#it was inspired by something saying you were rich if your house had whole house heating

[freetoflythecrimsonsky]

Someone had an existential crisis in the tags of my poll about heating. I didn’t think it was that deep lmao

[someonegoood]

MY WHOLE LIFE pt. 3 ✫ mason mount

part 1, part 2, final part.

in which after everything you gave, you're not sure if you're going to keep going. (brother’s best friends troop).

CONTAINS: brother’s best friend troop, angst, some smut (not really explicit) & fluff ! age gap, arguments...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: here's part 3 ! final part for my first two works, I'm proud of how it came out

taglist: @girlidekanymore @sunflower-tia @nicolesainz @chilwellspulisic @anotherfan07

inspired by taylor swift's songs.

The feeling of freshness —the wonderful smells, the damp feel of leaves falling down the trees, the breeze and the rain on your skin. The sound of rain is wonderful: not just between a hard roof and leaves, but you can hear it on different types of trees and hedges.

The flowers, which look like they were painted by Monet himself, have colours so rich that no one can even attempt to imitate them. From the smallest weed to the grandest stalk, they are all beautiful in your eyes.

Around you are your friends; some are talking or enjoying the countryside air. You had decided to take me on a little vacation before returning to the routine of the busy city of London.

No distractions, no disturbances, especially without him. After seeing how Mason smiled at that blonde standing next to him and Debbie's painful look in the boat, you knew all these years were in vain.

The moments when you took care of him after he vomited from all the alcohol he had consumed at the party, when you covered him so he could go on dates with different girls and other things you had done for him.

The last time Mason saw you still burned in the back of your mind, the little stolen glances he gave you while you were wearing a pink t-shirt, the one that you had left back in a drawer in the Mount's house. Stacey had told you the t-shirt drove him crazy.

It had been weeks, and you still couldn’t understand why nothing went your way. Was it you? Had you done something wrong? Had it been you that caused the gulf?

—Babes, how could you ever think it's your fault? Clearly, he is out of his mind. —Clara talked. You and your friends were sitting on the porch in the extensive field that belonged to your grandparents.

Then Adelaida, who was resting her head on your lap, suddenly stood up, leaning on one elbow and said: —Please don't think it's your fault, you would be lowering yourself to his level.

Everyone had been adamant that it wasn’t you... even your mother. But even with those words of affirmation, it didn’t change the internal feelings, the heartbreak that felt it was never-ending. 

All you ever wanted was that connection, that string, that feeling that pulled you to another person, that proved he was the person meant to be for you. It was devastating to think back and know he wasn’t. 

Even though you were angry at him, you knew that when you saw him you would act like a little girl, crazy in love.

On the other side, Mason was in the kitchen, picking at the leftover food on the tabletop as everyone else was in the living room. His mother walked into the kitchen as he took a bite of little meatballs that looked delicious and she laughed at the pieces of meat that had fallen onto the kitchen counter.

—That’s definitely not the way to eat —she smirked knowing his son wasn't the type of person to sit down and eat properly.

—But you love me anyways, mom. —Mason flashed his puppy eyes as his mum laughed at his actions. It had been a long year for Mason. He stopped turning to family events when he knew you would be there.

—Mason Tony Mount, I gave birth to you, I know you better than you know yourself-

—Mom. —Mason sighed. —Don't start this whole speech about her, please.

—Dear, I don’t even need to say her name... it will always be her. —She smiled, sadly, as she walked over to her son and placed a hand on his cheek.

—She's happy, from what I heard. —he scoffed again.

—So then you know you’re being an ass, right?

Mason's eyes widened at his mother's question but she just laughed and waved him off. —After all the years she spent after you, dear, it would be cruel for you to not let her be happy.

That sentence shattered his heart. You weren't the little girl who ran behind him in search of attention anymore, you were a woman with maturity, feelings and beauty.

—But what if I’m not happy? —he asked his mum. Debbie felt her heart clench at his words, it was never good for a mother when they saw their son being at his lowest.

—Do you love her?

There was no answer.

—See, that would be very cruel. Mase... either you love her or you’re jealous. Just remember that she's a second daughter to me and I know her like the palm of my hand. I'm certain that she’s fragile when it comes to you.

After a week in the countryside with your friends, you were back in the city, at a party the english players were throwing in celebration of their team winning the last few games.

Every time he looks at you, it’s making him go mad. It surprises him how much influence you have on his night out. He actually believed he could handle it, seeing you after a while. Normally he’s the one who takes you to the football after-parties because you begged him like crazy. But not this time.

Did you wear a white dress on purpose tonight? He doesn’t know. You look beautiful and he wishes he had the nerve to tell you how great white looks on you. He remembers the time you almost kiss in the box, you in the white sweatshirt with his number. The guy talking to you on your right was Foden. Did you wear it for him? He doesn’t believe that, he doesn’t think he deserves that. 

Mason sighs. This is one of the hardest nights in his life. He shouldn’t have messed it up. If he didn’t follow what Ben said to him, he would probably be the one talking to you. Fucking Ben.

At the same time, you don’t know what’s bothering Mason. You thought he would be coming to the afterparty with Daphne, but his friends confirmed that he forgot her quickly. He didn't even kiss her. Neither touch her.

It surprised you, you were afraid he would show up with that beautiful model. A part of you felt really happy.

You feel his eyes burning into you while you talk to Foden. You quickly take the cocktail out of Phil's hands, while thanking him in the meantime. He shrugs it off. 

—What’s up with you? —He asks you after you take a few sips. 

—What do you mean? —You ask him. Is he noticing your bad mood? You tried hiding it, but maybe you failed.

—You seem distracted. Did something happen? —he goes on. You take a sip of your cocktail, thinking about your response. Could it be a bad plan to tell him about Mase? They’re friends after all. But on the other hand, it would be nice to talk about it to someone. 

—It’s him, isn’t it? —Foden answers his own question. You didn’t even realize you were looking at Mason until Phil spoke. You nod towards him, —Let’s go outside.

Then, you're sitting on a wooden bench outside. The white dress doesn’t give you much warmth, so you embarrassingly start to shiver. Before you can notice it, Phil drapes his jacket around your shoulders. 

—Fuck... —he says, regretting. —I knew it would be a bad plan to invite you. —Mutters softly, —I thought it was a good idea to make you feel better, now I just got Mount to get angry at you.

You laughed, thinking that was very cute. —That’s not true, Phil —you try to comfort him, —you can’t help me being an idiot.

—To be fair, Mason and you are both idiots. —Foden laughs, —Definitely unaware idiots-

But before he can explain to you anything, Mason shows up in front of you. 

While walking back to his car, he notices the sound of people talking outside. He thinks he’s recognizing your voice. He must be going insane, he thinks tiredly to himself. But still, he walks towards the sound. Quickly seeing you and Phil sitting together... fucking hell, why are you wearing his jacket? 

Before he realizes it himself, he stands before you and his teammate Foden. The chattering stops directly, did he interrupt something? He feels awkward with you and Phil looking at him amusingly. How can he fix this awful situation? 

—I uh... I wanted to say bye to you. —Mason said, ignoring the existence of Phil. —I am supposed to bring you home or will Phil...?—He stutters eventually, not wanting to finish his question.

—Wait, Mase, can we talk? —You react before Mason turns around and walks to his car in a rush. He nods.

—Of course.

The silence was sharply awkward.

—Don’t forget your jacket, Foden —Mason quickly says, —she can wear mine while we’re outside.

Phil, who no longer was sitting on the bench, laughed for a bit at his hopeless friend. Then he walks up to you, and takes his own jacket from your shoulders, while Mason quickly takes off his. You give Phil a quick hug to thank him, before getting into Mason's jacket.

—Don’t be an idiot to her —says Phil toward Mason whispering in his ear. You smile shyly, flushing with Phil's comment. 

Mason doesn’t know how to watch the interaction between his friend and you. He doesn't know where to look when you turn your attention to him. The white dress quickly grabs his attention once again.

Silently, both of you walk to the parking lot where his fancy Mercedes-AMG was parked. You had always made fun of him because the car was too posh in your opinion, although every time you needed a ride home you always ended up in his car.

Firstly he took the car keys out of his pocket and then he opened your door for you. He had always been a gentleman. The situation is unexpected, yet influenced by the tension that’s been built between you two through the last couple of months. 

—So, what do you want to talk about? —Mason asks you. You lasted a few seconds thinking about how to answer his question.

—Why were you ignoring me today? Why didn’t you come up to me and Phil to say hi? —You fire multiple questions at him, —did I do something wrong? Are you upset with me? —Your words cut through the thick air inside the car.

—I thought the two of you were busy with each other. —Mason mutters.

You scoff, this was unbelievable. —That’s bullshit Mase, you know I always make time for you.

—God!, I just wasn’t in the mood to see you two. —He said, elevating his tone, trying to sound casual but deep down, jealousy was gnawing at him like a relentless beast.

You don’t know what to say to Mason. You don’t even know what the boy means. He wasn’t in the mood to see you? Since when could that happen? 

—Why? —You barely dare to ask him. You have no choice, so you repeat your last question —why, Mase? —Your eyes start to fill with tears.

Mason sighs, —You won’t get it.

—You don’t know that. Try me.

—I just... I just don’t like seeing you with other boys —he confessed. You doubt for a bit. Should you tell him you were relieved he showed up alone instead of coming with Daphne? You decide not.

—Oh, come on Mason! You can't say that! —You almost shout. Mason's eyes open like plates. You had never raised your voice at him like that, so angry.

—Why not? —He, as well, says almost shouting.

—Because you don't have the right! It's-it's just that you can't say that as if my feelings were so simple... —You tried to calm yourself, you could lost everything now.

—Mason, I've been with you since the beginning and you know that. I'm your biggest supporter and deep inside you know I’ll always cheer for you. I’ve spent my whole girlhood- Fuck. —Tears start scrolling down your delicate face. He looks at you as if you were graceful.

—I wanted to be with you tonight, —you eventually say after a long silence—but you looked at me as if I didn’t matter.

—I know.

You sigh. Can't the boy say anything else? You feel obligated to talk further: —Why aren’t you telling me what’s wrong?

You don't get any answer. Looking at the ceiling of the car, you try to keep your cool.

—You know what? I’m going back to the party. Call me when you can explain at least something. —You want to undo yourself from Mason's warm jacket, but he stops you directly by grabbing your arm.

—I know you deserve to know what’s going on, but I don’t want to lose you. I know it’s a shitty excuse which makes everything even more unclear, but please don’t go back inside. —Mason talks soft and fast —and please keep the jacket on.

—What’s so important about the jacket? —You ask with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit. 

—Your dress distracts me and I don’t want to see you in anyone else’s jacket again. —This time he is direct with his words. Almost harsh. You wonder why your dress distracts him. Does he find it ugly?

 —Don’t you like the dress? —You ask.

 —I fucking love the dress. —Mason says. At that moment you feel something clicking. Despite his short explanation, you wonder if Mason may return your feelings.

—Just give me time. Everything is happening so fast and the fact that I'm just realizing that all these years all I've been doing is hurting you makes me go mad angry at myself. —He says, without breathing. —And... I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry for everything I've done, for the countless times I've hurt you. I promise you will have a proper explanation. —He tried to smile, with tears in his eyes.

—That's the Mase I know... —You laugh lightly and Mason just stares at you, sweetly. —Now take me back home, probably my brother is already wasted.

What you didn't know is that that day Mason Mount started falling in love with you.

A few days after you were your house, sat in the cozy familiarity of the your couch while your mother flipped through the pages of a weathered photo album resting on her lap. Each turn of the page revealed a snapshot of your brother's and your past, a journey frozen in time.

—Look! You're wearing my glasses! —Said your mother, with clear emotion in her voice. She turned some pages that had photographs of your childhood: when you were born, your first tooth fell out and many more memories.

Your cheeks flushed with nostalgic warmth, a subtle testament to the innocence and joy captured in each photograph.

Among the sepia-toned memories and faded polaroids, there was a page filled with pictures where Mason and you, both still little children, intertwined in laughter playing in the park.

Your mom pinched your cheek. —Someday you will realize that everything you did was not in vain, on the contrary, it was all worth it. —She stopped to take a breath. —Because golden loves are like that. They stay with you forever.

—How beautiful, mom. —You ironized. She laughed.

—It will, darling... Come here. —And then you hugged her. You hugged her with all your might as you felt her warmth on your face. She giggled, breaking the embrace.

—You'll need a spell to make Mason realize what a fool he is.

—Mom!

A couple days later, you were back at Stamford Bridge once again. As you approach the stadium, you can feel the excitement building. The streets around the stadium eagerly anticipate the game ahead.

Inside the stadium, the dominant colour is blue. The stands are filled with supporters adorned in their team's jerseys, scarves, and signs that say "Pride of London".

—Call her Mason, I’m sure she's in the stands —said Ben, while putting on the new shirt they played in today. Mason held his cell phone, sitting on the bench in the large locker room.

Today was Valentine's Day and Mason had a game. Your brother told Mason he was going out on a date with his girlfriend but you would go in his place, as usual. He didn't know if you were coming, so Mason was nervous, especially with the talk you had in his car.

You had called Debbie in the morning, asking her if you should come to the game, and she told you that Mason would be more than happy to see you there. You wondered if he knew what you were up to if your brother had kept him in the loop.

Pick it up.

Pick it up.

The third tone rang while Ben tried to hold Mason, about to faint from anxiety. In the background, music was blasting from the speakers while the guys on the team began gathering in the locker room for their last talk before the game started.

Reece James leaned closer, curious why his teammate was sitting with his phone in hand, bouncing his leg nervously.

—What has got Mount that nervous? I've never seen him like this —he says to Ben, seated next to Mason, fixing his shoes.

—It's his girlfriend-

—She's not my girlfriend! —Mason interrupted Chilwell, with an expression of fear. You still haven't answered him and the fact that his friends were bothering him added to his anxiety.

—Give me that shit. —Suddenly Kai Havertz appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Mason's phone and putting the call on speaker. Everyone's attention was on the tones ringing, hoping you'll pick up. The team had witnessed your situationship since Mason had joined Chelsea, so they knew you quite well.

—Hi? Mason?

Kai, standing on the bench in the centre of the room, had the phone in his hand so everyone could hear. His eyes widened and his mouth also opened, in surprise. Everyone stood up while Mason's blood pressure went down.

With a jump, Havertz handed the cell phone to his friend so he could answer you. There was a silence between your response and his because his teammates were signalling to him, guiding him in his response.

—Yes? —That was the only thing he could think of at that moment.

—You... you've just called me minutes before your game. Is everything okay? Do you need something? —For you, it was strange that Mason called you, especially right before his game. Mason's teammates melt with your response, you seemed like a worried girlfriend.

—N-no, I was calling to know if you're on Stamford Bridge. —He stuttered, nervous about your answer. You smiled a bit, already seated between the blue tide of fans.

—Of course! I wouldn't miss a game for anything Mase. —And that was the end of him. He said goodbye saying that he had to go out and play and hoped you liked the game, while all his friends were shouting acknowledging that probably by the end of the year, they would have a new addition on their team.

The match ended with Chelsea winning by two goals and the assistance of Mason. You couldn't be more proud of him and after the exhilarating victory at Stamford Bridge, you made your way to the cooldown room, where players and staff often gather to unwind after the match.

As you entered, you spotted Mason, the hero of the game with his crucial assist. A sense of pride swelled within you as you approached him. He was putting something in his backpack, distracted.

—Incredible game out there, —you said, startling Mason. He turned with a smile, recognizing your voice without seeing your face.

—Thanks, this means a lot to me... —Mason replied, his face beaming with satisfaction. You both exchanged a few more words about the match, sharing our favourite moments and the atmosphere at the stadium. Then, out of the blue, Mason's tone turned slightly more serious.

—You know... —he said, pausing for a moment. —I've been thinking. We've been through so much together, your support has meant a lot to me.

You nodded, feeling a sense of tenderness with him. Mason took a deep breath before continuing. —Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to grab dinner later. Just to say thanks for always being there, you know?

Surprised by the unexpected invitation, you couldn't help but smile. —I'd be honoured to join you. —You said, laughing out of nervousness.

A couple hours later, Mason kept his hand on your lower back as he led you through the restaurant, your body settled into his side. His hand slid around your waist while opening the door, a shiver already wracking your body. You gasped at the white snow starting to lay outside, thick flakes slowly falling from the sky.

—Look there! Mase, it's snowing! —You tugged a little on Mason's hand on your waist, the heat replacing the cold feeling on your fingers. There was already a pretty thick layer on the ground and you wondered briefly how long it had been snowing. —It's so pretty.

Mason watched your smile widen when he was paying the bill, as you tilted your head back, eyes squinting as the flakes cascaded down. He'd never seen anyone get so excited over snow.

You looked so good under the twinkling lights, the candle in the middle of the table illuminating half of your face. He was having an amazing time, already realizing he mad in love with you.

From the way you keep your hair in a messy ponytail to the way you are surprised by the snow. Everything about you was perfect for him.

—Do you want to go for a walk before I take you home? —He slid his hand over your jaw, his thumb stroking away the little flake on your cheek. You gave a small nod, flushed since all of this was new for you. He grinned before stepping back and holding his hand out to you.

—M'lady?

You looped your arm through his and the two of you started off down the street, his gaze darting between you and the falling snow. You snuggle as close as possible to him to steal some of his natural body heat.

Snow was falling and settling into Mason’s hair, individual flakes dropping onto his eyelashes and you were certain he’d never looked prettier.

—Remember the time I tried to sneak out and you caught me? That time I was actually grounded for fighting with my brother and I wanted to buy the new console game you were so interested in. —You said, recalling those silly things.

He didn't know if his cheeks were flushed pink from the cold or from what you'd just said.

—But that game was so expensive!

—I know! I just wanted to give you something for your birthday. That's why I didn't have any presents for you at your birthday party.

Mason caught your gaze, head cocking curiously at the sudden shy look that had taken over your features. You let your eyes wander from him to the snow-filled street around you. You slowed to a stop, right against the barriers of the little lake and you leant against it, the two of you facing each other, your hand still clasped in his.

All you wanted was to grab him and kiss him, you didn’t care who saw or if you got a cold, you just wanted to kiss him in the snow.

After a silence, he said: —You know I want you, right?

You looked at him. Surprised. Self-conscious Scared. But above all, in love.

—I've been thinking and I can't help falling for you now. I’m not jealous because you have other people in your life, I’m not a fucking kid. That time with Phil, at the party, made me realize that I want you with me... By my side. I want to be the one you say 'I love you' to, I want to be the one that cuddles you, that-

You interrupted him. —Mase, I… I don’t know how to say this… —Voice uncertain as you watched for his reaction, for any flicker of emotion that stated he didn't want that.

His face fell, and he retracted his hands from the barriers that before were trapping you between his body and the barriers. Ready for rejection, he looked into your eyes.

—I… I like you too. —You looked down, feigning sadness. When you looked up, he was squinting at you. —I don't know how are you convincing my brother you're good enough for me...

—I'd probably invite him to one of my games and we could go for dinner after the game? I'll book somewhere for us. —You matched his smile with a nod, shoulders relaxing slightly after the confession as you pulled your hand from his so you could settle your arms around his neck instead.

—Sounds amazing. Deep inside he's a West Ham fan, y'know. — Mason's face contorted a little when he bumped his nose against yours, lips lightly brushing together.

—Oh shut up, —he muttered into your lips, —let me kiss you.

And you obeyed, your hands resting nervously at his neck as he ravished you, his tongue begging for entrance. You allowed it, moaning into his lips as they intertwined perfectly. His hands travelled from your hair to your waist where he pushed you closer to him.

You indeed had waited your whole life for this.

[tmwcs]

THE BUTLER

Warnings: Unprotected smut, slight voyeurism, secret smut, secret love, heart break, Y/N is a rich girl, not at all spoiled, slight Cinderella vibes, stepmom and sisters, they don't really like y/n, and death. MDNI content is for 18+ only.

Something for you guys as I finish the last chapter of DT. I started this a while ago but finally decided to finish it, as you can see, I was inspired by the release of "Criminal Love" so enjoy. I enjoyed this piece quite a bit. Part of this is proofread, so sorry if the ending of it seems a little sloppy.

“Oh! She’s here sir!”

The house nanny calls out, informing your father of your expectant arrival. Your mother and stepfather told you that this was a great opportunity to travel overseas, leave home, and expand your horizons as a prospective student. And lucky for you, your father’s work as the country’s Ambassador afforded you said opportunity, and you wish you could be just as excited about it as everyone else. Truth of the matter was, it devastated you to leave. 

Of course, growing up in a proper household, one with many manners and strict etiquettes in place, only meant that naturally, you were groomed to put on a mask to conceal your true emotions, among other things. 

You loved your family, and respected your father dearly, even when only seeing him every summer. Yet there was something back at home that caused this change of pace; something that you knew you had to get away from, even at the cost of your goals and happiness. 

It was hard for anyone to understand, since you and your former companion had only known each other for a year. To others, it appeared only as a fling, a swift love that left as fast as it came, but for you, it was a whole other matter. Unbeknownst to everyone around you, promises of a tight future we’re made, all initiated by him. He told you he loved you, cherished you, and that you both would be together forever. So was it a surprise to you, or him, that you fell into the abyss of depression and had clammed up after he exposed how he didn’t think much of your relationship;  that it was just something to look back on, as “experience” for real love. 

“Real love?….”

How could he use those words put together? How dare he? After all the times that you gave up to be with him; the sacrifices you made, and not to mention, the countless hours you made up to maintain your grades while still being there for him whenever he needed you. Such as the time when he lost a beloved family member, and you were the only one there to console him. One thing led to another and in a blink of an eye, you were no longer a virgin. You never minded, after all, he did tell you that he saw a future with you as his wife, and you responded each time by giving him your flesh and sweat….you did all of that, yet he didn’t see it as real love. 

Your mother and stepfather could never know the degree of your breakdown. How could they? They probably suspected it, but never confirmed that you lost your virginity to the man. After he told you that he no longer wanted you, he moved on to another girl, one that you used to call ‘friend’. How despicable. Guess that was college life for you, though you would have never braced for something so heartbreaking to happen, even at a prestigious university. 

After all that, you stopped talking and dropped all of your classes. You fell lower than ever before, and perhaps your mothers words, “It's not a big deal, he’s not worth it. You’ve only known him for a year, forget about him.” Was said, only to try and bring you back from the ground you found yourself graveling on. You know your mother better than anyone else, she loved you more than the world and would do, and say, anything to bring you back to a sound mental state of mind. She always did before, only this time….it didn’t work. 

That’s when the idea of sending you to live at your fathers estate came to discussion. Your father was a very noble man, not in a literal sense of course; the man had built himself up from nothing, growing up from such a poor family. Through his elaborate military career and his continued service in politics, he earned his lavish lifestyle. The driver opens the door and gives you a hand, helping you out of the backseat as you are immediately greeted by the house nanny, and your father following suit. 

“Papa!” 

“There’s my girl! Come here, it’s been too long since I last saw you. Look at you, just as pretty as always.” 

Holding you in a warm embrace, you felt free from the pain of heartbreak as you hugged your father; you missed him so much and it was always good to see him. Aside from being with him, his estate was something that you always cherished. He had acres of land, manicured with a few guest homes on the property. There were large floral gardens and orchards that decorated the entire estate with the main house stationed at the center of the acreage. Maybe coming to live here for a while wasn’t such a bad idea after all. And who knows, if you had ever found a reason to go back, you could always get up and go ... .just as much as you could settle down and stay, so long as you had found meaning behind that decision. 

During your embrace, you caught the eye of the trio that made their way over, though they seemed less excited in greeting you. 

“Well, you could have called when you were nearby. We were just about to have lunch. It would have been embarrassing to begin eating and to take a pause because of your arrival.” 

When it came to your father, mother, and stepfather, they were all a delight and you couldn’t have asked for better parents. However, when it came to your stepmother, that was an entirely different story. Of course, your fathers marriage to her wouldn’t be complete without your two stepsisters…

“Oh my gosh! Look at her hair! See mom! I want my extensions to be as long as her hair, the same length.”

“Y/n, where did you get your outfit? It’s so pretty, I want one just like it but in pink. Don’t I look good in pink?” 

Your father takes a moment to jest, yet you had a feeling by the tone he took with your stepmom and sisters, that he was more on the serious side at hinting on their lack of manners. The ‘joke’ was him remaining tactful, as always. 

“Well, usually it’s customary to say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ whenever you’re greeting family, but I guess talking about lunch, hair, and outfits is just as welcoming.”

Looking up at your father, he gives you a small wink before placing a kiss on your head, much to the obvious dismay of your stepmom. “I was only trying to point out that it would have been more considerate of her to call, that’s all. But, I guess you do have a point.” 

Your stepmom quickly took the hint, and rendered obedience in her own manner, before ushering the girls to come up and greet you properly. Pushing boundaries with your father is never a smart idea, for anyone. The man was rich, had close connections with the government, and didn’t feel the ‘need’ to have a wife as much as he merely enjoyed having one for companionship. Your stepmom knew that, just needed a reminder from time to time that he would drop her quickly, along with your stepsisters. You’re not entirely sure what had gone wrong, you never did anything to your stepmom nor did you ever go out of your way to offend her. Yet somehow, she acted somewhat distasteful to you. As for your stepsiblings, it wasn’t quite their fault. They were spoiled, had everything beyond the world given to them, and only acted out based on the initiative of their mother. Nevertheless, you were always pleasant and did your best to make them feel welcomed. You even gave up your room, the largest suite of the household, all to accommodate their ‘needs’ shortly after your father married and brought them in. Since you previously had only come for long visits in the summer during your college breaks, it wasn’t a huge deal to give up your room, or your favorite guesthouse, which was once your getaway for whenever you wanted to paint and do pottery. What was once your soaring heaven had now become a playhouse for the girls…to depreciate and throw their large parties for whenever they wanted to have their friends over. Guess that is what it means to be the elder and the matured one out of the brunch. 

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you fed. I imagine you’re tired and hungry from that long flight, did you have any trouble finding Bitterman?” 

“No Sir, I found her with no trouble. It’s quite easy to find a girl as pretty as her.” Bitterman, your fathers driver, chimes in, earning a chuckle from the latter. “Thank you my friend, be sure to get yourself fed as well, Louis has the kitchen smelling delightful.” 

Your father was always admired and loved by the staff, and it wasn’t hard to see why. He wasn’t just wise, rational, and a thoughtful type, he was also benevolent and selfless. Indeed, he was just as good of a master as he was a father and husband. 

“Oh, Bitterman, no need to get the bags, I’ll get them.” Your father exclaims as he goes to pick up one of your luggage. “Oh um….I can get that Papa, it’s actually kind of heavy—“ 

You were cut off when a shadowed figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed hold of the leather strap, just before your father completed his reach for it. “I got it sir, please allow me.” 

The tall figure was dressed in a black suit with a fitted designer trench coat to match, paired with fine leather gloves; the right one being fingerless. His hair was swiftly combed to the side, with a few pieces dangling above his eye and brow, yet it only enhanced his suave appeal. There was a slight bit of royal purple hue to his strands, yet it was tasteful and neat. He effortlessly picks up the luggage and swings it over a shoulder, and picks up another large carry-on before making his way inside the house. “The Nénuphar suite, correct?” 

“Yes, thank you Ethan.” 

Confused, you looked at your father as he took note that you hadn’t been properly introduced to his newly acquired staff member. “Oh! Ethan, this is y/n.” Turning back to you, your father completed the introduction as he took your hand and guided you closer to the mysterious man in black. “Y/n, this is Ethan. I’ve told him all about your arrival and if you need anything in my absence, come to him. He is the head of my household staff and is my personal butler, second to no one, except myself.” 

“B-butler?” You were caught off guard at the label, the man did not carry the appearance of a butler. That was when your father somewhat clarified. “Well, butler in an abstruse sense. All you need to know is that he is my right hand man. So if you ever need anything, come to me or Ethan.” 

‘Abstruse? What is that supposed to mean—‘

“It’s nice to meet you y/n.” 

“Oh…it's nice to meet you too. Thank you...for taking my bags, I can get the rest of them.”

“No need, I’ll have it taken care of.” Turning his head to the side, he raises a hand and snaps his fingers. Upon the crisp sound echoing among the grand entrance of the estate, a series of maids and butlers come in and grab the remaining of your belongings. You raised a brow before peaking a questionable gaze at your father, in which he replied with…

“I told you, he is my right hand man.” 

…………………………..

The next morning, you awoke in your beautifully furnished room. After carrying out your hygiene routine and dressing yourself, you walk down the lengthy staircase to find the girls at the base, dressed primply with jewels and broaches decorating their hair and outfits. 

“I want to re-do my nails.”

“You just got yours done yesterday, it’s been three days since I got mine. I want to add more jewels.”

“I want more flowers.” 

“I wanted them with a sharper point.”

“I wanted them longer.”

Walking through the foyer, Ethan takes stride with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he was taking a walk of leisure. Breaching the girls, they immediately dropped their topic of nail decor and called out to the handsome butler. “Oh Ethan!” One of the girls calls out. “I just got this dress yesterday, what do you think? Do you like it? Doesn’t pink look good on me?” 

Ethan gave a faint, side smirk as he paused in his steps. His hands remained behind his stature as he stood comfortably, not responding. Your other sister butts in, trying to vye for the man’s attention as she shows off her manicure. Again, he remained silent, yet the girls seemed to be used to it. 

“Oh, trying to be silent like always?”

“That’s so hot.” 

“Come on, won’t you say anything about my outfit for once?”

“Or my nails?” 

Pouting their faces rather flirtatiously, the girls flutter their lashes as they bite their lip, only to get nothing out of the man. You continued walking down during the entire entourage and once you reached the base, Ethan’s eyes sparked up. He glanced up and beyond their heads, watching as you made your way down. You pause as your sisters remained standing on the last step, seemingly oblivious to what the man was staring at. 

“Ah, young lady, you’re just in time. Your dad wanted to see you first thing this morning.” 

Extending his hand and shooting it between your sisters, the girls part ways as they watch you take Ethan’s hand as he guides you down the last step of the staircase. “I’ll take you to his study.” You felt his fingers subtly pinch your hand as he firmly established his grip. As he started to take you away, he suddenly paused with you remaining closely behind. His masculine scent was befitting with the dashing designer suit he had on; he looked more like a businessman than a butler, perhaps that was what your father meant from yesterday's conversation. Turning his head halfway, he glanced over to the girls and spoke in a low tone, all with a dashing smirk decorating his side profile. 

“Oh…about your outfit and nails….it is not in my place or station to remark on such matters. Please consult your designers and seamstresses if you ever feel confused.” With a slight tug, he pulls your hand and leads you away while the girls stood confused with hurt feelings. There hadn’t been many interactions between Ethan and the girls, but from what you heard by the house nanny, the few times he did exchange words with the two, it was far from what they ever expected or trying to achieve. Aside from his laconic smirks, the man was stone cold towards the two. 

Reaching the double doors of your father’s private office, another butler stands by. “Please inform the master that his daughter is here to see him.” Ethan calmly states. The other butler nods before knocking on the glazed wooden doors, before peeking in upon hearing your father responding from inside. The elder butler steps aside and gives a slight bow towards Ethan as the latter bars the doors wide open, gently dragging you behind. 

“Sweetheart, did you sleep well?” Your father immediately speaks out, while Ethan takes you over to a tea table, surrounded by lounge seats. Pulling the seat back for you, he guides you over and pushes you in towards the table, where a lovely tea set and tiered tray filled with all sorts of snacks and finger sandwiches were nicely laid out as your father makes his way to join in. “I got all of your favorites.” Your father says proudly, shooting another wink over to you. 

Ethan finishes scooting you into the table, his hands gently caressing the back of the seat. Before pulling away, his hands gently graze over your arms and shoulders as he walks out with one hand in his pocket. The man certainly walked with a sense of authority and carried out a superior presence, more so than even your father, even though he was the master. 

“I am sorry for how your stepmom and sisters behaved yesterday, that shouldn’t have happened.” 

Your fathers words caught your attention, causing you to turn your head away from Ethan’s backside, making eye contact with your sympathetic parent. “I had words with them yesterday and will make sure that doesn’t happen again, they need to be more mindful especially since you’re going to be here for a while.” 

You shook your head and waved off his concern. “It’s fine, I’m not worried about it.” 

Your father smiles at your reassurance and chuckles. “Good.” Adjusting in his seat, he takes a cup of tea and begins to sip on it while carrying the conversation to a different direction. “Did you sleep well?”

You nodded as you took your own cup and delicately sipped from it. Your father kept adjusting in his seat, appearing to find it difficult to gain comfort within the chair, not that it wasn’t hard to see why. The chairs were beautiful and carried a regal vintage design, but were very much too stiff for someone like your father, who required more softness to accommodate his back. No doubt he had so many strains from all the years he served in the military. 

Just as you were about to ask him if he needed something for his chair, you hear the doors from behind open. Turning halfway in your own seat, you watched as Ethan entered with a silk and plush pillow in hand; he didn't say a word, instead, he walked directly over to your father and handed it over to him, obviously flaring his familiar knowledge of your father and his routines. 

“Oh thank you so much Ethan, you do know me too well.” your father chuckles out as Ethan smirks. “Sweetheart, you want a pillow for your chair?” Your father asks you while Ethan stands by his side. He crosses his arms and gives a slight tilt of his head, establishing a rather dominant and assertive stance, yet your father seemed to be quite used to and didn’t mind at all, in fact, he seemed to embrace that wholeheartedly. You shook your head and politely declined the offer, to which Ethan issued a slight nod before exiting the study, turning back once more to pull the doors shut. 

“I like Ethan, he’s super cool. Good guy too.” Your father spoke rather comfortably. You furrowed your brows confusingly, while nodding in agreement, sort of. “Is he…really your butler?” You asked as your father took a finger sandwich from the tier stand. 

“Mmhmm.” Your father issues his response as he bites into the sandwich, and chews it while sipping on his tea. Looking back up, he gives you another wink. You chuckle and take one of the finger snacks and enjoyed it, along with a conversation that took up the entire morning as you caught up with your father and told him about college, your mother, stepfather, and even the young man that broke your heart, though one day at your father’s estate seemed to have done a lot of healing, more than you expected. You didn’t know why, but that would unfold as the days continued to swing by. 

………………………

A couple of weeks had passed, and you didn’t see much of your sisters or stepmom, they weren’t really around at the house so much, instead, they liked their constant outings and partook in continuous shopping trips. You laughed and cringed internally as you watched the girls make their attempts in gaining Ethan’s affection, much less his attention. Half the time, the man would ignore their teasing and flirting words, but the times when he did entertain small talk, it was always a major shutdown, at least that’s what it looked like to you. But to the girls, it was something else. 

…….

‘Oh that’s just how he is, trust me, Ethan likes it when I talk to him.’

‘I think he likes talking with me more.’

‘Shut the fuck up! He likes me more, bitch!’

‘You’re the bitch! You fucking rude bitch, who the fuck do you think you are?’

…… 

Now you were by no means a saint, but for the most part, using vulgar language was something you considered to perform only when the situation called for it. An outburst of anger perhaps, or…when you had your heart broken. A flashback of when the man informed you that you were just ‘practice’ for his real and true love came to mind, and the image of you screaming out and lashing every cursing you could imagine in his direction. Yet the girls were using it so freely, over a man that didn’t seem to take interest in anything other than his duties. 

You politely excuse yourself from the room, allowing for the girls to bicker in peace while the seamstresses customized their designer gowns for the upcoming event. You gently shut the doors behind as you take your stroll outside, loving the sound of the doves that hummed their tune in a nearby Magnolia tree. You walked over to the massive gazebo, lavished with wisteria vines and overlooking the flat fields that extended past the lines of the property. A stone rail surrounding the gazebo stands at chest height, it was perfect for you to rest your forearms on as you leaned in and took in the beautiful sight of nature and tranquility. You watched as the staff members from afar tended to the private livestock, and harvested the fruits from your father’s orchard. In a peaceful state, you stare off with nothing in mind other than the happiness you witnessed as the staff members conducted their duties from afar, not at all realizing that you were watching them with a smile on your face. 

“Enjoying the view?” 

You turned your head and saw Ethan entering through the hanging vines of purple flowers from the Wisteria plant. “Oh–yeah…sorry, you caught me off guard.” Chuckling, you turn your attention back to the staff members. Ethan comes by your side, and as you had done, he leans against the stone rail while resting his forearms on the smoothed top surface. “Yeah, I seem to have a habit of doing that from time to time.” He calmly tells you, it almost seemed like it was his way of joking, yet you didn't really know whether to laugh or stay silent, so you gave a delicate chuckle instead. 

“How are you enjoying being back? It's been the previous summer since you’ve last visited, correct?” 

You nodded. “Yes, last summer was the last time I came over. At first, I’m not sure if I was thrilled about living here, not that I don't love my father, I do. I just…it was an abrupt decision and I didn’t really have a whole lot of say in the matter. But I’m glad I did…I miss my dad so much and I always did like this place.” 

You confide as Ethan stares off at the orchard, nodding gently at your words. “When did you start working for my dad?” 

Ethan lets out a light and airy chuckle of his own, dashing a side smirk as he continues to stare off at the fields. His hands were decorated with the leather gloves, with the right one being fingerless, as always. “Next week makes it six months.” 

“You like it here too?” 

“I do.” He pauses as he clasps his hands together before him. “Your dad is a good man.” 

“Yeah he is.” you chuckle out, flattered by the compliment. 

“Did you finish with the seamstresses?” he inquires. You turn to glance over to him with a faint, sweet smirk before looking back over to the distant orchard. “No, not yet. I figured I’d let my sisters do their thing and I’ll get my dress made after.” 

“Hm. So you’re just wanting to get away and enjoy solitude in the meantime then.” his voice was deep, calm, and soothing. There was a tone in him that brought the image of a placid lake and  gentle wind to mind. You could side with your father’s opinion on Ethan, he was a gentle and good man, and he was very fond of your father. 

“Yeah…I love to get away.” you responded back, lifting your nose into the air as you relished the soothing wind blowing against your skin and through your hair. Ethan tilts his head over. “You love to get away?”

“Yeah.” you chuckle out as you flinch a quick glance over his way. He smiles in return. 

“What do you like to get away from?” 

“Everything. Sometimes I just like to get away from people, and be only in the presence of nature and wind.” 

“What else?” Drawing your secrets out, he inquires for you to continue, and you confide fully without giving it a second thought. “I like to get away from responsibility and duties, and experience freedom, even if it's just for a second.” 

Remaining in his leaned state, Ethan adjusts, shifting his weight over to one arm as he turns to fully face your direction. “So, you’re an escape artist, in a sense.” He smirks out. 

“Yeah.” you chuckled, loving the feel of the wind picking up pace, roaring through your hair. 

“You’re a runner?” his voice peaking a sense of interest as he remarks your habit of ‘running away’ or getting away from the things that burden you.

“I am.” 

“You’re a runaway that likes to daydream?”

“I am.”

You both laugh in sync. He licks and bites his lip as he turns his face away and stares back off at the orchard. “Neat.” is all he says. Just as you were going to inquire about his unusual leather gloves, a dainty voice comes in from behind. “Y/N, we’re ready for you now.” You turn to see the personal seamstress. You smile and bid Ethan a goodbye before leaving him at the gazebo, not realizing that your smile flashed a charming sense that became permanently ingrained in the man’s memory. 

……………………….

The night of the event, you sat in your room for a while before deciding to finally make your appearance at the ballroom. Your father’s residence was massive, with four floor levels and a grand ballroom on the main floor; despite frequently visiting every summer, it took you a while to remember your way around. Now, you know the entire house like the back of your hand. 

You walk down the staircase, listening in on the laughter and small talk of the large crowd residing in the ballroom. The tail of your dress slinks down each step behind as you drag your hand against the smooth rail. You opted for a simple, plain and form fitting gown, with a high slit reaching your upper thigh; you’re not entirely too sure why you felt the need to look sexy, but why not? You only live once. 

Your sisters also opted for a sexy look, though their plunging necklines screamed of desperation rather than seduction, but you kept your opinions to yourself. Tonight was a night for celebration, not for bickering. 

You enter the grand room and earn a wave of stares. Your father stands at a distance and smiles proudly as he watches you make your way to one of the floor length windows. You gaze off at the moon, it looked so full and pretty tonight, shame you had to be inside. 

The lights dim down, and the band plays a gentle piece that initiates the guest to slow dance. That was your que, one that you always looked out for, so you could…

“Get away…” 

Snaking through the crowd, you make your way over to one of the outer doors that lead to a stone corridor that wraps around the entire base level of the mansion. You found solace in a secluded corner that overlooked the moon and stars, and was closed off to guests. The area wasn’t at all separated distinctively; it didn't have any walls, yet the four large pillars that surrounded it provided enough cover and seclusion for you to remain undisturbed, at least from the guests…

“Getting away again?” You turn to the side and notice Ethan entering the outdoor sitting area. 

“Yeah…just for a little bit.” 

He walks over and just as he did before, he stands by your side and admires the view of the full moon. His appearance wasn’t anything out of normal; he had on a fine black suit and tie, his leather gloves, and black shined shoes. His hair was styled just the same, and roared out a purple hue under the moonlight. In all actuality, he looked like one of the prestigious male guests inside the ballroom. Taking note of the privacy you both shared, you finally had the courage to ask him about his unusual choice of gloves. 

“I was wanting to ask you…”

“Hmm?”

“Your gloves…I dont think I’ve ever seen anyone wear gloves like yours, especially a butler.” 

“Oh, these? It’s just for comfort when I carry out some of my tasks.” He puts out nonchalantly, pretty much in the same manner as your father responded whenever you breached the topic of Ethan. 

“Oh, I see. A butler that just likes to wear leather gloves then.” you chuckled out, with his own laughter following closely behind. 

“Yeah, just a butler who likes to wear leather gloves.” he gently repeats as he switches his gaze from the moon, and looks over to you. Had you not been admiring the moon yourself, you would have taken notice of his unyielding stare. His eyes travel up and down, noting that this was the first time since your arrival to your father’s estate that he got to see the reality of your form. It was beautiful. 

Admiring the curves of your body, the length of your hair traveling down your backside, and the complexion of your glowing skin, the man found himself in awe….again. 

“So what made you want to get away this time? The people? The politics?”

“The moon.” you jest, slightly biting down on your lip, though you did so harmlessly. Yet Ethan couldn’t help but see the sultry beauty behind it. “I like the moon.” You claim. 

“Oh yeah? What else do you like?” he punctures your way, unbeknownst to you, he takes a step closer by your side. 

“I like animals. I like food, and the stars, and–”

“To run away…” he finishes, earning your sudden attention, allowing for you to see that he had migrated closer. 

“...Yes. I like to run away.” You calmly state, issuing a faint nervous chuckle upon noticing the feasting hunger that glared in his eye. It scared you…but you were liking it….and you wanted more of it. 

Reaching up, he takes a bit of your hair and glides his fingers through the length of it, allowing it to fall back on your spine. “Now tell me again…what else do you like, pretty girl.” 

Your breathing was less steady and deep, you suddenly found the tone of his voice so alluring, and the way he ran his fingers through your hair brought out a tight feeling from within your gut. Tingling and numbness chimes in your womanhood, it was a sensation you were familiar with, yet this time it was much stronger and vivid. You whisper out your response, taking the plunge and the chance to tell him, without being so direct…

“I like….you…” 

So much for not being too direct. At least you could say you tried to keep it somewhat discreet, which was much more than what you could say about your stepsisters. 

“Yeeeah…I  like you too…” his voice grew deeper and the shine in his eyes grew fierce as the hungry sense raged wildly, he looked different. He looked almost frightening, with how starving his eyes looked, yet the moment he gripped a handful of your hair while saying his piece, you could care less that he had the look of a hungry killer or a sadistic maniac, you were willing to feed him, and he sensed it. 

With the grip of your silk strands, he pulls you in, sucking in your breath as he fully envelops your lips in a deep kiss. Oh to be kissed by this man….it was something else. 

He explores your body and rubbed your hips, his fingers digging into your waist as a hand rides up your back and cradles the back of your scalp while taking in the sensation of your soft strands. The first moan you release against his tongue, he instantaneously rushes you against the pillar nearby, the force of his weight pushing you back until your shoulders meet the cold marble. Your rear and spine is plastered against the surface, yet he continues to push as his body melts into you. Without breaking the kiss, he keeps pushing, rubbing, and grinding, feeding off those sweet moans you let out. 

Finally, he allows for the both of you to take a breath as he abruptly breaks his lips away. Softly gripping your neck, the fine leather squeezing against your skin, he whispers before placing a gentle kiss on the tip of your nose, his eyes staring down at you and never breaking contact. “Be a good pretty thing…and try to stay quiet for me.” 

“Mm..mmhmm…” you moaned. 

“Yeah? Can you do that?”

“Y-yes….yes…”

“Yeah?” he lowers his head and buries his face into your neck, ravishing you with kisses as he smothers his saliva on your smooth skin. “Say you’ll be good for me.” 

“I-I’ll….I’ll be good…I’ll try to be good…mmm…Ethan.” 

“Heeseung.” 

You moaned out of both, pleasure and confusion as you winced your eyes shut upon feeling his kisses becoming rougher, his teeth nibbling on your neck. “H-Heeseung?” 

“Mmhmm…my real name.” He lets out just before he gives you a sharp bite. “Ah! Uggghhhhh!!’ you jerked up upon feeling the stinging sensation, with him easing it out as he licked over his teeth mark. “Shhhh….you gotta be good, remember?” he mocks as he gives you another bite.

“Ugh! Fffffffffuck….ugh!” you lengthen out your moans as you feel your body tremble. You really thought you could be quiet, that wasn’t hard to do with the last guy…but with Ethan…no, Heeseung….it was impossible. 

“I…I can’t…I can’t….please…please let me scream….oh God I wanna scream…” 

Looping his hand under your thigh, he lifts your weight as your back drags against the pillar, his lips sucking and kissing your breasts, which have now become exposed as he pulls the straps down from over your shoulders. With a mouthful of your plump areola, his free hand trails upwards and makes its way to gently cover your mouth. “Then scream baby.” 

His finger digs into the skin of your upper leg as he sustains your weight, while his free hand shoots up and gently holds you by your neck. It was all happening so fast, you hadn’t realized that he had already snaked his member out from his trousers until you felt the warm skin of his hard bulge probing your clothed entrance. He fingers your panties and scoots them off to the side, where the probing became more intense as you felt his hips bucking upward. He enjoyed teasing you with it, poking you a few more times as he wasn't focusing on entering, until you let out a whine that indicates your desire for him to do it to you. “Please…..” you moaned out. He kisses you as he finds himself, slipping through your tight walls. The both of you breathed out deeply and simultaneously upon feeling the initial penetration. He breaks the distance just slightly between your lips, so that he could take a better look at you while he continued to thrust all the way in, slowly. Sloooooowly. 

There was so much friction, roughness, and pressure, but it was all divine. He stared down at you, looking directly into your eyes with his feasting ones, while his grip on your neck tightened ever so slightly. His thumb reaches up, and grazes over our gasping lips as you pant out your moans. 

“Shh…” he waves his index over your lips, hushing you tenderly before the base of his groin meets with yours. You felt full, stuffed, and complete. He gives a slight nudge, imploring for you to respond that you were ready, and you were. With a slight nod, your eyes glistened as you gave him his que, to which he took, along with a kiss on the tip of your nose before he started to pull out. He didn’t have to say it, you could hear it within his growl that you were tight. Your walls squeezed every ounce of precum out of his throbbing length as he drew it out from the immense pressure your cavity created for him. Your squelching walls squeezing him, cradling him with a tight ring of muscle that made it almost seemed impossible for him to penetrate a second time. His breathing escalates yet each exhale becomes prolonged as he groans out the pleasure he felt upon breaching you. He exits out fully, his bulbous tip barely lays nestled in your cavity, with only the very tip that carried his exit laying inside, but it wasn’t for long. You clenched uncontrollably when you felt him plunge back in, harder, deeper, and faster. He bellows out in the depths of your gut while shoving his nose and mouth against your skin, still holding you by the thigh and neck. His hips thrust, starting off at a slow tempo, but taking no time to pick up the pace. In just a few seconds, you found yourself being lunged upwards in a jolting motion, all at high tempo. 

In and out, his thrusts were graceful yet demeaning as he goes in each time with the intent on tearing you apart, feeding you the immense thickness of his length and girth. The sound of the bustling guests exiting and mingling outside of the house could be heard, all unaware of what was happening behind the large pillar that Heeseung had you pinned against. You so badly wanted to scream, it all felt too good. The way he had you bouncing upwards at high momentum, your hair draping and decorating the marble backing as he continued to shove and lift you to accommodate each thrust. Biting your lip, you couldn’t take it anymore and yelp out in desperation, only for him to shoot his hand up and cover your mouth as he did before. 

“Shh….that’s my good girl.” Whispering against your forehead, his thrusts become harder and tighter as he reaches the areas of your body that you never knew could be obtained by a man. His length repeatedly hits a spot that causes you to yell out into his palm in a repeated motion as he goes in with so much ferocity. Your body goes limp, and you could barely contain yourself. Sensing that, he flings your thigh upwards and catches it, adjusting his grip as he scoots in closer while penetrating deep inside, leaving absolutely no distance between your heated bodies. 

“Good girl…good girl…take it….keep taking it…..fuck!” 

Feeling your walls pulsate did him in. You felt his cock throb with violent twitches as he buried it deep inside, releasing his warm, silky seed into you. The way you felt his length bend and flicker against your muscles, with the hot temperature of his children entering invigorated you, causing you to experience your orgasm. Your walls leak, vibrating out your ecstasy while he stays put for a few minutes; leaning back, he stares down at you with fulfillment in his eyes, they are no longer hungry. Satisfied under heavy lids, he reaches up and takes from his internal breast pocket of his suit, a silkened handkerchief. He pinches the corner, before whiplashing it to unfold as he slides out, inch by inch. Once you felt hollow, you felt the warm ooze of his labor dripping down your thigh. It was thick and white, mixed with the clarity of your body’s own solution produced from your orgasmic high. Keeping your thigh elevated, he takes a knee and  drags the smooth silk against your skin as he delicately wipes up the residue, leaving a trail of kisses against your inner thigh upon cleaning you up. Dragging his tongue upwards, he leaves your skin spotless before standing straight up, placing a tender kiss on your lips. No words were exchanged, just acts of affection and softness to conclude the lovemaking. Throughout the night, Heeseung danced and kept you company, flashing a smile your way every so often, much to the dismay of your sisters. 

“Why is Ethan dancing with her? I want to dance with him too!” 

“After me first.” 

Your stepmom subtly scolds the girls under her breath, pressuring them to focus on the more eligible bachelors that roamed the ballroom, no doubt heirs with big money behind their names. Yet the girls had a hard time shaking off the handsome Ethan from their minds, and only grew more frustrated as they watched him court you. Your father sips from his fine glass, and reassures your sisters as he issues a firm look over to your stepmom. “I’m sure it’s nothing girls. Go and mingle with all these other handsome fellas, I’m sure they’d love to dance with you two.” 

“But dad! I’ve been telling you how long I’ve had a crush on Ethan, it’s not fair!”

Your father slides his stern look over to the girls; “I’m sure Ethan is being polite, after all, it's the first time your sister attended this event, he’s more than likely trying to make her feel welcomed since she doesn’t know anyone here. I’m sure it’s nothing.” 

Glancing over to you and Ethan, your father smiles softly upon admiring the way you both flowed with the course of the musical piece being played. Whispering to himself, he quietly tells himself, “I’m sure it’s nothing…but love.” 

…………………………….

The following week, you spent more time with Ethan. For a butler, he didn’t seem to be as busy as you would expect, especially considering the house was massive. Then again, your father did mention that he was the head of the house staff, and second to only him as the master of the household, so perhaps his duties were strictly supervisory with high authority. Either way, you didn’t mind that he was free to be with you the majority of the days, it was exactly what you had needed to recover from your previous partner. Ethan had heard about him, yet never brought him up, he never felt the need to. As far as he was concerned, you had him now, and that was all that mattered. 

One day, you went out with your sisters to do some shopping. You took interest in the local food vendors that sold fresh produce, while your sisters were enchanted by the local boutique of their favorite designer brand and the release of the new collection. You interacted with the sellers, buying simple ingredients to prepare a nice meal tonight, for you and Ethan. You were surprised that your father hadn’t become curious as to your frequent absence at dinner, since you were spending each evening in private with Ethan, dining at the gazebo or at one of the guest houses. Perhaps he knew? Or maybe he just trusted you to care for yourself, after all, he never restricted you to a strict schedule, allowing you the freedom to provide for yourself whenever you needed. 

As you walked the row of street vendors, a mysterious figure from afar eyeballs your movements. Stationed at the peak of a nearby tower, he aims and observes through a scope, attached to a sniper rifle. Being the only legitimate daughter of the Ambassador came with some ups and downs, and it would appear that your father had enemies that intended to cause you harm, perhaps as a warning for money or secured and private information that would affect national security. Blindly unaware, you continued on with your shopping, just seconds away from getting pierced through the chest with a stray bullet. A bullet…that was shot in silence, not a sound heard by the crowds. 

Hunched over, bleeding, and choking out his last breath, the mysterious assassin slowly fades out over his rifle; a single hole in his chest leaks out the last of his vigor as his vision blackens. Across the tower, on the roof of a neighboring hotel, another rifleman kneels perched with his own weapon and silencer. Ejecting the casing out from the ejection port, a leather gloved hand catches the steaming hot brass; with his trigger finger is exposed, he releases and activates the safety switch on the weapon. Peeking through the scope, he watches the mysterious figure die out, then switches his aim over to you. Watching over you, his scope follows your every move, until Bittmerman pulls up. 

“Miss y/n, it's time to get back. Your sisters are already in the car.” 

You nod and smile happily. “Okay, thank you.” 

Taking Bitterman’s hand, he guides you in the backseat where you are reunited with your spoiled sisters. He shuts the door and looks up to meet the eye of the scope, emitting a nod that implies your safety behind bullet proof glass and steel. Smirking, the rifleman lowers the gun and takes it apart. Chuckling to himself, he places the components of his rifle in a fine case before standing and watching Bitterman’s car drive off. 

Taking his index, he bites the tip of the leather glove and pulls it off his left hand. Taking the brass casing, he flicks it up in the air before catching it with his strong hand, adorned with the fingerless leather glove. Rolling the brass in between his fingers, he admires it for a second before he preps to take his leave. Chuckling once more, he whispers under his breath, growing excited in seeing you upon his return home, knowing you'll be waiting for him.

“I’m just a butler… who likes to wear leather gloves, pretty girl.”

Taglist: aiden2001 , heeseung-min , lathan1510 , rayofsunshineeee

Enjoyed this piece? Show love and treat your girl to a cup of coffee. ♥️ 

☕ Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/reinbow

[peachesvault]

Gentle Hands guide the Gentle Hands

Part 1 || Izuku faces another issue after getting back to sketching

Izukus sketches had slowly but surely improved. Nowadays he could draw more intricate designs and adorn the pages like he used to. Except for one small detail.

He actually couldn’t. (YET as his middle school teacher would say).

Sure, some lucky days, his lines looked smooth, clean, pretty even. But in honesty, he had far too many ink blotches and holes ripped into his numerous notebooks, doubling in amount from how many he had to replace.

His movement was back, he could control how he wanted it to look, but he still couldn’t control how it actually ended up on paper.

Laying out in its ugly truth, Izuku had zero pressure sensitivity. Either half the pen would bleed and puncture a whole through the page, or it would seem like he was writing with a skewer.

So, he did what any sane person who totally hadn’t destroyed dozens of books out of frustration would and decided to try something even harder! So smart of him!

Pottery.

He was embarrassed to say the least. He could hardly even the clay on the potter's wheel, and more often than not he ended up with berserk chunks of clay in his clothes, hair and face.

Really, he was concerned with how familiar clay tasted now.

But that's the thing about being rich from fighting in a war isn't it? He bought a whole pottery studio, that wouldn’t see any action by anybody except him.

The walls were covered in plates. Wobbly ones. Uneven ones. Collapsed ones. Cracked ones. And a singular perfect plate framed on the wall.

Honestly, despite the fact izuku was improving, he couldn’t help but feel... offended for a lack of a better word.

He had spent a lot of money on a pretty studio in a pretty location, and it was covered in ugly plates that were so blandly... clay coloured it made him seem like some kind of sad beige mom. If he was going to have uglily made pottery, it should at least be painted well.

---------

Miffy wallpaper is basically what your walls had become. If anybody new was to ever walk into your home office, that's exactly what they would have thought it was with how it genuinely went from the floor to the ceiling.

But lately something else had been taking up space, not just in your home office but the whole house.

Plates. Bowls. Really any type of ceramic to be fair.

Ones that Izuku would bring home, and you would paint on, no matter how ugly. Every week like clockwork, two or three new pieces of pottery would pop up in your room. You would take them down to your little creative studio (Really just an unused bedroom that you made into a studio), sat down and picked up your paintbrush.

It was a nice way to take your mind off the busy week as you quietly talked to your boyfriend. You had seemed to take a liking to flowers. The vibrant colours as you moved your brushes freely, just letting the shape of whatever you were painting guide you.

Sometimes you would take inspiration from whatever izuku was grinning happily about as he talked. Sometimes what each flower represented. And sometimes (most times) Hibiscuses because they’re pretty.

The miffys dwindled down. This became your guy’s new thing.

Soon there was far too many ceramics, you had no choice but to sell some.

At least you could wow guests when they started looking professional.

And of course, you kept Izukus very first few wobbly ugly plates on the wall in your office, right next to his first few wobbly ugly miffys.

What could you say? It was a love language.

And you fell in love with Izuku all over again. For a third time.

DO NOT COPY OR POST ELSEWHERE. REBLOGS AND LIKES APPRECIATED

A/N: Wrote this in five mins pls tell me if something is glaring or stupid <3 || Series Masterlist

[hailsatanacab]

I'll ask after that secret number 8!

I only remembered secret number 8 because I saw your wip here! I'd started this one based on the same prompt, then lost said prompt and stopped working on it 😅

Instead of a snippet, I'm just dropping it all here - maybe that way I'll feel inspired to finish it?

———

It’s a full house for dinner tonight and, really, that should have tipped him off.

Bruce sits at the head of the table, smiling softly as he watches over everyone’s antics. Damian is regaling Dick with everything they saw at the zoo that day (Danny had been so happy to see Delilah the purpleback gorilla again, and her new little additions to the troupe, too!) and how well they are implementing the grant the Wayne Foundation had gifted them. Tim, Steph, Cass, and Duke are all engaged in a thumb-war tournament which Danny has no interest in participating in. It just wouldn’t be fair on them.

Danny loves that look. The one where Bruce’s eyes crinkle when he thinks none of the kids can see him. It oozes love and it makes Danny’s heart, his core, ache. 

It’s been a little over a year since Alfred found him on the street and managed to wrangle him back to the manor to stay—even after the whole biting thing when he realised how rich they were. 

A little over a year here and Danny’s starting to feel like family.

Starting to feel like he might, just maybe, like to make it official.

“Danny,” Bruce says, drawing everyone’s attention. Danny starts at his name, but Bruce’s voice is warm and calm, and his shoulders lose their tension almost immediately. “Danny, I have something I would like to tell you.”

“Uhhh…” is all Danny can croak out, eyes flicking back and forth between Bruce and the rest of them. Smooth. Looking good, Danny.

Except… they’re all happy. All smiles, all relaxed body language, all radiating calm and love and acceptance. Well, not Damian—his face is as thunderous as it always is—which at least means it’s nothing too out of the ordinary.

“Danny, first of all, I just want to impress upon you that this is in no way something you have to do. You are under no obligation to join us and, no matter what, you shall always be welcome with us in the manor.”

Wait, what? Danny squints at Bruce, trying to parse exactly what he’s saying… Is he—is this them asking to adopt him? Do they want to make it official, too? 

It’s been a little over a year and of course Danny has imagined calling Bruce ‘Dad’. Of course he’s imagined being part of the family, of course he wants to make it official!

He can’t help the beaming grin or the bright and bubbling “Yes!” already waiting on his lips. All Bruce has to do is ask, all Danny needs to hear is—

“I’m Batman.”

The smile freezes on Danny’s face.

His lungs stop working, his heart stops working, he stops working, he just—

“And I’m Nightwing,” Dick smiles, breaking the awkward silence. 

Danny’s eyes snap to him, and then down to Tim when he admits to being Red Robin. Duke is Signal, Steph is Spoiler. Damian begrudgingly tells him he’s Robin, but Danny can barely hear it over the ringing in his ears.

“I’m Black Bat.” Cass cocks her head, almost looking concerned. It always felt like she understood him the most. Whenever he was feeling low, too in his memories, or stewing after a nightmare, she was always there, ready to card her fingers through his hair and never mention his tears. It makes his heart ache to think of it now. “It’s okay, Danny.”

It’s meant to be reassuring, but how—how can it be okay? How? 

Danny’s spent a little over a year with them. A little over a year with Batman. 

Batman, who works with the Justice League, who works with…

A little over a year. 

Just under 16 months since he escaped.

“Danny? Are you alright?” Bruce asks

Finally, his lungs kickstart and suck in a shuddering breath, only for everyone to drop their smiles.

Didn’t take them long, did it? Now that their ruse is up, there’s no kindness in their eyes, they’re just… cold, calculating. Evaluating. 

“Why?” Danny gasps, his fingers tingling, his heart in his throat.

Just under 16 months since he—has he escaped? Or was this just another one of their experiments?

"I... I trusted you, why—" Danny chokes back a sob, gritting his teeth as his shoulders shake. Why? Why would they do this? "I was happy here, with you. I thought... Weren't you happy?"

"Danny..." Bruce is looking at him, eyes narrow and eyebrows pinched, in some cruel facsimile of confused concern and all Danny can think is how much of an actor he is. How well he can play the part of a doting father. How much he made him want that.

"I don't understand, why..." 

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you before, I can imagine that it comes as a shock. We shouldn't have lied to you, Danny, but—"

"Stop it!" Danny slams his hands down on the table and pushes himself up on wobbly legs. Even standing, he feels so small. Smaller than Bruce, than all of his adopted siblings. They crowd above him when they all stand, too. "Just stop it! Why are you doing this, why are you still pretending? Stop it!"

It was easier, with Danny's biological parents. The knowledge that they'd do anything to get him on a lab table, to open him up and see what makes him tick, to rip him apart molecule by molecule, had always been there. He knew they hated ghosts. He knew they hated Phantom. He knew they hated him. It was easier because it was something he'd known all his life. When he died, when he became a ghost, he knew what to expect from them. It hurt, of course it did.

But it was easier than this.

"Danny, I'm going to need you to take a deep breath. You're having a panic attack and you need to breathe."

"Breathe?" Danny laughs, the sound harsh and choking, too high pitched in his hysteria. "You're joking, right? Or is this just more of the—the experiment?"

"Danny, please, we don't know what you're talking about, you—"

"You don't know? You're Batman! You work with the Justice League, you work with—" His words choke off as his stomach churns, bile rising in his throat. His whole body itches, screaming at him to leave, he can't go back, he can't, he can't, he can't!

Bruce takes a hesitant step forward and Danny scrambles back, his feet catching on the chair behind him and sending him careening to the floor. Where are the agents? Why aren't they swarming in, ready to apprehend him, strap him back on the table, carve him from the inside out.

"Please, Danny, calm down. We don't—"

Danny stops listening. His back hits the wall and he pulls his knees into his chest, his shoulders dipping down as he begins to sob. His heart throbs inside his throat, too painful to swallow around. Tears fall hot and heavy on his face.

Sure, he could run. He could phase out through the wall and he could be out of Gotham in a couple of hours. He's escaped the GIW once, he can do it again.

But that was before Batman knew who he was. Before he had the World's Greatest Detective on his tail.

Before he... 

He really thought this would be different, you know?

He wanted to make it official.

"Why did... Why were you so nice to me? Why did you make me like you? I really—I really liked you. I-I thought we could be a family."

"Danny, we are a—"

"Don't lie to me!" Danny snaps, but the force of his anger leeches all the fight from him, and suddenly all that's left is a bone-weary tiredness. There’s a lump in his throat that hurts. There’s a line down his chest that burns. "I don't care. I don't care anymore, I don't. Just... don't make me go back there. Please." 

Is it futile? He thought he knew how the GIW operated by now, the depths that they would go to achieve their results, but this... this was a whole new level of pain that Danny thought he had left behind him in Amity.

"We're not going to make you go anywhere, Danny, you're safe here, I promise."

"Safe? Safe? You must have—" he takes a deep breath, tries to stop the quivering of his voice. It’s all starting to make sense, now.  "The reason you're telling me who you are is because you must have told them everything already. I know the Justice League—I know you're working with them, which means the ex-experiment is over now, and they're coming to take me back. And I can't go back."

"Danny—"

"I can’t!” Danny glares at Bruce with all the rage he can, fingernails digging into his skin. “I’m not going back!"

"That's right, you're not going back, Danny. I won't let that happen." Bruce crouches down in front of Danny, his hands open and raised as if he's trying to say he's not a threat. "I don't know who you're talking about, and I'm sorry about that, but I can promise you that you’re not going back there. We will keep you safe."

Danny pulls himself closer, tucks himself further into the wall, eyes flickering all across the room waiting for that tell-tale flash of white as the agents start to swarm.

He should take his chances now and run, he should go, he needs to go!

The rest of them, his brothers and sisters of a little over a year, are spread out, giving him and Bruce some space. The same concern colours all of their faces. Why are they still pretending?

Steph is chewing on her thumb. 

Danny liked Steph and her brash confidence, her jokes. She's been promising to paint his nails for months now, they've just never found the time. He was going to go for green and black, or maybe a galaxy theme, depending on what she felt comfortable doing.

He likes them all.

"You were supposed to be my family." His mouth turns down at the corners and his voice shakes like a child. "You were supposed to—why? Why would you—I don't understand why you would make me like you..."

"This isn't an experiment, Danny," Bruce's voice is steady, soothing. "I promise."

"But you work with them and—"

"Who do I work with?"

"The Justice League."

"Yes, I do, but we—"

"And the Justice League works with them. The GIW." Danny trembles with the name, clutching tightly onto his hoodie. "I'm not going back there, Bruce."

Danny doesn't miss Bruce's look over his shoulder, nor Tim's nod in return. Tim turns slightly to the side to hide his movements, but Danny bets he has his phone in his hand, probably letting them know they can take him now. Guess this is it, then. They'll be here soon, and he'll be gone.

"Kill me."

"Danny? What do—"

"If you ever had any kindness for me, if you ever cared, kill me. Please, Bruce. I can't do it again."

"Danny..."

"End me now. Take my core out and break it, please, before they get here."

[vivwritescrappythings]

masterlist

updated: 4/16/25

character list: friedrich harding, tangerine, ben leonard, paddy feld, felix catton, recom miles quaritch, jake sully, kylo ren, miguel o'hara, hobie brown, john price, simon riley, könig, eddie munson, geralt of rivia, luke danes, logan howlett, thranduil, joel miller, harry castillo, din djarin, deiter bravo, francisco morales, ezra (prospect), oberyn martell, marcus acacius.

requests are: OPEN

limits

joel miller

yours: you get new neighbors in Jackson, Joel doesn't like how much attention they pay to you so he decides to teach them a lesson. [SMUT]

unfair: an au about Joel attending a wedding simply inspired by Pedro's slutty little fit at the SAG awards. [SMUT]

part 2: good morning: Mornings with Joel are the best. [SMUT]

saying thanks: Joel is your grumpy patrol partner who doesn’t even talk to you in the streets of Jackson. But one night a man grabs your arm at the Tipsy Bison, and Joel’s decided he doesn’t like it. [SMUT]

set me on fire, i'll keep you warm: you and Joel get stuck in a cabin together during a winter storm [SMUT, a/b/o dynamics]

part 2: crack me open, swallow me whole: you go on one patrol without joel and a band of raiders finds you [SMUT, a/b/o dynamics]

hollow: Joel spends a day remembering what could have been [ANGST, no comfort]

frankie morales

never have i ever: your childhood best friend Ben takes you on a beach trip with him and his friends from the army. you and frankie seem to get along like a house fire [SMUT]

marcus acacius

meum cor: Your father had raised you for one purpose: to be a very rich man's wife someday. As it turns out, that man is Marcus Acacius, the renowned general himself.

part 2: ubi tu gaius, ego gaia: The day of your wedding to Marcus Acacius finally has come. What kind of man is he behind closed doors?

eddie munson

the boy is mine (viv's version): a romantic night at the trailer

just love me and eat: you watched Eddie die, so this must be some nightmare in your room

part 2: it’ll heal: Eddie’s perspective on his new life [SMUT]

late night visits: Eddie catches you dropping Max off and invites you over, he teaches you how to smoke weed [SMUT]

velma: You attend a Halloween party with Eddie, things don't go quite as planned when Jason Carver acts like a jerk

twenty-five: You always cry on your birthday, and this is the year Eddie finds out

silence: The five times you asked Eddie to be quiet, and the one time he was [ANGST, NO COMFORT]

squeeze: Eddie is your tattoo artist and long term boyfriend, one night you have an idea of how to spice up your next tattoo session. [SMUT]

simon "ghost" riley

simon riley brainrot: you sit next to him on a plane [drabble]

roadburn: someone hits simon’s motorcycle while you were riding

take it all: you meet simon at a bar and go home with him [SMUT, toxic simon]

small apologies: six months later simon decides he wants to apologize [SMUT]

könig

king of the joust: you attend a tourney with your family, a knight you’ve never seen before wants your favor [plus size reader]

part 2: sworn sword: civil unrest in the kingdom forces your father and the king to assign a knight to you for your protection. thankfully he is someone you have already met before

part 3: golden linings: the evening ball presents you with an unconventional dance partner

part 4: words fall short: you can’t stop thinking about some rude words said about you at last night’s feast, but your knight doesn’t let you worry for long

part 5: if she would have me: könig personally comforts you through the news of your betrothal. things get out of hand [SMUT]

part 6: anything you ask: despite all odds, it is finally your wedding day [SMUT]

hobie brown

and they were roommates: you and Hobie always toe the line between friends and something more.

miguel o'hara

only a little crazy: you get hurt working at the Spider-Society and your grumpy boss decides to come check on you.

[bnhaobservation]

What's justice? An easy exercise in comparing how the justice BNHA speaks about and the justice other countries speak about is different

I've been writing recently a couple of posts about how BNHA presents a not-out of Japan friendly worldview. People can realize it by comparing laws and customs but researching on them is a long job so, if you feel like offering me some of your free time, I want to propose you a more simple exercise using something that, to be honest, is not BNHA, but that discuss justice... but let's go in order.

Between 2003/2006 a manga rose to popularity and would inspire other series, "Death Note". I won't discuss here the plot, that's not really relevant and, I like to think, many know it already.

In 2015 the story was transposed in a musical. It's pretty good and it's on one of the musical's songs I want to focus your attention.

The song in question is "Seigi wa Doko ni?" which basically means "Where is the Justice?"

To sum up what's going on, Light, the main character, starts a discussion with his teacher and the other students about, well, where's the justice.

Now, for who doesn't know, the "Death Note musical" songs were written by Frank Wildhorn who realized demos of them with English lyrics. However, for the Japanese musical the lyrics were changed in Japanese ones and those are the ones sung in the Japanese musical.

And boy... the lyrics are SO different and it's not because well, in order for the words to fit with the music they had to change something, they're so different because equally different is the idea those two coutries have of justice.

Now I'll let you first hear the English version. I'll include the lyrics in case you can't hear it. I think you'll find out you can easily follow the discussion as one that could happen in your country, with arguments you've probably heard already and the teacher reacting the way we would expect a teacher to react.

Where is the Justice? (American version)

[Light] Where is the justice When the guilty all go free Why don't we lock them up And throw away the key

[Teacher] I see a young man's anger burning in your eyes

[Light] What you see is my impatience With your noble compromise

Show me what's right about The wrongs that we allow Real people need to feel Protected here and now

This whole damn system's broken way beyond repair It's just law not law and order Not much good and seldom fair

[Teacher] Laws are made for everyone We're treated all the same

[Light] Till a lawyer's tricks can fix the blame

What about the victims Waiting for some justice How can we turn away and say That's just the way things are

[Students] What about the fam'lies Hiding in their houses All of them afraid to walk the streets at night With all their doors locked tight

[Light] Tell me where is the justice If there's any justice

[Teacher] Your simple arguments Have all been made before The world's not black and white The choice not "either-or"

[Light] Perhaps it's time We drain the color from it then Till we're back to seeing black and white And wrong and right again

[Teacher] Overwrought pronouncements Won't improve the paradigm

[Light] Till lawyers cutting deals becomes a crime

[Students] Let the corporations Make the regulations

[Light] And hold no one accountable When everything goes wrong

[Students] Let the rich and famous Get away with murder

[Light/All] Every time a high-priced Mouth-piece starts to talk His client gets to walk

[Light] Tell me where is the justice If there's any justice

[Students] Tell me where

[Light] Where is the justice

[Students] Tell me where

[Light] For all the victims

[Students] Tell me where

[Light] Where is the justice What good is law that can't Punish those who break it

[Students] The politicians Make their speeches all day long While judges pushing pencils Mostly get it wrong

Instead of loopholes For the laws to fall between Let some good old-fashioned pay-back Grease the wheels of the machine

[Light] Isn't everybody sick to death of all this stuff Can't we all stand up and say enough

[Teacher] Have I taught you nothing Have you lost perspective You'd bend the law until it breaks And tell yourself it's right

[Light] Listen to the fam'lies Hiding in their houses All of them afraid to walk the streets at night With all their doors locked tight We must give them their justice

[All] Where is the justice

[Light] We owe them some justice

[All] Where is the justice Where is the justice

THE END

Okay, so this sound like a discussion that you could hear being made, right? It makes sense to you in a way that makes it feel familiar. Now have the Japanese one. I'll include only the translation because the Japanese text would be redundant.

Where is the Justice? (Japanese version)

[Light] Where are you going with that argument? things like justice are pointless concepts

[Teacher] justice is the basis of society

[Light] but there are always double standards For example, how about war? Flying the flag of justice «mutually risking your lives», when in truth it’s nothing but mass murder

[Teacher] well then, what about justice in this country?

[Light] It’s an instrument of political influence «justice» is always a norm decided by leaders with power

[Students] If you seek true justice you have to find a proper leader

[Light] Is that seriously what it takes? Is that even possible?

[Teacher] In order to protect justice, people began having courts of law to regulate

[Light] because laws are full of loop holes evil is just left to itself; that’s common knowledge

[Teacher] it’s good to search for your own sense of justice

[Light] what do you even mean with that?

[Students] not standing out and reading the situation

[Light] living while leaving everything to the flow

[Students] if you advocate for your own justice

[Light/All] you’re laughed at and just ignored and that’s how it’ll always be

[Light] and that’s our «justice»

[Students] True justice

[Light] Where is it?

[Students] Justice is

[Light] Where is it?

[Students] Justice is

[Light] Justice is like a too fickle dream

[Students] Is making money justice? How about being too honest? Naively honest? Is letting go of a grudge justice? Is it enough just wishing for world peace?

[Light] in the middle of this ennui I’m teeming with justice is too far away

[Teacher] Look at the world with a wide field of vision While searching for your own sense of justice

[Light] Something to satisfy this heart Surely calling for justice That is the answer My justice

[All] Where is the justice?

[Light] Where is the justice?

[All] Where is the justice? Where is the justice?

THE END

I take you noticed how drastically the lyrics changed and while part of the song and discussion could still make sense, to you, Light's position is very different and some things the students say might not make any sense at all.

To compare more in deep, where the American version asked where is the justice as the guilty go free, basically complaining about the existence of injustice, the Japanese one went and had Light state justice is a pointless concept, a double standard, something established by the winner of a war.

Where one pointed out laws exist to treat everyone the same... until one finds a loophole to do what he pleases, and asking where's justice for the victim, pointing at how there's who has to live in fear, the other complained justice is a tool decided by who's in power so someone suggested to have justice one has to find the right leader.

Where one complains about corporates and rich getting away with what they want, the other points out justice is "not standing out, reading the situation, living while leaving everything to the flow" and that if you advocate for your justice you'll be laughed at.

And so on.

The two songs go in two very different ways at it because one believes JUSTICE EXISTS but society has lost it, while the other basically doesn't believe justice exists and doesn't even know well what it means, it's just an empty word someone in power decides.

It's moral absolutism (morals exist outside of us and they are absolute rules we should follow, certain actions are inherently right or wrong, regardless of context, culture, or personal beliefs) versus moral relativism (moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others).

And you find moral relativism in many manga, including BNHA too, in Shigaraki's first confrontation with All Might he points out All Might is just a tool that use violence to take others down, not justice, and the story criticizes the Villains for killing people... but it's okay with killing Villains.

But I want also you to focus on how in the Japanese version people suggest justice is just "not standing out and reading the situation and going with the flow" and that if one were to pursue his own justice he would be laughed at (because you can't not conform)? Remember Shouji who wore a mask so his scar wouldn't stand out and give the wrong impression of him? Remember how everyone conforms to the 'justice', to the law and who doesn't conform is a Villain? How Midoriya, who doesn't want to conform to how he's Quirkless and so he can't be a Hero was laughed and bullied and the teachers did nothing to stop it?

How no one thought to say something when they heard of Shouto's family problem?

BNHA really moves on completely different concepts, beliefs and ideas.

The difference between BNHA and American comics is like the difference in these two songs, so of course BNHA wouldn't make for a good comic in the same way superhero comics wouldn't make for a good manga.

There's value and culture dissonance, there are dissonance in what matters and what doesn't in what people can and can't do.

Mind you, I think BNHA has plenty of writing flaws... but a part of what to many of us look like flaws aren't flaws in the real sense, they're just culture dissonance and I think it's worth to remember this when criticizing the story or we end up complaining against something that yes, for us it's not right but that for Japan is the norm or, at least, common enough Horikoshi felt it would be safe to include.

Thank you to everyone who kept on reading this and I hope it managed to come out interesting to you even if it ended up using another story's musical.

[solar-verse]

Masterlist

11: chapter ten

Idoljk x oc

Both girls were in the apartment in Seoul, which had been provided to them by the brand for their seven-month apprenticeship. They had arrived last night after spending four days in Busan, visiting Rian’s parents. Jia had fit in so seamlessly with her family that it felt like she had known them her whole life. Rian had initially worried that her father might say something or hint at his disapproval of the situation, but to her surprise, he had remained neutral, acting completely normal.

Still, she had really missed her parents. Even though they occasionally visited her in London, it wasn’t the same as being back in her home country. She had missed everything, the food, the atmosphere, the familiarity of it all.

Rian!" Jia burst into the bathroom, clutching two hair ties. "Ponytail or down?"

"Up," Rian said automatically, sliding a silver ring onto her index finger. "It looks more professional." Her own hands weren't entirely steady, she'd redone her eyeliner twice already.

Jia groaned, twisting her dark curls into a high ponytail. "This is worse than our RCA finals."

They were getting ready for their first day at the brand’s headquarters, and if they said they weren’t nervous, they would be lying. Jia had asked about her hair at least a hundred times, and the repetition was starting to get to Rian as well.

"Okay, let’s go," Jia said, taking a deep breath.

The headquarters was only twenty minutes away, so they decided to walk, stopping on the way to grab something to eat since they hadn’t stocked up on groceries yet.

Upon arriving, they were immediately escorted to the reception area in the grand main hall and directed to a seating area.

"Please wait here for a moment. Someone will come shortly to show you around and take you to your workspace," one of the staff members said, bowing politely. The girls returned the gesture with a slight bow of their own before sitting down.

Jia, seated beside Rian, began shaking her legs aggressively, her nerves clearly getting the best of her until Rian placed a firm hand on her knee.

"Jia, please," she whispered. "If you keep doing that, I’ll get even more nervous."

"Sorry," Jia mouthed, but her wide eyes kept darting around the space. "This place is—"

"Terrifying?" Rian supplied, gripping her cup of coffee tighter.

Jia shook her head. "I was going to say inspiring. But yeah. Also terrifying."

Even though they were only on the first floor in the reception hall, the grandeur of the place was overwhelming. Massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting an elegant glow over the pristine white marble floors. The walls were adorned with breathtaking paintings, alongside framed photographs of celebrities and even royalty wearing the brand’s exquisite jewelry. The design was sleek and modern but infused with rich red and gold accents, paying homage to Korea’s cultural heritage.

It was intimidating.

As they were immersed in taking in their surroundings, a woman approached them, prompting both girls to rise from their seats and return her bow.

"Hello, you must be the students sent by RCA. My name is Kim Mina, and I'll be your tour guide for today. I’ll also explain what your roles will be here."

"Hello, my name is Han Rian," Rian said, shaking her hand.

"And I’m Lee Jia," Jia added, doing the same.

"Welcome. As you can see, this building has five floors above ground, but there are also two additional floors below us, making a total of seven floors. The first underground level houses our high-security jewelry vault, where you can find some of the rarest and most exquisite jewelry pieces in the world. It’s highly protected. Below that is the artisans’ workshop, where world-renowned goldsmiths and gem setters work. It also contains a 3D printing lab and the quality control department."

She led them toward the elevator as she continued, "On the first floor, where we are now, you’ll find our showrooms and galleries. The second floor, which we’re heading to next, is what we call the Creativity Space. Here, you’ll find all the designers, material researchers, and collaboration spaces."

They stepped into the elevator, and Mina continued explaining, "Directly above that is what I call the Corporate Space, which handles the more boring aspects of the business, CEO offices, finance, and legal teams. The fourth floor is dedicated to digital and marketing strategies. Finally, the top floor is a highly secure VIP space. Access is by appointment only, and it’s used for showcasing high-jewelry pieces, storing archives, and catering to VIP clients who request custom pieces."

She turned to them. "Any questions?"

Both girls shook their heads, trying to absorb all the information.

"Now, as I mentioned, this floor is dedicated to design and creativity. We have thirty-six designer teams, and the two of you will be assigned to different teams."

"We’ll be separated?" Jia asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes, you will," Mina confirmed, glancing at her papers. "Jia, you’ll be assigned to the Digital & NFT Division. This way, please."

They followed her to a spacious, modern room where seven designers were working at their stations.

"Daella," Mina called, and a blonde woman lifted her head before walking toward them.

"This is the student assigned to your team, Jia. You’ll be working under Daella Smith, who leads the designers in this division."

"Please take care of me," Jia said with a polite bow.

"That’s great! Come on in and meet the team," Daella said with a smile. Jia turned to wave at Rian before stepping inside.

"Okay, Rian," Mina continued. "You’re assigned to the Men’s & Unisex Lab. This way, please."

They walked toward another section of the floor, where Mina introduced her to a man in his late twenties.

"This is Choi Hwan, who will be your team leader."

"Hello, my name is Han Rian," she said, bowing respectfully.

"Oh, the student?" he asked Mina, who nodded in confirmation. "Welcome! Come in, please."

"Everyone, this is Rian. She’s a student from RCA, and she’ll be with us for seven months. Let’s make her feel welcome," Hwan announced.

He gestured toward an empty desk. "That will be your spot. Please make it your own."

Rian nodded and began organizing her workspace, placing her sketchbook, tools, and a few personal items to make it feel more comfortable.

"Rian, once you’re settled, come join us over there. We always have a small brainstorming session at the end of the day to discuss ideas and upcoming projects."

"Okay," she replied with a small smile.

By the end of the workday, Rian stepped outside, waiting for Jia.

"Rian!" she heard someone call. Turning around, she saw Jia approaching with a guy and a girl. Rian wasn’t surprised, Jia had a way of making friends wherever she went.

"This is my friend Rian, the one I told you about," Jia introduced her proudly. "And Rian, these are Mayra and Jiho. I met them in my team today."

"Hello! Jia talked about you a lot," Mayra said warmly. She was a stunning girl with golden skin and striking hazel eyes.

"All good things, I hope?" Rian asked with a teasing smile.

"Relax," Jia said. "I'm saving your criminal record for the third hangout."

"Nice to meet you," Jiho said, offering a friendly nod. He was attractive in an intellectual way, with slightly tousled hair styled neatly enough to look effortless. His black-framed glasses only added to his overall aesthetic.

"You too," Rian replied.

"So, Mayra and I were talking, and she suggested we introduce you guys to Seoul’s nightlife as a little celebration for our first day here," Jiho said.

Rian was exhausted from the long day, but she didn’t want to leave Jia alone with people she had just met, even if they seemed friendly. She was still in a foreign country, far from the UK.

"at Club Octagon at 10?" Mayra added.

"Why not?" she agreed with a shrug.

"Great! We’ll meet there then. A few more friends of mine will be joining too, it’ll be fun," Jiho said enthusiastically.

Jiho pulled out his phone. "Let me get your contact in case you get lost." His smile revealed a faint dimple.

As Rian opened her KakaoTalk QR code, she caught Jia and Mayra exchanging gleeful looks, Jia even wiggled her eyebrows. Fantastic.

Great, she thought. Now I have two Jias to deal with.

"See you tonight," Jiho said, pocketing his phone with a wink.

As Jiho and Mayra walked away, Jia smirked at Rian. "Looks like someone’s already caught some attention."

Rian rolled her eyes. "Shut up and let's get ready."

When they entered the club, it was exactly what they had imagined Seoul’s nightlife to be, loud, energetic, and packed with people. The music pulsed through the air, neon lights flickered across the room, and the crowd moved in sync with the heavy bass.

The pulse of bass vibrated through Rian's chest as they pushed through the throng of dancers, neon lights streaking across her vision. She gripped Jia's hand tighter, their linked fingers the only anchor in the sea of bodies. Her phone buzzed, Jiho's message glowed on the screen VIP upstairs. Give our names at the rope.

The bouncer's tablet flashed green at their names, and suddenly they were ascending into a world of low-slung leather sofas and bottle service, the music slightly muted here. Myra sprang up, her sequined dress scattering light like a shattered disco ball.

Her face lighting up when she saw them. She pulled them both into a hug.

"Damn, girl! You look so hot," Mayra said, stepping back to admire Rian. "If I wasn’t into guys, I’d totally bag you."

"You wouldn’t be the first, but get in line, I called dibs first," Jia joked, smirking.

"Shut up," Rian muttered, rolling her eyes playfully before turning her attention to the rest of the group.

She scanned the section. Jiho stood from a curved banquette. "You look incredible," he murmured, fingers brushing her elbow.

"Thank you," Rian replied, trying to subtly shake Jia’s hand off her side, Jia was clearly enjoying this too much.

Jiho chuckled before gesturing toward the guy next to him. "This is Yijun, a music producer. And these are the girls we were waiting for, Jia and Rian."

"Oh, nice to meet you both," Yijun said with a warm smile.

"You too," Rian responded politely, sliding into the seat next to Jia while absentmindedly tucking her hair behind her ear.

As she glanced around, she heard a voice beside her.

"So, Jiho told me you’re from the UK?" Yijun asked curiously.

"Oh, no," Rian corrected. "I studied there since I was sixteen, but I’m originally from here."

"Ah, so I missed my chance to compliment your Korean?" he teased.

She laughed lightly. "You still can, honestly. My Korean is a bit rusty now."

"Where in Korea are you from?"

"I lived in Seoul for a while, but I spent most of my childhood in Busan."

"Busan? The guy who’s running late is from there too," Yijun mentioned casually.

"Oh, really?" Rian joked. "Maybe I know him."

"Who knows, maybe."

Just then, she heard someone else enter the VIP section. The sound of a greeting reached her ears, and she sensed someone approaching the seat behind her.

She instinctively turned with a polite smile, ready to introduce herself.

"Hello—"

But her voice caught in her throat. Her smile vanished the moment her eyes landed on him.

He froze too.

"Rian?"

"Jungkook."

[vigilantethot]

DRIVING ME CRAZY

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x villain!reader

Summary: You’re a villain who steals and hops dimensions. Miguel is irritated. 

A/N: I had this concept in my head and I just had to write it. Maybe I'll make it a fic one day. I say reader is a villain but she's mostly good tbh. Just a lil selfish and a crybaby lol

Becoming a villain was the best career choice you ever made. The moral satisfaction of being a hero was great, but it wasn’t paying the bills. Sure, helping the world become a better place was cool and all- but it wasn’t enough. You liked having nice things. Cute designer shoes, nice furniture for your apartment, and 26’ bundles weren’t cheap, and you were not going to live the life you deserve by saving kittens and stopping small drug dealers. You’re a powerful superhuman, and you knew that monetizing your powers would get you everything you deserved. So, you did some digging, made some connections, and started doing “jobs” for unsavory people. You refused to be a hitman, having all that on your conscience was not worth it, so you settled on doing theft, trespassing, and other unscrupulous things for cash. Not long after that, the cash started rolling in and you were finally living the life you wanted to.

You discovered your powers at age 10 after accidentally cloning yourself at a sleepover out of fear, while watching a horror movie. Over time, you discovered that you had more powers than just Bio-Fission. You had the power of energy projection, possession, telekinesis, resurrection, and teleportation. You were basically a very powerful witch. Your parents pulled you out of school as your powers grew in your teenage years, as your powers were very hard to control at first, and often your powers only came out when you were in emotional distress. You didn't mind being homeschooled, as your friends started to avoid you out of fear, and you were tired of eating lunch at a table by yourself. You used these years to learn as much as possible about your abilities and learn how to wield them. When you reached 18, you moved out of your parents house and started a new life in New York City. You kept a low profile, making a few friends but you never divulged the information about your powers to them. 

About two years into your stay in NYC, you heard about a Spiderman. A man with superhuman strength and a red and black costume, fighting crime in Brooklyn. You were inspired, it WAS possible to use your powers and be accepted and loved! You made a makeshift costume, a simple black long sleeve shirt and black leggings. You put a masquerade mask on your face, not knowing how to sew and contract a mask like Spiderman. You started fighting crime in Manhattan, making the city a better place one day at a time. 

Then, at 24 years old, you’d had enough of trying to save the city. It wasn’t paying the bills, and you didn't want to depend on your parents your whole life. So you made the switch. 

FIRST MEETING

Finding out you could teleport through dimensions exponentially increased your salary. You weren’t just doing jobs for disgustingly rich people on your Earth, you could go anywhere! You made a name for yourself on your Earth, many rich and powerful people sought you out to steal a priceless art piece or artifact for them. Business was booming, and you started to be on Spiderman and other heroes radars. With heroes on your ass, you thought it would be best to travel to other dimensions and do jobs, until the heat was off you. 

That’s how you found yourself on Earth-928B. Some greedy CEO hired you to take something for him, a rare Diamond located in a highly secured safe. This diamond was not for sale, but the CEO insisted he needed it for his collection, so when the $200k check cleared, you made your way to the safe and started to execute your plan. Your game plan was simple, teleport into the safe, grab the diamond, and teleport out. You were then to call your boss for the evening and make your way to the drop off location, in the Four Seasons parking lot, where you were staying for the “job”.

Unbeknownst to you, Miguel O’Hara, this dimension’s Spiderman, was on your heels. He didn't really care about the crime you committed, but you were an anomaly and your presence in his universe was a threat. He got Lyla to track what hotel room you were staying in at the Four Seasons, and he knew you would be back right after the job. So he waited. He examined your room, looking for nothing in particular. You took very little with you. He found a small bag next to the bed, filled with some clothes and various toiletries. Yes, he knew he was invading your privacy, but he was intrigued by you for some reason. How were you able to just hop through dimensions? Lyla informed him about your various warrants throughout the multiverse, as well as your secret identity. He looked at your drivers license picture a bit too long, enchanted by your brown skin and bright smile. You were beautiful, and he admired your picture for a few more seconds before going back to rummaging through your bag. Your scent was very appetizing, the smell of lavender and shea butter filling his nostrils and calling to him. He came across a sexy black and red lace thong, and shamelessly held up up and nodded his head in approval. You were clearly a very stylish, sexy woman with expensive taste, just his type. Too bad he had to arrest you and forcefully send you home. 

He heard a key card go into the door, and he quickly stuffed the panties back in the bag and scrambled to a hiding spot behind the door in the dark en suite bathroom. He watched through the crack in the door and waited until you took your shoes off and moved toward the bed. You plopped on the bed, pulling out your phone and scrolled mindlessly. 

God, she really should work on her situational awareness. 

Miguel quietly made his way from behind the open door, and moved to stand in the dark bathroom doorway. You were facing away from him, playing some water sorting game on your phone as he silently made his way to the bed to grab and restrain you. 

Until his watch made a beeping sound. 

You moved impossibly fast, and he found himself impressed with you as you quickly stood up and projected an energy ball at him, causing the spot in his suit where you hit him to glitch. 

The masked intruder in your room stood completely still. He slowly raised his massive gloved hands, and you took in his appearance with wide eyes as you started to feel fear for the first time in a while. Fuck, he was huge. His stature was intimidating, and as you looked at the emblem on his chest, you started to breath harder. This colossal Spiderman is in your hotel room, and although you were very powerful, you didn't know what he was capable of. Your earths Spiderman had almost caught you once, and if he was as strong as that one, you knew you wouldn’t win this fight. 

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” 

You noticed a slight accent to his words, and if you weren’t so scared you would think his voice was sexy. 

“What do you want then?” 

You spoke in a whisper, too frightened to raise your voice. He had super hearing anyway. 

“Im here to take you back to Earth 1610. Its dangerous for you to be here.”

Fuck, he knew who you were. 

He was definitely going to take you back to your Earth and give you to your earths Spiderman. You would rather die then spend your life in that prison they stick all the villains in. You tried to will yourself to teleport the fuck out of there but your powers never worked how you wanted when you were this upset. Of course. 

You made a split decision and bolted to the door, very fast, but not fast enough. Spiderman grabbed your arms from behind and you knew you couldn’t fight him off. So you cloned yourself. 

You didn't look back to see his reaction, not that you could see any expression on that mask. You bolted out of the door and made your way to the stairwell. You couldn’t just leave your clone behind, if she were to be harmed or taken you wouldn’t be able to leave without suffering. Your clone was an extension of you, a perfect mirror of yourself and if you were to leave her behind it could fracture your mind beyond repair. You would also rather die than live your days as an insane witch. 

If you were calm enough, you could will your clone to come back into your mind. You took a few deep breaths and closed your eyes. You weren’t far from your room in this stairwell, so you were quickly able to find that invisible rope that connects your minds and yanked her back. You’re attempt was successful, and feeling whole again, you teleported to a random dimension in order the get the hell away from there. You made a mental note to never do a job on that Earth again. 

Meanwhile, back in the hotel room, Miguel cursed loudly at his failure. He then made a promise to find you, before you end up traveling universes again and possibly destroying them for your own selfish gain. 

SECOND MEETING

After almost being caught by the Behemoth Spiderman, you decided not to take any jobs for a while and lay low. You chose a random Earth again, and bought a room in a luxury resort on the beach in the Maldives. You spent your days drinking daiquiris and being served Caviar by the pool. You had been working so much that you had to spare no expenses, you had more than enough money to live lavishly for a while at least. Your mind often wondered towards that Spiderman you encountered. Your Earths Spider man was a young kid, the only one alive after the death of the older Spiderman. Neither Spiderman was as big as the one you encountered, and you wondered how many other variations of Spiderman there were. And how many of them knew who you were? Shit, how many variations of you were there? The mere thought of this was overwhelming, and you quickly got up to from the Pool chair you were lounging in and made your way to the bar to get another drink, hoping a buzz would kill your existential dread. 

When that didn't work, you decided to just go back to your room and watch some reality TV and relax. You had been living this lifestyle for almost a year, and you were starting to get tired of no romantic or even platonic relationships. You had lovers in the past, but due to your lifestyle they never lasted long. You longed for a stable life now, the villain life was getting old. But you were in too deep to go back now. 

You finally made it to your room, taking your shoes off and plopping on the couch in the living room of your spacious suite. You kicked your feet up and turned on the TV, ready to watch some petty arguments and pointless drama. 

“What did I tell you about being in universes that you don’t belong in?”

You froze as you heard that familiar deep voice with that accent behind you. Behemoth Spiderman made his way from behind you and stood in front of you on the couch with closed fists, caging you in. He must’ve been in the bedroom waiting for you. 

Your mind was racing, as you looked at him with wide eyes and furrowed brows. 

“How the fuck did you find me??” 

My voice was shaky, laced with fear. 

“You need to go back to Earth 1610. You are putting this whole universe at risk with your selfishness.” 

Spiderman spoke calmly, ignoring your question, chin up and shoulders wide with confidence. He finally found you. 

Miguel obsessively searched for you for weeks, you had somehow fallen off his radar, and because you don't travel through any portals, he couldn’t track you. He alerted the spider society of your existence, and told them to tell him if they have any tips. He strongly insisted that they didn't engage with you if they found you. He wanted to catch you himself, and he needed you to understand that you couldn’t just hop in other dimensions just because you want money. He finally got a tip when the Spiderman on the Earth you were currently on informed him that you were at this resort, your cover was blown on a drunken night when you teleported into a bodega late at night because you were craving a chopped cheese. You didn’t even think anyone would notice, but the owner alerted Spiderman about your appearance after checking the security camera. He then knew that you didn't have some evil “I will destroy all universes” plan, you were just trying to find happiness and live your life the way you wanted to. He didn’t know how you would react to him finding you again, but he was prepared to lock you in Spider HQ forever if you didn't abide by his rules. 

Miguel ignored his urge to get closer to you just to smell that sweet lavender and shea butter scent that he had in the back of his mind for weeks. He ignored the urge to ogle you as you were dressed in a skimpy bikini and a sheer coverup. You were breathtaking, he was definitely attracted to you and Miguel struggled to find any more words as you looked up at him with tears in your eyes and lip wobbling. He didn't want to make you cry, he didn't want to hurt you at all. He just wanted you to listen to him and stop making dumb, selfish decisions.

“Im sorry!! Please don’t kill me! Ill do whatever you say, please, just don’t kill me!”

You wailed, you knew you were in big trouble and you knew this Spiderman was deadass about catching you, especially if he was able to track you to a whole different universe. 

“Just come with me.”

He quickly grabbed your arm and opened a portal to Spider Society HQ. You looked around at the huge building, crawling with tons of spidermen. You felt your cheeks warm up in embarrassment and you felt them staring at you. 

Holy shit, you were fucked. Behemoth Spiderman led you throughout the lobby and building by your arm, presumably to your death. You were surprised when he threw you in a red prismatic cage. You stumbled and fell to the ground in the cage, looking up at Behemoth Spiderman. You were planning to beg for your life as he took his mask off, and whatever plea you were going to say completely disappeared as you took him in for the first time.

“I didn't know Spiderman was so hot.” 

The words just fell out of your mouth without thinking, and you quickly shut your mouth in embarrassment. Miguels face was stone cold and unreadable, and his red eyes pinned you in place with his stare. He didn't acknowledge your statement. He just stared at you. 

You quickly lowered your gaze, his stare was way too intense and his demeanor was unsettling. 

“Someone will bring you food shortly. Im taking you home tomorrow.”

His statement made you snap your head back up and shake your head vigorously. You stood up, still shaking your head, tears filling your eyes.

“NO! I can’t go home! They’ll put me in prison forever! I haven’t killed anyone, just let me go and I’ll do whatever you want.” 

You tried to use your puppy dog eyes that worked on so many men before, but your attempt at trying to guilt him didn't work at all. He didn't even respond as he turned away and walked away from the little prison you were in. 

“Asshole!”

 You screamed. He stopped in his tracks for a few seconds, and you waited to see if he would turn around and let you out. He just kept walking after about 15 seconds of standing like a statue.

You banged on the glass with your hands, and tried to use your energy balls to break the cage to no avail. You slumped to the ground in defeat, tears falling. 

You were so fucked. 

Miguel watched you cry in the cage from his office, feeling guilty. Sure, you were a villain and a criminal, but you have never harmed anyone, and you truly seemed to think you weren’t putting anyone in danger with your dimension hopping. You genuinely seemed like a good person who makes bad choices. 

He hated this feeling. He hated feeling at all, he worked tirelessly just to not feel anything. This was very unlike him, he knew he could be a bit obsessive but he wanted nothing more than to wipe your tears and comfort you. 

He watched you sob for a few more minutes before deciding to do something he thought he would never do. He was going to let you out. Based on your emotional state right now, he felt confident that you wouldn’t go outside your dimension again. For now at least. 

He went back to your cage, and you stood up to look at him with teary eyes. 

“You can go back home. I won’t hand you over to Spiderman but promise me you won’t go dimension hopping again.” 

“I promise! I promise! Thank you!”

He barely got his words out before you made your promises. He slightly shook his head, amused with how much of a crybaby you were. 

He opened your cage and opened a portal to your earth, and watched you as you walked through. He fought a smile as you turned around and thanked him one last time. The portal closed, and he turned to go back to his office as he ignored the protests of the other prisoners to let them out too. 

THIRD MEETING

You knew this was bad. You knew you weren’t supposed to come back to Nueva York but after 3 months of laying low and avoiding Spiderman on your Earth, you were bored. You only took this job because of the ridiculous amount of money that was offered to you. And also to maybe get a glimpse of the sexy Spiderman again. You just couldn’t refuse. Besides, it would take only a few minutes to steal this artifact anyway. He couldn’t possibly know you were even here, right? 

The job went smoothly, the client got the artifact and you were paid handsomely. This could last you a whole year! You were so high on your success that you made the decision to quickly stop at a bar here and celebrate. Behemoth Spiderman was far from your mind as you wandered the beautiful futuristic city. You settled on a nice bar with a patio and had a drink. And another. And about 3 more. You couldn’t resist a good smoky tequila. 

You stubbed around Nueva York for God knows how long, taking in the city. This place was nice, and it didn't even smell like pee unlike your Earths New York. Your drunken haze was interrupted when you heard commotion in an alleyway ahead. You heard fighting, and some type of weapons being fired. You slowly crept up to the alleyway, determined to stop this. You might be a thief, but you won’t just let someone die like this. 

You prepared to use your powers and ran into the alleyway, right into the action. If you were sober, you would’ve had a game plan. But the tequila took over and you were ready to save the day. 

You were shocked to find Behemoth Spiderman being beaten by three large men. They seemed to have supernatural abilities, as their movement were too fast to be human. 

Wasting no time, you attacked. You summoned your power from deep inside and threw the most powerful, brutal ball of energy towards the men. Two were knocked down and wheezing, and you quickly sent another powerful ball of energy towards the last one, incapacitating him. 

Behemoth Spiderman looked at you, eyes narrowing on his suit. He stormed towards you, enraged that you were here. 

“What the fuck are you-

His rant was cut off by a shot, and you looked in terror as a huge arrow pierced through his suit and chest, poking out of both sides. 

“Oh shit!” 

You immediately sent another energy ball up to the assailant behind Behemoth Spiderman, and used your telekinesis to take the gun away from him. 

Spiderman fell to his knees, losing blood and feeling dizzy. You looked on in disbelief. You can’t just let Spiderman die. 

He reaches a shaky hand forward, and tries to say something to you before choking on his blood. 

You had to save him. You knew that he would die. You pulled the arrow out of his chest, and he collapses on the ground. He’s not breathing, and he has no pulse. You had no choice but to resurrect him. 

You put your hand on his chest, and summoned your power once again. You would need a lot to pull this off. You had resurrected things before, like cats and your house plants, but never a human. 

Guess its never too late to start, right?

You feel your power coursing through you, fingers turning black as your power grows. You put your hands on his chest, silently appreciation the pure muscle of this man. You surge your power into him, and you blackout for a few seconds while the resurrection begins. You feel his wound close and his heart starts faintly beating again. You give him your power until you feel his heart beat strongly and his breaths are even. He will be asleep for some time, as he finishes healing, so you have enough time to escape. You press his watch, trying to see if there’s a button to press of help. You touch random things until a tiny holographic woman pops up. The AI woman scans Spiderman, probably searching for injuries.

You don’t wait for it to say anything. You let out a quick “Get him help.” 

You don’t wait for help to come. You teleport back to your dimension, in your parents house. You hadn’t talked to them in a while, afraid that they might not accept your lifestyle but you know they would protect you with their life. You pass out in the living room where you teleported into, resurrections always drained your energy, but this was another level. You let sleep take you as your father lifted you and put you in your childhood bed. 

Miguel woke up confused. He was sure he died, because of you. So why was he in the medical sector of the Spider Society? He called on LYLA, and she told him what happened. He was livid that you didn't listen to his demands, but he was eternally grateful that you saved him. He knew you were a good person. Truthfully, he had thought about you all the time, wishing he could talk to you and get to know you. 

He felt incredible gratitude towards you for saving him, and he was determined to find you again, this time to thank you.

FOURTH MEETING

After making a full recovery, Miguel started to think of ways to pay you back for what you did for him. He weighed all options in his head, before finally deciding on making you a upgraded suit with the best tech, after hearing that you were back to being a hero, this time in your hometown. He was proud of you, and he couldn’t wait to see you and tell you that. LYLA commented on his affection for you,  which he very unconvincingly brushed off. 

You seemed happy, Miguel admittedly stalked your social media from fake pages to track you down. And to also admire your pictures. He really wished you had a picture in that thong he saw in your hotel room. 

The suit was finally finished, it was black with hot pink detailing. It hugged all the right places, and the gear was basically indestructible. The face mask was in the masquerade style that you always wore. He really hoped you liked it. 

He came on a Sunday. He came with no suit on, just casual clothes. He waited outside your house until your parents left before knocking at the door, anxiety at an all time high. 

You opened the door without looking who it was, thinking one of your parents forgot something. You were shocked to see the beautiful face of the man that had tracked you and imprisoned you for a few hours. 

“Lo siento, I don’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to come here and thank you for what you did for me.” 

You immediately calmed down, relived that he hadn’t come to lock you up. You had been on your best behavior, after all. You gave him a smile, which he quickly returned. He looked hot in that white tee he was wearing, it hugged all of his muscles in the best way possible. 

“Come in.” 

He followed you inside, sitting with you on the couch. You were watching that same show in the Maldives. You two sat in silence for a while, staring at each other. The silence wasn’t awkward at all, his presence calmed you and you felt safe. He was distracted by you so much he forgot why he came in the first place. 

“So what’s in that box?”

You pointed to the gift in his hand, rising an eyebrow. 

“Oh- yeah,” he cleared his throat, embarrassed that he was staring at you in silence like a creep “This is for you. I know you’ve been helping the people here and I thought that you might appreciate a new suit.” 

Your eyes widen in surprise, not only did he come to thank you but he bought a gift too? Could he get any hotter? 

You snatched the gift with a huge smile and he laughed, your happiness made him happy. 

You ripped the box open, and your jaw dropped at your gift. The suit was beautiful, and it looks like it had some seriously fancy tech. You often opted just for a black jumpsuit, but this was such an upgrade. 

You couldn’t control your excitement, and you squealed. Spiderman thought it was the cutest sound he’d ever heard. You pulled him in for a hug, which he quickly returned, melting into your embrace. 

You pulled away and ran to your room. 

“I gotta try this on! Stay put.”

He couldn’t even leave if he tried. He wanted to be here with you forever. 

When you came out, his chest tightened at how well the suit fit you. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He watched as you admired your new gear in the mirror, clearly pleased with it. 

“What do you think?”

He shook his head in disbelief, not understanding how someone could be so beautiful. 

“You look phenomenal.” 

You looked over to him, cheeks warming as you catch his gaze. You walk towards him on the couch, and he stands up. His eyes never leave your face and body as you come closer and closer. You stop when you’re chest to chest looking up at him with your beautiful eyes. 

“You know, you never told me your name.”

Spiderman looked down shyly.

“It’s Miguel.”

You nod, smiling. 

“Thank you, Miguel.”

He takes off your mask, putting it on the couch. 

“You’re welcome, hermosa.” 

Miguel grabs your face, leaning down and meets your lips, barely touching them, as if he’s teasing to see if you’ll pull away. When you don’t, he pulls you in for a slow, romantic kiss that takes your breath away. You don’t stop kissing, lips intertwining like you’ll pass away if you part. You don’t know much about Miguel, but you do know you could have your lips on his forever. 

[jessjad]

A very happy Halloween

Summary: Y/N friend takes her to a Halloweenparty. Not what she wanted to do this evening. And on top of it, she puts Y/N in a costume that's totally out of her comfort zone. But she would've never guessed how this night would end.

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Reader

Warnings: Annoyance, some body insecuritys, typical Ben (yes, he get's his own warning), Smut: 18+ only!

Word count: 2247

A/N: I had this idea in mind because we all love this grumpy 'ol gramps very much. And I've read so many great storys in the last time. Especially @zepskies awesome little excursion into this world got me inspired. So, do yourself a favor and go check it out here. And since october is almost over and I looove october, the setting was really fitting to me. Like a little halloween treat for you guys. 😊 Let me know what you think.

Y/N had enough. This whole evening was not going as she had planed. Normally by now she would be laying on her couch with a cozy blanket, drinking a warm cider and watching some halloween classics on Netflix. A spooky evening at home, by herself. That's what she had invisioned and now her best friend Caroline had brought her to this lame party for "fun". But it was not fun, it was dragging.

The house was big and fancy. It looked like one of those somenone rich would inherit just for status purposes, but actually noone really stayed there. A lot of empty bedrooms and nothing more. Y/N wasn't quite sure how her friend even got invited to this, but here they were. And not just them, many other people too. Some of them seemd familiar, but Y/N couldn't quiet put her finger on it. Caroline had excused herself ten minutes after they arrived and was now sitting by the improvised bar with a guy in a sausage costume, making out.

Maybe Y/N should just leave. The music was horrible and she hated her own costume. Sitting on the couch alone for what felt like an eternity, it seemed like everyone was staring at her. She downed her drink and started to feel her anxiety fade a little, but Y/N still felt very out there and cought people looking. Coming to this party was basically a last minute thing, so there were not a lot of choices what she could've be wearing. And with Car leading this operation she had almost no say in this. Eventhough she tried, hard.

"I can't wear this, Car." Y/N protested after her first look at the costume her friend had brought with.

"Of course you can! It's THE best costume for you."

The brownhaired woman took it into her own hands and held it infront of Y/N.

"C'mon, Y/N. You love black!"

"But this..." Y/N gestured wildly to the piece of fabric infront of her. "... is a jumpsuit! I don't have the body to be wearing something like this."

"Of course you can! Your curves are just right for this. C'mon, try it on." Caroline hushed her into the bedroom.

"No, no, no, no. YOU have the right curves, Car. You look beautiful in almost everything you wear." And it was true. Y/N loved her friend and she was beautiful. Her Queen Maeve costume looked just right. "I have just a little to much from everything."

"No, you don't. Sometimes I wish I had a little more of you..." and Y/N saw in her friends eyes that she really meant it. "Now, stop trying to talk your way out of it. Get dressed."

The jumpsuit fitted but Y/N still didn't feel comfortable. "I'll have to peel myself completly out of it if I wanna use the bathroom."

"That's not a bad thing, if you don't have to do it yourself." Caroline giggled.

"That's not funny." but Y/N still had to smile. "I don't fell comfortable in this. Can I not just stay at home?"

"We're gonna have fun, Y/N. Why are you fighting this so much?" Car asked. "Is it because of Roy?"

"Caroline..." Y/n didn't wanna talk about her ex, but her friend knew what was actually wrong.

"Why do you still think about what that asshat had to say? He was wrong and did not deserve you. And now..." Caroline squeezed her arms and smiled. "...we will have a really fun night. Let's go."

But this wasn't fun at all. In the corner of her eye she saw a man approaching her. It wasn't the first time this evening, but she really didn't wanna have another weird encounter. Y/N stood up and was about to leave as the guy in the crappy Homelander costume caught up to her.

"Hey, hey... don't leave."

"I need to find my friend, so..." Y/N turned around, but the man grabbed her arm.

"C'mon, don't be like that. It seems like you need someone who can carry some weight and as you see... I'm Homelander. So, why not..."

"No." Y/N cut him off and freed her arm. This was really the worst she heard tonight.

"We're gonna have a really good time..." he made attempts to grab her arm again but didn't get far with it.

"I think she said no." a dark voice came from behind her.

Sighing internally Y/N turned around to face the other man the same way, but as soon as she laid eyes on him, her mind went blank. Tall, broad shoulders and a devilish grin on his handsome face.

"Are... are you really Soldier Boy?" Y/N full attention now on him.

"Ah, man! C'mon, I was making my move here." complained the poor man's Homelander behind them, but the Supe was quick to answer.

"Put your beardsplitter away and fuck off before I forget myself." The look he gave the other man left no room for a protest and seconds later they were alone.

"But to answer your question: Yes, I am." with a charming smile he gave Y/N his full attention now." But for you, it's Ben."

"Oh, wow. I mean... what are you doing here?"

"Looking for some fun... So, you wanna have a drink with me?" Ben was already heading to the bar, so very sure of himself that her hesitance irritated him a little.

"Wait, wait! Just... just to be clear." Y/N gleamed at him and he smiled. "You're really THE Supe?"

Ben saw the hopeful glance in her eyes and he puffed his chest out a little more. "The one and only, yeah."

"That means... you're just like all the others?"

Ben saw the shift in her eyes and it got him a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I just know all to well how your kind is. Ruthless, brutal, not caring about us 'normal' people?" Y/N's tone got a little sharper and the awe in her eyes got replaced by a hard look.

"Hang on a minute..." Ben's brows furrowed, but the woman in front of him wasn't done.

"And now all of you don't even care anymore and kill in the middle of the street at broad daylight!"

"I didn't kill anyone!" Ben boomed over her outburst.

Y/N ignored it and kept talking. "You are all so self-assured, you feel like gods and think you are invulnerable. But I'm not falling for that! SO, why would I drink something with you? You didn't even care to ask for my name!"

"Y/N!"

Carolines voice called out for her and before she could respond, her friend was at her side, Mr. Sausage right behind her. Y/N wasn't sure if she was happy or sad about it.

"I was looking for you everywhere!"

"I didn't move in the last hour..." Y/N answered, but Caroline didn't seem to hear it. Ben on the other hand did.

"But I see you already have company. That's good. MIke and I thought it would be fun to have some shots together. C'mon! And your handsome stranger can join us if he wants."

"No, he does not..." Y/N stared hateful at the tall man, but he just grinned and flexed his hands infront of her.

"I would love to join. Or else I need to find somethings else to do."

There was no need for him to explain what that might be. The unspoken threat in his eyes was all it took for Y/N to swallow hard and keep her mouth shut. And within seconds Ben knew he had won.

"Well, that's something we definitely cannot let happen. Right, Y/N?" Car winked at her friend and gave Mr. Sausage a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Let's go." chimed Ben in and laid his arm around Y/N shoulders, but the grip his hand had on her upper arm was just hard enough for her to know that there was no escaping this.

"Why are you doing this?" Y/N whispered to Ben.

"Because it's fun, doll." And one look at his face showed Y/N just how much fun he had.

A moment later all four of them were standing at the bar, Ben's arm still securly around Y/N's shoulders. She should've been threatened by it, but in a weird way Y/N felt safe for the first time this evening. Maybe he influenced her mind in some way. After all nobody could really tell what all his powers contained.

"Okay...." Caroline announced and handed out for small glasses. "...now we let this party really getting started.

Four beers and many many shots later Y/N felt herself pressed against the door from the inside of an actually closed bedroom upstairs. Ben was keeping her level with his body whilst his hand roamed her curves and he sucked at the skin on her neck.

She had no idea how or when it happend, but at some point they started to have a really good time. The supe told entertaining storys and made all of them laugh. The alcohol did probably the rest and now here they were. Pressing against eachother and moaning into the other's ear.

"I can't believe this is really happennig." she panthed as she closed her legs around his waist.

"You should believe it, doll. I'm gonna make you feel so good."

His rough voice dripped with pleasure and Y/N's body started to shiver. Oh, she had no doubt about that. With her hands carding through his hair she tried to pull him impossibly closer. But when she heard fabric ripping, Y/N started to protest.

"No, Ben! Don't rip it! I need to wear it again in the morning."

"Don't worry, Y/N. I'll peel you out of it, bit by bit."

And that he did. It took a little time but eventually he had her infront of him, just in her underwear. Ben let go of her and walked back until his legs hit the mattress. He sat himself down and checked her out, from head to toe. That's when Y/N's mind cleared a little and she started to get nervous. In the jumpsuit her body was fitted snuckly but now, without the support of the fabric, she was reminded of her imperfect body and looked to the floor.

A zipper being opened pulled her eyes back to the man who was sitting on the bed. His stare was lustblown and he had freed his dick to pleasure himself as he watched her. With this sight her core started to clench around nothing.

"C'mere" Ben rasped and Y/N smiled at him.

"Only if it's fair." With a now leisure smile she pointed at herself and than at him.

Ben didn't respond. He only got up and within seconds his suit was laying on the floor. Y/N mouth gaped a little after he was standing before her in his naked glory. Hard muscles, a toned body and a cock that made her mouth water. Y/N knew it was wrong, so wrong, but in this moment she did not care. Ben was palming himself again as he beckoned her over to him and now she followed his order.

With a fast move Y/N found herself on the bed and Ben didn't waist any time to hover over her. His mouth searched hers again with a searing kiss that was raw, intense and just tongue and teeth. They both found their rhythm very fast and Ben explored every inch of Y/N's body. Her head started to swim with all these new sensations and when the supe found her mouth again, she could feel his dick pressing to her core.

"Hurry up!" she moaned and closed her legs around his waist again.

"So eager." Ben chuckled and dragged his cock through her wet folds. "All you women just learned how do open a bottle by yourself and now you're thinking you can order us men around."

"I'm just gonna ignore what you just said."

And with these last words thrusted Ben forward and buried himself in her soft heat. A deep moan escaped Y/N and she felt the slight burn. It was a tight fit and Ben gave her a moment to relax. His hand found her clit and he began to rub slow circles. They kissed again and when Y/N's first orgasm hit, she couldn't keep quiet. Ben observed her and he liked the way she came undone.

When Y/N slowly came down from her high Ben started to move. Slowly at first, but he picked up his speed shortly after. Her hands found his asscheeks and she knead them. She felt so incredibly full and her moans became louder again. The pressure inside of Y/N came back and Ben could sense it. He pushed his hands underneath her hips and lifted her a little.

"Oh god... you're so deep!" she gasped and her arms found their way around his neck.

In this new position it didn't take long for both to climp over the edge. Y/N fell first, even harder and more intense than before. Ben followed just a few seconds later and helt himself still balls deep insight her and spilled his seed to every last drop. The bliss that followed afterwards made her sigh in content. Y/N felt exhausted in a good way. Ben let himself fall beside her.

"I told you I'd make you feel good." he chuckled.

"Yeah, well... whatever." Y/N answered. "With all the alcohol we drank I probably won't remember anything in the morning."

A/N: Aaand, done. 🤭 What do we think? I actually feel this has potential for a miniseries. With some glimpses into Ben's mind, maybe? I mean, they could be an explosive mixture. 🤔

You can check it out here.

@lyarr24

[lorynna]

Andrew Tate, a huge hypocrite, is the perfect example of: create the disease, sell the cure." Now, let me explain.

Tate starts off with his webcam business. He openly admits on camera - filming and releasing the footage himself -, that not only is he purposefully manipulating girls, making them fall in love with him (he himself calls it and actively uses the term "lover boy method" as a descriptor) but then also convincing them to work for him as cam-girls, telling those women that they could get rich together if she would simply start instrumentalizing her body and sexuality. He continues to explain in great detail how exactly he emotionally abused those women, lied to them and used several manipulation tactics on them. But I'd rather not mention all that here, since that would open up a whole new conversation and take too long to fully dive into this.

He also admitted on camera that he robbed them of about half of the money those women made "working for him" and then states and I quote: They thought they were on 50% and I said that the despair of the money was because of taxes."

He continues to talk about men "falling in love" with the women he recruited for his Webcam business which were selling their houses, spending all of their life savings etc. in order to pay for the cam-girl services and he commented on those men's actions saying," give me all of it" admitting he didn't at all care for the lives or fates of those men. Tate built his whole empire on being a pimp, which he defines as and i quote again" being a positive, inspirational, motivating person", exploiting and extracting money from lonely, depressed, porn-addicted men.

Now something might start to click. But isn't he a known advocate for those exact men? Telling them that porn consumption is bad, to get their health and depression in check, recommending going to the gym and preaching about how much he hates prostitutes?

He's an advocate for men's suffering and problems? After he caused so much damage to them, making money off of them, taking advantage of them and furthered their misery? The irony.

First he scammed those men, taking their money with good conscience, now he is an advocate for them, making them hate the kind of women he himself manipulated into this, talking about how bad porn is, when he literally owned a webcam business. And don't dare to come at me with "but people change, maybe he learnt from his mistakes".

For now I just recounted why he's a huge hypocrite but now let's focus on why he is a huge mysognist. He has said many things I don't even want to recount, including but ofc not limited to him demonstrating how he'd hit a women in the face that would "misbehave" and not "listen to him" and I have also unfortunately personally seen the video footage that is going around of him beating up a woman with a belt.

One example out of his many many statements so I can further lead on with this text: He further talks about his webcam business, saying "the only girls i couldn't recruit, were girls who had rich parents. Because they're like: Oh, but I don't need that money, my parents are rich! Girls are gonna get their Luis Vuitton bag either way." Implying how all women are superficial and only rich parents prevent a girl from being a "hoe". He got his fame and money from the same women he continues to publicly shame now.

He damaged women and men at the same time, yet there's still people, mostly men, defending him saying "yeah, but he also sometimes tells things that are true!". I appreciate your intention to differentiate and trying to filter through the many bullshit things he's said just so you can cling on to a single true statement.

Even the worst person sometimes has valid points, but that doesn't mean that we can just overlook the things he did in the past and the overall harm he has caused and is STILL causing.

Aside from all of this stuff, Tate continued to deny many of his statements he himself posted online before, showing massive double standards. It seems like he just tries to profit off what's giving him the largest, most uncritical fan base and by targeting incels who love to follow and hear an "alpha male" talk about how "all women are bitches", fueling their anger due to being rejected by women, he seems to have found a goldmine.

He promotes harmful, misogynistic views on women, promoting toxic behavior towards them and is imprinting on the minds of young, impressionable, vulnerable men.

If after knowing all this, you're still a defender of Tate, you might be just as bad as Tate himself.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.102 Negotiations

I thought about the whole money tree argument all night, and while I understood Sophia's concerns, it still didn't sit well with me. Dub's words from his note echoed in my head. "Financial freedom to pursue your dreams," he said. I knew she preferred to live a simple life, but didn't she have bigger dreams than just being married to me and raising our children? I heard the TV on, so I got up to address the topic again. My goal wasn't to change her mind—though I hoped she would—but to present my case coherently. I was blinded by the simoleons I didn't even have yet and failed to put a counteroffer on the table. If she could hear my thoughts, maybe she could see it in a different light.

"Good morning," I said.

"Have you ever seen this show? It's so fun!"

"Uhh...no. Can we talk?"

"Of course," she said, turning off the TV. "What's on your mind so early?"

"I want to revisit the money tree situation."

"Okay. Sure."

"You presented your reasons for limiting its use, but I don't think I did a good job explaining why I think we shouldn't, and I'd like you to hear what I think."

"Okay," she said slowly. "So, what's up?"

"You said it would be an insult to return the gift, but I think it would be an insult to ignore Dub's wishes."

Her eyebrow went up a little bit, but she was still tracking with me, so I went on.

"I understand your hesitation, but we don't have to let the money change anything about us. We can be ourselves, but with peace of mind and more opportunities. I think maybe your childhood is influencing how you're seeing this, but so is mine. I'm gonna tell you a different part of my story so you can see where I'm coming from."

"Sure."

"Okay..."

I took a deep breath and hoped my story would work some magic.

"You've been around my parents enough to know my mom is the one with the money."

"Yeah. That's obvious."

"Right. She spoiled us...she still does, heh. But we weren't spoiled brats. We had everything we needed, and a few things we wanted, but we didn't live extravagantly. We went to public school, wore regular clothes, and lived in a middle class neighborhood. For a long time, my mom had an office job. And even now, she still works her candle business. We weren't rich by any means. We were comfortable. I know this because when we went to my dad's house, it was not comfortable. He came home tired every day and didn't have the energy to spend time with us. He never took us anywhere, and there was nothing to do at his house-"

"But that's not what-"

"Wait. Let me finish. I haven't made my point yet."

"Okay. Sorry."

"My grandparents bought my mom a little house and gave her a chunk of money when she moved out so she could have peace of mind and time to explore the world and figure out what she wanted to do without the pressure of bills and working a job she hated."

Sophia nodded and smiled, giving me hope that my story already inspired her to change her mind.

"When we moved out, she did the same thing for us…except for the house, of course. It wasn't a ton of money, but I could have gotten a cheap apartment if I wanted to."

"Or a tiny house," she said, gesturing vaguely.

"Ha! Yeah, I could have afforded this. She's still taking care of us. I keep telling her she doesn't need to keep doing things for us, but all she says is when I have a child, I'll understand."

Sophia nodded.

"Yeah...I remember hearing her say that in Tartosa."

"Yeah... I may not have a child yet, but I do want to give it every opportunity I had and then some. I don't want it to worry and feel how we felt at my dad's house."

"I get that. I don't want that either."

"And what you said about your parents. They were older when they adopted you because it took forever to save the money. If we want to send off our children with a little something, we have to start saving now. We can't wait until a week before they're gone to start harvesting the tree. Maybe we don't take from it every day. Maybe just once or twice a week, or whenever we think about it. But just leaving the tree alone until we need it? That's not gonna give our children the kind of future I want them to have. I want to continue what my grandparents started. I don't think we should waste this opportunity."

She sat there, nodding and staring at me like she didn't realize I was done. But then she turned away, stared at the floor, and sighed.

"Wow... Your family history is filled with so much love and support."

I grabbed her hands, hoping to seal the deal and provide a little comfort.

"Yes. And you're part of that family now. I just want to continue the cycle. That's all. I don't want to start wearing labels and buy a big house in Del Sol. I just want to spend time with my family without consequence."

"I can't argue with that. I'm still not letting you give up on yoga, though."

I laughed. "I didn't expect you would."

"And to be clear," I continued, "I'm not gonna give up. I just don't want to be in a position where I'm still hustling and missing everything going on at home. You'll be here, so I know everything will be fine, but I want to be here too. I want our children to have all the benefits of living in a two-parent house."

"That's beautiful, Luca. I see the whole picture now. I've just decided I'm definitely not to going back to work."

I beamed at her.

"Really?? That's awesome! I love that for you."

"So, what do you think you'll do?"

"I don't know yet. I don't want to give up on teaching just yet, but I'll probably spend more time on SimTube. I have time to figure it out, though. Speaking of the hustle...I gotta go. I love you, Sophia. I love our life, and I can't wait to see how it turns out."

"I love you more!"

[desertfangs]

Through the Garden Gate [AO3] Lestat/Daniel - Explicit - 4,459

Not long after Tale of the Body Thief, Lestat and Daniel talk about Lestat's body swap and how Daniel worries his relationship with Armand is falling apart.

I wrote this in kind of a flash of inspiration but I figured I might as well post it now, since I'll be posting a lot of stuff in February for fandom events and don't know when I'll get around to it otherwise.

I really just love Lestat and Daniel having deep conversations and I think Daniel tends to ask the best questions. They are my BROTP with benefits and I know some of y'all love them as much as I do, so I hope you like this!

Brief excerpt:

“Is it true that you swapped bodies with a mortal?” Daniel had been burning to ask about it since Lestat first jumped him in Pirate Alley, and the question tumbled out almost immediately after they sat at the small bar table. 

A storm of emotion passed over Lestat’s face. “I did.” 

Daniel leaned closer, across the small bar table between them. “What was it like?” 

“What do you think? Incredible. Messy. Uncomfortable. Amazing.” Lestat shook his head. “Impossibly strange. But it had been hundreds of years since I’d known mortal urges, mortal discomfort.”

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Daniel laughed slightly. Mortal discomfort—aches and pains and hangovers and head colds—had been the bane of his existence during his last mortal years. He’d been in his early thirties and yet already his body had changed so much. Sleeping at the wrong angle could ruin him for days. 

“Not entirely. There were good things.” Lestat smiled, but it didn’t reach his blue gray eyes, which were trained on his martini glass full of blue curaçao and vodka. “The taste of wine. The sun.” 

Daniel reached across the table and touched Lestat’s hand, which was a rich, tan color, like the rest of his skin. “And how did this happen?” 

Lestat sighed. “I had a moment of weakness and went into the Gobi desert. It’s not important now.” 

Daniel snorted. “Yeah, clearly. Are you okay?” 

Lestat waved a hand and then his magnificent, winning smile returned. “How did you hear about my last misadventure anyway? I’m still working on the book.” 

Daniel sat back against the booth and tapped his fingers on the table, keenly aware of the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. “Louis wrote a very concerned letter about the whole affair.” 

Lestat frowned. “To you?” 

Daniel flushed. “To Armand. Sent to Night Island. I stopped by to check on the house and I opened the mail.” He hadn’t thought much of it at the time—he and Armand often treated each other’s things as if they were their own, which was perhaps a bad habit, but it had always worked for them. Once he’d read it, he’d felt a bit like he’d overstepped, and he’d tucked the letter away to give to Armand next time he saw him.

“And where is that impish maker of yours, hm?” Lestat asked. “Where are you two living these days?” 

“Barcelona, for now,” Daniel said. “Assuming he’s still there when I get back.” 

Lestat smirked. “Trouble in paradise?” 

“You could say that.” Daniel thought of Armand’s hardened expression, his cold kiss against Daniel’s cheek as he’d left. The icy atmosphere of the flat they shared. Daniel fiddled with the plastic sword that held an olive and onion in his cocktail, stirring it around the drink. “He’s gotten so damn volatile. The smallest thing sets off these terrible fights. Or worse, he gets quiet and sullen and avoids me. To be honest, I prefer the fighting.” 

Armand had barely said a word when he’d left. Daniel had been pushed past all reason and needed a break, so he’d offered to go check on The Night Island, an errand they did from time to time as they traveled around in hopes that some new location might fix all their problems. 

In truth, he’d hoped Armand would come with him. Maybe being home again for a few days would rekindle something, give them some perspective. But Armand had simply wished him bon voyage, without so much as a suggestion he didn’t want him to go, and now Daniel was procrastinating going back.

“He and Louis could teach a masterclass in administering the silent treatment,” Lestat said morosely. He stabbed the cherry in his drink with his own plastic sword, a little green one, and then let it drop, blue liquid splashing out of the glass.

Read the Rest on AO3

[wsknbfanaccnt]

AGAIN got inspired by a little headcanon post and this time by @vanilla--shake

if its akashi i swear im motivated to write ANYTHING

this is kinda more comfort at the end btw <3

I also don't feel like proofreading this so ignore anything you see that's shit

anyways hope yall enjoy lmfao

Sleepover!

TW⚠️: verbal abuse

Summary: During a sleepover, Aomine and Midorima witness Masaomi's treatment towards Akashi.

The Generation of Miracles won a game once again, giving no mercy to their opponents. To celebrate and perhaps give them more motivation to practice, Akashi came up with a little reward. A sleepover at his house.

He first made sure that his father was going to be gone for at least three days. This wasn't a struggle since he travelled a lot due to business, and it just so happened that in his schedule he was going to be in America for that next weekend. After all, he would basically have to sneak them in since his father would NEVER allow him to do such a silly thing.

"Gather round, everyone," he announced to the boys the Monday after their victory. The rainbow stood in a circle around him, Akashi admittedly trying to hide his excitement.

"We have won multiple consequetive games thus far. And as a small reward, if all of you are up for it, I'd like to celebrate our victories with a night spent at my house this weekend," Akashi said with a plain smile. The rainbow seemed to be up to it, judging by the muttering of excitement between the five.

"Perfect. A driver will pick you up at your respective houses at around 2pm."

When Akashi got home, he immediately told all the employees at his house at the news. They were all very excited for Akashi, especially that they hadn't seen the boy so enthusiastic about something for so long. All of them of course, vowed not to speak a single word to Akashi Masaomi.

That weekend came quite slowly, Akashi might say. But as the doorbell rang, he was almost running to the door. He took a deep breath and straightened his clothes, opening the door for the five colors of the rainbow in front of him.

"Shiii- your place is nice, Akashi! You never told us you were rich!" Aomine looked around, his eyes locked at the ceiling as they all went in. Akashi didn't comment.

"Come in, welcome and make yourself at home. I will lead you to the rooms where you will stay," he said as they flooded the foyer.

"Akashicchi, this is so cool! Thanks for letting us stay!" Kise said, excited and loud. Aomine was about to touch one of the vases near the entrance when Midorima's voice boomed.

"Don't touch that, Ahomine!" he hissed, the boy immediately withdrawing his hand. Midorima, who had been in Akashi's house many times due to the business relations of their father, already went forward to where the rooms were.

"Aka-chin, do you have snacks?"

"Yes, yes. But that will come later, Murasakibara. Come, you must settle down first, all of you," Akashi said, leading the rainbow into a hall on the 2nd floor.

"These five rooms are all next to each other with a private bathroom and a closet. Everything is provided, all you need to do is press the button by your bed and one of the staff will bring it to you."

And so all of them chose their bedrooms, Akashi shaking his head at Aomine and Kise, who were bickering about who should get what room.

"Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, all the rooms look the same." Kuroko came up from behind them, the two suddenly shouting in surprise.

"Kurokocchi?!"

"I didn't even notice you in the car!"

"I was there the whole time..."

"How did you know that they were all the same?"

"I checked them one by one while Akashi-kun was talking."

Akashi couldn't help but laugh to himself as the five finally went into their separate bedrooms, taking a deep sigh. He was looking forward to their activities for the afternoon and the night. Soon enough, they popped out of their rooms one by one, Kise being the last because he had to style his hair.

"Shall we?" Akashi said, starting to lead them to the kitchen where they would eat first. But suddenly one of the staff came running towards him looking panicked. She approached Akashi, whispering in his ear.

"Seijuro-sama, I didn't know about it- he just arrived-!"

"What do you mea-"

"Seijuro," a booming voice echoed the halls, and the boy's body went cold.

"Father... I did not know you would be home." Akashi said as nonchalantly as he could. Masaomi looked down at Akashi with a stare, and only his son would realize that it meant he was in deep, deep trouble.

"Yes well, there were complications with the flight. These are your friends, I assume?" he turned his attention to the rainbow behind him with a smile dipped in poisoned honey.

"Yes Father, they're-"

"So I've heard. The Generation of Miracles. Lovely meeting you all. And Midorima-kun, lovely to see you again," he smiled at the rest, while the boys shyly waved. He was intimidating, even for them. Midorima merely bowed, his lips slightly pursed.

"Forgive me, but I have a few matters to attend to. Have fun, and please make yourselves at home." he smiled to the rest, leaving their prescence. It was silent for a beat, but Akashi couldn't hold onto it longer.

"Shall we go eat? The staff has prepared all of your favorites," Akashi turned to them with a genuine looking smile.

"Is there squid ink pasta-?" Murasakibara's eyes lit up, oblivious to the previous heavy air that filled the room.

"Yes, of course there is. Follow me," Akashi said with a soft chuckle.

(timeskip to that night...)

(If anyone wants me to write about the fun things they did that night feel free to request but this particular one-shot is focusing on Akashi)

"Goodnight everyone, I do hope you enjoyed this night. We will be waking you up at 10am for breakfast," Akashi said, a chorus of "goodnights" echoing the hall. As the last person went into their respective rooms Akashi clenched his fists, knowing he had to talk to his father. He had no choice but to, so he took a deep breath to give himself courage, and went over to where his father's office was.

Aomine had his ear pressed against the door, listening as Akashi's footsteps receded and was finally out of earshot. He very quietly opened the door and smirked, looking around as he tiptoed to Kise's room.

"Kise. Oi, Kise!" he whispered through the door, knocking as quietly as he could without being heard by the others. But after a few minutes of disturbing him, Aomine concluded that he was already asleep. So boring.

He decided that he would do this himself. The mischevious little bitch started to roam around the entire house. The halls, the floors, the rooms (that he could open) and everywhere he could go within the building. He visited an entire library, a cinema room, a music room, and many other things that he found entertaining in the middle of the night. At one point he was scared out of his wits as he felt a breeze and some whispering in a particular hall, so he ran away as fast as he could from it. It was only the staff and they had opened a window, but he didn't know that.

He ended up near a door that was rather large and fancy looking, and a sign that says Masaomi Akashi.

"Must be his office..." he whispered to himself. Aomine was about to leave and find his way back to his room when suddenly he heard faint shouting that came from that same office.

"...and you hadn't even told me! What made you think that this was something acceptable, Seijuro? Do you think this is something that an Akashi would do?!" Masaomi's voice was loud enough that he could hear it from the outside.

"No, father."

Aomine froze at the realization. Immediately he pressed his ear against the door, eavesdropping at their conversation. He made sure to hold his breath, just in case they wouldn't hear him from outside.

"Have you even finished your work for this weekend?"

"Yes father, I have."

"Do not tell me lies, child." he hissed, showing the list of things that Seijuro had to do that weekend. He looked at the list wide-eyed; he was sure that he completed everything he had to do in advance so that he would have the weekend free.

"What?! But I have finished everything!" Akashi panicked, reading the tasks one by one. But of course, Masaomi had just added new things to his list to punish his son even more.

"Read with your eyes, boy. You clearly are not finished. You will not sleep until you complete every single task I have delegated to you, do you understand?!"

"...Yes father," Akashi held his head low.

"And I want everyone out first thing in the morning, or you will go with them."

"Yes father-"

"You are a constant source of embarrassment to this family. Do you realize that, Seijuro? Tsk... it baffles me how someone of my blood could turn out to be so utterly incompetent." he hissed, pacing around his office. Seijuro took it all, being used to these words from his father. That didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"You will never, not in your entire life amount to anything of significance. I expected more from a child of mine, a child of your mother's. But clearly I was mistaken. She would be disappointed if she were still here."

No insults cut deeper than when it was forcibly wielded by his mother.

"I'm sorry, Father." Akashi said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"This motherfucker..." Aomine was furious, clenching his fists. He was his friend, and it made his blood boil that his father would say those things to his own son. He wanted to curse Masaomi out with his fists, and at this point he didn't care anymore. He reached out to the doorknob when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll only make it worse, nodayo." Midorima whispered from behind him, which snapped Aomine out of his rage.

"What the fuck- why are you here?!" Aomine hissed, the two stepping away from the room so they wouldn't be heard.

"I um... I n-needed to find the bathroom, nanodayo..." Midorima adjusted his glasses, looking away. He was out here to look after Akashi, knowing that he would be in trouble. Aomine just shook his head at him, looking over at the office door.

"Then... what are we supposed to do?? We can't just let him do that...!"

"Unfortunately we can't do anything, nodayo..." he whispered, looking around. Aomine clicked his tongue, clearly pissed off about the entire situation.

"Come on, let's just go to bed. It will be worse when we get caught, nanodayo..." he whispered, and Aomine sighed as he nodded.

"Fine..." he muttered, the two tiptoeing on the way to their rooms.

"Back there... you sounded like you knew about this, Midorima." Aomine looked at him as they walked.

"...Somewhat. My father and Akashi's father had been business partners for a while now, so I know a thing or two about it, nanodayo."

"So you're rich too?"

"That's not the point nanodayo!" Midorima hissed, and Aomine laughed quietly.

"Aomine? Midorima? What are you two doing still awake?" Akashi suddenly showed up and walked over to them, the two freezing in their place.

"Uh oh-"

"Shit- uh... we were trying to find the bathroom!" Aomine blurted out, using Midorima's excuse. The green-haired teen gave him an annoyed look.

"Right... each room has a private bathroom." Akashi said, furrowing his eyebrows in suspicion. The two stayed silent, Akashi laughing softly.

"Feel free to explore if you like. Just make sure you have someone with you," he said with a smile. Aomine and Midorima looked at each other, wondering how Akashi could manage to put on a mask after all that verbal abuse.

"How about you?" Aomine asked suddenly, not really knowing where he was going with this statement.

"Ah, I... need to do a few more things. You two can go ahead,"

"Actually, we can't really sleep. Mind if we go with you?" Aomine said, glancing at Midorima. Perhaps what Akashi needed was just someone by his side.

"You may if you like... however you will find it rather boring I'm sure," he warned them, leading them to his room anyways.

"I don't mind, nodayo," Midorima said, pushing his glasses up and looking away.

"Well... if you insist." he shrugged, opening the door to his room and letting them in. His room was what Aomine had expected it to be; neat, tidy, and big. Immediately he rummaged through Akashi's shelf.

"Are you actually a man, Akashi? You don't have a single porn mag, here,"

"Do not regard me as a consumer of such vulgar content." Akashi hissed, sitting at his desk. Aomine let out a laugh, and Midorima just shook his head sitting on one of the chairs. The redhead couldn't help but chuckle to himself, turning around to focus on his work.

"Do not hesitate to tell me if you need anything," he said, shifting his concentration to the tasks in front of him. He smiled to himself, hearing Aomine and Midorima bicker and talk to each other in the background. He was happy that the two were there with him.

He closed his laptop, taking a deep sigh. He glanced outside, the sky still completely black. Akashi stretched a bit, turning around to see Aomine passed out on the floor, and Midorima passed out on the chair that he was in. He chuckled softly, getting some extra blankets and placing them on top of the two gently, not wanting to disturb his slumber.

It was worth it. He thought, remembering the events earlier where he was being screamed at by his father as he snuggled under his own covers on his bed.

I was able to spend time with them.. that's all that matters.

[akiranzee]

🌠 • ° ` — “WISHING FOR YOU”

-> PAIRINGS: Alhaitham x gn!Y/n -> SUMMARY: Alhaitham and Y/n L/n, from 2 different universes, suddenly encounter by a miracle. -> WORD COUNT: 2.2k+ -> CONTAINS: fluff, cliffhanger at end (imsry), swearing, KINDA CONFUSING PLOT?? (idk) & alhaitham is 25 while reader is 22. -> A/N: KINDA INSPIRED BY “Your Name”?? IDK I HAVEN’T RLLY FINISHED WATCHING IT LOL. C/n is “cat’s name” :)).

-------------Loading...----------

-------------Complete!-----------

“Ok I give up. How come all of you has him when I don't have him.” You gave your friends a deadpanned look, setting your tablet down.

“It’s called luck darling.” One of your friends replied, sending you a playful wink.

“Well my luck is seriously dead. Anyway, I’m going home. I need to feed my cat.” You said, getting your shoulder bag and leaving your friend’s house.

“Aw, I thought you were gonna stay.. Anyway, say hi to C/n for me!” One of your friends yelled back, waving at you, and you also did, but your back was faced to them.

~~~~~

Reaching your home after a few more steps, your cat greeted you happily.

“Aw, you’re a cute little thing, aren’t you, C/n?” You petted them and led them inside the house, “come, let's get you food, hmm?”

After giving your cat their food, you hummed as you cooked your own dinner. You tasted the curry you were cooking, and it tastes delicious. You were delighted by the result as this was the first time you’re cooking curry.

You took a plate and served the curry on the table, but as you did, suddenly, the lights went out. The only thing visible to you now was the scorching, running light outside.

You peeked through your window, and saw a meteor shower outside, as your cat followed you.

You’ve heard that wishing on a meteor shower will make your wish come true.

You don’t believe it, but you instead find it quite childish. But trying it out right now doesn’t sound bad, does it? Especially when you’ll lose nothing if you try.

You closed your eyes and wished.

And as you opened your eyes, the meteor shower has ended and the lights went back on.

It was peculiar, but your stomach was demanding for food, so you never really gave it any thought.

~~~~~

But as the next day started, you went inside the library you’re working at, and all your fellow librarians were whispering and gushing on about something, or someone.

You walked over to them and asked, “hey, what’s up you guys?”

“Eee! Y/n, you’re here! See that man with gray hair and green eyes? He’s so handsome!” Your close co-worker squealed as she pointed at him, which you followed, revealing a gorgeous man reading a book.

Just like the meteor shower last night, you were mesmerized by the sight in front of you. And you feel like the emptiness of your whole world was suddenly filled just by staring at him.

But soon, it was cut off as the woman’s hand appeared in your sight, forcing you to stop staring and come back to earth.

“Ah… sorry. Let’s get to work, guys.” You changed the subject and immediately went to your post, serving as the cashier.

Apparently, the library you’re working at has millions and millions of books, that nobody dared count it. It had all the books people would want; romance, novel, documentaries, horror, adult, and more.

But only rich people would dare buy a book from here, considering the prices of each book being $5,000+.

That’s why you were shocked when the gray-haired man literally carried 10 books and put them in front of you, handing you his credit card.

“Umm… Are you sure you’re gonna buy all of this?” You asked him once again to make him rethink his decision. But fortunately, he bought it all.

“Yes. They sound very interesting. They deserve to be added to my collection.” He said bluntly, and whispered a thanks as you handed him the box full of books he just bought.

And to put it short, he does kind of remind you of someone.

Remember that guy from Sumeru who really loves reading books? Yeah, him — Alhaitham.

Even him and the guy looks alike. Mentioning the hair and eyes, the skin tone, the height, and his voice.

He really does look like Alhaitham.

You gasp softly at the sudden thought; that what if your wishes came true, but the only difference is that you didn’t get him in game, but in real life…?

For the whole duration of your working hours, your brainstorming of theories about this and thats has officially driven you crazy, just looking at one spot for 10 minutes, and then looking somewhere else for 10 minutes again.

Even your fellow librarians were getting scared about your peculiar acting that they’re starting to think you’re being possessed or something.

But at the end of the day, you knew you had to snap out of it and come back to earth once again; and head home.

Reaching your home, your cat greeted you once again, and everyday life went on and on as it usually does.

But the unusual part of it is; you and the man that looks like Alhaitham keeps crossing paths — as if fate desperately wants the two of you for each other.

But you only took it as mere coincidences, but as the saying goes; One means nothing, two means coincidence, and three means something. Which the encounter of the both of you have literally been 5+ times, and that is not considered as a coincidence anymore.

And you swore to yourself; one more encounter, you were gonna lock yourself up inside your house.

And so you did. A fellow co-worker you’re close with came and visited you as they didn’t take your “I’m sick” excuse, banging on your door as if it was gonna break any second now.

“Urgh. Okay, okay, coming!” You rushed to your door, hoping to save it from the hellish knocks it was suffering.

“Oh my god, took you forever!” The shorter lady then tiptoed and placed the back of her palm on your forehead and said, “see? Sick my ass! You look perfectly fine!” And she practically dragged you out of your apartment, but finally convinced her to let you change into something nice.

By the time you entered the library, the man that looked like Alhaitham was there, and the both of you made eye contact which made you quite embarrassed when he looked away and towards his book.

So you did the same; walking away and going to your post in the cashier.

Normally, it would be a boring day, but today, the library offered a 50% discount to the top hit sales today; mangas. So to cut it short, a lot of people bought mangas and yes, unusual and surprising, but the library was full of people that the staffs were also confused where to go or what to do.

You sighed as you finally sat down, you definitely couldn’t wait to get your well deserved meal and bath, along with a goodnight’s sleep later.

As you began to close your eyes, you felt the sleep coming to you.

“Shouldn’t you be doing your job instead of dozing off?” A voice asked, and that instantly made you jolt awake.

“Huh? What?” You looked around as if looking for something, only to see the owner of the voice; the man that looks like Alhaitham.

“I’ve been looking for this book”, he says as he swipes through his phone and shows the picture to you, “do you happen to see it or have some stock left?” He questioned, and you slowly stood up, taking a closer look at the picture.

“Oh, yeah, we have that on stock. But are you sure? It's for $10,000.” You said as you rubbed your eyes, as the man took his phone away from you and put it back into his pocket.

“I remember buying 10 books that costs $50,000+. Surely, $10,000 on 1 book doesn’t sound impossible now, does it?” His choice of words and the way he says it really sounds like the Alhaitham from the game you’re playing.

You stayed silent and bowed, then went inside the storage room to look for that book, not knowing what else to reply to his sarcasm.

After a few minutes, you came back with the book in hand, and then the man paid for it.

Before you allowed him to leave, you knew you had to ask him one question; “What’s your name?”

“Al Haitham” Your eyes widened at that. Not only does he look and act like him, but they also have the same name too? This is not a coincidence anymore, is it?

“Why?” He asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

“Um… nothing, it's just that you remind me of a game character.” You scratched the side of your face, looking down, feeling embarrassed and you don’t know why.

“Who?” He asked again, this time, he was more curious than the last question.

“Um.. here, let me show you.” You opened your phone and showed him a picture of Alhaitham, the game character.

He showed a look of surprise, but quickly changed back to his usual stoic face.

“Huh… is his name also Al Haitham?” He asked, leaning in the counter, seemingly interested as to why he was there.

You said a simple “yeah”, and Al Haitham simply shaked his head and replied, “the creator of the game must’ve known me” which you took it as; “the creator of the game must’ve found me hot enough to put me in game” which you could just strongly agree.

And with that, by whatever miracle is out there, the both of you surprisingly got along. And you also got to know that his first name is Al, and his last name is Haitham.

You guys usually hang out at a cafe or at a park, with you and him usually playing Genshin Impact.

After knowing that he was a character in game, his curiosity peeked in and tried it out.

And when he did try to pull for Alhaitham, it didn’t even take 69 tries for him to get him, unlike you.

And you found that very unfair. Because — Al is new to the game but gets Alhaitham for like only 3-5 tries. While you, this might be the 100th try or more, but you still can’t get him.

You sighed in defeat as you were still unlucky. Al only chuckled and continue playing the game. He didn’t try to comfort you, but his chuckle did, which made your heart race because of it.

Oh dear, not only were you a simp for Alhaitham, but you were also falling for Al.

I mean, it’s what they say, right? If you can’t get the fictional character, then go for the cosplayer — which in your case, Al’s just like the real human version of Alhaitham.

But no, you didn’t try that out. You were happy with the way things were right now, happy with you and Al being close friends. Sure, you wanted to be more than that, but being Al’s friend was more than enough than to be a stranger to him.

Little by little, you fell in love with him. And it was hard to make it not-so-obvious, as every single moment you guys spend together, you find out more new things about him. And that just makes you fall for him more and more.

Until one evening, Al told you there would be a meteor shower, and his house had the best view. So you went to his house and waited.

Just like what happened when the meteor shower has arrived, the lights went out, and a series of meteor came rushing in and pass through the both of you.

It was a magnificent sight, and the both of you came rushing out of his balcony, dazed by the beauty the meteor shower held.

You remembered that wishing in a meteor shower will make your wishes come true. And so you did again, wished for a miracle.

~~~~~

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

You groaned, seemingly awakened by your noisy alarm clock, and suddenly stood up.

Suddenly standing up made your head ache and dizzy though, slowly walking down to the bathroom to wash your face.

You looked at the calendar; May 02, 2019. Ugh, Tuesday. You were hoping for a weekend, but I guess that miracle ain’t gonna happen.

Getting ready for work, you took a bath, brushed your teeth, changed into your work clothes, then finally, packing your bags and wearing your shoes.

You didn’t bother for breakfast, it was your co-worker’s birthday today anyway. Surely, they’d prepare and treat the whole library to food, right?

As you walked out the door, and walked down the street, you suddenly bumped into a stranger, with a grunt coming out from the both of you.

Miracles do happen, but the God sometimes just doesn’t allow that. But on that night, when the both of you wished, you both wished for a miracle to happen.

You wished to stay together, and for Al to like you back. You didn’t see it, but Al also wished. Knowing what would happen to him after that night, he wished for the greatest miracle. It was to stay forever by your side, to stay here forever.

“Ugh- sorry, I wasn’t looking-” As you turned around, you saw a handsome man with gray hair, and green eyes.

Without knowing, the both of you speaked together, as if in sync,

“What’s… your name?”

[zrisewrites]

A Gingerly Step - An Anala Backstory Drabble

Summary: While Mrs. Secliff is preparing for a gingerbread house creating party, little Anala is preparing her own surprise.

Inspired by the @daddecember and @fluff-cember events!

Word Count: 900

Content Warnings: Light romance between a married couple, mentions of alcohol.

It happened so quickly. 

I was bustling around the kitchen, setting out candy canes, plates stacked with sheets of gingerbread, piping bags packed with white and red frosting. It was the first year I’d ever hosting the Annual Gingerbread House Party, and naturally it had to be the best one yet.

“Did you ever find the chocolate pearls, dear?” I call to my husband, as I tuck a bowl of m’n’m’s next to the candy canes. Were those too close together? Or would they be better by the sprinkles?

“What?” He calls back. Somewhere upstairs, judging by the faintness of his voice. Prepping to get out of the house before the gaggle of mothers and children arrived, no doubt.

“The chocolate pearls!” I call, grabbing the final pan of little gingerbread men from the oven, and setting it on the drying rack. Those would need to be piped, but that could be done after the children got here. If we weren’t too pre-occupied.

“What?”

Defintelly needed to get the Cabernet.

Anala cooed up at me from the ground as I swished past her towards the wine cabinet. She’d gotten so big, with her father’s rich brown eyes and shining gold curls, like me. And just this week, she’s taken to standing up against every chair and cabinet she can reach. The doctor said it’d only be another month or two for her to start walking. I can hardly imagine that—the power movement would give her. She caused plenty of chaos from her crib alone. “Hold on a moment, ma fleur.” I call to her, smiling as I pull a bottle of Cabernet from the cabinet. “Your friends are almost here.”

She cooes again, then lets out a happy babble of noises. I coo back at her, tapping her nose as I walk over, then setting the wine in an ice bath. 

I turn to survey the table, exhaling and setting my hands on my hips.

A rich brown tablecloth covered the oakwood table. Dozens of little white bowls dotted the table, filled with candies and chocolates, sugared fruits and salted nuts. Two dozen piping bags, filled to the brim, sat in the middle of the table, well away from tiny, curious hands. And the crowning jewel of the setting— a plate stacked high with crisp gingerbread, ready to be molded into child masterpieces.

“What were you saying, dear?” My husband jogs down the stairs, dressed in a smart black suit and a matching tie.

I shake my head, shooting him a smile as I pull off my apron. “The chocolate pearls?”

He freezes, a guilty expression flitting across his eyes. “I knew I was forgetting something. I’m sorry. I can grab some and drop them off, if you’d like.”

I laugh, sweeping towards him. “That’s alright, we have plenty of sugar anyways. It won’t make that much of a difference.” I stop in front of him, raising an eyebrow as I rest my hands on his shoulders. “Now were are you going, dressed so finely?”

He smiled, resting his hands on my hips as he presses a quick kiss to my cheek. “Just to the office, Jerrold still has a whole host of documents he needs finalized before the holidays, and I’m about fed up with it. We might be looking to get a new manager come January.”

“Aw. You won’t come build candy houses with your wife and your daughter?” I fake a pout, tilting my head at him. He laughs, squeezing my waist, then letting go. 

“No way, the party two years ago was enough chaos to last me a lifetime. You two have fun, though.”

I smile, pulling him close and kissing his cheek. “Alright. Don’t be too long, I’ll start to miss you.”

He laughs again, his eyes sparkling with amusement, before he turns to our daughter, crouching down and holding his arms out to her. “I’ll see you soon, ma fleur—don’t you wanna come give me a hug?”

She lets out an excited babble, bouncing and reaching a hand towards us. I smile, stepping over to her. “Come on now, dear, the doctor said it’s still be weeks.”

My husband waves a hand for me to stop. “She’s smart, and strong. She’s got your fire. Let’s just see.”

I shake my head, but pause, crouching down as well as I watch her. Her eyes sparkle, as she coos again, one tiny hand pressed against the seat of the chair.

Her father steps closer, a easy smile on his face. “Come on, Anala… I know you’ve got it.”

She cooes again, woobling.

And then she lets go of the chair.

I gasp softly, my hand flying to my mouth.

She giggles, as if she can sense the excitement in the air. Just standing for a moment,

Before she teeters forward with one tiny foot, one, two steps—

“There we go! My girl!” My husband cheers, as he sweeps forward, catching her before she tumbles over. I laugh, crouching down next to him. He kisses her forehead, grinning up at her. “How’s that for doctor’s orders?”

I shake my head, grinning and tapping Anala’s nose. “So rebellious.” I hum, smiling. “Don’t you let go of that, either.”

She giggles again, clinging to her father’s arm, eyes bright as she babbles up at us. Her father grins, sweeping another kiss against her forehead. “My girl.” He whispers.