#its really a mix of disgust anger frustration and annoyance

[itendtothinkalot]

enough is enough!

summary: after being evicted from ur house, u move in with ur best friend yeonjun...who was also ur ex...things get a little wild after u realised that ur ex is a slob!! anger gets to the best of the two of u so he suggests ~something spicy~ to end the fighting! friends w benefits...but.........someones always bound to get hurt right?

genre: suggestive, no smut rly

characters: soobin x f!reader, fwb!yeonjun x f!reader, friends!txt

words: 8059

warnings: kinda suggestive! mentions of sex!!!

a/n: based on a himym ep i just watched hehe lol

“And you’re sure you’re okay with me moving in?” you asked, glancing up at Yeonjun, a hint of hesitation in your voice. 

“Yeah, come on, it’ll be fun! Just like old times,” he grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

“The old times? You mean when we were dating?” you said, rolling your eyes, half-amused, half-wary.

“Y’know, some people, knowingly Taehyun, might call this a bad idea, but we’re friends. Best friends even,” he insisted, emphasising the last part with a confident nod.

“I just don’t want anything to happen between us,” you confessed, your voice tinged with a quiet concern.

“And it won’t.”

“Promise?”

Yeonjun nodded earnestly, “Promise.”

That promise lasted a month and a half before the two of you started getting on each other’s nerves. 

To you, Yeonjun was the biggest slob on Earth—leaving small wrappers scattered around the living room, dirty cups abandoned on the coffee table, and worst of all, never using a coaster, a pet peeve that drove you mad.

On the other hand, from Yeonjun’s perspective, you were just as annoying—finishing the last bit of cereal without replacing it, taking the last of the milk and leaving the jug empty, and never bothering to replace the toilet roll. To him, it was like living with a miniature hurricane of small, infuriating habits.

“Fuck!” he groaned, yelling your name, marching out of the kitchen with the empty milk jug in hand. He shoved it in front of you, irritation evident on his face, while you sat on the couch, absorbed in your laptop, trying to catch up on work.

“Oh, like you didn’t leave a whole bunch of disgusting, unwashed cups on the coffee table that I had to clean last night?” you shot back, barely glancing up, your tone sharp with annoyance.

“You wanna play that game? Fine,” he huffed, folding his arms. “What about the Lucky Charms you polished off yesterday? Where’s the replacement you promised to get after work?”

And just like that, the bickering began. It didn’t make sense; the two of you dated a year or two ago, and back then, you practically lived at his place without any issues. You never fought like this. In fact, the relationship had ended on good terms, simply because you both wanted different things in life—no drama, no animosity.

Despite its short span of a year, you’d always considered it a successful relationship, one that left no lingering bitterness. But now, living together as friends, the constant arguing felt strange, like you were suddenly strangers, navigating a new and messy dynamic you never expected.

“STOP!” you yelled, cutting off Yeonjun’s rant mid-sentence. You were partly tired of listening to him, but mostly just eager to get back to your work. “We need to stop.”

“I know. This is getting exhausting,” Yeonjun agreed, his voice softer now, the frustration giving way to weariness. “You’re my best friend. I don’t want us fighting over stupid stuff like this.”

“We dated before. We lived together. And we never fought like this,” you pointed out, confusion lacing your words.

“I know…” Yeonjun sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You know what it is?”

“What?”

“It’s the sex,” he said, almost too casually.

“What?”

“It’s the physical intimacy. It cancels out all this crap,” he explained, gesturing to the empty milk jug still on the counter.

You laughed, a mix of disbelief and amusement. “You’re joking.”

“Think about it!” he pressed, his tone playful yet surprisingly sincere. “Really…Think about it.”

Part of you wanted to dismiss it as sheer stupidity, but another part of you couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth in his words. Maybe it really was the physical intimacy that had always smoothed over the little annoyances, melting away any potential anger before it even started.

“So, what are you saying? We should have sex so we wouldn’t be fighting?” you teased, a playful grin spreading across your face.

Yeonjun chuckled, shaking his head. “Of course not! I was just making an observation.”

An awkward silence settled between you as the reality of the conversation hung in the air. You exchanged a glance, both unsure of what to make of this odd suggestion.

“That’s such a crazy idea,” you said, breaking the silence, though your voice wavered between disbelief and something else—something far more tempting.

You weren’t sure how it happened, but within minutes, you and Yeonjun had stumbled into the bedroom, pulled together by a sudden, undeniable desperation. His lips crashed against yours, and soon the two of you were tangled in an all-too-familiar routine you hadn’t revisited in over a year.

An hour later, you lay side by side, your bodies still pressed close, skin against skin, the weight of what had just happened settling in.

“Well… I definitely didn’t think I’d be doing that with you today,” you laughed, still catching your breath.

Yeonjun smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve learned some new moves, haven’t you?”

“So have you, good sir!” you scoffed, playfully shoving his shoulder, but your cheeks flushed with warmth.

A pause lingered as you both stared at the ceiling, the air thick with unspoken thoughts.

“So…” Yeonjun began, his voice trailing off.

“So…” you echoed, not quite sure how to finish the sentence, but feeling the weight of everything that had shifted between you.

“Listen, if we’re gonna do this, then we’re gonna do it right. No feelings involved. This is purely just to keep our friendship intact.” Yeonjun said firmly, laying down the ground rules as he sat up in bed.

You nodded in agreement. “Of course. And we keep it a secret.”

“No one should, or will, know,” Yeonjun reiterated, his tone serious.

“But I do,” a voice interrupted.

Both of your heads snapped toward the door, where Taehyun stood, eyes wide with shock, clutching a bucket of popcorn like he was watching the most dramatic twist of a movie.

“What are you doing here?!” you and Yeonjun yelled in unison, scrambling to pull up the sheets.

“It’s movie night,” Taehyun replied, still stunned but clearly amused. “But it appears I’m in the movie.”

“What’s with all the screami—GOODNESS. COVER UP!” Beomgyu yelled, his face turning red as he stumbled backward, eyes wide at the sight of you and Yeonjun tangled up in bed.

“We are!” Yeonjun shot back, yanking the sheets higher. “The door was locked!”

“I have a key,” Beomgyu smirked, dangling it tauntingly.

“So, what is this? Are you guys back together or something? Should we pop the champagne?” he teased, then turned to Kai. “Also, you owe me 20 bucks, Kai.”

“Aw man,” Kai grumbled, reluctantly fishing into his pocket for his wallet.

“No!” you shouted, still clutching the blanket to your chest. “No one is getting back together.”

“So what is this, then?” Beomgyu asked, gesturing dramatically at the two of you, confusion and amusement mingling on his face.

“We’re just… under an agreement,” Yeonjun explained, though his voice wavered slightly under the weight of the stares.

“An agreement?” Taehyun raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “What kind of messed-up agreement is this?”

“Hey, this isn’t all that bad!” Yeonjun defended, trying to lighten the tension. “We might be pioneers!”

“Pioneers?” Kai scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I hardly think sleeping with your ex-girlfriend is groundbreaking news.”

The two of you were abruptly yanked out of bed, barely given a moment to gather yourselves. Taehyun tossed a large shirt at you, his expression stern.

“We need to talk.”

“We don’t need to talk. This is between Yeonjun and me,” you snapped back, pulling the oversized shirt over your half-naked body.

Taehyun was your best friend. You were the closest to him among the rest of them. He was fiercely protective, with your stupidity, you needed someone like him.

“And what happens between you and Yeonjun affects the rest of us,” Taehyun argued, his frustration palpable.

You hated to admit that what Taehyun said was right. The six of you were obnoxiously close and you didn’t want anything bad to happen to any of you.

“It’ll be fine. We have rules,” you insisted, trying to brush off his concern.

“And what are those rules?” Taehyun seethed, his teeth clenched in worry. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Yeonjun and I are perfectly fine. We’re completely over each other,” you assured him, but your words felt more like a defensive shield than the truth.

You couldn’t see it, but Taehyun did. The tension, the complicated history, and the fragile boundaries were a recipe for disaster. Because in situations like this, no matter the promises or the rules, someone always got hurt.

Maybe it wouldn’t be you or Yeonjun but Taehyun was sure someone would be.

“What’s with the urgent text? I was in the middle of doing laundry and got SOS-ed by Kai,” Soobin announced as he walked in, his tall frame filling the doorway, looking bewildered.

All eyes turned to the newest arrival, and the room fell silent, tension hanging thick in the air. Soobin glanced around, his confusion growing as he took in the scene.

“YEONJUN AND HER ARE FUCKING!” Kai blurted out, shattering the awkward silence with his loud declaration.

“KA—” you and Yeonjun shouted in unison, your faces flushing with embarrassment and frustration.

Soobin turned his gaze toward the two of you, his expression a mix of shock and confusion. 

“Come again?” he asked, clearly struggling to process the chaos unfolding before him. His emotions were unreadable, adding another layer of tension to the already fraught situation.

“That’s amazing!” Soobin exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. “That’s so cool!”

The others looked at him– confused.

“You’re joking, right?” Kai mumbled.

“At least someone in our group is finally getting some!” Soobin laughed and walked into the kitchen.

As Soobin and Taehyun headed toward the kitchen,the rest of you stayed in the room bickering about the incident.

And cue…the certain someone, Taehyun thought.

“You’re hurt,” Taehyun said quietly.

“What?” Soobin looked up, puzzled.

“You still have feelings for her, don’t you?” Taehyun pressed, his tone soft but insistent.

“No. I don’t. Did you not see me being all nonchalant about her having sex with my best friend?” Soobin’s words tumbled out in a rush. “That was me being nonchalant. I’m happy about it. I’m really, really happy.”

“You came to my apartment last week just to tell me you couldn’t get her out of your head,” Taehyun said.

“And those feelings are gone,” Soobin insisted, pouring himself a glass of champagne and downing it in one swift gulp. “I lost a LOL game to Beomgyu that day so maybe I was just drunk and emotional.”

“See, I didn’t mention anything about feelings.” Taehyun outwitted Soobin.

“You’re being an asshole.”

“And you’re projecting,” Taehyun replied, not convinced.

“Y’know, Taehyun, you might be a psychology major but you’re not a mind reader. So could you just take a seat? Maybe chill and not overanalyze my feelings. I’m fine! I’m better than fine. I’m happy for him. He’s getting some—like we all should.”

“Soobin—” Taehyun started to protest.

“I’m fine,” Soobin reiterated, cutting him off. 

Yeonjun and you settled on the sofa, facing the four of them who were perched on beanbags, their eyes fixed on you with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“So, how long has this been going on?” Taehyun asked as he sunk himself into the beanbag right next to Huening, his tone still probing.

“Literally just an hour ago,” you replied with a sigh, feeling exasperated by your overprotective, nosy friends.

“And do the two of you have feelings for each other?” Beomgyu pressed, leaning forward with interest.

“No!” Yeonjun sighed, his frustration evident. “We don’t.”

“So the both of you really think sex is the best solution to your little roommate issue?” Soobin raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical.

“Well… it’s an idea,” Yeonjun replied slowly, his tone more thoughtful than convincing.

“It’s just… it’ll be fine! I’m sure of it!” you insisted, trying to sound more confident than you felt.

The following days were tough for Soobin.

Day 1

"Guess what?" Yeonjun threw an arm around Soobin's shoulders, grinning wide. "She forgot to get a replacement box of cereal, but don’t worry—I got something even sweeter in return." He added a playful wink.

"Haha, good one!" Soobin replied with a forced smile. "If you’ll excuse me." He stood up and walked out of the bar.

As he stepped onto the empty street, Soobin tried to hold it together. Once he was sure he was alone, he let out a loud scream of frustration, the sound echoing in the quiet night. Turning around, he noticed a man staring at him oddly.

“Sorry.”

Day 2

"One minute she's yelling that I'm taking too long in the shower, and the next, she jumps right in!" Yeonjun chuckled.

"That's... that's great," Soobin said, forcing a grin and giving Yeonjun a hearty pat on the back—maybe a little too hearty.

"Ouch! Dude, have you been hitting the gym?" Yeonjun winced.

"Yeah, something like that," Soobin replied with a tight smile. "If you’ll excuse me."

He stepped out into the same alleyway and let out a loud scream of frustration. 

Day 3

“Sorry, I’m late. Guess who forgot to wash the damn cups again,” Yeonjun chuckled, shaking his head in mock frustration. He then took a seat next to Kai, who had started talking animatedly about something that happened at work.

Before Soobin could retreat to the familiar alleyway to release his frustration, Taehyun grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

“I’m not about to let you disappear into the alley just to let out a horrifying scream, we can all hear you by the way.” Taehyun said firmly. 

“You can?” Soobin’s cheeks pinked.

“Yes. It’s embarrassing.”

“Oh.”

It’s clear you still like her. You could put an end to this.”

“I don’t like her,” Soobin sighed, frustration evident in his voice.

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Yes, you do!”

“I don’t like her!”

“Who are we talking about?” you asked, popping up behind the two of them, causing Taehyun to jump and let out a startled scream.

“No one,” the two of them replied in unison.

You raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “Sure. Hey Soobin, can you help me with something at the apartment?”

Soobin’s tone was almost bitter as he responded, “You can’t ask Yeonjun to help you?” It was clear that something was bothering him.

“Oh, I just…” you said, hurt flashing in your eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll ask Beomgyu then.”

Seeing the hurt in your eyes, Soobin immediately felt a pang of regret. His heart ached at the thought of having hurt you.

“I’m sorry. I just… had a bad day at work. Of course, I’ll help you.”

You hesitated, your voice careful, “I don’t want to bother you.”

“You never have,” Soobin said, his smile genuine and warm.

You returned his smile, feeling a wave of relief and warmth. “Thanks, Soobin. I really appreciate it.”

“C’mon,” Soobin said, extending a hand toward you. “Let’s get this done.”

As you both walked out of the bar and made your way to the apartment, the earlier tension began to fade. The familiar route was only a five-minute walk, and the comforting rhythm of your footsteps helped soothe the day’s frustrations.

Once inside the apartment, you turned to Soobin with a hesitant expression. “So… I have an assignment due next week, and it’s something I don’t even want to bring up in front of the other guys.”

“Oh, what is it about?” Soobin asked, curiosity piqued.

“Well, uh… it’s conducting an interview…” Your voice trailed off, and you looked away, clearly embarrassed by the following words.

“About?”

“Here,” you said, handing him a folder. “I can’t read it out loud.”

Soobin took the folder and read the assignment quietly to himself. “Conduct an interview with someone you’ve known that you admire.”

He glanced up at you, a mixture of surprise and understanding in his eyes. “So, who are you thinking of interviewing?”

You looked at him, laughing softly, “Uh– you actually.”

Soobin blinked in surprise, his expression shifting to one of genuine curiosity and a hint of flattery. “Me? Really?”

You nodded, smiling warmly. “Yeah. You’re always so strong. I mean, you cry a lot, but you’re strong. You show your emotions and you’re honest about how you feel. It’s one of the things I really like about you.”

Soobin gulped, feeling a rush of nervousness. His heart raced faster than it ever had. Though the two of you were close, most of your conversations were light-hearted and filled with jokes. Even deep talks typically involved the rest of the group. But this—this was an intimate moment, a conversation that felt deeply personal.

He was locking away the realization of his feelings for you, feelings he had only recently admitted to himself and discussed with Taehyun.

“I—uh...” Soobin’s words stumbled as he tried to process the unexpected compliment.

“It’s weird to hear nice things about yourself,” you said, your voice gentle. “But you should still know.”

Soobin’s cheeks reddened, a faint blush spreading across his face. “You’re really something else,” he said.

“So, uh… the interview?” you asked, trying to lighten the mood. “You’re okay with it? You’re kinda my last hope before I move on to Beomgyu.”

Soobin laughed, the tension easing as he replied, “Yeah, I’m cool with it.”

The mood lightened, and soon the two of you were caught up in laughter, exchanging funny stories like one in particular where Beomgyu fell off his bike and peed in his pants. 

As the laughter died down, you noticed an eyelash on Soobin’s cheek, fluttering near his eye. “Wait, you’ve got an eyelash,” you said, reaching up instinctively. “Hold still.”

Soobin stilled, his eyes focused on you as you leaned in closer, carefully brushing the eyelash off his face. Your fingers lingered for a moment longer than necessary, your touch soft against his skin. As you pulled back, your faces were mere inches apart, the playful atmosphere suddenly shifting into something deeper.

You both froze, eyes locking. The world around you seemed to fade away, and all you could focus on was the softness of his gaze and the sudden, undeniable pull between you. Soobin’s breath hitched, his eyes flickering to your lips, the playful smile now replaced by something more intense.

Without thinking, Soobin leaned in, his hand gently cupping the back of your head. Your heart raced as you found yourself mirroring his movement, tilting your head slightly, drawn to him like a magnet. Your breaths mingled, and the proximity was dizzying—your lips were just a breath away from meeting when—

The door burst open, and Taehyun barged in, his voice loud and casual. “Hey, Soobin, did you see the—oh.” He stopped dead, taking in the scene before him, his eyes widening in surprise.

Soobin jumped back, clearing his throat awkwardly as the moment shattered. You quickly stepped away, your cheeks flushing in embarrassment as Taehyun stared at the two of you, completely oblivious to the intimate moment he’d just interrupted.

Day 4

Yeonjun sighed and sprawled out on the sofa, looking unusually restless. “I’m bored,” he said, glancing over at you with an exaggerated pout.

“What does that have to do with me?” you asked, your eyes fixed on the screen as you typed away.

“Well, we could…” Yeonjun began, his tone playful and full of mischief, a glint in his eye suggesting he had something entertaining in mind.

“Don’t even think about it. I’m in the zone,” you replied, waving a hand dismissively while remaining focused on your work.

“I wasn’t saying anything.” Yeonjun shrugged, but then his face lit up with a sudden realization. “Oh shit, I’m late for work!” He jumped up from the sofa, hurriedly grabbing his bag from the floor and shoving his phone into his pocket. “I’ll get going!”

“Sure! Be safe!” you called out, barely glancing up.

Yeonjun paused at the door, a spontaneous impulse catching him. He dashed back to you, leaned in, and pressed his lips against yours in a quick, unexpected kiss. “Bye!” he said, before rushing out the door.

You stood there, your eyes widening in surprise and confusion, “Oh no.”

From just outside the door, Yeonjun’s voice came back, sounding almost comically distressed, “Oh no.”

Day 5

“And I kissed her,” Yeonjun’s frustration was evident as he recounted the awkward incident to Soobin, who was barely able to hide his jealousy. Soobin’s expression tightened, his jaw clenched as he tried to mask his emotions.

“So you like her?” Soobin asked, his voice laced with a hint of fear, not quite sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

“No! I just… I think maybe it was just leftover reflexes from when we were dating,” Yeonjun said, shrugging as if trying to convince himself more than Soobin.

“You know what? I think it’s the perfect time to end this little arrangement,” Soobin said, wincing slightly. “She might get the wrong idea, and you definitely don’t want that, do you?”

“Oh, fuck no!” Yeonjun shook his head quickly. “We’re better off as friends. Sure, she’s funny, pretty, and not gonna lie, she’s almost animalistic in bed, it’s like sh—”

“I don’t really need or want to know,” Soobin cut him off, shaking his head in discomfort.

“Oh right. But yeah…we’re just better off as friends.” Yeonjun trailed off, lost in thought. “I gotta end it.”

—------

“It was weird! Are you kidding me?” you sighed, pacing back and forth, your mind racing. “It felt like incest.”

“Incest is a harsh word considering the two of you literally fuck all the time.”

“Right…”

Taehyun watched you with a knowing look, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. “Well, end it! I told you—this wasn’t a good idea.”

You stopped in your tracks, frustration boiling over, but beneath it was something you didn’t want to admit—how much the almost-kiss with Soobin had affected you. You replayed the moment in your mind: the way Soobin looked at you, the way your heart fluttered like never before. It wasn’t just the kiss that was weird—it was the rush of emotions that came with it, emotions you hadn’t allowed yourself to fully feel until now.

You rubbed your temples, a sigh escaping your lips. “Fine. You were right. I gotta end it.” The words felt heavy, the reality of moving on from whatever you had with Yeonjun suddenly feeling insignificant compared to the new, confusing feelings stirring for Soobin.

Back at home, you sat across from Yeonjun, both of you feeling the weight of the conversation that had been long overdue. You laid out your concerns, talking openly about the awkwardness of the recent kiss and the boundaries that had become increasingly blurred. Yeonjun nodded along, echoing the very same feelings you had been grappling with.

“So we agree…we should just talk it out. Just like regular roommates,” Yeonjun said, leaning back in his chair, his tone uncharacteristically serious.

“Yeah,” you nodded, relieved to find that you were both on the same page. “No more…whatever this is. Just friends. Just roommates.”

Yeonjun ran a hand through his hair, letting out a small laugh. “I mean, it was fun while it lasted, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s better this way,” you smiled, feeling a sense of closure. “No more mixed signals or weird moments.”

“Agreed,” Yeonjun said, offering you a reassuring smile. “We’re still good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” You smiled back, feeling a bit lighter now that everything was out in the open. 

As you wrapped up your conversation with Yeonjun, you felt a wave of relief wash over you. The awkwardness of your past situation seemed to fade, replaced by a renewed sense of friendship. You were both on the same page, ready to move forward and leave the confusing feelings behind.

Later that day, you found yourself in the common area of the apartment, scrolling absentmindedly on your phone when you overheard Beomgyu’s voice drifting from the kitchen. You didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the mention of Soobin’s name immediately caught your attention.

“Trust me, man, she’s perfect for you!” Beomgyu’s voice was enthusiastic, almost teasing. “You need to loosen up a little. A date is just what you need.”

Soobin’s voice followed, sounding less certain. “I don’t know, Beomgyu… I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.”

“Oh, come on! You’ve been single for too long. Besides, this girl is great. You’ll have fun. Just one date. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Your heart sank as the realization hit you—Beomgyu had set Soobin up on a date. You peeked around the corner, seeing Soobin rubbing the back of his neck, looking both hesitant and slightly amused.

“Alright, fine. I’ll go,” Soobin finally conceded, though he still seemed unsure. “But you owe me if this goes badly.”

Beomgyu grinned, patting Soobin on the back. “Trust me, you won’t regret it!”

You shook your head, scolding yourself internally. Get a grip, you thought. He’s free to do whatever he wants. Yet, despite the logical reasoning, the sight of him being set up by Beomgyu for a date left an ache in your heart.

Your mind drifted back to all the moments you had shared—the late-night talks, the inside jokes, the quiet glances that lingered just a little too long. It felt different with Soobin, something softer and unspoken. You told yourself you were just friends, but now, seeing him take even the smallest step toward someone else, you couldn’t help but wonder if you had been lying to yourself all along.

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, brushing off the unease that had settled in your chest. But as Soobin walked away, you couldn’t ignore the nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, you wanted him to be more than just your friend.

The first few days after your conversation were smooth, almost idyllic. Both you and Yeonjun fell into a comfortable routine as roommates, swapping chores like a well-oiled machine. You kept the milk and cereal stocked, and Yeonjun diligently tidied up. It was good—a refreshing change from the chaotic back-and-forth you’d fallen into.

But as they say, old habits die hard.

Yeonjun’s voice suddenly echoed down the hallway, his tone laced with annoyance. “YOU FORGOT THE TOILET PAPER AGAIN!”

You sighed, knowing this was just a flashback to the petty arguments you used to have. It was always the little things that set Yeonjun off, and today was no different. Without thinking, and in a moment of sheer impulsiveness, you pulled up your shirt, flashing him from across the room.

Yeonjun’s eyes widened in shock, his irritation momentarily forgotten. “What the—” he stammered, caught off guard, his expression shifting rapidly between confusion and amusement. But as the moment lingered, the tension simmering beneath the surface became impossible to ignore.

Without warning, he crossed the distance between you in one swift motion. His hands found your waist, pulling you close in one fluid movement before you could even react. Then, in a sudden, unrestrained rush, he crashed his lips against yours. The next thing you knew, your clothes were discarded carelessly on the floor, lost in the heat of the moment.

“God. We have to stop barging in like this,” Taehyun’s exasperated voice cut through the haze.

Both your heads snapped toward the door, where your friends stood frozen in shock—eyes wide, mouths agape. You screamed, scrambling to hide behind Yeonjun as he instinctively moved to shield you.

Yeonjun’s face turned beet red, his mind racing between anger and embarrassment. “I really need to get those keys back,” he muttered, shooting an accusing glare at Beomgyu, who only offered a mischievous smirk in return.

“Oh, how fun! This is still going on!” Soobin chimed in, his voice dripping with feigned excitement that barely masked the bitterness underneath.

The tension in the room was palpable. Your eyes darted between the four of them, each reaction more uncomfortable than the last. Beomgyu and Kai looked amused, Taehyun rubbed his temples in disbelief, and Soobin…Soobin’s forced smile was a poor cover for the hurt he clearly felt, a flash of pain that stung more than he’d ever admit.

Yeonjun cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “Could you all, maybe, not do this right now?” he said, half-joking, half-serious.

The two of you scrambled to get dressed, fumbling awkwardly with your clothes as you avoided the judgmental stares from your friends. The door swung shut behind the group as they stepped back into the hallway, exchanging glances.

Beomgyu was the first to break the silence, his voice tinged with exasperation. “Well, that was… something. Did not need to see that. Again.”

Taehyun rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy sigh. “This is exactly why I told them not to get involved like this. They’re just gonna complicate everything.”

Soobin was staring blankly at the floor, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Kai nodded, his usual playful demeanor replaced by genuine concern. “They think it’s all fun and games, but once feelings get mixed up, it’s not just the two of them that get hurt. We’re all in this.”

“So, what happens when it gets messy? They break up, can’t stand to live together, and then we’re stuck picking sides?” Taehyun continued, his tone edged with worry. “We’ve been through enough to know that these things never stay simple.”

“Exactly.” Soobin’s voice wavered slightly, betraying the mix of emotions he was trying to suppress. “They can laugh it off now, but what about later? What if one of them wants more and the other doesn’t? It’s not just a fling anymore—it’s risking years of friendship for a few moments.”

Beomgyu leaned against the wall, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips. “I get it—they’re grown-ups and can make their own decisions. But come on, they’re not thinking clearly. They’re just getting swept up in the heat of the moment.”

Kai, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced by a rare seriousness, crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “Yeah, well, they should know better. This isn’t some casual fling; it’s going to mess with our entire group dynamic.”

Beomgyu nodded, half-smirking. “I mean, can you blame Yeonjun? She’s kinda hot. I kind of get where he’s coming from.”

Taehyun shot Beomgyu an incredulous look before shoving him, not too hard, but enough to get the message across. “Dude, that’s our best friend you’re talking about.”

Beomgyu held up his hands defensively, still lounging against the wall. “Hey, it’s a compliment! I’m just saying, I understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. But it doesn’t mean it’s smart.”

Kai shook his head, his brows furrowing in concern. “They’re playing with fire. This whole thing could blow up in their faces and take the rest of us down with it. We’re supposed to be friends first, not…whatever this is.”

Soobin sighed, standing off to the side as he listened to his friends debate the mess unfolding before them. He knew staying silent was his best option; anything he said would be tainted by the jealousy burning inside him. Jealousy that twisted his gut every time he saw Yeonjun’s hands on you, every time he watched Yeonjun get to touch you, hold you, kiss you.

He wanted that. No, he needed that. He craved the closeness Yeonjun took for granted, the effortless way Yeonjun could call you pretty, and the comfort of being the one you turned to when you were feeling sad, happy, or even angry. Soobin wanted to be your person, the one who made you laugh and feel safe. But this tangled situation with Yeonjun was tearing him apart, constantly reminding him that he was on the outside looking in.

The more he watched, the more it hurt. All he could do was bottle up his feelings, pretend like everything was fine, and hope that somehow, he could find a way to be the person you needed. But right now, all he felt was powerless and envious, trapped in a painful cycle of wanting what he couldn’t have.

But enough was enough. Soobin's frustration reached its breaking point. Without a word, he abruptly stood up and fled the apartment, leaving his friends stunned and puzzled by his sudden departure.

He hurriedly made his way to his car, the engine roaring to life as he sped off into the night. His mind raced as he drove to the nearest store, determined to take control of the situation.

——

Yeonjun arrived home after a grueling day at work, his exhaustion evident as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was surprised to find Soobin wearing rubber gloves and scrubbing the kitchen counter.

“Hey! You’re home!” Soobin greeted with a cheerful wave.

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Soobin? What are you doing here?”

“Cleaning!” Soobin said with a grin. “I got those pesky rings on the table cleaned up.” He proudly pointed to the now spotless table where the coaster marks had disappeared.

“And… you’re gonna love this,” Soobin continued, pulling Yeonjun into the kitchen.

“What?” Yeonjun asked, intrigued.

“Open the fridge,” Soobin instructed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Yeonjun scratched his head but complied, opening the refrigerator door. His eyes widened at the sight of it lined with jugs of milk and a fully stocked shelf of cereal.

“And a year’s supply of cereal,” Soobin added, beaming. “You’re welcome.”

Yeonjun chuckled, clearly impressed. “Wow, Soobin. This is…you did this for us..?”

As Yeonjun took in the scene, a realization began to dawn on him. He glanced at Soobin, piecing together the effort behind the gesture. There was something more behind Soobin’s enthusiasm, a hidden motive.

“Soobin,” Yeonjun began, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “Is this about… you know, the situation with me and her?”

Soobin’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he quickly shrugged it off. “No? What? Why would it be? I just hate seeing my best friends fight all the time!”

Yeonjun studied Soobin’s evasive response, noting the embarrassment in his demeanor. “I see. Well, I appreciate the help. Really.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Soobin said, brushing off the conversation with a casual wave. “Just thought I’d pitch in.”

Yeonjun nodded, sensing that Soobin was holding back but choosing to let it slide for now. “Are you sure it’s not about her—”

“Yes. I’m sure,” Soobin cut him off, his voice tense and defensive.

Yeonjun paused, watching Soobin closely before continuing. “Look, Soobin, if you do have feelings for her—”

“But I don’t—” Soobin insisted, though his voice wavered slightly, betraying the truth he was desperately trying to hide.

“And I’m saying if you do,” Yeonjun pressed on, unrelenting but gentle. “I’m okay with it. You’re my best friend, and so is she. You’re both great people, and I’d feel like absolute crap if I was the reason you didn’t go after her.”

Soobin stayed quiet, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. He wanted to deny it, to push away the feelings that had been simmering just beneath the surface, but Yeonjun’s words struck a chord. 

Yeonjun sighed, his tone softer now. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Soobin. And, honestly, I think she looks at you the same way. If there’s something there, don’t waste it just because you’re scared of messing things up.”

Soobin stared at the ground, his thoughts racing. He wanted to argue, to brush it off as nothing, but Yeonjun’s understanding was disarming. It was hard to keep pretending when even his best friend could see right through him.

“And I’m sorry for doing all this shit,” Yeonjun continued, his voice laced with genuine regret. “I should’ve trusted my gut and realized you liked her sooner. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have started this whole mess.”

Soobin looked up, his eyes meeting Yeonjun’s. The guilt was evident on Yeonjun’s face, and it was clear that his friend wasn’t just apologizing for the recent chaos, but for unintentionally standing in the way of something deeper.

“It’s not your fault,” Soobin finally said, his voice quieter now. “You couldn’t have known. And I didn’t exactly make it obvious.”

Yeonjun sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Still. You’re important to me, and so is she. I never wanted to put you in this position, especially over something that...honestly? It was never gonna be more than what it was.”

Soobin nodded, appreciating the honesty. Despite the jealousy that had been eating away at him, it was hard to stay angry when Yeonjun was just being...Yeonjun—messy but sincere.

“I don’t blame you,” Soobin admitted, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. “But maybe it’s time I stop blaming myself too.”

——

“Yeonjun, we can’t keep doing this,” you said, your voice tinged with frustration and concern. “We’re making our friends uncomfortable and unhappy. And truthfully, what we’re doing… sure, it makes us feel good. Feel great. Feel satisfied. Y’know when your hands just —” Your thoughts briefly wandered to how amazing Yeonjun made you feel, but you quickly refocused on the conversation at hand.

Yeonjun smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Sweetheart, you’re not finishing your sentence.”

“Oh right,” you stammered, your cheeks flushing with heat. “I mean… uh, we shouldn’t continue.”

Yeonjun’s smirk faded as his expression grew more serious, a knowing look in his eyes. “It’s Soobin, isn’t it?”

Your head snapped up, confusion and surprise evident in your eyes. “Huh?”

“You don’t really care what the others think. You care about what Soobin thinks,” Yeonjun said, his gaze steady and unflinching.

“I—” you started, but the words caught in your throat. The truth was, you didn’t want to admit it—not to Yeonjun, and maybe not even to yourself.

“Oh, come on. Do you really think I don’t notice the way you look at him? You used to look at me like that,” Yeonjun said with a laugh, though his voice carried a trace of sadness. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

You shook your head, desperately trying to deny it. “It’s not like that. I just… I don’t want to ruin our friendship. When we broke up, it was a miracle that our group didn’t fall apart.”

“That’s because we were meant to be just friends,” Yeonjun said, shaking his head. “Look, I’m an asshole. I’m not gonna lie and say seeing you clearly have feelings for Soobin doesn’t sting. It does. We dated a few years back, but that was a long time ago. Maybe me initiating this stupid arrangement was a way for me to see if I still had feelings for you. But I ended up having so much fun I forgot the initial intent.”

You looked at him, feeling a mixture of relief and regret. “I’m sorry, Yeonjun. I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Yeonjun shrugged, managing a small, understanding smile. “It’s okay. We both needed this to figure things out. I think it’s time we end this and move forward.”

The two of you fell into a heavy silence, the weight of unspoken feelings lingering between you.

After a moment, Yeonjun broke the quiet. “And… you should really give Soobin a chance.”

Your eyes flickered with uncertainty, your fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of your sleeve. “I don’t want to ruin the dynamic of our friendship. We’ve all been through so much together.”

Yeonjun leaned back, studying you thoughtfully. “I get that, but sometimes the best things come from taking a risk. Soobin cares about you—a lot. Anyone can see that.”

“But what if it doesn’t work out? What if everything falls apart?” you asked, your voice soft and laced with doubt.

Yeonjun sighed, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. “You can’t live in fear of what-ifs. Soobin’s a good guy, and I think you know that. And honestly, I think you two could be really good together. Better than this… whatever we’ve been doing.”

Your defenses finally crumbled, and you found yourself nodding, the truth finally slipping past your lips. “You’re right. I like Soobin. I’ve been trying to deny it, but I do. I really do.”

Yeonjun squeezed your shoulder, his smile bittersweet. “Then go for it. You deserve to be happy.”

—-

You didn’t know what gave you the courage, but somehow, you found yourself standing outside Soobin’s apartment, your heart pounding in your chest. Your things were packed hastily in a luggage bag that sat heavily beside you, mirroring the weight of the decision you’d just made. You took a deep breath, raised your hand, and knocked on the door.

After a moment, the door swung open, and Soobin stood before you, his expression immediately shifting to one of confusion. He blinked, taking in the sight of you on his doorstep, luggage in tow.

He called your name, his voice laced with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I… uh,” you hesitated, your pulse quickening as you looked into his eyes. “I kinda need a new roommate.”

Soobin’s brow furrowed in confusion as he glanced at the bag beside you, his mind racing to piece together the suddenness of your arrival. You could see a mix of emotions flash across his face—concern, curiosity, and something else you couldn’t quite place.

“Are you serious?” he asked, his voice softening as he stepped aside to let you in, still trying to process why you were here.

You nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. I just… I needed a change. And you have an extra room…right?”

Soobin stared at you for a moment, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening, before finally nodding, a small, hopeful smile tugging at his lips. “Well then… welcome home.”

“It’s… clean,” you muttered, glancing around the spotless apartment. The floors were polished, surfaces gleamed, and everything was neatly in place. “I don’t think any agreement would be necessary,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Soobin winced slightly, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly still a bit thrown by your sudden arrival. “Yeah. Hopefully not.”

You hesitated, a playful thought crossing your mind, but your nerves made your voice barely audible. “Or… a different agreement could take place,” you mumbled under your breath, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear it.

“What?” Soobin asked, his head tilting slightly as he caught the tail end of your words.

“Nothing,” you quickly blurted out, feeling your cheeks heat up. Your sudden burst of courage had already wavered, leaving you flustered.

Soobin narrowed his eyes, clearly not convinced. “Sorry, it just sounded like you said—”

“Nothing,” you repeated, your nervous laugh masking the tension between you. You avoided his gaze, feeling your heart race faster with every second.

Soobin watched you carefully, his expression softening. “I’d be up for it,” he said, his voice low.

You blinked, caught off guard. “Huh?”

“Our own agreement,” Soobin clarified, his tone steady, though his eyes were filled with something much deeper. “That is.”

You shook your head, still confused. “Wait… what?”

“An agreement where I get to kiss you,” he said, stepping closer, his presence warm and intoxicating. He took your duffel bag from your grip and set it gently on the floor, never breaking eye contact.

“Where I get to hug you,” he continued, his fingers brushing against your arm, sending shivers down your spine as he closed the distance between you.

“Where I get to tell you how pretty you look when you’re wearing my shirt as a nightdress,” Soobin murmured, his gaze lingering on you, his breath warm against your skin. He leaned in, his lips just a breath away from yours.

“Where I call you mine,” he whispered, his words brushing your ear, sending a thrilling rush through you that made your pulse quicken.

The room felt smaller, the air charged with the weight of his confession. Your heart pounded as you looked up at him, realizing that maybe this was the agreement you’d been hoping for all along.

“Are you…” He whispered. “up for it?”

You gulped, suddenly feeling shyer than usual, your usual bravado slipping away. Soobin’s presence was magnetic, and his unexpected confidence caught you off guard. You looked up at him, his demeanor more assured, more intense than you’d ever seen before. There was something about it—about him—that made your pulse race. He looked undeniably attractive, and the realization hit you harder than you expected.

It was kind of sexy, to say the least. You found yourself drawn to the way his eyes lingered on you, the way his voice dropped just a little deeper when he spoke. The tension between you crackled, charged with something new, something you both wanted but hadn’t dared to admit until now.

You nodded slowly, your heart racing at the intensity of the moment. Soobin's smirk grew, his eyes locked onto yours with an intense gaze. “Yeonjun once described you as ‘animalistic in bed.’” His tone was a mix of intrigue and a hint of jealousy, though it was clear he was struggling with the comparison. “Although it pained me to hear that from him, I’d like to see that side of you.”

Your breath hitched, a mixture of surprise and anticipation flooding your senses.

“Except…” Soobin leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper, “I want what we have to be different. I want it to be entirely better than what you and Yeonjun ever had.” His confidence seemed to grow with every word he spoke, his gaze never leaving yours.

“I want what we have to be love,” Soobin finalized, his voice soft yet resolute. His eyes held a tender intensity as he took a step closer, closing the remaining distance between you.

“What do you say?” Soobin asked, his eyes softening

You felt silenced, overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. The desire you’d suppressed for so long now bubbled to the surface. 

Every word Soobin spoke resonated deeply within you.

Finally, gathering your courage, you looked up at him, your voice barely more than a whisper. 

“I want that too.” 

Soobin’s face broke into a genuine smile, his eyes lighting up with relief and joy.

 He reached out, gently cupping your face in his hands. “Then let’s make it real.” 

With that, he leaned in, his lips meeting yours in a kiss. The kiss started off sweetly before it became rougher and desperate by the minute.

Soobin’s hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer, while your arms wrapped around his neck, urging him to hold you tighter.

Breathless, you pulled away slightly, biting Soobin’s lip playfully before detaching yourself from him. You looked up at him, your eyes still clouded with passion. “I should unpack,” you panted, trying to catch your breath.

Soobin grinned, his eyes still sparkling with the thrill of the moment. “Yeah, right…that doesn’t really mean I’m done with this,” he said, his tone teasing.

You rolled your eyes, “So where’s my room?” 

“Your room?”

You nodded.

“You’re sleeping with me!” Soobin perked up.

“You’re insane. We’re not even dating yet.”

Soobin pouted playfully, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. “We just haven’t made it official yet.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the smile tugging at your lips. “Soobin, we kissed once. Once. And all you did was tell me you wanted me.”

Soobin shrugged, a smug grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, but I meant every word. Besides, I’ve wanted you for way longer than just that one kiss.” He stepped closer, his expression turning sincere. “And I’m not gonna pretend otherwise.”

You shook your head, amused but touched by his confidence. “You really don’t know how to take things slow, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you.” Soobin’s voice softened as he looked at you, his eyes full of affection. “But if you want to take your time, I’ll wait. I just… I want you to know where I stand.”

For a moment, the teasing vanished, replaced by a quiet, vulnerable honesty. You couldn’t help but be drawn to it. You sighed, playfully nudging him. “Fine, but you’re not getting my side of the bed.”

Soobin chuckled, pulling you close again. “As long as you’re in it, I’ll take whatever side you leave me.”

[teddybear-shownu]

.

[tastyykpop]

jeno extra filthy degradation please 😭

ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ

Pairings: jeno x reader

Genre: smut

Warnings: dom/sub themes, degradation, brat!reader, brat tamer!jeno, spanking, fingering, eating out, overstimulation

you were annoying

that was as simple as jeno could make it. he found you absolutely insufferable. and the countless of times you've opened your mouth to make a stupid comment was like nails on a chalkboard.

sure you were pretty and kind to others but not very much to him. you were rude, cocky, and persistent, it was your way of getting his attention. and to say it worked was an understatement, you were on jenos mind 24/7. no matter where, when, or who he was with, he could only think about you. of course, you were the same, but that's because you've had a crush on him since trainee days and almost everyone in SM knew.

jeno knew.

since you worked at SM as a stylist, it was easy to get closer to jeno and work your magic everyday. you were blatant with every touch, every shameless sentence that entailed more then it should, he couldn't quite ignore it either or tell you to shut up. seriously, it doesn't work.

you're a brat, he would say to himself, nothing more than a brat that doesn't know her place.

which in this case, he was correct.

but to him, your behavior was easy to change. he's noticed how you've drawn blanks when he interrogates you on your behavior, how you downplay your wrongs to see him try and hold back his longing to make you submit. it was a game to you clearly, but jeno wanted to beat it.

so how did you end up under jeno so soon in the practice room?

well, the group had been preparing for a dance practice video and you and a few other stylists were called in to help get them prepare for the camera. jeno was trying his best to stay low and out of your sight. it didn't work, but it was worth a shot.

"happy to see me?"

jenos eyes rolled, "I'd be happy if I saw death staring at me in the eyes." he began walking away until you grabbed his arm, making him put his hands over his face.

"dont be like that." you push his hands away now seeing jenos annoyed face. "be lucky you're not stuck with someone else. at least I make your life more interesting.

"interesting or frustrating? I think you've got your words mixed up."

you began applying a light foundation on jenos skin, taking in his angelic features before realizing what he said, "impactful I must say. I know you love me, jeno."

jeno makes a face in disgust pushing your hand away from his face, "youre not my type."

"I dont know. chenle told me otherwise...."

"youre a brat."

"and you're close-minded."

"close- you-"

"done. now go dance and make some fangirls or boys scream." you don't bother turning around as you walk towards the back of the dance practice out of the cameras view.

jeno, somewhat red in the face, stood in his starting position for the choreography, you couldnt help but stare at him in awe. hes gorgeous, you can't lie about that. and the way he moved once the music started playing made you feel different. maybe it was your crush on him, but you heated up very quickly while watching him. other staff members weren't paying as close attention on the boys as you were, only their phones caught their mind. you didn't mind, but damn did they not see how hot jeno was when dancing?

sweaty and out of breath, the boys took a break to get a drink of water.

"you did well- you all did actually." handing jeno a bottle of water, he stared between the thing in your hand and you before taking it and chugging the whole bottle. "but I think mark was the one who stood out to me the most."

"what?"

"mhm. mark was very fluid in his footsteps and his movements were clean and precise. a good dancer I must say."

there's something up. you were staring at him the whole time and he knew it, he danced harder just because you were watching. how could you have seen mark when all you did was stare at jeno?

"and hes cute too. surely he's got a bunch of girls and boys ready to throw themselves at him. I would too, he's absolutely perfect."

jeno balled his fist. what game are you trying to play? "you're testing me." he may not like you, or maybe he did, but something about you talking about someone else like that sparked jealousy in him.

"good. maybe you'll do something about it." you put a hand on his chest, jenos heart pounding fast as you came closer and whispered, "I bet you won't. all bark no bite. pathetic if you ask me."

"youre gonna regret your words if you keep speaking."

"oh really," you leaned back, his eyes pierced your curious ones with a sense of fury and annoyance, "and what are you gonna do? spank me?"

just like that jeno pulled you out of the room and into another practice room. he pulled a chair out from the corner and pulled you over his knee.

"jeno, I was just kid-"

he spanked you hard over and over and over again as you wailed and wrapped a tight hand around jenos ankle for support. each spank was painful and to the point unbearable, yet jeno didn't back down. not after he felt he could break you now.

each time his hand made contact with your ass, felt like he was letting loose all the pent up anger you caused him over the past months you've been working here. for him, it was hell. no matter what people would say to you about him did not dictate his feelings about you. right now, he hated you and needed to let that burning passion out by spanking you. jeno wanted you to feel the hell he endured when around you. sure enough, you were feeling it, crying and sobbing on his thigh like an idiot.

you didn't fight back even though you proposed that you hated it. your body seemed to like it more then you thought.

"youre a pest!" he landed another hard hit, "an annoying pest who needs to learn when to shut the fuck up. now apologize."

"no!" you winced at another hit, squirming- no more like trying to grind on his lap because of how painfully wet you've become in just minutes.

"apologize." he repeated.

"you're- you're an idiot if you think I'll give up!"

jeno stripped you of your pants and panties, "its cute listening to little sluts like you thinking they have power over someone much stronger then them. it must be tiring thinking youre charge." he taunted before spanking you again, this time the impact was far greater and almost caused you to scream before jeno clasped a hand over your mouth. with the same hand, he pushed you off his lap and on the floor, leaving your lower half bare for him to see.

you were a pretty sight, a mess to say the least, but jeno loved that. finally seeing you disheveled with tears leaking down your cheeks, he thought of you as his little crybaby. he tried his hardest not to take a picture.

"don't think I didnt notice how your wet cunt leaked all over my thigh" he began, "do you really get off to being put in your place, slut? is that why we're here right now?"

"d-dont be so full of y-yourself."

"oh? but your dripping all over the practice floor, how could i not." jenos lips were close to your heat, teasing you with his eyes and tongue as he glided it just above where you wanted him.

you had nothing to say, yet your eyes told him everything. told him just how you'd defy him any chance youd get only to make him more upset. it wouldn't be fun if your goal wasn't to piss him off.

jeno kept his tongue away from your most needed area, his lips kissing anything but your dripping heat as you bucked your hips into his face. jenos hands would push your hips down and back his face away frowning at your behavior and returning to what he was previously doing. you weren't done though, since he was holding your hips, you grabbed his hair and forced his head where you needed him. his tongue inside you was far from good, it was amazing. and though you realized jeno wasn't pushing your hand away, you pushed and pulled his hair as you kept his head in place so he couldn't stop.

the long strides and the smooth rhythm he had was enough to make you arch against the floor, gasping and calling out his name far to loudly for his liking. but with watchful eyes and a steady tongue, he shamelessly enjoyed it yet he had to be aware of the people in the building. one loud moan and someone would sure walk in to see what's up.

so jeno swatted your hand away from his head and lifted up with a frown. he liked the frightened look on your face as he leaned closer and closer, "if you're this much of a slut for people to hear us, we might as well have just stayed where everyone else was."

"thats hot." you stated blankly, jenos eyebrow raised before realizing how far gone you practically were, with how big and dilated your eyes are. "w-wait no! I'll stay quiet I promise."

"No you wont." jeno got up and grabbed your underwear that layed on the floor, then shoved it in your mouth allowing you to taste yourself. "stay quiet, fucktoy."

"fucktoy?- oh fuck!" you mumbled into your panties as his fingers protruded inside you. at least you were quieter this time.

"tell me when youre about to cum." he said just above a whisper as he watched you slip further and further into bliss. the way your eyes rolled to the back of your head with each skillful thrust from jenos fingers made his cock grow harder each second. you were so hot, so damn beautiful as you moaned into the panties like a little bitch. jeno loved it too much to say he hated you.

"feels good- f-feels so good, j-jeno." you said quietly into the panties. it was getting harder and harder for you to keep silent as he began rubbing your clit like a desperate man, hungry for your cum. but you did your best keeping low.

you grinded against on his hand, inching closer and closer to what you believed to be your orgasm. clentching tightly around jenos fingers you gasped and spat your panties out, "jeno! i-im gonna-

"cum, fucktoy." he insisted, never removing his fingers from your wet hole as a white substance spilled out. he kept going, in and out, in and out as you clamped a hand over your mouth. so much sensitivity and his fingers were still going.

"stop i-i can't take it!" you found his wrist and tightly held it as you attempted to pull him out.

"youre gonna take this like a good bitch until I want to stop." he said right as your second orgasm washed through you.

too much. you could barely think straight and even tried pulling your hips back but his fingers followed.

too sensitive. you could barely breathe because of the overwhelming sensitivity. yet in a twisted way, it felt good in a strange way. maybe it was the pain of cumming over and over or how jeno worked his fingers. either way, you could feel another one building up.

"please, please, please." you cried hoping for the end, but there was no way jeno was stopping.

"apologize and this will be your last one." He stuck his fingers deeper, if that were possible, and watched you squirm trying to find words to say, but all that came out was drool. "disgusting whore." you slapped him in the face for that.

"I-i am not sor-sorry!"

"im not playing these games anymore. say you're sorry."

jeno growled, deeper and deeper he went and faster and faster he goes before your third orgasm of the day came. your legs shook and your grip got tighter but still to no avail did he stop.

you were very persistent on making jeno angry before, but now you seemed to have started rethinking that apology. "im sorry."

"for?"

"for being rude to you!" you legs shook again and that feeling in your stomach was back, "i-im sorry jeno, but p-please I can't take it!"

he did it. he broke you. and with that he finally pulled his fingers away letting all your cum out.

you cried softly, still a shaking mess from the orgasms and jeno, well he didn't care all too much but he knew he probably shouldn't be too harsh with you about now. so he gently took you in his arms, sitting your bare bottom right on his lap as he rocked you slowly.

"im never leaving after this." you say slowly, "and I know you don't hate me either, I can feel your boner against my ass."

jeno pinches your arm and shushes you. god, you were a pest and maybe youre right. maybe he doesn't hate you like he proclaimed he did. maybe he did enjoy this session in the practice room, but he won't ever say it. not because he's afraid to admit it, but because he doesn't want you to rub it in his face.

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Wait ~ E.O.

A/n: let’s be real this is a Drabble, and after how much I’ve struggled to write requests the rest will probably be as well so I can finally get them out to you guys.

Request: “1 from prompt list... Enoch x non-binary maybe?...” by anon

Prompt: #1 (here): “I should go” / “Or you should stay a little longer.”

MASTERLIST

Hearing the music confused Y/n just a little bit. It was definitely piano, but it shouldn’t have been playing. It was clear, far different than the old recordings they had around that scratched and slipped and popped. It couldn’t have been Miss Peregrine either, because she had taken the others out on a picnic. Y/n knew that because they were sick in bed, and Miss P had given them a head’s up on her way out so Y/n wouldn’t be startled if they got up and moved around to see an empty house.

The thing was, Y/n was torn about whether they were happy to hear the music or not. On one hand, they had the WORST headache. On the other... their favorite music had always been made by pianos and violins - The two most beautiful instruments in their mind. Most importantly, the music was being played beautifully.

Half in irritation and half due to curiosity, Y/n plodded down the steps of the very special house for very special people like Y/n, which was uncharacteristically empty today. They wandered around, trying to narrow their eyes enough to block out the sun while still being able to see.

Following the music brought them to a small parlor room. They’d just moved since the attack on the old time loop and with the chaos of so many people and adjusting to a new place, Y/n hadn’t had much time to explore. Their quirk was that they had a sort of psychic link to all living creatures. Not in the form of mind reading, but of feeling emotions. Emotions that, unfortunately, demanded to be felt rather violently. Emotions that fell of people in waves of bright colors. With the many new people they were boarding with until they found their own place to make a new loop, Y/n had been overwhelmed and very sick. It was probably why Miss Peregrine has set up the picnic to begin with.

It was also why they loved music so much. They could listen to and feel music without it messing them up. It was a beautiful experience.

That was all beside the point though.

The small parlor was new to Y/n. It didn’t have much in it. In fact, the most noticiable things were a bunch of seats forming a semi circle around a large, blank wall, which is probably where the others sat to watch Horace’s dreams. The other thing in the room was a gorgeous grand piano. Sitting on the bench playing it, to Y/n’s shock, was Enoch.

Upon hearing the door open, Enoch jumped away from the piano like it had burned him, spinning around and tripping over himself to get away from the thing. Y/n covered their mouth to hide a laugh they knew Enoch would find offensive.

“You- you’re here,” he stuttered. For someone who was usually gloomy and withdrawn and sulky, Enoch was suddenly very read faced, waves of magenta rolling off of him and pooling on the floor like mist. The bits higher up twirled into the air and spun around, like rays of sun. Compared to his dark grey outfit, pale skin, and black hair, the colorful emotion was almost laughable in its brilliance.

“I am,” Y/n agreed. “I’ve Uh, been sick.”

Enoch oriented himself, and his color changed. Like food coloring falling into water, a rich purple and sickly green twisted and spun, spreading out from the middle and consuming all the magenta from before. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ve been... there are a lot of people here. I’ve sort of been a recluse. Not talked much. Miss Peregrine said you’d all be gone.”

“I don’t think it occurred to her I’d be getting out of bed. Lots of people like you said. Very overwhelming, especially with how pretty the scenery outside is as well. I mean, emotions are one thing but living in a world that’s like some sort of painting? All those vibrant colors all the time? World’s worst headache.” Y/n suddenly rushed to end the ramble, embarrassed. They looked down at their hands and took reassurance that they could not see colors curling off of their fingers. Alone, at least, they had solace from the colors.

Enoch shuffled. “Well I’m sorry I bothered you. I just, uh, it’s peaceful. Easy way to blow off some steam, or make some noise that isn’t annoying. Never did like quiet. If you’re trying to get a break from emotions I’m sure you don’t want to see mine.” He scowled, the green taking over the purple now. It was the color green that spoke of disgust. Y/n immediately looked at their feet.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I-“ they swallowed. In all honesty, they had a bit of a crush on Enoch. It had started ages ago when being around Enoch had been a relief. His emotions were usually duller colors, because he was broody and sarcastic. Y/n wished him happiness, but if he was going to be grumpy then Y/n was going to enjoy it. The thing was, enjoying Enoch’s company had lead Y/n to taking part in it a lot. It wasn’t until Jake came around and ruined everything that Y/n withdrew, turned away by the sudden surging vibrant red of angry annoyance that spurted off of Enoch like fireworks. Since then, it had been one thing after another until Y/n was left feeling like Enoch got rather annoyed whenever Y/n was around anymore.

They figured he’d realized he liked not having them around and tried to keep their distance. Every time they showed up, Enoch got glummer than usual and his colors became like mop water. Not just dull, but muddy, and often mixing with hate and disgust. It made Y/n sick to see. If he was being honest, it was that more than anything that made him feel terrible.

“Why would you ever need to be sorry for anything?” Enoch asked quietly, seeming genuinely curious about that. “I’m the one that’s upset you.”

“I upset you first.” It was too honest, and Y/n felt their body tense. “Er, interrupting your piano playing. Which I didn’t know you did by the way.”

For the first time in a very long time, Enoch offered a smile. It was small, and he seemed shy about it, but it was there, and it stuck. “You never upset me, Y/n. I don’t think you could if you tried.”

At that, Y/n got angry. “Well don’t go lying to me now just because you pity me.” That seemed to startle Enoch. “Mind You Enoch O’Connor, I can see your emotions, remember? I can’t see all that hate and disgust that flares up everytime I’m around. I’m not blind and I’m not an idiot - don’t treat me one and just let me apologize already!”

For a long time, Enoch was stunned. Then he slowly realized, and his face morphed into a mix of emotions Y/n had gotten used to seeing. Irritation. Disgust. Frustration. Anger. Regret. There were new ones too. Ones that didn’t make sense. Amusement. The light bubblegum that usually signaled someone making sassy comments in their head. The color of attitude. Enoch finally shook his head, watching Y/n’s eyes flick around him but never looking directly at him. He had long since learned that it was them looking at the colors. With all the emotions in him right now, he was sure that the confusion on their face was the result of attempting to dicipher any of it.

“Remember that you can see feelings, but you don’t know why they’re there.” Y/n finally looked at Enoch, wary. “The hate and disgust wasn’t directed at you, Y/n. I-“ he purses his lips for a second. “When Jake came around, I was really annoyed with him. After his stupid grandfather I didn’t want another one coming around and hurting my friends by leaving again. And I knew he would. And then he did! He came back but that’s not the point.” He sighed, seeming to be taking a second to remind himself of something. “I let that get to me too much. I... remember how you’d flinch away from me every time Jake was around and my emotions would flare up. I felt terrible. One day you just disappeared, and then so much was happening and I‘d gone and pushed you away and now we might not ever be friends again.” He shrugged. Though not usually one to express himself, he’d always been loose lipped around Y/n. More so now after all they’d been through. Jake had taught him to talk, if nothing else, and Enoch could appreciate that at the very least.

Y/n looked at their feet. “I’m sorry I made you feel like that. That you felt so pressured to be calm around me, to repressed your emotions. And that I... mixed things up, rather than just talking to you. I know it’s not fair to read into your emotions with the hints I get when you never get a look into mine when it comes to you.” Suddenly they were both on high alert. The way Y/n had said that had been so far from talking about normal feelings like Enoch had been talking about. They had used a tone that was so distinctively... something more.

“What?” Enoch asked softly.

“I- I-“ Y/n began to back up, and Enoch didn’t have to see their emotional colors to know they were panicking. “I better go.”

Enoch surged forward, catching their arm. “No, wait.” He bit his lip as Y/n refused to look at him, before reaching over and catching their chin, tugging them around to look at him again. He offered a soft smile. That same one from before, but hopeful now. “I think you could- or, you should at least, stay. Just a little longer.”

Y/n looked up at him with that same nervous hope. “Why?”

Enoch stepped closer, and Y/n felt something in his chest grow warm at the sunset orange slowly curling around and drowning all the other colors. Orange, which was sometimes admiration or idolization, but was most often proof of a crush. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”

And Y/n knew he was right.

[imjustwritingg]

maybe it was fate: chapter 2

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and sent love for this story! It really means so much and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Happy reading!

Chapter 1  ||  AO3  ||  FFNet

She wakes with her heart pounding in her chest, a sheen of sweat covering her skin and her body shaking. She takes deep breaths and tries with everything she has to regulate her breathing and bring herself back to reality, telling herself it was just another nightmare. That she’s safe in her bed. That she’s okay.

It’s been three and a half years and despite the work she put in during therapy from back then the memories still invade her mind and make her toss and turn when she least expects it. She blinks her eyes against the slight darkness of her bedroom and glances over at the half open curtains hanging over her bedroom windows. The sun is just beginning to rise.

She reaches out a hand for her phone charging on the nightstand next to the bed and squints at the brightness of the screen when she checks the time. She groans out and drops the phone back down in its place.

It’s almost seven. Her alarm isn’t set to go off for another thirty minutes, but she kicks the covers off anyway and swings her legs over the side of the bed. It’s not like she would be able to go back to sleep even if she tried. She stretches her arms out and rolls her shoulders, bones cracking as she does, and then she stands from the bed and heads for the bathroom connected to the bedroom.

She takes a shower as hot as her skin will allow, trying to scrub away the remnants of memories that suffocated her in her sleep. By the time she steps out of the shower stall the bathroom is filled with a thick cloud of steam and her skin is red and tingling. She dries herself off and pats her hair dry with a towel before she pulls a brush through her messy blonde waves, and then dresses for the day.

It’s only when she grabs her badge and gun from the locked drawer of her nightstand that she notices how quiet it is throughout the house. Almost too quiet. She clips her star to a loop of her jeans and then makes sure the safety of her gun is switched on before she holsters it to the left side of her waist. She grabs her phone and stuffs it in her back pocket before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

When she enters the kitchen she can’t help smiling gratefully at the sight of a post-it sitting on top of the coffee machine.

All ready for ya. Just hit brew. See ya tonight. xx

She presses the brew button and grabs a mug from the cabinet above the machine. As the smell of caffeine hits her nostrils and the sound of dripping coffee begins to fill the silence around her, she steps to the refrigerator and glances at the calendar sheet for that month held in place with a magnet.

She surmises the quiet house and the post-it note to the fact that it’s Thursday, and remembers how Tuesdays and Thursdays are early days for the time being. She runs a hand through her still slightly damp hair and then pulls the door of the fridge open to grab the half and half. The machine beeps a moment later signaling to her that the coffee is ready and she quickly makes up a mug before returning the creamer to the fridge, and then taking a seat at the island. She sips on her coffee for few moments until the silence envelops her again, a little too tightly, and she can’t help thinking back to what shook her awake.

The light is blinding when she cracks her right eye open. She attempts to open the left, but groans out at the pain that shoots down the side of her face when she tries. The recognition of the fluorescent lights above her makes her realizes she’s in a hospital and before she can stop them, the memories of how she got there begin to fill her head.

The case and being undercover. Booth on top of her, hitting her over and over. Garrett.

“Hailey?”

She hears his voice from beside her and forces her good eye to open completely to see him sitting next to her.

“Garrett?” She mumbles.

“I’m here babe. I’m here.,” he assures her.

She feels his fingers cover her hand and she hates the way she jerks back, flinching at the contact of his warm skin on hers. She watches as he pulls his hand away and leans back in the chair he’s sat in to try and give her some space, and then his eyes meet her good one.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe,” he tells her.

She has to remind herself that it’s him. That he wouldn’t hurt her. She reaches her right arm out towards him and opens her hand palm facing up at him. He gives her a small smile before placing his hand in hers slowly, carefully, not wanting to scare her again.

“Do you remember what happened?” He asks her a second later.

“Mostly, but some of it’s fuzzy. The party and we were in the office and Booth - he was hitting me, there was yelling,” she says.

And then the details of what transpired in that same office hit her and she’s having trouble breathing. Her body begins to shake and tears form in her right eye.

“He was - he - did he?”

She can’t say the words, but he can gather what she’s thinking and he shakes his head at her quickly and gives her fingers a gentle squeeze.

“No, no he didn’t.”

She blows out a deep breath and tries to calm herself down, and feels him squeeze her hand again as if he’s pulling her back to him and anchoring her in place.

She remembers the fleeting moment back in the office when she thought she saw his scruffy bearded face above her and it’s her who squeezes his hand then.

“You were there. You stopped him from - I thought I was dreaming. You got him?”

He nods slowly, confirming her thoughts.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I went to find Ty. He was passed out in a bedroom upstairs. I was barely gone five minutes. I came back downstairs and the office door was locked. Had a bad feeling.”

“He must have locked it. He kept hitting me and I just wanted to sleep,” she says.

Garrett nods at her, confirming her suspicions again and she notices the way his jaw clenches and the apple of his throat bobs as he swallows.

“I kicked the door down. Saw him trying to pull your jeans off and you were bleeding and completely out of it. All I saw was red. I lunged for him. Scotty came in a few moments later, pulled me off of him and took him out of the room.”

“Does he know who we are? Where is he?” Hailey asks in a panic.

He shushes her immediately, trying to calm her down and leans in closer to her. “He’s in jail. We got him and most of his crew on the meth distribution. He can’t get to you.”

It sounds so simple the way he says it and she wishes it would be enough to make her feel better, but it doesn’t. All there is, is disgust and anger and pain. So much pain.

Her body is aching. She can’t open her left eye or lift her left arm. Her throat feels like it’s on fire and she feels as though someone is beating the inside of her skull with a baseball bat.

“How bad is it?” She asks, needing to know, and she hears him sigh in some sort of pain of his own.

“Fractured left wrist. Your left eye is swollen shut; the doctor called it a blowout fracture. Piece of shit hit you really hard. Bruising on your forehead, under your other eye, your chin, handprints around your neck, and a split bottom lip. You got a pretty nasty concussion too - the doctor was worried about a brain bleed earlier, but all your tests came back okay.”

She sticks the tip of her tongue out to her lip and winces at the residual taste of copper and the onslaught of discomfort. She can feel the stitches with her tongue and pulls it back into her mouth.

“How long have I been here?” She wonders.

“Four days. Serge already called it. You’re on leave for at least eight weeks until the doc clears you and you pass a psych eval with flying colors.”

If she could roll her eyes she would, but all she can muster is blowing out a breath of annoyance.

“What about the case?” She asks because despite her current location and situation, she’s still a cop and she has a job to do.

“Given the circumstances, Rafferty made the call and decided to leave your name out of things. He convinced the DA too, so that your cover isn’t blown with any of the other unknown players. It’s been passed off to narcotics and organized crime. You won’t testify Hailey, you can’t. As far as any of those bastards know, Kelly went back home to Iowa after everything went down.”

“So what? We just pretend the last four months didn’t happen? Pretend that party didn’t happen?”

“Hailey.”

She can hear it in his voice the way he breathes out her name in a near whisper. The worry. The fear. And she knows.

“You made that call. Not Rafferty.”

It’s not a question or even an accusation. Just a simple statement of realization, but it only fuels her annoyance and then it quickly turns to bubbling anger. She pulls her hand out of his and gives the tiniest shake of her head in disbelief. She watches him out of her good eye as his eyes leave her for a moment to look at the floor. He leans back in the chair and uses his now free hand to run it over the back of his head.

He takes another deep breath and then his eyes are back on her. “Do you really want Booth or any of his contacts knowing you’re a cop? You’re safe this way, Hailey. You stay alive this way.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make Garrett!” Her throat screams at her in protest as she raises her voice, her words cracking with her exclamation.

He shakes his head at her as he stands from the chair and starts to pace back and forth from the end of her bed to the window at the other side of the room. They’re both stubborn to say the least and the gravity of the situation and stress of the last few months mixed with the events of the last week are ready to boil over.

He stops mid-step in the middle of the room and turns to face her again. She’s only seen him cry once in the last few years they’ve known each other, but here he is looking back at her with his shoulders sagging and his eyes glazed over in some resemblance of defeat and anguish and frustration.

“You’re damn right I made the call Hailey! Because I knew you wouldn’t. Because you’re my partner and the woman who I’d kinda like to spend my life with. So yeah, I made a call that would keep you with me and keep you safe. And if that makes me selfish or possessive or it pisses you off, I gotta tell you I don’t really care as long as it means you don’t end up with a bullet between your eyes.”

She knows he’s protective over her and on some level knows he’s right too, but she can’t help the way her body jolts at the volume of his voice and makes her recoil just a bit further into the pillows behind her.

“I would have - “

“No, you wouldn’t,” he tells her with another shake of his head. “You wouldn’t have. You would’ve seen this thing through until the end, until you ended up dead. I know what he did to you, what he was going to do to you, and I hate the guy too, but I couldn’t let you fall down that rabbit hole. He doesn’t deserve anymore of your time or energy.”

“I can’t just forget about it.”

“And I’d never ask you to Hailey. All I’m asking you to do is let the department push the paper on this prick and you just focus on you. Focus on your recovery, on healing.”

He makes his way back over to the side of her bed and takes a hesitant seat on the edge of it. He reaches an arm out, extending his hand to her, but she doesn’t take it and instead keeps her hands firmly placed in her lap. She shakes her head slowly, not wanting to further aggravate her pounding head, and looks up at him.

“Can you go?”

“Hailey, - “

“Please, Garrett. I just need to be alone right now.”

He sighs and drops his head, and stands from the bed begrudgingly. He leans down over her and kisses the top of her head, whispering “I love you” into her hair.

She gives a short nod of her head in recognition of his words as he takes a step back and walks to the door. She feels his eyes on her, but she can’t bring herself to look at him, and then he’s gone.

The vibrations of the phone in her pocket brings her out of her thoughts and she reaches back for it, seeing her partner’s name on the screen. She quickly swipes to answer.

“Upton...”

XXX

Of all the cases for Intelligence to get pulled into that day it had to be one where initiation day for gang bangers meant the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl.

By the time the team tracks down the offenders they find them dead and castrated, leaving each member of the team in a simultaneous state of relief and shock. The rapists were gone, but now they had to find their murderer. It was a grotesque turn of events that turned their offenders into victims. The world could cruel be cruel sometimes.  

The team chases it down though. They find another girl who had almost been brutalized in the same way and with the help of one of Antonio’s CI’s they’re led to a neighboring sisterhood gang. They have the CI set up a drug deal with the gang and wait it out, and can only hope their lead pays off so that they’re able to close the case and put it behind them.

Hailey and her partner have been sitting in the truck for nearly an hour waiting for the deal to go down, but nothing had popped off yet. Jay sits in the driver’s seat as he usually does and Hailey takes up the passenger seat, both looking out over the dash through the windshield and surveying the scene around them.

She can feel her partner’s eyes on her, has been feeling them on her on and off since they started their stakeout, but he doesn’t say a word to her and she’s grateful. The early morning events that had her struggling to breathe and remembering her own traumatic past, and then finding the bloody body of a teenage girl a few hours after had her mind reeling throughout the day. She couldn’t say she wasn’t relieved when her and her team had found the bangers dead though. It was a sweet return of karma that would have had her smiling if they weren’t now trying to run down the person or persons responsible for their deaths.

She’s so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn’t hear Jay calling her name. Only when he places a hand on her shoulder does she respond and it’s a reaction of flinching so hard she bumps her elbow against the window of the door. He pulls back fast, holding both of his hands up at her in a surrendering gesture.

“You good?” He asks with worry dripping from his voice.

She’s not sure when her breathing picked up or when her heart started beating relentlessly in her chest, and she has to remind herself where she is and who she’s with. She gives a quick nod in reply, but doesn’t say anything.

“You sure? You zoned out on me. Look like you saw a ghost.”

“I’m good,” she says finding her voice and offering a small smile to assure him.

He looks at her curiously as if he doesn’t believe her and rests his hands in his lap. “I’m sorry for freaking you out.”

“It’s fine. Guess I just got distracted,” she tells him.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Hailey shakes her head and smiles again. “I’m good. Just these cases ya know? Hard to handle sometimes.”

He nods because he does know. Between his years serving in the army and serving on the police force, he has seen his fair share of evil and wrong doings. Maybe too much.

“Antonio’s CI said three o’clock right?” She asks him then.

He knows she already knows the answer to her own question, it not being lost on him the way she attempts to divert the conversation, but he doesn’t call her out on it. Instead he takes a quick sip from the cardboard cup of lukewarm coffee he’s got sitting in the console between them before he turns to look back at her.

“Yeah, which means five, maybe six if we’re lucky.”

“Well if you’re looking for punctuality don’t date a CI. Or an Italian for that matter,” she tells him with a smirk and getting a response of raised eyebrows from him in the process.

“I dated a guy from Rome once,” she supplies.

Jay shakes his head as he looks at her, a smile of his own peeking out from the corner of his mouth. “Ya know, we’ve been partners for almost six months now and the more I learn about you, the more I realize I have no clue who you actually are.”

“Good, my plan is working,” she smirks again. Her blue eyes are shining again and smiling feels a little easier now that she’s not caught up in her own thoughts and memories. Her conversation with Jay being a good distraction and she’s grateful.

“Antonio’s plan though, I’m not too sure. Girls are tough to flip,” Hailey tells him a moment later.

“Tougher than boys?” Jay asks.

“Way tougher,” she says.

“So women are more loyal than men?” He presses.

Hailey turns her head and stares back at him with a sure look in her eyes. “Absolutely.”

Jay gives a short nod, taking in her words as a comfortable silence fills the cab of the truck. She thinks over his previous words of how long they’ve been partners for and she’s suddenly taken aback in disbelief. It’s only been six months of them working together, but some days she could swear it feels more like six years.

Jay Halstead had quickly proven to be a great partner to her, had become an unexpected friend, and he was damn good police to boot. She hadn’t been too sure of how things would work out when he got mixed up in dating a drug dealer just a few weeks into their new partnership. She had given him a not so subtle ultimatum of having to find a new partner if he wasn’t going to go to therapy and take it seriously after everything went down. It was the sort of tough love he needed at the time, but he heeded her word and put in the work of facing his own demons and working on himself and opening up to her in the process. It made them a strong pair of partners. It made them better.

There’s a sudden churning in her stomach as she remembers the things he doesn’t know about her and what she carries with her each and every day. The sacrifices she’s had to make and the things she keeps so close to the vest, the secrets she’s been holding back. She realizes she might not have been as good of a friend to him as he’s been to her over their short time working together as she recognizes the knot that’s taking form inside of her is feeling a lot like guilt. There’s a fleeting moment where she wonders if she’s the one who needs to try therapy again.

She doesn’t have time to fester over it long though because Antonio’s CI finally arrives and the drug deal goes down. She clears her mind as best she can and forces herself to focus on the task at hand. They have a house to raid and a murderer to find.

XXX

By the time the case is finally closed and she makes her way home, it’s a little after eight at night and Hailey is exhausted. Her bones are aching, desperately in need of another hot shower and the comfort of her bed. She turns the key in the front door, pushes it open, and is immediately greeted by the smell of food. She sighs in grateful relief as she closes the door behind her and locks the deadbolt. She pulls off her jacket and hangs it on a hook on the wall, and then kicks off her boots in the entryway.

When she enters the kitchen she spots another post-it on the door of the microwave.

Dinner :)

She smiles at the note and catches a glimpse of light coming from the living room. She makes her way through the kitchen to the living room and leans against a wall, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes land on the couch where someone sits cross legged with a thick textbook in their lap and several notebooks scattered open around them.

“You and your post-it notes,” Hailey teases from the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

“You love ‘em,” the other says without missing a beat and not looking up from their lap.

Hailey pushes herself off the wall and steps further into the living room, dropping down to a chair and folding a leg up underneath her.

“How was your day?”

Hailey shrugs. “Pretty bad case, but it’s over now.”

“I’m sorry babe.”

Hailey shakes her head. “Tell me about your day. More studying I see.”

“Damn bio midterm. My professor has it in for me I swear.”

“Vanessa, you’re one of the smartest people I know. You’re gonna do great just like you always do,” Hailey tells the young woman.

The brunette looks over at Hailey and grins back at her, her brown eyes shining. “You’re the best hype-woman, ya know that?”

Hailey returns the smile, but shakes her head again. “I only speak the truth.”

Vanessa waves her off, blushing at the compliment, and nods her head towards the kitchen. “You should eat. I bet you haven’t done that yet today.”

“I swear sometimes you’re more like my mother than my friend-slash-roommate-slash - “

“Just go eat, will you? I hate dealing with a hangry Hailey.”

Hailey scoffs as she stands from the chair. “I do not get hangry.”

Vanessa just hums knowingly in response, returning her attention to the book in her lap. She looks up again a moment later when Hailey calls out to her and points above them.

“I’m assuming she’s asleep,” Hailey says.

Vanessa nods her head. “You know how the early days go. They wipe her out.”

“Yeah,” Hailey says quietly with a nod of her own. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome,” Vanessa tells her and then she goes to leave the room.

A beat passes before she hears, “Hey Hailey?”

The blonde turns back around to face her friend, a curious look on her face.

“You can’t do this forever ya know?”

“What’s that?” Hailey asks even though she’s sure she knows what’s coming next.

“Hide her from the world,” Vanessa says simply and a look of something mirroring regret washes over Hailey’s face instantly.

“I know,” Hailey tells her. She takes a step back and lifts a hand up in a short wave. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Vanessa calls back before burying her face down into her schoolwork again.

Hailey retreats back into the kitchen and heads for the microwave, but the idea of food no longer excites her. She just wants to sleep and ignore the feeling of guilt that starts churning over again in her stomach. She blows out a deep sigh and opens the door of the microwave. She pulls out the Tupperware container waiting for her and moves it to the fridge, grabs a bottle of water for herself, and then heads up the stairs.

She stops in the hallway outside of a closed door just two doors down from her own bedroom. She opens the door carefully, being as quiet as she can be, and steps inside. There’s a nightlight on one wall casting a soft yellow glow throughout the room and a twin sized bed against the opposite wall.

She makes her way to the side of the bed and immediately feels the stress from the day begin to roll off her shoulders as she looks down at the little girl burrowed under blankets and sleeping soundly. She can’t help smiling at the sight of messy blonde curls splayed out on a pillow and the stuffed teddy clutched under a little arm.

Her mind goes back to Vanessa’s words and her earlier thoughts of her partner, how she hasn’t been as forthcoming with him as he’s been with her, and she lets out a quiet sigh. It’s been six months of keeping certain parts of herself closed off, of keeping secrets from her partner and fellow team members, and she wonders if maybe she can actually trust him – them, with the most important thing in her life, with the biggest part of her.

Hailey pushes the thoughts from her mind for the time being as she brushes a finger over the little girl’s cheek, and then leans down to press a gentle kiss to the child’s forehead.

“Mama loves you,” she whispers.

[shadowsfiguresfigments-blog]

A good place to die Chapter 24

Warning: Harsh language, violence

It's not a long one - need to get back into writing. Enjoy nonetheless!

Chapter 24

Auntie listened to me and I was alone once more with broken memories and the last remains of Mr. Shanks’ life. Determined not to have to go to that place to often, I put my everything into decluttering and cleaning. When I was finally able to properly reach some of the windows and wiped them down I was almost proud of myself. The additional light coming in made the process easier, and when Auntie finally joined me, she praised my work quite a bit. I was relieved to find her much more energetic, and together the time passed much more quickly.

We made much more progress than I’d anticipated, and by the time we called quits, the entire hallway was full of garbage bags. Neither of us had the energy to take them down, however, and Auntie’s breathing sounded quite labored, so we decided to simply return home. I glanced at my phone, but I had neither missed calls nor messages. Despite my best effort to hide my annoyance, Auntie realized right away what was going on.

“Is he giving you the silent treatment?”

I sighed. “Sort of, yes.” My stomach chose that moment to start cramping again, and I coiled my arms around it. She misunderstood that gesture.

“Listen, I didn’t mean to scare him away. He’s welcome to visit you anytime, if he just uses the front door. You tell him that.”

“Yeah, I think yesterday was probably just a bit much. Thank you, though.” If only you knew…

“How about you invite him for dinner? As a peace offering?”

I really didn’t feel like going over it again, so I quickly changed the subject.

“I will. Do you think we’ll be done by the time Bee gets out of the hospital?”

“If you’ll keep this up, I’m sure of it.” Her voice sounded cheerful, but her smile was off. I grabbed her arm and turned her towards me.

“Auntie, what’s the matter with you?”

Her indignation was just as forced as her smile.

“That’s no way to talk to me, young lady.”

“Be serious. You’re sick or something, and you should see a doctor.” I hated myself for what I said next, but I couldn’t help it. “You’re worrying me.”

Oh, the irony – how many times did we have that very same talk, just with our roles reversed? Her face fell immediately.

“I’ve just worked a lot, that’s all. But there’s good news, too. We finally got another waitress, and I won’t have to do double shifts. She’ll start next week.”

I took her hand and squeezed it. “You know, when I’ve finished school and the shop’s running, you won’t have to work there anymore.”

Auntie stared at me, then she squeezed my hand back. I could see tears in her eyes.

“Thanks, child.”

When we got home Auntie disappeared into the kitchen, and I tried to call Penny. He didn’t pick up, so I just texted him, but it was getting really annoying. I felt pretty overwhelmed – my worry for Auntie mixed with the anxiety over what had happened the day before was a strong emotional cocktail, and I didn’t feel equipped to deal with it. Once more I wondered if my old zombie self wouldn’t have handled the situation easier.

We had just sat down for dinner when the doorbell rang. I was so caught up in unwanted memories of what happened between Penny and I that I didn’t understand until I opened the door.

Benny-Penny stood before me, looking rather sheepishly.

I couldn’t help myself, I had to hug him. Auntie appeared behind me, and welcomed him warmly. Penny’s muscles tensed beneath my hands, and I quickly let go. Was he still confused about the day before? His face didn’t betray anything.

“I’m happy you could come, and to meet you properly.” Auntie’s cheerful voice interrupted my brooding thoughts, and I stepped aside to make room for her. I could feel the blood rushing to my face and my ears, and fled to the kitchen to serve another portion for Penny.

When both of them entered, they were chatting rather pleasantly about Derry, and “Benny’s life” so far. His replies were swift and calm, not suspicious at all, and there was no trace of his usual over-the-top cadence. He also didn’t really look at me.

I felt like a stranger had entered our home.

“Well, young man, I hope you like mac’n cheese.” I knew auntie well enough to know she was a little stressed over the simplicity of the dish in face of a guest, as well as over the worn-down look of our little kitchen. If you only knew where he lived.

Regardless, she sat him down, and I could see the tiniest trace of disgust in his eyes – “Cardboard, disgusting” – but he bravely dug in and even managed some compliments, putting a big smile on auntie’s face. Thankfully the tension went somewhat away, and I told Penny of our efforts with the flat, which led us to the topic of the store opening. The entire situation was so absurdly normal I almost started wondering whether I just had imagined Penny’s attack.

Before long, however, auntie started yawning badly, and announced she would go to bed. I told her to leave the dishes to me, and that Benny and I would take walk. Again, she didn’t even question that – what teenage girl “takes a walk” with a young man, anyhow? When she had left us, I turned to Penny, and found him still not looking at me.

“Okay, do you mind if we somewhere else?”

He shook his head, a familiar jingling bell sound, which I took for a somewhat good sign. But when I asked him if he wanted to change into something non-human, he shook his head again, and avoided my eyes. I nearly exploded.

I grabbed his hands, ripping my jacket off its coat-hanger, and marched out of the door, dragging Benny-Penny behind me. A quick glance around me told me the street was empty, but I still waited till we were a bit further away from our house before I let loose.

“Will you please fucking tell me what’s the matter here.” My voice was shaking, which angered me even further.

He remained quiet.

“Penny, whatever happened yesterday, I don’t understand, but I want to. Has anything similar ever happened to you?”

He mumbled something that could have been a “no”.

“Was it the animal meat?”

Another head shake, with bells again.

“Is it my period?”

Penny finally looked up, and his eyes had turned slightly crimson again. But he just stared at me.

I had it.

“Listen, either you start talking to me or I’m gonna call quits. I can’t deal with this. I haven’t had my period in ages, I’m full of hormones, auntie’s probably really sick, I got the opening of the store coming up, I need to get the apartment ready for Bee, and you won’t fucking talk to me. How can I understand you if you don’t open your fucking mouth? I don’t even understand myself.” I had started shouting. All the pent up frustration spilled out of me.

“You’re not the only one who’s not been in this situation before. You’re something like a god, and I’m just a stupid human, so the least you could do is explain yourself. I told you, I’m not good at relationships. I never had one before, and of course I had to fall in love with some unearthly… thing, ‘cause everything else would have been what normal people do, and I’m not fucking normal.”

Penny whipped around and grabbed my shoulders hard. I had upset him again, but at least I got a reaction. His fingers dug into my flesh, and his face melted a little.

“I don’t know. I don’t understand. What do you expect?” He shouted, too, and his voice changed with every word, dropping lower and lower.

“You wander into my lair, you won’t leave me the fuck alone, you make me feel all those weird things, and then you expect me to act rationally? Stupid human, that’s why I hate your fucking species so much. So self-important.” Drool sprayed all over me, and our angry faces got closer and closer.

“It’s not like I chose to end up with you. You could kill me anytime, but you didn’t do it, so sorry for still being around.”

“Yeah, because it’s my fault I can’t, right. You were the one who showed me all those new things. I was perfectly fine before. I could wake up, feed and have some fun here, then go to hibernation again. Everything was just fine.”

“Oh yeah, that’s why you were awake when I found you ten years ago. That’s why you were scared out of your wits by a little girl.”

“I should just eat you and be done.” His face ripped in half, the familiar tunnel of shark teeth opened before me, just an inch away from my nose.

“Then just do it.”

And this time, he did.

[essentially-writes]

Do we fall apart?

Pairing: Doyoung x Reader (f)

Genre: Oneshot; Angst; slight fluff; melodramatic (?)

Length: 1,628

Warnings: swearing; kissing; alcohol/drinking/clubbing; slow burn

A/N: this is my first time writing angst and one-shot! I tend to write series that I never finish so I thought I’d challenge myself with more oneshots. Inspired by ‘Good Things Fall Apart’ by ILLENIUM, Jon Bellion

disclaimer: the characters in this work are fictional and its content does not reflect any real events.

The summer air was thick and humid, cigarette smoke lingered all around the street lined with clubs and bars, busy with loud chatter and muffled music from the different establishments.

“Hey, are you getting the taxi with us?” she looked at her friends gathered in a bunch, hair matted to their faces from the sticky heat inside the club they had all just stumbled out of.

“No, you guys go ahead” she replied, waving a hand to catch a separate car. The street was lined in an organised chaos of orange taxis awaiting the club-goers to filter out.

The girls shrugged, perhaps they had noticed after-all that she had been acting off all night. Soon enough she got herself in a car and directed the driver back to her flat, letting out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding, she searched her bag for her phone.

1.29am.

1.30am. *ping*

“Where are you? Come meet me by the river bank.” 

Another sigh, she squeezed her eyes patiently and re-opened them again, asking the driver to change the route.

The air was cooler by the river, a breeze brushing by her exposed neck to the back of her head giving her a slight shiver, sobering her up even more than the short night drive had already done.

She walked down towards the bank, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, the chains on her boots jingling at the pace of her steps.

At the bottom, leaning on the railing of the riverbank, she spotted a slender male figure, wearing a black bucket hat, a navy and white windbreaker and matching basketball shorts.

The figure looked tired, shoulders slouched, head hung down. He lifted his head and looked up at the clear moonlit sky, mixed with the city lights and the blinking of cars running past the overhanging bridge.

He stayed like that for a few seconds more, and just as she finished the stairs, he turned around, searching the area for passers by, finally spotting her.

“Y/N, babe!” he called out, she lifted her hand to acknowledge him, still in the pocket of her jacket.

He noticed her reluctant steps, dragging her slowly towards him, and she wasn’t looking at him, instead her eyes low trained on the pavement as she closed the distance between them.

“What’s w-” his concern quickly disappeared, “have you been drinking? You stink!”

He couldn’t hide the disgust and annoyance in his voice, even if his features were covered by the black mask he was wearing.

His sharp eyes watched her expectantly, taking in her short outfit, the gold hoop earrings and the fading of her heavy make-up, he already knew the answer, he just needed to hear it.

“Yeah,” she replied, her voice slightly hoarse, “we were in Hongdae, it was Mina’s birthday.”

“Did you have to go looking like that?” he spat the words with the sound of a brewing fury. Perhaps he didn’t mean to do so, his expression was still hidden and her eyes still avoided his, but the words stung right where she had this heavy weight upon her chest.

Perhaps she didn’t mean to either, she could only react to fire with fire, her shouting was sharp and pointed.

“Looking like what?! What exactly do you want to say Doyoung?? Tell me, what do I look like to you?!”

“What the fuck is your problem?! You’re the one showing up drunk and stinking of alcohol and sweat, dressed like a-” he hesitated.

“I DARE YOU TO SAY IT! I DARE YOU!” her face was red now, her breath was fast, chest puffing up and down. Finally she was looking straight at his eyes, dark and wide, checking all around for other late night strollers.

They remained silent, the heated tension keeping them from their next words. The one who spoke first might be the one to make the first mistake.

She turned around to sit on the large concrete steps usually occupied by visitors watching the river flow, perhaps during a break in their walk or a stop for a spot of lunch in the sun.

The cold concrete was a sharp contrast to her heated body, she could feel the rough edges and dirt on the back of her thighs as she sat. Elbows on her knees, she rested her head on her hands, tears escaping down to her chin.

Doyoung stood still for a moment, feeling indignant at the situation. He’d had such a crappy long day, things had been so frustrating with work; he barely had time to eat and catch up with sleep between his schedules and so when he finally finished for the day, he wanted to see her, even just for a few moments to get some consolation. He did not expect to have his girlfriend show up, after a week of not seeing her, drunk and less than welcome, much less screaming at him in the middle of the night.

He joined her by her seat a moment later. Her tears had already cleared up, a small sniffle barely audible before she spoke again.

“You know, if it’s so difficult to be with me, maybe we should let this go.”

“What?! What are you talking about Y/N?” Whatever annoyance, anger or any other feelings he had before were gone. His voice was in panic, his head now rushing to understand the words.

“I- I just think I’m no longer good enough. I’m not good enough for this relationship.” Tears threatened to fall again.

He turned to her and held her hands in his, leaning close and searching her eyes, he pleaded,

“Y/N please, tell me what’s wrong. What’s gotten into you?”

“He didn’t deny it” she thought fearfully, taking in a breath to gather courage to speak again.

“I’m either a bad friend for lying to my friends about being single and then not hanging out and going out clubbing with them, or I am a bad girlfriend to you if I do and don’t show up at your beck and call in the middle of the night.” She shook her head gently, “I don’t know if I can keep this up.”

Meeting and dating Doyoung had been a dream, he was her perfect man. He was sweet and bashful when they had first met. She was so captivated by his laugh and smile, and the way he looked at her from across the table at the wrap up party. She made the first move, knowing full well he was a famous idol but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and she had nothing to lose in letting him know she was interested in him. They got to know each other over the next project, finding excuses to sit one to one, pretending to talk about work in the café of the office.

Their first private date had been a car date. She was excited and full of butterflies, her nerves causing an uneven breath as she thought about kissing him for the first time. And sure enough, it was as magical as she had imagined it would be. Doyoung leaned over to reach his hand around her neck, brushing her hair away and settling his warm hand at the back of her neck, pulling her in gently towards him.

His eyes were dripping in want as he watched her gulp nervously, licking his lips subtly he leaned in further and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss felt soft and hot, parting and pressing for more, their feelings for each other exchanged in the gentle suckling of each other’s lips. It felt heavenly in Doyoung’s arms.

As time passed, their time spent together fluctuated between as frequently as daily to as far apart as a month in between. They had worked through it, but almost a year later, it seemed that it was finally taking its toll.

She tried to move her hands out of Doyoung’s only for him to hold on tighter.

“No, Y/N, no, it’s me. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry you have to feel that way, I’m sorry I can’t give you a normal relationship.” He kissed her hand as the tears ran down her face again.

“But I need you Y/N. I need you to make my days worth it, I need you in my arms, to smile for and laugh with. Isn’t it the same for you?”

“It doesn’t have to be me”, her insecurities revealing themselves.

“It does. For me, it has to be you.” Doyoung used his fingers to gently lift her face so that they could look each other in the eyes. His thumb stroked lightly across her cheek, rubbing away the tear stains. With his other hand, he removed his mask, his plump pink lips were dry in a slight pout.

“Y/N, I love you. I mean it, and I promise to do better. Okay?” His gaze had softened, his expression neutral, waiting for her response.

She was taken aback. Though she expected he would resist and deny her before really giving things a deep thought, she hadn’t expected his first “I love you” to be delivered right then and there.

And though she knew it would be hard to change things, she also knew he was right. She needed him too, she needed to be his and she liked wanting him too.

On a night like this, she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, she had missed him so much she’d mistaken it for being frustrated at him.

She looked back at him, leaning into his hand feeling the warmth of his skin against hers and she nodded slowly.

“I love you too Doyoung. I need you too.”

[gerrystamour]

the bittersweet between my teeth - Chapter 4

Written by: GerryStAmour | Gift for: @northisnotup​

 Some Important Notes:

The smut is available only on AO3! Link to the AO3 fic in my pinned post!

Nureyev is a gender euphoric trans man who has not had top-surgery and does not wear a binder. I use a mix of masculine and feminine terminology for his anatomy and genitalia, as I do for my own body as a transmasc individual. If this makes you uncomfortable, that is totally understandable, and I recommend skipping the smut.

This chapter is being posted early mostly because Chapters 3 and 4 were originally one whole chapter, which I split in half because of length. So consider this a bit of an Angel of Brahma style release. ;p

I am altering my update schedule for the last time! Please see my pinned post for the new schedule.

I'm working on a two-chapter Epilogue ficlet, which I hope to publish on Sunday, Nov 8, so keep an eye out for that.

Chapter Four [Previous Chapter] [First Chapter]

- - - - - Juno’s POV - - - - -

“My name is Peter Nureyev.”

Juno took in a shaky breath, trying to still his thoughts, which were suddenly racing with this new information.

“... What?” he asked quietly after a few moments, and immediately cringed at the stupid question. Juno knew Rex wasn’t his real name, he knew it all along so this wasn’t a revelation on its own.

Or at least it shouldn’t have been. At some point over their evening together, he had stopped thinking of ‘Rex Glass’ as a fake name, and this knocked Juno off balance. 

But he could handle it, had demanded that information even. If Juno was a bit terrified to look at him though, he didn’t have to admit it.

“My name is Peter Nureyev,” the man underneath him repeated as he took a deep breath. “I’m a thief, and a very good one at that.”

Juno pulled back to look at Peter Nureyev, narrowing his eye at the stoic and hard expression the man wore. The corners of Nureyev’s mouth were tight and angled downward and Juno desperately wanted to kiss that stress away.

“I was hired,” Nureyev continued stiffly, the words sounding dragged out of him, “by a gentleman to regain some property that was taken.”

Ice filled Juno’s veins as he stared at Nureyev, something in his tone tickling the back of his mind. Why would a master thief be interested in him and look so tense as he confessed, he wondered. The answer came to him and felt like someone had punched him in the gut; he was Juno Steel, the one private eye in Hyperion City with a high-profile, nearly botched job on his record.

Humiliation burned in Juno’s gut and his face, and his mind began racing around how he was going to get out of Nureyev’s lap without looking like he was running away.

“Why does he need a thief.” He hadn’t even realized he was talking until the words were hanging in the air between them. It wasn’t a question as much as it was a statement, and the way Nureyev’s expression folded, his lips curving downward and his eyes softening at the corners, was all the confirmation Juno needed. 

But he had to hear him say it. He had to hear the words come from Nureyev.

“No, finish that thought. I want to hear you say it.”

“Juno—”

“Just fucking say it, Diamond!”

Nureyev’s hands twitched where he still held Juno’s wrists, bringing Juno back from his swirling thoughts.

“Juno—” the thief began, and Juno could hear the excuses in his tone already.

“Why does he need a thief, Nureyev? Why didn’t he hire a detective?” Juno demanded, and he can feel himself shaking as well.

“Juno, I want you to know—”

“Just tell me, Nureyev!” Juno hissed through his teeth, and to his dismay tears had sprung to his eyes.

Nureyev licked his lips a bit nervously, and said, “His property was taken by the HCPD in a raid on an associate’s safehouse five years ago.”

Juno had begun laughing bitterly the moment Nureyev had mentioned the HCPD. A hollow, desperate ache settled in his chest, his eyes stinging from the pain. It was stupid to feel so hurt, but it was just the sort of prank whatever higher beings existed would play on him.

“Of fucking course,” Juno bit out, looking up at the ceiling. It was always too good to be true, he knew the other shoe would drop eventually, knew there was no reason someone as gorgeous and mysterious as Nureyev would even look twice at him if they didn’t have ulterior motives.

“That’s why you’re here. I knew it the moment I saw you at Hyperion Brewing, but I talked myself out of it. But that’s why you’re here,” Juno finally admitted to himself with a scoff, getting increasingly angry at himself for being so goddamn stupid. “You really know how to pick ‘em, Steel.”

“That isn’t why I’m here right now, nor why I’ve been seeing you,” Nureyev insisted, his voice pleading as Juno began to pull back. He let go of Juno’s wrists to gently hold his face. “Juno, please, believe that this is real—”

“Get your goddamn hands off me!” Juno snarled, jolting away from the touch as if he had been burned. Nureyev’s hands immediately fell away from Juno’s face, and he sat completely still while Juno climbed off his lap.

Juno could feel his hot blush as his dress fell open before he was able to catch it. He couldn’t even remember when the belt had been taken off, which just served to embarrass him even further.

“Juno, please listen—”

“If you say any of that ‘this is real’ bullshit, I will walk out right now, Nureyev,” Juno growled, and Nureyev’s mouth snapped shut. 

They were quiet for a few moments while Juno located his belt and struggled to cinch it around his waist. His eyes were burning, his already limited vision blurry with his tears.

“No, you only started sniffing around me after that day at Hyperion Brewing. You’re just sticking around for information, or to spy on me, or whatever, so none of this is real!” Juno said bitterly, his hands shaking so badly he almost dropped his belt.

“I have never even come close to pressing for details about the job!” Nureyev defended himself, his tone annoyed. “All evening, I could have asked you about your eye, or your scars, under the guise of getting to know you, but I didn’t.”

Ice flooded his veins as Juno finally got the belt done up, the mention of his eye and his scars almost more painful than everything else. Of course Nureyev would have noticed, and he likely thought they were hideous just as everyone else did. But Juno was useful, Juno might have had information, so Nureyev was willing to tolerate him.

For a moment, all Juno could think about was Diamond pointing out his eyepatch constantly, the persistent suggestions to get a prosthetic eye and cosmetic surgery to clean up the scars. He was back in that apartment, after a year of surgeries and physical therapy, pleading with Diamond to understand just how much he didn’t want to go under again. 

The humiliation of begging his fiance to still love him flared in him.

The moment Juno lost any semblance of usefulness, the disgust for his eye jumped to the forefront. It was the same sad story, one that Juno thought he was used to, but it hurt so much more with Nureyev.

“Oh, should I thank you then?” Juno asked, laughing bitterly. “Thanks for not asking about my worst job, my biggest goddamn failure, and amateur eye-surgery when you could have?”

“You know that’s not what I meant, Juno—” Nureyev said, sounding frustrated.

“Do I?” Juno countered, and that seemed to give Nureyev pause. When the thief opened his mouth to refute, Juno shook his head. “There’s something called ‘the long game’, Nureyev. You not asking me tonight means nothing.”

Nureyev wisely kept his mouth shut and Juno had to look away. He looked miserable sitting there on the bed, his expression deeply sad with his mouth, jaw, and throat smudged with Juno’s dark lipstick. There was a twist in his gut that felt like doubt, and for a moment Juno wanted to crawl back into his lap and kiss him, to take back his angry words and resume the perfect evening.

Shaking himself, Juno remembered the months of fear, of keeping his head down and his mouth shut, of trying to hold everything together. Then Nureyev had the nerve to seduce him when he worked for the person who was responsible for all of that.

“I actually thought the Piranha was done having her lackeys follow me,” Juno laughed. “This is really cruel though, even for her.

“Juno, I’m no one’s ‘lackey’,” Nureyev said pleadingly, shaking his head. “I was interested in you before I knew you were involved—”

“And after?” Juno interrupted, crossing his arms tightly.

Nureyev looked up at him, confused and thrown off guard by the question. “After what?” he asked eventually, quiet and unsure.

“After you found out, Nureyev. When you found out, you kept coming, you made me—” ‘fall for you’ Juno thought, and just barely managed to stop himself. Taking a deep breath, Juno started over, his voice low with his anger. “When you found out who I was, how close I was to this, why did you keep coming around?”

Nureyev took a deep breath, and said, “I was immediately taken with you from the moment I saw you—”

“Come off it, Nureyev,” Juno scoffed, rolling his eyes even as butterflies swarmed his guts. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t ‘expect’ anything from you, Juno,” Nureyev said flatly, and that annoyance was back in his voice. “Except perhaps that you allow me to answer the questions you ask me.”

Juno huffed a loud breath and looked away. He wasn’t keen on admitting that Nureyev had a bit of a point.

“I saw you at the restaurant, and I was drawn to you, and I can’t explain why. You were handsome, and the way you looked at me… I was intrigued,” Nureyev explained haltingly and shrugged. “I found out your name from the owner. I didn’t know your connection to my job at the time.”

“Why would you be so interested in a complete stranger?” Juno asked incredulously.

“I don’t know, Juno!” Nureyev burst out, and he ran his hands back through his long hair. “I don’t normally let a pretty face capture my attention or distract me from a job! Remember, I’m a very good thief, which makes falling in love with part-time private eyes incredibly inconvenient.”

Juno’s insides froze as he said that, searching Nureyev’s face for a lie, especially surrounding the word ‘love’. Nureyev looked honest, his expression open and earnest for Juno to read, which was somehow the scariest thing in that moment.

But that wasn’t how the world worked, he thought bitterly. That man, the thief, came into his life— only occupying space in it for two weeks— and he was already making claims or allusions to feelings a partner of over a decade didn’t even have. It was impossible, and he would have to be pretty stupid to believe it.

“So ‘love at first sight’. That is what you’re trying to sell me?” Juno asked mockingly, emulating some of Benten’s sharp tone.

Nureyev’s jaw visibly twitched and a dark blush overcame his features. He was clearly getting frustrated with the conversation, and Juno prepared himself for anger, for the admission of his guilt.

“I’m not trying to sell you anything, least of all something so fanciful,” Nureyev finally replied, and his voice was softer than his intense gaze let on. “But I do care deeply for you now. Your ‘buying it’ has no bearing on the truth of it.”

Juno ground his teeth viciously, anger flashing through him that the thief would continue the act. That he wouldn’t just cut it out and admit it.

“So you were curious, we’ll go with that. Any smart criminal would find out that the tail they’re chasing is a part-time private eye and run the other way,” Juno said. “But you kept coming around, getting closer to me. Why?”

“I was selfish,” Nureyev admitted after a steadying breath through his nose. “I didn’t want to leave without seeing you.”

“So, you played with my feelings?”

“I did not play with your feelings, Juno,” Nureyev replied earnestly, almost desperately. “But when it became obvious you reciprocated, I couldn’t hurt you by just disappearing.”

Juno laughed loudly at that. “And this is better?” he asked coldly, and Nureyev’s expression crumpled under it.

Juno wanted to stop, to shut his mouth and leave. He wanted so badly to just go home, crawl into his bed and hide.

“That job, Piranha and whoever she works for, ruined my life, Nureyev. The people you’re working for destroyed everything, and you come along and just—” Juno interrupts himself with a watery, harsh laugh, shaking his head. “You should’ve just left, Nureyev. I have plenty of experience with that. I would’ve survived.”

Juno immediately regretted the words the moment he said them, especially with the way Nureyev’s expression went slack and his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“Your piss-poor attitude was only cute when you looked like—”

Juno opened his mouth to take it back but Nureyev just cleared his throat and stood, towering over him once again.

“Of course,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “As I said, it was selfish.”

Juno pinched the bridge of his nose as Nureyev left the bedroom to sit at the desk in the living room. 

“Nureyev, listen, I didn’t mean—” Juno began as he followed Nureyev, watching as the man opened his laptop.

“No, you were right, Juno. I should have left you alone from the beginning,” Nureyev insisted. “This was foolish on my part.”

Juno felt his anger and hurt wane as he watched Nureyev. There was nothing too obvious to let on to his emotions, but there was the slightest slump to his usually perfect posture, which only served to break Juno’s heart further.

When Juno properly paid attention to what Nureyev was doing, he realized he was looking at surveillance feeds. “What are you doing?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“Deleting any surveillance video with my face, and also your arrival at the hotel,” he answered quietly, not even looking away from the monitor.

“You’ve been doing this every night?” That bloom of doubt was back, and Juno hated it.

“Yes, which has been getting exhausting. I’ve put off finishing this for too long,” Nureyev sighed. “I’ve been reckless, and it’s only a matter of time before I make a mistake if I haven’t already.”

Juno immediately recognised that fact, and the rest of his anger left him so suddenly he felt dizzy. “Why would you risk so much?”

Nureyev did not even pause in his work on the laptop as he smiled sadly and replied, “I’m sure you can divine my reasons from my previous statements, dear detective. You’re very clever.”

Juno felt his face heat up at the praise and felt annoyed at himself all over again. He was making himself the easiest mark ever for people like Nureyev.

Then the thief’s fingers faltered in their typing and he tipped his head thoughtfully. “What did you mean by ‘amateur eye surgery’?” Nureyev asked. “Or ‘the Piranha’ for that matter?”

Juno raised an eyebrow when Nureyev turned to look at him. “You haven’t met your employer’s pet thug?” he asked sceptically. “She’s a real piece of work, you know? Sadistic, and I mean, I go for a little pain—”

“Juno,” Nureyev interrupted softly, and snapped him out of his sarcastic tirade.

“Fine. She’s really ugly, missing an ear, tons of scars? Her teeth are all sharp—” Juno began, but he stopped abruptly as his heart rate picked up just thinking about her.

“She has an underbite?” Nureyev supplied and Juno nodded gratefully.

“That’s the one. I call her the Piranha. Didn’t really catch a name between her stun blast and…” Juno said, trailing off to gesture at his eye. At Nureyev’s blank look, he shifted on his feet uncomfortably. “C’mon Nureyev, you knew I lost my eye during that job. You said it yourself.”

Nureyev turned back to the laptop and clicked the keyboard a few more times before slowly shutting it. “I was under the impression— no, told your eye had been an injury sustained in an altercation,” Nureyev replied when he turned to meet Juno’s gaze again. “An accident.”

Juno frowned with a sceptical snort. “I mean, if torture falls under the ‘altercation’ umbrella, then yeah. But it wasn’t an accident.”

It was obvious that several pieces of information were clicking into place for Nureyev if his narrowed eyes were anything to go by. “Either my employer is unaware of this ‘Piranha’s’ true actions that day, or he lied to me,” Nureyev finally said after a moment, sucking his teeth a bit before saying, “I’m not sure which is worse.”

“Normally, I would say he lied to you. But she worked overtime to keep my mouth shut, so,” Juno said, trailing off with a shrug. The distinct feeling of panic overcame him, and he tried to calm himself down.

“What do you mean, Juno?” Nureyev asked, and his voice was so gentle, it made Juno want so much. He wanted to be held again, he wanted to crawl into bed and have strong arms wrapped around him tightly, he wanted Nureyev to kiss him again, if only to remind him that he was sitting in a hotel room and not in that dark, terrible cellar.

“She said whoever she worked for wouldn’t be happy if I died,” he replied, his words stilted as he said them. “Didn’t stop her from carving up my eye and stalking my loved ones, but hey. I survived.”

Juno sat heavily in the armchair near the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he looked up again, he saw that Nureyev had turned to fully face him, waiting patiently for him to continue.

“When I was in the hospital, one of her goons came by and dropped an entire folder of pictures of Benten and Rita in my lap. Nothing else, just that. The asshole didn’t even say anything,” he said, his voice breaking a bit and his face felt hot as tears stung his eyes again. “She had me followed for months, and every couple of weeks a new goon would hand me a new folder full of new pictures.”

“Juno—” Nureyev began, lifting his hand as if to reach for Juno’s, but appeared to think better of it. Juno wished Nureyev had followed through, which he knew was ridiculous after the scene he had been making, so he shook it off with a deep breath.

“The worst was—” Juno choked on the words for a moment, the fear gripping him. “The worst was a picture of Benten. It was taken from inside his apartment. It was some guy Benten had brought home, someone he met at a bar. But the message was loud and clear.”

“Juno…” Nureyev murmured sadly, but said nothing else.

“So, I kept my mouth shut, accepted the pictures, confirmed that I understood, and kept my head down for months,” he finished explaining, shrugging a bit.

Nureyev was silent, watching his face with an unreadable expression.

“Fuck, all of that, and for nothing. Just to get dragged back into it all,” Juno muttered as an aside to himself. With a disgusted noise, Juno met Nureyev’s eyes. “Who’s your employer anyway? I know it’s one of Pereyra’s opponents, but I never found out who.”

“Ramses O’Flaherty,” Nureyev responded without hesitation and was startled at Juno’s bark of laughter.

“O’Flaherty? Bullshit,” Juno said with an eye-roll.

“I assure you, dear detective. It is Ramses O’Flaherty who is signing my paycheque,” Nureyev replied, a bit confused.

“But that makes no sense,” Juno argued, his incredulity almost palpable. “His political ads, his speeches, hell, his entire platform is built on being anti-crime and anti-cop! The Piranha and the crap I found at her safehouse are the complete opposite.”

Nureyev’s curiosity was piqued at that. “You saw what was in the cases?”

“Yeah?” Juno replied, a bit confused. “O’Flaherty didn’t tell you what was in them?”

“He was insistent that I refrain from looking,” Nureyev replied thoughtfully. “He was also going on about the Greater Good, though I had stopped listening at that point.”

“Yeah, that does sound like O’Flaherty,” Juno sighed. “The one case had a little chip in it. Something called the THEIA something or whatever. The other stuff was some tech, looked like drones with a ton of firepower. The inscription said they were—”

Juno cut himself off to think back, trying to remember the inscriptions and what they said. He jolted when he remembered that the items were from New Kinshasa, and they all were marked with G.A.S. preceding a series of numbers.

“Juno?” Nureyev prompted him gently, his voice filled with concern.

“The tech was from New Kinshasa,” Juno started cautiously, sucking in a deep breath when Nureyev tensed. “Some… hyper-mobile update to their Guardian Angel System.”

All of the colour left Nureyev’s face as he asked quietly, “... What?” Juno could see in Nureyev’s eyes that he was living a waking nightmare, and he wanted to stop the entire conversation and hold him.

“Back then, I sent Rita a picture of the stuff and had her look it up. Turns out, about twenty years ago, New Kinshasa started pouring a ton of money into R&D,” Juno explained instead. “I guess some radicals almost destroyed the whole city, so they wanted something that wouldn’t be so easy to take down.”

“And how did O’Flaherty come into possession of this?” Nureyev asked, his voice shaking with barely concealed anger. Juno could understand that feeling.

“Well, with the end of the war and Brahma joining the Solar government, they needed money,” Juno replied with an angry laugh. “They started selling units to interested parties to test the whole thing. Nothing says ‘peace’ like a government institution selling weapons to private investors.”

Nureyev smirked at the sarcasm, but his voice was tight as he asked, “And what did you learn about these radicals?”

“Not much,” he replied with a shrug, and is startled a bit by the sharp look Nureyev gives him. “I mean, Rita probably knew more at the time, but then she went off about some betrayal plot on one of her streams.”

“But after the case—”

“Nureyev, everyone I loved was being threatened after the case,” Juno reminded him. “I told Rita to get rid of all that info she dug up after the first goon threatened me in the hospital.”

Nureyev nodded woodenly, his eyes distant as he apparently stared at Juno’s knees.

“You okay, Nureyev?” Juno asked, and it came out far more tenderly than he wanted it to be, but he couldn’t help it.

Nureyev snapped out of his thoughts and met Juno’s gaze again with a distracted, “Hm?”

“You went somewhere far away,” Juno said, and he wanted to hold Nureyev’s hand, to bring him back and soothe that troubled expression from his face.

Nureyev watched Juno as well, obviously debating something behind his bright eyes. Something shifted in Nureyev’s expression, something sharp and dangerous, and Juno felt his breath catch in his throat.

“I’m planning to steal the weapons and have them destroyed,” Nureyev said firmly. “They shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands.”

“Glad to hear it,” Juno said, aiming for sarcastic, but it came out sincerely pleased. “I mean, I figured, because I know, roughly, what happens on Brahma, but—”

“I was one of the so-called ‘radicals’. Twenty years ago, with my mentor,” Nureyev confessed, the words rushed and hitting Juno hard in the chest. “We were hardly radicals, honestly. We were thieves, stealing the core to the Guardian Angel System.”

“But… Rita told me the same core that powered the weapon—”

“Also powered the levitation system for the city, yes. My mentor misled me about the job, and when I found out the city would be destroyed, I tried to reason with him. Or stop him. I was…” Nureyev trailed off, looking haunted before he snapped himself out of it. “It doesn’t matter. When he refused to stop, I— I killed him.”

“Nureyev…” Juno started, but he had nothing he could say to that.

Looking at the thief now, Juno realized how young Nureyev would have been when that all happened. It made Juno’s heart ache for Nureyev, and then he remembered what Nureyev had said over dinner. His mentor had saved him from the streets, and later he felt he had to kill the man to save a whole city.

“I don’t regret it. I couldn’t see the justification in destroying an entire city, and I still can’t,” Nureyev said after a few moments, his tone clipped and rehearsed. It sounded defensive, like something the thief repeated to himself daily. It was the first thing Nureyev had said that felt like a lie the whole evening, but Juno knew it wasn’t a lie for him. “He was wrong, and I couldn’t let him leave with the core.”

Juno wanted to leave it there, but he never could stop asking questions. “Then why does it look like you regret it?”

Nureyev’s features closed up, like shutters being pulled. “Is that relevant right now?” he asked curtly.

Juno watched him, a sadness for Nureyev so deep in his heart he felt close to crying, and his anger from earlier was all but forgotten. Eventually, he shook his head with a heavy sigh.

“No, I guess it’s not, you’re right,” he said before he added a bit awkwardly, “Thanks for… telling me, I guess. You didn’t have to.”

Nureyev shook himself a bit, straightening his posture, and raised an eyebrow. “My name is attached to that job, so the moment you would’ve had Rita look me up, you would have known. She likely already knows my name without realizing it.”

Juno was quiet for several long moments, rolling Nureyev’s words around in his head. That was all true, and he was sure Rita would have pulled up any information on him that she wanted. Hell, there was probably information out there Nureyev thought was completely hidden, but Rita could find. 

“I wanted to hear what stories you have in your own words…”

He bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as he remembered Nureyev’s words from dinner.

“I wasn’t going to ‘look you up’,” he finally said.

Nureyev looked visibly shocked, and then sceptical. “And why not?”

Juno shrugged with a sad chuckle. “Why didn’t you look me up?” he countered.

It was almost funny enough for Juno to laugh when realization dawned on Nureyev, his eyes widening with a soft “oh” as he looked down at his hands in his lap.

The conversation had gotten too emotional, too vulnerable for Juno to handle at the moment, so he changed the subject. “So what’s the plan? What are we doing?”

Nureyev met his gaze again, deeply concerned. “We?” he asked.

“Yeah, ‘we’. You and I both want those weapons destroyed,” Juno replied firmly. “I want to stop Pilot and Ramses, and you brought me back into this mess whether you meant to or not. I’m coming with you, and you’re not going to stop me.”

Nureyev made a small noise and shook his head. “But Juno, your eye—”

“—Isn’t coming back any time soon! And hey, I figure I owe it some payback anyway,” Juno interrupted with a shrug, his tone flippant and deliberately infuriating.

Nureyev was flustered, visibly stressed at the thought of Juno joining him. Juno would have found it cute, even flattering, if he wasn’t still coming down from his hurt and anger.

“Juno, I can’t— it’s dangerous—” Nureyev started again and Juno laughed a bit.

“I’m a private eye, Nureyev. ‘Danger’ is in the job description,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Give me a real reason.”

Nureyev paused for a long time before leaning forward to gently, tentatively touch the back of Juno’s hand. Without hesitation, Juno turns his hand and allows Nureyev to hold it.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt by them again,” Nureyev confessed very quietly, barely loud enough for Juno to hear.

Juno felt his heart flip several times, his breath leaving him in a short whoosh, and he had to fight to be annoyed at the coddling. “I can handle myself, Nureyev,” he snapped with a pout, though it held no heat.

“Oh, I know, my dear detective. I would never doubt your resilience,” Nureyev said with a small laugh, reaching up with his other hand to cup Juno’s cheek. His expression turned so soft and earnest, Juno felt overwhelmed with his want for that gentle concern. “I only wish you knew you didn’t always have to. You could just let me do this and be done with it entirely.”

For a moment, Juno very nearly gave in to that soft request, to let Nureyev take care of him, of their combined mess, but that was just not possible for him. 

“You don’t seem to get it,” Juno said with a shake of his head. “This is my problem, my screw-up, my responsibility. Plus, you got me involved again.”

Nureyev stroked the back of Juno’s hand and cheek with his thumbs thoughtfully, and the sensation of the smooth leather of his gloves sent shivers up Juno’s spine. “Fair enough,” he said eventually, nodding. “Just know that I’m not used to working with someone else.”

The two of them spent the better part of an hour going over Nureyev’s existing plans for the heist, working Juno into them and reworking the parts that wouldn’t work with two people. The plan had been brilliant to start with, and Juno almost felt bad about coming in with a sledgehammer. However, when all was said and done, Juno was legitimately confident in the new plan.

That— being confident in the plan— was enough to plant a seedling of doubt in his gut. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Benten calling him ‘Lady Raincloud’ and dismissed his nerves. He and Nureyev were both professionals in their own ways, and they could handle an in-and-out job.

Juno was standing at the desk next to where Nureyev sat, bent at the waist and propped on one hand, idly chewing on his thumbnail while he stared at the laptop screen. “I can have Rita look into finding a different way in, but the sewer is really our best bet. And maybe a better way to deal with the security cameras,” he murmured, mostly to himself but Nureyev hummed his agreement. “I’m not liking how tight that window is.”

If Nureyev was uncomfortable involving Rita, he didn’t say anything.

“So,” Juno said slowly, looking at Nureyev. “Two nights from now?”

“That should give us enough time to collect what intel we need,” Nureyev confirmed, before looking up at him and slyly adding with a smirk, “It also gives me at least twenty-four more hours to convince you to stay out of it.”

Juno smirked right back. “Don’t count on it.”

A moment of absolute silence stretched between them as they looked at each other, and slowly Nureyev’s smirk softened to something fond. Juno jumped a bit as gloved fingers slid gently against the outside of his bare thigh before he shivered. With a shaky sigh, Juno leaned into the contact.

“Juno, I—” Nureyev started hesitantly before taking a deep breath. “I want you to know that I care very deeply for you, and that I never thought of you as a mark, that— I meant everything I’ve said and more.”

“I know,” Juno said in a quiet voice, and he was surprised by himself. The sincerity in Nureyev’s eyes was overwhelming, and enough to break through his usual cloud of doubt for the moment.

“The true depths of my— my feelings are unknown even to me,” Nureyev continued earnestly, apparently on a roll. “They terrify me, Juno. Whenever I try to understand them, and the thought of leaving after all this…”

Juno stood back up to his full height and turned toward Nureyev, holding his face in his hands. When Nureyev allowed his eyes to flutter shut, Juno released a shuddering breath. “You don’t have to go,” Juno whispered, surprising himself yet again with his soft begging.

What right did he have asking that of Nureyev?

Nureyev’s face twisted sadly, and his lashes looked a bit wet. “Juno, please—”

“You can stay,” Juno pushed, talking over Nureyev desperately. “Rita can clear any record you have, set you up with everything you need, I have connections—”

“Juno, stop, please,” Nureyev pleaded, his voice so soft Juno’s heart ached. When Nureyev opened his eyes again to look up at him, his eyes glassy. “You know I can’t stay, even if I wanted to give everything up. I do not want to retire, and I cannot stay on Mars, my love.”

Juno closed his eyes and nodded, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “I know,” he replied.

Nureyev took a deep breath and Juno could feel him shaking nervously. “Would you come with me?” he asked, in a voice so fragile Juno held completely still lest he break something. The question hit him like a solid punch to his gut, and for a few wild seconds the ‘yes’ was on the tip of his tongue.

But then he thought of Benten, and Rita, and where would they fit in his brave new future with Nureyev? A man he knew for all of two weeks? It was absurd.

“I’m sorry,” Juno whispers, his voice barely audible, even to himself. “Nureyev, I—”

“Hush, dear detective,” Nureyev said soothingly, lifting a hand to gently hold one of Juno’s wrists, the other still stroking his thigh. The contact is chaste, but it was intimate beyond anything Juno had ever experienced, even with Diamond. Now that he was looking down at Nureyev, seeing him with his hair loose, heart open, and Juno’s lipstick still smeared in places, Juno felt heat returning to his gut.

“I… I would like to spend whatever time we have left together, however you wish,” Nureyev said, his eyes soft and wet with emotion. “I will understand, however, if you wouldn’t want that.”

Juno sucked in a slow breath, shaky as it was with his conflicting thoughts. He was still upset, still angry, and normally he would have made someone who made him that angry work to get his favour back. But Nureyev didn’t have that sort of time— they didn’t have that sort of time. Here in this hotel room was possibly the last time they would be together like this, and there was the entire possibility that one or both of them would be killed in two days.

So Juno stepped closer to Nureyev, bracketing one of his knees with his legs so he could stand flush to Nureyev’s body. Nureyev tipped his head back obligingly, with his eyes half-lidded and lips parted. Without hesitation, Juno dipped his head and kissed Nureyev, soft and sweet, swallowing the quiet sound of surprise the thief made.

Nureyev immediately wrapped an arm around his waist, his strength surprising given how thin his arm felt, and his hand twisted in the fabric of Juno’s dress. The hand on his thigh squeezed with sudden bruising strength as Nureyev deepened the kiss, Juno meeting him halfway with his tongue.

Juno had tangled his hands in Nureyev’s hair once again, twisting in the length of it and holding him in place, whining petulantly when Nureyev began to pull back. 

“Juno, wait—” Nureyev began, their mouths still together and panting. Even as he was trying to talk, Nureyev was pressing small kisses on and around Juno’s lips.

“Nureyev, c’mon,” he managed to mumble through their needy kisses.

Nureyev slid his hand further up Juno’s thigh, slipping under the straps of the flower harness he wore and nearly grabbing his ass. The straps pulled tight against the soft flesh of Juno’s thigh, pulling a desperate gasp from him. At that, Nureyev pulled away from the kiss completely, meeting Juno’s eye. He was panting already, and Juno quite liked the image he made, dishevelled as he was with hair a mess and dark red lipstick smeared over his lips.

“Juno, I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you,” Nureyev said, and Juno could tell he meant it. That doesn’t mean he didn’t try to laugh it off.

“I like a little pain, don’t worry about that, Nureyev,” he said with a smirk. “My safe word is—”

“Juno, I’m being serious!” Nureyev snapped lightly, though interestingly enough there was some legitimate interest in his expression.

Juno sighed and stooped to kiss Nureyev again, sweet and chaste, and he hoped it was full of everything he was feeling. Words were hard at the best of times, but especially when things were intense. Juno had always been better with his actions, or at least he liked to think he was. And right then he just wanted so much, so deeply, he could hardly breathe with it.

“Nureyev, I want this, I wouldn’t start it if I didn’t. And yeah, I’m still pissed at you, and yeah it’s going to hurt like hell when you leave,” Juno finally said, leaning his forehead against Nureyev’s. “But that’s at least two days away, and I just want to… have this while I can. If you don’t want to after all, I get it. I’ll go home and see you tomorrow at the cafe.”

“Are you sure?” Nureyev asked.

“Nureyev, I’m sure,” Jun replied impatiently.

Nureyev’s lips spread into a shit-eating grin. “Absolutely positive?”

“Knock it off, Nureyev,” Juno growled, moaning softly into a kiss that suddenly captured his lips.

Nureyev smiled warmly up at him when he pulled back. “Just need to hear you say it,” he sighed, and Juno rolled his eyes.

“Glad we cleared that up, then, now can we—”

Juno let out a squeak of surprise when Nureyev stood up, the arm around his back and gloved hand on his thigh steadying him. His mouth was seized in a hungry kiss, the pressure rough and full of teeth, as he was half-walked, half-carried the handful of steps back into the bedroom.

Nureyev let him go once they reached the edge of the bed to work on Juno’s belt. He hadn’t done it up quite right when he put it back on earlier, so Nureyev did have to pull away from the kiss with a laugh to undo it properly. Juno grinned up at him like a dope at the laugh, and accepted the kiss that was dropped to his mouth once the belt fell away and the drape of the gown fell open again.

Juno tried to think about it as a fling, that he wasn’t impossibly far gone on Nureyev already, that his laugh didn’t fill him with so much light he feared he might burst from it.

Nureyev reached up to gently touch Juno’s eyepatch in silent question, and panic flooded his veins with ice. He wasn’t ready for Nureyev to see his eye just yet, not ready for him to look at him with disgust or pity or that terrible combination of both.

When Juno jerkily shook his head, Nureyev smiled gently and backed off without question.

“Now how does the rest of this come off, love?” he asked, tugging at Juno’s dress a bit.

Juno’s relief was so overwhelming, he almost had to sit down. Instead, he huffed out a soft laugh and dragged Nureyev back down into a needy kiss, happily swallowing his soft sound of surprise.

- - - - -

Juno dozed a bit after his athletic evening with Nureyev. He had closed his eyes while Nureyev got up to get a washcloth, and truthfully hadn’t tried too hard to stay awake.

However, he must have slept deeper and longer than he had meant to. When Juno opened his eyes again, he found that he was cleaned up and tucked in under the duvet. Juno sighed contentedly as he registered the warm, naked body he was cuddled up against, a strong lean arm wrapped loosely around his shoulder. Nureyev’s long, slender fingers traced little symbols into the skin on the cap of Juno’s shoulder, the sensation ticklish but pleasant. Juno shifted so his legs were tangled with Nureyev’s, sighing when the arm around him held him tighter.

With a hum, Juno wrapped an arm around Nureyev’s waist and pressed a lazy kiss to his chest where his head rested. He didn’t move away immediately, instead inhaling a deep breath through his nose. Juno’s head swam with the scent of Nureyev’s cologne, the smell of it somehow stronger with the musk of sweat and sex in the air.

Juno couldn’t help the little groan he made as he adjusted himself on top of Nureyev. When Juno nuzzled his nose against the skin of his throat, Nureyev made a small, happy sound and Juno grinned tiredly.

He never wanted to leave that bed, a realization that sunk heavily in his gut.

“That was amazing,” Nureyev said around a huge yawn, sounding perfectly blissed-out and sated.

Juno snorted, even as tears gathered in his eyes again. ‘Amazing’ was an understatement, which was a problem for Juno. Part of him had hoped sex with Nureyev would have been boring, or even bad, so it would have been easier for when Nureyev had to leave him. But of course, it hadn’t been; it was amazing, like nothing else Juno had ever had with another person.

Things could never be easy for Juno Steel.

“Yeah,” Juno sighed, closing his eyes. “It was.”

They laid together in comfortable silence, and Juno began dozing again as Nureyev scratched his back lightly. His eyepatch was getting uncomfortable, and he began debating taking it off. Maybe it would be okay. Nureyev was different, Juno was sure of it. Panic kicked up his heart rate, and the thought of testing that after something so perfect was nauseating.

“Juno? Are you awake?” Nureyev asked hesitantly, snapping Juno out of his spiralling thoughts. With a relieved sigh, Juno tilted his head up to look at Nureyev’s face.

“What’s up?” Juno asked, his voice laced with exhaustion. Before he could think about it or stop himself, he kissed Nureyev’s shoulder gently before propping himself on an elbow to better meet his gaze.

Nureyev was smiling at him, his eyes half-lidded and bright even in the low lighting. He looked so warm and perfect with his long hair loose around his face and shoulders. Lipstick still stained his mouth, jaw, and throat, tempting Juno to retrace his steps.

When Nureyev lifted his hand to cup his cheek, Juno turned his head to kiss his palm, closing his eyes and breathing  that intoxicating scent in again. 

“Oh, love,” Nureyev whispered, sliding his hand back to pull Juno into a slow, languid kiss. Juno sighed into it and pouted a bit when the thief ended it. “You’re making this very difficult.”

“You chose me, so that’s what you get,” Juno said cheekily, but was very aware that Nureyev had something serious on his mind.

“You asked me earlier why I—” Nureyev began hesitantly, his voice strained until he cleared his throat. “You asked earlier why I appeared to regret killing my… mentor, Mag.”

“Yeah, but you don’t actually have to answer that,” Juno replied. Curiosity burned in his gut, but the warm flush had left Nureyev’s face, and Juno could feel how tense he was. “I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“I want to answer it. Or I at least want you to know,” Nureyev insisted, pushing himself up to recline against the pillows more upright. “After all of that, you should know.”

“I mean, if it’s that important to you, go ahead,” Juno replied, shifting to straddle Nureyev’s lap and meet his gaze easily. Nureyev smiled gently at him before leaning in for a lingering kiss. When he pulled back, he took a deep, fortifying breath.

“He was going to kill a city of innocent people, so I knew I had to stop him. But when my knife sank into his back…” Nureyev trailed off, closing his eyes as he worked through something in his head, Without thinking, Juno reached up to tuck some of Nureyev’s hair behind his ear.

“I wasn’t sure if I did it to stop him, and that there truly was no other way to do so,” Nureyev continued after a few quiet moments, “Or if I only did it because he lied.”

Juno took a deep breath and nodded, unsure of what to do with a confession like that. “About the Guardian Angel System?” he asked to clarify his meaning.

Nureyev shook his head with a soft, bitter laugh. “It would have been easier if that was his biggest lie,” Nureyev replied. “But he lied about my father.”

Juno waited for Nureyev, watching his face as he thought about his next words. It hit him suddenly that Nureyev likely hadn’t said any of this out loud to anyone before, that Juno was the first to hear this particular dark corner of Nureyev’s history.

Something small, yet terrifying fluttered to life in the back of Juno’s mind, which he quickly squashed.

“He saved me from the streets, raised me, taught me everything I know now, all while he fed me this elaborate tale about a father who was a martyr for the cause,” Nureyev continued, and he couldn’t meet Juno’s gaze anymore. “I built my entire identity around my name, that idea, that story. I wanted so badly to live up to my father’s legacy, to make everyone proud of me the way he did.”

“But it was a lie,” Juno finished for him, his breath leaving him in a whoosh at the thought of being lied to like that. Sure, Diamond’s deception had hurt, but that was so small and petty compared to what Nureyev was telling him.

“I was so confused and lost after I killed him, and I just stopped thinking about it. Filed it away and moved on,” Nureyev said with a sigh, rolling his eyes at himself. “I was just afraid of what it would make me if I only killed him for lying.”

Juno frowned as Nureyev finished, opening his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He wasn’t sure how much Nureyev would appreciate his lame insights, so instead he stretched upward to place a soft kiss to the corner of Nureyev’s mouth. Nureyev immediately tilted his head to accept the kiss with his lips, even as his brow furrowed in confusion and shock.

Juno pulled away and settled back against Nureyev, dropping his head onto his chest to doze off again.

“That makes sense,” he said softly, listening to the frantic heartbeat under his ear.

Nureyev was quiet for a while before he asked, “That’s all? Just ‘that makes sense’?”

Juno shrugged, suddenly concerned he had read the entire conversation wrong. “I mean, thanks… for telling me? You didn’t have to?” Juno said awkwardly, cringing at himself.

“Juno, please look at me,” Nureyev requested, and that was the last thing on the planet Juno wanted to do.

Nonetheless, Juno sat up again and met his gaze, biting the inside of his cheek. Nureyev’s eyes were wet with unshed tears, and confusion was written across his face.

“I just told you I murdered someone I considered a parent, and you… don’t care?” he asked, his voice weak with his uncertainty.

“I care, Nureyev, but I just…” As always, Juno struggled for the right words at the worst time, letting out a frustrated huff. “I care about you. And, I don’t know, the problem or moral dilemma you’re having with it makes sense. I guess I would be worried if you weren’t torn up about it. But you did it twenty years ago and saved an entire city. If you want me to hold it against you now, you’re out of luck.”

Nureyev looked baffled before he reached up to pull Juno down into a deep, but chaste kiss. When Juno moaned softly and opened up for him, the thief sighed.

When Juno pulled back, Nureyev was smiling so softly up at him, it broke his heart.

“Stay the night?” Nureyev asked quietly.

Juno wanted nothing more than to say yes, to say that he would stay forever if Nureyev would simply ask. He thought about everything Nureyev had told him, how open he had been, and suddenly Juno wanted to tell Nureyev about Diamond. He wanted to lay in that bed and whisper confessions, and kiss, and make love into the early hours of the morning.

He wanted it all with Peter Nureyev.

As if on cue, Juno’s comms began to beep and he scrambled to the end of the bed. He found it on the ground and quickly put it in his ear.

“Juno Steel,” he answered curtly, glancing back at Nureyev.

“Juno, where the hell are you?” Benten scolded shrilly, and Juno flinched. “It’s after midnight, and you said you would call!”

Juno cringed and stuck his tongue out at Nureyev’s smug smirk. “Yeah, sorry Ben, we just got busy talking,” he said, and it wasn’t a complete lie. “I’m just waiting for the cab and I’ll be home soon. Go to bed.”

Benten was quiet for several long moments before he said, “Talking, huh?”

“Yes, Benzaiten, talking,” Juno said through gritted teeth, his face hot with embarrassment. “Go to bed.”

Benten sighed dramatically. “Fine. You owe me a full play-by-play in the morning, though,” he said.

“Yeah, whatever,” Juno said with a snort. “See you in the morning.”

The commes beeped as Benten hung up and Juno looked back at Nureyev properly. He was struck all over again by the image Nureyev made surrounded by pillows, long hair messy and knotted, lipstick stains all over and completely naked. Had he been younger, Juno knew he would be hard again and ready for round two.

Nureyev smiled at him and leaned over to the bedside table for his own comms. “You try to get cleaned up a bit, and I’ll call you a cab,” Nureyev offered and was already dialling a number in.

Juno crawled back up the bed to kiss Nureyev deeply before slipping away into the bathroom.

He stared at his face in the mirror, at the way his lipstick was smeared from their kisses, and his mascara and eyeliner had run with his tears. Closing the bathroom door and locking it, Juno took the eyepatch off and grabbed the make-up wipes provided by the hotel. 

They were decent quality, and did a decent enough job in cleaning up his racoon eyes, but proved useless when he tried to deal with the mess of lipstick that was smeared up his cheek. It appeared that Benten exclusively purchased make-up for demons, he thought bitterly before wetting a washcloth and giving himself another quick wash.

Stepping back into the bedroom, Juno found it to be empty. He could hear Nureyev on his laptop out in the living room, humming quietly, so Juno picked his dress and shoes up off the floor and went to join him.

Nureyev was sitting cross-legged on the couch with his laptop. The image of him sitting there was striking, with Nureyev completely naked except for his glasses, with lipstick stains all over his pale skin and his hair still a tangled mess around his face. Something about seeing Nureyev like that— sleepy and dishevelled, head tilted upward while he squinted through his glasses thoughtfully— had Juno wishing for more time or a different life, whatever it took to keep it.

It was so soft and intimate, Juno’s heart ached and he wanted nothing more than to drag Nureyev back to bed and kiss him senseless.

Instead, Juno pulled his dress back on, doing the belt up as he stopped to stand behind the couch. Bending at the waist, Juno wrapped his arms around Nureyev’s shoulders and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the side of Nureyev’s throat before looking at the computer screen.

It was a window full of different surveillance feeds for the hotel, and Juno raised an eyebrow. “What’re you up to now?”

Nureyev turned his head to capture Juno’s lips in a searching kiss, groaning when Juno opened for him. When he finally pulled away, he said, “I’m going to walk you out.”

“You might need to put on more clothes, Nureyev,” Juno said with a suggestive lilt, running a hand down Nureyev’s naked torso teasingly. He delighted in Nureyev’s shiver, pressing another kiss to his throat, aiming higher so his lips teased just below Nureyev’s jaw.

“No, my dear detective, I’ll be walking you out my way,” Nureyev replied, shuddering again.

“And that means…?” Juno prompted, keeping his mouth pressed to the thief’s heated skin.

“You will be on your comms, and I will coordinate looping camera footage while I direct you through your escape,” Nureyev elaborated, and the excited tone to his voice brought a smile to Juno’s face. “The cab I’ve called will meet you where the stairway lets out on the street.”

Juno stood up to finish adjusting his dress, shifting the draping fabric to cover his front more securely. He made a mental note to give Nureyev a proper lecture about using knives on his underthings later. 

“Sounds kinda fun. I’m game,” Juno eventually said, sitting down to put his boots back on.

Nureyev smiled and winked playfully at him. “That’s only partially why I want to do this.”

“Your other reasons?” Juno asked.

“I want to see how well we can work together, first of all,” Nureyev replied and then gave Juno a suggestive smile, showing off his teeth. “I also enjoy bossing you around a bit.”

Juno scoffed, even as heat flooded through him. Standing up, he crossed the distance to Nureyev and bent to give Nureyev a soft kiss. The thief sighed and lifted his hands to hold the back of Juno’s head gently, opening up for Juno’s tongue.

“Don’t get used to it,” Juno teased as he pulled away and stood back up. Putting his comms in his ear, he walked over to the door. “Let’s do this then.”

“Alright, love,” Nureyev began with a grin. “Down the hall to the left there is a door to the stairwell on the right. Once you’re on the landing, call me.”

Juno saluted, resolutely ignoring the curl of heat in his gut at the commanding tone. “Got it,” he said, hoping it sounded steadier than he felt.

Nureyev smirked knowingly. “Go no further than the landing though, Juno,” he added, the firmness in his tone hardening. “Can you manage that for me?”

Juno felt his face grow hot and bit his cheek, nodding quickly. Not trusting himself to speak, he muttered a quick mm-hmm and turned fully toward the door.

“Juno,” Nureyev chastised lightly, and Juno dropped his forehead against the door.

“Yes, Nureyev, I can manage it,” he said, his voice a bit strained.

“Good girl,” Nureyev said, and Juno could hear the smirk in his voice at his shudder. “Let’s begin then.”

Juno quickly stepped out into the halway, leaning back against the door to take a deep breath. His pulse was jumping, with excitement about what they had done and what they were about to do, anxiety and anticipation for the heist to come. A grin overtook him, and Juno had to work not to laugh a bit out loud.

With that, he hurried down the hall, and slipped into the stairwell, already halfway through dialling Nureyev’s comms by the time he opened the door.

“Excellent work thus far, darling,” Nureyev purred as he answered.

“Knock it off,” Juno grumbled, smiling. “We have work to do.”

“Knock what off, dear detective?” he asked, sounding excessively innocent.

“You know what I mean,” Juno replied.

Nureyev sighed, and Juno could hear his eye-roll. “Fine, we can do this the boring way for the sensitive detective,” he complained and Juno snorted.

It went smoothly from there, Juno stopping and going all the way down the stairwell according to Nureyev’s directions. Soon enough, Juno found himself pushing through a door and out onto the street. Parked at the curb, there was a cab waiting, the driver barely blinking at Juno’s sudden appearance before he opened the back door.

“Mr Dahlia Rose?” the cabby confirmed as Juno stepped closer.

“That’s me,” he said with a laugh, and then into his commes, “Thank’s Duke, I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

Nureyev chuckled warmly, and Juno felt something pull in his chest. “Of course, my love,” he said softly, making Juno’s heart stutter. “I wouldn’t miss breakfast for the world.”

The comms beeped as Juno disconnected, and he gave the cabby his address as he slid into the backseat.

The drive was quiet, disturbed only by the sound of the cabby’s radio, leaving Juno to his thoughts. Juno looked out the window, watching Hyperion City roll by with a wistful smile.

He’d had an amazing evening, even with the emotional argument with Nureyev in the middle of it. Juno felt his chest squeeze as he thought about it, biting his lip as he leaned against the window. He thought about Nureyev saying “my love” all evening, about the feeling of Nureyev’s body under his as he dozed, about the quiet confession regarding the death of the man who made him.

“Stay the night?”

The memory of that quiet, vulnerable question, the hope that filled Nureyev’s tone, struck Juno in the chest. With sudden, intense clarity, he knew he would never be able to write the night off as a casual fling. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that Juno knew going into it that he was completely disinterested in sex unless his heart was in it. Juno didn’t do ‘flings.’

Juno knew he was in love with the thief, no matter how stupid that was, and for the brief seconds before the fear and heartach could catch up, he felt overwhelmed with joy.

“I do not want to retire, and I cannot retire to Mars, my love.”

Remembering that felt like a solid punch to the gut. Unshed tears stung his eyes and Juno hated himself for them. He knew the entire time that Nureyev would be leaving. He knew he wouldn’t get to keep him.

The cab stopped outside his apartment, and the cabby shook his head when Juno went to transfer the creds. 

“No need. Mr Rose has already paid the fare and tip,” the cabby said, smiling at Juno’s indignant expression.

“Of course he did,” Juno grumbled but still transferred the creds. “Take it.”

“Uh, Mr Rose insisted—”

“Take the money, it’s a tip,” Juno said sternly, and slid out as the cabby thanked him profusely.

Approaching the front door of his and Benten’s apartment, he was relieved to see that there were no lights on inside. Juno didn’t want to deal with Benten while he was so close to crying and his lipstick was smeared across his cheek.

Once he was inside, he worked on getting his boots off, the first one having him curse under his breath as he struggled to untie it. Juno was exhausted and sore, and he just wanted to go to bed.

The tears welled up too quickly for Juno to blink them away, and he pulled off his eyepatch before he really started crying.

The light from the kitchen clicked on, startling a small shriek out of Juno.

“Do you have any idea what time it is, young lady?” Benten shouted, his tone teasing, but Juno was not in the mood for it.

“Har har, Ben. That’s super hilarious and not old at all,” Juno grumbled, trying to keep his tone light as he struggled with his boots, pointedly keeping his back turned toward his brother.

Of course, Benten could easily hear the barely restrained distress in Juno’s voice and he could hear Benten crossing the living room. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Juno was frantic in his fight with his boots, needing to get them off so he could hide in the bathroom and get cleaned up. He couldn’t let Benten see him like that, especially not after what they had talked about before his night out.

By the time Juno had gotten free of this first boot, Benten was close enough to catch a glimpse of his messed up make-up and the hickeys on his shoulder and neck. Worst of all, he could see Juno’s unshed tears and Benten was instantly angry.

“Juno, what the fuck—”

“I know, Benten, I fucked up,” Juno said quickly, and he finally got the second boot off and hurried off to the bathroom. He locked himself inside, and when Benten began knocking, Juno shouted, “Go away, Benten! I honestly don’t need your lecture right now!”

“Lecture?” Benten asked, sounding legitimately confused and pausing long enough for Juno to answer.

However, Juno chose to try to ignore his brother, taking out a washcloth and wetting it to try and wash the make-up off. At Juno’s silence, Benten resumed his assault on the door.

“Did he hurt you?” Benten demanded, and Juno was completely thrown off by the question.

“What? No, Benten, I’m fine!” he replied, flinching when his voice cracked a bit. It didn’t sound convincing at all.

“Juno, seriously get out here! I will hunt him down right now and kill him if—”

Juno flung the bathroom door back open and dodged Benten’s fist, which was mid-knock. His brother was wild-eyed, looking so worried, and suddenly he understood his brother’s concern.

“It’s fine, Ben, seriously,” Juno insisted, grabbing Benten’s shoulders. “He didn’t— it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Juno, you’re crying—”

“I know! I know. Seriously, he was great, he was nice, he was just…” Juno trailed off, unsure of what to say to make Benten leave him alone about it. Juno knew what he looked like, what they discussed before his Not Date with Nureyev, and what it all meant in the long run. “It was fine.”

Benten did not look convinced. “You’re upset. It can’t be fine—”

“Yes, I”m upset!” Juno burst out with an explosive sigh, shaking his head. There was no point denying it, and he wasn’t getting out of the discussion before bed. “If you’re going to insist on doing this tonight, then help me with my make-up. I’m not talking about it while I look like this, and this lipstick is terrible.”

Benten crossed his arms with a frown before rolling his eyes. “Fine, go get out of that dress and meet me in the living room,” he said, turning away to head to the kitchen.

Juno got changed quickly, shivering at the soreness already settling in his hips, thighs, and ass. He knew he was going to be feeling it in the morning, but he didn’t regret a moment of that evening, even with how broken his heart was.

When Juno left his room, he found Benten set up with a tub of coconut oil, a few washcloths, and a bowl of water. There were also two separate pints of ice cream set off to the side on the coffee table and a stream playing quietly on the monitor.

“Ben,” Juno grumbled at the special treatment, sitting down heavily.

“Nuh-uh, Juno. You’re not going to bed like this,” Benten said sternly, warming up the coconut oil in his hands and smearing it over Juno’s face, particularly on his lips and eyes. “You know you can’t go to bed upset. I heard you in the bathroom the other day or whenever that was, by the way.”

“Sorry,” Juno mumbled, embarrassed that Benten had not only heard him, but was bringing it up at all.

“Why the hell are you apologizing to me?” Benten asked, pulling his hands away from Juno’s face to wipe them clean on one of the washcloths. “I said all of that shit to you, let you go to bed upset, and didn’t stick around to make sure you were okay the next morning. That was super shitty of me.”

“Ben—”

“No, shut up. Just this once, let someone else take the blame,” Benten interrupted, picking up another cloth and wetting it a bit. As he began wiping the oil off of Juno’s face, he sighed. “So. What happened?”

Juno actually let out a laugh at that and gestured vaguely at himself. “Well, he took me out to dinner, then we went back to his hotel room, and then I’m pretty sure you can guess what happened after that,” Juno said, trying to be as vague as possible about it.

Benten pulled back and dropped the hand holding the washcloth into his lap. “What does that mean, Juno?” he asked, but it was obvious he knew exactly what Juno had meant.

“We went back to his hotel to talk,” Juno said, blushing hotly when Benten raised his eyebrow at him. “And then we did, uh, a bit more than talking. And then a lot more than talking.”

“We had one rule! Which you agreed to!” Benten scolded, throwing the washcloth onto the coffee table.

“I know,” Juno said with a weak nod.

“It was ‘absolutely do not sleep with the criminal!’ And I even thought it would be easy for you to manage!” Benten continued, grabbing one of the pints of ice cream open and digging into it.

“Yeah, Ben, I remember,” Juno said miserably, grabbing his own ice cream and starting in on it a bit slower.

“And you still slept with him?”

“Yeup,” Juno replied sadly.

Benten made a disgusted noise, almost a gag, and said, “The man put an entire sandwich in his pocket, Juno.”

Juno frowned at him. “He didn’t have the pockets on while we fucked, Ben.”

Benten made another disgusted noise and fell quiet, silently fuming into his ice cream. Then he gasped. “What about the Chastity Thong? Between it and the harness, you were supposed to stop and think!” he insisted.

Juno rolled his eyes. “First of all, the harness just got him really excited, and second of all, I did stop to think,” Juno said, smiling smugly at Benten’s disgusted face. “But then Rex… cut the thong… off of me.”

Benten’s eyes widened. “Like, with scissors?”

Juno smirked at his brother. “With a knife.”

There were several moments of Benten just spluttering. “Wait, let me get this straight,” he finally said, his voice full of indignant shock. “Not only did you fuck a criminal, but you let his knife near your lady bits?”

“The knife didn’t get anywhere near my lady bits, Ben,” Juno replied, and he couldn’t quite keep the wistful note out of his voice.

“And you sound disappointed about that!” Benten cried, horrified by this revelation, and Juno couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mess with his brother.

“So what if I am?” Juno asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Eugh, gross, I’m suing for damages,” Benten whined, glaring while Juno laughed.

After a while, Benten sighed and began mostly picking at his ice cream. “Joking aside, you don’t do casual,” he said softly, and Juno laughed humourlessly. “Like, I know how you’re very much about… needing those intense romantic feelings to get things going like that.”

Juno nodded, biting the inside of his cheek as tears welled back up. “Yeup.”

“And… you slept with him,” Benten continued slowly.

“Yeup,” he confirmed, laughing a bit.

“So… is he, like, staying then?” Benten asked.

“Nope,” Juno huffed, lifting a hand to wipe away a tear that was about to fall.

“Juno…” Benten started, but let himself trail off.

“It was so impulsive,” Juno elaborated, sadly shovelling some ice cream into his mouth. He let the ice cream melt before he said, “I just… I wanted to have whatever I could get, even if I couldn’t keep it, you know?”

Benten was quiet for a long time before pulling Juno into a tight hug, which Juno was more than happy to accept. With some adjusting, Benten got the two of them snuggled under a pile of blankets on the couch, their legs tangled and shoulders touching, leaning their heads together as they worked on their ice cream.

“I really know how to pick’em, huh?” Juno asked eventually.

Benten hummed a bit. “I mean, I hate him, but he seems to really care about you, and he is hot, so I mean, other than the whole criminal and leaving thing, you didn’t do too bad.”

Juno snorted. “Seriously? You hate him?”

“‘Course I do, Juno. He wants to mess around with my brother! I mean, it’s been a struggle to hate him since his obvious disgust at seeing me at that gala, but you know…” Benten trailed off before he asked, “So, you had a good time?”

Juno smiled, his face feeling hot again. “Yeah, dinner was great,” he said a bit wistfully. “Rex took me to that super fancy place, Rouge-something.”

Benten tensed. “Isn’t that where…?”

“Diamond proposed? Yeah,” Juno said with a sigh, smiling down at his ice cream. “But it was fine. It was… it was really nice.”

Juno finished his ice cream, and put the container down on the coffee table. He snuggled into the blankets and relaxed against Benten’s side even more. After a few minutes of quiet between them, he asked, “Why is it always like this for me?”

“Hm?” Benten hummed curiously around a mouthful of his ice cream and Juno shrugged.

“The more I want something, the more the universe does to fuck it up for me,” he answered, and it sounded pathetic to his own ears, and humiliation flooded him when Benten sighed.

“Do you want me to be honest with you, or just let you feel sorry for yourself?” he asked, and Juno let out a bark of laughter.

“Would my answer actually change what you were planning to do?” Juno asked.

“Nope!” Benten said cheerfully and took a deep breath. “Juno, you ignore red flags like it’s your job. You think the flags are decoration, a feature and not a bug. You’re famous for it!”

Juno scoffed before sitting up to face Benten. “And you don’t?”

“Shut up, this isn’t about me, it’s about you,” Benten snapped, glaring. “Listen, you pegged him—”

“He actually pegged me—”

“Ew, shut up, I’m being serious and you’re being gross,” Benten said with a cringe. “You figured him out the instant you saw him. You knew he was bad news, and you knew he would leave since day one.”

Juno glared a bit but he couldn’t actually argue it.

Benten’s face and tone softened as he said, “So, it’s a lot less of the universe ‘ruining’ things and more just… the universe operating as normal.”

“Hmph,” was all Juno said before snuggling deeper into the blankets against Benten’s side. 

“I just… really like Rex, Ben,” he confessed quietly, and sighed when Benten rested his cheek on the top of his head.

“He told you his name, then?” Benten asked, and Juno furrowed his brow, wondering if he slipped up somehow.

“Yeah, he told me everything, why— how did you know?” Juno asked.

“I remember you saying something about not calling him ‘Rex’ until you knew his actual name or something like that,” Benten said with a chuckle. “It was super dramatic, and I approved even if I called you an idiot about it.”

Juno laughed a bit and rolled his eyes. “Then yes, he told me his name, and no, I won’t tell you,” Juno said quickly, knowing that was going to be his next question.

For a bit, Benten just pouted into his ice cream until he smirked, meeting Juno’s gaze. “So… does he have an ass?”

Juno groaned loudly. “Goddamn it, Ben, seriously?”

Ben shrugged, scooping up the last big spoonful of his ice cream into his mouth and tossing the empty container onto the coffee table. “It’s a yesh’r no quesh’in, Juno,” he mumbled around the ice cream in his mouth.

“Ass isn’t all there is, Ben,” Juno said, and realizing that was enough of an answer on it’s own, he quickly added, “And it’s not like I really saw him from behind much!”

“Ah, so it’s just as I thought,” Benten hummed, nodding sagely. “No ass. Tragic.”

“Not confirming that assumption, but even if he did lack certain… assets,” Juno started with a sly smirk. “He more than makes up for with his amazing cock—”

“Oh! Gross!” Benten gagged pushing Juno away. “Both the terrible pun and the image of him fucking you in my head. Disgusting. I’m suing for damages!”

Juno laughed just before a huge yawn overtook him. “Can we finish this in the morning? I’m really tired.”

“Yeah, we can do that, Juno,” Benten said, his tone fond and Juno couldn’t help but smile..

With that, the two of them dozed off together on the couch, Juno’s head on his brother’s shoulder, and Benten’s arms wrapped loosely around him.

[Previous Chapter][Next Chapter]

[tinypenguincheesemachine]

Chocolate Surprise

Summary:  Colt surprises Kya during a study session.

Pairing: Colt x (MC) Kya

Length: 1,415

Note: Entry for the Day 30 Prompt ‘Marshmallows’ for Choices August 2019 Challenge (@cora-nova, @choices-august-challenge). 

Tags: @liamzigmichael4ever, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @lovehugsandcandy, @desiree-0816

Chocolate Surprise  

The sudden touch to her shoulder startles Kya, and she jerks awkwardly in her seat, her knee banging against the desk. Cursing, her hand flaps between her aching leg to her chest where she can feel her heart hammering.

Kya can feel her eyes narrowing as she takes in the carnage of pens and paper scattered across the desk and whirls around to come face to… well chest, with Colt. Tilting her head upwards, her sharp words still on her tongue as she sees his apologetic expression. Sighing, Kya gets up from the chair, contenting herself with a glare as her gaze rakes over him.

One of his hands is rubbing along the back of his neck, the other pushed into his front jeans pocket. There’s a small frown on his forehead that despite her anger, she itches to reach out and smooth away.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

Shrugging, Kya lets out a deep breath as she begins to pick up her wayward notes. "It's fine," she replies. Her voice is terse even to her own ears.

"You like mint, don't you?"

The question throws her, and she freezes, her hand halfway to a book. Blinking rapidly, she side-eyes Colt from behind her glasses. "Mint?" She repeats dully. It occurs to her that she's misheard him in some way, but there isn't much it could be unless he was asking for a hint or implying that she had a squint.

"Yeah, mint. Do you like mint?" Both his hands are in his pockets now, and he's rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. The whole set up makes Kya suspicious. He's acting strangely, even for him.

"It's Ok, I suppose." She answers slowly. She can’t help but stare, her arms dropping uselessly to her sides.

"Good. Do you need a hand with that?" Colt asks, pointing to the mess, but she shakes her head. 

"It's fine, I've got it," Kya murmurs. She can hear the annoyance in her voice and forces a wane smile to try and take the bite from it. But really, what was he expecting? Scaring her to ask if she liked mint? 

Kya rubs at her eyes as she hears Colts retreating steps. There was still a lot of work to do if she wanted to catch up. There was no way she was going to fall behind in her schoolwork, not when she had worked so hard. Sighing, Kya gives one last roll of her shoulders before falling back into the chair, pen in hand.

She soon gets lost in work, her hand cramping once or twice as it flies across her notepaper, oblivious to the world around her until a noise behind her pulls her from her flow. Blinking, Kya holds her breath as she looks up in time to catch Colt – loudly – clearing his throat once more.

“You like strawberries, don’t you? You’re not allergic to them?” His face is anxious, and Kya can see the fingers of his right-hand twitching against his leg, beating an erratic tattoo.

Frowning, she can feel her mind spinning dizzily as she answers. “Cherries. I’m allergic to cherries.”

“Cherries!” Colt exclaims.  “I knew it was a red fruit. Thanks.”

He barely paused to draw breath, the words pouring out in a rush even as he backed out of the room. And then he was gone, leaving Kya with her mouth agape as she stared blankly at the empty space Colt had just occupied.

Snorting, Kya raises her hands in disbelief, looking around her even though she knows she’s alone. “What, in the…” she mutters, before turning back to the desk. She picks up her pen and turns back to the paragraph she’d been skimming, but the words are blurry. She tries to read her notes, hoping to pick up the thread of her thoughts, but it’s like the letters are skittering around the paper, evading her.

Huffing, Kya throws her pen down in disgust, knowing there’s no way she’s going to be able to concentrate. Not until she knows what Colt’s up to. She eyes the organised chaos of the desk and scowls, a nagging at the back of her mind reminding her of her earlier promise to not stop until she was done; no matter what.

Obviously, no matter what hadn’t included an obliviously up-to-something Colt.  

Sighing once more, Kya begins clearing up her study material. There's a ball of anxiety resting heavily in her stomach as she puts her notes away, a reminder that she's giving up. That she hasn't kept to her schedule. 

Outrageously, she feels tears building up behind her eyes and swiftly wipes them away with her sleeve. Frustration always brought out her tears more than anything else. Especially when she was frustrated at herself. Sniffling a little, Kya scrunches her nose as she tidies away her notes, forcibly humming to herself. 

The sound keeps her from hearing Colt as he approaches, and she doesn't notice his presence until he calls her name. Reeling around, she can see a massive grin on his face, his hands extended out to her, and it takes her a moment to put the pieces together and appreciate the sight in front of her. 

He’s holding out a mug of the most perfect hot chocolates she's ever seen. As soon as she sees it, the smell of mint and chocolate hits her like a warm embrace, and she wonders how she didn’t notice the aroma as soon as he came into the room. 

There are pink and white heart marshmallows dotted artfully over whipped cream, almost obscuring the sugary liquid in the mug. Only the smell and the tell-tale stain around the edge of the cup hints at its content. The mug itself is resting on a small plate, topped with freshly cut strawberries.

Immediately, Kya's mind clears. Her previous worry and anxieties melting away as she looks up to see Colt watching her, his eyes scanning her face carefully. 

She wants to hug him, but checks herself, unwilling to dislodge the treat he has so carefully put together. Grinning, she bounces forward on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. Taking the mug from him, she places it on the desk before throwing her arms around Colts shoulders, taking in the comforting smell of engine oil, aftershave and the face cream he would never admit to using.

“Thank you,” she whispers, before her lips meet Colts, her hands moving to tangle in his hair as his hands find her waist, pulling her closer. She can taste strawberries on his lips, and for a moment, she’s lost in his touch, drowning in his presence. But then he pulls away, clearing his throat.

“Hurry up and taste it!” Colt complains. “I need to know if I did it right. This took effort, you know.” There’s a tell-tale streak of red on his cheeks even as he tries to sound firm.

Snorting, Kya sticks her tongue out at him before swivelling on her heels. Impulsively, she hikes herself up onto the desk, her legs swinging off the end as she picks up the mug, wrapping her hands around it and allowing the warmth to seep into her palms.

Looking up, she can see Colt watching her and smiles cheekily. Lifting the mug to her lips, she momentarily closes her eyes and delicately licks some the marshmallow topping before taking a sip of the hot chocolate, complete with a dollop of cream. It’s divine. The blend a perfect mix of mint, cream and sugar. There’s something in it that reminds her of the hot chocolate her mother used to make, a feeling of warmth and love rather than a specific taste, and she has to blink rapidly to stop a sudden onslaught of tears.

“It’s amazing!” She declares. Reaching down to grasp a strawberry, Kya pops it in her mouth, humming happily as the slight bitterness fills her mouth; a contrast to the sweet drink.

“You’re sure?” He asks. “Not too much cream or…”

“I’m sure,” Kya affirms, pausing to take another drink. “It’s perfect.”

He continues to stare for a moment, his hand coming up once more to rub at the back of his neck. “Good. That’s good.” He mutters as he walks out of the room. Before he leaves, Kya swears she can see him blushing and bites on her lip to stop herself from laughing. He really could be sweet sometimes. When he wasn’t trying to hide it.

[hananario-oh]

Soulless soul mates- felix volturi.

So was feeling the mood for a little fanfic but couldn't find one that hit the spot. So I made one 😁 enjoy! Also. It might get a little dark.

The flames of the fire danced high. Much higher than they needed to be. Not that they were needed at all. The bitter cold of the winter night air didn't compare to the coldness of our skin, nor did the scorching heat of the fire warm us. Long gone were the days it was needed for either of us.

That was the problem. I felt bitter and angry, once again the rage started to build.

They had no right! HE had no right!

It should have been my choice. No one should have been allowed to make that call, to say how my life would end or continue. Especially not like this.

I looked at my hands in my lap. The darkness of the night was deep, any and all moonlight blocked by the mountain side and the trees. The fire though big did nothing but light the immediate area. Shadows cast around me and the smoke went higher still. Yet unnaturally so, I saw everything. In details hard to imagine.

Every line in my skin. Every dent and scare. Every finger print with marks intertwined so little I never would have known they were there. Nothing escaped my sight, a world of billions upon billions of tiny details to take in and yet, I couldn't bring myself to focus. To even truly take it in and marvel in it.

The thirst stopped me.

God. The thirst!

Even now the burning ebbed and flowed, scratching and crawling inside my throat like a trapped cat. In the middle of nowhere my body ached to search for a cure.

Blood.

The fibres of my body nearly jumped excitedly at the thought of it yet my mind screamed. Disgusted and horrified with the monster my body had become. A battle I was never willing to be a part of was raging on inside of me. Making me question and fight each moment and movement I took.

My hands clenched, a wave of desire falling on me. Strong and demanding it felt like it took my breath away, if I had need to take one.

The feeling in my throat grew stronger, unimaginably so. It did not go unnoticed.

Felix straightened where he sat on the other side of the fire. Through the flames I could see him. His face pale but eyes red as blood. For obvious reasons.

I drew in an unneeded breath to help fight the next wave of desire brought on by making the connection to blood. Even the thought was enough to double the thirst. It was burning! Stabbing and growing! God!

In the background of feelings I felt the ripping sting of my own nails dig into my trousers, going through and gouging out skin. Nothing, compared to the thirst though. Nothing would ever compare. I just had to fight it.

"Stop! Your hurting yourself! For the love of whatever god is real just give in and drink the blood!"

Fighting the wave of desire to follow that order and end this, I opened my eyes. Not even aware I had shut them. He stood, hands clenched like mine but in anger and disparity. The already terrifyingly stern look he wore on his face had become murderous. His size only adding to the intimidating stance he projected towards me. Perhaps if I were weaker. It would have been enough to break me fully. But no. I had a fight to win, it was all I had left to fight for. I wasn't letting them take this choice from me like the others.

"No."

Though the pain left my teeth clenched, there was a smidgen of pride at how defiant I had sounded. More than I had expected of myself.

More than he had expected too. The defiance not sitting well, felix snapped.

His yell caught me off guard, the loudness of it sending a shock wave of sound throughout the forest. Birds that would normally be nested at night took flight. The whirlwind of sounds attacking my ears. In the far distance, deer scattered. A whole heard. Each one letting off a thunderstorm of hoofs hitting ground. Heart beats racing... Blood.

But not the blood I need.

Looking up, I caught the moment felix kicked, sending the log he had been sitting on before flying back into the tree's. Snow from on top fell, a glorious sight to watch in detail.

The burn dimmed. A rare moment of manageability a welcome relief. Felix stood like a god. Angry and strong. The flames in front of him while the snow fell behind, it went well with his unnatural beauty. Like some scene from the bible. A truly stunning sight yet my brain stumbled. Caught between desire for how handsome he was and shock. The connection between him and the devil had been made before but now the image matched. Now it felt real.

He ran a hand through his hair, recently cut short, leaving it ruffled.

"Drink." His voice now no more than a whisper still reached me loudly. This hearing change was yet another nightmare I hated that they had counted as a blessing.

Shaking my head. The scratching started to build again. I wanted to scream in annoyance.

"No."

Felix threw his had back. The muscles tense in his neck as he tried to keep his temper. Something he wasn't well known to even try.

"Drink. You can't go on like this. Drink it!"

The tension in his body was clear. This was a man who used his strength to get what he wanted. To be faced with a problem that brutal force could not fix, still normally ended in brutal force. I was pushing boundaries with him he hadn't had to face in his vampire life.

"N-no."

Another wave hit me, melting my strength and breaking my voice. I suppose I knew I would not be able to appear strong for long, but the defense I built felt damaged.

Weakness had been shown.

And it had been caught.

"Damn it, Amelia! You can't win this! You can't fight this! All you do is grow yourself weak and anger the masters!"

He gestured with his hand towards the city. Towards the bastards he held in such high regard that had both ended and ruined my life all in the name of a so called gift that I never even had in the end.

I had no doubt that if it was not for the so called soul mate that stood so angrily in front of me I would have met my second and very final ending not long after I woke to this nightmare. Perhaps I would have preferred it.

I shook my head, feeling tired and angry and weak and thirsty and everything else that was swirling in the mix of vile emotions. Its not like he got this. He enjoyed being this monster. He didn't even try to fight it.

"Felix, you don't understand. I-"

"NO! You, don't understand! From the moment we met this was it. This, is what you had coming. I won't let you die. I won't let you leave me, nor will the rest of the volturi. This is the only option you have so please, stop fighting it! Because this," he said pointing to the bodies of the dead animals I cast aside after drinking their blood in hopes of getting rid of the burn, "this won't work. It won't make it go away. It will keep you going but day after day that burn will be there! And this," he pointed to the path of broken and fallen trees I had taken down while blinded by the burn. A mistake even I admit. "this cannot go on! People will notice this Amelia and it's my job to make sure that vampires that do this disappear and I can't let that happen. So drink and come with me. This ends now!"

I shook my head in defiance. I knew he had valid points. I was making a mess and the burn wouldn't go, but I knew there were people out there, like me, that didnt want to kill people. That saw those who did as monsters. That fought the burn and got used to it. I could do it if I didn't have them holding me back. I had to.

"No. I refuse to. End of."

I had made it this far. Sixty something days. I could do it.

From Felixs' side the tension eased, only to be replaced with something else. Regret.

For a stupid but blissful moment, I thought he understood. That he knew I was never a person for this world, for this life and this sin. It really was a stupid moment.

"Then we do this the hard way."

My shoulders tensed. In the distance I heard the one voice I had really grown to hate. The high and mighty brat like attitude of Jane followed with it.

"Pitty. I was enjoying watching her break."

Before I could stand and make a break for it there were strong powerful arms trapping me. Wrapped around me like snakes, it was all I could do but thrash my legs about and yell.

"Let me go! Why the hell are you doing this to me! LET GO!"

Looking up, Demetri stared ahead to Felix, avoiding my pleading eyes. It was true I had attempted to make friends with him before I ran. My hopes were to have someone level headed and smart on my side to understand that I had a choice, to help the others understand. Yet here we were, he was helping them take that choice away. I could hardly handle the level of frustration that caused inside of me.

"STOP! WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING STO-"

The words got stuck in my throat, caught up in the burn that suddenly sprung to life. I could hear it, feel it, taste it! In the distance, getting closer. The erratic rhythmic thump thump. The flow of the thick liquid inside veins. The rapid breathing of fear. They stunk of it. A human. My meal.

The hard way.

No. No they can't!

"Don't do this! Stop! Felix stop this! Please!"

The burn was wild. I could taste the scent of the blood my body was so desperately craving. I could hear it and God if I so much as looked I bet I could see it. My fingers digged into Demetri's arms. I was sure he felt it but not once did he show any signs.

I knew he would be near, I figured he tracked me, but never did I think he would do this. Be a part of it. I really couldn't trust any of them.

My head was almost spinning by the time they'd brought them near. The blood flowing in their veins sounded like a river. Violently flowing to the sound of a beating heart. Closing my eyes did little to help but I couldn't look at them. I couldn't see the fear in their eyes. I knew it. Only so long ago the same fear was in my eyes as I thought I was meeting the same fate.

Yet the thirst made me want to. Made me want to be the monster they said I was.

"Felix pl-please! Stop. Please! Why won't you just leave me alone!"

I shook my head, despite my thirst I locked onto Felixs eyes. He couldn't do this. He had to see what he was doing to me. This wasn't love. This wasn't soul mates. If he loved me the way he claimed he couldn't stand by and let this happen!

"Felix please! Stop this! Please! FELIX!" I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I didn't even know I was still capable of such acts. He watched the tear fall, a frown in place of the smile I once thought I could eventually come to love. His eyes drifted to mine but he averted them quickly, head shaking as he looked away.

"I am sorry Amelia, you have to drink."

In front of me, Jane blocked my view of him. Her eyes looked as bored and mundane as normal. Like this was nothing but an annoying task that blocked her fun. Like she didn't secretly find pleasure in this like I knew she did. The bitch loved this and I knew it, she was even more sick and twisted than her brother! Her hand shot up in a silencing motion, as if I would listen to her.

"Enough! We've given you more than enough chances to accept our way of life and you seem insistent to avoid it. Know this Amelia, you have been shown more kindness and patience than I will ever understand from Master Aro, yet you defy even the simpler orders given. That patience has worn thin. Master Caius has ordered that an end be put to it tonight and so tonight it shall. Enjoy your meal. He smells delicious."

Before I could even protest or fight, the warmth and softness of skin was forced over my mouth. Instantly and despite my fight, the last shreds of my will power crumbled.

In a moment that I will never forgive myself for I took in the scent. The copper like sweetness of it danced down my throat, both igniting and partially soothing the ache, making my body lunge towards it.

It felt like liquid gold, water on fire and rest from a good sleep all at the same time. Instantly sore muscles felt better. The entire blanket of problems that accompanied the thirst was gone. I could feel it flow, quickly at first but then slower, weaker and colder. Eventually I had to draw it out. No longer did it flow freely.

I tried and tried to pull as much out as I could. It wasn't enough but the burn was gone. Eventually there was no more and my eyes opened. I hadn't even closed them knowingly, the bliss of relief doing so in the moment.

The moment which was no over.

Demetri was gone. So too alec if he had been here. Backing away Jane grinned like the cat that got the cream.

"Master Caius will be pleased."

And then gone too was Jane.

Left was only myself and Felix. The body of the dead man I had ended rested in my lap. My arms shakily lowered him to the flow away from me. My eyes couldn't leave his neck. The bite mark so clear that it almost over shadowed the tattoo. But I saw.

Manda and Bethan Daddy's little girls

I stood and turned away. There was a horrible numbness I had never felt before. I was a monster now. I was as bad as them. I had enjoyed it.

As if he hadn't made it worse enough, Felix placed his hand around my waste. Like it brought comfort and enjoyment. As if he deserved it.

"It had to be done. Next time will be easier. I promise. Just let me help you-"

In an instant I was at the ege of the tree's, away from him. He'd been expecting it, but the look of hurt on his face showed he didn't like it.

"No, that bastard has had his fun now. The games over. There won't be a next time. I will never forgive you for this. For anything you did. You don't deserve a mate, so don't come looking for one in me!"

I saw his hand reach for me but I was gone.

If he was smart, he wouldn't come after me. Either way, I had the Cullens to find. If they thought I would give up now, they were dead wrong.

[seokkgenie]

More Than Anything Else (two) [M]

This took almost two months. I’m sorry! This is unedited, so please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader

Genre: CEO!au, smut, fluff, angst

Words: 12.8k

Warnings: Unprotected sex 

two 

To say that you felt completely out of place would be an understatement. The mansion was lavish, positively gleaming with the glitz and glamour from the decoration as well as the guests. You pulled at your pencil skirt, feeling overwhelmingly under-dressed looking at the elaborate gowns, jewelry and makeup of the rich specimens around you. You felt a little like a voyeur, head turning, almost involuntarily, in the direction of every immaculately dressed individual who passed by in front of you.

For a brief minute, you were so enamored by this party that you forgot your initial intention for being in such a place. You could handle the few side glances and snickers from some snobby rich people. That was hardly a problem. But, the only reason you were prepared to unnecessarily endure it all was so that you could get Namjoon to listen to you, to talk to you and try to resolve this stupid misunderstanding.

You pulled out your phone, scowling hard at the last message that he had honoured you with. He said he would leave first and that you could take his limo to Seokjin’s house. Arriving in that big, black, grand limo and stepping out of it in your measly, plain work clothes while everyone looked on curiously, was not an experience that you would like to recall or repeat ever again.

You began to look around, phone clutched tight in your hand as you held your breath hoping to meet a familiar pair of dark brown eyes. After what felt like hours, you could discern Namjoon’s silhouette from across the room, at the bar. His back was towards you, but his tall, muscular frame and distinct stance was enough for you to recognize him.

You began to walk towards him, completely sure that he would not do anything to cause a scene, which meant that no matter how angry he was with you, he wouldn’t have a choice but to hear you out. With that assurance in mind, you tapped him on the shoulder, smiling slightly, secretly hoping that the flash of curled lips would change his mind.

“Hey, I made it.” You said, maintaining the strained smile. His expression hadn’t wavered in the least. He looked bored, he looked completely indifferent to your presence, and it cause you to falter your smile for a brief second. “You have to listen to me,” you said, then added, almost pleadingly, “Please.”

It seemed like he was looking straight through you. Though his eyes were trained on you, his interest most definitely was not. Before you could say anything else, he turned around, walking away again. You sighed, partly in annoyance and partly due to desperation. You saw him walk into the hallway, hidden from the sight of the guests littered around the main hall. He probably knew his way around this huge house owing to his closeness with Seokjin.

You followed him, frankly a little grateful that the hallway was quiet, almost too dark which probably implied that it was off limits for anyone visiting tonight. You had to walk faster than usual to catch up to him, and you grabbed his wrist, trying to make him halt his long strides. “Why are you being so immature?!” you asked, exasperation evident in your tone.

“I don’t think an employee is supposed to speak to their boss in this manner, Ms y/n.” he deadpanned. You wanted to scream out loud at the sheer pettiness emanating from his words. You had been trying to salvage any last hint of boundaries when you had said what you had, and all you wanted was the reassurance that he was serious about you, and that you weren’t some disposable fuck buddy. “I don’t want to talk to you.” He said, and even in the dim lighting, you could see the seriousness of stare. “Go back and socialize. Do your job since that’s all you care about, anyway.”

His words were supposed to be a jab at you, and you could feel the frustration within you escalate. He shook off your grip on him and began walking again, and this time you lost your cool. Your voice boomed throughout the hallway, and you were sure that you heard it echoing back to you from the walls and intricately designed pillars. “Kim Namjoon! Don’t you dare take another step forward!”

Your loud voice and stern tone seemed to have surprised him, his figure halting in its tracks. He turned around, but stood frozen, and looked at you with confusion etched on his face. You walked closer, running a hand through your hair. “You’re being such a goddamn child and I’m so fucking tired of this. Talk it out like an adult!”

“Did you just yell at me?” He asked, staring at you, dumbfounded.

“Yes.” You said, not bothering to sugarcoat anything. Any regard for him as your boss had vanished after he had managed to push your buttons enough to make you lose your temper. Before you could continue your ranting, you heard distant footsteps and soft murmurs. You realized how privy you two were to being eavesdropped on by anyone passing by. You grabbed his hand and pulled him along with you into the closest door, shutting it behind you with a thud.

“This is a goddamn storage room.” He said, scrunching his nose in disgust. There was a small bulb on the ceiling, providing enough illumination for him to see you roll your eyes at his distaste.

“I don’t care.” You replied, not even noticing how close you two were standing. You could feel the warmth 0f his body, and you could hear his breathing, but you refused to get distracted by the tension in the air. “Look, Namjoon, I didn’t mean to say that you were just fucking around, or that you weren’t genuine.” His name rolled off your tongue more easily than you had anticipated it to have been, and you could see him biting his lower lip to suppress a smile.

“My name sounds much better than ‘sir’, doesn’t it?” he asked and you narrowed your eyes at his attempt to lighten your mood. At least this meant that he wasn’t angry anymore, so you decided to loosen up a little.

Looking at him with a blank expression. You continued, trying to stay on track, “I’m being serious, Namjoon.”

He looked at you, pinning you down with his gaze. You bit your lip, nervousness creeping in while the anger was slowly simmering out. “I’m tired of this.”

A sharp increase in your heart rate made you jump, eyes wide and palms digging into your own skin at the side. You had expected him to fight for this, for whatever this was between you two. You had been so preoccupied with what you wanted to hear from him that you had completely disregarded the possibility of being rejected. It hadn’t occurred to you that he didn’t see you as important enough to agonize over, maybe he didn’t feel the things you did and what could have happened between you and him didn’t appeal to him.

This crushing realization brought about a whirlwind of emotions inside of you. You wanted to turn back in time and just kiss him, hold him and be with him even of it meant that you would be left heartbroken and destroyed in the end. In just a few seconds, you realized that you were missing something that you didn’t even have. “O-of what?” you managed to ask him despite your clouded emotions.

He took a few seconds to discern your expression before answering, “These mixed signals you’ve been giving me.”

You looked at him, breathing in sharply, waiting for the inevitable.

“We kiss and then you pretend like it meant nothing. We have sex and then you tell me you regret it. But, then you follow me around demanding to speak with me.” He paused, bending his head so that his eyes are in level with yours. “I just want to know what you want.”

It never came. There wasn’t a crushing blow, but your heart rate was still rapid, in a completely different light, though-one you wouldn’t mind experiencing more frequently.

Your eyes drifted to his lush lips, no longer requiring any other kind of reassurance. Everything felt too surreal, the need to overthink being overwritten by the need to show him how you felt.

Your voice was low, almost a whisper, “I don’t regret it.”

“You-“

Your hands were around his neck, pulling him down and your lips crashing onto his even before he could finish that sentence. He reciprocated quickly, hands gripping the sides of your waist and lips moving in tandem with yours. All the built-up tension from before was quickly adding fuel to the fire, your tongue brushing against his as he took you in completely.

You moved closer, not an inch left between your bodies, your hips grinding into his, eliciting a grunt from him. The kiss became sloppier, more biting, more moans as he moved away briefly. Holding you by your waist, he gently pushed you back, your back hitting a stray metal shelf. He moved in again, his tongue not waiting a second to caress yours again.

You could feel his erection pressing into your stomach, and the resulting tingle in your core had you deciding that you were going to throw caution into the wind. At that moment, all you cared about was that you were with him and that you wanted him.

You pulled away slowly, panting. The intensity with which he looked into your eyes, his hand still around you had you blushing, but it also reminded you of why you were in this hot, dingy room in the first place. You mumbled, “You’re really immature.”

He kissed you again, a moan leaving his mouth when your palms made contact with his bulge, slowly rubbing over the clothes. You were quick to take action unbuttoning them and pulling them down, his boxers along with the slacks. You looked down, pulling away from his lips and bit your lip looking at the glistening tip.

You grabbed his member in your hands, listening to his erratic loud breathing. A few strokes starting from the base to the head was enough for him to close his eyes, anticipating more. You would never admit to it, but you loved the control you seemed to have over him.

“You’re really infuriating.” He replied, his voice mere gasps. He sounded vexed, still angry with you, but somehow unable to stay away.

You responded by connecting your lips with his again, and this time, he moved back, placing his lips on your neck, sucking on a spot that had you moaning. You couldn’t care less about the mark that it was bound to leave.  “You’re bossy.”

He moved his hands craftily, the wetness in your heat increasing as his fingers made contact with your throbbing clit. “So wet….” He mumbled, and then looking at you with a narrow, piercing gaze, he retaliated, “You’re impatient”

You didn’t have time to show your anger. You gasped when you felt his finger inside of you with no warning and you steadied yourself by gripping his arms. He stopped his movements, “You okay?” he inquired and you nodded.  His sudden softness in the midst of what was a very charged fight in more ways than one, had your heart fluttering and you were even more sure than ever that you wanted this, no matter what the aftermath of it would be.

His phone began to vibrate, somewhat bringing you back to your senses. You realized that people would be looking for him outside, and he shouldn’t be spending all his time with you. But, you also knew how much you wanted to feel him inside you, how much you ached for him. He didn’t pay heed to the phonecall, not even sparing it a glance. You said, shakily, as he added another finger. “You’re arrogant and annoying!”

You tried to push his hand away, and he obeyed, looking at you as he wondered what you wanted. The glint in his eye was not lost, “You’re stubborn and difficult.”

You hastily gripped his erect penis, positioning it to your opening and he asked, “Are you sure you don’t need more?”

“Just fuck me.” You said, taking silent offence to his accusations.

He pushed forward, holding your waist as you winced at the stretch. He started slow, pushing in as you hoisted your legs up, wrapping them around his waist. He used the shelf behind to support your weight, digging his fingers into the side of your waist as he grunted with each thrust.

From your position, each motion of his member inside you was enough to have you moaning in pleasure. The shelf behind you was shaking rhythmically along with your ministrations, the sound of which was lulling the voices being elicited by the both of you. You enveloped your hands around his neck, placing your head in the crook of his neck. You could feel his hot breaths on the back of your neck, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

You could feel the heat building in your abdomen, ready to burst. You looked up at him, forehead glistening with sweat, eyes shut in pleasure and strong arms wrapped around your form, keeping you upright. You unconsciously match his pace, eyes shut in pleasure, and palms digging into his back.

His pace increased, making you grit your teeth to prevent yourself from uttering a string of pleasured curses. With your position, each thrust resulted in a strong stroke to your sweet spot, your whimpers becoming louder simultaneously.

When the bubble burst, heat spreading through your body, your eyes rolled back in pleasure, the curses you were holding back escaping your mouth in swift, breathy moans. He groaned, his grip tightening further and his movements becoming irregular as his orgasm approached. He pulled away just in time, releasing all over your thighs, leaving them a hot, sticky mess. You remained in that position, both of you panting, and reveling in the post orgasmic bliss. You hadn’t come like that in a long time, and more so, you hadn’t felt like that for even longer.

You unwound yourself from him, legs buckling when they made contact with the floor. His hands were still on you, steadying you. You tried to fix your skirt, cursing mentally that you didn’t have anything wipe his seeds off from your thighs. The realization of it caused your stomach to flutter once again, the recollection still too fresh and burning in your mind. You knew you needed to head to the closest bathroom, and you took a step away from his hold, legs too wobbly and mind too dazed to make sense of much else.

His hands jutted forward, grabbing your wrist with a little too much haste and desperation, “Where are you going?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

“Washroom” you replied with a slight smile, just looking at him causing your heart to race.

“Don’t run away again.” He said, his grasp tightening, and face frowning.

“I’m not-“

He interrupted you, “Don’t pretend like this means nothing. I can’t handle that again.”

You paused, looking at is distraught face. A lips curled into a small smile, and you held his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, “Namjoon.”

The sound of his name from your mouth made his eyes light up with hope. “I’m just going to the bathroom because of the mess that you made.” You looked down towards your legs, the fluid now dry and uncomfortable. His ears were a little pink, partly because of embarrassment and partly because of excitement. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging.”

He gaze was trained on your intertwined hands, he said “I like you.” He looked up at you, his dark eyes looking into yours trying to discern how you were feeling. You smirked, and jokingly added, “Inspite of all those accusations that you made.”

You could feel your heart pounding against your chest. You didn’t realize how much you wanted to hear those words from him until he admitted it. It was as though your moral dilemma didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t just your boss anymore, he was someone you cared for immensely, not just professionally, but personally. You respected him, admired his perseverance and you always had good conversations with the smart man, and of course, the sex was amazing too.

But, everything would get complicated if you admitted to how you felt about him. It wouldn’t be easy working for him, you’d have to tiptoe around everyone at work, and the risk of getting caught would surely cause a lot of stress.

You realized that he was growing anxious, waiting for your response. You looked at him, saying blandly, “I overthink everything.”

He looked at you, waiting for you to finish explaining. You added, “It’s difficult for me.”

“What is?” He asked, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.

You sighed, “It doesn’t matter how much I like you. You’re still my boss and-!”

He cut you off, letting out a small laugh. “You looked hot yelling at me.”

“I-What?” you asked, frowning at him.

“You’re hot.” He repeated, and a small smile creeped onto your face, He continued, “Instead of trying to stay rational all the time, go with your gut for once.”

You sighed, knowing full well that he was right. No matter how much you tried to stay away, the attraction was too real and the connection was too strong to ignore. You stood on your toes and kissed him on the lips, lingering for a minute as he placed his palm on your cheek.

When you pulled away, he smiled, his dimples on full display and his eyes lighting up like the north star on a dark night.

You couldn’t stop the euphoria of it all even after you left the uneventful party, riding home in a cab that smelled like cigarettes. When your phone buzzed with a message from Namjoon, you didn’t wait even a second to open them and read them.

Cancel the conference call tomorrow. My father just called for an emergency board meeting. They’ll text you the details soon, so please prepare whatever is necessary.

You were a little disappointed at the formal tone of the message, hoping to see something a little more personal. But, you should know better than to expect Kim Namjoon to put any kind of work off to the sidelines. You remove the tablet from your purse and make the changes on the calendar, followed by an email to the client promising to set up another call soon.

Already done.

You purposely make it a point to not refer to him as Mr Kim or Sir, and replying to a work related text with his name felt like the wrong thing to do. So, you completely avoid both. After a few seconds, he replied with two continuous texts—a new feat for him.

Also, I have something I wanted to ask you.

Be my girlfriend? ;)

You couldn’t help but giggle at his texts, not just because Kim Namjoon had just used an emoji, but also because he was being so straightforward, yet cute and you found it so damn adorable.

Already done.

You send the same message again, the smile never leaving your face throughout the rest of the ride.

//

You stood looking at him, reading the papers infront of him as he adjusted his glasses on his nose.

You could see the frown on his face even though you were sitting away from the board table along with the other assisstants.

Namjoon’s father leaned forward, questioning Jihyo, “Did you have any idea about this?”

Jihyo crossed her legs, frowning and shaking her head, “None at all. Mr Lee was a trusted employee. No one would have guessed that he would have taken a bribe. From a gangster, no less.”

It was all over the news. The stocks of Bangtan Corporation had dropped by twenty percent as soon as the news was out. The media was a step ahead of Mr Kim, and he, and the board didn’t have any time to block the news or react to it.

One of the senior board members, Mrs Jeon, spoke up, “This is going to halt the construction in Tokyo. They probably took all the money and used cheap material to construct the actual building.”

“What’s the loss that we’re looking at?” another board member asked, looking towards Namjoon.

“40 million won for reconstruction” He answered, already having calculated the damage earlier during the day. “Although, I think the monetary damage is reversible. What we need to work on is to regain the trust of the public. Our image has to be rebuilt, and we need better PR now more than ever.”

Mr Kim nodded, clearing his throat, “That’s a good observation. For now, get your PR team to work on a public apology and explanation. The HR and legal team will deal with Mr Lee?” He looked towards Jihyo and she nodded.

You didn’t miss the smile that was threatening to spill onto Namjoon’s face after being praised by his father and you couldn’t help but feel happy for some reason even though he had achieved so many things greater than that observation he had shared. Maybe this was a new found joy that was different from being in awe of your boss. It was a new kind of feeling, one of pride about your wonderful boyfriend.

//

A month ago if someone had told you that you would appreciate working late with your borderline workaholic CEO and actually look forward to it, you would scoff at their face and roll your eyes so far back your head that you wouldn’t be able to see this stupid person’s face anymore.

But, as you sat on the chair next to him, the rest of the office dimly lit, the hot pizza with cheese oozing out staring at you from its box on the table and Kim Namjoon sat next to you rambling on about what he thinks happens after a person dies, you think to yourself how content you felt in that moment. A smile embellishes your features and Namjoon stops speaking, asking, “What? You think the rebirth theory is funny?”

You shrugged, the warmth in your heart expanding as he pouted, but continued his ramblings none the less. “Personally, I like the idea of regenerating souls. It means that everyone gets another chance at life and if we could only remember the previous ones—oomph“

You leaned forward attacking him with a small kiss on his lips, interrupting him.

He smiled, and asked, “What’s that for?”

You replied with another peck to his lush lips, causing his adorable dimples to appear again. “You’re cute.”

He chuckled, shaking his head slowly, “You’re weird sometimes.” You reply with another kiss, this time his palms resting on your cheek as he deepened the kiss. You let it linger for a few seconds before moving away slowly and grinning at him, and picking up a slice of pizza. “Control yourself, Mr Kim. The pizza is getting cold.”

“So fucking weird….” He muttered jokingly before delving into the pizza.

//

Namjoon frowned, motioning you to come closer so he could look at the message on your phone. “This place is like an hour away!”

“I know, but Seokjin called me and insisted that I have to get you to attend the opening of this hotel.” You replied, placing the phone back in your pant’s pocket.

He groaned, “Why is he calling you, anyway?”

You shook your head, “I’m your assistant,” then you added with a small smile, “Also, because you ignore all his texts.”

“I’d rather have dinner with my beautiful girlfriend.” He said, trying to get out of traveling all the way to an opening.

“Nice try,” you said, leaning down and patting his cheek, “But, you should be a good friend today. Besides, your family is the largest investor, which technically means that you own the place.”

Namjoon sighed, melting into your touch. He grabbed your wrist, pulling you down. A yelp escaped your throat at the unexpected motion and you found yourself seated sideways on his lap. “Namjoon, what are you doing? Someone’s going to see us!” you hissed.

“Just two minutes.” He said, burying his head into your neck. You squirm a little when his soft breaths tickle your skin and you giggle, gripping onto his hand, “You’re such a baby.”

“I missed you.” He said, softly. You hummed a yes in response, keeping yourself from admitting to the fact that he had become such an important part of your life in just two months and that a few days away from him made you miss his presence like you’ve never missed anything else before.

He continued, “I know I work too much. I’m sorry, baby.”

“Don’t be. I love how hard working you are and I would never ask you to do anything to jeopardize your position here. I know you want to prove yourself and I understand that you can’t always make time for me.” You replied, not even wanting him to think for a second that he was doing anything wrong.

He moved his head, looking at you, his eyes showing a discernible expression. “I love you.”

Your eyes widened at his declaration, and you fiddle with your fingers, too struck to reply immediately.

Two months was logically too soon to be making such bold statements smack dab in the middle of a totally unrelated conversation, wasn’t it? But, you couldn’t ignore the feeling of elation that spread through your body hearing his deep voice tell you those three words. You smiled, leaning in, holding his face between your hands and leaving an affectionate kiss on his lips. “I love you too.”

He let out a relieved sigh and you hugged him, every fiber of your being screaming at you how right this was.

You jumped out of his lap when there was a knock at his door, and you moved a few steps away from him as the door opened, revealing Jihyo’s bright face.

She smiled, and entered the room, and as she took a seat, she said, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“You did.” Namjoon replied, frowning and she laughed unapologetically in response.

Namjoon was good at being discrete, but he hadn’t hesitated for more than a week before telling his two best friends about you two. The relationship felt more real to you after that, like it wasn’t just something you had imagined since more people knew about it. It also solidified your confidence that he wasn’t just playing around when you saw how excited he was for you to meet them for the first time as his official girlfriend.

“You’re coming tonight, aren’t you?” Jihyo asked, ignoring his scowl.

“Do I have a choice? he asked, rolling his eyes.

“No.” she said.

“Did you come all the way here to ask me that?” Namjoon questioned her and she sighed.

“No.”

Jihyo looked a little worried, and you couldn’t help but ask, “Is everything okay?”

Jihyo looked at you giving you a wry smile, “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

Namjoon leaned forward, “What do you mean?”

“I heard my father talking on the phone. Apparently there’s going to be some big announcement tonight. That’s why your family is coming, and they’ve invited a lot of reporters.” She replied, crossing her arms.

Namjoon nodded, “Thanks for the heads up, but I don’t think it’ll be anything to worry about.”

Jihyo nodded, but she didn’t seem to share the same faith. She looked at you, “You’re coming too, right?”

“Yes,” you replied, “Or else Seokjin might kill me.”

She smiled and got up. “I’ll see you there.” She said before waving slightly and heading out.

You felt like a fool for thinking that the party at Seokjin’s house was too lavish as soon as you walked into the well ventilated lobby of the new hotel. The walls were elegantly decorated, a small marble fountain in the middle of the large marble flooring. You heels clinked on the hard floor as you strode forward next to Namjoon, feeling better than you had the last time you were in such a setting since you were dressed for the occasion this time and Namjoon only sent warm smiles and approving nods in your direction.

After grabbing a glass of champagne each, you walked around, accompanying him as he greeted his acquaintances. His parents were probably seated inside, preparing for whatever announcement they had in mind. You noticed the large number of cameras in the room, reporters swarming in the corner, waiting to get something newsworthy out of the evening.

“Hello, Namjoon, how are you doing, dear?” A middle aged woman asked, her diamonds bright enough to blind you if you looked at them directly for a second too long.

“I’m doing well, Mrs Oh, I heard your daughter is getting married this month? Congratulations!” Namjoon said, and you smiled remembering how he had grumbled about having to attend the wedding.

“Yes, thank you! I hope to see you there with your date!” she looked at you giving you a small smile before looking at you, all the way from top to bottom as if you were a showpiece whose worth she was trying to determine. “Who is this young lady? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend!”

She extends her hand, introducing herself, “I’m Oh Young Mi, I’m sure you’ve heard of me, dear. You are?”

Her narcissism made you want to scoff at her, but you controlled your instinct and smiled at her. “I’m Y/n, ma’am. I’m Mr Kim’s assistant.” You shook her hand, your grip tight enough to show her that you were not intimidated by her.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “How nice of you to bring your assistant along to such a fancy party! She must be having the time of her life, feeling so important to be here!”

The condescending tone in her voice made you frown slightly, abut before you could respond, Namjoon put his arm on the small of you back, and said, “She’s been to more interesting parties. She’s smart enough to know that these parties are just formalities. Besides, she knows how important she is to me and to the company even without having to be told. Right, Ms y/n?”

You let out small smile escape you lips, “Yes, sir.” He led you away, bowing to a shocked Mrs Oh before spotting Seokjin and waving at him. You made you way towards him, Namjoon’s palm still on your back.

“Hey, you guys made it!” Seokjin said, clearly overjoyed. “Wow, Y/n, you’re really good at your job. You actually got him to come!”

You laughed, “Or maybe he’s just too whipped for me.” Namjoon scoffed, frowning at the two of you.

They wasted no time in talking about the hotel, the investments and something about stocks, so your eyes wandered around. Spotting Jihyo standing alone near the buffet, you wave at her enthusiastically and excuse yourself from your present company in order to speak to her.

“Hey!” you said, “What are you doing here all alone?”

She smiled seeing you and shrugged, “I needed a break from socializing.”

You nodded, sharing her emotion and sighed, “You guys do this a lot, huh?”

She looked at you, sincerity etched in her voice, “All the time. I can’t begin to imagine how much worse it must be for Namjoon. He used to be such an introvert. His family really put him right in the middle of this hot mess.” She gestured towards the surroundings before dropping her arms back on her sides.

Her words reminded you of the advice she had given you two months ago, and you were curious to find out more. “Jihyo, do you remember what you told me about his family?”

She nodded, her expression flaccid.

“What did you mean by that? I’ve worked with Mr Kim and he was a good man.” You said, reminiscing your time as the President’s assistant.

She scoffed, “Good? Maybe. Stubborn? Yes. Manipulative? Most definitely yes.”

You looked at her, confused, and she continued, “I’m only telling you this because you’re his girlfriend and I can see how much you care for each other.”

You nodded as an agreement, and she said, “His family always gets what they want. Always. No matter what the damage is, no matter the methods they have to use. Why do you think Namjoon took over as the CEO? He wanted to start his own company, something to do with music production, but they manipulated him into this job. He’s so distant from his actual dream, that he never mentions it anymore.”

You were speechless, trying to swallow this new piece of information. You knew Namjoon liked music and that he had dabbled in composing and writing songs before, but you didn’t know how serious he had been about it before.

You looked at Namjoon, smiling and talking to his best friend, and you smiled fondly at yet another reason to love and respect him. If he was this good at a job he didn’t even want in the first place, how amazing would he be if he could pursue his passion?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Namjoon’s parents. He looked a lot like his mother, the warmth in her eyes identical to the ones in Namjoon’s and the dignity with which she walked mirrored his charisma too. However, silent gasps and piercing stares filled the room when they saw the man following the couple. He was a familiar figure, one of the most famous people in the continent and well respected due to both his business ventures as well as philanthropy. Not just that, Mr Kang Minho was in line to become the next President of the country, all the polls predicting his success in the upcoming elections. He was a man of great stature, and his appearance seemed to have brought a buzz amongst the guests as well as the reporters. Following him was one of the most elegant women that you had ever seen before, even after being in this line of work. She couldn’t have been much older than you, but her aura was different. She was wearing minimal makeup, small accessories and a simple black dress, but her beauty was standing out. She was smiling, and it looked like she had a halo around her head, her soft, yet strong gaze trained infront of her.

The room seemed to quiet down at their appearance, the reporters ready to take pictures and record their announcement. A small podium had been set up with a mic and the small entourage headed towards it. Mr Kim spoke, a professional smile on his face, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for attending tonight inspite of your busy schedules!”

He paused, looking around the room and then continued, “This is a very joyous occasion for me, and my family since this hotel is the fruition of years of toil. I would like to extend my gratitude towards everyone who worked hard to make this a reality, especially our young, capable architect, Mr Kim Seokjin.”

A round of applause followed as everyone turned to look at Jin, and you joined in, appreciating his hard work.

Mr Kim continued, “I think it would be befitting to announce some good news that our family is very excited about on such a happy day. I hope all of you can join us in celebrating our fortune.”

You looked towards Namjoon who looked confused, and Jihyo’s eyes were trained on him like your own. She looked just as worried as she looked back in his office and you held her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

You didn’t let go of her hand as your former boss continued yet again, “I’m proud to announce that my son, Namjoon, is doing an excellent job as the new CEO of our company.” Everyone looked at Namjoon whose eyes were wide at the sudden attention trained on him. “I’m also very proud and honoured to announce that as of tonight, my son, is engaged to Ms Kang Yoona, the beautiful daughter of my long time friend, and colleague, Mr Kang Minho.”

You felt like everything from then on happened in slow motion around you.

There were loud claps, and cheers echoing in the room, reporters posing questions simultaneously at the shocking news. Jihyo’s grip tightened around your hand, and you looked at Namjoon, his eyes still blown wide, mirroring your expression. His eyes met yours, his expression alarmed, and he took a step to walk towards you, but he couldn’t move due to the swarm of reporters now pushing cameras and microphones to his face, yelling out questions.

Mr Kim announced that there would be a press release with more details and that for the time being, there would be no further comments provided. You saw them retreat back into the hotel hallway from the corner of your eyes that were still trained on Namjoon. You tried to give him a reassuring nod that you were fine, and that he shouldn’t worry about how you were feeling. You walked towards him slowly, Jihyo trailing behind you with a frown on her face.

The security had come forth, creating a barrier between the reporters and Namjoon, and escorting him to where his parents were. Seokjin motioned you to follow him, and you did so without any hesitation. There were some perks to being the assistant, after all.

The conference room was quiet when you entered, and Namjoon was standing infront of his parents, glaring at them. “What is this?” he yelled, looking thoroughly infuriated

“Son, please. We have company.” his mother said, eyeing the Kang family who stood by the large window, looking on with serious expressions.

“I don’t care.” Namjoon replied, gritting his teeth. “Why would you discuss my marriage without even asking me about it?”

You already knew the reason for this decision. You had a hunch that everyone in this room knew it too, but Namjoon wanted to hear it directly from his father, someone he respected all his life, someone whom he never thought would use his son as a pawn to improve his business prospects.

“This will be good for you, Namjoon.” Mr Kim replied, calmly. “Yoona is a good girl, and I only went ahead with this because I knew you two would be compatible.”

Namjoon looked towards Yoona, “Did you agree to this?”

She didn’t reply, but her father did. “She’s smart. She understands that this is all for her own good.”

Namjoon sighed, clearly exasperated. “I don’t care. I’m not getting married to someone I don’t even know.”

“Son-“ his mother tried to convince him, but he didn’t listen.

“No. I’ve done enough for this family already. You’re asking too much from me.” He said, his voice a little calmer than it was before, but determined none the less.

“You should be making us proud, son, not making us lose face in the public.” His father stated, and Namjoon winces slightly at the words, staring at his father speechlessly.

Mr Kim looked around the room, “I would like to speak to my son in some privacy.” His words were not harsh, but his tone made it sound like a command. Everyone except Namjoon began to move out, Mr Kang stopping in his tracks to nod slightly at his friend.

You walked out animatedly, a little struck from all the events that had occurred in the short time. Once you were outside, Seokjin sighed, running his hands through his hair. “This is messed up.”

You nodded, unable to think of anything appropriate to say. He looked at you, tilting his head with worry, “You know this isn’t his fault, right? Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.”

You nodded again, a little faster than before.

Jihyo spoke up, a tint of anger in her tone, “I knew they would try to emotionally blackmail him into this. Making him proud? What a load of bullshit!” She groaned, “I told you about this. Manipulation at its finest.”

“Jihyo, please.” Seokjin chides her, and she rolled her eyes. She looks towards you, her expression softening. “Y/n, come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

You whip your head in her direction, “N-no, I want to wait here.” You said, knowing full well that you will have to speak to Namjoon about this, and let him know that you weren’t angry with him and that it wasn’t his fault.

“You should leave.” Seokjin suggested, “I’m sure Namjoon will call you as soon as this mess is sorted out. He wouldn’t let me live if he found out that I stood by as you waited here anxiously.”

Reluctantly, you had to agree to their pestering and walk out with Jihyo and wait outside for her to bring her car.

“Hello.” A soft voice greeted you, starting you with its proximity. You turned quickly to watch Kang Yoona standing next to you, her purse clutched tightly in her hand. “You know Kim Namjoon, right?”

You blinked at her, wordlessly.

“Are you one of his friends?” she continued asking, smiling at you.

“I-m…….” you trailed off, then clearing your throat, you finished, “his assistant.”

She nodded, her mouth forming an ‘o’, and her smile widening. “Nice to meet you. I’m Yoona.”

“I’m Y/n,” you replied, not seeing any reason to be rude to her.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you a lot from now on.” She said.

You frowned, wondering how your life had become so incredibly complicated. You didn’t understand this situation at all, never having experienced the planning of a marriage of convenience, let alone be a second hand victim of it. “How did you agree to something like this?” you asked, your tone unabashedly bold.

Her expression became stoic, “I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.” She said, then added, as Jihyo’s car came up, “Not that it’s any of your business, but, this is how things work in our world. Everything is about business, image and power. This is what’s best for me, for my family, and for him.”

Jihyo honked the car, asking you to get in, but you stood startled at her answer. She smiled again, “Your friend is waiting.”

She walked away without a greeting, and you moved towards the car, sighing as you sat in the front seat.

“Was that Kang Yoona?” Jihyo asked.

You nodded, “Yes.”

“What was she talking about?” she inquired.

“The reality.” You answered, removing your heels and looking out the window, a peculiar anxiety gnawing at you suddenly.

//

You had barely slept last night, waiting for a call from your boyfriend. All you received at 2 am was a text that read, I’m sorry, Y/n. Please go to sleep. I’ll talk to you in the morning.

You were two hours early to work, eager to see him, give him a tight hug and talk to him about this situation. You practically leapt out of the elevator again, cursing internally at how your fear of closed spaces seemed to be intransient. The office was empty, save for the guards on the ground floor and some people cleaning the corridors. You were glad to be wearing flats since it made it easier for you to rush towards Namjoon’s office and wait for him to arrive.

To your surprise, he was already in his cabin, looking lethargic and sleep deprived, still wearing the same shirt from last night, and his coat hanging on his chair.

You practically ran into his arms, making him gasp as you wound your hands around his body. He sighed, burying his head in your neck as he hugged you back, his grasp strong and warm. “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling back, and keeping his arms around you.

You nodded, “Are you? What happened after we left?”

He sighed, taking a step back and you felt the loss of the feeling of his hands on you. He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing loudly and taking you hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. He pulled you forward, asking you to sit and he followed suit, sitting in the chair next to you. “I love you.” He said and you smiled. But, his expression was serious and you had an intuition that something was wrong. He looked at you with intensity, furrowing his brows as though he was concentrating really hard. “You know that right?” He puts his lips over yours momentarily, giving you a brief kiss.

“I know.” You replied, mirroring his frown.

“This doesn’t change anything.” he said, his voice deeper and sounding more exhausted than ever before. “You need to understand the pressure that’s on me right now. I don’t have a choice.”

He waited for your response and with each ticking second, you could feel your heartbeat rising. “I’ve worked hard all my life to make my parents happy, to make my family proud, and to never let them down. The last few months have been hard for me” He pauses, gulping as he reminisces about his time as the CEO of the corporation. “You noticed that even before we started dating. So, you understand why I need to do this.”

His words were subtle, not to the point, but you understood the implication anyway. The realization hit you like a ton of bricks, making you pull away your hands and clasp them together. When you tried to speak, your tone was monotonous, voice almost cracking, “You’re going to marry her.”

His eyes widened seeing your reaction, trying to make it as clear as possible. “No, Y/n, I won’t. But, until the company’s stocks are better and our image is improved, I’m going to have to keep up the pretense that I will be marrying her.”

“W-what?” you asked, your mouth too dry to speak clearly, and your head lowered, eyes concentrating on the floor.

“That’s the deal I made with my father,” he sighed again, “There was no other way.”

You head shot up, “No other way?” you repeated, and he inhaled sharply at your sudden loud voice. You scoffed, “Does the Kang family know about this deal?”

Namjoon tried to grab your hand again, but you kept them intact on your lap. He said. “I thought it would be unfair if Yoona didn’t know, so I talked to her about it last night.”

“And she agreed?”

“Yes.”

“This is ridiculous.” You stated, arms crossed across your chest. “There are better ways to keep up the image of the company!”

“It’s not just about the company. It’s also about Mr Kang’s election campaign. This helps him too.”

You frowned at him, anger rising in your chest at how illogical he was being, “You’re going to deceive the whole damn country?”

“Y/n, please, calm down and try to understand-“

“No! You can’t ask me to understand that my boyfriend who supposedly loves me wants to pretend to be someone else’s fiancé in front of the whole world! Are you even listening to how insane you sound right now?”

His face was starting to turn red, his jaw clenched, “You don’t understand how helpless I feel, and I honestly thought you would be the one person who would get it.”

You sighed, breathing rapidly, “What do you want, Namjoon? You want me to give you my blessing? Do you want me to say okay to this fucked up mess?”

“I just want you to understand that I can’t let my family down.”

“You’re a coward.” You said, tears threatening to spill due to how livid with anger you were.

“What?” he snapped.

“You’re too afraid to stand up to your family and do the right thing. You know you’re being manipulated, but you’re too scared to stand up for yourself.” You accused him and he looked at you with evident fury in his gaze. “You know what, go ahead, marry her- fake or real, I don’t care. Just know that I won’t be a part of any of this.”

You stood up, ready to storm out. His words made you stop in your tracks, “If you can’t understand me, why are we even together? Why are you making this more difficult that it already is?”

His voice was stern, his chin jutting out due to how infuriated and hurt he was, but you were too engrossed in your own emotions to care.

“I’ll make it easier for you, Namjoon.” You said, “We’re done.” You don’t bother to wipe the tears from your eyes, “And sir?” you added, taking a deep breath and decisively saying, “Consider this as my weeks’ notice.”

You didn’t linger around to gauge his reaction, and you walked directly to the bathroom, letting the tears spill and cursing the situation, and his lack of tact. It took you an hour to somewhat calm down enough to think straight.

You had just broken up with the man that you loved.

You had just quit your job.

The worst part was that you didn’t regret either. You weren’t the kind of person who would stand by him even when he was wrong, and staying as his assistant considering the depth of your feelings for him would only lead to destruction.

You walked out of the bathroom, walking directly into the break room to drink some water.

“Hey, stranger.” Jimin greeted you and you forced a smile. “Where have you been all month?”

“Too much work, Jimin.” You replied, gulping down the water.

“What’s new with you?” he asked, trying to make conversation and catch up with you, but he clearly caught you at a bad time.

“I quit my job.” You stated, stunning yourself at how real it sounded saying it out loud.

He leaned forward from his seat, “What?” he exclaimed, “Why?”

You shrugged, “Shit happens.”

His eyes were still wide, but he nodded slowly, trying to comprehend.

You felt horrible, and you wanted to vent. You didn’t try to stop yourself from breaking the news, “Oh, also, our boss is getting married.”

“I heard.” He said, “It’s all over the news today.”

You nodded, sighing.

“Does your resignation have something to do with that?” he questioned and you looked at him speechlessly.

“N-no.”

He narrowed his eyes, unconvinced, but didn’t question you any further. “You look like you could use a change of scenery. Come on, let’s go out for brunch.”

“In the middle of the day?” you asked, too exhausted emotionally to want to go out.

“Who cares? You don’t work here anymore.” He replied with his signature eye smile, his eyes just endearing slits.

That brunch and Jimin’s easy going company was the only thing that prevented you from breaking apart that day.

The week didn’t get easier even though you tried to avoid talking to Namjoon as much as possible. You depended on Jimin’s kindness whenever there was a need for you to directly talk to Namjoon and you somehow put on a brave face at work and decided to just get through the week even though you spent the nights staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep or curled into yourself, sobbing.

The office had been buzzing with the excitement of the news, and you couldn’t escape hearing about it no matter where you went. You hardly checked your phone anymore, stayed away from the TV, papers and social media, and even spent all your time alone, avoiding social interaction.

You had received an earful from Jihyo when she got your notice, and she refused to process the documents until you told her how difficult it would be to stay around Kim Namjoon.

He had neither called, nor texted you and he was back to acting like the cold, detached boss from when you first started working for him.

You didn’t even bother to say goodbye to anyone on the last day of the week, packing up all your belongings and heading out without looking back. You were too afraid that hesitation wouldn’t allow you any room to do what was right for the sake of your sanity.

You moped around in your apartment, deciding to move back home to get away from everything. Lately, you seemed to find everything reminded you of him, and the heartbreak would feel like a fresh wound all over again.

One particularly dull late evening, Jihyo gave you a call, surprising you quite a bit since both Seokjin and Jihyo had respected your decision and given you space.

“Hello?” you answered the call, fidgeting with your shorts.

“Hey, Y/n, how are you doing?” she asked.

“I can’t go online for even a second without being bombarded with images of them together, all the news shows talk about them, refer to them as the power couple, and even the boring business magazines talk about their accumulated net worth. Meanwhile, the man who claimed to love me hasn’t called me even once since our fight. You tell me how I might be doing.” You snapped, knowing full well that you were being completely unfair to Jihyo.

You could hear her sighing and said, understandingly, “I’m sorry to have to make you do this, Y/n, but can you come down to the office and sign the final papers? You can take your relieving letter too.”

“Jihyo….”

She cut you off, “I know it’s late,” you looked at the time instinctively to see that it was around 7 pm, “But, I procrastinated to get it done, not to mention, I didn’t really want to approve your resignation, but I need to file this in tomorrow. It’s urgent.”

She pleaded, “Please?”

You groaned, “Fine, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

You took much longer than twenty minutes to get there and you rushed in, feeling bad for making Jihyo wait for almost forty five minutes. You called her from the lobby, unable to walk up without an employee card. She asked you to come up, assuring you that the security had been informed already.

When you got to her office, you noticed that the rest of the floor was empty, and the only illumination was from her cabin. You knocked at the door, and opened it slowly, ready to apologize, “I’m so sorry, I’m late! I got caught up in-“

You stopped midsentence when your eyes landed on familiar dark brown ones, the situation reminding you of your first day at this office, only this time, you were not overwhelmed by panic, but by sorrow.

“Y/n?” Namjoon’s voice was just as deep as you remembered it, and his eyes still shone in the same way. You couldn’t help but feel terrible at how well he seemed to be doing, while you were left broken and miserable. All the anger from that morning came flooding back into your body, and you turned around to leave, not wanting to interact with him.

He rushed forward when he saw you moving away, and held onto your wrist, “Wait.”

You shook his hand off, rubbing the lingering feeling of his touch away with your own and make your way towards the elevator. You could hear his footsteps following you, but you made no effort to slow down.

You heard him say, “Just hear me out!”

The anger was now mixed with all the sadness that had been accumulating successively in the last few days. More than everything else, the fact that he hadn’t even tried to reach out to you, and stop you from leaving was what hurt the most. He didn’t care at all about you, and suddenly, after he saw you due to whatever plan Jihyo had in mind, he wanted to talk to you. You would rather crumble in self-pity later on than let him curb your ego, which, to be honest, hadn’t been at its best in the last few weeks anyway.

Even getting into the elevator that you hated so much seemed more appealing than letting him see you breakdown, and you gladly entered it and pressed the close button. What you hadn’t anticipated was that Namjoon’s large hands would appear on the sides of the door before it could close, and his tall frame entered the dreadful hanging box before the door could close.

“Y/n, please,” he said, but you refused to look at him, your eyes trained on the digital flashing indicating which floor you were on.

When it came to the second floor, there was a loud thud, and suddenly the lift stopped moving. You looked around, panicking, a gasp emanating from your mouth when you realized that the elevator had stopped functioning midway.

Not only were you stuck in a claustrophobic box with minimal ventilation while you were almost at the edge of a breakdown, you were stuck in it with the last person that you wanted to come off as weak to. This thought fueled the triggers in your brain, and you found it hard to breathe, your knees buckling as you squat down, sitting on the floor. Your eyes were shut, and you suddenly felt his comforting, strong arms around your shoulder, and his voice close to your ears, trying to tell you to breath and that everything was okay.

A few moments later, you were breathing a little less erratically, and you let him hold you, glad that you weren’t alone in this situation.

“Don’t worry.” He said, calmly, “I’ll call for help, it’ll be fine.”

You nodded, blinking off the tears.

He spoke into the intercom, and looked at you with a worried gaze. “Faster!” he yelled into the unit and out it down.

“There was a problem with the electricity, but, they’re already fixing it. It won’t be too long. Will you be okay?”

You let out a small laugh, “Suddenly you care?”

He looked at you briefly, and moved closer, sitting down next to you again, close enough that our knees were touching. “I know I fucked up.”

You rolled your eyes, sniffing away the remnants of your vulnerability, “That’s an understatement.”

“I missed you.” He stated and you couldn’t help but glare at him.

“You expect me to believe that when you didn’t try to call me even once?” you asked loudly.

“I….” he trailed off before sighing and continuing, “I was trying to keep you away from it all. I thought you would  be better off without having to deal with the Kang family or the constant media hounding that you would be exposed to if you stayed by me as my assistant.”

You shook your head, “No, Namjoon, you don’t have to explain. Not anymore.”

“Don’t say that.” He said, his voice shaking.

You trail your eyes down, scared that his tears would convince you to forget everything. A soft sob from him was enough to have you looking at him, your eyes a little softer. You had never seen him cry, nor had you ever thought about him looking so defeated and vulnerable.

He was not invincible, and you had to keep getting harsh reminders such as this to see how human he was beneath all that façade of his position and wealth. He was as human as you were, succumbing to the pressures that weighed you down, feeling lost, helpless and lonely. Humans make mistakes, and even though he was still in the middle of his biggest one yet over the last few days, he was still the same flawed, yet, admirable man that you had fallen in love with.

You extend your arm, placing it on his shoulder, and he looked at you with glassy eyes, “Forgive me.”

“I can’t. Not while you’re still doing this.” You replied and he looked down again.

He confessed, “I’ve been miserable without you.”

“You’re someone else’s fiancé.” You said, hoping to make him see how flawed his logic behind agreeing to this deal had been.

He sighed, covering his face with his hands and groaning, “You were right. I am a fucking coward.”

He continued, “I want to be with you. More than anything else.” You smiled weakly at the words that you had previously uttered, ones that arguably gave rise to your relationship. “But, I can’t. I’ll have nothing left if this deal goes downhill.”

You wanted to say that he would have you by his side, but you stopped yourself. You didn’t want to be like his family, emotionally blackmailing him into getting what they wanted. You wanted him to make this decision and you wanted him to choose you. So you settled for, “You should understand what you mean by nothing.”

The elevator jerked once again and you involuntarily moved towards him, jumping up in surprise. It began to move down again, and you sighed in relief as you got out. Two guards were waiting outside, and they bowed when Namjoon walked out, still looking shaken, but not due to the reason they believed him to be.

You finished your sentence, “You need to prioritize, sir.” It probably looked like a former employer sending off an old assistant on their last day to the guards, and you maintained the front of professionalism, “That way, you can get everything done without me.”

You left after giving him one last curt bow, and a soft smile.

//

You disliked packing, and you disliked the idea of having to unpack and rearrange everything again, especially since it had been less than half a year since you moved from one city to another. Moving back to your hometown was going to be even more of a hassle, but it was probably better than staying in Seoul and wallowing in pain and hurt from your breakup and fighting the urge to knock on Kim Namjoon’s door and pounce on him, peppering him with kisses and reassurances of how much you missed him.

When those thoughts had entered your mind, you would have never imagined it to have the other way around. Kim Namjoon was standing at your door, looking forlorn and so distraught that you couldn’t help but invite him to dry his hair that was drenched from the light summer showers.

“W-what are you doing here?” you asked, eyes blown wide.

“I just needed to talk to someone.” He answered, standing inside your house, but still near the door since you weren’t feeling strong enough to let him in completely and control your emotions.

“Why would you think I could be that someone?” you asked, eyebrow arched in his direction.

He sighed, “You’re the only one.”

“Namjoon, please, I don’t-“

“I resigned today.” He said, and it took you a few seconds to process his words, you jaw dropped and eyes flickering around in confusion.

“What?” you asked, moving aside to let him into the living room. He looked around at the mess that was your apartment and suddenly looked even more exasperated than before. The boxes were left opened, half of the accessories spilling out, furniture bare and the TV unplugged.

“Were you packing?” he asked, his voice louder and strained.

You didn’t respond immediately wondering why he was making it so difficult for you to move on. Just seeing his face had brought back a whirlwind of emotions and you didn’t want to deal with them quite yet.

“Where are you going?” he exclaimed, and turning to look at you. He moved closer and put his hands on your shoulders, asking you again, “Where the fuck are you going?”

You push his hands away and run your hands through your hair before crossing your arms across your chest, “You don’t need to know.” He tilted his head slightly.

Before he could argue, you motion him to stop and began to question him instead, “What do you mean you quit your job?”

He sighed, the remembrance of his problems striking him again, “I’m no longer the CEO of Bangtan Corporation and judging by how my father took the news, I’m no longer the heir to the wealth and fame of it all.”

You didn’t know how to respond to that, so you settled for exclaiming, “Oh.”

He looked at your face, “Oh?” His expression softened, the creases on his forehead disappearing, “By default, I’m also no longer engaged to Kang Yoona.”

“How-you---Why?” you stuttered, your hands relaxing and falling back down beside you.

“I prioritized, Y/n.” he replied, a small smile on his face. “You’re more important to me than all of that.”

You were supposed to be flattered, you knew that, But, you were more terrified than ever before. You really didn’t like the pressure that came with him quitting his job, giving up on everything that is rightfully his and putting everything he worked so hard for aside just for you.

You frowned, stepping back and he looked worried again, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t have done this.” You said, and his frown reappeared on his face. “Not for me.”

“Y/n,” he called out, reaching out to take your hand softly and you let him do it in a daze, “I love you, but sometimes you think too much of yourself.”

“What?” you snapped, confused.

He was smirking now, trying to lighten the mood after realizing what was gnawing at your mind.

“I didn’t do this for you. I did it for myself. I don’t care about being the CEO or the money. I was only doing that because it was what was expected of me. I’ve decided to start living for myself now, and do the things that make me happy.”

You relaxed a little after hearing his words, “What makes you happy?”

“You do.” He replied without hesitation and a smile tugged at your lips.

“Did you really give up everything?” you asked again, the news was too much to take in even after listening to his explanation.

He pulled out his phone, and put it up against your face and you squinted to read the words on the headlines, BANGTAN CORPORATION’S CEO RESIGNS

BANGTAN HEIR NO LONGER CEO

BANGTAN CORPORATION STOCKS FALL BY 30% AFTER CEO’s RESIGNATION

You tear your eyes away from the phone and push it back in his direction with your hand. “What are you going to do now?”

He shrugged, “For once in my life, I have no idea what I’m doing.”

He laughed, making you smile at the sonorous sound, “It feels so fucking good! Why did I wait so long? I love being unemployed, poor, and completely clueless.”

You rolled your eyes.

He trained his eyes on you again, joking, “You won’t leave me just because I have no money anymore, right?”

“We aren’t together.” You retaliate, “And trust me. Even if we were, that is not why I would leave you.”

The detour in the topic of conversation seemed to have made him aware of the state of the surroundings, and he asked, after gulping nervously, “Where are you going? Although his tone was serious again, it was calmer than it had been the last time he had asked you the same question.

“Home.” You muttered.

“For how long?”

“Forever.”

You expected him to ask you why you were leaving or why you didn’t bother telling him that you would be walking out of his life for good, cementing the breakup. But, silence followed the exchange and he stared at you, before sternly saying, “Don’t go.”

“I have nothing here.” You said, your voice barely a whisper.

“You have me.” He replied, taking your hand again, “You’ll always have me.”

He took a long stride forward, placing his arms around your waist and enveloping you into his broad form. His eyes were pleading with you, and no words were necessary to sense the desperation in him. He leaned down, his eyes trained on your expression and his lips softly grazed yours. You closed your eyes momentarily, remembering how much you had missed the feel of his lush lips, and wondering if you would ever feel them again.

When he pulled back to look into your eyes, you opened them and involuntary tears from all the built up frustration and sadness began flooding out. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, dabbing at the tears on your cheek. “For everything.”

You sniffled, trying to control the dam that had finally broken, and stood on your toes, crashing your lips onto his. He wasted no time in tightening his hold, sucking on your bottom lip and you reciprocated by opening your mouth slightly and slipping your tongue into his.

Your hands travel to the hem of his shirt, trying to tug it off but realize that the buttons needed to be removed first. You fumbled with the bottom one, trying to pry it open while he moans into your mouth, a bulge forming in his pants due to your proximity. You let go of the shirt, deeming your efforts to be futile and place your palm on his growing erection instead, causing him to buckle his hips forward.

He pulled away from your mouth and placed his lips on your neck, peppering it with open mouthed kisses, nipping and biting at them before settling on the spot above your color bone and sucking on it. Your breathing became louder as the wetness from his mouth caused a different kind to accumulate in your underwear, and you rubbed your legs together to cause some friction between them.

Your hands began rubbing over his clothed crotch and you use your free hand to tug on his shirt again. You didn’t have the patience to work on each button, so you pulled on it, ripping it open. Namjoon moved back to look at you, his eyes darting between his torn shirt and your flushed face. His eyes looked hooded, dark with lust and he grabbed your tshirt, pulled it over your head, your hands moving up to help speed the process up.

You concentrated on pulling undoing his pants when he began to move his mouth down from your neck and over your chest. He unhooked your bra with his nimble hands and tossed it aside before immediately taking one of your erect nipples into his mouth. You gasped at the sudden contact, and took his semi hard member in your hands, rubbing them up and down. His tip was glistening with precum and you wanted nothing more than to get on your knees and take it in your mouth, but his ministrations on your breasts felt too nice to think about asking him to pause. His hands slipped over to your shorts, cupping your sex under them and you pulled back.

“So wet already, babe?” he muttered and you remove your hands from his now hard penis and used them to hold his face. You pulled him up and kissed him again, tongue immediately slipping into his mouth as you moan a yes. He pulled off your shorts, along with your underwear and touched your bare crotch again, rubbing it slowly with his palm, making you instinctively grind on his large hand.

You pushed him back and he took slow steps backwards towards the couch. You made him sit down, and place yourself over his lap, straddling him with both your legs on either side of him. His lips travel down to nick at your neck again, the bites on your pulse point making you groan with pleasure.

He moaned your name against your skin, egging you on to lift up your ass just enough to take his penis in your hands and position them against your dripping slit. You slipped yourself onto him, moaning at the stinging stretch and making his gasp before holding your waist to brace you.

“I missed you,” you said into his ear before kissing his neck and moving up and down. You started slow, familiarizing yourself once again with the feeling of his dick disappearing inside you. With your position, you were taking in his entire member, making him exhale loudly.

He placed another kiss on your lips, buckling his hips forward to make your movements easier. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, placing a small kiss on your temple.

“You look so good riding on my dick like this,” he breathed out. His words intensified the heat that was building up in your gut, and you whined before speeding up your movements. He moaned in response, muttering a “Baby, you’re so good.”

You hummed in response, unable to stop the sounds coming out of you as his member grazed your sweet spot over and over again. You mumbled a “I’m close.”

“Cum for me, baby.” He said and sooner than you had expected, the heat burst in your abdomen and you came undone over him, your eyes rolling back due to your intense high.  He jutted his hips forward trying to keep the momentum going before you heard him curse as he reached his peak simultaneously. His released inside you, the liquid pouring down the side of your leg. You managed to place one last kiss on his lips, before holding onto his shoulders, trying to make him stop his thrusts as the over stimulation became too much to handle.

You winced as his softened member plugged out from your body, and you moved slowly to sit next to him, your head on his shoulder.

You didn’t say anything for a while, closing your eyes and listening to both your breathing. You began to think about what this meant for you, what this meant for him and how much had changed in just a few minutes’ time.

He turned his towards you, smiling at you.

You looked at him, reciprocating his smile, “What?” you asked.

“Nothing.” He said, placing a chaste kiss on your nose, “I’m so lucky to have you.”

Your smile widened at his cheesy comment, and you replied, “Yeah, you kind of are.”

He let out a small laugh, and asked, “So, does this mean that you’ll stay?”

You looked at his earnest face, his deep dimples and warm eyes. You felt more alive and happy than you had felt in a long time, the constant butterflies in your stomach making you grin. You moved closer to him, hugging him close by placing your hands around his waist and your head on his bare chest. You didn’t miss the feeling of comfort that flooded through you, and you were baffled yet again with all the varying emotions that Kim Namjoon was able to overwhelm you with.

“Yes.” You said and he placed his chin on the top of your head, sighing in relief.

“I’m scared.” He admitted, and you pressed into him softly, nuzzling against him.

“It’s okay to be.” You replied. “You’re human.”

“I’ll figure something out, right?” he asked, and you smiled at how he sounded like a small child who needed reassurances.

“We’ll figure something out.” You corrected him.

“I want to make music.” Namjoon said, and you nodded.

“Okay.”

“I can?”

You laughed, “Namjoon, you can do whatever the fuck you want. You’re free now.”

He placed a kiss on your hair, “Jin hyung and Jihyo are going to kill me.” He noted. Then added, “My parents are going to try to make me come back.” He began stating his piled up problems, “Every media outlets wants me to comment on my situation. The board keeps trying to call me and tell me how much money I cost them.”

You looked up at him, a contemplative look on your face, “Maybe we should run away before any of them can find you.”

He nodded, the smile still etched on his face, “Where do you reckon we would go?”

You shrugged, “I’ve always wanted to see India.”

“Let’s go,” he replied, a glint of excitement in his voice.

“Okay,” you said, lifting yourself up, “But, can we go to the shower first?” You could feel the stickiness on you, and you felt too blissful to be in the right mind to plan an escape.

“Round two?” he winked, standing up and taking your hand before pulling you in the direction of the bathroom.

You smiled at the thought of how natural this felt, and how easy it would be to get used to this. Kim Namjoon didn’t have to be rich, famous and successful for you to love him. He just had to be himself.

You loved him for him, and you never wanted to let go of his hand, no matter how many hardships lay ahead of the two of you.  

[eirenare]

Afterthoughts of FFXV’s 2nd anniversary stream

Okay, so... it’s taken me a while due to a mix of having blurted out my thoughts of how I lived it all on Twitter not much time after the stream (you can read it here, if you’re interested: https://twitter.com/Eirenare/status/1060552739044950022 ) and how much it stings to still think about it, but...

Welp, it was about time I said something about it here.

I’m going to go first with the cons and then the pros...

~ CONS OF THE STREAM ~

I still can’t believe Square-Enix higher-ups took away from us 3 of the 4 promised DLCs (among who knows what amount of stuff beside FFXV that we’ll probably never know about). I just still can’t believe it. With that, they:

— robbed us of and Lunafreya of the spotlight she finally was going to get (because, as much as I love Kingsglaive and she’s a badass there, Lunafreya certainly needed more fleshing out)

— robbed us of the opportunity of kicking asses with Aranea, a freaking badass dragoon knight

— robbed us of seeing more Niflheim, and maybe of seeing Tenebrae

— maybe even robbed us of having Loqi as partner of Aranea if my theory would have been right, or seeing more Ravus, and overall probably seeing more of the other characters of Niflheim

— robbed us of the opportunity of seeing Noctis challenge a freaking fucking cruel fate he didn’t deserve and the cruel fates of the others, to get them all a deserved happy ending

— robbed us and all the characters of said happy fate they deserved after all the amount of shit they had to put up with... which means we may have also seen Nyx and the others alive and happy too

It just STINGS. SO. MUCH. It makes me feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated.

And it strikes me as just SO dumb to cancell these DLCs. They were in production, there was already money invested in them, AND they were going to sell for sure, given their content (more Ardyn backstory? THAT LITERALLY WON THE SURVEY. Playing as Aranea? HIGHLY requested it. Lunafreya getting more fleshed out? HIGHLY requested and was 2nd on the survey, and it was HIGHLY needed. Noctis fighting to give a happy ending to his people? Don’t know how much it was requested, but it was very interesting AND the characters deserved it)... I mean: of all the things they’ve cancelled, couldn’t Square-Enix’s higher-ups AT LEAST leave FFXV in peace and let it end as intended??

They’ve pissed off SO many people with these cancellations... A TON of us. And with reason. It was just disgusting.

I  H O P E  that, as Tabata’s team mentioned, they can at least tell us the stories of the cancelled DLCs in any other ways (anime, manga, online written chapters, whatever it is), but I still don’t want to get my hopes too high because, you know... Because, well, if the CEO and the rest of the higher-ups decided to cancell DLCs that had been advertised for MORE THAN 1 YEAR, and say it in a 2nd Anniversary stream, anything can happen.

And this may feel like it stings a fuckton for us, but the worse part it was Tabata and his team who took it: imagine working with such excitement to make these DLCs come true, to then, after some time in production, being told “nope”. It must have stung SO MUCH to them. They’ve been working to give all of us fans a ton of content after release, specially content that’s been asked for, and what they get is a kick in the groin.

I really hope Tabata has all the luck in this world with his next projects, free from the shackles of a company that’s beeing doing lame for a long time and it just won’t stop doing lame...

And here I hope the actual CEO is replaced, and that the structure of Square-Enix changes. Because if they don’t, I think they’ll be fucked up sooner than later. Also, the dream: all of the amazing people that’s left Square-Enix, making a good company together.

I’d also would like to say that I’m VERY thankful towards Tabata. He’s done an amazing job, and it stings to think that he’s seeing FFXV ending like this, without him being allowed to finish it as he would have liked it. I mean, you saw his last interview, not much time before the 2nd Anniversary stream (I think it was 1-2 months ago)? He was SO delighted talking about his intentions with the DLCs... Not to mention that, if I remember well, he specially wanted to see Lunafreya’s DLC happen, not just because of giving it to the fans, but because he really wanted that a ton.

If Tabata’s resignment really wasn’t him being pressed to go out, I have to say I’d totally understand that he’d go away from the company on his own, given what I’ve said before...

So, thank you for everything Tabata, and the same goes for your team. I wish you all the best of lucks. FFXV has been absolutely crucial to me these last 2 years and it’s given me SO MUCH and helped me so much... This journey’s forever going to be etched in my heart and soul.

And, well... with this, I’d like to move to the good things of the stream.

~ PROS OF THE STREAM ~

Episode Ardyn has me so, SO hyped. Like... Damn, it looks amazing. That trailer alone gave us scenes, gave us a bit of gameplay, and if I was trembling while watching the stream (although I was watching it live in JP so I had to rely on Twitter to know what was going on)? That became SHAKING. I even took my hand to my mouth in a fist and bite a bit on my knuckles.

Just... Poor Ardyn. It was my headcanon that he’d been imprisoned for such an ungodly amount of time at Angelgard, but I couldn’t foresee that they’d show him HANGING FROM CHAINS PIERCING HIS BODY (that was hard, and unexpected in the sense of that scene may be enough to raise the rating even without blood). As in, 2.000 years alone is horrible, 2.000 years alone in a cell is worse, 2.000 years alone in a cell after such traumatic events is even worse, but 2.000 years alone HANGING LIKE THAT?

Oh boy. My poor Ardyn. I wanna hug him even more now...

However, on another tone: now we know how his body really looks like underneath so many layers of clothing, and that HE HAD A PONYTAIL. That ponytail BLESSED ME. I love characters with ponytails SO much.

Also: YOUNG REGIS AND YOUNG VERSTAEL AND OMG  S O M N U S . AND more explorable Insomnia AND during daytime? Sign me up. And the implications of the foreshadowing with Prompto, among other good amount of foreshadowing... A LOT of things make sense now, and I’m sure a lot more about Ardyn’s behavior and words will make sense when the DLC launches. And THE POSSIBILITIES. Imagine if we get to know or, best, see something about Noctis’ mother, Aulea? Or Noctis as a baby? Or, depending on if the DLC features different years, maybe even the Kingsglaive or others? I’m just SO excited.

Maybe they’ll do like they did with Episode Ignis and somehow put multiple endings on Episode Ardyn, too...? Hummm... *thoughtful*

ALSO: anime short movie of Ardyn. ANIME SHORT MOVIE OF ARDYN. I used to say wishfully that what if they were doing an anime of him, AND THEY ARE. Holly. And it’s about the PAST, the way they worded it. Can’t wait for the teasers in December 15th and January!

Imagine just how much hyped I was watching the trailer that it easily overcame my sadness, anger and annoyance of the cancellations for like 2 hours.

Other good things, little but nice, are the FFXIV collab and the clothings for the chocobros (specially Noctis with the cat ears and tail omg, hi at long last Nyactis), and the fact that they haven’t said they’ve cancelled the level editor, which means we could maybe still be getting it... Here’s to hoping.

So, in the end: I’m both in sorrow and excited about FFXV. Sorrow because it’ll end way sooner than expected and not in the expected way, and sorrow because of the cancellations, but excited about Episode Ardyn and its anime prologue.

To finish, I’d like to thank anyone that might have read this post, and wish you a good day (or night)!

*crossing fingers and doing every possible luck ritual in existance so that we may get the cancelled DLCs’ stories at least told in any other media*

Also: I have the feeling I’ve forgotten to say something, but I don’t know abskdng Dx

[f-i-n-d-4]

Memories (Corrupt!Drake’s Origin Story)

Drake’s Story of Corruption below the cut:

Admya belongs to @the-broken--angel

Andrew and Darla belongs to @unrivalled-trio​ 

Seth belongs to @vulcan-and-the-mighty-muses

Drake harshly propelled a rock that had been in his way flying into the air, letting out his frustration by punting said stone. He lets out an angry gruff and shoves his hands into his pockets. He was in an extremely irritable mood; getting into a fight with anyone always put him in such a mood if he wasn’t the one who blatantly asked for one, but getting into quite a nasty fight with Fiona made it 10x worse. Disagreements always came due to their two conflicting personalities and beliefs, but this fight had been quite nasty.

It only started by an innocent question that was asked by Fiona: “Whatever happened to your family?” Of course, she had asked this multiple times before that one, and Drake always politely declined to talk about it. He wasn’t ready to talk about the disappearance of his father and how he yearns to see him again yet wishes he was dead, and the passing away of his mother and how he wishes he could have done more for her was a sore topic...

...the death of his brother and how much it was his fault was the worst one, though.

Usually, the fairy would just groan and ask again with a bit of persuasion, but eventually, understand and leave it. Yet, this time, she didn’t drop it. She continued persisting, and it irked the dragon no matter how much he tried to suppress his annoyance. Why couldn’t she just drop it? He had already told her why he couldn’t answer; he just wasn’t comfortable nor emotionally able to, and she would always understand, so why didn’t she this time? 

He knew there was a sort of glint in her eyes, a shine that he felt himself wanting to describe as desperation, but why would that be the case? What had happened? He found himself wanting to ask, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to. Instead, he continued to refuse her begging, which, for some reason, frustrated her.

She started yelling, and Drake immediately frowned when she did, feeling frustration start to build in himself due to her raised voice. One thing led to another, and the two had started screaming towards each other. Harsh words were exchanged:

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST TELL ME?!”

“WHY THE FUCK DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?!”

“BECAUSE I JUST WANNA KNOW ABOUT YOUR BROTHER AND WHAT YOU THINK OF HIM!”

During the argument, she had started shifting her question from family in general to specifically his brother, and that only made emotions well up in his chest until he exploded.

“WELL HE’S DEAD OKAY?!? I FUCKING KILLED HIM AND HE’S DEAD!! IS THAT THE ANSWER YOU WANT?!?”

And that was it. Silence. He had said it, and boy did he fucking regret it when he did.

He couldn’t remember what her reaction had been, what kind of horrified, disgusted face she must have made when she finally learned the truth. He had immediately bolted out the house when he did, not even looking back as tears of frustration, guilt, grief, and anger welled up in the corner of his eyes. His chest hurt with the amount of these mixed feelings he kept in his heart, and though it had considerably faded away now, he still could feel traces of grief, guilt, and frustration still lingering in him.

It did take quite a bit of time for the pent-up emotions he had suddenly released to finally cease lingering in his chest. Drake lets out a rather loud sigh and finally stops trudging his feet through the foliage to give him some time to actually register where the fuck he was. His eyes scanned his forest surroundings, but…he couldn’t find any inch of it familiar. He had taken walks here and there in the forest that encompassed the circle of land that had been left out from the four kingdoms, but never this deep (plus he hadn’t really registered in his head where he actually headed).

So, letting out yet another tired sigh, he wandered around the forest for some kind of familiarity, his hand clamping around the red jewel pendant around his neck every now and then. 

He probably wandered for quite a number of hours as the next time he looked up at the sky, it was littered with faintly shining stars with the moon being overcast by gray clouds. He had stormed out of the house when the sun was still high up in the sky, surrounded by shades of blue rather than the dark violet-black that enveloped the night sky now. The dragon lets out another sigh and runs a hand through his hair, feelings of regret now bubbling up from the bottom of his chest as his fingers brushed against his two draconic horns. He probably shouldn’t have run so far away from their home like that. He wondered if Fiona or Isabelle or Neville were looking for him, if they actually cared that he hadn’t been back yet…

Drake rustles through his pockets before pulling out the communication device that Neville had handbuilt for him. He tried to tap the screen a couple times, but it didn’t even show a flicker of life. The dragon groaned at his luck; the communicator was dead; out of battery, to be exact, though to be fair, he didn't think he would be able to reach anyone with how thick the foliage around him was. He vaguely remembered Neville talking about invisible waves that could be interfered through thick foliage or some shit like that.

He grumbled curses under his breath before shoving the device back into his pocket. Welp, he really was on his own now. How was he going to get back??

He felt frustration well up from the bottom of his heart as he realized that his surroundings all looked the goddamn same; how was he supposed to find a familiar path? Was he ever gonna get back home? “Fuck!” He suddenly shouts, sloppily picking up a rock and throwing it as hard as he could in his forward direction. It flew with an incredible speed , disappearing between two trees, and Drake’s eyes widen when he could see just a speck of sunlight flicker when the stone goes between the two trees. Confused but carrying a small spark of hope, he cautiously walked towards the trees and made his way between them.

The sight that greeted him once he passed the two trees left the dragon quite speechless. Right in front of him was a huge empty circle of nothing but grass and a few flowers here and there. It felt like a natural field, but also not; it was as if someone had cut down the foliage to create a circular clearing many years ago, only letting some flowers to grow back.

However, that wasn't the only thing that made him completely speechless.

Right in the very middle of the circular field was a statue, a stone statue of a person. A...woman, he thinks? Cautiously, Drake approached the statue, curiosity getting to him but his instincts also flaring up and warning him not to be too careless. He had never seen this field before, and a statue in the middle of it seemed really suspicious, especially if it was a person.

As he approached the statue, he was able to make out more and more details about the statue; judging by the long hair that he could mistake as gray silk and the somewhat curvy physique of the statue, the dragon was fairly sure he could say this statue depicted a woman. She seemed to be wearing a flowy dress, the sleeves of the article of clothing drooping from one of her arms, which was outstretched in...a defensive position? The hairs on Drake’s neck stood up as he felt his instincts remind him once more that something wasn’t right. There was something very wrong with this place, but Drake couldn’t help but feel his curiosity overtake the cautious part of him as he got closer to the statue, though he did resist the temptation to touch it when he got close enough for his fingers to brush against the smooth stone of the statue, and only then did he obey his instincts on not touching an unknown, sketchy statue.

He did, however, walk around towards the front of the statue to get a better look at it. He wanted to know why this woman had her arms outstretched with one hand looking as if it was trying to shield her face while the other was tilted slightly behind her back, as if it--she hadn’t been given enough time to move towards her face before she was turned to stone.

Wait, what?? This  was a statue of a woman, not a woman turned into a statue...right? ‘No, no, it couldn’t possibly be--’ he starts to think as he finally catches sight of the woman’s face, but just a few seconds later, his face drops its nervous, cracked grin and turns a pale shade.

He had seen this face before, he knows whose face this resembles. Okay, more accurately, he had never actually seen seen this person before, but he recognized her, from the similarity. “No, it couldn’t possibly be, there’s no way--” he tries to somehow rationalize his realization by speaking his thoughts out loud, trying to play it down and say he’s wrong, but he knew that he wasn’t wrong, not in this assumption. He knows this face, even if he’d never seen her in person.

Well, he guessed he was seeing her in person now. He turned his head back towards the thick trees. He had to go back now. He needed to tell them this, he needed to tell Isabelle--

“Oh my, aren’t you a good one~” Before he could do anything, however, a distorted voice with an almost echo-y sort of tone to it reverberated through the air, making Drake’s instincts flare up almost immediately, his stance changing to a defensive one as his lips curled into a snarl. His draconic pupils turned into even thinner slits as he turned his head side to side.

“Who was that!?” he growled, eyes darting all over the place, trying to find the source of the voice. “Who the fuck are you?!” His voice slightly echoes across the clearing, but the only response he got was bone-chilling giggles, the sound dissonant and distorted. Drake found himself rather frustrated by the fact that the noise bounced off the trees and thereby made it untraceable, though that didn’t stop him from frantically searching his surroundings. 

He was searching so thoroughly, yet he was caught completely off guard when something heavy and firm suddenly clamped  around his wrists and ankles and shoved him downwards, forcing him into a kneeling position. He winced at the sudden force and struggled against them, his eyes darting behind him to see what had caught him. He frowned heavily and gritted his teeth as he saw clamp-like handcuffs dyed a pure black chaining both his wrists and his ankles together. He turned his back and wildly searched the clearing for any signs of life. “Who the fuck’s there?!? Show yourself, you bastard!” he yelled out into the forest, not only wanting to fight whoever just fucking chained him, but also, perhaps, someone might hear him and help him. Maybe Fiona and the others were looking for him and could hear him...yeah right.

“Now, now, you don’t have to yell so loud~” a distorted voice giggled, and Drake snapped his head to his right, only for the voice to reappear right in front of him. “I’m right here, after all~” The dragon snapped his head towards the voice, his eyes growing wide as he looked up at the person who had him restrained. They were wearing a robe of sorts, one that Drake would assume was one of a wizard’s but...he wasn’t so sure. After all, this person...their skin was a pitch black color, resembling that of coal, or ash. Their hair was an even darker shade of black, and then, their eyes...what should have been white scleras were now a soulless black, and the only thing that he could see in there were a pair of white pupils. He couldn’t tell if they were a girl or a boy, and honestly that was the thing he cared about least at the moment, because this person was…

“A Corrupt…” he breathed. He had only heard of them in stories, tales, history books. There haven’t..there shouldn’t be any more Corrupts, not since The Purge 50 years ago… The Corrupt seemed to know what he was thinking of as a wide grin curled onto their lips, a rather...unnerving one, really.

“Oh, but I don’t look very dead, do I~?” they giggled before leaning closer. “Now, since you’re here and all, let’s look into that little head of yours, shall we~?” they purred before they grabbed a fistful of Drake’s hair and pulled it up towards them, making him yelp in pain. He started to violently thrash in their grasp, yet to no avail. Whatever clamps these were that were holding him down was considerably strong, and even trying to summon his fire did nothing and melt it did nothing. Was it not made of metal? “Won’t you look at me, pretty boy..?” They tugged rather harshly on his hair, and Drake had no choice but to look forward. He opened his eyes and gave them the most intimidating glare he could, his red eyes absolutely burning with a raging fire, yet that flame seemed to flicker when they caught sight of their eyes. His eyes widen as they looked into their bright white pupils, unnerved from the way both of their scleras were dyed a pitch black, yet he found himself unable to look away for a good few seconds, entranced by their almost flashing white pupils before he caught himself and squeezed his eyes tightly shut,  thrashing in their grip once more.

“Fuck-- what did you just do?!” he snapped, opening his eyes to glare at them once more, though this time he made sure not to look into their eyes again. They laugh, and it sounds quite sickening to the dragon.

“Just learning more about you, dear~!” they chirp. “And now that I know more about you…” They leaned forward, and Drake almost immediately recoils from them, his teeth grinding together in anger and frustration. Why couldn’t he get the fuck out of these restraints?!

“Aren’t you just tired of all these memories weighing you down? Weighing down on your potential?” they ask all of a sudden, and Drake’s eyes widen at the words that escaped their lips, the resistance he had slipping for just a moment before he caught himself, letting out a curse under his breath before he started to squirm once more, though it was considerably less so than just a few moments ago. That question they just asked somehow caught his entire attention. It was like, he could feel their words just…infecting his mind and thoughts. His brain felt like it was beginning to turn into mush, and their words started to echo throughout his mind until his surroundings dissipated and his thoughts faded away until all he could think about was their question. Was it because he looked into their eyes?!

“My...memories..?” he mutters, his mind blanking for a quick moment before he caught himself and shook his head. “Fuck, what are you doing to me?!” Drake snarled at them, baring his sharp draconic teeth.

“I'm not doing anything my dear,” the voice purrs, leaning closer to the struggling dragon, “you're just agreeing with me, aren't you?” they whisper quietly into his ear, making Drake’s draconic eyes widen, his head fogging up once more before he shook his head again and headbutted the person.

“Stay the fuck away from me you creep!” he shouts at them, still continuing to struggle under their weird black smoke restraints. They groan and hold their head before glaring at Drake.

“All you dragons are the same,” they spit, and for a moment Drake thought he heard the distortion in their voice grow. “Always violence and stubbornness!” They suddenly disappear in a puff of black smoke, Drake momentarily confused before they suddenly appear right in front of him. His eyes widen and before he could react, the Corrupt suddenly kicks him right in the stomach. Drake doubles over and gasps as the air is knocked out of him, leaving him vulnerable enough for them to grab onto his black red-tipped horns. The dragon’s eyes dilate with shock and he feels a shiver of disgust run down his spine before he thrashes in their grip.

“Let me fucking go!!” he roars at them, their touch feeling absolutely disgusting to his sensitive horns, immediately enraging him as he thrashed against their hold. “Let me go god fucking dammit!”

“Full of colorful language, aren't we?” They chuckle and smirk, their black-skinned hands not even budging as they wrapped their fingers tightly around his horns. “Maybe that's one of the only things I like about dragons; they don't give up without a fight, and yet…” They brush their nails against his horn’s smooth exterior, forcing Drake to let out a choked sound that resembled a mix of a growl and a whimper. “Their weakness is so obvious and so effective.” Drake looks up at them and gives the angriest glare he could, his lips forming a scowl that showed his sharp teeth being ground together.

“Just relax a bit,” they coo, ignoring the harsh glare Drake was throwing their way, continuing to brush their hands up and down his horns, “it feels so good, doesn't it little dragon?” Another faint whimper/growl mix escapes his lips. Their touch was making him feel so tired, which was really odd; he knew for a fact that his horns always reacted negatively when strangers or people he didn't want touching them come into contact with them, and he definitely was not okay with this, so why were they able to induce this level of relaxation and warmth in him when they were a combo of both?

“What...what are you doing..to me…?” he struggles to growl and say, his head feeling increasingly heavy and his consciousness waning. His surroundings were fading in and out, and he felt like he was going to black out soon. The dragon struggles to both keep his eyes open and to fight whatever spell the Corrupt was casting over him.

“Just relax,” they croon, rubbing their blackened thumbs over his horns. The dragon could feel something, something that couldn’t be described but was still something flowing from their hands into his horns. He tries to struggle against them for just a few more seconds, his whole body shaking as he tried to struggle against the spell. However, after a few more moments, his body forcibly slumped in fatigue, his red eyes draining of light and becoming a dull maroon color as he felt his consciousness wane and put him in a half-awake state. “That’s it! Good dragon,” the Corrupt’s lips curl with a bright smile and they compliment the dragon. “Now, I’ll ask again, aren’t you just tired of all these negative emotions you feel because of only your memories?” Their words start to slip into Drake’s mind and settle in there, the woozy dragon slowly bobbing his head up and down to give a nod.

“Yes..so tired…” he murmurs, his voice drowsy. He was truly tired of feeling all the guilt that hits him like a punch to the face whenever he sees or hears something that can merely remind him of his sins. He was tired of all the nightmares and waking up empty and wishing to die. He hadn't’ thought of it until they pointed it out, but he was now convinced that, like this person said, he had so much potential, but he was being held back by his memories of the past.

“Don’t you want to be freed from your memories? Freed from all your restraints from the past? Become whoever you want to be without any guilt from your past to hold you back?” They continue to ask, leaning more and more forward as they continue speaking. Drake’s eyes were still dull and his body still slumped forward before he gave one slow nod.

“Yes…” he murmured, everything feeling fuzzy and blurry. He did want it...to not be restrained..to be free… Why wouldn’t he want that..?

He didn’t see the way their eyes lit up and their grin turn into a wide smirk. “Then I can seal them for you~ So that you can be free, young dragon, but at one cost…” They bring a finger to brush against the underside of Drake’s chin, the dragon still too out of it and under their spell to react. “You will be under my command as payment. But think about it, if you agree, you’ll be free, free from your restraints, the restraints made by your memories...don’t you want that, little dragon?”

“Yes…” Drake murmured, nodding to their question. He did, he did want it. They chuckled and couldn’t hold back the malicious smirk that curled onto their lips.

“Very well~...” They bring a hand down towards his neck, their white pupils glinting as they reach for the ruby-red pendant hanging from Drake’s necklace. “Then, with this precious necklace of yours, you shall be mine.”

Drake’s fingers twitched slightly at their words. His...necklace? His necklace...that was given to him by... his mother… His eyes widened, the light suddenly returning to them before he let out a loud growl and smacked his head against theirs once more just as they tried to touch it, fire welling up in his throat. He wasn’t supposed to use fire against other people, is what he was always taught, but this was self defense. Hot, bright red fire spewed from his lips onto the Corrupt, who screeched in pain as their head was burnt, recoiling from him. “Don’t you fucking dare touch that, you piece of shit!” he yelled, baring his teeth as he found his resistance once more. They angrily glared at the dragon, their white pupils piercing into the dragon’s own. Their hand was over the side of their head that had been burned, which was now a tangle of eery black smoke and a black liquid that dripped down their eyes and face.

“I’M suRPRised YOu SNaPPed OUT of iT,” they growl, their voice a cacophony of echoes that hurt Drake’s ears a bit. “I’m aFRAID yOu’RE tOO LaTE, hOweVER.” Before Drake could even respond to his words, they suddenly dashed forward in a blur of black smoke, gripping his chin harshly and forcefully jerking his head forward. The dragon let out a sharp groan of pain before his eyes blew wide open as the smoke that had surrounded them started to become absorbed into him.

He gasps and cries out in pain as he could feel the black smoke physically crawl into his skin. It hurt, it was like pure acid was crawling through his skin and attacking his insides. His mouth hung open as he gasped for air to somehow relieve him of the pain. He struggled in the black smoke’s grasp, his eyes trailing down and widening to the size of plates at the sight before him. The tips of his fingers were becoming stained with a pitch-black color. He could feel panic and panic and regret intensely grow inside of him as the blackness crept its way to his wrists and then made its way to his forearms. He tried to thrash and struggle, but he could already tell that he was losing consciousness, the edges of his vision filling with black spots. But he didn’t stop struggling, he couldn’t. If he didn’t, he’d..he’d forget everything.

How? How could he have wanted to forget all of his memories? Sure, he definitely had traumatic memories for most of his life, but he didn’t want to forget the many great ones he had recently received, especially the people whom he had made them with.

He wasn’t going to remember Isabelle and how caring she was to him. He wasn’t going to be able to finally tell her how much he appreciated her for being like a sister to an asshole like him, or comfort her like she did to him. She was always better than him in almost every single way, and he wasn’t going to be able to tell her that.

And there was Neville; gods, he wasn’t going to remember his sheer determination for things that Drake wished he had, as well as just how courageous he actually fucking was when he truly put his heart to it.

There was Seth too, he wasn’t going to remember him and his innocence and just how much of a little brother he was to him.

He was even going to fucking miss Andrew and his sister/lover of all damn people, because even if he himself couldn’t understand why, he found himself wanting to discover the good side to him that he thought he had in him, though he didn’t know why he thought that.

Admya, gods, fucking gods, he wasn’t going to remember her, he wasn’t going to remember her kindness, her warmth, her smile, her laugh, her motherly side, her love, everything she meant to him and more.

And then there was Fiona.

There were so many things he could think of her that he’d miss, but the one that stood out of everything in his whirlwind of memories was just, he’d miss her. Everything she is to him, to everyone around her. Her cheerfulness, her kindness, her sincerity. Everything that made her Fiona. Everything that he grew to like about her. He was going to forget it all.

Gods, fuck fuck fuck--

--Not her. He couldn’t forget her. He felt a surge of panic and regret well up inside him at the thought. There were so many things about her that he never ever wants to forget. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her cheerfulness, her determination, her endurance, her bravery, her kindness, her sincerity--everything that she is. Everything that he grew to like about her, he couldn’t, he just--

Not her.

‘I’m so sorry.’

He didn’t know who he was saying that to, but he probably thought it was for everyone that he knew. He was sorry for succumbing to this, for not being strong enough to fight it. He’d take it back if he could, gods did he wish he could. But he couldn’t, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Drake could hear them cackle just as he felt tears prick the corner of his eyes. he felt so weak, so vulnerable, and that only made the weak fire in his stomach spark, but it could only do that: spark. It couldn’t burn into a brighter fire, nor could it help him out of this mess. He knew that, and he knew that he still had a minute piece of pride left in him, but there was something stronger and more valuable to him than his draconic sense of pride.

“Please,” he begs to the person before him, the tone of his voice low and pleading. a tone he had never used even once in his life, not to this extent. “Let me go, I can’t...”

“You can’t what?” they ask, a wicked smirk painted on their lips. They definitely were enjoying having a dragon beg for mercy.

“I can’t lose my memories of my friends,” he whispers, biting back all of his instincts that were screaming at him not to do this. His instincts made it so that he had a sense of pride, but to him, his heart had a stronger priority than his instincts. At least, that’s what he wanted to believe right at that moment.

“Hmm, let me think about it...” they tap their chin in thought for a mere second before glancing at Drake with a broad smirk. “How about NO?” Their eyes turned a pitch black without a hint of light. They let out a malicious cackle of laughter as a spear that looked like it was made of pure shadows accumulated in their hand. The dragon’s face paled and he desperately thrashed with the shadow-like material that was binding him. “Please, it’s USELESS,” the Corrupt laughed. They then held up their spear, the ash-black tip of the weapon aimed right at his pendant. “Now..” they purred, their wicked grin curling back on their face. A weak whimper escaped Drake’s lips from the bottom of his throat. ‘Someone, anyone, please...’ he begged in his mind, his mouth too frozen with fear to actually enunciate his pleading. 

“Say GOODBYE.”

Before Drake could even blink, the Corrupt struck their spear right through his pendant as well as his chest. He let out a voiceless gasp as he felt a sudden surge of pain before his body went cold and his vision was flooded with darkness. As his conscious quickly faded away, so did his regret, even though he tried to hold on to it in the midst of hearing their laughter.

He couldn’t forget Fiona.

He couldn’t forget her.

Not her.

Not her.

Not..her...

Not...

.....................

~♦️♦️♦️♦️~

A boy looked down at a nearby puddle of water with curiosity. He had woken up in an unknown forest with no memory of how he had gotten there in the first place. In fact, he didn’t seem to have a recollection of anything at all.  

He looked down at the puddle with curiosity. A face was reflected back at him, a face where the right side of it was an ashy black, the sclera of his right eye matching in color. Both eyes were a bloody red, though, and horns that protruded from his pitch-black hair was also the same shade of black with no speck of another color even peeking. It was a face that he knew was his, though he..didn’t really realize immediately that it was his own. The realization that he found himself without recollection of any kind left him not scared but actually…pleased. However, when he saw something glint in the reflection of the puddle, he realized that there was one thing that he remembered, if only slightly.

His necklace, with a pendant that gleamed a charcoal-black. It was a contract now, a voice in his head told him. A contract that stated that he was to follow His Master’s will and command, to which the boy immediately found himself complying with. He wasn’t sure why, but he just felt so…delighted to have no memories, to be free without any chains of guilt or grief or sadness to hold him back. This Master of his even gave him a new name, one that he could use to shed him of his former self and use in order to be thought of as a whole new person.

‘From now on, your name is ‘Ryuu’. Do you accept this name?’ 

A smirk slowly formed onto the boy’s lips. “I do, Master,” he happily agrees, standing up from his crouched position. “Ryuu..I accept it.” As he gets back into a standing position, he peers back down to his reflection and clicks his tongue as he ran a hand through his jet-black hair, which did nothing to hide the half of his ash-black face and his inverted eye, which looked pretty out of place compared to the other half of his face. “I’m gonna have to change my hairstyle, huh..” He mused out loud before shrugging, laughter tinged with insanity bubbling up from his throat and flowing through his lips. “Who cares! That actually benefits me. I could make it grow as long as I want, or as short as I want! Because now…”

“...I’ve got no memories to hold me back.”

As the newly Corrupt dragon let out another hysterical laugh, a shadow watched from the distance, a wide, maniacal smirk curled onto their lips as they looked to the small, circular device in his hands, which started to light up and function.

[taesbetch]

To Own A Hybrid P.7

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff (eventual smut) Hybrid!AU Cat!AU

Summary: The hybrid world was one y/n never really involved herself in; however, after certain events, she is tossed into a world of uncertainty in the company of a particularly rude hybrid.

Word Count: 2.6K +

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short but its kinda just an introduction to the next chapter coming up and the shit that's about to unfold, I mean what who said that...:)

WARNING: Mentions of abuse, emotional torment, and prostitution

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8

“do you need to pee?”

You stopped your wriggling as Jungkook’s raspy voice blessed your ears.

Your eyes were still stinging from the sudden light, but you were determined to start the day early.

“no, but we’ve got stuff to do and people to see” you answered as you continued your wriggling.

Jungkook hissed before rolling over and pulling you on top of him.

“just stay here for a minute” he mumbled as he wrapped his other arm around you and parted his legs so yours could fit in-between them.

You let out an estranged noise before resting your head on his chest enjoying the comfortable silence; Jungkook’s extra warmth quickly spread through your body as Jungkook slowly ran his hand up and down your back.

You took in the feeling of his firm body underneath yours before closing your eyes and letting the sound of his heart beat relax you. the gentle touch of his hand running up and down your back sent shivers down you-

*ring ring*

your eyes shot open before both you and Jungkook groaned in frustration.

The phone was gripped so tightly in your hand as you pressed the accept button, the urge to just let it ring and ignore it was so strong.

“Namjoon?” you asked grungily, your body half of a needy Jungkook.

As you detached yourself and sat up in order to talk to him properly Jungkook whimpered and tried in vain to grab at you again.

“hey! sorry but did you have plans today?” Namjoon asked nervously.

“just a few…but why?” you asked curiously.

“I was wondering if you and Jungkook would like to come around- ya know for the hybrids, like for them too bond and…all that stuff” Namjoon stated in a rush.

It took you a minute to process before you understood what he was saying.

Ignoring Jungkook’s shouts of protest you agreed to Namjoons’ proposal before ending the call.

Slowly, you turned to your now angered hybrid before shooting him an apologetic grin.

“I’m not going” he stated coldly before grabbing the sheets and chucking it over his head.

You groaned before throwing your body over his too start the pleading and begging.

“kookie! I can’t say no to Namjoon! And taehyung and Yoongi are sweet, you’ll like them eventually! Come on, please! Try? For me?” you pleaded as you managed to pull the covers off him enough to see his face.

He stared at you for a second as you pouted you lips and continued silently pleading.

“an hour. Max” he grunted before rolling his eyes and pulling the covers back over his head.

You squealed in joy before having a brief fight for the blanket to be removed again so you could plant a kiss on his forehead.

---

“you made it!” Namjoon rejoiced as he opened the door.

“we weren’t sure if we were supposed to bring anything” you stated as the two of you made your way through the familiar space.

“that’s okay! I just figured it would be good for Jungkook to be around other hybrids, ya know, keep him…hybrid..ee” Namjoon stumbled trying to find the right words.

You and Jungkook looked at each in confusion before projecting the feeling onto Namjoon. Almost on cue, your body was attacked with warmth and love.

You let out a shout of surprise before returning the hug to the overjoyed hybrid.

“y/n! I missed you so much! Come see my collection of butterflies!” he chirped excitedly causing you to laugh at his incredible energy.

Jungkook’s obvious objection to this whole visit was weighing on your shoulders as you tried to enjoy the company of your friend and his hybrids; You gave him a small nudge with you elbow as taehyung pleaded him to follow.

“y/n, I’d actually like to talk to you about something” Namjoon whispered before tilting his head in the direction of his hybrid haters fighting room…or his office, that would be a better name for it.

“what’s up?” you whispered as followed him inside.

“it’s about the S.T.M we think we’ve found the home base. We just need Mr. So’s laptop” he stated strongly as you both sat down. Startled by the attack of information you quickly tried to process what he was saying.

You panicked for a moment before remembering that you still had Mr. So’s laptop…and jimin’s information and evidence of him helping Mr.So is most probably still on said Laptop.

“did I not give it to you?” you asked slowly as your eyes narrowed.

Namjoons mouth gaped in confusion as his eyes narrowed back at you.

“I don’t think you did?” he questioned. You nodded your head before clearing your throat awkwardly “well I’ll just check when I get home” you answered.

“anyway, so you think you’ve found the Homebase?” you asked curiously as you started swaying in your chair.

“not just the Homebase, the leader as well” Namjoon said seriously as he typed away on his computer.

“what the fuck” you blurted out as a picture of a beautiful woman popped up on your screen. She was thick and have curves to slay the gods, her hair was as dark as night and her cheek bones were strong and carved.

“yep. That’s her…we don’t know her name though, just have a face” he sighed sadly.

“do you know others? Like who else is she working with?” you asked as he flicked through computer files.

“we have put together a list of suspects from big companies such as apple and Samsung who we think might be in on it…but there are so many of them..it’s hard to tell. We managed to get pieces of information from Mr. So. Shes apparently competitive, is an only child so she isn’t fond of sharing and is thirsty for money…so…not much information” Namjoon stated.

“but…I don’t get it. What do they get out of this?” you asked softly as you stared at all the cases involving hybrid harm.

“the hybrid industry is straight cash. It’s disgusting but it sells” he explained as he turned towards you.

“Namjoon…how the hell did you even get into this?” you asked curiously.

His eyes bored into yours sending you a signal that it’s a very long story, one you probably don’t want to get into.

He shrugged nonchalantly before turning his head back to his computer “you really don’t want to know” he whispered before printing off a picture of the ring leader and handing it to you.

“Namjoon…come on please?” you pleaded gently trying not to force him into telling you his story but asking enough so he knows you’re interested in it.

“er..okay, but promise you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. not even my hybrids know this” he whispered as he pulled his chair closer to yours.

Your eyes peaked with interest as he took several deep breaths.

“my…mother was half hybrid” he stated.

You almost screamed a ‘no fucking way’ in his face as the words he had stated were something no human would usually hear.

Half hybrids were not common. Not common at all. The genetics of a human mixed in with a hybrid wouldn’t work as a hybrid is already half human, therefore the human side would almost always. It’s said ‘almost always’ because there are rare cases of hybrids being born from a human and a hybrid; but the child would either be fully hybrid of fully human. Never half hybrid.

“I watched her battle for hybrid rights for years. She became a symbol of hope for those who had none…and she became a target for those who revelled in hatred and death” he explained calmly.

“now she’s gone…and it’s my turn” he continued a fire of determination burning in his eyes.

“ya know, when you sat at the back of the library even after you had graduated I never thought this was what your future would be like” you admitted with a small smile on your face.

Namjoon laughed whole-heartedly before placing his hand on your head.

“and when you stumbled into our office with a box full of stickers I didn’t expect this to be your future either” he retorted making you smile widely.

“hey, those stickers were useful okay!” you defended as he removed his hand from your head.

“I’m proud of you, Jungkook seems to have opened up to you rather quickly” he stated as his dimple revealed itself.

“I think were a lot a like me and him. Obviously very different. But still alike” you shrugged.

“I guess people are just more likely to open up to people who remind them of themselves” Namjoon said thoughtlessly.

You nodded along in agreement as your train of thoughts wondered elsewhere…

People are more likely to open up to people who remind them of themselves

“should we go check on the hybrids?”

“mmm probably”

-----

Jungkook wanted to die. He just didn’t want to be alive anymore.

Taehyung had Jungkook sitting right against the arm of a couch as he showed him all sorts of butterflies in jars.

Yoongi watched in joy as jungkook’s face twitched with annoyance.

“I call this one smoochi- Y/n!” taehyung called as you and Namjoon entered the frame.

Jungkook jumped up with the speed of a god at the sound of you name leaving taehyung lips.

A look a relief and anger crossed his face as he started walking towards you.

“oh, wait you cant leave just yet! I made lunch!” Namjoon chirped excitedly.

“you, made lunch?” you asked in utter shock, ignoring jungkook’s tugging at your shirt.

“what is that supposed to mean?” He asked offended as jungkook’s tugging got more aggressive.

“it sounds great…but we really have to go” you said apologetically.

A sound of relief released from Jungkook before he started dragging you to the door with no hesitation.

“wait! Please don’t go just yet!” Namjoon pleaded as taehyung passed him the tray of lasagne he had just made.

“look!” he said proudly as he showcased the beautifully cooked lasagne.

You let out a whine before gathering all the pleading you could into a single look towards Jungkook.

His eyes were cold and even though the smell of the lasagne was clearly getting to him.

--

“I can’t believe we stayed for lasagne”

You sighed in pure happiness as the taste of homemade food floated around your mouth.

“so, you and Namjoon found the leader of S.T.M?” Jungkook asked as you decided to take a short cut under the bridge instead of through the highway.

“yer! Hang on I have a picture of her somewhere” you said as your hand slipped into your pocket and you silently thanked god that no one ever takes this route.

As the car exited the bridge and back into sunlight a sudden shout from Jungkook caused you to stop it abruptly.

“what the fuck!” you shouted as Jungkook exited the car angrily.

“Jungkook!” you called as you joined him outside.

“That’s her! Kim soojung! That’s the bitch I was telling you about!” Jungkook yelled. Worry and panic swirling in his eyes.

Your eyes widened with shock before your body was filled with more fuel to bring the bitch down.

“Jungkook! This means you can get justice! It’s like killing to birds with one stone!” you chirped

“no! Y/n you don’t understand! She’s a phycho bitch!” he yelled frustratingly as the wind picked up with his temper.

“That’s why we need to bring her down Jungkook, if she’s doing what she did too you-“you started but he cut in, not letting you finish your sentence.

“don’t start with that bullshit! You suddenly start hanging out with that cocky shit and suddenly your Orpah!” he yelled angrily.

“Don’t talk about Namjoon like that! And no! I don’t think I’m Orpah I just think that if I can help I should! What’s wrong with that!” you yelled back, starting to get angry too.

“JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR ONCE! YOU. WILL. DIE! SHES NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING OR ANYONE! GOD! CAN’T YOU GET THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD!” he shouted before ripping up the picture and taking off quickly through the weeds towards the pathway along the lake.

“jung-ugh!” you shouted before taking off running after him.

“YOU CAN RUN BUT ILL JUST KEEP RUNNING AFTER YOU!” you shouted as the distance between the two of you grew. Jungkook turned around in shock as he watched you catch up to him.

The calmness of the lake and warm gleam of the sun was a perfect contrast to the current situation you were in.

“what are you doing?” he asked, his breathing fine as if he didn’t just sprint kilometres.

“what the fuck…does it look…like, Jesus, that was a lot” you huffed as you tried to calm your racing heart and ragged breathing.

“you…chased me?” he asked is surprise as he watched you carefully a hint of worry that you might drop dead.

“what did you expect me to do?! Watch you run off into the distance dramatically and wait for you to come home by yourself because you need time? Bullshit. This isn’t a movie” you explained harshly.

“well, what the fuck do you want me to say?!” he blurted in frustration.

“talk to me! What’s the problem?!” you asked, annoyance and tiredness dripping from your voice.

“I just…I finally have someone. You’re annoying and you’re loud and you think your funny but you’re actually just not-“ He started.

“wow thanks”

“but…I don’t know, your mine. I don’t know how to explain it but its just nice. I like waiting for you to come home, I like it when we just watch movies or when you wake me up because you need to fucking pee. Don’t ruin this for me y/n! I have someone who actually cares about me…and if you’re not here, then there’s no one! I have no one without you!” he exclaimed.

Standing opposite him you watched as tears rushed down his face, the light from the sun making them sparkle with life and emotion. His eyes were filled with so many unsaid words and such vulnerability that your knees shook at the mere sight.  

“jungkook..” you whispered as you approached him slowly.

As you got closer jungkooks arms hesitantly reached out to grab you, his bottom lip quivering from the need of contact.

“Im not going anywhere” you whispered gently as you wrapped your arms around his torso and laid your head against his chest.

Almost instantly Jungkook wrapped his arms around you, bringing you closer to his body “y/n, she’s pure evil…please, promise me you won’t go near her” he pleaded as he buried his head into your neck.

You whined as you nuzzled your head into his shoulder.

“please”

“fine…I won’t” you sighed.

Jungkook hummed in content as he held you even tighter.

“aww you’re such a softie” you teased as you brought you hand towards his ears, giving them a good scratch.

“shut u-uhhh- shut up” he struggled as he purred in delight.

“ I guess we really are kinda sort not really alike” you chuckled as you pulled away from him.

You gasped before playfully slapping jungkook’s arm “OH MY GOD!” you shouted as your mind was processing its current mind blow.

“people open up to people who are like themselves, people trust people who are like themselves, people work with people who remind them of.them.selves” you stated excitedly.

“that’s it! That’s how Namjoon has to narrow down his list! Jungkook! We can help and still be not involved but really involved at the same time!” you chirped excitedly.

Jungkook looked at you with complete confusion.

“Namjoon said he was only able to get information about what she’s kinda like and…with you, he could get even more information. Then he just has to compare each personality of those he suspects and boom! There’s his main suspects” you explained excitedly.

“okay…okay that one we can do…but we’ll be very far from the actual thing when it goes down. Very very very very far! Okay?” Jungkook stated.

“yes, very far, now come on! We got shit to do and thoughts to spill!” you exclaimed grabbing his hand and skipping your way back to the car.

ANOTHER A/N: I just want to thank everyone for all the sweet messages and comments on these chapters!!! it makes me feel so loved and it makes me so happy that you guys are enjoying this as much as i enjoy writing it. sometimes it gets hard to continue writing cause im a self counsious betch and thinks no one will read my mess that i call a fanfiction so honestly, thank you xx 

[seekthemist]

Day 1 ~ Something old // Something new // Something borrowed

A.K.A.: That AU where Adam accidently acquires Niall’s leather jacket in a charity shop. (T-Rated)

Written for @pynchweek, flash-betaed by @interropunct. Paging: @cabeswaterlovesthem, @picapicae and @actuallymollyweasley as they asked to be kept updated (I’ll tag whoever asks me, feel free!)

You can also read this on Ao3!

                                                         ***

The cheerful dangling of the bells above the doorframe matches in a weirdly euphonious way with a string of swear words, more convoluted than Adam has ever heard in his life. He lets the door close behind him and mentally prepares to assess the situation critically.

Two young men stand in front of the cashier counter, and even though Adam knows Blue is on shift today they are both so tall he can't possibly spot her over their shoulders. Adam wouldn't particularly worry about the shortest one — all curly blond hair, fidgety shoulders and a placid aura palpable even without seeing his face — but the one beside him is a different story: dressed completely in black, the guy is built like a brick house, hair buzz-cut and tattooed skin that flexes with nervous tension.

Not reacting with prejudice and distrust when faced with stereotypically threatening features has been the work of years, for Adam, but in this moment he can't really pin the rising scowl on his face to his idiosyncrasies. Not with a wanna-be biker — if not an actual one — swearing like a sailor towards his best friend.

“Sir, please understand that this is a charity shop, and that I’m not emotionally involved in the situation,” the deeply unimpressed voice of said best friend pipes up. “Quite frankly,  I don’t give a damn.”

“Wh...what the fuck?” the wanna-be biker stutters, evidently taken aback by Blue’s unique approach to customer service. Or maybe by the Gone with the Wind reference, it’s difficult to tell.

The blond guy snorts out a laugh and the tension is suddenly broken.

When the wanna-be biker turns to face the other man, his profile is unexpectedly young and full of sharp edges smoothened by some degree of embarrassment. “Don’t laugh, shithead, are you pairing up with the enemy?”

“Sure, ‘cause I’m the enemy now,” Blue’s epic eyeroll is almost hearable from her words. “Look, I’ve been really trying to help you, I even gave you back most of the stuff back.”

“And you really can do nothing about the fucking leather jacket?” Wanna-be biker asks, tuning down the swearing for a second.

“I told you, it has been sold already,” Blue sighs deeply.

Adam looks down at himself and at the new-old jacket that Blue had convinced him to buy just yesterday. It’s a sturdy item of well-worn black leather, remarkably preserved for something you can find in a charity shop; it must have cost half a fortune, back in the day, because even now falls elegant — if not a bit too large — around Adam’s shoulders. Suddenly, he is stuck with the possibility that it is still worth a small fortune, in the vintage market, and maybe that’s the reason the wanna-be biker wants it back after having made an ill-advised donation.

“Ronan, I’m sorry, if I hadn’t mixed up the boxes…” the blond guy pipes up, apologetical and distraught in a way that halts Adam’s train of thought in its tracks. The wanna-be biker — Ronan — sighs and shakes his head, “It’s fucking fine, Matthew, I should have left you better labels.” For all his general rudeness, there is a carefulness in his tone that captivates Adam’s attention more than any random eavesdropped conversation should.

He abandons his spot by the door, where all the commotion had made him invisible, and takes a couple of steps forward. “Are we talking about this jacket?”

Both Ronan and Matthew turn on their heel, in complete synch, and whatever moment Ronan had been having gets swallowed by an unapproachable frown. He squares Adam up and down, plush mouth thinning while taking in the jacket. “Yes, exactly that one.”

“Adam!” Blue calls, finally appearing at the counter now that the two guys moved out of the way. She’s dressed with an oversized t-shirt that evidently used to be two different pieces of clothing sewn together and her hair are a madness of fluorescent clips. “I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon!”

“Well, apparently I came just in time for a jacket crisis,” Adam tries to joke, making his way towards the cashier position.

He gets intercepted by Ronan charging imperiously towards him, wallet flashing in his hands. If he had been tall to see from the other side of the shop, Ronan is even more imposing at this distance, with sharp blue eyes and an impossible jawline highlighted by an obvious gnashing of teeth. There is no way he’s more than a couple of years older than Adam, if any, but the way he flashes his wallet open is reminiscent of many things, but not of a peer.

“I’m gonna need that back,” Ronan states, aggressively. There are more notes than what would be immediately countable, in his wallet, and several shiny credit cards. “So how much do you want? Let’s get this fuckery over with.”

Whatever sympathy Adam had felt from the interaction with Matthew disperses faster than the helium from a popped balloon. He gives Ronan a glacial once-over. “Who says I’m gonna give it back?”

Unabashed anger builds up on Ronan’s face like a wave. “Are you fucking kiddin— “

“Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Matthew interjects, talking over Ronan and almost pushing him out of the way with a vicious elbow in the ribs. It’s a net contrast with his innocent doe eyes and the angelic curls, whose effect is not completely neutralized regardless. “Ronan didn’t mean to be rude — even though he is. It’s my fault, I gave away the wrong box and now you’ve got our father’s jacket…”

“Matthew, that’s none of his business!” Ronan snarls, but none of the violence his posture oozes is directed towards him.

“Well, if we want the jacket back maybe he wants to know way, no?” Matthew replies, between air-headed oversharing and candid logic.

Witnessing the scene, Adam is stuck with the sudden realization that they are brothers, even though they look as different as day and night. He shouldn’t like other people’s stories and random displays of personality traits as much as he does, but it still serve to quench some of his annoyance over the money business.

“Still don’t want your money,” Adam stresses, the words more familiar in his mouth than he would like them to be. He crosses his arms, and he can see both brothers eyes tracking the movement of his hands over the old — familiar — leather. “This is a charity shop, you know? Taking back your stuff is already a mess.”

Blue, some feet away, does nothing to defuse Adam’s statement and even nods emphatically at the concept.

Ronan’s expression gets even darker and Adam’s blood soars in his vein, with something more complicated than the adrenaline before a fight. This guy really irks him in all the possible ways.

“So what the hell do you want? Because I still want the fucking jacket back,” Ronan counters, piercing two holes through Adam with his eyes. When Adam doesn’t cower and just stares back, unblinking, the line of Ronan’s plush lips gets even  tighter.

“Then…” Adam starts, the tension between them almost palpable like pinpricks on his skin, making him reckless, “...there might be something you can make yourself fucking useful with.”

                                                        ***

Collaborating to an experimental research on neurology and cognitive resilience isn’t a regretful experience, academically speaking, but it has proven more frustrating than Adam would have thought when he joined it. The participants is on voluntary basis and there is no compensation for the time spent on their tasks and tests, so it would be unfair to resent undergraduates already burdened with jobs for bailing out. It is less unfair to resent the other type of undergraduates  — the one that are evidently well-off and for whom the burden of student debt doesn’t exist at all — for looking Adam and the study outline with obvious disregard before binning it. Considering the effort that he put in this whole ordeal, spending weeks trying to find the last person necessary to have a statistically relevant pool has been the proverbial cherry on top.

All things considered, no one should really blame him for bending the ethics a bit and “gently coaxing” Ronan — Ronan Niall Lynch, 24, born in Henrietta, resident in Henrietta — to take part. Having the leather jacket back was more than everyone else was getting, after all.

At the beginning, Ronan sits in sulking silence performing tasks on a tablet with the programs set up for the research. They rarely speak, as Ronan is still somehow convinced he’s being psychoanalysed even though they are meeting in a quiet coffee shop that doesn’t resemble an office at all. Adam drinks enough coffee for the both of them, Ronan sticks to sparkling water.

“I sleep like shit,” Ronan admits, some days in, “I can’t drink coffee.”

“Why not try some not caffeinated tea, then?” Adam suggests, looking up from some of the reports he’s correcting as a TA.

Ronan makes a weird face that it’s not exactly disgust. “I asked, but they only have peppermint.”

Adam can’t refrain from storting. “Why are you so outraged by peppermint?”

“Jesus Christ,” Ronan passes a hand on his buzzed-cut scalp and looks away from Adam. “You would be as well if you knew someone that is constantly munching on it. And I do, okay?”

That’s how Adam learned about Richard “Dick” Gansey, that at some indefinite point in their lives must have been a roommate for the unapproachable guy that Ronan is. Somehow, that opens more tentative — sometimes half-baked — conversations, that leave Adam wondering if Gansey is more Ronan’s teenage crush or his found brother.

                                                        ***

By the end of the week, Ronan had completed all the task with their developed app. He insisted that he would be shit in all of them and screw up Adam’s dataset, but, alone in his house at night and tabulating his results, Adam found himself staring at some weirdly creative, surprisingly emotional responses to seemly inane tasks.

The upside is of course that in the meantime he managed to convince Ronan that no, he’s not a shrink, as I’ve been telling you for the beginning. At last, they manage to start the questionnaires. It’s from those that Adam learns that Ronan left school before graduating high-school, because Matthew’s memory problems can be a bit more serious than just mixing up a box and the third Lynch brother — Declan, more commonly known as “that asshole” — was already doing to well in university to make it worth leaving.

“I’ve always been shit as school, after all, I was already more out than in,” Ronan says, the word school pronounced with such obvious disregard it sounds like it personally offends him.

At that point, Adam feels weirdly compelled to tell him that he can’t really sympathize, considering how much school saved his life — between free meals, properly heated rooms, time away from home, scholarships, a way out. Ronan looks at him intently, as if hearing more than Adam is actually saying, and Adam’s skin prickles, again.

There were no Mr and Mrs Lynch, their only obvious leftover the impressive amount of money that always fill Ronan’s wallet. Adam feels a pang of guilt in his chest about how easily he keeps holding the leather jacket at stake for this whole ordeal.

A better man would call it quits now and give the memorabilia back. Adam, that always tries to be the best version of himself and never latched on stereotypical traits to follow, does not. Whatever Ronan was expecting from him, it might not be this; weirdly, he seems to prefer it.

“Do you speak any other languages?” Adam asks, going through the second folder of questions at the end of the second week.

“Does latin count?”

Adam raises his eyes with a pointed expression, “What did I say about bullshitting the answers to this stuff?”

“I’m not bullshitting, I’m serious! Does it count?” Ronan insists, too earnest for the prank of a moment. He doesn’t, Adam found, tend to lie.

“Are you seriously telling me you’re fluent in latin?” Adam looks at him, still not writing anything down.

Ronan shrugs, in all his bulky threatening wanna-be biker glory. “Fronti nulla fides?”

Adam, with his years as a scholarship student, can’t help but laugh at hearing Juvenal quoted in a pondering, conversational tone. Ronan, for the first time in two weeks, smiles broadly and without sharp edges. It’s weirdly difficult to look at him like this, so Adam just writes the answer down.

                                                        ***

On Monday, inexplicably, Ronan decides to pick Adam up from the campus, since he was apparently on his way over before their coffee shop meeting. Apparently, he is not a biker, not even a wanna-be one, and actively distrusts motorcycles with all his heart. The irony is not lost to Adam, especially in the moment Ronan starts driving and he looked every inch a racer.

“I kind of used to do that, in high school, you know,” Ronan says, nonchalant, and Adam finds himself losing it again.

While looking around the BMW — honestly impressive, well-kept but with a general clutter that Adam intimately defines very Ronan before quickly shutting that same thought off — Adam spots a pack of beef strips, a happy dog lolling his tongue on the package.

“Honestly, you don’t look like a dog person,” he considers, looking up at Ronan.

“What the fuck are you talking about now, Parrish?” Ronan clips out, rude as usual but not really aggressive. He follows Adam’s gaze down towards the small pockets close to the sticks, and snorts. “That’s not for a dog. That’s for my raven.”

“Your what, now?”

“A raven, Parrish. Black, sleek, they stare a whole fucking lot and they caw?”

“I know what a raven is, Lynch, but are you telling me you’ve got one?” Disbelief paints every one of Adam’s words once again.

“Her name is Chainsaw,” Ronan replies, matter-of-factly. It’s such a Ronan thing, once again, that Adam can only laugh, chin tilting upwards. He can feel Ronan’s eyes following him, even though he’s supposed to look at the road. “I don’t have pictures, ask Matthew. And don’t try to pretend you don’t have his number, I know he gives it to basically everyone.”

Adam snickers, head turning against the headrest. He catches Ronan’s eyes and, uncharacteristically, Ronan holds his gaze, with a little lopsided smile, until the traffic light flashes green again.

                                                        ***

“You want to be a farmer?”

“Shut the fuck up, Parrish! The Barns — the family house, I mean — it’s basically a farm already!”

“Do you even know what farming entails?”

“I grew up surrounded by cows, for fuck’s sake, drop the distrusting tone.”

“Surrounded by — Jesus. You’re unbelievable, Lynch.”

“Yeah, you’re an asshole as well, Parrish.”

                                                        ***

It takes them a whole month, at the end, to go through Adam’s folder of questionnaires, mostly because Adam catches himself slowing down on the pace, chatting about unrelated stuff anytime Ronan feels like talking and letting himself be dragged into other activities when Ronan just feels like showing him something.

On the very last day, he closes his folder with a definitive sigh, just as the coffee shop is starting to close.

“Okay, this is it. Thank you for your time, Lynch, I hope I wasn’t too similar to a shrink,” Adam says, looking at the cars passing by and without looking at Ronan, who stands in front of him on the pavement outside the shop. In the corner of his eyes, he can see Ronan fidgeting with the leather bands on his wrist, probably fighting hard not to bring them to his mouth. When no answer comes, he sighs again, and starts to take the leather jacket off.

He doesn’t know why he put him on in the first place, while going out. It’s stupid, and impractical, and he just ends up fighting with his backpack full of notes to free his shoulders.

Ronan’s hands enter his personal space suddenly, grasping at the two sides of the open jacket. He is impossibly close to Adam, like this, looming from almost five inches above. In the artificial lights and shadows cast by the streetlights, the look in his eyes is weirder than Adam dares to address.

“Jesus, Lynch,” he murmurs, trying for levity. “Give me a second, I’m giving it back. A deal is a deal.”

The grip on the leather intensifies, Adam can feel the pull from under his armpits.

“You could borrow it,” Ronan clips out, through gritted teeth. It’s difficult not to look at him, now.

“I could what?” Adam murmurs, the back of his mind whispering treacherous ideas for this moment, even while his rationality refuses to jump to conclusions.

“Borrow it. We keep meeting, you keep the jacket.” Trust Ronan to be able to be aggressive regardless of the content of his words.

“You want to keep meeting,” Adam repeats, lacking eloquence and feeling strange in his stomach. He wants to raise his hands, maybe meet Ronan halfway, but somehow he can’t.

“Are you having a doctor-patient good-fucking-practice breach, Parrish?”

Ronan’s tone sounds like he’s steeling himself for rejection and the grip of his hands is loosening, slowly. Abruptly, Adam finds that he can’t stand it. He takes half a step forwards, right into Ronan’s arms. For all the rigorous logic Adam has built the foundations of his life on, he can’t talk it over, now, he can’t calm the queasiness in his stomach. He can just lean forward, and kiss Ronan.

It’s nothing like what he expected and everything like what he should have guessed at the same time.

Ronan jumps under the contact and doesn’t avoid it even though he must have seen it coming. His lips stay uncertain for a second and then he exhale softly, tilting his head to the side to make the kiss more solid, still testing the waters. It’s as careful as every sideways glance he has ever reserved to Adam, and Adam himself can’t stand it.

He opens his mouth and licks over Ronan’s lips — because he has to, because he watched them in all their tilts and quirks and still doesn’t know what they taste like.

Ronan’s breath jumps again, but he opens his mouth nonetheless, dragging Adam close by the jacket again. Whatever nervousness Adam was still harbouring dissolves in a weird spark of lights under his closed eyelids while the kiss turns wet, deep. Where Adam is methodic, exploring, Ronan is a wild aimless chase for an undefined something. The net result is weirdly matched kiss that clicks perfectly with that unplaceable itch that Ronan provokes with his sole existent. It feels better than any first kiss between two almost-strangers has the right to be.

An ambulance passes by, loud, obnoxious and everything they need to remember where they are.

Adam leans back, but the world is weirdly hyperfocused on Ronan’s face nonetheless, when he opens his eyes. Ronan smiles and bends down after him, pressing their forehead together. It’s an unseemingly soft smile, and Adam is stuck with the realization of how many private Ronan Lynch’s expression he can’t even imagine yet.

He catches himself smiling back, while saying the only thing he could possibly say, now.

“Yeah...Yeah, I’ll borrow it.”

[satansoori]

Annoyed Angel

(BTS Suga Shorts) PART 3

Genre: Semi smut, Comedy-Romance (inspired by Jin and Yoongi, Best Roommate)

Author: tedryse

Summary: Y/N finds out how Suga isn’t such an innocent angel.

Tags: Make-out session, heated session, inappropriate touching, dirty thoughts (from an angel) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“Are you having wet dreams about me?”

He inhaled sharply. What was he supposed to answer to her? He surely will be fired in any minute now. Okay, just lie and say no. Accept your punishments, Suga. You can do this.

He took a deep breath again. Say no. One, two, three–

“Yes.”

His eyes widens in fear, and Y/N scoffed. “What?”

“Um uh… Yes?” For the love of–

Suga mentally slapped himself, clearly embarrassed. Why did I say that?! Ugh, if only I could curse. I swear I will fu--no. No.

Y/N awkwardly head to her study table, getting her files. Suga glared at her, “Ugh, just--just go already.” She nods, her eye twitching in disgust. Can an angel like him have those wet dreams? Isn’t that illegal for them? Christ...

Suga sat straight and tched. Y/N smirked, an idea running to her mind. She slowly walked towards him, and leaned in. He stares at her, gulping as his groin area twitched. She bites her lip, staring at his own lips. Then, 

“Yah, are you crazy?” Y/N leaned back a little, giving him a confused look. “What--” he suddenly flapped his wings, pushing Y/N away in the process and covered himself with it. “You’re going to be late. Just go already, you’re annoying me.”

Y/N huffed, slightly smirking at her victory. “Yeah, I’m going.” She head to the door, “Don’t dream of me being naked under your body again, alright?” She said over her shoulder. She can hear Suga move and she quickly opened the door. “Bye, Yoongi! Don’t miss me too much!”

Suga let out a frustrated groan. “UGH! I REALLY WANT TO CURSE!!”

Suga threw the grape at the air, and swiftly caught it with his mouth. “Yah, stop talking about that Hoshi guy already. I really don’t care.” I actually do, but it irritates me how you always talk about him every single day. He’s not even your boyfriend. He rolls his eyes.

Y/N went red, covering her mouth. “Was I rambling again?”

“Duh.”

She crossed her arms, “You know, you should probably learn how not to be rude 24/7.”

“I can’t. Because I’m with you 24/7.”

Y/N narrowed her eyes, “Touché.”

Suga threw another grape at the air, and again catching it with his mouth. “How’s your grades? Still top one?” Y/N raised an eyebrow, a smile creeping up to her lips. “Wow, never knew you actually cared about it.”

“Oh please. I have to check it, because if you don’t have grades like that, I’ll be dead.” He gave her a lazy look, “I’ll probably get fired.”

Y/N laughs, “Okay? Considering that He can probably hear you and know your sexual--” Suga covered his ears, “Ah ah, stop! I already had a talk with him last week! Stop bringing it up!”

Y/N puts her hands up in surrender. “Sheesh, sorry. But, yeah. My grades are still the same.” Suga waved his hand in annoyance. “Yeah, great job.”

“Hey, I have a question,”

“Ugh, what is it now?”

“Is having wet dreams against the rules? Because I know you’re always having one and He can always know what you’re thinking.”

“...Stop it.”

“Or what if... Boners? What does He tell you when--”

“AH STOP STOP!”

Y/N bursts into her bedroom, closing the door behind her with full force. She wasn’t angry, no. She was just really excited. “Suga! I’ve got great news! I got another scholarship from my first pick, and I--Suga?”

She stopped her sentence, “Suga?”

Suga was cowering at the corner of her room, shaking. His head was on his knees and he was sniffing. Something’s wrong... Where was his wings? Y/N slowly made her way to him, reaching her hand out to touch his shoulder. “Suga...?”

He whimpered loudly, shaking his head. “Y-Y/N...”

That was when Y/N saw the blood on his hands and shirt. Feathers were scattered on the floor, surrounding him. “Suga, what’s all this--”

Realization then hits her, “Your wings...”

Suga looked up at her, his eyes swollen. “T-they took it, Y/N. I... I wasn’t doing my job well. I kept breaking the rules. I-I didn’t listen to His orders, and now t-they took my wings...!” He suddenly sobs. “I can’t guard y-you anymore!”

Y/N kneeled down in front of him, and grabs his face before taking him in her embrace. Suga cried on her chest, “I-I’m useless, Y/N. Without it... without my wings I’m useless!” “Shh. Hey, don’t say that.”

He pulled away from her, grabbing her shoulders. Y/N got startled as his eyes suddenly changed. It was full of mixed emotions. Anger, sadness, desperation, and... lust. 

“S-Suga...” “I need you, Y/N. I want you. P-please...!” He was in a verge of breaking down, his hands were violently shaking on her shoulders. Y/N doesn’t want to see him like this. She had never seen him like this. He was never this... vulnerable. Ever.

“Please, Y/N.” His voice breaking like a little kid trying to call for his mom. “I need you...” He hung his head low, whimpering. Y/N took his face, and stared lovingly into his eyes. “Oh, Yoongi.” She leaned down and met his lips with hers.

Suga instantly responded to her kiss, and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. It went from passionate to almost a hint of hunger in them. Y/N knows what he wants. He wants her, and her only.

She noticed that his lips turn soft when he cries, and she gently bites it. Her heart broke as he gave her a small whimper. She ran her hand through his hair, softly tugging at it. Suga groaned.

Y/N let out a shriek when he got up, pulling her and never breaking their kiss. He turned them over so he was the one pinning him on the wall. He pulled away, and his lips immediately attach themselves on her neck, licking and sucking. He left a small amount of love bites, and grind his hard erection in between her legs.

Her sweet perfume tickles his nose as he continues on leaving hickeys. Y/N moaned, her grip on his hair tightens. She can feel herself getting wet and sticky, her legs wobbling when his erection often meets her heat. Suga smirked on her skin, clearly enjoying how he made her weak under him.

“S-Suga...” Y/N whispers in his ear, “give it to me.”

Those words drove him on edge and he pulled her up to him, making her legs wrap around his waist. They shared another hungry kiss, until it turned into a rough one. “I. Knew. You. Want. Me.” He said in each kiss as he felt her panties soaking.

He thrust his hips, making Y/N roll her eyes back into her sockets. Electricity filled her body, especially her heat. It was tingling so badly, stating that it was very very excited for him.

They cut their heavy kiss. “Oh fuck,” He freely cursed, not regretting it.

Y/N was breathing heavily like a dog, her lips trembling. She felt Suga pulled his sweatpants down, his hard dick slapping her heat. When he was about to adjust it to her entrance, she stopped him as her eyes widens, “S-Suga, right here?” 

They will do it when she’s pressed at the wall? Will he even get tired? Suga gave her a silent growl as his hand went down to her heat.

“Suga--” “Do you want it on the bed,”

Y/N looked at him quizzically. His question never really sounds like a question for her.  “What? I didn’t--” He stared at her eyes intently, the lust growing impatient already. Y/N swallowed the lump that filled her throat. “I-I... Yes.”

Suga gave her a soft smile, covering his impatient face. He gave her a small kiss, “I’ll take care of you, baby girl.” Y/N flushed at his words.

He grabbed her thighs, and head to her bed, dropping her gently. He removed his blood stained shirt, throwing it where God knows where which revealed his toned chest. He stared at her school blouse, and felt his eye twitched in annoyance by it.

“You have too much clothing on you,” He mumbled under his breath, and let his hands do the work. He ripped her blouse open, its buttons flying everywhere. Her navy blue bra met him, and Y/N covered her chest. He let out a growl.

“Don’t cover yourself, baby. You’re beautiful.”

His hands went behind her back, unclipping her bra in one try. Y/N looked at him, amused. Suga only smirked at her as he threw her bra away. Her round breasts met his lustful eyes. 

“Suga, you’re drooling.” Y/N giggles, her face reddening.

“O-oh?” He wiped the drool at the side of his lips. He was drooling.

Y/N watched him hesitate to touch her breasts. She never knew he was shy after seeing the real thing. She gave him a soft smile. “Go on.”

Suga’s eyes lit up as his hands touch her fragile bosom. It was soft, just how he always imagined or dreamt it. Y/N bit her inner cheek, and squirmed under his touch. His hard hog that was slapping her in between her thighs kept distracting her. 

Suga gave her breast a small squeeze, earning a moan from her. “Y-Yoongi...!” Y/N gasped as his mouth attached itself to her left nipple, sucking it lovingly like a newborn baby. But, all he gave her was pleasure.

Y/N’s hand went to his neck and down to his back. Dried blood was all over his back, where his wings was supposed to be. He didn’t flinch as her fingers danced around its roots. For once, Suga didn’t feel his body aching, he only felt relaxed.

With her moans flying around him made him excited. He can’t believe that his sexual dreams wouldn’t be dreams anymore. It would finally come true at last and he knew that no one can stop him.

Suga detached his mouth from her now reddening nipple, and looked at Y/N. “It’s already yearning for you, Y/N. Can I?” He didn’t want to be rough on her like he was in his dreams. He want her to be safe under him as she took all of him in her. He wanted to be her first, to be her last. He wanted her to be his, and only his.

Y/N bites her bottom lip, making Suga look at them. She nods, her nails gently digging into his skin. He pulled her skirt up, not bothering on taking it off. He then snorts. “I like your panties. Cute.” 

“Y-yah!” Y/N’s face heats up. Her panties were partnered up with her navy blue colored bra, but besides being plain, it was all covered with cute little bunnies.

Suga chuckles, and pressed his point and middle finger to her heat. Y/N shudders as a smirk crept up on his face. She was wet. Just how he wanted it to be. He let out a quiet moan as his dick twitched. It was itching to touch Y/N’s flower. It was itching to be inside her.

He groans as it kept on sending his back goosebumps. He pulled Y/N’s panties away, and licked his lips seeing herself trembling because of him. His dick wasn’t helping his rush and yet decided to tease her and himself a bit. 

“Y-Yoongi!” Y/N whines, earning a chuckle from him.

“Yah, don’t be too eager, baby.” He winked. She pouts.

Suga rubbed his dick against her pussy, his hands playing with her breasts. Y/N whimpers and harshly bites her lip, drawing blood. 

“Hurry up--ah!” She shouts when Suga penetrated his dick in her without warning. He stayed still as Y/N wrapped her legs around his waist, eyes closed. The pain and pleasure that she’s feeling was unbearable. It took her a few minutes to calm down and adjust to his length.

Suga looked at her, and smiles as she nods at him in approval. He slowly inched his way deeper, wanting her to know that he’s big. His dick throb as her walls hugged it. Y/N moved her pelvis, whining. “Y-yah...!”

He growls and he quickens his pace. “Oh shi--” Cloud nine. That is where he is right now at this unforgettable moment. His head was spinning, and everything around him had been blurred out. Cloud nine.

The bed was creaking and pounding hard on the floor below them. Their moans and groans had enclosed her bedroom. Heavy breathing that made them sweat all over. Y/N feared that one of her maids might burst through her door without any alert. But, right now, she didn’t care if they do.

Pleasure. So so much pleasure. Y/N arched her back, moaning loudly, just how Suga likes it. He went faster and deeper in each thrust, not wanting to stop. He growls and unwrapped one of her legs, putting it on his shoulder so he can gain more access in her. “Y/N! Agh!”

“Y-Yoongi! Don’t s-stop!” She mewls. 

Suga leaned down to meet her lips with his. He hungrily kissed her, and she lets him tolerate her cavern. The pleasure. It’s unbearable! He thought as he bit her bottom lip. “Y/N--” He felt his dick twitch in her. He was close.

He smiled cheekily at her when he had felt her walls clenched tightly around him, signaling she was close. Y/N pulled him closer, her breathing went shallow. Her eyes rolled back as electricity from Suga’s touch flow throughout her body.

“I-I’m...!” She stuttered, and bites her tongue. Her eyes widens as her juice dripped down from her entrance. This made Suga twitched even more and his pace went quicker and quicker. His right hand locked on her hair.

“Hngh--! Ah, fuck.” He unconsciously cursed, making Y/N gasped. “Yoongi--oh!”

Suga had came in her. His thick juices mixing with hers, and his pace slowed down. He thrust twice or thrice until he eventually fell on top of her body, shuddering. He lay his head on the crook of her neck, grinning from ear to ear.

“That... That was amazing.” He breathes out, closing his eyes. “I’d like to do that again.” Y/N giggles, running her hand through his soft white hair.

Before they even cuddle to sleep, a knock was heard from the door. Suga jerked up and looked at Y/N with wide eyes. “Did you lock the door when you came in?” He asked her in a whisper tone. She shakes her head.

“N-no...” “Miss L/N, is there anyone in there with you? W-we’ve been hearing weird noises and--oh my!” One of Y/N’s maid came in, her hand flew to her mouth. “M-Miss L/N! Who is this man?! Your parents are going to kill me!”

Y/N awkwardly laughs when Suga hid his face on her neck whilst covering her body with his. “Oh my god...”

“M-Miss L/N--” “Please don’t tell mom and dad that I slept with an angel.”

~

Here’s Part 3 ayy

Part 1: http://satansoori.tumblr.com/post/161780152328/annoyed-angel

Part 2: http://satansoori.tumblr.com/post/161815669713/annoyed-angel

ah finally peace