#in a game of secrets the game wins when there’s no one left to tell

[stinkysam]

Choi Subong “Thanos” - Golden child.

Warning : this is not an x reader cuz they’re brothers. Drugs, death, violence, lots of scenes retranscriptions, really long (11k3 words)

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : “You’re Thanos’ little brother and you decide to join the games to help him pay his debts.” - anon

Reader : male (you/yours)

A/N : bold is in English

You were the second and last child, the favorite. The one that succeeded in everything he tried and never brought troubles home.

Unlike Subong who had bullied some of his classmates before leaving school at a young age to focus on his rap career, had some moderate success and then failed, you were still in school, mixing studies and work in a tight schedule.

That didn’t stop your dad from giving you a hard time at certain moments, though it was your older brother who took most of it during your childhood. 

When Subong left the house, your father badmouthed him for it, saying he didn’t care about the family or taking care of your parents, but when you did you almost got praised.

“Ah, my successful son.” You received a pat on the head, a bit too strongly for your liking.

Your mother on the other hand had congratulated you the same way she did with your brother. Buying and cooking you food for your own place to fill the fridge.

You knew she worried about him, and you did too.

Despite these differences as you grew up, Subong always saw you as his baby brother that he needed to take care of.

In his own way though. 

But you felt more like it was the opposite since the day you began to understand how your family worked. You didn’t mind though, you loved him and his antics, actively hanging out with him once school was over, from elementary school till you got into university. 

You didn’t care if you had to solve his problems, you knew he’d do the same thing if you got into trouble. Which you tried to hide a lot of times because you knew he would beat up anyone bothering you. And you didn’t want him to go to jail because of you.

So when a weird man approached you on a Sunday at 10am for a game of ddakji with money for the winner, you wondered if he was some kind of gambler trying to get his fix.

You weren’t particularly looking for money, but 100 000 per victory was still appetizing and you thought about your brother.

He sometimes asked you for money and even though it was always small amounts he never refused when you gave him extra cash. He never told you he had debts yet you easily guessed it despite not knowing how much he owed exactly.

You accepted to play. You could give what you earned in that small game to give it to him.

Rubbing your stinging cheek you took the money the man gave you, counting it before folding it and pushing it in your pocket.

He handed you a small card, telling you you could win more by playing a few more games.

It smelled fishy but you still took it, wondering how much you could make and if it’ll be enough to help your brother.

As you walked away, you immediately called him.

“Rise and shine ! I got something for you.” You said a sing-song tone as soon as he picked up after the third try.

“Huh ?” His voice was rough, you knew you had woken him up, it made you laugh.

“400 000 won. What do you say ?”

“Huh ?” He repeated. “Mh, I don’t need money…” He said uncharacteristically quiet, you scoffed.

“Yeah, right. You’re at your place I suppose ?”

“…Yeah.”

“Coming.” And with that you hung up.

-

You woke up at the same time as everyone, quickly emerging, looking around and at all the people surrounding you.

From above, you spotted on the ground someone with purple hair walking around amongst the others. You tried to get a better look when suddenly a big door of the lobby opened, pink masked men coming in with guns.

A man with a square on his mask welcomed you all, explaining what you were going to do for the next following days. Then questions came. Why the kidnapping ? The masks ? Why all those secrets ?

As the square responded, talking about security of the staff, a girl commented on her clothes, finding them ugly, preferring to wear the pink suit the armed guys were wearing.

That’s when the man with purple hair you saw earlier spoke, talking about his limited edition shoes. You recognized the voice instantly.

“Subong ?” You said to yourself, not believing your ears and eyes.

Another man intervened, asking about his phone, needing to monitor the crypto market at all times.

You supposed the square no longer had patience, showing and giving the names of everyone that had asked questions. Your brother appeared on the screen above the pink man. There were no doubts anymore. He’s here.

Fuck.

The square continued talking, speaking about second chances while the screen continued to display everyone in the room playing ddakji. You weren’t listening, hurrying out of bed and climbing down to find your brother.

You quickly stopped though as the lights dimmed down and a giant piggy made of glass came down from the ceiling.

“How much is the prize money ?” A curly haired man asked.

“The prize money for the games is 45.6 billion won in total.” The square replied as you almost fell from the ladder in shock. 

Regaining your composure, you slowly began searching for your brother again as more questions and answers were given, and apparently you weren’t the only one searching for someone. Just as some old woman found that curly haired man, you saw Thanos’ purple hair.

“Bro ! Subong !” You whispers yelled, making your way toward him.

Subong’s head shot up, looking around for whoever had called him. His eyes widened when he saw you approaching. What ?!

“What the fuck are you doing here ?” He asked a bit too bluntly, making you grimace at him.

“I came here to get you money. You’re not supposed to be here as well.” You sighed, putting your hands in your pockets. “If I knew you’d be here too, I wouldn’t have called them.”

“You should’ve told me, man ! No secrets between us, remember ?”

“Like your big debts you hide from mom, dad and me ? Wasn’t it 1.19 billion ?”

“How do you know ?” He asked, genuinely surprised. He thought he had hidden it well. “Ah, they said it when they showed me. Did I look cool ?”

“No.” You said, too seriously, making him huff. “And no, I knew before that.”

“Huh ?”

“I’m smart, you’re dumb, remember ? I smelled your debts from kilometers away.” You said with a proud smile, dusting off your chest.

“Ah, that bastard.” He said under his breath, glaring at you. “Is that the way of treating your older brother ? Mh ?” He pushed your shoulder, making you smile.

“Sorry. But seriously, why didn’t you tell me you met that sketchy guy when I told you how I got the 400 000 won ?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d call them ?”

You stared at him and gave him a sigh.

“Alright. You got a point.” 

“No more secrets, okay ? You know everything anyway.” He said, showing you his pinky. “Promise ?”

You looked at his hand and groaned.

“You have my word but no pinky promises. It’s fucking cringe at your big age.”

He put one hand on his heart, acting hurt, his other one still waiting for yours.

“Do it.”

“No.”

“Come on ! Do it !” He loudly said, losing patience and attracting attention, making you give in.

“…Alright.” You sighed, one hand on your face in embarrassment as you locked pinkies with your other one, thumb touching his. “Promise.”

“Good.” He said, rubbing your hair quickly. Before hugging you. “Ah, I’m so happy you’re here. We’re gonna make so much money, my little guy !”

-

You gave each other a thumbs up as you signed the consent form to play the games and walked back behind the lines, waiting for everyone to be done.

That’s when a young man approached you two, 124 written on his sweatshirt. 

“Thanos. Do you remember me ?” He asked, a bit awkwardly.

“No.” Subong replied. You tried not to smile at his bluntness. “Who are you ?”

“I’m Namgyu, from club Pentagon, we met a few times, don’t you remember ?”

“No.” He said again, shaking his head after thinking quickly. “What do you want ?”

You barely listened to Namgyu’s answer, focusing on trying to find the highest number on people’s sweatshirts.

“Oh, there’s MG Coin.” Namgyu said, pointing to the front. Subong suddenly stood up, walking toward where 124 was showing. 

You saw them talk with another guy, 333 on his clothes, their discussion grew more heated and you grimaced as Subong grabbed him, about to punch the man, but Namgyu stopped him.

Your brother walked away only to go back toward 333, probably menacing him before sitting next to you once more.

“You lost money because of him ?” You asked, trying to understand what happened.

“500 million won. That fucking bastard.”

You stared at him, dumbfounded. You said nothing though a hundred things rushed to your mind. Why the fuck would he spend that much on it ? Was it the money he won by rapping ? Does he even know how crypto works ? Why did he trust some random guy on the World Wide Web ? Was he… truly dumb ?

You sighed, massaging your forehead.

Soon, everyone had signed the consent form and the square told you to follow them for the first game.

You patted your brother’s back as you stood up.

As you formed a line, Subong behind you and Namgyu behind him, you tried to find where you were by looking for windows.

But there were none. Long corridors with unnatural lights, stairs in every direction, no views to the outside. You could still be in Korea or on some random island in the middle of the sea. Or maybe even underground in another country.

Your photo was taken and as you walked away you looked at your brother. Someone had recognized him, a fan, asking for a photo with him. Soon more people came asking for a photo, squeezing in the shot to be with him in the picture. You smiled, amused and laughed when the square said it was not allowed.

You walked away, still chuckling as your brother told him to get in the shot as well.

You continued going up and down the multiple stairs, seeing the other lines taking a different path than yours. You wondered if you’d all end up in the same place.

Suddenly Subong pushed you, rushing past the people in front of you. You wondered what was going on until you saw the lady who spoke about how ugly the green tracksuit is.

“Ah, who does he think he is ? Casanova or some shit ?” You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose.

Next time you saw him, it was on a big empty field, with what seemed like all the other persons from the lobby. You wanted to approach him but as soon as you heard him talk to that girl you walked away.

“Fuck. So cringe.” You huffed, slapping lightly your face to recover from that sight. Sadly you weren’t far enough as you heard him rap for her. You tried not to laugh, your eyes watering in embarrassment. “Surely he’s adopted.”

The doors closed as they announced the name of the first game, Green light, red light. Seems easy. You liked playing that game with your brother as you were a kid, though he always added new rules so you’d lose.

Then a man rushed to the front, 456, the highest number you’ve seen on someone. He yelled for everyone to listen to him, that losing meant dying. 

No one seemed to believe him, even arguing back and saying it was ridiculous.

So 456 continued, saying the doll had motion detectors in her eyes. You knew this whole situation was weird, but didn’t expect the other people here to be weird as well.

But still no one believed him. Even as the first few rounds started, everyone was moving and freezing in time as he stayed still, yelling to stay relaxed.

It was going so well until that girl your brother was flirting with moved, scared of the bee on her neck.

“Crap, I just moved.” She said, before getting shot in the head and falling to the ground. Your breath was caught in your throat as you almost jumped at the sound of a gunshot. Your brother was frozen, though you couldn’t see his face, you knew it was covered in her blood.

“Fuck- what the fuck ?” You whispered, staring at her body while yours began to shake.

“Nobody moves !” 456 screamed. Could he just shut up ? “You must not move !”

“Player 196 eliminated.”

Then a woman looked at 196 before screaming in horror and getting shot as well. More people moved in shock, screaming, rushing to the back, pushing people which made them move as well.

Through all the noise, you could barely hear 456 screaming, but you knew he was still telling you to stay frozen, to not move and wait or you’ll die.

“Let me repeat. You can move forward while the tagger shouts ‘Green light, red light’. If your movements are detected afterwards, you will be eliminated.”

No one dared to move when the doll turned and sang again, too afraid to die. As she did it once more, you saw your brother move, quickly getting something from around his neck.

“You will also die if you don’t make it there in time !” 456 yelled, urging you to move as soon as you could. “That doll is a motion detector ! But it can’t detect motion that’s not visible to it ! Go behind someone bigger than you, like you’re doing Follow the Leader !”

2 minutes 19 were remaining, and you were close to the middle of the field. Time is short but if you hurry up you could make it.

Everyone moved when the doll turned around, already forming lines as they hid behind each other. But her song got faster and faster, never leaving you enough time to properly run.

That’s when you saw your brother push three people before him, sending them to their deaths. Fuuuck. He had his fucking pills with him and took one of them.

He was also the first one to move again as the doll faced the wall, skipping, jumping, heel kicking.

You tried calling for him, telling him to hide behind someone. He was in plain sight, easily seen by the killer doll. But he was too out of it, the only one in the field taking pleasure playing.

Only a few meters remained, Subong crossed before you, dancing in joy as you finally reached the finish line too, out of breath. You were ready to let yourself fall to the ground to rest when he grabbed you, making you celebrate with him, but you just pulled away, throwing up. You had seen enough blood and deaths for a lifetime.

Everyone looked up when the sky closed. Pink guards coming in to bring you back to the lobby. Not a word was uttered on the way.

Subong tried to get you to talk, but you ignored him. You felt like if you spoke you’d cry or throw up again.

You all sat as one united group in the lobby, still silent.

You brother was sniffing and fidgeting. Namgyu asked him if he was alright.

“Don’t worry.” Subong replied.

“What ?”

“I’m okay.”

You were shaking, anxiously swaying when the lights were turned on, the square and a few triangles entering the lobby. Everyone moved away, trying to hide behind the beds to not get shot. Subong barely moved while you hid behind him and Namgyu.

The square congratulated you for making it through the first game, and announced how many people were remaining.

Scared, the old woman you previously saw with the curly haired man moved forward, begging to spare hers and her son’s life, promising she’ll find a way to repay her son’s debts. People followed, begging on their knees as well. You were still watching from behind Thanos.

“We are not trying to harm you. We are presenting you with an opportunity.” Said the square.

“Close three of the consent form !” A man yelled as everyone went silent, looking at him. “‘The games may be terminated upon a majority vote.’” It was 456. “Correct ?”

“That is correct.”

“Then let us take a vote right now.”

The square agreed, talking about respecting the right of freedom of choice. Everyone signed in relief, and you did too, relaxing slightly.

“But first, let me announce the prize amount that’s been accumulated.” He added, before clicking on a remote, and the glass piggy appeared again. Before you could wonder what was happening, money fell into it in large quantities, gaining everyone’s interest, slowly coming out of their hiding spot. 

Subong and Namgyu moved, getting closer from the center to get a better view as you remained on the floor, too stunned to move.

“The number of players eliminated in the first game is 91. Therefore, a total of 9.1 billion won has been accumulated.” The square announced. “If you quit the games now, the 365 of you can equally divide the 9.1 billion won and leave with your share.”

“How much is that ?” Someone asked.

“Each person’s share would be 24,931,500 won.”

Which meant 49,863,000 with you and your brother.

“Twenty million ? You said 45.6 billion !” Yelled Subong.

“The rule is that a hundred million won will be accumulated for each eliminated player. If you choose to play the next game and more players get eliminated, the prize amount will increase accordingly.” The square replied.

Your mind was racing, barely listening as more questions were asked. The square’s answers seemed to please everyone as they all began to whisper among themselves.

If you and Subong survive, it’ll be 45.5 billion won in total, so 22.75 billion each. Fuck. Could you stand more games ? There was this guy, Namgyu, that could help but could you really trust him ?

“Now, let’s begin the vote.” Said the square as some circles entered to place a machine with two buttons before him, an O and X lighting up on the floor. “If you wish to continue the games, press the O button. If you wish to end them, press the X button.”

456 voted first, not even hesitating as he chose X before walking to the X side of the lobby.

454 chose O and did the same, standing on the other side of the room.

Slowly, 54 people had voted. There was no real big majority, though it seemed like more people voted X. Then the Os were winning, 92 people against 87. Your brother rushed to the machine, pushing the O button without hesitation. 93.

You sighed.

Fuck. You’d have to vote O too.

456 suddenly intervened, telling people to come to their senses. Why did so many want to keep playing after knowing how the games were ?

100 argued back, asking who he was and why he kept egging everyone on.

“You scared us by saying they’d shoot us before the game even began !”

254 spoke too, saying she almost died because 456 made her so nervous.

That’s when 226 asked the real question. How did 455 know they were going to shoot those who moved ? Was he one of them ?

456 stayed silent as they continued to argue back, chaos erupting as both sides yelled at each other.

“I have played these games before !” 456 finally yelled, shutting up everyone. “I have done this before ! I knew about the first game because I had played it before ! I played the games here three years ago. And everyone who was with me… died here !”

This stunned everyone. But not for long. He already came here ? How did he survive alone ? Was he the only winner ?

“I was the final winner.” He added, quietly. “If we continue the games, every single person here, just like all the people back then, will die in the end.”

100 scoffed, not believing him. What was he doing here if he already won 45.6 billion won ?

More people voiced their disbelief as you saw your brother approach 456 confidently.

“If you really won, it actually works better for us.” He pointed at him. “You can give us some tips on how to beat these games.”

“That’s right ! We have a previous winner with us, so what do we have to worry about ?” 100 added. “Come on, let’s do this !”

“Come on !” Your brother yelled, as other Os agreed, encouraging the others to vote O as well.

You saw 456 walk toward those who hadn’t voted yet, begging them to vote X to stop the deaths. As he was talking a triangle had approached him, planting his gun on his back.

“From here on, we will not tolerate actions that disrupt the voting process.” Said the square. “Now let’s resume the vote. Player 228.”

And so the vote continued. Slowly the X returned the situation, voting in mass while you stood next to your brother with an O on your chest. You heard him sigh, annoyed with how this was going.

331 people had voted, the Xs were winning. Then the Os, then the Xs again and so on.

As only a couple persons were left, each side cheered when a vote their way was made.

“Player 001.” Called the square.

“Everyone, say O !” Your brother yelled, raising his fist in the air and quickly each side did the same thing. Yelling what to vote. 001 could change everything, getting you out or keeping you in. His vote was crucial.

Silence fell as he stood in front of the buttons, visibly hesitating before choosing O. 

Everyone cheered, Thanos was jumping in joy, his hand on your shoulder to reach higher before bumping his chest against Namgyu’s.

After the vote and when everyone had calmed down, the pink men came back, putting you all in lines to give you food. Fried egg and rice with a bottle of water.

You were eating calmly with your brother and Namgyu. They talked first about the prize money and slowly the discussion drifted toward the YouTuber that had scammed them. If they get his money as well, it would make a really great sum.

Namgyu left first, rubbing his hands, Thanos followed quickly, leaving you his rice to finish. Though you didn’t feel too hungry after what happened, you still took it, watching where they were going.

Toward the YouTuber, obviously.

It didn’t take long for them to throw hands, 333 throwing himself on your brother, both landing on the floor as Namgyu tried to help.

Subong got back up and began punching the poor man.

“Son of a bitch.” He cursed, 333 was on the floor as he began to kick him. “I lost all the money because of you, fucker. You piece of shit.” 

Fuck. You quickly finished your rice and stood up, wanting to stop him before he could beat him up too much.

“Boys, what are you doing in the middle of mealtime ?” 001 intervened, slowly making his way toward Subong, Namgyu and 333. “No fights during mealtime. There are elders present. Mind your manners. And two against one… aren’t you embarrassed ?” 

Your brother stopped, looking at him before approaching him, confidently closing the distance.

“You’re lecturing me when you ended up in this shithole too ? Dude, stop running your mouth and take care of your own damn kids.”

“What did you say ?”

“I said save the lecture for your own damn kids.”

Then 001 grabbed him by the throat, making you jump and hurry toward them with Namgyu. The man kicked you two without breaking a sweat, sending you to the floor before letting go of your brother.

Knowing him, he was seeing himself as the strongest here, so he wasn’t going to back down from this fight. As he approached 001, he got punched in the stomach, bending down in pain and trying to catch his breath.

“Wait-” He said, trying to put a hand on the man who grabbed his arm which cracked loudly, and sent him on the floor before kicking his face and shoulder, making him lay on his back.

001 was above him, strangling him and ready to punch him again as you stood up with difficulty, limping toward them.

“I’m sorry.” Subong said, struggling to speak.

“Please let go of him, we’re sorry !” You said, bowing completely, desperately trying to help your brother not get killed here. You could not take that man in a fight. “Please, sir !”

“Please… let me go…” Subong’s face was red, voice strained, hands by 001’s wrist.

Slowly, 001 pulled away as your brother coughed, finally getting some air. You rushed to his side, helping him up.

People were clapping, applauding the man for stopping the fight. He nodded slightly before walking back to the group he was with.

You sat with Subong in a corner, Namgyu joining you rapidly, limping as well. You stayed together till it was time to go to bed.

But despite his loss, your brother still looked confident, he was not going to be put down so easily. If he wasn’t the strongest, he was the second strongest. You sighed, exasperated and placed your hand on his head. If you could just give him some of your brain cells… Just a bit…

“What ? What is it ?” He asked, looking at you.

“No, nothing. Keep yapping, I’m going to bed.”

“I’m not yapping. Hey ! Come back here !” He sighed as you ignored him, climbing to your bed. “That asshole…”

-

You woke up to the sound of classical music, and soon a voice in the speakers spoke, announcing the start of the second game as armed pink men came in. You began to climb down, and as you reached the floor you looked at your wrist. Your watch was gone.

“What time is it ?” You asked.

“Too early.” Your brother responded still on his bed, opening his cross and taking a yellow pill.

“My god.” You said, watching him annoyed. You knew you couldn’t stop him even if you tried. “It’s always too early for you.” You added, before walking away.

He just tsked, swallowing the pill. 

From above, Namgyu knocked on the bed frame, gaining his attention, asking what he was taking.

“You don’t need to know. It’s time to play the game.” Subong replied, standing up and following you.

You arrived in a big room, two giant colored circles on the ground. They looked like rainbows. Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

The voice told you to divide into teams of 6 by the end of the 10 minutes. Quickly people began to look for partners.

Your brother wrapped an arm around you and patted Namgyu’s back.

“Three !” He announced proudly.

“Yeah, three missing.” You added.

“[Name] ! Namsu !”

“Namgyu.” Namgyu corrected.

“Excuse me, can I team up with you ?” A voice spoke from behind. As you turned around you recognized the man. He was the fanboy who wanted a photo with Thanos yesterday.

You nodded, eager to find the missing team members.

“Of course !” Your brother added, hitting the man’s shoulder.

“Thank you so much !” The fanboy quickly bowed.

“What’s your name ?” Namgyu asked.

“Gyeongsu.”

“[Name].” You said, pointing to yourself, then pointed to Namgyu. “Namgyu.” And then to your brother. “Him.”

“‘Him ?’ I’m fucking Thanos the great ! The legend !” 

“Yeah, yeah, we’re aware.” You said, nodding, making him glare at you. You could be really annoying sometimes.

“So… 2 more people, right ?” Namgyu pointed out, looking around for two more people.

That’s when Subong left without a warning, making the team follow him. Something had caught his eyes.

A girl.

Obviously. 

“Not again…” You whispered. “One of us really must be adopted.”

“Señorita, excuse me ?”

“Oh my god.” You hid behind Gyeongsu, too ashamed of your brother.

The girl turned around, staring.

“Let’s play the game together.” Thanos said, crossing his arms with a smirk.

The woman looked at all of you before answering, unsure.

“Well, why should I ?”

“Don’t you know who he is ?” Gyeongsu asked. “He’s Thanos, the rapper.” As he said that your brother posed, you just wanted to walk away and find another team. “I’m gonna kill half of humanity with my raps.” Gyeongsu rapped, imitating him.

You felt sick. Why were you with them ?

“Hang on, a girl ? We don’t know what the game is.” Namgyu finally said as she tried not to laugh.

“I, Thanos the great, will protect you.” Your brother said, ignoring him.

“Right, Thanos...” The girl said, looking away, seemingly thinking. “So you have all the Infinity Stones ?”

“Of course.” He showed his nails proudly. “I’m gonna destroy anyone who gets in my way !” And took a step closer. “Just stick with me, and you’ll be safe. Okay ?”

“But I already asked someone to join me.”

“No problem.” He replied, rolling his R. “Who is it ?”

The woman looked at all of you before taking a step to the side, showing a smaller man. 125 written on his sweatshirt. He had voted X.

Namgyu sighed as you poked your head from behind Gyeongsu to look at him.

“What’s your name ?” Thanos asked.

“…It’s Minsu.” 125 replied.

“He looks like a freaking dork.” Namgyu argued but Subong ignored him.

“What’s up ? Nice to meet you, my brother.” He said, walking closer to him. “Welcome to the Thanos world.” He grabbed his hand and wrapped an arm around him. Continuing as he pulled away. “You’re cute. Come on.”

You looked at the timer, 1 minute 58 seconds remaining. You sighed, glad you found everyone you needed under the time limit. You used it to present yourselves to Minsu.

When the time was over, everyone sat by groups in the colored circles. Namgyu stared at Minsu while your brother swayed side to side, fidgeting excitedly.

The voice over the PA system announced the rules of the game. Presenting each mini game.

“Number one, ddakji. Number two, flying stone. Number three, gonggi. Number four, spinning top. Number five, jegi. Number six, cham cham cham. Your goal is to win all the mini-games and cross the finish line in 6 minutes.

“You guys pick.” Your brother said, not caring at all about what he’ll have to do. You elbowed him and he just looked at you, confused.

The first two teams were ready to start, everyone anxiously staring at them while continuing to pick what mini-game they could do.

“Let the game begin.” The voice said.

“Let’s get it ! Whooo !” Your brother yelled, hyped for it. 

The square shot in the air, and the timer began to run.

Everyone watched the two teams play, failing certain mini games repeatedly. And eventually, the 12 of them got shot. Making most of you jump.

Fuck. Could you really make it ?

Namgyu quickly turned to your brother who was in his own world, wiggling and shaking his head. You were breathing heavily, lost in your thoughts.

“I don’t know what the fuck are you talking about.” Subong said a bit loudly, bringing you back to earth.

“If I get nervous and lose the game, we’ll all die. My hands are shaking like crazy.” Namgyu said, showing his hands. He was shaking more than you.

“Namsu.” Your brother started, only to be cut off.

“It’s Namgyu.”

“Right, Namgyu.” He took his cross in his hand. “Do you know what that is ?”

“Ecstasy ? Ketamine ?” Namgyu whispered.

“It’s a new kind. It’s fucking crazy, man. You can’t handle it.”

“Hey.” Namgyu rolled his sleeve, showing a scar on his left arm. “I did all kinds of stuff when I was working at the club. I even bought you some when you came to the club.”

Subong looked around, and opened his cross discreetly, giving him one pill.

“You junkie.” 

Namgyu quickly took it, chewing it before swallowing. You simply hoped they wouldn't get too high and fail the games. Praying to any gods to help you.

“What ?” Namgyu asked Minsu who was staring at him, Subong back in his imaginary world.

“Uh, nothing.” Minsu replied awkwardly.

“What’s your name again ?”

“It’s Minsu.”

“Minsu, what’s the famous quote by Admiral Yi Sun Sin ?”

But Minsu didn’t answer. Confused by the question at a time like this.

“‘Those seeking life shall croak. Those seeking death shall live’. So don’t be scared. Just tell yourself that you don’t care if you die. Then we’ll survive, win the money, and get the fuck out.”

“Hey, mind your own business.” Finally said Semi. Gyeongsu looking at the two.

“Me ?” Namgyu asked.

“Yes, you. Mr. Shaky Hands.”

“What’s with the attitude ? We shouldn’t have picked a girl. She’s got an attitude.”

“You’re a prick. You had to pop a pill for your nerves.”

“Fucking bitch.”

“Ah, calm down you two.” You finally said, trying to lower the growing tension among the group. 

Then the doors opened. By instinct you leaned to the side to hide behind your brother who put a hand on your knee.

“Don’t worry. I got you.” He said, confidently, trying to reassure you. But with so many guns in the room, it didn’t work.

You watched in silence as the circles got in with big boxes, putting the dead inside. A triangle approached one of them, requested to open it before shooting the person inside twice.

You leaned even closer to your brother, jumping at the gunshots, trying to make yourself as small as possible.

“It’ll be our turn soon.” Subong said.

“Shut up.” You whispered. Your forehead against his back. You really wanted to go home.

Then it was the turn to two other groups. Nervously walking toward each mini game, as everyone looked anxiously at them. You all cheered each time the team of the old woman aced a game, tension growing. They had time, they could make it, right ?

Slowly people stood up to cheer for her team, encouraging them, only staying silent to let them play and focus.

You gasped when 120 slapped 044, staring shocked. But everyone cheered again as she succeeded, counting with them the steps to the next game then turning silent.

120 asked everyone to look away, so you all showed her your back, counting the number of kicks. Then cheering.

“One, two ! One, two ! One, two !” You screamed with the team, taking one step after the other toward the finish line. In the end both teams succeeded which shifted the whole mood.

Each passing team was encouraged, the tension was still here but the weight of death wasn’t as heavy as before.

As you were on the starting line and the guards tied your feet together, you tried to ignore them and relax. No timer, no guns, it was just you and your team having fun. You breathed deeply, wrapping your arm around your brother’s shoulders who was completely hyped for it. You tried to imitate him, confidence could get you far after all.

Gyeongsu was first with ddakji, rapidly succeeding after a few failed attempts. Then it was 380’s turn with flying stones. Namgyu was so nervous his knees kept violently shaking, even when cheering. You wondered if he was gonna piss himself.

Minsu’s turn was up with gonggi, while Subong was just vibing while Namgyu was making noises each time the plastic stones were in the air. You swore to kill him if he made Minsu fail a second time.

Then it was his turn, knees still shaking for the spinning top. And he failed twice. 380 got so close to punching him, grabbing him by his sweatshirt and cursing at him. Subong was dancing, throwing his arms in the air a little too close to Namgyu who had to push him away slightly before trying once more, finally succeeding.

It was now your brother’s turn with jegi, which he easily won, kicking 5 times the fluffy ball.

Came your turn. You stared at the circle, facing him, ready for cham cham cham. Your heart was pounding. You tried to go fast, not much time remaining.

Subong was patting your back, either encouraging you or simply vibing to the music in his head.

You didn’t let the losses shake you, breathing loudly, shaking but rapidly starting over until you succeeded, then the circle looked in the same direction you pointed 5 times. You had won.

You cheered, throwing your hands in the air, and you understood why Namgyu’s knees were shaking like that.

Then the team quickly moved forward, crossing the finish line in time and celebrating your victory.

You were fucking alive ! It was hysterical.

You continued shaking, adrenaline rushing through your blood as they unchained your feet, letting you go back to the lobby group by group.

“I told you we’d win !” Subong said, hand squeezing the back of your neck.

You then waited by your brother’s bed for the rest of the groups to come back.

You exhaled slowly, trying to calm yourself, but your brother kept talking about the games, making you relive the emotions.

“I know, I know, I was there, will you stop it ?” You replied, voice shaky with excitement.

“Why ? We did it !” He laughed. “ And a lot of people are gonna die in groups of 6, so we’re gonna get tons of money !” He added with a confident smile.

“Ah, why did you have to remind me that people die ! Seriously !” You groaned, throwing your head back and climbing on the above bed so he wouldn’t talk to you anymore.

More time passed, and more people came back.

Namgyu sighed, upset that so many “animals” had survived. He turned to Minsu, asking him how many he thought remained.

“Sorry ?” Minsu asked.

“How many roaches do you think we have left in here ?”

Minsu looked around, thinking before answering.

“About 200.”

“200 ?” You said quietly, no longer listening. That’s a lot. Why was there only one survivor in the previous games ? Were the games harder ? Or are they gonna become harder now ?

Shortly after, 6 more people came in, 455’s team. And soon, the square with his triangles entered the lobby, congratulating you all for making it through the second game.

You all looked up at the glass piggy as money continued stacking up inside. And as it accumulated, the square announced the number of people who were eliminated, the amount of people remaining and prize money total and the one to share if the majority decided to leave.

Ah, still not enough for your brother’s debts…

You were not the only one disappointed. It was still nowhere near 100 million won. People argued back, insinuating that the pink men counted the dead wrongly, asking to do it again.

“I completely understand your disappointment.” The square replied. “However we always keep the door open for you to pursue new opportunities. You will now take a vote to decide whether to continue the games or not.”

As he said that, the door opened again, the voting machine being pushed in and placed before him.

You thought it was smart of them, making people want to continue by showing how little they earned right before the vote. You wondered if the result was gonna be as tight as the first one.

It started by 001, changing his previous vote to X. You were a bit taken aback, he is the strongest in a fight and is in the team with the previous winner. What is he scared of ?

As the vote continued, your brother patted your back.

“You’re gonna vote O, right lil guy ?” He asked, looking at the numbers growing on each side.

“Of course, we’re gonna win these games.” You said puffing out your chest, smiling. Namgyu turned toward Minsu, telling him to not betray them.

“What ?” Minsu asked, confused.

“That.” Namgyu grabbed the X patch on Minsu’s chest. “We all agreed to play one more game, right ?”

“Yeah.” Minsu replied quietly. It’s clear he didn’t want to.

Once again there was no real big majority, each side always winning my one or two votes. Came your turn, O, then Namgyu and Minsu, both voting O as well.

You were winning by three votes, when suddenly 001 yelled to stop, and to come back to your senses.

Like the first vote, people argued back and forth about dying and having a second chance at life if they survive. And quickly all the Os with you and your brother were screaming “one more game” under the disappointed look of the Xs.

As time went on, an actual big majority happened, 23 votes separating the two sides. You were the winners.

The square announced the result of the vote, adding that the next game will happen tomorrow and the left.

Time went by and pink men came back to give you food, making you wait in line. You thanked them and walked away, following your brother and sitting next to him.

Everyone in the group gathered near, some more quiet than the others, not interested in participating in the discussion. You didn’t speak either.

The adrenaline had worn off and you just felt utterly tired and too hungry to be satisfied with what you got. Thanos noticed you chewing too much for the bites you took and knowing your eating habits, he gave you a third of his soboro bread to help fill your stomach.

You continued eating slowly, trying to trick your own body into thinking you were eating enough before the guards escorted everyone to the bathroom.

As you came out of the stall, your brother along with Namgyu and Gyeongsu were by the crypto YouTuber’s side. Probably annoying him. You approached, listening to their discussion which seemed a little bit too calm compared to their other altercations.

“You’re my slave until you pay me back.” You heard your brother say. “My slave.”

Ah, they’re still after him…

“So you have to keep playing the games until the end. And who knows ? You might win the entire prize alone.” Subong continued before beginning to rap. “Then I will get my money back, and you will get your happiness back.”

“If I win the prize money alone, that’d mean you’re dead.” Replied 333 as Subong thought about his words. “Why would I pay you back if you were dead ?”

True. You nodded slightly.

“How do you even remember your lyrics ?” 333 continued. “Oh, right. You forgot the lyrics in the show’s finale.”

Ouch.

“You son of a bitch. You have a death wish ?” Your brother grabbed him by the throat, pushing him near the entrance.

“Alright Subong, that’s enough.” You said, pulling him away from 333. You glared at Namgyu who was about to put a hand on your shoulder to stop you. You were not going to let him enable your brother.

Subong was about to go back toward the YouTuber when suddenly 390, 001 and 388 entered. 

He stared at them then at 333 before looking at you. You shook your head ‘no’ as you looked back at him and at 001. You weren’t sure 001 would be as kind as earlier and let him go again if he picked a fight with him.

“I’m watching you.” Subong finally said, pointing at 333 before walking away. You bowed your head slightly as you passed the three men, quietly apologizing for the trouble.

“If you kill him he’ll never pay what he owes you.” You said, walking next to him back to the lobby. He just hummed, still upset he couldn’t finish him.

“Next time it’s on sight though.” Added Namgyu.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said ?” You asked, turning to look at him. He simply rolled his eyes, ignoring you.

As you entered the lobby, a quiet music was playing, announcing that soon the lights will be off for nighttime.

You told your brother to calm down and sleep and he rubbed your hair.

“Good… night.” He said, posing.

“Ehh, so embarrassing.” You tsked walking away and climbing the ladder to your bed.

“[Name] ! Stop being a brat !” He yelled, pointing at you and you laughed, flipping him off.

Acting shocked by your gesture, he quickly grabbed the ladder and began to climb as well.

You hurried up, not wanting him to catch you, and hid under the sheet. That didn’t stop him from arriving at your level.

“Yo, lil bro.” He said, shaking you. “You really think you can tell me to fuck off ? Huh ?”

Your hand slid out from under the covers, flipping him off once again, more discreetly. He still saw it though, grabbing your hand and squeezing it shut tightly. It was starting to hurt.

“Alright, alright !” You quickly said as you came out from under the covers, trying to pull your hand away from his grip. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t flip you off ever again !” You added, hissing.

He took your second hand, squeezing it as well, making you grimace though you were still smiling.

“Are you sure ?” He asked, leaning closer, your fingers cracking.

“Yesss. I promise. Pinky promise even. Ahhh, let go please !”

He let go of your hands, smiling before rubbing your hair once more.

“Good.” He showed you his right hand, wiggling his pinky. You sighed and groaned with a chuckle, accepting your fate as you made another pinky promise. “Flip me off once more…” He warned.

“And I eat dirt. I know. But if I do…” You wiggled your eyebrows, leaning closer. “I’ll tell mom.” You whispered.

“Ah ! You bastard !” Thanos hit your shoulder as you laughed. “Mom can’t always protect you.”

“Yeah but I’m the favorite, remember ?” You replied, posing cutely. “She’ll be so sad to hear you kicked me, your own poor little brother. The family’s little meow meow.” You pouted, making a sad face.

He sighed, a hand in his hair. 

“Fuck off.” He finally said, giving up and climbing down as you chuckled.

“Good… night.” You said, imitating him.

You heard him laugh before replying.

“Hey, sleep with one eye open tonight.”

-

You woke up once more to the sound of classical music, the PA system telling you to get out of bed quickly before the start of the third game. Ah, you could’ve used some more sleep. Whatever.

You stretched and climbed down, seeing your brother share a pill with Namgyu. You sighed, ignoring them and walked amongst the others, waking your legs.

In the long and narrow corridors, Subong and Namgyu were already hyped, joking together. Whatever deadly game was coming, they didn’t care. 

You entered a big room with lots of colored doors, with some kind of round platform in the middle. As you got in, the name of the game got announced.

“Woah, we’ll be mingling together !” Said Subong excitedly looking at the group. “Doesn’t that sound like so much fun ?”

Only Namgyu seemed happy about it, jumping forward instead of walking.

The voice told the rules, repeating itself once more so everyone had heard and understood.

Soon the game started, the platform turning on itself with a song playing on the speakers. Round and Round.

You tried to relax, ready for the voice to announce the number while your brother was shaking his arm in the air, enjoying himself.

The song and the platform stopped suddenly, almost making you fall over.

“Ten.”

You quickly looked at your group, a 30 seconds timer playing. You grabbed the person behind your back as your brother, Namgyu and Semi did the same while taking Minsu and Gyeongsu with you, holding onto each other as you rushed inside a small room.

You looked through the small hole in the door, watching as the remaining people were shot, before being placed inside boxes. The doors unlocked themselves, allowing you to walk out.

You went back on the platform, staring at the puddles of blood splattered on the floor. Your stomach doing a flip.

The song started over, Namgyu and Subong locking arms and dancing.

“Five.”

You stared at your group. You were 6. You saw your brother look at Minsu and Gyeongsu, hesitating before stopping and only looking at him.

“Please…” Gyeongsu said, scared.

“Gyeongsu, you’re out !” Subong finally said, kicking him in the stomach. “Let’s go ! Whooo !” He rushed away, grabbing your arm as you looked at Gyeongsu, shocked. 380 grabbed Minsu who was also standing still.

“Wait- Gyeongsu !” Minsu yelled, wanting to help him as he was pulled away and into another small room, door locking behind him.

“Namgyu, what happened to Gyeongsu ?” Minsu asked as you stared at your brother, unable to wrap your head around what happened.

“Minsu, you fucker.” Namgyu replied, hitting his chest. “Talk to me like I’m your friend again, and I’ll leave you out there next time.”

“Wait !” Subong raised his arms, gaining the attention of everyone. “Where did you leave my boy Gyeongsu ?

You looked at him, utterly confused, as you were about to reply, gunshots and screaming were heard. He brought his hands to his head as he tried to remember what happened.

He suddenly pushed Namgyu to the side, looking through the hole.

“Fuck ! Gyeongsu !” He yelled, horrified.

You stared at him like he had grown a second head.

The doors were unlocked after a couple minutes and you slowly walked out, more blood on the floor, it was hard to not walk on it.

Minsu was distraught by it as well, looking at a puddle by his feet.

“Hey Minsu ! Come on, my boy, come on !” Your brother called him, waving at him to join the group.

It was time for another round, now there were less people on the platform as it began to turn once more.

“Three.”

Subong turned to look at you to grab you and Namgyu but you had disappeared.

With the way he was acting, you couldn’t lie and say you weren’t afraid of what he could do. Not wanting the same fate as Gyeongsu, you left to find two players to go with you.

You were holding one by the hand, frantically looking for one more person. That’s when you saw Semi alone. You grabbed her as well and rushed to a room, closing the door behind you.

Shaking, you tried to calm down, heart pounding. Semi stared at you. The sound of gunshots echoed again and then the voice over the speaker announced the players that had died as circles were putting them in boxes.

The doors reopened and you walked out, fidgeting with your fingers. When is this going to end ? You and 380 noticed Minsu, who stared at her with a relieved expression.

As you went to the platform again, you tried to blend with the other players so your brother wouldn’t find you. Which didn’t work.

“Where did you wander off to ? I thought you died !” He said, frowning, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

The platform began moving again but after a few seconds only it stopped.

“Six.”

You knew you couldn’t find 5 people in only 30 seconds, so you stayed with them to find 2 more, before rushing inside yet another small room.

As the doors unlocked after some time, you walked out, almost slipping on a puddle of blood. You felt sick and didn’t know if you could keep trusting your own brother.

“Now, the final round.” The woman on the PA system said.

“Fucking finally.” You whispered as you bent down, hands on your knees, tired of it.

The platform began to move, one last time, Round and Round still playing. 

“Two.”

Subong’s head was shaking, cartoonishly looking at you, Namgyu and Minsu. You rolled your eyes and grabbed Minsu, rushing away, closing the door behind you two.

You should’ve known this would happen.

When you were finally allowed to walk out and into the corridors, you didn’t wait for Subong. You were one of the firsts entering the lobby before climbing to your bed. You sighed, at least you made it out alive.

You saw your brother arrive with Namgyu, rushing to Minsu’s side, hugging him energetically. You rolled your eyes, falling backward on your bed, closing your eyes.

Barely a minute after, you heard someone climb your ladder.

“Hey bro. Why did you leave like that ?” Subong asked. “You even wandered off in the middle of the game !”

You ignored him, turning to face the other side.

“Ah, don’t be like that. I knew you’d survive.”

“Go away. I’m voting X.”

“Oh come on, don’t do that.” He whined, a hand on your shoulder, shaking you slightly.

“Picking that guy over your own fucking brother ? No, no, I understand.” You scoffed, refusing to look at him.

“Heyy, you picked Minsu first.” He said. You could hear his smile in his voice. He was still not taking this seriously.

“Your ass was not about to pick me, don’t fucking lie.”

“I was !”

“Is that what you told Minsu too when you got back here ? My boy, I thought I was with you but turns out it was this bastard.” You said, imitating his voice.

“I’m serious ! I was really gonna pick you !”

“Right. Go away, please.”

You heard him sigh, probably running a hand through his hair. Why were you so stingy about it, you survived.

“You’re gonna tell mom ?” He asked, trying to make you laugh. But you said nothing instead, ignoring him again.

He huffed, patting your shoulder before climbing down and going back to Namgyu and Minsu.

You stayed like this for a moment, trying to calm your nerves until the square and his triangles came in. He congratulated you all once more, announcing the results of the third game.

356 million won were accumulated in that glass piggy.

“The vote will once again be conducted in reverse order of your player numbers.” The square said, the voting machine now installed. “Player 456, please cast your vote.”

As the vote went on, you watched as Semi picked X. You looked to the side where your brother was. He was looking at her, making a ‘watching you’ sign with his hands. You smiled before wondering if you could really pick X as well. Subong’s money plus yours would equal 712 million won. Still not enough for his debts, even if you add player 333’s gain.

And as much as you were mad at your brother, you came here to help, not abandon him.

God this was giving you a headache.

The vote continued, your brother skipping to the buttons, kissing the O before turning around to scream while making a circle with his arms.

“Circle ! Let’s go !”

You sighed. You just wanted to go home.

Then it was Minsu’s turn to vote, choosing X. That surprised you.

Namgyu’s turn came right after him, and with no surprises he chose O again.

You did the same, though you had hesitated a few seconds before the buttons. Fuck it, we ball, eh ?

“I knew you’d do the right thing.” Subong whispered to you as you passed next to him to climb to your bed. But you didn’t say anything.

The scores were tight, no side truly getting ahead of the other.

Then the Os were winning again, 50 against 49.

Only 001 remained. His vote barely mattered. It’ll either make a tie or reinforce the Os.

It ended in a tie. Which means the vote will happen again.

Ah, you really didn’t wanna do it. You stayed on your bed until the circles came back with food. You climbed down, and waited in line for a bottle of coke and gimbap rolled up in tin foil.

Subong stopped before you, but you continued walking, passing next to him.

He rushed after you, handing you half of his gimbap.

“Don’t want it.” You said, not looking at him.

“Come on, I know you’re hungry. Take it. I’m sorry.”

“Give it to your new brother.” You replied before climbing to your bed.

As you were eating and drinking calmly on your own, the Xs called the Os to change their vote, saying they’d invite him for some beef and noodles.

Oh, how you wanted to change your vote. Beef and noodles…

The Xs didn’t take this kindly, arguing back until both sides were at each other's throat though they never crossed the red and blue lines separating them.

Slowly the chaos died down, and people were led to the bathroom. You decided to go as well, since you saw both Subong and 333 walk out. Seeing how it went last time, you knew it would end the same way. And if you or 001 wasn’t here to stop Subong, it could end really badly.

“Ah, that bastard.”

You were waiting by the exit door, watching, ready to leave once your brother and Namgyu were done talking to Minsu hiding in the stall. 333 was doing his thing. Everything was well.

But things escalated quickly, the YouTuber interrupted them to protect Minsu’s vote.

They faced and threatened each other, gathering Os and Xs behind themselves. Soon, Minsu rushed out of the stall, hiding behind others Xs.

You stayed by the door, not wanting to have anything to do with it, especially at this scale. You could handle your brother fighting but not a handful of men.

Then, of course, a fight erupted, 333 throwing himself at your brother who quickly sent him to the floor before punching him. Amidst the chaos, you moved closer to them, ready to pull Subong away.

As they strangled each other, you saw 333 take something out of his pocket and quickly you grabbed Subong, pulling him from behind. But that bastard was strong, resisting.

You let go of him before putting all your strength into one more pull, 333 stabbing the air as you and Subong fell on your back, your brother landing on you.

Before he could ask you why you did that, 333 threw himself on him once more, successfully stabbing his left arm and his right hand. 

Luckily, your brother was stronger, pushing him off and standing up quickly again, kicking him in the head and stomach.

You stood up as well and pulled your brother with you, walking out of the bathroom. He argued back, wanting to continue the fight and kill him. 

You refused to let go of him, both pulling in different directions. You accidentally let go of him and he hurried back to the bathroom until you grabbed him by his hair. He let out a scream of pain before doing the same to you with his unharmed hand. Both holding a fist full of hair.

“Come on, stop it !” You yelled, grunting, trying to move your head toward his hand so it wouldn’t hurt you too much.

“You fucking stop it ! Why are you against me ?!”

“Because you’re being fucking dumb !” You winced. “You want to make mom proud !? Don’t fucking kill anyone, that’ll- That’ll fucking help !”

“Let go of me !”

“Not before you calm down !” You pulled his hair harder. “I’m not fucking stopping until you go back to the lobby !”

“Ah ! Fucking bastard !” He yelled, hissing, before finally letting go of you. “Okay I did it, let go of me ! It fucking hurts ! Come on, bro !”

You waited a few seconds before finally pulling away, he rubbed his head, soothing where it was hurting as you did the same. Fuck, maybe you should shave your head so it wouldn’t happen again.

“You.” He pointed at you, approaching. “Why the fuck did you stop me ? Mh ? You should have my back at all times !”

“I fucking do !” You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose. “I told you. Do you think mom would be happy to hear how you egged Minsu to vote O, or how you harassed that crypto bastard, nearly killing him ? Or how you pushed those three people to their death during Green light, red light ! I haven’t forgotten ! Or Gyeongsu !”

“Alright, I get it ! Shut up !” He put his hands on his forehead, frowning. He barely remembered what he did. Did he really push three people ? Was it him who killed Gyeongsu ?

“I know you don’t care about dad, I don’t either, but if you go back there and kill that bastard, everything he said about you would turn out true.”

“I said I get it ! Shut your fucking mouth !”

You stared at each other in silence, regaining your calm slowly.

“It fucking scared me, dude.” You started. “That shit you take- After Gyeongsu I thought you’d get me killed as well. That’s why I took Minsu with me when you hesitated.”

“Okay ! I know, I’m sorry !”

You huffed. God, you wanted to punch him.

“Do I have to drag your ass back to the lobby or are you gonna walk with me ?”

“Guys !” You heard coming from behind you two. “Oh my god, guys, you’re here !” Namgyu. You sighed, rolling your eyes. “I got MG Coin’s fork !” He said, rushing to your side, showing it off.

Subong took it quickly, looking at the tines.

“It got my fucking blood on it !”

“Thanos.” You glared at him, warning him. He stared at you, surprised to hear you call him by his stage name. 

He gave the fork back to Namgyu with an annoyed sigh, making his way down the long corridors.

“Let’s go.” He said, waving at you two to follow him.

Crossing your arms you walked behind him until you reached the lobby’s door.

As Namgyu entered, he yelled that the Xs had attacked you three, nearly killing your brother and successfully killing more people.

Both sides slowly approached as Namgyu continued to lie about what actually happened. You walked away from them, going to your bed as you looked at Subong, giving him a ‘watching you’ sign with your hand before climbing up the ladder.

Soon after, the rest of the people in the bathroom arrived, the Xs quickly argued back, defending themselves and trying to spread the truth but the Os refused to believe them. 

The old man, 100, stopped them, asking which side had lost more men, stunning everyone into silence. That’s right, which side ?

Quickly the Xs and Os gathered to count themselves. You stayed on your bed, not really caring if your side had lost more. You knew the result would influence directly on the result of the vote tomorrow, but you didn’t care anymore. You just wanted to go home with your pain in the ass brother.

Your back against the wall, you were already dozing off when the voice over the speakers spoke, telling you to return to bed for nighttime, the lights turning off in 30 minutes.

Slowly the two big groups separated themselves into smaller ones as they rejoined their bed. Continuing talking until the last few minutes of light.

You were practically asleep when you felt your bed shake, someone climbing up the ladder. You groaned, already guessing who it was.

“[Name].” Subong said, shaking you. “You have to get down.”

“No.” You replied quietly, tired.

“They are planning to attack the other side, Namsu and some others have forks but so does the Xs. You can’t stay in the open.”

You sighed, sitting up.

“Huh ?”

“Come with me. We have to hide.”

“You’re not gonna participate in the fight ? Really ? Not even to try and kill crypto man ?”

He shook his head ‘no’ though it was evident he wanted to take part in it.

“Gotta protect my little brother.” He replied, pinching your cheek.

You slapped his hand away, groaning.

“Stop that, I’m not a baby.” You said, but he ignored you, climbing down.

“Come, quickly.”

You groaned, following him. Why did they want to kill each other like that when the games were already doing it ?

“10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…” The voice over the speaker counted.

As you reached the floor, the lights were out. Subong grabbed your arm, pulling you with him, quietly searching for a hiding spot.

“Under the beds, on the floor.” You whispered as you went down, crawling.

He followed you, lying on his stomach next to you as you tried to see what was going on.

You heard a scream from the X side, then rushed footsteps and more screaming. The lights began flickering as chaos quickly followed, everyone fighting. Punching, kicking, stabbing. Killing.

“Don’t make a sound.” Your brother whispered, his hand on your back.

After what could be 5 minutes, the lights were back on again as a group of triangles with a square entered, shooting in the air to stop the fight. 

They walked in, aiming at everyone standing up, making sure they stayed still before scanning the dead.

Your eyes widened when you saw 456 grab a triangle and steal his gun, killing the pink man, followed by more people doing so.

You and Thanos looked at each other, confused.

“What the fuck ?” He said and you shushed him rapidly.

You watched from under the bed as the triangles retreated, leaving behind them the square. An X tried to kill the Os remaining with his gun, but 456 stopped him, before yelling, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Everyone ! Don’t be scared ! Gather round, please !”

Subong shook his head, silently telling you to not move and stay hidden.

“It’s okay to come out !” Another man yelled.

“We’re not trying to hurt you !” 456 continued. Then you heard gunshots again.

It was 120 shooting the cameras.

Soon, everyone except you two was standing up, out of their hiding spot as they gathered guns and ammo in the middle of the room.

“Everyone.” 456 started again. “We will now head up to the masked men’s headquarters. We’ll capture the ones who captured us, put an end to this game, and make them pay !”

You watched as each member of his team was holding a gun.

“Anyone who knows how to use a gun and wishes to join us, please step forward. You tried to make yourself smaller, fearing to be seen even though you were still hiding.

“Hey. I know you’re scared.” Began 390. “I’m scared too. But this may be our last chance to make it out of this place alive. Fight with us so we can go home together. All together.”

“I’ll fight with you.” Said a man, quickly followed by others.

You grabbed Subong’s sweatshirt. Though he didn’t know how to use a gun, except in video games, you believed him dumb enough to try and go with them.

“I’m not gonna go.” He whispered.

“Are you sure ?”

“I’m not dumb.”

“Are you sure ?” You repeated again, smiling. He tsked, pushing your hand away.

“Ah, they left.”

You looked toward the front, no longer seeing 456 and his team. You sighed, relieved.

Now what ?

[nerdyenby]

Scar survived

The first to die in the entire life series is the only victor to survive the game. The irony there is fascinating and you can do so much with it.

In every other season, Grian takes at least one of Scar’s lives (his first, his last, or both), but not this time. He and Grian danced around each other, repeatedly falling towards one another only to be pulled away again. Scar broke his curse. One of the strongest curses in the series was broken, and in that moment Scar was free. Free not only from Grian, but also from death.

Or, another interpretation:

Secret Life is fundamentally different from previous seasons. As the games get more and more complicated, more and more involved, they become further removed from the senseless chaos and bloodshed of Third Life. Every season, the goal has been to be the last one standing, that is the only way to win. But when playing a death game, no one makes it out alive.

But that’s the thing: Secret Life isn’t a death game. It’s just… a game. A deadly one, yes, but loss of life is a consequence of the game, not it’s purpose. The design of Secret Life exists to sow tension and mistrust between the players, to drive them apart and yes, eventually kill each other. But the players prevail. They work together against the mechanics specifically set up to tear them apart. People live and die by their alliances, with no true betrayals for the first time in Life Series history. Even beyond teams, there’s a sense of camaraderie throughout the season. They’re not competing against each other, they’re competing against the Secret Keeper. The game isn’t “kill or be killed,” though that is how it presents itself. The game is secrecy. The game is self reliance. The game is independence.

All this death and loss was merely a side effect of the game, because who is more independent than the only man alive? Scar: friendly to all, friend to none. He didn’t have to die for the game to win, he was alone. He is left well and truly alone. There’s no greater independence than that. After all, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

[mareestoermers]

i think we are all forgetting something when we talk about how toxic patrick, tashi, and art are — or when we decide one is “worse” than the other. they all have moments of seeing right through it, seeing each other’s toxic behavior for what it is, and STILL want and need each other in this possessive, envious, visceral way.

1. in the way beginning, tashi is clearly flirting more with art than patrick, and patrick is visibly annoyed. art sees right through it and even challenges him like “okay, let’s leave”, and has this little smirk on his face because he knows patrick won’t give up on tashi.

2. tashi immediately sees the visible tension and love between art and patrick, and literally orchestrates their first kiss. she sees right through their repression, and even calls herself a “home-wrecker” but still entangles herself with them, especially patrick because he’s clearly the better tennis player at that point and that is tash’s ONLY true love. tennis. that’s what she desires most in him, and patrick knows that. he even calls her out on it in the dorm room scene. but they have this mirroring fire in each other that neither of them can give up, not until patrick breaks the balance and bails — tashi’s injury is literally a metaphor for the balance shattering between all three of them when patrick leaves her.

3. before this, patrick sees right through art trying to break them up, and even admires that quality — maybe even feels smug and flattered because art is jealous and feels left out from both tashi and patrick. patrick has known this all along, we saw it in the “tick-serve” scene, where he even swears to tashi he won’t tell anyone but he still tells art, who is desperate to feel a part of them and patrick wants that, too — even keeps that close intimacy with art that we see in the churro scene (swoon swoon swoon).

4. haven’t you noticed that arts desire to be great is only ever tied up in patrick and tashi? how he needs to beat patrick to win tashis affection, how he needs to win in tennis so that tashi can live through him, how he lives up to his potential in the ending only because tashi and patrick push him to it, in their little fucked up ways? he knows this — he even admits that he’s playing for tashi, that he knows she’s living through him. he even admits he’s playing a fucked up little game with patrick when they’re in the sauna. yet he still does it. again, he knows what’s happening, sees right through them — still does it, still loves them.

5. when tashi calls patrick to come pick her up he knows it’s not just to tell him to throw the match — and despite how she battles him about it, they still have sex in the car, because he already knows. he’s so fully aware of her and her game and he’s so willing to be caught up in it, the same as art.

just some examples of how they all have moments of clarity and agency and yet they still choose to be entangled in one another because they’re all fucked up in their own, individual ways, and they’re all living through each other for their own specific needs. arts is to be seen as worthy, as great, but only through their gaze. tashis is to have the career that was stolen from her. patricks is truly to be in love and in lust with both of them, because we even see that from the beginning that tashis love alone will never satiate him; it has to be arts love, too. that scene in the sauna when he thinks he’s lost it from art is the most sad and fucked up we ever even see patrick. on top of tashi asking him to throw the game — he’s so defensive of arts feelings.

in short this is an actual love triangle (and i would go as far as to see it as a polyship). you can’t erase one without the whole thing unraveling, and you can’t say one character was the “worst” without picking apart the motivations and pointing to the fact that their bad behavior was never a secret or left unchecked.

even at the end, patrick signals to art that he slept with tashi — art knows and they still have that intimate completion at the end, all three of them. art living up to his potential and embracing patrick fully (id argue this could even be a metaphor for embracing his bisexuality), patrick having both tashi and arts affection again, and tashi playing a phenomenal tennis match through her little white boys — in such a visceral, emotional way that she cries out like she did in the beginning and the last frame is her smiling.

in a fucked up way, they all get what they wanted out of each other.

[sinner-as-saint]

the alchemy

Mob!Bucky x Reader 

Run-through: About a decade ago you left your home and ran away, looking for a fresh start after having had your heart broken by the boy you loved. Now you’re back and turns out Bucky Barnes – the same man who once broke your heart – is adamant on tormenting you some more. But why? Why does he want you back at all cost when he was the one who once pushed you away and crushed your heart like it meant nothing to him? What secrets has he been keeping for almost a decade? Most importantly, what truly happened that night he broke your heart? 

Themes: forced marriage/marriage of convenience, angst, mob!bucky, metal arm, fluff, smut, possessive!bucky, childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, bratty!reader, mentions of violence, explicit language, slow burn-ish, HEA 

a/n: new mob!bucky pics dropped–

“I do.” You said in a sombre voice, with blood dripping from the cut on your lip as you sealed your fate and married your worst enemy. 

Bucky’s face was bleeding too, your nails had done some damage earlier when you both got into a physical altercation like wild animals. You nearly smirked when you realised he looked worse than you did. 

Then again you both looked like you went through hell as you stood here, at this makeshift altar, in the middle of what used to be the foyer of your father’s mansion before Bucky and his men shot at it until it was nothing but rubble, broken glass, and cracked marble. 

Messy hair. Cuts and bruises all over your bodies. Dishevelled clothes. Your white jumpsuit had your own bloodstains on it, and his all black suit was torn in certain places. But he looked every bit the man they say he is. Dangerous. Cold, dark presence. The large bruise on his jaw was beginning to get darker now, thanks to the many punches from you. His near shoulder length hair was surprisingly looking neat. It pissed you off. 

You looked like a mess too. And for a brief second, as his blue eyes looked down at your throat, you knew he could see a matching bruise forming around your neck from when he’d pinned you down to the floor earlier with that damned metal arm. 

No one was dead, none of your people and none of his. Thankfully. But right now, as you married the man standing in front of you, you felt dead inside. 

“You may now kiss the bride.” Was all you heard and you remained still as Bucky grabbed you by the waist and pulled you into him. 

You resisted for a moment, but then he pulled you harder until your chests collided and you had no choice but to remain pressed against him. “I’m tired of these games, princess.” He hissed in a lowered voice, looking down at you with his merciless blue eyes. 

You stared back at him with equal contempt. “You’re gonna regret this, Barnes.” You sneered, in a hushed voice. Not that the injured family members and men surrounding you – both his men and your father’s guards who stood and watched the show in disbelief and shock would mind the disrespect for each other in both your tones – but you didn’t want to add to the ridiculousness of this situation. 

“Oh?” He taunted with a faint smirk. Only then did you notice the small cut on his upper lip. It brought you a little solace. “You’re my wife now, you will do as I say.” 

The bitterness in your tone matched his as you said, “We’ll see about that, husband.” 

You could tell he’d accepted the unspoken challenge, and he would do anything to win. After all, everything was a game to Bucky Barnes. He didn’t care who he used, who he manipulated, or who he tossed aside. He paraded around like he owned this world and everything and everyone in it. 

Bucky scoffed then leaned in to kiss you, hard. It wasn’t a loving kiss in any way. It was possessive though. Like he was putting on a show for whoever was watching, making sure everyone in this dilapidated room understood that you were his now. 

You kissed him back, angrily. You despised him. Your entire family did. But they couldn’t save you this time. Bucky’s attack was unexpected. Your guards were unprepared. You were the last line of defence and this… union was necessary. You had to offer something, anything. Otherwise Bucky and his guys threatened to burn down your half of the city and turned it to ash immediately. 

But it wasn’t always like this. Your families used to be allies. You actually grew up with Bucky, he tolerated you enough back then and you had always had a crush on him. 

Then that night happened almost a decade ago… 

It was your twentieth birthday party, and your father made an announcement which you were not ready for. 

He announced to the ballroom filled with important people that you were to marry Bucky, and that both families were beyond happy to transform their friendship into something more solid through this alliance. 

You remained frozen in place for long minutes after that announcement was made, even though your heart raced like never before. No one had told you about this, but judging by the way your family hugged and congratulated Bucky’s family you understood that this was all planned. 

You kept that smile on your face though, as people walked over to congratulate you. You looked around and tried to find Bucky in the crowd to see if he knew about this but he was nowhere to be found. 

You were certain he was here just a moment ago, leaning against one of the pillars and brooding as always. And he’d just disappeared. 

The announcement made your heart flutter incessantly. After all, you’d always had a huge crush on Bucky. How could you not? He was the boy you grew up around, he had pretty eyes and nice hair. Sure he was broody and rarely ever smiled but you liked how it suited his bad boy personality. And your young heart was weak for the handsome boy with tattoos and blue eyes. 

After people were done congratulating you, you discretely walked out of the party and decided to look around and try to find Bucky. You hated how giddy you were. Sure, Bucky was broody and rarely ever laughed. He spent his entire time glaring at you then getting jealous when you talked to other guys. But you had liked him since forever. 

You looked all over your father’s mansion. Bucky was nowhere to be found indoors. So… maybe the pool area outside? You started walking in that direction, feeling like a princess in your white ball gown as you walked down an empty hallway, a faint smile on your face as you looked for the man you were meant to marry soon. 

Maybe Bucky knew about this announcement. Maybe he was okay with it. Maybe this would be your fairytale in real life, you thought. Maybe you’d melt his frozen heart and everything would be perfect. Maybe he liked you back all along and you just never knew! 

“...marry her?” 

Your smile vanished as you stopped right before you stepped outside onto the patio. Was that Bucky’s voice? Was he talking to someone? You quietly stepped closer, hiding behind the plants as you tried your hardest to listen to what he was saying. 

You could see him, standing on the black tiles by the pool. He had his back to you, and he held a phone to his ear. His broad shoulders and lean waist accentuated by how well that black suit moulded to his muscular body. You watched as he ran his fingers through his short black hair in frustration. 

Who was he talking to? 

“No!” He barked at the phone. “Did you not listen to what I just said? I don’t want to do this!” He yelled, not bothering that anyone around might hear him. “I tried to talk them out of it! This is so fucking stupid!” 

You blinked in surprise, unable to process what you were hearing. 

“I don’t care what I have to do, but I will not marry her.” He said with enough venomous certitude that a silent tear fell down your face. 

All your previous delusions turned to nothing but heavy disappointment. It made you feel stupid. This gown felt stupid. The diamonds around your neck, around your wrists and in your hair felt stupid. How stupid of you to think this was all going to end well? How stupid of you to think your childhood crush actually meant something? How stupid of you to think that there was a chance he liked you back? Of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t have ignored you for years if he did. 

You couldn’t stop the sudden sob that escaped your mouth. Afraid that he might have heard, you took a few steps back and hid behind a nearby, tall potted shrub. 

Things were quiet for a moment or two. You heard him whispering so quietly you couldn’t make out what he said. Your face burned in embarrassment at the thought of him finding you here. You already felt stupid and childish, you didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping in this situation. 

But then he resumed talking on the phone. You couldn’t risk moving to look at him so you remained hiding, and listened. Your heart broke with each word that left his mouth. 

“And she’s so blind she doesn’t even see it.” He hissed, louder this time. “I barely tolerate her. Her whiny, and bratty attitude. I mean she’s a grown woman and still acts like she’s daddy’s little princess.” He scoffed. “You should’ve seen her today, she looks like a kid’s toy with that ridiculous dress on.” 

More tears streamed down your face as you heard nothing but distaste and irritation in his voice. This was the boy you had a hopeless crush on? This is what he thought of you? 

You didn’t need to hear more. This was more than enough to completely break you so you turned around and quietly walked back down the same hallway. You wiped your tears, and put a fake smile on as you went back to your party. This time with a plan in your head. 

You endured the party with a heavy heart. Faked some more smiles until it ended. You didn’t see Bucky again for the rest of the night, which was good. By the early hours of the morning, everyone had left. You wandered around that empty ballroom like a ghost that night. For hours. Thinking, plotting. It was clear Bucky didn’t want this. And now neither did you. But your families had announced it. So what exactly could you do? 

By the time the sun rose, you had already written a note to your father and left it on his desk. By the time the sky brightened, your bags were packed and you were already driving out of the mansion grounds. And you knew that by the time your father would go into his office and find that note, you would already be on a plane, on your way out of here. 

You didn’t give too many details in the note. You simply said that you were leaving, not knowing when or if you’d be back. 

Truth was, you had no solid plans. All you knew was that you needed to get away from home. 

You didn’t know that when you’d return home – almost a decade later, so much would have changed. 

Your father was angry. Livid actually, that you’d been away for years without contact. You briefly explained why you needed to leave. And how you’d been able to make a name for yourself elsewhere. But after he was done berating you for what you did when you were twenty and stupid, he filled you in on all that you’d missed in the past decade almost. 

Some important points were: your family and Bucky were no longer allies, but were now each others’ worst rivals but no one knew that. The city was now secretly divided – your family ruled and controlled one side, and Bucky ruled the other. 

“It’s just him now?” You had asked, and your father nodded. 

“A lot happened after you left, actually–”

A loud noise cut him off. Rounds of bullets shot at the windows of the house, from all sides it seemed. And it was pure chaos. You could hear your guards fighting back, but even by just hearing the commotion you could tell you were severely outnumbered. 

But whoever it was, they weren’t shooting at anyone, just at windows – making enough noise to get your attention and to get you to come outside. 

You marched out of the room despite your father ordering you not to. And you were halfway down the grand stairs when he walked in and spotted you immediately with a smug look on his face. 

Bucky. Walked in like he owned the place. He stopped in the middle of the foyer, which was now ruined. Bits and pieces of concrete and glass all over the marble floor. Flower pots destroyed, the gilded mirror in pieces as well. He made a mess of the home you grew up in and you almost shot him right in the heart there and then. 

Here was the man who once broke your heart after making you think for years that maybe you had a chance. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” You hissed. You could hear your father coming to a stop on the landing several steps behind you. He was unprepared. You were armed with only one handgun tucked into your pocket. Your guards were outnumbered. This was a shitshow. 

The guards – his and yours – stopped firing and now just stood all over the place on high alert. And you knew, deep down in your gut you just knew something which you weren’t ready for was about to happen. 

“I see you’re finally home, princess.” Bucky just gave you a cold smile and shoved his hands in his pockets. The action drew your attention to one specific thing. The metal arm. You frowned at it in confusion, but didn’t react. 

But that word… ‘princess’ brought back memories which chased you out of this place. And it only fueled your anger. 

“What the fuck do you want?” 

He lifted his nose slightly in the air, like the arrogant prick he had always been. “I’m here to collect what I was promised.” His voice was strong and confident. “A bride. Now you have a choice, princess. Either we do this in peace and no one gets hurt, or…” 

He didn’t even have to finish his sentence because on cue, one of his guards sneakily appeared on the landing behind you, holding a gun to your father’s head. You froze for a moment. The look on your father’s face made everything so serious all of a sudden. You had to be extra careful here. 

“You wouldn’t.” 

He scoffed, “Wouldn’t I?” 

You argued, “It’s been almost a decade.” 

“I don’t care. We were supposed to marry each other–,” 

You cut him off, “Yes, and you didn’t want that, did you? I heard you on the phone that night.” You finally confessed. “By the pool. I remember every single word that came out of your fucking mouth. So don’t come here acting like you’re entitled to–,” 

“You think you know everything, don’t you?” He smirked, shaking his head. “Is that why you ran away? And didn’t come home for a decade? Because you spied on me that night and didn’t like what you heard?” 

That did it. One moment you were standing on the stairs, afraid that your father might get hurt and the next you had your gun out and shot right at his metal arm, knowing it wouldn’t hurt him but it would make him lower his guard for just a second. 

And that one second was enough to jump him and punch him right in the jaw. Fuck, it hurt but it also felt so damn good. All those years you’d been away, you were also training in your free time. And you knew you were good at combat. 

But so was he. A few punches in and he managed to throw you down on the floor and pin you to the ground with that same metal hand around your throat, keeping you in place. You didn’t know why his guards just stood and did nothing, as though they had been ordered not to shoot at anyone here. 

But you weren’t under any such orders, so you managed to land another punch to his jaw before he yelled, “Enough!” Right in your face. “Stop this shit, or I swear to–,” 

You cut him off by punching him again, trying to get free the moment you felt his metal hand get loose around your throat. He growled in annoyance and tightened his grip. 

“You’re like a wild fucking animal. Stop!” 

You gritted your teeth at the insult and scratched his face exactly like how a wild animal would. You tried everything, tried to punch him again, tried to scratch down his neck and arms which only tore his shirt instead of his skin. You went for yet another punch and only then did you feel another pair of arms – one of his guards – pulling your hands away from his face. You thrashed and tried your hardest to break free but you couldn’t and ended up biting your own lip rather badly in the process. 

“I fucking hate you, Bucky Barnes!” You hissed, defeated, and now with a bleeding, throbbing cut on your lip which matched his. 

Bucky kept his hand around your neck as he leaned in menacingly and whispered, “Hate me all you want, princess. But you will marry me. Right here. Right now.” 

And that’s how you found yourself kissing your husband, in the foyer of your father’s ruined mansion. With your helpless father, and the many guards as witnesses. 

You pulled away from the kiss, breathless and angrier than earlier. Jaws clenched, you were ready to tackle him to the ground again, maybe actually shoot him with your gun this time, but he spoke before you could say anything. 

“Let’s go.” He spoke, and like the loyal followers that they were, all of his guards silently walked out of your house. And Bucky grabbed your hand firmly in his and began pulling you out of the house as well. 

You resisted again. “Wait! You brute!” You pulled your hand away from his and ran back up the stairs to your father. “I ruined everything, I’m sorry.” 

He just hugged you and told you to be careful and be smart. And that he forgives you. You promised you’d come to see him soon. And then you left, refusing to take Bucky’s hand again as you walked out of your father’s house. 

You needed to think. You couldn’t fight him right now. Besides, it’s not like you married him legally. All Bucky wanted was to make a scene and you let him. For now. You’d need some time to come up with a plan and decide what needed to be done. But for now… 

“If you’re thinking about running away and disappearing for a decade again, you better stop. You’re not getting away this time. You hear me?” Bucky spoke, sitting next to you in the backseat of his car as the driver drove to his side of the city, to his house surely. That authoritative tone of his made you want to scratch his face again. 

“You seem to be under the impression that you’re in control here, Barnes. Just know, I could still shoot you right now if I wanted to.” You didn’t look at him, you looked out the window. At the city that had changed in your absence. 

“Ouch.” He faked his surprise. Then proceeded to put his arm around your shoulders to pull you into his chest, leaning down he whispered into your ear, “That’s not a nice way of treating your new husband, now is it?” 

You gave him a fake smile, ignoring the way your brain thought he smelled delicious, and reached into your pocket to pull out your handgun. Placing the cold barrel right under his chin you said, “Try me, husband.” 

The driver cleared his throat in nervousness and you didn’t want to traumatise the man so you pulled your gun away but left it in Bucky’s line of sight. He pulled away then, pulling his hand away from your shoulders but placed his metal hand on your thigh. A possessive move. 

Yet that didn’t bother as much. But the metal hand? Where did that come from? What happened while you were gone? 

He answered your questions voluntarily. “Got caught in a crossfire. I got shot too many times, the arm was beyond saving. So I had the metal arm made. It’s a very intricate technology, but it works just fine.” He said, flexing the hand on your skin. 

You didn’t miss the hidden sexual connotation in that last part of his sentence. And you certainly couldn’t ignore the way your body responded to the cold, metal touch. It looked… badass. Not that you would ever tell him. 

You tried to look out the window again, but his touch on your thigh was more distracting than you wanted it to be. It was all you could focus on. Just to stop thinking about it you said, “I don’t have any of my things.” 

“It’s all been taken care of. Don’t worry.” He answered, looking down at his phone. Acting like he didn’t know his hand on your thigh was messing you up. 

Still you frowned at his answer, “What do you mean it’s been taken care of?” Then you paused and thought about it for a moment, “Did you–” You sighed, “You knew I was coming, didn’t you? Did you have people spying on me?” 

He shrugged, “You thought I would let my betrothed be out there in the world without keeping an eye on her?” He scoffed, looking up from his phone for a brief moment, “Of course I did. I know everything about you. I even know all about that secret, women-only army you created.” He added, “I was half expecting them to pop out of nowhere earlier at your father’s house.” 

You were in disbelief. This whole time you thought you’d hid well. But no. 

“Where are they anyway? Your girls?” He asked, and for once it didn’t sound like a taunt. It sounded like he was genuinely curious. 

“Probably out hunting and beheading men who think they can get away with forcing women into marrying them by threatening to kill their fathers.” You gave him another one of your fake smiles, “I’ve trained them well.” 

Bucky smiled back. “Well good. When they get here to try and free you, we could unite our forces. We’ll be untouchable then, you and I. I have the money and you have an army.” He winked. “Ultimate power couple.” 

“You won’t get away with this, Barnes.” 

He looked out of the window and said, “I just came to collect what was promised to be mine that night.” 

You argued, bitterly, “Oh we both know what happened that night.” 

“I do.” He said, “But do you? Do you really?” 

You remained quiet for a moment. This was the second time he questioned your knowledge of what truly happened that night. As if you hadn’t heard him loud and clear on that phone call. 

“You–,” 

He cut you off and looked out the window as he said, “We’re home.” 

It had been a long day. And you were running out of energy so instead of arguing some more, you just followed him out of the car and remained stunned for a moment as you looked at his house. It wasn’t his family home. This one seemed new. 

It was just as large as your father’s mansion, just a lot more contemporary compared to the more Georgian architecture-inspired one you grew up in. 

Bucky’s house sat on a sprawling green and pristine property. It was a perfect blend of sleek architecture and a glass house, which allowed the right amount of privacy but also allowed glimpses of the warm, farmhouse inspired interior. Even from outside you could tell it was homey and bright inside. 

Before you could get a word out, you felt his hands on you again. You tensed up and almost hit him again in defence but before you could, Bucky was carrying you bridal style – literally – and marching towards the large doors of his ridiculously pretty home. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” You questioned, squirming just a little in the intimate embrace. 

“Traditions,” He said, looking down at you, “Can’t have you trip at the doorstep and risk bringing bad luck into our marriage.” 

You frowned at him, reluctantly wrapping your arms around his neck for support. “You say ‘our marriage’ like it’s gonna be a real thing. It won’t, Barnes. I’ll be out of here before you–,” 

He used you to push open the door and the warm interior of the home shut you up. For some reason you never imagined someone like Bucky would live in a house that actually looked like a home. You pictured him living in some villain’s lair. 

But this was… beautiful. 

You squirmed into his arms until he finally set you down carefully. You stood there for a minute, in the foyer, just looking around. Then you couldn’t help but say, “It would be a real pain if someone just started shooting at the windows of your house like a madman, wouldn’t it?” You waved your gun in front of his face. 

“I’ll send people over tomorrow morning to fix your father’s house.” 

“You don’t even sound apologetic.” You scoffed. 

“I’m not.” 

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Was it necessary? To shoot at my house like that? You couldn’t just, I don’t know, ring the doorbell to get me to come outside? You absolutely had to be a child?” 

He smirked then said, “First of all, that isn’t your house anymore. This is where you live now, and you will call this your home. Second of all, why blame me when you acted just as childish when you decided to run away all those years ago? Third of all, I did it because, well, I do like some drama.” 

You couldn’t not believe him. “You amaze me with your stupidity, Barnes.” 

“You amaze me with your bratty attitude, Mrs. Barnes.” 

You stepped closer to him, slow and in a threatening manner. “Don’t call me that.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

You sighed, “You know you’re still that little boy who used to bully everyone when we played as kids.” 

He clarified, “No, I bullied you because you were annoying. Everyone else was fine.” 

“I hate you.” You said with enough hostility you hoped it would shut him up. 

It didn’t. “Well, see.” He took your hand in his and said slowly as if talking you down, “That’s something we’ll work on together as a couple.” 

You pulled your hand away and were so tempted to just– 

“Come,” he said, “I’ll show you where our room is.” You began protesting immediately but he cut you off by saying, “Stop being fucking difficult. We’re married now, act like it.” 

“I want a separate room!” 

“No.” 

“I’m not sleeping with you!” 

“Then don’t. But you will sleep in my bed. Like my wife should.” 

“You’re a fucking animal!” You tried tugging your hand free from his grasp. 

Bucky had had enough. So he pinned you to the nearest surface, which happened to be the closed door of his bedroom. He grabbed both your wrists in his metal hand and pinned them above your head. His face was just inches away from yours, and he stared deep into your eyes. 

Your mind immediately went to that harsh kiss you’d shared earlier. And you hated how your body squirmed just as the thought of it. You refused to think about it any more, but his mouth was just so, so close. The cut on his lip, the slight stubble on his cheek and around his mouth, the texture of his skin, you were picking up on details you’d missed. 

Bucky spoke in a calm, deep voice which sent shivers down your spine. “Let’s be adults here, okay? You stop acting like a brat, and I’ll stop treating you like one.” He said, pressing his chest into yours. “It’s been a long day, and I know you’re running out of energy as well so stop resisting me. If I was an animal, I would’ve dragged you to bed right now and would’ve made you mine in every sense of the word.” He whispered, his voice cold and dangerous. “But I’m not. So you will walk into this room, and head straight for a warm shower and after you’re done we’re gonna clean these wounds. Am I clear?” 

You nodded quickly, like an idiot entranced by his gorgeous voice. 

“Use your words, princess. Am I clear?” 

“Yes.” 

“Good. Let’s go.” 

— 

You leaned against the counter, wrapped in a fluffy robe and another towel wrapped around your wet hair, and Bucky was cleaning the cut on your lip. 

His wounds were all cleaned. It looked like he had used a different shower while you were in here. His long hair was damp and tied into a small bun, with strands of his dark hair falling on either side of his face. He had changed into a tight black t-shirt and PJ trousers. It was frustrating to look at him. Because he looked so damn good. 

Last time you’d seen him was when he was a twenty year old boy. He’d changed since. He seemed taller somehow. Or maybe it was just the muscles making him look bigger. 

You couldn’t look away from the metal arm. And the intricate details on it. 

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” He asked, throwing the used cotton balls and napkins in the trash can. 

You didn’t miss the way he was being gentle all of a sudden. Calm voice, calm movement. Very different from the man who’d forced you to marry him just hours ago. 

“No.” You answered, turning around to look in the mirror. The bruise on your neck was very much visible now. You didn’t notice Bucky approaching you again, you didn’t notice how close he got, not until he reached out and touched your neck with his warm fingers. 

And for the first time, he sounded genuine when he said, “I’m sorry. About that.” 

You met his eyes through the mirror and remained quiet for a moment. For a brief moment you thought back to that night. What if you hadn’t heard him on the phone? What if you had married him back then? Would this be a normal, daily thing? Sharing a bathroom, a bed? 

“I punched you. Multiple times. This makes us equal.” 

Bucky scoffed, then nodded. Then said, “Come to bed when you’re done.” And left you alone in the bathroom. 

Shit. You stared at yourself in the mirror. What a day. All you wanted was to pay your father a visit and maybe spend some days at home and then fly back to where you came from. Having your father’s house be attacked, getting married, and having to share a bedroom with the man who once broke your heart… yeah, all that wasn’t in the plan. 

You changed into some comfy PJs Bucky had brought you earlier and walked out into the bedroom. You found Bucky on his phone again, standing by the foot of the bed. 

“Which side do you sleep on?” He asked, not looking up from his phone. 

“Uh, right.” You answered, because for some reason now he felt the need to ask for your opinion. 

Bucky didn’t say a word as he moved to the left side of the bed and peeled back the covers before getting in. Like this was just another day. Like this was normal. You awkwardly walked to your side of the bed and just stood there for a moment. 

“Just get in bed. I won’t touch you.” 

He didn’t even look at you as he spoke and, well, the lack of attention from him bothered you. Oh what the hell. You pulled the covers and got under them. You curled onto your side, with your back facing him. 

Soon, you heard him click something and all the lights turned off. You sensed movement behind you but that was it. He didn’t touch you. In fact, there was so much distance between you two that your back felt cold. And now that annoyed you as well. 

You couldn’t sleep. 

An hour went by, you still couldn’t sleep. 

Another hour went by, and now you’d begun tossing and turning so much that you heard Bucky groaning. 

“Will you stop that?” 

“I can’t sleep.” You mumbled.

“Don’t make it my problem. Stop moving.” 

“Wow. Some husband you are.” 

Silence. Then you felt your body sliding across the bed as Bucky wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his warm chest. 

“What the–,” 

“Shh.” He cut you off, his warm breath tickling your cheek as he spooned you from behind. “It’s cold. We could both use the warmth. Now go to sleep.” 

You scoffed, but didn’t move. “Your fancy house doesn’t have a thermostat? Fix the temperature.” 

“I like this better.” 

“I better not find your hands wandering.” 

You moved around for a bit, finding a comfortable spot. Then you moved some more and Bucky tightened his arm around you and whispered into your ear, “Stop wiggling against my cock. I understand it’s our wedding night and all but I’m too tired to do anything.” 

Your face burned in embarrassment. You tried to put some distance between your bodies, even though you liked his body heat, but thankfully Bucky pulled you right back. 

“Did I say you can move?” He chided. 

“What now, I need your permission to get comfortable in bed?” 

“Brat.” 

“Asshole.” 

— 

You didn’t know when you fell asleep at night. But the heat from Bucky’s chest definitely helped. It must’ve been that. And in the middle of the night, you must’ve searched for more heat. That was probably the only reason why you woke up and found yourself sprawled all over him, face into the crook of his neck and both your hands under his shirt, legs tangled with his. 

“You call me an animal. But look at you. Touching me while I was sleeping.” He mumbled. “Shameless.” 

You pulled away so fast, but then regretted it. Because now you missed his warmth. You shivered even under the covers. “Would it kill you to keep your damn house a little warmer?” 

He just yawned and got out of bed. “Get ready.” He said, “We might have a guest coming over. And you have to be a good little wife and play host.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“Oh you will.” He teased, “Soon.” Then he winked and walked out of the room. 

Well, he at least was giving you some privacy and let you have this bathroom all to yourself. Screw his and his mind games. First he barges into your house, forces you to marry him, then cuddles you to sleep. 

You caught yourself frowning multiple times while you showered, did some skin care, and found the closet on the other side of the room. You weren’t even surprised when you found a whole section filled with all you could need. All the shoes seemed like they would fit you, all the outfits as well. 

Nothing fazed you anymore. Not even the fact that your new husband might be a bit of a stalker. How else would he know your underwear size!? And there were drawers full of them. 

You tried not to worry too much as you got dressed. You were gonna get out of here soon anyway. 

Once dressed and ready for the day, you got downstairs and immediately heard Bucky’s voice, along with another voice. They were laughing over something. You found out where they were and approached the high-ceilinged, charming, farmhouse-inspired kitchen which blended with a spacious, cosy dining area. 

The other man had his back to you, but you knew that voice. Even though you hadn’t heard it in years. 

“Sam?” You couldn’t help but call out, lingering by the large doorway. Bucky remained leaning against the kitchen counter with a coffee mug in his hand, while Sam got up from where he sat at the breakfast counter. 

He turned around and his familiar, warm brown eyes met yours. He gave you a comforting smile. You, Sam, and Bucky all grew up together, along with some other kids from families similar to yours. And Sam had always been a sweetheart. You’d missed him. 

So you didn’t even hesitate to walk right into his arms once he opened them, wanting a hug. You squeezed him tight and said, “I thought I’d never see you again, Sammy!” 

Sam hugged you back just as tight, “I can’t believe I haven’t seen you in almost a decade.” He pulled away to look down at you before giving you a loud kiss on the cheek. Safe to say, he was just as handsome as he was when you left this place. “How have you been?” 

You looked over Sam’s broad shoulder and found a broody Bucky. “I’ve been better.” 

Sam got really serious, and was about to say something but Bucky’s voice rumbled from behind. “That’s enough hugging and smooching. Sam, stop touching my wife.” 

“Ooh, your wife.” Sam teased, before letting go of you and letting you walk out of his arms. “First of all, why didn’t you tell me you two were planning to get married this whole time?” He asked Bucky in an accusatory tone. “My childhood friends got married and I wasn’t even invited.” 

Sam sat back down at the breakfast counter, so he didn’t see the questioning stare you sent Bucky. So Sam wasn’t aware of the circumstances under which you got married? Of course he didn’t. Nobody knew, and Bucky wasn’t about to tell anyone 

“It all happened so quickly, Sam.” You placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as you said, “Bucky was… impatient. Even my father didn’t have time to prepare much. It all just, you know, happened.” You spoke as you helped yourself to some breakfast, taking a seat at the table where you could see both men well. 

You didn’t miss the way Bucky’s jaws kept clenching and unclenching as you tiptoed the line between telling the truth and lying to Sam. 

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, “I know how impatient he can be.” He glared at Bucky, who shook his head in disbelief. 

“I take it you two work together now?” You only asked because you remember how the parents would always talk about how wonderful it would be if these two boys worked together. Apparently they made a great team back then. 

“We do.” Bucky answered, placing his mug down before turning around and began chopping some things. 

“You see,” Sam began explaining in a playful tone. “After everything happened, Bucky was all along. Poor little princeling with no guidance and a kingdom to run.” You saw Bucky shaking his head at Sam’s words. Sam continued, “So I knew I had to step in and become his mentor. He wouldn’t have survived without me.” 

You made a mental note to ask about what ‘everything’ he was referring to, but couldn’t help but smile at the camaraderie between them, despite it all. Sam had always been a good company. He was the sun rays filtering through dark clouds, and Bucky was the dark, gloomy day who needed the sun’s brightness. 

“Wouldn’t have survived.” Bucky muttered, mocking his friend. “You helped me train sometimes. You introduced me to people. That’s about it.” He clarified, bringing over a bowl of chopped fruit over to you and pushed it towards you without a word said. 

You liked fruits for breakfast. And you assumed he remembered. But he did it all too casually. As if he did it every day. You didn’t want to cause a scene so you accepted the bowl quietly. 

“That’s about it?” Sam shook his head, then turned to you. “I took care of him like a parent–,”

“No you didn’t. You–” 

“–and this is how he treats me. I should’ve let you bleed out from that bullet wound that one time. Maybe you wouldn’t be here disrespecting me then.” 

You chuckled, clearly on Sam’s team. Bucky didn’t like that. “What about my wife then? Who would be taking care of her?” 

“I would.” Sam answered without missing a beat. “We all know if not you then I was gonna marry her.” He turned to you, knowing damn well he was gonna get a reaction out of Bucky any time now. Sam lived to mess with Bucky after all. He always did, ever since you were all kids. “Wouldn’t you have married me if Bucky had died?” He asked you with that mischievous smile on his face. 

“I–,” 

“You answer that and you’ll never see Sam again.” Bucky said, narrowing his eyes at you, before you couldn’t get a word out of your mouth. 

Sam smirked triumphantly. 

You rolled your eyes at Bucky and looked right at Sam and said, “I would’ve married you in a heartbeat, Sammy.” 

Sam went to grab your hand, surely to bring it up to his lips for a kiss, but Bucky threw a napkin right at him before he could. 

“You touch my wife again and I swear–,” 

“Must you always threaten people?” You asked, glaring at Bucky. 

He glared back. And opened his mouth to say something but Sam cut him off. “Hey, hey, kids. No fighting.” He quickly changed the topic, “Now, since you have gotten married and no one was there, how about a party? To announce it to everyone? We could invite the whole city.” 

Party. Yeah right. The last time you attended an extravagant party you had your heart broken. Not just broken, but stepped onto and crushed to a pulp. 

You went to say no, “Maybe we shouldn’t–,” 

But Bucky declared, “Absolutely we should. After all, we waited almost a decade to marry each other.” He looked right at you as he said that. “It’s time everyone knows you’re finally mine.” 

“Perfect!” Sam began planning immediately. He had always been the life of all parties, and he loved them. 

While you occasionally answered his questions, you didn’t stop glaring at your husband while you finished your breakfast. There was something he was hiding. You were certain of it. But what? 

— 

A couple days later, it was finally the night of the party. 

The past few days had been more or less similar. You’d always wake up sprawled all over Bucky’s chest, and he always made a teasing comment about it. You’d have breakfast in silence, after which he’d disappear and then he’d come home in the evenings. You never talked while having dinner. 

The one time you did talk, it didn’t end well. 

You brought it up at dinner. “I tried to go out today. Your people followed me into the city.” 

“Our people.” He corrected. Bucky didn’t find anything wrong with that apparently because he simply said, “And they’re your security detail. They’ve been ordered to follow you.” 

“So I don’t escape?” 

“So you’re always safe.” 

“Oh come on. You can’t keep me here forever.” 

He shrugged, “You’re not being kept. This is your home, we’re married. This is where you live now.” 

You stood up from the table.You didn’t care that the housekeepers you’d been recently introduced to could hear. “And who are you to make that decision for me?” You asked, in a surprisingly calm tone. 

He replied in a similar tone. “Your husband.” 

You sighed, trying your hardest to keep it all contained. “I have a life, you know? A totally separate life I’ve been living since I left this place. I have to get back to it at some point. You proved your point. Now let me go.” 

He ignored all of that. “I’m working on transferring all your businesses and staff here.” He announced. “I’m buying a brand new building in the city, you can have it and set it up however you want. The only thing I can’t find is your secret army of highly trained soldiers.” 

“You’ll never find my girls.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“They’re trained to outrun men like you. All men, in fact.” You added, “I made sure of that. I made sure they’d never be used and moved around like pieces on a chessboard then discarded by people like you.” 

“Sounds like you speak from experience.” 

“Fuck you, Barnes.” You spat before walking away. 

You made sure to sleep on the very edge of the gigantic bed that night, as far away from him as possible. But in the morning, you still woke up snuggled into his chest, on his side of the bed, like you’d been trying to burrow under his skin seeking warmth at night. 

You didn’t speak after that. You made sure to ignore him. Each time you left the house, to go see your father or to just roam around the city you’d missed so much, you’d look in the rear view mirror and find big, bulky SUVs following you around. 

And here you were now, after days of silent treatment, you stood in front of the large mirror in the closet of your bedroom and watched your reflection. Of course the bastard had chosen an extravagant evening gown for you to wear which looked eerily similar to the one you wore that night for your birthday almost ten years ago. 

Except this one was much more elegant. And looked a lot like a wedding dress. With its simple square neckline, thin straps, fitted bodice and a majestic skirt. All white and sparkly. The last time you felt like a princess, the night ended terribly. So this time you were afraid to even let yourself appreciate the beautiful woman in the mirror who stared back at you. 

You kept fidgeting, with the skirt of the dress, watching it swish around. You didn’t notice Bucky approaching you from behind. Not until he stood right behind you, his chest brushing against your slight exposed back. 

He looked… unreal in his all black suit. Shiny black tie and a small shiny pin. His hair was perfect as always, and his all black outfit really made his eyes seem bluer than ever. Or maybe it was the lights in this closet that did it. But it made you notice the lines by his eyes, which gave away just how much time had gone by. 

He was still that bad boy with tattoos whom you had a crush on, who made your race whenever he looked at you. Except now he was older, meaner. And your husband. Whom you hated. 

Did you? 

You tensed up when he placed a hand on your waist, right where the bodice and skirt were sewn together. You met his eyes through the mirror, but said nothing. You had no mean words to throw at him this time and neither did he. 

“You look beautiful.” He said, leaning in just a little to rest his cheek against your temple. 

You froze at the soft touch which drove you insane. You must be ovulating, you thought, because there was no way that mere touch was making your heart race like this for no other reason. You began breathing faster, that’s how fast your heart was racing. 

You almost leaned into his touch, ready to forget it all just for one moment of warmth. Of peace and quiet. Just one moment to appreciate that you looked beautiful and you had your husband’s attention and all was well. To appreciate that you two look great together. To stop fighting this weird alchemy between you two which kept drawing you to one another no matter what. But then you remembered. 

“Do I?” You asked, keeping your voice steady. “You sure I don’t look like a kid’s toy with this ridiculous dress on?” 

He remembered too, judging by the look on his face. He looked surprised, then briefly apologetic before settling on a familiar, broody frown. “What did I say about being a brat?” 

“I’ll stop being a brat when you stop being an asshole.” You scoffed. “You always were so… careless. With people. With everything. Always thinking you were above everyone else, ever since we were just kids.” You added, “I hate you.” 

He smirked, then grabbed your elbow and turned you around so he could look at you, or glare at you with his ocean blue eyes. “You didn’t hate me back then, did you?” He pushed you against the closest surface, which happened to be a wooden dresser. “You craved my attention back then. You used to find excuses to hold my hand when we were little. When we got older you used to hate it when I looked at other girls at school. Now look at you. You’re in my house, you sleep in my bed.” He leaned in, whispering in your ear, “You’re my wife. Then why do you keep resisting me, hmm?” 

“I was stupid back then. Wasted so much time trying to get your attention, and all I ever was to you was a whiny, bratty–,” You cut yourself off with a surprised gasp as you watched Bucky lower to his knees in front of you, his hands lifting the skirt of your dress. He was rough with it, crumpling it in his strong fists. “What are you doing?” You asked, shocked and surprised but not making a move to get away. “You– you’re ruining my dress.” 

He looked up at you, bunching some of the fabric near your waist and holding the front part of your dress up, pinning the bunched up skirt at your abdomen. As if he wanted to– 

Your entire face burned when you realised just how close and intimate this was. 

“I bought this dress. I’ll ruin it if I want to.” He spoke in that arrogant tone you weren’t sure you entirely hated at this moment. “You’re lucky I’m not tearing it off of you.” 

“And you’re lucky I’m not–,” 

He cut you off by leaning in and kissing your inner thigh. Just like that. As if you weren’t on the verge of arguing just now. You were still processing that soft kiss he left on your thigh, and he was already moving to spread your legs apart as he slowly looked up, waiting to see if you’d tell him to stop or push him away. 

You didn’t. 

His eyes remained focused on your face as his hand reached out and he ran his metal knuckles between your legs, along your wet folds through your thin underwear, making you shudder at his mere touch. You flinched at the cold, but didn’t pull away. 

“You’re dripping.” He commented, slowly sliding down your underwear. “Does arguing with me turn you on, baby? Is that why you do it all the time?” He smirked, finally throwing your underwear to the side. 

You glared at him, opening your mouth to argue yet again but you ended up just letting out a soft moan as you felt his metal fingertips gently trail up and down your legs. He chuckled at how sensitive and responsive you were. Bucky placed a kiss on your inner thigh again and you gasped.

“Looks like you haven’t been taken care of in a while.” He said, moving his fingers over your clit, circling it slowly. “Have you?” He sounded like he was accusing you.

“No.” You hissed, angry at how much you didn’t mind his touch. “You barged in and married me before I could go out and find someone who might–,” 

“I tolerate you talking to and about Sam because he’s our friend.” He cut you off. “But if I hear you talking about any other man, I promise I will be committing unnecessary crimes and it’ll all be on you.” He paused, glaring at you. “You hear me?” 

You nodded. Fuck he looked good from up here. 

He held your stare as he leaned in and placed his mouth to your core, giving your clit a firm such before his warm tongue slipped past your folds and teased your dripping hole. One hand holding part of your dress up while the metal one worked in tandem with his tongue, circling your throbbing clit and parting your wet folds with ease. 

“Should’ve known you’d taste like fucking heaven,” He whispered, almost to himself. 

You couldn’t hold the moans and whimpers in, feeling his stubble rubbing against your soft skin, craving more of it. You couldn’t help but slide hesitant fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. “Please, more…” You whined. 

That made him wild. And he ate you out relentlessly, taking his time and learning what worked for you and what didn’t, until your legs were shaking and your moans were louder. 

He slid his fingers, just a knuckle deep inside you and watched how much you loved that. “That feels good, doesn’t it, baby?” 

You only whimpered in response. 

When he was certain you were right on the edge, hips moving in a frantic way which made you grind against his fingers and tongue, only then did he pull away and let go of your dress before standing back up to face you with a condescending smirk. 

“You think it’s that easy?” He spoke, but you focused more on the wetness coating his lips rather than his words. 

You blinked a couple of times to break out of whatever spell he’d just put you under using that damned mouth and fingers of his. He’d… he’d dared bring you right to the edge. But hadn’t let you come. 

You were breathing heavily, feeling hot and tingly all over. 

He chuckled, enjoying the speechlessness which was rare when it came to you. “If you want more, then behave tonight. Be good and tell everyone how in love we are and all the nice things, and I promise I’ll take care of you later tonight. Okay?“

You knew what he was doing. He wanted you to tell as many people as possible because the more people knew, the harder it would be for you to sneak out of this place again. 

He didn’t even wait for a response. He just licked his lips clean, shamelessly holding your stare while he did. Then turned to the mirror and fixed his suit before bending down to pick up your discarded underwear. You looked away, embarrassed but waiting for him to hand it to you. 

Except he didn’t. He pocketed it like it was nothing and said, “Come on, our guests are waiting.” Then he walked out of the room like nothing happened. Like he hadn’t made you almost lose your mind just minutes ago. Like he didn’t have his tongue and fingers inside you. Like he hadn’t gotten so close to making you come. 

Like your heart wasn’t still racing even after he’d left the room. 

Eventually, you calmed down. Fixed your makeup, hair and dress again before heading towards the temporary, clear outdoor party tent Sam had people install in Bucky’s huge backyard. The closer you got, the more it looked straight out of a fairytale. Given the clear walls, you could see the golden lights and decor inside. 

The chandeliers, the floral arrangements, the tables and the dance floor where people danced with their partners. 

Speaking of partners, there by the entrance stood a tall, dark figure. Your husband. 

“Took you a while.” He muttered once you got close enough to him. 

You stopped by his side and sighed. Then answered in a monotone voice, trying to hide how bothered you were. “Well, some conceited asshole left me to deal with a mess he made so there’s that.” 

Bucky snickered. “Don’t act so indifferent. You were dripping all over my tongue and hand just minutes ago.” 

“Keep your voice down.” You hissed. 

“Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not taboo for a husband to take care of his wife, you know?” He sounded just as annoying as you expected he would. 

You looked down and noticed he had his elbow extended out for you to take. You took it and spoke once you two began walking into the venue. “If you think you are getting anywhere near me to take care of me again, husband, you are dead fucking wrong.” You put a fake smile on as people began noticing your arrival and flocked to you. 

Bucky whispered one last thing into your ear before he left you in the care of the excited, curious, and loud group of ladies coming your way, “Oh you’ll beg me to touch you soon enough, wife.” 

Then he was gone again. Leaving you right on that edge again. 

Damn him! 

—

You had to give it to Sam, he knew how to organise a party. The decor, the food, the music, the performances, all of it was perfect. 

He even re-introduced to all the people you might have forgotten while you were gone. And naturally everyone had questions. You repeated the same answers to them all. The same lies. 

Where were you this whole time? You wanted to do your own thing, and make your own name so you decided to get away from home. 

Why did you leave right after it was announced that you were to marry Bucky Barnes? Oh your father never said when you were to marry him. He just said you would. Besides, both you and Bucky were too young to marry back then. 

Did Bucky know you were going to be gone? Of course he did! You two were childhood sweethearts after all. Yes, you did keep in touch this whole time and only fell more and more in love. Yes, distance does make the heart grow fonder and all. 

Why did the wedding happen so suddenly and in secret? After almost a decade of being far apart from each other, you two could no longer wait anymore. So you eloped the day you came back. 

There are rumours that your father and Bucky have some kind of tension going on between them, is any of it true? That was the one question you didn’t feel too confident about. Because your father never ended up telling you why that was. How did the rivalry start? You lied and said, it’s just because you eloped. Your father wanted to be involved but you were too in love to think straight. So now your father was giving your poor husband a hard time for stealing his little girl. 

As you paraded around and met everyone, you could feel Bucky’s eyes on you at all times. You didn’t have to look to know. You could feel the burning sensation along your back and you just knew he was watching you. 

And he watched all night. Up until the moment people began leaving and you had no choice but to find him again, not knowing what else to do. 

“You lie very well.” He commented, holding his elbow out for you to take again. 

You did. And also leaned into him a little because you had been standing for too many hours. You decided to ignore the hostility for just a minute. “Yes, I’m a natural.” 

“Everyone bought your bullshit about how we are childhood sweethearts turned lovers.” He whispered, turning his head to face you. 

“Well, you did say to make it believable.” 

“Oh it is.” He boasted, “Especially since you’ve been looking at me like that the whole night.” 

You rolled your eyes, “How?” 

“With longing, and desire. You’re all hot and bothered. You crave my tongue back on that throbbing little clit, don’t you?” 

“You’re delusional, Barnes.” 

“And you’re dripping wet for me, Mrs. Barnes.” 

— 

The party ended, and after Sam left you and Bucky made your way back inside the house. Sam, being the angel that he was, had made sure a clean up crew would be here early the next morning so you had nothing to worry about. 

Not that it should bother you whether or not Bucky’s house is tidy. 

You had a faint smile on your face as you went about your nighttime routine. Shower, skin care, a quick snack in the kitchen. And while you were downstairs, searching the pantry for something sweet, you saw Bucky near the thermostat. 

The pantry hid you well, so Bucky didn’t see you. But you watched him mess with the temperature. You squinted and realised he was lowering it. The damned bastard was making it colder! No wonder you were freezing each night and woke up each morning snuggled up to him, basking in his warmth. 

This asshole. 

You remained in hiding until Bucky left, and this time as you made your way upstairs you vowed you wouldn’t reach for his warmth. No matter how cold it got. And he wouldn’t get to use you as a personal heated blanket either. Let him freeze. 

You barely lasted thirty minutes under the covers. 

And he was quiet and didn’t move so you thought he was asleep already as you carefully scooted a little bit closer, trying to feel where he was in the dark. If only this bed wasn’t so damn big. You patted around, trying not to move to much as you– 

“I can hear you, you know? If you want to cuddle, just say it.” 

You stopped moving immediately. “Shut up.” You muttered, frowning at him even though he couldn’t see it. You could see his faint silhouette in the dark, so you knew when he turned on his side to face you. 

“What is it, wife? You need some warmth on this cold, cold night?” He asked in that mocking tone of his. 

“No.” You answered, lying. Because yes you did. 

He muttered ‘stubborn brat’ under his breath and then grabbed you and pulled you close until your back was completely pressed against his chest. His warm, comfy chest. You bit back a sigh of relief once you felt his body heating wrapping you in a cocoon. 

“I saw you messing with the thermostat.” You admitted. 

“Oh?”

“Yes. You make it cold on purpose.” 

“Oh no.” He mocked. “ Why didn’t you fix it then?” He asked, and it hit you how childish this was. He leaned in just enough so that his lips brushed against your cheek when he spoke. “Could it be that you like cuddling with me?” 

“Shut up.” 

He scoffed, finally wrapping his arms around you, but you hissed upon feeling his metal arm on your body.  

“It’s cold.” 

“Warm it up for me then.” 

“What–” 

You stopped talking the moment Bucky grabbed one of your legs and hooked it on top of his, spreading your legs to make room for his hand as you both remained on your sides, with him spooning you from behind. 

His metal hand found itself sliding into your shorts, past your underwear and he cupped you with such confidence and authority that you couldn’t help leaning into and grinding into his touch. His other hand slid under your pillow and down so he could grab and give your breast a firm squeeze. 

Fuck. His hands felt like they were touching you everywhere. 

“I told you I’d take care of you if you behaved.” He whispered into your ear. “Time for a little reward, wife.” 

He slid two fingers inside you, you gasped at the feeling of him being knuckles deep inside you. You whined as he stretched you a little, moving his fingers around until your hips were moving on their own, trying to get him to move some more. 

He chuckled. “That feels good?” He murmured into your ear. 

His voice, his warmth, the softness of his embrace, the unhurried way his fingers were moving in and out of you, sliding over your clit and stroking your walls like he had all the time in the world. 

Your hands wrapped around his metal wrist, keeping his hand in place as you rode his fingers the way you wanted. Hips moving forward and causing his fingers to slide in and out, while you moaned and whimpered. 

His lips brushed against your cheek over and over again as he whispered against your skin, “See how nice it is when you behave? Hmm? You can have me whenever you want, baby. Just be good for me, and I’ll do anything for you.” 

The animosity between you was forgotten at this moment. Here, in this dark room the past didn’t matter for a few minutes. Nothing mattered, just that you wanted something and he was giving it to you. 

His thumb caressed your clit, teasing it a little more until you cried out, “Bucky, please…” 

He froze. You did too. Then he chuckled and said, “So all is takes is a little finger fucking and now you have manners and you call me by my name?” He sounded just as annoyingly playful as you knew he would. 

“Oh fuck you!” You spat, then immediately let out a loud moan as he sped up and really fucked you with his fingers until you were a whimpering mess. “Please, please, please…” 

“What did I say, huh?” He hissed. “Keep acting like a fucking brat and you’ll be treated like one.” He kept his fingers moving in and out of you. “I planned on really taking care of you tonight, but you know what? This is all you’re gonna get.” 

Your moans and whimpers got louder and louder until you began clenching around his fingers, coming undone with a loud cry of his name. Body shaking and your hips grinding down on his hand as you savoured the last moments of your orgasm before he pulled out and pulled away from you. 

You thought he’d go right back to sleep but then you felt him get out of bed. “Where are you–,” 

“I’ll fix the temperature.” He mumbled, sounding annoyed. Rightfully so. “Go to sleep.” 

And that was the last you heard or saw of him until the morning because you passed out right after. You didn’t even know if he returned to bed or not. Not that you cared much. 

Right? 

— 

Things changed after that night. 

A lot changed actually. Bucky had, miraculously, managed to uproot ten years of your life from elsewhere and planted it right here in the city. He took you to the building he’d been getting ready for you and it sure was something. You didn’t know what you expected but a brand new skyscraper was not what you had in mind. 

The day he handed over papers and keys and gave you a tour of the huge building was the first time you felt a shift in this… bond you shared with him. 

“Thank you.” You simply said as you both stepped into the shiny elevator so he could take you all the up to the top floor, to show you to your new office. 

Bucky slid his hands in his pockets and turned to face you. “You think being nice equals sexual favours from me, wife?” 

You could’ve told him to shut it. Or told him to go get fucked. But he was trying to be good to you, wasn’t he? Even after all he did, he wanted you next to him for some unknown reason and frankly you were tired of resisting. Your entire life was here now anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to… try. Would it? 

So instead you answered with, “Doesn’t it?” 

Bucky narrowed his eyes at you, searching for the catch. He didn’t find any so he said, “We’ll see about that.” 

And that night he followed you into the shower and kissed you hard under the falling water. “I see you behaved yourself today.” He whispered against your mouth. 

You pulled him closer by grabbing his neck and said, “Do I get a reward then?” 

He didn’t say anything, just kissed you hard again and walked the two of you backwards until your back collided with the cold clear glass of the shower cubicle. Then he pulled away, looked down into your eyes. His own filled with lust and hunger as he asked, “You’re gonna let me fuck you?” 

You nodded quickly before saying, “Yes. Please.” 

He didn’t waste a single moment. He grabbed one of your legs and hooked it to his hip, spreading you open. He kissed you senseless again while he pushed inside of you. You moaned into the kiss as he filled you up, his cock stretching you out, making you whine and whimper as he slow fucked you. 

“Fuck…” He breathily moaned against your open mouth while he moved against you. Pushing deeper, in and out of you until your moans and whimpers got louder and louder. The sound of the water falling from the shower drowned out most of it, so he fucked you until you moaned loud enough that he could hear you over the falling water. 

“Please,” You cried out. Weeks of frustration wanting to be let out. “Please, Buck…” Your hands wrapped around his shoulders, and you held on while he fucked you. 

Bucky almost froze again at the sound of his nickname falling from your lips. But he maintained his composure and sped up into you, feeling your walls clenching around him, gripping his cock. 

“You’ve been good today,” He said, noticing the way you clenched around him hard at the sound of praise. “You didn’t talk back, not once. Is it because you wanted this cock, baby?” 

You whined in response. Feeling his damp skin rubbing against yours, and for a brief moment you wanted to live in this moment forever. 

“Oh, poor baby.” He gave you a messy, heated kiss then said, “It’s all yours, you know? You just have to ask nicely. And you can have it whenever you want.” 

“Please…” You begged again, your pride nowhere in sight. “Please, Bucky.” 

“Come for me, baby…” He breathed against your skin. His hands held you in place as he pounded into you. “Come for me.” 

You did, moaning so loud it was all he heard as he came right after you. 

— 

It became a daily thing over the next few weeks. You’d seek Bucky out at random times during the day or more often right when he’d get into bed at night. 

“Were you good today, wife?” He asked, his hands already moving all over you trying to undress you as fast as he could. 

“Yes,” You breathed into his ear, your hands touching him all over his tattooed chest. “I even made you breakfast, remember?” 

“Those burnt pancakes count?” 

You shut him up by kissing him, pulling him down onto the bed and straddling him, then proceeded to ride him until you were both moaning and spent, too tired to move. 

—

Things got… playful. 

Oftentimes you’d catch yourself wondering why you weren’t actively working to get out of here. But your whole life was here now. Work, your family, and your husband. You didn’t hate Bucky as much as you thought you would. Just a few months ago you wanted to kill him on sight but now… 

“I saw the new building you work at. He bought you that?” Your father asked one morning when you went over to join him for breakfast. 

You cleared your throat and answered, “He did. He moved everything here. My businesses, my staff, all of it.” 

“And the girls?” He asked, referring to the infamous, feared, and fierce army you had raised and trained over the last ten years. 

“My girls are free to go wherever they want to.” You let pride fill you as you thought of them. “Besides, they don’t have to be here for me to know I can always count on them. They’re just a phone call away.” You explained. “Plus they have work to do. People to save, women to recruit. You know, the usual.” 

“I’m proud of you, you know?” 

You smiled at your father. Then a few moments passed and you couldn’t help but ask, “What happened after I left? Where is the rest of Bucky’s family?” 

Your father looked surprised. “He didn’t tell you?” 

“Tell me what?” 

Your father shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. They’re all gone anyway. Plus the boy, he… he treats you right, doesn’t he?” 

You nodded. Then left it at that. You wanted a peaceful morning with your father, you didn’t want to ruin it by insisting he tell you about whatever it was that he wanted to keep in the past. 

—

But it bothered you, knowing that something happened while you were gone that you knew nothing about and everyone refused to tell you about it. 

All except one man. Your beloved friend, Sam. 

He showed up one morning, demanding to see Bucky. 

“He said he has an important phone call to attend to. With someone named Steve. He’s been outside for over an hour now,” You explained to Sam, who stood at the foyer looking disappointed, “It looks like he’ll be out for quite some time.” 

Sam frowned, and sighed. “He said to come over for a round of golf.” He sounded like he’d been betrayed. “Ever since he started doing business and being friendly with that Steve guy,” Sam complained, “That bitch has been trying to steal my best friend.” 

You chuckled and grabbed his hand to lead him further into the house. “I’m sorry my husband ruined your playdate, Sammy. But you can hang out with me.” 

Sam reluctantly agreed only after you promised to make him blueberry muffins. He liked those ever since you were kids. 

He agreed to help, and you both had a nice, comfortable conversation going while you worked. You caught yourself shaking your head a few times thinking about how just a few months ago if someone had told you you’d be in Bucky’s kitchen making muffins you wouldn’t believe it. 

But here you were now. 

Then Sam casually said, “I’m glad you two worked it out, you know? You’re so perfect for each other. Even back when we were kids, remember how everyone used to tease you two and say you would surely marry one another?” He laughed. “I mean after he told me all about how you heard him on the phone with me by the pool, I was worried you might never clear up the misunderstanding.” He chuckled, keeping his eyes down as he lined the muffin tin so didn’t see the way you froze. Sam continued, “I thought that’s why you left when I heard about your sudden disappearance. But–”

You cut him off, heart racing as memories of that night came flooding back in. “Sam… what do you mean on the phone with you?” 

Sam looked up, frowning. “That night of your twentieth birthday. Remember how you found Bucky by the pool? He was on the phone with me that night. He was so angry when he told me what his family was planning to do to yours, how they were going to–,” Sam cut himself off as the realisation set in. “Did he not tell you the truth?” 

Your heart pounded. Something was wrong. 

“Tell me what truth?” 

Sam’s eyes softened. “Oh, I shouldn’t be the one to–,”

“Sammy, please.” You begged in a whisper. “Even my father refuses to tell me anything. I have the right to know. What happened?” 

Sam tried his hardest to make sense as he told you everything in a rush. “Look, something went wrong back then. Bucky’s family began siding with the rivals and they were trying to take your father down. They tricked your dad into thinking that getting you and Bucky married would be a good idea and well, your father chose to believe his friends so he made that announcement at the party.” Sam sighed, “But Bucky’s family were planning something really bad. They were going to use the wedding as an excuse to gather all your family in one place and… end all of you. Just so they’d be able to expand their territory. Bucky found out about this plan and he was pissed. So that night, he called me. To vent.” 

You felt your eyes begin to water. 

Sam continued. “But then you found him. I remember him whispering to me that you were doing a terrible job at hiding behind a plant or some shit. Then your huge gown gave away your hiding spot. But given you were listening, Bucky decided he’d get you annoyed enough to have you at least try to call off the wedding which would buy us some time to figure out what to do. That’s when he began saying those things about you. Trying his hardest to sound like he truly did not want to marry you.” Sam sighed, “I mean there might have been a better way of doing it rather than fake dialogues on a phone call, but we were twenty year old boys. We didn’t know better. We didn’t know you’d write that note and just disappear.” 

What the actual fuck. 

“Sam…” You whispered in disbelief. 

He shook his head. “Please tell me you didn’t truly believe all that. He lied when he said those things that night, you know? Bucky liked you ever since we were kids. You don't remember how he used to get mad at me whenever I was around you for too long? How he always ignored your hiding spots when we played just so you’d win at hide-and-seek? You don’t remember how he used to bully your stupid boyfriends as we got a older?” 

You couldn’t believe any of this. But Sam would never lie to you. 

“Wait,” Sam put the pieces together. “So you didn’t know about any of this?” 

You closed your eyes and sighed, “I didn’t. I heard all the things he said that night and… I had spent my entire life loving him and I thought…” You sighed. “I was young and stupid and heartbroken so I just left.” Then you explained. “I got back recently, Bucky made this whole show of raining down bullets at my father’s house and, well, we kinda got married that same day, in my father’s destroyed foyer.” 

“You didn’t talk to each other this whole time?” Sam was in disbelief. “Oh for fuck’s sake. And I thought Bucky just never mentioned you while you’ve been gone because… well, he’s not exactly good at the whole heart to heart thing. He’s Bucky.” 

Your surprise morphed into anger really quickly. “I need to find my husband.” You said, quickly walking out of the kitchen. 

Sam yelled behind you, “I'm gonna take this muffin batter and go before he shoots me after he finds out I told you all this!” 

You just yelled back, “Bye Sammy, I love you”

Sam’s voice sounded distant as he yelled back, “Don’t let him hear you!” 

You ran out to the back, where Bucky said he would be. And you found him by the pool. Again. The sight of him standing there gave you déjà-vu. Except he wasn’t your twenty-year old crush, in a black suit, arguing with who turned out to be Sam, on the night of your birthday anymore. 

He was older now, your husband, wearing dark trousers and a loose white-button up shirt, standing by the pool with the sun setting behind him. You stood on the patio, for a second more, admiring him. The metal hand casually shoved in his pocket and his heavily tattooed arm held a phone to his ear. 

You called out, no longer containing your anger. “You absolute piece of shit!” 

Bucky looked towards you and just frowned, before rolling his eyes. Then said on the phone, “Hang on a minute, Steve. My wife’s angry at me again.” He lowered the phone to his chest and whispered to you, “What is it this time?” 

“How long were you going to keep the truth from me?” You accused him. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” 

He raised the phone to his ear again and said, “I’ll call you later Steve, something came up.” Then he hung up, tossed his phone onto one of the lounge chairs before turning to face you again. “Don’t get mad–”

“Stop telling me what to do!” 

He sighed. “Did Sam tell you anything? I saw his car coming in earlier.” 

You hissed, “Oh leave him alone! He’s a good man who doesn’t lie to me!” 

Bucky shook his head, understanding that you knew all about what he’d been hiding, and too calmly said, “They were gonna kill you. All of you. Not just your family members, but the guards, the family friends, the members of your family who aren’t even in this life – all of you. I had to do something. My folks were wrong, I couldn’t let innocent people die just because my family got too power hungry.” 

You took a step forward, “Why didn’t you tell me before I left? I would’ve talked to someone.” 

“We barely even talked to each other as we got older. I thought you wouldn’t believe me.” 

“But you could’ve at least tried to say something!” 

He was quiet for a moment. Then said, “I came to see you the next day.” He confessed. “The morning after the party. But your father had found your note and you’d already left. You never mentioned exactly why you left in the note, so I let him think it was because of me.” He explained, “Since there would be no wedding I didn’t have to worry anymore. But the threat remained. So I goaded your father into a fight. He took the bait and tried to shoot at me. He missed, of course. But enough people heard about it so he ended up declaring war against my family.” 

He paused. You listened quietly. 

“No one knew it was all because of me. But at least from then on, your father was more cautious. And he began hating my folks. And they couldn’t keep pretending to be his friend for much longer either. All the truth began spilling out. Soon the city was divided and the attacks began. Allies became enemies, just like that.” 

You were quiet. Processing everything. All of that shit happened and you were not aware. 

For some reason, you asked, “During those attacks… Is that when you lost your arm?”

You only realised you’d been stepping closer and closer to him when he raised said metal arm and touched your cheek gently. He smiled and said, “No, baby. That was a different time.” 

You had a tear sliding down your face. He wiped it away. “What happened then?” You asked. 

“My folks didn’t stand a chance. Your father was not only angry and betrayed, but he was also sad that he lost you because of them, or me.” Bucky explained. “It got… really bad. Your father lost a lot of his guys. Then he got angrier. So he stopped responding to the petty attacks and came after my folks directly.” 

“He killed them?” They were his friends once. 

Bucky said, “He still doesn’t know I helped him all the way until the end.” 

“But he spared you.” 

Bucky smirked. “He just could never catch me.” 

“But your family…” Bucky went against his own you realised. 

“They were bad people. Not just because of what they planned to do to you but…” He sighed. “They were doing bad things in the background. Dealing in substances, and people.” He spared you the gory details. 

But you understood.  

“Why didn’t you tell me all this that day we got married?” 

“You wouldn’t have believed me. You had just spent ten years hating me.” He shrugged. “But hey, it kept you safe.” 

You stepped closer to him, feeling tired with all that you felt inside you. “So you never meant the things you said that night?” 

Bucky pulled you close, cupping your face in his hands. “I have loved you my entire life. I never stopped.” 

You sniffled, looking up into his pretty eyes. “We lost so much time. I spent years hating you for nothing.” It hurt thinking about it. 

He smiled at you, “I should’ve thought it through better. But I was young and rash, and my family threatened to kill the girl I loved. I thought I was doing the right thing by pushing you away.” He sighed. “I just didn’t think I was going to lose you for almost a decade. I was always aware of where you were and what you did in life in those years. I was so proud of everything you did, the name you made for yourself. But I couldn’t reach you. You were angry and you hated me. So I waited. And then you came back and… I needed you with me. I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait any longer.” 

You wrapped your arms around him, shoving your face into the crook of his neck as you let the tears fall quietly. 

“Shh,” He whispered, running a comforting hand down your back. “It’s okay now, I’m here. We’re okay.” 

“I’ve been mean to you.” You whispered. “I’m sorry.” 

He chuckled quietly, “And I shot at your father’s house. We’re equal.” 

“I… I love you too, you know?” You sniffled. 

Bucky pulled away so he could look down at your teary face. “Sorry to say this, wife, but this isn’t half as romantic as the first time you told me you loved me.” 

You frowned. “What?” Did you talk in your sleep? Oh no. Did you? “When did I say it?” 

“We were seven, playing in the hedge maze in your father’s backyard.” He smiled, thinking about that day. “He had just had a new water fountain placed in there, and you wanted to show it to me. You must have thought it was pretty and that I needed to see it too. Then you dragged me all the way there and told me you loved me.” He smirked, “Seven-year old you would be disappointed in you right now.” 

A chuckle escaped your lips at the faded memory. “I wish we could go back in time.” 

“Well, we can’t. But we can have the rest of our lives together.” 

You sniffled again, wiped your tears. Then nodded, and leaned in for a kiss. Deepening it the moment he kissed you back. Your fingers found their way into his longish hair and you gently tugged at his roots. 

He smiled into the kiss when you whispered against his lips, “I like you with long hair.” 

“I see you’re being nice again,” He murmured in between kisses, “Does my wife need something?” 

You giggled this time. “I want you, Buck. Just you.” 

“You have me.” He said. “Always.”

[onlyhyunjin]

𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒!

(♡) - my personal favorites (🔞) - CONTAINS NSFW CONTENT

NEW BEGINNINGS - @ikeuverse (flirting with your brother's brother-in-law wasn't in your plans after returning from studying abroad. it wasn't something you were going to stop either since heeseung was the epitome of beauty. but when there's another woman's name in the story. what happens? you don't want to be caught between a betrayal… or so you thought.) (♡)

MARRY ME - @ikeuverse (ever since you met lee heeseung, he told you that the two of you were going to get married. all the time, at every opportunity, he reinforced it until one day, drunk, you accepted. was he dreaming or did it really happen? it wouldn't be so bad to fall for his jokes for once.)

TIDES OF REGRET - @pprodsuga (in the year since heeseung first rejected your love confession, you've tried everything to get over him. a trip to europe makes you realize you miss your former best friend more than anything, and it makes heeseung realize he's got it all wrong.) (♡)(🔞)

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - @i2sunric (your daughter asks heeseung to tell the greatest love story of all and he takes the chance to narrate how he met you, the love of his life.) (♡)

JUNE BLOSSOMS - @soobnny (synopsis. as the month of may ends, you wonder what june holds for you and heeseung (especially with no more need to fake date.)

LATE SUMMER LOVIN' - @4am-enha (you desperately want to spend your last summer here in town with your friends, only to find out almost all of them are away on vacation. that is, all of them but heeseung. the one friend you’d never really been that close with.)

BITE ME - @drunkhazed (“I’m kind of confused still.” You admit, anxiously shuffling to sit without making eye-contact. Heeseung chuckles plopping down by your side, arm slinging back over your shoulder to keep you pressed against him.)(🔞)

COFFEE & CREAM - @ham-st4r (one chilly night after a long work shift, you’re unfortunately forced to walk home. Cause you left your bag at work, half way through your journey you stumble across a homeless man who you naturally offer money to, and he though he refuses. You give it to him anyway, and down the road, you’ll find that those two dollars changed not only his life but yours as well.) (🔞)

IT'S CUPID, STUPID - @mygnolia (To hell with Lee Heeseung, you couldn't find someone you hated more than the boy who's by your side no matter what. You figured that maybe the summer before university would be the best way to finally let go of him, and to leave the hate you have in your childhood- but no. What do you mean you have to spend ALL summer with him?)

FUCK BUDDIES - @dimepdf (y/n and heeseung and fwb after heeseung win in his football match y/n gives him the best reward)

TEETH - @gyuuberryy (you were not thrilled about the move in of your new neighbour. mostly because he was so strange and seemed to be hiding something dark. and partly because you couldn’t stop yourself from getting closer to him because of your unwanted attraction. you were determined to expose his dark secret and get rid of him once and for all. but, it was proving to be a difficult task because he was just so irresistible..and needy.)

PLAYER RANK: PLATINUM - @simpjaes (You’re not sure what’s worse, your sister’s boyfriend or your sister’s boyfriend’s friends. What you thought would be a great deal in living with her throughout college turns into a major game of cat and mouse, where you’re unsure if your moral compass is pointing in the right direction solely because you suspect someone is wearing a giant sex magnet to throw it off.) (🔞)

RUDE - @4wkjun (heeseung has never loved anyone as much as he loves y/n. y/n’s father has never hated someone as much as he hates heeseung. but it doesn’t matter, heeseung’s gonna marry y/n anyway.)

I OFFER YOU MY EVERYTHING - @heegyukeluv (You never cared about sex, until you did. You grew too afraid of it, scared of disappointing the other person or showing your inexperience. But then you met Heeseung, the hot basketball captain that stole your heart and became your biggest fantasy. ) (🔞)

VERBOTEN - @heesbaby (a bad stroke of luck saw lee heeseung, your dads coworker, moving into your small apartment until he found his feet again. emotionally unavailable and a workaholic, you were going to try your absolute hardest to make him loosen up. even if it meant breaking a few of the house rules he'd set out.) (🔞) (♡)

10 DAYS TO FALL IN LOVE - @luvyeni (you and heeseung used to be bestfriends as children — he even told you he'd marry you one day. but then you went to highschool and things changed , he dyed his hair and started hanging out with a new group group of friends. through all that his love never changed for you — has yours changed for him?)

RENT A BOYFRIEND - @jayujus (in which jeon y/n is desperate to find a boyfriend ASAP because she needs a date for her family's mixer. her best friend, ningning, introduces her to a website perfect for this situation!)

CHERRY CHAPSTICK - @angelwonie (ever since you met lee heeseung, he told you that the two of you were going to get married. all the time, at every opportunity, he reinforced it until one day, drunk, you accepted. was he dreaming or did it really happen? it wouldn't be so bad to fall for his jokes for once.)

[enkvyu]

7:02pm — gojo satoru ; part two to this imagine

"gojo, your hair is in my mouth."

"you're lucky i washed it a few days ago."

you peer up at him over your phone. "a few days? how many? gojo, tell me."

gojo hums to himself and you hate that it might be serious consideration that he's under. "like maybe seven?"

you gag, flailing at your mouth and spitting out the few strands. you faintly hear gojo complain but it's overridden as you deal with your dilemma.

the two of you were curled inside the stomach of one of getou's curses as it flew across the ocean to arrive back at jujutsu high. the cramped space and gooey flesh makes you shiver, effectively increasing your poor mood, but perhaps the biggest detriment was the person you were stuck with.

sure, public transport was a viable option but yaga had specifically emphasised on the "top-secret" and "classified" written in big bold red letters on the mission file. this meant no one was to know, not ordinary people, not curses and not even other sorcerers.

granted, the school had access to one private jet which they were willing to offer, but that jet only had space for one.

the three of you had sat down and played a game of scissors paper rock to determine who takes it, and while you were lucky to win it for the trip forward, getou ends up victorious for the way back.

and now, you were stuck in close proximity with gojo inside the gut of a flying dragon.

"why are you in such a bad mood anyway?" gojo has the audacity to ask, as if he wasn't the sole reason why you were uncomfortable. you keep your mouth shut though, nothing good will come out of admitting your undying, and unfortunately unrequited, love for him.

"i'm in a perfectly fine mood."

"why do you look like that then, all constipated and everything? did you not go to the bathroom before we left?"

you curl your fingers into a fist and punch him in the chest. it hits his uniform, smearing some of the curses' stomach juice. "of course i did! i'm not a newbie sorcerer."

"ouch!"

"that didn't hurt you."

"how are you going to tell me how i feel?" gojo jabs back. "because it did hurt, it hurt my feelings."

"oh boohoo."

"so you are mad."

you bite your lip and turn away, finding the abdominal wall of the beast easier on the eyes than your own friend. "i'm not."

"you're sulking."

"i'm not." you hiss before taking in a deep breath. "look gojo, can we just stay quiet until we get there?"

gojo keeps staring at you through his glasses and his face fails to give his thoughts away. the suspense is killing you, but before you can relent and ask what he has to say, he clears his throat.

"i have something to tell you."

you sigh, rubbing at your head. "what is it?"

"wait, don't turn around and keeping looking at the wall. hey, what did i just say?"

"gojo, the view isn't really the best to sightsee. why can't i look at you?"

"because if you do, i don't think i can tell you after all."

you close your mouth. "is it that serious?"

"yeah." he clears his throat again, adjusting the collar of his uniform. "look, i know you've been weird around me the past few days and i don’t think it’s because i stretched out your uniform when i wore it last weekend. i don't know why you’re being mean to me, and shoko and getou won't tell me either."

you resist the urge to look at him. "you're having this kind of talk with me now? here? seriously?"

"you won't even stay in the same room as me for more than a few minutes! getou may call this curse his bad-luck curse but for me right now it's the only way to get you to listen to me." he stays quiet for a few seconds. "this is really serious, okay, so don't make any comments. i know you're practically brimming with them."

it was true you had a lot to say, but gojo's serious attitude was putting you off. still, having him call you out made you more aggravated and you let one slip. "well, this is really bad-luck for me."

gojo clicks his tongue and you can see the irritation on his face before his words are even coloured with it. "i'm not telling you this so you can feel the same way but—"

the curse suddenly tilts to the side, throwing you into gojo as the four walls of its stomach becomes a wheel, rotating you around. you yelp as your forehead hits him hard in the chest, tears springing to your eyes at the pain.

“what’s going on?”

the two of you spin round and round, and you can't distinguish your screams from gojo's as gravity plays you like a toy, throwing you around.

the movement makes you sick. "gojo, do something! blast it!"

"getou'll get mad if i kill another one of his curses!"

"are you kidding, we're going to die!"

gojo swears, grabbing you around the waist and pulling you into his chest. with his other arm, he holds out his hand and presses it on the flesh.

you tuck your chin in, squeezing your eyes shut when you realise he hadn't started chanting his technique. "what are you doing?" you look up at him and find him staring at the exit of the stomach through all the goo and chaos.

with a trembling finger, he points to it. you stare into the abyss, squinting your eyes to make out its indistinct shapes. what was that pulsing thing, attached to the side? and was it just you, but was it getting bigger?

with a start, you realise that the curse was about to throw up. and coincidentally, so were you.

"it's going to throw us up!" you share your realisation with gojo but the look on his face tells you he already arrived at the same thought.

he opens his mouth to say something, or scream you're not too sure as the walls of the stomach contracts. distantly, you feel gojo slide his other arm around you and his infinity takes over, shielding the two of you as you're forcefully ejected from the curse's mouth.

a scream escapes your throat as you escape the curse's, wind rushing through your ears. gojo swears again, bringing his arm up to protect your head.

you only know you're safe when you feel air again, the real kind, not the gas built up in the curse's stomach. a thud tells you gojo has landed on solid ground again and you've never felt more grateful to be alive, your entire body relaxing as your soul leaves.

gojo sighs with you, his hold slightly loosening.

getou watches as you're spat out, stepping out of the private jet with a big smile on his face. "you guys look rough."

you feel gojo tense his jaw rather than see it. "what was that for?"

getou shrugs, throwing a bag over his shoulder. he starts digging through it. "i told you that curse is some serious bad-luck. at least you both arrived in one piece.” he looks up and raises an eyebrow at you. “literally in one piece, are you guys going to stay like that forever?"

your mind slowly pieces together your position, still curled up in gojo's arms as he is sat on the pavement, before you leapt out. gojo makes no move to stop you, though you think he might have tsked.

"here, this is for you." getou finally pulls out what he was searching for from his bag and throws it at the two of you.

you catch it instinctively, studying the object in your hand. "a can of soda?"

"for surviving."

"that curse of yours is a safety hazard." you mutter, but accept the can. you crack open the lid and tilt your head back, taking a long, cool sip.

gojo stares down at the drink. "i told you i don't like this flavour!" he complains and you roll your eyes at his antics.

"then don't drink it."

"no. give me your one instead."

getou pauses, halfway to opening his own iced coffee. "huh? i got this for me. and you don't even like coffee! you should be glad i even got one for you in the first place."

"let's play a game of rock paper scissors to decide who gets it."

"no. i just told you i got this for me."

gojo stands up, taking a step forward menacingly. "huh? after what you put me through, you think i'm just going to take no for an answer?"

getou's eyes flicker to yours before he takes up gojo's challenge, activating his cursed technique. black liquid opens up the air beside him, a peering red eye on the other side. "can't handle rejection, gojo? because you better get used to it."

you take another sip as you watch the boys, absentmindedly wiping at a stain on your sleeve. you remember the feeling of gojo's arm around your body and you blush despite yourself.

"are you feeling sick?"

you look up to see that gojo had stopped fighting with getou, his entire attention on you.

"huh?"

"you're red in the face. you look like a tomato."

ignoring the last part, you hide your face behind your drink. "i'm fine."

getou looks between the two of you and there's a glint in his eyes that you've seen before, one that you've grown to dread.

he throws back the rest of his coffee, grimacing as it gives him a slight brain freeze, before crushing the can in his hand. gojo mutters a quick, "show off" that he ignores, instead chucking the can into a bin a few metres away.

"what a time." he starts saying, the words static. "that was great. well, now that i've finished my drink, i should head back inside."

“i should head in too. i smell real bad.” you sigh and give gojo a glare when he agrees.

“actually, can the two of you stay here? i think my curse isn’t feeling too well after eating you two. just until i come back, okay?”

you think there might be an ulterior motive but glancing over at the curse, you find that it did look greener than before.

"where are you going, and for how long?" you ask and hope the look in your eyes will make him stay.

"i need to tell yaga we finished the mission. you guys can just stay here, i've got it." then to you, he says, clenching his fist in support, "you got this."

you want to break his arm.

getou hurries away despite your silent plea, leaving you in an awkward silence with the one person you wanted to avoid most. you take multiple quick sips to busy yourself, but you can’t ignore the person standing by your side.

gojo shifts his balance to his other foot and the sound of his shoe against the pavement breaks the silence. "so."

"so."

"it's really bright, huh."

"you're wearing sunglasses."

"and do they completely cover my eyes? no they don't. i can still complain about the sun."

"just push your glasses up then."

"no." gojo huffs. "i look cooler this way."

"who told you that? because i know for a fact it wasn't anyone whose opinion actually matters." you jab back.

"your mum said that, actually."

"are you a child?"

"what, are you too cool for old jokes? they're iconic for a reason."

"and there's a reason why 'your mum jokes' died and should stay that way."

the natural way in which you banter with gojo gives you confidence. maybe it didn't matter that you liked him, or that he didn't like you back. it was enough that he was here with you now, joking around. perhaps you could even live with knowing that your unrequited love had come to an end, perhaps you could even pair them up yourself without a sense of bitter jealousy.

"i know you like getou." gojo says in one breath.

the peace you had come to, shatters.

"what?" you say in an inhale, and it comes out sounding weird.

gojo pouts, crossing his arms. "i'm right, aren't i? you like getou. i heard what you were saying to shoko that one time."

"don't eavesdrop on other people's conversations!"

"you were saying it pretty loudly, what was i meant to do? shut my ears?"

you wave away his whining. "stop, hold on. you think i like getou?"

gojo nods. "i don't think you do, i know. you said you like people like him."

"when did i ever say that? also, i'm not the one who likes getou, you are!"

"what?"

"what, what? you do, don't you? you told me yesterday that you liked getou."

"i never said that!"

"then who were you talking about?"

"who were you thinking about?" gojo shoots back. "because you didn't even hesitate when you explained your type to shoko. you were thinking of someone, weren't you?"

you gulp. "i asked first."

he looks at you long and hard and you stare back at your reflection through his glasses. his mouth opens and there's a mixed sense of dread and anticipation brewing in your stomach.

"tch."

"did you just click your tongue at me?"

gojo faces away. his jaw is tense as he blatantly ignores your question. "you're really annoying."

"huh? speak for yourself!"

"you have a problem with me?"

"i have a problem with your stupid attitude."

when gojo closes the distance between the two of you, you take a step back out of instinct. it doesn't matter though because gojo steps forward again, pushing you up against the curse getou had left behind. he slams a hand into the flesh of the curse and it makes a startled sound. the both of you ignore it. "it's you, idiot, i like—"

the force behind his slam is frightening, but the thought is torn from you when the sound of regurgitation grabs your attention. with a start, you turn around at the curse and find your phone on the ground at the entrance of the curse's mouth, covered in goo.

"my phone!" you exclaim, bending down to pick it up.

gojo backs up and groans loudly, but you don't care, wincing instead when the item is sticky.

"i didn't even know i lost this! thanks gojo, i think." your voice trails off wearily, holding up the phone and watching as viscous liquid slowly drips off it.

gojo rubs his face with his palm and you wonder why he looks so distressed. "that curse is seriously bad luck." meeting your eye, he points a finger at you. "listen to what i have to say!"

you raise your eyebrow at him. "damn okay, gojo's arrived." you mutter, wiping down the phone and pocketing it.

the clouds overhead parts, sunlight shining down in rays. the trees whistle in the summer breeze and light filters through the gaps in the leaves and branches. it hits gojo perfectly, adorning him in a golden light and you've never seen him so beautiful. guilt fills you at the thought and you hold your soda tighter.

he breathes in one more time. "i don't care that you like getou." he says. "because it doesn't matter to me. it just means i have to work harder to change your mind and get you to notice me instead."

"it's kind of hard to not notice you." you say. "i mean, look at what you're wearing."

gojo hisses. "don't ruin the mood, you're throwing me off. like i was saying, it's not your fault you like getou but i had to tell you this anyway, because it's been making my heart feel all prickly and stuff. so shut up and just stand there looking pretty, or whatever." his last few words trail off uncertainly, as if he never intended to say them at all.

"what are you even saying?" your heart picks up. was he about to confess?

"i'm saying that i think i like—"

"there you guys are!"

your head whips around at the voice, scanning the familiar landscape before settling on a single person. shoko stands metres away, waving a hand to grab your attention. "over here!"

"shoko!" a grin splits across your face. "i haven't seen you all day!"

"am i interrupting something?" she yells to get her voice across the distance.

you don't even look over at gojo as you shake your head. you had a feeling he was just going to tell you something you already knew, that he liked getou, anyway. “no! hold on, i'm coming over."

before you can run up to her, gojo grabs your arm, a deep frown etched on his face. "wait, you still haven't—!"

without another thought, you hand him your half-finished can of soda and wriggle out of his hold. "you can have the rest of that. i'll hear you out later, okay?"

"but the mood was so right!"

"look after the curse until getou’s back, later!"

gojo stands there in front of the bad-luck curse, one arm limp by his side and the other holding a can of blue soda. he watches as you fling yourself into shoko's arm, already listing all the things you've been saving up to tell her.

there's that prickly feeling again, gojo realises, noting the way the sun lightens the shade of your hair, the way your eyes curve up as you smile, and the way you hold onto shoko's hand, wishing that he had enough courage to hold yours.

defeated, battered and drained, gojo looks down at the can in his hand, and notes the slight lipstick stain on the rim.

with a red on his cheeks that didn't come from the sun, he presses the aluminium to his lips and takes a sip. it tastes sweet.

gojo decides that he'll just have to settle for this.

i hope this was okay considering i had no intentions of writing a part two. sorry for all the descriptions of stomachs and throw up, i was studying the digestive system 👎 if this isn’t what u guys expected feel free to leave a request !!

[helluvapoison]

I just read your Lucifer ABC's and the idea of him knowing everything about reader, but also needing words of afirmation just gave me an idea. Just imagine Lucifer truly asking to be tested about how much he knows reader, and they just start asking "Who is the person that i love most?" "Who makes my heart flutter and beat so loud even heaven could hear it?" "Who lives in my head rent free that even while dreaming he's there making everything brighter?". Lucifer would crumble.

I cant take this image from mi mind, please honey, show me the sweet baby crumble.

The Answer

Lucifer Morningstar x Reader

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

“C’mon!”

Lucifer’s smile threatens to crack his face in half.

He’s been begging you to quiz him on your knowledge of him even though you assured him, you believe he knows everything about you. A part of you knows this isn’t for you; it’s for him. Lucifer wants to prove he’s a worthy mate by sharing the information he’s collected about you. His crimson eyes are big and beautiful and straight up impossible to deny. With a smile of your own, you sigh and drop your phone. Turning to give him your full attention, you rest your head in your hands.

“Alright. What’s… my favorite color?”

Suddenly his smile drops, eyes rolling dramatically to the left.

“Pfft! That’s way too easy. You need to give me a harder one than that, darling!”

Pursing your lips to the side for only a moment, you don’t need to wrack your brain very hard for a question that would stun Lucifer. A smirk tugs across your face. It’s returned tenfold. He’s vibrating with excitement when he sees you’ve conjured something, something he thinks he can answer. That only makes you more ready to win the battle he’s started.

“Who’s the first person I’d tell a secret to?”

Lucifer inhales like he’s been holding his breathe the whole time.

“That’s—!” He chokes, pupils shrinking to slits, “That’s, uh…”

You make sure to give him a few seconds before dropping the next question.

“Who’s the person I want to see every morning, noon and night of every day?”

“I-I know this one!” Lucifer assures but deflates, shoulders slumping with the amount of uncertainty weighing him down.

“Who am I thinking about every waking moment because they’re my favorite person in the universe?”

Lucifer looks like he wants to say the answer, but he’s afraid it’s wrong. His mouth opens and shuts unsure of itself. His eyes scan your face for any warning signs and although he finds none, it’s as if he can’t trust any of his senses.

Who makes me smile and laugh more than anyone?

Who’s so creative they always have me in awe?

Who can make my day brighter just by being themself?

Question after question, you tug him closer by his hips until he’s flush against you. You will your hands to deliver to reassurance your words cannot. Fingers glide up his neck and comb through his blonde locks, every stroke an apology for dragging the game on.

“Who do I love the very most and thank Heaven every night for sending him to me?”

Your hands steal the apples of his cheeks and tilt his head up. Your eyes grip his in a staring competition fueled by adoration. The games over and forgotten but it has a clear winner. Lucifer’s a blushing disaster, his voice failing him and melting to a whine. He swallows hard on nothing, eyebrows pinching together making his expression appear dangerously hopeful.

Your voice drops to an agonizingly soft whisper. Syrupy sweet yet serious.

“I’ll give you a hint. He’s my angel… His name starts with an L… He’s looking at me like he wants a kiss…?”

“I—Is… Is it.. Me?”

“Yes, Luci. The answer is you.”

Closing the small gap between you both, you finally give him a reward for answering the question correctly.

[bapeach]

Stolen kisses ~ Paige's version

Someone asked for a Paige version of Stolen kisses so here it is! If you're more of a Nika girl you can find the original fic here. Constructive criticism is always welcome :D Find my masterlist here :)

Pairing(s): Paige Bueckers x female!reader  Word count: 3k+ Warnings: Timeline doesn’t make sense/underage drinking?, make out sessions, hickeys, no smut but suggestive scenes Summary: You break your "no dating teammates" rule for a certain blonde. Stolen moments between Paige and you just make life that much sweeter. ------------

When you first joined UConn, you had one rule. Never date your teammates. That rule quickly went out the window, however, when you met Paige Bueckers.

You two immediately clicked when you first met. You shared the same humor, loved teasing each other, weren’t afraid to speak your mind, and had each other’s backs. You’d only known each other for a few weeks when you two kissed for the first time. It was on the empty UConn court when everyone had already left. Paige had challenged you to a 1v1 to determine, once and for all, who the better player is.

While you loved seeing her smile and tease you about being better, you weren’t about to let her win. You played your heart out that day. It paid off too, you won by 2 points. Once the game was over, the both of you were panting as you walked up to her. You gave her a smirk as you took her hand and shook it. “Not bad, Bueckers, just not good enough,” you said with a wink. She looked up at you as she rolled her eyes, but you could see her eyes twinkle in amusement. You were standing close enough to feel the heat radiate off of each other. You were glad no one else was around to feel the tension between you two. 

That’s when your resolve snapped, and you kissed her. You’d grabbed her hips and pulled her in, kissing her hard and full of emotion. She’d gasped against your mouth before bringing her hands to your face, kissing you back just as hard. As you pulled away to breathe, you’d stayed close enough that your forehead was touching hers. 

That was the first of many kisses. Secret, stolen kisses behind closed doors.

The team was great, and you both trusted them with your life, but you wanted to keep your relationship just between the two of you for a little longer. Now, it was a few months later, and you were still sneaking around, stealing quiet moments with the blonde, away from the team. You were ready to tell them, knowing they’d be happy for you, but Paige was still hesitant. You were okay with that, though. You only cared about her, it didn’t matter who knew. You only wished the girls could know so you two could have more time together. Not wanting to push the Minnesotan girl, you didn’t bring it up a lot, but you still tried every so often.

In just one more week, Paige and you will have been dating for 6 months. And honestly, these have been the best months of your life. 

You were currently on your way to the nearest café, having agreed to meet your team there for breakfast. You haven’t even made it outside of your dorm building when you see Nika, Paige, and Azzi walking in the hallway. You speed up a bit, trying not to make a sound as you get closer. When they’re about to turn a corner, you grip Paige’s wrist and pull her back, your other hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She gasps against your hand before seeing it's you. Her wide eyes now squinting as she slaps you softly for scaring her. You send her a wink before leaning around the corner to see Nika and Azzi still walking, oblivious to the fact that Paige was no longer with them.

You push her against the wall and take your hand off her mouth. You regret it almost immediately. “You’re such an asshole! You scared the shit out of me!” She says in a hushed voice as she slaps your arm again. You chuckle as you try to avoid her hand. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” You laugh, holding your hands up in surrender. She just rolls her eyes at you before asking, “What’s up?”

“I just wanted a moment alone with you… Needed to tell you something,” you hum as you grip her hips and push her against the wall a little harder as you lean in closer. Her breathing stutters for a moment. “Hmm, and what’s that?” She says, looking up at you, her pupils wide. “This,” you mutter before kissing her passionately. You pull back a little, “And this.” You kiss her again, one hand letting go of her hips as you bring it to her cheek. “And also this,” you pant slightly, bringing your lips together one last time as you kiss her deep and lovingly. 

When you pull back, her pupils are so wide, you can barely still see her irises. Her cheeks are a beautiful rose, while her lips are a bright red from kissing you. You smile softly at her, still not believing that the prettiest girl in the world is yours. She finally breaks eye contact, looking down as she shakes her head a bit to get rid of the haze she’s in.

“We should get going, Niks and Azz are gonna send out a search party for me,” she mumbles. “Y’know, we could just tell them… Tell the whole team about us… Y’know they would be happy for us, and we wouldn’t have to sneak around so much,” you mumble, your thumb tracing circles on her hip. “We can’t. I… I’m not ready yet,” Paige says as her eyebrows furrow and her eyes become sad. 

Your chest becomes a little heavier. You’re not sure if it’s from the fact that Paige doesn’t want to tell the team or if it’s because she looks so upset. You shake your head softly, sending her a tiny smile. “It’s okay, we don’t have to. We’ll wait until you’re ready, there’s no rush,” you whisper. You give her one last kiss on the corner of her mouth before you let her go. 

“C’mon then,” you grin, trying to cheer her up as you pull her off of the wall and sling an arm around her shoulders. She lets you keep your arm there until you reach the lobby of the building. Azzi and Nika are already there waiting for her. “Where the hell did you go?” Nika asks the blonde as she gives you a hug. “Bumped into Y/N, so we started walking together, but she had to tie her shoelace,” she replies, lying with ease. Her cheeks become a little flushed again at the memory, but Nika and Azzi don’t notice, already walking towards the exit. You just send her a flirty wink and a grin before following your teammates.

Once you reach the café and greet everyone, you sit down and order some breakfast. You’re seated between KK and Azzi, with Paige sitting right in front of you. You send her a smirk, chuckling as she rolls her eyes. When your food and drink arrive, you enjoy your meal as you laugh with the team. “We should go out tonight!” Paige exclaims loudly. “Practices start again tomorrow, and you wanna go and get drunk?” Azzi says, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. “Exactly! Our last free day! C’monnnn, you know you wanna,” Paige replies, sending puppy eyes at the whole team. 

Everyone looks at each other hesitantly, trying to decide if it’s a good idea. “C’mon Y/N, back me up!” The girl begs, her eyes wide as she pouts slightly, knowing you could never say to her. You knew this wouldn’t be a good idea. Practice was going to be rough even without being hungover, so the right thing to do was to say no. But let’s be real, there was no way you were going to pass up the opportunity to see your girl all pretty and dressed up. Paige also was a flirty drunk, so you knew you were going to have fun.

A smirk forms on your face as you look at Paige. “Why the hell not?” You say. Your team starts nodding their heads in agreement, some of them mumbling about being screwed. Paige raises her arms as she cheers, only quieting down when getting a slap to the back of the head from Nika. She huffs as she crosses her arms and frowns dramatically, making everyone laugh. “Are you sure you’re old enough to go to a bar, you big baby?” Azzi teases as the blonde’s mouth drops open in offense. Nika slaps her hand to her mouth as she snorts from laughter. You look at Paige lovingly before starting a conversation with KK, not wanting anyone to catch your staring.

Once breakfast is over, everyone splits up to go do their own thing. Some girls invite you over to play Fortnite, but you decline. If you’re going out tonight, you should probably finish some of the schoolwork you had been shoving aside. You wave everyone goodbye, sending Paige one last wink before you leave. You walk with a pep in your step, excited about going out and seeing your girl all dolled up.

The rest of the day goes by pretty fast, and before you know it, it’s time to get ready. You hop in the shower after sending Paige a flirty invitation to join you, laughing as she sends you smirk faces back. Once you’re done, you quickly dry your hair before walking over to your closet. You pick out your favorite outfit, the one you know drives your girlfriend crazy, and put on your nicest perfume. You finish your look with a few rings and a necklace, giving yourself a once-over in the mirror. You grab your phone, keys, and wallet as you walk over to the door, texting the group chat to ask who were going to be the designated drivers and who’d be driving with whom. 

To your dismay, Paige won’t be in the same car as you, so you won’t get to see her until you’re at the bar. You walk towards the dorm where you knew your group was meeting up, sending your girl a quick text to let her know you were leaving soon and would meet her there. She doesn’t reply immediately, letting you know she’s probably still getting ready. You’re the last to arrive to your group, so you all leave once you get there.

Reaching the bar, you find a table to sit at as you wait for the others. You’re laughing at KK doing a dramatic reenactment of something that happened in class when you hear the other girls greet each other. You look over, and for a moment your heart stops. There she is. Paige.

She’s wearing a black crop top that shows off her abs with some cargo pants that fit her just right. Her hair is wavy, while her light makeup somehow makes her look even more attractive. A dainty necklace is glistening on her chest, catching the dim bar light. 

“Are you even listening?” KK whines in your ear before following your gaze. Thankfully, she gets distracted by the other girls arriving and doesn’t realize the heart eyes you were making at the blue-eyed girl. You swallow harshly as you catch her eye. She sends you a smug smirk, seeing the way she’s affecting you. 

You get up to greet everyone before walking over to her and leaning closer. You mutter, “You look beautiful, baby,” in her ear, grinning as a shiver goes through her body. 

You step back, announcing you’re going to get everyone some shots. You give Paige’s arm a soft squeeze as you walk past her, talking to Azzi as she follows you to help you out. You’re glad you’re not the designated driver today, knowing it would be pure torture to have to stay sober the whole evening and not be able to touch Paige. 

It’s not long before most girls are tipsy, laughing at the stupidest things and blabbing about God knows what. You’re sipping your drink and laughing at KK’s weird dream when you feel someone tug your arm. You look up from your seat to see a flushed Paige in front of you. “Come dance with me,” she demands. You get up, giving the younger girl next to you a sheepish grin and a shrug.

The blonde leads you to the middle of the dance floor before she starts dancing with you. Her moves are sensual but still innocent enough to make it look like two good friends just having fun. You grab onto her, pulling her closer between the sea of bodies. You twist her around, breathing into her neck as she leans her back against you. She smells like her signature perfume mixed with the drinks she’s had tonight and a bit of sweat from all the dancing. You dance for a few songs until you can’t take it anymore. You grab her hand and pull her towards the bathroom. Once you’re in there and have made sure you’re alone, you push her against the wall and kiss her hungrily.

“So pretty for me,” you pant against her mouth. She responds by grabbing your face and pulling you into another breathtaking kiss. She leans back a little, trying to catch her breath as you start trailing kisses down her neck. You know you two had agreed to not leave marks, but you couldn’t help it. Not when she looked like an actual goddess and was eyeing you with those beautiful wide eyes. You leave a few red marks across her skin before you get interrupted by knocking on the door. 

You pull back, breathing heavily and giving her a questioning look. “Let’s go home,” she breathes out, desperation clear in her voice. You let her pull you out of the bathroom and out of the bar as you order an Uber to take you back. You can hardly keep your hands off of her, but you know you can’t risk the team seeing you. You text Aaliyah that you’re leaving, while Paige texts Azzi, making sure it’s not too obvious that you’re leaving together.

Once you make it to your dorm, you barely have time to close the door before the blonde is kissing you again. You lead her to your bedroom, not letting her get farther than a few inches. You don’t go much further than making out that night, knowing you both have had quite a few drinks and don’t want to do anything while intoxicated. You don’t mind, though. Having her here in your arms as she dozes off, slightly snoring, is more than enough.

The next day, you wake up to your head pounding. You stay in bed a few extra minutes, enjoying the girl’s soft breathing against your chest, before you get up and get ready for the day. Once you feel more presentable, you take some painkillers with a glass of water. You grab some extra pills and water for Paige, placing them on her nightstand as you go to make breakfast. 

15 minutes later, you’re almost done with the food. Hearing the soft patter of footsteps behind you, you turn around and smile softly. The blonde’s hair is a mess, she has a bit of drool dried in the corner of her mouth, and she has panda eyes from her leftover makeup. Yet she still manages to look gorgeous and make your heart skip a beat.

You hold your arms open as she falls into your hug. You kiss her forehead, muttering a good morning. You wish you could wake up like this every day. The love of your life tightly in your arms as you prepare to face the rest of the day. Once she pulls back, you rub your thumb gently against her mouth, wiping away the drool before giving her a soft kiss. You enjoy breakfast together before she goes to get ready, and you both split up to meet again at practice. 

When you reach the locker room, the whole team is already there. Some girls are holding their heads and frowning in regret, while others are grinning widely and teasing the others. You’re glad your headache is gone as KK sings loudly, trying to annoy the other girls as much as possible. You make eye contact with Paige across the room as you send her a playful wink. Her face becomes a soft pink color as she smiles back.

Everything is normal when you start changing into your basketball uniform until you hear KK gasp loudly. You’re in the middle of pulling on your shirt when you hear Nika yell, “What’s that!” When you finally get your shirt on, you see KK pointing at Paige as both she and Nika stare at the star athlete with wide eyes. You try to hide your smile as you see the purple marks littered across the other girl’s neck. 

“OOOHH, SOMEONE GOT LAIDDDDD!” KK cheers. Paige becomes a bright red as all the girls are now looking at her with smirks. “Oh my God, shut up,” she mumbles back as she puts her face in her hands. “C’mon twin, tell us, who was itttt?” Nika grins as she wiggles her eyebrows and shimmies her shoulders. Having realized that her team is going to bug her anyway, Paige sits up straighter, no longer being so embarrassed. “I don’t kiss and tell,” she smirks. 

“Boooo,” KK groans as she throws her head back. You chuckle at her dramatics. You look back at Paige, who’s already eyeing you. Your staring gets interrupted as Nika loudly complains, “This is almost as bad as the time Y/N wouldn’t tell us who gave her those scratches on her back.” You smirk as you send everyone a shrug, not ashamed in the slightest. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Paige look away, her face blazing at the memory. 

Your chest feels warm. Sure, you’d love to have everyone know that you managed to have the Paige Bueckers go out with you. But in moments like this, you didn’t really care. You loved hearing the team tease your girl, not knowing it was you who she was going out with. Loved the thrill of sneaking her looks without getting caught. So yeah, stolen kisses weren’t so bad when they brought you heaven on earth with the girl you were sure you’d marry some day.

[haikyu-mp4]

it’s a rainy day at summer camp. one of the few evenings that greeted you with bad weather instead of the setting sun, and the result was Fukurodani’s volleyball team gathered around a small tv and taking turns in a Mario Kart tournament.

you walked into the room with an order from the coach to tell everyone to quiet down, and was intrigued by the choice of game and their lack of talent in it. “you guys suck.”

everyone who wasn't playing at the moment turned abruptly, some squinting suspiciously and some laughing. “think you could do better?”

and so you were thrown into the tournament, and oh boy did you knock them off their pedestals. they didn’t stand a chance.

it earned you almost everyone’s desserts from dinner the day after, and you happily munched on pudding cup after pudding cup while they pouted about it. you shared plenty of them with the other girls as well, and you all enjoyed their defeat thoroughly.

fast forward one year later, Bokuto has made friends with Nekoma’s captain, making Fukurodani and Nekoma closer than they were with the other teams.

when Bokuto is particularly annoyed with Kuroo’s taunting after he missed some spikes in a practice game, he challenges him to a round of Mario Kart after dinner. Fukurodani vs Nekoma, choose your fighter style.

Kuroo walks into Fukurodani’s room that evening, carrying Kenma along while the setter is still playing on his console and not even paying attention. the captain looks smug, confident in his best friend’s ability to win. until he sees Bokuto standing with his arms crossed and shielding their chosen fighter.

a couple of the others from Nekoma’s team had joined, curious as to why Bokuto would challenge them in video games when he knew Kenma was there. “why do you look so smug?” Kuroo asks suspiciously.

“because we brought our secret weapon,” he answered, dramatically moving to the side and gesturing towards you. you sat patiently on a pillow, waving at the other team and smiling brightly.

“hi, guys!”

Kuroo laughed, letting go of Kenma and waving back at you. “y/n, fancy seeing you here.”

Bokuto rudely pressed his hand into Kuroo’s face. “none of that, don’t distract our player before the match!”

and while they fought, Kenma sat down beside you, finally turning off his console as you held out the other controller for him. “making me second player, hm?” you laughed at his remark, nodding.

“home base is always first player,” you teased. Konoha patted you on the back and smirked at Kenma.

“you don’t stand a chance.”

he did stand a chance. it was a close race, and you must admit you broke a sweat using every little trick you could think of.

however, it was just a chance. one he didn’t master, and you ended up with a clear victory after a mystery box gifted you with three glorious red shells on the second round, ruining any head start he might have gained.

the whole of Fukurodani’s team got up and cheered, many shaking your shoulders or ruffling your hair to praise your efforts. you looked to the side, ready to taunt Kenma a bit, but he was already staring at you. his catlike eyes made you flustered, and you quickly looked away. “I’m going to bed. good game, Kenma!”

Kenma watched the highlight reel after you left, and Kuroo had to practically drag him out of there as he could barely accept his loss. red shells don’t always mean you win. how you use them matters, and you use them perfectly. the way you drifted as well was beyond any technique he had seen before in real life.

the day after, Kenma comes over to you table with his dessert as a peace offering, and sits down across from you with his head down. “so you’re a gamer, what else do you play?”

“not really a gamer, my cousin just always brought Mario Kart for family holidays.”

Kenma stared at the table for two minutes in silence as you continued eating your lunch and chatting with your team’s other managers until he finally broke out of his trance. “can you teach me?”

“sure, catboy.” you were already eating the pudding cup, giving him a teasing wink now that he seemed so shy. this was the start of a blooming friendship.

masterlist

/when me n @cottonlemonade start brainstorming, great things happen

/this is a drabble in my head but it’s way too long for that… also, what do you think nekoma owes fukurodani after losing??

[frost-queen]

Place your bets (Reader!Bridgerton & Bridgerton brothers)

Requested by: anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @alex--awesome--22, @ellie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve , @queen-of-books , @glimmering-darling-dolly , @denkisclown , @wildieflower , @meyocoko , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl , @m-rae23 , 

@harleyquinnswifeyfrfr  , @swampything07, @melsunshine , @panhoeofmanyfandoms , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat , @rosecentury , @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne , @vviolynn , @niktwazny303 , @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 , @markive-m, @erikasurfer

Summary: Colin and you (the youngest Bridgerton) are home alone when there is a note. Signed to come and collect drunk Anthony. Needing to take you along, Colin did not expect to pick up drunk Benedict as well. When his eyes are turned on his drunk brothers are you winning bets against the lords.

Colin quirked his eyebrow up, seeing you making faces whilst thinking. It made him chuckle, pulling you out of concentration. – “What?” – you blurted out with wide eyes. Colin snorted loud at your sudden confusion. Furrowing your brows, you stared a bit dumbfound at your brother. – “Nothing Y/n, you were looking very cute… with your mimic…” – he said gently moving his hand in front of his face.

Understanding what he meant, you stuck your tongue out to him. – “It was a compliment.” – he reassured you. You lifted your chin up, not wanting to hear it. Taking a card, you placed it on top of his. Colin’s eyes widening at the card you had placed. – “I win.”  - you called out.

Colin looked at his own cards to the once’s you had placed down. Trying to see how on earth you won as he thought he had the winning hand. – “How… how did you…” – he wanted to know, curious to your play. Placing the remaining cards upside down on the table, you held your hands up. – “I’m not telling you my secret.” – you made clear.

Colin laid his cards defeated down. – “Another round?” – you asked gathering the cards. – “Uhmm…” – Colin was a bit hesitant as you had been winning the previous three rounds in a row now. Wondering if ever he was going to beat you at cards. A game he always thought he was good at. The door to the drawing room opened as one of the staff entered. He approached Colin holding a tray.

Lowering his arm, he offered the tray with a single note on it to him. Colin took it, turning it over to see from who it was. – “Y/n… why don’t you keep shuffling.” – he said getting up from his chair. You hummed loud, placing the cards right before shuffling. Colin patting you on the head as he went to stand a bit further away from you.

An anonymous note. Hesitant it might be something with gossip or leverage over his family. Finally he opened it, reading the note. – “God.” – he groaned out annoyed. – “What is it brother?” – you questioned, hearing him. Colin sighed loud, rubbing his forehead.

You left the cards alone, getting out of your chair to hop over to him. Taking the note from Colin to have a look yourself. Colin panicked, snatching the note back before you could read the few lines it said. – “It’s from Anthony.” – Colin told you to reassure you. – “Or rather someone who wrote for him…” – he mumbled reading the note once more. – “I…I…” – Colin started with a deep sigh. Kneeling down, he came up to your level.

“I have to pick up Anthony.” – Colin explained to you. – “Where is he?” – you questioned. – “At a… a… Gods this is frustrating.” – Colin expressed out, getting back up. You were a bit confused about your brother’s behaviour. – “Is Anthony hurt?” – you panicked, lip already quivering at the thought of your brother hurt. Colin turned around, seeing your eyes swell up with tears.

“No, Y/n no, no he is alright.” – Colin reassured you, kneeling back in front of you. He brushed some tears away that found an escape down your cheek. – “He’s at a bar.” – Colin told you. – “What’s a bar?” – you asked frowning a bit. Colin got back up, looking around the empty drawing room. – “It is unfortunate…” – he said to himself.

Sighing deep, he took your hand, leading you out of the drawing room. – “Are we going somewhere?” – you asked curiously. Colin made eye contact with one of the staff, letting them know to fetch your coat. – “Yes, to get Anthony.” – he spoke as your coat arrived. He took it from the man, laying it over your shoulders to tie in the front with a little knot. – “At this bar?” – you replied balancing on your feet.

“Yes.” – Colin answered with a deep sigh. – “Let’s just hope we are back home before mama and the others return home from their trip to Lady Danbury.” – Colin said out loud, taking your hand. The doorman opened the door for Colin, not saying a word. It was not his place. You jumped down the last few steps before running up to the carriage.

Gasping in wonder as you finally get to ride the carriage. The footman opened the door for you. Colin picked you up, holding you under your armpits to set you in the carriage. Joining you shortly after. The door got shut as you sat with a big silly smile on your face. The carriage got in motion as the sudden budging startled you.

A bit frightened, you got up, nearly falling across against your brother as he caught you. You sat down beside him, crawling against his arm to feel saver.

“When we get there Y/n, I need you to listen very carefully to me.” – Colin instructed. You nodded your head, rubbing it up against his arm. – “It isn’t a place for girls… specially little girls where we are going.” – he explained making you swallow nervously. – “Just… stay close to me.” – Colin asked of you. The carriage came to a stop as the footman got off. Opening the door for you both.

Colin held your hand tight, under no circumstance wanting to lose you at a bar. Hesitantly he looked down at you, wondering if he should even bring you inside. Perhaps it was better if you waited in the carriage? But then he had no sight of you. What if you got out of anyone else entered the carriage.

Not wanting to think about it, he shook his head. With big paces, he entered the bar in search for Anthony. A drunk Anthony. The air felt thick with smoke and smelled disgusted to you. Colin stepped into the room full of men sitting at round tables.

“Colin!” – His eyes widened, seeing Benedict jump up from his seat, arms up. – “Gods.” – Colin sighed out. Benedict nearly tripped trying to get away from the table to go to his younger brother. Benedict ran up to Colin smelling like a liquor bar. Benedict pressed his hands against Colin’s cheeks, giving him a big kiss. Colin a bit startled as Benedict squashed his cheeks closer together.

You saw your brother Anthony sitting at the same table, Benedict came from. Overjoyed to see your brother, unaware of the surroundings, you ran up to him. – “Anthony.” – you said happily. Anhtony could barely lift his head up. Blinking overdramatically to clear his vision. – “This… this tiny human looks like my sister.” – he chuckled out, looking at the man across from him.

“Why are you being silly Anthony.” – you responded unaware of his drunk behaviour. – “You even sound like her.” – he said squeezing your cheeks together to make sure you were real. – “Are you my sister tiny human?” – he asked you, his voice drowsy. – “Yes.” – you exclaimed with laughter.

Anthony breathed out a laugh, trying to clear his vision at you. He got up from his chair picking you up with a groan. He presented you to the other gentlemen at the bar. – “This tiny human is my sister!” – he proclaimed proudly, holding you up in the air. You waved shyly at the men. – “Anthony!” – Colin shouted loud. – “Put her down before you drop her!” – Colin made clear trying to stop drunk Benedict being so clingy.

Anthony set you down, nearly falling over you. Colin rushed over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder. – “Why?” – he asked, wanting to know why his brother got drunk at an hour like this. Anthony responded by hiccupping loud in Colin’s face. Colin closed his eyes disgusted, trying not to think too much of it. – “Honestly Anthony.” – Colin groaned out annoyed pulling at his arm.

Anthony had a difficult time to keep his balance. Colin grabbed Benedict by his arm as well, dragging him along. – “Y/n Come on!” – Colin called out, knowing he couldn’t hold your hand now. You moved to go after your brother till your eyes fell on a card game on the table you passed.

You looked at the men’s game as they quirked they eyebrow up at you. A man was about to take out his card as you stopped him. – “That is a losing card.” – you told him. The man looked confused at you. – “If you lay that card, you ultimately lose the game.” – you explained.

You moved closer to him to look at the other cards in his hand. Biting a bit on your lip thoughtfully, you watched his hand. – “Take this one. It won’t make you win, but it keeps you in the game to have another opportunity later with a better card.” – you finished. The lord took out the card you pointed out, placing it down.

Immediately two of his opponents threw their cards in defeat on the table. – “Now I’ll be damned.” – the lord said in disbelieve. – “You know your cards little lady.” – he told you. – “You only won this round because of her!” – one of the losing lords said. The lord you helped shushed him hard. – “You seem to know the game well little lady.” – he stated, seeing you nod.

He offered you a seat as you sat down. The cards got divided as you waited for your deck. A lord at the round wanted to light up a cigar as lord Willson took the cigar from him. Throwing it away. – “Hey!” – Sir Bronson called out. – “No smoking around the girl!” – Lord Willson made clear with a glare. The cards got played out as the first round started. Within a few minutes you won the first round. – “Beginners luck!” – Sir Bronson said with a puff.

You set your hands on the table, sitting on your knees on the chair to reach the table better. – “Want to bet?” – you asked him, staring him dead in the eye. Lord Willson snorted loud. Sir Bronson laughed loud. You stuck your tongue out to him in anger. – “Don’t disrespect the little lady, Bronson.” – Lord Willson said, giving you a wink. – “Bet!” – you called out wanting him to bet with you. Lord Willson being your saviour took out his satchel, revealing a few coins of him on the table.

“I’ll bet.” – he said. Lord Mortison joined as well. Now Sir Bronson was obliged to join. More gentleman were intrigued with the bet, joining your table. Several lords and sir’s were surrounding your table. Watching the sports. – “My money is on the little Bridgerton!” – one of them said. – “Mine on Bronson, this kid is going down.” – another man said.

Lord Willson got up. – “Bet’s on Little Bridgerton here!” – he shouted accepting money from those bidding on you. Lord Mortison calling the bets for Sir Bronson. The game started as everyone watched with eagerness at the game of cards.

Outside was Colin struggling to get both his brothers in the carriage. Benedict had let himself fall forwards onto the seats. His legs still sticking out. Annoyed Colin grabbed his foot, pushing him inside. Not caring how he would land. – “Get in!” – Colin grunted out, shoving his foot in. Benedict rolled down the seat, landing on his bottom in the middle, foot up. Colin then shoved Anthony in it.

Anthony set his hand down on Benedict’s stomach who grunted at the sudden pressure. Anthony stumbled over Benedict, mumbling an apology. Colin had already undone himself of his jacket, having rolled his sleeves up for the hard labour of getting his drunk brothers in the carriage. Anthony and Benedict struggled to get up and sit down. – “Alright Y/n let’s go.” – Colin said, looking behind him.

His eyes widening when he didn’t see you. – “Yn?” – he panicked. Anthony and Benedict in the carriage sat beside each other. Benedict’s head resting against the frame as he snored softly. Anthony resting against his arm, trying to sober up. – “Y/n!” – Colin shouted startling his brothers in the carriage. – “Can you keep it down.” – Benedict let out to him annoyed.

Colin ignored him, rushing back inside. Worrying any of the drunk gentlemen were intimidating you. Entering the room once more, he stood perplex by the sight. A group of drunk lords going wild at how the game was going. Sir Bronson and you playing cards against each other. Lord Willson enjoying himself to see Sir Bronson’s ass get kicked by a little girl. – “Y/n?” – Colin panted out, breaking out a sweat.

You placed a card down, taking the win as the crowd went wild with cheering. Lord Willson picked you up, setting you on his shoulder for a victory round. Sir Bronson thumping his head mournful on the table. – “Y/n!” – Colin shouted. Everyone stopped, staring at Colin. Colin rushed over to you, taking you from Lord Willson. – “Next time again?” – you asked Lord Willson with a cheeky smile. – “You bet little Bridgerton.” – he answered with a laugh. Colin shook his head, not wanting it to happen anymore.

“We’re leaving Y/n!” – Colin said firmly, pulling at your hand. Lord Willson whistled loud, coming after you. – “Your winnings little Bridgerton.” – he said kneeling before you. You accepted the patch of coins. Colin nearly had a heart attack. He left the bar in a hurry with you, setting you in the carriage with your drunk brothers. – “Why is Y/n here?” – Anthony asked, sobering up a bit. – “Oh shut up.” – Colin bit at him annoyed.

Once at home, you ran into the drawing room. Anthony already having sobered up a bit. – “Look at what I won!” – you ran up to Benedict who laid sloppy in the sofa to sober up. – “Oh.” – he said surprised, his mind still spinning. – “That was really fun!” – you exclaimed out of breath. – “I want to go to bars more.” – you told your brothers. – “No!” – Anthony and Colin both shouted loud. 

Your lip started quivering once they had raised their voices at you. Colin nudged Anthony hard to make her sad. – “You brought her to a bar.” – Anthony responded, gesturing at the results of it. – “Well you shouldn’t have gotten yourself drunk!” – Colin said back putting the blame back on him. – “We can play cards here.” – Benedict let out still feeling like a wreck, but more compatible.

“We can?” – you gasped out. – “With betting?” – you looked curiously at your brothers. Anthony and Colin sharing a concerned look. – “Maybe.” – Colin answered giving you a bit hope. Smiling wide, you crawled in the sofa with Benedict, leaning with your elbows on his chest to show him all the coins you had won.  

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

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!

[gallavichsreddie1128]

Want (Patrick Zweig)

Description: Art wants Patrick’s wife and he knows it.

Warning: A lil smutty

Word Count: 1,042k

It wasn’t a secret that Art thought Y/N was attractive, a lot of people did. She was one of the hottest girls at that party that night with Tashi Duncan. She didn’t play Tennis, she was just Tashi’s best friend. Art didn’t bat an eye at Y/N when Tashi was next to her. He wanted Tashi and so did Patrick. That was until Patrick realized what kind of person Tashi was and how Y/N was. They were complete opposites and it was crazy how they were even friends.

Y/N was nice and sweet and didn’t care about winning or competition. Tashi was the opposite. So when Art saw Patrick with Y/N it hit him hard. What did Patrick do to deserve her? Art wanted her and the life Patrick had. Tashi didn’t love him, she loved Tennis and it stressed him out. He was playing for her and so she was happy not for him. Tashi and Y/N kept in contact unlike Art and Patrick. So Art knew that they were married. It didn’t bug him until he saw her. She was beautiful and she had such a sweet smile. I

t hurt even more to see a baby in her arms that resembled Patrick. Art glared as the two kissed before Patrick came on to the floor. He had a smirk on his face as he saw Art’s face. It was so obvious that Art wanted what he had. Patrick won the game and Y/N cheered for him. Tashi looked pissed at Art and that made his heart sink. Y/N  laughed as Patrick kissed her neck. The crowd cheered for him. 

“How about I give her to my mother and we can have the hotel room to ourselves for the night.” She whispered in his ear, seductively. Art watched the scene waiting for Tashi. “I’d like that.” He said, pulling her closer. “And maybe I can put another one in you.” That made her wet. She couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel room. Art could tell that they were saying dirty things to each other. He wished that he and Tashi had something like that. Patrick noticed his ex best friend staring at his wife. It made him smirk, knowing that he had something that Art wanted. Tashi entered the lobby where the couple and Art were. She saw how Art looked at the couple and knew that it was jealousy.

Not that she cared, she only cared about his Tennis career. It was even crazier that their rooms were next door to each other so Art heard every little moan, whine and gasp that Y/N let out as her and Patrick fucked. He’d give anything to be the reason that Y/N was moaning. Y/N didn’t bat an eye at Art especially like that. She loved Patrick and she always had so why would she think of Art like that? But Art was realizing his mistake. But what could he do about it? “You can’t have her.” Tashi tells him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looks at her with confusion. She rolls her eyes, “Y/N. You can’t have her because she loves Patrick.” Art opened his mouth to shut down her testament but she held her hand up. “I’m not a fucking idiot, Art. I see how you look at her.” She didn’t care that he looked at her like that at all. She completely understood, Y/N was an angel.

But she didn’t want that to distract him and make him lose. Art denied her allegations but she knew he was lying. “Art, I don’t care that you stare. Just don’t lose.” And even though those words were harsh and any sane person would have left her alone in the hotel room, he stayed and begged her to hold him while he slept. 

Y/N laid on Patrick’s chest asleep. But Patrick was wide awake, thinking about Art and how he wanted his wife. Patrick knew that Y/N didn’t care about Art so he honestly found it funny. Hell he even made her scream so Art could hear next door. Art fucked up and he wanted him to know that. Y/N’s face nuzzled into his neck making him laugh as he held her tight. 

Tomorrow they'll be playing in the finals. Patrick had no worries, he was confident and even if he lost, he had a beautiful family that would still love and support him. Art had nothing. If Art lost this game, he’d lose Tashi and that was it for him. Patrick walked into the steam room that Art was in. This would be the first time they exchanged words. It was awkward but Patrick loved that. “Promise me you won’t dominate me?” Art wanted to roll his eyes, he didn’t understand why Patrick was here.

He didn’t like the man at all, but he loved what he had. Jealous of it. “Why are you here, Patrick?” He asked him. “To win.” That answer was obvious and to a dumb question. But Art was searching for more. “When did you start to take a liking to my wife?” Patrick asked him. Art stared at him, no words. Patrick chuckled, “Oh come on. You don’t think I see the way you look at her?” He got closer to Art. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He lied. “I don’t blame you. She’s an angel. And my god she smells so good and her pussy tastes fantastic.” He whispered in Art’s ear. “The way she looks when she cums and how her eyes roll back. I get hard just thinking about it. See, my wife loves me and not just for my career. She would love me without it. But Tashi? No, if you lose this you lose it all. So I get why you stare at her. But next time you do it, think of me deep inside her wet pussy pumping her full of my cum over and over again.” Art was hard at his words. Patrick gave him a smirk, “Stare all you want Donaldson but just know, that she’s mine and that’ll never change whether I win or lose.” He says as he walks out of the room, leaving Art there with only his thoughts.

[violenteconomics]

I am in dire need of more of that AU that The First years get The upperclassmen toxic traits,i realy want more of It,like;

A way to include octavinelle and scarabia,maybe like,3 First years(Ace,deuce,Jack) get some of azul's toxic traits,other Three(epel,ortho and sebek) get Jamil toxic traits and yuu get both

Second thing

More reactings please,i NEED The staff,ALL The dorms and even the relatives seeing The First years developing those toxic traits,the overblots+Trey and cater for deuce getting their toxic traits right back at their face i beg you🙏🙏

anything 4 u, baby.

(but for real, though, this is an AMAZING idea, love you so much for tilling the ground for my brainwormies, mwah mwah 😘)

(also, this might get REALLY long, so hang tight!)

it was just a seed at first — a tiny idea that stuck around despite the first-years not even realizing it was there. but as the poison from their actual housewardens starts to develop into something truly deadly, so does that seed. it shows up later... but it makes itself known nevertheless.

ace, deuce, and jack have all worked for azul at the mostro lounge at one point, and though it was a very brief moment in time, it was just long enough to worm its way into their heads.

it starts with ace trappola, who's already pretty slippery with his words. but working at the mostro lounge, taking subconscious note of all the underhanded deals azul is making, he starts to pick up new... skills, let's say.

it starts small, with ace starting to give out certain favors to his fellow freshmen to earn some money. if you give him ten thaumarks, he'll do one of your everyday chores for you — dusting your room, cleaning your bathroom, making dinner, what have you. if you give him fifteen thaumarks, he'll do your homework if you don't feel like doing it, or take class notes for you if you don't feel like showing up. if you give him forty, he'll help you with something less-than-moral and definitely against the rules (he did it once back at the atlantica memorial museum — he can do it again).

there's an obvious power imbalance in all of these scenarios, but ace effortlessly words in a way that makes it seem like it's a win-win situation, when in reality, it's more like a zero-sum game.

it gets to the point where ace builds a black-market sort of reputation, and all of the freshmen know that if you need something done, ace is the person to go to.

...but then, something shifts.

at some point, ace starts a black-mailing campaign for the people who paid for the forty-thaumark favor. if you don't want your secret — one that might get you expelled, suspended, or worse — getting out, then you can pay for ace's silence with a favor or more money.

the worst part is: there's no way out. if you try attacking ace, it'll seem like you assaulted him for no reason, since if you try to explain he was blackmailing you, you'll have to tell them what he was blackmailing you with, which you obviously can't do — or else what was even the point? the same rule applies if you try tattling on him to one of the teachers or the housewardens or anybody else. and ace is a better liar than most people will ever be in their lifetime, so it's a losing battle even if you do manage to get someone to take your side.

so if you want to cross the bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll.

(it's not even about the money anymore, really. riddle's thirst for control and azul's desire for recognition have clashed inside of ace in the most violent way, and now, it's all about the power it gives him over other people. and after how powerless he's felt this entire school year, being thrown left and right by overblot after overblot with no say at all, this is a power trip he never wants to come back down from.)

but ace realizes he's making quite a few enemies with his little money-making strategy, and he needs someone to help him just in case someone does come up with a plan to wipe him out. i mean, just look at azul — even with all of the loopholes and leverages in the world, even he was taken down eventually without outside help. if he wants this to last as long as possible, he needs... incentive for people to listen to him.

his own jade and floyd.

his own red-and-black collar.

using his riddle rosehearts-born dominance, and taking advantage of deuce's trey-and-cater-born passiveness, ace convinces deuce spade — one of the strongest people he knows — to help him in his economic ventures.

and deuce, seeing this as a way for ace to vent some frustration and unwilling to be on the other end of ace's ire, hesitantly agrees.

he doesn't piece together that ace is acting suspiciously like azul, but he still recognizes his own role in this whole scheme. ace is running a business, right? and deuce has only ever worked in one business before. he remembers what jade and floyd were like back when he worked under them, and so he uses that experience to inform his new position.

deuce becomes known as ace's right-hand man. he'll hunt you down if you don't pay, and he's not afraid to use force to "compel" you to. there have been stories about cat beastmen getting thrown up into trees and being left there for hours. about students getting forks "accidentally" thrown at them in the cafeteria with such precision, it doesn't really feel like an accident. about a student with a spade on his face who can throw back any attack sent his way with just as much force.

and there's nothing you can do about it, because he's in service to someone who has made himself pretty powerful. ace's silver-tongue gets deuce out of any and all trouble he inevitably finds himself in — and is ace is so brutally honest, why wouldn't people believe him? so even if you try to do something to deuce, ace has his back no matter what — and he'll win almost every time.

you mess with deuce, you mess with ace, which is already bad enough. but if you fuck around with ace, you better be prepared to find out with deuce.

they're a pair — that's always been true. but never before has that fact been so threatening.

jack howl comes next. we all know how much jack despises octavinelle's business model. but, begrudgingly, he will admit there are a lot of things he can learn from octavinelle. and more knowledge is never bad. as long as he doesn't actually use it, it should be fine.

(jack is more dangerous than ace and deuce, in a way — his toxicity is insidious in a way it just couldn't ever be with them.)

with excellent hearing, eyesight, and memory, he silently keeps note of every bribe he hears being taken. every lie he knows is being told. every mistake that gets swept under the rug. it's not long before he starts actively looking for it. it's not long before jack's uncovered dirt on almost every freshmen in school. it reminds him a bit of his time working at the mostro lounge. but instead of memorizing orders from customers, he's memorizing all their dirty secrets.

it's to protect himself, jack reasons. after all, it was only his input that put a stop to leona and ruggie's plans back during the spelldrive exhibition. he's just... preparing for another disastrous event, that's all. it's just precaution. insurance.

if it's not, then he'll have to accept that leona's overblot bothered him more than he thought. that he was weak enough to let it.

(and jack can't face that yet.)

and if, once in a while, ace comes to him looking for a little bit of information, then well, that's just lending a friend some advice. nothing wrong with that.

epel, ortho, and sebek don't have any direct ties to jamil, but they are certainly... impressionable, aren't they?

sebek zigvolt is a bit dense, certainly, but even he can see how well jamil takes care of his master. and with a master that's as ditzy and forgetful and all-over-the-place as kalim, that can't be easy. even if they are merely humans, and their experiences can't even begin to compare when it comes to serving a fae prince, sebek reckons that he can learn a thing or two by observing them. so that's exactly what he does.

one day, when kalim spills food on the floor in a hilariously ridiculous move, sebek notices something few others ever would. jamil gives the tiniest twitch of annoyance — the same way silver, in all his stoicism, often does when sebek gets too loud — but then he's back to being perfectly dutiful and polite and says "i'll go get a napkin."

it's... admirable, honestly. sebek doesn't put it into practice right away, but it stays in his mind long after he first sees it.

and then, after malleus's overblot, sebek's emotions feel like they're on fire. after being stuck in a world where it took just the tiniest crack to shatter a perfect illusion, he's wary of nearly everything that disrupts his day. now every single slight against him, no matter how unintentional it may be, feels like a personal attack on his very life. but sebek can't show these ugly emotions so outwardly — that would be dishonorable behavior that could damage malleus's reputation. instead, he resorts to subtle methods that can't be easily traced back to him like putting in frogs in schoolbags and setting brooms on fire or replacing shampoo bottles with tar.

but his repressed feelings of anger start to build to the point where he's now feeling unprecedented resentment towards... well, almost everybody.

when sebek has very first negative thought about malleus in history class — "reckless bastard" — he instantly hates himself for it and throws up then and there because how dare he.

he tries to shut them out, but the more he does, the more these intrusive thoughts start to bombard him with their uncharacteristic cynicism.

he looks at lilia from across the breakfast table, and his first thought is: heartless liar.

he spots leona lying in the botanical garden and he thinks: brainless cretin.

he even sees jamil, walking through the halls, and his mind screams: manipulative bitch.

but sebek shoves it all down because he's in no position to say that. it gets to the point where he's walking around as a silent, unfeeling husk, because to be anything else would be like inviting his inner demons to visit him on the outside. he pushes his emotions down as far as they'll go, and that's just going to have to be enough to get him through the day.

ortho shroud begins to follow a similar principle. his idia-inspired pessimism has led ortho to see others as less like people and more like characters. it's easier to think of every school day as a dungeon in an rpg. it's easier to convince himself that the other students are taunting him because they're programmed to be that way than face the reality that they just don't like him.

but the problem with seeing life as a video game is that you start seeing others as just ways to complete your objectives. like npcs or maps.

and when it comes to using people, jamil viper is king. or, for ortho's purposes, the ultimate survival guide.

ortho shapes himself into a model night raven college student — kind, charming, and sweet for the teachers, but just mischievous and rude enough to still fit in with the students.

he goes to housewarden meetings with idia to "gain leadership experience", taking notes and hearing out of every single little idea he can get his hands on (these are the people who have not just survived, but thrived. they must be doing something right). one time, riddle even pats his head and praises him for his proactiveness.

his classmates adore him for always been willing to help and being so calm about even the worst outcomes.

ortho makes himself as available as possible to the rest of ignihyde, brushing off homework or studying to help them with whatever they need — fixing game consoles, wiring in controllers, checking the internet connection, et cetera.

eventually, everyone believes in him almost as fiercely as scarabia believed in jamil, once upon a time.

ortho doesn't like telling all of these lies, but it's necessary to protect himself. it's like grinding to earn coins until you have enough money to buy that special armor in the shopkeeper's store.

...or maybe it's more like those cheesy dress-up flash games ortho used to play all the time — fleshing out the perfect outfit and hairstyle and makeup that'll earn you the most points.

if people feel like they need him, he'll be able to breeze through school without any more problems. he's put the whole system on easy mode! it feels a bit like cheating, almost.

it is like a game, isn't it? it's fun.

(at some point, ortho forgets how to stop.)

as for epel... well, he knows that his sudden snappish behavior towards the other pomefiore students won't go unnoticed for too long. but this is one of his only ways of venting, so he needs it to go under the radar long enough for him to... to squeeze out all of this sudden venom that's built up in him.

epel's not oblivious. he knows how sebek and ortho have changed over the weeks, and he knows why. but epel can't pull off "repressed" like sebek, and neither can he suddenly turn into the best person ever like ortho. but they do have the right idea about taking inspiration from jamil, so epel can fall back on what there is left: gaslighting.

every time kalim blacked out, jamil blamed it on him being sick. every time someone thought kalim was being awfully uncharacteristic, jamil called it a "mood swing". every time someone asked jamil about why kalim was acting so weird, jamil claimed ignorance.

at least, that's what yuu tells epel.

and it's perfect.

so now, every time someone confronts epel about his overly critical behavior, he lies and says he's doing it for their own good. you need pressure to make a diamond, after all. and besides — vil won't settle for anything less than absolutely perfect.

("i'm just trying to catch your mistakes before he does. and i think you and i can both agree that i'm a lot nicer than he is about it.")

every time vil confronts epel about all of the complaints he's been hearing from the other students about how epel's been tearing down their ideas for outfits and hairstyles with no mercy, and disregarding all of their achievements as "not good enough" to be proud over, epel dons a confused face.

("vil, between studying for tests and the crazy physical regiment you have me do, i barely have time for myself. you honestly think i have the energy to criticize other people?")

epel even starts turning people against each other so they won't focus on him. epel subtly threatens to take away the upperclassmen's position in the hierarchy, which sets up the other underclassmen as a threat, and epel grouses to the underclassmen that the upperclassmen look down on them for not living up to pomefiore standards, under the guise of regular teenage bitching.

but all of this, combined with their self-entitlement, leads to a mini-war in pomefiore. but since this is, well, pomefiore, where being perfect and poised is the standard, the others make sure never make it obvious in front of vil or rook.

epel plays everybody like a fiddle, and ensures that none of it can be traced back to him. it's a good way to get out his frustration. and hey — it seems like everybody's upped their game along the way. vil seems pretty happy that everybody's improving in their efforts so greatly, practically overnight!

epel wakes up with a feeling of accomplishment everyday. for once, it seems he did something right.

now if only rook could stop looking so somber...

then we come to yuu, whose inner darkness has been left to fester all year. if people think they can treat them like a ragdoll, it's only fair they do the same.

there's a lot yuu doesn't have, but one thing they're really lacking is a bit of respect. that's what it means to be magicless in an arcane academy. you're at the bottom of the food chain.

and look at what a bit of self-interest can do for you! yuu studies in the library until late into the night, burning the metaphorical candle at both ends, learning everything they can about magic until they're more well-versed in it than most students in the school. yuu starts making potions that aren't nearly as good as azul's, but they're cheap and work well enough. they start making study guides for others with their new-found knowledge, even if they do bristle with the fact that a damned study guide is what caught them in azul's tentacles in the first place. they start learning anything and everything, clinging to whatever scraps of knowledge they can write down.

with this, they successfully make their case for why they should join ace and deuce's business. eventually, they're just as feared as they are among the other first-years.

but that's not enough for yuu. the power of fear is nice, but the power of controlling other people would be much more cathartic.

so that's what they do. while ace is more focused on monetary gain, yuu uses their mountains of blackmail to convince others to do whatever they want.

if crowley throws another ridiculous task at them, yuu simply hoists it off to somebody else to do. if ramshackle dorm needs a few repairs, it's only a matter of contacting a few people before a whole construction crew paid off by somebody else comes knocking at their door. and they'll do it, if they don't want to get kicked out of the school or have their reputation ruined.

but somehow, even with all of this, yuu sets themself up as the nicest out of their little trio. they're willing to let payments slide from time to time. they listen to their clients' problems. they take constructive criticism and always seem to improve in their potions and study guides based on feedback. and if you do do yuu a favor, they'll give you certain favors right back.

so even when yuu is a covetous, greedy, all-consuming shark, the students still think they're so very, very nice. because compared to ace and deuce, what else is there to think?

but this can only go on for so long. and yuu knows that.

one day, they get called to the headmage's office. yuu is already going through their contact list — a list that's quadrupled ever since they joined forces with ace and deuce — to see who'd be willing to do them a teensy little favor for them, but when they step through the door, they pause.

inside the office are all the housewardens, their vices, the teachers, and everybody else yuu has grown to know over the past year.

yuu narrows their eyes as riddle steps forward.

"yuu," riddle starts sternly, "from one housewarden to another, i believe we need to talk."

^

(i will address everyone's reactions in a reblog, because this is honestly getting really, really long, lol. but don't worry, the reactions are coming! 🥺)

(but i should mention that there is already a good reblog of the original post by @thenumberhuntress which addresses the upperclassmen's reactions that you can find here. go read it. it's peak.)

(once again, thank you for the great ask! this was fun to make!)

[enwoso]

Could you write something maybe about Lucy Bronze having a younger sister that plays for Arsenal and she’s been dating Katie McCabe for a while but hasn’t told Lucy because she’s very overprotective and because of Lucy and Katie’s unspoken “rivalry” . Then at lionesses camp Lucy finds out by accident and they are playing Ireland next so the match is all a bit of chaos but the it all turns out fine and Katie and Lucy both just tease reader together?

Your work is amazing by the way!!

GAME OF HEARTS | katie mccabe x bronze!reader

masterlist

"i'm really gonna miss ya" katie spoke softly as the two of you soaked up your last morning together before you both went off on international camp.

you wrapped up in the warmth of katie's arms as every so often she peppered kisses along your collarbone, your eyes still closed as you hummed along to her words every so often to show you were listening.

"babe, i'll see you in four days" you rasped out as you moved slightly to turning so that you were facing the irish women as you could feel her chest rise up and down as you lay on it.

the two of you due to play each other in the upcoming fixtures, england travelling to ireland for the game. you being a little upset having to play against your girlfriend but it was only for 90' and then you could go back to being in your little love bubble.

"still- am i not allowed to miss my gorgeous, funny, beautiful, sexy girlfriend?" katie said with a her signature grin on her face as you opened your eyes, staring right back at the girl.

"your such a sap-" you whispered as she placed a kiss to your cheek, playfully rolling her eyes at your comment.

"yeah but only for you, and plus you love it little bronze" katie teased as now it was your turn to roll your eyes as she knew how much the nickname wound you up, lucy of course being the one who so proudly began the trend of calling you by that it was now something majority called you at international camps as well as by some of the girls at club level.

"oh actually" you paused for a second to let out a yawn, as katie moved a strand of hair from the side of your face tucking it behind your ear.

"please can we knock it down a level when it comes to my sister when we play against each other on tuesday" you pleaded, as a small glint in your eyes as you tried to convince the girl knowing the chaos which occurs in the league when the two come face to face.

you know it's just what happens when two very passionate players bump heads but you heard both versions of the story and adding fuel to that fire by telling your older sister that you were dating her arch nemesis may not go very well with a tray of cakes and a nice chat to say the least.

a sigh left katie's lips she understood why you were asking cause at the end of the day lucy was your older sister — someone you looked up to dearly and someone who protected you at all costs and she herself would do anything for any one of her sisters but katie also had a goal and that was to win.

"baby, i love ya but that's like askin' me to wear a tottenham shirt" katie grimaced at the thought of that even happening, it sending a slight shiver down your own spine.

—

being lucy's younger sister definitely came with its perks, like when lucy was first making her debuts you got to meet all the cool footballing idols you watched growing up and to be totally honest you were still able to do it now.

but on the other hand, she was still your sister. fiercely protective, sometimes too protective, and of course you always had your disagreements as well as the fact lucy knew all the ways to get under your skin. she was the typical big sister.

but when it came to football? she always had an opinion. especially when it involved arsenal and a certain player from there too. which just of course happened to be your girlfriend — katie.

the two of you had been together for just over seven months. you were keeping things quiet, it was a secret by no means you just hadn't exactly admitted to being in a relationship with the irish girl.

and as for your excuse for not telling lucy, well it just had never came up in a conversation.

so as camp rolled around and the upcoming friendly against ireland loomed in the next few days, you knew you had to be careful. but keeping secrets while sharing the same pitch as your sister, that was proving to be harder than you thought.

as you sat with a few teammates in the lounge area, scrolling through your phone and trying to mind your own business as lucy strode in.

her arrival as always was impossible to ignore, her energy filling the space effortlessly and her voice carried above the casual chatter.

"oi, y/n" lucy called out, waving something on her phone in the air a slight mischievous glint in her eye, "what's this, then?"

you glanced up, already dreading whatever was coming, knowing she loved to find some thing to take the mick out of you for.

lucy flopped down next to you as she thrusted her phone into your hands. it was a video posted by katie, to her story captioned 'reminiscing🩷', reliving a moment from a festival she'd gone to in the summer, you recognising it immediately as you were there two.

"i.. what am i looking at?"

"just wait"

just as the words left lucy's lips, the video flipped as the camera had been turned to face katie and that when your eyes went a little wider and your cheeks definitely went a little redder.

there was you, your arms wrapped around her waist as you head rested on her shoulder a lovesick smile on your face as you sung along to the music as katie had a massive smile on her face.

lucy squinted at you as you lowered her phone keeping it still in your hands, as her brow furrowed. "care to explain why you're looking at katie mccabe like she's just won you the world cup?"

your stomach lurched, you were usually so careful but this was clear as day as you scrambled to downplay it. "come on luce, you know we're close at club level your just being dramatic. we're just teammates"

lucy tilted her head, clearly not convinced, "a teammate thing?" she repeated, her voice dripping with skepticism. "that's not the ‘teammate' look. that's the 'i fancy you' look"

you opened your mouth to try and protest but nothing came out. your brain working overtime trying to figure out how to talk your way out of this when leah wandered into the room.

spotting lucy's phones in your hand, glancing at your panicked face and grinned knowingly. "oh has she found out then?" leah said, leaning casually against the doorframe, "took you long enough!"

lucy's eyes darted between you and leah, "found out what?"

"leah, shut up" you hissed shooting her a warning glare.

leah just completely ignoring you as she continued, "about katie, it's not exactly a secret anymore y/n. everyone with eyes can see there something going on between the two of you and i don't mean by just watching that small video on instagram-"

lucy's expression shifted from teasing to something more serious, as she leaned back slightly her arms crossed. "wait you and katie? that's.. actually a thing. i though they were just silly tiktok rumours?"

you hesitated, fiddling nervously with the hem of your hoodie. "yeah" you admitted not daring to look at your sisters gaze. "it's been a while, i didn't tell you because well — i didn't want to make thing weird. you and katie don't exactly.. get along"

lucy stared at you for a long moment, her expression unreadable before she let out a sigh, the tension in her shoulders easing. "weird? y/n i know i might be protective but i'm not a monster and that's just match banter. if she makes you happy then that's all that matters."

you blinked, slightly surprised at her sudden acceptance, "really, your okay with it?"

lucy smirked as she nodded, "yeah, but don't think i'm going easy on her when we play against ireland. she's still getting crunched in the tackles-"

you let out a small groan, "lucy!" as a chorus of laughter came from your sister, "i'm kidding.. well maybe." she whispered at the end but you still heard.

you laughed along, the weight suddenly lifting from your chest, as leah who had been watching the entire exchange with an amused grin, chimed in clapping her two hands together, "well that went better than expected!"

lucy raised an eyebrow at her, "don't think you're off the hook either williamson, if you knew and didn't tell me, your just as bad as her!"

leah held up her hands in mock surrender, "hey i figured it out myself, and plus it ain't my business and it was way more fun watchin' y/n squirm!"

you groaned as you buried your face in your hands as lucy and leah shared a laugh at your expense. but despite their teasing you couldn't help but feel relieved.

—

the match had ended in ireland, and the tensions from the ninety minute game between the players had melted away into the usual camaraderie of the post game routine.

players from both teams chatting, swapping shirts and taking photo as they celebrated another memorable clash as england had won, securing there space in the euros in switzerland.

katie and lucy were stood near the center circle, locking into a playful debate. from a distance you could see katie gesturing animatedly whilst lucy stood with her arms crossed, her signature smirk firmly on her lips.

curiosity and a little apprehension pulled you towards them, "what's going on here?" you as as you approached.

"oh just discussing which side of london is superior" katie said with a cheeky grin, titling her head slightly towards lucy. "you know london is better red, i'm sure you agree"

lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes, "please mccabe, london is blue on a whole different level."

"yeah yeah," katie said with a dramatic wave of her hand, "you guys are ok, i'll give you that but people who have a good sense of football know which is the better side of london"

lucy smirked, leaning forward slightly. "shame you picked the wrong side of it then."

katie gasped, clutching her chest in mock horror, "the wrong side? you mean the side which had trophies and the history to back it up?"

you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose knowing the two of them well enough to know neither of them were going to back down, "you two realise you're both ridiculous, right?"

ignoring you, katie pulled her phone out of her pocket. "we should document this moment, don't you think" she waved lucy closer, "cmon bronze, let's get a picture. and maybe one day you'll see the light and come to the proper side of london"

lucy rolled her eyes but stepped in next to katie, you stood awkwardly nearby as katie held out her phone for a selfie the pair throwing exaggerated smiles.

right as the photo snapped, katie nudged lucy with her elbow and said, "awe that's a cute photo to. shame you play for the wrong side of london."

lucy snorted, glancing at the photo, "your lucky i don't delete this right now."

katie grinned, "it's fine, just caption it: 'the day bronze met greatness!'"

lucy laughed, shaking her head, "greatness? that's rich coming from someone who can't even make it past the quarterfinals in the champions league-"

katie gasped, turning to you, "babe you better defend me and the club now or i'm tellin' everyone you still steal my hoodies!"

you threw your hands up in exasperation a small laugh coming from your lips, "oh no don't drag me into this. you both know where my loyalty's lie."

"your sisters impossible, you know that? she doesn't appreciate brilliance." katie leaned against you dramatically sighing.

lucy raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying herself, "brilliance? that's what they call it these days?"

katie tolled her eyes playfully as you just laughed, following the two of them as they both started to walk towards the tunnel. along with other players starting to make their way of the pitch.

katie had that familiar glint in her eye, the one that softened your heart no matter how chaotic the game had been.

"i'm goin' to go catch up the ma team," katie said as she reached out to tuck a loose strand of your hair behind you ear.

her touch was gentle and calm unlike her totally opposite persona on the field. a smile lingering on your face despite the lingering adrenaline from the match.

she leaned in, pressing a quick but soft kiss to your lips as she whispered, "i love you."

you heart swelled as you whispered it back, "i love you, too"

katie turned as she waved to your older sister as she star tee d to walk away, "see you soon bronze! don't miss me too much!"

lucy just shook her head muttering something under her breath as katie disappeared towards the irish team.

"what was that?" you asked an eyebrow raising as you turned to her.

lucy huffed, crossing her arms, "i said i don't think i’ll ever get used to that."

you laughed nudging your older sisters shoulder playfully, "you'll have to she's not going anywhere luce!"

katie fully disappearing in the tunnel as she turned a corner as lucy tuned to you with a grin, but it wasn't the usually teasing one.

"i like her." she said pausing for effect, "but she's still completely wrong about london."

you laughed shaking your head, "i don't think she's ever going to stop trying to convince you and it's two against one. london is red."

"your both wrong.." lucy said with a smirk, "but besides that i think she's good for you." you smiled softly "thanks, luce."

lucy clapped you on the shoulder, her usual teasing grin returning. "now come on. let's go find some post-match food before mccabe comes back and starts another argument."

you laughed, following her into the tunnel, you couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief. katie and lucy might still have their friendly battles, but they were your battles now, filled with teasing and love from the two most important people in your life.

[paigebuckets6]

Celebrating All Night

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x fem reader

Genre: Dating, smut

Summary: After a big win, Paige and you have a fun night out to celebrate

Warnings: Smut with plot! Praise, degradation, strap, fingering, going down, aftercare afterwards

It was no secret that Paige loved partying...

Just not as much as she loved you.

After wins, it was a common occurrence to see her and the rest of the Uconn team celebrating at a nearby bar or club. Tonight had been a huge game, Uconn winning by a landslide, and you'd wanted nothing more than to spend an evening partying with your girlfriend.

You were sitting with the team, drinking a Shirley Temple as Paige took shots with KK and Aubrey.

You could tell Paige was getting a little tipsy, but she held her liquor well, so you let her continue on.

Ice was on live, reading out comments.

"Where's Paige? Uhhh-"

You laugh at Ice's look of surprise and then mild disgust when she twists in her chair to look for Paige and the woman herself drapes her arm around her.

"Heyyyy guys!"

Paige rizzes the camera, rubbing her hands together and biting her lip, smiling wide as the comments go wild. She then dances out of view, taking another shot.

The music of the club is loud, and they're playing all the bangers tonight. You feel like dancing, so you get up from your seat.

"Paige- wanna dance?"

Paige looks at you, towering over you by a few inches. She's wearing a tight-fitting white crop top, abs on full display, and grey cargo pants, with the band of her boxers peeking out. Her cheeks are flushed, from the alcohol, you, or both.

You fumble for her belt loops in order to get her to move, and you laugh when she raises her hands and goes,

"Woahhh Ma, not in public-"

You blush, and she smirks at you.

Paige grabs the belt loops of your jeans, snapping you flush against her hips.

"Come on y/n, lets dance" She whispers into your ear, grabbing your hand, leading you into the crowd.

The lights are going crazy, the bass even louder here. Everyone's dancing, bodies and exposed skin brushing each other.

You laugh as she tries to tell you a stupid joke over the music cause you can't hear a damn thing, but she looks so cute.

Another song comes on, and Paige pulls you against her. Her hands run up and down your sides, lingering on your ass, squeezing lightly.

You want to kiss her so badly, eyes roving over the plushness of her bottom lip. Her eyes are a vivid blue, even in the flashing lights of the club, dark with desire. Her gaze focuses on your lips as well but she knows she can't kiss you either- not here.

You tease her, getting close to conceal the fact your fingers are dipping into the waistband of her cargo pants. She grabs your hands.

"You wanna go?" She says, already sending a text to KK to let her know.

"Yes.." You say, and with that, she's grabbing your hand again, half dragging you out of the club.

A few minutes later, you're back at her dorm, and once you're inside, with the door shut, Paige doesn't waste a second.

You moan into her mouth as she kisses you, pulling you into her with one hand on your jaw, the other around your waist.

She's needy, and you can feel it with the way she's kissing you so desperately.

Paige's got your dress half off, the thin straps off your shoulders, when you stop her to press her against the door.

You kiss down her neck, the smooth expanse of skin that always drives you crazy.

"Y/n, don't leave a hickey-" Paige says, but can't stiffle the whimper she makes when you bite her, your hands busy unbuttoning her cargos.

"Shhh.. let me hear those pretty whimpers, Paige," You say, biting further down, leaving kisses down to her chest.

"Can I take this off?"

You gesture to her outfit, and she just looks at you with want.

"Yes, of course- can I take your dress off?"

Even though you've been dating for a few months, you both still ask.

"Yes-" The word has barely left your mouth before she's slipping it off you, the material pooling on the floor as you kick it away.

She's kissing your collarbone, leaving a trail of hickeys in her wake.

"My pretty girl" Paige's hands are wandering, pulling you into her again, squeezing your ass.

"Off," You say, pulling her pants halfway down. Paige steps out of them, and you drop to your knees.

"We haven't done it this way yet-" You smirk up at her, and she stiffles a moan at the sight of you between her legs. It never gets old.

You press a finger to her boxers - soaked- and smirk when she begs at your touch.

"Please y/n.. don't tease"

"I know, baby, you're already so wet for me... being such a good girl"

Paige moans at your words, her hips slightly raising.

You take her boxers off and slide your tongue into her folds, relishing the way her hands automatically come down to hold your head.

"Mmmm," You moan at her taste and the position she's got you in, feeling her fingers tangle in your hair, her grip firm.

You sink two fingers into her easily and Paige whimpers as you suck on her clit. Her hips buck into you, grinding down onto your tongue.

"Yes, baby, being so good for me. Fuck my face, just like that-"

You praise her, and you don't need to look up to know she's pink. Paige fucks your face, her hands guiding you as she moans.

"Fuck y/n I'm gonna come, y/n!"

Paige comes, your fingers coated with her slick. You suck them, and she eyes you, pulling you up to her.

Paige kisses you hungrily, picking you up and setting you onto the edge of the bed.

"Does my pretty girl want my strap?" She asks you, fingers on your jaw.

"Yes.. please Paige"

You plead from beneath her and she smirks at your needy tone.

A few minutes later, she's back, her purple strap ready to go.

Pulling off your panties, Paige smirks at your wetness, pushing two fingers in to test if you're ready.

"Please Paige, I need you so bad-" You're begging because it's true- but also because she loves it when you do.

"Okay, y/n.. since you want it so bad.. such a whore for me"

Paige slides the strap in, relishing the way you take her so well. You wrap your legs around her, hands tangled in her hair as she kisses you.

"Paige-" You moan out as she hits your g spot, "please Paige, right there.. don't stop-"

"Not stopping ma"

Paige says, speeding up, her thrusts faster.

She's so turned on by the sight of you being so fucked out beneath her that she almost thinks she could come again.

"Fuck Paige.. please.. please.. I, I'm gonna come"

You clutch at her, nails digging into her back as she fucks you.

"Come for me y/n"

You do just that, shaking as you come on her strap.

You kiss her cheek, recovering from your high.

"Good job baby.. you did so- ahhh-"

Your praise is cut short as she snaps her hips into you, clearly not done with you yet. She kisses you again, biting on your bottom lip.

"Paige- Paige.. I can't take it" You pull away from the kiss to moan at her so deep inside you.

"Shhh, shut up, take it baby. I know you can."

Paige keeps fucking you, and you realize why she's continuing. The strap is hitting her clit at the perfect angle, making her thrusts a little sloppier, a little more desperate.

"Oh baby, you want to come again, don't you? That's why you're fucking me so good-"

You hold her face, watching the way her eyes are glazed over with a bit of satisfaction. Paige always gets so pathetic when she wants to come.

"Yes.. you feel so good y/n" Paige whimpers, fucking you rougher as she gets near her high. You feel yourself close to coming again and even closer when she presses on your lower stomach.

"I'm gonna come Paige-"

Paige moans, the strap rocking against her.

"Come with me pretty girl"

You come together, shaking and glad, and she breathes heavily on top of you for a second before sliding out gently.

Paige cleans you off with some tissues.

"That was so good baby, you okay?"

Paige checks in on you, handing you her waterbottle. She's finding a big shirt for you to sleep in, settling on an old navy Uconn shirt.

"Yeah, I'm good, that was great, love," You say back, giggling as she puts the shirt on over you, ruffling your hair.

"Come cuddleee," Paige whines, and you grin at her.

"You're such a baby Paige"

You settle on her chest, feeling tired but happy.

"No, you're the baby! I bet you're gonna fall asleep first!"

The banter feels familiar. You smile, pressing a kiss against her collarbone.

"I love you, Paige,"

It's Paige's turn to smile, her eyes turning into little crescents as she grins.

"I love you too y/n"

---

Authors Note: Paige fic! Lowkey this was just filth but I wanted to switch it up from the usual fluff. I hope y'all enjoyed <333.

[tencrushesperday]

Blood runs thicker than water

pairing : matt rempe x hughes!reader

warnings : angst, and some description of bruises, sort of forbidden lovers, 1k

a/n : instead of studying for my exams next week i do this, i was listening to The water is fine by Chloe Ament and felt inspired

You wanted to stay until the end of the match. You wanted to congratulate your brothers on the win. You wanted to party with the team after such a huge win against their rivals.

But the blood was pounding in your ears and you didn’t know what to do with your hands. The crowd was so loud. Jack’s last conquest and Bratt’s girlfriend were chatting next to you. Yet you were feigning interest in the game to ignore them. Even though you could barely focus your sight.

Luke had gotten into an unnecessary fight during second period and Jack was right there to back him up. Both were okay. But the other guy wasn’t.

As soon as the second intermission started you excused yourself to the restroom then texted Nicole on your way to your car saying that suddenly you weren’t feeling good.

Fortunately, you’ve driven down this road so many times you didn’t have to focus to get home because suddenly you were in your apartment. You were on autopilot the whole time doing your night routine and then you were in your bed trying to fall asleep.

Sleep wouldn’t come. Every time you closed your eyes you would see him taking hit after hit. Him struggling to get up. His bloody face.

Then you heard keys turning in the lock and the front door shutting. You got up from your bed and marched out of your room, ready to send one of your bothers home.

“Matt”, you stopped dead in your tracks right outside your bedroom door.

There he stood, in front of the entrance, cheeks bruised, lip cracked.

“I’m sorry”, he only managed to whisper it.

He wanted to say a thousand other things but everything was pointless and painful. Looking at you was painful. Nothing was more appropriate than “sorry”.

He was the one who hit first. Even though Luke asked for it. He chirped Matt’s girlfriend without even knowing it was his own sister and Matt couldn’t let it slide. He also couldn’t tell Luke the truth.

The truth being you weren’t even his girlfriend.

You were just hooking up, keeping it casual, secret.

He would have loved it, have it been any other girl.

But he was so desperately in love with you. He wanted to hold your hand and take you on dates and have you cheering on him at his game. He loved waking up next to you and the casual evenings you spent at each other’s apartments, watching a movie, cooking together and telling each other about your days. He loved when you talked about hockey and he would promise you to take you play again, like when you used to do when you were younger. He even loved the stupid reels and tiktok’s you would send him in the morning on your commute to work because then he knew that you thought about him.

However, it has never gotten out of your apartments. His promise to take you to the rink to play hockey together was never fulfilled.

That he hated.

You kept looking at him. You couldn’t sleep because you kept seeing him getting hurt. But now that he was actually in front of you and even in the dim light coming in from the street you could see the bruises.

Not breaking eye contact you get closer to him as he silently takes off his shoes. He knows the rules in your home. He has a spare key. He knows you inside and out and he still can’t call you his and that’s worse than any hit from your brother, he thinks to himself.

“You left before third period.” He wants to wrap his arms around you and feel the warmth of your body to forget the cold of the ice.

You look at him before taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen. “So did you.”

You drop his hand and reach for two glasses in your cupboard.

He watches your every movement and anticipates your every word. You’re too calm but he knows there’s a storm brewing inside of you. You always go quiet when you’re upset and feeling too much. He knows that growing up with three brothers toughened you up and that, even if you’re working on it, subconsciously you still think that showing emotion is a weakness. Still he awaits your next words and actions. You have him wrapped around your finger so tight he almost wants to laugh at his poor situation.

You turn on the tap and let the water running until it’s at the right temperature before filling up your glass.

Matt can’t wait anymore. His patience thins with every drop of water. It’s pouring out of the faucet and going down the drain.

He’s right behind you when you turn around. You wanted to ask him if he wants water but your words die in your throat. He looks even worse up close. If you weren’t holding in your breath you would have sobbed at the sight.

Despair fills his eyes when you look up at him. He crashes his lips on yours and you can taste it right there.

You’re not mad he fought Luke. You know how it is on the ice, you know how Luke can be a little shit when chirping, you know how Matt can fly off the handle in such a situation.

You taste a metallic taste in your mouth as the slit on his lip cracks open at the fierceness with which he kissed you.

It doesn’t matter who he fought, he’s hurt and that’s what upsets you.

The metallic taste mixes with the saltiness of the tear that slid down your cheek. He catches the next one with the thumb that is caressing your skin, as he cradles your face.

Your fingers run through his hair. You can’t let him go. You tug him closer. You can’t tell your bothers. Not now. Every thought in your head contradicts the previous one. His other arm is wrapped around your whole body and pulls you impossible closer. You’re caught up in such a mess, one you made yourself.

But for tonight you’ll kiss Matt even harder. You’ll take care of his bruised lip. You’ll kiss the pain away.

Leaving the mess for tomorrow morning.

[azullumi]

“there’s so many fishes in the sea but i never learned how to swim” ; aventurine

summary — a guide to pining presented by yours truly, aventurine.

pairing — aventurine (w/ gender-neutral reader)

tags — fluff, secret pining but like aventurine can be too obvious, not proofread, 0.8k ; headcanons

tagging — @toorurs (sorry boo i forgot to tag 😭)

note — i know i could have done better with this one, my brain wasn’t just working and im also on a trip. this is day 6 and 7 of writing for him until i get him !!

Aventurine yearns for connection yet he erects tall walls of self-preservation, fearing vulnerability, attachment, and betrayals (the shadow of his fear of losing someone dear to him all over again will haunt and follow his steps). He’s always distant, seemingly detached to the people around him like a leaf that never touches the ground as the wind carries it away; his only drive for relationships is due to mutual-benefit or a give-and-take situation. So what happens to him when he falls and yearns for someone?

Love is violence, he knows that but his eyes would stumble after your shadow and he wonders what it feels like to live in it. He’ll lie under your gaze and he’ll dream what it feels like to be seen, what it feels like to be loved by you. He will seek ways to be close to you but not close enough that you’ll know the rhythm of his heart spells out the letters of your name. In each moment of longing, it is all tinged with a taste of bitterness as this yearning, though desired, is a precarious precipice—everything will crumble and fall once he speaks about it.

So he settles with stolen looks with wishful thinking that you’ll cast a glance at his direction, he settles with the small things at first before he begins to become selfish—he’ll make up reasons just to see and talk to you, think of excuses just so he could linger a little longer in your presence. He’ll make up games and initiates bets where he knows he’ll always win but would let himself lose anyways; winning or losing didn’t matter to him in those moments with you.

“Go ahead, guess.”

You fell into a deep thought, staring at the two hands balled into fist that are in front of you. Your eyebrows were scrunched, trying to listen to the voice of your instinct but everything was silent inside your head.

“Take your time. After all, whoever loses has to follow what the winner wants.” Aventurine spoke and you could discern the hint of amusement in his tone as he watched you fall into some sort of predicament—all you had to do was to choose which one of his hands was the coin in. It was just one of the simple games you’ll play with him every time you see each other. Come to think of it, his visits to your department have been quite frequent despite having no particular business, official or not.

“Shh. I’m thinking.” You answer, lifting your index finger to your mouth in a hush gesture. It took you a few moments of silence and thoughtful humming before you pointed at his left hand, “That one.”

But he opens his left hand to show nothing on his palm, his right hand revealing the coin at the same time, and you are hit with a wave of disappointment. A chuckle slips past his lips and you just sighed—there was nothing you could do but to admit defeat. “Well then, what do you want me to do?”

Aventurine, without a single second of hesitation, answered. “Let me take you out to dinner.”

The thing is you could have laid yourself bare to him, you could tell him all of the sins that taint your skin, the words left unspoken in your mouth, the growing mold in your lungs. He’ll see the rot and will choose to stay, he’ll see the cobwebs and dusty bookshelves, and he’ll love you still, he’ll see the torn wallpapers and ruined floors and he’ll still adore you (he’ll find you where you are most ruined and he will love you there).

(His hand would gently tug and hold at the cuffs of your sleeves, letting the warmth and closeness of his touch linger in hopes that you’ll see him in the sun that holds you gently.)

Many people claim that they love you but do they adore you the same way as he does? Would they cross bridges for you when he’ll swim oceans just to see the way your eyes catch the light? Would they traverse the stars just to listen to the sound of your laughter? 

(He’ll see the dirt in your hands and will help you wash it off when others would simply walk away.)

He’ll think of you as he laid in his bed, satin sheets all wrinkled and messy as his pillows scattered around his form, and he wondered how nice it would be to have your things among his. to have the smell of your perfume mixed with his, to have you in his arms before he sleeps (he has dreams of his dreams and you’re always in it).

All this yearning, longing, and adoration will turn into a sword that will make him bleed the more he holds on to it and you’ll stay in his thoughts as the blood will run dry on his being. He simply hopes he crosses your mind once in a while so that he won’t feel pathetic for thinking of you all the time.

© azullumi — do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor translate any of my works.