#i'll plop her in one of my saves if i ever get around to doing more outfits

[softerpixels]

and i can't quit it... 'cause i'm stuck on you...

[angelsanarchy]

One Long Weekend: - Clyde/YN One-Shot Series CH 05

"Thanks for letting me stay." "Thanks for staying."

Tagged: @roryculkinluvr Let me know if you want to be tagged in these updates.

SATURDAY, 2:15AM

Y/n looked at herself in the dirty mirror of Clyde's bathroom. The shirt he had given her fell to about the middle of her thigh. She silently wished she had at least worn shorts today so she would be more comfortable sleeping with something on her legs. When she walked out of the bathroom, Clyde had tossed a pillow onto the couch.

"So I can't guarantee the last time I cleaned the sheets but I did just wash the comforter so you should be good to go." Y/n looked over to the bed and realized he was giving up his bed for her.

"Clyde, I can't take your bed. The couch will be fine." Y/n tried to argue but he laughed.

"Trust me, the bed is much safer to sleep on than the couch. Especially if you have your legs exposed." Clyde took in the sight of you in one of the oversized band shirts he kept laying around the apartment.

"I guess I'll take your word for it. I'll make a mental note to burn my jeans once I get home." Y/n teased. Clyde had changed into soft pants but kept the same shirt on. He walked over to the door and made sure she was watching when he locked the door.

"Are you feeling safer already?" Clyde asked running his hand through his hair.

"I should be asking you that. Sorry about the whole...mauling you thing." Y/n could feel the heat in her cheeks and Clyde laughed.

"Mauling me? You sat on my lap. That's hardly grounds for public shaming." Clyde shrugged it off plopping back down on the couch. Y/n sat next to him, feeling much more exposed now that her legs were bare.

"I guess thanks for not holding it against me. I don't do this a lot...ever actually. I haven't spent a night away from my apartment in years, let alone with a guy I met at a club." Y/n explained seeing Clyde smile.

"You don't go home with guys who aren't even in the band to get high and have an impromptu date?" Clyde teased.

"No this is very out of the ordinary. I'm usually working my ass off or visiting my dad." Y/n confessed.

"You seem a little young to be a workaholic." Clyde wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to know what she liked, what she hated, why the hell she had given him the time of day and how he could get her to stay.

"Paying for an apartment and trying to keep my shit a float has been a bit more challenging than I'd like to admit. I wasn't really prepared to support myself at 18 but when you drop out of school and have no where else to go, it's kind of the only option." Y/n didn't like to talk about her home life. She hated when people showed her any sort of pity. She was in control of the decisions she made.

She dropped out of school to take care of her dad. She moved into a shitty apartment with a roommate in order to save money to afford his care facility. She could count on one hand how many people she trusted and confiding in Clyde didn't make a lot of sense to her either but she just felt like she could openly be herself with him.

"Hey dropout twins, let's go!" Clyde held his hand up for a high five and y/n shook her head meeting his hand.

"I'm not sure that's the thing we should have in common but I won't leave you hanging." Y/n laughed.

"Maybe it's not. We both seem to like live music. I don't want to get into favorite bands just yet because I don't want to lose this feeling I currently have." Clyde put his hand over his heart.

"Hey! What makes you think I like shit music? I happen to have a very eclectic taste in music." Y/n defended but Clyde put his finger to his lips.

"I'm not doubting that but we've had such a great first date, why chance it with the possibility of you liking Nickelback?" Clyde joked earning a playful slap to his chest.

"How dare you. Now I'm truly offended. I think I'm going to go see if Johnny will give me a ride-" Clyde reached out and grabbed y/n's hand.

"No no...if you approach Johnny without pants and ask for a ride, you'll definitely get more than you bargained for." Clyde seemed genuinely worried she was going to actually leave but instead she plopped back down next to Clyde, closer than before, him still holding onto her hand.

"If I had my pants on, I'd consider tasering you just for insinuating I was a Nickelback fan." Clyde softened and held your hand between his own, bringing the back of your fingers to his lips.

"My apologies. Thank you for resisting the reoccurring urge to taser me." Clyde's smile was intoxicating. She just wanted to feel his lips pull into a smile against her own.

"You're just lucky you're cute." Y/n tested seeing Clyde blush. She could feel a yawn crawling up her throat as she turned away and Clyde stood up, pulling her by her hands.

"You need to sleep. We can compare playlists tomorrow over breakfast...stale bagels or donuts?" Clyde asked leading her to the bed. She sat down and he tossed her a blanket.

"You know how to spoil a girl." Y/n grinned laying back on the comforter. It smelled of coconut shampoo and cigarettes. It wasn't an awful smell which was surprising. Rarely did she ever find herself surrounded by band guys who smelt halfway decent. Clyde jumped over the back of the couch and let out a heavy sigh.

The two of them laid in perfect silence, trying not to breathe too hard or start snoring randomly. Y/n moved around under the blanket trying to get comfortable and not get caught checking over by the couch where Clyde laid, one leg dangling over the back, arm stretched behind his head. Clyde felt tense. He hadn't ever just had a girl spend the night with him. Snow, Lola and the rest of their friends were different. None of them really looked at him the way y/n seemed to look at him, or flirt with him. He didn't want to make things weird or fuck this up. He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to want to stay because of him, not because she was hot for one of the guys.

"Clyde?" Y/n broke the silence.

"Yeah?" He sat up to see her sitting up in the bed.

"Would you be completely opposed to just laying in the bed next to me? I just...its a big bed. There's no point in you sleeping on the couch and I don't want to wake up freaking out in a strange place." Y/n explained and Clyde shook his head.

"Yeah of course. I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Clyde walked over to the bed and laid down next to her carefully. He let her keep the blanket over herself and put his hand up when she tried to offer it to him. He laid on his side facing her and she smiled at him.

"Thanks for letting me stay." She said softly.

"Thanks for staying." Clyde returned equally as soft. The light in the room was dim but they could still see one another clearly. Y/n reached over and pushed some of Clyde's hair off his face and noticed his hearing aid for the second time this evening.

"How do sleep with your hearing aid in? My grandfather never kept his in to sleep. He said the slightest noises startled him." Y/n brushed her fingertips over the piece and Clyde brought his fingers up to hers.

"Um...I don't usually sleep really well anyway so I just don't bother taking it out." She was right. Clyde never took his aid out when he was sleeping in the apartment. Anyone could just sort of bust in and he never wanted to be caught off guard.

"Have you tried taking it out to sleep? Maybe that's why you can't sleep well." Y/n suggested.

"I used to at my Dad's but not here. You never know who'll sneak up on you." Clyde tried to joke but y/n scooted closer.

"The door is locked. I'm a light sleeper. Why not just taking it out while you have someone here to watch your back?" Clyde was surprised at her offer. No one really cared this much about his lack of sleep, let alone his comfort level.

"No pressure of course. I just...I want you to be able to be as comfortable as I am." Y/n didn't want to push Clyde into doing something he wasn't comfortable with but to her surprise, he leaned over her and removing his aid placing it on the nightstand next to her. She felt the trust he was putting into her by taking his aid out. She put her pinky out and Clyde laughed locking his pinky into hers.

"I gotchu." She mouthed. Clyde laughed shaking his head.

"I'm partially deaf, not completely deaf." He reminded laying back down. The silence that grew between them was so much more peaceful now. Y/n could feel the mattress moving whenever he moved, which wasn't a lot but after a while she could hear his soft snores. She peered over his shoulder and saw his mouth hung open, hair covering his face and his elbow as his arm stayed tucked tightly under his head. She glanced at the clock on her phone that barely had 20% charge on it and saw that it was 3:10 AM. That was the last thing she saw before she passed out, snuggled into a fuzzy blanket and a soft pillow that carried Clyde's scent into her dreams.

[linaselandbasil]

HAHA, nerds! (Working title)

CHAPTER 2

(Bloodweave University au)

AO3 link, link to chapter 1

...

"Ugh, my nail broke! How does that even happen!" Astarion complained to Shadowheart literally immediately as she got into his car.

"I have no clue. I have never seen you work. Ever." She threw her backpack on the backseat and buckled up. "So, your place?"

"Yeah." He pulled out of the parking lot of the comic parlor and drove towards the nearest Wc Deepalds. "What do we order?"

"Fries, bunches. And a milkshake. And ice cream."

"We have ice cream at home."

"It's not the same, I assure you!" Shart said, crossing her arms. "Whatever, It's not like papa Caz is letting you eat any of it."

"Yeah, it's for guests, and you are a guest, so eat the fucking ice cream at home!" Astarion drove a little faster, unintentionally of course, he's a lawyer by trade, he's not a fan of being sued. Not a good look.

"You're unbearable!"

"So are you. But we're friends, so I'll forgive you." Astarion said with no hint of theatrics in his voice. A rare occurrence.

"Likewise."

After a bit of silence they arrived at the drive through and Astarion rolled his window down.

"Welcome to Wc Deepalds, what can I get you?"

"Can I get a ummmmmmm iced coffee and two large fries, annddddd ummmm... Shart what do you want?"

"Ice cream with caramel sauce, an oreo shake and garlic sauce... For the fries." She, of course, crawled into Astarions lap to lean out the window, even though she really didn't need to.

"Alright, is that all?"

"Yes, thank you." The pale elf said, shoving his worstie back into the passanger seat and driving to the next window where they spent a few minutes waiting. "Of course a little goblin like you would know the menu of this... mistakenly popular establishment. I congratulate you on your VIP ticket to heart failure."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." The window opened and Astarion was handed a warm, delicious smelling paper bag of fatty liver disease. He paid with his papa Cazador money and drove away.

Shadowheart said "Gimme that." And took the bag of fast food. She dug right into her ice cream.

"Bon appetit, my friend."

"Thanks."

"Youre very welcome." He took a sip of his coffee.

"Hey what's up with that bearded guy you asked out? D'he text you yet?"

"Yes. About 30 minutes after I left the store. Eager." Astarions apartment is not far from them by now, they can see it in the distance. A sad beige building with several floors full of annoying neighbors.

"You like them when they're enthusiastic, don't you."

"I do, and what about it? I prefer to know that my partners enjoy themselves!"

Shart sighed. "Such a politically correct gentleman you are."

He nearly choked on his coffee trying to speak his next words. "I AM! And beautiful! Not enough people mention that." He parked his car, got out and began marching to the enterance without waiting for his esteemed guest.

She managed, carrying her gym bag and the Wc Deepalds goodies in her hands of holding. Astarion climbed the stairs with her following not far behind, he took out his keychain, which had about a dozen charms and was attached to one of those things that let you put it around your neck.

"Make yourself at home, darling."

"I will." She took her shoes off at the entrance before the pale elf put her head on a stick for it. "So, I was thinking dark makeu-"

"SAVE. IT. FOR. THE. CAMERA." He put his coffee down on the counter.

"Sheesh, okay." She plopped down on the couch. "Ugh, I don't know how long I can take working at that place."

"What was it this time."

"Just the usual neckbeard business. If we banned the customers that 'flirted' with me we'd be going out of business unfortunately. Can I have a drink?"

"But of course, dear." He opened the fridge and poured her a tall glass of delicious orange juice. Yummy.

"I was thinking of a more age restricted substance."

"We can drink after filming."

"Good... You know what, I'm taking a nap, you go ahead and do the camera things."

"Yeah, good idea. Sweet dreams!" She curled up on the couch and began lightly snoring in about 6 minutes. Astarion could never, he has horrible things to remember and he only finds a gap in his schedule for them right before bedtime.

He quietly went to his bedroom to get started setting everything up.

...

"Do you think this one's better?" Asked Gale, showing a picture on his phone to Wyll. "Or this one." He swiped left.

"I'm not sure, they're both very elegant. Is there a specific dress code? Like, a color scheme?" Wyll was not the best person to ask about this sort of thing, but he is the only person Gale was willing to talk to about it.

"I'm not sure, I can ask him tho."

"Do that, but don't tell him about what your outfit will be, trust me he'll love a surprise!" He tried to reassure the wizard with a smile but it went unnoticed, since the man in question was ferociously typing a message to his future husband and possibly father to their children.

The cafeteria was not busy, people are cooped up in their dorms studying and eating takeout. A shame, honestly, they're serving pizza today.

"Oh my weave he texted back!"

"What did he say?"

"Dark colors, preferably, but I won't get kicked out unless I look underdressed."

"Good thing you have no shortage of wizardly robes."

"True that.... I think I'll wear the purple one."

"Robe of summer? Good choice." He said, glass of water in hand. "I'm almost jealous, I do miss balls, but I don't miss the kids of people who attend them."

"Right, I forgot you were once a well coiffed little noblemanlet! You blend right in with the rest of us common folk!" He put his phone in his pocket but right as he was about to forget about it, he received another message. "It's him...."

"What is it about?" Gale read it, and turned a little red.

'It matters to me very little what wrappings are on a gift, all I care about is what's underneath.'

"Well, it could be interpreted in two different ways, I'm not sure what he really meant.." Gale showed his friend the text.

"I think... If you were to take offense to his boldness, he'd say he didn't mean it like that to not make you uncomfortable, but he definitely meant it like that!" He took a bite of his pizza, it's growing cold.

"That's smart." Gale took a deep breath and started typing. He then changed his mind and deleted all the letters, he could do better. He then literally typed out the exact same sentence.

'Well, it's quite impolite to give a gift without wrapping isn't it? Unwrapping is part of the fun!'

"Wyll my heart is pounding, I don't know how people do this whole dating thing casually..."

"I believe in you, you will persevere!"

"I hope you're correct." He got another notification.

"ITS A P-" He realized he was yelling and stopped, he calmly began anew. "He sent me a picture..."

"Open it." Wyll was very invested in this love story that he was merely an observer of. Gale opened the message, it was a picture of a camera setup.

"I was worried it would be a more anatomical image." Said Wyll.

"I doubt he'd do that. He seems more refined." Gale remembered he had pizza so he took a big bite as he thought of something to write. Another message came in the meantime.

'I neglected to mention but I do have an adorable side hustle of doing makeup on youtube~'

'No need, I recognized you.'

'That's cute. But I am going to be quite busy for the next few hours, you go ahead and enjoy your night darling'

'I will, thank you!'

Gale put his phone down. "Dear gods..." He breathed deep. "Wyll I think he put a spell on me!"

"I thought an evocation major would have noticed by now." Wylls pizza was long devoured, so he took to eating the suspiciously healthy looking salad they gave him.

"Or maybe I- He's just- hmmgh..." He bit into his slice of pizza once again. "I don't know, but he did something to me for certain!"

"You know, I think maybe you should worry less about it. He asked you out so he's clearly interested!"

"Stellar advice... I'm going back to dorm. Bye!" He took his tray to the tray receptacle (whatever it may be I hadn't been in a school cafeteria in a while) and dramatically went back to his building.

...

"Shart..." Poke. "Shaaart." Poke. Poke. "Jenevelle Hallowleaf, you wake up immediately or face my fury!"

"It's been at most 3 minutes, stop it!" He kept poking her. "Cease!" She sat up and grabbed Astarion.

"AGH! UNHAND ME YOU BASTARD!" She gave him the full sibling experience and slapped him with his own hand. "Stop hitting me!"

"Stop hitting yourself!" She chuckled and let go of him. He immediately stood up and smoothed his clothes out. "You changed?"

"Surely you didn't think I'd be recording the video in pajamas."

"You're right, going to the street in them was nowhere near as embarrassing." She said, stretching. "Let's get this done, I want to drink already."

"Yes, let's."

...

Gale tried on every fancy wizardly robe he has, the blue one, the yellow one, the other blue one, the purple one, he can't decide. He never even wears these, he's been living in sweats ever since he moved out of his mom's magic tower!

"I think you look quite dashing in this one Mr. Dekarios!"

"I don't feel very dashing." He admitted, looking at himself in the mirror he hexed to float.

"Maybe shaving would help."

"I'm certain it wouldn't. Maybe I ought to brush my hair." He held his hand out and a comb flew to him. He ran it through his glorious mane.

"Wash it." Tara jumped on the desk to see better. "You live like you're invisible, I'm surprised that this Asterion noticed you!"

"Ah-STAR-ion."

"Yes him, he has an eye for fixer uppers." She laid down on his laptop, sprawling out like it was the nicest pillow she ever touched. "Put your earring on too. And cologne!"

"Great idea... When Mystra-"

"I don't want to hear her name from your mouth." She headbutted him. "When is he picking you up?"

"Tomorrow at 8 i think, ill have to check."

"Then you have time until tomorrow to get yourself into shape, you will be fine. OH, why don't you put your hat on?"

"You said it would ruin my hair." He snapped his fingers and it appeared in the air above him.

"Well, I changed my mind, I think it goes very nicely with these robes!"

"Very well." The hat floated down to his head, crowning him the king of rizzards. "It does look good, thank you for the suggestion."

"Great, now that the outfit is decided on, go rest! Tomorrow is a big day."

[bi-bard]

But I'm Flying Like a Bird to You Now - Joanna Constantine Imagine [The Sandman]

Title: But I'm Flying Like a Bird to You Now

Pairing: Johanna Constantine X Reader

Based On: Shrike

Word Count: 929 words

Warning(s): presence of a drunk character, mention of break up

Summary: Johanna and (Y/n)'s relationship crumbled because of Johanna's obsession with work and issues with trust. The realization of her mistakes causes Johanna to show up on (Y/n)'s doorstep out of the blue.

Author's Note: I know that it has been far too long since I wrote for this challenge. I'm sorry.

WASTELAND, BABY! - HOZIER WRITING CHALLENGE MASTERLIST

-------------------------

After Johanna and I broke up, I had expected her to simply leave me alone.

She had more important things to worry about. Her practice, research, saving people, stopping demons. She made it clear to me that I didn't fall very high on her list of priorities.

I had no reason to suspect that she would ever find her way back into my life.

And then, she showed up on my doorstep. Drunk.

I pulled the door open to find her leaning against the doorframe with a lazy smile on her face.

"Johanna?"

"Hi," she grinned at me.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... I was working and I got... I got bored," she explained. "Wanted to see you."

I almost rolled my eyes at the idea of being the solution to boredom. I knew that she didn't mean anything bad by it, but I had put too much work into accepting that I was worth so much more than that. It was hard to hear the person who I had spent so much time with say that I was something that was meant to be some... activity.

"You look so pretty."

I sighed.

I couldn't close the door on her. If I did, I would be constantly worried about her. I would be scared that she got hurt somehow. I couldn't have that idea on my conscience.

I stepped to the side, waving her in.

Johanna smiled, wrapping her arms around me as she walked in.

I closed the door before shoving her arms off of me. I locked the door.

"I wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt if I left you to wander around in this state," I muttered. "I'll get you a blanket. You can sleep on the couch."

She plopped onto the cushion as I walked over to my closet.

I dropped the blanket onto the couch. I was going to grab a glass of water and some pain medicine for the next morning.

I didn't very far before Johanna grabbed my hand. She pulled me over to stand in front of her.

"I love you," she said. "I... I never said it enough... I can say it more. I can say it every day if you want. I love you."

I yanked my hands from hers, my eyes snapping shut. "Go to sleep."

"(Y/n)..."

"Stop it," I snapped. "Go to bed."

I walked away before she could speak up again. After placing some ibuprofen on the end table, I went to my room and curled up under my covers.

I didn't sleep well that night. I barely slept at all.

My mind was racing. I was just thinking about everything that had happened in the past with Johanna. Good moments, bad moments, everything in between. It was all just rushing back. It played on my eyelids every time I tried to fall asleep.

I relented at about five. I finally dragged myself out of bed and accept that I wouldn't get any rest that night.

I walked into the kitchen, starting some coffee.

It was maybe an hour later that Johanna finally pushed herself off of my couch. She looked over at me.

"There's some Ibuprofen on the end table," I said, nodding over at it.

"Thanks," she grumbled.

She walked over to the small island in the kitchen.

We stood there for a few moments. It was an awful silence. One that crept under my skin and buried itself in my bones. I didn't know what to do other than shift my weight on my feet while sipping at my coffee.

I would have given her a cup, but I honestly didn't want her to stay. I just wanted peace.

"I meant what I said last night," she finally mumbled.

"Johanna, please don't," I begged.

"No, we need to talk about this-"

"I tried! That's how we ended up here. I have nothing more to say to you. There's nothing to talk about."

It went silent again.

I was about to tell her to leave before she spoke up again, "I love you-"

"Stop saying that," I muttered, closing my eyes and looking down.

"No," she replied. "I'm not going to stop saying it until you believe me."

"I don't want to believe you!"

That seemed to stun her into silence. For once, she was listening.

"It's too late, Johanna," I explained. "I... I wanted this to work so much. I wanted to love you, but you couldn't love me back. And that hurts. God, it hurts. And listening to you try to make up for it doesn't help. You didn't truly love me until I walked away. I... I can't go back to that life."

"So what? You just want to leave me behind completely? You're the one that promised to never give up."

"Effort goes two ways," I replied. "It's not giving up if the other person was never trying in the first place."

"I get no chance to prove myself?"

"You had over a year to prove yourself," I shrugged. "I'd like you to go now. Please."

Johanna stayed quiet as she finally relented and walked toward the door. I took a deep breath as I watched her.

She stopped in the doorway, looking back at me. "I know you don't want to hear it. But I want you to know that I do love you."

I didn't reply.

"Maybe in another life, I'll do a better job showing it."

As the door closed, I let one more thought about Johanna cross my mind with no fight.

Maybe...

-------------------------

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[ddejavvu]

I have some things I've been thinking about when it comes to the hybrid AU and I wanted to hear your thoughts if you are open to it. But please please feel free to immediately delete this if you don't want to read it. I'm going to say Trigger Warning for SA just to make sure I don't hurt you or anyone else.

Basically ever since you started posting content with a puppy!hybrid reader I've realised how fucked up some things could be in that world when it comes to hybrids and essentially owning people. Because obviously there are no laws against having a relationship or sex with hybrids. So I'm like shit... how many of these poor buggers are "adopted" to essentially become someone's sex slave. Even if they're into it because they love their owner and the owner isn't downright cruel to them. Kind of like a weird Stockholm Syndrome. I feel like it would happen more to the poor females than the males. I'm wondering if maybe shelters have rules or do thorough background checks so people can adopt the female hybrids. I started thinking about it when you said about puppy!reader kissing all over Eddie I was like damn the Eddie I write would be hard immediately and want to fuck her so bad. 😂 But he didn't adopt her to buy himself a girlfriend, he wanted a companion. A pet. I have no doubt Eddie would be down for a relationship if she wanted one. But also, how can you tell what's real when they're going to love you to the moon and back just for saving them.

Anyway do you have any thoughts on that? It's kind of like an ethical dilemma. Also, since I've already added the trigger warning I've been wanting to ask more about puppy!hybrids going into heat or I think you called it a rut for the males? You wrote about puppy!steddie helping each other out during a rut. Do you think they would do the same thing with a female puppy!hybrid reader? Can you get your hybrids desexed? Can you force them on birth control? Do you have to teach them about protection so they don't run around getting each other pregnant? I have so many questions I'm so sorry. I need to know because damn, what I wouldn't give to be Eddie's puppy!hybrid. 🥵

tw for SA as mentioned above // also don't apologize, hybrid aus are something i know a lot about, so feel free to ask anything!

hybrid aus are magical realism, they plop a magical concept into a realistic society. my hybrid au tends to ignore the terrible parts of society that would run even deeper if hybrids were integrated into it, but a lot of people don't, and i'll answer your questions using hybrid au lore that i've come to know over years of reading a lot of different fics.

yes, there is a lot of implied sex slavery within the more developed, realistic systems of hybrid aus, so it's difficult to police sexual attraction from hybrids as it might not always be genuine. and no, a lot of shelters that are portrayed in fics don't do background checks, because they're not pro-hybrid. they abuse their hybrids just as much as the general population does, and it's usually the one nice character that stars in the fic that gives them a better life. i suppose my hybrid au is supposed to be a perfect world, where people aren't that vile. in reality, i know that they would be abused and exploited and assaulted, i just don't like thinking about that (i'm not angry that you asked me, i'm fine to share my knowledge i just don't like writing it into my fics), so i don't write about it either. but in a more developed hybrid au, i would most likely include hesitation surrounding sexual or romantic feelings because of that. i've definitely written longer and more developed hybrid aus for different fandoms, so i'd suggest if you wanted to get a better understanding of the au, you should go to AO3 and look up whatever fandoms you're into!! a lot of creators have a lot of fantastic work there that goes way more into depth than my little word vomits do.

so again in more developed hybrid aus there's lots of explanation around that (maybe i'll write one for steddie, who knows), but basically the general consensus is that there's heat/rut suppressants, that can mask the symptoms of a hybrid's heat/rut. but in most of the fics that include them, they negatively affect the hybrid, with side effects of nausea/vomiting, emotional numbness, decreased appetite, basically it destroys their personality and leaves them a shell of a person. so the mc's choice is then, do i want to harm this hybrid by masking their heat/rut, or do i want to be fucked into oblivion? and in fanfictions, i'm sure you can guess which one is decided upon. and i think in fanfiction protection is just ignored because no one wants to write about condoms, but yes you could put your hybrids on the pill or give them a rubber, it's really up to the author.

[casspurrjoybell-20]

FOOLS IN LOVE - Chapter 32 - Part 1 BOOK THREE: 'Fools Fall in Love' Trilogy

*Warning - Adult Content*

Samuel Moretti

I spent hours at the police station trying to get someone to tell me what was happening to Noah.

Three hours in and all I got was 'he'll be up for bail tomorrow' and to 'go home'.

After leaving the station and heading back to our apartment, I immediately called Ben to plead for him to drop the charges on Noah.

I called four times, straight to voicemail and by my sixth text message to him, I realized he blocked me.

I wasn't too surprised though.

"Any luck?" Kaitlyn asked me once I entered the kitchen.

Plopping myself down on the kitchen stool, I sighed in defeat.

"Nothing. He blocked my number."

"This fucking sucks," Ciera said, her tone solemn like all of our moods.

'God, what if he ends up in prison or something?' I wondered dreadfully.

"Eh," Ciera shrugged.

"Noah can handle himself, probably make everyone his bitch and run the place," she tried making light of the situation but I was in no mood for jokes.

Especially jokes about Noah being in prison.

"Ciera," Kaitlyn scoffed, rolling her eyes before squeezing my shoulder.

"He's not going to prison," she assured me.

"Get some rest, I'm sure his bail will be posted by tomorrow."

**********

I didn't get much, if any, sleep that night.

The morning after, I spent my time refreshing the page that read off the people in our county's jail until finally Noah's was posted.

"Three thousand dollars to bail him out?" Kaitlyn questioned me with wide eyes at eight in the morning.

"Unfortunately," I breathed out a tired sigh.

"Shit," Ciera cursed under her breath.

"Fuck me, what do I do? I don't have three thousand dollars in my pocket. I have maybe a thousand in my savings," I whined feeling more stressed out than ever.

Stupid, stupid Noah and his anger issues.

Why couldn't he just let it go?

And stupid Ben for egging him on.

Now I have to come up with three thousand dollars.

I turned to Kaitlyn with pleading eyes, if any one of us was financially well off and could get Noah out, it was her family.

"Kaitlyn, I know your parents hate Noah but maybe..."

Kaitlyn shook her head, shamefully.

"My parents cut me off."

My eyes went wide and my jaw basically dropped to the floor.

"What? Why?"

With Ciera rubbing Kaitlyn's arm to comfort her, Kaitlyn explained...

"I told them about Ciera... daddy wasn't too happy."

"Oh my God," I stood up and wrapped my arms around her.

"I am so sorry."

"That's why I've haven't left this apartment," she continued after our embrace.

"Oh, wow," I was shocked.

I knew her dad was harsh but I never thought he'd do something like that to his baby girl, his only child.

"That's crazy but this is your home," I tell her sincerely.

"Always."

She nods with a small smile of gratitude.

"Okay, no more sob stories, we need to get Noah out. I have close to five hundred in my checking... only Fans pays well," she confesses sheepishly.

Huh? Again, jaw dropped.

Clearly this was all a surprise to me alone because Ciera didn't look taken aback like I was.

"Bitch, you have me floored. We're gonna unpack that later," I said because what the hell?

I've been way too involved in my love life.

I turned to Ciera.

"Anything?" I asked hopefully.

"Huh?" she shrugged.

"I have about twelve?" she offered.

I gasped in excitement.

"Hundred?"

That would be fantastic if she didn't burst my hopeful bubble.

"Dollars. Twelve dollars... if my account isn't overdraft again," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ahhh," I laid my head down on the counter.

"We'll get him out," Kaitlyn spoke firmly

"Have you called his brother, Nathan?" she suggested.

"No, I'll call him now. I think I have his number," I spoke while searching through my phone.

I did still have Nathan's number saved and on the second ring, he picked up.

"Sam?" Nathan said my name like he wasn't sure if it was actually me.

Noah probably hadn't told him we're back together.

"Yeah, hey... um."

Oh God, this was horrible.

"I don't really know how to tell you this... ahhaha," I laughed awkwardly even though this wasn't remotely funny.

"But uh... Noah's in jail," I ripped the bandaid off, cringing.

"Fuck," he sighed over the phone.

"Again? This fucking kid. Alright, I'm on my way," and he hung up, but I was hung up on the 'again' part.

"Okay, well, he's on his way I guess," I told the girls and set my phone down.

"When I told him, he said 'again?' Please tell me this is Noah's first time being in jail," I spoke to Kaitlyn because she's known him longer than I have.

"I wish I could say that but Noah's familiar with the system."

Appalled, I said...

"Familiar? Noah's been in jail before?"

That was the first time I heard of this.

"Sorry, I thought you knew."

"For what?" I questioned.

Kaitlyn shrugged.

"Petty theft when he was younger, stealing from convenience stores. He stole his dad's car once when he was like twelve and crashed it into a light pole."

"Jeez, anything else?" I asked because I didn't know how many more bomb droppings I could take.

"Not that I remember but don't feel bad about him not telling you. He did a bunch of stupid shit right after his mom left," Kaitlyn explained.

"He doesn't like talking about it."

I scoffed, clearly not.

I always felt like I knew Noah better than anyone but that was just my naïve brain.

Of course I don't know everything, Noah's always been notorious for keeping his personal life private but after him telling me about his trauma, I thought he was comfortable enough to tell me anything.

"That wouldn't be on his record if he was a minor for all of it, right?" Ciera asked.

I shrugged, what the hell do I know?

Kaitlyn didn't seem to know either.

"I hope not."

There was a knock on the door and without looking through the peephole, Ciera opened it up to reveal Nathan and his fiancé, Maggie but they weren't alone, Noah's mother was with them.

"Uh, I don't know if it's a good idea if she's here," I spoke nervously.

Last I checked, Noah wasn't on great terms with his mother and me getting involved was the start of the end of Noah and my relationship last year.

I was not about to partake in that again.

"Noah's gonna have to get over it," Nathan said.

"Because I don't have money to save his ass this time," he said as they all walked through the door.

"How much is it?" the brother asked referring to Noah's bail.

"Three grand," Ciera answered.

"And we only have about fifteen hundred," I told them with gloom laced in my words.

"I can help," Noah's mother offered.

"I can pay the rest."

I gave a hesitant look.

"I only want to help Noah," his mom spoke softly.

"I don't trust her," Ciera states bluntly, her arms crossed at her chest and her expression cold.

"You don't have to trust me, Noah doesn't have to trust me but it's the least I could do. He doesn't have to worry about paying me back," she spoke to all of us and whether I believed her or not, I didn't care.

'Noah, please be understanding and don't hate me.'

"Thank you, I appreciate it," I said.

"Now tell me, what the fuck got Noah in Jail, this time?" Nathan asked.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #120

When was the last time you spent over $100 in one transaction? What did you buy? Uh... I don't remember? I'll do that soon though for my first tattoo appointment.

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Would you judge a grown adult for doing so? No to both.

Would you rather read an erotic novel or watch an erotic film? I mean, honestly neither, but if I had to pick one it'd be a novel.

Do you still have both of your parents? Thankfully, yes.

Do you play video games? Yeah, but not nearly as much as I did as a kid and teenager.

Does your significant other boss you around a lot? Hell fucking no, he knows I wouldn't allow that and I also know he doesn't want to do that to me.

Have you ever been put to sleep for surgery? Twice, yeah. I recently learned that I WON'T be able to be put to sleep for my wisdom teeth extraction because it is just impossibly expensive for us, and one especially HAS to come out because it has a very deep cavity that is going to kill the tooth and cause me hell if it stays in.

[TW: SUICIDE] Have you ever attempted suicide? Yes.

Have you ever skipped class before? No, not just one specific class. I'd rarely skip school by staying home, almost only ever because of mental health or more rarely being absolutely insanely tired, but Mom normally wouldn't allow that. Oh, I think I also usually did get to stay home on my bday.

Who, in your life, makes you feel discouraged? Myself, more than absolutely anyone else. I don't let (other) people stay in my life anymore that do that to me.

Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Well, my grandmothers died of different cancers, but neither I was very close to at all (I actually hated Mom's mom) for multiple reasons. Did Dad's dad die of cancer too? I can't remember, but I barely knew him either.

Have you ever been in a car accident? Yeah, when I was way younger. We actually got real close to big trouble on the road Friday; we were the first in line at a stop light and across from us, an 18-wheeler carrying some metal stuff turned in front of us, but way too sharply, and he tipped entirely onto two wheels, very barely managing to get back upright. Both Mom and I nearly had a fucking heart attack and both of our anxieties were very elevated for a while, like she was about to shift the car into reverse to back the hell up.

What was the last film you watched, that made you feel emotional? I have no idea. I basically never watch movies.

Does anyone you know ever recommend books to you? No.

What traits/behaviors do your pets have, that you find cute? Strongest is Cookie's tendency to get EXTREMELY excited when she merely suspects Mom or both of us are leaving. She is crazy for car rides, and she'll immediately start running between us, pushing our legs, doing this weird hyperventilation thing chihuahuas do when they get so excited their tiny bodies basically can't handle it haha, and will jump right into her carrier and stare at Mom, waiting to be picked up. Cookie also tends to prefer toys that are bigger than her, and watching her try to beat up like her big sloth or cow is the cutest shit. As for Roman, when we get home, he'll saunter into the living room and just plop down onto the floor in this uniquely content way, like he's just happy we're home and wants to chill with us. He stretches out and will frequently start rolling around/playing on the floor basically, lol. Also since being a kitten, he loves to sleep like as close to my face as he can get, normally. Lastly, Venus. This isn't exactly super unique to a snake, but it's still cute: when I handle her, oftentimes she loves to try to go into my shirt to be against my skin and stay warmer (I'm very convinced this literally saved her life once in a power outage we had), and back when I used to use my laptop in bed, she was great about snuggling up against me and just chilling there for basically ever, lol. She's a sweet girl.

Is there anyone who "likes" a lot of your posts online, but you don’t talk? Yeah, ig.

What was the last song that you recall singing along to? Pretty sure it was "Love Stuck" by Mother Mother the other day.

Have you ever been in your kitchen naked? No.

This time last year, what was your relationship status? I was still with Girt.

Did you reject or accept your last friend request? Reject, I think. Pretty sure it was some random guy I'd never met and had no mutuals with, gotta love those.

Are you sure of your sexuality? I AM sure I'm at least queer, and while I'm quite certain I am specifically pansexual, I don't think I'd ever truly know until I had a legit sexual experience with a feminine person.

What was the last compliment that you got? The person who worked with me for PT today told me I did great.

Do you know anyone with a really weird name? In almost all cases, I don't like to think of names as "weird," because generally they are given with great love and consideration and are important to those who named them, so I think it's pretty mean to consider someone's name weird. Now yes, there are exceptions, there are rare cases where names are given carelessly or even as a "joke," but generally, you get my mindset.

Has a boy/girl ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend for you? Basically.

What’s the worst hangover you’ve ever had? I've never had one, actually.

Who in your family are you closest to? My mom.

Ever sat in someone’s lap because there were no more seats in a vehicle? I remember doing this with Jason once.

What do you tend to drink a lot of? Flavored carbonated water.

If you were going out for a meal, what restaurants would you typically AVOID going to? Seafood and foreign, generally. There are times I'm fine with some foreign food, but on your average day, if you ask where I wanna go, I'm gonna pick American cuisine.

Name a song you enjoy that’s in a language other than English. Basically Rammstein's entire discography lmao but for this question I'm gonna go with "Zeit," I think the vocals are fucking fantastic and sincerely beautiful in it. I feel like German has a rep for being an ugly-sounding language, which I don't agree with in general, but I cannot imagine someone calling the vocals "ugly" in that one.

Did you ever have head lice as a child? Quite positive no.

Do you like/listen to Queen? Do you have a favourite song by them? I adore Queen; Freddie Mercury is my favorite vocalist to ever live. This is probably like, EVERYONE'S answer, but I adore "Bohemian Rhapsody," but also "Killer Queen" and "Headlong" are high up on the list.

Do you have any idea when you’ll next attend a wedding? Whose will it be? Nope, but if I had to guess I really do think it's probably gonna be my own lmao. Girt visited his grandmother two days back and she's officially joined the party of asking when we're getting married haha.

What was the best job you’ve ever had? I've never had a job I even liked.

Do you have a troublesome medical condition? Above all, severe depression and anxiety. My AvPD is also very noteworthy with how it affects my life, and I still deal with the effects of relationship trauma. OH, I was so focused on my mental stuff that I almost forgot uh hey, my leg health also MAJORLY affects my life and what I can do, etc. Lastly, my weight plays a massive part in my poor self-image and super severely contributes to my depression.

Magenta, aqua, or coral? Coral; I consider that my second-favorite color. I love all of these, though.

Do you like the color orchid? Yes! I love basically every conceivable shade of pink, haha.

Would you rather be a wedding photographer or a nature photographer? It's my literal dream to be a nature photographer. Once upon a time I was aiming for wedding photographer, but only for the pay; I'm just not social enough for that shit.

Have you ever had an ulcer? None other than those you sometimes get in your mouth from like, biting your cheek.

Do you enjoy writing essays? I actually do, quite a lot.

What is your favorite name that starts with a "Z?" Probably Zane.

Do you believe that God’s plans for you are better than you could ask, think, or imagine? "God's" plan involves giving kids cancer and allowing pre-teen girls to be knocked up by rapists, fuck his "plans."

Would you want your first child to be a girl or a boy? If I decide I want children, I want a girl so much more than a boy that I'd almost be tempted to do IVF so long as my husband was still the biological dad, I've no idea how the rules of that process work. Super unlikely I'd actually do it though because I don't care quite enough to invest money in that.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a good salesperson? I've been in this position and I can ASSURE you I am the worst salesperson imaginable lmao.

Which name do you like better: Jessica or Jennifer? Jessica.

To you, what is especially distracting? People talking when I'm trying to count something. I physically cannot do it. Numbers just DO NOT store in my damn brain.

Have you ever contemplated cheating on anyone? Nope.

Who do you go to when you need comfort? Mostly Girt or Mom. Sometimes Tez and Mazzy.

Has anyone you know started a new job recently? Do they seem to enjoy it? Uh I feel like somebody has, but idr who.

Have you seen a butterfly at any time recently? No.

Have you drunk any fruit-flavored beverages today? Yes; the water I drink is usually strawberry-flavored.

What carbonated beverages do you have in your fridge at the moment? None, not even my aforementioned waters right now.

Has anyone you know got into a new relationship lately? Um maybe, idk.

Do you have any sisters? How is your relationship with them? Ashley, Nicole, Katie, and Misty. Katie and Misty don't live here and I barely ever see them, but I am A LOT like Katie (more than any of my other siblings) so connect to her a lot, though we don't talk enough. I like Misty enough, but she can also be incredibly fucking stupid and self-important as hell. I get along fine with Ashley and Nicole too, but we also don't talk a lot and I've never in my mature life known how to properly interact/connect with them. Nicole and I were very close as kids, but not anymore.

What was your favourite class in high school? Art.

Do you have any plans to buy any furniture in the near future? No.

Do you know anyone who has a matching tattoo with someone? (including yourself)? I'm sure I know more than I think I do. I know Ashley and her husband Nick got each other's first initial tattooed on their ring fingers on their honeymoon. Colleen and I each got "ohana" tattoos dedicated to each other (which I now want to rip directly off my fucking skin, especially when you consider I don't even believe in unnecessary loyalty to family just because they're family), but they were styled entirely differently and in different spots.

What type of milk do you like to drink? Either 1%, 2%, or whole.

Do you have a first aid kit at home? Yeah.

Are your parents dog or cat people? Is that different or the same as you? I know Mom's a dog person, and I think Dad is too. Since leaving us though he's never owned another, just cats because of Kim, and he's loved both of them very much.

Are there sounds that bother you on a visceral level? Vomiting.

Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone? I will never, ever, get another tattoo that will lose meaning if that person leaves my life. It's a terrible fucking decision. I'm perfectly fine with getting one with somebody that will still be a perfectly relevant, important tattoo to me if our relationship spoils, though.

What would be worse for you, unplanned pregnancy or cancer? Gah, I guess cancer, but both would fucking suck. I'm pretty sure the abortion I would inevitably get would traumatize me, but cancer could straight-up kill me.

Have you ever popped another person’s zit? oh my fucking god no

Have you ever told a friend to dump their SO? Did they? Yes, and eventually, yes. She was my best friend and her boyfriend (who I knew via school) was an ABSOLUTE piece of shit. Summer's always had a thing for people who aren't good for her... Even now, her partner she's been with for many, many years is complete trash, but it really does look like they're staying together no matter what.

What do you think is the coolest piercing on someone else? Generally lip kinds.

[lesbianiki]

BFS finding out Catra's baby pics~

9pm. Brightmoon. Catra is getting ready to go to bed. She brushed her hair, which is necessary because it grew up to her normal lenght. She grabbed Adora's shirt which Catra so kindly asked for (no, she just stole it) and went to her bedroom.

When she was passing by Glimmer's bedroom she heard laughter and... gasping coming from it. She would have ignored it but she heard Adora's 'awww' and 'oh my god' and suddenly they got Catra's attention.

"What are you doing?" she says.

The three looked caught red-handed.

No-nothing!" Bow says nervously. Clearly they were doing SOMETHING.

"It's bedtime, Catra" Adora speaks this time. Equally nervous "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

Catra averted a 'You guys are hiding something from me' type of gaze.

Glimmer just sighed and exclaimed "WE WERE LOOKING AT YOUR BABY PICS!"

The room went silent. Bow and Glimmer thought it was their last day alive. Adora thought 'tonight I'll be sleeping in the couch while Catra sleeps with Melog'

But Catra just stared at them.

And her face went red. As her old mask.

"HOW DID YOU GET THEM!?" she screamed. She was not angry. She was embarrassed because only God knows what the hell is going on in these pics, something embarrassing, humiliating and cute.

"We went to the Fright Zone and... uh, we found this on an empty locker" Adora explains...

Oh... so that was their 'Best Friend Squad Non-Previously Organized Surprise Trip'.

Adora must have heard of Catra's pics and flew to the Fright Zone as soon as she was free.

"If it makes you uncomfortable we will take them away"

Catra could hear a single 'crack' coming from the trio's heart.

After meditating it. Catra nod 'no' and the BFS released a loud 'Pheww~'

"But you have to show me what you have". Adora beamed at her fiancé. Of course she will show her how cute she was as a baby. Adora sat on the bed and pat her lap. With a single PLOP her lap cat fiancé was sat.

They showed her the first pic. Little, chubby Catra. Her mane was bigger than her own body. Bow was about to cry.

"It is cuter the second time" he squeaked.

Adora was not in a better state. She squeezed Catra with her strong arms and cooed.

"Dear God..." Catra chuckles.

The next one is Catra biting her tail while staring at the camera. She was wearing a Horde bodysuit.

Glimmer gasped and said "Look at you, little Horde Scum" while giggling. Their eyes were watery, but Catra was just enjoying the show with amusement.

The third pic was Catra curled up in a boy's chest. The poor guy was nervous but holding Catra with care. By his side was a girl taller than him patting his shoulder.

"Huh, unbelievable. Even Horde scums went weak for babies".

"Because not all of us liked Hordak and his plans"

Some horde soldiers wanted to be free to live a life without fear. Some just wanted to escape this hellhole. And some of them wanted to get married and have children with their sweethearts.

Catra was lucky she was beeing taken care of by loving horde soldiers. Her elder siblings.

"Okay, we'll continue later. Bow fainted" Glimmer pointed at her husband "It's Adora's bedtime too" she sticked her tongue at the blonde girl.

Both girls got up of the fluffy bed and got out the room.

Adora had this cute agression energy around her. Catra could feel it.

She was hugged from behind and she knew it was too late to escape her fiancé's embrace.

"Adoraa" she fights to be free "Let me go!" but it's impossible, Adora started to kiss and squeeze and she knew by heart that it was the end of the catgirl.

"Why would I ever stop?" she says "You are the cutest baby I've ever seen" One kiss. Another kiss "I love you sooo muchh my sweetheart"

It was the end. The cute agression started. Adora spread kisses on Catra's head, shoulders, neck. Everywhere. She hugged her tightly, lovingly... God saves Catra..

"I can't believe a cute kitty like that is a feral little goblin today" she says. Oh, Catra WAS feral, ruthless... but now war was over she used that goblin energy to get away with her pranks. She was a mischievous little shit.

"I can't wait to see how cute our kids would be"

"Hold on, dumbface! We are not married yet, and it's too early for kids" she pokes Adora's forehead "You need to sleep too". Catra kissed her soon-to be-wife on her cheek and smiled.

"True, let's g-" Catra extends her arms to her. She was not going to walk to their bedroom.

"Cat pack?"

Catra blushed and nodded yes. Adora lifted her like she weighted nothing and Catra hugged her from behind with her slim legs. Her arms crossed on those wide shoulders.

Adora walked to their bedroom with a purring little goblin on her back.

THE END

[theobjectofyourire]

I do agree with anon that aemond seems to have a bad relationship with sex which is because 13 is too young to have your first sexual experience (Aegon’s fault) and his mother and father relationship (Because if your idea about intimacy and relationships is Viserys and Alicent + your older brother creepy ass of course your perception of the whole thing would be fucked up) and I do like to believe that his first and last experience was at the brothel when he was 13.

Here comes Daemon’s role , he’ll notice how aemond is repulsed by intimacy and sex and he will just go “Okay time to fix this boy.” so he starts to slowly change that and make aemond actually enjoy physical touch and all slowly till aemond consents to having sex with him on his 18th birthday and daemon just makes love to him all night because he deserves to be handled with care this beautiful boy deserves softness and touches that are meant to comfort rather than hurt (I’m too soft for them being soft and fluffy helppp)

Okay now I’m gonna go scream into my pillow because I really need someone to write this and I’m too lazy to actually write (somehow I want my thoughts to write itself and yet I still call myself a writer)

OKAY I'M FINALLY GETTING AROUND TO ANSWERING ALL THESE MARVELLOUS DAEMOND THOUGHTS LETS GOOOOO

firstly anon you aren't alone I think you just described every writer ever. like I wanna take the idea from my mind and plop it down and voila it's perfect. could you imagine? we'd be unstoppable

secondly, the way I am so so soft for touch-starved Aemond. seriously, it's one of my favourite things in the entire world, and the idea of Daemon being gentle with him and giving him all the affection he's sought for so many years is just 😭

you're spot on with Aemond having a really complicated, negative experience with sex and really, extending past that, intimacy in all forms. he didn't see any love in his parent's marriage, though he did see his mother's unyielding devotion to her husband and king. and more than that, neither he nor his siblings received much care from Viserys. even when Aemond lost his eye (not only lost, but had it taken from one of Rhaenyra's sons and I could go on a whole psychoanalysis of this but I'll save that for another post), Viserys showed little concern. he was more upset by the slanders than the violence. could you imagine losing an eye and having no one but your mother defend you? not even your own father? what that must have done to his self worth is nothing short of heartbreaking

then, on top of that, he has an older brother whose behavior is utterly despicable, who puts him in a situation he has no desire to be in and he's forced to experience something before he's ready. you end up with someone who's probably severely repressed because it's the only safety he knows, who views sex as something deeply disquieting at the very least, and who struggles with intimacy in its most base form not only due to his experiences, but also due to people's reactions to his scar.

I feel like when he's grown, he has no idea how stunning he is. how the scar adds to his beauty, how the sapphire is positively mesmerizing. he's used to people viewing him as monstrous, as a freak. he's used to people flinching away from him. he wouldn't know what to do with a soft touch. he wouldn't know what to do when Daemon removes his eye patch and peppers kisses along his scar, telling him how beautiful he is in low murmurs.

Aemond is so touch-starved that the slightest brush of Daemon's fingers is like a kiss from the gods. so exquisite it's almost painful. his body is rigid and unyielding, untrusting of this kindness. it isn't until he presses his lips to the sapphire that Aemond starts to quiver. his body succumbs, the years of repression melting like flesh from bone under the heat of his dragon. his dragon. because in this moment, it's clear as the summer skies. Daemon is his, and he is Daemon's.

a tear falls to his cheek. Daemon wipes it away with his thumb, perhaps before kissing the spot where it fell. his hands are on his waist, sliding to the small of his back as he slowly moves closer, pressing his forehead against his nephew's. he feels so fragile. but Daemon's treating him with such care. such love.

every touch is a gift. every kiss, a mercy, the likes of which he was not granted in his childhood. they trace each other's scars as they explore each other's bodies. this night, they are not warriors. they are artists. poets. immortalizing each other in the softest ways, known and unknown until hurt is forgotten and love encompasses all.

okay I need to add fluffy daemond to my list of fics to write at some point. this hit me in the feels I'm so soft for them😭annnnd now I can't stop thinking about how Daemon would affectionately call him 'taoba' in the sweetest murmurs okay I have to stop before I start sobbing pls keep sending your thoughts tho I love this

[ectokelpeigh]

"Is the Red Huntress your sidekick?"

Had Danny been beholden to gravity in that particular moment, he would have fallen. As it stood (see: floated), he did the flying equivalent of stumbling where he got all wobbly and his ghost reflexes kicked in to temporarily bifurcate his midsection around a flagpole. He shivered. He hated that feeling.

It wasn't the idea of him and Val working together that gave him pause (and eventual laughter. So much laughter. It sent the passerby who'd called out the question from the street below shuffling away, face full of chagrin and mild concern). No, it was reasonable to say Red and Phantom worked together more often than not. They gave up on the cat-and-mouse thing entirely.

What sent Danny into hysterics was the idea that Valerie goddamn Gray was anyone's sidekick, much less his.

Is the Red Huntress your sidekick?

"Buddy," Danny said to the vacated spot on the sidewalk, "if anything, I'm her sidekick."

-

"You are not my sidekick."

Danny grinned, turning his head the full hundred and eighty degrees to face Valerie a full second before his body caught up.

Then he put a hand to his chest.

"You're firing me, Red?" he pouted. "Do I at least get severance?"

Valerie's face mask flipped up, so there was no cybernetic filter over her reply: "I'll sever your head from your body if you don't stop telling everyone you're my sidekick."

"Sever my head?" he mocked, and promptly planted a hand on each side of his own face, and lifted. His disembodied piehole deadpanned, "Oh no, what ever shall I do?"

He proceeded to toss his head to Valerie. She caught it without so much as a blanche.

Holding Phantom's head at arm's length and eye level, she simply said, "I never hired you. I work alone."

She dropped the head.

It went into freefall for the second or so it took Phantom to react. At least she didn't drop-kick it this time. He floated his head and body together to reunite, then plopped down to take a seat at Valerie's feet on the jet sled with a little more force than necessary, making it rock. You know, for emphasis.

"You're right," Danny said, "I noticed how much of a lone wolf you are last week when we took down Ghostzilla alone together."

Valerie crouched and sat next to him, the motion so smooth that the jet sled didn't so much as wobble.

"I guess I never thanked you for the save at the end there," she said, arms crossed but smile audible.

"Pssht, you didn't even need saving. You had it handled. I just expedited the handling. You know, like a sidekick." Danny shrugged.

"Even if one of us was the sidekick—which is a stupid—I can't think of a lot of duos where the sidekick is the one with the actual powers."

"Then you don't read enough comics. Or watch enough movies. Come on, Red."

"That's a non-answer. You can't think of any."

"Not off the top of my head. But even if there aren't any, who cares? I mean, what are my 'powers' anyway—that I got myself killed but I'm too obnoxious to go quietly into that good night?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "It's 'go gently'." A beat. "Where is this coming from?"

Thankful he doesn't sweat as Phantom, Danny stammered: "That poem we, uh, you living kids went over in English today which I happened to pass on patrol, and stopped to listen in on so I could misquote it now so you can correct me and prove you're smarter and obviously the hero material here. Duh." Nailed it.

"Much as it baffles that you spend so much time at school, it's not my business." Valerie waved him off, "I wasn't talking about that. I mean this being-my-sidekick stuff. Where'd you get that idea?"

"You haven't shot at me in a while. Needed to annoy you."

"Uh-huh. You know you're naturally obnoxious. Not buying it."

Danny sighed. He leaned back, resting his weight on his palms behind him. "Someone asked me last week if you were my sidekick."

Valerie made a gagging noise.

"I know, right?" Danny huffed a laugh.

"I don't work for ghosts." Valerie balked, but her chuckling was cut short, qualifying her statement with, "...not anymore."

Fragments of a memory of glowing rings, crimson sclera, and a cruel smile danced behind her eyes.

"Right," Danny frowned.

Snapping back to the present, Valerie pushed: "Why not just flip off whoever asked you and fly away?"

Danny didn't answer for a second. He didn't really have an answer. While he mulled it over, he kicked his feet back and forth like they were dangling in a swimming pool and not hundreds of feet above a sea of asphalt.

Finally: "It's just bullshit, okay? Call it a mix of Imposter Syndrome and getting mad on a friend's behalf. I'm just some punk that hit a button by accident. My origin story is 'I fucked up.' I helped make a mess, and I'm mostly at peace with that, but you're stuck cleaning it up too, kicking just as much ass as I do without powers, and for what? For some idiot to assume it's Team Phantom if we buddy up?"

And if that didn't bring Valerie up short. The pair sat on the jet sled, side by side. With each second the silence persisted, Danny was more sure she'd focus on the hint at where his powers came from.

So it was a mercy when she finally said, "I'm really mad at you." Especially because there's no venom to it— in fact, it was surprisingly soft.

"That's fair." Danny hedged, "but what for in particular?"

"For making it so that the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me, however misguided, was done by a ghost. How sad is that?" She buried her face in her hands.

That got a wheeze-laugh from Danny. When did the jet sled become an emotional roller coaster car? "Does this mean I'm not fired?"

"No, but only because you were never hired. I don't need a PR agent, either." Valerie stood up, and looked down at Danny with the moon making a halo from behind her. "Look. It sounds like we were both dealt shitty hands at first. I made my choices, I'm happy with my life, and I couldn't give less of a shit what people think." Valerie put her hands on her hips. "In fact, I kind of prefer they don't think of me at all. So I appreciate the thought, but cut it out."

Danny couldn't help himself: "See, it's that kind of brooding selflessness that solidifies the 'superhero' thing. And that calls for a sidekick."

"Say 'sidekick' one more time and you'll be my villain origin story."

With that, Valerie jumped up, shoved him off the jet sled, and activated the rockets.

She probably wouldn't hear it, but he called out to her retreating figure anyway: "Been there, done that, trained the dog!"

[steddie-thirst]

Danger | Eddie Munson X (Elf)Fem!Reader |(Real Intro)

Summary: Eddie discovers that some things are real. That something which lead him to dive into another world with his best friends and save both that world and Hawkins from the danger that lurks.

Rapid knocking brings Dustin from his slumber, sweet and completely blissful. The next thing he knows he is ripped away from said deep sleep by the rapping at his front door. Loud and unforgiving. Swinging out of the bed and slowly padding down the steps, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He groans in frustration as he approaches the insistent knocking, then swings open the door, squinting his eyes at the figure as light peers in from behind. Through the phase of tiredness he could make out who it was, "Eddie?"

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." He greets with a grin, much to Dustin's distain, written by the slightly dazed look on his face, followed by a furrowed brow.

"Dude it's 6:30 in the morning." Dustin protests, but Eddie is shoving his way inside, earning more of a fight from the younger gentlemen. "What the hell, man?"

Eddie whirls around clasping his hands together, "Firstly, you said to come at seven, so I'm on time." He declared extending his arms out and gesturing to the still tired figure of Dustin. "Secondly, this campaign won't write itself." Eddie sets his bag down on the ground and plopped down onto the couch.

Dustin sighed, "Shit, I totally forgot." He runs his hands down his face, and rub at his eyes in attempt to push the drowsiness away. Eddie grins as he relaxes into the plush cushions crossing one leg over the other.

"Stay here. I'll go get dressed.." Dustin ordered.

Hours into their session Eddie loses focus and moves towards the topic of lunch. "Dude, you literally pestered me two hours ago to do this and now you want pizza?" In the guitarists defense Eddie rarely ever kept up with eating breakfast.

"Can think on an empty stomach, Henderson." Eddie declares, reaching over the table to chug some of the water, prepared by Dustin.

He sends a glare to his elder and rolls his eyes, "Fine, but only if I get to pick the toppings this time."

"It's a deal, Henderson." He agreed with a grin, dimples shining through. Eddie pushes off the couch and stretches. "Though no rough housing in my van, I just cleaned her. Alright?" He wags a finger at the boy and Dustin huffs.

He sighed heavily. "Yeah mom. I got it." He rolls his eyes and takes his jacket from the hanger following Eddie towards the door leaving their stuff scattered about the table. They could get to it when they came back.

Right?

Eddie has both hands on the steering wheel, occasionally looking over at Dustin who's secured both pizza boxes in his arms and close to his chest. "Dustin, don't drop them!" He chides losing focus for a second to push one back into place on his lap. The younger boy's eyes widened in fear as he spots the figure crossing the road.

Eddie's eyes were on him, "Eddie! The road!" He whips his head back and he jerms the wheel to the left, slamming on the brakes, van screeching to halt. "Shit! SHIT!" The pizza boxes go flying, amongst other discarded items in the van. The vehicle rocking, Eddie drops his head against the headrest and Dustin stares at him, for a second before clambering out of the vehicle. Eddie quickly following after him.

Who did they almost hit?

[4everhyucks]

Heyo! I hope you're still doing GENSHIN requests?? I'm a little thirsty for Childe drabble or smth. So imagine the fem! Reader being Childe's comrade but they don't get along well (she thinks he is an idiot) until one fight when they get attacked the reader gets wounded with a poison arrow which catches her side b00b. And in order to save her Childe has to eXtRaCt the poison 🦘💕✨ idm if it grows into anything and the ending is up to you... But I BEG U TO WRITE IT YOU'RE SO GOOD AH thank 🛐🇷🇺

thank the poison

pairing childe x fem!reader

cw tit sucking, lots of kissing

navi

You’ve never really liked Childe, he's a literal idiot. The way he speaks, laughs, especially the way he looks at you, pisses you off more than anything in the world. As you hate to say this, he’s flawless, both his fighting and...

his looks.

Another sunrise, another commission to do. "So you're telling me that some hilichurls are wandering outside Wangshu Inn?" Childe leans down to your ears behind you, questioning. "Why can't you ever shut the fuck up, just follow me," you snap at him while picking up your pace, "and stop talking by my ear, I can hear you just fine."

"Hey hey, no need to get all grumpy on me, comrade..." You stomp away from Childe, his murmurs getting softer and softer.

—

You both were almost done with the monsters until one of the hilichurl fires an arrow towards you. "Comrade watch out! Behind you!" You hear Childe's warning but as you turn around, the arrow slice through your clothing, leaving a shallow cut on your side boob. Talk about embarrassing. Looking at the arrow, you see thick purple liquid dripping on the sharp end, "poison?" Immediately, your knees fall to the ground, you wince at the sudden discomfort of not being able to stand up.

Childe quickly finishes off the rest of the hilichurls and runs to you, "are you alright?" It's strange seeing the ginger being worried about you. "Do I look alright to you?" You glared at him, "I can't get up!" You then realize his eyes slowly shifted to where you had been cut. You have no idea why you were getting flustered, lowering your head to hide your burning cheeks. Not aware of how red his face is.

"I'll get a room at the inn," Childe said while swinging you over his shoulders.

"I can't believe I'm getting help from this guy," you sigh, heart racing.

"Said something?"

"Nope."

—

It's surprising how Childe carried you the entire way without complaining about it. He places you down onto the bed softly. "Gonna take a shower real quick," he states, disappearing right after.

That was close. He thought to himself, looking down at his bulge. He decided to ignore it since you were right outside. While you're busy thinking of a solution, you hear Childe snickering by the bathroom door.

"What's so funny?"

"You interested?" He plops down by your legs and taps them, "this poison... you won't be able to walk for at least three hours."

"Three hours?! You're telling me I'm gonna have to stay like this for that long?"

"I can suck it out if you allow me to," Childe jokingly utters, "weak poison doesn't have any effect on me."

The wetness you had in between your thighs since earlier just got worse, but you can't do anything about it. You knew Childe said it as a joke but this sensation you're having just won't go away. It wouldn't hurt to let him... right?

"Comrade, it's just a-"

"Do it." You cut him off.

"What?" Wanting you to repeat what he thought he heard.

"I said do it," you recite your words with your head tilted down.

Childe can feel his pants getting tighter. For the second time today, he found himself staring again. This time not at the cut, but at your tits, entirely. "Are you serious right now?" He breathes out. "Did the poison get to your head or something?"

Unsure of what that meant, you glance at him. Your eyes widen when you see the bulge under his clothing. "Childe, I didn't mean-"

"Oh, you don't get to take it back comrade."

Childe crawls closer to your upper body, hands sliding up your waist then ripping your top off. You instantly cover your breasts with your hands, "that was uncalled for." He gently lifted up your hands, "I don't see why you'd hide such a lovely feature." He stares at them for a good minute. "This is sort of awkward for me, stop staring." Head facing the other way. "No need to get all shy in front of me, princess." His tongue grazing over the cut. You flinch.

Princess? What a cringy word. You say that but deep inside you're probably craving for him to call you all sorts of things. Doesn't matter if it's dirty.

Without notifying you, Childe started sucking the poison out while teasing your nipple, which was so unnecessary. You bite your finger lightly, not aspiring to make too much noise. "You don't have to hold back you know," his voice vibrating against your boob. You shake your head, chest rising up and down. It didn't take him long to get the job done. "I'm done," getting up whilst licking the corner of his lips. Childe felt disgusted by himself, taking advantage of the situation for his own desires. He wants to leave right this second. It was a whole other story for you though, you wanted him to stay, to make you feel good.

It's not enough. Childe grabs the white sheet and tosses it over your torso. This isn't enough. "Get some rest, you'll feel better in a while. I'm leaving." I want you, more.

"Not enough," you mutter, grasping his wrist before he could go. It's soft, but he heard you. "Want you to make me feel good Childe," you pull him down by the hand and grab the back of his neck, connecting your lips to his.

I can't believe this asshole is making me feel this way. It might just be lust right now, but I just might fall in love with this idiot.

You brush your lips on his, delicately. Heat rose in your cheeks as your tongue touched the male's tongue. It was the first time you initiated a kiss. "Sorry, I kinda got taken away-" your trail of words gets cut off when Childe proceeds to kiss you, roughly. He rests his fingers beneath your jaw. To you, the kiss felt so long. You were panting by the time you pull away.

"Could we continue this when my leg feels better?" Your face flushes red, unable to look him in the eye. Fingers interlocking with his.

"Mhm, definitely." Being said, Childe plants a kiss on your forehead.

[starlightxsvt]

3 dates | c.sc

pairing ➳ badboy!Seungcheol x female!reader

genre ➳ badboy au, romance, some fluff, angst, bad attempt at humour, gets spicy at the end.

word count ➳ 12.4k+ (i have NO idea how this became so long so strap in for a ride)

warnings ➳ cursing, mentions of killing, mentions criminal activities, slight violence(non explicit), smoking, ma man Seungcheol ain't your typical badboy, self doubt, blackmailing, reader does all sorts of risky things cuz she's a SIMP, blood(nothing explicit), kissing, marking, some breast worshipping, grinding, reader is horny lol. (Please lemme know if I forgot anything.)

synopsis ➳ after one fateful encounter with him you cannot get him out of your head. so you opt to do some crazy things to catch his attention and even snag a few dates with him. only trouble is he isn't the type to stay after the whole disposition is over.

Swirling the third drink in your hand you heave yet another depressed sigh. You are so tired that you feel like you can just slump on the counter and pass out. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to stop for a drink, you alcohol riddled brain thinks.

The plans you had with Katelyn was cancelled last moment; she called to tell you that her thesis submission date was moved forward and so she couldn't hang out with you tonight. You're in the middle of an existential crisis quite literally, the too many part time jobs yet still lack of money and copious amounts of study getting to you. Staring hard at your drink you contemplate if it is worth giving up on college and your dream of becoming an arts major. It sure feels tempting right now, the long hours at the diner and not enough sleep at night proving to be the worst nuisance.

Sighing you put down your drink. It's still early, you should go home and try to catch up on the much needed sleep. You really had no intention of grabbing a drink tonight; you have morning classes tomorrow but you made a last moment decision to stop for a drink on your way back home. You didn't take your usual route to home today, and while trudging through the streets tiredly you came across this bar called Seventeen's. You've heard stories about this place, how it is the home to local gangs and how it's bad people's turf and what not. Your curiosity, probably too much of that made you get inside for a drink even though all the bones in your body ached. The inside is what you expected, nowhere near fancy but dingy, just decent enough. The people inside didn't look friendly and if the chains and tattoos on them gave any indication you'd say the rumours are true; this is the turf of gangs. The drinks taste decent, not the best but not the worst and from the overall look of this place you don't really have a reason to come back.

You're about to stand up from your stool when a large, clammy hand grabs your wrist out of nowhere, making you jump. "Hey sexy, sit down. Let me buy you a drink," the owner of the hand, a large, tattooed middle aged man slurs making your nose scrunch out of disgust. You're wearing nothing that can be called sexy; a plain cardigan and jeans and the way he looks you up and down makes you want to poke his eyes out.

You really shouldn't have come here. Clenching your jaw, you meet his eyes, "What makes you think I'm interested to have a drink with you?"

"Oh come on, why would you be here then, lookin' all nice? Just sit down," the man drawls, an ugly smile on his face. He still hasn't let go of your wrist and it's making you impatient. Looks like you're gonna have to kick his balls tonight. Maybe the self defense classes didn't completely go to waste.

"Get your disgusting hands off me while I'm being nice, sleazeball," you hiss at him, trying to get his hand off. The man stands up growling, "What did you say you bitch?" You're preparing to break his nose when out of nowhere a punch lands on his face that sends him tumbling to the ground. The attacker gets on top of him and twists his arm and you can literally hear a bone snap.

Shit.

"I think she said she is not interested," the man hisses, landing yet another another hit on his face before kicking his groin and getting up. When he turns around and his eyes meet yours, your heart skips a few beats and you almost The man is drop dead gorgeous, someone you would not expect to see here but probably on the cover of a high end magazine. His blond hair is long, crossing the nape of his neck as well as some covering his forehead. What takes your breath away the most is his eyes, the most beautiful pair you've ever seen. They seem to have their own galaxies in them, so deep and mesmerising and decorated with lashes long enough to make you jealous. His dress up, black jacket and jeans, immediately tells you what he is; a gang member.

"You should get home, lady," He speaks in a no nonsense tone, his face cold as ice. But you're offended. "Excuse me? Who are you calling lady? You make it sound like I'm old." You puff your cheeks and cross your arms, trying to appear intimidating. "Besides I had the situation under control, you didn't need to butt in." The man keeps looking at you with that no nonsense look, his features displaying annoyance if you are right and he's clearly not intimidated. The dude on the floor grunts and makes an effort to get up, only to be kicked by your saviour once more. "Hey Mingyu, get him out of here. What was this piece of trash doing here anyway?" The man orders to someone before turning to look at you, "Do you live far?"

"Uh- no, a ten minutes walk from here maybe," you reply unsurely, surprised at his question. The blond haired man nods before grabbing your wrist, "I'll walk you home. Hurry up, lady." You have a feeling he's purposely calling you that and though you start following him out of the bar, you make grunts of protest.

"Oh yeah, why? Trying to find out my address? So you can come later and hurt me like that guy?" You would not be this brazen if it wasn't for the alcohol in your system, after all the man next you isn't a friendly one if the rumours are true. The man raises a brow at you, "Did you do something that requires me to beat you up?" You hiccup at his serious tone. Does he not get a joke? He lets go of your hand now that you're at a safe distance from the bar but still stays close enough to you as your steps are rather stumbling and messy. You aren't fully drunk but your body is tired and feels like will shut down any second.

You really need some sleep.

"You know I'm not that drunk. You don't have to walk me home." You complain. "I'm walking you home because this isn't a nice place you should be alone at night. What happened earlier could happen again." He says not looking at you. "Mhmm," you keep on trudging behind him, "Thank you so much for your kind gesture, sir." You mock him but he doesn't reply, staring straight ahead, completely ignoring you as he walks quietly. In silence you two walk the rest of the path, before finally stopping as your apartment comes into view. At this point it feels like your bones will break and you will plop down on the concrete any second, but you manage to keep standing. "Well, thanks for walking me home." You shift your weight from one foot to another. "And for helping me back there." He shrugs coolly, a bored expression on his face. He's turning to walk away when you call, "Hey- I didn't get your name."

"What do you need it for?" He side glances at you. You shrug, "I don't know. You helped me so I thought it'd be nice to know your name." "You don't need to. Go inside, lady." He says, his tone final and starts marching away. You wait a couple moments before yelling, "Asshole!" and quickly rushing inside your building, partly afraid he's gonna come back.

You won't be surprised if you get killed tonight.

-

"So you are telling me Choi Seungcheol walked you home?" Katelyn screams in your ear, jolting up from her seat, earning glares from other people at the library in the process. "That's his name?" You whisper-yell, grabbing her hand to pull her back down. "I'm guessing from the blond hair you said," Katelyn shrugs. "Uh huh." You mean back in your chair, "He was hot though."

"Is that seriously all you have to say?" Katelyn whines exasperatedly. "No, I mean, if it wasn't for the way he dresses or talks I would have thought he's a model or something." You murmur.

"Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" Katelyn questions. "Hell no!" You frown. "He saved me from that creepy old dude. I was surprised too. I wish I didn't drink so much, I could have gotten a better look at his face," you sigh. "Seriously?" Katelyn raises a brow at you.

"Girl, you should have seen him. His aura and the way he carried himself was...so hot." You grin to yourself. Katelyn watches you like you've grown two heads. "Are you trying to tell me you have a crush on that gangster?" You smile sheepishly, "Maybe, I mean it's harmless. He was broody yet charming and I'm a girl so.... Also, it's not like he likes me too and is gonna come running whenever I ask him to bang me." You mutter.

"Oh he's gonna break your bones and bang your skull against a wall. That's what he's gonna do."

"Come on! Maybe he isn't so bad. Maybe the rumours are just rumours. Maybe he just looks intimidating and dresses up like that and people thinks he's a gangster." "Really? His name is on every bad thing that happens around here. From illegal racing to murders. Do you know that people say he has killed too?" "Like I said, rumours," you shrug being your stubborn self. Katelyn holds her hands up in surrender, "You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm glad you're alive so let's just put this behind us, shall we?" You don't reply but wiggle your brows at her, a conspirational look on your face. "Oh no, don't look at me like that," Katelyn warns. "Let's go to that bar tonight. Please?" You give her your best puppy eyes. "What are you? Fucking crazy? You wanna get killed?" She whisper-yells, scowling at you. "No. I just wanna take another look at him. Without the alcohol in my system you know. Besides, the place isn't that bad." You reply.

"Well then get killed by yourself. I'm not coming with you."

"I'll help you with your papers for the rest of the semester."

"Shit."

-

"Well, looks like your wish won't be coming true," Katelyn muses chugging down her fourth glass as you keep playing with your first one. It's nearing an hour since you've come to the bar and there has been no sign of the man you desperately seek. The place is exactly like it was the other day, filled with people who you wouldn't want to mess with.

Yet here you are.

"Let's call it a night," Katelyn sighs. "We're just wasting our time." You know that too but you don't want to leave; not just yet. You are well aware that this is just pathetic but you've this crazy urge to see that man once again. You don't know why you feel this way; you never felt like this before. Why are thinking yourself to death about a complete stranger? Has some kind of spell been casted on you?

"Yeah, let's get going," you murmur half heartedly. You help your friend stand up as she's a little wobbly on her feet and together you make your way through the door. "Should we call a cab?" You ask Katelyn. She shakes her head no and you nod, you arms wrapped around hers to support her in case she looses her balance. You start stepping away from the bar and towards the road to her place until a noise from behind makes you stop in your tracks.

"Did you hear that?" You ask, whipping your head behind. There's no one around and the street is mostly dark other than the light flashing from the name of the bar. You hear the sound once again and this time you can locate where it's coming from. There's an abandoned playground at the back of the bar and you've a feeling that's the source.

Katelyn hisses as she sees you step towards there. "What are you doing!"

"Didn't you hear that?"

"Yes I did. That's why I say we leave!" You ignore her and cautiously keep on stepping forward, mentally cursing yourself for wearing heels. Katelyn follows behind you murmuring all kinds of warnings. "You know curiosity killed the cat, right?" She whispers.

You roll your eyes, "Well I'm not a cat. Just- be quiet. It can be nothing." You both move past the bar gingerly and towards the playground at the back. There are old gallons of oil and abandoned materials just around the corner and you two quickly hide among them. It takes you a while to get adjusted to the low light after you poke your head up from the hiding spot.

You're eyes fix on him immediately. His blond hair makes him easily recognisable amid the darkness. There is a few more people around him, all kicking something in the ground. Not something, but someone. The man lying on the ground groans in pain and you realize this is what you both heard. "Shit," You hear Katelyn curse from beside you. "We need to get going." Instead of replying, you keep your eyes trained on the scene unfolding, holding your breath. You're tranced. Seungcheol lands continuous punched on the guy laying below him and after a moment his writhing frame seems to stop moving as it falls limp.

Fuck.

"You know in movies this is the part where people get caught." Katelyn whispers, her voice hoarse and her hand clutching yours in a tugging motion. "Uh-huh. But I can't seem to move. I wonder if he's... really dead." You whisper back. "Are you fucking crazy!" She hisses. "You wanna witness murder?"

Before you can reply you hear a sound that echoes through the empty field and it takes a second for you two to realise that it came from any one of you two. You don't have the time to figure out who made it as you both are crawling away from the playground without looking back, head crouched low to avoid being seen. You don't know if they heard that or if they're coming behind you, you both just keep scrambling, moving until you're past the corner. As soon as possible you both get on your feet and run like the grim reaper is chasing you, stopping only when you are far enough from the bar.

"I am never listening to you again!" Katelyn yells.

-

It's been a good few days since your near death experience and you somehow find yourself in front of that bar once again. You and Katelyn have not brought up that incident after that night. You made yourself believe that it was over and came to a conclusion that it is better to forget that man and leave all of it behind, no matter how much your heart disagreed. But it's easier said than done; you may not mention him out loud but in the back of your mind you think of him. He's like a ghost, haunting you all the time, plagueing your thoughts when you go to bed at night. It felt like he was ever existent and there was an itch in your heart that drove you insane.

Maybe that's why your subconscious brought you here, in front of Seventeen's, once again. You were on your way back home from library and you thought you took your usual route, until you realized you were standing in front of that place. But what is even terrifying is that the man haunting your mind stands in front of the entrance of the bar and you blink a few times to make sure you are not hallucinating. He's leaned against the entrance door, cigarette between his lips and from his pocket he fetches a lighter to light the poison in his mouth.

Damn, lighting up a cigarette never looked this sexy.

He hasn't seen you yet and you contemplate running the other way. That's the sensible thing to do but you, not being a sensible person, start walking towards him. Your footsteps make him look up and notice you and like the last time, there is no expression on his face. It's the same bored yet handsome face except now in daylight you can take a better look at him and this time, you notice a little mole on the left of his face, by his nose. Realising he's gonna stay silent you decide to speak, "Hi... It's me... Do you remember me?" Wow. That's such an intelligent thing to ask.

With the monotoned yet serious expression on his face, he goes, "Why won't I? I don't have Alzheimer's."

So he can joke.

You laugh, an awkward, probably exaggerated laugh. "What are you doing here? Did you not learn your lesson last time?" He cuts to the chase, his voice brassy and deep, almost threatening. You want to roll your eyes. "Who are you to say? I can be wherever I want whenever I want, thank you very much." "Well then, have fun getting in trouble like last time." He's nonchalant as he blows a smoke right past you and stands up straight, turning away. "Wait!" You almost grab his hand, desperate to stop him.

What is wrong with you? Your subconscious slaps her forehead. What are you holding him back for? To say 'hello sir, I think you're hot, can you please put your dick inside me'? Seungcheol turns his head back, his eyebrow cocked up.

Why do you find everything about him so attractive?

"Um...I know your name, Seungcheol." You speak, trying to sound intimidating, like knowing his name gives you some power over him. There's something definitely wrong with you which is why you don't want him to leave just yet and which is why you're stalling time. But it seems to have done the job as he pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and turns towards you, an annoyed look on his face. "How do you know that?" The timbre of his tone is deep and it rakes shivers down your spine. "Well, you've built quite a reputation for yourself so it isn't hard to get your name." You shrug coolly. "Well, if you know so much about my reputation, you should know what I'm capable of." His lone is low, almost threating as he starts to take slow steps towards you making you step back out of reflex.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe you will also end up like the curious cat.

"Oh yes, I know. People have got a lot to say about you," you try to sound unfazed, not meeting his eyes that you feel are burning holes on your face. "What are you doing here, lady?" he asks slowly, pausing between each word and glaring at you as he continues to step forward. You can feel his patience thinning.

"I swear to God if you call me that-"

"What are you doing here?" This time his tone is scary, too scary. It makes you lose the ability to speak for a second as his dark gaze bores into you. He has backed you up against the wall behind you and you swallow. Right, what are you doing here? It probably has something to do with a very hot individual and his insanely attractive aura. Scratch that you are a hundred percent sure it has something to do with the blond haired, enticing man in front of you. He's driving you mad and you need to get your fill of him.

"Go out with me," you state and you are sure you've never spoken words more stupid than that. Internally, you cringe and pray that the ground below you would open and take you straight to the fiery pits.

This is the first time you see some sort of expression come across his face; surprise. He looks utterly shocked and somewhat confused. His mouth opens just a little and he squints at you, "What?"

There's no going back now.

"Go out with me. Let's go on three dates." you say once more, looking him in the eye. He seems to appear even more surprised, a dumbstruck look sitting on his face. He observes you quietly for a while and you can feel the gears in his head shifting. You wonder what he's gonna say next. Or maybe he won't say anything but bang your head on the wall and leave you to die alone. "I'm sorry I'm not following," he looks genuinely perplexed. "I want to go on three dates with you. They say after three dates you can figure out whether you like that person or not and I think I like you so..."

I think I like you.

The biggest understatement of the year.

Seungcheol tilts his head, an amused expression on his face as he studies you, those sharp eyes of his settling on yours, "What is your deal, sweetheart?" He crosses his arms, a brow raised. Sweetheart? That's new. And definitely better than lady. You can't deny how hearing him call you that makes your insides melt. "Nothing. I just want to date you," you shrug, trying to keep your wits together. His proximity is driving you wild; you can sniff a faint smell of cologne and cigarette, him being inches away from you. This time he laughs loudly, a mocking laugh you'd say. "Who sent you?"

Oh my god.

You roll your eyes. "Nobody sent me! Do I look like I'm a gang member or something?" "Then I don't see a reason why you'd want to date me," He states, throwing a challenging look at you.

"What if I said I have a thing for bad boys?"

He snorts. "You don't look the type to date bad boys," he mocks. "Who are you to say that?" You cross your arms. "I want to date you because I think you're hot, okay?" You can not believe you just said that. Looks like you don't have control over your mouth anymore. Warmth spreads throughout your face like a forest fire.

Seungcheol narrows his eyes on you, his tongue poking his cheek as he stands in front of you as if trying to read your mind. After a beat he sighs before looking at you, his eyes becoming darker than usual and his gaze unforgiving. "Hey. Does it look like I'm playing house here? Do you have any idea about the shit I do? The dirty work I do? I don't care if you have a fucking fetish or whatever but this is the last time I'm warning you. I don't want to see you around again. If I see you here once more, you're in fucking trouble," he spits and starts stomping away. His tone is serious and you know very well he is not joking, which is why you use your last resort. You're embarrassed at yourself for being so desperate but at the same time you feel shameless. It has almost turned into a game at this point, you want to make him surrender. That's right, you want him to give in. "You shouldn't be like that with me. I saw you, a few days ago. That night, when you and your friends were beating up that guy...in the playground," you casually stroll to come stand right behind him.

You can't believe you are blackmailing a gangster. Your death must be near.

Seungcheol whips his head back, his eyes glaring at you and you can almost see fire in them. Finally, you got his attention.

"My friend also saw it, we both did. You killed him, didn't you? Me and my friend witnessed a murder. What do you say? Should we go to the station?" You can see his jaw clench and you can't hold back a victorious smirk. Moments pass by as your words hang in the air and the tension between you gets thicker. Yet once more he surprises you, breaking the silence with a chuckle, "Well I killed one person, what makes you think I can't take care of another?"

You swallow.

"Well, my friend already knows so if I go missing you can be sure that the cops will come to you first." You throw back at him.

When did you get so wreckless?

Seungcheol stares at you for a few more seconds before shrugging and moving his hand dismissively, "Well then go tell the cops. I don't give a shit." He starts walking back to the bar leaving you starstruck. He stops and turns towards you before opening the door, "Also, I meant it. I hope I don't see you around. Otherwise I may just have to hurt that pretty face."

-

You don't show up after that.

Mostly because you are embarasssed.

It's been a good while after your last encounter with Seungcheol and you didn't go to the police, obviously. Because you don't have evidence and from what you've heard Seungcheol is pretty influential around here and you don't need to go to an extent to get on his bad side. You're definitely gonna end up dead if you do so, which you don't want just yet.

Classes have just finished and you and Katelyn step out of the classroom together, walking through the hallways and into the main campus. She rambles on about some bad sushi she ate yesterday while your mind remains preoccupied. Maybe you need to get laid. Maybe that'll make you forget about Seungcheol. You just need good dick that's probably why you were so desperate for him.

That's just a stupid lie.

You don't realise Katelyn is calling you until she shakes you by the shoulder and you snap back into reality. You notice her face is as pale as a ghost and following her line of sight your eyes stop on him.

Him. Seungcheol.

What?

You double take, blinking furiously to confirm your vision. He's standing there, in the parking area of your uni, leaned against a convertible Ferrari, a cigarette between his lips. He looks relaxed, like he does this regularly. Students whisper in each others ear while gawking at him curiously. "What did you do!" Katelyn yells. "Nothing!" You hiss back.

"Then why is he here!"

"I don't know!"

Your eyes meet with Seungcheol's and a smirk spreads across his face making you shiver. He stands up straight and tilts his head, an indication for you to come closer to him. "Fuck, he's here for me," you mumble. "Of course he's here for you, dumbass," Katelyn snaps. "Well, if I don't return, you know who killed me." You sigh starting to walk towards him. "Wait- you're going with him?" She asks incredulously.

"Don't worry. I'll keep my phone on. I don't think he's gonna murder me, I mean there are so many witnesses." You inhale deeply, leaving behind a lost looking Katelyn.

Seungcheol says nothing as you stand right in front of him raising an inquisitive brow but he only holds open the door for you to get in. Deciding to follow him you enter the car quietly and a wave of gasps go through the crowd.

There's gonna be talk about this tomorrow.

Seungcheol, still smirking victoriously for some reason rounds the car and gets inside and within seconds you're hitting the road. There's a thick silence for a while, which feels like ages to you. You're overwhelmed, bewildered to say anything; your poor brain still processing what is happening. You're nervous, jittery as you fiddle with you bag and look out on your side, for some reason scared to look at him.

What if he really kills you? He wouldn't, right?

"You're awfully quiet," Seungcheol says matter of factly as he spares you a glance while driving.

"I'm... processing."

"What are you, a robot?"

"Why are you doing this?" You question instead.

"Doing what?"

"Okay, you know very well what I mean. Why are you picking me up from uni all of a sudden? How do you even know I'm a student there?" "I have resources and...you didn't protest at all. You came along nicely," Seungcheol raised a brow at you, a cocky smile on his lips. You don't answer but continue to stare at him, trying to pin him down with your gaze. He finally sighs and pulls the car to a stop by the side of the road, the sudden brake making you slightly jerk in your seat. "I've decided to give you those 3 dates. That's why," He is calm, unreadable and you wonder if this is a prank. Then again, he has no reason to prank you, does he? "Really?" Your voice comes out breathy. "Yes. I thought I'd give you a taste of how it feels to be with someone like me. I can scare people without physically hurting them you know," He says in a menacing tone.

"So what? You're taking me to an underground fight or something?" You question. "Nah, we're keeping it simple today." He smirks as he starts the car again and turns on the radio, an indication that he doesn't want to converse anymore.

Shamelessly you take a good look at Seungcheol; he's dressed in another jacket today paired with a black tee underneath. Today, you notice he has upped his accessory game, his fingers full of rings and chains dangling from his neck. But what catches your attention is a tattoo, something like a dragon and words written in a language you don't understand, peeking from underneath his sleeve. You almost ask about it but decide it'll probably be too much and he wouldn't answer you anyway.

As you do so, in the back of your mind you think you should have dressed better, something cuter, more appropriate for a date rather than a plain blouse and jeans. But then again who knew Choi Seungcheol was gonna show up out of the blue. You're gnawing at your lower lip, lost in your thoughts when the car is pulled to a halt and you realize your ride is over. You're parked in front of a diner called Lacy's and from the vibe that the place is giving, you can tell that this is place where people like him hang out. You raise a questioning brow at Seungcheol who says, "I know it doesn't look fancy but trust me I has some of the best food I've ever eaten." Taking his words for now you quickly type out a text to Katelyn letting her know you're in one piece and get out of the car.

Once you're seated you look around the place which is relatively empty except some men playing pool at the far end. You watch Seungcheol who has gone to the reception booth to place your orders; his posture relaxed as he leans against the counter and talks to the girl standing there. They seem to know each other because their chat takes longer than it should and the girl has a shy, almost flirty smile on her face.

He probably fucks her.

You shake the thought off your head as the gangster comes back and sits in front of you. There's silence for a second as you wonder if you should just ask the questions that run free around your mind. "Are the rumours true?" You blurt out. He's raises a brow.

"About you. You know..."

"Do you want them to be true?" He asks back. "I don't...know," you reply. "Well, I think it depends on each person. If you want it to be true it is true, if you don't it isn't," he shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "Why don't you just give me a straight answer?" you snap. He smirks as if he's having fun but doesn't reply, watching you with his arms crossed. You roll your your eyes, blowing out an exasperated breath. "You know, I haven't seen one like you. Willingly hanging out with dangerous people, going to dangerous places. You say you saw me kill someone yet you're here. You're almost desperate to get in trouble," he observes. "I'm not desperate to get in trouble. I just...I'm just- attracted to you alright?" This is so embarrassing. You need to shut your mouth. "You've been on my mind ever since that night. I wanna see exactly how deep I'm into you." You bite your lip.

That's enough. You will boost his ego through the roof like this.

Seungcheol studies you for a bit before grinning cockily, "Well, if you didn't know, I am trouble baby. Just you being with me might end you up in a mess." Before you can reply, your food is served, that same girl from the booth setting down your plates and looking at Seungcheol for a bit too long with that same stupid smile which he returns. You don't know why but you feel jealous, jealous of whatever these two share, whatever she has with him.

You've lost your mind at this point. You're on a high that is Seungcheol. He has made you forget your morals, made you completely lose your mind. Or maybe you've been too good all your life and seeing him brought out that crazy, thrill seeking part of yourself.

Silently you dig into your food and as Seungcheol said, the food is really good. This is one of the best meatloaf you've ever had and you can't help but moan. Seungcheol watches you with an amused smile before popping a fry in his mouth.

"What's your major?" Seungcheol asks out of the blue.

"Uh- sociology."

"Mmhmm."

You're about to ask him what he studied in college but you assume he probably never went to one so you seal your lips. You wonder what his background is and who his parents are but you don't want to get too personal on the first day. So you ask something else, "How old are you?" He laughs out loud before he deadpans, "Thirty five." "What!" You almost choke.

There's no way he's-

"Why? What did you expect?"

"I... I don't know! A few years older than me? You're kidding right? You don't look thirty five." He has to be bluffing. "And how old would you be?" "You shouldn't ask a woman her age," you try to make a point. "Don't you have any manners?" He smirks,"I don't, sweetheart. To answer your question, I'm twenty eight."

Uh huh.

"Well, I'm twenty one," you mutter under your breath. You don't know if he hears it because he doesn't give any reaction, busy twirling a fry in sauce. The rest of your meal is full of silence as you wonder if your date will end like this; dry and boring. He's awfully silent and seems to be lost in thoughts as he doesn't engage in a conversation. You're about to take your last bite when the silence is broken by him.

"What did you see that night?" He leans over, his elbows resting on the table as he suddenly regards you with a sombre look, his earlier cockiness vanished. His eyes have once again gone dark and his demeanor says he's not being superficial right now. You're caught off guard as you cough loudly, reaching for your glass to take a sip of water. "What?"

"You heard me. What did you see that night? Exactly how much did you see?" He repeats. You're confused. You thought he didn't care about it. He said it didn't matter. So why is he bringing it up now? You've worked hard to push that night in the deepest part of your brain, pretending it didn't happen.

And then suddenly it clicks.

"You!" You point an accusatory finger at him as you catch on to his plan. "You've agreed to go out with me so that you can find out what I saw that night!" Seungcheol groans, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, just fucking tell me!" He snaps, annoyed that you've found out his little scheme. You scoff, "I thought you said you didn't care? Besides it's not like I'm going to tell the police." He rolls his eyes and leans back into the couch. "Just tell me and let me go."

You're baffled. His actions didn't make any sense and you actually thought he had no other intentions behind dating you but holy shit this sneaky bastard. "You sly little asshole!" You hiss at him. "Call me that once more and you'll regret it." He threatens. You roll your eyes sagging back into your seat, "Whatever." Then an idea hits you. "You know what, I'll tell you exactly how much I saw that night." You have Seungcheol's full attention now as he stares intensely at you, waiting for your next words. "On our third date. When this whole deal is over, I'll tell you. But in return you'll have to keep your promise and take me out on two more dates."

"Oh fucking hell," he groans rubbing his face in frustration. His state makes you smirk and you feel accomplished.

Choi Seungcheol is stressed because of you.

What a day to be alive.

You murmur, "Besides this isn't even a proper date. This was more like an interrogation. But I'll go easy on you and won't make you redo this date." You give him a sweet smile and he sees red. You can literally see fury blaze in his eyes. "Whatever!" He yells and abruptly stands up. "I don't have time for this. Your stupid play date is over. I'm dropping you home."

Before you can reply, he's marching towards the door. You've to admit this wasn't the best date but at least you've trapped Choi Seungcheol.

-

It has been a good week after your so called date at the diner and you haven't heard from him. You expected him to call or text you since he was gracious enough to ask for your number but he didn't. You now realize it was a mistake to not get his number; you had asked him for his when he took yours but being the prick he is he denied to hand over his number to you. You should have forced him to, you sigh. As you sit in the library the ping of your mobile distracts you from your racing thoughts as you realize you have a message. Picking the device up you tap on the notification. Even though it was from an unknown number, you have no trouble figuring out who it is from. A smile graces your lips as you read the words over again.

I'll pick you up from your house tomorrow evening at six.

That's all it says and that is good enough to send a thrum of excitement throughout your body.

-

You have not held back in dressing up today and you realize it's been a long time since you've dolled up yourself. A long before the clock strikes 6 you are ready; dressed in a cute pastel top and a matching skirt. You've also went ahead and applied makeup, not too much but just enough to maybe catch his eye. Maybe.

You wonder what he has planned for today.

A text from Seungcheol saying he's here has you flying out of your apartment as fast as your feet can carry your desperate self to see him. He stands in front of your apartment with his convertible, dressed in a white jacket that matched his pants. You take a deep breath before walking towards him, trying to calm all your nerves down.

"You know I expected to hear from you earlier. I've been waiting all week," you voice makes his head turn around to meet your eyes as you are skipping towards him with a teasing smile in your face. "I've been busy," he shrugs coolly, his eyes going over your whole body, from your legs to your face. He doesn't hide that he's taking a good look at you, in fact does it unashamedly.

You wonder if he likes what he sees.

Someone dressed up today," he comments. "Too bad we aren't going to a place where you can show off your pretty clothes." You frown, "Where are we going?" Seungcheol holds open the door, a mischievous smile on his face. "I've decided to grant your wish." With a confused face you get inside the car, the gears in your head running. What does he mean?

"I'm taking you to an underground fighting ring," he says with smirk as he reaches for something behind his seat. He pulls out a large hoodie and tosses it towards you, "Put this on. Otherwise you are going to attract a lot of attention and you don't want that." You gulp, taking the hoodie and putting it on you. You're slightly embarrassed. You were so excited to try this outfit but it's not like you knew he was taking you to a fight club. Hell you would have dressed like a guy if you knew. You shrug on the hoodie and it falls almost to your knees but it's huge and comfy and most importantly it smells like him. There's a hint of cologne, nothing too strong; a subtle, expensive scent that makes you want to take a deeper sniff. You wonder if you can keep this with you.

Stop it, pervert.

Seungcheol's voice pulls you out of your haze, "You can take it off later. Just wear it until we're out of there," he says and brings the engine to life.

Then you actually think about it. Underground fighting ring? Holy shit. You were only kidding when you mentioned it. Admittedly, you're shocked, somewhat horrified. Everyone knows it isn't the best place to be at especially for someone like you who never had such an experience. Seungcheol must have seen your expression because the smile on his face gets bigger, "Why? You not up for it?" His voice is teasing.

He's challenging you.

Oh well.

"Of course I'm up for it," you square your shoulders, keeping your voice cool. "Bring it on."

-

Seungcheol leads you into a bar and then through a door at the back that leads down to a lot of stairs, reaching a place similar to an underground parking lot. Quietly you follow Seungcheol, staying as close to him as possible, your bodies occasionally touching. He leads you to a pair of double doors and from the other side you can hear men shouting and chanting.

This is it, I guess.

Seungcheol throws one more smile at you before pushing open the doors as you scramble to follow him closely. The sight that greets you something you only see in movies. There's a boxing ring where two people are throwing punches at each other and surrounding them from all sides is a wild, loud and excited crowd. They continue to cheer loudly as the two men in the ring continue to box and you hear their grunts and groans.

Holy shit.

Swallowing your eyes meet Seungcheol's who is regarding you with curiosity. "What do you think?" He has to speak loudly for you to hear over the screaming throng. "Uh... It's loud," you say dumbly as you try to think of a reply. But it's too loud for you to even think properly as you take in your unfamiliar surroundings. You see a tall man approaching towards you and out of reflex you shuffle closer to Seungcheol until you realize it's his friend. The guy from the first night. He and Seungcheol grin at each other, patting their backs as they talk close to each others ears. You gawk at them curiously and realize they must be talking about you because his friend takes curious glances at you occasionally. His friend is tall, really tall and well built but unlike his body his face is sweet and puppy like, almost cute. When he grins his canines pop up just like a puppy and you wonder if all his friends are good looking.

After he's done chatting with his friend Seungcheol pulls you close and says, "This is my friend. Mingyu. Always stay near him, you hear me? Don't stray away unless you wanna get hurt." His eyes are stern as he pins you down with his stare but you have other thoughts running in your head.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" You yell over the noise.

He just smirks at you and starts taking his jacket off. "About time you see how we do it around here." His tone is cocky as he hands his jacket to you, "Hold this for me. And stay close to him."

Giving a look at Mingyu Seungcheol starts walking away towards a door that you're guessing is the changing room.

He's gonna fight.

"Wait- but-" Mingyu stops you with a hand on your shoulder and offers you a kind smile. "It's fine. Just stay with me." He then ushers you towards the crowd, spotting a place where you can get a good look at the ring. "Do you guys do this often?" You look up at Mingyu. He smiles sheepishly, "Not me. I tried a few times and I always end up beaten to a pulp. But hyung does this often, he's really good."

"Uh huh, I'm sure he is," you smile dryly. "This is your first time watching a fight, no?" "Definitely." He grins, "Watch carefully then. It's really fun."

You have your doubts on how watching people beat each other up can be fun but you don't comment anything, instead chew on your lip anxiously. Seungcheol really didn't have to go this far? What if he gets hurt badly? Is he trying to impress you?

Don't flatter yourself, your subconscious rolls her eyes.

As the loud cheering that had died down ensues again, your train of thoughts are halted as you see Seungcheol in shorts and his hands covered in boxing gloves, step into the ring. You can't help but ogle at his naked torso, his finely defined and chiseled muscles. He has the perfect body, not too bulky, not too lean just the right amount that gives you a hard time taking your eyes off him. He seems to have noticed your gaze because the second your eyes meet, he throws a haughty, knowing smirk at you. Embarrassed you avert your gaze elsewhere.

His opponent is a muscular man who's growling and banging his chest with his fists, a gesture of intimidation, you suppose. You are definitely intimidated and you wonder if Seungcheol can actually win against him.

The fight starts with a whistle and in mere seconds they are on to each other, throwing punches left and right. Your eyes have a hard time keeping up with them and their fast reflexes and your hands fly to your mouth as a punch lands on Seungcheol's face, followed by repeated blows as Seungcheol falls back. There's a moment of silence as he wipes his bottom lip and you realize there's a cut.

He tilts his neck, popping the bones and glaring at the other man before launching himself on top of his opponent. The next moments are a blurry mess, Seungcheol beating the guy repeatedly until he ends up on the floor but he doesn't stop there. Seungcheol ends it with a sharp jab to his spine and you have no doubt the other man has broken bones with the ways he howls in pain. The match comes to an end like that as the people cheer wildly while Seungcheol steps down from the stage. Mingyu grins at you happily as if what you witnessed was just a regular occurrence, something you should be cheerful about. Shaking your head at the situation, you let out a deflated sigh.

Their life is really so different than yours.

-

Seungcheol seems to be in a very good mood after the fight as he buys you both some sandwiches and drinks from a deli after you both step out of the bar. You both sit down at a park nearby to eat and watch the night sky. "You know, I thought you were gonna lose," you speak after taking a few bites of the sandwich. Seungcheol scoffs, "You underestimate me, sweetheart. I've been doing this for a long time."

"Do you enjoy it?" You ask quietly, focused on peeling the wrapper from your food. You feel Seungcheol's stare on you. "Yes. Why? Are you scared already?"

"No. I was just... curious. Your definition and my definition of fun is totally different." You murmur. "Of course. What did you think? I go to the mall and shop and watch movies with my friends when I'm bored?" His tone is sarcastic. You bite your lip. "No I didn't. It's just...I feels different now that I have experienced it first hand." Seungcheol offers nothing more, taking a sip of his coke and leaning back into the bench. A silence stretches between the both of except the rustling of the wrapper of your food. "How long have you been doing this?" You blurt out. He frowns at you and you don't expect him to answer but he surprises you.

"For a long time."

He doesn't offer anymore and you don't have the heart to prod him for an actual answer. "And how long do you plan on doing this?"

"What?"

"I mean... don't you have any other plans. Like...do you wanna keep doing what you are doing for the rest of your life? Don't you wanna like... settle down maybe?" Your voice is soft as if you are talking to a child. Seungcheol looks annoyed. He doesn't speak for a while as he stares at the ground, a frown etched to his face. You're about to take back your question when he replies, "I really don't think you understand. I've been trying to tell you that my life is completely disparate to yours. So I don't think like you. I don't have plans like you but neither am I expected to follow a certain pattern like you. I can do whatever the fuck I want, ___. So don't look at me like you pity me. I'm the last person here that should be pitied. " His tone is sharp and it makes you feel bad, like a sensation of needles pricking your heart. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry," You whisper, feeling timid as you look down at your lap. He mutters, "Don't go poking your nose in other people's business. Specially people like me."

He's right. You shouldn't have asked that. You are not close enough to ask things like that. After that there is a silence, this time, an awkward one. There's palpable tension in the air and you feel jittery. Should you just ask him to take you home?

It's still early and truth be told, you don't want to leave him just yet. You only have one more date to go and judging by his reaction, he is in no way interested in a relationship. You heave out a long sigh. You knew very well what you were getting into, yet you couldn't stop yourself. Seungcheol is like a poison, the sweetest one, the one that has you addicted and unable to let go, no matter how much it hurts.

This is a fucking mess.

"Let's get going. I have plans," Seungcheol announces, standing up. You want to protest but you feel like you have ruined the mood, so you follow him mutely to his car.

The drive to your house is awfully quiet, to the point you want to scream out of frustration. Seungcheol seems to be lost in his head as he makes no move to talk. It's like you are alone, but you're not and it's worse, the air full of tension. Soon you have reached your house and he stops the car but keeps the engine rolling, indicating his rush. He keeps still and stares ahead while gripping the steering wheel as you step out of the car in silence. "Thanks for dropping me home," you say lamely, your voice meek. You turn around to walk away but his voice stops you in your tracks.

"I promised you three dates and I will keep my word. I expect you to keep yours, ___. I hope you will tell me what I want to hear when we meet next time." His tone is sharp with an edge of threat and you barely get to nod before he drives away.

It's not until you're inside your apartment that you realize you still have his hoodie on. Quickly fishing out your phone you type out a text.

I'm sorry, I forgot to return your hoodie.

After a while, his reply comes.

Keep it.

-

You watch Katelyn as she fills her lunch tray with food before walking over and taking a seat opposite to you. She looks extra radiant today, which probably has something to do with the way she's dressed; a bright colourful outfit which undoubtedly she put a lot of time into considering. She has a date, with a guy she has been talking to for the last few weeks. It reminds you of your pitiful situation and you sigh, trying to shrug off those thoughts.

It has been a good couple weeks since you last saw Seungcheol and you have not exchanged a word after that night. In the back of your mind you wonder if he is even alive. You want to message him, you really want to because you are going crazy but after how your last date ended, you can't bring yourself to. You are scared, exactly of what, you can't put your finger into.

The entire situation you have put yourself into is fucking scary. They say you become sure of your feelings after three dates but it did not take that much for you. You already are very certain about your feelings for him and how deep they run exactly and you also know that in the end you will be left scarred. He would never be yours. He has probably forgotten about you or decided that it is not worth another date to figure out what you saw that night.

You let a desperate, pitiable sigh.

"I know you are hiding things from me but I understand that you are not ready to talk yet. But I want you to know I am here for you okay?" Katelyn's voice makes you blink your way out of your thoughts. She squeezes your hand tightly and gives you a reassuring smile and you're left feeling guilty.

"I ...I will tell you. Soon. Just give me a bit more time," you whisper. She nods in understanding. A grateful smile touches your lips as her words make you emotional. Then there's a ping from your phone letting you know there's a message. Without giving it much thought you open the device and your eyes go wide.

I'll take you out for dinner tomorrow night. Wear something formal.

-

You wait outside your apartment for Seungcheol. Your day has passed by in a flurry of excitement and nerves as you carefully picked your outfit and did your hair and makeup. A soft baby pink dress that stopped just above you knees adorns you as your hair rests just above your neck in a loose bun.

You are fiddling with your fingers as you think about how this night is gonna end and wether you will ever see him again when a car screech that grabs your attention.

Seungcheol's convertible has taken a stop in front of you and you see the man getting out the vehicle and take big steps towards you.

You're mesmerized.

Perhaps there is not enough word in this world to describe his looks or perhaps you've simple lost the ability to speak; either way, you just stand and stare, drinking the godly man that stands in front of you. He looks delectable, completely flawless and agonizingly gorgeous in his sharp black suit and pants, with a silk black shirt underneath, the top couple buttons undone that reveals a beautiful porcelain skin. His hairstyle completes the look, parted to one side in a sleek way and showing his forehead and oh god is it sexy. You realize you have a forehead kink, if there is anything as such.

If you weren't in love with him before you are now.

He looks ravishing, and you wonder why it isn't illegal to look this good. It should be because you have completely lost control over yourself. Nothing exists in your world except for him and you feel paralyzed, unable to do anything but drink him in. You wonder if you are even worthy to stand beside him.

"____?" Seungcheol calls you, snapping his fingers in front of your eyes. He must have been calling you while you were eye fucking him. "Oh! Um, hi." You're flustered. "You- you look really, really nice." It isn't enough but it's what you can get past your lips. A knowing smirk kisses his lips before he teases, "Well, you look really, really nice too." Motioning you to his car he says, "Shall we? We'll be late for our reservation."

"Yeah, of course," you say, hurrying over to his car, embarasssed at your foolery. Seungcheol must have noticed you ogling him like that. But you don't really care when he looks like that. It is his fault for looking so devilishly handsome and idly you wonder if he did that on purpose. If he's deliberately teasing with, trying to make you the most miserable before letting you go with a slap of reality to your face. Pushing away those plagueing thoughts, you sit up straight and clear your throat as Seungcheol comes to sit beside you and brings the engine to life.

A decently long and quiet (except for the music from the radio) but not quite uncomfortable car ride later, Seungcheol stops in front of a really fancy and expensive looking restaurant just by the sea. You did not except him to take you to a high end restaurant, otherwise you would have put some more effort in your looks.

Feeling slightly out of place you quietly follow Seungcheol into the beautiful European styled building after he hands his keys to a valet. The interior is dripping with polished furnitures and extravagant chandeliers and marble floors as guests dressed elegantly have their dinner. As you look around the place in awe Seungcheol talks to the receptionist who then guides you towards a staircase that leads to a pair of large double doors decorated with gold which then, opens to a large balcony. In the middle of it sits a table with two chairs and an unceremonious gasp escapes your mouth as you realize this is where you will be having dinner.

The man from earlier takes his leave as Seungcheol helps you sit down before taking a seat for himself while you take in everything, overwhelmed with all your surroundings. Why did he put so much effort for a lousy and fake date?

"What do you think?" He asks with a smirk as he rests one of his elbows on the table.

"I'm overwhelmed," you reply quietly, honestly. He chuckles, "Well this place has really good food and a fantastic view so I thought it wouldn't bad for our last date."

Last date.

"It's really beautiful. I don't know why you did this but thank you, really," you murmur, eyes on the satin table cloth with intricate golden lining. Everything about this place is so pretty.

"Well, I decided it would be beneficial for me to extract words from you if you are wooed," his words have a teasing tone to it and his demeanor is completely different from last time, giving you a whiplash but you are not sure if he's fully joking. Before you can say that you are definitely wooed, a waiter appears to take your order and you leave the duty of ordering to Seungcheol since he seems to frequent this place. Prior to his leave, the waiter pours you Seungcheol's champagne of choice and then, you two are alone once more.

Reaching for the flute, you quickly gulp down the champagne to soothe your dry throat and to calm all your nerves.

Over dinner you talk about your uni and your parents back home and the farm they own. While Seungcheol mostly keeps quiet he doesn't ignore you but listens carefully, occasionally passing glances your way or commenting. He does not offer anything about him, which you expected and you don't ask any questions about him either. Instead you try your best to keep his interest in your words despite the lack of it from his side.

After a hearty meal of poached lobsters and wagyu beefs and creamy soups comes dessert; a chocolate orange mousse with spiced fruits and yogurt sorbet. You start eating your dessert in silence, the occasional crashing of waves filling the complete lack of sounds.

This location is truly magnificent and breathtaking, almost having a feel like you're in a fancy resort in a luxurious tropical island. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful place you have ever been, let alone have dinner at and you wonder if you would ever have the chance to visit some place like this had you not met Seungcheol. The man in question, continues eating quietly, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He looks lovely as always, if not more and you try to burn this image in your mind for you to look back at later. You want to ask him so many question, you want to tell him so many things but you're scared. Sacred if you do so this moment will break, scared it will annoy him and end your final date all too early. So you bite your tongue and finish your food as he does and after your plates are cleared away, you are served another expensive champagne as an end to your luxurious dinner.

Even though Seungcheol doesn't say anything, you assume it is time to spill the beans, to say what he has been wanting to hear from the beginning. You have teased him enough and it is time you give him what he deserves. Taking a deep breath, you open your mouth. "Me and Katelyn heard noises from the playground that night so we decided to check. It was pretty dark and we were tipsy but I recognized you and you were... beating someone up. We stayed there and watched until one of us accidentally made some noise. We were scared that you heard us so we ran. That's all that happened."

You have Seungcheol's full attention now as he listens cautiously, his sharp eyes trained on you. Gulping, you clench your hands together underneath the table, waiting for his reaction. There seems to be an eternity of silence as Seungcheol simply stares at you as if he's debating whether your words are true or not. It's torturous, awfully agonizing and when you can't bear it anymore you're about to speak but he beats you to it.

"I didn't kill him." His voice is quiet. You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. Somewhere in the back of your mind you believed it, you believed he wouldn't be cruel enough to kill someone just like that and as soon as he speaks those words you believe him, without a doubt, without a second of delay.

"I believe you." You whisper, holding his gaze. "That asshole deserved what he got. He shouldn't even be alive but I let him go. He's in a hospital now, if you are wondering." You nod quietly. It's scary how much you believe him, how much you trust him even though he is pretty much a stranger.

There's a moment of silence as you bask in his presence before he speaks, "____, men like me, we aren't the nicest people. But we are needed, the cops need us around. People like me do the dirty works for people like you so y'all don't face troubles. We do things in an unconventional way but that's just who we are. We aren't as bad as the rumours say but we definitely aren't someone you should be with." You open your mouth to protest but his sharp gaze makes you stop. "If you have not understood it yet, let me say it out loud. I am trouble. People like me is always bad news. Whatever we did until now, I hope you forget. That's the best, ____ trust me. I think we both got what we wanted so let's call it a night." Just like that, he stands up, not waiting for your reply.

You gawk at him, baffled as he pays the bill and starts walking away. Tears burn the back of your eyes and you bite your lip to hold them back. The ending that you had expected has taken place but you are having a hard time accepting it. Your subconscious reminds you that you deliberately got yourself into this even though you saw this coming. So there is no one to blame for it but you. Grabbing your purse, you stomp your way out of the restaurant and towards Seungcheol's car.

Seungcheol barely acknowledges you as you both get in the car and he presses the key to the ignition. You are fuming in your seat, his words and the way he dismissed you cutting you deep. His words come to you, I think we both got what we wanted. You want to laugh. How can he possibly think that? Is he really so stupid or is he deliberately ignoring your interest in him? You want to smack his perfect face, curse and scream at him but all you can do is sit still with your arms crossed as steam comes out of your head. Is he really not curious about your feelings? Does he possess none for you? Does these few days with you mean nothing to him? You have so many unanswered questions. Leaning back into your seat, you close your eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

It feels like in the blink of an eye the drive to your place is over as Seungcheol halts his car in front of your apartment. He does not utter a single word, doesn't even spare a glance at you while patiently waiting for you to get out of the car.

Asshole.

You inhale deeply, trying your best to gather yourself together as you take off your seatbelt and turn towards him.

"Seungcheol?" Few seconds pass before he looks at you. Words are stuck in your throat. When your eyes meet his, you become mute, overwhelmed with emotions as your words die in your tongue. He keeps staring at you, not opening his mouth but waiting for you to speak. "Is this goodbye?" Your voice breaks.

"I believe we don't have any reason to see each other. We both got what we wanted," He says without batting an eye. You're left bemused, one step away from landing a slap on his face. How dare he say that?

"Do you really believe that?" Your words come out as an accusation. "I wanted to go out with you because I thought I have feelings for you! And I do! And my feelings have only increased since I first saw you. I want to see you again, Seungcheol. You may have gotten what you wanted but I didn't." Your fades into a whisper as tears burn the back of your eyes.

Seungcheol stays quiet, staring ahead, his brows knitted as if he's annoyed. "I promised you three dates, ____. And I gave you that. It's over. Your feelings? You'll get over them. It's better to be in pain for a while that be with someone like me."

"You can't say that! I get to decide for myself!"

"____," he sighs, rubbing his temples. "I'm a bad man. You should leave while you still have a good image of me. You'll get hurt because of me and I've caused enough pain to enough people. Just...go. Just forget me." You stare at him as frustrated tears roll down your cheeks. He doesn't meet your gaze but turns his head the other way. You are angry, infuriated and heart broken all at a time. Clenching your fists you inhale a shaky breath before reaching for him.

Before you can chicken out, you tilt his face towards you and quickly press your lips against his. Seungcheol seems to be shocked as a small gasp leaves his mouth but you don't let him push you away. Instead one of your hands come to rest on his thigh as he other cups his face to keep his mouth against yours. You kiss him with all you have left, pouring in every bit of passion and love for him as your tongues intertwine. By the time you are both breathless, Seungcheol gently pushes you back and peers into your eyes. "That's all I can give you, ____." He says, his voice the softest you have heard. You are broken into a million pieces and as much as your heart wants to cling to him, you suddenly feel tired, deflated like a popped balloon. Your emotions have drained you out and left nothing and right now, breathing almost seems too painful for you. Taciturnly, you grab your purse and step out the convertible. You hear another door shut behind you but you don't look back as your heavy steps carry you to the entrance of your building. When you are about to enter your apartment, you accumulate all your strength and courage to spare one final glance at him.

Turning around you see Seungcheol standing by his car, hands in his pockets, simply watching you. Even though your eyes are locked on each other, you don't see any emotion in them. He looks like the same expressionless, mysterious man you saw the first day. The man you fell in love with. Taking in his gorgeous features one last time, you bite your lip and turn away, forcing yourself to walk inside your apartment building.

Your chapter with Seungcheol ends here.

Epilogue

A/N : Okay so idk why this fucking app is being like this but it says I reached the maximum of 250 blocks but I thought tum1r didn't have a word limit?? Anyway so I've decided to break it up and put the rest of the fic in another post. Please click epilogue to read that.

Taglist: @koo-18 @shiningstar-byulxx @pcisonedhaos @happyvitamin @yoongischeeksluv @haluim17 @nayam14 @horanghae-gumanhae @cottonsthings @hotcheetosnorter99 @peekabooseoksoon @acapellaanna @amixoferrthang

[babybatscreationsv2]

The Scent of His Cologne ch2

Marvel | Starker

When Peter was twelve years old he ran away from home. If only he would have known that he wouldn’t see his father again for eight years. Now he’s broke, living in an apartment the size of a closet and working three jobs to get by. When he meets a handsome stranger at his weekend job he thinks his luck might finally be starting to turn. 

Warnings below

Warnings: emotional trauma, homlessness, incest

Peter stretched his arms over his head, reaching until his back popped. Mrs. Brown was sweet and he didn't regret coming to help her, but man was he tired. He plopped down on the couch which he had moved from one side of the room and back again, only for it to end up somewhere else entirely.

The old woman stuck her head around the corner from the kitchen. "Would you like something to eat, Peter? I made rice pudding."

Peter smiled. "Sounds great, Mrs. Brown." He got up to help her and found himself at a little table with a bowl of rice pudding, some grapes, and little pieces of cubed cheese. If this was what she considered a meal, no wonder she came to the cafe every morning. He eat it gratefully while she chatted to him, mostly about her two cats. It was refreshing.

He felt more like a person than he had in a while. Not that he hated stripping. The biggest issue was guys recognizing him outside of the club and making comments in public. You would think they wouldn't want anyone to know where they spend their time, but some don't seem to care. Mrs. Brown was sweet and gave him food and her compliments were genuine and heartfelt. He needed this.

"Do you have family that comes to visit, Mrs. Brown?"

"Oh," she smiled sadly. "Around the holidays I fly to Washington to be with my grandson."

"He never comes to visit you? I'm so sorry."

"Well, that's the world we live in. He can't help it. They won't let him take time off. I keep telling him to find other work, but he always argues. Still, it's nice that he calls every so often."

"Yeah, I'm glad you keep in touch. If you're not busy, maybe we could do this again next week. I'll cook this time."

She blushed. "Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Peter."

"I'm not worried. I genuinely enjoy your company. It would be my pleasure."

"It's a date then. And speaking of dates-"

"I should go, Mrs. Brown," Peter laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "You must be lonely if you're here chatting with me. Don't wait too long, dear. We only get so much time."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." He made it out the door after refusing the money she offered him no less than ten times. He had more than enough now. Most of it had gone to starting the savings account he had always dreamed of. With the rest, he bought himself some new clothes and a better mattress. Now Gwen couldn't yell at him anymore about his sore back. It was nice to have one less worry on his shoulders. He had enough for a year's rent tucked away. It left him feeling safer than he had in years.

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Public libraries were a gift from God. Peter was certain of that. The air conditioning protected him from the summer heat. It gave him somewhere to go during the day. The books kept his brain from rotting without access to school. In fact, he felt like he was learning more at the library than he ever had at school.

Mrs. Brown was the head librarian. Peter had been embarrassed when she asked him about his situation, but she said she understood and she wouldn't go to the police. The last thing he needed was to get bounced around foster care for his remaining five years of childhood.

She brought him food and clean clothes, but Peter refused her offers to let him move into her living room. Her husband didn't like him and Peter couldn't blame him. Plenty of homeless kids were thieves. Peter was no different. He stole food to eat and wallets to get money to buy food to eat. Once he stole a designer bag off a woman at an outdoor cafe. He survived. He felt guilty, but the money Obediah had given him had only lasted two months. It had been a year since then and he'd had to get creative.

At fifteen, he was legally allowed to work but only part time. It was enough for a sketchy hotel, but he tried to stay away from there when he had time off. Living in a place like that makes it all too easy to get involved with things like drugs or sex work.

---------

He could have taken a couple of weeks off from dancing if he really wanted to. Dancing under the hot stage lights, feeling the sweat start to run down his neck, he couldn't lie to himself. He was hoping that the client made a return. The rumor among the dancers was that they had all been mafia gangsters, bored of the same old clubs. Someone even heard that they had come to see one of them specifically. That they'd heard a rumor that one of the guys here was particularly hot. Peter found that easy to believe. Between Steve and Thor, it was obvious why this place got so much business.

Peter kept checking the crowd, but eventually he gave up. It wasn't like he would recognize him. It had been so dark that night and up on stage, the stage lights made it hard to see anything beyond his platform. He tried to focus on work. The memory of all the money he'd made last weekend certainly put some enthusiasm into his moves. When he got done grinding against the stage, he went into the back for a quick break.

He grabbed a towel from his locker and patted away the worst of the sweat while trying to keep his body glitter intact as much as possible. He shut the door and a voice startled him.

"Uh, Peter," Flash said behind him. "There's someone here to see you." He sounded nervous. He should be nervous. Flash knows better than to let anyone into the dressing room so why-

He turned around. Cold shot through him. "Dad?"

Flash's pale face regained some color. "So it's true? This is your-" Flash looked between the two of them. "Your dad is Tony Stark..." he slowly backed away. Still looking stunned, he went back outside to, presumably, man the door once again.

"Peter Parker, huh? That's the name you chose? It's got a nice ring to it."

"Did you scare him into letting you in here?" Peter scowled. He couldn't help but feel angry. Disgusted even. Eight years and Tony had never once come looking for him. Not even the night he went missing.

Tony stuck his hands in his pockets. Peter rolled his eyes. He was nervous? Seriously?

"He put up more of a fight than I expected. He's a good guy. Protective."

"Yeah. He looks out for me." He had the audacity to look as if Peter had slapped him. Peter scoffed. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Well I'm not. It's been eight years, dad. You never went looking for me. You never gave a sh-"

"That is not what happened," He roared. He took a step forward, but Peter didn't flinch. Tony took a breath. "Can we talk somewhere else? I won't force you. I understand if you never want to see me again. But please, I just want the chance to tell you what happened that night."

"Save it. I already know." Peter turned away from him and went for the door.

"You don't know anything, kid."

"You know what? Fuck you." Peter walked back out on the floor. He stomped through the room and back behind the bar.

"Hey, Peter-," the other Peter complained as he grabbed the first bottle he saw and started swallowing it down. He took it from his hands. "Pete, what's wrong?"

Peter sunk to the floor and leaned against the back of the bar. "My life. It's all wrong." Bartender Peter bent down and squeezed his shoulder. "You're welcome to hang out. Just don't take anything else. Bruce will lose it."

"Yeah..." Peter put his head in his hands. Why in hell would his dad show up here? And why now? Peter's heart skipped a beat. Of course. Whoever that client of his was must have recognized him. He probably got off fucking the boss's whore son. Fuck him, too. Guess they really were from the mafia after all. He should have walked out the minute he heard the rumor. Not like he expected his father to suddenly care, but maybe being a hooker was too shameful for the family name.

[x3kristax3]

⚠️TW: talk about emotional and physical abuse

After Duskwood- Chapter 7

First| Last| Next

Jake and I get back to the motel room and I plop on the bed. He sits next to me running his hands through my long brown hair “I guess I should tell you what happened” he says.

I turn on my side ‘only if you want to” I say.

“I want too” he says as he makes us both a cup of coffee to sober up a bit.

As he hands me my coffee he kisses me again “man I could get use to this" I say with a smile. “Coffee and kisses even when I've been drinking.”

“The random kisses as long as I'm around won’t stop. I've wanted to do that since I first heard your voice” he says as I look at him confused. ‘I dont even know where to start”.

“Just one thing at a time" I say.

"My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was in highschool. She got to the point she needed to have someone near her at all times which forced me to drop out of school" he says and takes a deep breath.

I sit up next to him and rub his back. I don't say anything but I sit there listening to him.

"Most of my days I sat next to her on my laptop and I learned about hacking and I actually found out I was really good at it. Well when she passed I continued to hack. I did get a job to support myself but I'm not gonna lie to you I brought in income hacking" he says as he looks at me I must have had a shocked look on my face. "I got involved with the wrong people and when I realized it and tried to get out they set my mom's house on fire."

I see his tears forming and I pull him in for a hug. He just  lets me and starts crying "it's okay" I say. 

He sits back up "well after that I didn't have much of a choice I helped them one more time and that was the time the FBI caught onto me" 

"What was it?" I ask

"They had me move money from an account I thought was theirs into another one. Well I later found out the first account wasn't theirs, they stole that money. Well once I found that out I ran. I changed my name and been running ever since." He falls back on the bed

I curl up against him "until you stopped fighting what we have huh?" I say

"Yeah… I knew you played an important part in saving Hannah but I never imagined you would save me too" he says, pulling me into him.

"You know I haven't told anyone this and I have a feeling you snuck into my life when I wasn't looking. But my life isnt perfect."

"Honestly I have  hacked your camera so I could see your face and hear your voice and from what I saw your life is perfect back in the city."

I laugh "I had a feeling you did but I guess you never looked or listened during the bad moments" I say pulling my shirt up showing bruises and scars. 

"What the hell MC" he says.

"The guy I was with before I realized how much you meant to me. He was already mentally abusive and would hit me but when he opened my phone one night and saw our conversation he lost his mind. He tied me up hit me and put his cigarette on me." I say as tears start forming.

"He's lucky I never heard that. Is that why you don't want to go back?"

"Yeah and why I was ready to run into hiding with you"

"Well he better hope I never see him cause yeah that won't be pretty. I promise you MC I'll never hurt you and I'll protect you against everyone that wants to hurt you. " 

"I promise I'll always be right by your side,"I say as I fall asleep.

[geocait0815]

Demons Grasp - Chapter 4

When I wake up I can see the sun rise through the open front door. I am still lying on the floor. How long have I been unconscious? The iron poker lies discarded next to me. A terrible pain shoots through my head the moment I sit up . But I ignore it. Where is Jake? Where did the stranger go?

Some of the furniture around me has been tossed over. And there is blood on the floor. Please, no! Slowly, I get up. "Jake?" I call out with a shaky voice. Looking outside I notice that both cars are still in the driveway. I turn back around and start searching the other rooms. None of them seem touched by last night's events, save the bedroom window which I shattered. My phone also still lies on the nightstand. I walk over to check it. No new messages.

I plop down on the side of the bed, clutching the phone in my shaking hands. The tears that have been biting behind my eyelids finally break free and roll down my cheeks. Jake has been captured by his pursuers. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, he would still have been hiding somewhere. But he let down his guard, for me. I distracted him. And now look at what happened. Is he even still alive?

Yes! I refuse to accept the thought of him being gone forever.

I lay down on my side and reach out to his side of the bed. We were lying here, just a few hours ago. This small bubble of happiness we shared for these few precious days seems like a dream now. A dream turned nightmare.

I have to do something! But what? What can I do? I have no idea who his pursuers really are. He never talked about them let alone give me any details. Neither did he ever tell me if there are others he worked with, maybe even trusted.

Start another social media campaign like Lilly and I did before, in hope someone would come forward to help? No, this would probably just attract the wrong kind of attention.

Then a thought comes to my mind. I slowly get up again to a seating position. If I have no means of getting in touch with someone Jake might trust, then I'll have to try with someone I can trust. One person comes to mind that would have the right set of skills. The problem with this idea is that I did not have any contact with her for years.

I get up and walk back to the living room. Jake's laptop is still here, to my great surprise. Waking it from its slumber, I see that the screen still displays my challenge. I pick up a chair and place myself in front of the computer. Okay. What now?

I try my luck with Jake's browser, which has – more surprises – about a million tabs open. Clicking through them I realize that I have no idea what I am looking for. But then I land on a page which seems to be some sort of chat room. I guess it is worth a try. Since there is no account logged in to the page right now, I realize that I will have to come up with my own username.

I take a moment to ponder about that. I am trying to get in touch with someone that I haven't talked to in twelve years. We were still kids when she got herself in trouble. And to avoid an arrest, she ran away. Before that we were practically joined at the hip. Now that I think about it, the memory of her might be the very reason why I wasn't running for the hills when I received that first call from Jake.

It would probably be best to use a username linking to something only someone from her past can know. I come up with something and minutes later I am logged into the page, staring at the chat room in front of me. I did not think this through. Massaging the root of my nose between my thumb and index finger, I try to figure out how to approach this. What am I supposed to write? None of the user names popping up mean anything to me. And I can't just crash in here asking for her using her real name.

Reluctantly, I start typing...

redSCARE: This might be a long shot. But I am looking for someone who used the screen name P0ppy about 12 years ago... C are you reading this?

I shot my shot. Now all I can do is wait.

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The keen-eyed amongst you might have caught me setting up the stage for a bit of a cross-over. Please, bear with me 😅

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