tears from your face. “Now tell me what wrong?” She asks you as you take a deep breath. “Simon left me.” You say, your sisters eyes widen in surprise and sympathy. “Well technically I left but we decided that we were through.”

“Why, what happened?” She asks you as she began to guide you to her house. As you make your way in you wipe your eyes as you think about the memory.

“I’m pregnant.” You start off, your sister is caught off guard and stunned, but she doesn’t speak and allows you to continue. “I found out not too long ago.”

You sister looks at you in shock. “Is that why… Simon…” she tries to ask, you know what she’s saying before you nod answering her question.

“Yeah, we’ve had the talk before. We agreed on no kids because he didn’t want any, me, I wasn’t too sure at the time but now, now I know, I do want this kid.” You say as you lay a hand on your stomach. “I don’t know what to do know. I told him and shit just went down hill. He made his choice and I made mine. I left home, he left because he’s currently on deployment but he’s made his choice not to be in the baby’s life. I gave him the choice to leave because I don’t want to force him into this since he never wanted any in the beginning.” You say, you sit on the soft couch as you both settled on conversing in the living room.

“He’s in the military?” She asks him a bit surprised, she’s still trying to process all this new information about your current situation and your now ex-boyfriend.

You nod your head and rub your eyes feeling the fatigue catch up to you from the past couple of days. You’ve nearly gotten a wink of sleep ever since Simon left, the past two days you were packing up all your things that you needed and wanted to take with you into your car, and you were stressing about where’d you go and be staying up until your Stacy, thankfully, responded back to you and offered you a place to stay at her house. “Yeah, he doesn’t tell me much about it. But from what I’ve seen every time he came back, it was always bad. He’d come home with bruises, sometimes wounds that sometimes looked to be fatal. It always scares me every time he goes, and I sometimes never know when he’ll be back, or if he’ll come back at all.” You explain to her. You leave out the part where he’d be a shell of himself, like a ghost possessing Simon, so unemotional, and you can never forget how scary it was seeing how empty his eyes looked sometimes.

Stacy looks at you, she’s processing all this and trying to her best to listen but she can tell that’s it’s a lot for her to take in. You don’t blame her, you two haven’t seen each other er for over five years, so there’s a lot of catching up to do. “I promise you I’ll only be here for a few months. I’ll find a place to stay for the baby and I before they’re born, we’ll be out of your hair soon.” You tell her quickly trying to reassure her that it’s only temporary and you’re not going to take advantage of your sister’s kindness and willing to help you out, you don’t wanna have the burden of having her worry about you and have a baby in the house. You’ve already become enough of a burden for Simon with the baby.

Stacy shakes her head and gently takes your hand and gently squeezes it. “Don’t worry about it. Take as much time as you need to get back on your feet. You got a kid to worry about now. And granted, it may be hard but I believe in you. You’re a strong woman, I know you can get through this, you always do. And even if you don’t, I’ll always be here to help you.” She says as she smiles at you fondly.

You feel so grateful for her. Your hormones have you all over the place both emotionally and physically. You’re on the verge of tears as you engulf Stacy into a hug once again. “Thanks Stac.” You say, your voice threatening to crack into a sob.

Stacy smiles at you and hugs you back. “Don’t thank me, you’re my little sister, family looks out for one another. Real family.”

꧁——————————꧂

Im debating if this series should have a twist to it. So stay tuned :)

[letsbangts]

tell me what to do || jjk

⤷ summary: when the familiar becomes unfamiliar what do you do

⟶ pairing: jungkook x reader

⟶ word count: 3.4k

⟶ genre: angst, established relationship au, breakup au

⟶ content: boyfriend!jk, big argument, talking about breaking up, the blame game, basically misunderstanding due to miscommunication

⟶ warnings: explicit language

↬ a/n: once again, this a very old piece I polished up. okay so this was my second piece of work so read with caution. I was absolutely obsessed with the song so I used the lyrics as a guideline for writing, I incorporated the lyrics into the story. let me know what you think i really appreciate feedback & recommend a song if you’d like and i’ll write a scenario with it like i did with this song :) angel xoxo

˖⁺. ༶ NOW PLAYING ༶ .⁺˖ tell me what to do shinee 01:43 ─✮───── 03:07 ⇆ ⊲ II ⊳ ↺ ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

masterlist ˚.⋆˚.⋆˚.⋆ join my taglist

these days, i don’t know, i don’t know you. you look like you gave up on a lot of things but i hear your silent scream

I sit at the dining table drinking tea in my home - our home but lately nothing seems like ours anymore. It feels like there never was an ours, never an us. I don’t even need to sense it, I can see it. It’s as though I don’t know him anymore. He looks like he gave up on a lot of things, and like he gave up on us. I can almost hear him silently screaming for an end, our end.

lovers without extreme development is this the losing hand that time has placed? we haven’t ended it but it’s already over

He walks through the doorframe fully dressed ready for his day while still sporting his messy bedhead that he somehow manages to make look angelic. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed, I still see his beauty and that’s something I don’t think could ever change. Because that is what he is a beauty inside and out and that can’t simply disappear.

He greets me with a gentle kiss on the forehead, a soft “good morning” and a soft smile. We’ve been like this for a while now, stuck in this certain level of interaction almost a routine. Like lovers without any extreme development, without any growth in our relationship if you can even call it that anymore.

“Did you sleep well?” I ask a bit apprehensively.

He picks up the coffeepot, while avoiding any slight piece of eye contact and pours himself a cup with the coffee I made for him, just another part of our routine. I’ve always hated coffee, its dull blackness, the bitter taste, the way it leaves a stain, how the smell lingers, and how it keeps you awake. But after Jungkook that view changed for me, its dull blackness suddenly started reminding me of Jungkook’s dark dreamy eyes, the bitter taste of it reminded me of his lips as that was my only intake of it, and those stains it left was warmth around my heart, the smell was like being engulfed in his arms, and it allowed me and him to be up spending more hours together. In a way, coffee was like a representation of our love.

However, that love has turned black and bitter just like the coffee in his mug. The sweet smiles we always shared and the bright laughs that used to be heard between us vanished. He vanished, pulled away and it was too late to try to pull him back.

“Mhm,” he replies nodding while taking a sip, and like our love, it disappears as he swallows it down.

I nod with him and look down at my hands wrapped around my mug. Is this the losing hand that time has placed? Were we just doomed to keep repeating the same routine with each other in denial, in silence similar to the one we are currently sitting in a few metres apart while we are living in different worlds away from one another?  We haven’t ended it but it’s already over. We were already over.

He refuses to have conversations with me when before no one could ever shut us up. Instead of constantly messing around to get a smile out of each other, he always seems to be at a safe distance away from me.

there’s a knot that can’t be untied in front of us

As the bottoms of both our cups are revealed, so is our obvious stunt to keep a conversation from starting. Jungkook sets his mug in the sink and approaches me, and with just those movements my heart races.

“Well I’m going to head off okay?”, he stares at me with an expression I struggle to read…it’s almost…apologetic.

“Yeah, I need to start getting ready anyway,” I say.

“Okay then I guess I’ll see you later,” he says like it's a question while picking up his keys and approaching the door. As if he is unsure we will return to each other as if we are not one another's home.

I hum in agreement and just as his hand is about to touch the knob. I realise he forgot, one of the things that I assumed had turned into second nature for us has slipped out of his head. Now fearing that I could be the next thing to slip out of his head or even worse slip out of his life.

“Jungkook?” I call out.

He turns almost too quickly like he has been caught doing something he isn’t supposed to.

“Yeah?” he turns with wide eyes.

I give him a look, a look that speaks words only he could understand.

“Ah,” he sighs approaching me.

He cups my face with two hands, hands that are all too familiar but feel like they belong to a stranger at the same time.

He gives me the kiss I had reminded him of. It isn't necessarily part of our routine but something we have always done. It was always our sign of love to the other before we headed out into the world, a reminder of our love.

A reminder I think is much needed for us both.

He pulls away still holding my face “Sorry” he says and this time the apologetic look in his eyes is all too clear matching his voice.

But as I hear his words his ‘sorry’ seems to be for a different reason than just forgetting to kiss me before leaving the house. But without thinking more I just let it go.

“It’s okay. Get going now or you’ll be late.” I laugh softly and with one last kiss, he’s out the door.

There’s a knot that can’t be untied in front of us, both knowing that we should let go, that we should kiss goodbye one last time and both walk out of that door and go our separate ways for good. But that is easier said than done.

Jungkook and I both well aware of the fall in our relationship are also conscious of the love that will forever remain between us. The history between us is far too much for us to walk away. To take five years of memories and experiences with a person you’ve grown with so much that they have become an attachment to your life, to you as a person is an unimaginable pain that we would both rather avoid.

It is also scary, Jungkook is the one thing I remember having through everything, he is essentially a part of me. The thought of becoming one person again is something I never pictured having to do again. In all of my plans for myself, and for the future he is right there beside me. I have become accustomed to considering things for two people I couldn’t imagine just worrying about me, one person.

But as I consider what is right for the two of us all I can think of is that maybe we were better off as two separate people.

you don’t tell me but you want me to know you think that you only gave the words you threw at me because you’re too used to me

As the day comes to a close I hear the door open and footsteps follow. The sound I used to anticipate now makes me tense. Nevertheless, once the owner of those steps and so much more turns the corner, my lips can’t help but leap into a smile that’s both relieved and nervous.

Jungkook takes off his shoes and takes a seat beside me, with yet a space once again between us.

“Hey,” he breathes out as he settles into the couch.

I slightly hesitate, “Hey”

We sit in silence but hear everything that wants to be said. An invisible weight piling up on our shoulders, an awkwardness that has become usual between us. So I finally broke it and said it. The moment we never believed would come or tried to avoid finally came.

“L-look Jungkook," I take a deep breath and continue, "we both know what has happened between us-“

“Ye-Wait, what?” he interrupts, eyebrows furrowed.

“No, it's time we finally faced it, we’ve run our course. I supposed our time together was only supposed to be this long.”

“What are you talking about?-“

This time it is me who interrupts.

“It's just hard for me to let go of you, you just mean so much to me but I can’t control how you feel.”

“Huh? How do I feel? What do you mean? What are you even talking about right now?" he rushes out.

“It's okay you don’t have to keep silent like you’re keeping some secret from me, I know. You’ve lost feelings for me”

“No, you’re not listening to me-“

“Kookie, it's okay I’m a big girl I’ve broken up with a guy before.”

“Break up?", his voice panicked, "Woah just listen to me for one second, will you? Holy shit!”

Once again we sit in silence except this time I can’t hear the silent words waiting to be said.

He shakes his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You think you know but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about not even close.”

“I-I thought-“ I stutter out eyes widened.

“Yeah exactly, you thought. Or is that what you want? Do you want to break up?” he asks staring me directly in my eyes, his voice much softer with apprehension.

“I want to make things easier for you,” I reply in a whisper head lowered as I fiddle with my hands in my lap.

He gives me a look, a look as if I have just said something impossible to comprehend. We were both unaware of what had been happening between us for months. It's like he has become so used to the act we put on to ignore our downfall that he forgot it was an act.

“Easier? " he scoffs a laugh with zero humour, "Is breaking up something easy for you?” he argues back.

The fact that he was going to sit there and continue to play this game even after I called it out sparked an emotion inside of me and the one that decided to come out was anger.

“Oh, come on Jungkook! We both know you checked out on us a long time ago.”

His eyes widen and then he also snaps.

“Me? I checked out, are you being fucking serious right now? I know I have pulled away a bit but you didn’t give me any sign to do otherwise!”

“Are you seriously turning this on me right now?” I snapped back with a newfound boldness to defend myself instead of my initial plan to make this an easy conversation for him. For us.

“Well, I’m not going to blame myself, even though that’s what you’re trying to do. Just because you know me, you think that means you know all my inner fucking feelings. When it's clear you don’t know mine or your own!” He says in a stern and loud tone that I have heard him use in the past…. just never to me.

indifferent and painful words left deep scars on that day words that made me realize that i’m still a fool

“Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so easy for me to read your feelings if it wasn’t so blatantly obvious on your face and the way you act differently around me now!”

“And you think I started acting the way I did simply because I suddenly just lost all my feelings for you? You can’t be that clueless!”

The words being thrown between us were indifferent and painful which had already left their mark on both of us and only made us more frustrated. At this point, the distance between us seems bigger than the couch itself and my heart feels heavier than when I thought we were about to break up.

“No, you can’t be this low into making this seem like it’s all on me! And not knowing my feelings how does that even make sense?” I blurt out.

“Seriously, I know when we first started having problems we both started acting slightly different towards each other but it was never this bad…” voice much calmer and less tense than it was a few seconds ago as he continued.

“But it was after my birthday, you know after what happened, you just changed how you acted toward me -with me completely.” His tone turned the air serious almost still. I felt it slap me right across my face, run right into my chest knocking the air out of me.

“I-I did?", making my way full circle back to stuttering.

The next words that come out of his mouth make me realize the fool that I am. And at this realization, I could only tear up. Choked up it is my eyes this time that turn apologetic, while his eyes look at the floor before us.

He nods.

“You did. At first, it was just little things like not asking me to pick you up on my way home or not asking for my shirt to wear to bed. But then it turned into so much more.”

I looked down filled with a bit of shame. Until I heard a sound from him I didn’t expect, a chuckle.

“Just like that. You didn’t even look at me anymore. At the table, in the car, you even turn your back to me when we’re in bed. I used to catch you staring at me even when I wasn’t looking at you.” He smiles fondly at the memory and it’s his turn to look down at his hands.

He plays with his bracelet, one I got for him two years ago for his birthday. He shakes his head, ”It’s as if my presence makes you completely uncomfortable now.” his voice cracks.

And it is right then when I do too.

if only i can erase it if only i can

At that moment I wished I had done the exact thing he told me I always did. Because once I did look up at him what I saw broke me. His eyes filled with tears he is trying to hold back, a few escaping but he is quick to wipe them away. It was the worst thing I could see besides looking at me driving him away. It was me hurting him. If I could erase everything I did to make him think that I didn't love being around him I would, and now I could.

i took you for granted but just thinking of you not being there i don’t want to go through that my world would crumble

Although I may not be able to erase everything I can change everything from here on to prove to him he has the wrong view of what he is to me. He is the furthest thing than just an uncomfortable presence. He is my best friend, my roommate, my chauffeur, my home, my family, and my lover. My everything. Even the thought of him not being in my life…my whole world would fall apart.

am i the one for you at some point, you were keeping me in check i said you changed a lot but i changed the most the one for me, i didn’t know but that promise keeps suffocating us time keeps lingering but our time keeps getting destroyed

The tears running down his face make me think he feels the same, that he doesn’t want us to end like this. It assures me of us, that he is the one for me and I am the one for him.

“I’m sorry,” he looks at me and for the first time in a while we both look into each other’s eyes with hopefulness, “I said you changed a lot, but I was the one who changed the most. And I kept acting that way because I had made myself think that was what you wanted. I didn’t want to let you go so I thought by doing that I would hold onto you longer but that very thing is what suffocated us. It's what wrecked our relationship and sent it down even further. We had so much time to fix it but it just kept getting destroyed.” I say with two streams running one under each eye.

He finally speaks after what to me feels like a whole lifetime.

“It's okay, I mean, it's both our faults though,” he sniffs, “We should have had this conversation a long time ago.” He has gone back to fiddling with his bracelet this time him being the one to break eye contact.

He laughs, again catching me off guard with the unexpected reaction.

“It’s funny, the one thing we did the most even when we didn’t need to or weren’t even supposed to do, is what we failed to do when we needed to the most…talk.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as well at the irony.

“I guess we took all those times we told each other to shut up when watching movies to heart.” I chuckle out and he laughs at my response.

that smile came to me, more brightly the cold hands became more warm two lonely souls met not lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely i’ll look into you again, i’ll place your breathing in my ears even if everything but us changes

His smile seemed brighter now more than ever. At that moment the room seemed to be glowing.

I reached out and grabbed his hands,

“I love you, I have always and will always. I don’t want to give us up, I never have. We’ve been together for too long to go back to being lonely and I’d be an idiot to pick loneliness over you.”

I looked at him the whole time watching his expression with every word. I look through the tears in my eyes at him and when I feel him squeeze my hands in his the tears spill over all over again.

“You are the only girl who has had my heart for years. I’ve never debated giving it to anyone else. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’ll get us back to the good place where we were before. Even if something has to change I don’t care as long as we are the only thing that doesn’t.”

His words were exactly what I wanted and needed to hear, enabling my tears to keep falling down my face but now out of pure happiness, the pure bliss of us finally back to one another. We were finally back to being us.

I pull him towards me by the nape of his neck, foreheads resting against each other. With our lips brushing,

“I love you” I whisper to him.

He lovingly smiles back.

“I have always loved you too.”

And those were the only words I ever needed to hear from him.

i hope you’ll tell me first don’t cry no more if your heart can see me don’t cry no more

He pulls me onto his lap, legs dangling over his. I bury my head in his chest, my arms wrapping around his strong torso. His arms pull me into a tight embrace, one that signifies neither of us is about to go anywhere.

“Now stop crying, baby.” He teases me, the only evidence of his tears is the red in his eyes.

“I can’t they won’t stop now.” I giggle out past my sobs.

“It’s okay now, we know our feelings are on the same page.”

i’ll go to you first at the end of a different road i’ll wipe your cheeks that are wet with tears and ask you

“Now we just need to figure out where to start where do we go from here,” he continues as he holds my face again as he did hours ago but now the gesture felt completely different as he used his thumbs to wipe my cheeks that were wet with tears, I look into those dreamy coffee coloured eyes of his as I listen to the next words that came out of his bitter coffee flavoured lips that I can already taste,

“Tell me what to do”

[beneathashadytree]

DEVOUT WORSHIPPER - SYLUS QIN X READER

Warnings : suggestive at most (but not explicit), reader has lipstick applied but still gender-neutral!

Genre : spicy domestic fluff <3

Word count : 0.7K words

Additional notes : Just for context, Sylus and the reader are living together but often go periods without seeing each other due to work🙏🏽 Also, let me know what you think of Sylus being portrayed as Italian/speaking Italian here! Hope you guys enjoy this after the gorgeous new update🫶🏽

Tip jar!

Masterlist

“You’re exquisite.”

Sylus’ soft mumble was not left unheard. In fact, it was impossible to not notice anything about him when he was this close; so close that they could see every blemish on his fair skin, and count every delicate eyelash that fluttered lazily with every slow, seductive blink of his eyes.

They’d never get enough of his eyes, would they?

Eyes the colors of the richest blood rubies; that bled passion and want so true it warmed them to their very core. Maybe they’d never admit that their flushed cheeks weren’t just because of his enamored compliments, but also as a natural reaction to looking into those eyes they could never resist.

“That so?” they hummed, voice smaller than they thought it would come out. Somehow, there was a sanctity to this moment that meant that only hushed whispers were to be spoken between them, even if they were all alone in the safety of their own home.

Sylus huffed out a laugh that was achingly tender, all parts adoration and worship—and yet there was that same arrogance in his eyes that spoke volumes of his sheer confidence in his words. No one believed what he said more than he did. “Mm. You’ll have to take my word, tesoro.”

How sweet it was to hear from him, the endearment lilting and the syllables curling almost intimately on his tongue. Even sweeter it was, when his finger reached out to smudge at the edges of blood-red lips like his own eyes, his touch almost reverent.

“Silver tongue,” they breathed out, their gaze dropping to his sinful lips, their corners raised in an affectionate half-smile he’d only ever bare to them. Just them. It was their sacred secret to stow away between their ribs. “You’re just trying to lure me into staying at home with you.”

“I can’t say that it would be a bad idea.” The faux innocence on his face as his eyes flickered to their parted lips was almost laughable. “The place would miss you, after all.”

No matter how much they tried to play coy, Sylus could always outfox them in that game of wits—but his desires were always spelled out on his face, and this time they threatened to consume them whole.

Arching their brow at him, they reached out to clasp their hand around his wrist, tugging it away from their lips and instead taking their sweet, sweet time to interlace their fingers in an old, almost-sensuous dance that they’d mastered together, completely in step with each other. “Just the place?” they asked, a challenge hidden between every word and the next.

Something dark oozed through his eyes; a flame sparking to life behind his false composed mask. It made them feel a little smug, knowing that he’d never be able to douse that fire; that he’d always want them so terribly.

“You love making things difficult, don’t you, sweetie?” His voice was a little more gruff now, a sharpness there that reminded them that he was at his wits’ end, and that his nerves were fraying every time he was in their presence—in only the best, most delicious ways possible. “No. Not just the place.” Thumb brushing against the back of their hand, he leaned in to whisper in their ear. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“I can’t think of anything else that could convince me to stay,” they began to say as they toyed with the chain on his collar, “After all—”

Sylus pulled them onto his lap as he collapsed onto the bed, without even waiting for them to finish that sentence. It seemed that they’d worn out what little patience he’d had left, and he was too far gone in his amorous haze to comprehend a single word more.

“Mi dispiace,” he managed to say, though his chest heaved with the effort of restraint, and his irises were almost completely black as he stroked the small of their back with a practiced hand that had memorized every curve and expanse of skin. “I’ll come up with a better bargain next time. Now, I’m a little preoccupied with you.”

Well. Dinner could wait, they suppose.

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[galedekarios]

seeing a post that basically confirmed the obvious disparity in content made me think more about a scene i would have liked to see with gale and that i've been thinking about for a while now.

i always felt a bit sad that his condition is so often treated as a joke by the fandom and to a lesser extent by the game itself. i always thought that this is partially down to the fact that we don't truly get so see gale actively be in pain due to his condition, other than brief glimpses and hints:

we do hear the urgency in his voice when he explains when and why he needs an artefact and the relief in his voice when the protag chooses to help him.

we see it, too, when he is afflicted by the arcane hunger condition:

we get glimpses of it when he consumes an artefact:

he mentions it, too, in his dialogues, but it's very much downplayed by gale or phrased in such a way that is meant to overplay it with humour, or perhaps even to distance himself from it by using metaphors:

that is until we actually get to see it through his eyes, if only for the briefest of moments:

*Its teeth, its claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of you. And gods, it is ever-hungry...*

gale also has an idle animation where he--quite often--reaches up to touch the orb, perhaps because it flares with pain, like an old wound is wont to do:

(gif by @bladeofavernus)

from the last conversation we have with gale, and after catching all of these little moments of things he says or does with how the orb affects him, we learn that consuming the magic from artefacts no longer has any effect at all. the only solution that tara and he were able to find no longer works:

it would scare him and imbalance him, and it would finally destabilise the orb, make it more volatile.

but what happens in the game after that? the orb becoming volatile enough for the artefacts to no longer have an effect has no consequences at all: you are able to do the tiefling party, all quests in the underdark, the entirety of the grymforge, and, should you choose to do so, the entirety of the mountain pass and rosymorn monastery without an incident at all or any mention of the condition itself/any discomfort or fear it might cause.

there's no urgency here, no follow-up, to what the narrative set up... and then we meet deus ex elminster and the orb is stabilised, and the urgency that came before literally is handwaved out of existence.

what i would have liked instead to happen--or at least to bridge the gap between the artefacts no longer working and elminster stabilising it to be used on mystra's behalf--is the following:

i think it would have been nice to have a scene with gale where we do get to see--on a much smaller scale--him losing control over the orb, have the protag and the companions see what he is trying desperately to keep contained within himself, what gnaws at him, what continues to haunt him.

it could happen perhaps after a particular gruelling and intense fight--and there are enough of that in the underdark and at the mountain pass. it could have been a ! conversation, providing both friendship and romance content.

have the orb act up after expending so much energy to manipulate the weave to the fullest of his abilities, have gale manage to reign it in, but barely, show that it takes a lot of power and effort for him to do so.

that it hurts, with none of gale's metaphors to hide behind or jokes to play it off.

have the audience truly see the gravity of what he is going through.

[grimm909]

Red Phone - Part 1

Hello everybody! I'm back and for good! Thank you all so much for your support and comments.

This is a work done especially in celebration of Halloween. Unfortunately, it was supposed to be something small, but again I ended up getting carried away and had to separate it into two parts (maybe three, since the story is still developing). The story will also be posted on a03

Happy reading!

WARNINGS: age difference, non-con, kidnapping, horror, mental breakdown, murder, forced pregnancy

It had been a week since you and your family had moved into a new house. It was large, but had a somewhat morbid appearance, probably due to the time it had been abandoned. Although her parents had renovated it to make the house more presentable, it wasn't exactly an inviting place from the outside. Well, just on the outside, since you really had to give credit for how fascinating she was on the inside.

For example, the attic was an interesting location when you first saw it; full of old and dusty boxes, representing that the previous owner of that place had simply abandoned it there without bothering to come back one day to pick it up. When you went to open the boxes together with your parents to organize that place, there were some interesting things inside like comic books, board games, old clothes and even some somewhat useless objects. Much of it would simply be donated, since you didn't have much interest in most of those things, apart from comics and books.

However, something tucked into the bottom of one of the boxes and carefully wrapped in a piece of black fabric aroused his curiosity. A red phone cordless. Just an old-fashioned device, which was only used for calls and which would probably never pique anyone's interest due to how useless it was compared to a digital cell phone. However, it was curious to see that even though it had been abandoned for years, the device has a appearance new, the blood red color of the device still being quite shiny. It was quite pretty, you had to admit.

When you showed the device to your parents, they both didn't show much interest, although they were surprised to see that it still worked, even after years and years of abandoned it inside. They said you could stay if you wanted, even though it wasn't really useful to you due to the fact that already had a cell phone. You analyzed the device and said that it could be useful if at some point your cell phone stopped working and there was some precision. This would probably never actually happen.

What harm would it do to have it, right?

[…]

You wake up at midnight with your red phone ringing. It was the first time it had rung since you obted gotten it three days ago, since you were the one who normally made the calls.

Trying as hard as possible to get out of bed, you walk over to the phone that was on your desk and answer it.

"Hello?" You ask hoarsely.

“Koebi-chan, I'm so close to you.” A male voice whispers on the other end of the line. It doesn't sound like the voice of anyone you know. “I’m finally going to see what you look like.”

You remain silent for a while, absorbing what that must mean, but quickly concluding that it must just be a wrong call.

“Sorry sir, I think you called…” You didn’t finish your sentence when the call simply fell

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, you don't care enough about the mystery man, placing your phone back in its place and returning to bed.

[…]

Two months have passed since you and your parents moved into the new house, so you already know a little about your neighbor across the street.

Ace was his name.

He was the only person closest to his house, with no one else around. A handsome man who appeared to be around thirty years old, married to a woman whose name was Elisa and having a ten year old daughter named Alice.

The two of you got along relatively well due to the older's playful personality, which reminded you more of a teenager than an adult.

You always greeted him every time you saw him across the street, also smiling and waving at him whenever you saw him through your bedroom window, since through it you had a complete view of Ace's house.

His wife and daughter were also sociable people and you wich especially became attached to the child, loving to take care of her when Ace and his wife left the house to have some alone time as a couple.

Alice also seemed to like you a lot, almost always knocking on your door so you could play together. Sometimes you accepted and other times you refused because you needed to study for college, in the latter case always earning a sad pout from the little girl.

The red phone rings at eight o'clock at night. The only difference from the first time is that you are not sleeping, but taking notes sitting at your desk.

"Hello?" You answer without blinking and lift the phone to your ear.

“Crab?” The male voice on the other line asks.

"Who?" You respond, confusion written all over your face.

“Isn’t that Ace Trappola’s number?”

"No. You called his neighbor.”

The voice is silent for a moment.

“There are no other neighbors besides Crab.”

“By Crab, you mean Ace?” Even though you think that's exactly what it is, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

”The same person~” He drawls.

“I've been Ace's neighbor for about three months. I moved recently.” You calmly explained, tapping your pen on your notebook. You were new to the neighborhood, so this stranger must have bee confused.

“There’s no one else but my family and Crab’s family here.” The voice says in a frustrated or perhaps nervous tone, you can't quite place it.

“I think there was some mistake. What’s your address?” You ask confused, starting to consider it was a prank.

The male voice gives you the location and you let out a tired sigh, realizing that it really was a stupid joke.

“You just described my address.”

The voice on the other end of the line becomes silent once again, until it breaks into laughter.

“Hehehehe, good Grab. I don’t know what you used to change your voice, but it almost got me.”

He says one last time, before hanging up on your face.

[…]

The stranger's call had piqued his curiosity. Were there really no neighbors around? The next day you explained the situation to your mother, who agreed that it could be a prank, since no one really lived close to there anymore. It was a considerably isolated place and far from everything.

“What about the previous owner of the house?” You asked the older woman who had her back turned, washing the lunch dishes.

“The previous owners sold it to a real estate agent.” His mother stated. “The agent who sold me the house just said that after that some other people came to live here, but that after a few years they usually sold it.”

"Just that?" You were displeased, expecting something more impactful.

“I was more interested in how many rooms the house had than who had lived here before.” She laughed nasally.

You would gain no more useful information from your mother and decided that the next place you would explore would be the attic, where there were five more boxes left that had not been opened.

Maybe it was a fruitless search, maybe you were just wasting time, but the man you had talked to didn't seem like a total liar, like he really had conviction in what he was saying. He even knew Ace's first and last name and you doubted your neighbor was playing a prank with you — it would be quite old-fashioned for a man of that age.

You turn on the attic light and open the first box, spilling all the things inside on the dusty floor, finding nothing that would help you learn more about the house. The second box was simply full of old clothes that were too big for you. The third is where you find a kind of notebook, but when reading its contents you don't find anything truly interesting or that indicates the owner of it.

Clank

Turning another page, a piece of paper falls out and you pick it up from the floor, realizing it is an old photograph faded at the edges. Analyzing the image, it seemed to be a family, consisting of the mother, the father and two completely identical children. On the back of the photo was the date it was taken, along with a small statement that probably referenced the two boys in that photo.

Clank

02/22/2009

My beautiful treasures, ♡Floyd♡ and ♡Jade♡

Even with the information obtained, that didn't seem like enough, especially when you didn't even have their last name. You decide to continue exploring the rest of the boxes, but you don't have the same success as before.

Clank

Putting everything back in its place, you decide to keep the photo for research purposes, keeping it in your pants pocket. Darkness encompasses the room when you turn off the light.

Clank

Going down the attic stairs, that's when you notice a strange sound coming from it, resembling two objects hitting each other. You decide to go back to check what it could be, turning on the light again and finding nothing that could hint at the reason for the noise.

Clank

You feel something fall on your head and run your hand over it to remove any insects that may have gotten into your hair. However, it is not exactly “something” that falls, but rather crumbs that appeared to be wood. Crumbs that continued to fall on the ground around him and on his head.

Clank

You go to the other side of the attic that was free of that dust and look up, expecting to find some termites eating away at the ceiling. However, it was something much worse than mere termites.

Something that could not be seen or touched.

Invisible hands carve the ceiling letter by letter, slowly forming an entire sentence.

JADE IS AN IDIOT BITCH

[…]

That number does not exist.

That's what appeared on the red phone screen when you tried to call the same number that called you last night. Even though he had the number saved on his phone, every time he pressed the button to call back, it was always the same message.

Honestly, at this point in the tournament, you didn't doubt that the house or the phone were haunted, not after what you had seen in the attic. Of course, upon witnessing such a scene, you just hurriedly fled, locking yourself in your room and determined to never set foot up there again.

You were scared of what this could be. However, his curiosity still continued to speak louder than any other feeling. Furthermore, you couldn't even run away from that house, since there was nowhere else to go and your parents would never believe that story about a strange message having suddenly appeared in the attic. His only option at the moment was to stay and find out what the hell was going on.

Therefore, all you could do was wait until the mysterious boy called again.

[…]

The red phone rings at midnight and you hurriedly put down your notebook and pen to put your hands on it, answering it without thinking twice.

"Hello!?" You say in a mix of fear and euphoria.

“So close…” The voice on the other end sounded breathless, almost as euphoric as you were.

“Close to what?” You ask, still unable to recognize who the man on the other end of the line was, even though you knew it was the same voice who had called you the first time.

“Close… pouʇ… of …ʇɹnsʇ… Let’s go …ɥᴉɯ… Together” You can’t hear it properly, the horrible sound of static playing in the background. “You just… ɯnɹ… pǝɹǝɹ… stay on the phone”

The call drops and you look at the small phone screen, noticing strange glitches. You hit his side with the palm of your hand, trying to get him back to normal.

After a few seconds, the static stops.

[…]

At six o'clock the next day, the red phone rings.

However, unlike last time, you seem a little afraid to answer. Maybe that device was the reason for the start of his problems, that was almost certain. You had even seriously thought about setting that thing on fire, maybe then the bizarre things would stop. Still, a part of you refused to do that, thinking it might end up making the situation worse instead of better.

You decide to follow the unknown man's instructions, even though you didn't trust him. Maybe he was a ghost who had possessed that cell phone and was now haunting you, you were starting to come up with some insane theories.

"Hello?"

“Ah, it’s the same voice as before.” The guy on the other line says uninterested.

"Yes. But don’t hang up, please.” You say as politely as possible. “It’s not a prank and I’m not Ace.”

“I know it’s not.” He responds back. “I spoke to Crab yesterday and he was quite confused, saying that this wasn’t even his number anymore.”

"Great." You sighed in relief. “Look, it might be hard to believe, but the address you gave me is actually the same as the one I live at.” You looked out your bedroom window and saw Ace playing with his daughter in the backyard. “My house is literally opposite his.”

“Eehh, mine too.” The boy spoke from the other side, not seeming to fully believe you. “Or would it be ours?” He laughed.

“Could you tell me your name?” You ask, taking the photo you had collected from the attic out of your desk drawer.

“Floyd Leech. And you?"

You turn the verse and see that the name was the same, but you don't know how to describe which of the twins he would be in the photo. The date on which it was taken also arouses your curiosity and you again begin to think that this whole situation was perhaps a bad joke. Could it be that the former resident of that house, Floyd, was just playing a welcome prank on you?

“Hey, don’t ignore me!” The voice on the other end gets louder when you take a long time rambling.

“Sorry, I just got distracted by something.” You prefer not to talk about the photo at hand. “My name is Y/n.”

“Never heard of it.” His disinterested tone returns to the surface.

“Yes, I had never heard of you either until today” That wasn’t entirely true, as you had discovered the photo a few hours ago. “I know it sounds strange, but could you tell me today’s date?”

“What, are you that lost in time?” He laughed. “Seriously, what did you smoke?”

“I swear I’m quite sane.” You respond sharply, but return to a calmer tone of voice, not wanting him to hang up the phone again. “Tell me today’s date, please.”

“Asking me so affectionately like that, I can’t refuse.” He jokes, using a more sly tone. “Today is 04/20/2009”

You cough, choking on your own saliva.

“Exactly at six-fifteen in the afternoon?” You look at the clock on the wall in your room.

“You got it~”

The phrase that appeared in the attic appears in his head like a puzzle piece to be fitted into that mystery. You had thought about the possibility that it was a vengeful ghost writing that, but upon reflection, it was more like an angry brother writing something stupid about his other brother.

“Something appeared in the attic yesterday.” You revealed. “A message that said: Jade is a stupid bitch. Did you do it?”

There is a short silence on the other side.

“How do you know that, huh!?” The previously sly voice suddenly turns into something threatening and you briefly withdraw the phone from your ear. “You’ve been spying on me, bitch!” He spits and you swear that if he were in front of you, that guy would definitely move towards you.

"No! I’m not spying on anyone.” You state with conviction, using your other hand to search your digital cell phone for any information that occurred on the same date that Floyd informed you. “I know it's hard to believe, but it's possible that we are in the same house, in different years.” It doesn't take long for you to find news that matches the date. “At nine o’clock, a plane will crash north of Chica-…”

“You and Jade are making fun of me, aren’t you!?” The boy on the other side looked like he was going to explode with rage. “Tell him to go fuck himself!”

You no longer have a chance to explain yourself, when he hangs up on you again.

[…]

The next day, you look for Ace to talk about the house's previous residents. You knock on his door, but are answered by Alice.

“Come to play with me?” The little girl asks happily, jumping up and down in anticipation.

“Sorry, I just came here to talk to Ace about something.” You break the illusion of the little girl, who makes a sulky expression and goes back into the house, screaming for her father.

It doesn't take long for him to appear in front of you, closing the door behind him and walking with you to the curb.

“Mom said you’ve lived here for several years. Does that mean you got to know the first residents?” You asked bluntly.

"Yes. They were a reserved family, a little strange and even scary, I would say.” He let out a nasal laugh, as if remembering something amusing.

“I found this photo.” You take the photograph from your pants pocket, handing it to Ace who promptly takes it. “It’s them, isn’t it?”

“Ah, man, I barely remembered the faces.” He spoke in surprise, a little nostalgic. “But it’s them, yes.”

“On the back it says Jade and Floyd, but I don’t know who is who. They are identical.”

“Hehe, if you look closely, you will notice subtle differences in each one.” He comes to stand next to you and holds out the photo for you to observe the details. “See, this is Jade who is smiling without showing her teeth, with her hands together in front of her body and correct posture. He was always the most reserved and eloquent, sometimes he even seemed like a butler.” He laughed and you followed him, infected by the energetic laugh that Ace had. “This is Floyd…” The redhead’s tone seemed less enthusiastic and more morbid for a moment, but you thought it was just a bad impression, as he soon returned to his usual playful normality as he talked about the other brother. “Relaxed expression and hand behind the head. Man, he was a whirlwind, the total opposite of his brother.”

"I imagine." You nodded, remembering how he snapped yesterday afternoon. “But why did they move?”

“Well…” Ace handed you the photo. “A tragedy occurred with the family” He sighed heavily, seeming to not like that story. “One of the sons ended up dying.”

His breath came ragged from the shock.

“But… how?” You asked, disbelieved.

“A motorcycle accident.” Ace shrugged. “The mourning was very much for the Leech family, mainly because they were all very united.”

“That’s why they moved?”

“I think they wanted to start again, somewhere else.” He theorized. “Honestly, I would have done the same.”

“But which of the brothers ended up dying in this accident?” You asked, apprehensive about the answer.

No, you already knew the answer.

“Floyd Leech.”

[…]

The accident had occurred on 04/30/2009

Since the days of the past and present were the same, this meant that Floyd would end up dying in seven days.

Shortly after talking to Ace, you returned home and did some research on your laptop to find out more about what had happened. In addition to finding out the date, you had discovered that Floyd died at the scene of the accident, before the ambulance could even provide assistance. Bones broken and fractured, his body had been completely torn apart.

If you still had doubts that this could be a joke, that possibility simply evaporated without a trace. You didn't just seem to be messing with the supernatural, but also with the timeline. That, or the house was haunted by the spirit of young Floyd who never passed on to the afterlife. Well, you hoped it was the first theory, since the latter was pretty scary and there weren't any ghostbusters you could call.

Your only option at that moment was to wait for Floyd to call you again before that date. You wanted to try to save him from that horrible fate, even though you were doubtful about the time lapse it could bring. If you saved him, would you still be living in the same house? Would you end up forgetting everything that happened, including Ace and Alice?

You had watched countless time travel movies and, honestly, the possibilities were endless.

[…]

The red phone rings at four o'clock.

You were in the shower, but you interrupt to hurriedly grab the towel and wrap it over your wet body, leaving a trail of water as you leave the suite and head to your room. You rub your wet hand under the towel before picking it up, worried that you might end up damaging the phone through sheer lack of attention.

"Hello?"

“How did you know?” It was Floyd. You were aware he was asking about the plane crash.

“I saw it on the internet.” You replied simply. “I’m in the same house as you, but fifteen years ahead.”

“What else do you know about me?”

“Honestly, nothing.” You shake your head in denial, even though you know he couldn't see you. “But I know what will happen to you.”

“What do you mean by that?” He asks, looking annoyed.

“On the twenty-eighth of this month, you will have a motorcycle accident.” You respond impassively. “A truck runs over you and you die before they can even help.” Although it would be a little cruel to say something so scary unceremoniously, you didn't want to beat around the bush. Everything now simply depended on whether Floyd believed you or not. “I would never joke about something so serious.” You finally say.

"I believe." You mentally thank him for the vote of confidence. “But why are you living in my house?”

“My mother recently bought this house from a real estate agent. The first family to live here sold it fifteen years ago, which coincides with the time you had the accident.”

“Do you know what happened to them?” From the tone of his voice, Floyd sounded worried.

“I found out about your brother through a photo I found in the attic” Which was still kept on his desk. “I did some quick research. Apparently he is a partner in a restaurant chain called Mostro Lounge. Quite impressive!”

“Aaah, so he did well.” Floyd didn't really seem surprised by his brother's success. “Cool~”

“I’m sure you too can have a cool future if you stay at home or take your motorcycle in for repairs.” You advise him gently. “Since the accident occurred due to a clutch failure.”

“Eehh, I just lent Crabby the bike until the weekend” Floyd looked annoyed. “I can’t believe that idiot is going to end up breaking her.”

“Haha…” You laughed awkwardly. “As soon as he returns it to you, just take it to be repaired.”

“Why are you helping me?” He questions, seeming really curious about that act of kindness coming from a stranger.

“I can stop someone from dying. I think anyone else would do the same in my place.” You shrugged. “And from what I saw in your family photo, you're still too young to go to the afterlife so soon” You laughed, trying to relax to make the situation less gloomy. “How old are you, Floyd?”

“Twenty years.”

"Coincidence. Me too."

“Do you think that’s one of the reasons we’re breaking the rules of spacetime?” He laughed nasally and you followed him with a brief giggle.

“To tell the truth, I think it’s because of the house or a red phone I found in the attic.” You theorized, choosing not to think about it anymore. “Maybe both.”

“A red cordless phone?”

“That one.” You confirmed, surprised.

“He is mine. The same one I’m using to talk to you.”

Okay, the weirdness hadn't stopped.

“Did you happen to throw some voodoo on him?” You joked and heard him laughing on the other end.

“If I was capable of something like that, I don’t think I would have died, right?” He replied back, dejectedly.

“Hehe, yeah…” The mood took a turn for the worse once again and you were forced to think of something to change the situation or simply hang up, since you were making the whole room wet. “Look, I’m not able to return your call, much less call you directly. So could you call me the day after tomorrow at the same time?”

"Of course~" His mood appears to have improved, to which Floyd responded excitedly. “I really want to know what the future looks like in fifteen years.”

[…]

The next day, you knocked on your neighbor's door again, this time being answered by Ace's wife.

Today you were committed to taking care of little Alice, since the older woman was going to visit her parents and only return the next day. And Trappola would not be able to take care of her daughter, as he would only arrive after six o'clock.

“You’re on time.” Elisa commented with a friendly smile.

“I like to be punctual!” You stated excitedly. “Are you leaving yet?”

"Yes. I won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.” She hands him the house key. “There is food in the fridge if you want to eat, just heat it in the microwave.”

You nod in agreement, waving goodbye to Elisa as she gets into the car and starts it.

You enter the house you were already familiar with and lock the door, finding Alice in the living room watching TV.

“Hi, aunt.” She greets without looking at you, too engrossed in what was playing on the screen.

“Do you prefer to play or watch?” Looking at the screen, you recognized it as the little mermaid movie.

“It starts now!” She turned her head towards him and made those irresistible pious eyes. “Make some popcorn and come watch with me.”

You are unable to deny her request, doing what the girl asks you and after a few minutes returning to the room with a bucket full of popcorn. Already knowing the things that would happen, you weren't very excited about watching the film again, but the songs were still good to listen to and you even found yourself singing one of them together with Alice.

When the film ends, she decides that now she wants to play with dolls, picking up a beautiful plastic baby that was sitting in a child's chair.

“Look, auntie, it’s my new doll!” Alice said happily, practically rubbing the new toy in you face. “She even talks!” The girl presses the doll's chest with both thumbs.

Mommy, I love you.

"Cool!" You feign excitement at the irritatingly childish voice coming out of the object. Dolls hadn't been her thing for years.

“I’ll get another doll upstairs for us to play.” Alice places the toy in you lap and runs upstairs.

Being left alone with that silly toy, you squeeze the doll's chest to hear what other phrases she had.

Let's play!

You squeeze again.

Mommy, I'm hungry.

Again.

Can we go to the park?

One more time.

If you keep going, he'll come get you.

You are startled and let the doll fall from your hands, hurriedly getting up from the floor and moving away. For a moment, you fear that thing will rise up and start attacking you, similar to the killer doll movie. However, seconds pass and the toy remains stagnant on the floor, as lifeless as it always was.

Something in the previously said phrase arouses your curiosity and you raise an eyebrow, wondering who would come to pick you up or if it was just some hideous factory defect, as even the toy's irritating voice had become less childish and more morbid.

Even though you were afraid, you approached and picked her up, squeezing the doll's chest again to see what else she could say.

Mommy, I love you.

You snort, annoyed.

[…]

Ace arrives at eight o'clock, a little later than usual.

“Alice is already in bed.” You tell him as you watch him take off his dress shoes and coat, placing the latter on the hanger.

“Sorry to make you stay late.” He laughs awkwardly and you can tell by the expression on his face that the redhead looks haggard.

“Oh, no. It’s ok.” You reassure him with a gentle smile. “You look tired, is everything okay?”

“It’s just the job.” Ace lets out a heavy sigh, walks over to the sofa you were sitting on and sprawls his body on it, arms completely open under the upholstery.

“What exactly do you do?” You ask curiously, as you never knew about your neighbor's job.

"Counter." Ace responds dejectedly.

You also don't help improve his mood when you burst into laughter, disbelieving that this was the cynical Ace's profession.

"Hey!" The redhead exclaims, annoyed that you're laughing in his face.

“I’m sorry, but this doesn’t suit you at all.” Wiping a tear from your eye, you continue laughing in a less outrageous way.

“Obviously not.” He snorts. “But it’s not like I had a lot of choices.”

"What do you mean?" Calmer after the explosion of laughter, you ask intrigued.

“I was twenty-three when Elisa became pregnant with Alice.” Ace looks towards the stairs where the rooms were, turns his attention to you and lowers his voice. “It was an accident.”

“Oh!” You exclaim, surprised.

“Because of that, I dropped out of college and got a job so I could take care of the baby-”

“College of what?” Although it would be appropriate to continue listening to your friend's story without interrupting, your curiosity gets the better of you and your mouth moves before you can even think.

“Nah, you’ll laugh.”

"No! I won’t, I promise.” You bring your index fingers together to form an “x”, bringing them to your mouth. “Tell me!”

"Teacher." He responds without much ceremony.

You actually keep your promise and don't laugh, but you are truly incredulous that this would be the profession chosen by the mischievous Ace.

“Professor Ace Trappola.” You say slowly, testing how the taste of those words sound to your ears. “Sounds good.”

“Do you think so?” He smiles, apparently more excited by those simple words.

Yes yes." You agree smiling. “But tell me more! What’s the rest of the story?” You question, curious to know more about the redhead's life.

“After two years, Elisa and I got married. We thought it would be good if we got our shit together.” He shrugs and becomes discouraged again. “We already had a baby, we just needed the rings.”

"I'm very sorry." You say painfully, although you didn't know exactly why you were sorry. Maybe because Ace's dreams never came true? For the years lost in a life he never wanted?

“It’s okay, I kind of like being a father.” He gave you a sincere smile and you knew Ace wasn't lying.

“What about Elisa?”

“I like her too.” He responds without the sincere smile from before, just a blank facet. There was no sparkle in his eyes when he mentioned his own wife, you noticed. “You know, I saw you yesterday.” Ace suddenly changes the subject, straightening his posture on the couch to face you.

"As? I didn’t even leave the house.” You raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

“In the window, answering an old phone.” A dirty little smile appears on Ace's lips and you feel like you were missing something.

It still takes a few seconds to understand exactly when that happened, until the penny falls heavily on your head.

“Oh, my God!” You cover your face with the palms of your hands, too embarrassed to look at the redhead. “I’m not a pervert, I swear it was accidental!”

“Hahaha.” It's his turn to laugh about your misfortune and it makes you feel even worse, groaning in annoyance between your fingers. Seeing that you really felt bad about that, Ace immediately stopped laughing. “Okay, okay.” He holds your wrists delicately, gradually lowering the hands that covered your face so that you can face him again. Seeing him now, he seemed to have gotten even closer to you face. “Honestly, I liked the view.” The redhead gives you that stupid smile again.

“Hmm.” You just moan in agreement, still embarrassed and not knowing exactly how to react to Ace's compliment.

“You’re kind of bad at reading the climate.” He laughs one last time, before closing his eyes and breaking the distance that separated your lips from his.

Ace is quick to wrap his tongue around yours when you opened your mouth a little in surprise from the sudden kiss, involuntarily allowing the redhead to explore the inside of your mouth.

Even though you're shocked, it doesn't take you more than three seconds to close your eyelids and let yourself be carried away by the moment. Their tongues come together in a delicate way, exactly like a calm sailing at sea.

His brain gradually fills with pleasure, which was provided by the kiss that became more steamy as time passed. His tongue moved with an impressive mastery that you never had with boys your age.

Inside you there was a damn explosion of happiness, which internally clashed with some bitter emotions present, but which were being furiously crushed as the kiss progressed from a peaceful way to a hotter and wetter one.

Ace didn't seem very distant, wanting you more and more to the point of wanting to become just one with you through your lips that he so wished to kiss. The redhead takes his hand to you head and sinks his fingers into you locks, giving more depth to the kiss, but also making the air in her lungs become increasingly scarce.

The fact that you both needed to breathe became an obstacle in the midst of the pleasure you felt, which forced Ace to stop the kiss and move away a little.

He carefully visualizes the delicate features of your face, as he had done so many times without you noticing, considering that your pink cheeks due to embarrassment or the possible ecstasy of the kiss left you very cute. However, the redhead's greatest attention ended up once again falling on his parted lips, which were now slightly swollen and red. Ace couldn't help but feel attracted and mesmerized by them again, as he had been for a long time.

After normalizing his breathing, he was going towards you for a second kiss, but you stopped him by putting your hand in front of his mouth, preventing Ace from kissing you again.

“Ace, you have a wife.” You do your best not to fall into temptation again.

Although you couldn't deny that you had some conflicted feelings regarding what you felt for Ace, it wasn't fair to stab Elisa in the back. You liked her and didn't want to be a home wrecker. Not only would it harm her, it would also harm little Alice.

"I understand." He says placidly, stepping back. “But Elisa and I are going to separate.”

"Huh!?" You face forms into a clearly confused expression.

“Before you even arrived, things were complicated.” He lets out a tired sigh. “She went to her parents’ house to stay away from me for a while.”

“Did something happen?” Maybe it was rude to ask, but you needed to know if that story was really true.

“We fought yesterday.” His shoulders slumped in dismay. “I wasn’t lying when I said I liked Elisa. I like, but I don't love her anymore.”

“Is it possible for someone to stop loving another person?” A line of disbelief forms on his forehead, doubtful that something like this would be possible between two people who have lived together for so many years.

“In my case, apparently yes.” He laughed half-heartedly. “Elisa and I stayed together for Alice and tried to stay together as a family for her.” The redhead looks away to look at his own bare feet. There was a light of regret and sadness in his crimson eyes. “But we hurt ourselves in the process.” You stay silent, feeling a little sorry for Ace and Elisa, but mostly for Alice. Trappola looks at you again and once again gets dangerously close to you, but he doesn't kiss you. Instead, he places one of his hands on the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb in a clear sign of affection and kindness. "I want you."

You don't know exactly how to feel about this statement. The doubts were still present in his head and apparently the only way to dismiss them was to confirm the words previously said by Ace.

“Are you really going to break up? I don’t want to be a home wrecker, much less be your lover.” You firmly admit.

“In a month. Only a month left until the divorce papers are ready.”

In a bold and unpredictable move that you never expected to come out of your own mouth, the next words would surprise you when you remembered them the next day.

“Let’s go to your room.”

Trappola's crimson eyes shine and a smile of genuine happiness emerges from the corners of his mouth. He jumps off the couch and grabs your hand, dragging you upstairs.

[…]

Before you knew it, Ace already had his face buried between your legs.

His mouth was firmly attached to your intimacy, teasing hickeys with wet and obscene sounds, tasting every bit of your pussy to engrave the taste in his memory.

“You’re so hot.” Ace praises, placing a kiss on the inside of her thigh and then returning to attack her sensitive parts.

Even with one hand over your mouth to stifle your moans, you still moan loudly, feeling him focus exclusively on your clit, licking and sucking with such devotion that you can't stop yourself from taking your other free hand to locks Ace, squeezing a bundle of unruly red strands. He was very good at making your pussy the most appetizing thing in the world.

It had only been a few minutes since Ace was fucking you so fervently, but even in that short time you already felt the heat in your belly building up more and more, ready to explode. He was amazing at oral sex, probably due to years of experience. Your hand would never satisfy you in the same way again after experiencing the wonder that Ace mouth was capable of provi.

Trappola's teeth graze over your sensitive spot and you let out a whiny moan, drops of tears splashing your eyes due to the ecstasy you've never felt. Your soaked little hole was begging for a piece of meat, to the point where your warm, velvety walls tightened around nothing as Ace fucked you with his tongue.

You involuntarily lift your hips several times, while sparks of pleasure cross your body in a clear sign that you were close to finally reaching the fullness of pleasure.

“Ace I… Ah!… I… Ngh… I’m going to…” You remove your hand from in front of your mouth to warn him, but your moans were making it difficult for you to form a coherent sentence.

He looks deeply at you with his scarlet orbs filled with lust and possession, before pulling away to give you that stupid little smile and order in a husky voice.

“Cum for me, dear.” It's the last thing Ace says before he goes back to attacking your sensitive pussy with more frenzy than before, without taking his eyes off you.

You don't know if it's because of the eroticism of those words, the way he looks at you or even the most obvious reason that his mouth was on your vulva, but you scream and finally reach your limit. The knot that had formed in your abdomen dissolves in a hot orgasm and your hips rise again, at the same time that your entire body spasms constantly with pleasure.

Even after he has successfully made you cum, Ace continues to lick you more gently, sucking the clear fluid that comes out of your tight hole. He only moves away when he feels sufficiently satisfied, a thick thread of drool connecting your wet pussy to his mouth, but which soon falls apart the further away these two are.

“Please tell me your room has thick walls.” You inquire heavily, recovering from the newly felt high.

“Don’t worry about making loud noises.” Ace laughs and crawls until he is at the height of your face, kissing you and making you feel your own taste still present in the older man's mouth. Your arms circle around his neck and you reciprocate without any reluctance in that act.

Ace's hand roams your already fully naked body, sliding from your soft abdomen to your newly stimulated crotch, touching your hole. Upon noticing what he was about to do, you quickly close your legs and stop Trappola from continuing with his actions. You break the kiss and moderately push him away with your elbow, sitting on the bed.

“What’s the matter?” Ace asks as he puts his weight under his knees, clearly confused by your quick change in attitude.

“That's kind of embarrassing to say.” An awkward laugh passes your lips and you look away. “I’m still a virgin.”

Ace remains silent for about three seconds, before exclaiming in perplexity:

“Whoa, really?” He quickly removes his hand from between your legs.

“Yes, but I hope that’s not a problem for you.” You bite your bottom lip nervously and look back at him.

“Haha, that’s no problem at all.” Ace laughed, that beautiful energetic smile you loved so much adorning the mature features of his face. “I’m just surprised by that. I mean, you’re so pretty.” You were taken aback by the compliment and your face heated up as you watched the way he looked at you affectionately.

“I don’t want you to take my virginity with your fingers.” You laughed at your own words, quickly changing the subject. Honestly, you didn't want to ruin the mood by commenting on your practically non-existent love life. “And honestly, I think I’m already wet enough to welcome you.” You direct your eyes to Ace's intimacy, noticing a voluminous bulge in his underwear, as well as a dark stain on the tip of his cock protruding forward. "Do you have a condom?"

“Look, married people don’t use condoms.” He mocked with a stupid little smile.

Shit.

“Seriously, I always told myself I would never do this without a condom.” You laughed, disbelieving that you would end up breaking the only rule you had made when you had your first time. However, even more disbelieved given how much you trusted Ace to give in so easily without even thinking twice.

“Does that mean?” Ace inquires expectantly.

You respond to him with actions, lying back on the bed and vulgarly opening your legs, exposing your intimate area with the clear intention of someone waiting to be fucked.

Trappola swallows hard, feeling his cock throb at how beautifully erotic you were as you so willingly gave yourself to him. Even kneeling on the bed, Ace is quick, practically euphoric in getting rid of the only piece of clothing that prevented him from fucking you. The redhead positions himself above you and places one hand on your hip, while the other is responsible for guiding his own cock towards your slippery hole.

“Can I?” Ace checks before taking any action, although his breathing was clearly heavy, yearning to fuck you.

"Yes." You say a little shyly, even though your actions so far have been quite naughty.

With the confirmation Ace needed, he slowly pushes his erect member inside you, sighing in delight at finally being able to feel your warm, velvety walls wrapped around his cock.

On the other hand, the sensation was a little strange at first, until it became painful as Trappola advanced further inside, breaking your hymen and then filling you with his cock. The length of Ace's member inside your vaginal canal was more than acceptable, but you squeeze the bed sheets between your fingers and let out a low moan of pain.

"You are incredible." Ace comments with restrained euphoria, marveling at having you all to himself. However, upon noticing his expression of pain, he asks worriedly. “Does it hurt?”

"A little." You shift uncomfortably in bed. “But you can continue.” You calm down with a sweet smile on your lips, not minding being a little hasty even after having graduated from your virginity literally seconds ago. You hands circle around the redhead's neck again and bring him for you lips touch his in a warm kiss.

He reciprocates immediately, but it doesn't take long for Ace to pull away from your mouth and decide it's time to move after feeling his cock throb in excitement, practically begging to be moved and finally fuck you rough.

The redhead moves his hips away a little, enough so that half of his rigid penis remains outside your gummy walls, then returns entirely inside you with a hard thrust all the way to the bottom. Ace lets out a heavy sigh as soon as he receives a delicious grip around his member, intensely loving that pleasurable sensation of a young pussy like yours.

However, this action was responsible for causing you to gasp in pain, but unlike the first time it was completely ignored by Ace, as he no longer cared about trying to be gentle after you yourself approved that he continued to fuck you.

Addicted to getting more of those delicious squeezes, Ace successively starts to do the same actions mentioned above, but in a slower back and forth so that he doesn't reach orgasm so soon. After all, he didn't imagine that you virgin pussy would be so hot.

You periodically continue to let out one or another moan of pain, without having yet been able to feel any trace of pleasure in it, although it is no longer as agonizing as it was at first. Trying to feel as good as Ace felt when he fucked you, you take one of your hands towards your clitoris, rubbing it with your index and middle fingers. A sigh of relief leaves your mouth as spikes of delight begin to circulate through your body even in the midst of the feeling of agony.

“Still bothered?” Ace laughs softly when he realizes what was happening and removes his hand so he can take care of the situation himself, too proud to let you pleasure yourself. “Let me do this for you.” He asks, at the same time that Ace's thumb touches your sensitive spot, making rotating movements with a fixation much greater than you could alone.

“Oh!” You exclaim not only in surprise, but also in jubilation. Touching herself felt good, but being touched by someone else felt even better, bringing her a never-before-felt feeling of ecstasy.

The older man bends down a little and dips his face into the side of your neck, licking and leaving marks of love on your previously immaculate skin. A heavy sigh escapes your lips and your previously rigid body begins to relax on the bed as Ace continues to stimulate you in different ways. His dick inside you wasn't so bad anymore, starting to become less strange and more dizzying.

“Ace, this feels so good.” You say with a ragged breath, enchanted by how sex could be something wonderful and addictive. You didn't regret giving your virginity to Trappola one bit.

“I feel good too.” Ace whispers close to your ear, before gently biting your earlobe in teasing. A pleasant shiver runs through your body through this action and you reciprocate by biting his neck gently, weak enough to not leave marks. You wouldn't be stupid enough to do that when Ace was still married. “Oh, how cute.” He comments with a wicked laugh and you are indignant, taking revenge on him by putting a little more pressure against the redhead's skin, consequently hearing him moan in pain. “I take back what I said.”

You both laugh through sex, captivated by each other. However, Ace breaks the romantic mood by pulling away and removing his still hard penis from inside you. A groan leaves your lips, dissatisfied by the sudden absence of your intimacy.

“It’s okay, I won’t stop.” Ace soothes by kissing the top of his head. “But wouldn’t you like to try other positions?” He suggests, but before you can say anything, Trappola easily handles your body that had been claimed by himself, placing you on your side and positioning himself behind you, resulting in the redhead's penis touching the soft and warm skin of your buttock. Ace appreciates the slightest touch, letting out a sigh and feeling terribly tempted to give you a bite in that area, but deciding to leave that for another time. “What do you think?” He asks, his nose pressed into the crook of your neck.

“As long as it’s good…” You mutter without having an opinion of your own due to a complete lack of experience.

Ace slowly passes his hand down the length of your incredibly hot body, starting at your shoulder, sliding down your waist, feeling your hip and hovering over your thigh, lifting the latter without the slightest difficulty so that he could have better access to your hole and thus calm down his greedy hormones.

You were so deliciously wet, that Ace's member practically slid inside, being immediately massaged by your pussy that already responded to his thrust. Feeling like that, stretching and welcoming him as if Ace's member was already a natural part of your body, was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

It was inevitable. He felt the need to move quickly inside. And with a powerful thrust of his hips, the redhead delighted in feeling the limits of his tight intimacy, at the same time as he was gifted with a heavy moan from you, which only served to elevate his ego even more.

Ace's other free hand reached under your body to return to the work from before, which involved stimulating your sensitive clit. He started to move his hips faster, making a complete mess of you and eliciting several moans. However, if you continued moaning so sweetly for him, the redhead wouldn't be able to last two minutes in the paradise he was in.

Even though he wanted to prolong the fuck he was having, Trappola's body no longer seemed to obey his wishes due to the pleasure that had accumulated in his cock. Fortunately, you don't seem too far from that.

“Y/n!” Ace pants your name and closes his eyes, letting his seed fill your previously virgin hole with hot steady streams.

You come soon after, letting out a sharp scream as your pussy milks him with constant squeezes until the last drop fills you.

When Ace's pleasure is finally released inside you, your body becomes completely limp and your breathing is labored.

The redhead rested your leg on the bed and with the hand that was previously holding it he began to caress and eventually squeeze your buttocks, admiring the sperm that dripped from your pussy and slid down your thighs. Ace had come in very large amounts, pleased that you took all of him

“You were amazing.” Ace praised sincerely, placing an affectionate kiss on her reddened cheek. It was actually funny of him to say that, after all, you did absolutely nothing during sex.

“I hope your wife has some birth control.” You murmured as you recovered from your orgasmic high.

“She can’t get pregnant anymore.” He lets out a muffled laugh against your neck.

“Urgh.” An annoyed grumble leaves his lips.

You would have to buy contraceptives the next day or Alice would end up getting a new baby brother.

[…]

You left minutes after sex.

Although Ace insisted that you spend the night with him, you couldn't because of your parents. They wouldn't be stupid enough to believe any excuse you came up with to stay at the redhead's house all night, especially when your house was literally opposite his. At least you already had an excuse ready for his delay, saying that Trappola had arrived late from work, which actually happened.

Oh, yes. You also stole that doll from hell.

Although he felt sorry for knowing that Alice would be sad to wake up and no longer find her new toy, it was still better than leaving a seemingly cursed doll in her arms.

You burned her the next day and the doll no longer made a sound.

Thank you for reading this far! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

See you soon.

[httpuckdrop]

ashes – day 116

jack had gotten a bad hit.

sure, tackles and hits are just a part of hockey – but this one was worse than usual.

he wasn't even sure how he got himself into the situation, but during his game against the bruins, his head had been bent down far too much when he had tried to shoot off a pass along the barrier. when an opponent went in for the tackle, jack's head hit the boards in a nasty angle, and everything had gone black instantly.

the directions from the team doctors were clear: he needed to stay in a dark room, with no lights or loud sounds. he wasn't allowed to use his brain too much, since that would only worsen the concussion. no phone, no stepping outside the bedroom for at least three whole days.

thankfully, your apartment was the perfect place to keep someone who'd just gotten a concussion; the blackout curtains of your bedrooms were of the best brand, keeping the room perfectly dark during all hours of the day. that's why jack now found himself lying flat on his back on your bed, with his arms relaxing restlessly along his body, just as he had for the last 48 hours or so.

this wasn't the first time jack got a concussion. even back when he was a young player, he was too intense, too focused and too stubborn that he didn't care about the risk of injury when doing certain things on the ice, meaning that he had been forced to go through the boring process of recovering from head trauma several times. he recognized the feeling, and he hated it just as much as he had when he was still a teenager, when he was forced to stay inside while his brothers and friends could still practice. he wanted to do something, anything, but the pounding in his head limited his actions to pretty much none.

he felt helpless.

but even through the pain, there was one thing that made him smile.

you.

he was so thankful that you were there for him. he slept for most of his days, not having enough energy to stay awake for longer periods of time. but every time he woke up, you were there; reading him a book, telling him a story from your childhood, catching him up on the recent news. he was so thankful, because he thought he would have gone insane if he had to endure this all on his own.

"jack?" you asked from your side of the bed, voice hushed as it had been for the last two days. there was a small hum of an answer. "don't you want anything to eat? it's been…" you squinted, trying to make out the time from the clock on your wall. "seven hours since you had breakfast."

jack stayed silent, taking a few deep breaths before opening his eyes. "yeah, i think so."

your little nightlight, a lamp in the form of a fox in a far corner of the room, was the only source of light. jack could still make out your face clearly, probably due to the last two days of practicing his night vision. the concern on your face translated to worry on his, and then it was all just a downward spiral. you hated seeing him like this. jack was usually so energetic, so happy, so… tireless. seeing him like this really hurt you – and suddenly, you were back in your old mindset again. the pain and the worry and the anxiety all boiled up into one big soup of guilt. for the way you've treated him, for the way you care for him, for everything that has happened these last months. you stood up from the bed, about to make your way to the kitchen to cook something for him, but you stopped at him calling out your name in that raspy voice of his. "i'm sorry." when you looked back at him with a confused look, he spoke again. "for last week, for-"

"jack, it's okay." you shook your head at him, putting on a small smile. you didn't want him to worry about this now, not when his head was already overworked. "really."

now it was his time to shake his head – or, as much of a shake he could handle without his brain exploding from the jolt of pain shooting through it whenever he moved even an inch – and his voice was firmer when he spoke again. "no, please don't interrupt me now. i want you to hear that i'm serious about how sorry i am."

your heart fluttered like never before. not once until today had a man spoken to you like this. like you were someone worth apologizing to, someone worth fighting for.

"i am so sorry about pushing and pressuring you. i never should have." he took a deep breath. "you have your reasons not to trust me and not let me in, i understand that. however," his hand reached for your side, wanting you closer. "i also hope that in time, things might change. and i hope to stick along to find out if they do, without pressuring you, no matter how long it takes."

at this point, you wanted to throw yourself into his arms, bury him in kisses and hug the life out of him. but with the memory of his concussion still in your mind, you settled for leaning down to his height and pressing a sweet kiss to his lips for the first time in weeks.

maybe things would be okay, after all.

[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.

[slowlyoats]

The Lost Boys: What is their role within the group?

Marko

- The crazy

- I think out of all the boys Marko is closest with his vampire nature

- He puts the least amount of effort into trying to blend in

- And why should he?

- He’s an old, powerful being, who has seen a lot of life. He’s more authentic then any human on the board walk

- He gives the group that feeling of being unhinged, of being one step away from complete anarchy

- To the public he is a warning of how dangerous the boys are

- Everyone has heard about what this boy can and will do to his victims

- But I think to the group, they see him as a reminder of their true nature

- Vampires at heart exist outside of society, they are the strangers that everyone fears. They are chaos and beauty.

- So, whenever the boys get a tad too *horrified gasp* domestic. Marko is right there to remind them of what they are

- Chaotic, bloodthirsty, unpredictable vampires

Paul

- Life

- Paul reminds the boys that though they may be dead, there is still so much life to live

- He’s the one that is up way past sunrise singing a song he just can’t get out of his head in the most acoustic part of the cave

- He’s the one talking to the travelers on the Board walk about their adventures abroad, and what they’ve seen and done (I have a feeling that though he may be older, he hasn’t traveled outside the United States much)

- Paul is the one challenging some of the boys more outdated/old fashioned opinions

- I believe he is definitely the youngest out of all the boys, so his views are more modern

- Whenever there is a new ride on the Boardwalk he HAS TO ride it. Or a new snack or arcade game! basically whatever is NEW he must see and experience!

- He’s teaching himself how to play the guitar, and he’s not that good at it but he doesn’t stop practicing despite David’s complaints

- Paul reminds the boys that there is more to their existence then drinking blood and hunting

- He is the life of the group

Dwayne

- the handyman

- I think he would be the one responsible for fixing the bikes. He wouldn’t be responsible for like the general maintenance on all four bikes, but when Marko takes the Boardwalk stairs a tad too quick, and snaps a part of his bike, Dwayne fixes it

- Over the years he has gained a lot of experience on how to fix the bikes and stuff around the cave

- This is mainly due to living with the destructive duo that is Marko and Paul

- He generally really does like to fix things, it gives him a sense of purpose within the group

- He’s usually the muscle of the group (and he doesn’t have any complaints with this because it pats his ego) but he does like being able to tangibly provide something to his brothers

- Usually he will fix up the bikes without being asked, or trick one out as a surprise for one of his brothers

- He’s friends with the owner of a local mechanic shop, and trades work for parts on occasion

- thankfully the owner doesn’t ask many questions when he has to bring a bike in for fixing, and it’s got a few splatters of blood here and there

David

- The procurer

- David is the one constantly on the look out for the groups next meal

- Even if it looks like he is relaxing, smoking a cigarette while leaning against a board walk railing, taking in the lively scenery. He’s not. He scouting.

- They need to feed every few days at the very least, and it’s not every night they can find a bite to eat

- They don’t feed from shop owners, and they do it sparingly from the locals to not draw to much suspicion

- When David spots someone that he thinks would be a tasty meal, he spends a while observing them. And then determines which of his boys would be the best to draw the human in

- Do they look preppy and girly? Paul would be able to pull them with his rocker look and charm

- Are they stand off-ish and a little wild? Gremlin energy would be the way to go, and with Marko’s big eyes, who could resist?

- A shy beauty? Being ignored by her obnoxious friends? Oh yes, Dwayne will be able to get them stuttering and bashful with one look

- It’s almost too easy at times, but David doesn’t mind, because once off season hits the Boardwalk, hunting gets a lot, lot harder

[y-rhywbeth2]

Bhaal talking to you in the journal updates is fun, but honestly nothing in BG3 has topped the one-sided conversations you get to have with this asshole in your dreams during the original games. It nicely illustrated how Bhaal thinks of his spawn and also gives you a good idea of how the Dark Urge's nightmares usually go. I feel like I'm missing things without having to listen to his ego every other night.

Look at this A+ parenting! (These moments have lived in my head rent free for at least a decade so I'm sharing them.)

"Such pride is undeserved, great predator, when your whole being is borrowed. Credit where it is due, and dues where payment is demanded."

"You will learn."

[stabs you with a knife]

[drowns you in blood]

[sets you on fire]

[disembowels you as the Slayer]

"...you will learn to trust me. Don't be afraid. You are safe here... if you behave."

"[My other child] clings to her old life as though it actually matters. She will learn."

"You will come to realize how little choice you have. You will do what you must, become what you must [...] You will accept the gifts offered to you."

"Fall to your knees! You can do no other!"

"What do I want? Your life, your soul, your body! I am the instinct that will fuel the father! I am the blood!"

"I lurk behind your soul, in the very fibre of your being. I am the only thing left when mind and reason are stripped away. I will show you what you can be, what you can do… if you simply let yourself become what you are. I can show you all of this, because I am within. I am what fills the void. I am you."

"You are to be given a gift. It is a valuable prize, one that you had better appreciate."

"You worry for your companions perhaps? Leave them, abandon them, and become what you must. There is great power in your heritage. Use it, and become closer to who you are… what you could be. Feel what is in the void. Use the tools that you are given. Become part of something greater. I am in you, and I know what is best. Each time you use it, each time you accept it, you move a little closer to the evil within. Perhaps you lose yourself in the end, but you will go to greater reward than you can know. After all, what does an eternity of nothingness matter, when you can [easily] destroy all that would oppose your development..."

This didn't work, so on his next attempt Bhaal did his best to ensure this kid would be tailored to obey and have no personality outside of being an extension of his will. Clearly his mistake was waiting until they were adults to start fucking them up, so - kill your family!

[eccentricallygothic]

| Champagne Showers |

How you welcome Pedri home after a win… 

Warning(s): Boob play, champagne play, d/s overtones, groping, unprotected p-in-v, dick riding, dirty talk, biting, nipple play, choking. MDNI. 

. . . 

Of course, you cannot attend all of Pedri's games.

So you have your own way of making it up to him when you can't due to whatever obligation that hindered you in doing so.

The apartment is quiet and dimly lit when he enters it with his bag in one hand as he locks the door with the other. He is so tired at this time that though he faintly remembers what happens at home -like it doesn't anyways- when you can't come to the stadium, his body is cold and hunched as he spins on his heels before taking his cap off. Pedri doesn't get to take a lot of steps before he is forced to a halt when his lowered eyes fall on your bare feet that stand a short distance away.

“Felicidades cariño” your voice is low as you congratulate him in Spanish, a soft get playful smirk on your lips as you twirl the champagne bottle in your hand, clad in nothing but one of his old jerseys. 

Pedri is too tired, cold, outside and impatient for the usual teasing in moments like these. 

An actual glug sounds from your boyfriend as the oxygen darts from his lungs upon you smoothly sliding the jersey off your body and away from your face, the action causing your hair to ruffle in what is to Pedri the most perfect way.

His belongings hit the floor at the same time as the only article of clothing you had on. Pedri's body sparks to life just like that. He leaps in your direction like a starved animal who will dance any way you want just so he can be allowed to feed. You softly snicker as you cup one side of his still flush face -that tries to squish itself into your now bare boobs with an exhausted desperation for any kind of proximity- with your free hand and teasingly click your tongue, walking him backwards to bring him to the living room at least because what you plan to do to him he cannot take while standing or kneeling in this condition.

Or so you think.

He grunts when he has to walk without being granted anymore than your hand framing one side of his face. 

“Patience, honey” you tease seductively and push the gasping, swallowing, grunting and mindless mess of a primal male onto the couch by a gentle nudge to his chest that usually doesn't give if his legs aren't worked like on game nights. “Now,” you step closer to him, your knees touching. “What's a celebration without champagne, am I right, babe?” 

“You—”

You softly shush him as you climb on his tired thighs and straddle them, using your free hand to push his shirt off. “Tonight is all about you, champ” you seal the reassurance with a warm and intimate kiss in which you let your tongue taste his bubblegum flavoured lips. Your fingertips graze his bare, slightly hairy chest and goosebumps rise on his skin as a result. Pedri hisses into the kiss and you feel his erection poke the underside of your mound. “Just let me take care of you, yeah?” You whisper once the two of you part. Your boyfriend is naturally a care giving person with dominant tendencies so usually it is him who looks after you but you figure that even he needs to be coddled sometimes.

Pedri just nods because he is too tired to speak but his darkened eyes watch you with an excited anticipation. You lower your hips against his and grind your crotches together with serpent-like motions of your hips that he cannot help but reach for and grope as he growls out rough curses in his mother tongue.

“Fuck, vida,” his gaze has resettled on your boobs and the only reason he hasn't acted on impulse yet is because he doesn't want to ruin whatever you have planned. “You're too good at this— oh!” So you treat him by curling a hand on the back of his head and pushing his face into your chest before wiggling the swells against his cheeks so they softly smack them. Pedri moans out loud at that and lifts his hips to meet yours that he digs his trimmed nails into and spreads your ass cheeks.

“So strong, cariño” you praise him as your own nails scratch his scalp and he moans again. “Oof, you're gonna bust my pucker if you keep kneading my ass like that” he only squeezes you harder at that and your grinding against him causes a velvet pleasure to seep up your sexes and into the pits of your stomachs simultaneously. 

“Good.” His growl nearly makes you succumb to his dominant energy that is present even with you on top of him. “Now give me that fuckin' champagne” you whimper at his blunt words and obediently start pouring, your hips churning at the thought of how you had foolishly thought that today would be the day you would dominate him only to have him direct you at your own game. 

You are just a little girl after all. 

His precious.

And just like that, in a matter of moments, Pedri has you writhing and quivering on his cock as you sheathe his cock within your tight, balmy walls each time your clammy petals clap into his heavy sack. He is a crazed beast as he laps away at your boobs, audibly slurping and glugging the champagne from off your swells that he has decorated with soft bites, one hand toying with your sensitive nubs to make your vagina blink around him with each twirl of his fingers whilst his other hand gives you a starting smack on your ass to make you pound yourself back on his cock each time all the pleasure in your chest begins to numb your brain. 

“Mm, doll, you make the champagne taste better” you throw your head back and moan as the movement of your hips causes for your sloshy cunt to make embarrassingly loud noises around his cock. It is like it's a competition between his mouth, your throat and where your sexes meet to see which one can make the more humiliating sound. “That's it, baby. Keeping fucking yourself pretty on my dick like a good girl.”

Pedri's dark hair sticks to his forehead from the sweat and the champagne that he instructs you to spill over your tits once more. A cry crackles out of your throat when he bites a bruising imprint of his teeth on purpose as his guiding hand makes your pussy slide so deep down his cock that you feel his tip graze against your innards but the feeling only makes you moan louder. His fat balls test the limits of your tiny entrance as they try to intrude each time your inside stretch to welcome his twitching cock once more. The male sucks, nibbles, pinches, pulls, spanks and even momentarily wraps his hand around your throat towards the end to give you that delicious burn in your lungs that always makes your pussy relax enough for his sack to help itself into your cavern, your position only aiding his intentions. Your boobs slap into his arms as he does so, the pace at which you are tossing yourself up and down his cock making your head spin while the lack of oxygen takes to faltering your vision with neon shapes.

Champagne flies all around the two of you but your boyfriend doesn't seem to care how the golden droplets sit on his thick hair or lashes because he is too busy suckling away at your nipples to dry them so he can have you supply him with more. And he is so focused upon doing so that he gasps into your skin from now allowing himself an interval to breathe. The grunts and wheezes only add to the vibrations against your skin which in turn tighten your sopping cunt around his choking cock even more.

Even when Pedri stuffs you full of his creamy climax long after you've already had yours and now uneasily whine and curl against him, he simply gets up with a protective arm around your back so he can take you to the bedroom for more.

He can do this for hours. 

Tired or not. 

MASTERLIST

. . .

I am so beyond tired but that has never stopped me before. This was supposed to be top!reader, idk what happened midway lmfao. Pedri's BDE ig. Real proud of my man rn though <3 

[sssarrrra]

Dying to stay alive. Why does Fyodor Dostoevsky enjoy being killed on purpose? Bsd analysis

Why Dostoevsky looks so young despite living for centuries? I think it's because he often gets killed. He literally has no time to age.

His skin care routine is being murdered every year or so. Maybe, even more often.

Fyodor CAN age, he isn't immune to it. He isn't immortal. He's ability isn't about eternal youth. He can get gray hair and wrinkles. But he doesn't. Dostoevsky looks almost identical to how he's been when he's met Bram centuries ago (minus a scar and an outfit). So why is it?

Let's assume that the physical "age" Fyodor naturally gains can be transferred to the new body he enters. And the only things that get "erased" are traces of harm left by someone else (bruises, cuts, scars, etc.)

Let's pretend that we know Fyodor's "biological" age. And it's 20. (That's just an assumption for this example!)

It would go like this: Fyodor's biologically 20. He lives until his 22, than gets killed. His "new" body will have the age of 22. Then he lives until he's 26 and dies unnaturally. He's biological age in the new body is gonna be 26.

And so on and so on. It means both his appearance and physic will gradually change. But we see NONE OF THAT. Present Fyodor is almost a twin copy of Fyodor from the past.

It means that Dostoevsky has never lived longer than a couple of years max without dying and respawning into a new body. He probably dies quit often and can't even get old enough because he simply doesn't have time.

Maybe, he has some mark on his calendar: "Need to die every year to keep my body young and relative healthy". And it's a strategy and nothing else. But I feel like there is more to that.

Dostoevsky probably enjoys the thrill of death (or near death) experience for various reasons.

People sometimes describe Dazai as a "suicide-addict", but THIS is a new level of it. These two share a hobby of trying to die often. But Dostoevsky not just tries. He dies. Fyodor's way of getting a rid of his stress is being brutally murdered by someone else. I wounder, if Dazai knew it how it would make him feel? To find out that Fyodor is drawn to death in the same way that he is? We'll find out eventually.

Dostoevsky meticulously got himself killed probably more than 300+ times or so. And, yes, sometimes it was work related incidents due to his plans. But he didn't HAVE to die so often, did he?

It honestly seems, that for Fyodor "dying" is just an extracurricular activity he does to pass the time. Some ppl go their friend's house to play video games. And Fyodor goes to someone's place -> dies there.

Maybe, Dostoy tries to connect with people by "dying" by their hands? When he transfers his mind into a new body, it makes him feel less lonely, somehow?

For example, Fyodor didn't have to break into Bram's castle and chat him up about demons. He didn't have to put his life on a line just to see how Bram would react to his musings about world-politics. He knew he would die, obviously. But he went anyway. Just to "catch a glimpse" of Bram (in his own words). And then, of course to get murdered. Did he hope that Bram would be the one to deliver a final blow? Did Fyodor secretly want to "posses" Bram's body from that long, long time ago?

You know how ppl joked about Fyodor's hobby being captured on purpose? Add "dying" to this list, asap.

He's reasons for overusing his ability to "reincarnate" are probably complicated.

A part of it is a need to escape/ease his guilt. Dostoy wants to feel like a martyr that has a right to commit sin. Maybe, it's his own self-punishment, a form of self-harm. He believes these short or long moments of agony "erase" the harm he does to others or, at least, balance it out.

On the other hand, Fyodor is still a human who wants to belong. But he spent decades in paranoia and isolation that affected him immensely. So now the only "true" connection Dostoevsky can create with someone is when he inserts his consciousness into their body. The flow of new feelings/goals keeps him distracted from himself and his bleak view of the reality. So he does it over and over.

Or is it just a boredom thing? Like living is such a drug he can't help but try to die?

Dostoy is too afraid/guilty to go to heaven right away so he passes time by adding bits of different personalities to himself. He has this semi-free subscription to people's agendas, he only has to die to access them. It keeps him entertained. Like a Netflix but he has to die to watch a "movie" from someone's POV, with their goals/emotions intact still.

Dostoy wants to pick up a new passion/hobby? No problem. He just needs to find someone who likes that particular interest, and than get murdered by that person. Then Fyodor can gain their insights into the topic (possibly).

I wish I could see the way Dostoevsky envisions humanity. It seems like he's both enmeshed with it to the point of losing himself and at the same time he's discarded by humanity and isolated from it.

It's such a mixed-up experience. No wounder Fyodor's mind is so… Bizarre.

[sweetestcaptainhughes]

Why do you think that? - Nico Hischier

Word Count - 4400

Author's Note - I don't know how I feel about this segment part of me likes it, but as I was writing it I don't think it turned out as I wanted it to in my head. I don't know, let me know what you guys think as always.

Warnings - reader has body dysmorphia, mentions of anxiety, and low self-esteem due to body issues, but does end HAPPILY.

Summary - Y/N was happy with Nico, he made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. But what happens when an old friend of Y/N visits and they start looking back on old pictures. Or how does Nico handle Y/N pushing away when her body dysmorphia seems to finally catch up to her after so long of it being pushed to the back of her mind.

let me love you masterlist main masterlist

Dating Nico has been one of the best experiences of your life. He was like a breath of fresh air because even on the toughest days he would never judge you for what you felt, he truly loved you for all parts of you including the parts you hated about yourself.  Since meeting Nico, you truly haven’t had as many thoughts when it came to how you saw hips and the fact that they had some fat on them. Or how your stomach was very round and not the standard of beauty. Somehow Nico, without him even knowing, gave you the confidence to help not obsess over those parts of your body as you did before because he made you truly believe you were the most beautiful thing to walk the earth. 

When you got the call from your old high school friend Ethan, who was your best friend all of high school, and even college you would describe him as someone who was always there, always present, like a brother. But as anyone’s twentys’ naturally does, people drift apart in the most natural ways. He decided to move to San Francisco and start his career and you moved to New Jersey for the same reason. 

When Ethan called and told you that he was in town for the week due to work. Both of you immediately knew that you definitely needed a night to catch up after so long. The plan was Ethan would come over after work, and you guys would have dinner together at your apartment and then head to Nico’s home game after. Nico already needs to leave for the stadium before Ethan gets off work, so you told Nico you would introduce him to your friend after the game. 

The dinner was filled with reminiscing on all your memories together over the years. Laughter could be heard throughout the apartment at all the stories being told between the two of you about past memories. The night didn’t start to go downhill, until you were doing the dishes. Ethan was leaning against the counter near your fridge, still talking to you while you washed. That’s when he noticed all the little polaroids of you and Nico over the past two years. 

“Oh my god you still do that?!” The shock was clear in his voice, but with your back facing him you weren’t sure what he was talking about.

“Do what?” asking as you slightly turn your neck to see what Ethan was looking at. Noticing he was looking at the polaroids you nodded your head. “Yeah I hadn’t since college but I don’t know, Nico one day saw my old polaroid camera and some old pictures and it kind of just happened. Now anytime we travel somewhere new, or some type of event we take one. Even if it’s just a selfie.” you chuckled to yourself.

Remembering going to a family wedding last summer and taking a polaroid in the hotel bathroom because Nico insisted. To this Nico says it’s his favorite picture of you looking up at him, he looks down at you with all the love his eyes could have, as he watches you lean up on your toes trying to steal a kiss. The camera being held on his side as it flashes a mirror selfie, the bathroom counter covered in all your makeup products but Nico insisted he needed his picture. 

“Wait, you still have them?” Ethan’s booming voice full of excitement and reminiscing brings you out of your daydream. Turning the water off and drying your hands you turn to him. 

“Yeah somewhere around here.”

 “We still have an hour before we need to leave for the game right? Could we look at some of them?” He asks, his face full of excitement to see all your polaroids from over the years, knowing that it will probably unlock some memories that you both have forgotten. 

“Sure I guess if you want. I'll grab them from my room, meet ya in the living room.” A smile on your face at the idea of being able to go through the pictures with someone who was actually there. 

It only took you a few minutes to grab the two shoe boxes you kept most of your old polaroids in. Most of it was fighting to reach the top shelf that Nico put them on to create more space and being too stubborn to go ask Ethan for help. 

“Here they are.” making your way to the living room, setting the boxes done on the coffee table and sitting on the other end of the coach, your back resting against the arm of the couch. 

“Damn girl you really haven’t changed.” he says teasingly pointing out the fact that you’re still using the same shoeboxes to keep all your old polaroids in. 

“What can I say? I’m not sure if it’s more about tradition or pure laziness.” softly admitting that you haven’t ever even thought about putting them in a proper album. Unlike the extra ones you and Nico have. Almost all of them displayed on the fridge, in cute frames from Amazon that Nico insisted on, some in his stale, and his favorite currently in his pocket tucked in his wallet. 

Reaching for one of the boxes, Ethan puts it between you both as he turns to face you on the coach. Opening the lid and setting it on the floor, he reaches in and grabs the first picture on top. It’s both of you from your first homecoming dance Freshman year. Standing back to back, arms crossed laughing with some dumb glow stick glasses on. 

“Oh my god I can’t believe we were ever that young,” he admits. “Hey isn’t this the first one, like they were taking them that night or something.” 

“Yeah the one that started it all” you say softly, as Ethan keeps going on and on about what he remembers at that night. But your mind was occupied with other thoughts consumed with how snug your stomach looked in the dress, how round it stuck out compared to Ethan who stood next to you. Even though you can’t see it through his white dress shirt, you know at the time he had a 6 pack at the time. 

Ethan kept pulling out pictures, one by one some of them made you feel sick, looking at how big you looked. Some made you angry because how dare you make yourself think you were fat at the time but you weren’t. In fact, in the one from sophomore year of college, your stomach was as flat as the other girls standing next to you. In the photo all the girls are laughing except you. Even though you were drunk you remember that photo being taken like it happened five minutes ago. Remembering how one of the girls insisted they wanted polaroids with you like Ethan had currently hanging up in your dorm. Even though you try to forget, you will never forget how your pulse quickened because you believed that you gained more than a ‘Freshman fifteen’. Sucking in your stomach trying to hide behind the girls who stood around you, but they insisted on you being front and center. 

Gosh how you remember how your body trembled slightly, red solo cup in hand, you felt like an elephant in that moment. Remembering this picture you dreaded this picture being picked out when Ethan asked to look at all the old polaroids. 

“Dude you looked so fucking hot that night. Remember I was visiting you that weekend.” Still looking at the little photo.

“Hmmm” Even though you tried to get your eyes to look up from the photos to look somewhere that wasn’t making you either a)feel like shit for looking so big and still not having the body type you want or b) look away to ehlp the angry that was stewing from believing that you looked ugly back then for your stomach and wide hips, but at least then they were defined not all you had was fat rolls, where your hips should point out. 

“Y/N?” Ethan called your name for the third time in the 5 minutes, you were lost in your own thoughts. 

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked if you were okay?” concern laced in his voice. 

“Yeah great, we should get ready to go. Let me just change into something Devils related I’ll be right back.” you mumble the last part as you quickly turn to escape to your room. Leaving Ethan confused, because even though you considered him a brother for so many years, you battled your issues about your body by yourself. 

Standing in front of your full length mirror in nothing but your sports bra and leggings, you can’t help but pinch the skin around your hips, rolling the fat between your fingers. Noticing how worse you look than almost 5 years ago, even though back then you thought you looked the worse you ever had. But now, today, no your body was aging and you were gaining fat, and you hated yourself for it. Bringing back all those irrational feelings and thoughts you had when it came to being around your appearance. 

Originally you were planning on wearing the athletic leggings you were currently wearing and a crop top to the game. The crop top was a jersey crop top with his number on the back. He loved when you wore his jersey, but he really really loved when you wore that crop top. He told you one time that looking up in the stands and seeing you in it. Watching guys try to check you out, until they realized that it was a custom crop top. The back didn’t just have his number on it, it said husband on it where traditionally his name would be. Even though you weren’t married or even engaged. Nico knew you were it for him and it was only a matter of time before he got down on one knee. 

But now, feeling self conscious, even though you told Nico you would wear it tonight, you decided to change into your big black boyfriend style jeans that hide most of your lower stomach. Along with grabbing Nico’s extra jersey he kept, not only is Nico alone much bigger than you but this was meant for him in gear. It looked like you were swimming in and somehow you still felt like people could see your stomach like you were 9 months pregnant. Throwing on a black beanie with the devils logo on it because you always got cold in the stadium you left your bedroom to meet Ethan in the living room. 

“Hey ready?” you asked as you stood by the door and slid on some ugg booties. 

“Yeah. hey did I upset you earlier?” Looking up you could see Ethan was holding his breath, his eyes full of concern for you. 

“Nope I’m good, just got lost in thought about tonight’s game. Sorry” It was a real bullshit excuse, but it was the first thing you thought of. As the lie left your lips, you hoped that with the years apart Ethan couldn’t still read you like the back of his hand and could tell if you were lying. He just nodded at you, he never addressed if he knew or not and it made you very grateful for him in that moment. 

—---------------------------------------------------

The drive to the game was fine, both of you somehow falling back into your old comfort of being close for so many years. Driving into the level of the parking garage that was reserved for players and their families, security waving at you as you passed. 

“Whoa.” you could hear Ethan mumble from the passenger seat. 

“Honestly the parking is the best park” you joked, both of you laughing as you got out of the car and made your way into the stadium. 

Quickly you made it to your seats, you chose not to sit with the wags in the suite because you had Ethan. Sitting a few rows behind the devils bench. Since you stayed at the apartment a little longer than usual, you missed warmups. But you made it just in time to your seats right before puck drop. Nico saw you immediately and smiled, but then it dropped a little when he saw Ethan. It was then that you realized you had never actually told Nico that your friend from high school was a boy. ‘Fuck me’ you repeated in your head. It wasn’t that Nico didn’t trust you, he just didn’t trust others. He was also very big on open communication and you knew he probably thought you tried to hide on purpose which wasn’t the case. 

The first period was okay, Nico played a lot more aggressive towards the other team than he normally would. He was able to score a goal and one assist so he was kind of on fire from that standpoint. But everyone who knew him, could tell he was on edge, even Ethan who was next to you asked you about it. 

“Yeah he’s okay I think” you mumbled. Pulling out your phone to see Nicole, Jesper’s girlfriend even texted you to ask if everything was okay. Knowing that you will probably regret it later you ignored her and decided to text Nico. Knowing that it was a long shot that he checked his phone during intermission, you prayed that he would given the current situation, because honestly after the day you’ve had you don’t think you can mentally handle Nico being upset with you. 

Neeks 🏒Sent 7:30 PM

I swear it slipped my mind Neeks. 

Patiently you waited for a response, holding your phone in your hand but also still entertaining Ethan you felt your phone buzz 

Schatzi received 7:40 PM

Okay. I believe you. 

Is he an ex?

Schatzi received 7:43 PM

Nevermind I hate myself for asking that. 

Especially over text. See you after schatzi. 

Neeks 🏒 7:44 PM

No never, he’s like my brother. 

Please don’t apologize for asking. I love you. 

Nico heard your last message and then he was gone, focused back on talking to the team and rehydrating you. Feeling more at ease then you did earlier you somehow made it through the rest of the game. The Devils won against the Stars 3 - 1, you felt on fire as you stood and cheered with the rest of the fans. 

Turning to Ethan you gestured towards the ice, knowing that Nico was going to come over because he had to go back to the locker room and do post game press tonight. Nico took his helmet off as he skated off the ice to stand in the tunnel for you guys. Security knowing you let you pass, and eventually Ethan once you told him he was with you. 

“Hi you played so good.” As you greeted Nico with a hug in the tunnel. It wasn’t the prettiest hug given all the gear and even more so height difference with his skates on. 

“Thank you baby. Sorry” he whispered the end in your ear. Reaching up to deepen the hug for a few more seconds. Your body automatically stiffened as he brought his hands to your hips squeezing, immediately you tried to push the negative thoughts to the back of your mind that were flooding in by that one little simple touch from Nico. 

“I’m sorry too.” Pulling away you couldn’t help the smile knowing that there wasn’t any weird tension between you both. But the smile didn’t reach your eyes and Nico noticed immediately, his eyes quickly flashing you a questioning look before you both turned to the other person standing in the tunnel next to you. 

Quickly you introduced the pair, before Nico had to quickly head to the locker room and shower before some quick interviews. Walking out of the stadium, Ethan told you that he had a great time catching up and went ahead and ordered an uber so you didn’t have to drive him home. 

It worked out since Nico texted you to wait for him, since he pulled with the Hughes brothers to the game with the intention of driving home with you at the end of the night. Once Ethan got in his uber you made your way back into the Rock, and quickly flashed your family badge and slowly made your way to the tunnel with locker rooms. 

Finding yourself getting lost in your head, over obsessing about how your body currently looked compared to the other wags as they waited for their partners. Even though you tried you couldn’t help yourself from comparing your body to theirs. None of them had round hips that you couldn’t even see their figure due to the fat on them. Nor were they above the size 3 on a good day. You must if been lost in your thoughts for longer then you thought because before you knew you felt someone touch your arm, slightly jumping at the touch. 

“Schatzi it’s me” Nico’s surprised by your reaction to his touch. 

“Sorry I was distracted.”

“I could tell” A light chuckle left his lips. “Wanna talk about what you were thinking about?” As he steps closer into your space, normally you would love it when he wrapped his arms around you and caged you against the wall behind you.

“Nico please, I just wanna go home.” you begged him, the hurt that flashed across his face left as quickly as it came. 

“Yeah let’s go.” backing up and taking your hand as he led you both to your car. “I’ll drive home baby.” he offered as you made it to the car, you unlocked it and he put his gear in the backseat. As you slipped into the passenger seat and buckled your seatbelt you couldn’t help but think about how round your stomach was despite the jersey you were wearing. 

Nico went to reach his hand over, he tried putting it on your thigh but you just decided to hold it between your own, tracing each tiny scare that you could see. There was no hiding that something was off with you, and you knew he knew something was wrong and it was only a matter of time before he asked you. Thankfully you made it all the way back to your apartment before he dared to open his mouth, praying that you were in the clear. As you both made it to your bedroom. Nico made his way to the in-suite bathroom to start his night time routine. But all you had the energy to do was grab Nico’s biggest oversize shirt, strip your clothes off you currently had on, not even bothering to put them in the hamper and slip under the covers. 

Nico came out a few minutes later, at first he didn’t notice the lump that was your body in the darkness of the room, Not until after he changed into sweats and turned to shoot his clothes in the dirty hamper. “KOBE!” He yelled, you weren’t facing him but you knew that meant he made it, and that was when he noticed that you didn’t put your clothes in the hamper. Something that you literally bicker at him if he doesn’t do it immediately. It was then that he realized you were already under the covers, you didn’t even do any skin care, shit he thought to himself you didn’t even brush your teeth. His face was a deep frown as he was worried about what happened from the time he left for the game to now merely 6 hours later. 

He climbed under the covers and reached out for you, you were on the far edge of the bed trying to take as little space as possible. Even though you felt like you were hogging the bed with your body. Lost in your one mind, your own dark thoughts of insecurities about how you looked clouding your mind, you didn’t even notice Nico’s light touches trying to reach out for you.

“Y/N” he gently said. Somehow that immediately brought you out of your trance, he never called you by your name, not even around his teammates, family it didn’t matter it was always schatzi, baby, love, never Y/N. 

Making a sound of acknowledgement that you heard him, he rested under your hip bone and gently rubbed it, trying to bring you comfort, but it just made you stiffen. Making all your insecure thoughts come flooding in at even a faster rate, you think about why he was with you when he could have any girl he wanted. Noticing your body stiffen at his touch, he deeply sighed. “My love. Please look at me.” The brokenness of his voice, broke your spirit cutting deep into you, the last thing you wanted was to hurt Nico. He scooted closer to you, or maybe he pulled you closer you couldn’t tell and honestly didn’t care because all you craved was his touch while you still had it before your mind pushed him away like everyone else. 

Closing your eyes you covered your face with your arm as Nico gently turned you in his arms. Now you were laying your back, Nico resting on his arm, looking down at you. “Why are you crying baby?” Nico was waiting for you to talk, you both knew he wasn’t gonna let it go until you told him what was wrong. He spoke up, this time his words surprised you “Was it Ethan?” his voice laced with anger at the thought that something happened when he wasn’t here. 

“No.” 

“Then what?” he gently asked, his hand moving from your hips to go up and down your side. 

“Do you hate my body?” you spoke softly. Nico’s hand stopped, causing you to cry a little harder out of your own insecurities coming to life. Was this it? Was this the moment everything ended with him? Did he finally realize that you didn’t have a perfect body like all the other wags? 

“Why would you think that?” pulling you closer once his brain catches up to your words. The shock was clear in his voice, as to why you would ever think he could hate any part of you. 

“Because I do.” turning to him. He pulls you into your arms, holding you tightly against himself, one arm tucked around your waist, the other almost crashing your head into his shoulder. Any other time you would complain, but tonight you welcomed the bone crushing feeling. After a few minutes of crying, your tears seem to finally slow down enough, your throat raw from the sobs that you left out, as your still body slightly shakes, riding out this emotional turmoil. 

“Again. Why would you think that?” Although Nico spoke soft, in the dark dimmed lighting of your bedroom, the gravity of his voice was clear. 

“I always have.” Letting out a sigh as you slightly pushed your head away so you could look up at Nico. His soft brown eyes easily show the hurt within them, gazing intently into yours as he waited patiently for you to continue. “I - I hate my hips, and I hate how round my stomach is.” Taking a few more breaths you continued. 

“You know how we take polaroids cause you found out I use to do it as a teenager and in college?” you softly ask. The confusion of the sudden change of subject was clear in Nico’s face but nonetheless he nodded, knowing it would all connect in the end. “Well Ethan saw the ones on our fridge tonight, and I told him how it started because you found some of the old ones.” 

“Okay” he softly said, encouraging you to continue. 

“Well I don’t know if I ever told you, but I actually started that because of my first school dance in high school, they were taking polaroids. Ethan and I took the first one together and I don’t know if it kind of stuck. I begged my mom for one for Crhistmas and before I knew it I had a collection.” Taking a deep breath you continued, looking anywhere but at Nico during your next confession. 

“Well I always believed I was big in high school, I became obsessed with the fact that all my friends had guys around fighting for their attention but no one did that for me. It made me think it was because of my body, my hips are wider than most girls and they have fat on them. And my stomach it-” 

“Why is all of this coming up now though baby?”

“Well Ethan asked to look at the old ones I had, so we did. But they just made me angry because I wasn’t that big in some of them at all. I made myself believe that I was fat but I wasn’t, and it made me angry because this girl believed she was unlovable because of her body, and I carried that shit with me! And now I actually am big since college and you deserve someone who isn’t anything less perfect” 

“Stop.” he slightly begged not because he didn’t want to hear your thoughts but because they were physically causing him pain, as to how someone so beautiful could think so little of themselves. 

“You my sweet Y/N are the definition of beauty. I don’t know what you're talking about with this hip wide, stomach bullshit. You are the most beautiful, loving, sexy girl I have ever seen. I don’t want anyone else okay? Ever. “ His voice makes emphasis on his last words. 

“I am deeply, madly, in love with you. Do you think I ever forced a girl to take pictures let alone POLAROIDS with me for every little thing?” The question came off as slightly rhetorical, but he still in true Nico flash giggled in the middle of a dramatic pause. “No. Because I think in the back of my mind, I always knew there would be someone after them, but you, you're it for me. Okay.” 

“Okay.” 

“I think we should talk more tomorrow about getting help. This sounds serious, my love.” Shaking your head okay to his suggestion. “Good. I love you.” leaving a gently kiss in between each word he continued to whisper sweet nothings until he felt your body relax, causing him to finally feel at ease truly for the first time that night, allowing both of you to fall asleep in a deep slumber.

[pagelets]

Danger- C.B

Synopsis: Choi Beomgyu is a South Korean spy in a cyberpunk era where South Korea has imposed Prohibition across the entire country. One night out in NeoTokyo, while trying to gather information, Beomgyu meets a girl as mysterious as himself. Falling in love while on duty is a dangerous thing, especially when it’s with someone who has as many secrets as he does. 

Disclaimers: nsfw, contains smut.

Word count: 16k

Notes: I recommend you to read this with Gyu's deep voice in your mind (I swear it hits different). And honestly, I don't think Beomgyu would be able to live without his precious 멕주 (aka beer) for 6 whole years, haha.

위험

NeoTokyo, Japan; spring of 2333:

Beomgyu was standing on the sidewalk across from a milk shop. It was night and he had his hands tucked in his black sweats ‘cause of the cold air of late spring. He stared at the sign of the store, the bright red and white lights formed the name: Ichigo’s Palace, “A milk shop”, he muttered to himself before chuckling, “Subtle”, he looked to both sides of the street, then crossed it to enter the establishment.

 As he pushed the glass door open, his vision was filled with a scene straight out of a 2000s anime. From the strawberry-shaped booths and the checkered red&white tile floor to the oversized milk cartons pinned on the walls— with their kawaii faces grinning at him— made him feel like he was trapped into some kind of bizarre coffee shop video game, “What the hell…”. Approaching the counter, he hesitated before pressing the button on the touchscreen, the monitor flickered to life, revealing a cute virtual attendant, wearing a maid outfit. Her oversized eyes sparkled, and her high pitched voice greeted him cheerfully: “Welcome to Ichigo’s Palace! How can I help you today?”, Beomgyu moisturized his lips before saying the secret code he had memorized, “One strawbeery milk, please”. As the words came out of his mouth, the screen froze, then turned black for a few moments, before showing a message: please proceed to the payphone at the end of the corridor on your right, he obeyed the virtual command, wondering what was a payphone during his ride down the hall. He couldn't avoid glancing around looking for cameras, he found 2 hidden among the milkshakes and desserts advertising on the walls. 

He turned to the right and saw a large, rectangular, metallic thing attached to the wall. It had a moving part—the receiver— that resembled another device he had seen once in an antique store in Busan, “Using old technology to avoid being tracked… clever”, he thought. 

Beomgyu reached out his hand, pulled the receiver off the hook and brought it to his ear, but immediately had to pull away due to a loud buzz coming from the other end of the line, “Shit!”, he cursed while pressing his ear, “Hello? Is there anyone there?”, he heard a voice coming from the speaker, “Yes”, he said placing it back to his ear, “Name and ID number, please” “Chen Beomgyu, 130301040319” “Hold on”, after a few minutes of silence the voice came back, “Please, put the receiver back on the hook and protect your head with your forearms” “What?!”, he asked, confused, but the only response he got was another loud buzz. He pulled the receiver away from his head and stared at it, unsure of what to do. Then, the floor gave away beneath his feet, pulling him down into a dark hole. Beomgyu felt a bang to his head, instantly regretting not obeying the mysterious voice. He couldn’t see anything and had no idea where he was going to, but by the way his body was moving, making sharp curves at a high speed, he assumed he was on a slide heading to the speakeasy bar,  “Aaaaahhh!”, he shouted, his deep voice echoing through the metallic tube, “How did I end up here?”, he asked to himself. 

Choi Beomgyu ended up in a turbulent, dark slide beneath a milk shop in NeoTokyo, with a fake identity and a mission to investigate clandestin bars because he was a spy for the South Korean government. 6 years ago, in 2327, the South Koren president decided to ban alcohol consumption, under the pretext of providing a longer and healthier life for the citizens. But the actual truth was, the president was a clever player, th alcohol producers, including artisans and industrials, had been gaining more and more political influence. Fearing losing his power to them, the president implemented the Prohibition, and it didn’t happen only in Korea, but also in one of its main allies, Japan. Together, they launched an anti-alcohol campaign across all Asia. Industries were closed and liters of alcohol were burned in public places, even so, illegal bars and shops still existed,that’s where Beomgyu’s job came in— locating, investigating and commanding the destruction of those places, as well as arresting those who kept them running, was the role of the army and its advanced reconnaissance squads. 

According to his contacts in Japan, the milk shop was also a front for a clandestin bar, the Japanese spies couldn’t infiltrate ‘cause all their IDs were marked by the criminals. But Beomgyu was Korean, young, had a charming smile and incredible persuasion skills— including his cute pout in extreme cases. That’s why he was there.

He wished he hadn't complained about the slide because when he reached the end, he fell into a ball pit that, instead of colorful balls, had purple and cyan cubes with a jelly consistency to cushion the fall. He was submerged among the cubes, which glowed in a neon glow, “Biotech”, he tought, before moving to the surface and breathing deeply. 

Around the ball pit, was the supposed bar, decorated in neon tones of purple, green, blue, and pink. The walls were made of metal, giving the place an industrial vibe. On the ceiling, there were black and blue light lamps and tubes which a yellow fluorescent liquid flowed through. Electronic music played from the speakers, and he could feel the bass vibration on his chest. People danced nonchalantly on the dancefloor, holding different laboratory glassware containing neon liquids in various colors— it was a true underground rave.“Clandestin, but not amateur”, he thought.

He left the ball pit and moved through the crowd, cautiously scanning the place: there were no cameras, no guards, no doors or even a single window, the place seemed to have been designed to prevent any sort of invasion. For a spy, that place was a trap, in which he was completely locked in. He leaned over the counter, and there was a bartender with a bionic arm on the other side, “How can I help you tonight, sir?” “Beer. Cold”, he said, “Right away”, the man went to the kitchen, leaving Beomgyu alone. He sat on the bar stool, still alert, his fingers drummed against the counter while he tried to architect an escaping plan in the back of his head, but still seemed impossible— he definitely couldn’t crawl the slide up and it had no perspective of getting out of that place. The same man from before came back with his beer, “Your drink, sir” “Thank you”, the drink had a radioactive chic look, glowing fluorescent pink and served in a chemistry glassware, a Beaker. Beomgyu grabbed the container and looked at it with suspicion, “Is this thing radioactive?”, he said loud enough to catch the attention of a woman sitting a few stools away, “Relax, you won’t die. At least not of that”, she said in a playful tone.

He looked toward the sweet voice coming from his right, the woman seemed young, not like a teenager, but like a mature woman in her mid 20s. She had an octopus tattooed on her right hand, and he was almost certain that her arms— exposed by a black tank top— were stronger than his. Besides that, she had dark short hair styled in an undercut, with locks dyed in blue, pink and green that glowed under the black and blue lights. She was a badass, that was for sure, maybe even an outcast. “Are you sure?”, he asked, his face relaxing for the first time since he stepped into that place, “Yes, beer is my go-to in this place”, she said before drinking the glowing blue drink that was in a round bottom flask. 

Beomgyu adjusted himself on the barstool, turning toward her. "So, do you come here often?, she smirked, “You like asking questions, don't you...", she left room for him to say his name, "Beomgyu. Chen Beomgyu" "Beomgyu..." Isn't that a Korean name?" “Damn. She's sharp”, he thought, "My great grandfather was Korean"

"Ah! So you have Korean heritage” "I guess so”, he shrugged. She smiled, then raised her frask, "To the Koreans, who made this place possible”, he raised his Beaker, laughing, “Cheers!" “Cheers!”. He brought the glass to his lips and drank the suspicious drink, the cold beer hit his throat like magic, the bitter taste in contrast with the smooth bubbles of the carbonation, feeling like a dream to him. She watched his Adam's apple move up and down as he swallowed the drink, she couldn't deny that he was attractive. After drinking half the beer, he let out a satisfied sound, something like: "Ah!", which made him even more attractive. "Was it good?", she asked, "It was perfect. I haven’t drunk beer in years” "Well, you’re in the right place now”. He looked at her in a way he shouldn’t have, he should’ve been subtly questioning her to maybe get some useful information about that bar. But no, there he was, looking at her and thinking of compliments, thinking about how he wanted to ask her questions— not to investigate the place— but to get to know her better. "You’re beautiful, you know that?", he let it slip, "Do you think so?" "I do" "Thanks…", she felt her cheeks burn and a shy smile form on her lips so she grabbed her drink and tried to hide her  flusterness behind the glass. Beomgyu followed along, "It even tastes like real beer, doesn’t it?,  she commented, changing the subject, "This isn’t real beer?", she laughed. "Beomgyu, stop asking questions!”, suddenly she stood up, “C’ mon�� “Where are we going?” “Dancing, silly”, he didn’t move an inch, “C’mon! I won’t bite you”, she offered her hand, he switched his gaze from her hand to her eyes, which begged him to accept. Hesitantly, Beomgyu grabbed her hand and after emptying the Beaker, stood up and followed her to the dance floor. 

“What are you doing?”, he asked himself while they moved through the crowd, “You're not here to have fun, you're here on duty, to find clues”, he lectured on himself, but his conscious didn't matter at that moment, what mattered was to see her happy and if dancing with him was going to make her happy, he was going to dance with her.

 “So…”, he started— his voice slightly louder to be heard over the music— as they danced to the sound of another electric beat coming from the speakers, “...are you a regular?” “You already asked me that” “And you haven’t answered”, instead of answering, she turned around and glued the back of her body in front of his, he could feel her ass pressing against his crotch. He could already feel the blood flow increasing in the area of his genitals as he moved her hips in swing motions, completely lost in the music— driving him insane. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he opened again, he spotted the tattoo he saw earlier, “I like your tattoo”, she turned her neck to look at him, “Which one?” “The octopus”, he showed her the back of his own hand,  “Right! I forget that’s the only tattoo other people can see” “Do you have others?” “Oh, a lot more” “Really?” “Yes”. She turned to face him again, Beomgyu silently thanked for that, then she pulled her tank top up just to show her first left ribs, “TXT”, he read, “Yeah” “What’s that?” “Something really special to me”, she put her top down again. “You don’t really like answering questions, do you?”, he teased her, “And you really like asking them, don’t you?”, she teased back, “Well, I do like actually” “Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”, she said approaching him, “Don’t you think that not answering them it’s even more suspicious?”, she looked into his eyes, “I have nothing to hide, Beomgyu”. Their hearts were beating faster, their breaths getting shallow, maybe because of the drinks or maybe because of the undeniable chemistry they had, “Neither do I”, he was lying, of course, but also was she, they both could tell, but both of them couldn’t care less. 

All that mattered was that they were leaning in, their lips were getting closer and closer, almost blending into a beautiful mistake when they heard the sound of something crashing in the background, Beomgyu turned toward the noise, a shower of glass came flying their way, so he immediately turned back to shield and protect her.

That mess was the result of 2 idiots getting into a fight and spoiling everyone's night. “Shit! Are you ok?”, she cursed underneath the protection of his body, “Yes”, he tried to suppress a moan of pain, “Just some scratches. How about you?” “I’m good”, the two brawlers started to get more aggressive, “Fuck those assholes! Let's get out of here”, she said, “How?” “Just follow me”, she said, grabbing his hand, not really giving him much option, and dragged him with her towards the kitchen. He concluded she was a regular customer, since she knew a way of getting out of that bunker, as they moved through the kitchen, dodging droids and cyborgs, his eyes scanned the cabinets, appliances, and utensils, trying to figure out where the secret exit was. Until she stopped in front of an industrial freezer, "Are you a fan of the cold?" "Not really” "Then you might not like what I'm about to tell you”, she said, opening the freezer door, "Please don’t tell me there’s another slide in there”, she laughed, "No, no. Just a few meters of ice. You go in, walk until you reach the edge, climb down the fire escape, and jump” "Where does that lead?" "An old abandoned subway station" "A ghost station?"

"Yes. From there, we can walk to Ginza” "Alright" "Now go, I’ll be right behind you", Beomgyu nodded in agreement. He took a deep breath before stepping into the freezer, the cold air got into his nostrils, burning them, he could hear the sound of ice cracking around him, "Who thought it was a good idea?", he complained, squinting his eyes as the icy wind blew against his face— he could swear he’d leave that place with frozen eyelashes. But his agony was about to end, after walking a few meters, he reached the edge of a drop, looking down, it seemed more like a sewer than a train station. With his hands trembling from the cold, he grabbed the freezing metal of the fire escape and climbed down, being careful not to slip. With a jump, he landed in the mysterious ghost station, the first thing he did was look  around as always, the armed guards he missed in the bar were down there, illuminated by neon blue lights, “Whoever did all that, it’s a fucking genius”, he thought. Beomgyu tried not to stare too much, but it was almost impossible, the men were tall and strong, like walking walls, and they carried rifles in their hands. There were also machine guns on the ground, probably for defense against attacks.

He nodded casually at one of the guards who was suspiciously staring at him, the man nodded back, gripping his weapon tightly, "Don’t be nervous" he heard her voice coming from above, "Anyone new is suspicious”, she said descending the ladder. Beomgyu quickly moved to hold her by the waist, helping her come down, "Thanks," she said when she reached the ground with him, "Where are you heading?" she asked, "Shibuya" "Great! We can walk to Ginza together". "What’s the story of this place?" he asked as they walked,

"The abandoned station?" "Yeah" "From what I know it was occupied during the rebellions when Prohibition was implemented. After it ended it stayed abandoned until they built the bar here" "You know a lot of things" "Not really", she shrugged, "You know… I never imagined myself doing something like this", he confessed, "Like what?" "Walking on an underground train rail with a stranger, surrounded by armed men after witnessing a bar brawl", she laughed, "What?! How have you never done this before?" "What? Have you?" "Of course! All the time, actually" "Maybe you could teach me how to have fun” "Yeah, I think so. You could use some lessons”, he placed a hand on his chest, pretending he was offended, but before he could say something, she stopped and climbed another fire escape under a manhole cover. She pushed the cover open and looked around before sliding it to the side and stepping out, "Come on!" she said, looking down at him, he climbed the ladder, putting his head out first— it was a dark, empty alley, the only light was an old Japanese sodium vapor lamp, relatively safe. She reached out her hand to help him climb up, he took it, feeling the strength he had already guessed she had, "Wow, you’re strong. Were you ever in the military?" he ventured, she gave him a smile, chuckling softly, "Good guess". She slid the manhole cover back into place, "I think that’s hot", he said, completely unfiltered as she walked toward him, "You think so?" "Yeah”, their bodies were close, hearts already racing, and breaths were slightly heavy once again. His eyes blinked slowly, and he moisturized his lips, a sign of what was about to happen. She was so beautiful, even more so close like that. Beomgyu looked down at her slightly lifted heels, and then he looked up again. Without being able to control himself, he bent down, her face drawing closer to his. His stomach knotted with anticipation, their lips approached more and more , until they finally met in a passionate, desperate kiss. His spy instincts— never let your guard down— completely failing. Beomgyu hadn’t felt the euphoria of drinking in a long time, so he wasn’t sure if it was the beer or the kiss that brought it back. After they pulled away searching for oxygen, completely against their wishes, she avoided his eyes, she was shy, something that Beomgyu never thought it was possible to see, “You didn't say your name”, he asked with a smile printed on his face. She introduced herself, “Nice to meet you” “Nice to meet you too, Beomgyu” “Do you live around Ginza?”, she smiled, “There you go with your questions again” “Answer at least this one”, he pouted, making her roll her eyes, “Fine. I live in Shimokitazawa with some friends” “With friends?” “Yes, 4 friends. Me and 4 guys” “Do you live with 4 guys?”, asked, completely in disbelief,  “Yeah” “You’re courageous” “I know. What about you?” “I live by myself in Shibuya” “You should try living with your friends, it’s so much fun” “I don’t have any friends” “Well, now you have me” “But…”, he approached his lips to her ear, “...what if I don’t want to be friends only?”, she smirked, “So we should meet again” “Yes”, she grabbed her phone from her pocket, “Leave your number” “Okay”, he mumbled shyly, tapping his phone number, “There you go” “Alright. I text you”, he nodded, “Have a good night, Beomgyu. And stop asking questions, you can get in trouble because of that”, she said before winking and walking away to disappear in the night.

 At the end of the day, as Beomgyu floated home, completely lost in ecstasy, he was sure of one thing only— it wasn't about his mission, nor about the girl, but about himself: he was completely screwed.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

In a cozy apartment in Shimokitazawa:

Yeonjun dragged his tired body to the living room. He heard a sound coming from there, and since he lost at rock, paper, scissors, he was the one who had to check what was going on. He held a hair straightener in one hand, hoping it would be enough to beat the supposed thief, but thankfully, it wasn't. It was just one of his roommates, "Bro, what are you doing? It's 3 AM”, he complained to her, who had her head stuck in the fridge, looking for a snack, "I'm hungry” "Where were you?" "At the bar” "How was it?", he said, throwing his tired body on the couch. She grabbed a bowl with green grapes and joined him on the couch, "It was good. I met a cute guy”, Yeonjun smirked, "Really?” "Yes” "And how was it?" "It was good. He's a weird type who asks a lot of questions, but is very charming" "What kind of questions?” "About the bar. I suspect he is Korean" "Why do you think that?" "He said he hasn't drunk beer in six years, and he lives alone in Japan, no friends, no family" "Maybe he left the country to drink something that doesn't taste or look like dirty water”, Yeonjun referred to the beverage the government replaced alcohol with, something very suspicious and disgusting. She laughed, placing the bowl down and grabbing the remote, "I recorded a drama" "Did you? Let’s watch it" "Should we call the other guys?" "I’ll wake them up" “Alright”.

There were five of them in total: Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin, Kang Taehyun, Huening Kai, and her. Together, they were TXT, short for Tomorrow X Together, a gang of exiled South Korean former soldiers. They operated with other gangs in Japan, trying to get rid of every person involved with the South Korean government— it didn’t matter how, they were going to get their revenge. Years of serving their nation only to be discarded like that would not be forgiven.

She opened the texting app and sent a picture of the grape bowl to Beomgyu:

 ‘Have you eaten already?’

Then she locked her phone and closed her eyes, thinking about their kiss.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

Shibuya, NeoTokyo, Japan:

In a dark and wet underground garage, Beomgyu was struggling to take his fake contacts from his left eye, “Why is this thing so annoying?”, he grumbled to Jeongin, aka I.N, his partner for that mission, that guy was good with computers, so while Beomgyu collected information, I.N broke them down. “Did you rather get an implanted camera?” “Not even death”, he heard creepy stories about implantations which went very wrong, “Just a little more and…”, he took the lens out of his red eye, “Ugh! That’s ugly, bro. You should put some saline solution in that eye, man” “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and watch the tape” “Alright”, Beomgyu went to the bathroom and looked for some gauze and saline solution, his eye hurt really bad every time he used that contact. He heard a buzz coming from his pocket and grabbed his phone to see what it was: a text from her. She was eating grapes and wanted to know if he had eaten already. He smiled, no one cared about if he had eat or not since his mother died when he was just 14 years old:

‘I haven't yet’, he replied back, 

‘Go eat, then’

 ‘I’ll soon’

‘Can't stop thinking about our kiss…’, she confessed. He was about to answer ‘me too’, when he remembered I.N was watching the whole thing he recorded through the hidden camera on the fake contacts, “Shit!”. He placed his phone on the metallic sink and ran to the other room, exactly in the part when they kissed. Of course nothing could be seen since he had his eyes closed but it could be heard, Jeongin turned around and looked at him “Bro…” “Why are you still watching it?”, Beomgyu asked, completely embarrassed, “Her moans are sexy”, the other man felt his blood boiling out of embarrassment,  “Take that off!” “Why? Don’t you think this is sexy?”. Of course he  agreed with Jeongin, but Beomgyu knew what was coming next, his own moans. I.N never reached for a button that fast in his life. He grabbed an empty can of Cherry Coke he had on his desk and threw it on his partner, “Why didn't you say before?!”, Beomgyu dodged the can, “Cause it was embarrassing enough already!”, he shouted, feeling his cheeks burning, “Who's the girl?” “I don't know” “So you kissed a complete stranger?” “I just know her first name. I was investigating her, I think she's a regular to that bar” “That’s an interesting way of investigating someone”, Jeongin teased him before turning back to the computer screen,  “Well, while I’ill try to gather information through facial recognition from the images you got, you keep investigating her”, he said casually while he tapped in his keyboard. 

Beomgyu nodded, investigating her was the natural thing to do, he knew it— his analytical spy brain knew it— even so, he couldn't help but feel flustered with the idea, he liked her for some reason. His confusion was clearly printed on his face, “You shouldn't have kissed her”, Jeongin said without taking his eyes from the screen, “Excuse me?” “You let your guard down, man.You know, this girl can be involved with illegal stuff. She can either be your way to get more information or she can be your downfall” ” “I know, she’s just…”, I took his bangs from his eyes, “... different. I don’t know why or how but she got my instincts to fail” “Just don’t get too attached, bro. If she’s involved in some operation, she’ll kill you the second she finds out who you really are” “I know that. I won’t get too involved”. Jeongin leaned back in his chair, “Good. Now go take some rest while I dig into this”, Beomgyu just nodded, and dragged his body to the apartment above the humid garage after grabbing his phone in the bathroom. 

His mind raced as he thought about her, her confidence, her strength, and the way her lips tasted like sweet watermelon lip gloss and bitter beer. Despite knowing it was dangerous, part of him wanted to see her again, and the other part knew he had to for the good of the mission, so he picked up his phone and replied to her, 

‘I can’t stop thinking about it either. Let’s meet again soon, you pick the place ;)’.

After sending the text, he lay on the bed with his back flat to the mattress, staring at the ceiling. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he was certain it was not going to end well, either for her or for him.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

Shinjuku, NeoTokyo, Japan: 

The next time they saw each other was 2 days later, on a date at a ramen restaurant hidden inside the brick walls of an alley in Shinjuku. The neon lights on the ceiling gave off a soft pink glow over the only counter in the place, creating an intimate and cozy atmosphere. Beomgyu was sitting at the counter, nervously drumming his fingers on it while he waited for her to arrive. Would she really show up? Or was this all part of an ambush? He shouldn’t trust her so much. His chaotic and anxious thoughts calmed down when he saw her walking toward him, gracefully, the colorful strands of her hair glowed even more under the pink light — he had never seen a girl as enchanting as her before, and her smile? Ah, when she smiled at him, all his worries melted away— how could he not trust her? She sat next to him with a playful smile on her lips, “You really are into secret places, aren’t you? First a fake milk shop, now a ramen hidden in the thickness of the wall...", he said, "What can I say? I have a thing for places with personality” "That suits you," she smiled shyly, but before she could respond, the chef came over to take their order. Beomgyu watched as she read the menu and decided what to eat, he was so absorbed in watching her that he lost track of reality, "What about you, sir?" the chef asked. He looked at the man, completely disconnected from himself, "Hum... the same as hers”, the chef nodded, then walked away. 

 “So, did I pass the test?”, she tilted her head, confused, “Test?” “You know, the one girls do to figure out if the guy’s cool enough to see them again”, she grinned, “You’re so lame! You’re lucky I’m a sucker for charming smiles and too many questions” “I’m just a curious guy. Don’t you think that’s sexy?”, she hummed, “Sexy? I wouldn’t put it like that. It’s more like… How do you say it? Oh, right! Annoying”, he smirked, “Well, since you already think I’m annoying, I’ll keep going with the questions” "Here we go" she rolled her eyes, but the smile that never left her face when she was with him, showed how much she was enjoying that, “What’s the story behind that octopus tattoo?” “The octopus? It’s a reminder” “Of what?” “Of resilience. It can also mean camouflage, you know, adapting to whatever life throws at you” “So you had a rough past?”, she looked at him before sipping her drink. He took advantage of the silence to tease her even more— a strategy to get the information he wanted, “In the military, maybe?”, she choked on her drink, coughing in response, then looked at him pale as if she had seen a ghost, “Did I get it right?”, he said, smirking. 

She nodded. "Yes, I was..." she drank more sake, why was she even considering telling her past to someone who was almost a stranger? There had to be something connecting her to him because she couldn’t stop her tongue, "... I was dishonorably discharged” "Am I about to eat ramen with a murderer?", he joked, but she didn’t smile, just shook her head, denying, “A traitor, then?” “Deserter” “Oh!” “Yeah… but what about you?”, she quickly changed the subject, “Any tattoos I should know about?” “None. I’m boring like that.”, she laughed, the tension fading away, “Boring? You go to secret bars and drink radioactive chic beer. Not exactly boring in my opinion” “You have a point. But tell me something, do you always go out with guys you met at that bar?” “No, you’re the first. Consider yourself special” “Special?”, he puffed out his chest, feeling his ego inflated, "I like that”. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the chef, "Enjoy your meal," he said, and they thanked him in unison before Beomgyu continued with the conversation, "You said you live in Shimokitazawa, right?", she nodded, "That’s a cool area. What’s it like living with four guys?", he asked between bites, "Chaotic, to say the least”, she shrugged, still chewing, "It’s messy, and also loud. But they’re family, we’ve been through a lot together" "In the military?", she nodded again, "Sounds nice. The family part, not the chaos” "What? Can’t handle a little noise?", she teased. Beomgyu leaned in closer— close enough for his cologne to fill her lungs— and spoke in a low voice, "Depends on the noise". She blushed, placing a hand on her chest and pretending to be innocent, "Are you flirting with me, Chen Beomgyu?!" "Depends. Is it working?”, she stopped chewing, holding her gaze with his , their faces were so close, "Maybe", he gave her a silly grin and leaned back, satisfied, "I can live with that", she smiled shyly, silently begging herself to stop blushing. They continued eating and teasing each other, a playful energy flowing effortlessly between them.

After finishing their meal and chatting, they left the ramen shop, the alleyway was bathed in the glow of neon signs in kanji, reflecting on puddles on the dark pavement. The air was cold, Beomgyu took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She looked at him with a grateful smile, pulling the edges closer, "You okay?", he asked, "Yeah, why?" "You didn’t even finish your food" "Oh! I enjoy the experience more than the food itself", she glanced at him, "Anyway, I thought spies were supposed to notice these things”, he was almost certain his face turned pale, yet he smiled softly and tried to keep cool, "So now I’m a spy?", she smirked, "Well, you ask too many questions and you show up in unusual places you don’t even go often. Either you’re a spy or a guy with way too much free time" "Maybe I was just meant to be at that bar that night… to meet you”. She stopped walking and looked into his eyes, "That’s more dangerous than being a spy, you know", her tone was playful, but he could see something dark in her gaze, as if she was trying to warn him about something. He let it slide, he was here to investigate her, not to dive deeper into her world—or at least that’s what he kept trying to convince himself, he couldn’t tell the difference anymore. "Dangerous? I think you’re overestimating yourself" "What do you mean?", she raised an eyebrow, trying to get into the shield he kept between them, "That maybe I like danger", he mumbled, she looked away and kept walking, "You should be careful, Beomgyu”. 

They passed a street artist playing a smooth jazz melody on a saxophone, Beomgyu subtly followed along the rhythm with his head, she glanced at him—he was so cute, yet so enchanting— he shouldn’t be with someone like her, with dirty secrets and full of sins. "Why did you want to see me again?", she asked, he looked at her, surprised by the question, "Do I need a reason?" "People usually seek out others for their own benefit. What do you want from me?", he turned to face her, "Can’t I just want to spend quality time with you?" "I don’t understand how someone like you could simply want to spend time with someone like me" "Someone like me?"  "Yeah. Predictable", he chuckled internally— If there was one thing Beomgyu wasn’t, it was predictable. "Ouch" "Predictable isn’t always bad” "If I’m predictable, then you’re full of surprises" "I know". He took a few steps closer to her tilting his head slightly, carefully choosing his words, "Maybe someone like me just needs someone like you", she kept eye contact, her expression completely unreadable, "Look, if I were a spy, I’d say you’re impossible to crack" "That’s exactly what I’m trying to do" "Have I mentioned I like challenges?" "Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be my downfall?", she said, "Because I feel the same way". “Beomgyu...", their voices were barely audible, "Hum?" "I’m no good" "I’m not looking for any good" "You have no idea what you’re saying, what you’re getting yourself into by wanting to be with me" "Then tell me. Let me in". At this point, Beomgyu wasn’t investigating anymore, he was on a date, his mouth was spilling nothing but raw truths and raw feelings— he meant every single word.

In the heat of the moment, she grabbed his neck and pressed her lips to his in a heated kiss, full of emotions. The sensation of his warm tongue contrasted with the cold night, sending shivers down her body, his hands roamed her curves as if his life depended on it. His training taught him how to identify and avoid getting trapped, but that time? That time he fell into the ambush, completely entrapped, with not even a cyanide pill to escape. When they pulled away, she wiped her lipstick stains from his lips with her thumb while his hands firmly rested on her waist,  "Come on, let’s hit the bar" "Do I have to go down that slide again?" "Yes"  "Damn"  "It’s okay if you want to call it a night" "Are you going to the bar?" "Yes" "Then I’m coming with you”.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

The next morning, Beomgyu woke up naked in an unfamiliar bed. Beside him, her sleeping— also naked— body rested peacefully. The sunlight intensified his throbbing headache so much that he could barely think.  Great—he was naked, hungover, and in a place he didn’t recognize, Jeongin was going to love it. He scanned the room, wondering how he’d ended up there, the place wasn’t exactly neat, and by the amount of women’s clothes scattered all over the floor, he assumed it was her room.

A sudden stab of pain in his head brought back reminisces of the previous night, he remembered his bare body on top of hers, sweat dripping onto her chest, rising and falling with effort due to her heavy breathing as he gave slow, deep, blissful thrusts... All of sudden, he knew why his back burned, a reminder that her nails had left behind. He looked at her, she looked so beautiful sleeping like that, with her bare chest coming up and down at a cool pace, so different from the last night. He snapped out of his thoughts when his eyes caught sight of the tattoo on her ribs—TXT. His fingertips  touched it softly, “What the heck is that?”, he wondered, “Maybe something related to her time in the military or even an old high school band…”.

“Good morning”, her lazy voice broke his inner monologue. He retreated his hand from her ribs and looked at her with his usual enchanting smile, “Good morning. Did I wake you up?” “Nah. It was the light” “Do you also have a headache?”, she nodded while rubbing her eyes, “I can get you Advil if you want to” “Please”, he muttered, “Can I also have water?”, she stepped out of the bed, searching for a shirt, “Sure”, he nodded, “I’ll be back soon. Feel free to take a shower”, she pointed to the bathroom, “Okay, thank you”, she muttered something he didn't understand before leaving the bedroom. He looked around, a note at the bedside table caught his attention, it said: 

“Meet me at The Rooftop Garden tomorrow at 8PM

-Tae”

He hummed, it was a great opportunity to investigate her without being caught up in the moment and waking up next to her in the morning after. He took a mental note of his new appointment before putting the note back in its place. The room had a lot of her personality, it was decorated with old action movie posters, fluorescent string lights, lava lamps, a gaming PC with a colorful keyboard, piles of clothes in some corners, platform boots scattered around— kinda messy with a retro vibe. But nothing seemed suspicious other than that note, either she was innocent, or she was very good at hiding her tracks.

 With his head throbbing, he decided to take a break and take a shower to relax.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

After taking a shower and popping an Advil, he found himself in the kitchen having breakfast, something rare for him. They were laughing together when other 4 tall men came into the room, their sweaty hair sticking to their foreheads, “Must be the roommates”, he guessed. They greeted her, the tallest of them messing with her hair. “Who’s him?”, Yeonjun asked, “This is Chen Beomgyu, I met him at the bar. Beomgyu, these are Choi Soobin, Choi Yeonjun, Kang Taehyun and Huening Kai, my best friends and roommates” “Nice to meet you all”, he said politely. Yeonjun, Kai and Soobin greeted him casually,except from Taehyun, his silence made it clear he didn’t like the new guest. 

“Coming from the gym?”, Beomgyu asked, attempting to small talk, “How did you guess?”, Yeonjun asked, completely astonished, “I’m just good at guessing things” “He really is”, she confirmed, smiling. 

“We also went shopping”, Kai added, “Soob’s making meatballs and pasta for lunch today” “No!”, she whined— Soobin wasn’t the best cook in the house— “Can you at least pretend you like my food in front of the guests?”, Soobin scolded her,  though his tone was playful, “That’’s a no”, he ignored her before turning to Beomgyu, “Are you staying for lunch, Beomgyu?” “Oh, no. I’ll be heading out soon” “I will brush my teeth and take you to the train station”, she suggested, “Alright”, just like that she disappeared down the hall, leaving Beomgyu alone with her friends. 

With his peripheral vision, he could see Taehyun staring at him, which was  more uncomfortable than the headache from before, “So…”, Kai began, sitting next to him, “What do you do for a living Beomgyu?” “I work with cybersecurity” “That's nice”, he nodded, “What about you guys?”, the 4 men exchanged glances, silently communicating between themselves. “We….”, Kai hesitated, his eyes pleading for Yeonjun’s help, “... work from home”, the older one smoothly finished the sentence, “That’s cool. What do you work with?” “We work with gaming development”, Yeonjun continued, “Really?”, Beomgyu knew they were lying, what he was trying to figure out was why, “Yes. Except for Taehyun, he's a bouncer in a nightclub”. Beomgyu’s gaze shifted to Taehyun, his dead cold stare still on him. “I haven’t been to a nightclub in a while. Cause of alcohol, you know” “We only serve diaries”, he nodded in acknowledgment, looking back at Kai,” So, you all run a game development company?” “Yep,” Kai said, he was nervous, a trained spy like Beomgiyu could tell, “It’s called TXT”. Taehyun’s jaw tightened, clearly irritated that Kai was revealing their actual name, “TXT? What does that stand for?” “Tomorrow by Together,” Kai said quickly, “It means we work together for a better tomorrow” “Creative,” Beomgyu said with a small smile, “I know. She picked the name” “Did she?”.  Taehyun had enough, he stood up, walking towards the table to interrupt the conversation, “You really like asking questions, don't you?” “Yes, he really does”, she answered, walking back to the kitchen with something in the palm of her hand, “Look”, she showed it to Beomgyu, “I found this on my bedside table”, he looked at her hands— she was holding his fake contact. “Shit! I completely forgot about them” “I just could find one, tho” “I only took one off”, he replied casually, grabbing it, “Why?”, Taehyun asked, even more suspicious, “So Jeongin wouldn’t watch us later”, he thought. Instead, he answered, “My left eye was irritated” “Really? You eye looks fine to me”, Taehyun said, narrowing his eyes, “Okay, Tae, enough”, she interjected, grabbing her keys, “Let’s get going, Gyu, you’re infecting him, he never asks this many questions”. Beomgyu chuckled, standing up to shake hands with the men in front of him, Taehyun’s grip felt like the bones of his hand were being crushed, “Watch out, Chen Beomgyu. With the bar, I mean, alcohol’s no good for that hurt eye of yours. Stop by the club sometime, for having some real milk”, Taehyun said as low as a mutter, “I’ll think about it,” Beomgyu replied, avoiding Taehyun’s eyes. 

As they walked out, Taehyun watched their figures getting smaller and smaller. “Something’s off about that guy,” he thought, hoping he was wrong.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

The Rooftop Garden:

Beomgyu adjusted the collar of his leather jacket as the transparent elevator hummed softly,  its walls giving him a full view of the neon city under his feet. The sea of holograms and skyscrapers taking his breath away. The Rooftop was a floating rooftop garden, some kind of tropical paradise for the elite and outlaws, suspended high above the chaos of the city. He only had heard whispers about that place, he even doubted it actually existed.

Suddenly the elevator slowed down and the doors slid open soundlessly, revealing the garden. The platform floated in the air, held up by some type of magnetism, it was breathtaking, almost from another world.

A tropical greenery filled with monstera, palm leaves, and heliconia plants dominated the scene. A cascade of ferns, illuminated by bioluminescent mushrooms, gave the environment a soft, ethereal glow. Cherry blossoms moved gently  in the cool breeze, their petals falling slowly like snow. The air was surprisingly fresh for a late spring night, highlighting the contrast between the metallic atmosphere of the city with the sweet aroma of the herb being smoked there.

Holographic koi fish swam through what appeared to be pools embedded in the transparent floor of the garden. At the center stood a crystalline booth selling smoothies and açai bowls.

The place was full, yet calm. He activated his trained hearing, trying to listen beyond the gentle hum of dispersed conversations, searching for her familiar voice. At the edge of the garden, behind a curtain of cascading ferns, he saw her.

She was sitting on a bench, leaning back with her legs crossed, Taehyun was sitting next to her, his posture relaxed but still alert, his expression was unreadable as usual. A trail of smoke curled up in the air from the herb they were sharing, the emerald green glow matching the colors of the neon lights reflected on the vegetation.

 Beomgyu blended in the shadows, carefully moving closer, his hearing never leaving their conversation, “Our next target is big. If we make it, we’ll be untouchable”, the girl said, her voice calm but with a hint of anxiety in it, “But it's very dangerous, we must move fast”, she completed. Taehyun exhaled a cloud of smoke, he glanced over the curtain of fern, exactly where Beomgyu was hidden behind like he could feel his presence. Beomgyu froze, his breath getting heavy. Did Taehyun see him? She continued, lost in her own mind, “Do you and Yeonjun already prepared everything for tomorrow?” Taehyun finally looked away, then nodded, “Yes. Our package was delivered today. Our allies will implant it in the basement of the brothel tonight” “Good. How is that place called again? The holographic geisha? Something like that?” “The wired geisha” “Wired!”, she acknowledged, exhaling a cloud of the green smoke. Taehyun chuckled sarcastically, the man was resentful, “That's what the diplomats of our country do, they go on supposed businesses trips to eat the finest ramen, sleep in th best beds and fuck chromehead geishas while honest and innocent people are expatriate”, Taehyun said with a hint of disappointed in his voice, “Korea isn't my country. Not anymore” “I know, sorry”, Beomgyu's stomach twisted, so was she also Korean? He asked himself, his instincts telling him to walk away when it was still time, but his emotions didn't let him move. How could she make his earthquake like that? 

His instincts kicked in even more when he saw them standing up and preparing to leave. Taehyun crushed the glowing herb with his black military boots, Beomgyu caught the metallic glint of an object attached to his belt. A weapon? Whatever it was, he carried it with the confidence of someone who knew how to use it. They began walking out of the green curtain toward the elevator, and Beomgyu knew he needed to move fast before someone caught him hiding he knew staying there could be a fatal mistake. Pretending to adjust the sleeve of his jacket, he silently slipped into the light, maintaining distance from the duo, his mind already thinking of a convincing excuse in case he was noticed. 

She was talking about what Soobin was going to make for dinner, mindlessly, when Taehyun noticed a shadow approaching them from behind, “Wait,” he said sharply, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. Beomgyu rushed to behind a bush when he heard Taehyun. The TXT member stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. Beomgyu had to act quickly, running would be too suspicious, so he decided to step out from the bushes with a relaxed expression on his face as if he was simply admiring the garden. Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar frame emerging from the greenery, “Beomgyu?”, she called without thinking much, he looked at them as if he was surprised, “Oh, you guys are here too,” he said with a casual tone in his voice and a smile. He switched his gaze toward the mushrooms, as if the view was more interesting than they were. Taehyun didn’t seem to be convinced, he stepped forward, eyes locked on Beomgyu’s trying to see into his soul. She tilted her head slightly, also studying Beomgyu, she was no fool, “Do you like places like this?” she asked, her tone casual yet curious. Beomgyu shrugged, “I heard about the place. Seems like a good place to relax, right? I was needing to relax”, he looked directly at Taehyun, making sure he noted his indifference, “Are you alone?” Taehyun asked, his jaw completely tense, “Yes. I don’t have family or friends in the country” “She mentioned” “Didn’t expect to run into familiar faces here” “What are the odds, huh?”, Tae murmured, not even bothering to hide his suspiciousness, Beomgyu chuckled softly, gesturing toward the bar. “Actually, I was thinking of grabbing an açai bowl. Is a tropical fruit, I heard is pretty good”. She exchanged a quick glance with Taehyun before responding, “Well, we’re leaving already. Why don’t you join us on our way to the elevator?”. Beomgyu bit his tongue, trying to suppress the discomfort that her invitation made him feel, he knew refusing would be worse, so he smiled and nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

As they walked together, Beomgyu kept commenting about the garden’s design and the city view, trying not to show his anxiety, even though if one of them grabbed his hands, he’d be in trouble as sweaty as they were. It was clear they were already suspicious, but he worked to maintain the image of a curious visitor lost in the charm of the extravagant place. Inside the elevator, he had nothing to say anymore so the silence grew heavier, Taehyun remained alert, his gaze burned Beomgyu’s back the whole ride till they landed in his keychain hooked on his belt, a familiar symbol to Taehyun, the insignia of one of the South Korean army’s squad, he knew something was off. “So, what did you think of the garden?” she asked, finally breaking the silence. Beomgyu kept smiling, “So beautiful. A little bit of peace in the middle of all the chaos down there. Sometimes it’s nice to escape for a while, don’t you think?”, she nodded, “You guys didn’t seem too impressed with the garden” “We’re used to coming here” “Oh! I see”. When the elevator reached the ground floor, Beomgyu casually said goodbye before walking away without daring looking back, he knew they would be watching him. He did his best to maintain his relaxed posture until he blended into the crowd of the city. 

Once he was far enough, he stopped in an empty alley, leaned back against the cold brick wall and placed his hands on his knees. Finally he could exhale, his heart still beating hard in his chest, damn shadow, he would need to be more careful next time. The adrenaline rushed in his blood, they were going to attack Korean diplomats? They were Korean? Was she indeed involved with crime? He had so many questions, how was he supposed to find the answers? How was he going to make them say anything now that Taehyun was even more suspicious? How was he going to… but then, a glimpse of her tattoo flashed into his head, “What’s TXT?” “A very important thing to me”, “TXT?” “Yes, is our company’s name”, those moments flashbacked on his mind, and then, he knew. TXT was the answer to everything he was looking for. He pulled the hoodie he was wearing under his jacket to his head and ran back to Shibuya, if someone could help him in that city, that person was Jeongin.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

“I.N”, Beomgyu called out his partner, breathless from running, “You’re back already?”, he spun his chair to face Beomgyu, “Did you find anything about the girl?” “Still nothing. There’s no facial recognition record of her in the Japanese archives, so I’m searching through other countries databases. It’s going to take a while since I need special permission for that”, Beomgyu sat on a chair and started untying his shoes, “Can you figure out what TXT is?” “T what?” “TXT. Tomorrow X Together, with an X.”

“I can take a look”, Jeongin turned to the computer and started typing on the keyboard, searching on the national archive, “Apparently… it’s a gang” “A gang?!” “Yes, it’s in the Japanese police’s wanted criminals registry” “I knew it had to be something like that”, Beomgyu muttered to himself, “What do you mean?” “I heard their conversation. They’re planning to attack a brothel full of Korean diplomats tomorrow” “You said ‘they’, was she with someone else?” “Yes, a friend” “Do you know have his full name?” “Kang Taehyun”, Jeongin typed the name in the search bar, “Also nothing”. Bemgyu remembered of Taehyun’s words— our country— “Try in the Korean archives” “Korean?” “Yes, go ahead search there”. I.N obeyed, his fingers moving across the keyboard, Beomgyu watched the screen carefully, as Jeongin selected the eligible citizens. “That one!”, he shouted when his partner clicked on the name with the photo that matched the man they were looking for. “Ex-military, dishonorably discharged for deserting his position as a protest against the Prohibition”. 

Beomgyu let out a disbelieving chuckled, “I can’t believe it,” Beomgyu muttered, his voice was shaky. He buried his face on his hands, his breath becoming shallow, his heart pounding like a clockwork. Jeongin looked at him, confused at his partner’s sudden breakdown, “Damn it! She told me the same story”, he shouted. Beomgyu couldn’t, or rather, he didn’t want to, believe it, she was a criminal, a traitor to her nation, and worse, she probably was involved in the illegal bar scheme. And he was falling in love with her.

Jeongin pulled him out of his turbulent cloud of thoughts by tossing him a device, “What’s this for?” “To report the attack. So they’ll be busted” “No! Taehyun already suspects of me. He’ll know who did that” “So what?” “I need more time to investigate them. I’m almost certain they’re involved with the illegal bar. They have the answers, but if they get arrested, it’s over. Our mission is over” “I’m going to pretend you’re not doing this just because of her” “Jeongin” “Am I wrong?” “I’ll stop the attack, but don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”. Jeongin sighed, shaking his head, the things he would do for Beomgyu, “Look, I’ll keep my mouth shut, but if any of the diplomats die or get hurt, I’ll report them with no hesitation. And also you” “Fair enough”, I.N nodded, “And Beomgyu…” “Hum?”

“Try not to die, you idiot” “I’ll do my best, bro”.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

The night of the attack:

Beomgyu had spent the last four hours on top of a building across the street from the brothel, he had never seen a place like that before, its architecture was old, probably was an actual chaya in the past, but the neon sign of a naked chromed geisha—with one bionic eye and arm—revealed the exotic essence of the place. During the time he spent on the rooftop, he meticulously studied the building's layout, observed everyone who entered and left— including three members of TXT: Yeonjun, Taehyun, and Soobin—and went over his plan with Jeongin. “Let’s go over it one more time”, I.N said through Beomgyu’s earpiece,  

“Dude, we’ve already reviewed it like 30 times”  “Then let’s do it again. Come on, what’s the first step?”. Beomgyu took a deep breath, trying to be reasonable, he knew his partner was just as nervous as he was, I go to the air duct that leads to the basement” “And then?”  

“I crawl until I reach it. If someone’s there I wait for them to leave, then I go in. Once inside, I find the package they talked about in the garden and get rid of it”  “And the grand finale?”  

“I get out before anyone sees me” “Good. It’s simple, right?”, Beomgyu let out a sarcastic laugh, the IT guys would never understand how nothing was simple in the field, but he wasn’t going to tell Jeongin that, “Yes, quite simple” “Do you have your tools?” “Yes, everything’s here”  

“And the camouflage?”. He placed his fingers in a pinching motion on the bridge of his nose, it was the fifth time they’d gone through everything, “Yes, Jeonginnie, it’s all he…”, Beomgyu stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw her entering the brothel, arm in arm with a middle-aged man who wore a black suit— she was disguised as a geisha, obviously a human one. She was there, which shut down any doubts he had about her being a criminal. Beside her was Kai, dressed as security. If everyone was there their plan was about to start, which meant his plan was too.  “They’re here,” Beomgyu updated I.N, “It’s showtime”, he pulled up the bandana around his neck to cover half of his face, wore the hood of his hoodie and slid down the metal pipe of the building he was on. Once on the ground, he ran to the side of the brothel and removed the metal screen from the air duct,  “I’m entering the duct, Jeongin” “Copy that”, Beomgyu muted the earpiece and crawled into the ventilation shaft. Of course it was dark, so he turned on the flashlight attached to the camera in his contact lens to see the long metal path ahead of him, “Okay,  give me the directions” “Go straight until you hit a junction, then turn left and go all the way to the end”  “Got it”. 

He crawled along the path his partner indicated until he spotted a pink light coming from the metal grid. He arrived. Carefully, he glanced through the gaps of the grid– Yeonjun stood at the door guarding the entrance with a walkie-talkie in hand, while Soobin and Taehyun stood in the center of the room, apparently waiting for a signal. Beomgyu’s suspicions were confirmed when a male voice echoed through the radio, causing Yeonjun to nod at the other 2 men. In one swift motion, Soobin lifted Taehyun, who pressed a button on the ceiling, Beomgyu quickly kept down to avoid Taehyun’s sharp gaze. “Done. Activated”, one of them said, “Activated? Activated what?”, Jeongin asked through the earpiece. When he looked up again, the 3 men had already left, Beomgyu scanned the room until his eyes landed on the ceiling. His stomach sank— a bomb.  “Shit,” he muttered, punching the grid until it came loose so he could jump into the room, “Jeongin” “What’s going on?”  “A bomb. They planted a bomb on the ceiling” “What?!”. Remembering of the layout he had memorized earlier, Beomgyu realized that the room above the basement was a private room, “I think they’re planning to blow everyone up” “Fuck, fuck, fuck! How much time do we have?”, Beomgyu looked at the timer on the bomb, “Less than ten minutes” “Disarm it now, damn it!” “Yeah”. Scanning the room, Beomgyu looked for something to climb on, he spotted a wooden bar stool so he dragged it over, and climbed on top to be face to face with the bomb. 

9:38, the timer said,  “What kind of bomb is it?” I.N asked, “TNT” “Classic. Cut the red wire” “I know”, Beomgyu said back, struggling to balance on the stool while reaching for the pliers in his bag, his hands were sweating, and his heart was racing faster than an olympic sprinter. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the tool as firmly as he could and carefully pulled the only visible red wire,  “I found it, J” “Great. Cut it and get out of that place”. Beomgyu didn’t need to be told twice, he pressed the pliers onto the wire expecting the timer to stop. But it didn’t. His face turned pale, he couldn’t believe it. He cut the wire again at a different point, but nothing happened. The timer kept ticking: 7:40... 41... 42... 43... 44, the bomb had been modified— as if they anticipated someone would try to sabotage their plan. “J,” he called, “Did it work?” “No” “What?!” “The timer’s still running” “Did you try cutting the wire again?” “Yes” “And nothing?” “Nothing” “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Try cutting another wire, then” “Which one?” “I don’t know, try the green”. Beomgyu’s stomach twisted, there were at least six tangled wires, some even the same color. The timer showed 5:57.His trembling hands reached for the green wire, praying it wasn’t a trap, he cut it. Nothing happened. “Still nothing”. 5:32. “Try a black one”, he grabbed the black wire, he closed his eyes and thought about her—dressed in that traditional geisha outfit—if the bomb exploded, would she have escaped already? He opened his eyes, the timer was under four minutes now, he didn’t know what, but something inside of him told him to not cut the black wire and for some reason he decided to not do it. Inspecting the bomb again, he spotted a purple wire— purple reminded him of the bar, reminded him of the first time he saw her, when they danced together and their lips almost touched— purple was an unusual color for a wire, maybe it was a way to trick anyone who might find the wire too suspicious to be cut. 3:02, the timer said.“I.N” “Hum?’” “I’ll cut the purple one” “Are you sure?” “No. But that’s all I got for now”. With his sweaty hands, Beomgyu grabbed the wire and cut it. Suddenly, everything around him froze, the wind stopped, the sound of music in the background faded, all he could hear was his heart pounding. He looked at the timer: 3:02. He had done it. He had disarmed the bomb, “Jeongin!”  “What?” “I did, It was the purple wire” “Hell yeah, bro! Good job!”, they celebrated briefly, before focusing back on finishing the mission, “Alright, get out now” “Got it”. Beomgyu climbed down from the stool, his legs were shaking, but he had succeeded. He walked to the door— locked. “Damn it,” he muttered, before coming back to the ventilation duct. He climbed onto the stool again and crawled out of the basement. Once he reached the street again, he stopped, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to calm down. That’s when he heard voices approaching, it was Taehyun’s voice speaking with the walkie-talkie, “You two, get out now!”, he was referring to Kai and her. But Beomgyu didn’t need to worry anymore, the place wasn’t going to explode.

He saw Yeonjun, Soobin, and Taehyun at the brothel’s entrance, so he ran in the opposite direction. The older men seemed too concerned with their members still inside to notice him, but Taehyun— who was always sharp— caught sight of a shadow moving. Taehyun took a few steps toward the figure to investigate, but all he saw was a black silhouette disappearing down the street. His brows furrowed,  “What the hell is that?”, he muttered before turning back to join his members, now all of them, on the brothel’s door.

But then, his eyes moved to the alley beside the building, the air duct grid was thrown on the ground, he knew that the duct led to the basement, “Shit!” he shouted, drawing the group’s attention. “What is it, Tae? We need to go” she said, following him to the alley. “There’s not going to be an explosion”, he replied, turning to face them, who seemed confused, “Someone sabotaged us” “What?!”, they said in unison, “Someone entered the basement through the air duct” “But who?”, Kai asked, “Let’s get out of here before someone sees us”, Soobin, their leader, said, “But what about the diplomats?” she protested, “He’s right,” Taehyun agreed, “We can deal with them later. For now, let’s go”. She looked at him,  her eyes burning in fury, “We’ll make whoever did this pay, okay?”, Taehyun assured her, “Okay”, she said, finally bending.

The group walked toward their getaway car, Taehyun glanced one last time at the air duct, that’s when something shiny near the entrance of the duct caught his attention, he kneeled down and picked it up— it was the keychain he saw on Beomgyu’s belt 2 nights ago in the elevator of The Rooftop. He gripped on the object tightly before walking to the street and stared in the direction the figure ran away—“You’re so done, you son of a bitch”,  he swore to the night before joining the others in the car. Beomgyu didn’t know it yet but things were about to get ugly.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

Back in his temporary apartment in Shibuya, Beomgyu rested on his bed, the adrenaline still rushing in his bloodstream, his mind was a turmoil of thoughts, but he wasn’t thinking about the bomb or the fact that he could have died—that had happened a few times before and it was almost a habit for him. In fact, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, she wasn’t the woman he thought she was. The woman who smiled at him so beautifully was the same woman who had almost blown up those people just to have her revenge? The people she considered her family, they were also all a bunch of criminals. It was all a big lie. He chuckled sarcastically, maybe they really were made for each other—he was just as much of a liar as she was. He pressed his pillow against his face and screamed. But his breakdown was suddenly interrupted by his ringing phone. It was her. "Like she read my mind," he thought before picking up,"Hey!", he tried to sound casual and hide the knot in his throat.

"Beomgyu… are you busy?", her voice lacked its usual energy, "No, I’m not" he replied, concerned, did she already figured out it was him? No, that was impossible, he didn’t leave any traces behind. 

He leaned back against the headboard, feeling anxious, "Are you okay?", she let out a heavy sigh, "Not really. Today things were messy… at work", he gulped, the disappointment in her voice cut him even deeper cause he knew he was the one who did it to her, "What happened?" "Everything went wrong, and I just… I know it’s kinda stupid, but… I don’t know, I just needed to hear a comforting voice”, the line went silent for a moment, the guilt was consuming him, "The comforting voice I mentioned was yours, you know…" "Yeah, I know… I…", he couldn’t believe she had called him seeking comfort. He hated himself so much in that moment that his chest physically ached, "I don’t think that’s stupid, I think it’s human", she smiled on the other side of the line, "What can I do to help you?" "Just distract me. I don’t want to think about work" "How about I take you out the day after tomorrow?", he offered, caught in the moment once again,"We can do something fun, just the two of us" "What do you have in mind?" "Do you know The Scuba Diver?" “Yeah” "What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect to me", her voice brightened again, and he could swear he could hear her smile through the phone. "Great! I’ll pick you up in the afternoon, then" "It’s a date" "It’s a date," he murmured back, "Okay, I’ll try to get some sleep now" "Alright. Good night"

"Good night, Gyu. And… thank you” "It was nothing". 

His head spun as she hung up, what the hell was he supposed to do? Should he stay loyal to his mission or to his feelings for her? He fell asleep hours later with those thoughts haunting his mind.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

She spent the next day shopping. She decided to buy a sexy black dress for her date with Beomgyu, she didn't mind wearing her black clothes and military platform boots everyday, but when it came to him, something different lightened up inside her, something that awakened not just her sensuality but also her delicacy. The dress was a basic sleeveless black, but it fitted her so well it was almost breathtaking. She liked it and she knew he would like it too. After returning home, eating her favorite ramen, and taking a shower, she needed to dry her hair. However, she lent her hairdryer to Taehyun, so she wrapped a towel around her dripping hair and went to her friend’s room. Just as she lifted her hand to knock, she heard the sound of the lock clicking, and the door opened. The person who stepped out was none other than Lee Heeseung, a hacker from Enhypen, a gang allied with TXT in Japan.

"Heeseung?!", she exclaimed, he looked at her and smiled, "Hey! You smell great", Heeseung was the personification of rizz, "I just took a shower... What a surprise, what are you doing here?" "Taehyun asked me to come" "But he’s leaving already", Taehyun interjected, stepping into the hallway, "I am," Heeseung confirmed, "Thanks for coming," Taehyun said, "It was nothing. Good night, guys, see you around", Heeseung said before bowing and disappearing down the hall.

She looked at Taehyun, he was shirtless, alone in a locked room with Heeseung in the middle of the night, "You and Lee Heeseung, huh?", she teased, "What?! It’s not like that"

"Then what was he doing here?" "He was in town, and I asked him to help me with something" "I’m not sure I want to know the rest" "Stop thinking nonsense and come in. I need to talk to you", she obeyed, he was too serious for her to keep teasing him, "What is going on Tae? You don’t look okay", he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before he started speaking, "Heeseung was here because I asked for his help to investigate Beomgyu" "What?! Why?" "I haven't liked that guy since the first time I saw him" "I know he’s… different. But that’s just how he is. He’s a good guy" "That’s what you think", she crossed her arms, "What do you mean?" "He’s lying to you. His name is Choi Beomgyu, and he’s Korean", her lips parted slightly, "Well... I lied about my name and nationality to him too. He must have his reasons" "He does. The guy is military" "M-military?", her voice trembled, "Yes" "Are you making this up just because you don’t like him, Tae?", she really didn’t want to believe him. Instead of arguing, Taehyun just grabbed the tablet that Heeseung had left behind and handed it to her, "See it for yourself if you think I’m making it up”, she looked down at the device in her trembling hands, there were documents confirming everything Taehyun had just said, along with photos of Beomgyu. In some of those, he was in uniform with his squad, in others, he was leaving government buildings. There was even one of him receiving honors. The tablet slipped through her fingers, landing on the fluffy carpet of her friend’s room. "I tried investigating him with Kai’s help, but there was nothing in the Japanese records except the lies he’s been telling you", Taehyun said, pulling out the keychain he had found the night before and showing it to her, "This was on his belt that night on the rooftop garden". She looked at it, it was a keychain only South Korean militaries carried,"Recognize it?", she nodded, "That’s from the army…" "Yes. That’s why I called Heeseung, because I didn’t know what this insignia meant, so I asked him to hack some Korean databases". He bent down and picked up the tablet from the floor, slid the screen, and showed her, "Advanced Reconnaissance Squad", her eyes switched from the screen to the keychain and back again, it was the same insignia. She could barely breathe, "Are you telling me… that he…", she tried to breathe, but the air didn't come, "…he’s… he’s…" "A spy? Yes”, her eyes filled with tears, but she fought to hold them back, the pain was excruciating, "He… he was using me to investigate the bar and the gang, wasn’t he?", Taehyun nodded, "I think so" "That’s not possible…", she murmured, "And there’s more", she looked at him, her eyes begging him to stop, but she needed to know, he couldn’t let her keep being fooled, "I found this keychain last night near the entrance to the ventilation duct", she already knew what her friend’s next words would be,"I believe he sabotaged our plan", but hearing it out loud was an even more painful. Her knees gave in, and she collapsed on the carpet, the towel falling from her head to the floor. Taehyun kneeled down, "It was all a lie…", her chest hurt as if her heart had literally been broken. He had taken advantage of her, and she had fallen in love with his lies, with the person he made her believe he was, “I’m sorry," Taehyun said, pulling her close and letting her tears soak his bare shoulder as he gently stroked her hair, "Let it all out”. 

When she finally calmed down, she pulled away from Taehyun, "I’m sorry, but you needed to know”, she looked at him, fury burning in her eyes, "You should feel sorry for him, not for me", her voice was flat, as if the warmth of it had faded away, "What do you mean?"

"That guy is done. We’re going to eliminate him", and by eliminating, she meant killing him, "Are you sure you want to do this?" "I’m sure. I’ll do it myself. Tomorrow” "If that’s what you want, you’ll have our support”, she smiled bitterly, "Thanks, Tae" "What are you planning?"

"The Scuba Diver" "Good. The chances of escaping are almost zero" "Exactly"

"Will you need our help?" "No. I created this mess, I’ll deal with it", Taehyun nodded. 

The Scuba Diver was an underwater motel, isolated and nearly impossible to escape from without drowning first. Beomgyu had chosen that place himself, unaware he was digging his own grave.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

The Scuba Diver motel was just as surreal as its name suggested. Located beneath the surface of an artificial indigo blue lake, the only way to reach it was through a pod elevator that descended underwater. The walls of the pod were transparent, showing a dizzying view of the vibrant corals and schools of exotic fish swimming outside. The pod stopped at the bottom of the lake, Beomgyu had never been there before, but he had heard it was the perfect shelter for forbidden lovers. He followed her down the hallway, his nerves on edge, he kept telling himself to stay calm, to put aside his inner battle for just a moment. She needed him, and he couldn’t let her down— again. She opened the door to their room, The soft buzz of the room decompressing echoed through the hall. The room was small but luxurious with a bed surrounded by soft red lighting and a panoramic view of the underwater world. “Wow,” he said, surprised,“Pretty cool, huh?”, she replied, glancing back at him over her shoulder, “It’s impressive,” he admitted. She stepped closer to him, her fingertips brushing against his chest, allowing himself to relax a little, he placed his hands on her waist leaning in to brush his lips against her neck, “You look stunning today,” he whispered. His warm breath against her sensitive skin sent a shiver through her body— how was she supposed to go on with her plan when he was so irresistible? His soft lips finally pressed against her neck, leaving slow, wet kisses, she let out a small moan, unable to control herself, her fingers tangling in his hair. “C’mon,” she murmured, slipping from his arms before she lost control of the moment entirely.

Beomgyu swallowed hard, his heart pounding—as it always did when he was with her— and he followed her to the bed. She grabbed his hands, pulled him closer, and turned his body, making him sit on the edge of the king sized bed, “It’s so sweet of you...” she began, standing between his legs and letting her hands ran over his shoulders and down his chest, “...to take the day off to spend time with me”, her touch sent a wave of heat through his entire being, “I-it seemed like you needed it,” he tripped over his words. She leaned down, bringing her lips close to his, “As a thank you,” she whispered, “I want to take care of you, too”, he swallowed hard, feeling her cold hands slip under his shirt, contrasting with his warm skin, driving him crazy, “T-take care of me?” he asked, “Yes,” she replied in a low, sensual voice, “I have plans for you, loverboy”. His hands slid to her hips, pulling her closer and closing the gap between them. That kiss felt different, it was deeper, heavier, with emotions that were almost suffocating and he responded with the same intensity, pouring out all his confusion into it. Her hands traveled up his bare chest, making him let out soft moans into her mouth, his shirt was pulled up, and their mouths parted so she could take it off his body. 

She took a step back, slowly and provocatively slipping the straps of her dress off, one by one as he watched her, lust overflowing from his eyes. "You’re beautiful”, he said as her dress slid down her curves, revealing her body covered in tattoos in a black laced lingerie paired with black silk knee socks."Liar", she thought, but she just smirked at him and climbed onto his lap for another round of kisses. He pressed her hips against his erection, and she threw her head back, moaning in response, she hated that he had that effect on her, but he did. Her body betrayed her mind, showing him how much she wanted him, how much she needed him. Without wasting more time, she brought her hands to his belt, unbuckling it and opening his pants—a signal for him to take them off. He obeyed immediately, lifting his hips to slide his black jeans and boxers down. She glanced down at his almost fully hard member pressing against his belly button, she grabbed it with one hand, tracing circles around the tip with her thumb. He lay back on the bed, breathing heavily, “I-I don’t think I’ll be able to last much if we keep playing around like this”, he fumbled over his words again. She smirked, slowing the pace of her movements, “Are you that desperate for me?”, she teased, receiving a nod in response— he was too overwhelmed by pleasure to speak. She chuckled, releasing his dick and leaning over him to kiss and suck on his neck, his hands moved to her hips, one sliding down to her core, still covered by her panties, then he pressed his thumb against her entrance, making her shiver, “You’re so wet already” “Just for you, baby,” she replied— and unfortunately, it wasn’t a lie. No one had made her feel like that in years.

He pulled his thumb away from her core and moved his hands to the waistband of her panties, removing them in one smooth motion. Then, his fingers worked smoothly on the clasp of her bra, easily freeing her soft, round breasts. He switched their positions to hover over her body and pushed down to take one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking it fiercely, almost too roughly for something as delicate as her breast, but he didn’t care— she squirmed beneath him, and if she was enjoying it, nothing else mattered. Her hips lifted involuntarily in response, and he knew what she wanted, so he let go of her breast and kissed her mouth before aligning himself with her entrance to slowly, almost torturously, push his member inside her, little by little, giving her time to adjust to him.

She let out a deep sigh as she felt him filling her, and as he started moving, slowly and teasingly, tears escaped her eyes. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be, he wasn’t supposed to have that much power over her— but what harm could one last time do before she left him forever? “Beomgyu…”, she moaned, “Are you okay? You’re crying”, he dried a few tears with his thumb, “It’s… it’s just because it feels so good” “Alright”, he leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead, “Let me know if you feel uncomfortable”, she nodded. It wasn’t entirely a lie— she cried from the pleasure, but also from the sadness, from the pain of his betrayal. Beomgyu shifted the angle of his hips, hitting a sensitive spot inside her— her eyes rolled back, and her back arched. She couldn’t wait any longer, she had to put her plan into action before she gave up. “Gyu…” “Yes?” “Let me be on top”, he smirked, “Sure”, he replied before switching positions with her.

“Hold on”, she reached for her bag. While he waited for her, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and took his hair out of his eyes. She took out from the purse a black ribbon, saying with pleading eyes, “Can I tie you up?”. His spy instincts told him to say no, it was too risky, but he wasn’t thinking with his head—at least not with the one he had over his shoulders, “Only one hand” ““Both” “Just one. Take it or leave it” “Fine. Just one, then”. She tied his hand to the headboard, then leaned down to kiss his lips, he grabbed the back of her neck, deepening the kiss as she rode him, chasing her own climax, “Shit! I can’t hold it anymore”, he said between moans, “Cum for me. Let it all out”. After a few more thrusts, he threw his head back, his body collapsing beneath her, as he released inside of her. She kept grinding against him for a few moments longer before reaching her own orgasm, then she rested her hands on his abdomen, breathing heavily as she tried to recover. 

That’s when she realized it was the perfect moment to execute her plan, he was tired, with his eyes closed and his guard completely down. Quietly, she reached a hand down to her knee sock and, as sly as a fox, pulled out a switchblade. Slowly, she moved up it his leg, 

“Are you already ready for another round?”, he chuckled, eyes still closed. But when she pressed the blade against the sensitive flesh of his dick, his eyes snapped wide open instinctively, “Don’t move an inch”, she said through gritted teeth, her voice dark and hostile, “Or I’ll cut it off”.

He swallowed hard, breathing heavily, he could see in her eyes that she knew everything,

“What the hell…” “Shut up! No more games, no more lies”, her voice firm and sharp, “Who are you?”. He laughed nervously, “What are you talking about?” “Stop playing dumb” she pressed the blade harder against his member, “I know you sabotaged our attack”, she held up the keychain in her other hand, “So stop lying and tell me who you are and what do you want from me”. Beomgyu didn’t know if it was the fear of losing his manhood or the hurt in her eyes that made him speak the truth, “My real name is Choi Beomgyu. I serve in the South Korean military under the advanced reconnaissance unit, which means I’m a spy”, he held her breath, trying to keep her tough exterior still, “I was sent to Japan to investigate the speakeasy bar”, she didn’t say anything, so he continued, “When I met you, I didn’t know who you were or what you did, but as I investigated you…” “You were really investigating me?”, she interrupted, “Yes, but…”. The air left her lungs as reality hit her, so he really had been using her for his mission, “Then everything between us was a lie?”. He felt the pressure of the switchblade ease slightly, like his confession made her lose strength, “No! No, not everything was a lie. I like you, I care about you, more than I should. That’s why I didn’t report your attack. That’s why I’m here now” “And you really expect me to believe you?” “It’s the truth. I’m risking everything for you. Everything”

She looked down at her hand, the knife trembling against his flushed skin,“I don’t believe you” “You don’t have to believe me, but it’s the truth. I never wanted to hurt you”, she stared at him, dropping the blade, unsure of what to do or say. He took the opportunity to trap her between his legs and change their positions and even with one hand tied, he managed to pin her arms and toss the weapon to the ground. He looked down at her, lying beneath him with tears rolling down her red face. If he could, he’d take all her pain and put it on himself. “And you? Who are you? The real you” “You want my help to finish your mission, don’t you?”, she chuckled, “Where are the cameras, the bugs? Where?” "There's nothing, just me. The guy who asks too many questions and can’t stop thinking about this girl stuck in his head", even while pinning her down, lying, and using her, he still managed to be charming. She hated him for that. "Who am I? You already know who I am, don’t you?" "I only know parts", she laughed bitterly, "I’ll tell you, so you can see how rotten the system you work for really is", he nodded.

"I come from a family of brewers from Busan. They were artisans, and for generations, my family poured everything they had into their craft. Until Prohibition", she paused, feeling her jaw tightening, "Everything they had was taken from them. The government treated them like criminals. They were marginalized, starving, and anyone who dared to help them would be punished including those in the military, like I was", Beomgyu’s brows furrowed, "Tae’s family was in the same situation as mine. So one day, we decided to bring together everyone who was opposed to Prohibition and put our plan into action: to desert" "As a form of protest?"

"It was much more than just a protest. We were desperate, watching our families die a little more each day, unable to do anything. Deserting was our  hope of getting their dignities back. But it didn’t work, they didn’t care if hundreds of soldiers deserted, we meant nothing to them", she said, her voice breaking as tears returned to her eyes. "All those years serving the military, giving our blood, sweat, and tears, it was like none of it mattered. Tae and I were exiled, along with our families. The rest of the men left the country because, with a dishonorable discharge, they couldn’t do anything else in Korea. When we arrived in Japan, a family of former brewers took us in and together, we built the bar. Tae and I joined the rest of the TXT a year later, not for justice but for revenge. Those people don’t even know the meaning of justice”.

Beomgyu’s mouth hung slightly open, they had made innocent people go through all that because of alcohol? He didn’t know what to say, he had been following orders blindly, unaware of what those people had passed through to build their illegal bar. "I-I’m… I’m so sorry. I had no idea”, she chuckled sarcastically, "Don’t lie, Beomgyu. You are one of them. So… just grab your stuff and leave before Taehyun finds out I let you go and comes after you" "You’re… letting me go?" "Just go before I change my mind. And never bother any of us again". He bent down, picked up the blade from the floor, and cut the ribbon binding him to the motel bed. In a few minutes, he was gone, completely embarrassed, leaving behind a girl with two broken hearts—- hers and his, because his heart belonged to her and no one else. ⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

Days had passed since their fateful episode at the motel. Beomgyu had vanished without leaving a trace. No one had heard from him, not even Jeongin, it was like he had never existed. She had told TXT she had killed him, hoping that Beomgyu wouldn’t come back to bother again. So it seemed insane that Beomgyu was now standing at the entrance of a club, hesitating. But he had nothing left to lose, his job no longer made sense, and the girl he had fallen in love with hated him, and back in Korea, he had no family—his father had disappeared when he was a child, and his mother had died of illness when he was a teenager. With nothing holding him back, he walked into the club, the neon sign above the door said, ‘The Dairy Lounge’, "These guys are really creative" he muttered to himself.

Inside the place, he passed through people dancing with bottles of milk and yogurts in hand, mumbling apologies as he bumped into a few of them. He stopped in front of a door with a VIP sign above it, the guard standing in front of it was Taehyun. Turns out, the guy actually had a job outside of the gang, "Hey!" Beomgyu called out, catching Taehyun's attention. Taehyun’s eyes narrowed at the figure dressed in all black standing in front of him, "You..."

"Think we can talk?", Beomgyu asked, "You're alive?", Taehyun muttered, “Either that or this drug adulterated milk you guys serve here is messing you up real bad", Beomgyu replied with a smirk. Taehyun’s jaw clenched, and his fists tightened as he lost all his composure. Without saying a word, he grabbed Beomgyu by the collar and dragged him to the alley behind the club. Out of sight from his superiors, Taehyun’s fist hit Beomgyu’s face without any ceremony, "What the hell, man?! I just want to talk!", Beomgyu shouted, placing a hand on his sore cheek, "I don’t want to talk", Taehyun landed another punch, this time making Beomgyu’s cheek bleed.

Fed up with Taehyun’s temper, Beomgyu fought back, throwing a punch of his own, right on the other’s jaw. The shorter man touched his jaw, in disbelief, “Are you out of your mind!?” “I said I just wanted to talk, but you started hitting me”. Taehyun didn’t bother in reply, he shoved Beomgyu to the ground, straddling his torso and began punching him repeatedly. One blow after another, not giving him a chance to defend himself, “You survived, but not for long. I’m going to kill you, you son of a bitch!” “Do it. I’m already dead anyway”, Beomgyu said, making Taehyun freeze in confusion, “What?” “I’m already dead inside…”, Beomgyu paused, struggling to breathe without choking on his own blood, “... without her. So go ahead. End it now., do this favor for me” “You care about her that much?”, Taehyun asked,

Beomgyu nodded, the excruciating pain spreading through his head, “More than anything”

“Then why did you make her suffer, huh?”, Taehyun shouted, “I didn’t mean to… the last thing I wanted was to hurt her”, Beomgyu said, leaning on his elbows, “I need to talk to her. She needs to hear this, to know how much she means to me” “No way. And even if I let you, she wouldn’t believe you” “I’ll do anything to prove I’m trustworthy. Anything” “Even swim in the Electric Seaweed Lake?”, Taehyun asked, “What’s that?” Beomgyu asked, confused, “You really don’t know anything about this city, do you?” “No, but whatever it is, I’ll do it” 

“For real?” “If I do it, will you let me talk to her?” “I’ll think about it” “Fine, I’ll do it”, Beomgyu said firmly. Taehyun got off him. “My shift ends in two hours. Stay here and wait until I come back”, Beomgyu sat up with difficulty, spitting blood onto the ground, “Okay” “If I come back and you’re gone, I’ll hunt you down, even in hell. Got it?” “Got it” “Good”. With that, Taehyun came back to the club.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

2 hours later, Taehyun showed up with the rest of TXT — except her and Soobin— the four of them got into a car and headed toward the Electric Seaweed Lake. When they arrived, Beomgyu was hit by a strong scent of something rotting, the lake was green , shady, and had a sticky consistency. But he was determined to do that.  Beomgyu began taking off his clothes when a voice interrupted him, "Are you insane?", Yeonjun asked, "What?" "I asked if you're insane. Do you even know what's in there?" "Electric seaweed?"

"You wish it was just seaweed. That lake is full of strange creatures that feed on human skin cells and some even eat human flesh!", Beomgyu smirked, "I’m not insane. I’m just a guy in love", he said, finishing removing his pants and standing there in just his underwear. “ALright what are the rules?’, he asked Taehyun, "You swim to the bioluminescent coral reef and back. If you make it out alive, we’ll have your back" "Okay, let’s get over with this", Beomgyu said, stepping into the lake.

The moment he placed one foot inside, he felt like a strange force was pulling him down. He turned to Kai and said, "If I die, tell her I love her, okay?" “O-okay”, then he continued walking into the water, trying to ignore the strong smell of decomposing seaweed invading his nostrils like poison until his entire body was completely submerged. The three men stood watching from the shore, "Tae?" "What is it, Kai?" "Is this really a good idea?" "What do you mean?" "There’s no way he’s coming out of that alive. If she finds out we killed him, she’ll kill us" "Then it’s better if she doesn’t find out", Taehyun replied coldly.

Underwater, things weren’t as terrifying as they seemed from the surface. Sure, there were plenty of strange creatures that seemed unnaturally drawn to his body, but they weren’t as bad as he feared they were— some were even cute, others had vibrant colors. If he survived, he’d want to learn more about that ecosystem. He swam several meters, coming to the surface for air occasionally, until he spotted the glowing corals Taehyun had mentioned. He reached out to touch them but was startled by a small electric shock, "Better stop messing around", he thought and turned around, ready to return. But suddenly, he stepped on what he thought was a rock and his foot got stuck. It wasn’t a rock, it was some kind of weird creature that fed on human flesh. He felt its grip tighten as it started to take in his foot. Panicking, he tried to free himself, but nothing worked, he tried to scream for help, but no one would hear him this far underwater. As the surroundings grew darker, his eyelids began to feel heavy, "I guess I really can’t live without her", he thought before everything went black. ⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

“Do you think he’s dead already?”, Yeonjun asked the other two, “I bet he is”, Kai answered,  

“Silence”, Taehyun ordered in a low voice, hearing the sound of a car engine approaching. They turned around, momentarily blinded by headlights, from the truck, she and Soobin stepped out, “Where is he?” she demanded, fierce like a raging animal., “Soobin! Did you snitch on us?”, Kai asked, panicking, “She heard you guys talking. You know how scary she gets when she’s angry?”. “Where is he, Taehyun?”, she yelled, “In the lake,” he said calmly,  

“Are you insane?!”, she shouted, “You told us he was dead!”, he shouted back. She ignored him, starting to remove her clothes, “How long has he been in there?”, she asked. No one answered, “How long?!”, she yelled again, “At least seven minutes”, Yeonjun finally said,

“Damn it!”. She moved to the edge of the lake, ready to jump in, but Taehyun grabbed her arm, “You can’t go in” “Let me go” “I can’t let you die because of him”  “I want to die because of him”,she shot back, pulling her arm free and diving into the lake, swimming at lightning speed.  

The lake was dark despite the bioluminescence, but spotting a man of 180 cm wasn’t hard. Near the coral reef, she saw her beloved’s lifeless body, one of his legs caught in the jaws of a strange creature. Quickly, she swam to him, pulling a laser device from her bra and slicing the creature in half— fortunately, that species took hours to digest human flesh, so Beomgyu wouldn’t lose his foot or leg. She placed his arm over her shoulder and swam back to the shore, her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, “Kai, Yeonjun, help me here!” she called out once she reached the sore. The two of them grabbed Beomgyu by the arms, pulling him out of the water, while Soobin and Taehyun helped her get back to land. Ignoring everyone, she went straight to Beomgyu, pressing her ear to his chest. No heartbeat, no breathing Immediately, she started CPR— she learned in the military. 30 compressions, 2 breaths, 30 compressions, 2 breaths, again and again for 2 minutes in a row. Finally, she stopped, exhausted, holding his face as tears streamed down her cheeks,  “Beomgyu, please”, she whispered, “I think he’s gone”, Soobin muttered, his heart breaking from watching the scene. “No! He can’t be gone!”,  she screamed, turning to Taehyun, “What is your problem?! Why did you force him into the lake?” “He…” Taehyun began, but a deep voice cut him off, calling her name, “Not now, Yeonjun,” she snapped, assuming it was him. But it wasn’t, “I… went in because I wanted to” , the voice continued.  She turned around almost unable to believe what she was hearing,

“Beomgyu!”, she ran into his arms, collapsing against his chest in tears, “Why did you do this? And your face looks like that?”, she asked between sobs, ““Taehyun told me if I did this, he’d let me see you. And because I think I’m in love with you… I did it”, he said as it was the most ordinary thing ever. She looked at him, scanning his bruised face, the air caught up in her throat, “Do you think?” “I know”, she leaned in, kissing his hurt lips, the taste of blood mixing with both of their tears,   

“You idiot, you almost died!” “I can’t live if I’m not with you”, she sniffed, “I think I’m in love with you too”, she whispered, “No more lies, okay?” “No more lies,” she promised.  

He pulled her close— vowing to himself never to let her go again— and there, lying on that wet ground, covered in the slime of the lake, he knew he would never be in danger again as long as she was by his side.

⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

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Masterlist

Tags: @dawngyu, @nanahachi3, @whatblop

[hanafubukki]

So I'm just looking at Lilia in his dorm uniform and imagining pulling his shirt open and creasing his chest, as one does, and then I'm thinking he needs to get plainer shorts so it's easier to slip a hand into them/slip them off, and then I went back to his shirt and his harnesses and they remind me of the things that hold guns and I was like---crime boss Lilia-!

He's an old man with old money but a Youthful face. Playful and technology literate, his age doesn't show when he makes an impromptu stop at a purikura machine. He's ready for retirement soon. He's been in the business too long, starting early and kept going while waiting for an heir. But Malleus is about ready to take over. Silver and Sebek are skilled enough to stay safe and assist their boss. He's so ready to be done. Should he get away from it all and move to a small cottage in the middle of nowhere? Get back to using the skills he had to make use of while growing up on the streets, before the previous boss picked him up? Enjoy the quietness and serenity away from the city he'd filled with bloodshed? Or should he just stay? Be close to his family, lend a helping hand if needed? To be spoiled by them? To still have access to his games and arcades and purikura machines? He finds that he can't make the by himself after he meets you.

Like most people, you don't know who he really is. (You don't know how old he actually is). You're sweet, maybe a little naive, but his heart beats for you. He wants to hold you and protect you and stay with you for the rest of his days. Is he too old for more children? For biological children? And should he tell you of who he is? Of what he used to do and what his sons, who have started to dote on you, now do? But he knows for sure, he will not hesitate if there ever is a time for him to hold your face to his chest, to shield your vision from the bodies falling to the ground after he's shot them down for trying to take you from him.

(And what if this is a mixed modern au? As in its still twisted wonderland with fae and beastmen, but putting all of that into a modern setting. Fae mafia <3)

- Fake Date Sebek anon

Hello Fake Date Sebek Anonie 🌺💚🌷

Not going to lie Anonie, but you had me for a second in the first part of this ask.🤣😆

I went from “Oh? Have I been blessed with smut?” to “Crime Boss Lilia?!?! HELL YEAH” 🤣💞

Ahhhh I’m squealing in bed. This is so??? Hot??? God the image?? Ahhhhh Lilia in a suit?? With those harnesses that hides hidden guns and knives. Pleasssee I’m ready to just combust. *shaking you Anonie*

Summary: Mafia x Flower Shop AU: In which, Lilia meets the local flower shop owner.

Lilia was an orphan, taken from the streets, raised to protect his Masters whom he lost because he was ordered to protect their child.

Lilia then takes over as the boss and raises Malleus as the heir. At one point, he picks up Silver because he was an orphan who lost his parents due to crossfire between rivals and Silver reminds him of himself and Malleus when he was young. Then Sebek joins, the grandson of an old comrade.

Time passes as it always does even amongst the fae, and soon, Malleus will be taking his spot. He, Silver, and Sebek have grown and can protect each other without Lilia having to worry.

He can retire, but what then? Where does he go? Does he want to stay? Or leave? He knows his boys would love for him to stay, so would he, he won’t deny that. Or should he go somewhere quiet and peaceful, a contradiction to how he has lived all these centuries.

He meets you by chance one day, and he doesn’t know what to do anymore. It was by a stroke of luck when he ducked into the flower shop to get some for the office. To cover up the stench of iron and give some color to the place.

You had recommended him some lavender with a bundle of lily of the valley. He tried not to smile at your not so hidden way of saying he needed sleep nor the irony of flowers close to his name.

But something always drew him back to you and this shop close by the arcade he frequents.

It comes to the point that he has more flowers at home than is needed and Malleus’ smirk is getting to him.

So he asks you out on a date, it goes from one date to two to many more.

When he realizes he has feelings for you, he was surprised.

Well fuck, an old bat can still learn new tricks huh?

What makes it all so seamless is the way you incorporate so easily into their lives.

You meet Malleus one day when curiosity got the better of him and he wanted to see who had Lilia giddily walking around with a light in his eyes only a select few see. Malleus conveniently meets you at a cafe. While you two talk about Lilia, Malleus can’t help the smile that graces his lips. Clearly, you are as taken with him as he with you.

Eventually you meet Silver and Sebek, who was sent to you by Malleus but you didn’t know that, they were a rather interesting pair.

Silver asking for more lavender and lilly of the valley flowers. His smile and quiet nature reminds you of Lilia. His graceful movements that of Malleus. His kind nature belies his strength as he easily and efficiently helps you gather materials and organize them.

Sebek is the opposite of Silver in many ways but yet the same. He’s loud and proud. Something you never criticize him for. Behind this demeanor, he’s soft and kind in his own way. Always helping you around the shop with bags of soil and pots that needed moving while Silver manned the cash register.

You couldn’t help the fond giggle. They were Lilia’s boys alright.

You fit perfectly into their lives and Lilia wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Lilia has enemies, many of them in fact, so it was only time they would find you and try and take you away.

They didn’t notice him.

Foolishly thought you were alone.

Imbeciles.

Your eyes are covered by the time the first body falls on the floor.

Lilia tilts his head, kisses you on the forehead before whispering, “Shh, it’ll be alright beloved.”

Your trembling hands that had grasped his shirt relaxes slightly as you fully lean into him. This trust you give him so willingly and without doubt has him slightly nuzzling into you before eyes sharpen at the pawns before him.

Possessiveness.

Protection.

His.

Is all those before him register before crimson blood splatters the area, one by one.

Lilia will always be ready to take up his arms to protect his loved ones.

Let the blood stained floors be a message to those who seek his wrath and try to take what is his.

Yes, I made this into a flower shop x fae mafia au. I’m weak okay, I love the softness and the violence and the symbolisms 🥹💞

I don’t know why but ahhh this is hitting me in all the right spots. Just?? The fierceness, the blood, the gentle hand, and the comfort?? The potentialllll…someone hit me with a bat! Ahhhhh *rolls around in bed*

[felassan]

GamesRadar: "It felt like we needed to do something": How Varric Tethras went from nearly being left out of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to becoming a foundational character

Interview | Exploring the role of Varric Tethras in Dragon Age: The Veilguard with BioWare's creative director, John Epler

Excerpts under cut due to spoilers.

John Epler: "Varric is such a fan favorite, and has been part of Dragon Age since Dragon Age 2 – it felt like we needed to do something. At the end of the game, it's very clear that a chapter of Dragon Age is being closed, even as a new one is being started, and having Varric involved in the ending and that final beat in the way that he was felt right to us."

""While it may have "felt right" for Varric to be in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and factor into its ending in this way, says Epler, it took some time for the team to come to that conclusion. With such a long development cycle, the loveable dwarf wasn't even part of the story at one stage. "It's interesting, because in some of our earliest versions of what we wanted to do for Dragon Age 4, Varric was not actually involved. Varric was doing his own thing as the Viscount of Kirkwall," Epler says. "But I think especially as we got to the version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard that shipped, it felt very strange to have a story about Solas not also include Varric. For us, having them [Solas and Varric] exist in contrast throughout the story - obviously, with Varric being something existing entirely in Rook's mind - provides different ways of looking at the core theme, which is regret." As Epler explains, Varric is "not someone who does a good job of confronting his regret", whether that be in Inquisition when it comes to his love interest and crossbow namesake, Bianca, or with his brother in DA2. Rook, on the other hand, is forced to confront them, while Solas's regrets "drive everything he does." He's a character that "refuses to be happy, refuses to feel joy, because he feels it'd be a betrayal of his people, of what he's done". But as Epler adds, having Varric "be the kind of linchpin" around which all the regrets hinge "felt powerful". Varric may not be good at confronting his own regrets, but his death and role eventually pushes Rook to face theirs, and in turn, you can try to help Solas get past his own if you so choose.""

"Without a mark on your hand like the Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition, or an army you can bring together like the Grey Warden in Dragon Age: Origins, Rook is "just a person with a team", as Epler puts it, so you have to make sure that they're as ready as possible to face what's to come. [...] Epler says Varric felt like a natural character to juxtapose Solas. Acting kind of like "the angel and the devil on your shoulder", Solas - while not actually a devil - is the one who's more focused on the mission and goal of stopping the gods, while Varric constantly reminds you that your team matters and you need to take care of them first and foremost. The decision to kill Varric early on was partly fueled by a worry that people would find Solas "a little too sympathetic in his goals". From past experience, Epler says the team saw a lot of that with The Trespasser DLC, where many really wanted to help Solas and believed he was right. But he is going to end the world, after all, and once you realize the twist about Tethras' true fate, Varric serves to demonstrate that "Solas will sacrifice almost anyone or anything in pursuit of what he sees as the greater good." But even if he is willing to go to extreme lengths, Solas does still regret what happens to his old friend. In fact, Epler explains that he even finds it comforting to think that Varric is still out there in some form. "Varric's a complex character," says Epler. "He runs away from his problems, he likes to shade the truth, even to the people that he's working with. The Varric that you see, the Varric that Rook experiences, [are] the best parts of Varric that Rook remembers. It's just this mentor figure that's always there for them. And I think even Solas finds some comfort in knowing that there's still a piece of him out there, even though he knows that it's manipulation, it's not the real Varric."

""DA2 starts with a character death about 45 minutes in, when your siblings dies. And the feedback we got, which was very fair feedback is, 'okay, but I don't care, because I've known this person for like, 45 minutes'. So having Varric die at the beginning, originally that was it. He was going to die, and it was going to be this big, shocking moment," Epler says. "But part of the problem with making a game 10 years after the last one, and needing to make it so existing players – but also new players – can get in and feel a lot of the same things, is you can't bank on two games worth of built up memories, built up attachment, to make the death land. For a lot of players it would have been like, 'okay, but I've only known this guy for 45 minutes. So why do we care?'" In order to still have the death at the beginning of the game, the team eventually landed on the idea of his not-so-real presence in the Lighthouse in order to give players more time with Varric. "And that's the beauty of game development," Epler adds, "something that you start off with as a way to solve a problem actually becomes so core to the identity game.""

"Varric Tethras was originally brought to life by Mary Kirby, a veteran developer who has worked on the Dragon Age series for many years at BioWare. Sadly, she was part of the layoffs last year, but as Epler fondly highlights, Kirby wrote the vast majority of the conversations you have with Varric. "She was one of the first people we told 'Hey, so we're talking about killing Varric, you're okay with this, right?' Because at that time, she wasn't even on the project," Epler says. "But Mary was fantastic to work with, she and I worked [together in the past]. I was Varric's cinematic designer for Inquisition and for DA2. There are a couple of things that came up towards the end of the project that I had an opportunity to write. And it was lovely to remind myself how Mary had always written Varric, and how that character came together.""

[source]