#its only loosely based off it anyway

[maskofnova]

It's 5 am and the staff is in the kitchen working up the courage to kick both of them out.

[mement0--m0ri]

God fucking damn it Netflix. What the actual fuck my dude.

Guys, Netflix is going to make a modern day adaptation of Dorian Gray and they're making Basil and Dorian brothers

[ceilidho]

prompt: forced throuple au; Ghost decides that you and Johnny are his (part 3; ghoap x reader) masterlist

-

“What is this anyway—‘bring your girlfriend to work’ day?”

She’s snarky as ever, but with an agitated edge. Nerves prickling when Johnny holds her jacket out for her to slip her arms into. Even that makes her snap—something about not being a toddler that Johnny needs to help dress, but by then his head is in the clouds. In another place altogether. 

The prospect of getting to parade his new girl around leaves him giddy, fox-like grin hard to squash. He doesn’t suppress anything, finds it hard to push things down. When he does, it’s often unconscious. 

She doesn’t like the way he savours her anxiety like a fine wine, sniffs it from the top of her head and groans out his breath, cackling when she tries to stomp on his foot to make him go away. He dances away with her coat, light and nimble on his feet because he’s used to ducking and weaving for her affection. 

“The guys wanna meet ye,” he repeats for the umpteenth time. It’s surprising how many times he’s had to say it. 

“Why? Haven’t they ever met a girl before?” she gripes, swallowing now, her stomach probably cramping and poor bonnie lass, Johnny thinks. His poor, pretty girl is trying to put on a brave face when he knows she prefers being in the backroom of her little flower shop, snipping off stalks and tying pretty bows around pretty bouquets. He wishes he could keep her back there forever—put a lock on the door and come only to smother her in kisses and gorge himself on every inch of her—but there’s a whole wide world demanding his attention. 

“Aye, hen, never a lass as cute and sweet as ye,” he crows, ducking a hand that punches through the sleeve of her jacket in his direction. 

In the car, he drops the facade. Loses his teasing edge. It’s a violent removal, like jolting awake to the sound of someone sawing away at a catalytic converter. If his smile is saccharine, it’s really only a smokescreen concealing the apprehension bubbling away in his belly. 

He drums his fingers on the steering wheel on the drive back to base. Heart in his throat, choking his words and rendering him quiet for once in his life. He hears Ghost’s voice in his head, a low rumbling laugh, tectonic plates shifting beneath his feet. These days, his voice acts as a lodestar, the thing steering Johnny home. 

Months ago, it was the only thing between him and annihilation, the ice cold maelstrom dragging him deeper into its maw. Guiding him through the valley of death. The wound in his arm still aches in the first light of day. His sleep is still wracked by dreams of running down alleys and ducking into houses, the rain pattering against the window panes ominous, a ticking clock, each step having to be precise, calculated, each movement quieter than quiet, fading into the shadows, a cool heart and mind bested by agony from the bulletwound in his shoulder.

And then—Ghost’s voice, low and soothing in his ear, shattering the pain. Ghost’s voice in his ear telling him where to go, how to survive. 

It’s hard to explain. Johnny’s tried. It’s like talking in circles when he opens his mouth and tries to get it out. I trust him with everything in me. He could do anything to me, anything. 

He is no less capable, no less competent. His rank demands respect, and he takes what’s due to him. Since Las Almas, he’s worked across a medley of other teams, even solo a time or two. It changes nothing. He still wakes in a sweat, chasing that voice. It takes him back into the real world. The days burn into the fringes of a memory that he is always living.

“Should I know anyone’s name before we get there?”

Her voice breaks through the noise in his head this time. It’s every bit as precious. 

“What d’ye mean, hen?” he asks, clucking his tongue. Sweats a bit when he realizes how far down the motorway they are now, how long it’s been since he checked out, lost in his thoughts. One hand rests loose on her leg, fingers spread wide and thumb gliding up and down her outer thigh, the other still holding the wheel. 

The pinched look has mostly fallen off from her face, but there’s still a tremble in her lower lip when she says, “Well, I don’t know any of your friends. I wouldn’t introduce you to my friends without telling you their names first.”

“No’ my friends, hen—we’re coworkers.”

She looks over at him from the corner of her eye. “I’m friends with my coworkers.”

Johnny shrugs. “It’s no’ the same with guys. Couldnae tell you fuck all about any of them except their names, to be honest.”

“Oh, don’t give me that—you’re not friends with a single one of them? No one?”

No hunger without resistance. His mouth goes bone dry. He’d be wise to learn that. 

He swallows. “Maybe a few.”

No transaction without accountability. Ghost saves his life and now Johnny has to pay that debt back tenfold. Sinking into the crease of Simon’s voice late at night, clutching it to his chest. Breathing it out. Maybe they are friends. 

He’s a bit show-offy at the base gates, dangling his ID card out the window pinched between two fingers. The civilian guard on duty just waves him on, scanning it only for the sake of the logs. His tires spin in the dirt when he guns it down the stretch of road leading into the base, windows still all the way down. Her hair whips around in the wind until she gathers it all up in her fist and shrieks at him to roll the windows up. 

Johnny enjoys showing off. That’s a core aspect of who he is, his charm. Braggadocious, confident in the way he looks, his physical prowess, his lot in life—so why would that change with his girl? He holds her close with an arm around her waist when he drags her through the rec centre, the building closest to where they parked. 

He gets lost in conversation for longer than expected. Pure gloating about the girl he’s managed to bag. Cooing in her ear when he feels her get a bit uneasy, still timid around the other guys despite having him at her side. He supposes that’s fair. She’s more comfortable around the women on base, a bit freer with her greeting and questions, but there’s still a pinch in her brow that never smooths all the way over.

It takes a while to find anyone that he knows. There are plenty of sergeants and corporals that he’s worked with before, familiar faces and names, but Johnny still glances around the room while they make light conversation with his girl, searching. Looking for something familiar, something that’ll reel him in, make him perk up like a dog catching a scent. 

They cross Gaz in a random hallway on the way to the comm centre, hardly recognizable at first with the darker stubble of his beard grown out. He must’ve just come back from wherever he’d been shipped off to the month previous, no time to shave or clean up. He even smells of old sweat when Johnny leans in for a hug. 

“Is this—?” Gaz glances over at her just once while the question dangles in the air. He looks back over at Johnny. 

They lock eyes. A silent exchange of meaning. 

“Aye,” Johnny nods, steering her in front of him with both hands on her shoulders, showing his girl off like a kid with a new toy. Eyes glinting like, don’t say a word. “Brought her in to meet everyone.”

A molasses slow smile spreads across Gaz’s face. It’s clear why men like him always get the girl. Johnny’s hands tighten on her shoulders. “Nice to meet you—thought John would hide you away forever.”

She glances up at him through her lashes. “You talked about me?”

Gaz shakes his head. “Not as much as you’d think. Took Ghost ages to get it out of him.”

Johnny flushes. “Did no’. Jus’ ‘cause I don’ blab about everything under the fuckin’ sun doesnae mean—”

“John says you’re a florist,” Gaz interrupts, turning the conversation back to her. Her lips split up into a mischievous little grin, delighted at the turnabout, probably delighted at seeing Johnny stumble over his words.

Something about her teasing grin gets his dick hard. More points to the rapidly disintegrating belief that he doesn’t have a humiliation kink. He leans forward, pressing it into her ass, delighted himself when she shoots him a dirty look over her shoulder but doesn’t pull away. 

“So, where’s everybody?” Johnny asks casually, trying not to make it too obvious who he’s referring to. The look Gaz gives him is unimpressed. He keeps running into that brick wall, his thoughts written out on his forehead, obvious to everyone around him. 

“Everyone?” Gaz repeats sceptically. 

“Aye.” His voice is tight, warning. “Everyone.”

“Ghost’s actually on his way here now, I think. We got called over to HQ—s’where I was headed, actually.”

“I dinnae say anything about Ghost, now did I—,” Johnny grumbles, but the words dissolve in his mouth when the man in question comes into the room. 

Sometimes, Johnny has the pleasure of seeing Ghost round a corner. The split second pleasure of being the observer, of dragging his eyes up and over, his chest bursting with a light like dawn cresting behind mountains and splitting the sky. In the field, he’s often deprived of that; becomes used to experiencing the phenomenon of Ghost melting out of the shadows, sometimes scaring the daylights out of him. 

It’s what happens now though. Glancing up on a whim only to see a man round the corner of the hallway leading out of the rec centre, shirt stretched out maddeningly over his arms and chest, muscles bulging like he just came from the gym, still pumped. The shirt’s a little threadbare, something old and worn, and Johnny’s seen it a million and a half times he figures; it leaves so little to the imagination that he’s joked about Ghost busting it at the seams from time to time, only to be met with a steady, aloof stare. 

There’s something to be said about how he’s drawn to people who refuse to scratch him behind the ears until he’s more than proven himself. He works tirelessly for Ghost’s approval, for his girl’s approval. Dogs with their bones, tigers with their stripes. 

He has a balaclava pulled over his face, just a simple black one this time, the underside of his eyes darkened by eyeblack hastily scrubbed off the night before, probably. His eyes scan the crowd, locking on Johnny and Gaz almost instantly. It’s the mark of a good soldier—he doesn’t flounder in the dark. Always finds his target, like a sixth sense for knowing when he’s being watched. 

Ghost course-corrects upon noticing them, crossing the room in a handful of seconds. The curt, “Johnny,” he gets is a bounty, a treasure. He grins back when Ghost glances down at the girl at his side. “That your bird?” 

“Told ye I’d bring her in—s’long as everyone’s on their best behaviour, of course.”

Gaz snorts. “Good luck with that.”

Ghost must cock an eyebrow because he can see the fabric of his mask shift. “Pretty.”

He can’t help the way he preens at that. Tucked away by his side again, Johnny can feel his girl squirm, but he pays it no mind. She’s shy—he’s known that from day one, from the first time she stumbled out from the back of the flower shop and scrunched her nose up at his attempts at flirting. 

Admiration is a smooth, buttery feeling. It keeps him aloft while another couple of servicemen take interest in their conversation and come over, Johnny’s girl at the centre of everyone’s attention. He’d be pricklier about it if he didn’t have a firm hand on her waist, keeping her pressed to his side. 

He soaks up the attention. Drinks it up when someone asks his girl a question and Johnny answers for her or pinches her cheek when she manages to pipe up before him. He knows he’ll get read the riot act when he takes her back home later, but he might be able to convince her to ride him while berating him for talking over her. Might beg her to slap him and spit in his mouth—say it’s the only way he’ll learn his lesson.

Dirty dog.

It strikes him that maybe he’s picked up some bad habits in recent months. He’s never been one to overthink, to worry and fret. Yet, he toils in it now, shovels coals into the furnace of it and gives it life. 

His shoulders go slack, the tension finally ebbing out of him. No longer dogged by the incessant fear that his girl is going to run away, bolt at the first loud noise, or that someone’s going to pluck her up out of his arms. She seems comfortable if anything. 

He’s been overthinking all of this, wrapped up in his head. He can breathe out, unclench. 

When Ghost shifts to stand closer to them, he glances over because that’s where his gaze always goes these days. Seeking Ghost out, finding him in a crowd; looking for his North Star wherever he is, wherever he goes. 

Only to watch in mute horror as, in plain sight, not trying to be discreet or hide it from anyone, Ghost gropes his girlfriend’s ass in front of everyone on base. Just reaches out a big hand and fondles her ass, digging his fingers into the cheek. She freezes, back ramrod straight as she stares ahead, eyes going a bit blank. 

He fails whatever test this is, mouth too dry for any words to come out. Humiliation burns him from the inside out. Another sergeant that he’s worked with before frowns, glancing over at Johnny. Neither of them say a word. 

Ghost tilts his head, staring down at his hand on her ass like he’s contemplating its plushness. Admiring it. With how Johnny stands on one side and Ghost the other, the two of them bracket her, like the soft centre of their trio; nowhere for her to go, a handler on either side. That’s wrong though. Ghost is not her handler—Johnny hardly is, more of a self-appointed one. 

Still he—

He lets it happen.

Contention dies a bloody death in his mouth, massacred. Mangled. He lets Ghost sink his fingers into his girlfriend’s backside and hum a little under his breath before finally pulling his hand away. The others look at him, waiting for Johnny’s reaction with bated breath. A reaction that never comes because it gets strangled in Johnny’s throat. 

“Nice meeting the bird,” Ghost finally says, voice a decibel lower, rough enough to scrape. “Gaz and I’ve got shit to do now. Be ready on the tarmac by oh-seven-hundred tomorrow, Johnny.” 

He grips Johnny by the shoulder before heading off, like he didn’t just grope Johnny’s girlfriend. Like he didn’t just reach down and grab a handful of her ass like it was his to feel up. And Johnny just nods. A placid, docile thing under Ghost’s hand, bobbing his head like a doll. 

Then Ghost leaves, Gaz trailing after him, looking back about a half dozen times to see if Johnny will suddenly follow them until he’s forced to job to catch up to Ghost, the man already yards away, longer legs carrying him fast out of the building. 

They don’t talk on the drive back to her apartment, the inside of the car tense and uncertain. Johnny walks her to the door when he lets her off, but it’s a formality, a chaste kiss at the door instead of the rough fuck that he’d envisioned to send her off. Despite the hard set of her jaw, she doesn’t lambast him like Johnny expected. The silence is worse though, haunting when she shuts the door in his face. 

The drive back to base after the drop off is agonizing in a whole new way. Still pent up, cock heavy in his pants, and fingers drumming over the steering wheel twice as fast now. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? What he wants to do is turn around at the closest gap between both sides of the motorway and speed all the way back, knock on her door until his knuckles blister and bleed, until she opens the door and lets him in, lets Johnny push her to the floor in the entryway and spread her legs, welcoming him in. 

Until she lets him fit his fingers into the marks left behind by Ghost’s hand. 

Cold fire rising up off his bones, and then something hot. And wet. 

The next day at breakfast in the mess, one of the guys says something like, “If Ghost was into my girl, that’s the last you’d see of me and her,” and his mind goes blank and he goes over the table.

[lulunothulu]

“So you think I’m hot?” Pt. 2

Tyler Owens x Reader

Summary: After a chase gone wrong, you find your heart softening for Tyler when he comes to your aide.

Contents: in a tornado scene(bad writing lol), mild tornado-related injuries, some blood, kinda gore(?), swearing, fluff

A/N: Everyone say thank you to @thetorturedpoetcalleddez here’s part two for you guys! Enjoy and read part one here!!!

“Y/N, do you have a reading?” Javi asks you from the front of the truck.

You’re currently in the back trying to get the remote to open the canisters of Kate’s “miracle tornado stopper” to work. The tornado in front of the truck is getting closer, wins, picking up its pace. And of course, when you actually need it to work, it doesn’t.

“No, I think a wire in the remote is loose,” you tell him.

“I’ll go open them manually,” Kate tells you.

“No,” you tell her. “I’ll do it. I’m faster than you anyway.”

Kate chuckles before rotating in her seat to watch you hop out of the truck.

Once you’re in the storm, you rushed to trailer Javi has attached to the truck and begin to open the large drum canisters one by one. Your palms are sweaty and handshaking, but you reach the last canister and pry it open. You unhook the trailer just as planned and smile before running back to the back passenger door. You turn your head and that’s when you see the tornado about to hit the truck.

“Go, go, go!” You tell Javi who then begins flooring the truck to the left, toward the field and away from the tornado. But it’s no use, the tornado has a mind of its own and follows the truck.

“Javi!” Kate screams. “Faster!”

“I’m trying!” He yells back.

“Oh my god,” you start. The tornado is right on the heels of the truck and you know what’s coming. “Hold on to something!”

In a span of a few second, the truck turns right and you feel the tornado push and suck you all up and then down.

The world starts spinning now. Flashes of grass then sky and back to grass. Then finally, the truck is upright and all you hear is someone screaming.

Not someone.

Kate.

“Y/N!” Kate screams. “Are you okay?”

You blink and look to the front of the truck to see Kate’s brown eyes wide and looking at your lap then Javi’s panicked expression.

When you look down at your leg, you find a large piece of shattered glass poking out.

“Don’t move,” Javi orders. “Kate, get back there and make sure her leg and that piece of glass are stable.”

Kate does so, hands shaking as she tries her best to keep the glass from moving while Javi drives.

“You’re gonna be okay,” she tells you.

“I can’t feel the pain,” you tell her.

“It must be the adrenaline,” she tells you. “What a freak accident. I wonder why only your window broke.”

You scoff. “Mother Nature must’ve been pissed off I opened those canisters.”

Kate offers you a watery smile before turning to Javi, “Did you have to drive on the bumpiest road?”

“This is the only one that’ll get her back to camp the quickest,” he tells you. “Just be glad the truck works.”

By the time Javi pulls into the base camp parking lot, the adrenaline has worn off and you’re grinding your teeth to keep from screaming in pain.

“Okay imma open the door to grab Y/N’s arms and Kate you’re gonna hold her legs,” Javi instructs.

Kate nods and just as he’d planned, he opens the door and grabs your arms while Kate holds your legs. You yelp in pain at her touch causing her to apologize and look to her left.

You follow her gaze to see Tyler standing on his truck and waving to the crowd of people around him. He smiles at everyone around him before his eyes land on you. Immediately, the smile drops and he’s hopping off his truck and running toward you.

“Let me hold her,” he tells Javi and Kate. He, however, doesn’t let them agree. He simply carries you bridal-style, and begins walking toward the medic camp. “What happened?”

“A tornado, dipshit,” you seethe.

He smiles at you. “It’s nice to know you still have your sass.”

“Fuck off, Tyler,” you groan. Yelping in pain when he sets you down on a table before the doctor.

“Our car rolled and her window broke,” Kate tells Tyler and the doctor. “We got her here as fast as we could.”

“We didn’t want to pull it out just in case it hit a major artery,” Javi adds.

“You did the right thing,” the doctor tells them. “She’s lucky, though. The glass barely missed the femoral artery.”

“So then can you take it out?” You moan. “This shit hurts.”

He smiles at you before nodding and grabbing a vial of something as well as a needle. “This is just for the pain. It’ll numb the area and then we can get it out.”

When he injects the liquid into your thigh, you instinctively reach for the hand next to yours. You squeeze the raspy surface and close your eyes tight.

The hand squeezes back and you hear Tyler say, “I’ll be here the whole time.”

You would pull your hand back, but you kind of liked the way his other hand caresses the top of yours.

“Okay, it’s out,” the doctor tells you. “Now, I’m just going to stitch it and then wrap the wound and you’ll be good to go.”

“Thank you,” Tyler says. Then to Kate and Javi, “I can take her back to her room. You guys go get the truck fixed.”

Kate looks to you and you nod, silently telling her it’s alright. She sighs before saying, “Alright, let’s go Javi.”

When they walk out, Tyler sit behind you on the table and wraps his other arm around you. “I figured you’d like it better if I hugged you while you got your stitches.”

The doctor smiles before saying, “Your boyfriend is very thoughtful.”

You were about to tell him that you two weren’t dating but Tyler interrupts before smiling.

“Yeah, I couldn’t let my girl sit here in pain.”

You almost roll your eyes but that’s when the doctor begins stitching making you squeeze Tyler’s hand again. In your ear, Tyler whispers small praises “You’re doing great.”

“Almost done,” the doctor tells you before adding one more stitch and grabbing some gauze to wrap your leg. Once he finished, he turns to Tyler and says, “Make sure she changes her bandages twice a day. Once in the morning and then right before bed. If the stitches rip, bring her back and I’ll redo them. I’ll get some crutches.”

When he leaves the tent to go get them, Tyler stands, leaving your back slightly cool at the absence of his touch.

“See,” he starts. “You’re gonna be fine. And I’ll be here to nurse you back to health.”

You only sigh. “Fine.”

“That’s it? No sassy comeback?” Tyler’s brows are practically in his hairline at this point and you can’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m in too much pain to sass right now.”

The doctor walks back in and hands, Tyler, the crutches as well as a bottle of painkillers. “She’s only allowed two per day.”

“Thank you so much, doc,” Tyler says. Before handing you a pill and the crutches and saying, “I’ll carry you today but tomorrow I want you to practice using the crutches.”

“Okay, babe,” you say with an eye roll. Swallowing the pill immediately.

You grab the crutches from him and almost gasp when Tyler carries you bridal style again. You didn’t notice how easily he lifted you before and for some reason, that did things for you.

Heart racing, hand clammy, and cheeks turning red kind of things.

Tyler walks in silence, soaking in the sunlight. It feels like he’d been walking for a while and you suddenly feel the need to speak.

You clear your throat before saying, “My room number is—”

“I know what number it is,” he says quietly.

“How? Did you stalk me?” You smirk.

“No,” he starts. Then smiling down at you adds, “But Boone did.”

You roll your eyes and shake your head. “Of course he did. I assume he did it for you?”

“Well yeah,” he says. “I wanted to apologize for the night before. I didn’t mean to sound like such a dickhead.”

You blink. Tyler has never apologized to you for any of his comments. This was refreshingly new and interesting.

“I just wanted to make you smile,” he continues. “You always smile at Boone and I guess I felt left out. I always get the short end of the stick with you.”

“And here I thought you liked it when I roll my eyes at you,” you tease.

“Did you just flirt with me?” Tyler smiles.

You smile back, a genuine one. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s the painkillers.”

“I think it’s the pain killers bringing out your true feelings,” he shrugs.

Once he reaches your door, you hand him the key. He opens the door, carrying you to the bed and setting you down as gently as he can.

“Well, I hope you recover quickly,” he says, turning to leave.

You stop him, grabbing his hand before he can get too far.

“Stay,” you urge. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“I’m sure Kate or Javi can come over.”

“But, I want you to stay.”

Tyler smiles. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“Who said I didn’t?”

“Your face does every time I come around,” he chuckles.

“Nahhhh,” you slur. “I actually reallllly like you. I think your ego keeps you from being better. And you smell nice.”

“That’s definitely the painkillers talking,” he laughs.

“Nooope,” you go on. “Just bringing out the truth again.”

“Oh really?”

“Mhmm.” You nod.

“So I’m hot and I smell nice?” He smiles.

“Don’t push your luck, Owens.”

A/N: I feel like this one was long 😂 Part three???

Part 3!!!!

[eddiesghxst]

no thoughts just loser!eddie losing his shit when he sees you over at his house for the first time, rifling through his things like any normal friend does.. but you stumble upon a box.under his bed. it’s like slow motion when he walks into his room and sees you open the lid and he nearly drops a glass of water, literally biting his fist in pain, trying to stop you but then you’d only get more curious of what he was hiding.

you. he has polaroids of you except they’re the dirty cum covered kinds. he has your underwear with his stains in it. he has your perfume bottles, your rings (he would totally get hard seeing how tiny they are compared to his, and imagining the dainty stones on the rings on your ring finger like an engagement stone)

it’s like a fucking shrine for you and he thinks he’s gonna pass out as your eyes widen.

but you only turn to him and smile, and his knees weaken. literally almost fainting when you kiss him because you have definitely slept with his sweatshirts, came to the idea of eddie, etc. he’s just such a fucking loser but that night he makes you cum so much you see stars and he’ll have a scrapbooks worth of polaroids (just from that night alone lol)

anyways do you think you could write a lil something based loosely off that? 🫶

BESTIE I MIGHTVE DIED YES. YES YES YES.

also this ended up longer than I'd intended but who cares its pervy!loser!eddie

18+ — MINORS DNI

word count: 1k

————

Eddie’s not sure if he believes this is real. There’s no way this is real, right? There’s no way he has his best friend naked on his bed, covered in sweat and cum— his cum, at that.

He almost thinks it’s all another one of his sick, perverted dreams, but then he’s reminded that none of those dreams have felt this real. None of his dreams have felt this vivid to where he can actually feel the tremble in your hands as you wrap a fist around his wet cock, the shift of the bed as you clumsily scramble to your knees, the lewd and unmistakable shlick sound of your hand fisting his spent cock. It’s never been this vivid— that’s how he knows this isn’t a dream.

You’re blissed out and cock-drunk as you shuffle to lean on all fours, lowering your mouth to suckle on Eddie’s leaking tip. Your toes curl at the sound of Eddie groaning above you, a hand resting on the back of your head to shove himself further down your throat. “Take it all the way in, that’s it— fuck,” Your center throbs at his words, a wet gagging noise emitting from the back of your throat when Eddie’s tip meets the tight space. He curses with a groan, head dropping back for a moment before he looks back down at you with a lazy smirk.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you gag on my dick, sweetheart.”

You whine, your hips grinding back against nothing, the cool breeze of his room sending shivers up your spine when it graces the wet heat of your cunt. Around you, scattered on the bed, are the many polaroids you had just discovered earlier. Snapped photos of you in bed, in the shower, getting dressed in your room; all images that would’ve sent anyone else running for the hills. Eddie was so sure you would never speak to him again when you found that box full of all things you, but to his surprise (and sinful delight), you were just as fucked up as Eddie, if not more.

Eddie’s eyes dart all over the bed; polaroids, lace panties and matching bras, dainty jewelry, lipsticks, and perfume bottles. Eddie Munson was a perverted thief, and it somehow landed him balls deep down your throat. 

He reaches down and picks up a particular Polaroid, one of his favorites; a picture of you laid on your stomach in your bed, one leg hiked up to form a comfortable sleeping position. You’d forgone your sleeping shorts this night, and Eddie took it upon himself to jack off and cover your ass in sticky ropes of his cum, snapping a photo as the white substance dripped down between the folds of your ass to stain your pretty panties (Eddie stole those panties that same night).

He takes the picture and holds it up between two fingers. “So many nights of wasted cum… you’ve got a lot to make up for, sweet girl.” His voice is low and teasing, and you whine against him, nuzzling his cock further down your throat until your nose brushes against the curly hairs surrounding his base.

Eddie’s knuckles are tight against your scalp when he pulls you off his cock, shivering at the wet gasp you take, bleary eyes blinking up at him as your spit drips onto his thighs. “Think you’ve been good enough for it?” He wraps a hand around himself and rubs his throbbing tip against your lips, humming in approval when you open your mouth to offer your tongue. He slaps himself against your tongue a few times, chuckling when you whine and squeeze your thighs together. You can feel the sticky feeling of his cum and your arousal sliding against the insides of your hot thighs, and your eyes roll at the sensation. You lean forward and nuzzle against his cock, “Please, Eds— want it so bad. I’ve been so good, I have.” Your words are nearly slurred; the only thing on your mind is the overwhelming urge you have to feel Eddie’s cum in the back of your throat.

You don’t see Eddie reaching for his camera, too focused on licking your way down to his balls. “Fuck— look at me, sweetheart, give me those pretty eyes.”

You slowly blink up at Eddie, wet lashes fluttering and pouty lips grazing his cock as you gaze at the camera. A flash and a snapping sound echo through the room before a white card come out the bottom, a curse falling from Eddie’s lips as he shakes the paper and tosses it to the side for later. He nods down towards you, “Love on it, baby; show me how much you love my cock.” You don’t wait for another second, licking a thick stripe up his cock, rounding your lips around his tip to suck eagerly. Eddie takes another picture, and you whine.

“Shit, I’m gonna come— keep sucking baby, keep taking me in.”

You shuffle forward, nose brushing against his pelvis once again, and Eddie takes it as permission to secure a hand atop your head and begin fucking himself into the back of your throat. Both of your hands are fisted into the sheets below you, watery eyes gazing up at the blissed-out Eddie above you. His hips falter during the last few thrusts; he doesn’t last much longer. 

“I’m gonna come… don’t swallow, okay?” You nod as best as you can, and without further directions, Eddie’s cum floods your mouth until you nearly choke on it. 

He pulls out of your mouth with a moan, instructing you to open your mouth and show him your tongue, which you immediately obey. He reaches for the camera once more, snapping one picture with you on all fours, gazing up at the camera with your tongue out, white sticky cum coating the inside of your mouth. He takes a second picture, this time with his hand cradling your jaw. The third and last picture he takes is with his hand still cradling your jaw, but his thumb is now pressed against your tongue, smearing his sticky mess across your tastebuds.

And when he tosses the newly printed photos into the pile of new Polaroids, he catches a glimpse of one clear picture of your pussy freshly fucked and covered in his cum. Eddie can’t help it when his cock twitches against his thigh once again.

It’s safe to say that Eddie had to get a new box the next day <3

[celuere]

Give me what I want.

pairing: Arlecchino x fem!reader

context: sesbian lex.

cw: porn without plot, strap-on, rough sex, overstimulation, pussydrunk Arle, Arle is so into eating reader out that she lowkey looses it, not proofread

I literally just wanted to write something short without plot or back information to cleanse my mind before going back to my usual scheming😼

NSWF utc, MDNI

„I can’t hear you.“, your attempt to muffle the moans into the comfort of your pillow was shattered to pieces as your wife grabbed a handful of your messy hair -which used to be a neatly arranged ponytail- only to yank your head back out of the fabric, your moans of pure pleasure and ecstasy now ripping through the tense bedroom air.

„You know better than to hide the results of my work from me, doll.“, she rolled her hips back against yours, your juices already formed a creamy ring on the base of strap as she effortlessly hit that cute little spot inside of you again. The spot that makes your legs quiver and your pussy throb even more as you prayed to the gods that she leaves your abdomen intact.

How many times did she make you break apart by now? You lost count already but the five fingers on your hand were sure as hell not enough. She didn’t even bother undressing you properly after coming home with you from a business dinner.

There was still your bra holding onto its dear life on your right shoulder as your beautiful dress was lazily unzipped, the skirt being shoved up just enough for Arle to have access to your cunt and you were pretty sure she might’ve ripped it in the process of trying to get these annoying layers of fabric off of your body before just simply giving up. Then there was your pantyhose. Besides mumbling a simple „sorry“ against your neck as she ripped them apart to gain entry to you, little effort was put into caring for your clothes.

She was the one buying them anyway.

Another cry of pleasure left your throat as she angled her hips slightly, only to fuck back deeper into your aching cunt, always making sure the tip of the silicone dildo kisses your weak spot. It’s not like it takes a lot of effort for her to do so.

„So vocal, my little dove… aren’t you?“, the sound of skin slapping together filled the room as you can’t help but nod which makes her chuckle, soon you feel her sharp nail being dragged along the length of your spine. You visibly shiver underneath her touch.

„You can whine and complain about your overstimulated core all you want but you‘re moans are practically all over the place as if I‘d deprived you of my touch for centuries.“, your walls tightened at the sheer rawness in her voice again, you needed a break as much as you wanted her to keep fucking you into heaven, to keep whispering those filthy words into your ear that remind exactly of why that wedding ring on your right hand is glimmering so beautifully in the shimmering moonlight shining down on your fucked out figure.

Just when you were about to approach your next orgasm of the night, that filled up sensation between your legs disappeared suddenly and fuck you hated it. It suddenly felt so unbearably empty it made your legs quiver in desperation. With a whine you turned your head around to throw the death glare of the century at your wife. You were only met with a pair of hungry eyes fixating yours.

In between your breathless panting, you couldn’t help but snap at her, „W-What was that for-?! I was just about-”, and in one swift motion, you were flipped on your back. Strong hands grabbing a hold underneath your knee joints; forcing your legs against your chest and lifting up your abdomen in the process.

„Always so quick to complain. Greedy, little thing you are.“, your wife was no more standing before you as her face was now on the same height as your throbbing hole. Something in your stomach churned at the hungry glimmer in Arlecchino‘s eyes as she stared down at you, like a predator choosing its prey for the next meal.

She was about to have a feast.

„Any last words?“, her tongue slowly licked over her own lips, nails carefully scratching over the skin on your knee, the threads of her self control snapping one by one as she took in the drenched state of your cunt and- oh? Seems like her nails also parted your slip in two pieces when she pulled it aside earlier.

„En… E-Enjoy your meal-“, the words barely left your lips as Arlecchino dived her face between your legs, tongue lapping up your folds to savor every last drop of you.

Your hand quickly found home in between the strands of her hair, your body too overwhelmed with her tongue exploring your aching pussy like she just came home to a Gourmet meal being served for dinner. The slurping sounds coming from her mouth where driving you close to insanity, there was even a moan being swallowed up your soft flesh as the tip of her tongue grazed your clitoris.

This was as close to heaven as Arlecchino will ever get. Your taste was addictive. Pulling her in like a siren song. More. She wanted- No, she needed more of you. She wanted to devour you whole, feast on you until your legs were shaking around her head as you prayed and begged for more. Simply just nibbling on your clit wasn’t enough for her. She was greedy. And the Knave was usually never a greedy woman. But this pretty thing between your legs only belonged to her and she had to make sure you know it. She will let you know it.

So when her tongue dived back into your hole, a pleasured whine slipped past your lips. Your wife knew how to eat you up even better than how to handle her deadly scythe. It came to her as natural as breathing but you didn’t quite believe her when she insists on you being her first.

Arlecchino didn’t stop for the sake of your sanity when you came over her tongue faster than you anticipated. The lewd sounds that were produced by your very own vocal chords being enough to keep her going, nose still nuzzled against the overly sensitive bundle of nerves as her tongue fucked you like she just made her last wish on her deathbed.

That’s when you noticed between all the pleasure clouding your mind that her hands gripping your legs were growing overly hot. A quick glance at them confirmed your suspicions. The usually dark-grey lines grazing her black skin were slowly fading into a bloody-red.

She was that far gone?

Hissing slightly, you tapped her hand with your free one, „F-Fuck… Arle…“, but your wife was too lost in her own Cloud 7.

„P-Peruere-!“, this time your voice grew a bit more desperate, even tugging on her hair.

„Hm…?“, her mouth still didn’t leave the comforting warmth of your folds, eyes merely fluttering open, it‘s like looking in the eyes of a drunkard who just came home from his daily visit at the bar.

„P-Peruere, y-your hands-!“, you know yanked her head back from you, forcing a pained groan from her throat, your fluids dripping down from her chin.

Like how dare you interrupt her during her meal.

She even had the guts to look pissed off as she took rapid breaths, obviously not aware of her need of oxygen, „Wo… Woman, what is so important that you-”, she now finally noticed the red lines running up her toned arms and she clicked her tongue in frustration, quickly removing her grip on you after placing your legs on her shoulders and shoves the skirt of your dress out of her way.

„My apologies. Are you hurt, dearest?“, she placed a soft kiss on your inner thigh before leaning her head against it. The look in her eyes was apologetic, yet still yearning.

„It‘s fine. I‘m oka-”, that‘s all your wife needed to hear before taking off right where she left the both of you. Hands now slowly returning back to their usual color but they’re now gripping the edge of your bed, not wanting to risk anything.

You could only watch the black tips of her hair slowly turning back into their usual white when you felt her lips closing around your clit.

This is going to be a loooooooooooong night. You just hope that your legs won’t give up on you tomorrow.

[joelscruff]

poolside (sugar daddy!javi gutierrez x f!reader) 18+

kofi | um i literally wrote this in an hour?????? idk where it even came from but basically han @swiftispunk had to walk home in a blizzard today and i felt she deserved something warm to enjoy while she bundles up. who woulda thought this would be my first fic of 2024? anyway this is loosely based off this drabble by han and.. dare i say... exists in the same universe? in my brain lmao summary: just some fun by the pool with sugar daddy!javi rating: 18+ explicit warnings: blowjobs, deepthroating, brief ball worship, daddy kink, unprotected p in v sex, creampie, bad google translate spanish, sweat word count: 1.5k

You've been thinking about it all morning, and that's no exaggeration. The second you'd awoken the thought had been there in the back of your mind, although quieted almost immediately by your alarm and the rush to get ready for the day. It had returned in the bathroom as you'd brushed your teeth, again at breakfast when you'd scarfed down a banana, and now, as you sip your ice-cold cocktail underneath the hot Majorcan sun, the thought is there again.

Only this time, you can't hold it back.

"Can I be honest about something?"

The words tumble past your lips much faster than anticipated, garbled by anxiety and the deafening humidity of the warm summer day. For a few seconds you think - god, he's gonna ask me to repeat it - but thankfully, Javi turns to you from the lounge chair on your right side with a kind smile and those sparkling eyes you've already grown so accustomed to. Your nervousness dissipates almost immediately.

"Of course you can," he says, tilting his head back against the soft cushion, "You can tell me anything, mi amor."

You bite your lip, avoiding eye contact as you softly murmur, "Well I know we haven't really established all our rules yet, but, um -" your eyes fall unconsciously to his striped speedo, "I'd really like to give you a blowjob."

The speed at which his eyebrows go up is almost comical, sunglasses drooping off the end of his nose as his cocktail freezes in mid-air on its way to his mouth. He stares at you for a few seconds with fluttering lashes, words bubbling in his throat but never actually passing his lips. You stifle a giggle.

"Would that be okay?" you ask quietly, shyly, though you already know from his reaction that it's more than okay. You just want to hear him say it.

With an almost shaky hand he places his drink on the table between your chairs and sits up a bit, long tan legs stretching out against the length of the chair. He pushes his glasses up, as if trying to hide his clearly excited expression from you - trying to play it cool, as best he can. Adorable.

"Yes," he finally states, voice cracking slightly, "Yes, that would be okay."

In seconds you've lifted from your spot beside him to kneel down alongside his chair, hand immediately reaching for the waistband of his speedo. His shirt rides up as he positions himself accordingly, and you can see sweat dripping from the hair on his tummy down into his pubic hair. You start to salivate.

His cock is only semi-hard, taken by surprise at your sudden request, but you think it's cute. You tug down the speedo as best you can, exposing him entirely, his heavy balls slipping out of their confinement. With no hesitation you lean down and nuzzle your nose against each one, inhaling his delicious musk and smiling when you feel his hand immediately cup the back of your head. Oh, he likes that.

You open your mouth and carefully tug one of his balls into your mouth as best you can, soft and sensitive against your tongue. He lets out a shaky moan and you peer up to see him tilting his head back again; you can't tell if he's looking at you, eyes covered by his sunglasses, but you don't mind. You start to suckle carefully, tongue swirling all along the tender area before releasing it with a pop and enveloping the second one in the same manner. His fingers tighten slightly in your hair and you smirk.

"Do you like getting your balls sucked, daddy?" you ask quietly after freeing your mouth again.

"Y-yes," he says through another moan as you begin to lap at them with your tongue, wet with your saliva and his sweat, "Yes, mi amor. D-daddy likes that."

You pull your face back and feel yourself throb when you see how much his cock has grown, already at full size just from having his balls played with. You nudge the base with your nose, closing your eyes as you let it trail up and down, up and down, and then repeating the same pattern with your tongue. He tastes like saltwater and you salivate even more.

"Oh, fuck," he groans somewhere above you, thumb stroking the spot behind your ear, "Así, corazón."

His Spanish - its meaning still mostly unbeknownst to you - spurs you on, and you reach your hand down to carefully lift his cock from his belly and slip it past your lips. His mushroom head is soft and already leaking, salty-sweet on your tongue as you moan around its width and take it further into your mouth. Already dying to have him in your throat, you push downwards and allow almost his entire length to fill you up, your eyes rolling back at the sensation.

"Oh," he whimpers out, thighs trembling beneath you, "Mi amor..." His nails dig lightly into your scalp and you feel your pussy throb again.

Breathing carefully through your nose, you sink your mouth down until your lips kiss the base of his cock, his pubic hair crowding your face. You inhale deeply and moan again, thighs rubbing together as he pulses in your throat. After a few seconds you pull off, spluttering a bit but wiping your mouth and going back in for more almost immediately. He groans above you, watching as you deepthroat his thick cock with barely any inhibitions whatsoever.

"N-need to be inside you," he murmurs suddenly, fingers brushing through your hair with an urgency that wasn't there before.

"You are inside me," you whisper as you pull off his cock, only to capture it in your mouth a few seconds later and stuff your throat with his length again.

"No, eso no es lo que quiero decir," his words are already mush, and you wouldn't understand even if he'd spoken them in English. When you don't respond, only suckle around the warm appendage in your throat, he finally manages to groan, "Up here, hermosa, please. Daddy needs your pussy."

Fuck.

If he'd asked you any other way, you might not have listened, especially when the rules for your dynamic still have yet to be completely laid out. But just hearing him say that again...

"Okay, daddy," you mumble around the head of his cock, letting it plop from your lips and smack wetly against his belly. You stand up and waste no time in tugging your bikini bottoms down, tossing them to the side and climbing into his lap. Your pussy is warm and sticky against his bare skin, throbbing above his belly button in quick pulses.

"Lift up," he practically hisses through his teeth, reaching down and holding his cock at attention while you do as he says. A moment later you're sheathing his thick length inside your heat, soft whimpers escaping your lips as you sink down. "That's it, mi amor," he groans, "Perfecta."

You already know you're not going to last, and he seems to feel the same. The humidity of the air pushes down on your sweaty bodies, your hands coming down to press firmly against his chest as you start to ride his cock up and down. You finger the buttons of his shirt, pulling them apart to access the skin beneath; in turn, he reaches up and pulls your bikini top down under your breasts with one finger, exposing them to him as you start to bounce.

He's so fucking thick, so deep and hot and wet and perfect. Your brow furrows as you quicken your pace, eyes coming up to meet his sunglasses, and - without asking - you reach forward and take them off. He's looking right at you, eyes still sparkling, watching your every movement - watching you bounce up and down on his cock. It's enough to make you come.

And you do, a high keening sound falling from your mouth as you fall forward against his chest and let your orgasm take over, limbs loose and shaky. His arms wrap around you, hold you firm against his body as he takes your hips and lifts you up and down without any effort, keeping your pace steady on his cock.

"That's it, mi amor," he murmurs to you softly, movements frantic now, fast and desperate, "Hold on to me."

He doesn't need to ask - you're already wrapping your arms around his neck and breathing haggardly against the warmth of his chest as he fucks into you. It only takes a few more lifts of your hips for him to explode inside of you, cum hot and thick against your walls, filling you up. You squeak out another breathless moan and bury your face in his sun-kissed skin.

He keeps you there on his cock for a few moments, both of you catching your breaths as he strokes your bare skin up and down, up and down, listening to the chirps of birds in nearby trees and the faint splash of pool water. It's so peaceful.

"Thank you, daddy," you tell him softly.

"No, hermosa," he pants out, nose brushing the crown of your head as he presses a kiss to your hair, "Thank you."

[reiding-writing]

melatonin and oxytocin [ s.r ]

Summary:

You and Spencer pair up in an inn room that just happens to have one bed. Oh, and did you know that physical contact promotes better sleep? Well, that’s what Spencer says anyway. And he’s always right.

WARNINGS: literally none, crazy i know

pairing: spencer reid x gn!reader

genre: pure fluff, friends to lovers

wc: 5.1k

masterlist!!

a/n: here’s my official apology for all of the angst i put you through in erotomania 😭 i dont write pure fluff like ever so please bare with me if it’s a little stunted 😭🫶 also this is very very loosely based of off 05X21 - Exit Wounds.

The team was currently in Alaska working on a case, set up in a small inn during their stay. The issue was, they could only provide 4 rooms despite there being 8 members on the team, meaning that everyone had to double up for the night.

Spencer’s first instinct was to turn towards Morgan, but before he even had the chance to open his mouth Morgan was profusely shaking his head. “Absolutely not,”

“Wha-” Morgan held up his hand before Spencer could question his decision. “Never again. You are some kind of vampire I swear,”

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows in Morgan’s direction, met with a shrug. “This man needs his beauty sleep,”

“Dibs!” Garcia leaned over the back of the couch she was sat on so she could grasp at Morgan’s forearm. “I call dibs.”

Morgan chuckles at Garcia’s enthusiasm, leaning over to place a kiss on the crown of her head. “Alright, me and you babygirl,”

Garcia’s soft giggle is joined by a yawn from where you’re sat next to her, and you rub your eye with your knuckle as you lean your head against the back of the couch. “Can we just all choose quickly? I’m exhausted-”

The end of your sentence is cut off with another yawn, only further emphasising your point. Your words were definitely more blunt than usual, your tiredness most definitely making you more irritable.

“I uh- You can share a room with me if you want,” Spencer’s voice is timid as he speaks, and if he wasn’t stood directly behind you you’re not sure you would’ve heard it.

"Sure great, let’s go-" You drag one of the room keys off the small table in front of you as you stand, throwing your travel bag over your shoulder and walking around the couch, placing the palm of your hand flat on Spencer’s back to push him towards the stairs up to the rooms. “Goodnight.”

Your call back to the rest of the team is more of a custom than a genuine wish for them to get a good rest, and if you were more alert you’d probably hit yourself over the back of the head for being so blunt. But politeness wasn’t on your mind right now. You just wanted to sleep.

You fumble with putting the key in the door through your drowsiness, but eventually manage to push the door open to the room.

It’s about what you’d expect from somewhere small like this in the middle of nowhere.

The flooring was dark, with a small rectangular rug in a wine red colour in the centre, the walls an off-white with a slightly suspicious looking water stain in one of the corners. There was a dark-brown leather armchair leaned against the wall next to an ajar door leading to a bathroom, with a decorative pillow of the same shade of red as the rug on the floor. The arm of the chair had a noticeable rip, most probably from a child who’d got bored whilst staying there.

The room was warmly lit from the two lamps on the two side tables, the only other thing on them a basket-weaved mug coaster. The over head light was notably turned off, unable to be used at all seeing as it didn’t even have a bulb in it.

And of course, there was a single queen-sized bed in the centre of the room, it’s frame the same dark wood as the floorboards and definitely just as worn.

Although, the duvet and its pillows seemed brand new, a clean, sparkling white that stood out against the dis-colouring of the wall behind it, a throw blanket over the end and two decorative pillows on top, again matching the other decorative pieces in their dark red colouring.

You didn’t even have to look over at Spencer to know that he was definitely a little perturbed.

With a sigh your drag yourself into the room, dumping your bag on the armchair and unzipping it to pull out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to change into.

Spencer however, remained stood in the doorway, seemingly considering whether it would be a better option for him to go out and sleep in the SUV.

His rational brain told him to just suck it up and get on with it, but he couldn’t help that subconscious voice in the back of his head that rattled on about how unhygienic hotel rooms are, especially in small rural areas like this.

Not only that, he was also battling the reality that he would inevitably have to share a bed with you, even if it was large enough to house both of you without any unintentional physical contact; He was at least grateful that it actually looked clean.

“Can I- leave the light on?” He breaks his own train of thought as he pushes the door closed with his foot, surrendering to the inevitability of spending the night in this dingy room with you.

You give him a short nod as your answer, joined by your third yawn in the span of five minutes. "God I genuinely think I could fall asleep standing up right now-"

Spencer chuckles at your yawn and nods at your words, leaving his bag on the floor as he takes a seat on the left edge of the bed, pulling out a copy of Les Fluers de Mal and flipping through it until he found the page he’d left on.

“It has been scientifically proven that it is physically impossible to fall asleep while standing, as your cerebellum would be triggered in response to the lack of stimulation which would cause a reflexive response to make you sit down.”

Of course Spencer would know something like that.

You rifle through your bag to find your toothbrush and travel toothpaste. "So what I’m hearing is I could fall asleep standing, but then i’d just end up sitting down," You zip your bag shut again once you’ve retrieved everything you need, pushing open the door to the small en suite bathroom, which thankfully, was much newer than the bedroom. "That sounds like falling asleep standing up if you ask me,"

Your voice muffles ever so slightly as you shut the door behind you.

“Yes, that is a fairly logical conclusion,” He nods slightly as he reads, not taking in the fact that you can’t see him from behind the door.

“Although I still believe it doesn’t quite count as 'falling asleep standing', as when you sit down your brain then activates its natural response to the loss of stimulation in order to put you to sleep. You see, it is impossible to enter the first stage of the sleep cycle within that split second between standing and sitting down, meaning that your body would still be awake.”

You chuckle lightly as you stick your head out of the bathroom once you’ve finished changing, toothbrush in your mouth as you dump your work clothes over the arm of the chair.

“The act of falling asleep occurs when your brain begins to transition from a state of wakefulness to a state of deep sleep. This is signalled by a spike in alpha-waves, which creates a relaxed feeling leading to…” He trails off as he watches you walk past him, figuring you’re not listening to him anymore.

"Why’d you stop?" You straighten your posture as you stop momentarily in your tracks, turning your head towards him.

“Oh, I- thought that you weren’t interested in listening to what I was saying.” His reply betrays his surprise at your engagement.

“I was simply going to add that when you are sitting and the spike in alpha waves occurs and you begin to fall asleep, your brain will automatically trigger a response that causes you to slump forward, hence causing you to sit down.”

Your body subconsciously mirrors your brain’s interpretation of what slumping over means as you walk past him again to spit out your toothpaste.

"Oh- like when you’re in a car and your head falls forwards-"

“Yes, that is a fairly similar example actually. Your brain receives the sign that you are beginning to fall asleep when your head starts to nod forward, and this causes a trigger within the brain’s automatic control system that in turn activates a response that makes you sit up straight so that you don’t fall asleep at the wheel.” As Spencer speaks, he shuts his book, leaving it on the side table as he unpacks his bag so he can also change.

“It’s actually rather surprising how the brain is capable of performing such complex tasks that we sometimes don’t even realise,” He said with an astonished gleam in his eye.

"Huh, the more you know-" You give a satisfied nod at Spencer’s little exposition, taking a seat on the right side of the bed and leaning over to turn the lamp off, allowing Spencer to leave his on as he retreats into the bathroom.

You’d never express it verbally, especially not to Spencer’s face, but you quite liked when he’d ramble about topics he was interested in and knew a lot about, it was both educational and weirdly charming.

You let out another yawn as you pulled back the duvet to lie down, extremely grateful that the mattress of the bed was just as new as the bedding itself. Looked like you might be able to get a good night’s sleep after all.

"Did you know that the human brain has over 100 billion neurons making over 100 trillion connections between them. Each second, a 100 billion electrical messages pass from one neuron to another. It is really quite fascinating." Spencer continued his tangents as he exited the bathroom, now clad in a black t-shirt and a pair of tardis pyjama pants that you found oddly endearing.

"That’s a lot of electrical signals…"

"A lot is an understatement" He chuckled, moving over to the left side of the bed and carefully laying himself down, making sure he wasn’t accidentally making any contact with you.

"It is so complex that it is believed that only a portion of our neurons actually fire each second, meaning that there is potentially trillions of more electrical messages going to unused parts of our brain." He seems to get lost in thought, staring up at the ceiling as he considers the idea further.

You hum softly with a small nod at his assessment, turning to lie on your side so you were half-facing him as he looked up at the ceiling, and you couldn’t help but find yourself tracing his jawline with your eyes as you studied how the dim lighting from the lamp besides him gave it even more definition.

Spencer turns to look at you after a few moments and notices your sleepy expression, feeling a tinge of guilt at keeping you awake since you are clearly exhausted. “I should probably shut up and let you get at least a little sleep. “ He chuckles awkwardly, “Sorry for rambling on, I kind of got carried away.”

"It’s okay… I like listening to you…" You rub one of your eyes with your knuckle as you struggle to keep them fully open, eyelids fluttering as you blink repeatedly to keep them from closing shut. You weren’t done looking at him yet.

Spencer’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink at your confession of enjoying listening to what he had to say.

He then starts to talk again, his voice quieter as he tries to accommodate it to your tiredness. “It’s not the brain’s electrical signals that dictate if you sleep or not, by the way. It is actually a neurotransmitter called melatonin.”

“Melatonin is the hormone responsible for controlling your sleep cycle, and it’s responsible for that sleepy feeling we get when we're tired.”

"Mhm…” You nod softly against the pillow, that was one fact you were definitely familiar with thanks to the joys of university, although hearing it come from Spencer’s mouth just made you want to go along with what he was saying like it was brand new to you.

“Melatonin also helps to regulate your body’s circadian rhythm, which is basically your daily schedule,” Spencer explained.

“Our bodies are naturally conditioned to go through a cycle of sleep and wakefulness. During the day your body will release cortisol and adrenaline for stress management and focus, and during the night your body will release melatonin to help you relax, making you feel sleepy.”

“Well i’m certainly feeling the effects of melatonin right now…” You try to keep up your responses to what Spencer is saying without falling asleep, but you can’t help closing your eyes as you focus on the softness of his voice.

Spencer smiles at your response and nods as he looks at you and notices your eyes are closed. “I should probably stop rambling then, since I don’t want to keep you awake for any longer…” He spoke even softer if that was possible, his eyes trailing over your forehead and down the bridge of your nose.

"I like your voice Spencer, it’s calming…" Your words are half muffled as you mumble them against your pillow. "And your facts are interesting…"

“Huh?” He asked you with a raised eyebrow, having not quite heard what you’d said.

"I like hearing you…" You simplify your words a little bit as you repeat what you’d said, a little louder this time, and you force your eyes back open again to look at him.

Spencer’s cheeks immediately turn pink at the compliment, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He is then quiet for a moment as he tries to process what you said.

“You… like hearing my voice?” He asks, a tinge of confusion evident in his voice, to which you reply with a soft nod and a small hum of affirmation. "I hate it when people interrupt you…"

Spencer’s cheeks remain a light shade of pink as he tries to process what you said, and he stays quiet for a while, trying to think of how he could respond to your little confession.

“I… Well… thank you-” he replies, trying to stay calm whilst also hiding his flustered smile.

“No problem…”

Spencer smiles at your response, eyes studying your expression in an attempt to better understand your feelings. All that he can make out however is your hair, and your tired and half-closed eyes.

“You know, you should probably go to sleep.” He chuckles softly, “It’s quite late after all,”

“Yeah… that’s a good idea…” Your voice is quiet as you mutter out an agreement, but you can’t help from feeling a mild disappointment that your small conversation with Spencer was coming to an end.

“Did you know it takes an average of 7 minutes to fall asleep?” You murmur out the fact as a last resort, half-hoping that it will encourage Spencer to keep talking to you.

“Well, it depends on the person actually” His reply is soft and non derogatory, and his eyes remain locked on the peaceful tiredness in your expression. “On average it takes about 15 minutes of lying down in a relaxing environment to fall asleep, however for some people it might take 20 minutes or more. On the other hand, some people can fall asleep much quicker, with one study finding that it only took an individual 65 seconds to fall asleep.”

“I wish I was that person,” You shift slightly to make yourself more comfortable, pulling your right leg upwards towards your chest and incidentally brushing it against his in the process.

Spencer is lost in his emotions as he stares at you, and it takes you turning your head against the pillow for him to realise that he wasn’t fully listening to what you’d said. “Oh- Yeah, pretty lucky huh?”

His eyes avert from you after that, suddenly very intrigued by the water stain in the top corner of the wall opposite where you were laying down, trying to remind himself that it is inappropriate to stare at his colleagues like that.

But despite all the rationalisation, his heart continues to beat at an accelerated pace and he begins to feel strangely excited seeing you move around the bed. You might be tired, but he certainly wasn’t. Not anymore.

Spencer turns to look at you again as you cover your face with your arm, seemingly protecting your eyes from the light of the lamp on his side table.

He’s silent for a moment as he finds himself staring at you again, mentally punching himself for finding himself getting so lost in your facial features.

"Do you want the light off?" He asks you, keeping the tone of his voice gentle.

“No it’s okay,” Shake your head underneath your arm, “You can keep it on…”

You knew about Spencer’s phobia of the dark. The whole team did. It was pretty much a given after what he went through a few years ago with Tobias Hankel. And you wouldn’t mind sacrificing your comfort of sleeping in pitch black darkness if it meant that Spencer wouldn’t be uncomfortable or afraid.

Spencer gives a nod at your answer, and you can tell he’s relieved that you didn’t want him to turn it off. After a few seconds he speaks again.

"Can I ask you something?" He says, keeping his voice soft.

“Mhm?” You move your arm from your face to rest against your forehead so that you can look at him as he speaks.

Spencer's cheeks immediately turn a light shade of pink again as he meets your eyes. “It's… uh… Well, it's a strange question,” He replies awkwardly

“Would… you mind if I… uh….” He pauses, struggling to find the right words. “Would you mind if I put my arm around you?” He eventually manages to say, keeping his voice soft.

“Huh-?” You let you arm fall back down to your side as you process his question, eyes blinking more awake and Spencer’s cheeks only turn more red as he sees your surprised expression.

“Well… You see… I- it's a common thing that people do when sleeping… to… uh… to hold one another..” Spencer replies, still keeping his tone soft and gentle. He begins feels incredibly stupid for even bringing up this topic, hastily trying to explain himself before it has the opportunity to become awkward.

“Is it?-” Your eyes flicker around his face, your eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as your exhaustion seems to momentarily disappear.

“Uhm… well… usually it’s for romantic reasons,” He replies, his face turning a light shade of pink yet again. “But… uh… I’ve … heard… that some people like to cuddle in a… platonic way… to help them fall asleep…” His voice threatens to waver slightly as he speaks, and he hides the lower half of his face in the bedsheets in an attempt to hide his cheeks, not wanting you to see how red he’s gone.

“Oh- Uh- Well, if you think it’ll help…” Your subconscious mind knew that Spencer was pulling those facts out of his ass, but you didn’t have the mind to care, not when he was practically openly inviting you to drape yourself all over him.

Spencer perks up when you give him the go-ahead, gently wrapping his arm around you and lightly pulling you closer to his body as he turns to look at your face. “Is this okay?”

His expression screams nervousness as he stares at you, praying that you don’t find his actions uncomfortable.

“Mhm…” Your response is short and direct as you nod, adjusting yourself to lie with your head resting under his chin, allowing your arm to drape over his torso like he’d done yours and bringing your leg up to rest over his waist.

Spencer can’t help but smile as he feels you make yourself more comfortable, sliding one of his arms underneath you and moving the other to hold the inside crease of your knee.

“Do you know that physical contact has a calming effect on people’s minds?” He keeps his voice gentle, as he always does.

You give a soft hum that gently vibrates against the skin of his neck, sending a small shudder down Spencer’s back.

He carefully adjusts the position of his head so that he can keep looking at your half-closed eyes, figuring that considering the two of you were practically intertwined like a pretzel that it would be okay for him to gaze at you again.

“You know that skin-to-skin contact promotes the release of oxytocin…. It… uh… it can help to make you feel calm and comfortable,” He says softly.

“Oxytocin…” You mumble the word under your breath as you try to remember what the hormone is, “…the love hormone..?”

Spencer’s voice turns to a whisper as he responds. “That’s correct. A lot of people refer to it as the ‘love hormone’ because it is released at high levels when people engage in romantic activities or are falling in love.”

“It is also responsible for the feeling of trust and comfort,” His hand on your leg begins to draw small circles against your skin, barely feathering over you to the point where you can hardly feel it.

“Would you believe me if I told you that we were producing this hormone right now?”

You sigh softly against his neck at the ghost of his fingers against your leg, only half listening to what he’s saying as you try to focus on the feeling, and Spencer responds with one of his own as he feels the warmth of your breath against his skin, leaving small goosebumps in it’s wake.

Spencer’s fingers slowly widen their ascent up and down the side of your leg, brushing along your thigh as his fingertips gently skim your skin.

“Comforting, isn’t it?” His voice is low and gentle as he feels just how comforting your presence is, slightly shocked by how excited he feels when being this close to you.

“Yeah…” You muster up as much of nod under his chin as you can, giving his torso a slight squeeze from where your hand is around it.

Spencer smiles at your gentle squeeze of his torso, noting how light it is as you barely manage to add any pressure at all.

“Do you know that physical touch also triggers a person’s serotonin and dopamine production?” He asks you softly.

As if to test his fact himself, he moves his thumb up and down your thigh with a little more pressure, his fingertips leaving behind a trail of almost unnoticeable goosebumps.

“Yeah… Yeah I knew that…”

Spencer smiles softly at your confirmation. “Then you know the feeling they’re giving you right now?”

You give him another small nod as he pulls you a little closer to him, stroking his fingers a little higher up your thigh. His arm underneath your side shifts to your mid back and starts to gently massage at the tense muscles formed over your last few days bent over a desk to work on the case’s profile.

The slow pressure elicits a soft groan from your lips, a pleasant release from all of the tension you’d been carrying over the last few days, slowly dissipating as his fingers worked their magic over your t-shirt.

Spencer can feel you starting to relax into his body as his fingers work against your skin, and his breath threatens to catch in his throat as your hand moves from resting around his torso to up over his shoulder, fingers curling closed against the fabric of his t-shirt.

Spencer leans his nose against the crown of your head, the trace scent of lavender entering his nose as he took a slow breath in, most likely a trace from when you’d last washed your hair.

By this point, the two of you were very aware that the position you were in was anything but platonic, his hand tracing patterns into your thigh, your head pressed into the crook of his neck, and your hand slowly tracing over the curve of his shoulder to take it’s place cupping his cheek, your thumb pressed against the front of his ear with the rest of your fingers splayed in the soft curls gracing the side of his head.

“I’ve run out of facts…” Spencer laughs nervously at his confession, breaking the small silence between you.

“you’ve run out of facts…?” You force your eyes to blink open again as you repeat his statement as a question, pulling your head out of it’s position under his chin to look up at him curiously as you arbitrarily trace your thumb over his jaw. It wasn’t at all like Spencer to just not have anything to say.

Spencer’s face turns a dark shade of red when he hears your question, made much worse at the feeling of your thumb on his jaw, the feeling sends a shiver down his spine. “I- Yeah….” He says quietly.

Suddenly a thought passes through his brain.

“I… actually…. I do have one more fact…” his voice turns to a whisper as he speaks, a tinge of nervousness still lingering in his tone.

“Hmm?” Your expression brightens a little, and he catches the small glisten in your eyes as the dim light from the lamp reflects off of your irises.

There’s a short pause.

Spencer then clears his throat before speaking.

“...Do you know that right now... at this very moment... I want to kiss you…?”

He remains facing away, his hands trembling ever so slightly against your skin as he mutters out his confession, trailing off at the end to the point where if you were any further away from him you wouldn’t have heard it.

“...Is that okay…?” His voice was barely a whisper, scared that if he were to speak too loudly he’d scare you off and you’d never want to speak to him again.

“You want to… kiss me..?” His confession spurred you further awake, no longer struggling to keep your eyes open as you scanned his expression, your hand halting its movement against his jaw.

The sight of you gazing up at him makes his heart skip a beat and causes butterflies to flutter in his stomach. Spencer then looks down at the space between your noses, and speaks nervously.

“…I- Yes, I want… to kiss you…” His eyes quickly dart over to your lips and back again as he waits for any signal of acknowledgement or refusal.

“Will it help us fall asleep?” The question leaves your mouth instinctively as a way to try an alleviate the mild awkwardness between the two of you, and you internally berate yourself for not taking the situation seriously.

Spencer laughs a small, nervous laugh when you ask if it would help you both fall asleep, moving his hands back over to your thigh and gently brushing his fingertips against it.

Spencer then looks down at your lips again as he speaks. “No, I don’t think so…” He says, his tone once again turning to a whisper. “…if anything it might actually wake us both up further…”

“Just say it will so I can kiss you-“ Spencer remains silent for a moment, face frozen in shock. He then lets out a nervous sigh as he looks down at your lips again.

“…It- Yeah- Yeah it’ll help us fall asleep…” he whispers, his voice barely audible, and he gives you a nod that’s a little too eager.

“Then there’s no harm in trying right?” Your hand cups the side of his face, gently encouraging it down towards yours so you can finally place a kiss on those perfect pink lips of his.

“Yeah…” He slowly leans forward towards you, taking in your faint scent, the warmth coming from your breath, the softness and moisture of your lips.

Spencer’s lips slowly press against yours, just barely ghosting them with the tiniest bit of pressure. He then slowly pulls back, his eyes darting all over your face before again settling on the stain in the corner of the wall. It was just so interesting.

You take his chin in your hand gently to turn his face back towards your own, your thumb gently tracing the line under his bottom lip as your eyes scan his cheeks, pouring over the extremely faint spotted freckles over his cheeks. You’d never noticed them before. But then again you’d never been close enough to.

“I’m not quite sure it worked… Maybe we should try again…” You watch as Spencer’s face erupts into a beautiful pink flush, a soft breath resembling a laugh leaving his mouth. “Yeah, we can try again-”

Spencer nods as he speaks cutting his own sentence short as he leans down to kiss you again, adding a little more pressure this time as he seemingly grows in confidence. The kiss remains chaste and short, and as he pulls away for the second time his eyes remain fixed on you, smiling alongside his mouth.

“Is it working now?” He laughs softly as he speaks, eyelashes gently fluttering as he places a kiss on the bridge of your nose, his fingers slowly sliding into your hair at your temples.

“I’m not sure yet…” You respond with a kiss of your own placed against the curve of his chin. “Maybe we should keep going…” You place another kiss right in the corner of his mouth, and Spencer sighs softly as it misses his lips by a hair. “For research purposes…”

He smiles lightly when you mention it being for ‘research’, and his voice grows even quieter as he speaks.

“Yeah… research purposes…”

[sunderingstars]

don't be a coward, roll the dice 🎲

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ DICE ROLL #43 — A BLOODY KISS ⌝

based on this post!

word count: 1.4k

what the stars reveal: boothill x reader, gn!reader, boothill calls reader "darlin'," slight mentions of blood, i'm allergic to not putting a Narrative™ in everything i write

— thank you for the excuse to write angst cheerisse >:3

Three days. That’s how long it had been since Boothill told you he’d return. Three long, grueling, torturous days. You thought you’d be used to it by now — the stretches of time he went radio silent for one reason or another, flickering out of your life like a candle. Yet, it was impossible to truly release.

Despite occupying such an important role in his life, a partner in all its meanings, it was so easy for him to dissipate, to leave wisps of smoke behind as his flame dwindled. It was the fleeting nature of a Galaxy Ranger, you knew, but you couldn’t understand. What was the point of making you worry? What was the point of those sleepless nights? 

On day one you had forced yourself to be patient. Quiet. You molded yourself to the chair at your workstation and sat, eyes roaming over the bits of machinery and time-worn tools scattered about. Once in a while, you’d even let yourself tinker with a piece or two, just to make sure everything was ready for his arrival. You had an important job after all; not just the maintenance of his body, but of his soul and mind. Nothing was quite as sweet as the moments your eyes met while tuning him.

But the second day began to gnaw at you. Twist, in your stomach, like snakes. Their sour venom began to leak into your mind, swirl your worries in a cocktail of potential tragedies, and you contemplated sending him a message. Just one. Enough to ease your mind, to let him know a small blip of you was waiting for him back home. After a few hours of pacing back and forth in your shared kitchen, you worked up the determination to do it.

… No response. Not at dinnertime, not in the evening, and certainly not in the early hours of the morning — most of which you lay painfully awake during. Only the cruel static of a blank screen remained, blinking once, twice, as it tried and failed to reach him among a sea of stars.

The third day was the worst. Everything seemed to compound, balloon out in your mind to the point it began to seep into other parts of your being. You bounced your leg, bit your fingernails, peeled at your lip without even registering it. Eventually, you made your way to the storage closet for some whiskey, if not to take the edge off then to at least give your mouth a diversion.

You had just popped open a bottle when you heard a clank. Immediately, you stilled. Listened again. The bottle, prone, hung in your grip.

Clank. 

It was outside, not in.

You were out the door faster than you could blink, legs weaving around rocks and brush as you trampled anything too small to get caught on. The sun was beginning to set, casting the arid landscape in darkening hues of pink and gold, but you knew this place like the back of your hand; the lengthening shadows did nothing to stop your pursuit. Under normal circumstances, you’d be more concerned about threats — wild animals, loose tools, even the stray IPC guard who managed to track down your location, but you didn’t care about any of that now. Not when Boothill was on the line. 

So you persisted. Drew closer to the noise as much as you could, eventually picking up an increase in frequency and the soft humming of a tired engine. You squinted. Then, you almost collapsed in relief; trundling down the paved dirt road was a motorbike. Boothill’s motorbike. It was a ghost of its former self, laden with loose parts and constant stuttering and a headlight practically severed from the rest, but it was his. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, you picked up your pace with a clear destination in mind. It’s not like he could properly run you over anyways. You were surprised the thing was even moving. 

“Boothill?” you called into the dusk. Out-of-breath and ragged, your mind began to filter through your fears, fearing silence, fearing stillness.

However, as the silhouette slowly resolved into familiarity, so too came a voice that pricked tears at your eyes.

“Yes, darlin’?”

Whatever sharp spark of anger coasted through your chest at the causal response fizzled into nothing once you laid eyes on his face. That signature smile, those red-tinted eyes, all backlit against the rays of a dying sun. Healthy. Whole. Alive. Once again, you felt as though your legs might give out. 

You made it just far enough to lean against the shuddering fuel tank before using the last of your willpower to vault yourself towards the open embrace of Boothill’s chest, wrapping your arms tightly around his torso. A hearty laugh sounded against you.

“Missed me that much, huh?”

You mumbled an unintelligible response. The loud hum of the bike became an irrelevant backdrop to the soft hum of metal and leather, the feeling of machinery quietly whirring against the skin of your cheek. No stutters, no pauses. Unlike the dying corpse below, Boothill was running smoothly. You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why…?”

You didn’t have to finish your sentence before a sigh crested against the crown of your head. A hand, firm and comforting, came to rest on the back of your neck. “’M sorry, darlin’. Damn phone got busted. I knew you’d worry, but tryin’ to make a call in IPC territory was too risky.”

“It’s okay,” you mumbled, breath hitching in a vain attempt to keep tears from falling. “I’m just happy you’re— you’re safe.”

In your arms, the leather of his jacket shifted. A warm weight pressed to the small of your back.

“Aw,” he cooed, breath fanning across your cheek as he shifted you into a more comfortable position, “it’s alright. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

Something about the combination of his words and actions, the familiar smell of gunsmoke and malt clinging to him like home, made it all bubble over. Before you knew it, you were tilting out and up, cupping your hands against Boothill’s cheeks, bringing him home. In the last painted rays of the sun, your lips met in a stroke of vibrant color.

It felt like everything you had wanted over the past half-week — brightness, relief, the surety of something alive and warm against you. An immeasurable weight left with the tear-tracks down your face, each fear dissipating with a new round of wetness. His lips slotted against yours with the ease of practice. Drifted with purpose to wash away your worry. By the time you tasted tang, you thought it must have been you. It wasn’t uncommon for a part of your lips or tongue to get caught in Boothill’s sharp canines, rupturing the skin ever so slightly to form a pinprick of blood. However, it became clear this wasn’t the case when you surfaced for air. 

As your eyes adjusted to the growing darkness, you began to make out faint, dark splatters against your partner’s face.

Fear returned to you in a rush. You hadn’t even checked for flesh injuries when you first saw him, too caught up in the relief of seeing him again. 

“Boothill—” you said, fingers tracking carefully along the edge of his mouth where you could see a blossom of dark blood emerging, “—Boothill!”

The man in question hummed in confusion. Slightly frantically, you traced the pads of your fingers along the edges of the splatter. It was fresh. Oh, Aeons, it was fresh, and you hadn’t even thought—

“Woah, hey.” The low timbre of Boothill’s voice brought you out of your spiral. The hands on your back rubbed soothing circles, the kind he used when trying to calm a horse. “It’s nothin’, darlin’.”

“‘Nothing?’” you asked incredulously.

“It’s not mine, if that’s what you’re askin’.” He shot you an infuriating smile. “A few folks from the corporation got on my nerves, that’s all.” Then, when your skepticism remained: “Promise.”

You bit your lip, trying to tamp down the fluttering revival of fear in your chest. You couldn’t deny it, though — even in the night, the drying splatters clearly arced in a passing motion rather than a bleeding one. For what felt like forever, you focused your eyes on the spot near his mouth, burning it into your mind until it dispelled any doubt. 

Eventually, you slumped, more out of fatigue than anything else. “Okay.”

“Alright?”

“Okay,” you repeated, “but we’re going inside first. And I’m still checking you over.”

Boothill chuckled. “‘Course. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Then, he smiled, and you found yourself silently glad for the darkness, for the ability to see the radiance of the man before you in place of a sun. 

It was beautiful.

© written by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[junipernight]

I redesigned Yangchen's outfit!

... I actually designed a lot of outfits for her, because I am Extremely Normal about these books, and also I like costume design and learning about historical clothing.

Short disclaimer: These fantasy clothes aren't culturally or historically accurate, just historically and culturally influenced. I don't have any expertise in East or Central Asian culture or clothing, I've just been clicking around on the internet a lot the last two weeks learning things because that's my idea of fun lol. If you wanted to talk to people who actually know things you should check out @atlaculture or like @ziseviolet, both of whom's blogs I referenced while drawing.

I only designed two alternates for the outer robes. The first is based loosely off the robes Buddhist monks wear (loosely, because drawing draped fabric is hard ^^') especially the Tibetan zhen robe. This garment is just a long wide rectangle of cloth which can be draped across the body in lots of ways (versatility ftw!).

The other garment I drew is a Chuba, a traditional garment from Tibet and the Himalayas. It's a robe, but it highkey reminds me of kilts and hoodies, in that it a) can be worn over one or both shoulders or just as a skirt and b) it makes a giant pocket over the stomach. The long sleeves can be folded up or tied back btw.

I spent the most time on the middle layer, because I was thinking it has to be something she could comfortably fight in while also being suitable for diplomatic meetings, meditating, espionage, and possibly sleeping.

And like. You can fight and hike and whatnot in loose skirts, but it's annoying how twisted up they can get while sleeping. ALSO, YC does a lot of flying and leaping, so my girl needs pants. My faves are definitely the Xiaolin monk pants and the yellow wrap pants Aang wears. I tried dhoti (Indian wrap pants) because that kind of looks like what the giant statue of Yangchen meditating might be wearing, but I think it looks odd paired with a highwaisted shirt instead of a long tunic. Maybe I'll do some more drawings with her in a tunic and dhoti or a monk's dhonka and shemdap later, idk.

As any good historical fashion nerd knows, foundational garments are everything (◡‿◡✿).

But also, there's a scene where Yangchen and Kavik pretend to be lovers, and are "discovered" by a maid sleeping in the same room, with Yangchen in a state of partial undress (gasp!)

I am living for this fake drama; I need to know how scandalized the maid was lmao.

When the maid walks in, Yangchen immediately wraps herself in a bedsheet before ushering the maid back out the door. Maybe all she did was take off her outer robe... but why would she need to wrap herself in a sheet if she was wearing a long-sleeved high-necked gown? I got the sense from both the book and cursory research about buddhist monks that walking around without your outer robes was socially acceptable, at least in casual settings. I think it more likely she was in her underclothes, which historically (in the west anyway) would also double as sleeping clothes.

"The Aang" is censored because this is Tumblr-dot-com. Its mostly a joke, but also, I know other countries are less uptight about bººbies, so like, maybe it's a valid option ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The ~Water Tribe~ look is based off Sokka's swimwear and not Katara's, mostly because chest binding seems antithetical to airbending.

All the other undergarment designs are based on hanfu neiyi, because that's what I could find reference photos and romanized names for.

I'm tired of typing now. Lemme know if you have questions about something, or want me to post a larger version of a specific outfit. I am open to feedback and tentatively open to requests.

[dovveri]

kidnapping 101

synopsis: who dared kidnap you? you were the mafia boss of your city who the hell had the audacity to pull a move this big?

warnings: guns, kidnapping, swearing, mafia stuff yk but like its comedic? so its not srs or angsty

w/c: 2.6k

a/n: put off posting this bcs i wanted to add more plot more word count but then that anon said they dont read long fics anyway so i cbb. it's implied momo x reader but it can also just be everyone friends yay

.ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊°.~♡︎

you had a straw bag pulled over your head and felt hands shoving you into a hard wooden chair, hands tied behind your back. you huff, unbelieving of the situation you've found yourself in, but try to keep yourself collected enough to assess the situation and to not let your attackers know they had caught you by surprise.

you doubt anyone could guess you were a mafia boss in your day life. you were just another university student after all. funnily enough, university students were also your main customer base, they needed cheap, accessible drugs, and you provided. though they never dealt with you personally, you were worth much more than rookie errand runs and simple intimidation.

so how the fuck did these people find out who you were?

you were captured coming out of the university library, you weren't even up to anything illegal today. you just wanted to get away from all the responsibilities underground and actually get some study done for once. you didn't get to catch a glimpse of your assailants before you were drugged and fell unconscious.

you strain your ears, trying to hear the muffled whispering going on.

"-what? what do we do now?"

"how am i supposed to know?!."

"i don't know you're smarter than me!"

"ugh oh my god i can't believe nayeon put us up to this. did we really just drug someone?! wait fuck- look she's waking up-"

the bag is pulled off your head and you snarl unceremoniously, blinking to adjust to the dim light in the room, quickly surveying your surroundings and tugging on your restraints to check on them.

huh. they were only loosely tied up, you could get out of these easily.

you squint at the two girls in the room, they had to be around your age, but you had never seen them before. they weren't on any of your watchlists and you'd know if they belonged to rival mafia gangs.

"who are you?" you demand, voice authoritative and loud, forcing them to shrink back into one another, unsure of what to do.

"w-who are you?!" one of them squeaks out.

you blink.

"you two drugged and kidnapped someone you didn't know?"

they exchange glances, before looking back at you, "well... when you put it like that..."

"momo!"

"what?! she's right sana! what are we doing?!"

"i don't know!"

"neither do i!"

you watch them bicker, fiddling with your restraints and slowly undoing them without catching their attention.

"okay that's enough. who asked you to capture me?"

their faces whip back to yours, one of them, momo, speaks up again. "um... i'm pretty sure we're not meant to tell you that."

"nayeon right?"

she gasps, "are you a mind-reader?!"

you scoff, "i heard you talking when i was waking up."

momo mutters to herself, blushing for having thought otherwise.

"who is nayeon?"

sana speaks up this time, "our friend."

"and your friend asked you to... kidnap me for what reason?"

"erm..." they look at each other again, silently communicating and nervously flitting their eyes around the room, "we're not entirely sure."

"are you two her slaves or something?"

"what?! no!"

"then why are you doing whatever she asks?"

"because she's our friend!"

"right... slaves."

they frown at each other, unsure of themselves.

"so you both don't know who i am?"

"no. should we?"

you're interrupted then, the door to the room opening loudly and another woman striding in.

she pauses when she sees you, blinking slowly, and then she turns on her heel, eyes ablaze and in panic.

"guys who the fuck is this?!"

"how are we supposed to know?! you asked us to kidnap them!"

"what the fuck?! i didn't ask for you to kidnap anyone! i asked for you to steal the answers to the exam next week!"

"no you didn't!"

"yes i did!"

"that's not what you said momo!" sana turns to momo, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

"wha- nayeon you told me you needed to interrogate the person who wrote the exam!"

"that was a joke momo i didn't mean literally!"

"you need to specifiy!"

"what?! why would you think i meant kidnap them?! that's not normal!"

"i thought you were doing it for the thrill or something!"

"sana! why didn't you stop her?!"

sana shrinks, hiding behind momo, "i dunno you've asked us to do some pretty weird stuff before nayeon... it wasn't that out of line."

"what!? like what?!"

"don't put me on the spot! i can't think of anything right now! like- like- like that time you asked us to set off fireworks and we ended up setting the school on fire!"

"that wasn't- you weren't meant to build a bonfire in the middle of an empty classroom! of course the fire would catch!"

"that was my idea...." momo pouts, looking adorably embarrassed.

nayeon sighs, turning back to you, "i'm sorry for all this. this has been a major misunderstanding. are you- do you want us to do anything for you? you won't take this to the police or anything right..?"

you chuckle, the situation absurd to you, how two girls managed to kidnap the most powerful mafia boss in the city by accident.

your thoughts are interrupted by hushed bickering behind nayeon.

"what are we gonna do about the drugs?"

"i don't know give them back to the person that gave them to you."

"they looked scary though..."

"momo why did you accept drugs from a random person anyway?"

"we needed a sedative to kidnap them!"

"you did what?!" nayeon flips around again, eyes comically wide.

momo flinches, backing up into sana who yelps when the other girl steps on her foot in haste, "erm- we- uh..."

"you drugged them?!"

"well-"

nayeon's flipping around to you again, going as far as to bow down and get on her knees, putting her forehead to the floor and apologising profusely, "i'm so sorry! i'll take responsibility for their actions please don't take this the wrong way we really didn't mean to and this has all just been a big misunderstanding-"

you can't help but burst into laughter, shoulders sagging in relief now that you realise you're not in any real danger and your identity was still safe.

they look between each other a little confused, still concerned you were going to turn them in or ask them to do something for you that would be less than ideal. you think it's very cute honestly, you were always surrounded by too-serious mafia security and people asking you what to do, it was refreshing to be around people who knew how to let loose a little. money was important to you as a mafia boss, but you wished your organisation knew how to have relax a little more, the bad guys were always meant to be more lively after all.

"sorry- this is just quite funny, i don't think i've laughed like that in a long time."

they exchange nervous glances again, keeping their distance. you stand, having undone your restraints long ago, stretching a little with a curious glint in your eyes.

sana and momo gape at you, "h-how did you- were you always- didn't we tie you up?"

you shrug, shaking your hands loose for effect, "they weren't hard to undo."

"o-oh... wait who are you again?"

you stretch out a hand to the three of them, "l/n y/n. nice to meet you all. and you can relax, i won't be pressing any charges. you're safe."

"r-right..." nayeon comes forward and shakes your hand gingerly, letting it go as soon as she could and shrinking back next to the other two.

you raise an eyebrow, "so where'd you get such a strong sedative momo? it's alright if i use your names right?"

"y-yes of course." nayeon responds for her, but momo looks back at you, thinking before she replies.

"erm... well i was kinda just asking around outside the campus bar- obviously i didn't say we were going to use it to kidnap you, i just thought uni students might have some sort of access to like party drugs or whatever. i didn't realise it was going to knock you out like that-"

"and who gave you this drug?"

"erm... he was one of the older students i think... the most notable thing about him was his hair. he had big orange hair, curly, it made him kinda look like a clown."

your eyebrows crease together in a frown, so that's why the drug had worked so well. it was one of your own. you were only asking momo to see if there was suddenly new competition around campus for your drug business, but it seemed kim heechul, one of your drug pushers, had made moves of his own.

"what did he say to you?"

"he just told me what kind of drug it was. he didn't even ask me to pay actually- that was the main reason i took it. he just said if i was looking to have a good time this would be the perfect drug for it."

your mind works quickly, piecing the pieces together, anger bubbling up inside you at the realisation of one of your employee's actions.

"a-are... are you okay y/n?" momo looks concerned, stepping forward hesitantly.

you purse your lips, "i'm sorry momo. i just need to make sure... you didn't take any of this drug for yourself did you?"

she frowns, "no. why are you asking?"

you breathe a sigh of relief, "that's good. you three may not know this, but the drug you used to sedate me was mine. i kind of... control the drug market at our uni. i probably should've said that in my introduction to you all. i'm a mafia boss. it's also why i'd never go to the police and turn you in, that'd probably be exactly what they wanted... me to waltz right into a police station where they could hold me indefinitely."

they stare at you in shock, slowly coming to their senses.

"wait so... why would you tell us this? are you not afraid we'll turn you in?"

you laugh, "no. because we're at what you'd call an impasse. you turn me in and i turn you in. so the best solution for both of us is to do neither."

"oh..."

"anyway, i'm sorry you had to go through that momo. the ass that gave you those drugs has already been on a short leash. he probably intended for you to take the drugs and to take advantage of you while you were out. i may run one of the biggest crime organisations in the city but i still have morals. i mean- don't get me wrong i can see why he'd want you you're drop-dead gorgeous but if it were me, i'd just ask you out like any other normal person."

they stare at you while you ramble, still trying to process all the information they were learning, and trying to match their stereotype of a mafia boss in their heads to the girl their age dressed in an oversized hoodie and fluffy pyjama pants in front of them.

momo squeaks, "o-oh!"

"-like you're kind of adorable and really you're just my type which also grosses me out because why do i have the same type as that clown kim heechul- like you don't gross me out sorry i didn't mean for it to sound like that although i think it's quite well established by now that i think you're really attractive so it's definitely not you and kim heechul is definitely getting shot and-"

"woah! woah woah slow down i don't think anyone needs to get shot- um and it's okay you don't need to apologise- i probably should've known better than to take free drugs from a random person on the street..."

you frown, "don't say that. why don't you come under me? i wouldn't want anyone taking advantage of you like that again. and you won't have to worry about stupid stuff like whether or not it's your fault for being adorably innocent, you'll have my full protection."

momo blinks, looking at sana and nayeon for help.

you misunderstand, thinking she's worried about her friends, "your friends can join too. it's decent money, and i won't make any of you do anything you're not comfortable with. i get it y'know? i'm only able to pay for college because i do this, and i'm good at making other people do the dirty work. dangle some drugs and money and people will do anything for you."

nayeon lets out a sound of disbelief, "...this is a joke right? like surely this is a joke. sana pinch me."

sana does exactly that, but nayeon yelps, "not that hard!"

"you asked me to pinch you!"

"yeah pinch me not crab claw me!"

"i just got my nails done it's not my fault!"

before you can laugh at their antiques the door behind them slams open, people rushing in with guns pointed. there's a few screams before hands are clamped over mouths and you feel yourself be surrounded.

you react instantly when you see one of the intruders grab momo by the neck, pointing a gun at her head. you lurch forward, pushing past the people surrounding you, knocking the gun out of their hand and hitting the back of it into the person's head, rendering them unconscious with the force of your blow.

you quickly check on momo, helping her up and inspecting her neck, fingers tingling from where your skin meets.

"boss- what- are you okay?"

"shut up! i was fine! god can't i have a single day to myself without you numbskulls barging in?" you bark with your fingers still daintily checking momo's neck for any marks.

"you- you were kidnapped boss we were just-"

"i'm fine now aren't i? i can take care of myself. i don't need you all watching my every move! i'd like to have some privacy to myself every now and then." you turn back to the bodyguards looking awkward and shuffling around in their bulky protective wear and guns.

"y-yes boss. sorry boss."

"wait for me outside." you sigh, flicking your wrist in annoyance, "and find kim heechul. i need to have a word with him." you add as an afterthought.

they shuffle out the door they came through, mumbling apologies and tripping over themselves. you roll your eyes, refocusing back on the other women in the room.

"i'm sorry about that. are you guys okay?"

they stare at you, faces tinged with red, nayeon speaks up first. "so you weren't joking..."

you shake your head, "and i'm serious about coming under me too. i'm kinda afraid to say it but if word gets out that i was kidnapped, some of my rivals might go out looking for you three and try to recruit you for themselves. they'll treat you a lot worse than i will. and they generally won't take no for an answer..."

"but you'll take no for an answer?" sana chirps in.

"like i said- i don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to."

nayeon and sana look between them, but momo shrugs, smiling up at you, "i'm in. i like you. you're funny."

you grin at her, justifying the immediate connection you felt with her just by being able to anticipate the kind of person she was.

"well if momo's in i'm in." sana agrees happily, slinging an arm around momo.

they look towards nayeon who rolls her eyes and groans, "someone has to make sure the two of you don't kidnap the wrong person again right?"

they all break into laughter and you join them, feeling like you had people you could almost call friends for the first time since you'd started your mafia business.

[thelov3lybookworm]

Am I Forgiven?

Summary: one chance is all he gets

•○●⛦●○•

Word Count: 2650

Warnings: tinyy bit of angst, keir, rhysie poo being nosy. language ig? let me know if theres more i need to add here hehe 🫶🏻

A/n: based on this request by @nightless <3333 hope you like this pookie and please forgive me for taking over a year almost to post this 😭😭😭

(i feel like i kinda went off track but i tried to stick to the plot and my mind took the steering and was like. 'hmm this new route looks cool' im sorry lmaoo)

anyways, ENJOY🥹

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Y/n felt her eyebrows rise, glancing at the back of Keir’s head. She had thought the high lord would try to sweeten his offer, maybe start slow. But he apparently was in a no bullshit mood, and Y/n was not complaining. The quicker the ordeal was over, the quicker she could go back to her back and forth with the General.

Y/n was only here to help protect Keir, maybe even intimidate the high lord, though she knew that would only really happen in Keir’s dreams. That meant Y/n didn’t need to pay attention to whatever big words the two males threw at each other, and so she let her eyes wander.

Morrigan, Keir’s daughter, definitely got her looks from her father, but no one would point that out loud, not wanting to get into anyone's bad graces.

The shadowsinger was one of the most beautiful people Y/n had seen. Pity that he was so cold and closed off from everyone.

If he had been even a little less cold, Y/n would have had him in her bed long ago.

It was a good thing she didn’t really like pretty males.

She liked her males built, rough, and roguish.

Which, fortunately for her, her mate was exactly that.

Unfortunately for her, he was the Lord of Bloodshed, the General of the night court’s armies.

Cassian.

The thought brought a sly smirk on her face as she met the hazel eyes of the illyrian, who already looked ready to pounce over the table to get to her.

Y/n turned her attention back to the high lord before he could see the same urges in her eyes. She had mostly tuned everyone out, so when she heard the words muttered by Rhysand, shock jolted her entire body.

"So your darkbringers will fight when need be, and in exchange, you get to visit velaris. We’re settled then."

Y/n glanced at Keir, wide eyed, who simply offered a nod to the high lord before stalking out. Y/n had no choice but to follow, but she did shoot a last look at Cassian, who looked like he’d seen a ghost.

She knew how hard it must’ve been to receive such news, considering he called the place home and considering how much the elite members of the high lords inner circle hated hewn city and its people, Y/n would not blame him if he lost his mind in the cavernous meeting chamber.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Keir had led Y/n and Bastian to a smaller room, ordering the two to get the darkbringer army ready and prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, to increase their training time and try and test every single one of the soldiers to make sure they were giving their best. And after half an hour of unceasing droning about the upcoming war, he told them to leave, mumbling something about freedom and velaris under his breath as the two generals escaped the empty yet full room, hurrying to get away before Keir decided he needed to ramble more.

The moment they were far enough away, Bastian let loose a breath, stepping off to the side and leaning against the wall. Y/n followed, standing toe to toe with him as she focused her eyes on the rock formations next to his head.

"How soon do you think the war will be upon us?"

Y/n took a deep breath, meeting the onyx eyes that always seemed to know her a little too well. "I don’t know. But it will be soon, I’m sure."

He was quiet for a moment. "When are you going to tell him, Y/n?"

Y/n turned away from him, letting her eyes survey the nearby brothels and shops, full of drinking and revelling patrons.

"Y/n?"

She sighed. "I don’t know, Bas. I feel like he knows already, but then he leaves every time. Every visit, I wonder if he will stop running in circles and finally talk to me about it, but then all he does is flirt all night and then vanish when I start to feel like we might be getting somewhere. I don’t know what to think anymore."

Bas hummed, rubbing his brow. "Maybe just talk to him? Tell him to get his shit together. After all, you do love ordering the soldiers around. Maybe he needs to get a taste of that to stop being a child."

Y/n rolled her eyes then, shaking her head. "Good night, Bas."

He laughed, then clasped her shoulder as she began walking away, halting her in her tracks. "Jokes aside, I mean it, Y/n. you should talk to him."

Y/n blinked at him, then nodded uncertainly. And with a last squeeze, Bas walked away, humming his favourite off key tune.

Maybe he was right. She needed to talk to Cassian.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Cassian’s pov.

Cassian was not someone who squirmed. Sure, when he liked someone and wanted to impress them, he’d be jumping off the walls. But he had never felt uncomfortable under his brother’s gazes, let alone Rhysand's gaze.

Azriel was supposed to be the intimidating one, the one who looked at people and saw right through them. But the way Rhysand stared at Cassian, his brows furrowed and lips pursed, Cassian wondered if he was trying to stare into Cassian’s soul.

Or maybe trying to get through his mental walls to find out the answer to the question he very clearly had.

When Cassian was tired of being stared at like a medicinal herb specimen while he scanned the crowd in Hewn City, he finally snapped. "What?"

"What’s the deal between you and the General of the Darkbringers?"

Instantly, Cassian felt his blood cooling.

"Is there supposed to be a deal?"

Rhysand scoffed. "Not really, but the way you two act around each other suggests otherwise."

Cassian narrowed his eyes, gaze fixed to a far corner in the throne room where a couple had started kissing. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The high lord snorted. "Yeah sure, I believe you."

Cassian remained quiet, and before long, Rhysand was opening his mouth again. As expected.

"You know, I was wondering if she has something going on with her right hand man. What was his name? Blaise? B-"

"Bastian." Cassian half snarled, his gaze swinging to the knowing eyes of his brother, and he realised that this was his plot all along. He’d been poking Cassian about mindless matters the whole evening, and to add to the annoyance of the general, Rhysand had hit where it hurt the most.

Cassian had seen the two, Y/n and Bastian, interact. And while they probably merely shared camaraderie, it irked Cassian to no end that another male got to talk to his mate so freely and get no repercussions for it, while Cassian had to skirt around everything he wanted to say to that magnificent female, having to settle to flirting when he wanted to tear open his chest and present her with the organ that kept him alive.

"So, I’ll ask again. What’s the deal between you two?"

Cassian released a frustrated sigh, then turned his gaze to the wide double doors, knowing his eyes showed his longing more than he wanted them to.

"She…"

But then she walked in, and his breath caught at the way her eyes instantly met his, as if she had come here solely for the purpose of finding him. And as he watched her stalk to him, her posture impeccable and confidence unwavering, not even sparing a glance to the people as they stepped out of her way the moment they spied her march up to the thrones the rulers occupied without care, he knew he was right.

She stopped only once her boots hit the first step leading up the dais where the high lord and lady sat, brows high. She bowed her head, eyes looking up at them.

"My lord, my lady. Would you mind if I steal away your general for a few moments?"

If possible, Rhysand’s brows rose even higher, glancing once at Cassian before shaking his head. "We wouldn’t mind at all."

Y/n shot Cassian a look, which promptly made him move to follow, but he also could not help but be worried.

She looks like she’s gonna cut off my balls.

The further away he moved from his brother and his high lady, the deeper in the crowd, it got harder to focus on worrying about his assets over the sound of the loud, seductive lilt of the orchestra that blared from the corner.

Once again, he felt Rhysand tap on his mental shields.

‘What?’

‘Is she your mate?’

Cassian stilled for a moment, then kept moving before he lost sight of Y/n’s back.

‘Yes.’

Rhys was silent for a moment, prompting Cassian to wonder whether he had left his mind when he spoke again.

‘Look, I will understand if you don’t want to accept the bond, but do not fuck this up. Reject her after the war is over. If she gets upset, everything will be ruined-’

‘Shut the fuck up. What makes you think I don’t want her?’

Another pause.

‘I thought if you hadn’t yet accepted the bond, you didn’t want to-’

Cassian shoved Rhysand out before he could rile him up even more, pulling his wings closer to himself as he finally escaped the throng of revellers and stepped out of the throne room.

He did not have it in himself to tell his brother that he was the reason Cassian had suppressed his urge to claim his mate right the moment the bond snapped.

He had been worried that Rhysand, despite how much he loved his family, was also the high lord, and he would do anything to keep the court safe, no matter how much he despised it. And if Y/n had accepted the bond already, there was a high chance Rhys would use her to win this war, as he already was planning to.

Cassian did not want to go against his brother, but neither did he want to let his mate be used.

Fingers snapped in Cassian’s face, making him jerk back, wide eyes scanning his surroundings, snagging on the jutting rock’s overhead, the cavernous ceiling, the scarce lighting, before finally focusing on the reason for his abrupt departure from the throne room.

She stared back at him, her arms folded across her chest.

"Are you so distracted because you don’t want to talk to me?"

He blinked, swallowing.

How would he ever tell her that she was as far from the truth as she could get.

Instead, he offered her a smirk. "No sweetheart, I was wondering which wall I would like to take you against first."

Y/n was no shadowsinger, but she was a darkbringer. That brought along night powers, faint wisps of dark sky swirling around her wings frantically that were generally utilised for hiding better as she raised an eyebrow at him, and despite her calm exterior, Cassian knew she was getting agitated by his continuous refusal to acknowledge the mating bond.

He suspected that would no longer be the case very soon if the anger also glimmering in her eyes was any indication.

Also the tiny, foreign emotions taking root in his chest that came from the other side of the bond, because no matter how hard the two tried to block the pathway connecting their souls, it was as if the mother refused to let it be shut completely.

"Cassian, I am tired."

He swallowed again. "Well, that’s nice. Maybe I can give you a massage afterwards, oils and all. Maybe a bath together-"

"Do you feel it too?"

His mouth snapped shut, and he wondered if not speaking would help him at all.

And then he caught a whiff of his scent from her skin, and that set somethin feral that had till now been bound in his chest loose.

"Why the fuck do you smell like Bastian?" He spat out the name, as if even having to move his facial muscles to speak the offending male’s name disgusted him to the core.

Which it did.

Y/n blinked, her brows raising. "Are you serious right now? I just asked you a question and you respond like a typical animalistic illyrian." She shook his head, and the smile that lifted the edges of her lips sent cold fingers skittering down Cassian’s spine, knowing he had messed up. "But you did answer me, didn’t you? Even if indirectly. Pathetic."

Y/n turned away from him, her wings splaying out in a furious stretch before wrapping back tightly against her back.

"Wait, Y/n."

She paused, glancing back at him, incredulous tilt to her lips as she surveyed him. "I have been waiting for quite a long time now, Cassian."

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he released a frustrated exhale. "I know that Y/n, but I was doing it to keep you safe."

She barked out a harsh laugh. "Keep me safe?"

He nodded. "I didn’t want you to get caught in between Keir and Rhysand. And you know you would have if they’d realised what we shared sooner."

She was no longer grinning at him, the mocking expression having long melted off of her beautiful features. "And you could not have handled it better?" She took a step towards him, and despite her menacing shadows swirling around her, Cassian relaxed, happy she would stay for a few precious moments longer, even if it was just to yell at him.

"Cassian, I know you can feel my emotions too. You know how badly I wanted to talk to you and figure this out. You really could not have come to me and told me that we’d have to keep the bond under wraps instead of flirting with me and then leaving me waiting for you?"

Cassian dipped his head, shame burning through him. He had nothing to say, knowing she was right and nothing he uttered could possibly justify his actions.

If he really wanted to keep her safe, he would have left her alone. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. This was his mate. And he would have damned himself and everyone around him if he had to ignore his mate.

"Y/n, I- I’m sorry. I know I have wronged you, making you feel like I do not care, but please, give me one chance?"

Cassian watched as her eyes softened the tiniest bit, her shoulders slumping.

"Just tell me why you kept me hanging."

He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "I was scared Rhys would try to use you, and I did not want you to think that I only… accepted the bond to get closer to you."

She stared at him, then dipped her head. "I guess that makes sense."

He watched her, uncertain. "I… does it?"

She shook her head, a smile slipping onto her lips. "I am still mad at you, so don’t go getting too happy. I am not letting you off easy, but…"

"But?" He pressed.

"I guess it’s for the best that we don't do anything now because I need to focus on the darkbringers and make sure they are trained. I’m sure you also have duties, whatever it is you do."

Cassian blinked. He could not believe she was being so gracious. He had thought she would be angrier.

"So… does that mean there is a chance I will be forgiven?"

She snorted, turning away. "One chance, a lot of grovelling. And maybe I will consider it."

She walked away, hips swaying lightly, but then paused, head turning to look at him.

"For the record, I’m sure these walls would be pretty uncomfortable against my back."

And then she was gone.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

permanent taglist: @berryzxx @serenescureforboredom @cassie6392 @harrystylesfan2686

@sarawritestories @milswrites @throneofsmut

@daycourtofficial @sweetorangeblossom @secret-third-thing

Acotar Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @harrystylesfan2686

@cassie6392 @kennedy-brooke @tele86 @miluiel1

@hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter @piceous21

@mybestfriendmademe @saltedcoffeescotch @lady-of-tearshed @starsinyourseyes

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered @cumuluscranium @byyalady

@lilah-asteria @girlswithimagination @garden-of-runar @girlswithimagination

@sunnyspycat @artists-ally @milswrites @kingdomofstarrynights

@berryzxx @buttermilktea11 @loving-and-dreaming @yucanbmylxdy

@mellowmusings

Cassian Taglist: @moonlwghts @samslittlespoon @nickishadow139

@illyriassweetheart

[bbhyeoliskooks]

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐞 | badboy!cyj

Yeonjun thinks you’re irresistible, therefore making it hard to stay away

♔ genre: yeonjun x reader (f), bad boy, fake dating, opposites attract, fluff, angst, 20k+ words - loosely based on the timestamps I made in 2020

♔ warnings: bad words, blood, wounds, alcohol, insecurity, mentions of cheating

♔ song: Only Look at Me - Taeyang

When you locked eyes with Choi Yeonjun, the leather jacket wearing troublemaker, you were more than stunned. To see him. At the dog shelter. No, it wasn't how handsome he was that shocked you since you hadn't even dared to look at him before- it was the fact that he was helping at a dog shelter, the complete opposite of what fit his image. And you knew not to stereotype him, but how could you not?

He was the guy at school that everyone feared and knew not to mess with. The guy that would give someone a beating if they just looked at him wrong. Out of every place you would expect him to be working at, it was definitely not a dog shelter.

But here he was, hands gently rubbing the corgi's chin as it licked his wrists enthusiastically. Hands gripping the broom, you felt your feet glue to the floor as you watched him laugh and giggle, playing with the dog as it attacked him with affection. His laugh, filling the large room, reverberated off the walls- something out of him that you've never heard before. The contrast between his fearsome image at school and the careless boy laughing heartily in front of you was the shock of the century and you found yourself gasping, not believing what was playing out in your very eyes.

You hadn't really talked to Yeonjun before, most of it due to the fact that you were extremely scared of him. You had heard so much about how dangerous he was according to other people; each week, there was always a new rumor floating through the school that he single-handedly fought a gang or kissed another college girl. Such things made it harder to get to know him, and you weren't sure if he'd even want to be your friend. You two came from opposite worlds anyway; you weren't the type to find trouble exhilarating and he was always in a new fight. Oftentimes you would see Yeonjun sporting a brand new bruise on his scuffed cheek or fresh crimson cuts on his already wrapped up hand. Other times you would see him dozing away in class from lack of sleep, in front of the poor teacher who just wanted the class to pay attention!

Though you didn't know much, you still stayed far away from Yeonjun. If anything, his physical injuries were proof enough and you bought into the ridiculous rumors of his tales and tea. It's not like they were a lie really. You could just tell how dangerous he was just from the way he acted and his cocky stance that only yelled 'don't come near!'

"You staring, princess?"

Your eyes widened and you started to stutter, putting one hand up nocently while the other gripped the broom. You felt busted, even though looking at him wasn't a crime scene. Sure felt like one. He basically had you shivering in your shoes because of his glare. Besides, how did he know you were there anyway?! His back was towards you, for goodness sake!

"O-oh, I'm sorry! I just didn't know you-"

He smirked at your incredulous expression before turning back to watch the corgi beside him fall and show its belly. Yeonjun couldn't help but chuckle at the playful creature, reaching to scratch the fluffy white tummy. He cut you off from your stuttering with a smooth voice, another part of him that you rarely heard.

"It's okay. Y/N, right? Yeah, I work at a dog shelter. I really like the dogs here, especially this corgi," he giggled, eyes quickly darting between you and the dog.

Left silent and gobsmacked, you gazed at how he was on the floor, being extremely gentle with the creature. There were a million things running through your mind, but the only thing that stood out to you the most was that he knew your name. As far as you were concerned, you hadn't spoken much to Yeonjun before- most of that being due to fear or scarce circumstances. In addition, there was only one class that you shared together, so how could he have known? It didn't help that you barely brought attention to yourself, rarely raising your hand to answer a question.

The fact that he knew your name had the butterflies in your stomach fluttering; however, you quickly snapped out of it, making it out to be a coincidence.

"Yeah, that corgi is super cute! I, just um.... didn't know that you would be working here, didn't think it was your type," you laughed nervously, reaching for the suddenly itchy part behind your neck.

Yeonjun simply got up, pushing his hands from the floor to help him stand up. The dog trailed behind him, hungry for more attention despite receiving some earlier. Its stubby legs followed Yeonjun as he came near you with a mischievous smile on his face. The proximity between your faces made your face heat up and you gulped. He was already so comfortable, being this close to your ear.

He just whispered, clasping his hands together playfully in a prayer position. "Keep it a secret, alright princess?" He then opened the door, letting the dog shuffle out first into the hallway before turning again towards you with a glint in his eyes, "just between us."

It wasn't until the door creaked, a high-pitched whistle sound that snapped you out from your daze. What just happened? Did the Choi Yeonjun just speak to you? And why was he asking you to keep his volunteer work at the dog shelter a secret?

─── ♔ ───

The next time you saw Yeonjun was when he was dozing off in class. Obviously he didn't seem to care about the lesson as he quietly snored, unaware of the drool and noise he was making. Normally you wouldn't have cared, but your teacher put her students into groups and... surprise surprise, you were paired with none other than Yeonjun. How lucky.

You stared at how peaceful he looked while he slept, his face completely relaxed with his mouth open a tiny bit. His hair gently fanned over his eyes, still looking as perfect as ever even though it was untidy. If he was like this forever, you figured you wouldn't have anything to be scared of. Unfortunately, this project was a massive part of your grade and you wanted to get most of it while you had the chance... which meant waking up Yeonjun.

Gently shaking him, you grabbed onto his leather jacket that was cold to the touch. Tugging onto the ends of the jacket didn't seem to be working as he would slightly open one eye before closing them again. You huffed, bending down to examine his face before he lazily opened both this time, wondering what was disrupting his precious sleep. You jumped back with fear since the proximity of your face and his was too close for comfort and he'd probably think you were weird for being near him.

He just blinked a couple times, unfamiliar with the environment around him before groaning a quiet, "Princess...?" His voice was groggy with sleep which meant that he was very well into the dreaming stage until you so rudely had to disturb him.

Honestly, the use of the nickname for the second time had you taken aback. You tried to remain unfazed, coughing awkwardly. Waking him up was like playing with fire; you weren't sure if he was a nice person when he woke up and considering that he wasn't really nice awake either, well...

You cleared your throat, toying with your fingers that clutched your supplies. "Uh, Yeonjun, um... we have to do a project together. Sorry for waking you up."

Yeonjun rubbed the rest of the fatigue out of his eyes. The nap didn't seem to help even though he already slept through the majority of the class. If anything, his dark circles were more prominent than before and he still felt lethargic. Since he was used to doing anything he wanted with no consequences, he just paid no mind, distracted by sleep taking over him again. He only responded with a grumble, slowly closing his eyes for the nth time while you felt all the more embarrassed.

"Yeonjun, please? Don't you want a good grade as well?" You pleaded, taking the seat next to him while he comfortably lay on his arms. Once again he opened one eye, looking straight at you. You frowned, upset that he wasn't even trying. Granted you knew that he didn't care about school or really anyone for that matter, but at least you were keeping his secret safe! Of course he didn't owe you anything, but pretending to care about the project would still be nice.

Yeonjun gazed at you, glancing at the upset glint in your eye and your frown. Out of everything else, you cared about his grade... knowing that he didn't give one fuck about it? For some reason, his heart skipped a beat while he looked at you, thinking to himself: cute. The way you sat there, clutching your bedazzled and decorated notebook to your chest with the pen slid through the spirals had his insides turning into mush. You were absolutely adorable to him, glaring mindlessly as if to scare him.

Perhaps that was when Yeonjun's soft spot specifically for you started developing. Because of that, he sat up and got to work, no matter how much sleep was pulling him away.

─── ♔ ───

When you arrived at your usual spot for lunch, you were surprised to see the brooding guy, Yeonjun, in the seat opposite to where you usually sat. Your boyfriend wasn't at school today because of sickness so seeing Yeonjun in his seat was a shock. Scared to death, you clutched your lunch box and walked next to him. This couldn't be good. He probably had a problem with you already and you groaned internally, slapping yourself for waking him up a couple days before.

You could tell that he was pissed off by the way he sat. With his jaw clenched and his fingers clasped together on the seat as his legs spread out, it was quite obvious that he was angry.

Nervously you cleared your throat, fiddling with your fingers, "um... is there any particular reason why you're here?" He raised an eyebrow, not responding, so you felt inclined to ramble whatever was on the tip of your tongue. He was so scary that you could literally shit your pants. "Well, I'm just wondering since this is where I usually sit and everything, but you're okay to sit here! I can move, if you want."

Yeonjun couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, only making you more confused. It seems as though his anger dissipated based on his behavior lightening up with a simple smile.

"I'm just here to work on the project for a little bit. It's not a problem, right? I know how much it means to you."

Taken aback by his calm yet sweet answer, your jaw nearly dropped. He knew how much it meant to you? Clearing your throat, you adjusted your skirt and tried to act normal about the situation. No way the scariest guy in school could say something like that.

Yeonjun tilted his head, gesturing to the bench behind him, "come on. Sit down."

Though his words were controlling, his tone was soft, inviting you sweetly. You sat down, finding yourself completely awkward as you pulled out your notebook from your lunch bag. True to his word, he also pulled out a few loose leaf papers from his bag along with a pen. The whole lunch period was spent with silence between the two of you, trying to finish as much of the project as you could even though it was only the first day.

When Yeonjun stopped aggressively writing on his own paper, you looked up just to see him glaring at everyone near you. The people near were either pointing at him and whispering muffled words. Though you couldn't hear specifically what they were saying, you could tell that most were stunned because of their dropped jaws and stares between you and Yeonjun. Honestly, you couldn't blame them. In a million years, you wouldn't have expected to be working with him at lunch for a stupid class project.

With the amount of attention you both were receiving, you spoke without thinking, "why do you act like that? Glaring at everyone?"

It came off more as rude but Yeonjun didn't see it that way, his expression turning to one of guilt and also shock at your curiosity. "I've just had a bad day and everyone is being annoying by staring at us. But I genuinely don't mean any harm."

His words were ironic; the boy had cuts everywhere from the scar on his cheek and the fresh ones on his fingers. He didn't mean any harm, but fought gangs on the daily (as ridiculous as it sounded)? You found it hard to believe as you chuckled to yourself, an entertained laugh that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"But don't you care that you can scare people off?"

He took a second to think about his answer, looking up at the sky with a pout on his face. You watched him intently as he hummed, completely curious to what he would say.

Instead he grinned, flashing you a mischievous smile. You couldn't fight back a smile of your own now. "Meh. It doesn't matter to me, actually. Besides, you're not scared of me, right?"

Your hand flew up to scratch the back of your neck as you smiled back sheepishly. "I would be lying if I said no." His smile made it easier to tell him the truth. Even though you were scared for your life, gripping onto your sandwich and biting your lip, you found it rather easy to be honest from earlier interactions from him.

He laid his pen down, adjusting himself so he could be more comfortable. He sent you a smirk, getting closer to your face.

"Then I'll work on my expressions so you're not scared of me. I'm just Yeonjun."

You rolled your eyes jokingly and laughed, "yeah, Yeonjun, the notorious bad boy that everyone is scared of." Perhaps he didn't know about his own reputation and that was probably true since no one wanted to be too close to piss him off. Before this conversation, you couldn't blame them but now you saw that Yeonjun wasn't as scary as he seemed. He was still frightening of course, but not to the point where it was hard to be frank with him.

Letting himself relax completely, he rested the side of his cheek on his hand, "You're silly, you know that?"

You didn't respond, opening a ziplock bag full of grapes to finish for the rest of your lunch period. Then you quickly got to work, finding a satisfying position for your pencil to write perfectly. Yeonjun didn't mind either, following your lead, and picked up his pen once again. All that could be heard was either of you shuffling in your seat or the scribbling of your utensils.

20 minutes or so passed before the bell rang. You sighed in relief, flipping your wrist in circles as your fingers ached with the amount that you were writing. Yeonjun got up and shoved his papers in his bag, not caring that it would probably get lost in his sea of other school related stuff and definitely not weed.

You stood up as well, gathering your things together. "Thanks for working on this project with me. I know you'd prefer doing something else," you snuck a glance at his bag, "so it really means a lot."

Yeonjun smiled once again, a very contagious grin that had you trying to fight back your own.

"Anything for you, princess," he winked before walking away. You watched his back intently, his hands in his pocket as he lazily wandered through the bodies of students trying to step away. He probably was going to sneak out again. You giggled, rolling your eyes. There wasn't any reason to be scared of him anymore; yes, Choi Yeonjun was a bad boy but he was also somehow comforting and goofy.

─── ♔ ───

To your surprise, Yeonjun was fun to work with- at the dog shelter and on the school project. He would always find a way to make you smile whenever you were feeling down, incredibly considerate and sensitive to your feelings. You were shocked that Yeonjun had a sweet bone behind all that cologne and intimidation, finding time to strike up a conversation whenever you were near. Occasionally he would flirt here and there, making you roll your eyes, but he was absolutely great to be around. Tales of beating bad guys in alleyways was his main way of entertaining you, acting out scenes that seemed to be from fantasy stories while you watched and laughed. You weren't complaining though. Working with him was like a fun little secret- refreshing and hidden away.

While you were doing your daily routine which consisted of sweeping the dust particles on the cages, you noticed Yeonjun hissing in pain as he made work on wiping down the dog bowls. You turned around confused, raising an eyebrow when he quickly retracted his hand from the running water, flinging it around. You watched as small dots of red flew from his hand, quietly dropping onto the slightly yellow floor. The sight of Yeonjun groaning in pain had you extremely worried and you ran up to him, grabbing his hand.

As per usual, there were many cuts all around his right hand, decorating his pale skin in clusters. You examined it carefully, noticing a rather deep one that did not look too hot. It was still oozing blood, which meant that it was fresh. You glared at Yeonjun, who was staring right back at you with a confused expression on his face.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you? Come on, let me grab the first aid kit."

...

"Sorry for getting blood all over the floor," he smiled weakly, watching you clean up his cuts with the utmost care. Barely acknowledging him, you sent a threatening look to warn him that he shouldn't be getting into fights. Instead you remained focused on the task, sighing as you cleaned up new and dried up blood. As expected, Yeonjun didn't take much care of himself. You were surprised that he was going on this long though, with such bad cuts like these. Some of them were already scarring, but it was still rather worrisome.

"So why do you have all these cuts on your hand?" You questioned, dipping a cotton ball into some gentle saline solution. The silence was rather peaceful and not awkwardly thick as you tried your best to clean up all his wounds, new and old.

Yeonjun, taken aback, wasn't expecting this from anyone- much less you whom he had met a couple weeks ago. He never really had anyone that worried about him or asked extensive questions about his wellbeing. So to see you there, making a fuss about how he should stop fighting, made him smile. He would be lying if he said his heart wasn't pounding in his chest. The way you were bent over, concentrated on every detail as you examined his hand made his ears burn.

"Are you listening, Yeonjun?" You tapped the cotton ball once again, focusing on the outer area. He hissed, the pain bringing him back to reality, "I was just out before coming in for the dog shelter. Really doesn't matter though."

You huffed, bringing the first aid kit closer to access more materials. Then you playfully hit the back of Yeonjun's other hand as a warning. "It does matter! You're here, all hurt with cuts on your hands!" Thank goodness the first aid kit came in clutch at the dog shelter; there was no way that frustrating guy would have taken care of these at home.

Yeonjun couldn't help but think you were cute as you crossed your arms, frustrated with how reckless he was being. He didn't seem to take you seriously, only smirking at your fret.

"You care about me, princess?"

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. What type of a question was that?

"Of course I do! You shouldn't be getting into these fights!" You yelled, berating him like a kid. Yeonjun only seemed to smile more as you motioned with your hands, trying to explain how dangerous the situations he was putting himself in. He clearly wasn't listening to a word you said, though you didn't pay much attention, yapping on and on about how he should stop being reckless. The whole time while you were speaking, you managed to wrap a gauze around Yeonjun's hand while he was silently admiring you, resting his cheek against his knuckles. Little by little his heart was softening although he wasn't aware of it yet.

"It just doesn't make sense to me," you sighed as your lips formed a disappointed straight line, "I just don't think it's worth it to get into fights with all these bruises and cuts after."

Yeonjun avoided the question, gazing at you instead of the cotton ball that you were dabbing on his gash. "Of course you wouldn't. I wouldn't expect a lady like you to like a fight."

Him calling you a lady had you blushing as you tried to focus on healing him. He would always flirt, but that didn't mean anything. He was the guy that got lots of attention anyway, so you were positive that this was one of his many lines. Not to mention you had a boyfriend as well.

Taking out multiple band-aids, you tried to distract your fast paced beating heart from collapsing. Eventually you gave up on the whole band-aid process, deciding that the gauze should hold up on the awkward spots better.

"Please just don't get into a fight again, Jun. And if you don't want to listen to me, just get into them less, please?" You looked up at him, noticing that he was uninterested, looking at the puppies that were scratching at the window to get out.

Realizing that he wasn't listening, you gasped and put all your strength into glaring at him. Yeonjun shook his head saying, "now don't get your panties in a twist," and you felt your feet failing you as you tried to get closer to chastise him. Your knees cracked in opposition as you felt yourself slowly falling back, tripping on your own feet. Luckily Yeonjun was quick on his own, free hand reaching out to gently grab you by the waist.

You felt his hand against the curve of your back, delicately holding you there as you tried to regain your strength. However since you were so embarrassed and absolutely stunned that he quickly caught you from falling, you stayed there for a moment, feeling your cheeks blaze with fire. It seemed like a scene from a movie, the way he was looking deeply into your eyes after grabbing your waist to keep you from falling. You gulped, averting your eyes from his intense gaze. "Yeonjun, I'm sorr-"

He only smirked, pulling you forward so you could stand on your own two feet, "come on, it's getting late. I'll take you home today in exchange for the care, okay doll?"

Your legs felt like jelly the rest of the night when he took you on his motorcycle, that ride not being the last.

─── ♔ ───

The month seemed to go by quickly, with minor hiccups here and there. Now you would catch Yeonjun at the shelter more often, helping around with filling the food trays or giving attention. There was less small talk and more deep conversations that had you on the edge of your chair. When there'd be a particularly good conversation with both of you laughing at a random story, either one of you would have to leave. It was quite a funny predicament; you never thought you would be talking to Choi Yeonjun face-to-face considering his reputation, more so wanting to get to know him better. So whenever you or he had to leave, you would feel disappointed, hoping there'd be a longer conversation next time.

As you were saying, the month passed normally until your boyfriend of two years broke up with you. It came as such a shock, since he was usually the one fighting and putting more effort into the relationship. You knew there had been more fights lately, but they definitely weren't enough to warrant a messy breakup with you pleading for another chance while he simply gave up. Perhaps the relationship had run its course, but all theories for your breakup went down the drain when you saw him with that same girl. Everything changed from that moment on; you knew that he was in love with her by his stare and the way he kissed her so delicately. It wasn't until a week later that they came out as a couple, compared to you who had a panic attack each day without his presence. There was no way he could have fallen in love with her in the span of 3 days; it just wasn't possible, knowing him. So you came to the conclusion that he cheated, as hard as that was to believe.

The proceeding days after were extremely hard. You couldn't bear going to school and having to see his face, not with the amount of embarrassment and heartbreak that weighed you down. Knowing that you were in 3 classes with him was too much. You knew you couldn't handle it. Volunteering at the dog shelter was hard as well because there was no motivation to get things finished. Everything reminded you of him, his memory weaving into the smallest things that would have you unable to function normally.

Even though he most likely cheated, you still wanted him back. Maybe it was due to dependency from those 2 years you were together, but it ached and rattled your bones each night you were alone.

Today, you were required at the dog shelter. School was different; you could make up work that Taehyun gave whenever he visited, but you couldn't help at the dog shelter from home. This led you to throw on your denim jacket, barely looking put together as you wiped dried mascara marks from under your eyes. You nearly had to hype yourself to show up, letting the visit be a quick thing before suffocating in the bed sheets again.

The bell rang from above you as you slowly turned the door, expecting at least one dog to strangle you with affection. You were rather surprised- and more so embarrassed when you saw Yeonjun instead, staring at you worriedly. Confusion and concern written on his eyebrows, he walked up to you wanting answers. You crumbled against his concerned gaze, suddenly insecure that you looked a mess with the frizzy hair and dark circles.

"Hey doll, is everything alright? What happened?"

"I'm-I'm fine. Nothing happened," you sniffled, trying to flash him a smile so he wouldn't worry. It didn't work by the look on his face. He reached out, grabbing your hand in his. If not for the massive heartbreak and ache in your chest, you probably would have been shy. But his concern only caused you to break into sobs, unable to hide the truth from him any longer.

"He cheated on me! Two years down the drain because he cheated on me!"

Yeonjun gasped, immediately opening his arms as you crashed against his firm chest. Needing the embrace and comfort more than anything, you let it all out, wailing out loud as if no one was near. You grabbed onto his leather jacket, the pain coursing through your Yeonjun wrapped his fingers in your hair, softly combing through the tangled mess as he whispered mindlessly.

"I'm sorry, princess," he hummed while you cried in his chest. His cologne, filling your nose, was actually super comforting at the moment, reminding you of fresh laundry as you tried not to smother his clothes in tears and snot. It was super embarrassing that he had to see you this way, but you knew he didn't mind by the way he was murmuring and holding you close. He was nearly rocking you at this point, hugging you tightly as you created a wet patch on his chest.

It was a while before you could regain your strength, sniffling and hiccupping as you struggled to do so. Yeonjun merely tucked a couple strands of hair behind your ear as you rubbed your puffy eyes. You barely got a sentence out because of the knot in the back of your throat.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I would break down like that."

Yeonjun just shook his head, softly cupping your irritated cheek. He was so gentle with you, looking deeply in your eyes. You looked at his eyes, surprised to see that he actually cared. His eyes were tender with sympathy and unbeknownst to you- admiration as well. There was a slight smile on his face as he demanded no apologies, telling you that he didn't mind. This was the type of Yeonjun you were getting more used to, rather than the cold one that everyone feared. You were amazed at how different he was, sometimes even wondering if the way he acted with you was just a persona. But you knew him well enough that he wouldn't do that, and it was evident in the way he handled you softly as if you were a fragile little thing.

There was a moment of silence between the two of you as you tried to gather your thoughts. Being with Yeonjun made you feel ten times better, if not for the hole stretching in your chest. For a second there, you had almost forgotten to breathe, taken aback that he embraced you in the first place. Then your thoughts started twisting, being driven by vengeance and hurt. You began speaking without thinking, clenching your fists tightly.

"I want revenge."

Yeonjun bent down to look at you more clearly, seeing the hurt flow throughout your veins. You tensed, looking at the ground with a type of determination that he had never seen before. It would've been cute if it wasn't driven by hurt. Surprisingly, he was against it- after all, you were never the type to partake in such activities; in the strange friendship, you were definitely more rational than him.

"Revenge how? Princess, you can't do anything illegal."

You frowned, snapping out of your vengeful haze, "you're one to talk! You're always getting into fights!"

Yeonjun chuckled, shaking his head. This was no laughing matter for you and you started listing ideas like throwing eggs at his car (a classic), leaving instant mashed potato packs to rise on his front lawn (would it work?), sneaking into his house and putting fart spray on his clothes (super petty and wouldn't last long), or maybe...

The boy in front of you interrupted you once again, an amused smirk on his face. "I know, but we can't risk you going to jail. At least out of both of us, you can be saved."

Not knowing what he meant by that, you just sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But what's something legal that will hurt him just as much?"

Revenge was never good in the long run even if it caused peace for just a little bit. You knew you would still have the same sinking and suffocating feeling every morning you woke up, but you were desperate to have some of that peace for now. Why did he have to be happy while you were out there suffering? It didn't make sense. He was in the relationship too. The only problem was how though...

You looked at Yeonjun once again, noticing the mischievous glint in his eye. You knew him well enough to know that he was going to suggest an idea, but what came out of his lips next was something you never would've expected.

"Hmm... how about fake dating? It's not illegal, but I do know that as a guy, it'll hurt him."

Thank goodness Yeonjun wasn't the rational one in your friendship. Typically all of your friends would advise against revenge, but hearing his words was super refreshing. Plus, fake dating wouldn't hurt any of you, just your ex who used to be possessive of your every move. And deep down in your heart as well, you hoped that him seeing you with another guy would bring him back to his senses, back to you at least.

Yeonjun watched you perk up as you enthusiastically agreed. You clasped your hands together, thanking him for a wonderful idea before it struck you that he probably had an ulterior motive behind it. Either way, you didn't seem to mind because he was doing you a big favor by pretending to be your boyfriend for a little while. Still, you felt obliged to ask.

"But what would this bring you though? I'm really grateful, but I can't help but wonder why you would want this?"

He thought about your question for a moment and gave a shy smile. "Well, I just need a person to introduce to my parents so they'd get off my back. Would that be fine with you?" His tone was off but you still agreed anyway. The task seemed simple enough. Actually, it was a good bargain on your end!

Then he cleared his throat, adjusting his leather jacket awkwardly before saying, "One rule though. No falling in love." Stretching out his hand, he waited for you to shake it.

You raised an eyebrow, surprised that he would suggest that. There's no way that you would fall in love with Yeonjun. Maybe a couple times you caught yourself staring, but it really wasn't that serious. It wasn't romantic love, just admiration for his beauty. What you guys had was a strange friendship to the outsiders; however, you knew you both cared a lot for each other. Happily you shook Yeonjun's wrapped up hand- something you were proud of yourself for doing- and sealed the deal. If all you had to do was not fall in love and meet his parents, you were up for the easy challenge.

Yeonjun grinned, his wide smile causing your heart to flutter. Maybe your body was already betraying you, the way it was reacting to any small action of his. But you coined it as just the fact that he was attractive and nothing more. It wouldn't take a genius to know that the bad boy Choi Yeonjun was incredibly handsome.

"Great! Let's start tomorrow. There's a big party and I can bet you that your dumbass ex will be there," he winked, putting his hands in his pockets. Off the bat you groaned- not because you didn't want to hang out with Yeonjun, but because you didn't want to be there in the first place. Being at home with a tub of ice cream was always going to be better but revenge could never wait. This was the peace you were waiting for, and you were desperate to have it.

─── ♔ ───

Getting ready for the party was strenuous, given that you had no motivation to do anything. You wanted so badly just to stay inside and wallow in your sadness, but the only thing stopping you was a certain black haired boy who somehow wanted you to succeed with your revenge. There's no way you could avoid this party, even if you begged him. Today you would put on your best act, pretending like you were a happy girlfriend instead of a person that constantly thought of your cheater of an ex.

You were going over the details of your makeup, brushing some luminescent highlighter over your cheekbones when you heard the doorbell ring. Sighing, you set down the brush before getting up on your feet. Running down the stairs, you quickly smoothed down your outfit nervously, hoping that you still didn't look like a mess. You didn't dress super fancily, but nice enough that you felt confident and cute. When you hesitantly opened the door, you were more than surprised to see Yeonjun with a genuine smile on his face, holding a daisy expectantly. Your cheeks flared- was bringing a flower really necessary? It's not like you were going on an actual date. Regardless, you appreciated the gesture anyway.

Yeonjun, seeming to sense your confusion, merely reached out his hand to your hair, slipping the flower in the crack of your ear. You felt your stomach flutter at his actions as his hand lingered, moving down to rub your cheek a little bit.

"If we're going to fake date at this party, we might as well start practicing now," he paused for a moment, holding his breath, "but you look beautiful tonight, doll."

"O-oh yeah. Thanks and for the flower too," you said, sending him a shy smile. He always knew the right words to say, but you were confused with your heart picking up the pace. And why were you stuttering? It wasn't like he made you nervous...

You stepped out into the crisp night while Yeonjun closed the door behind you. It was late enough into the evening where you could barely see anything, the fireflies and streetlights being the only light to help your vision. Wondering how he got there, you squinted your eyes at the driveway when lo and behold, you saw his ride.

It hadn't been the first time that you rode his motorcycle. It was probably the third time, actually. But you remembered the first time very clearly, the way he offered to take you home after you wrapped his wounded hand. It wasn't like you were scared to ride on it, rather it was the fact that you would have to hold onto Yeonjun's waist and stay close to him. The thought had your ears burning but when it inevitably came to fruition a mere seconds later, you felt more free as you rode into the night.

...

You were quite nervous when you went into the party, but thank goodness Yeonjun was there to calm your nerves. He was really understanding about your anxiety, soothing you by keeping a hand on the lower part of your back throughout the whole time. You were pleasantly surprised that he didn't leave you to meet up with his friends or other girls, instead introducing you to them and you doing the same with your friends. He seemed to be taking the fake dating very seriously, which was a shock because he was typically mischievous.

When people saw you two at the party together, most jaws had dropped. Yeonjun had never brought a girl anywhere; actually, he left with one most of the time. So to see him holding you close, almost possessively, you became the hottest topic of conversation throughout the whole house. Whenever you passed by, people would gasp or look at you questioningly. Most of the girls seemed to be upset, looking you up and down to soften the blow that Yeonjun didn't want them.

Naturally, you gravitated towards your best friend, Taehyun whose eyes immediately widened once seeing you. You laughed as he lectured you, asking many questions as to how and why this happened. You weren't a fool; you knew that Taehyun didn't approve solely because of Yeonjun's reputation. But that was what best friends did, looking out for the other in the best way possible.

Yeonjun's arm lazily dropped around your shoulder caused you to shuffle awkwardly as you started to introduce the two. Taehyun raised an eyebrow, saying that they have already met thanks to a school project. Yeonjun remained sheepish anyway, insisting that they hadn't even spoken before. The interaction between your best friend and fake boyfriend was hilarious and you had tears in your eyes. Then in a flooding memory, you remembered how Yeonjun knew your name, even though you never spoke before. How did he know?

Yeonjun stepped away for a moment when he saw his friend, Soobin, giving you a moment to talk to Taehyun. Though you weren't scared, you could tell that he was a little upset with the way he crossed his arms expectantly.

"So... why Yeonjun?'

That was such an easy question. Why Yeonjun? Being your fake boyfriend, of course. Because behind that cold exterior, he was super sweet and caring once you got to know him.

"Yeonjun is just really wonderful to me, Tae. He's super sweet once you get to know him," you answered genuinely, glancing at Yeonjun laughing at his friends. It was refreshing how much he smiled there, since in public, he would be cold and keep quiet to himself.

Taehyun considered your answer carefully before letting out a sigh.

"I don't know him that well, honestly, so I'm worried. Also, you might be going too fast because I thought the other day, you were hung over your ex still?"

His words sunk in, and you pursed your lips. If you and Yeonjun were actually dating, then it definitely would be moving too fast. But there were no consequences and no feelings when it came to fake dating, right? It was so hard lying to your best friend that you could trust with anything. You wanted so badly to tell Taehyun that it was all fake but you were pretty sure that was an unspoken rule between you and Yeonjun. He wouldn't tell anyone either but the truth could possibly get around somehow. Instead you just flashed him a tight smile, trying to convince him of a lie.

"I'm not anymore. Yeonjun was just there to comfort me and I fell in love with him." The words seemed to leave your lips more naturally than you thought, even convincing you as you told Taehyun a big fat lie. Part of what you said was the truth anyway, minus falling in love and not being over your ex... which was 75% of the sentence. Soon you felt Yeonjun come near you, his cologne lingering in the air which notified you that he was there. He wrapped his arms around your waist gently, hugging you from the back as he rested his chin on your head.

"Talking about me, princess?" He murmured, pressing a lazy kiss against your head, "let's go over there near the drinks."

You whipped your head around to what he was talking about, your eyes soon being pulled to your ex. You grimaced, internally dying as you saw him tug his girl closer by the waist. How could they be doing that in public, right in front of you? Did they have no remorse? You felt your throat become parched at the scene, begging for some drinks as you died watching.

Yeonjun, noticing the tension in your body, just held you close before covering your eyes with his wrapped up hand. You squealed, asking Yeonjun what he was doing as he watched them carefully and calculatingly. Soon enough, he was dragging you near the drinks where your ex and his new girl were. Your bones cracked in protest as you tried to stay where you were, the spot that kept you safe to watch them. Unfortunately you were now close, probably only 10 feet away from the foul scene.

"Follow my lead," Yeonjun whispered in your ear, his head dropping to meet your level. You felt your eyes falling into his as he leaned in closer, pressing a chaste kiss beside your lips. His lips were soft against your cheek as he stayed put, counting in his head for a couple seconds as you blushed furiously. You hoped he wouldn't feel the heat from your face as you tried to concentrate on the two silhouettes behind him. To anyone near, it looked like he was kissing you blatantly.

It seemed that his plan worked because you soon heard your ex grumbling to go somewhere else. You internally rejoiced as they walked away and you knew by the looks of his face that he was bothered by your fake kiss with Yeonjun. You smiled all the more when you saw Yeonjun, also grinning from ear to ear.

Excitement rushed through your body as you hopped up in glee, squealing that the plan had worked! Tonight was a success! And although there would always be the familiar ache in your stomach from witnessing your ex being affectionate with another girl, you still won- of course, thanks to Yeonjun. He chuckled as you, without thinking, grabbed his hands and started to sway both of your arms together.

"Jjunie, we did it! I think we made him jealous!"

He couldn't stop laughing now, giggling at how cute you were. You thought that his laughter was due to your ex's silly reaction, not knowing that he found you to be completely endearing. The rest of the night you were jumping up and down, ecstatic whilst Yeonjun accompanied your side. He never went wandering off even if his friends were there, keeping a close eye on you as you talked to Taehyun or wanted another drink. This was entirely out of character for him, and it was all because of you. Somehow, his iceberg heart had melted, becoming warm with love.

─── ♔ ───

It was 3pm, marking the ending of the school day where everyone would be rushing to get home or continue with extracurricular activities. In just 2 hours, the school would become completely silent as no student used the building at the time. You had just finished a second make up test, thanks to your absence in the last week. You hadn't known everything, causing you to turn in the test with some blank answers and definitely some incorrect ones.

It didn't matter though. One bad grade didn't mean you messed up the whole semester, as you were in a good place from before your ex broke up with you. You took your bag, darting out of the room, before you could see your teacher's reaction at your disappointing scores. As you walked tiredly throughout the hall, you noticed that one of the doors was slightly opened. This was strange since locking the doors was mandatory for teachers when they were closing up their part of the building. You quietly walked up to the door, wanting to be a great help and close it, but stopped in your tracks when you noticed quiet sniffles coming from inside.

You raised an eyebrow, confused. The sniffles sounded like a kitten whining for its mother, but that would be impossible. An animal couldn't get into the school easily, marking off that theory and meaning that there was a person in there. But why would anyone be here at the end of the day at 5pm when everyone was already home? And a better question, was someone crying there? You made sure to open the door as quietly as you could, and what was in front of you caused you to freeze in place.

Sitting in the seat near the corner of the room was Yeonjun, a few tears running down his cheeks as he tried to muffle his cries with his bandaged hand. His eyes were puffy and his lips were swollen and red, which meant that he had been crying for a while before you came in. Now you had seen all sides of Yeonjun, from his icy exterior to his smile and now, his tears. Seeing how weak and vulnerable he was made your heart shatter in your chest; wasn't he invincible? Clearly not, and you knocked on the door softly, hoping that it wouldn't scare him away.

He noticed your presence immediately, seeing you linger at the door with hesitation. He wiped his tears away quickly, pressing on a fake smile as you walked to his seat.

"Oh, it's just you, princess" he sniffled, rubbing his eyes with his non-dominant hand, "what are you doing here? It's already 5pm and you should be home." Despite his usual unmoving appearance, he worried about you and it was clear that there was concern cut in his words. Normally he wasn't the type to worry about others before himself, much less not become angry when they witnessed him become vulnerable, but here you were, breaking all of his walls.

You took a seat next to him, pursing your lips. Of course he wouldn't acknowledge his tears in front of you. But you just sighed, sending him a look that you knew that he was crying.

"What?" He groaned, deciding to look out the window instead of you. No one had witnessed him this way before, so he wasn't going to completely cry in front of you.

"Yeonjun, what's wrong?"

He remained silent, ignoring you. If you kept this up, then-

You grabbed his hand, trying to coax it out of him. "Yeonjun, I'm worried, so please tell me what's wrong."

As if the swipe of your thumb over the back of his hand had finally broken down the dam, Yeonjun started crying again, letting his bottled emotions out. You sat there quietly, looking at your hands clasped together while he cried it out. You were very concerned as to why he was crying and he tried to explain, but the bulge in the back of his throat made it difficult. Finally when he had calmed down, you passed him a tissue from the teacher's table in the back, letting him blow his nose as his voice wobbled.

"I don't know, princess, I... I just feel lonely. It seems as though I have friends like you know, Soobin, but I don't have a person who's my true best friend. Anyone I've met is either scared of me or wants to fight me. Seeing everyone have their own person while I have no one really hurts," he croaked, trying not to let the knot in the back of his throat disrupt his words. You watched him carefully, too scared that doing anything would break his fragile manner even more. His words sunk in and you felt your eyes also pooling with tears. The infamous Choi Yeonjun was in front of you, breaking down, and you never would have guessed the reason why.

The only thing that felt right was opening your arms and beckoning Yeonjun to come to you. He hesitated for a second before crashing into your embrace, his face pressed up against your chest as you rubbed circles on his back. He gripped the back of your shirt tightly, teeth clenching as he let out the remaining emotions. Hearing and feeling him cry broke your heart a thousand times more than whatever hurt you felt before.

If people knew what Yeonjun was like- playful and sweet, then they would have loved him. He wasn't just the scary guy that glared at others who looked at him weird. He also wasn't a person to be scared of, despite the amount of fights he got in. Behind his built walls and cold exterior- that was only for show anyway- was a vulnerable guy who needed love just as every other person needed. It was true for you. You... loved Yeonjun? It was a strange sentence. You never would have thought you would say something like that because the two of you came from different worlds. But here you were, comforting the sweetest guy who needed companionship. You loved Yeonjun and after all that he did for you, you wanted to cheer him up.

"Yeonjun," you made him look at you, bravely cupping his cheeks with all your courage, "I'm your friend. I will always be here, no matter what happens."

His lips, naturally pouty, were still quite red and puffy but he managed to grin at you. His smile was a true one; you could tell that he was genuinely grateful for you. Kisses must have been his way of affection because he pressed one against your cheek softly before looking at you again. You hoped he wouldn't see the red spread across your cheeks like jam.

"Thank you, doll. Thank you for being my friend."

He wrapped his arms around you this time, content with you against his chest. His words repeated like a mantra in your head and your eyes widened at how fast your heart was beating. Maybe you had been in denial before, or maybe you just realized now.

As you felt Yeonjun's comforting cologne fill your nose in the silent classroom, you realized you wanted to stay there forever, in his arms. Friends wouldn't say that, not even if they were a physically affectionate person, much less you.

Were you possibly falling in love with Yeonjun?

Fuck.

─── ♔ ───

This was the first time that you were staying over at Yeonjun's, needing to complete the project for the final grade on Friday. This was the only weekend where both of you were free at the same time, so you decided that it was time to finish the assignment once and for all. Unfortunately, the library was closed, so that meant you had to work somewhere else. Your house wasn't open, mostly because you didn't want to feel embarrassed for bringing a boy home even though it was just a project, which led you to choose Yeonjun's house. Plus, sooner or later he would have to introduce you to his parents, completing the other part of the deal.

That being said, being with Yeonjun was becoming increasingly harder. Trying not to let your gaze linger, trying to think of something else when he was near so you wouldn't become hot and bothered, trying not to freak out, all of that stuff, was so hard- just so he wouldn't be able to tell that you probably had a crush on him. You were doing your best to push it down because you couldn't break one of the only rules: don't fall in love with him. You were just friends and he made that rule in the first place, which meant that he didn't see you romantically at all. But being near him at school and the dog shelter brought you back to your newfound realization every time.

It was the small little things that inevitably made you fall harder each day. His fox-like smile, extremely mischievous and charming whenever he teased you sunk your heart to death even more. The deep timbre of his voice which used to be comforting was now heart attack inducing. It didn't help that you were fake dating as well, and sometimes the sweet things he said in front of other people would have you believing that it was real. You were wrapped around Yeonjun's finger of cuts, and you couldn't do anything to escape.

You stood nervously in front of his house, holding a box of apples that you bought an hour prior. You weren't sure if apples were the right fruit since there were better options like watermelon or oranges, but they were Yeonjun's favorite fruit. Honestly, you weren't sure if the fruit was for Yeonjun or his parents. However, you would still look pretty good in front of his parents even though the whole relationship was orchestrated. Besides that, the perfectionist in you wanted things to go absolutely flawless today.

Before even ringing the bell, the door opened and there stood Yeonjun rubbing the sleepiness in his eyes. He stumbled at the door, clearly tired, in only a black tank and plaid pajamas. His hair was messy thanks to moving between the pillows and comforter, giving him a big case of bed head. Despite how unprepared he was, he was breathtaking, standing in front of you and gazing at you with hooded eyes. It was 11am, but he was never a morning person, always sleeping in whenever he got the chance.

You felt embarrassed holding the apples that he never asked you to bring, and you cleared your throat.

"Were you sleeping? Sorry for waking you, we can arrange another time-"

He giggled, hands moving to grab onto the box to steady your shaking hands. You ignored the way his warm fingers splayed over yours for just a second before snatching his favorite fruit away. You noticed that he wasn't wearing the gauze anymore which meant that it had healed, despite previous scars being there.

"Don't be nervous, princess. My parents will love you just like me," he winked and your heart involuntarily flipped at both his words and wink. Why did he have to say things like that? He knew girls were weak for him, and now you weren't even an exception with the way he was treating you. But you pushed it away again as many times as you had done before, stepping into his house and quietly closing the door.

As soon as you walked in, Yeonjun's parents came running to the door with such excitement that you almost toppled over. They started shaking your hand, clearly very happy that Yeonjun brought a girl home. You laughed at their enthusiasm, trying to get a word in to their questions while Yeonjun watched silently, a proud smile on his face.

"Thank you for the apples! Gosh, can't believe our Yeonjun got such a pretty and sweet girl," his mom cried, pure shock on her face. She cupped your cheeks tightly, examining your face thoroughly and happily. She smelled faintly of oranges and laundry detergent. On the other hand, Mr. Choi was quiet, humming contently. It made you wonder how well they worked together, despite being polar opposites.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes jokingly, too happy with their satisfaction to take offense at her words, "of course, mom, but we really have to-"

"Oh! You guys are doing a project, right?" She squealed, taking away the apples and interrupting him, "Yeonjun, you should show her your room, but please leave the door open. I don't want any grand kids now." She winked and Yeonjun groaned. You felt your cheeks heat up at her words wanting to prove her worries wrong before you felt Yeonjun's hand grip yours. He quickly led you to his room, trying to hide his dusted red cheeks and embarrassment.

...

"Y/NNNN, we've been at this forever. How much research are we going to do?" Yeonjun whined, rubbing his hands down his face. Legs draping over the edge of the bed and his stomach on the mattress, his body splayed lazily against the fluffy pillows. You snuck a glance at him from beside the laptop that you had been furiously typing away at. It had only been an hour since you got to work, a comfortable silence enveloping between the two of you as you tried to finish the project. Despite multiple meet ups, the progress wasn't substantial. Perhaps that was because you and Yeonjun got carried away most of the time, deciding to procrastinate and talk instead of completing boring work.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose hopelessly. It was only a matter of time before he started whining, and you guessed the time was now, an hour in. "Jun, we've barely gotten anything done! This project will be due soon, so we have to finish it today," you scolded, trying to finish the last note on the document.

Yeonjun's desk was really comfortable and you wondered why he wouldn't do his schoolwork with a nice table and chair like this. It felt like your bottom was on clouds as you immediately got comfortable, gathering some motivation to finally get to work. Well, it was schoolwork after all and Yeonjun thought there were better things to do. But with such a comfy desk and great atmosphere in the room, you supposed you could do lots of your work without interruption.

Surprisingly, Yeonjun was actually cleaner than most guys. His room smelled of his cologne of course, but still pretty clean. You weren't even sure how to put it, but you loved it because it smelled like him. Very comforting and musky.

Yeonjun just groaned, interrupting you from your thoughts that incessantly kept rambling about him. "Please, princess? Let's take a break for 5 minutes."

You were sure you wouldn't hear the end of it if you decided to ignore him, so you closed your laptop begrudgingly. You were just starting to get into the groove of things and hopefully could pick it back up later. 5 minutes definitely wouldn't be just 5 minutes since Yeonjun would indefinitely find a way to distract you.

You stood up, expecting to roam the hallways with him but he simply patted the spot beside him on the bed. Inviting you to sit next to him, he shimmied over and you sat down a couple inches away. You avoided eye contact so that he wouldn't see your embarrassment and of course not hear your heart hammering aggressively in your chest. That would be too embarrassing.

You cleared your throat, saying the first thing in mind without thinking. "So... how many girls have you brought in here?" When the words flew out of your lips, you covered your mouth, shocked that you had actually said it. It's not like you were dying to know, but when you first entered his super clean room, it was one of the first thoughts you had. Typically a teenage boy's room would be a little messy, but it seems like Yeonjun had taken care of things despite his nature.

He laughed and you felt relief spread through your chest. Thank goodness he found it funny and not offensive.

"Do you really think that of me? Y/N, you're the first girl that's ever been to my room."

That statement made you feel special more than anything. Before you and Yeonjun had officially met in the dog shelter, you saw him with a bunch of girls. Whenever you went to a party with your ex, you would often see his arm wrapped around a random girl. The girl changed every time you saw him, so you were extremely surprised to know that you were probably the first girl from school in his house. And though your appearance in his room was only for a dumb school project, you pretended that you were special.

"I don't know," you smiled, trying to stifle a giddy giggle, "I used to see you with girls a lot, so I just assumed that, you know..."

He finished your sentence before you could, "No, doll. We're dating now, remember? I'm not going to be with any other girl but you."

But you.

You gulped, trying not to let it affect you. He was naturally flirty, so his words didn't mean anything. You were trying to not fall for him even more, but he knew the exact words to your heart. Gosh, why did he have to be so perfect?

You didn't know what to say to that, repeating his statement in your head over and over again. Yeonjun didn't seem to notice your dilemma, instead curiosity egging him on to ask, "why do you still love him?"

Your eyebrows raised and you looked at him, not expecting a question like that from out of the blue. He had always been really interested in your personal life, sometimes asking questions like what's your favorite childhood memory or place to visit, but they were never really deep like that question.

You cleared your throat, putting your clasped hands on your lap. "I don't know why I still do. We've been dating so long that it feels like I can't live without him."

"But do you love him?" He asked, eyebrows knit together in confusion. He accentuated the word love, a desperate tone in his voice that you couldn't quite put a finger on but knew was there. Even you didn't know the answer yourself, fumbling over your words as you tried to reason with the voice in your head that wanted to say no. It was too soon to say anything or make a standpoint but you knew Yeonjun knew what you were thinking by his intense, driven expression.

"He doesn't deserve you, Y/N," he whispered, his face suspiciously inching closer to yours, "I hope you know that." You remained shocked at the dwindling proximity between the two of you, too stunned to do anything. He seemed to be getting closer by the second, watching you carefully for any sudden move. Then, his lips ghosted near yours, held back by hesitation and indecision. He was close enough where you could feel his breath fan against your cheeks, his nose barely touching yours as he gazed deeply into your eyes.

You instinctively jumped away, instantly on your feet as you laughed nervously.

"I'll, uh, get some apples!"

...

You rushed downstairs in a trance, too shaken up to realize what you had done in the first place. There was no way he was about to kiss you, right? But why was he hovering so close to you, giving you those eyes?! Your heart somehow beat faster. He was this close to kissing you. It made you all the more confused about his feelings and you stood in the stairway like a statue, pressing your trembling hand against your lips.

You finally came back to the current world when you saw Yeonjun's parents staring at you, confused. They were sitting at the dinner table, slicing some apples which you assumed to be for you and Yeonjun as snacks after studying for an hour. Yeonjun's mom raised her elbow, gesturing you to come over.

You inhaled deeply to get some air in, smoothing out your bottoms as you walked up to them.

"Are you feeling hungry? We cut up some apples for you and Jun, if you'd like."

You smiled at her then admired the delicate cuts of the apples. The fruit was nicely cut, spread out in a platter with some peanut butter in the middle. They even cut the skin off too, although it wasn't necessary.

The apples looked so wonderful that you kept admiring them, unable to find the right words to express your gratitude.

"Oh goodness, thank you so much! They look great! I'll bring it up to Yeonjun," you gawked, grabbing the plate and examining it.

His mom smiled warmly, setting the knife down onto the lacy tablecloth. "He really likes you, Y/N. We've never seen him this way before- all warm and sweet- so thank you."

Feeling shaky while holding the plate, you did your best to steady your trembling legs up the stairs. Her words repeated in your head like a broken record as you brought the apples up to Yeonjun who was eagerly waiting for your arrival, despite the haunting project.

─── ♔ ───

Tonight was the second night that you were going to make your ex jealous. You weren't really looking forward to it; after a while, you realized that you didn't feel anything for him and it was becoming exhausting having to hold a front. The guy was in the back of your head and barely there in the first place unless someone asked about your heart. Instead, all you could think about was Yeonjun. Almost everyday the two of you were together, making up new inside jokes and going to restaurants. It seemed so natural being with him that you forgot that the relationship was merely an agreement.

Though you knew he cared for you, you were pretty sure that he didn't have any feelings whatsoever. Sure he was flirty here and there but that was just who he was. But you knew he still cared. It was evident in the way he treated you, making sure you were always comfortable at parties or at his place. One time when you lost your favorite bracelet at the dog shelter, he took his motorcycle late at night and looked everywhere even though one of the dogs had it in its mouth and ran away with it. That was one of the sweetest things he had done for you, besides countless others. But that didn't mean he loved you, not romantically at least. You were just his friend anyway.

That being said, behind closed doors where you were just friends was unbearable. You weren't sure how much longer you could hide it; he was always in your thoughts like a ghost and the building chemistry between the two of you would soon give away your feelings. In public he was always holding your hand or even kissing your forehead depending on who was watching and each time you would fall a little more.

Today wasn't an exception, thankfully. As per usual, Yeonjun picked you up to go to Jackson Wang's party (sorry yall, I just had to), the reason partly being that you were going to make your ex jealous again. The other reason was that you two wanted to hang out, something that you did nearly everyday. It may have been hard to believe since it seemed that Yeonjun and you came from opposite worlds, but being him with him was like breathing; it was so habitual and natural that it felt wrong if he was away.

Yeonjun led you towards the drinks after you asked for a beer, hand holding yours tightly as if you would easily get lost. You noted how well his hand fit in yours, memorizing every finger that wound through the gaps of your hand. His hand was so warm, causing your body temperature to heat up as you tried to get a hold of yourself and not give away your feelings.

"Don't drink too much now, okay, princess? I don't want you throwing up on the way home," he handed you a red cup before gently patting the top of your head. You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes to which he chuckled at. Unbeknownst to you, he kept thinking of how endearing you were.

"I won't," you giggled naughtily, knowing that you would most likely go against his words, "Aren't you going to drink as well?"

Even though he was your "boyfriend," you wouldn't let him dictate how much fun you were going to have. After all, it was a party and with him by your side the entire night, you knew were going to have the time of your life.

Yeonjun shook his head, scrunching his nose in disgust. "No. I'm taking you home, so I'm not going to get drunk and possibly have you hurt." He said those words as if it were fact, upset that you would even ask that in the first place. He truly, really cared about your well-being; didn't you see that? Anything that would put you in danger was an immediate no, despite how much trouble he got into.

You felt your heart pick up pace and you shook your head at how your body reacted. It was so hard to hide how fluttery you felt and drinking definitely wouldn't help. You decided to ignore it instead, drawing circles around the rim of the cup.

"What time do you think we'll be home? I have to get up early to help the dog shelter tomorrow," you continued to carry on the conversation, leaning against the wall as you took a sip from the cup. It burned your throat and you gagged, feeling the contents spill down and leave a trail of flames.

The colorful neon lights flashed against Yeonjun's face as he laughed at your reaction, grabbing your cup as you coughed aggressively to get the burning sensation out as best you could. He steadied himself against the wall too, one shoulder against it as he shifted his body weight to his right.

"Don't worry, princess. We'll be home at a reasonable time. I need to help my little corgis tomorrow too."

You watched him expectantly while he eyed your drink. With no hesitation, he took a swig himself, not taking a sip like you. You flushed at how willingly he drank from your cup, seemingly not caring that it was an indirect kiss. When he came up for air, letting the drink drip against his throat as he finished it all, you were not super shocked that he remained unfazed. He just wiped his lips with his thumb, proudly slamming the cup against the table as if it was a competition.

Rolling your eyes, you looked at the cup that was completely empty. "Hey! That was supposed to be mine! And you're not supposed to be drinking."

He giggled, one hand covering his mouth and the other thrown up in guilt. You couldn't help the smile on your face as you laughed with him, genuinely not upset that he drank all of the alcohol as long as he made it up to you.

"I'll get you another one right now, I promise. And you of all people should know that I don't get drunk; I'm a heavyweight!" What he said was true. Considering the amount of alcohol that he drank, you were actually surprised that he didn't just drop down and throw up after 3 cups. That was Yeonjun though, your boy full of surprises each incoming day.

He grabbed your hand with the vacant one, bringing you closer to press a tender kiss against your forehead. You smiled brightly, feeling his presence envelop you completely with him so near. You swore you could stay like this forever and it seemed as if the world slipped away as he held you close. A few seconds later he reluctantly pulled away, winking with a cup in hand. You waved him a shy goodbye, smiley and smitten as you tried to bite back an excited grin.

You felt someone tap on your shoulder and you turned around, not expecting who it was. There you stood face to face with Taehyun who seemed to be watching the two of you a while ago. The look on his face told you everything- he approved of Yeonjun which was a sweet relief because he was your best friend. You squealed as you hugged him excitedly, euphoria coursing through your veins as you pushed back the thought that the whole relationship was fake.

...

It had been about 30 minutes since Yeonjun was away. At first you weren't concerned, but started to worry down the line. He never took that long from you when you went somewhere together, especially not at a party. At max it would be 10 minutes, so you couldn't help but wonder where he was, wandering hopelessly through the bodies of people swaying to the beat. You huffed, not finding him anywhere until you went upstairs with her.

"Yeonjun?" You called him, your voice too soft for him to hear. You were a bit far and it didn't help that there was blasting music and deafening shouts from time to time.

Blinking your eyes a couple times to make sure that what you were seeing was right, you looked at the scene in front of you, jaw dropped. Not only were you astounded that he had been away for so long with her, but also at how beautiful she was. Her hair, glowing against the dim light of the hallway, was absolutely mesmerizing and perfectly voluminous. Her silhouette, curving in such a way that made you cover your stomach ashamedly, was near impossible and you wondered how someone could be as thin as that. Ah yes, the girl that Yeonjun was talking to was one of his older exes, confident and pretty as could be.

Involuntarily you felt tears prickling at your eyes as you couldn't take your eyes off of them. If they were a couple again, they would be unstoppable. Yeonjun was incredibly handsome and she was incredibly gorgeous. She was exactly his type: mature, older, probably funny and of course, beautiful. You knew how much he loved her in the past before they labeled themselves as "incompatible," calling it off because of how much they were arguing.

Unfortunately and against your wishes, you were particularly upset, watching your "boyfriend" talk to one of his exes in the past. It's no surprise that Yeonjun has a line of girls that he has linked up with, but it still got to you. There was no reason to, but because of your feelings, you felt a massive hole in your heart. Lying and saying you were merely upset because his conversation with his ex would ruin your image wouldn't be the truth. You were upset because you wanted him to be with you, talking to you with that mischievous fox-like smile of his.

You took a swig of the alcohol bottle on the floor, not caring that it could potentially be drugged or dangerous. The alcohol burned your throat as you drizzled it down, but that didn't matter. It didn't compare to the amount of hurt you felt wholly in your chest, lingering without shame. The way he was blatantly gazing at her like he was in love had your grip tightening around the red cup. As selfish as it was, it was supposed to be you. He was supposed to look at you like that, not her! You were sure she probably saw you staring at this point, but again, you didn't care. Insecurities flowing through your whole body, you looked them up and down no matter how much it hurt to do so. Besides you weren't even with him, there was no reason to be upset.

It wasn't until you felt two fingers tapping on your shoulder that you turned around quickly, anger in your steps. You squinted your eyes, thinking the drink was blurring your vision and causing you to have illusions. However, the person who tapped on your shoulder was indeed your ex, a grimace on his face as he looked between you and Yeonjun who was speaking to his ex.

"What do you want?!" You spat out venomously, trying not to let the animosity slip out of you. You couldn't handle another burden at this point- let there be too much and you would explode.

He sighed, putting his hands up cautiously. There was something off about him, but you couldn't put a finger on it. You were more surprised that he came to talk to you, given that he was ignoring you for the past couple of the month that he was with that girl.

"Nothing," he gulped nervously, "I just.. wanted to know. Are you happy with Yeonjun?"

You raised an eyebrow at his question, not expecting anything like that. It took a moment for his words to sink in and you furrowed your eyebrows this time, taking a step back.

"Of course I am," the words rolled off your tongue immediately although you weren't particularly happy with him at that instant, "why are you asking?"

He nervously rocked back and forth, finding it hard to look in your eyes. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two of you and he cleared his throat, speaking up.

"Y/N, I miss you. I just can't get you out of my head, and I don't know why. I want you back and I shouldn't have ever left you in the first place," he admitted quietly, finding it hard to say. He scratched the back of his neck as your throat went dry, jaw dropping at his words. This had to be a prank; considering how happy he looked with that girl a week earlier, there was no way he'd be saying something like that now.

Your breath hitched in your throat and you started to back away, wanting to get away from him. "No fucking way. You're not allowed to say that and you have no right. You're horrible."

When you took a step back, he started going towards you, trying to calm you down. He was foolish; of course that action didn't help and you felt your steps quicken before you were backed up against a wall.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? It was really wrong and I know that now. I shouldn't have done it, but now I know I want you."

Your insides twisted in protest, the bile on the tip of your tongue as you yelled, "you cheated on me! We have nothing now, and I'm with Yeonjun!"

He didn't seem to take the hint but stepped backwards enough to give you space. You felt confined; he was the only one that you could see in your blurred line of vision. His presence was suffocating, but he failed to realize that.

"We will always have something, Y/N. We dated for such a long time that feelings can't go away so easily."

You scoffed, crossing your arms. He was such a hypocrite.

"Everything died when you got with her. I don't want to be with you anymore, so please just leave me alone."

As hurt as he was by your words, he wasn't going to give up so easily- which wasn't surprising given how stubborn he was. He roughly grabbed your arms, puckering his lips as if a kiss would fix your hurt, insecurities, guilt- everything. You gagged, holding your breath and shaking your head as his grip tightened against your wrists. He was a mere inch away when you felt the air pull from in front of you, and you stood face to face with Yeonjun whose chest was heaving as your ex fell to the floor.

It all happened in a millisecond: your ex holding his cheek with hurt written all over his face as he looked between the two of you. You ran to Yeonjun's side, holding his arm as he examined the hand that threw a punch. There was a slight frown on his face but more than anything you could tell that he was angry, judging by how his shoulders tensed in the dim light.

Lots of people started chanting for a fight, pulling up their phones and flashlights as your ex scrambled to get on his feet. Yeonjun got into position, ready to throw another one until he felt you weakly pull at his arm with tears in your eyes. His muscles relaxed immediately and he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close. All he wanted was for you to be safe and even though he never forfeited from a fight, you were his top priority.

Your mind was cloudy as he led you out of the party, pushing people away so that you could make it through without getting lost. He made sure that you were okay, looking at you every second as he took you to the door and into the chilly, crisp night.

...

Yeonjun remained silent, jaw clenching as he took you to his motorcycle. You didn't bother saying anything, trying to focus on your breath that was creating a white cloud in the night sky. You glanced at the busy house, seeing drunk people wander through the driveway as well as the backyard before snapping back to the angered figure in front of you. Your thoughts were all over the place and it's a miracle that you weren't throwing up at this point. It'd probably be 5 minutes before you got to the motorbike, since there were too many cars parallel parked for him to find a good spot.

All of a sudden he stopped in front of you, bringing you to a cautious halt. Your heels stopped clicking against the gray sidewalk and you felt his hand tighten on yours. He turned around, clearly frustrated as he aggressively ran a finger through his hair.

"What the hell was that?! Why were you talking to him?!" He demanded, not loosening your hands woven together. You looked down, not wanting to let go either.

"Why are you asking? You were talking to her while you left me by myself for- for however long that was! You left me alone which is why he came up to me in the first place!"

Yeonjun's jaw clenched, becoming more frustrated with no answer. Seeing you talk to your ex for a while was eating away at him, wearing him down and all he wanted was to know why. For both the way his heart squeezed and why you were talking to your ex in the first place.

His tone became more gentle, knowing that yelling was not the way to go. "You know that it's not like that! I just got carried away in conversation with her, and I'm sorry. But I still don't understand why you were engaging with your ex if you don't like him anymore."

You scoffed, choosing to ignore the last part, "just say that you still love her, Yeonjun." He was right. You were guilty and he knew exactly why. You didn't love your ex anymore, so there was no reason to be giving him the time of day.

Saying that only seemed to make him more agitated and he looked deep in your eyes, a tactic that would make you listen to him. You gazed into his as well, getting lost in them and feeling your anger wash away. He held your shoulders tightly, shaking his head.

"I don't love her anymore, Y/N. I don't love her."

You didn't say anything, upset enough with recent events and the fact that you were arguing. What could you say to that? You couldn't keep arguing here forever; your fingers were going numb.

"Then why were you talking? If you don't love her, how come you looked at her like that? You look at me like that..." You felt tears well up in the corner of your eyes, hearing his complicated silence as a rejection.

The wind only became more violent against your frame and you shivered, feeling the chill against your arms prickling at the freezing temperature. Yeonjun sighed, giving up on being mad, and wrapped his leather jacket around the upper part of your body. He immediately softened, noticing how cold you were even though you tried to hide it by crossing your arms. Once he laid his jacket on your shoulders, you tried to protest, trying to shimmy it off. However, he tsked, bending down to your level, face-to face. You felt yourself freeze up, not because of the temperature, but because of how close he was.

"I promise I don't love her," he sighed, cupping your cheek. "Can't you see?"

You were only more confused, your expression twisting painfully as it was getting harder to breathe with how close he was. "Then-"

He groaned, looping his fingers in your hair before bringing your face forward, "shut up, I just want you."

His lips crashed against yours roughly, pressing tenderly despite how badly he needed you. At first he was hesitant, waiting for your reaction, but when you returned the affection, he let it all go. You melted into the kiss and him as well, his hand rummaging against the lower part of your body to bring you closer. The way he kissed you was ravenous; it was as though he was starving and you were the only thing that could satiate his hunger. You closed your eyes, trying to treasure this moment as much as possible and memorizing how desperately he kissed you. Yeonjun's tongue swiped against the top part of your lip and you granted him permission for a more passionate kiss. The moment lasted forever; there were no words to say except that he wanted you as much as you wanted him.

Eventually the two of you had to pull away for air, panting to get some oxygen in. No longer did the cold night bother you due to Yeonjun's jacket and how hot you felt. You hoped that Yeonjun wouldn't see how flustered you were, but it was no use. He knew you inside and out and by the way he looked at you with so much intensity, you knew that he knew.

He broke the silence, catching his breath.

"I can't do this anymore, doll. I only want you. And I want you to only look at me," He wiped the shiny gleam of your kiss on your lips with his thumb, rubbing circles as your mouth was still parted for air.

You gulped, feeling your breath hitch in your throat, "but I thought we weren't supposed to fall in love."

He smiled at how you didn't know anything before pulling your face towards his again and admitting: "I already broke that rule before we made it."

─── ♔ ───

When you awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and a hazy vision, you were extremely confused. The light poured through the window but the difference was that you weren't in your house. You blinked a few times, rubbing your eyes as you tried to remember what happened last night. You had gotten terribly drunk which made it harder to recall the events that happened.

Once your eyes adjusted to the harsh, warm light, you realized that you were laying in none other than Yeonjun's bed. Clutching the blanket against your chest, you sat up and looked beside you but there was no said boy which confused you. Your mind, shooting at a million miles a second started wondering if you had actually slept with Yeonjun. Quickly looking down at your body, you sighed in relief when you realized that your clothes were still on. The only thing that changed was that you were wearing one of Yeonjun's hoodies.

As if on cue, the door opened, revealing a sleepy Yeonjun. His black hair was tousled everywhere due to bed head. He looked comfortable in a black tank and plaid pajamas but even so, you found him irresistible in this light- not caring about his looks and completely snuggly. As soon as you looked at him, the memories came flooding back: his jealousy, your fake dating plan succeeding, and yes, the kiss.

Your fingers grazed your lips, nothing being said as Yeonjun curled up next to you. Normally, he wouldn't be this silent; usually he would be cracking jokes and trying to put a smile on your face. This time though he seemed off, as if he didn't know how to act around you even though that kiss strengthened a potential relationship. You stared at him, noticing the way his lips pursed and his inability to find the right words to say. His behavior was super strange and out of the blue.

Placing one of his blue linen pillows on your lap, you whispered, "Yeonjun? Are we going to talk about last night?"

He wasn't saying anything, and your heart sunk with each moment that passed. You took his silence as rejection, thinking that he regretted it- the kiss, that is.

Sighing, Yeonjun laid his head against the board of the bed, "Y/N.... look, I'm really sorry for kissing you. It won't happen again."

You raised an eyebrow, trying to understand what he meant. Momentarily you were confused and when your brain finally comprehended his words, your fragile heart that was already sinking fell to the floor. He only confirmed your doubt: that he never wanted anything to happen between the two of you and it shouldn't have happened.

You nodded your head with tears in your eyes, careful not to accidentally let them fall out. If he looked now instead of his scarred fingers, then he would see how weak you were.

"Oh." It was harder to speak with the lump in the back of your throat. "I guess."

Yeonjun still refused to meet your eyes, looking at the wall from his right side. The only thing you could see was his messy black hair, hiding his true expression and cowardice. What he said next shattered your heart, leaving you incredulous after all that he said and acted like last night.

"Let's call this fake dating thing off, "his voice wobbled, betraying what he truly thought, "you got what you wanted; he wants you again. You can go back."

His falter went unnoticed by you and you too looked at the wall on your left this time, praying that he wouldn't notice the warm water dripping down your cheeks. Your vulnerability was uncontrollable, tears spilling in a flow that couldn't be stopped even if you rubbed your eyes multiple times. Of course he wouldn't be able to commit to you. He's had so many girls wrapped around his fingers and there's no way he could give that up now. It was typical of Yeonjun, so why did you expecting something more from fake dating?

You couldn't bring yourself to answer both the internal question and him. Yeonjun slowly got up, finding it hard to leave before muttering, "I'll take you home."

"Okay," you said, not caring that he could probably hear the cry behind it. Even though you didn't want to accept that what you had between the two of you was truly over, all you wanted was to go home instead of staying in the sheets where he almost kissed you in.

─── ♔ ───

Despite you and Yeonjun being good friends before you decided to fake date, you barely heard from him which meant that he was intentionally ignoring you. Every text you sent him would be unanswered, calls wouldn't be returned, and even physical appearances would be one to nothing. You knew which days he went to the dog shelter as well, but you guessed he was smart enough to know that you would look for him there- which led him to come on unpredictable days. It seemed to be a coincidence at first, but even missing the classes you shared together? Come on.

One kiss ruined everything. You didn't regret it, but he did and now he was avoiding you like you were the plague. It hurt so much. You felt as though you had lost him completely, both him as a best friend and potential lover. If your previous interactions hadn't existed, anyone would've thought that you were never friends in the first place just because of his behavior. Obviously he didn't want to be near you so you just gave up in the next weeks that passed.

On the other hand, your ex wanted you back, so why weren't you happy? It wasn't even worth it, conjuring up a plan to make your ex jealous which yes, did work, but now you didn't have Yeonjun.

On one of the days where you had to stay longer after school because of club affairs, you saw Yeonjun walking side by side with Soobin and laughing. Though you didn't want to admit it, you felt jealous. Their friendship was like what you had, minus the affection. But you shoved that feeling away, more determined to get a conversation out of Yeonjun and why he was ignoring you.

You ran up to them, tugging the back of Yeonjun's shirt. He was smiling as he turned back, but as soon as he saw you, his face dropped. Soobin turned around as well, frowning when he saw you.

"Why are you ignoring me?" You demanded in a quiet voice, so soft that he could barely hear it.

Yeonjun glanced at Soobin cautiously and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Because I don't want to be friends with you."

Before you could say anything, both of them turned around and continued as if everything were normal. You, on the other hand, remained like a statue in the hallway, looking down at the floor and trying to convince yourself that what he said was a lie. What could you possibly say to that? Try and beg him that you could fix what he didn't want to repair? You were his person that he was always hoping for, like when he was crying in that classroom one day. You were his best friend, belonging only to him and he knew that. He always wanted that and you were right there but now you were nothing.

How could he be so cold just because of one kiss?

...

It seemed as though the situation got worse. Even though you were also ignoring Yeonjun, there'd be rare times you had to interact. For example, the fact that you sat together in one of your classes. Yeonjun who had been skipping to get high outside of the school, couldn't have one more absence or else he would fail the class. And considering that his parents would be enormously upset with him skipping, he was forced to show up against his will and see you.

It was as though his heart broke when he saw you with your head down. Of course you knew he was there, but now you didn't even wave a greeting or acknowledge him like before. However, he reminded himself that he couldn't be upset about that. You keeping your distance like him was what he wanted, so why did it hurt so much?

He got annoyed with himself for feeling this way and when you looked up and saw him sitting beside you, you automatically assumed that he was mad you were there. Moving your chair away to the opposite side of the black table, you took each school supply and tried not to pay attention to him. Yeonjun was quite scary when he was mad. Not wanting to contribute to anymore distance between the two of you, you made sure not to even look at him, not even a small peak no matter how much you were dying to see if he was affected.

He adjusted his leather jacket accordingly before looking at you, interpreting that you didn't want to be near him. With no shame he kept his eyes fixed on you, burning a hole through your figure as you pretended to scribble something on your bejeweled notebook with a ballpoint pen. He watched you intently before tapping your shoulder gently.

"Hey, do you have the notes from the past lessons?"

You perked up feeling his warm fingers dance on your shoulder. Surprised that he was actually talking to you, your eyes widened instantly and it was hard to get a word out. It had been so long since you heard his voice filling your ear with his low register. How could he be so casual asking a simple question like that after he made it seem like you were nothing?

You slid the notebook towards him without a word, hiding your mouth with the palm of your hand. Two can play at this game.

He pretended to examine the notes, not really caring about getting them down. All he wanted was to hear your voice which was pretty selfish considering the way he treated you the past week, so it was deserving when you remained silent. He flipped through the pages quickly, trying to distract himself by skimming through your handwriting. He wasn't the type of student that genuinely cared about his grades, as evident as him skipping this particular class.

He ran his fingers through his hair due to his bangs falling in front of his eyes. You stole a glance as discreetly as you could, biting your bottom lip nervously. The teacher would start her lesson soon and you would need that notebook back. Yet, Yeonjun clung to it, seemingly trying to remember every page that he turned. It was rather unexpected- the way he was inspecting the papers as if he cared- but he was also unexpectedly not your friend anymore.

In 20 minutes, Yeonjun finished shuffling through the notebook. He held it for a second, hesitant to give it back. Ungratefully you had already begun making new notes on some scratch paper, trying not to be occupied with the fact that the guy you wanted so badly was sitting beside you.

Likewise he slid the notebook towards you, a gentle tone in his voice. "Thank you, doll."

The use of the nickname had your heart fluttering and shattering simultaneously. For a second it seemed as though everything was back to normal, and you almost cracked. Being called doll was so special; sometimes it'd make you giggle because of how cheesy it was. But you stayed quiet, grabbing it with crumpled hands to finish up the lesson. He didn't deserve any words from you, not after the way he treated you like you were nothing. He didn't even want to be your friend anyway. Most likely he used the pet name because he wanted you to hang around, still pining for a love that will never come.

In reality, he just wanted to hear your soothing laugh again.

─── ♔ ───

You walked into the lunch room reluctantly, going to your usual spot where no one bothered you. Thank goodness that your ex got the memo and screwed off, though that very well may have been because he could be hit again. Memories of you and Yeonjun at the table made your muscles feel weak; you couldn't bear sitting there but still wanted to because it was one of the first places that you and him had laughed together. This table was the one where you sat that one particular day, realizing that Yeonjun wasn't scary at all. Now where has he gone? His absence didn't make anything feel right nowadays.

You pulled out the sandwich you packed this morning in a hurry, biting down though you were at a loss of appetite. Despite how much you didn't find pleasure in eating when your heart was broken, you forced yourself to take bites regardless of how you were feeling. That was when your stomach growled, much to your embarrassment. You hoped that no one heard that, and you scanned the room only to find Yeonjun sitting on one of the tables in front of you.

Him being there wasn't out of the ordinary, really since it was lunch after all, until you realized that he was talking to that same ex he said he didn't love. Your insides began turning in your stomach as you couldn't pull your eyes away, the feelings of hurt intensifying throughout your whole body as you watched from the sidelines.

Yeonjun reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her hair, smiling softly as he did so. She laughed, completely flustered with how sweet the action was- and you couldn't blame her. Every time Yeonjun did that, you felt your legs turn into jelly. And now, the two of them looked like an actual couple, their chemistry making everyone around them smile. They were meant to be, and you couldn't dream of coming in between that. The news probably spread that you and Yeonjun broke up, even though it was never real.

You failed to notice Yeonjun's bandaged up hand, too hurt to see that he was acting recklessly without you by his side.

At this point, everything started to make sense. He was still in love with her, even if he denied it while looking in your eyes. He wasn't a liar, but now you were fighting back those thoughts of his relentless honesty because of how he was acting with her: sweet and gentle. He always acted that way with you and if he was telling the truth, then that meant that his actions with her now signified his genuine feelings. You felt your eyes water as you began to realize what was happening. He was just playing with your heart and maybe... just maybe, using you to make his ex jealous as well.

You cursed yourself for being stupid, for not being able to see it sooner and actually thinking you had a chance. At least you had a reason to hate him now instead of crying in your pillows every night due to missing him with your whole heart and soul. Not being able to stand the scene in front of you any longer, you shakily grabbed the sandwich in front of you which now looked completely unappetizing. With clenched and trembling hands, you ran to the bin near the door. It didn't help that the trash was beside Yeonjun, but at this point you didn't care. You needed to get out of that stuffy room before everyone saw you cry.

The sound the door made as you ripped it open had Yeonjun whipping his head in your direction. You darted out of the room before he could stare any longer with his heart on his sleeve. He felt his ex tugging at the ends of his shirt for attention, but he just gazed at the closed door with glossy eyes.

He wished that she was you.

─── ♔ ───

You hadn't bothered to throw on a jacket, wearing Yeonjun's shirt you still had to return, as you walked to the dog shelter with tears in your eyes. The icy rain from the winter weather and violent chill of the loud winds didn't compare to the coldness you were feeling on the inside. It didn't matter if you got wet; to be honest, you didn't really care. You had to force yourself to show up at the place where good memories were made with Yeonjun, the one who betrayed you with his silence and lies. It was too painful and not even the cute dogs could lure you out of hiding. Perhaps it had been a month since you volunteered which was also when he started giving you the silent treatment, but who was counting?

Opening the door with freezing hands, you were welcomed with a warm guest of air as well as excited barks from the caged dogs. They all pawed at the steel in front of them, enthusiastic at your sudden appearance at 5pm when it was already dark outside. For the first time in a while you giggled, finding them extremely adorable as their tails wiggled aggressively.

You walked to Yeonjun's favorite corgi, crouching down to tickle his chin. Several raindrops from your clothes fell onto the yellowed floor and you made a mental note to mop it up later. Right now you would be giving attention to the cute doggies that you missed. In return, the corgi leaned into your touch, closing his eyes and licking your wet hands from the rain.

"You're so cute!" You cooed, speaking in a baby voice as you opened his cage. The dog barked in return, spinning around in circles with excitement after not seeing you for so long.

That's when the door leading to the supplies and kibble for the dog opened, making you turn your neck. The creak of the door disrupted your moment with the corgi and lo and behold, you looked directly in the eyes of no one else but Yeonjun.

Your heart dropped, and the only thing you could hear was the barks of all the dogs in the room. Both of you froze in place, clearly not expecting to see each other. Yeonjun dropped the broom, a loud thud clanking on the floor as it rolled in your direction. As for you, you felt like you couldn't breathe the more you looked at him, only being reminded of the pain that was the result of being his friend and agreeing to his idea of fake dating. It was too much at once, the pain of seeing him not wanting you to be there as well as the already present pain from the past month.

All of it had combined- the hurt and distress getting to you before any competent thoughts, and you turned on your feet, running to the door. Hurriedly grabbing the handle, you forced the entrance open and ran into the dark night, not hearing the fast footsteps following you from not too far behind.

...

You were a complete mess, running in any direction you could just to avoid the boy you wanted to hate so much. The rain splashed beneath your feet as you tried to get in some air, panting heavily in order to calm yourself down. The wind was picking up more violently this time and it definitely wasn't a friendly condition to be sprinting in. The only place you found solace in was in an alleyway, where the winds bothered the place less.

"Y/N! Wait!" A voice called from behind you, clearly distressed and hurt. You shook your head, finding it harder to breathe as you pushed against the icy ground with all your might. Soon your hair and clothes became soaking wet as the rain became heavier, pouring out generously. Strands of wet hair fell in front of your eyes, making it hard to see. You pushed them all to the side, knowing that it wouldn't be long till they popped up again. You didn't care. You just needed to keep running.

Unfortunately, you felt the ground below betraying you as you made the wrong step. Flying back, you felt your legs lift into the air, flinging you towards the puddle underneath your body. With a big thud and a new ache on your bum, you finally let your feelings out, spilling your tears and sobs that had been bottled up for so long. It was pathetic- you were crying on the ground without a care in the world, no longer trying to lie yourself and say that you were fine.

It wasn't long when you felt someone panting beside you, exhausted with the amount of running and trying to catch up. You rubbed your eyes, instantly knowing who it was but refusing to believe it. Not daring to look at the boy in front of you, you shut your eyes, letting the last of your tears fall out without a sob.

When you felt something warm drape on your shoulders, you opened your eyes just to see Yeonjun's leather jacket on your body. Warm and comforting, a stark contrast to the unforgiving weather, you gave up fighting and let it cover you. You were too cold and tired to shimmy it off. Your butt also hurt because of the fall from earlier, so that was another thing.

Yeonjun took a moment to catch his breath before asking between pants, "are you okay?"

Hearing him say that only made you irate. For the past month you were drowning in sadness and blame, never being able to get angry for how he treated you after that one kiss. This time you allowed yourself to feel all the types of pain, anger washing over your body easily as you stood up from the hard and drenched ground.

Each muscle within your body ached as you forced yourself up, pointing a finger in Yeonjun's face. He backed away with his hands up in an attempt to calm you down which was of course, to no avail. You stood your ground, planting your feet onto the slippery, dangerous concrete.

"Don't you dare say that, Yeonjun. You can't just pretend like you care about me after the way you treated me."

He gulped, blinking remorsefully as he bit the inside of his lip, "I know, and I'm sorry. I just..."

"You just what?," you cried, shooting him an incredulous look, "you have no idea how it feels, being left by someone who promised they would always stay! You're a liar!"

Yeonjun shook his head frantically in response, taking a step towards you, "hey, I'm not a liar! I know I hurt you, but I know I'm not a liar."

Anger had too much control over you, spilling in your words that used to be sadness and probably still was. Your eyes had begun glossing as well, catching you by surprise as you choked over the questions you were dying to ask.

"Then why were you acting that way towards her? You told me you weren't in love with her and there you were, acting the same way you did with me!"

"I don't love her, when will you get it through your thick skull? There was just something in her hair," Yeonjun sighed, his tone becoming soft at the end of the sentence. He knew how it looked, but there really was just something in her hair.

If anything, you felt like you were punched in the chest. His voice getting quieter made it seem like he was hiding something, hiding his true feelings due to embarrassment. You misunderstood, interpreting his falter as a bad attempt at covering up deceit.

"Yeonjun, stop lying," you sobbed, your voice becoming high pitched and wobbly, "please just stop lying. You've been avoiding me and now you're acting like you care, so which one is it?"

He didn't say anything, watching the wet on your cheeks come from both the rain and your eyes. Too shocked at your outburst, Yeonjun stayed noiseless, the lump in the back of his throat prohibiting him from saying any more stupid things. You, on the other hand, tried to get yourself together, trying to let everything you had been thinking about for so long to come out.

"You just used me, didn't you? To make her jealous? And I know that I did the same, but at least I was honest instead of using my parents as a dumb excuse."

You sniffled and your voice became heavy, resonating in your chest. "You can't just act like you care about me when you said you didn't want to be my friend." Even saying those words out loud was like a knife to the chest because it made it all the more true.

With each word you were rambling on, Yeonjun took a step closer to you in the already tight alleyway. You failed to notice, too caught up in your words until it was too late. With one hand, Yeonjun positioned himself between you and the wall, his palm against the red bricks. You felt utterly trapped, only being able to look at either him or the ground. You chose the latter, too emotional to look him in the eyes.

His face became close to yours, bending down as his other hand cupped your cheek. "Because it's true, Y/N. I don't want to be just your friend."

Fingers moving down to grab your chin, he gently forced you to look up at him where there was so much regret and sadness behind his eyes.

"I love you so much that I can't stay away from you even though I think my absence is for your well-being."

"What makes you say that?" You gasped, searching his eyes just to find that same depression.

He laughed incredulously, letting go of your face for a second.

"Y/N, who are we kidding?" He motioned to himself with a quick gesture, flashing you with his white, bandaged hand, "I'm Yeonjun. Choi Yeonjun. I'm not good for you." There was emphasis through his words, strength behind each one.

"I get into lots of fights and I scare everyone away. I'm not good at school and I'm not even sure I have a future," he paused, fumbling over his words, "you, however; you're just this little perfect thing. You're sweet, funny, smart, and so incredibly beautiful- that I'm scared I'll ruin you if I get any closer. I tried to distance myself, but I failed."

He paused for a second, now finding it hard to look at you face to face. His head hung low in embarrassment before his eyes snapped back to yours, hopelessly truthful and desperate.

"I have always loved you. From the moment I first laid eyes on you to the first time I heard your voice, I fell so hard. I never used you to make anyone jealous and yes, using my parents was just a dumb excuse. I wanted to have you in any way that I could, so I suggested fake dating," he admitted.

You were at a loss of words, tripping over your tongue but coming out with nothing. Yeonjun sighed, continuing his long and overdue monologue.

"As I've said, I already broke that stupid rule of not falling in love. Even before you knew, I was head over heels for you because of how much you cared about me and listened to my stories. I'm sorry for hurting you and not being honest. If I could take it back, I would. I made a promise not to hurt you, but look at where we're at. See? You're better off without me," he chuckled pessimistically, quickly turning to go.

"Yeonjun!" You grasped his hand, forcing him to turn around towards you. Without thinking, you planted a kiss on his lips, grabbing his cheeks as you stood on your tippy toes.

Yeonjun melted into the kiss, feeling his cheeks become warm as he combed his fingers through your soaked hair. The rain fell around the two of you as you kissed Yeonjun's wet lips, desperate to have him in any way you could. He was the same as well, smiling in between each one and trying to pull you closer even though it was impossible. He tasted so sweet, forever engraving his name on your lips that was always going to be his.

When you had to pull away for air, thunder struck. Both of you laughed and Yeonjun simply pulled you in for a hug, resting his chin on the top of yours. You clung onto his shirt, praying that he would never go away again.

"You can't just do that. You know how weak I am for you already."

You giggled, finding the most comfortable position in his chest, "I don't care. I love you, Yeonjun." His chest was made for you and no one else. It would be your spot to stay in from now on and even before all your platonic and romantic feelings mixed up, he was yours.

"Does this mean we're friends now?" You joked, looking up at him.

He smirked, shaking his head. He looped one of his hands in yours, bringing your face to his again that cold night, "no, it means that you're mine forever, princess. I better not hear any complaints as your boyfriend, okay?"

"I'll only look at you," you sighed against his lips, feeling heaven on earth, "I'm only yours."

The stormy night continued like that, with you and Yeonjun exchanging kisses and laughs back and forth. Thunder clapped above you, deafening and dreary, but it didn't matter at the moment. What was the worst thing that could happen? Getting sick? Perhaps yeah, but at least you had the boy of your dreams willingly getting sick with you. It was funnily simple enough: you finally had Yeonjun, and Yeonjun could finally have you after pining for so long. Nothing else mattered, and the world slowly slipped away as you held him close to mark the start of your forever.

—-

Released: July 3, 2024 (12am CT)

Thoughts: FREAKING OUT. I've always wanted to do something like this in forever and now i'm finally getting around to do it after 4 years which is pretty insane?! I absolutely love bad boy yeonjun concept and I hope this was a good read! seeing how much people enjoyed it back in 2020 only encouraged me to write this long ass story. hopefully y'all enjoyed <3 I sure did while writing hehe (I was actually dying at all the scenes where they almost and then actually did kiss.) As always, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more goodies in the future :)

Tags:

[jhuzen]

work for it [m.reader]

THIRD ONE FOR MY COMPENSATION GOOD GOD. anyway this one ain’t genshin as you can see. this is in celebration of imbibitor lunae, as your numero uno whore, i oFFER ANOTHER QUICKIE, really this took me 30 minutes because i’m so horny after kazuha and neuvillette. loosely based on this brainrot this anon and i fucking convulsed over. you’re also getting a full fic one day IL anon *kissy kiss*,

𖦹 nsfw, dan heng has two cocks, needy dan heng/feng, he’s a little pillow princess and i hate it, desperation, top male reader (tho switch implied)

“So needy…”

Your words were sending him into overdrive, his mind could barely comprehend a single thought that went through him. At this point the only thing Dan Heng could ever make out, though faintly, was the fact that it feels good, and that you were doing him so well.

You took the backseat momentarily. You had greatly underestimated what it meant for your majestic stoic lover to suddenly transform into what seems to be a very… ancient race of draconic humans. A Vidya— whatever.

And to even say that you had greatly underestimated him, would be an understatement in of itself. Because suddenly, your standoffish Dan Heng, whom you’ve clung onto relentlessly (bothering him to no ends that it even frightened Welt, the most patient man in the Express, about how well you’re truly testing Dan Heng’s patience), was suddenly the one clinging to you.

Though it wasn’t overt, but everyone in the Express sees it. Whenever March would pass by with Caelus, whenever Himeko looked up from her possibly fifth coffee for the day, whenever Welt would come to ask something — they could all see how tightly wrapped that long tail of his around your body.

It started off with the familiar subtlety, akin to his very ghostly kisses whenever he’d accidentally dip his head to grab a book from behind you. His tail would wrap around your leg. And as days go by, that very tail would increasingly become much higher, first around your shin, then to your knee, then to your thigh. Until it reached its rightful place, with a tail constantly curled around your waist like a persistent snake.

Don’t even get started on the nights.

Either way — the bottom line in the Express, is that dragons will remain relatively protective across all worlds. The premise is the same. They are the same creatures that look after what they own, protective — even jealous to a fault. Though, to his credit, Dan Heng was able to keep everything within the lines of sheer subtlety. He knew how and when to tone it down, courtesy of his relatively calm life before… his revelation as the high elder of his very… majestic species.

Though, as it stands, it seems that his looming presence and consistent insinuation that you were his wasn’t the only thing that amped up.

And tonight, you’ve truly admitted defeat to the stamina monster that was your draconic lover.

Dan Heng as the Imbibitor Lunae was someone you can only call an insatiable first timer.

He was meek as he relished in your kisses, whimpering and shaking like a frightened prey as he continued to indulge in such affections that you openly showed him. He was helpless in your grasp, only letting out the neediest whines as he continued to try and cover himself despite the fact your hand was already on his fascinating cocks, protruding and standing proud under your sensual touches. Your fingers covered in his previous release as you continued to pump your hand, easily engulfing his shafts that twitched under your grip.

Dan Heng could only writhe as pleasure racked through every inch of his quivering body. And oh, the way you mouth at his sensitive nipples, sucking on them as if your life depended on it, it was enough to leave his mind in complete shambles.

His cries echoed through the room and if anyone could listen, they’d be certain to hear the intimate bliss within the tone of his sweet moans and gasps.

And even you had to share the sheer pleasure as you sunk into him, you watched yourself get swallowed whole by his entrance, and little by little you could feel just how warm his tight walls were, soft and tender, absolutely drenched just from your ministrations.

Within the lusty haze your mind drowned in, you promised yourself to get in a couple of rounds until Dan Heng pleads for no more.

You were the first to tap out.

It could have been the sixth or fifth, but you were done, your body ached for some rest and yet your pretty pillow prince absolutely refused to let you go, with his possessive tail cuffing you into him, letting you continue on with your plans to fucking him into oblivion.

It’s not that you can’t cum anymore, the erotic sight of your lover can keep you going. But the rest of your body that is somehow not your dick cannot keep up with the endless demands. So you figured you’d withdraw the spoiling for now and let Dan Heng work for his next few orgasms while you sit back and relax.

Which leads to the present — you watching in genuine fascination as your poor dragon sobbed and pleaded for you to switch places for him.

“Oh, you do not know how to ride at all.” Your admonishing came out in a purr and you could feel him clench around your cock as he continued to sloppily ride you with the gusto of an inexperienced virgin. And you loved it. There was a certain charm to Dan Heng’s neediness crossing with his absolute ineptness in even finding the right place to hit even with your own throbbing length under his mercy.

Dan Heng was an inexplicable mess, his long hair completely sprawled out through his creamy skin that was laced with a sheen of sweat. Pitiful tears adorned his luminescent eyes that glowed with so much desperation for you. His bottom lip bled with how many times he chewed on it every time he thought he’d reach his climax, only to completely fall flat when he would freeze up and lose the momentum and friction.

“Come on now, love, you’ve done so much~ surely this is a walk in the park for you,” you jested with a teasing grin, a hand interlocked with his and he squeezed yours tight as he started over again — another agonizing round that he cannot cum over.

“P-Please, switch… switch w-with me, I-I need you…” he begged, sobbed even with crocodile tears and all. He placed his hands on your chest, propping himself up, trembling. His nails dug into your flesh as he continued to plead for you while he bobbed his hips up and down in such a sloppy manner.

A smirk graced your lips as you took his hand, pressing the softest and sweetest kisses on his palm and on his knuckles, looking at his eyes that brimmed with more tears with your half-lidded ones.

“But I’m all tuckered out, baby,” you murmured into the palm of his hands, lips trailing into his fingertips with more kisses. “Think after this, we can call it a day?” You prodded with a teasing tone and in an instant, you could feel his walls clench tighter around your cock, an act of defiance, a complete refusal to your tiny suggestion.

“N-No—! W-Want more… I need more…” Dan Heng’s pleas reached your ears like an angel’s cry and you indulged in it.

Your hand found his shafts quick, expertly rubbing through his cocks that throbbed within your ministrations, “Surely this is enough then? You just need to cum, right?” You taunted with a sly grin as you lazily pumped your hand around him.

It would’ve been enough, for anybody.

But not your pillow prince. Dan Heng’s hand quickly grabbed your wrist, stopping your movement. He softly groaned as he fully sat on your lap, your cock buried to the hilt inside him. He shook his head with a vehement rejection, he looked at you with aching need, his hips squirming on yours from feeling so stuffed up.

“N-No…”

“No? But I thought—”

A sob tore from his throat as Dan Heng leaned down, his nose on the crook of your neck, “No,” he parroted with a pitiful yet so very adorable sniffle. “‘S not enough.”

“Not enough?” You parroted with a fake frown.

“Not enough…” He whined. While the tempting bliss of cumming just with your skillful hands was all the more inviting, it didn’t feel right.

It could never feel right if he came without you balls deep inside him. He wanted to feel more of the warmth that you offered every time you painted his walls white, he craved the very sensation of you flooding him with little to no regard for anything else — just breeding him until he somehow magically bends the biological process of a Vidyadhara and gets to carry your children.

You cooed softly, placing a hand on his head and bringing it down to plant a sweet kiss on his forehead. He preened at the soft affection as he melted in your touch.

“Such a needy dragon you are,” you laughed before pulling out and swiftly switching positions.

Dan Heng laid on his back, shivering in anticipation while you positioned yourself in between his quivering thighs. Your lips couldn’t help but curl up in smug satisfaction as he looked at you with a feral need to be bred by you, and yet, he only laid there with the expectation that you’ll do most of the work again.

Of course, that wouldn’t do.

You crawled up to him, length brushing against his clenching rim with such demand. You caged him in your arms as you tilted your head with the ever-so present smirk on your pretty face.

“I’m still all too tired, love,” your words caught him off guard, “You gotta help me out a little here.”

His wide-eyed innocence was torturously delectable. Your hand slid down to grip onto the meat of his thighs, raising it up, “Hold yourself up for me, pretty please?” You pleaded with a charming smile, earning yourself an all too eager nod from your draconic lover.

You could only pull back with a satisfied smile as Dan Heng held his legs spread open for you, his fingers digging into his own flesh with such visceral need and he could only look up at you pleadingly.

“P-Please…”

Lining yourself up, you watched your own cock sink into Dan Heng’s quivering hole with such ease, a soft sigh escapes your lips contrasting a rather deep cry from him. He jolted as you bottomed out and magically managed to hit that sweet, sweet spot of his with so much ease.

His hands that held up his legs almost gave out, his back arching with the raw pleasure that you brought.

Before he could even beg you to move, your hips drew back and snapped back into him. Your thrusts were merciless, leaving no room for your spoiled beloved to complain. You could only indulge in his soft cries that reverberated through the room and the sinful sounds of your skin slapping against each other with every decisive thrust that you made.

Dan Heng was sure to reach the high heavens with the very feeling that you brought inside him, his walls tightening up against you with so much need.

A strangled gasp weaseled out of Dan Heng’s drying throat as you leaned down to mouth at his already sensitive buds, your teeth and tongue in pursuit of relentlessly assaulting his poor chest with every suckle and bite until they were too sensitive for anything.

“H-Hah—! N-No more—!” He whimpered, as his hands left his thighs, clutching onto your hands that sunk into the dip of his narrow waist. “T-Too fast…!”

His complaints only spurred you further to keep doing so, sounding more like an encouragement as your hips continued to move and push into him, with the carnal need to just make him feel every inch of your cock. Tears spilled from Dan Heng’s eyes, and he could only gasp out your name as the highest pleasure engulfed his body.

Thin ropes of cum spurts out of his cocks as you pushed out another orgasm from him, you following closely as you filled him up with so much of yours.

An exhausted sigh leaves you, groaning as you fell into Dan Heng, “Next time, you’re doing all the work.”

Dan Heng only blinked, “What do y—gck…!” He jolted as your hand grasped on his cocks with a lazy smile.

“It’s two for one, at least let me experience a good bargain for once in my life.”

Your words only left him breathless and eager.

[thatdeadaquarius]

I have a random idea for some sagau crack loosely based on my dynamic with my friend so Im giving it to you because I have been enjoying your sagau language stuff :D

Imagine there are two readers that are two different people. Like, not as in clones they are just two separate people that are rlly good friends on earth. They both really like genshin and play the game, and they both have self aware teyvat citizens. Reader 1 is a whale. They invest a l o t of money on the game, have all the characters, and all the characters have five star weapons. They are like the usual sagau reader you see. They have used up so much money on getting all of the characters, and I mean A L L of them, best weapons, constellations and put a lot of care into it. The place where they really get to show off is their knowledge and love for the lore, and are really invested into it and read all of the artifact descriptions and books. They know about primordial one, the four shining shades, random useless facts about items and often rant to reader 2 about their theories. Their quest bar is always empty because they did them to check out the lore of the game, and are always searching for more lore. They basically play everyday and are always reacting and talking to the characters out loud, unaware that they can hear them.

Meanwhile, Reader 2 is a f2p who is only interested in the archon quest lore and the lore of their fav characters. Because they are f2p, their options are limited so there is some blatant favoritism. They choose their fav character to save up for, and then pull for them. After they get the character they want, they will no longer pull and save up from there. Because of this, they only have like 5 five stars and only have zero five star weapon. Their favourite character is their main(*cough* wanderer *cough*), and unlike reader 1 who uses all of their characters regularly, reader 2 sticks to this character for most of their gameplay unless they need to use someone else. However, reader 2 takes almost an entire month to finish building a character, because they go overboard with the artifact stats. You would expect to normally have a 50 180 crit ratio, but reader 2’s dps characters always, and I mean ALWAYS have 50 200 crit ratio or more. Like, their main (it doesnt have to be wanderer but Im putting him here anyways) has 70 and 200 crit ratio, is crowned, full 4 pc best in slot, and is even crowned and faruzan only needs like 200 er but reader 2 gave them 300. (Im totally not putting this here because this is what I did/j) Reader 2 is also the type to never speak while gaming, so the first time they spoke everyone turned it into a national holiday to be celebrated. They also play a lot less than player 1. Player 1 plays everyday while player 2 plays for a month straight and then takes a long break to wait for the content to pile up.

So these two gremlin besties are always speaking with each other, and are always on coop. Whenever player 1 needs help making team comps or building characters, they just ask player 2 for help. And whenever player 2 needs help understanding the lore of the game, they ask player 1. But all I can think abt is the first time they cooped. Imagine player 1 was using childe and then when the coop starts, both childe and wanderer are very confused as to wtf is going on. Like, childe is confused because he sensed a strange aura coming form them like whenever someone gets controlled by reader 1, and wanderer is confused because reader 2 seemed so excited that they were talking, but its just childe? Reader 2 always skips childe’s banners.

Thats it lol, hope this wasnt too long.

Not long at all! Or more like, I like long asks so feel free to share! :D

IM SO SORRY ITS LIKE MONTHS LATER TO GET TO YOU I PROMISE I LOVE UR STUFF AND AM SUPER EXCITED TO SEE IT,

IM JUST SLOW AND GOOFY 😭😭

Said friends in genshin like: ^^^

this kinda inspires me/reminds me of @mists-reading-nook soldier/poet/king post, you should check xe stuff!! Gave me brainrot to this day tbh, like im imaging how that “3rd King style of worship” would look like even now lmao ive been down bad 😭

☆

Sun: 2 Readers! (as desc. above), (you/they/them)

Orbit: Headcanons-ish

Stars: wanderer/childe, mentions of others i forgot to focus on any one character or nation :/

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: mild cussing language, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

dual symbolism everywhere, obv you both thought “for the twins” but it just kept getting out of hand the more the game updated over the months lol

like shrines/temples/churches showing up more often in new countries/areas and always identifying the same 2 gods

obv the for-the-lore player picked up on it first, and by the time the trickle-down effect happened, where characters/NPCs were outright talking about these gods, the 2nd was asking the lore knower to explain lol

the 2 gods kept getting referred to by a few names, like “The Soldier and the Scholar” or “The Sage and the Warrior” or “The Keeper and the Pursuer” etc.

after awhile of comparing both of your games, you realize that some vision users/gods tend to use the soldier/warrior/pursuer titles more often when talking about one of you, and the other gets the sage/scholar/keeper more often

u both get excited, maybe its bc you chose diff travelers or some other reason, but when u try and post abt it or otherwise ask other players u get a lot of negatives/”hasnt happened for me”s??

u both just think the games glitched or some dev is playing a prank on you two maybe,

it gets weirder when u both realize the lore player be over here getting random gifts from all the characters in the mail all the time

and just as grinding players like “ :’( my favs don't like me?? but they have the best artifacts and maxed friendship levels..”

they get flooded with multiple gifts from their main characters, most of which benefit the grind tbh lmao (like a bunch of cheaper materials or crystals to level up artifacts/weapons or to ascend that character = no more slaughtering every samurai on sight for their handguards or collected a fuckton of those blue layered mushrooms for wanderer)

god u were both grateful to this glitch ngl, it saved a lot of dumb misc tasks and was just a nice touch

no but the amount of confusion inside the game from when u first started playing together, like each of ur games began with stuff abt 1 god, then as u co-oped moved onto 2 gods (like said at the beginning)

the lore player is blabbing away like you do, which begins to be heard by the other player’s game world

like it starts as whispers in battle, then all the time, then a quiet convo in the background all the time, until they can just hear u out of earshot esp word for word when they focus!! at first the vision-users/gods got all excited bc their god was speaking!! finally!!! until I'm sure they heard narration that didn't fit/it was there sometimes even when their god’s presence wasn't?/voice sounded “off” to them/didnt fit their god…??

ok ik u were joking abt the national holiday,,, but I’m not. 😈

THE FIRST WORDS 2ND SPOKE BEING IN A PROPHECY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS THEY SAY.

Player 1, playing as Childe, steals a singular (1) sweet flower from Player 2, who has Wanderer out:

P2: “I seriously hate you. Listen to what I’m saying, I can’t stand you.”

(Wanderer panicking that its abt him- Childe freezing bc he managed to piss off a god that feels as powerful as his own- the PROPHECY LMAO- )

P1: “… you miss me.”

(everyone else: 💥vine boom sound 💥😦😨😰???)

P2: “I hate you.”

P1: “You miss me and you love me, why must we fight??”

(everyone else: 💥vine boom again💥🤨🫠??…)

P2: “I hate you-”

P1: “-we gotta good thing going on, you and I, why must we tussle??”

(everyone else: 💥yet another vine boom💥 💀💀)

(the absolute deep anxiety/pure confusion as the two harbingers heads just ping pong back and forth towards the voices lmao)

u two scare the shit out of any characters u do this with lol

they do get used to it as u talk, and the characters even manage to interact (thru hacking magical shenanigans and discord)

to send thank you gifts to player 1 for getting player 2 to talk more lol

along with sending copies of any lore books that player 2 has gotten that player 1 hasn't!

and it becomes common/tradition to exchange gifts like this to thank or appreciate the other god, like player 1 characters sending thank you gift copies of rare materials or ascension stuff that player 1 had that player 2 didn't (esp making sure to send during resinless hours lmao)

overall, 10/10, whats better than 1 god that plays one way? 2 gods that compensate for each other and now u have 2x the worshippers

(i wonder how meeting alternate versions of themselves would go, bc id like to headcanon that each of ur behavior towards them/ur unique influence has changed them a bit comparing, like they arent carbon copies anymore, not like they used to be…)

☆

hey sorry for slowing down guys!!

i just feel bad its taken me forever to get to these asks, so i wanted to take what time i could lately and charge thru them so i could spam post lol

I've also been working on fics! so that's delayed things by a lot, bc fics take longer to “respond to” than short asks or replies

my poor bsd fic

Anyway thank you so much for sending this in!!! I'm so sorry i took forever to get to it, and i hope u enjoyed response/my brain shitting this out lol

have a good weekend!! :D

Safe Travels Anon!!

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily / @justinsomniachild / @nanithefuck / @questionotmystopit

@kiyomi-uchiha777

[redvelvetcupcakes21]

For @gay-hypersexual

Hope you like it!

Chimney didn't figure that game night date would lead to the greatest show ever.

He was happily munching on popcorn as he realized the fun that was actually occurring would over take game night for him, Maddie, Hen, Karen, Buck, and Tommy.

It started as a joke.

Actually it started before that.

Tommy was cool.

In a lot of ways, Tommy was a cool guy.

But he sucked at charades and pictionary, add to that that Buck didn't know a lot of pop culture stuff- the couple was doomed to lose every round during game night.

It wasn't until a round with Chimney and Maddie led to Karen and Tommy being partnering off.

"How was I supposed to know you meant Marie Antoinette?" Chimney asked, trying to not laugh as Maddie rolled her eyes in annoyance. Clearly upset that her husband couldn't figure out the answer based on her drawing of a large decorative cake.

Maddie threw her hands in the air, "I drew a cake! Is that not a clue?"

Karen and Tommy, unprompted and insync, began to sing "Cake, cake, cake, cake."

The four friends looked at each other before looking at Karen and Tommy quizzically.

"What?" Karen asked looked affronted as Tommy shrugged and just explained "Its Rihanna."

Hen raised brow at that, confused by how effortlessly the two had the same exact reaction.

"That was the first thing you two thought of?" Hen asked, pointing at them back and forth.

Karen looked back at Tommy, a coy smile matching his as they high-fived each other, both laughing over about being "Team Navy!"

"You were in the army?" Buck asked, looking even more confused along with Maddie.

Hen and Chim could only groan in their hands.

"You know what? Just for fun, let's have Karen and Tommy be partners." Chimney suggested, ignoring Hens pout and mumble about being partnered with Buck.

Once it was settled that the points wouldn't matter and that it was just for fun since Chimney and Maddie were winning anyway.

("Boooooo!")

Karen was up to the board first, the topic was movies still.

She drew what looked like an ugly dog.

"Coyote ugly!"

"Yes!" Karen screeched excitedly.

Hens jaw dropped in awe."No. Freaking. Way." She shook her head. "That was a fluke!"

"You don't even guess the ones that I draw that are obvious!" Buck complained, crossing his arms.

"Try another one." Chimney suggested, tossing more popcorn into his mouth and grinning at how Maddie was giving him a look that warned him to not start something with their friends.

Karen took another pieces of paper from the hat they used to collect suggestions.

"Oh, okay." She frowned, jutting her lower lip and thinking what to draw.

She drew a rough sketch of a brain with hearts surrounding.

It took no more than a second for Tommy to snap his fingers and point at Karen with the widest grin. "A beautiful mind."

"YES!" She screamed, meeting him halfway for a hug.

"Nope, no. No freaking way. Because hoooow!?" Hen asked, with Buck at her side and looking at the drawing.

"That's clearly a brain and the hearts are pretty." Tommy explained simply.

Karen poked him playfully in the shoulders, " Just like us." She smiled jovially, she stuck out her tongue st her wife.

"Oooh. You think you two can keep this up during charades? Gesturing is a lot harder than drawing. Maybe this is a fluke?" Chimney hoped he sounded indifferent and not egging.

He wanted to see Hen and Buck loose their cool a little.

Or a lot because both of his friends were not comprehending how Karen figured out Tommy's gesturing to his flexed arms to mean "The Hulk" or how miming wrapping himself in something could mean the "The Mummy."

Chimney nearly choked on his popcorn as Hen, Buck, and Maddie accused them of cheating somehow when after Tommy correctly answered "Harlem Nights" when all Karen did was mime putting on a hat and playing the saxophone.

"It's not cheating." Karen argued, hands under her chin as she jokingly added, "Tommy just gets me." She feigned the dreamily sigh that caused the others to roll their eyes.

Tommy on the other hand looked giddy. "It must be our lesbian and gay aliance." He smiled, earning a laugh from Karen and a "What the hell am I? Chopped liver?" from Hen.

Buck looked mildly less annoyed about all this now, snorting a laugh as he added "Of course we would forget about the bisexuals now."

"I'm sure this is all a fluke." Maddie stated, patting Hen on the back as she walked up to take Karen's spot. "Let me try."

Karen nodded, smiling gleefully and taking back her glas of wine. "Go right ahead."

Maddie took her own piece of paper out, "Oh, this should be easy!"

She mimed putting something over her head and making a slashing motion with her hand.

"Scream?" Tommy suggested.

Maddie shook her head "no"

"NIightmare on elm street?"

No again.

"Friday the 13th?"

No again.

"Can I try?" Karen asked already standing up and taking the slip of paper out of Maddies hand. "Oh. This is easy." Karen mimed yelling, throwing her arms up and looking drastically around.

"I know what you did last summer!" Tommy jumped up excitedly just as Karen yelled again "YES!" and jumped into his arms.

"Oh this is some bull!" Hen declared, noticing how Buck was smiling at how excited Tommy was. Hen frowned, perplexed she asked "Weren't you just pissed off about this a few seconds ago? Why do you look so happy now?"

Buck bumped his shoulder into Hens. "He's been feeling guilty still."

"Guilty?"

Buck gave her a knowing look.

Hen could feel her expression soften as she realized what Buck meant. "Really? He does know we forgave him, right?"

Buck shrugged, "Yeah, but he still feels bad and he always felt like Karen never exactly forgave him either so seeing them like this...I don't mind losing a few games if that means Tommy and Karen are having fun together. I want Tommy to feel like he can be himself around us."

Hen looked up and saw Karen and Tommy laughing over their new found power. "You know this means that he's just going to come over to our place for wine Wednesday with Chimney, right?"

Buck nodded, lips pressed together to keep from laughing, "Oh, get ready for craft beer Thursday because it's coming."

Hen rolled her eyes but laughed maniacally along with Buck as they overheard Karen invite Tommy for wine Wednesday.