#if you read the previous post I made on finishing the other assignment. not to worry.

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

this programming assignment is so fucking big and insane that I better fucking know how to do something as basic as make a game by the end of it all

[slut4thebroken]

Teacher’s Pet

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Pairing | Jonathan Crane x reader

Summary | After months of trying to earn your professor’s praise, he finally gives you an opportunity to prove you deserve it.

Warnings | Smut, dub con, blackmail, coercion, humiliation, anal, bondage, praise, creampie, degradation, inappropriate use of fear toxin.

Words | 6.2 k

Notes | Started this a million years ago. Finally got the motivation to finish it cause of @hllywdwhre ‘s fic that I proofread lol. Also ty to the post that gave me the fear toxin idea 🙏🏻

Ao3 link | <3

Masterlist

In honor of the one year anniversary since the start of my Cillian hyperfixation <3

Dr. Crane was one of the most strict and unforgiving professors at Gotham University. He graded harshly, didn’t tolerate late or incomplete work, and no one would ever dare be late— if they were, they just wouldn’t show up because an absence was better than his response to tardiness. He didn’t have any favorite students, just some that he tolerated slightly more than the rest. That was what you hated the most. 

You’ve always been the favorite student for every single teacher you’ve had, whether they said it out loud or not. After the first couple of weeks, you figured he’d just be harder to crack than the rest. But after almost two months, you were starting to get frustrated. Nothing you did ever earned you any sort of praise. You were always early, always the first to turn in assignments, participated in class, paid attention— you were the perfect student. But he never seemed to recognize that. What made you snap was when he gave you a B on your latest essay. 

Lightly knocking on his office door, you tried to control your nerves and push down the nausea— You’ve never had to talk with a teacher about a grade before…

“Come in.” He called out. So you opened the door and hesitantly stepped inside. He glanced at you quickly, then did a double take once he realized it was you. “Close the door.” He said, resuming what he was doing. You took in a quiet, deep breath and closed the door before walking over and sitting on the chair across from his desk. 

“I’m assuming this is about your essay?” He asked, not even looking up from his work. 

“Yes.. You gave me a B, I was hoping to understand why.” You said tentatively. 

“Did you not read my notes?” Of course you did. But it still didn’t make any sense. 

“No, I did, but-” He finally looked up at you with a sigh. 

“Then you should understand why I gave you that grade.”

“This essay was practically perfect.” You argued, holding up the stapled together pieces of paper, marked up with red ink. 

“Clearly not if you got a B.” He raised his brows and you clenched your jaw, trying not to get too upset or emotional.

“Dr. Crane, I’ve aced every single test and assignment, I’d hardly say this is a fair grade.” You frowned. 

“Your argument was weak and biased.” Your lips parted in shock at the bluntness of his criticism. “And your previous assignments have no impact on my grading. If you’d like them to though, I’d be more than willing to grade them again to see if I missed anything.” 

“It- it wasn’t… I spent weeks on this.” 

“And yet… You still weren’t good enough for an A.” He said, making your stomach churn. Especially because he didn’t even say ‘your essay’ he just said ‘you.’ Looking down at the papers in your hands, you scanned them quickly as if it would magically give you the answer. “Review my notes for the next essay. Maybe you’ll do better.” 

“What is your problem with me?” You snapped, looking up at him again, watching his brows raise slightly. “Have I done something to offend you?” 

“I don’t tolerate entitled students who are used to being the teacher's pet. Whatever previous, unearned success and praise you're used to receiving is of no concern to me. It is not my fault if you came into this class expecting to be treated differently for doing the same thing as every other student.” 

“I- I’m not.. entitled. I just like my work and effort to be appreciated and not.. given a B.” 

���You want me to tell you that you’re such a good girl, turning in everything on time— as expected— and doing well on your assignments— as expected.” The faux praise, as well as the condescension that laced his voice, made your cheeks heat up instantly. 

“No, but,” 

“Then I think we’re done here.” 

The next day, you almost considered not going to class, but you’ve never had an absence on your record and you’re not about to start now. 

“We’re going to deviate from the lesson plan a little and talk about something else today; fear. Specifically, fear of rejection.” Your mouth dropped open at his words and if you had any doubts that this was because of your previous conversation, they quickly disappeared when he made eye contact with you.  

“There are a few different causes, can anyone give me an example?” This would’ve been the time where you raised your hand. But that apparently wasn’t necessary because he called on you anyway, making you freeze. 

“Um, I— I’m not sure.” You said nervously, sinking back into your chair a little. 

“There’s a perfect example right there; anxiety and social comparison. Too anxious and insecure to answer a simple question. Who else can give an example?” You stared at him with wide eyes that quickly started burning with tears. Now you felt even more stupid than you would’ve, had you just answered him and potentially gotten it wrong.

Class dragged on slowly. He talked more about causes, what it looks like, how it affects performance— especially in school— and various treatments. 

You couldn’t have been more relieved when he finally dismissed the class. You rushed to pack your things and stood up, quickly making your way to the exit. 

When he called your name though, you froze, praying you heard him wrong. “Stay back for a moment.” Your peers gave you sympathetic looks as you turned around and slowly made your way back over to his desk. 

“Yes, professor?” You asked, voice strained. 

“I hope you found today's lesson helpful.” You gritted your teeth and gave him a dry smile. 

“It was… inspiring, Dr. Crane.” You said plainly, trying to control your tone. His expression was only becoming more and more amused. 

“I’m glad. Though I didn’t see you taking notes.” That made you falter. 

“I- I was,”

“Great. Let me see them.” You looked away from him and shifted your weight awkwardly. 

“See them?” 

“Did you not understand?” Your face flushed with anger and embarrassment at his patronizing tone. 

“I did. I just wasn’t aware that notes were something you needed to see.” 

“If a student isn’t paying attention for the entirety of my class then, yes, notes are something I need to see.” You swallowed thickly, trying to come up with a response, and he watched you intently as he waited.  

“Look, professor, you’ve made your point, okay? I don’t think you need to continue humiliating me.” You said quietly, not looking at him. He let out a heavy breath through his nose and you watched in your peripheral vision as he took off his glasses, setting them down. He slowly rounded the desk and you couldn’t help it when you instinctively took a step back. 

“That’s a shame. I had hoped this lecture would’ve been helpful, but since you clearly weren’t paying attention, maybe I need to try another method.” 

“I- I was paying attention…” You muttered, keeping your head down. 

“Really? Then why don’t you tell me some of the ways one can overcome a fear of rejection.” He leaned back on his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. The feeling of his eyes on you almost made you shiver and you took a quiet, deep breath before lifting your head to look at him again. 

This is an easy enough question. You can probably figure out the answer if you just use critical thinking since he was correct about you not paying attention. 

“Um… cognitive behavioral therapy?” You waited and when he didn’t out right humiliate you, you assumed that was a right answer and continued. “Exposure therapy. Self esteem enhancement… Emotion regulation?” 

“Anything else?” 

“…You said “some.’” You muttered, briefly looking away from him again. 

“I did, didn’t I?” His tone made it clear that he didn’t care about what he previously said. 

“Um, I- I’m not sure…” 

“Feel free to use your notes.” 

Fuck. 

When you looked up and saw the almost smug expression on his face, you finally snapped. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry that for one day, I couldn’t pay attention after you humiliated me in front of the entire class.” You spat, clenching your jaw as soon as you finished speaking. The longer he stayed silent, the more uncomfortable you became under his gaze, making you look away from him awkwardly. 

“Tell me why this shouldn’t affect your grade.” You knew his question was rhetorical, but you still tried to defend yourself. 

“Dr. Crane,” You started, but he raised his brows, silently warning you to not talk back. 

“I’ll see you later today during my office hours.” He said as he packed up his belongings. 

“But,” 

“Five pm.” He didn’t let you continue as he walked toward the door. All you could do was stand there and watch him leave. 

At 4:30 you paced around your dorm, debating what to do. At 4:35 you decided not to go. At 4:40 you changed your mind. At 4:50 you were pacing outside his office. At 4:55 you finally knocked, feeling like you could throw up at any second. He called out for you to enter, so you hesitantly opened the door and stepped inside. 

“Close the door and sit down.” He didn’t even look up from what he was working on. You closed the door quietly, then made your way over to the chair in front of his desk. You tried to sit there patiently, but he wasn’t saying anything. Your leg bounced incessantly as you picked at your cuticles, over thinking more and more with each tortuous second that dragged on. 

“Professor?” You finally asked. 

“You’re early. I told you to come at five and I need to finish this.” He still didn’t look up from whatever “this” was and you were quickly growing angrier. 

Was this some kind of mind fuck? Making you sit here, stewing in nerves that were only getting worse? You weren’t sure how much time had passed because you didn’t want to check your phone and give him another opportunity to chastise you. But after a while, he finally sighed and gathered the papers, setting them in a pile on the side of his desk. 

You forced yourself to stop bouncing your leg and place your palms flat on your thighs to keep from fidgeting, trying to exude confidence you were severely lacking. 

“I’ll admit, I’ve been struggling to decide what I should do with you.” Immediately your stomach churned, getting even more anxious. “I could have you removed from my class, but that would be a lot of paperwork.”

“Professor,” 

“I’m speaking.” He said harshly, making your mouth immediately close. “However, that does mean I’ll have to put up with this for another few months… So the paperwork might be worth the hassle.” You tried not to cry at the thought. You need this class to graduate— getting dropped from it will set you back a semester unless you add another course to your already heavy schedule for next semester. You waited, not sure if he was done talking or not. After another few seconds you decided to try again. 

“Please…” You said hesitantly, waiting for him to snap at you again. When he didn’t, you continued. “Please don’t drop me, professor. I need this class to graduate.” He stayed silent, eyes dragging over your body as you did your best not to squirm. He still hasn’t said anything… Is he going to drop you anyway? With tears in your eyes, you tried again, “Please… Please I- I’ll leave you alone— I won’t bother you about grades anymore, I swear, just please don’t drop me.” You all but whimpered, feeling even more pathetic now. 

He sighed and took off his glasses, then set them on his desk before leaning back in his chair a little, still studying you. 

“I’d still have to put up with you in class as well though.” 

“Please! I’ll sit in the back and not talk— I’ll do anything, just please don’t drop me.” You cried.

“Anything?” You stiffened a little at the dark expression that suddenly took over his face. Would you really do anything? You wouldn’t mind fucking him if that’s what he’s implying— despite his off putting personality, you’ve always been attracted to him.  

“Y-yes?” You said, unsure.  

“That didn’t sound very convincing and I’m not going to force you so I’ll just go through with the drop request,”

“No! I will— I’ll do anything… Please.” He continued studying you, probably trying to gauge if you were telling the truth or not. 

“Fine. We’ll call it an internship of sorts. You’ll come with me to Arkham Asylum every Friday and help me in whatever way I may need— no questions asked.” 

“I- I don’t know if I’m qualified for that.” 

“Good thing it’s not an actual internship then.” He sneered, the patronizing tone making you blush. 

“What will you have me do?” You asked quietly. 

“It’ll be easier to just show you instead. Give me your essay and after Friday if I’m satisfied with your performance, I’ll change the grade.” Your heart practically skipped a beat— all you have to do is go to Arkham with him for a day and you’ll get an A? You’d be stupid to say no. So you retrieved your essay from your bag and handed it to him. “Good. Six pm, do not be late. I’ll meet you in the main lobby to take you to my office.” He said sternly. 

Since you left his office, your heart has been pounding. You weren’t sure what to wear so you just decided on a skirt and blouse that were professional, but still mostly casual. After that, there wasn’t much else you could do. You were too anxious to focus on literally anything so you just sat at home, overthinking. Friday rolled around and you left at five, just in case anything happened, and arrived at 5:25. So you sat in your car, waiting anxiously and watching the clock on the dashboard. You were too scared to even listen to music. At 5:55 you decided to go in, worst case you’d just have to wait five minutes for him, but you figured it’d be better to be early— even after what happened during his office hours. 

It was only a minute before six when he showed up. The second he saw you, he gestured for you to follow, so you trailed after him on wobbly legs. When you arrived in his office, he closed the door and told you to sit in the chair across from him as he sat behind the desk. 

“I want to make sure that we’re on the same page and I have your consent for anything that happens here.” The way he worded that made you nervous, but you chalked it up to the fact that you were already overcome with anxiety.

“Yes.” You tried to sound sure of yourself, but you were having doubts. What would he make you do? Would it really be worth a better grade?

“Good. Take this.” He picked up a small paper cup from his desk with one pill inside and handed it to you. 

“…Why?”

“There are certain aerosol drugs that are administered to patients sometimes. That will keep them from affecting you.” He explained calmly, easing your nerves a bit. So you took it from him and swallowed it, waiting for what was next. “Follow me.” He stood up again, this time holding a briefcase, and you followed him out of his office. He led you down some hallways before stopping outside of a door and unlocking it, gesturing for you to walk in. 

There was a small table in the corner and two exam chairs with restraints on them, one of which had stirrups. Other than that the room was bare. The door closed loudly, making you jump and turn around. 

“Sit.” He ordered, walking over to the table and setting the briefcase down before walking toward you. 

“Why?” You asked skeptically. He just stood patiently and watched you. You suddenly got hit with a wave of dizziness and stumbled to the chair to sit down. The dizziness quickly turned into exhaustion and you could barely keep your eyes open. When you started falling forward, he quickly moved closer to catch you, then leaned you back against the chair. 

Your head hurt like hell and you forced your eyes open to find that you were now laying on the other exam chair, thankfully not with your legs in the stirrups, but with the restraints on your wrists. You don’t even remember falling asleep. 

“The effects should wear off soon. I apologize for using that, but I figured you wouldn’t willingly let me restrain you and I didn’t feel like fighting you.” 

“What… what was that?” You asked through a breath. You could slowly feel yourself getting less and less foggy. 

“A drug.” He said, in the most annoyed and patronizing tone you’ve heard from him so far. 

“Why?” You whimpered, closing your eyes again because they still felt so heavy. 

“If you’re going to ask stupid questions then I’m just going to gag you. I already answered that.” You heard some rustling noises and his footsteps, then a hand was running along your cheek, startling you and making you open your eyes. “You remember our agreement?” You nodded hesitantly. It felt like your heart was about to beat out of your chest with how hard and fast it was pounding. “Be a good little girl and if I’m satisfied, I won’t drop you. I might even change the grade of your essay.” You didn’t need the reminder, but the way he said the first part was making your stomach flutter. 

“I have to say,” he removed his hand from your cheek and moved down to place it on your leg, just above your knee, “I prefer the sluttier skirts you wear to class than this.” He teased the hem of your skirt with his fingers, making you tremble. “Next week wear something shorter. And a more flattering top.” You figured by ‘more flattering’ what he really meant was more revealing. All you could do to respond was nod. 

“Good. Let’s begin.” 

He reached for the zipper of your skirt on your hip, making you stiffen. 

“What the hell are you doing?” You asked, beginning to panic again, and he paused with a sigh. 

“If you don’t consent, that’s fine… There is still the matter of your seat in my class.” He said coyly. “If you want me to let you go, just say that. I’ll fill out the paperwork first thing Monday morning.” 

“No,” You choked out. “No.. please.” You felt like you were on the verge of a panic attack. He shushed you softly, staring at you with a teasing glint in his eyes. 

“Relax. If you consent to this, you’ll keep your seat in my class. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” You nodded, looking up at him with teary eyes. “Good girl… Now be quiet and let me do this.” His tone was significantly darker and all you could do was tremble as he unzipped your skirt, then pulled it down your body before discarding it on the floor. 

“I’ve been working on a new form of a drug.” You squeezed your eyes shut and let out a strangled whimper when he grabbed your leg and placed it in the stirrup, then used the restraints to keep it in place. “We’re going to try it together.” He grinned wolfishly and did the same to your other leg. 

You heard his footsteps as he walked across the room for something, then back over to you, now wearing a latex glove on his right hand, holding a small bottle in the other. 

“Remember, you can withdraw consent at any time…” You couldn’t though. Because you would be dropped from his class and set back months. 

His hand landed on your thigh, making you jump a little, and he started slowly dragging it up. Once he was close enough, he brushed his thumb over your clothed mound, forcing a quiet sob from you.  

“You probably thought this was going to go in a very different direction, didn’t you?” He asked teasingly, making you blush. Truthfully, you didn’t put much thought into your undergarments because you were too busy worrying about your actual clothes and what he was going to make you do. You cried out when he suddenly ripped the lace off your body, feeling the burn of the fabric pulling too hard against your skin. “Ready?” He asked, almost eagerly. 

You saw now that the bottle was a clear liquid and when he squirted it onto his fingers, you assumed it was lube. As soon as his finger brushed your asshole, you stiffened. 

“Wait!” You rushed out, chest heaving as your heart pounded in your chest. “I- I’ve never…” 

“You’ve never done anal?” You almost thought he was going to give you sympathy. “Good.” You couldn’t even get another word out before he was pushing a finger in, making you tense up as you whimpered in discomfort. “Tell me when you start to feel it.” 

“Feel what?” You said through a breath, trying to relax around the intrusion. Even though it wasn’t as bad as you were expecting, your heart was pounding even harder and faster in your chest, and your breathing grew ragged. “Dr. Crane,” You whimpered, suddenly a million times more anxious than only a moment ago. 

“Already?” He checked his watch, “That was fast. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“Anxious.” You said quickly, letting out a strangled whimper when he forced another finger inside. “M-my heart is pounding and it feels hard to breathe.” 

“That’s good… Anything else?” 

“My hands are clammy… and it feels like I'm sweating a little.” 

“No visual or auditory hallucinations?” 

“What?” You choked out, eyes widening. “W-why would I have that??”

“The drug we’re testing is my fear toxin. It’s a hallucinogenic that targets the amygdala and releases stress hormones, causing a fear response in the brain.” He explained, only making you feel worse. “So far I’ve tested it two ways; administered intravenously and in aerosol form.” 

“I don’t understand..” You said quietly, trying to calm your breathing a little. He let out an exaggerated sigh and forced a third finger inside you. 

“I guess I should really expect you to.” He almost sounded.. disappointed. The realization made the twist in your stomach even worse. “Let me dumb it down for you. In its most potent form, it causes visual and auditory hallucinations of the subject’s worst fear.” If you weren’t currently on the verge of a panic attack with three fingers in your ass, you probably would’ve rolled your eyes at his tone. 

“Now I’m testing it via rectal administration. The concentration is about the same, but the effects shouldn’t be as strong. At least, that’s my theory.” His fingers continued fucking you slowly, occassionally spreading apart to open you up more. Despite the amount of anxiety you were currently feeling, you could just barely feel your growing arousal.  

“W-why would you want the drug in this form?” You asked, gasping for air between words. 

“I’m a doctor. Why wouldn’t I experiment?” He asked rhetorically. You bit your lip and squeezed your eyes shut, trying to focus on the anxiety rather than the arousal, but it was only becoming more difficult. A choked moan escaped you when he suddenly dragged a bare finger through your folds, spreading the evidence of your arousal. “Are you enjoying this?” His voice sounded unnervingly clinical. 

In response, you bit down harder on your lip and shook your head, denying it. You could practically feel his eyes on you, studying you closely. 

“I knew you’d be perfect for this.” He suddenly said, and you bit back a moan because he almost sounded proud. “You’re just pathetic enough and desperate for my approval to willingly become my little lab rat, and now look at you… Leaking onto my hand as I finger your ass.” He chuckled wryly. A dark blush took over your face and you whined quietly, but the flutter in your stomach was unmistakable. “I bet you want my cock also… Don’t you?” 

You let out a choked sob and turned your head, trying uselessly to hide yourself. When he suddenly pulled his fingers out, you whimpered quietly at the sudden loss. 

“Look at me.” He demanded, in a tone that left no room for argument. As if you were in a trance, you turned to face him and opened your eyes. “You want to keep your seat in my class?” He removed the glove and tossed it aside, then worked on unbuckling his belt and opening his pants. 

“Yes.” You whispered shakily. 

“And you’re willing to let me fuck your ass to ensure that happens?” He pulled his already half hard cock out and started stroking slowly as you gaped at it. How was that supposed to fit inside you?

“I- I’ve never..”

“It’s a yes or no question.” He sighed impatiently. “I fuck your ass or you leave and I fill out the form Monday morning.” 

“I… I’m scared.” You whimpered, looking nervously between his face and his cock. 

“That’s the whole point, darling.” Right. Because he was testing his fear toxin. You blushed furiously at the new pet name. “You have three seconds before I fuck you, then fill out the form anyway.” 

Your stomach dropped at the threat and when he raised his brows, you blurted out, “Yes.” Tears were brimming in your eyes and he stepped closer, but didn’t line up yet. He just used his free hand to gently rub your thigh. 

“Yes, what?” Your bottom lip began trembling when you realized what he wanted from you. “Say it. Beg your professor for it.”

“I- I want…” You let out a strangled sob and squeezed your eyes shut again, making his hand stop moving on your thigh to grip tightly in a silent warning. “I want you to fuck my ass… Please, Dr. Crane.” You whimpered. You’ve never felt more humiliated, but at the same time… you were only becoming more aroused. Your cunt ached to be filled, and your clit was practically throbbing.

“Good girl.” When you let out a choked moan at the sudden praise, he chuckled quietly. “Open your eyes. I want you to watch.” He demanded, lining up. Only after your eyes fluttered open, did he finally apply some pressure, entering you with little difficulty. 

“Fuck- You’re so tight.” He hissed, moving his hand to your other thigh and squeezing almost painfully. Your breath and all of your sounds were caught in your throat as he pushed in deeper, not stopping until his hips were flush with your ass. “Tell me how it feels.” He said breathily, not moving yet. 

“Big.” You whimpered, barely able to get the word out. 

“Does it hurt?” You shook your head, trying to steady your breathing, but the overwhelming feeling of being stretched as well as the anxiety still weighing heavy on your chest made it feel almost impossible. “You look like you’re on the verge of a panic attack.” He sounded uncharacteristically dulcet.

When he reached for your shirt and unbuttoned it to expose your bra, your breathing picked up even more as your heart started pounding even harder in your chest. He pulled your bra down below your breasts and groped you eagerly, showing little regard for your pleasure with his rough, almost painful touch. 

“Your heart’s beating so fast. Is my little lab rat still scared?” He cooed, very obviously mocking you. 

“Professor..” You whimpered, staring up at him with glossy eyes as you struggled to cope with all of the overwhelming feelings, both physically and emotionally. He shushed you softly and brought his hands back down to rub your thighs, trying to soothe you. 

“I’m going to fuck you, and you’re going to take it.” He said plainly. “You try to resist at all and I’ll keep fucking you until I finish, then you won’t have to bother showing up to class on Monday. Do you understand?” 

You nodded reluctantly and he moved his hands to grip the tops of your thighs. He slowly dragged his hips back, then forward again, forcing you to feel every inch of his cock stretching you open. It didn’t… hurt. But it definitely wasn’t the most pleasurable thing you’ve ever experienced. 

When he suddenly sped up, you cried out and squeezed your eyes shut, trying to focus on taking deep breaths. He was grunting and moaning quietly with each thrust, clearly enjoying this far more than you, and you couldn’t help but open your eyes again to watch him. His grip tightened on your thighs, making you whimper, and you watched his mouth fall open in a silent moan as he closed his eyes. 

“Fuck…” He said breathily, letting out a low groan before opening his eyes again. “I didn’t account for transdermal administration” He almost sounded amused again, but you could barely focus on his words. “The effects are far less than what you’re feeling, I’d assume. It almost feels like adrenaline, rather than fear. Next time we’ll try it intravaginally to see if your reaction is the same or more like mine.” 

You almost forgot that this wasn’t a one and done. You have to let your professor do what he wants with you every week for the rest of the semester…

“And I think I’ll try the other forms of delivery on you as well. Not so much for an experiment… I just want to fuck you while you’re hallucinating your greatest fears.” His lips curled up into a small smirk at the thought of that. “I can’t wait to hear you scream and cry for me.” He cooed, but his tone was far from comforting and your anxiety was only getting worse as he continued sharing his future plans for you. 

He started bucking into you rapidly and his sounds got louder, clearly getting closer to his release. You could even feel yourself just barely starting to inch toward the edge. Your moans caught his attention and a pleased look took over his face. 

“You like this, don’t you?” You let out a choked moan and bit your lip, trying to quiet your sounds. “It’s either that or misattribution of arousal... but that seems less likely.” Even though you knew his guess was correct, you were still going to convince yourself that it was misattribution of arousal instead because that was far less humiliating. When he started rubbing your clit, any chance you had of keeping quiet was gone instantly. His moans got louder too when your body tensed up, tightening around his cock. 

“Oh god— Dr. Crane, please.” You sobbed, feeling the arousal steadily taking over the anxiety that had settled in your stomach. 

“What do you want?” Now that he asked, you realized that you don’t even know what you want. You wanted the overwhelming anxiety and stretch to stop… but the thought of him pulling out and ending this almost brought tears of desperation to your eyes. His fingers sped up on your clit and your back arched off of the exam chair as an involuntary mewl escaped you. 

“Please let me come.” You whimpered pathetically and he let out a quiet chuckle in response to your brazenness. 

“How curious…” He murmured, gaze dragging all over your body. “I’ll admit, I figured some part of you would enjoy getting to please me, but I never imagined it’d be to this extent.” He said amusedly and your blush darkened in response. “You want to come?”

You were nodding eagerly before he could even finish. “Please.” 

“How about this— I'll raise the grade on your essay… or I’ll let you come.” You could see the barest hint of a smirk on his lips and you let out a frustrated sob, squeezing your eyes shut. “Well?”

“Dr. Crane…” You whimpered, bottom lip trembling as you tried not to cry. When you opened your eyes and stared up at him through the tears, his smirk widened. “Please..” 

“Should I choose for you?” 

“No…” You sobbed, looking away from him and biting your lip. The whole point of this was so he’d change the grade… You can’t give in to the pleasure now that you’re so close to finally getting what you came here for. “I- I want you to change my grade.” Your voice was barely a whisper. As soon as he got your answer, he removed his hand from your clit to grab the top of your thigh again, bucking into you rapidly as he chased his orgasm. 

“We’re going to have a lot of fun together, my little lab rat.” He was clearly satisfied with your choice and while part of you was almost crying from frustration… another part couldn’t help but revel in the fact that you pleased him, even if it was at the expense of your own pleasure. 

His hips snapped into you rapidly, the force of it almost pushing you up the exam chair, but the restraints on your legs kept you mostly in place. As he focused on his impending orgasm, you were practically mesmerized. He looked so… pretty. The pleasure in his expression was obvious and there was a faint blush on his cheeks. His normally pale blue eyes were darker as he took you in, studying every tiny reaction to his ministrations. 

When he suddenly pushed forward all the way and stayed there, you let out a whine of displeasure, knowing whatever pleasure you might’ve been feeling before was about to disappear. But the choked moan he let out as he closed his eyes made you almost forget all about it. His hips bucked forward sporadically as his cock twitched inside you with each rope of come that shot out, filling you up.  

Finally his sounds quieted into heavy breathing and his body went still. You waited anxiously for what was next, not sure what to expect. Opening his eyes again, he watched as he slowly dragged his hips back until his cock slipped free, forcing out a quiet hiss from him and a whimper from you at the sensitivity. 

“Push it out.” His voice was raspy and still thick with arousal. When you pushed his come out, he let out a low groan as he watched, bending down a little to get a closer look. “Good girl.” He cooed, making you whine as the words went straight to your cunt that was still aching with need. 

“You can remain here until the effects wear off. I want to see how long that takes.” He said, almost clinically, while checking his watch. Your eyes stayed on him as he tucked his cock back in his pants before collecting the lube and discarded glove. 

“Are you going to let me go?” Your voice was quiet and timid as submission still heavily clouded your mind. He looked over at you again, almost surprised by your voice. He glanced at the restraints before dragging his gaze all over your body for a moment. Finally, he smirked a little and went back to what he was doing. 

“Soon.” You sighed in response and stayed quiet. As you breathed deeply, trying to ignore the arousal still lingering in your stomach, you noticed that the anxious feeling was starting to subside a little. Your heart was still beating rapidly, but now it was hard to tell if it was from fear, adrenaline, or your own unsatisfied arousal. 

“I think it’s wearing off.” You told him and he checked his watch again. 

“What are you feeling?” He finally walked back over to you and stared at your face with an almost impressive level of professionalism, given the circumstances. 

“My heart is still pounding, but my breathing is better. And I don’t feel very nauseous either.” 

“Next week I want to test this again so I have a control group to compare these results to. It’ll be the same thing, but I won’t finger you for as long and I won’t fuck you until after it wears off.” He reached out and gently grabbed your chin, angling your face up to look at him as he stepped closer. “Of course… that’s assuming you still want to keep your spot in my class…” He trailed off, making the statement sound like a question instead. 

“I do.” You said quickly. Especially after this… you were desperate to stay enrolled in his class, but you were also— as much as you didn’t want to admit it— desperate for more after he gave you this small taste. 

“Good girl.” Your cheeks heated up instantly and he patted one with his hand before stepping back again. “Keep being my little lab rat and I have no doubt you’ll pass my class… maybe even with the grade you think you deserve.” 

[hannieoftheyear]

sexting with Mingyu

the one where you accidentally send Mingyu – someone who you do not like – a nude.

✧.* content: smut, sexting, mingyu is an avid emoji user, switch mingyu but more subby at the end (sawrrrry I can’t help it), use of pet names (good boy and baby).

✧.* w.c: 2,9k

✧.* note: I wanted to post a quick work to get this blog going while I finish some longer things I’m working on ♡ hope you like it and I’m sorry if there are any mistakes

part 2 is posted! find it here

Your eyes roll when your phone lights up and the text notification pops up.

Kim Mingyu🤢: don’t forget to transfer me the money for Seokmin’s bday 🙏 [11:47 pm.]

The idea of Kim Mingyu of all people handling something as important as a birthday surprise for your best friend irks you.

Of course, he was his best friend too. But why on earth did he end up making the plans. And who made you follow his lead. It’s like torture. You don’t want to engage with him in any way.

He was so smug when everyone decided he should be in charge of the surprise party. The decision was between you and him, and you guess people don’t really like your style of planning because it was a unanimous vote. Still, you liked not having to stress so much about it, but having to rely on your sworn enemy makes you shrug.

Okay, maybe sworn enemy it’s an exaggeration. You two just don’t like each other, and that’s fine. Not everyone is always going to like you, and you’re okay with that. The problem is when you can’t avoid said person because you’re in the same fucking friend group.

You two avoid each other if possible. When the whole group hangs out, you try to stay as far away as you can. It’s not like you fight with him, but your exchanges are short and dry, often a little harsh, so you try your best to avoid it to not spoil the mood.

After you transfer him the money, you take a screenshot to send him. It’s not really needed, but you do it just to make sure there’s proof that you transferred the money.

You open his chat and send the last picture on your camera roll without even looking, trying to be done with him the fastest possible.

You: [Picture.] [11:50 pm.]

Locking your phone, you keep working on the assignment your boss asked you to finish by tomorrow. But it gets cut short because not even five minutes later, Mingyu texts you again. You don’t open his chat, but instead, read it through the notification.

Kim Mingyu🤢: didn’t take you as the type to take pics like that 🫣 [11:54 pm.]

You wonder what the hell he’s talking about and why he chose such an annoying emoji.

As you open the chat, your eyes grow wide, and you realize you forgot to check what exactly you were sending Mingyu.

It seems that your screenshot hadn’t fully loaded on the gallery, and you accidentally sent him the previous last photo on your camera roll, which was a mirror selfie of you wearing a new pair of underwear you bought today.

Panic starts to creep in on you, but before doing anything stupid, you breathe in and breathe out, calming yourself to think. Mingyu’s still online, which means he’s probably waiting for your answer.

Instead of admitting it was on accident or showing him any weakness, you decide to play with him a little. He likes to annoy you too, so why not do the same.

You: you never know… I’m full of surprises.

You: why wouldn’t I take a pic if I look pretty? [11:55 pm]

You don’t expect much but his reply comes as soon as you click send.

Kim Mingyu🤢: surprised I definitely am🤔 can’t decide if I like this side of you or not🫢 [11:55 pm.]

You: like I care about your validation [11:56 pm.]

Kim Mingyu🤢: you should.

You: ?

Kim Mingyu🤢: take pics like this I mean😳

Now this is getting interesting.

You: so you think I look pretty? [11:57 pm.]

You wouldn’t lie and say him saying things like this doesn’t make you a little giddy. He’s always so dry with you. You definitely prefer this side of him.

Kim Mingyu🤢: you should send me another one🫣 it’ll help me make up my mind.

You ponder on what’s happening for a solid minute before replying. Is he flirting? Is he teasing you? Will this just be another thing to annoy you in the future?

You: can you stop with those fuckass emojis. [11:58 pm.]

You: I’m not speaking to you if you keep talking like that.

Kim Mingyu🤢: what if I say please?

Now that. Is unexpected. At first it seemed like he wanted to annoy you too, but now he’s almost… begging? How far is he willing to take it? How willing are you?

You: you’re so annoying.

You: I’m trying to work.

Kim Mingyu🤢: all this time we've known each other and I’ve never even seen you in a bikini. [11:59 pm]

Kim Mingyu🤢: what a waste of time.

You: was it worth the wait?

Kim Mingyu🤢: you have no idea.

You: enlighten me then.

Kim Mingyu🤢: oh I don’t think you’re prepared for that.

The conversation is taking a turn you’re not sure if you should take. Exciting you in ways that it shouldn’t.

A chat between the two of you never exceeded a few texts. You are both always so eager to end it as soon as possible, so why does he keep replying? Why do you?

You: what do you want Mingyu? [12:00 am]

Your blatant question seems to take him by surprise because he doesn’t reply right away.

Kim Mingyu🤢: me? You’re the one that sent me a fucking nude at this hour [12:01 am]

He’s right. Are you embarrassing yourself? He’s never gonna let you live after this. But you’re not backing down now.

You: I wasn’t even naked you pervert [12:02 am]

You: and it didn’t seem to matter to you before

You: you liked it didn’t you

Kim Mingyu🤢: never said I didn’t

You: so…

Kim Mingyu🤢: what?

You: are you gonna do something about it?

You’re too curious for your own good. The lines between annoying him and flirting with him are getting more and more blurred every second that passes.

Now it’s your turn to be surprised.

Kim Mingyu🤢: you can’t ask me that [12:03 am]

You: why?

Minutes pass, and you see him typing, then nothing, then typing again. Your room starts to feel hotter, the expectation getting the best of you, and you start to feel a familiar feeling at the base of your stomach.

Kim Mingyu🤢: you should never send a desperate guy something like that at this hour [12:06 am]

You: are you that desperate?

Kim Mingyu🤢: [Picture.]

Kim Mingyu🤢: does that answer your question?

You stare in awe at your phone for what feels like an hour. His hard dick covered by his white boxers threatening to come out fills your screen. Nothing is left to the imagination.

Kim Mingyu🤢: cat got your tongue? [12:08 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: [Picture.]

Kim Mingyu🤢: it’s getting difficult to not touch myself

A second photo fills your screen now. It’s almost in the same position, except now his hand is covering his bulge, and his red tip is out.

Wetness starts to pool on your underwear, but he doesn’t need to know, yet at least.

You: I never pictured you as such a needy guy. [12:10 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’m not ashamed to be who I am🙈

You: even with you hands on your pants you manage to send a fucking emoji wow. [12:11 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: I can send something else

Kim Mingyu🤢: only if you want of course

You straighten yourself, waiting for another photo, but nothing happens. When you move on your seat, you feel just how wet you are. Oh you’re gonna kill him after this.

You: I really hate you you know [12:14 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: aren’t you supposed to be working?😨

You: you’re distracting

Kim Mingyu🤢: oh so you do want this

You: this? [12:15 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: all you have to do is ask

Kim Mingyu🤢: nicely

You: you really gonna make me beg?

Kim Mingyu🤢: want me to show you how horny I am?

Kim Mingyu🤢: you want me to make you feel good.

You: you could never make me feel good. [12:16 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: oh we’ll see about that.

The act you’re putting up won’t last much longer if he keeps up like this. Your right hand creeps down your abdomen. You barely graze your covered cunt, the little relief makes you sigh.

You’re too lost in the little pleasure and don’t realize he sent more texts.

Kim Mingyu🤢: [voice note] [12:18 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: your turn.

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’m dying over here

Kim Mingyu🤢: are you touching yourself? [12:19 am]

You: you’re leaving me no choice. [12:20 am]

You decide to play with him a little and send him a ‘one view only’ photo of your hand inside your panties. The same panties as the first photo you sent.

After you reply, you dare to play his voice note. The faint sound of his hand tugging on his erection and his little grunts are nothing compared to the sigh he lets out at the end. You play with your fingers, circling them around your wet entrance.

Kim Mingyu🤢: you’re so not fair. [12:22 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: I bet you’re so wet right now

Kim Mingyu🤢: I wish you were here so I could touch you properly [12:23 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: my fingers playing with your little cunt like the brat you are

This can’t hurt, right? It’s not like it will happen again, and besides he’s already jerking off to your image. You start circling around your clit, playing with yourself making you squirm.

You: I’m so wet [12:24 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: did i get you all riled up already?

You: don’t flatter yourself

Kim Mingyu🤢: tell me.

Kim Mingyu🤢: show me how wet you are [12:25 am]

You: I could just slide my fingers in

Kim Mingyu🤢: I said show me

You debate if you should actually send him something. You know he’s trustworthy. He’s friends with your best friends after all, but this is something far beyond that.

You: should I? [12:26 am]

You: I could just leave you like this

You: get it done by myself

It could be read a threat, but you want to see how he reacts.

Kim Mingyu🤢: don’t be mean☹️

Kim Mingyu🤢: I won’t show this to anyone [12:27 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: if that worries you

Kim Mingyu🤢: I promise

His sudden kindness surprises you a little.

You’re not sure if you always found Mingyu attractive. Sure he’s really handsome that’s undeniable. Maybe when you first met, you thought he was really hot, but those feelings died down because your relationship wasn’t the best. You had a few fights before you decided it was best for the group to just ignore each other if possible.

This was the first time in years you had a long conversation that didn’t end in a fight, and you like it.

You: I'm not the type to do this you know [12:28 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’m not either

You: but I don't want to stop

Kim Mingyu🤢: me neither

Knowing he wants this, too, just turns you on more. He’s not pushing you to do anything, and you guess that if you tell him to stop, he will. But you have to make sure before you do something.

You: just promise me this is between us [12:30 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: you have my word🤐

You: be serious for one second

Kim Mingyu🤢: you can trust me

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’m serious I won’t show or tell anyone

That is enough to calm you for now. You don’t think about how this will affect your relationship. Seokmin’s birthday is just a few days away, and you’ll have to face Mingyu in front of everyone.

But that doesn’t bother you now as you’re filming what Mingyu so desperately was asking you to.

You angle your phone to show only your lower body on camera. You start the video circling your entrance, gathering as much arousal as possible. After that, you move your fingers closer to the camera to show how wet they are and then slowly insert two fingers in your hole. You end the video after a little moan escapes your lips

You: for being such a good boy [12:35 am]

You: [video]

You don’t stop fingering yourself and close your eyes, imagining it’s Mingyu’s hand and not yours. His thick fingers would stretch you more than yours ever could. A few slow strokes are enough to make you squirm. And you remember to open your eyes and see you got more texts from Mingyu.

Kim Mingyu🤢: holy fuck [12:37 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: you’re dripping

Kim Mingyu🤢: I should be there right now

Kim Mingyu🤢: show you what my mouth could do

Kim Mingyu🤢: could eat you out for hours

Kim Mingyu🤢: fuck you’re making me so hard [12:38 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: [picture]

He had taken his boxers off and was now fully naked. His hand could barely wrap around his fully hard dick. The tip is pinkish red and leaking precum already.

You: fuck you’re so big [12:39 am]

You: I don’t think it could fit inside me

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’ll make it fit

You: how?

Kim Mingyu🤢: I'd make you cum so much that I'd slide right in

You: are you touching yourself?

Kim Mingyu🤢: god how I wish this was you instead of my hand

You close your eyes again. Imagining Mingyu on top of you as you finger yourself harder, as deep as you possibly can. Wet sounds and moans fill your room as you get closer and closer.

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’m so close it’s embarrassing [12:41 am]

You: I am too

Kim Mingyu🤢: show me?🥺

The giggle you let out is almost instantaneous. His emojis are annoyingly cute.

You take a similar video as before, but don’t hold back the moans. Your strokes are slow to show on camera how deep you’re getting. The orgasm is so close that you can taste it, but you stop, edging yourself.

You: because you asked so nicely [12:43 am]

You: [video.]

You: now you

You wait a few minutes, stroking you clit lightly to not lose the orgasm but not quickly enough to stimulate much.

The torture doesn’t last long because a video appears in your chat along with more texts.

Kim Mingyu🤢: holy shit [12:44 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: you’re so hot

Kim Mingyu🤢: god that should be my hand

Kim Mingyu🤢: [video] [12:45 pm]

As soon as you press play you’re welcomed by Mingyu’s delicious moans. His cock is shiny with pre cum all over it, now angry red. He moans at every pump and you feel yourself getting wetter.

Unexpectedly, he also speaks: “I’m so close" his voice is hoarse and deep like you’ve never heard before, “I wish this was your hand, shit only imagining makes me almost cum" and finally, “please… tell me I can cum… can I cum?”

You never expected the big buff Kim Mingyu to be so needy. It just makes you hornier if that’s even possible.

You: you’re so needy baby [12:47 am]

You: I’m close too

You: been edging myself waiting for you

Kim Mingyu🤢: shit baby don’t say stuff like that [12:48 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: im about to burst

You: want to cum big boy?

Kim Mingyu🤢: pleeasee

You: look who’s begging now

Kim Mingyu🤢: don’t play with me right now

Kim Mingyu🤢: you’re just as desperate as me

Kim Mingyu🤢: use three fingers for me and cum baby [12:49 am]

You don’t need to be told twice. You press record and insert three fingers into your cunt. You’re so wet they just slide in and you let out a long moan, increasing your speed at every thrust. It’s not long until you’re shaking and cumming all over your hand and bed.

But you don’t end the video there. You grab your phone and film your face as you suck your fingers clean while staring at the camera lense.

You: [video.] [12:51 am]

You: your turn to cum baby

As you wait for him, you go clean yourself up and grab new sheets for the bed.

Kim Mingyu🤢: [video] [12:53]

You press play and the sight of his hand is rapidly stoking his hard dick welcomes you, no more than five strokes after the video starts he lets out a long ground and is cumming all over his abs.

Kim Mingyu🤢: that was [12:54]

Kim Mingyu🤢: holy shit

Kim Mingyu🤢: I never came so fast in my life

You: embarrassingly me neither

The conversations stills for a few minutes, even though it feels like hours. What do you say after sexting with someone you supposedly hate?

You: I guess I’ll see you on saturday [01:03 am]

You're left on read a few more minutes, and you wonder if he already regrets this.

Kim Mingyu🤢: yeah right [01:06 am]

Kim Mingyu🤢: I’ll send everyone what hour to come by to prepare everything

Kim Mingyu🤢: see you then

It’s so awkward that you don’t send anything after.

You don’t regret it, but you do fear what’s going to happen.

Note: sorry if the ending it’s a little sudden, I don’t know how to finish this but I do want to write a part two 😉

[wileys-russo]

little blurb about supportive arsenal gf finding out lessi is starting 🥹

two posts in one day, spoiling y'all

debut II a.russo

"lessi did you grab my training top by accident with yours?" you called out as you rummaged through your closet with a frown. "babe?" you called out again a little louder when your girlfriend didn't answer.

"no! are you sure you didn't already pack it?" the blonde called back from down the hall where she was sat in the spare room on the bed, laptop balancing on her knees as she worked on an assignment. your own shared bed was covered with your clothes as you of course had left it to the last minute to pack, your girlfriends own case already down by the front door ready for lotte to pick you both up tomorrow.

"oh. yeah i did, thank you!" you smiled in relief as you searched through your suitcase seeing your training kit folded neatly in the bottom, the taller girl in the other room rolling her eyes with a small smile.

the two of you headed to sweden tomorrow for your first match of the season and the qualifier of the champions league, you were over the moon to finally be playing alongside alessia than against her.

and it finally meant no more hours of travelling on the tube or cross city roadtrips just to spend a day or two together and then weeks apart until the cycle repeated. the distance wasn't easy but with time and communication you made it work, and you had never pressured one another about switching clubs.

but seeing how poorly alessia was treated by her former club, a team she'd supported since her childhood, was hard to bare when you loved her dearly. but you were there by her side through it all, the same way she was when you tore your hamstring early last year.

"i'm packed." you announced with a relieved sigh finally joining the striker on the spare bed, collapsing beside her on your back and resting your head against her hip, scrolling through your phone.

"thank god i was worried we might miss the flight." the taller girl teased, not looking away from her laptop as her fingers flew against the keyboard and you playfully pinched her leg for the comment.

the two you sat together in a comfortable silence, you swapping your social media deep dive for a book as your girlfriend tangled a hand in your hair, nails scratching at your scalp as she read through her study material.

"i'm gonna go start dinner baby." you finished your chapter, marking your page and sitting up. "hey!" you laughed as your girlfriend poked at the slit of skin which appeared as your arms up with a stretch. "what's for dinner?" the blonde asked with a curious smile.

"whatever i can make with as many items as possible, the last thing i'd like to come home to is a fridge full of expired, soggy or mouldy food." you winced in disgust, scrunching your nose at the thought. "do you want a hand?" the striker offered, moving her laptop off her knees and tugging you to lay on top of her.

"hi. "hello beautiful."

you blushed at her words as the blonde kissed your nose with a soft smile.

"no it's okay you said you need to study so you can focus when we're in sweden, i'll come get you once it's done baby." you answered her previous question with a smile, kissing her softly in thanks.

"now hit the books!" you ordered playfully, rolling off of her and standing to your feet as the blonde gave you a salute and picked her laptop back off the bed.

~

"smells almost as divine as you." you smiled as hoodie clad arms wrapped round you, the taller girl pressing her front into your back as her chin rested on your shoulder, kissing your cheek affectionately.

"charmer." you grinned, a slight blush coating your cheeks as you relaxed into her hold. "so, i have news." alessia broke the silence, unwrapping herself from you and taking a step back as you turned round and raised a curious eyebrow.

"jonas called." your girlfriend started, fiddling nervously with the sleeves of her hoodie as you tilted your head, unsure where this was going. "i'm starting on wednesday." she finally revealed, watching as your mouth dropped open, her own curling into a shit eating grin.

"baby! you're getting your debut!" you squealed happily, launching yourself at her as the blonde stumbled backwards but caught you, your legs wrapping around her waist.

"i am so proud of you less. i told you he was impressed at training!" you beamed, kissing happily all over her face as the tall blonde let out a giggle making your heart soar.

"i did smoke you at the wind sprints." "hey your legs are like half the size of my whole body you have an unfair advantage."

"but i can't believe we'll finally be on the pitch together for the same team and in the right red." you teased lightly as alessia spun you around before taking a few steps forward and placing you down to sit on the counter top.

"so long as i'm with you i couldn't care what color i'm wearing."

[nifexchange24]

Announcing: The Nirvana in Fire Fanwork Exchange 2024

Sign-ups — 1st-14th Oct

Prompt claiming — 17th-21st Oct

Assignments — 24th Oct

Check-in — 1st-5th Dec

Deadline — 21st Dec

Gift reveals — 25th Dec

Creator reveals — 31st Dec

The Nirvana in Fire Fanwork Exchange is an event for anyone who's a fan of the show Nirvana in Fire, its sequel series The Wind Blows in Changlin, the novel, manhua, audio drama and any other associated media I've forgotten.

It takes the form of an anonymous fanwork gift exchange: gifters will be matched with recipients based on prompts submitted by participants during sign-up. All participants will create a gift and receive one.

The event is open to all types of fanworks: fic, vids, visual art, crafts, podfic, etc.

Announcements will be crossposted to Tumblr, Discord and Dreamwidth.

If you would like an invite to the Langya Hall discord server, which has a channel for discussing the exchange, please let me know.

How It Works

During the sign-up period, you will be able to submit a Google Form with a list of 3 prompts for fanworks you would like to receive, as well as space to list any Do/Do Not Wants. The link will be posted on the DW community, the Langya Hall discord, and on this Tumblr.

On 17th Oct, participants will be sent an anonymous list of sets of prompts and asked to rank their top 5 choices. Once all participants have responded, the mods will do their best to match everyone according to their preferences.

On 24th Oct, participants will be sent their individual assignment: the prompt list of the person they have been matched with, along with that person's AO3 username.

On 31st Oct, the prompt list will be made public, for anyone, whether they signed up or not, to creat additional 'treats' for the prompters.

There will be a mandatory check-in 1st-5th Dec. Participants will be asked whether they are on track to complete a gift by the final deadline of 21st Dec. Participants who miss this deadline without contacting the mods will be assumed to have defaulted and their assignment will be sent to a pinch-hitter.

Gifts should be submitted to the AO3 collection (still under construction) by the end of the day on 21st Dec. Participants will still be able to make edits, but the gift should be in a giftable state by then.

On 25th Dec, the gifts will be revealed: everyone will be able to see all works in the collection, though the creators will still remain anonymous.

On 31st Dec, the names of the creators will be revealed.

TL;DR: Sign up with prompts, choose the prompts you'd like to fill, make a thing, post a thing, get a thing, shower your fellow creators with love and comments.

Minimum gift requirements

Treats

Fic: 500 words

Podfic: 5 mins

Art: 1 artwork (B&W or colored)

Video: 30 secs to 1 min, depending on complexity

Crafts: 1 picture and/or documentation of the finished project

If you don't want to sign up as a full exchange participant, you can still create fills for prompts as 'treats'. The prompt list will be made public on 31st Oct. Treats can be posted to the AO3 community and tagged with 'NIFTREAT24'.

General Points

BYOB: Bring your own beta. In previous years, the exchange has offered a beta-matching service, but we're running at reduced capacity this year, so if you want your work beta-read, please organise this yourself.

Timezones: Deadlines for participants are 11.59pm of the date in question, wherever you might be in the world. Timings for the mod doing stuff are based on 'when I have a spare hour during that day' and I can't be more precise than that.

AO3: You'll be able to add your work to the Nirvana in Fire 2024 Exchange collection on AO3 (currently under construction but you can see last year's collection here). If you need an AO3 invite, we can arrange this, but please let me know before December if possible.

Contact a mod: If you're in the Langya Hall discord server, feel free to ping me @ sinni-ok-sessi on there, or @ withans for a PM. You can also contact me @sinni-ok-sessi or via the @nifexchange24 Tumblr. Nominally I am on Dreamwidth, but I almost never remember to check it, so that's not your best bet. If you sign up, you will receive instructions for how to email me.

[which-item-poll-archive]

Archiving Which-Item-Poll

Trigger tag list - at the moment outlines NSFW tags but will cover other tags soonish

Tag directory - A key to the tags I use as well as ways to browse by category or the month the poll was originally posted.

Please follow @pick-an-item-poll as they're continuing to post polls where you choose an item

If you want to follow the original blog's new poll blog, it's @hear-me-out-poll

What is this blog?

Basically I'm trying to (manually) reblog everything from their blog to this blog to create a more permanent archive once which-item-poll deactivates the original blog. I'm doing this because tumblr's search functions are notoriously useless for finding specific posts and many posts get entirely lost without a blog's archive page. Additionally, this preserves the tags that contain the information about the items, most notably the websites where they can/could be found.

Once the archive is complete and posted, we'll see where this goes from there.

@which-item-poll if you want me to delete a specific post or a couple that I re-blogged from you please ask me and I will. (Even after you've deleted the blog, since I know your main)

About the Archivist

You can call me Arc (not my name, but it works for now), I'm non-binary and my pronouns are she/they! I'm not the original owner of which-item-poll. I'm typically slow to respond to messages, but will take any suggestions into consideration even if I haven't responded to you yet.

Archive progress

Currently in the queue:

July, August, September, October, November and December 2024

Completed Months:

*January, *February, *March, *April, *May and *June 2024

(* these months still need their category tags reviewed and possibly edited)

Needs to be queued/drafted:

Anything posted by OP between now (30/12/2024, 8:20pm EST) and when they decide to deactivate the blog.

Updates

Everything is now in the queue!

I found my draft about opening submissions :) Now I just need to edit it so it's coherent.

The tag directory is completed! It can be found at the top of this post! Since it was a majority vote to not change it, I'm going to leave it as is for now. I'll run another survey on if it's too long once I've pretty much completed it.

02/01/25 EST - Days left until completed archive: 17 days at 50 posts a day.

I've finished queuing and drafting existing posts and are now waiting to archive any future posts between now and when the blog is deactivated.

Previous updates under the cut

Update: My autotagger wasn't working, which I found out about 1200 posts into this. Currently working on restoring tags to the posts already reblogged. I've managed to fix my autotagger but I had to clear the queue and drafts. (I didn't want to do it... but must to preserve my sanity.... and more importantly my wrist) Once I've got the tags back on the January posts (manually) I'll be able to fill the queue and drafts back up with the original tags intact.

Update: Everything that was posted had the tags added back on. Resuming queuing posts (and I've confirmed that the autotagger is copying the tags). Starting the queue again since there's enough in there to run while I sleep.

Update: I have been misspelling February in all of my tags. I will fix this and continue to fix this as they get posted from the queue.

Update: All the miss-spelt tags have been corrected

Update: I made the pinned post nicer to read! I also added some information.

Update 15/12/24 EST: If I run the queue at 50 posts a day, it will take 45 days to post everything from the original blog to this blog.

19/12/24 7pm EST - Taking a very short break from working on the archive as I have my final assignment due for a university course due tonight. (in about 10 hours in my local time). I should be back to doing stuff with it tomorrow. :)

Update 21/12/24: I'm back to it and working on adding tags to posts before making a directory again. For now, All current archival posts and ones that are in the queue now have the tag #which-item-poll-archive

Update: I have lost my draft about new submissions somewhere :(

Since it was a majority yes vote on the survey about new polls, I'm currently considering how I'd go about doing that.

NSFW items are on their way to the top of the queue. Here's a post about the tags to block if you don't wanna see them! :)

The tag directory is completed! It can be found at the top of this post! There's also a new survey about it. Is it too long?

I'm also going to try and post some things manually to get that time down, but can't guarantee that I can do this a lot due to things happening IRL.

Needs to be queued/drafted:

Any posts remaining in which-item-poll's queue or any other post made between time of update (4:47am on the 15th of December EST) and when OP decides to deactivate the blog.

Pretty close to queuing everything now. Going to include some of the repeat posts from the month of December that were meant to let people know the blog was deactivating ect. But I'm not going to include every single reblog of them. Just for the sake of slightly smoother browsing whilst still backing up the posts.

[thelastofhyde]

the likeability paradox. ( teaser )

this fic has now been posted, read here !

pairing. joel miller x fem!reader

synopsis. joel miller is not a man who strives to be liked, with a chip on his shoulder and a scowl on his face, until his world is flipped on its axis when the pretty young thing, with an irritatingly unwavering smile and the literal sun shinning out her ass, that lives under bill and frank's roof says those five damned words: i don't like you, joel.

warnings. enemies to lovers ig, slow burn (i have intentions to drag this out into several long oneshots that can be read separately), unrequited love (except you will never catch joel miller admitting he feels anything beyond grief, hunger and exhaustion), pining, sunshine!reader, grumpy!joel aka canon joel, kinda perv!joel (if you squint), implied queer!tess, undefined age gap (reader implied late-20s), canon violence, smut (oral- f receiving, fingering, praise, degradation, possessiveness, panty stealing, dirty talk, dubcon ig, hints at ass-play, discussions of a lacklustre sex-life pre-apocalypse). this is set prior to ellie!!

word count. 10k. ( predicted )

hyde’s input. was hoping to finish and post this today in celebration of pedge's bday, but uni assignments got in the way and here i am posting a teaser instead of the full fic :(

nsfw beneath the cut, 18+ only !! ( unedited )

his only saving grace is that he can't see you.

hearing your pretty whines, and hand-muffled moans, and heavy intakes of breath is enough to curse him for the rest of his waking days, condemned to wander the wastelands of earth knowing the noises you make on the brinks of pleasure, with a touch-starved man satiating his hunger for flesh and blood with the sugary sins of your soaked cunt.

burrowing deeper into you, his consciousness rips through the fog of his lust to curse out his perversions as the tip of his hooked nose bumps against the puckered entrance of your ass. it does nothing to stop him tearing his tongue away from your clit, flattened as he drags it over the expanse of your cunt, and over your taint and up the crack of your behind.

"n- ah," you can't deny him while sounding so eager for more, the tip of his tongue now circling your back entrance, mimicking the treatment previously given to your little pearl. "no, don't, not there."

next time, he thinks, we'll try that next time.

sights returned to his previous desires, he works to rip every sigh, and every whine, and every dirty little song you'll grace him with. the sound of whatever record tess has put on in the other room becomes a safety blanket, dousing you both in the warm protection of not being overheard.

and, then, he does it, he makes the ultimate mistake.

his eyes flicker to the left and he finds himself faced with the stove that sits within bill and frank's- and, by an extension he does not enjoy to remember, your- kitchen. there's little that's remarkable about the appliance, just your standard, everyday oven that he's sure you've spent countless hours cooking up those comforting meals he's come to anticipate each time tess tells him they're due a visit.

except, the oven door is made of glass.

glass which now paints the most pornographic masterpiece for no eyes but his own. you, with hands gripping the island's counter like your life depends on it, and the skirt of that goddamn dress he's envied all evening for the way it got to rest against the warmth of your thighs, and your head thrown back, curving your spine in a way that has him wondering about the other ways he'd be able to bend and break you beneath his touch. and then there's him, down on his knees like a devotee laying himself down to worship his goddess, face burrowed in the space between your legs, mouth devouring you from behind with the help of his hands, the same ones that had strangled a man less than a day before and reigned fire down on countless others for years, that now grip the meat of your thighs to pull you back onto him, fucking his tongue into your sopping heat.

the image will haunt him more than any man he's killed.

[joongernaut]

I.O.U

⇢ pairing(s): school secretary!ten x school administrator!reader x dean!taeyong

⇢ genres: SMUT, light humor, barely-there-plot, enemies-to-enemies that fuck, coworkers-to-coworkers that fuck (i just made that up LMFAO)

⇢ warnings: threesome (F/M/M), switch!ten, sub!taeyong, unprotected sex, light hair pulling/choking, vouyerism, degradation, creampie

⇢ word count: 8056

⇢ author note: first fic posted on here after that very long hiatus... woo! 🫰🏾 this was made 2-3 months ago as a secret santa gift for a friend and she gave me permission to post it! i'm kinda happy with how it came out and that she loved it so i hope y'all like it too ❤️

✧

Winter break. It’s all everyone had been looking forward to as the season changed from that windy, cool atmosphere to the more frigid cold with the beginning of snowfall starting to blanket the city.

Students and teachers alike had wished for nothing more than for the days to go by faster, relieving them of the stress of work and end-of-year assignments and tests if even for a brief couple of weeks. Now that the time had finally come, everybody was giddy and ready to head home for the holidays to spend some much needed time away from all of the chaos ensuing due to the year starting to come to a close.

Today was the last day for high schoolers before their break officially started and it was now an hour since classes had been dismissed. The only people left on campus were mostly teachers and staff, with the occasional student here and there for last minute discussions or for some after-school activity that would inevitably be cut short so everyone could get home as soon as possible.

You were part of the administration staff and your time and attention had been split today. You floated frantically from different classes to help monitor the students, dropped off files for some of the teachers here and there, and eventually ended up at your desk finishing up your own personal work on the computer, completely drained because of the previous back to back tasks. It wasn't any easier any other day having to deal with rowdy, prepubescent teenagers (or the occasional pretentious adult) but you seemed more tense than anything today.

And that tension only seemed to grow as your eyes skimmed over the text on the computer screen in front of you for the fourth time.

“Are you serious?” You muttered low to yourself, standing hunched over your desk as you re-read the email again addressed from the dean. Something about a stupid ass staff ‘get-together’ he had planned a few days from now, very clearly just a replacement word for ‘meeting’. And to make things even worse the word ‘MANDATORY’ had been highlighted in bold letters emphasizing that the people that received it were not going to be able to back out of it.

‘Why me though?’ You thought in exasperation, pinching the bridge of your nose causing your glasses to shift up on your face as you let out a heavy sigh. This was in no way how you wanted to spend even a portion of your winter break. What could possibly be so important that they had to come back to the school in the middle of holidays to attend, especially a day before christmas?

“So, you got that email, too.” A voice came suddenly from behind and you jumped, nearly springing yourself backwards right into the body (the firm chest, to be exact) of said voice. Ten let out an amused chuckle as you shot him a glare from over your shoulder.

“Don't you have some business to mind? More specifically Dean Lee’s?” You hissed through nearly clenched teeth, straightening yourself up as you turned to face him. His somewhat lax demeanor would've put you at ease if it weren't for the fact that he absolutely pisses you off just being near you.

“Oh, I’ve finished up my work already,” He responded at once, taking interest in picking under his nail and inspecting the cuticles rather than looking at you, “And you? Looks like you might be spending your break doing even more mundane work than usual. Although, I guess that's to be expected from our resident busy bee and little ass kisser. Tragic.” He pouted with faux sympathy, your glare only intensifying towards him.

This has always been the dynamic between you two. From the very first day you started working there when Ten had introduced himself casually then proceeded to question whether you were ‘dressed to go to church or something’ right after as he looked you up and down like you were something at the bottom of his shoe, it's been a constant back and forth of snide comments.

How you survive in a room with him, his own desk being a few feet away from you located near the back of the shared space and conveniently next to Dean Lee’s private room, you never understood.

“What's this party even for, Chittaphon? Why is this shit even mandatory? I thought he wanted all of us to enjoy our breaks…” You questioned him, figuring that since he is essentially the man’s right hand that he would know the answer.

“Well, if you really wanna know so bad…” Ten leaned forward and you took an instinctive step back only to bump right into your desk as he caged you against it with one arm out by your side. He was too close, even more so when he leaned down close to your ear to whisper into it. “Show up and find out.”

You should've known better than to ask Ten for anything. Of course he would give you a hard time just because he knew he could. “Not like I have much of a choice.” You groaned, shoving at his shoulder to get him out of your personal space. He barely moved from the action but took a step back as he rolled his eyes. “It’s one day out of the break and it's not like you have anything better to do,” He scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, “Also, you're not the only one that has to suffer, you know. Almost all of us have to be there, too.”

You let out a faint gasp and he arched his eyebrow. “Wait, you’re gonna be there, too? Oh god, this just got so much fucking worse.” You whined to yourself while running a hand down your face, immediately feeling the heat of his stare once the comment left your mouth. You mentally pat yourself on the back for it as he finally walked off (not without saying something under his breath) and left you alone, a minor victory of getting under his skin.

You spent another hour and a half finishing up some documents and clearing your desk, packing up for the day before locking the room up and heading out. You’re glad, at the very least, that you weren't the last staff member to get out of the building. You also successfully avoided bumping into Ten again with the last encounter only slightly souring your mood until you remember getting the last word, the thought making you smile to yourself childishly.

It’s evening now and just like how the weather was this morning, it’s absolutely freezing outside. You tug your coat tighter against yourself as you sling the strap of your bag over your shoulder, fighting against the harsh wind as you make your way to your car. Walking across the parking lot as you slowly approach the designated staff member parking spaces, you notice a figure standing by their own car directly next to yours. And as you get closer, they become even more recognizable.

“Ah, Y/N, you’re finally done for today I see.” Taeyong says with a friendly smile, and you shoot him a polite one back. “Dean Lee,” You acknowledge with a nod, “Why yes I am. I was just getting ready to head home.” You added, clutching your car keys a bit and making them jingle.

Taeyong shook his head with a laugh, a huff of warm air coming out as a small cloud in the cold. “Y/N, it's been years. You know you can call me Taeyong, right? I don’t mind.” He says it so easily as if you’ve been his close friend this whole time.

You didn't mean to always be so formal with him but he was your boss after all. Standing around the same height with a lean, muscular frame and a strong, handsome face with looks that could kill, you had to admit that being around the man was a bit intimidating.

Anyone would be with how attractive he was while also holding all of the authority over everyone in the school. He never gave you the vibe that he was a power hungry asshole and you wouldn't normally judge a book by its cover but in this case (with how little you knew about him despite your few years of working under him) you couldn't help yourself.

“Right, sorry… Taeyong.” You reply to him with a nervous chuckle, his name rolling off of your tongue hesitantly despite his reassurance. He lets out another laugh at your slight awkwardness and you can't help but think how sexy it sounds.

Before he can say anything else though, you decide to ask the question that has been plaguing your mind since earlier, “Hey, about that meet—I mean the staff get-together… I was wondering what that would be about? Since it’s mandatory, I would presume it’s something important.” You decided to ask it safely rather than the accusatory ‘What the hell are we doing having a meeting between our supposed winter break’.

Taeyong mulls your words over for a few seconds, eyebrows slightly furrowed before giving you an unreadable expression. It’s neither a smile nor a frown but it makes you shift on your feet nonetheless. “I can’t go over the details unfortunately but I guarantee you it is important. You especially need to be there. So… see you then?” He says before bidding you farewell, hopping into his car before cranking it up and driving off leaving you puzzled.

‘You especially need to be there.’

What the fuck did that even mean? The words repeated over and over in your head even as you got into your own car and headed home, more stressed out than you were before the short conversation. You guessed you’d get your answer on that soon, a few days from now to be more specific. Whether you felt like you were gonna be prepared for that answer or not, you weren't sure.

✧

You spent the first couple of days of the break spending time with your family and friends or at home getting into the holiday spirit with a christmas movie and a glass of wine to fill the time or doing some last minute shopping online for yourself. Last night you had finally decided on what you wanted to wear to the staff party, leaving it out for today so you can get dressed quickly.

The email specifically asked for staff members to get a little dressed up for the occasion and you hoped you didn't overdo it or underdress. You don't meet up with a lot of your coworkers after school hours so having them see you outside of the normal business casual look is a bit daunting. Not that you care about how they see you but you did want to look your best.

Really, if it weren't so damn cold, you would've worn a nice little cocktail dress to turn a few heads but you decided warmth was the better choice to achieve especially with the temperature dropping as the sun sets and the moon rose higher in the night sky.

You wore black, thick tights with a cream colored oversized v-neck sweater, heeled black boots, a long brown coat with a plaid thick scarf around your neck. Accentuating the look with a pair of gold earrings and a gold necklace, you had given yourself a quick once over in your rear view mirror and applied a fair amount of lip gloss before exiting out of your parked car and approaching the school’s front entrance.

After getting buzzed in by security, briefly greeting Johnny and Kun as they directed you toward the auditorium with a gesture, you made your way down the hall with your heels clicking against the tiled floor.

The halls were a little too quiet for a place that was supposedly having a party and you double-checked the calendar on your phone to make sure you didn't get the date mixed up. That couldn't have been the case though since security was on campus and seemingly on standby.

You shook the feeling off as you continued around the corner, greeted by the double doors of the auditorium decorated in gold and silver streamers just a few feet away. ‘Let’s get this shit over with.’ You hyped yourself up, mentally preparing for whatever greeted you on the other side as you pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

It was mostly dark at first, nearly as silent as when you were walking through the halls just a moment ago which only added on to the eeriness. “Uh… Hello?” You called out loud and clear, hesitantly taking a step forward. Immediately the room lit up with more lighting from overhead, almost blinding with how bright it was and you let out a startled yelp as a chorus of cheering and clapping started to sound throughout the space.

With your eyes finally adjusted to the lighting, you look around to see the room filled with a lot of your coworkers as they beam at you while your body froze in place. There were balloons and confetti scattered in the air and on the auditorium floor, a sign hanging up across the room reading ‘Congratulations!’ in glittery text. Right under the sign, your eyes trail down and you see Taeyong standing under it with a big smile of his own as he gestures for you to come up towards him. You're still very confused, and very much in shock, but your feet somehow carry you to him with a mind of their own.

Now standing next to him, with Ten standing off to the side of him as well with his hands clasped behind his back and an unreadable expression on his face, your mouth finally decides to work again as you face Taeyong. “I’m not sure I’m understanding any of this right now… what are we celebrating exactly?” You asked him curiously as he gently shoved a glass flute into your hand to take. Assuming by the color and the fizz, it had to be champagne or something rather expensive. “Your promotion, Y/N.” Taeyong answered with a soft pat to your shoulder as your jaw went slack.

“My? Me? I’m being promoted?” You questioned in disbelief and Taeyong chuckled. “Yes, you. That's what all of this was for. Sorry I had to keep it a secret but surprise!” He replied, taking a small sip of his glass as more cheering came from the rest of the staff members and you let the words sink in. You weren't expecting this at all, let alone a whole party being thrown in your honor.

Despite your constant complaints throughout the years of working at the school, to say you put your blood sweat and tears into this would be an understatement. So, finally finally getting some kind of recognition felt overwhelmingly good. So overwhelming that you could feel your throat tighten up as your eyes slightly stung with the formation of tears.

“I don't know what to say,” You started with a smile growing on your face, swallowing the small lump in your throat before continuing, “I’m just really grateful for this opportunity, to be able to do what I’ve grown to love. Thank you so much.” You said with a shy nod of your head towards Taeyong.

“You deserve it for all of your dedication. And no need to thank me, I'm happy Ten brought it to my attention so I could easily set this in motion for you. Again, congrats!” Taeyong said before walking off to mingle with the other staff members leaving you with another surprising detail. With him out of the way, you were now facing Ten who seemed to be looking in any direction but your own. Before you could speak up however, he fully turned away and started walking off towards the double doors.

You were going to call out to him, stepping in his direction to follow, but you were immediately stopped by coworker after coworker offering their congratulations and attempting to make small talk. Trying to be polite, you turned to face each of them to personally thank them while giving short, polite responses.

Hearing the sound of the double doors snapping shut, you looked up from the faces surrounding you and saw the one you needed to see the most right now disappear. The answer you had been looking for may have come out in an unexpected way but now, with the knowledge that you had currently, you had another question you needed an answer to.

✧

Finally slipping out from the auditorium (assuring the others you just needed some fresh air and weren't just trying to sneak out of the celebration) you started making your way to the place you could only assume Ten would be located at.

You reached the room of your shared space in haste, noticing the door already slightly ajar as you carefully pushed it open.

Your assumption had been correct.

Sitting atop his desk, a flask of alcohol in hand and in mid-swig, Ten immediately darted his eyes towards you as you stepped into the room and shut the door behind yourself.

“Coward. Why’d you run away like that?” You huffed out in irritation, making your way across the room to him with your hands on your hips. He stayed silent for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing as he took a few gulps out of the flask before letting out a sigh of annoyance.

“I knew you’d ask stupid questions.” He answered with a shrug and you scoffed loudly. Unbelievable.

“That's a lame ass excuse but that's the least questionable thing about all of this,” You take a few steps closer to him until you're nearly standing between his legs, “You talked to Taeyong about me which, in turn, got me a promotion rather than somehow getting me fired… Why? Better yet, how did that happen?”

Ten took another long swig from the flask before capping it and setting it down beside him on the desk, hopping down from his spot to now stand close in front of you. “Does it fucking matter? I made it happen and now you're getting what you wanted. You should be thanking me, really.” He said condescendingly and you will yourself to not break the intense eye contact.

“I didn't force you to talk to Taeyong or tell him whatever the hell you told him. You did that yourself, of your own accord. It’s almost like you secretly like me or something.” You retorted, noting the clench of his jaw as his mouth formed a thin line. You couldn't help but smirk, clearly striking a nerve.

“Oh my god, that's it isn't it? You don't hate me, you actually like me! All this time, all the comments and insults were just a way of you coping with your little crush on me.” You rattled on with an incredulous look, smirk only growing bigger as Ten stood silently with his jaw clenching. There was nothing that filled you up with satisfaction more than angering the king of bitchiness and ‘nonchalance’ himself.

So, you kept going.

“What are we in, elementary school? Have you not been taught that that's the weakest way to try and pick up girls?” You shook your head in disapproval, not noticing the step he has took forward, “Really, I knew you were capable of stooping this low for attention but this is just fucking pathet-”

Your words were cut off before you could continue and you made a sound of surprise as Ten gripped the back of your neck and crushed his mouth against yours harshly.

Yet another turn of events the night had brought to you that you didn't see coming.

Ten was kissing you. Or rather, he had his lips against yours as you stood there shocked for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. But what came as even more of a shock was the way your body (once your mind finally caught up to what was happening) responded by pressing up against his frame as your lips pressed into his harder.

You were kissing Ten back. You were kissing him back and you were enjoying it because fuck was there so much sexual tension between the two of you. You knew it was there, you always felt it, and you weren't blind to how good-looking Ten looked all the time. Coming to work in his collard shirts with the buttons unfastened to show a peek of the smooth bare skin on his chest, the peek of his tattoos you would catch a glimpse of when his cuffs were slightly rolled up, the way his jeans would hug him in all the right places.

And Ten had felt all of that tension, too. It was like a chord snapping inside of him in that moment as he listened to you run your mouth before deciding that he had enough. To him, this was the best possible way to get you to shut the fuck up.

Once he realized you weren't immediately backing away in disgust and even seemed to want more with how urgently you kissed him back, he decided to indulge himself. Biting and pulling at your plump bottom lip until it was tender, licking along the seam before finding his way into your mouth and mapping out the inside with his tongue. He tasted like the alcohol he had just consumed when you first stepped into the room, a slightly strong liquor taste you were sure you’d probably gag from drinking by itself but on Ten’s tongue you couldn't get enough.

He pulled back finally, allowing yourselves to breathe as he dropped his head against the junction of your shoulder and neck and trailed his lips along the skin making you shiver. “Must not hate me that much if you're letting me kiss you like that.” Ten mumbled, his other hand moving to the back of your knee as he hoisted your leg up over his hip. He stumbled back until he was pressed up against his desk, dragging you along with him. He continued to do so as he sat down on top of it again and brought you into his lap to straddle his waist.

You inhaled sharply at what you felt between his legs in the new position, subconsciously rolling your hips and earning a low groan from the man at the friction. “Yeah, no fucking way. You want this just as badly as I do.” He hissed out, his hands gripping even harder to keep you firmly against him as he pushed his hips upward to match your motions.

Even with the thick layer of your tights and the rough texture of his blue jeans, you could feel how hard he was starting to get as the outline of his dick began to fill out with every movement.

“Fuck, wait, are we-” You tense up at a particularly hard roll, “Are we really doing this here?” The question came out as a breathy moan when he bit down at your neck. Ten’s hands creeped up under your sweater to grab ahold of your waist tightly, the skin there erupting in goosebumps at his cold hands. The question left unanswered as he continued to bite and suck along your throat surely enough to leave a good mark or two with the intensity of the action.

Carding your fingers through the hair at the back of his head, you gripped tightly before tugging and pulled his head back away from your neck. A noise of protest came from his throat as he relented and you took in the hazy, half-lidded look in his eyes as his bottom lip caught between his teeth. A look of pure sinfulness as you forced him to look into your eyes.

“Ten.” You had hoped for his name to come out of your mouth as a warning, a threat even, to get him to answer. Instead, it came out as a near whine full of neediness and the corner of his lip quirked up in a smirk. “Y/N,” He purred back with a lick of his lips, “Don’t be a coward. Don't run away from me now when I’m so ready to be under you like this.”

You hated him. You hated how his words made your thighs close together instinctively, only to be obscured by Ten’s body between your legs. You hated how warm you felt, body temperature increasing with the heat starting to pool in your lower stomach just from those words slipping out his kiss-swollen lips. And boy did he have a way with words.

You couldn't help yourself, though, as the little voice of reason nagged at the back of your mind.

“This is a school, Ten–”

“We're on break.” He pointed out, thumbs rubbing circles into your hip bones firmly.

You sighed heavily, slinking more into his hold. That was true but…

“I know that–”

“Nobody’s here in this room right now except us.”

“We could still get caught–”

“Maybe. If we do, though, it’s your fault. You’re the one wasting time by talking when I could easily be fucking you by now.”

Also true. You wanted this so badly, you really didn't have the brain capacity to think logically at all. It’s not like you’ve never had a quickie before and although not all of them ended in satisfactory for both parties involved (unfortunately) you just really wanted to feel Ten inside of you if even for just a quick fuck.

If you really wanted this to happen right here and right now, you’d have to hurry.

“Stop making sense.” You muttered, scooting back a bit in his lap to reach down between your bodies. Your fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans and the zipper, his intense stare not helping in the slightest as you clumsily unbuttoned and unzipped him. He leaned back and lifted his hips slightly to give you more space as you tugged them down enough along with his boxer briefs, a curse leaving his lips once his dick sprang free and smacked against his lower stomach. “Then stop talking and fuck me.”

You could confirm now that everything about the man under you was pretty. Even his dick. Not too thick but definitely impressive in length. Trimmed, one shade lighter than the rest of his body, and currently shaded pink at the tip where precum had started to bead.

In the position you currently were in, it was rather awkward as you wrapped a hand around his length. Ten didn't seem to mind it though as the contact made his hips buck up into the ring of your fist, a small moan escaping him.

Ten’s hands that were situated at your hips had taken to supporting his weight briefly as he leaned back a little bit more before he brought one hand up to push the front of your sweater up. Just enough so he could find the waistband of your leggings, attempting to tug the material down with one finger hooked inside. It was hard and it didn't go down much before it stopped at your mid thigh but he didn't need them completely off yet. You flinched at the feeling of his fingers trailing your thigh, up to your hip bone, teasingly past your belly button until he slid lower to fully cup your panty-covered pussy.

Through the dampened lace material, he rubbed at your outer lips and ghosted along your clit with practiced ease. Like he had done this before with you, as if it were muscle memory, like he knew your body well already. That had to be true to an extent as you rolled your hips, grinding against his fingers every time he applied enough pressure to elicit a moan out of you.

They grew more once he hooked his finger into the center of the material, pulling the lace away enough to expose your hole, and proceeded to ease his middle and ring finger in without much of a warning. He figured you were wet enough with the way you were making the palm of his hand so slick with your juices. He nearly growled at being proven right.

“Thought I’d help stretch you out a little but I see there’s no need for that.” Ten rasped, sitting up so you were chest to chest as he pushed his fingers in to the knuckles and your grip around his dick tightened just a hair. It was enough to notice though and Ten curled his fingers inside of you as retaliation, the rough pads of the tips of his fingers brushing briefly against that spongy spot hidden deep inside of you.

Your whole body trembled when he did it once more before you quickly abandoned his length in favor of tugging at his hair again, a little harsher.

“W-We really don't have time. Come on…” You pant breathlessly, flexing your walls around his digits for emphasis and earning a strained curse from his lips. “So eager. That’s cute.” Ten taunted, the usual banter coming out more teasing than ever. He can't contain himself any longer either though with how his dick throbs and aches for some type of release so he eased his fingers out of you before tugging your leggings further down.

It's a brief struggle as you try and help him wiggle them down and off of you while still hovering over his lap but the second you kick the article of clothing from around your ankle, Ten grabs you by your ass and pulls you flush up against him.

“Don’t have a condom on me... Is that okay?” He questioned with an arch of his eyebrow. You think for a split second until you feel him grab ahold of his dick and brush the tip along your folds, your brain turning into mush when it snags on the entrance. “It’s fine! Please, just…” You replied with an impatient roll of your hips, sinking the head just a bit more inside of you.

This is all the permission Ten needed before he used his hands to spread your cheeks apart as he lowered you further onto his dick and the stretch of it made you lean your torso forward until your face buried into his shoulder with a muffled whine.

“Fuck,” He shifted a bit, allowing you to adjust as he wrapped an arm around your waist while keeping you spread open with one hand, “You’re really gripping me.”

He was all the way inside of you now and you felt everything as you clenched around him. You still can't believe this is happening with Ten of all people, but the throbbing you feel makes the situation that much more real. And usually you’re a stickler for wearing condoms but the thought of taking Ten raw had you throwing caution to wind. Actually getting to feel him without any barrier now felt too good.

“Is this a reward? I got you a little promotion and you give me this?” Ten asked rhetorically with a sickly sweet tone, gripping at your ass hard to make your body rise up a bit before pulling you back down onto him. “I would've been a lot nicer before.” He added, nipping and tonguing at whatever he could reach on your neck while helping you glide along his dick at a leisurely pace.

“B-Bullshit!” You half-heartedly sneered as you let yourself sink down all the way, swiveling your hips in an almost slow grind. “I think being a mean bitch is in your blood. Especially to me.” You said as you started to pick up speed, grinding harder with him deep inside of you as the fingers you carded through his hair gripped tightly making him tense up.

Ten’s eyes rolled back for a second before a large grin broke out on his face. “Oh, baby, I thought you liked me mean,” He purred low, rolling his hips upward in a languid manner as he allowed you to take most of the control, “Isn't that what got you this wet?” He questioned, his fingers that helped spread you open brushing along where the two of you were connected making you both moan out loud.

He winced as you gripped his hair somehow harder than before sending a tingle through his scalp and his spine. His breath hitched when your free hand came up to wrap around his throat giving it a gentle yet firm squeeze.

“You like it mean, too. I bet you got hard after every argument and got yourself off just dreaming of doing something like this.” You retorted shakily but your movements got braver, the grinding turning into you fully bouncing in Ten’s lap with the faint sound of skin slapping against skin filling the empty room now.

“Y-Yeah, yeah, yes,” Ten’s voice came out strained as his own thrusts started becoming more vigorous, “Fuck, it turns me on. Made me want to bend you over the desk and fill you up.” He nearly gasped when your pussy clenched around him tightly in response, bouncing even harder in his lap while the pressure around his neck and the grip on his scalp persisted. “I’ll cum in you r-right now if you let me.” He rushed out, almost whining as you faltered with a whine of your own.

You really shouldn’t. You know you shouldn't. You were already fucking him without a condom and, although you were on birth control, this was still risky as hell.

And yet your brain couldn't be more clouded than it was now, the faint desperate ‘please’ slipping out of Ten’s mouth egging you on to ride him faster as you leaned over towards his ear to whisper into it. “I dare you.”

Ten let out a string of profanities as he pulled you slightly up in his lap by your hips, halfway pulled out, before fucking up into you at a speed that left your mouth hanging open. You felt his dick starting to pulse inside of you as he pounded up relentlessly.

The sounds inside of the room were nothing short of pornographic, heavy breathing and moaning coming from the both of you. You had half a mind to remember your surroundings as well as your combined volume of noise.

That was until you heard a faint, audible creak, the all too familiar sound of the room’s door, making the two of you abruptly stop.

You shot Ten a look to make sure you weren't the only one that heard it and you realized his eyes were already looking over your shoulder with narrowed slits.

The proper response to the possibility of you being caught having sex with your coworker in your workplace (even if there were no students in the building) would’ve been to scramble off the desk out of the compromising position and attempt to get some clothes on. Maybe even hide if you hadn't been caught yet and hopefully save yourself the embarrassment.

But Ten’s grip tightened around your waist before you could even think of slipping him out, keeping your body in place. “Come in. Right now.” He said out loud, the words clearly not directed to you. You gawked at him for a second and then craned your neck to the side to look over your shoulder.

For a moment, you thought maybe the door creaking had just been a figment of your imagination and no one was actually there. But after a few more seconds the door creaked open a sliver, allowing the eavesdropper to slip in before shutting the door behind them with a ‘click’.

“How long have you been listening?” Ten accused, his tone laced with something that would've made you shiver if it weren't for your body sitting still in complete surprise at who your eyes had landed on, now on this side of the door.

Taeyong wrung his hands together, the rings on his fingers shifting with the nervous movement as his eyes diverted to everywhere else in the room but the position you and Ten were in on top of the desk. “I’m sorry,” He muttered, “I didn't think… I-I just came to come look for you two and I–” He shook his head. “Sorry.”

You made another attempt to get up and Ten pinched your thigh, causing you to yelp. This made Taeyong glance over and your eyes locked for a second before he looked away with a flustered look on his face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” You whispered in a hiss at Ten as he smoothed over your skin with his thumb. “Are you trying to get us fired?” The question came out and you realized how silly it sounded. Why wouldn't you get fired? You were literally caught fucking by your boss during your promotion celebration, one you hadn't even been able to celebrate for more than 2 hours at that.

This was an unemployment speed run. Better yet, a speed run for an arrest.

“We’re not getting fired.” Ten said matter-of-factly as he tried not to roll his eyes. As if you were the one being unreasonable right now. “Isn't that right, Taeyong?” He called out to him over your shoulder in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“Of course not…” Taeyong replied and Ten smirked up at your bewildered face. “See? He just wanted to watch, that's all.” He reassured you. Like being watched by your boss while you got fucked was something normal. “You two… do this often or something?” You asked, the pieces of this confusing puzzle slowly falling into place and giving you some type of clarity.

“Not often. Not too many people get to see that side of him,” Ten answered thoughtfully before giving your sides a squeeze, “Enough talking, though. You wanna keep going or did the little pervert ruin it?” He asked and you shot a look over your shoulder at Taeyong again, taking in his timid appearance. This was different from how you normally saw the man, intimidating in appearance and usually keeping a calm demeanor.

You’d be lying if you said it didn't interest and spike something within you.

“Is he gonna join?” You asked, starting to roll your hips slowly as Ten grunted and squeezed at your sides harder. “If you want him to, he can.” He answered, nails starting to dig into your soft flesh. You rested your forehead against his shoulder with a sigh, nodding in agreement before Ten directed his attention to Taeyong. “Hey, pervert, come here.”

Taeyong flinched at the name, the flush on his face deepening from being called out. Nonetheless, he slowly made his way across the room until he stood a little distance from the scene in front of him. Ten shot him a glare and his body stiffened.

“Thanks to your interruption, we didn't get to finish. So, I think a little punishment is needed, Hm?” Ten hummed, hands running up and down your thighs as you lightly trembled at the sensation. “Take it out.” He ordered and the next thing you could hear was the sound of a belt unfastening and the rustling of pants. You heard Taeyong groan softly and you clenched around Ten at the noise.

“Now jerk yourself off and try not to cum on yourself while you watch. Don’t stop until I’m done filling her up like how I was supposed to be doing. Got it?” Ten instructed, starting to lean back onto the desk again as he began grinding into you.

Taeyong whimpered in response but he must've gave Ten a nod of his head in understanding because he started up his pace from before, gradually fucking up into your pussy with more energy.

Your eyes found Taeyong’s again, wanting to watch the man with peak curiosity as you rode Ten. His dick was more flushed than his face, an angry reddened color on the tip as he stroked himself to full hardness. He had barely started and he already looked dazed and fucked out of his mind, it made you start to bounce on Ten’s dick faster.

“Getting off to this too?” Ten teased and you bit down on your lip hard as he delivered a slap onto one of your ass cheeks. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn't expecting this to happen. I’m glad you’re into it, though.” He said, another slap coming down onto your other cheek making you moan.

A whine could be heard from Taeyong and you gave him an intense look, his hand stuttering in its movement. “Don’t tell me you're gonna cum already?” You asked mockingly and the hand around his dick stopped briefly to squeeze at the base.

“I’m trying.” He sounds breathless when he responds back, a little pathetic if you’re being honest. It only makes you want to see him crumble more.

“Try harder. Or you're not gonna cum at all.” You threatened, feeling braver with every passing minute. You really don't know what's possessing you. Maybe it's the little position of power you seemed to have fallen into that makes you say, “Why don't you come over here and help?”

And he doesn't hesitate. Taeyong immediately comes up behind you, pressing his chest to your back and essentially pinning his erection between your bodies. His hand snakes around to the front of your body where you and Ten are still connected and he gathers enough slick before rubbing circles onto your clit.

It’s like a chain reaction once his fingers press down onto your sensitive bud. You feel like the air has been punched out of you as your walls contract around Ten in a vice grip, in turn causing him to thrust into you harder and faster. You feel the coil in the lower part of your stomach wound up tightly as you were approaching your release.

“Fuck, I’m close.” Ten groaned out with furrowed eyebrows, likely teetering right on the edge of his own release as he desperately chased it. He finally tipped over when you wrapped your hand around his throat and tightened, a chorus of curses and moans and ‘just like that’ spilling from his lips as he came deep inside of you.

Feeling the warmth pooling into you paired with the fingers still rubbing at your clit and the hard length pressed between your ass, subtly grinding into it, it was only a matter of time before the coil in you snapped. Your walls spasmed around Ten as you cried out and followed him in releasing, the glide becoming wetter as you fucked yourself through your orgasm.

Both of your bodies trembled from slight overstimulation and once you both started coming down from your highs and stopped your movements completely, you lifted yourself to slip him out of you and felt the first trickle of Ten’s cum dribble out of your pussy.

Taeyong stopped grinding against you and held the base of his dick again so he wouldn't cum on himself but you promptly grabbed at his wrist on his free hand to bring him closer. Ten watched and let out a scoff. “How nice. Looks like you're getting a reward now.”

Blinking profusely, Taeyong looked between your body then up at your face and then at Ten’s. “I-I… Please. Can I?” He questioned in a strained, pleading voice and you simply tugged on his wrist again until he prodded at your entrance with his tip.

“Make it quick.”

✧

It’s a bit awkward.

No. It’s very fucking awkward now.

It had been an hour or so after that happened and the three of you went back to the auditorium as if absolutely nothing happened.

You didn't say much as you got yourself together nor when you made it back to continue the party. You half expected them to act as if that whole thing didn't happen and just never talk about it again. Maybe you were hoping that's what would happen if that would save you from the awkwardness you felt.

But it seemed like tonight was just not gonna go how you expected to at all.

You can't help but shift on both feet as you and Ten wait outside of the school’s parking lot for Taeyong. Once he concluded the celebration and everyone started heading out to leave, he caught you before you could sneak away and asked to talk once everyone had left. A sense of dread crawled up your spine and made a home within your chest as you started to think about the worst possible outcomes.

“You look like you're about to piss yourself.” Ten snickered, hand stuffed into his coat pockets casually. If looks could kill, you would be sure to take him out quickly with the glare you gave him. “He already said you're not getting fired. Stop worrying.” He pointed out as he shook some of the hair falling into his eyes’ view.

That was easier said than done, you were sure you would pass out from overthinking if the man didn't hurry up and say what he needed to say.

And as if speaking him into existence, Taeyong exited out the front door entrance before making his way through the parking lot to where you and Ten had stood waiting.

He gave a silent nod in greeting and you nodded back, unsure of what the fuck to do, while Ten just stared emotionlessly. “Look,” Taeyong sighed, his voice calm and even and nothing like the submissive whiny man who was wrapped around your finger just a few hours ago, “You can never do that here at the school again. Ever.” He said firmly, eyes shifting between the two of you.

“We.” Ten corrected, smirking smugly when Taeyong is unable to retort back and begins stuttering as his face reddens. You decide to cut in before Ten says anything else. “You’re right. We won't do that again here, I promise. We’re really sorry.” You said quickly with a tight smile. Ten opened his mouth to say something but you jabbed him in the rib with your elbow making him wince.

“Yeah, sure,” He said through gritted teeth, rubbing at his side with a huff, “So, does that mean we can do this again outside of the school?” Ten asked, earning a look from both you and Taeyong. One look of shock and the other something akin to murderous.

“That’s not what he meant at all-”

“-Would you be okay with that?”

…Huh?

You looked over at Taeyong with a tilt of your head. “You want to do this again?” You asked him, not entirely convinced you heard him correctly. But he looked away with a deepening blush that reached his ears only confirming what you had heard. “I’m not opposed to it… I’m pretty sure we all enjoyed what we did. We just can’t do that here.” He said, stressing the last part again.

It made sense, he still was your boss at the end of the day and it was pretty risky to do it where you could've easily gotten walked in on. And you weren't too keen on getting yourself in trouble after only just getting promoted. “Alright… We can talk more about this after Christmas?” You questioned, being met with immediate agreement.

You exchanged numbers to keep in touch, something you couldn't help but chuckle at since this would be the first time having any of these men’s numbers after all these years, before Taeyong headed off towards his car to leave first.

“God, I’m really two for two. A promotion and dick. You kinda owe me.” Ten giggled, walking alongside you as he walked you to your car. A little act of kindness you couldn't help but find cute despite the shit coming out of his mouth. He moved out of the way before your elbow could connect with his ribs again, cursing at him as you let a little smile grace your features.

How this new dynamic would play out between the three of you, you would have to just wait and see how things would turn out. But just like Christmas and the New Year approaching, you couldn't help but anticipate.

[weenwrites]

Hello! Just finished reading your Rachet soulmate au post. I loved it!🧡🧡🧡 Could you do one for Starscream too?🥺🥺🥺

Soulmate AU Part 2

Summary - In a world where people are bound by destiny to meet their soulmate, how would a cybertronian react to learning their soulmate is a human from Earth? Characters - Starscream Content - Angst, Fluff Category - Headcanons Trigger Warnings - None

✎ A/N: Sure thing! Also I'm real happy to know you enjoyed the previous ones I did!

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

First Words/Soulmate's Name: Starscream would come to the realization that his S/O was most likely an alien from another planet, and he did have a couple expectations. That the universe would match him with someone whom he'd consider worthy, but he's heard about other peoples' soulmates and how they're sometimes a disaster or how sometimes someone's soulmate is the person you'd least expect, but he still can't help but get his hopes up.

He used to bear his soulmark so very proudly, (also in hopes that it would help him find his soulmate quicker) so you can imagine how upset he is when he discovers his soulmate is a human. Other bots aboard the Nemesis would occasionally mock and ridicule him for being destined to a human soulmate, so much so that he now hides it and actively tries to avoid meeting his potential soulmate by staying away from human populated areas.

He tries to keep himself and his potential soulmate from ever meeting, no matter the cost, and no matter how much other people tell him that he can't stop something that's fated to be, it doesn't deter him from trying in the slightest.

A Beautiful Flourish of Color/Something Else: He'd have absolutely no idea that his soulmate was a human, so even after he came to Earth, he wouldn't hide it out of shame. But he would worry over loosing it or the possibility that it would get damaged, so he tries to take care of himself the best he can (which he always has, ever since he learned he was destined to have a soulmate).

How it Goes: The first meeting, no matter where or when it happens, never goes well. No matter how nice you seem, or how friendly you are towards him, he holds so much resentment towards you—despite not knowing you—that he's the one who ruins the first meeting. If, for some reason you stick around, and he sees you frequently, he always acts so snappy and gives you an attitude, more than he does anyone else. It'll take a long time for him to even consider giving you a chance, and whether you meet before or after his encounter with M.E.C.H. will make it harder to get close to him.

He tries to avoid you like the plague, but chances are that Megatron's decided to punish him by assigning him as your guardian and you as his charge, so he can't really stay away from you. Not when he's now responsible for your general safety. He's thought of trying to get rid of you, but Megatron made it clear that he has to keep you alive unless he wants to be punished.

He'll give you an attitude, he'll poke and cringe at you, and he'll point out how much he despises you. He does you the bare minimum by giving you even a crumb of his time, and he complains about how 'needy' you are. You might have even heard him talking to Knockout, ranting about how much he hates the universe for offloading onto him the burden that is watching after you.

If you keep on trying to befriend him, he happens to warm up to you in time. How this happens, he does not know, but he seems more open to talking to you than he was in the beginning. Although, he's still as snappy and rude at times, so it may seem like hardly anything's changed between the two of you.

The more he learns about you, the more he truly begins to open up and be less harsh and rude. And the closer he grows, the more he regrets all the things he's said and done. Only in private does he become more vulnerable and open with you, and only then will he understand why Primus gifted you to him.

[jeon-s-sins]

Forbidden 1 | The Meeting

Warning : jk!dom; reader!sub; fingering; eating pussy; sucking; spanking; degrading!names; dominant; public!sex; outdoor!sex; unprotected!sex; cumming!inside; client/waitress

Word count : 11.6k

Chapter's song : Ride - SoMo

n/a: English is not my first language, so there may be some mistakes that I missed while proofreading. Sorry for the delay in posting this first chapter, but it's been a few years since I wrote this story, and when I reread it before posting it here on Tumblr, I didn't like the result at all, so I rewrote it from scratch, which took me longer than I expected. Anyway, thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you for the next ones. Enjoy reading it; please don't forget to vote and comment 😁.

Translations, republications, and rewritings of my stories are not allowed. Failure to comply with this request will result in legal action.

© Jeon_s_Sins

Index

Paradise Hotel Bar/Restaurant | 3:00 p.m. | YN's POV

During this summer vacation, and just like the previous ones, I worked to save money. Originally from Daegu, I am in one of Jeju Island's hugest hotels.

Paradise is one of the most popular Asian hotels for celebrities from all over the world. Actors, singers, businessmen, and even politicians stay on this heavenly island for a while. Last year, I had the great fortune and honor of taking a picture with Queen B herself. 

Beyoncé had just finished her world tour and, accompanied by her family, decided to spend a few days at the hotel. I work in the hotel's bar and restaurant as a waitress, and sometimes I have to take off my waitress apron and put on my barista apron and my bartender apron when we are short-staffed, or someone is unavailable. Beyoncé and her family were assigned to my area, and throughout the evening, I prayed to God that I wouldn't drop the tray, make a mistake with the order, or embarrass myself in front of them. 

It's crazy how people are made, or at least how society makes us act. Beyoncé is a woman like any other. The only thing distinguishing her from the other women on Earth is that she is talented, sings like a goddess, and is rich as Croesus. But the pressure I put on myself was immense. I still get sick to my stomach just thinking about it. 

But I am also lucky to be part of her world. I could even say I am on the same level as everyone in this hotel. My mom is a very famous fashion designer. Many celebrities wear my mother's clothes; some even wear clothes I designed, but no one knows, and I don't want them to know. So I hide behind my mother's name and let her take the credit. 

Contrary to what people might think, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I have struggled a lot in my life. 

Before my mother became the person she is today, we were just ordinary people from Daegu, living in one of the many working-class neighborhoods in the area. Fortunately, when God created my mother, He gave her talent, determination, and strength. During those dark years of our lives, I would sometimes help my mom create pieces for her collections that, once she made a name for herself, she would show to the world after making a few minor changes. 

Looking back, it's incredible how much my life has changed these last seven years. I'm usually very private, and many colleagues don't know who my mother is. The only person who knows is Evie, another waitress I've managed to bond with. 

One day, as our first shift was ending and we were setting up tables for the next shift, taking advantage of the fact that it was just the two of us in the restaurant's large room, Evie asked me why I was working if my mother was a famous fashion designer. 

"To be honest, I don't like depending on my mom. My whole childhood, my mom raised me to depend on myself." I placed the knife on the right side of the plate and the fork on the left. "She always believed that you can't live off your creations. And if one day, for whatever reason, she would leave this world before me, I would only be able to rely on and depend on myself. So I guess if I'm working as a waitress today, that's my way of being independent". 

My independence only grew over the years after my mother's success. As she became both a stylist and a businesswoman, she was hardly ever at home, always traveling from one country to another. So I learned to make it on my own. But I don't blame her. On the contrary, if she is living her dream today, I know that the main motivation for her life change is me. 

My mother is a great woman. She is humble and has a heart on her sleeve. She has sacrificed so much for me, my education, and for me to have everything I need. Today, I fully understand her dedication to her work. This does not mean she is so focused on the work that she neglects me. Not at all, quite the opposite. 

We call each other almost every hour daily and talk a lot via messages and video calls. 

I'm also in awe of how easily she moves between her different lives. She goes from mother to businesswoman to girlfriend with ease. Also, her status will change in a short time. She will go from being a girlfriend to being a married woman. 

It has been a few years since my mother met a man, and they have a healthy relationship. Seeing her smile every time she mentions him always makes me happy. As for me, I haven't been around him much. 

My mother didn't want to impose her relationship on me. I know it's never easy for a child to see their mother - or father - in a relationship with someone other than their parent. So I saw him several times, and he seemed great. 

I know he has a son who is only a year older than me. Unlike his father, I've never seen him. But, like my mom, her boyfriend didn't want to force his new life on his son, so he had my respect. 

They have been together for six years. He has been a great help to my mom, filling her in on many things. If my mother is the powerful woman she is today, it is partly thanks to him.

Right now, they are preparing for their wedding, which will take place in a few months. This will allow me to see some of my family members and meet new ones, especially my mom's boyfriend's son.

By the way, I have very little time left here on the island. I will return to the mainland in a few days, and my landscape will change completely. I will not return to my house in Daegu but to my new home in Busan.

Given their upcoming marriage, my mother finally united the two families. She wants me to meet her future husband's son before the wedding, to bond a little, and not be strangers anymore. So in a few days, I will be on my way to one of the biggest cities in South Korea, Busan. 

To say that I'm excited about the change of scenery and my way of life would be a lie. I will leave everything behind, my friends and the places I used to go. But if turning my life upside down is the price I have to pay to give my mother some happiness after all the shit she's been through, then I'm happy to do it. Besides, what could go wrong? 

By the way, her fiancé is a CEO. I don't know what he does, but I know he has a business, so my mom got some great advice. It also means that he'll be out of town a lot, and I won't have to see him all the time if things don't go as planned, which I doubt, but you never know what tomorrow will bring. As for my relationship with his son, I don't want to bet too much on that either. I'd instead let the universe do its thing—one step at a time. 

"Hey, Park! Are you listening to me?" Just then, she snaps me out of my reverie.

"What?" Evie smiles, realizing I was lost in my thoughts. 

As moving day approaches, it becomes increasingly difficult not to think about meeting the new family member. You could say that I'm pretty anxious and fearful of how the introduction to my supposed step-brother will go. 

"I said the drinks are ready." There was a tray of drinks on the bar counter.

I hope I don't drop anything. Walking on the sand with a full tray is tricky. Even though this wasn't my first rodeo, I still managed to get caught. 

"Thanks." Evie nods and continues to set the tables while I hurry to finish the last order.

Outside, the weather is beautiful. The sky is clear with a beautiful shade, with no clouds on the horizon. The panorama is worthy of a postcard. A blue sky, no clouds, a beautiful ocean, its waves playing with the sun's rays. There are deck chairs all along the coastline - at least on the private part belonging to the hotel, with fine white sand. 

And very hot. 

Sure, the sun is beautiful, and the view is like an island paradise, but the heat of the sun and the sand is not a good mix. My feet burn with every step. I should have worn my slippers. It's very comfortable to wear shoes, but it's really uncomfortable when sand gets in your shoes. 

I was in a hurry to get the drinks to their destination, not only because of the hot sand but also because it was getting heavy. 

Fortunately, the clients are not far away. They are in a more private area of the beach. Arriving at my destination, I thanked the heavens for not dropping anything. Otherwise, I would have had to turn around, and the customers would have waited twice as long, allowing them to complain to my superiors. I wouldn't have had any troubles, but it's unpleasant.

Without putting the tray on the table, which would look bad, I put the glasses and other drinks.  

"Thank you very much." Sitting on one of the chairs watching his friends play volleyball, a very handsome young man thanked me. He was young, in his late twenties. He had an undercut, while his fringe was parted down the middle, revealing his forehead. He had a loose white top covering his torso, wore blue and white trunk shorts, and had sandals on his feet. 

"You're welcome." One thing is done. I can finally go back, finish setting my tables and take a break before resuming tonight's service. 

The evening shift is usually busier than the lunch, so I'll have three hours of a break after setting the remaining tables. 

I started walking toward the restaurant when something hard hit me in the back of the head. I lost my balance and felt myself moving forward, but I managed to regain my balance and avoid making a fool of myself in front of the customers. 

"I'm so sorry." A little stunned, I still heard the male voice speaking to me. 

I found myself face-to-face with a man in a short time. It wasn't the customer from earlier. Sure, the previous man was very handsome, but the one I'm looking at now is gorgeous. 

This one also has an undercut like the previous man, while the top part is slightly longer and darker. I could see the dark eyes despite the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose while his look was dressed by surprise and concern. The jaw is sharpened, while his face is quite childish. 

On the other hand, his body is far from childish. Who are Apollo and Adonis beside him? He should probably be arrested 'cause, for sure, he stole the thirteen' gods and goddesses' beauty. 

Initially, he has tanned skin, but I could see he has taken advantage of the sun because his skin is quite caramelized, well tanned.

He wears a blue and white shirt with some leaf designs printed on it. A few buttons are open at the top and bottom, exposing his torso and muscular stomach, showing some of his abs. Underneath, he wore white swim shorts, and I could also see his black bathing suit.  

A true masterpiece. 

How do people as beautiful as he lives free on Earth? No doubt he already has someone in his life. 

"Take a picture, honey. Will it last longer." A smile was born on his pretty lips. 

He's a charmer. He's certainly made many girls fall for him in a blink of an eye.

"I beg your pardon?" His sentence had the same effect as a cold shower, bringing me back to reality. He was undoubtedly gorgeous, but his attitude had broken the spell. 

"You're not subtle when you give me a makeover." I was so obsessed with his beauty that I didn't realize I was staring at him. 

"My apologies, sir." The last thing I wanted was to get in trouble with the customers. It would have looked bad on my record. I've been working here for a few years, so it would really piss me off to lose my seasonal job and the bonds I've built with my co-workers because of a misstep.  

I kept a low profile, trying to put some distance between us and regain my composure. 

"Don't apologize. I might take it the wrong way. I am flattered that a beautiful young woman like you would look at me that way." I get this flirtation with two bullets at least once daily from male clients who think they are desirable just because they are rich. But this is not often the case. 

Unfortunately, although his attempt at flirting was lame, I couldn't stop my heart from racing. The stranger was a handsome man. He knew it and took advantage of it. He must have charmed a lot of girls about it. But, stupid as I am - and also because of the lack of affection I felt at that moment - I was fooled by his comment. 

Don't blush, don't blush!

Without breaking the contact of our eyes, he comes closer. I could smell the scent of sunscreen on his skin. Without any embarrassment, careful to hide my body with his from the sight of his friends, the stranger caresses the exposed skin of my arm with his fingertips. 

His touch is subtle, as soft as the caress of a feather, causing my body to react to his touch, covering me with shivers from head to toe. My breath catches in my throat as his deft fingers run from my wrist to my shoulder. 

I wish I could figure out where my mind went. This is not normal, letting a stranger do what he wants, let alone allowing him to touch me almost intimately. And yet I don't move a muscle. 

What's wrong with me? 

The hotel's uniforms - at least for the waitresses and the other bistro staff - are pretty revealing. Surely to attract more customers, especially males, and make them spend more time at the bar and money on drinks. Some even make excuses to their partner to offer them a meal, with only the intention of gawking at the pretty waitresses. 

I wore a white crop top with the name of the hotel printed on the left side of my chest and black shorts. As a waitress, I take orders and serve customers, so I always wear a black apron with the hotel's name. Unlike other aprons, waitress aprons start from the waist to the middle of the thigh. 

The man leans forward when his hand reaches my shoulder, closing the distance between us. 

"Behind the rocks, in five minutes. I'll be waiting for you." Without giving me time to say anything, the stranger leaves, volleyball in hand, joining his friends.

Shocked by his boldness and confidence, I stood there for a few seconds, not really understanding what had happened. Had he just suggested - even ordered - me to join him and do what I thought? It's bold of him to believe that I would listen to him and join him. 

Five minutes later, I was behind the rocks waiting for him like the carefree idiot I am. 

This story will only serve to get me into trouble. But in my defense - even though I don't think it's valid - it's been a while since I've done anything with anyone. My last sexual relationship was three years ago when I was with my ex-boyfriend. 

He was a real asshole. I had no feelings for him, but at least I was intimate with him almost daily. Is it wrong to stay in a relationship just for the sex, even if the partner is not good at it? Very bad. But I was young and horny at the time. To err is human. 

Time passed, and the stranger was still not there. Had he stood me up? Was he laughing at me with his buddies? I didn't want to wait for him forever, especially since, unlike him, I was in my workplace. I would wait another three minutes and leave if he didn't show up by then.

As I found myself alone with my thoughts, I began to rethink the situation. We were still in a public place and in full view of everyone, sure the rocks would hide us, but we are never safe from anyone, especially if someone decides to venture behind the rocks for some reason. I can't even imagine the scandal and trouble if my superiors ever discovered that I had a case with a client. I could say goodbye to my reputation and next employment opportunity the following year.

Was I really going to risk screwing everything up just for sex? With a stranger, no less? Apparently so. 

At the moment, the temptation was stronger than reason. Luckily, it was my break before the second shift. Usually, at this time of day, I find myself with Evie sunbathing by the sea, sipping cocktails - free because we work at the bistro - while waiting for the time to resume service. 

A pair of arms encircle my waist, and I tense briefly before I learn the owner's identity. My stranger hadn't stood me up after all. 

"Good thing you told me five minutes," I said sarcastically, which made him laugh.

"Sorry, gorgeous. My friends wouldn't let me go." His mouth had quickly become acquainted with the sensitive skin of my neck. "But I'm here now. So it's not worth the trouble. Instead, let's enjoy getting to know each other better. If you know what I mean?"

His hand settles on my cheek, turning my head, gaining access to my lips. Wasting no more time than we already had, his soft pouty lips linked to mine. 

The kiss is slow and gentle before we both become consumed with desire and take things up. 

When my neck starts to hurt from the position, I turn around while his arm still wraps around my waist, holding me to him. With my chest pressed against his and our private parts finally glued together, I wrap my arms around the back of his neck to pull him even closer to me. If that were possible.

The more he gave me, the more I wanted. His hands ran eagerly over my body. The one resting on my hip began to rise, exploring under my crop top.

It wasn't long before his hand made contact with the fabric of my bikini top. Although it wasn't what he was looking for because, without wasting any time, his hand went under the material and directly touched my left breast's soft, supple skin. 

He grabbed it with his whole hand, although he didn't hold it. Despite my smallness - 1.55 m tall -I had inherited a rather generous and well-rounded breast from my mother. 

My handsome stranger, unhappy with the confinement of my top, pulled my garment over my head in frustration before abandoning it somewhere on the floor. Without hanging around, my swimsuit top follows my crop top, giving the stranger better access and a view of my naked chest. 

"Now that's more like it." The stranger's eyes sparkle with satisfaction and mischief like a child in front of a Christmas tree filled with presents. Then, in the blink of an eye, his gaze changed utterly. I was no longer facing a young man with sparkling eyes but a predator with his gaze fixed on his prey.

A dark veil of need had taken possession of his gaze, leaving me unable to react other than to feel a chill in the pit of my stomach caused by the excitement. 

He was danger, determination, and excitement. 

I was at the mercy of his carnal desires, but that wasn't enough for my lover. Seeing that I still wasn't breaking through the barrier in which I felt safe, the stranger gave me a little push. He took my hand and led it to the member in the hollow of his legs.

It was hard. When I felt the bulge over his shorts, it was as if something had clicked. Without needing his help or thinking twice, I finally listened to the little voice of the little devil sitting on my shoulder and let myself go. 

No more restrictions or limitations. He wanted to tease me, have me for a day? No problem, he would get what he wanted. I'll go with the flow and let the remorse come later. 

"Fuck." He grunts with a sigh as I take his erect member in my hand and stroke it over his swim trunks. 

From that moment on, he had no control over himself or his actions. It was as if, by grabbing his cock, I had activated a mechanism that caused him to lose all consciousness and restraint, releasing the incubus that lay dormant within him. At the same time, the succubus in me awoke, summoned by the incubus in him. 

Not finding it fair that I was slightly more exposed than he was, I removed his shirt, putting us on equal footing. But that wasn't enough. I wanted more, much more. 

My partner dominates me, setting the pace and rhythm of this frenzied dance we are engaged in. His body sticks to mine while my front is against the rigid rock torso.

His lips devoured mine with passion. He takes one of my legs, lifts it up, and presses our hips together, rubbing one against the other. 

My thoughts were obscured by the pleasure that dominated me. I was no longer aware of my surroundings. Only pleasure, and he was present in my mind. The rest was non-existent. The way he dominated me and had the upper hand in the situation made me want to submit completely to him and let him do what he wanted with me. This has never happened to me before, and to be honest, it scares me a little but turns me on at the same time. 

His fearless and naughty attitude turns me so much that even though we are just kissing, I can feel a puddle of moisture forming between my legs and seeping into my underwear. His lips move from mine to the hollow of my neck, leaving hard kisses while his hand tenderly caresses my breast. The contrast in his actions heightens my arousal.

His teeth move down, grazing my neck as his hips rub against my crotch, still pressed against his increasingly swollen bulge. I can barely breathe, and my head is already spinning.

My hand caressed his torso until it reached over his shorts again. Wasting no time playing with the hem of his shorts, I ran my hand right through the hem, finding direct access to the hot, sensitive skin of his cock, eliciting a moan from him.

I let out a moan in return when, without warning, his teeth sank into the sensitive skin of my shoulder. As my fingers caressed the swollen head of his member, he quickly unbuttoned my shorts and stripped me of the last of the clothes in his way. 

Suddenly he slid a finger inside me. "Fuck, you're already all wet for me." My wetness lubricated his finger, allowing it to sink into me and move smoothly back and forth inside me. He then takes the opportunity to insert a second finger. 

I am immediately overcome by heat, and I don't think the sun has anything to do with it this time. My legs start to shake from the pleasure this stranger gives me, burning like the fires of hell. Now that his member is free of his clothes, doing what I have in mind will be easier.

I take over - or so I think - and let us change positions. Now he finds himself wedged between the rock and my body. Surprised at first, then aroused by my actions, he doesn't protest, probably having some idea of what is about to happen.

I kiss his muscular torso, tracing a path from his neck to his sweet spot. As my lips contact his soft, smooth skin, I feel his cock quiver excitedly and slam against his stomach. His cock is so big that I wonder if I could easily take it. Let's hope so.

As soon as my hand touches his member, he grunts. I start pumping while watching him. I don't want to lose any of his reactions. His eyes close, and he leans his head back, completely lost in the pleasure I am giving him without counting. I have never seen such a stunning human being. His ebony eyes contrast perfectly with his caramel skin. His steel muscles make him even more irresistible.

His veiny forearms would drive anyone crazy. His big hands, soft and firm at the same time, would run all over my body, electrifying me. Eventually, his long fingers got lost in my hair. I moved my head to the rhythm he was giving me. A regular cadence that ensured constant pleasure.

If all went well between us and we continued our ménage after today, my goal was to make him crazy about me so that I would have a better chance of seeing him next year. I wanted him to have a good memory of me, for me to cloud his thoughts so that every time he tried to fuck another girl, he would see me instead.

Maybe it's selfish of me, but I want to pollute him. To pollute his mind with obscene and detailed images of what I would do and how I would make him feel. I want that, even if his mind forgets what I look like, his body will still recognize me among thousands. I want his skin to bear the mark of my passage and have an indelible effect on his physical memory.

When he is completely naked, his shorts and swimsuit around his ankles, I finally tease the tip of his cock with my tongue. Caught off guard by my sudden, reckless move, he gives an uncontrolled jerk of his hips. His excited member enters my mouth entirely and hits the back of my throat.

My moan of surprise causes his cock to throb and rest heavily on my tongue. "Oh yeah." He grunts as the pressure of his fingers around my hair hardens a little more. Seeing that he enjoyed it, I pull his cock out of my mouth, leaving only the glans inside before taking it all back in. 

There were moans from him. He loved it and kept asking for more. He even helped me by repeatedly thrusting his cock into my mouth, each time increasing the pace of it. 

It didn't take long for his body to tense up. Not that he had climaxed, but it would be soon. He wasn't too far from cumming, but it was too soon. I didn't want him to cum in my mouth but somewhere else. Before I could stop my movements, he tugged at my hair with his hand in it, pulling me away from his hardened member.

I barely had time to get up before he switched places again and pinned my back against the rock. Without wasting any time, he undid the button of my shorts and pulled down my panties. 

He crouched down and took my leg on his shoulder, giving him better access to my intimacy. As his tongue made contact with the burning skin of my privates, a gentle warmth washed over my body. At that moment, I lost all sense of reality and wandered into the world of pleasure.

He knew exactly what he was doing. His tongue played directly with my clit, without any shame or restraint, causing me to lose my mind. His tongue not only teased my clit, but it also went in and out of my slit.

At one point, he closed his lips on my nerve button and began to suck on it vigorously. My legs are on the verge of giving out, and at the same time, I am in danger of collapsing to the floor, so much so that the sensation of his mouth and his expert tongue gives me. The feeling is exquisite. Nothing like what I experienced with my ex.

To my dismay, the stranger stops all movement before standing in front of me again. His hands go straight to my thighs, squeezing them gently. "Jump." 

He lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist as my hands find their place around his neck. I don't know when he did it. I was so lost in pleasure that I didn't know what was happening around me, but as my handsome stranger grabbed his rigid member and stroked his cock over my slit, I realized he had already put on a condom. At least one of us hadn't completely lost his mind.

He spread my wetness along his entire length and the integrity of my slit to my clit, making us moan. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to have him inside me, and it didn't matter if he only stretched me with two fingers. The excitement was such that I felt I could take him inside. Besides, the wetness from my slit was enough to make it a little easier.  

He stroked my clit once or twice before thrusting it into me once and for all. I could feel every millimeter of his cock pushing into me. The burning was not unpleasant. The sensation added to the pleasure. 

Surely to distract me from the potential pain, my partner kissed me. His tongue caressed my lower lip asking to access mine. Generous as I am, I gave him access without asking. Without wasting time, his tongue found mine and invited him into a wild dance. 

The mixture of his thrusts and tongue battling with mine was so exquisite that I could only moan as my stranger hungrily swallowed my moans.

The thrusts got harder. I was sure that in the end, it would not be me who would leave an indelible mark on the memory of my partner's body, but the opposite.

"You like it rough, don't you?" Usually, I'm not very vocal, but I couldn't hold back my moans with him. I just couldn't do it. 

"I asked you a question." His strokes got harder as his hand spanked my butt's soft, flaccid skin. 

"Yes," I say in one breath. 

The spot where the stranger slapped me burns as tingles run down my body.

"Yes, what?" My whole body shook with the pleasure that built up as he took more and more control, becoming more and more dominant. 

"I love it when you fuck me hard." A smile appears on his sinful lips and disappears as quickly as it appeared, "But most of all, I love it when you spank me at the same time you fuck me hard."  

His eyes change, becoming darker. I didn't think that was possible. His jaw clenches as his tongue pocks the inside of his cheek. 

In less than a second, I find my chest pressed against the hard surface of the rock, my ass exposed and at the mercy of my partner. My whole body shook with excitement and anticipation of what was coming. I knew exactly what he would do, so I waited patiently for him to give me what I deserved, like a good little girl. 

Bam! The first spanking had just landed on my ass. He sank hard into me, and the mixture with the heat and the tingle of the spanking was wonderful.

"Is this what you want? Is this what you like?" Unable to form sentences, I just nodded. 

Bam! Another slap, then another and another. He wasn't going easy on me, adding to the pleasure. Then his hand left the reddened skin of my butt to take care of my clit. He wrapped his muscular arm around my waist as his upper body pressed against my back while his other large hand rested on my belly. 

"Let's see if you'll like this too." He stroked my clit with his finger. A flash of pleasure traveled over the integrity of my body, causing me to lose my mind. I think the fact that someone could catch us in one of the most vulnerable moments of our existence sent adrenaline coursing through my veins.

In addition to the beautiful feeling caused by his actions, the adrenaline pushes me off the cliff of ecstasy. It doesn't matter that we are in a public place just a few feet from where I work. The pleasure is so intense that I can't help but moan loudly. 

As I cummed around his cock, he shut me up with his big hand above my mouth while I let the pleasure wash over me from the depths of my being. I felt like he had just thrown me off a cliff, and I was in free fall. A fall I wanted to last forever.

As my pussy tightened around his dick, he emptied himself into the condom, still buried deep inside me, while his hands grabbed my hips. 

Turning me back to face him once more, we tried to catch our breath. With a goofy smile, he caressed my skin and planted a few kisses on my lips, swollen from his care. 

"I didn't think you were so wild." His comment made me smile.

"I could say the same about you, sir." I returned his remark. 

After ensuring I could stand independently without collapsing, he gently set me down on the floor. When his arms were no longer around my body, he collected our clothes before handing me mine so I could hide my nakedness before pretending nothing had happened. 

Now that the fire of passion has been tamed and my desires have been satisfied, I don't know how to react. Are we going to pretend that none of this happened? Should we continue our escapades? After all, I knew nothing about the unknown men before me and only had a few days left in the hotel. 

Not wanting to show my stranger that I was touched by our coupling, I quickly put my clothes back on and pretended that this wasn't my first rodeo with a stranger. I grabbed his wrist where his watch was to check the time.

"Shit, I have to go. I have to go back to work soon." It's not good to lie, YN. I still had a two-and-a-half-hour break before my next shift, but he didn't need to know that. 

I use my phone's camera to ensure everything is in order before I go out, and before I leave, I check to ensure I haven't forgotten anything. 

What should I do? The discomfort is so palpable that the only thing I want to do right now is going back to my room and not come out. Should I tell him how good it was? Should I give him one last kiss before I leave? Should I say "see you later"? Or should I go without saying anything? 

Not knowing what to do, I follow the last suggestion. I turn my back to my stranger and am about to leave when a large hand grabs my wrist and forces me to turn around.

"Not so fast, gorgeous." He kisses me again. His hand travels down my body but comes dangerously close to my butt. I feel him slip something into my back pocket before he pulls our lips apart. 

"This is my room pass. Meet me as soon as you finish your shift." He plants a last kiss on my lips and leaves first, again leaving me alone.

"What did you get yourself into, Park YN?"

Paradise Hotel Bar/Restaurant | 1:57 am | YN's POV

I had been trying to get a customer out of the bar for over half an hour so I could close up and go to bed. Unlike him, I wouldn't have time to catch up on sleep tomorrow. 

I only have four hours of sleep left before my next shift because, in addition to making lunch and dinner, we also make breakfast, and that fat bastard is keeping me from getting any rest.

I'm so mad at this client for not getting enough sleep and being grumpy the next day that if I see him again tomorrow, there's a good chance I'll put something in his food. 

I even got scolded by my manager, who was already, when I called him to help me get the customer out. That was not all; I had to mop the floor because the son of a bitch was too drunk and ended emptied his stomach on the fucking floor.

As I mopped, I looked at the clock nailed to the wall. It was already past two in the morning. I was so tired that I was about to fall asleep on my feet. When I finished cleaning, I put the cleaning equipment back in its place, closed the bar/restaurant, and left the keys at the front desk.

When I got to my room, I didn't waste any time. I undressed and went straight to the bathroom. The warm water caresses my skin and instantly relaxes me. 

The events of the day replayed in my mind. I close my eyes and let myself be carried away by the pleasant memory. What happened earlier in the day was wrong, forbidding even, but so exciting at the same time. It's so bad, but at the same time, so correct.

I don't know what to think anymore. It's evident. On the one hand, I feel bad about having sex with a client at work. I could kiss my summer job and reputation goodbye if this got out. 

I can't help but think about the possibility of someone seeing and videotaping us. I don't know anything about my lover, and I don't know if he's a celebrity. If he is, he could be an idol, and I don't know. 

The people on this island are so used to having stars of all kinds visit them since Paradise was built that they are willing to do anything to hear about them. So making a sex tape and selling it to the highest bidder was an easy way to make money. 

Not that I was a famous person in the eyes of the world, but my mother was. It would have a massive impact on her career. And the last thing I wanted was for my mother to be hurt by my mistake. But above all, I would not bear the look of disappointment on her face. 

But on the other hand, he was so good. His gestures were so confident, so supportive, but at the same time, so smooth and comforting. You could tell he was in control; it wasn't the first time he'd done this. 

His hoarse voice was full of desire. When I heard his deep voice near my ear, it turned me on so fast, which scared me slightly. 

I needed him like I had never needed anyone before. The dominance of his movements had me on my ass. He had a significant effect on me. He managed to do what I wanted to do to him. And lo and behold, the spell was cast on the wizard.

Speaking of ass, something that had completely slipped my mind. He gave me his room pass so I could join him. Considering it's too late, he's probably sleeping or fucking someone else. And I should do the same, not fucking someone else, but sleeping. Tomorrow morning - rather this morning - it will be almost impossible for me to wake up on time. I'll be a zombie for sure.

By the way, tomorrow I must go to the reception and leave his room card. I'll say I found it by the deck chairs to avoid suspicion.

When I get out of the shower, I wear a loose T-shirt and throw myself under my blanket. I was so exhausted from the day that it didn't take long to welcome Morpheus with wild open arms while my thoughts were on my handsome stranger.

Paradise Hotel Bar/Restaurant | 10:00 pm | POV by YN

My shift had just ended. I was at the bar with Evie, drinking a Sex on the Beach, before I locked myself in my room and rested. Unfortunately, summer ends in a few weeks, and I'm going home in three days. In three days, I'll return to my new life in Busan. 

Busan. I've never been there, but I heard it's a beautiful city. It attracts millions of tourists from all over the world every year. 

"So, are you ready for the big move?" Evie was the only one who knew my family situation. 

"I wouldn't say I'm ready, but do I have a choice?" I don't have a place yet, but it wouldn't last long. 

In addition to looking for an apartment, I also had to deal with enrolling at Busan University. At the beginning of the summer break, I transferred my school records to my new university in Busan.  

My next school year will be at Dong-A University. According to my research on the Internet, I will be assigned to the last building to be constructed in 2021, the Bumin Campus. It is located in Bumin-dong, Seo-gu, Busan. In the same building, I will be with the students of law, social sciences, and many others. 

I've seen the pictures, and the campus size is pretty impressive. It has nothing to do with my little university in Daegu.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. You know that you can call me and vent if there's any trouble. That's what friends are for." Unfortunately, I won't have the chance to have Evie by my side anymore. She's going back to Seoul tomorrow. That's why, despite my tiredness, I still enjoy her presence without renouncing it. Unlike her, I have to work tomorrow. Besides, it is my last day of work, after which I can use the remaining three days to recharge my batteries and play the tourist in my turn. 

"Change of subject. Have you seen your handsome stranger today?" The first thing I did when I came to work this morning told about my misadventure with my stranger yesterday. At first, I didn't want to tell anyone, I tried to keep information to myself for once, but after being haunted by the stranger in my thoughts all night, I couldn't help but tell Evie everything. 

Contrary to what I thought, she hadn't judged me. On the contrary, she even congratulated me. "I thought you were a tightwad because you never shared any juicy information about yourself, but I see I was wrong about you." She told me before adding, "I'm proud of you," with a pat on the shoulder.

Since day one, I saw Evie as a friend and an older sister that I never had. Just like my mother, she was my confidante, and I could talk to her about things that I couldn't speak to my mother about. 

"No, I haven't seen him. And that's a good thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to react." On the other hand, I had seen some boys who were with him the day before. Although I didn't want to admit it, too ashamed of my moment of vulnerability, I spent the day glancing back and forth, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, even if only from a distance. Not happened. 

The rest of the evening was summed up by Evie and me drinking more cocktails in honor of her departure. I wasn't drunk, and I thanked God for giving me a high tolerance for alcohol. 

At some point, Evie left me to join a pretty customer who kept looking at her from across the room. So I took the opportunity to call it a day and returned to bed, frustrated at not seeing the handsome stranger. Indeed, after he had his way with me, he must have moved on to another victim of his charm. 

I had left my empty glass on the bar and was physically preparing to leave the bar and return to my cozy nest when I felt a presence at my back. I don't have time to react when I hear an angry voice in my ear.

"Better meet me in my room in five minutes." The voice's owner disappears as quickly as they appear. 

Did I dream this? 

Last night I told myself that I had to go to the reception to leave the room card of my unknown lover, but since I woke up late due to lack of sleep, I didn't find the time to go to the reception, as what, it seems that the universe did not want that my way and that of the unknown deviate. 

I put the badge against the black box and heard the unlocking sound. I look to the right and left of the corridor to ensure no one in the hotel sees me entering a customer's room. Before standing in front of my lover's door, I quickly went to my room to change and put on a hoodie to hide my face from the surveillance cameras, thus obscuring my identity in case the security guys decide to look at the images recorded by the cameras. 

When I entered the room, I saw that the lights were off. Only the moonlight was illuminating the room. When I first entered the room, I thought I was in the wrong room because I couldn't see anyone. But as I walked further into the room, I was startled.

"Damn, you scared me." Sitting in an armchair in the darkness of the night, the stranger stood before me. Sitting in all his glory, his legs spread, his body leaned back with his arms resting on the chair's armrests. 

"I thought I told you something last night. Why didn't you come?" His voice was low, deep, and accusatory. "I was waiting for you like an idiot, alone in my bed. Eager to fuck you again." I couldn't see his eyes but knew he was watching me. I could feel his gaze on me. I felt naked in front of the stranger despite being dressed. 

"I had plans for both of us." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his muscular thighs, his hands clasped under his chin, his gaze still unwavering. 

"We could have had a crazy night." His eyes began to grow heavy. Despite the vastness of the room and the fact that it was well-ventilated, I still felt like I was suffocating within these four walls. "We could have lost ourselves in pleasure before we found ourselves in each other's arms."

I'd never heard anything so lame, but my body ignited because it was him. Why? Nothing was exciting in what he was saying. But I had to admit that the atmosphere between us, the room's darkness, and the fact that he was upset probably had something to do with it. 

"I couldn't," I didn't have time to say anything because my lover had abruptly gotten up from the chair. His gesture, by the way, made me take a few steps back. 

"Shh. I don't want to hear anything." My back hit the hard surface of the bedroom wall. In no time, he's standing in front of me, trapped between his muscular body and the wall. "Keep your excuses to yourself, gorgeous. Tonight the only sounds I'll allow you to make are your delicious moans and my name. The rest you can keep to yourself. Do I make myself clear?"

Who am I to deny it? For a brief moment, I was almost tempted by the little devil sitting on my shoulder telling me to contradict him. But on the other hand, the little angel of pleasure told me to be a good girl and give him what he wanted. So tonight, I decided to listen to the little angel. Anyway, I'm already in trouble. No matter what I say, he would probably make me regret not coming the day before. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to answer him. In no time, I found myself again, my back stuck to the front of his body while my chest was stuck to the wall. He spread my legs with his before pulling down my shorts and panties.  

I was left with my ass in the air as his hand came down on the tender skin of my butt. My moan echoed around the room. 

"Shut up, babe. Let's not alert the others. It would be a shame if you couldn't go all the way because you couldn't hold back your sinful moans. Wouldn't it?" The tingling spread to the area where he has spanked. 

"Not a fucking sound." A finger found itself inside me. A moan escaped me. 

"What did I say?" His voice was as dark as the room, but I wasn't afraid. I didn't know him, yet I was confident he would do no harm. He had this aura about him that immediately inspired confidence, comfort, and safety. And that was what scared me the most. "I don't want to hear anything."

He pushed a second finger into my pussy. I moaned, but unlike the last time, this one didn't come out of my throat, barely hearable. But the second finger brought more pleasure. Damn, that feels good. 

He pressed his body closer to mine and nibbled on my earlobe. "Listen carefully, baby, because I have no intention of repeating myself." His fingers leave my slit and begin to caress my clit.

"You have been a naughty girl, and I must punish you. Yesterday I told you to come to the bedroom after you finished your shift, but you disobeyed me." He planted kisses on my neck, making me lose my mind.

"I wasn't happy." His deep, low voice argued in my ear, sending shivers down my entire body, hot with excitement. "I had to jerk off, using my memories of your pretty little pink pussy." His lips come dangerously close to my sensitive area.

"I had to search in my memories, images of what we did earlier in the day to help me get off when I could have created new ones." He found my sweet spot and licked me before biting hard and sucking.

"You forced me to imagine your soft little hands caressing my hardened cock. I had to play your fucking moans against my ear in my head." He ran his tongue over the fresh mark he had just left on my skin.

Between each sentence he said, he pushed his fingers deeper and deeper into me, making me lose my mind.

"But tonight," he stops pumping his fingers inside me. "I don't have to imagine any of this anymore because tonight," he plants a wet kiss on the hollow of my neck before his mouth moves closer to my ear. "You're the one who's going to take care of it." He removes his hand from my clothes, grabs my hair, and drags me to the bed.

I thought he would throw me on the bed, but against all odds, my handsome stranger, who has been very dominant so far - much to my delight - sits down on the mattress without taking his eyes off me. I stand at the foot of the bed before him, waiting to see what he wants. 

"Dance for me, baby." Sorry? I was expecting something else. "Take your clothes off while you dance." 

This is my first time being asked to remove my clothes, but I think it'll be enough. Every day when I'm home alone, I put on music and dance. I always have music on in the shower, cooking, or cleaning.

I can't help but think of the song Ride by SoMo. 

Ever since I first heard it a few years ago, I thought it would be cool to fuck, foreplay, or strip to this song. The lyrics alone were suggestive and left a lot to the imagination. 

Take off those heels, lay on my bed Whisper dirty secrets while I'm pulling on your hair Poison in our veins, but we don't even care Candles dripping on your body, baby, this ain't truth or dare Everybody wonders where we run off to My body on your body, baby, sticking like some glue Naughty, let's get naughty, girl. It's only one or two The fevers fucking running. Feel the heat between us two!

Slowly controlling my movements, I moved my hips to the song's rhythm playing in my head. I slipped my hand under my shirt and placed it on my stomach, simultaneously moving my hand up the shirt before moving it over my head. 

When my top hit the ground, I touched my shoulder, caressing it and sliding the strap down my arm. My eyes never left his face. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could see his body, and I knew that everything I didn't leave him indifferent. 

His breath struggled to leave his throat. One of his hands gripped the duvet as if his life depended on it while the other stroked the growing bulge in his pants. His body was tense, and his tongue played with the inside of his cheek.

I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you, baby On you, lady, all night, all night! I'm gonna take care of your body I'll be gentle, don't you scream It's getting hotter. Make it softer Feel your chest on top of me I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you, baby On you, lady, all night, all night! I'm gon' make you feel that loving Getting weak all in your knees Kiss your body from the tip-top All the way down to your feet!

I didn't have my shorts and panties because of my handsome stranger. So, I didn't have much to tease him with, so I used what I had. Me. My body. Moving closer to the handsome stranger, I grabbed my breasts before putting them under his hungry eyes. 

I could see he was itching to replace my hands with his own. Big and powerful. But he couldn't. I wouldn't let him anyway. 

He wanted to play? Fine, we will. But two can play. 

He moved around on the bed, manspreading even more. Probably because his pants were too tight by now. But that was not my problem at the moment. I had a striptease to continue. 

As I kneaded my breasts, I turned my back to him, showing him my well-humped ass after hours spent at the gym. During those hours, I was proud of myself for all the suffering in the gym. 

I undulated my hips and moved them from side to side. My hands let go of my breasts to caress my body. I leaned forward, still caressing my skin, and held my ass up in front of his face, giving him an excellent view of my ass and pussy, which was already quite wet for him. 

"Fuck." Looking over my shoulder, a smile on the corner of my lips, I saw that he had removed his pants, which were already on the floor, keeping my top and bra company. His hand was taking very good care of his already swollen member.

The sun's coming up, oh You're on my side, oh I rub your thighs, oh You look in my eyes, oh And I just see the skies (see the skies) I'm so high, but I ain't smoked yet I'm just coming down from this! I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you, baby On you, lady, all night, all night! I'm gonna take care of your body I'll be gentle, don't you scream It's getting hotter. Make it softer Feel your chest on top of me

Not happy that he has decided to pleasure himself without my permission, I run to him and unhook his hand from his cock. I sit on his lap and place my lips on his to finally taste him. His hands rest on my cheeks. The contact is electrifying.

With one hand, I hold him. With the other, I grab his hair and deepen our kiss. How could I become so addicted to a stranger's lips in such a short time? He was like a drug I was ready to overdose on.

I had only known him for one day, the second time we had met, and yet here he was, addicting me to his body, kisses, and caresses. 

But I wanted more. A lot more. What he offered wasn't enough. Frustrated by his lack of initiative, I rubbed my pussy against his naked cock. He grunts, making his chest vibrate and mine at the same time.

It feels good, but it's not what I was looking for. Breaking the kiss, I rise from his lap and grab his hand, forcing him to do the same. At this point in the evening, excitement runs through my veins. Right now, I am the epitome of lust.

I ripped off the rest of his clothes, leaving him completely naked. His already hard cock slammed against his belly, ready to be stuffed and jerked until its owner emptied himself entirely into me.

I can't stand all these dirty thoughts in my head anymore, so I push my partner onto the bed, and the next thing I know, I'm astride him, sitting on his erection.

I attacked his lips again and resumed my movements on his cock. 

"Oh, fuck. Go for it, baby." With his encouragement, I continued the movements, rubbing us together. Fuck, I've been dreaming about this all day.

All day I was haunted by the image of his body rubbing against mine.

Our moans blended into the most beautiful melody I'd ever heard as if they were meant to be played together. 

My swollen pussy, excited and quite wet, slid easily over his member. I quickened the pace of my movements, making us moan in unison. As I unleashed myself on him, I tilted my head back, consumed by pleasure. Without noticing, the tip of his cock wedged itself into the folds of my slit before landing entirely inside me.

I wasn't expecting it at all. Neither did he. As if struck by lightning, my lover came to his senses. Suddenly I was lying on the bed, while he was standing at the foot of the bed. 

What had happened? 

No sooner had I formulated my question than I felt hands grabbing my ankles before I found myself on all fours with my ass in the air. 

"Who allowed you to stick my cock in you, you naughty girl?" He brings his hand down on my ass once, twice, then three times. Again and again, until my pussy clenches in the void, begging for his cock to sink back in. My cries and moans are not lost on him as he grunts in response to them. 

"You like it when I'm hard on you, don't you?" He spanks me again. I can feel my wetness running down my thigh. "My needy slut." 

"You want me to sink into you hard, right?" I knew it was a rhetorical question. He didn't need me to answer it to tell himself he was right. So I didn't say anything. The only response he got was a whine. 

"Well, if that's what my baby wants," he steps forward, speaking in a low voice so only I can hear as if he's afraid someone might be listening. He steps away from me. "So this is what she'll get." Again he penetrates my pussy even harder.

Without giving me time to get used to his size, he continued his thrusts, increasing the speed more and more. 

Nothing made sense anymore. My mind was a mess. I couldn't see anything because I was so overwhelmed by the pleasure; the tears had taken possession of my eyes. I had to close my eyes to take in the overwhelming sensations.

I had to bury my head in the pillows to stifle my moans. I didn't want the neighboring rooms to complain about the noise and the risk that they would discover that I was being fucked by a hotel guest when I was only an employee.

My walls were clenching around his fat cock. I'm about to cum. But, he had sensed it. "Not yet, baby." He pulls out of me before turning me over. I am now facing him, my back pressed against the mattress. He grabs my ankles again and draws me closer. Closer to the edge of the bed.

He leans over, and I see his face dangerously close to my eager pussy. His warm wet tongue makes direct contact with my pussy. His tongue shamelessly plays with my clit. 

At times he changes between my clit and my slit. He plunges his tongue in several times, teasing my walls before his mouth settles on my clit and sucks it intensely. 

As I leaned back and clutched the blanket, I saw stars dancing above my head. I didn't know how much longer I could hold back the pleasure that brought me closer and closer to ultimate pleasure with each stroke of my lover's tongue. 

My moans flooded the room and echoed through the four walls. I tried to keep my cries down, but my partner wasn't much help. The coup de grâce came when he grunted against my clit. The vibrations increased my pleasure, but I managed to block the pleasure that threatened to explode. 

I'm about to come, but what should I do?

Should I give in to the pleasure and let the wave wash over me at the risk of making him even angrier? After all, it wouldn't be so bad. It would be another opportunity to be punished again. Or should I be a good girl and tell him I'm about to cum? 

No, that would be too easy. If I cum, it won't be my fault. He's the one who's too good at what he does. So it's decided: I won't tell him anything, and it's too bad if I cum and he doesn't like it.

My walls continue to contract around his tongue buried inside me while my desire threatens to explode like a nuclear bomb, irradiating my whole body. He sensed that I was about to climax because he stopped all movement.

When he stands up again, he inserts his member into mine, slowly at first, letting me feel every inch of his cock, which drives me crazy. When he reaches the bottom, he repeats the previous action ten times. After the eleventh, his movements intensify.

The slapping of our skins, moans, and bed creaking is a beautiful symphony. He was so hard on me that the headboard kept hitting the wall. I hope the room next door is empty. Otherwise, I'm screwed.

"Don't hold back anymore, baby. I'm coming, so come with me." He quickened his pace, which was the last straw. At this point, nothing could stop me from feeling what I felt. My mind was foggy. There was nothing in this world but lust.

This feeling is so unreal that I have no words to describe it.

My lover was also lost in pleasure. At the same time, as he poured into me, his grunts sounded like a sweet melody. His body had collapsed onto mine. His whole being trembled as he came to.

Though breathless, our mouths joined in a wild dance. "I have no words to describe what just happened. I moved a strand of wet hair stuck to his forehead.

"Then don't put it into words." This time I was the one who pressed our lips together. At that point, we were no longer customer/waitress. We were two strangers enjoying each other without worrying about consequences and retribution.

YN's car | 12:41 p.m. | YN's POV -Five Days Later-

I had been driving for an hour. According to the GPS, I had only 8 minutes left to reach my destination.

During those 8 minutes, I took the opportunity to look at the landscape. I identified a few things that would probably be useful to me.

Since it was hot, I opened both front windows, which created a slight breeze. I stopped at a red light and took the time to look around. The beach was beautiful. The trees surrounding the road made the scenery even more exotic.

I think I'll spend the afternoon sunbathing by the water. I'll try to get some more color. More of what I already had. 

My new life will look like this: spending time at the beach for the few days I have left before returning to school. I will enjoy the beach every chance I get, as long as the sunny days are there. I will also take advantage of the opportunity to meet new people. Go out, party. Drink like never before. Yeah, that's definitely a good plan.

The sexy stranger from the hotel left the day after his "punishment," but I could tell we enjoyed our last night together as we said goodbye. Three days after he left, I couldn't hide the fact that I was lonely. I thought I'd be able to spend more time with him and enjoy potentially hot nights, but that clearly wasn't the case.

In the absence of his presence, I resorted to my faithful companion. My vibrator, which I had taken with me. 

However, before he left, the stranger gave me his phone number and made me promise to warn him of my arrival at the hotel the following year so that we could "start again." It seems that he will be back the next year. 

Let's just pray he doesn't find a girlfriend by then. 

One thing he didn't tell me was his name. But now that I have his phone number, I could ask him later. Since he had given it to me, I had not had the opportunity to contact him. Honestly, I didn't know what to say to him. 

Should I send him a nude picture? Or should I start gently, like a civilized person? 

"You have arrived at your destination." The robotic voice of my GPS warned me.

"Holy shit. Is this where I'll live?" The building in front of me was sublime, prominent, and wealthy. The facade alone reeked of wealth. I wouldn't even be surprised if I ran into a few celebrities. This building looked to be a little over 50 stories high.

I went straight to the underground garage and looked for my assigned parking space. Before I left, my mom texted me to give me an overview of what she had told me a million times: the address, the parking space number, the floor, and finally, the apartment number.

I only took the suitcases that I had in Jeju. The rest of my stuff that was in Daegu had already been delivered. Once inside the elevator - magnificent and luxurious - I dial the code as the golden doors close.

As the elevator rises, my heart rate increases. The stress begins to overwhelm me. My hands get clammy and shaky. Yes, I was nervous about meeting my soon-to-be father-in-law, but what made me even more unsettled was meeting his son. 

I hope he's not an arrogant daddy's boy. If he is, he and I might not get along. 

When I leave the elevator, which alone reeks of wealth, I go down to my new floor and walk to the door of my new home. I ring the bell and wait a few seconds before the door opens. 

Without realizing it, I take a few steps back, dropping my bags as my mother hugs me. 

"My baby, you're finally here! How was your trip? Did you have a good trip? Wasn't there too much traffic?" Typical of my mother, bombarding me with questions without giving me time to answer. 

"Take it easy, honey. At least give her time to get home and unpack. Come on in, YN. Welcome to your new home." My mother's companion is forced to pull her off me so I can pick up my things and enter the apartment. 

I take off my shoes before following them into the living room, which is enormous. "Welcome to your new home, baby." My mom said. 

A man was sitting on the large couch in the living room, and he seemed to be obsessing over his phone screen before his father cleared his throat. I turned to face my mother's companion, who was about to speak. It would be rude of me to turn my back on him when he was about to talk to me.  

"YN, let me introduce you to your soon-to-be step-brother." He gestures with his hand in the direction of his son.

But when I turned to look at the man who had been sitting on the couch a few seconds ago and was now standing in front of me, towering over me with his great height, my eyes went wide.

This is a joke.

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Translations, republications, and rewritings of my stories are not allowed. Failure to comply with this request will result in legal action.

© Jeon_s_Sins

[cryptic-tales]

Infernal Me // Chapter II The Ghost in the Library

Cardinal Copia x Fem!Reader

After your unfortunate meeting with the Cardinal, things only get weirder.

Content: Fluff, Dorky Copia, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers

A/N: I'm gonna post the rest of the chapter here since I forgot to do that. Playlist for this fic is coming, thanks everyone for reading <3

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read on ao3

A few uneventful weeks have passed since the incident. During that time, you've dedicated yourself to studying and completing your duties as a Sibling of Sin. From the job that you were assigned to by The Ministry's administration, to doing other minor tasks, like cleaning the chapel and organizing the books in the library, you barely had any time for other leisure activities. With the anticipated summer approaching, you only found yourself buried under the never-ending pile of assignments that you needed to finish before the end of your course. The Ministry was bustling with life. Everyone was in high spirits knowing that the Summer Solstice Festival was getting closer every day. You wished you could share their enthusiasm, but a memory of a certain event has haunted you for weeks.

Embarrassed and flabbergasted, you decided to not think about that strange Cardinal until the memories of the whole event would eventually disappear. For a while, it actually worked. Not even a week after the whole ordeal, you managed to stop thinking about it almost completely. You found yourself thinking about your Ancient Languages course. Even as you stayed up, studying for exams, the event completely dropped your mind.

Yet, every time you saw any figure in a black cassock, your memories would betray you all over again. Each time you would see one of them walking somewhere and minding their own business; not paying attention to you in the slightest, your whole body would freeze in fear. You either stood or sat in place, not moving a muscle until you could get a closer look at their face. So far, you've never run into that peculiar man again. All the Cardinals you've seen turned out to be people you've never met before. None of them had a white eye.

You could remember those mismatched eyes as they stared at you in shock - the mark of favour. You did your reading on the topic and found out the meaning of the eye. It's a gift from the Olde one himself, one that signified a high position in his ranks. Only granted to men chosen by Him. It was an obvious sign that the man whom you had trampled the other day wasn't any other worshipper of Satan. It made you feel even more humiliated. Why you, out of all people, had to be put in that situation?

Sometimes, you felt pathetic for even thinking about that event still. If the said Cardinal wanted to punish or humiliate you for what had happened, he would've done so already. He didn't seek you out, and neither were you trying to identify him, so it felt silly to worry about it. You couldn't help it though. Your anxiety told you that everybody knew what had happened and they all thought you were a disgrace. Maybe, the fact that you haven't made any close friends in the Ministry so far, was one of the factors that contributed to your current mindset. Even though you had a person or two that you would speak to semi-regularly, you would eat most of your meals alone in the dining hall and spend your time in the quiet solitude of the library.

On a positive note, things started getting better. After what felt like an eternity of trying to fit in The Ministry, you had finally found a routine that suit you. You attended the lectures and worked hard as an assistant to Sister Isabella. She was a kind older woman, who worked as a supervisor of Garden's Maintenance. You helped her with organizing the meetings and schedules for Siblings of Sin that were taking care of the Ministry's greenery. From tasks like cutting grass to maintaining the fountains and plants. It was no surprise that Sister Isabella was often booked and busy. Keeping up with her tight schedule would prove to be quite difficult. You were sitting by a small desk in her office, talking with a meek Brother of Sin named Cornelius. You knew him from your Demonology course. Cornelius was always nice to you but preferred to keep to himself. He was nervously gesticulating with his hands. Trying to explain why he wouldn't be able to attend to the greenhouse in the East Garden the following Monday. Then, a loud knocking on the office's doors paused the awkward conversation.

"Yes? You may come in." You called out. Brother Cornelius found himself at a loss of words as an imposingly tall, masked figure opened the door and walked towards you. Putting a letter on your desk before bowing, the Ghoul left as quickly as he had come in. You recognized him as a messenger Ghoul, one that many higher-ups would use to deliver important parcels and letters. After a quick look at the letter that he left on your desk, you recognized the red wax seal on it. It was a signature of your Ancient Languages professor, Sister Alya.

"What is it, something important?" Cornelius asked curiously, trying to take a look at the piece of paper in your hands.

You hid it from his view, "No, it's nothing important. When it comes to the greenhouse, you need to find a Sibling that will switch their schedule with you." You passed him a sheet of paper with a few names on it. "I suggest you do it yourself, as it would take a long time to do it through me or Sister Bella. I'm sure that would be no problem since you all work in the same groups, correct? When you find someone willing to do that, let me know."

Taken aback by your firm response, Cornelius nodded his head shyly. He looked like he was about to say something before the nerves got the best of him. You gave him a quick smile before putting a few sentences down in your notebook. After Brother Cornelius had bid you farewell and left the office, you found yourself alone again. In the quiet privacy of Sister Isabella's empty office, you pulled out the wax-sealed letter and looked at it for a while.

A million thoughts raced through your mind, making your head throb. You had no idea why Sister Alya would send you a letter, and why she would use a messenger Ghoul. You always assumed they were asked to deliver very urgent messages, you couldn't think of anything urgent that she would need to tell you.

Realizing that you couldn't keep looking at the letter and thinking about the worst-case scenarios, you decided to open it. With a quick move, you've broken the seal and opened the envelope. Taking out the sheet of paper that was inside and reading through it carefully.

Sister,

I would like to speak with you. There's an opportunity that recently presented itself, and I'm sure it will interest you. I'm sorry if this message seems a bit cryptic, but I'm in a hurry as I'm writing this. Please come to my office today after dinner, I want to discuss this with you.

Yours truly,

Sister Alya Clemmons.

The paper felt expensive to the touch, it smelled of Sisters Alya's signature perfume. You stared at the black letters for a long while. You thought about every word before neatly folding the letter and putting it back in the envelope. It didn't sound that bad. Actually, the letter sounded positive. At least you knew you weren't in trouble, but the 'opportunity' that Alya mentioned did indeed sound cryptic. With a more positive attitude, you decided that you couldn't wait to find out.

You managed to finish filling in the paperwork before noon. When Isabella came back from her morning meeting with Sister Imperator, she was in a wonderful mood. You knew it meant that she would let you leave early.

"Finished already?" She asked, surprised. Her bright green eyes shone with some indescribable energy, one that was hard to find in a person her age. "Alright dear, you may go now. Go for a walk, and drink some coffee. Do you have any chores yet to finish?"

It wasn't unusual for Sister Isabella to bombard you with questions. They were always sweet, almost in a concerned grandma kind of way. You found it comforting that she was so worried about your well-being. Making sure that you were eating, getting fresh air and drinking enough water.

"No Sister, I'm pretty sure I don't have any chores left to finish today. I think I'm just gonna head to my room and take a nap," you answered, giving her a brief smile.

She nodded, "Alrighty then, enjoy your free day."

With that, you turned and headed to the exit. The heavy, oak doors closed behind you. The corridor outside was empty except for a group of Siblings of Sin standing by the window. Paying no mind to them, you turned right and began walking to the living quarters. You thought briefly about going to the canteen first and getting a coffee but got a better idea. Stopping for a moment to think, you turned swiftly on your heel and went in the opposite direction.

The weather was chilly and cloudy, leaving everybody feeling a bit under the weather. You were no exception, yawning loudly while pulling your black cardigan tighter around yourself. You felt sleepy, even though you got a full night of rest. It seemed everything and everyone was a bit sluggish, Sister of Sin passing you slowly like barely-awake zombies. Strolling through the hallways, you finally found yourself outside of the library.

The huge archway that led inside was barely lit up by a small chandelier hanging high up above your head. As you stepped inside, you found yourself in the grand library. Looking ahead, you had a view of the labyrinth of bookshelves on the ground floor and no soul in sight. A faint clicking of a typing machine could be heard somewhere in the distance, piercing the silence. Above you, there was the second floor of bookshelves, a skylight above that let the natural sunlight in and a huge, heavy-looking chandelier.

You made your way deeper into the library, passing by study desks hidden between the shelves. You passed by countless shelves filled with religious texts before finding yourself in the secular section. Never-ending rows of books sorted by different categories and arranged alphabetically surrounded you. So far, there wasn't a book that you wouldn't be able to find there. In the small Abbey you grew up in, most of the library’s assortment consisted of books on Satanistic practices and rituals, severely lacking in any other genres. Here, you could finally enjoy some popular literature. That’s why, on slow days such as this, you would find yourself there more often than not.

Tucked away in the corner of the library, on a beautiful ruby rug, stood two armchairs. Both of them were big in size and covered in delicate, red fabric. Right behind them, there was a window draped in thick, brown curtains. The soft cushions of the chairs looked so inviting when they came into your view. You approached the shelves first before heading to your favourite reading spot. Slowly scanning over the titles displayed, your hand lingered over a mysterious book you’ve been eyeing for some time now. Right before grabbing it, you changed your mind and reached for a collection of Poe’s short stories you’d started reading a while back. With the current weather, some murder mystery seemed to be a perfect choice.

You were finally about to make your way to the reading nook. So far, you’ve never run into anybody in that particular spot. You had a few places where you would go to wind down after a day of hard work, this one, in particular, was your favourite. You would change locations often, especially if this one was already occupied by someone. You last wanted to impose and interrupt someone’s alone time. That’s why, when you peeked through the gap between the neatly organized tomes onto the next aisle and saw a figure moving soundlessly among the shelves, you stopped in your tracks. A man adorned in a traditional black cassock was a few feet away from you, yet he didn’t even notice your presence. He was mumbling to himself, looking over the titles on the shelves while rubbing his chin in concentration. You were surprised you didn’t hear from or see him earlier. About to back out slowly, trying your hardest not to turn his attention from the books, you froze. Like a bolt of lightning striking you, you were shocked by a sudden realization.

Your eyes were immediately drawn to black circles of makeup surrounding his eyes and leather gloves covering his hands. They creaked quietly when he moved to place his palm against his forehead, sighing heavily. He unexpectedly moved in your direction and you felt all your insides drop. He walked past the spot from which you were looking at him, and went further down the aisle, before stopping suddenly, clapping his hands and letting out an audible “Ah!”. You watched as he picked one of the books and quickly skimmed through the pages. As quietly as you could, you moved closer and saw his white ghoulish eye moving quickly over the text. The other one of his mismatched irises was so dark you could barely distinguish it from his black paint. Now, you felt the familiar burning of hot embarrassment under your skin. Making you want to shrivel up and die. There was no mistaking it. It wasn’t just some ordinary cardinal, but THE cardinal. You remembered all too well his little pencil moustache and sideburns, the pale white paint covering his face. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, you began to back away, your eyes not leaving the figure. Despite your obvious staring, he didn’t seem to notice you, or maybe he was pretending to be oblivious. Either way, he was in his own headspace, moving towards the reading corner with a book in his hand.

You were about to disappear behind the nearest bookshelves and dash out of there, when your back collided with something hard. A sudden wave of pain shot through your body, making you yelp. The hard corner of one of the shelves hit you right between your shoulder blades, shaking the whole construction shake. The sound of man’s footsteps came to a halt. You didn’t want to look in the direction of where you assumed he was. You contemplated if making a run for it was worth making a fool of yourself in front of a higher-up. From where you were standing, there was no way he wouldn’t see you leaving towards the main hall. You held your breath and kept your eyes on the carpet, waiting for the worst to happen.

“Is someone there?” He called out, the sound of his voice immediately familiar to you. He sounded like he got a bit startled though, his voice shaking with an almost pathetic edge to it.

You stayed quiet, biting your tongue. Your right hand flew to your face, covering your mouth and nose to muffle the sound of your breathing. Praying to Satan that the Cardinal would decide not to investigate further and move on, you held your breath.

The Unholy One seemed to be having one hell of fun toying with you, though. Seconds felt like hours as you waited for anything to happen when ever so slowly, a head peeked at you from the other aisle. First, you noticed his biretta, and then the rest of his head appeared. His stark white eye looked right at you, the look in it completely undecipherable. You felt as if your whole body was burning, sweat covering your skin underneath the uniform.

He seemed to have relaxed at the sight of you, his features softening. The cardinal heaved a sigh of relief as he came out of his hiding fully. He laughed, waving his hands around as he spoke, “Sweet Satanas! You scared the living daylight out of me, signorina! I thought I ran into another spirit roaming the building…”.

He stopped in his tracks. His mark of favour looked like it was glowing, piercing right through you. You felt small under his watchful gaze.

“Hello, Uhm, Cardinal.” You finally spoke up, waiting for his reaction. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” your hand played nervously with the hem of your cardigan.

“Yes, uh” He began but stopped himself. You wondered if he remembered you from that incident, causing him to act so uneasily. His eyes were now shifting all around the place, looking anywhere but you. He opened up his mouth, looking like he was about to say something, but no words left his mouth. His mannerism was nearly identical to what you saw all those weeks ago.

“So, what brings you here?” You inquired, albeit absent-mindedly. You immediately realised how stupid the question sounded, but you had to fill the awkward silence somehow. You watched as the man in front of you raised his eyebrows, his mouth agape.

“Of course, well, you see,” he stumbled with his own words, “I was sent here by Papa! Yes, Papa sent me here. To, uh, fetch him a book…”

You took a quick glance at the tome in his hands and realized it was one of those cheesy romance novels that were popular among the Siblings of Sin. There was a whole series of the said books by the same author in the library, and you often heard Sisters talking about them during lunch. As soon as he realized that you were looking at it, he hid it under his arm. You could swear his pale face got a bit darker in colour as his gaze shifted towards you.

“I didn’t know Papa enjoyed such literature,” you spoke, “I’m sorry for scaring you, Cardinal.”

He nodded, “No, I’m sorry for scaring you, Sister. I didn’t expect to find anyone here, heh.”

You only dreamed of leaving this place and going back to your dorm. Oh, how you wished you had gone back to your room when Sister Bella let you go. You waited for an opportunity to excuse yourself, but it seemed that Cardinal had other plans.

“I’m sorry Sister. I don’t think I got your name?” He asked politely, taking a cautious step towards you. As he got closer, you could now see that his dark eye was, in fact, a rich green colour. A detail that you seemed to forget about earlier.

You swallowed, about to introduce yourself, when a sound of laughter interrupted you. It was coming from somewhere in the library and getting closer, soon joined by the sound of voices and footsteps. There was a group of Sisters approaching, and for a moment you thought they sounded familiar. Cardinal clicked his tongue, “I think it’s my time to leave. It was wonderful seeing you here, Sister. I hope we’ll meet again soon, eh, see ya!”

“Yes, it was wonderful…” He didn’t even give you time to finish, giving you a quick smile before turning away from you and heading towards the main hall. He tripped on the edge of the carpet while doing so, almost falling face-first onto the floor. Miraculously, he regained his balance quickly enough to walk away. For a man as powerful as him, watching him act in such a dorky way was definitely endearing.

As he left, you heard brief pleasantries exchanged between him and the Sisters of Sin who were approaching. Soon enough, from between the tall bookshelves, emerged three girls. Among them, you recognized a familiar face.

“Oh! Hello!” Sister Erin called out to you, a warm smile gracing her features. “I would say I didn’t expect to see you here, but that would be a lie. How are you doing?”

You knew Sister Erin from your Ancient Languages lessons. In a way, she was the exact opposite of you. Extraverted, talkative and fearless, while you were too afraid to talk to people. Always afraid that you would make a fool of yourself. Also, while you were one of the best in the class, Erin would spend most of the lessons slacking off and doing anything but studying. You knew she didn’t care about her courses, only doing them to get a better position in the Ministry.

“I’m doing fine, thank you,” You answered, not looking at her face. Her curious brown eyes were slowly assessing you.

“You sure? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” She inquired, laughing quietly, “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be mean. By the way, I don’t think you guys know each other,” She said, gesturing towards her companions. This is Sister Marika and Sister Liza, they’re new here. Freshly transferred.”

You smiled politely, shaking their hands while giving them your name.

“By the way, there’s something I need to tell you,” Erin suddenly changed the subject, the tone of her voice getting serious.

Her words piqued your interest. You looked up, searching Erin’s face for any clues on what she was about to say, “What is it?”

“We saw Professor Alya on our way here, she was coming back to her office and she asked about you. I think she wants you to come to her office as soon as possible.” She explained, playing with a strand of her long, black hair. “I don’t know If you’re in trouble or not, but I’d hurry up If I were you,” As she finished, there was some playfulness to her voice.

Your whole face lit up at her words. She must’ve noticed it, “I assume it’s nothing bad then, right?”

You nodded, “Yes, thank you, Sister Erin. I’ll see you around.”

“Sure thing, bookworm. See ya.”

With newfound energy, you held the tome of Poe’s short stories under your arm while making your way out of the library. The corridors were empty as you made your way towards the East wing, your encounter with the mysterious Cardinal still fresh in your memory.

Your feet carried you towards your teacher’s office. The halls were quiet and empty on your way there, save for a few ghouls running around. Once you finally found yourself in front of the heavy, oak doors that led inside Sister Alya’s room, you stopped for a second. Sighing heavily, you tried to get your breathing under control before entering. You’d hate for her to figure out how nervous you were about seeing her. Not to mention you had giddily run almost all the way to the office wing, tiny droplets of sweat forming on your forehead. You hastily wiped them off and knocked on the door, awaiting the response.

Not even a few seconds later, the doors opened, and Sister Alya greeted you with a quick smile, “Sister, it’s good to see you. Please take a seat”.

She hurried you inside, motioning to an empty seat in front of her desk. You glanced at her workspace and realised how meticulously organized it was. Despite being so small and cramped. It was nothing like the mess in Sister Isabella’s office, or as she liked to call it; “controlled chaos”. You sat down in the chair, feeling Alya’s piercing gaze on you as she moved to the opposite side of the desk. The soft, velvety fabric of her office chairs felt pleasant under your palms. You watched as she sat down with a loud sigh.

“The weather is awful today, isn’t it?” She started, taking a cigarette out of a fancy dispenser standing on her desk. With delicate hands, she placed it between her black lips before lighting it. “I swear everyone is acting off because of it, haven’t you noticed?”

It took you a few seconds to realise that she was expecting you to answer, “Yes, Sister. I mean, Professor. I noticed everyone is a bit under the weather today,” You nodded sheepishly.

“Hmm.” she took a drag of the cigarette and exhaled the smoke. Looking at you with her green eyes, she inquired “Say, Sister, do you like when it’s gloomy outside?”

Surprised by her question, you took some time to answer, “Yes, I think so. I like it when it rains.”

In your head, you wondered what it was all about. You came here anticipating some news about this opportunity she mentioned in the letter. So far you’ve been greeted with awkward small talk about the most trivial and unimportant things. You answered politely, but deep down you couldn’t wait to get to the point. Growing frustrated, you moved around in your seat anxiously. Sister Alya seemed to catch up on your very subtle body language. She exhaled the grey cloud of smoke before sitting up straight and putting her elbows on the desk.

“I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark about the nature of our meeting, but you’ll be happy with what I’m about to tell you." Now, that piqued your interest, “Are you familiar with any high-standing clergy members? Cardinals, to be exact?”

“What do you mean by that?” You spoke without thinking, flabbergasted by her question.

“Do you know any of them, not personally of course? Are you aware of the amount of responsibility that comes with this position?”

You stared at her, mind going completely blank. Of course, you knew some of the most popular Cardinals. They would lead the Dark Masses more often than not. Aside from that, some of your fellow Siblings of Sin would gossip about them. Your mind conjured up the image of the Cardinal you ran into on two separate occasions. Immediately, you remembered his shocked face and funny pencil moustache. Shaking those thoughts away, you

“Yes, I believe I do recognize a few of them. I am also aware of their responsibilities. I know they take care of Dark Rituals. Depending on their positions they either work in archives or assist Papa in his duties." you said, your hands mingling with the hem of your habit in your lap as you spoke. Sister Alya seemed satisfied with your answer, distinguishing her cigarette in an ashtray before readjusting her short, brown hair and looking at you.

“I’m glad to hear that. Now tell me, Sister, have you heard of Cardinal Copia?”

You shook your head, “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him or had the pleasure to meet him,”.

“I’m not surprised to hear that. He’s a senior member of the Clergy, been here for many years. He’s not a very… public person, so to say. Not popular amongst the Congregation, but he’s well respected in his own circles,” she took out another cigarette and lit it up. You recalled that during her Latin lectures, she would often take cigarette breaks. You wondered, how did she manage to keep her voice healthy enough to teach Siblings of Sin, “He hasn’t given a sermon in years. Cardinal is a very unusual person, keeping to himself and all. Yet, he is still a brilliant scholar and very successful in what he does. He used to be a Latin teacher, too. For many years, actually, before he climbed up in the hierarchy and gave up on the position. He translated many ancient texts and sermons,”

You listened patiently, wondering what it all had to do with you. You watched as rings on Alya’s fingers glimmered, and then you looked behind her, outside her office window. You noticed that the sun had come out from behind the clouds.

“That’s very interesting, but what does it have to do with me?” you finally inquired when silence befell the room.

“There was a meeting today, of the whole Congregation. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but during the meeting, Cardinal Copia insinuated that he would like an assistant who would help him with the work. I told him you’ll be willing to take the position,” She finally said, waiting for your reaction.

“What? Why me?” You were shocked. It was absurd, how was getting new responsibilities thrown at you supposed to be exciting? You felt anxiety growing in you, slowly making you lose your head. All a sudden, the small space of Alya’s office felt almost claustrophobic.

“Calm down, Sister. I only did this because working directly under a Cardinal is a wonderful opportunity. He can help you learn things that you could never learn during the lectures. Think of it as an apprenticeship.”

You doubted that. The prospect of giving up on your current job for Sister Isabella, and diving head-first into the unknown, was horrifying. Especially now, that you finally got comfortable with your routine. You felt like things were finally getting better. But, the things that she had told you about Cardinal Copia made you stop and think. If he was so respected and such a gifted scholar, then maybe you could learn from him. You heard about Siblings of Sin who had no trouble getting the best jobs in the Ministry after working as assistants for senior Clergy members. Not to mention, the whole purpose of your relocation to the Ministry was for the sake of gaining experience as a future scholar. Almost as if she could see the gears turning in your head, Professor Alya sat back and smiled.

“I see you need to think about it. If I were you, though, I would take it. Of course, you would have to give up on working for Sister Isabella. I know it's hard considering how cosy your current position is, but I can assure you Cardinal Copia is no tyrant. I’ve spoken to him many times and he seems to be a very kind man, albeit a bit strange” She said.

You looked at her, thinking of something to say, “I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity you’ve presented me with. I need time to think about it,”

“Yes, I understand,” she hesitated a bit before, gathering her thoughts. For a brief moment, you thought she was going to say something.

“Yes, is there anything else you need my help with?”

“Oh, nothing. I'm wondering. You know you can always come and talk to me when you make up your mind, yes?”

“Yes, I know that. May I go now?”

As if taken aback by your sudden and firm response, Professor Alya sighed and sat back in her chair. Not taking her eyes off you, she spoke “Yes, Sister. You may go now, and enjoy your day off.”

Something deep inside you told you that you wouldn’t. You got up from the chair, almost knocking down a lamp that stood next to the desk. Embarrassed, you apologised before walking out of the office. Professor Alya shook her head in amusement as she watched you leave, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Now, this is gonna be interesting”.

[ravendruid]

Be In My Eyes - Chapter 25

You can read the previous chapters here or on AO3. This chapter was inspired by this drabble. If you've read it before, I took the liberty to change things around. I hope you have as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it. Summary: Keyleth steals clothes, Vax is too stunned to speak, everyone sees the tension between Keyleth and Vax.

Keyleth was so exhausted after a day of classes that had run later than usual thanks to a stupid group project her teacher had assigned, that by the time she got home, everyone in apartment 7B was either already asleep or out partying. She considered going to bed right away without eating dinner but her stomach growled loudly to remind her she hadn’t had anything to eat in almost eight hours, so Keyleth ignored the scream of her muscles as she crossed the kitchen to reach the fridge. According to the calendar on the door, it had been Vax’s turn to make dinner, and if Keyleth knew him well enough, he would have left her serving in a tupperware for her to heat when she got home. Seeing that she was the only vegetarian in the apartment, Keyleth often had to make her own meals on the side whenever it was other people’s turn to cook, but Vax—so kind and caring—always made sure to cook something different for Keyleth so she wouldn’t have to. It never failed to warm her heart to see Vax set a plate in front of her at dinner, not because he made the effort to use different proteins for her—sometimes even going as far as making a full meal for Keyleth—but because Vax went above and beyond to look up vegetarian recipes, seasoning techniques to make the food taste better, and, above all, Vax always cooked without Keyleth asking him to, and most of the time without her knowing (as if Keyleth needed any more reasons to fall for Vax). Just as Keyleth expected, there was a glass container with a post-it note on the lid waiting for her, which she promptly read: Missed you at dinner. I really loved this recipe, let me know what you think. – Vax <3

Waiting for the food to heat was torture, but Vax’s handwriting on the post-it note was worth coming home late. It meant more to Keyleth than just dinner, and she knew it meant just as much to Vax. “Why is he so perfect?” Keyleth mumbled, walking into the laundry room where she dumped her sodden socks in her hamper. She hated doing laundry this late, especially when she was so tired, but she really needed the pair of pants she had bought at lunch the day before. The party at Glorious was the next night, and Keyleth was excited to see her roommates’ reactions—a certain someone in particular—when they saw what she was wearing (although Keyleth still hadn’t figured out how she was going to steal her victim’s clothes). 

The answer came to Keyleth unexpectedly when she was about to switch her laundry. Someone had forgotten to empty the dryer, and just her luck, from the looks of it, it was the person she needed to forget their clothes the most. Keyleth did what any good roommate would do and carefully folded her roommate’s clothes and set them on top of the dryer before she put her clothes in the dryer. What if one of her roommate’s t-shirts accidentally found itself mingled with Keyleth’s clothes? She hadn’t seen it bunched up in the corner of the dryer when she added her clothes, and she especially didn’t notice it the next morning, until she was folding and putting away everything. Only one thing left to steal. Keyleth chuckled. 

It was hard to keep it a surprise once the girls started getting ready, but the good part about finally being able to share the name Keyleth had picked was that Vex could finally help her with the make-up and hair, and Vex even stole the last piece of the puzzle for Keyleth. They had about five minutes left until everyone was meeting in the living room to reveal their outfits, and Vex was finishing the last touches on Keyleth’s eyeliner. A glance at the mirror in the bathroom made Keyleth arch an eyebrow impressed. It wasn’t a look she ever thought she would see on her, but Keyleth had to admit she looked good in it.

Pike and Vex were the first out of the bedroom, followed by Grog and Scanlan, and then Percy and Vax. Keyleth heard her friends laugh in the living room although she wasn’t able to discern what they were saying. She was too busy panicking in the bathroom, pacing back and forth, and reminding herself to breathe. It’s going to be fine. She reassured herself. What if they hate it? What if he hates it? Keyleth stopped, looking at her reflection. Her face was pale with fear, her freckles more prominent than usual, and her hands were shaking slightly. They are your friends, she reminded herself. They will not make fun of you for trying out something new. Besides, it’s a costume party, not you trying to find a new style or a new personality. Keyleth knew she was right. Logically speaking, it wasn’t her tonight, so her friends would not be making fun of her. Keyleth took a long breath in, paused, and then released it. With a last glance at the mirror, she exited the bathroom and the bedroom, nervously rubbing at her hands. 

—

Keyleth hadn’t emerged from her bedroom yet and Vax was increasingly nervous with every minute that passed. With everyone else in the living room, it was plainly obvious who Keyleth was going to be dressed up as, but not even the irony of the situation was enough to ease his mind.

Vex’ahlia looked incredibly funny in a yellow crop top, sweatpants and fun buns. Between her legs where she sat on the couch, was a canvas tote bag with painting supplies and a fake stethoscope peeking out from the opening. From all the people she could have picked, Pike was an incredible opposite. Sitting next to Vex was the disciple of the Everlight herself, wearing khaki pants, a white buttoned shirt and a dark blue blazer that looked far too large on her, but the funniest thing about Pike’s impersonation of Percival was the plastic toy glasses that had clearly been hand-painted gold. Vax couldn’t tell which of his male roommates looked the funniest, though. Percy, who dressed in gray sweatpants (that had Vex’ahlia gasp and give the man a hungry look), a tank top, and was carrying a backpack and a soccer ball under his arm; Grog in a flashy purple buttoned-up shirt (that he purposely left unbuttoned until halfway down his torso) with matching purple pants and Scanlan’s beret; or the theater major himself, who was wearing a skimpy black skirt, fishnet stockings, one of Vex’s very revealing tank tops, and, to top off the look, a dark-brown haired wig that he wove into a really bad braid. The only thing right about Scanlan’s look was the faithful make-up. Thinking about it, as Vax gave everyone a second look, if anyone were to win a prize, it would certainly be Scanlan.

When Vax picked the slip of paper a couple days ago, he never imagined he would have to sneak into the girls’ bedroom to rummage through Keyleth’s closet in search of something he could wear. He tried to avoid buying clothes unnecessarily since he and Vex’ahlia didn’t have much money to spare, but thankfully for Vax, Keyleth was pretty lithe like him. He had chuckled at the array of colors in her wardrobe—of course, it would look like a unicorn threw up in there. Keyleth wouldn’t be his brilliant, happy ray of sunshine otherwise—but Vax settled for something dark that he felt still defined Keyleth perfectly. Vax picked a dark green sweater with a large sunflower embroidered in the center and an orange butterfly next to it, and a pair of light jeans with hand-painted daisies along the legs (something else that Vax noticed about Keyleth’s wardrobe was that most of her clothes were altered). He braided two pieces of hair at each side of his head and met them at the back, fastened by a green bow that he had seen Keyleth wear before, and Vex’ahlia helped him curl his hair like Keyleth’s. Vax hoped that he looked enough like her that everyone would give him a break for keeping his boots since he couldn’t fit in Keyleth’s canvas sneakers and couldn’t afford to buy himself a pair. 

Vex’s reaction to his final look had been unexpected. Vax thought his twin would tease him endlessly for pulling a paper with Keyleth’s name, but instead, she merely shook her head in amusement and muttered something about fate and soulmates. It never occurred to Vax that his sister believed in such things, but then again, he also never thought she was going to get involved with someone like Percival after everything their mother went through with their father. Everyone else’s reaction, however, had been as he expected. Scanlan mentioned how weird it was to see Vax wearing clothes that weren’t black, and Grog had pointed out that he needed to eat more protein and work out more because he fit Keyleth’s clothes too well. As for Pike, she had been the nicest one, merely complimenting him for a job well done. From everyone so far, Vax had been the one who wore the most pieces of clothing of their pick.

“Should someone go check on Keyleth?” Vax asked when Keyleth didn’t show up ten minutes after the scheduled time—if Vax knew her well, Keyleth was probably freaking out in the bedroom—but just as soon as Vax spoke, the bedroom door opened and Keyleth turned the corner. Vax was glad he was sitting down because he would have probably fallen on his ass otherwise.

For what Vax assumed was the first time in Keyleth’s life, she didn’t have a single piece of color on her. While it looked strange, it was also incredibly sexy, especially because Keyleth was wearing Vax’s favorite t-shirt (so that’s where it went!) underneath his leather jacket—certainly stolen by Vex’ahlia—a pair of black pants and Vex’s boots that were a cheap replica of his. Keyleth’s nails were painted black, her make-up was a perfect imitation of Vax’s eyeliner, and her hair had been straightened and was tied back in a half-up style like Vax always did. Keyleth looked beautiful in black—but then again, she would look beautiful in a potato sack— but she was also visibly nervous.

“Sorry I made you all wait,” Keyleth apologized, rubbing her hands in front of her in what Vax knew well as being a gesture of anxiety. Keyleth’s eyes shifted to him and she took a step back, aghast. Vax grinned at her and extended an inviting hand that Keyleth took hesitantly, he then pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist. Vax was perfectly aware that they had five pairs of eyes on him and Keyleth, but he didn’t care about them. All Vax cared about was the pair of bright, stunned green eyes and the smile on Keyleth’s face once she realized they were dressed up as each other.

“Let’s go before you two start making out,” Vex’ahlia rolled her eyes and grabbed the tote bag at her feet. Everyone else followed suit out of the apartment, leaving Vax and Keyleth still standing close to each other for a moment. 

“We should go,” Keyleth mumbled after the last person left, closing the door behind them. 

“You look…” Vax placed both hands on her waist and pushed her away softly to look at her again from head to toe. “Absolutely stunning, Keyleth.”

Keyleth’s cheeks bloomed pink. She looked him up and down, taking notice of everything, then back to his eyes and said, “You don’t look too bad either, Vax’ildan. Green looks great on you.”

“Not as good as you in black, Kiki. Damn,” Vax bit his lip. Keyleth squealed and hid her face in her hands but Vax pulled them away, leaned in to kiss her cheek, and whispered, “You look so hot. Gods be damned.”

Keyleth giggled. Vax had expected her to pull away and hide herself in a shell of bashfulness but she hadn’t done anything to show him she was embarrassed, quite the opposite. Keyleth was staring at him differently, almost as if she was hungry for something she had never had before. Vax didn’t want to assume she wanted him the same way he wanted her, lest he make a fool of himself, so he ignored the urge to lock the apartment door, kiss her, and take her to his bedroom. No, if Keyleth wanted him that way, he would wait until she made a move. He would wait his entire life for her.

“We should go,” Keyleth finally broke away from him, although she clasped her hand in his and pulled Vax behind her. The others were already waiting for them at the atrium, and even though most of them pretended not to notice Vax and Keyleth holding hands, Vex’ahlia didn’t seem to care about hiding it, not with the wink she gave them before she turned around and grabbed Percy’s arm as they all strode out of the building.

But as soon as Vax and Keyleth stepped into the cold autumn air of Emon, Vax felt a weird weight on his chest like something bad was going to happen. Worst of all, he had left his knife behind, safely stored in his nightstand drawer. Shit. Maybe it was just anxiety from going out for the first time in a while. Maybe it was because Keyleth was holding his hand tightly like he was her lifeline. Vax tried to ignore the heaviness of his chest and focus on the warmth and softness of Keyleth’s hand in his and the way she had looked at him before. Relax.Everything will be alright. Nothing bad will happen tonight.

[dragoncookies]

(PT 2) STELLARLUNE ANALYZATION: Chapters 3-5

(foreword) This is a series where I go through each chapter of Stellarlune and dissect it for y’all. I bring up things you might have missed, the importance of what is said and what happens in each chapter, how it might relate to the book as a whole or how it might relate to the series as a whole. This book might seem boring and useless, but when you look at it, it’s really just a book that steps back and reflects on the whole series. It’s like the series is taking a refreshing deep breath and putting everything from the past together, so it can go and deliver a WILDLY  wonderful ending. All I can say is that the book gets way sweeter on the second read, and it might be too early to say, but my guess is that it’ll age finer than wine.

(excuse my grammar/spelling mistakes)

Chapters 3-5:

I’ll be honest, these chapters were a little sluggish, but at the same time...it was interesting to read about Gisela and Cassius lore. I’ll say why later in this post, but It was dark and creepy and tense; well written. There’s also a bunch of notable tid-bits in these scenes from Cassius’s memory and just what he has to say. He’s not a useless character or a 2d character, that’s for sure. Lets dive in, shall we?

SUMMARIES:

(because I forget too)

Ch 3 summary: Sophie shows up at Cassius’s house and they banter for a bit after Sophie tells him that Keefe ran away. Sophie originally went there to get Cassius’s pathfinder so she could look for Keefe in the Forbidden cities, but Cassius tells her he’s working on another assignment from the Black Swan that has to do with the trollish treaty and such after what happened at Everglen (in flashback). He also has a memory he recovered that Lady Gisela tried to wipe from his mind, so Sophie agreed to watch it. 

Ch 4 summary: Sophie and Cassius watching the memory

Ch 5 summary: Sophie and Cassius banter about the following→ Cassius’s parenting, whether or not Sophie should keep looking for Keefe (she shouldn’t) or if letting Gisela finish the final step of Stellarlune on Keefe is a good idea.

Ch 3:

Sophie REALLY hates Cassius. Like, the Cassius slander is HEAVY throughout this chapter. She just gotta quip at his behavior for every reason. 

One thing that is made strikingly clear by Sophie’s conversations with Cassius is how emotionally driven she is, especially when compared to Cassius’s almost purely objective approach to things. They’re almost foils of each other, in this sense.

Also, the dialogue in the first few pages of this chapter is lowkey entertaining, even from Ro. 

“’If Keefe had come home with me-’

‘he would’ve run off even faster,’ Ro finished for him. ‘Probably would’ve left a Keefe shaped hole in one of these walls.’” (page 36). 

Haha funny for no reason. Anyways.

Ro is REALLY given an actual purpose (as are a shocking majority of the characters) as I continue to reread through stellarlune. As much as I cannot stand how nosy and obnoxious Ro can be, her background has a whole chunk of the dialogue in this chapter. I will have far more to say on Ro’s character when we get to the part where she actually leaves later on so stay tuned for that.

Now, with Lord Cassius here, we have been shown an important revelation on the current state of political affairs in the Lost Cities, and a reminder that the Black Swan is a little bigger than we thought. It makes me curious as to what other things go on behind the scenes in the Black Swan. 

Also: Sophie said she really does hate secrets. Why did sophie say she hates secrets when her wanting privacy is literally the whole point of conflict between her and Fitz for the entire previous book and the rest of Stellarlune???? Smh.

The troll treaty negotiations are stalled at the moment!!!! Empress Pernille has closed the borders and doesn’t want the elves messing with them atm, basically. This means there MIGHT be more mutant trolls. Wild. The trolls want to be isolated from everyone…which is kind of what the neverseen wants if we’re being honest…scary. 

One question: Why does the black swan want to protect the councilors from being overthrown if there’s so much emphasis on how the councilors are flawed? What is the point? 

CH4:

This is where I notice things really start to get interesting in this book. 

I love when Shannon describes telepathy. Like all the “swooping and spinning” and “sinking into warmth” and describing the mind like a room makes me imagine Sophie and everyone else as little glowing people in the mind, navigating the endless maze. She describes it so vividly, its so fun to imagine being Sophie when she gets blasted by wind or goes on a rollercoaster-esc loop, or goes somewhere small and quiet, or just somewhere blue. Like that is so cool, who goes ahead describes a mind like that? And every mind in the series is different too. It's just so cool. Anyways. Back to Gisela and Cassius lore. 

This chapter really makes you think about Cassius’s and Gisela’s relationship. Its important to understand, since Gisela is like a main villain giving her character depth (like what her relationship with Cassius was exactly like) makes her feel like a REAL person, more like us. Which makes her scarier. 

This scene is where Gisela throws away her act of just wanting Keefe to be strong to make her and Cassius look good. 

Man, from the first read, it really seems like Shannon is trying to redeem Cassius with this memory. “gosh Shannon, please don’t redeem Cassius…please stop trying to redeem him”, but it’s less “poor Cassius” and more we just get to understand Cassius, because what I get out of this is that Cassius really loved Gisela, and Gisela was just using him to have a strong baby (which is sort of like the entire flaw of matchmaking…hmmm…). Like when Gisela starts explaining all these wack things she’s doing, he’s just completely shocked. Like she really flat out told him that his role was done, and he’d already provided his DNA so she didn’t need him anymore. No wonder Cassius said the memory was personal, I would be HEARTBROKEN. He’s not the best, but maybe there’s a reason he’s so cold…

If you hadn’t before, you REALLY start to see how creepy Gisela is, too. At the end of this chapter, Gisela just drugs him, and as his world slowly fades to black she whispers “don't fight it, it’ll all be over soon enough” (paraphrasing page 57). Damn she's creepy. Just, her carelessly messing with Cassius’s heart for her own gain, and doing painful horrible things to herself, to Cassius and to their relationship...she’s so sick omg. She really built Cassius the whole illusion of a happy marriage. What if Cassius was actually a happy surfer guy before Gisela? Maybe thats why his getaway is on the beach. Who knows? Maybe Gisela ruined an avid beach-boys listener and a regular cowabunger. Its all so messed up, but the theme of the importance of family is strengthened through all of this. 

What I start to wonder as I read through this chapter is…why? Why does Gisela want Keefe to be super powerful? WHY does she want to rule the world? 

She mentions she wants to harness all the elements because she believes it will make her ultra-powerful, but for WHAT? 

Gisela talking about the elements also reminds me how elemental elves are. They really are such nature-y beings. Little hippies. Talking to plants. Never killing animals. Using scrolls. No technology and A LOT of living with nature’s cycles. They see so much power in elements that Gisela is convinced she can be all-powerful if she uses all them. I ought to start seeing the elven world in a more woodsy aesthetic lmao. Alas, Shannon’s world-building never ends. 

The most important thing we learn in this chapter is that Keefe needs to go through one last step to really finish his transformation of his abilities. Yay!

Ch5:

Cassius’s mind was really messy after the memory, so he definitely did love her and he’s definitely messed up by that. Even Shannon’s most hateable characters get backstory and understanding, so you don't have to like what they did but it makes the story she’s telling so enriching. 

This chapter highlights how stubborn or blindsighted by emotions Sophie can be, but at least she can be persuaded. She neglects that Cassius has an OBJECTIVE approach and thinks he has a COLD HEARTED approach, and struggles to wrap her brain around the concept that Cassius could actually, in fact, be right in his suggestion that Keefe needs to finish the process of his new abilities to function properly. The fact that she sees “cold hearted” and “objective” as synonymous proves that she’s just a very emotionally driven person, which is important to understand, considering the entire series is from her point of view and if we really want to understand the story we have to understand how Sophie might tell the story. 

Also, Sophie JUST NOW realizes how she probably should have read through the archetype before she burned it. Nice one girly. I’m sorry I bag on her so much during these first few chapters, it gets better later I promise.  AND WHAT WAS THIS SHANNON:

“Lord Cassius couldn’t be right...

...

...

...could he?” (page 62). 

TAKE AWAY HER ENTER BUTTON. Made me chortle a little but like Shannon what. 

Not much else to say about this chapter. The last page was a masterpiece, though. 

“Let him take care of himself, he’s been doing it his whole life” (page 66). 

I’m not all about the endless Keefe sob story we get throughout the series, but the way it's told on page 66 is quite sad and impactful. Like oof, the self-actualization from Cassius and the cold hard truth…ouch Shannon. That hurt. Chefs kiss to the writing but yeowch. 

Overall, these few chapters are pretty satisfying because both Cassius and Sophie change a little. Cassius starts off presented as his usual hateable self, but by the end of these chapters you feel a little heavier, a little older and a little colder because of him. He just gets deeper as a character. Sophie changes her mind about finding Keefe and actually listens to Cassius’s reasoning, which is important because it changes the trajectory of this section of the book. It would have been ooc for her to just not care or decide on her own not to find Keefe because she cares about Keefe ALOT (a lil too much sometimes I’ll be honest), but it did take 5 chapters to get to this point. She also could have gone on a mission to look for Keefe, but thank goodness she decided not to, for the sake of the plot and the other characters. Victory!

She really does talk to herself a lot. 

Anyways, stay tuned for more!

[boypussydilf]

prithee, dearest mutual, won't you elaborate on such a story? i simply MUST know more for I haven't considered such a thing

You know I made that statement with a great bearing of confidence and self assurance, thinking without thinking about it that this was a scenario I had considered or read about in the past, but upon taking time to think about it I. I got nothing. Either I’ve forgotten it all or I’ve never actually thought about this before and just momentarily convinced myself I did.

like. i stand by my belief that statistically, such a scenario surely must exist. a situation in which akira is being decidedly Insane and Not Normal about it and akechi is actually being quite a bit normal* and in fact is kind of looking at akira like hey what the fuck man. Though when it comes to the specific topic of Being Weird And Insane About Social Interactions i am not sure if there ever would have been a point where akira was in “I am going to get a good grade in interacting and also in fulfilling my assigned role as The Hero” (Now there’s a whole other tangent about akira like he’s taking everything very seriously because it’s very important and concerns a lot of people but also this is his game where he plays the heroic protagonist role knowingly and especially when it comes to akechi but Anyhow that’s a subject for another time) mode while akechi was just there to like, chill.

In summary; despite my previous confidence i am actually unable to come up with what on earth this concept entails, at least at the moment. But it is too funny to simply pass up. *extends my hand* We can embark on this journey……. together

*”normal” is so so relative when i say it to describe either akechi or akira like akira is a normal boy sometimes but even then. They just ar operating on some completely different scale

Oh god i was a bout to finish this post and then I *walks back into the room* now there’s ANOTHER interesting base to operate from another topic to consider before I even consider the actual point. Actually. Wait I don’t know if th question I was about to propose is valid I think the answer is held within the game itself I just…. I havent seen akechis confidant in so long ……………. i’ve abandoned my boy…… I’m. I’m starting to lose track of what I even have or haven’t said I’m just going to post this

[monstergoblin]

The Owl Pirates Chapter Five

First Chapter Tumblr Link HERE Previous Chapter Tumblr Link HERE Posted First On A03 Here  It’ll be updated on A03 first and might take me a bit to get to updating it here as I always seem to forget about my tumblr. <3

 Trigger Warnings Always Read Safe: Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Pushing down feelings, Overworking self to ignore feelings, Child Abuse (Belos is a bitch okay), Gaslighting, Self Gaslighting, Manipulation, Injuries

Notes:

I know Hunter seems to be flip-flopping with the "He's okay and plotting now" to the panic mode and crying. Its how I think he would process traumatic events though. Where he doesn't want to remember them so he's trying to busy himself with something else.

Like capturing pirates

That's totally a normal teenage hobby right?

Chapter 5: Bookclub

 Something was wrong with the boy.

    Other than the fact he was a navy dog.

    Eda had been keeping an eye on him as the week went by. His first day was definitely his toughest. It was only natural for someone who had faced such trauma to be a little messed up from it. The ocean was something to be respected and if you forgot that fact you could die.

    But after the first day, Eda had noticed the boys behavior change. Not a healthy slow change of getting used to the crew. No, this was different.

    He was awfully obedient for a navy dog .

    The second day on the ship his personality flipped from quiet, and crying to a disturbing thing. The boy was being friendly.

    No matter what the chore was, Hunter would jump up and do it politely. He never talked back and even didn’t complain when Eda made him swab the deck again after he’d just finished. She did that to try to get a rise out of the kid.

     She watched him. He only snapped at whoever was watching him once in a while- if they were being particularly annoying or trying to offer their help. Which was natural. She assigned the kids to stick around with him so they would always know where the brat was. Though, truthfully the kids were being used like a bell on him. She didn’t want him alone in case Lilith was right.

    Because Lilith wont let her live it down if she is right.

    Eda for the most part agreed with Camila. This was just a boy, raised by someone with evil intentions, but that did not make him guilty for every death Belos caused. Didn’t make the child at fault for the damage he was forced to do. 

    Lilith did not agree, good thing she was only navigator.

    Eda wasn’t stupid, she knew the boy was planning something. Probably wanting to turn her in or something else idiotic. 

    At least he wasn’t crying.

    The last time Hunter had been caught crying was four days ago. His first day, when Matt had gone to fetch him after dinner to find him under the stairs. 

    Eda was tempted to always have Matt at his side since the boy was also in the navy at one point- but circumstances were different for the two boys. Hunter was Belos nephew, Matt had just been a cabin boy because Steve wanted to earn a living to support him. Still, Matt might be able to relate to Hunter a bit.

    Though Eda had already agreed with Camila, which is why they were rotating which kid watched Hunter. At the very least it made for very amusing entertainment to see how the different kids handled the navy boy.

    Eda had to fight off the laugh at Gus’s attempt to have a water fight with Hunter for the navy boy just to flip out and tell him how childish it was. 

    However, no matter how much Hunter seemed to be “Fitting in”, Eda could see him watching everyone else. Everyone but the younger children were told to keep an eye on the boy at all times, if he’s in vicinity. Emira and Eldric being the only two children let in on the rule as Eda did not want the younger ones worrying about him and treating him differently. 

    No, that would probably have the opposite effect that they wanted.

    Navy dogs always saw pirates as monsters. If they proved him right then saving the boys life might as well not have happened. If there was a possibility of him learning that people were people, or even that Belos’s twisted laws didn’t add up, Eda wanted to take it.

    Maybe she was going a little soft.

    Okay she was going soft, half her crew were kids.

    Eda kept the boy busy. She knew if he wasn’t busy he’d be thinking. Thinking was dangerous for a navy dog on a pirate ship. If he did something stupid, Eda would be forced to carry out her word- and she really didn’t want to carry out her word.

    Matt had openly complained to Eda the second day Hunter was on the ship. Mostly about his own responsibilites but he did also point out there was plenty to do around the ship. Eda had already planned for Hunter to be put to work, but it was nice to know if she thought Luz was letting the boy slack off, she could just stick Matt on shift for a bit.

    It was funny to watch too. The shorter child shouting commands at the navy boy. Matt was always one to eat up any chance at being in charge.

    It was Hunter’s fifth day on the ship today. Amity was watching him sitting on the railing of the ship- after promptly being snapped at that Hunter did not need help with swabbing the deck. Which was one of Hunters regular chores now. 

    Eda was observing from the helm. Looking as if she couldn’t care about the boy on deck but she was careful- even if Lilith complained she wasn’t- but Hunter did not seem to have come up with a plan yet. He was trying, but whatever ridiclous thing he thought he could do, was proving to difficult. She could see it when he’d stare at rope for to long, or a weapon- Eda was not about to hand him a weapon.

    The boy was plotting something.

    And Eda was going to make it as  impossible as she possibly could.

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

    “You missed a spot.” Amitys pointed to an area that Hunter had gotten twice now.

    “I know what I’m doing.” Hunter snapped, but still going over the spot the girl pointed out. He was not about to have her saying anything about him half-assing his work.

    “If you let me help it would be done faster.” Amity sighed as she looked at her nails- which were somehow always perfectly painted despite her working on a ship.

    “I don’t need help.” Hunter repeated for what was probably the seventh time today. He had only had Amity as his babysitter once before, and it was in the evening when everyone else was gambling. He had liked her better when she was talking to others instead of telling him how to do his job.

    “I just said it would be faster.” Amity shrugged not really watching Hunter but looking out to the sea. “No need to bite my head off.”

    He was getting it done wasn’t he, and he was doing a great job in his opinion. 

    Hunter bit his tongue trying not to say something that Amity could go report to the captain. She seemed the type to jump up at any reason to get him in trouble- even if she hadn’t yet.

    “You’re so stubborn.” Amity complained hopping off the railing and landing with a small thud on deck. “if you just accept my help, you can finish faster and I can work on my own chores.” She put her hands on her hips waiting for Hunter to cave.

    “No.” Hunter declared.

    Amity threw her hands in the air letting out a little “Hmphf.” Before rubbing her temple. “Fine, Fine, I’ll just keep watching, because that’s all I’m supposed to do.” She resumed sitting on the railing.

    “I can take over early.” The voice startled Hunter into flipping towards Willow who had approached them from behind him. “I mostly secured everything. “ She gave a little shrug. “I don’t mind.”

    “Willow!” Amity jumped up giving her a hug. “Thank you, I owe you big time!”

    Hunter only knew Willow from diner time, and the gambling sessions. Only learned her name because Gus decided the best way for Hunter to learn names was to start quizzing him during chores- after Gus had caught on to the fact Hunter had forgotten Gus’ name. In Hunters defense he had heard it once and wasn’t even paying attention.

    “You’re awfully made at the mop.” Willow giggled quietly.

    Hunter hadn’t realized he was gripping it hard and swabbing angrily. To be fair most his babysitters had been annoying. It made him miss the loud girl- though he didn’t like her either.

    “Amity wasn’t trying to be mean.” Willow leaned against the railing watching Hunter. “She just was excited because Luz was going to help out and she wants every excuse to be around Luz.”

    “She shouldn’t let that distract her from duties.” Hunter mumbled under his breath.

    “It’s not hurting anything, Amity still pulls her weight.” Willow pushed herself back off the railing and began walking. “Besides her and Luz are cute, everyones placed bets on who's going to confess first.” She disappeared around a corner from Hunter's view before returning with a second mop.

    “I don’t need help.” Hunter glared at her, why did everyone keep insisting he did. They just had to babysit him not do his chores for him. 

    “I didn’t say you did.’ Willow smiled, dipping her own mop in the bucket. “but I don’t like just watching, I'd much rather be helping.”

    Hunter continued glaring at her as she started to help swab. 

    “You can’t stop me from helping, the sooner you accept it the sooner you finish.” WIllow remarked in a little sweet voice.

    Fighting was just going to waste time.

    Fine, but if the loud one uses this against him he’s going to be mad.

    He’s only agreeing because Willow would probably find some way to get him in trouble if he didn’t let her help.

    “You aren’t an outcast here.” Willow randomly said as her back was turned on Hunter.

    “What?” He questioned. 

    “I know you probably feel like an outsider, which we all still need to get used to you.” Wiloow shrugged, turning to him. “But you aren’t so different from the rest of us. None of us really expected to become pirates, and we’re an odd crew. So don’t feel like the odd one out. You’re not.”

    Was this an attempt to be nice? What made her think she needed to comfort him.

    “Okay.” Hunter turned away from her hopping that was the end of the conversation.

    “Sorry, I just noticed you never partake in anything. I just wanted you to know you can.” 

    “I don’t gamble.” Hunter stated.

    “I can teach you if you want.” 

    “I don't want to gamble.” He enforced it. It was a stupid thing, wasting your money and time on a silly game of bets. 

    “Ah.” Willow wilted in on herself. “Okay, well we do lots of other things. Gus and Matt are always challenging each other to do stupid things. Emira and Edric like to play music. Amity and Luz have a book collection-”

    He liked books.

    His face must have revealed his interest as Willow perked up as he made eye contact with her.

    “They are adorable about it. Gus borrows some from time to time too. It could be nice to have something to do other than work.” She smiled sweetly. “I can talk to them if you want?”

    “I’ll do it.” Hunter decided. He did not need this girl holding his hand on getting things. He could do it by himself. He didn’t need help.

    Yet here she was helping.

    That wasn’t his choice though, she kinda forced it.

    Right?

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

    The day went much too quickly for Amitys liking. This morning had lasted so long but then time seemed to have sped up after Willow took over her shift of watching the navy boy. Her time with Luz felt like it lasted only a moment before they were called for dinner - which Amity counted herself lucky when Luz wanted to continue their conversation on their book during it.

    Before she knew it, the sun was on the horizon and Amity wanted to get an early start to bed so she could maybe sneak a chapter in on the book Luz was letting her borrow. 

    Which is how she ended up catching a blonde navy boy going through her things.

    He looked ridiculous with her chest thrown open and his eyes wide as being caught.

    “What are you doing?” Amity demanded.

    They gave him shelter, saves his life, made him a hammock, and yet here he was stealing.

    “Don’t touch my stuff.” She scolded, stomping over and slamming her chests lid down, nearly catching Hunter's fingers. “Who told you you can go through my things! Who should be watching you?” She looked around trying to see if anyone else was around. If this was someone's idea of a joke she was going to-

    “Willow.” Came the boy's quiet answer.

    “Willow?” Amity repeated. “Willows watching you? Where is she?”

    “Said I could have a moment alone.” Hunter crossed his arms in defense. 

    “So you decide to steal?” Amity scoffed. “Wait till Eda hears this.” She started to walk away but her arm was caught by Hunter.

    “No- I didn’t” He started

    “You went through my things!” Amity yanked her arm away. “What am I supposed to do? Let you get away with it?”

    Dammit Luz was right, he looked like a guilty puppy.

    “Yes?” He shrugged looking away.

    Amity could feel her face heating up. She took a deep breath trying to ground herself.

    “Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?” Her voice was angrier than she intended.

    “Yes.” Hunter looked down, dropping his arms. 

    He looked rather pathetic for a thief.

    “What were you even looking for?” 

    “Willow said you had books.” Hunter answered. “I was just going to borrow one.”

    “Books? You’re stealing books?” Amity scoffed. “Why didn’t you ask to borrow one?”

    “I don’t like talking to you.” 

    Why did she even bother asking? She should just be telling Eda. If he was going to be stealing they needed to be aware. She turned and made her way out of the crew's quarters.

    “Please- Don’t- I was really just going to borrow it! Don’t make Eda throw me overboard.” Hunter pleaded.

    Amity halted.

    “Throw you overboard?” She scoffed turning to him, and part of her wanted to mess with him. Just how Edric and Emira did to her. His scared eyes made her think differently. “Edas not going to throw you overboard for ‘borrowing’ a book.” She sighed. “Or else I’d also be in the water right now.” 

    The understanding glow that crossed Hunters eyes made Amity realized she fucked up by telling him that. 

    “Look, I get it. You’re new. That’s how these things go. When I first joined I did far worse than you’ve done yet.” She crossed her arms. “So I’ll let it slide once”

    Hunters lip slowly turned to a hopeful smile.

    “But you owe me.”

    “Owe you what?” His smile dropped again. 

    “I don’t know yet.” Amity trotted back to her chest and opened it. “Now if you want to borrow a book, I suggest you ask.”

    “Can I?”

    “No, ask Luz.” Amity felt a little smug as she grabbed her own book out of her things and made her way to her hammock. She had chosen this spot because the lantern nearby was the perfect amount to allow her to read in comfort.

    “Oh, and you better hope she doesn’t catch you ‘borrowing’ from her. She will tell Eda.” Amity added hoping that was enough to scare the boy into not touching anyone else's things.

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

    Night on the ship was one of those uneasy feelings, being the only light for miles in the dark ocean only lit by the moon. Luz didn’t know why she found it nice, when others told her it made them feel so alone. It made her curious about the other things out on the ocean late at night. 

    She had a great day, and didn’t know why she was still awake truthfully. She should be down with everyone else in her hammock, resting. Yet here she was existing on deck watching the endless waves. If she kept up this her sleep schedule would end up as bad as Hootys.

    Gilbert and Harvey were watching the deck tonight. With such a small crew the adults tended to rotate, but told the kids they needed their rest. It bothered Luz to know they did extra work to allow the kids to still be kids. She wanted to help out the best she could give them more free time. Camila told her not to worry about it. They had a small ship they could manage.

    “Okay Kiddo, why are you awake?” Edas plopped herself down next to Luz.

    “I’ll go to bed soon,” Luz promised. “Just enjoying it.”

    “Everything you dreamed of?” Eda asked.

    “It’s nice.” Luz smiled. “Always finding something new, meeting so many people.”

    “Yeah, “ Eda lounged herself against the railing. “You picked up quite the crew didn’t you?”

    “What do you mean me?” 

    “Well I never planned on sailing again until a little girl marched into my home demanding adventure.” Eda chuckled. “Something about me being the hero in your stories?”

    “You’re in a lot of stories to be fair.” Luz chuckled.

    “That’s because no one can resist writing about me.” Eda beemed. 

    “I guess the crew is pretty much family now.” Luz smiled. “Still not sure about Hunter though.”

    Edas eyebrow shot up in interest. “Oh? What's wrong with him?”

    “Nothing, he just seems off.” Luz contemplated. 

    “Its only been a few days, give him time.” Eda smirked nogging Luzs head which wiggled her bandana all messy.

    “Eda stop!” Luz fixed it so she could see. “I know he just got here. I just thought he’d be more feisty.”

    “Well, everyone's story is different, kid.” Eda put her head on her hand as she leaned against the railing. “We don’t know exactly what he’s been through, but it seemed to have messed him up pretty good.”

    “yeah.”

    “Or, maybe this is just how he acts.” Eda shrugs. “Truth is Luz we can’t really help someone we don’t really know. We just have to give it time. Make him comfortable.”

    “What if he does leave?” Luz wasn’t sure why that would be bad. Eda was right they didn’t know him, but he was sad and it felt wrong to let him just leave at the next dock.

    “That’s why you’re up.” Eda realized with a sigh. “Look, when we get to port, he has his choice. It's up to him what he does. You can’t force anyone to stay, stranger or not.”

    “I know.” Luz turned away from the ocean and slid down to sit on the deck. “It just feels wrong to abandon him to be alone.”

    “He’ll probably make his way back to the navy.” Eda explained. “He probably had friends there. He also has family even if it’s Belos. We don't know maybe the evil bitch is a good uncle.” She shrugged. “Either way it’s Hunter's decision, and we gotta respect it.”

    “I can’t picture Belos raising a kid.” Luz twisted her face in disgust remembering her encounter with the man, when she bought his empty words of promise. 

    “He is his uncle, I never heard of Belos having a sibling but he must if he’s got a nephew. Maybe his family isn’t as bad as him.” Eda snorted. “Image Belos reading to a kid.”

    “Speaking of which chapter are you and King on?” Luz asked.

    “I read him chapter four tonight. He fell asleep before the witch made it to the school.” Eda chuckled. “he was so excited about her meeting a friend in the forest, but couldn’t keep his eyes open for the full conversation. “

    “AW” Luz could imagine King trying to fight off the sleep to listen. Eda sitting in her captain's chair scooted next to his bunk. It was so sweet.

    “I read ahead, the girl almost gets dissected.” Eda scoffs. “I could imagine you getting into that kind of trouble.” 

    “I learned from the best.” Luz chimed.

    “I never said I wasn’t proud.”

    They only continued talking for a bit longer- okay Eda and Luz did not know when to stop and kept talking for hours. It wasn’t until Hooty landed above them to loudly intrude that they stopped- even then it took a few minutes. The only reason they thought to stop was because Hooty was loud and people were sleeping.

    Luz made her way back to the crew's quarters. Keeping quiet as she snuck around the hammocks. She nearly tripped into the person standing in front of her hammock.

    “Why are you awake?” She jumped away from Hunter.

    “Amity told me to ask before borrowing a book.” He responded.

    “So you stayed awake till midnight waiting?” Luz whispered yelled. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

    Hunter shrugged. “Can I borrow a book?” he repeated.

    “Fuck! I don’t know! Sure! Let’s talk about this tomorrow!” She pushed him out of her way. 

    Hunter didn’t respond, only started to walk past her to his own hammock.

    “You know you could’ve come looking for me.” Luz added before climbing into her own hammock. “It would’ve saved you time.”

    “I wasn’t going to risk my neck for a book.” The whispered reply came.

    Luz stuck her head out of her hammock to eye the boy in the dark. “What?”

    “I’m suppose to have a babysitter.”

    “Oh, I think you’d be fine without one, once in a while.” Luz guessed. “Especially if everyones asleep and you’re waiting for someone.” She was too tired to play this game with the ex-navy. He seemed to value rules- which made sense with being navy and all- but really they were guidelines when Eda was in charge just don’t piss her off.

    “Ok.” was all Hunter replied before leaving Luz to rest.

    Truthfully Luz hadn’t told Eda everything she noticed about the boy. It was eerie how he just seemed to be normal after crying a whole day. How he seemed to have pushed his emotions to the side to value survival- just being obedient. Constantly acting like he was going to be killed for one wrong move.

    Though Luz probably shouldn’t judge on pushing down feelings.

    She was just worried about the stranger.

6TH Chapter Tumblr Link

[rezdragon]

2014 and My Writing

I just wrote about this in the script I'm working on, but I thought I'd go a little more in detail in a separate post. I've talked about this before on Twitter a few years back, but writing a script about it has put some fresh perspective into my head. Let me tell you about the time that I went from obsessively writing nearly every day, to not writing at all for three years.

I say that I have always been a storyteller, as growing up, I made tons of stories with the toys in my room and each day was like a new episode in the complicated plot of "The Beanie Babies On My Bed."

2006 is when I really started using a computer regularly, but it was 2007 when I wrote my first short story, which was like twelve pages long (which is long for a 12 year old). And from then on, I was hooked on writing. Every year or so, it seemed like I had some kind of new story going on. Not because I finished the previous ones mind you, I would just get bored of it, or the idea became too big and I couldn't finish it. Orintheous' first backstory was developed around this time (that's how old she is).

When I was introduced to Smash Machinima in 2008, it was a match made in heaven for me. A lot of the stuff I was writing was just loose video game fanfiction and now suddenly I could make that real? Sign me up, 13 year old me was PUMPED.

And so in between my school work, I would be writing up scripts and other various short stories for machinima. I still have dozens of scripts for projects that never got a voice. This absolutely affected my attention in class except for English. Thanks to my constant writing, I excelled at English, especially the writing assignments.

My high grades in English continued into my high school years (also where my deep depression started), and by 10th grade, I was completely BURIED in writing a novel with a fantasy setting (Note: Do not have your first novel be a fantasy setting). I filled up several notebooks with drafts of short stories, scenes, and scripts. And when I wasn't trapped at school, I'd pour hours into Microsoft Word, making more short stories, scripts, etc. I just loved writing.

One of my proudest moments was in my creative writing class. The teacher gave us the blank assignment of writing a short story, but it had to be under 5 pages. I, the obsessive writer, argued that 5 pages was too short, and told her I had a 12 page story for her. She told me that if that story sucked and wasn't written well, she would outright give me an F on the assignment for making it over 5 pages.

I got an A.

In that same class, we had to submit poetry to this American Poetics Society or something like that, and I wrote a poem in 20 minutes about how I hated summer. And not only did I get a A on that assignment, that poem got selected to be in that year's published book of young authors (a book I SADLY COULDN'T BUY).

I kinda fell out of writing by 2013 because of d e p r e s s i o n, but I still had a lot of pride in my writing. Once I got out of school (and machinima) I sadly didn't have much to write about anymore, but I still kept up on it with fanfiction.

And then we get to college.

So in 2014, I was forced to go to college for a number of reasons, but the bottom line is that I did not entirely choose to attend college. To make it worth my while, I went for a degree in Graphic Design. I took a few fine art classes too, and I did learn something from those that I still apply to my work today. And I also took English 1, under the guise that it would be an "easy class" for me to get out of the way early.

It was not. Suddenly, the writing that let me fly through high school English without a thought was getting C's and D's. Even long essays I had to write about books we read were failing. I also couldn't pass any of the tests; I couldn't understand what was happening. For the first time in my life I was failing English? Me? Someone who considered themselves a writer?! And don't think I didn't try. The professor I had wasn't an asshole, he was great, and he tried his best to help me pass the class, but something just did not click and I failed English 1. This was during an already rough time in my life, so I didn't take this failing very well. I stopped writing, just full stop. And I wouldn't write again for some time.

Fast forward to 2017, I'm watching all of my old machinima from back in the day, feeling a little sad that I never finished what I had started. I decide to jump back in (for various reasons), and I was planning on working on a previously failed machinima series, but then I made a joke video on April 24th of 2017...

This joke video was a machinima called "Orintheous Declares War On RyeDragon." It was a word for word remake of a video made by PMK94 when he declared war on me for switching my Smashsona to Lucario back in 2009. That original video spawned an entire video series where PMK and I went back and forth trying to one up each other like the children we were.

Well, this joke video, made 8 years after the original, woke PMK up from retirement, and he responded to the video with a machinima of his own. I was so thrown by this because I honestly did not expect this and I thought: "I have to follow this up with my own video."

And for the first time in 3 years, I wrote an original script, performed it, and published it to the world, that video being "Orintheous' Plan Begins." And once again, PMK and I went back and forth with each other, spawning the original Orintheous' Revenge.

The scripts for the original OR were the first bits of completely original writing I had done in 3 years. I mean it when I say I went from writing almost nonstop to not writing at all. I didn't write anything in those three years and I honestly feared I would never regain my love for writing. But a silly little series about recolored Charizards reignited my spark, and while it took awhile to make a flame, that flame exploded in 2021.

By 2021, I got my love of writing back in full force, and once again, it was thanks to Orintheous' Revenge. I spent the first half of 2021 working religiously on writing the plot and other elements for OR, just like I had done before for my fantasy novel. Orintheous' Revenge was merely the warmup though, preparing for the main event of 2021, which would be The Disaster Archives.

All of the writing I do for TDA today would not be possible had it not been for Orintheous' Revenge. College nearly killed the writer in me, but Orintheous, the god of life, brought it back. As I am currently writing a 46 page script about the events of 2021, three years after the fact, it honestly feels weird to me to even think about the fact that I went three years without writing anything. I'm back to being incredibly dedicated to it, just as much as I am to my art.

I have always been a storyteller, and I will tell my story, either with recolored Charizards or beanie babies on my bed. I'm not super vocal about calling myself a writer, but if you ask me, I will gladly tell you:

"Yes, I am a writer."

More specifically, I call myself a script writer, as I love writing dialogue. I don't think I could ever write a novel again haha.