#like her being impulsive and ignorant of was supposed to cover the fact that she repeatedly does these things

[umberandmochaagate]

There's something about Birdie in Glass Onion being taken as just a sort of comic relief and not a bigoted "free thinker" who repeatedly makes impulsive decisions based on rooted racist/antisemitic ideals and minimal care for other human beings that seems to get taken too lightly by a lot of people and it's... Interesting

[canarydarity]

(Happy Team Rancher week!! :D this is for today, the last day, AU fest. this is an au that I've had on the back burner for a while, but its for a ya book series I read in middle school and absolutely adore, and so I'm really glad I was able to finish this scene up and get it out here for the event!! The very basic premise is that Tango, Impulse, Skizz, and Etho are students at a teenage spy school. On their first ever field training mission, Tango meets Jimmy. Exceedingly, exceptionally normal Jimmy. Enjoy :) <3)

Hermitville looked as if every store-front was painted neatly on wooden slats and propped up from behind by a 2-by-4, its display perfectly weathered and distressed to look as if you could turn the cardboard handle and walk through the door of a family-run business, 75 years strong. But the fact was that you actually could do that—these were real stores in a real town, no matter how striking their resemblance to the set of every small-town-America movie in the world, ready to be broken down and disposed of to make room for the next.

The phenomenon was always made worse by how little Tango actually entered the town despite living 12 miles down the road from it. Its existence was just close enough to feel, parsable from the air like the scent of rain off asphalt, and simultaneously far enough to be alien to him, made all that much weirder by its small town charm, suffocatingly mundane and unconditionally normal. No strings, no contingencies, no Christmas dinners interrupted by last minute covert missions to foreign embassies. 

There were string-lights hanging between the lamp-posts, it was cute. Tango felt unbelievably itchy. 

The comm in his ear crackled. “How ya doing up there, Legacy?” 

Skizz sounded like he was enjoying himself entirely too much. It made Tango grumble a little under his breath, not caring if it was loud enough for the comm to pick up or not. Maybe if he was lucky, the others would attribute it to static. 

Or maybe they’d attribute it to Etho, giving he whined back, “I hate that code name.”

“Okay, Prodigy.” Tango cut in, knowing Etho would hate that one equally as much if not more. What could he say, he gets bitchier when he’s grumpy, and wandering around in the cold stuck in the state of perpetually failing his first CoveOps mission was certainly doing it for him. 

“Tang—”

Maybe he went a little too hard, though, if he got Etho to break protocol and use his real name over what technically counted as a confidential communications outlet. Oops.

“Tango,” Impulse interrupted—not overly-peeved enough at his friend to use his real name, just equally as hopeless when it came to CoveOps to the point he likely forgot they were supposed to be using code names in the first place. “Where are you, I lost you again.” 

Tango didn’t have to turn around and face the direction he’d last seen Impulse to be able to picture the frown that he absolutely wore. Besides, that would give up his cover, and staying hidden—unmemorable, ignorable, unnoticeable, any of those were fine—was just about the only field trait Tango had. 

“Over by the bank, Impy.”

“Well, wave your arms or something.”

Tango nodded at an old lady who was walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of him, glaring like they were in a store and Tango was sweating carrying too large and heavy a bag as he suspiciously made his way toward the door. She glared harder at his attempt of being polite and turned her head away as they passed one another by. Tango just really couldn’t get enough of that small town charm. 

When she was behind him he dropped the grin and responded, “That kind of defeats the purpose, now doesn’t it?” 

What could’ve been a break of static but was probably Impulse groaning cut through the comm and Tango winced. At least he was good at getting passed by, he imagined Impulse was failing to do even that at the moment. “Well, how am I supposed to follow you following Doc if—”

“He’s flipping,” Etho cut in, and Tango didn’t glance to the left at the park where Doc—their certifiably batshit insane countries of the world professor—was currently using every trick he’d ever been taught on how to lose a tail; not that he knew he was being tailed, he was just that vigilant. Constantly. Cause that was how every normal and well-adjusted person lived their life. 

Instead, Tango kept walking the way he’d been going, stopped to look both directions before crossing the street, approached the closest vendor and bought himself the first thing on the menu without stopping to look at what it was. 

Why on Earth Professor Beef thought the best way to ease them into the field of Covert Operations was to assign them to tail their most paranoid and least sane staff member was beyond him. He could imagine what Beef would say if Tango dared question this decision of his out loud: well you don’t have to get it, you just have to do it. Yipee, he was so glad to be taking this course. 

He couldn’t look for Doc, so he looked for Etho instead. He scanned the street, the sidewalk—hell, even the rooftops—but there was no sign of him. He was that good. 

Show-off, Tango thought as the vendor whistled to get his attention and he turned back with a smile and a thanks accepting a corndog. Nice. 

Tango headed off again, this time towards the park, the direction Doc had been going in, presumably, before he’d flipped. He saw Skizz amidst a sea of letterman jackets, smiling and laughing and miming throwing something with his hands; the crowd he’d accrued laughed with him, boys of all shapes and sizes slapping each other on the arm and guffawing over a guy they would all swear later that they’d had to have had a class with at some point. 

Their methods were different, but it was undeniable—mission one, and Skizz and Etho were good at this. They’d all known they would be. 

Tango wandered around for a while longer, ate his corndog and listened to the chatter of his fellow operatives over the comms, always keeping their updates on Doc’s position in mind and staying busy as he steered clear enough as to not get noticed but close enough he could keep his options open should an opportunity arise. 

In theory, the mission was simple: what soft drink did Professor Doc like to drink with his funnel cake at the Hermitville fall carnival? In practice, it was a lot harder than it looked. They’d all been students of Doc’s for almost 5 years, and while this meant they might know him well enough to predict his patterns in what was maybe a reasonable way, it also meant he knew them well enough to call out their first and last name if he spotted them—and to skip the questioning portion of the interrogation in favor of going directly into doling out detentions. 

This was their professor who used a trusted—and highly confidential—surgeon to give him a new face before the start of every school year for the sake of avoiding some long list of threats still interested in apprehending him that he constantly alludes to but never explains. And Beef wanted them to tail him. It’s not like they had any chance to succeed. And Tango was missing Below Deck for this.

The carnival was beginning to thin out, slowly, by the time anything interesting had begun to happen—at least to Tango. The square had one of those large metal things that looked like a lamp-post but actually had a giant clock in the center, and based on the last time he’d seen it and his impeccable internal clock, it could only be nine-fifteen p.m. It was like this place couldn’t get any more boring if it tried. Tango couldn’t stand it. Tango was jealous. 

He was cutting through the alley behind the town’s lonely diner, heading towards Skizz’s last known location, and was about to throw a line out over the almost eerily empty silence of his comm when Skizz spoke first. Something about the sound of his voice nagged at Tango, and it occurred to him before he opened his mouth to respond that he’d heard Skizz speak out loud, not directly in his ear. 

A second later, and it wasn’t just Skizz. At the first raise of Doc’s voice, Tango stopped walking and leaned as hard as he could into the brick. “I don’t even want to know how you got out and—actually, how did you get out?”

Tango only spent a moment questioning whether or not he was about to make a mistake before he leaned towards the edge of the alley until he could get enough of a picture of what was going on. Doc’s back was to him—thank god—but Skizz and Impulse were done for, the two of them sitting on a bench before their increasingly irate professor. Skizz was at his most diplomatic, sitting still and face severe with the kind of look that said I am listening to you and I understand. Impulse was cringing so hard at the having-been-caught that his left eye looked swollen shut.

Skizz raised one of his hands to halt Doc’s tirade—a risky move, but if anyone could pull it off it was Skizz. “Professor, if you’d just let me explain—”

“Explain what!” Tango winced with his friends in solidarity, even though he wasn’t the one getting reamed. “You’ve been following me for thirty minutes, which means you have to be—wait,” Doc said, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him. “Wait a minute—where’s Beef?”

Tango watched as Skizz and Impulse—spies in training, yes, but still teenage boys at heart—shared a look with each other that gave away exactly what Doc needed to know. Skizz said: “Why I don’t know what you could mean, Professor, we were just—”

“Oh you—” From behind, Tango watched Doc shake his head to cut Skizz off, and then he did something kind of miraculous: he turned and tossed something—something shining and made of brown glass, something suspiciously bottle shaped—into the closest trash can. “Go on, now. Back, back to where you came from.” 

Tango stared at the garbage that couldn’t be more than twenty feet from him, even as Doc herded two of his best friends off of the bench and on into the night, the vague direction of the mansion; in his peripheral Skizz turned to glance at Doc and open his mouth, one more attempt at reason, before Doc departed one more and I’ll be giving you an extra credit assignment to really complain about. 

Tango honestly wasn’t even sure they were out of sight by the time he left the wall and the relative safety of the alleyway, not even considering the risk as somewhere inside he reeled at the thought it couldn't possibly be this easy. As he crossed the street, half of him expected to get scruffed by the back of his shirt and dragged all the way to his dorm, the other half expected to look inside and find the bottle to already be gone, even though his eyes hadn’t left the can, and for Etho to wander out of some shadow with it already in his hand. But the street was blessedly, amazingly quiet the whole time Tango made his way over. 

The garbage can was mostly empty even though the town had just had a carnival—because of course it was, towns like this probably didn’t produce any trash at all, Tango should’ve goddamn known—meaning Tango had to brace one of his arms on the lip of the metal can and hop slightly with his other arm outstretched to grab the bottle and pull it safely out of the trash. 

The condensation had made the paper labeling start to peel away in places, but the brand was still, for the most part, entirely legible—their mission was complete, and by Tango no less. He couldn’t wait to get back and rub it in Etho’s face. 

Tango tossed the bottle in the air and caught it, mood turning around for the first time all night—not even the 12 mile walk home in the dark could daunt him now. 

He turned around to begin his trek and found himself instead frozen immediately to the spot. 

There was a boy. 

Across the street, paused in the middle of the sidewalk and staring right at him, was a boy. And he’d seen Tango. 

Tango, whose only natural talent in CoveOps was going unnoticed. Tango, whose codename was cipher, after a joke Impulse made about his tendency for hiding in plain sight. Tango, who’d just rooted around in the garbage for someone else’s trash. 

The boy stopped to look both ways before crossing the street, even though it was now almost 9:30 pm and seemingly passed town curfew by how empty it’d gotten. There were no cars by sight nor by sound on this road or any of the surrounding blocks, but the boy looked to his right, then his left, then his right again before stepping off the concrete and onto the asphalt. There was even a moment of pause when his foot touched down on the road, and a slight furrow to his brow that had Tango imagining him thinking but there’s no crosswalk here! 

A better spy might’ve done something else—found the closest out, used the perfect excuse or expertly timed joke—but Tango just stood there, and watched the boy approach. 

“Hi there,” he said, a slight Virginia twang to his words that really drove home the all-American look about him, the swoopy blonde hair and lithe but athletic build—perfect for winning throws at football games or moral-gathering posters of government propaganda. 

“Do you….dig through trash cans often?” The prom king illusion shattered immediately as the boy cringed and shook his head, descriptive adjectives like polished becoming more awkward, perfect turning into endearing. “No—that sounded rude, I’m so sorry, I meant it as more of a joke, really…an unfunny one, I guess.” The rounder part of his cheeks pooled, filled deeply with blush. 

Tango opened his mouth, unsure what he planned to say, but then the boy went, “Oh my gosh, not that I judge that—or, well, maybe a little. But I—I’m sorry, and I shouldn’t, that’s wrong and, and—“ he paused abruptly, his head clearly moving faster than his mouth, the level of disaster that was this conversation running away from him and seeming far worse than it was when it’d started. 

“There are nicer trash cans, even,” He said when he opened his mouth again, and Tango nearly lost his mind, turned his laugh into a cough and wondered if all exceedingly normal people were so…cute. “Closer to the center of town. I can…show you where those are instead, if you prefer?” 

Tango couldn’t help his smirk. “You offering to take me on a tour of the nicer trash cans in town?” 

“I—“ Tango watched the boy's face buffer as all the things he just said caught up to him, and he looked down, bashful. After a moment, he smoothed out the embarrassment like wrinkles on fresh sheets and looked back up at Tango confidence renewed. “That or a milkshake, maybe?” 

The boat had stopped rocking, they’d made it to solid land, and the conversation righted itself and worked its way towards something normal—or at least, what Tango thought normal was supposed to look like. He’d never been asked something so simple as would he like to get a milkshake with a cute and utterly mundane boy. 

Things that Tango most definitely was not. His cover, on the other hand…

Right, his cover. In a logical and completely sane move, Tango blurted out, “I have a cat.” 

The boy blinked a blink that pushed his whole head back an inch from its force. “Ex…cuse me?” 

“I have a cat,” Tango repeated, begging his brain to fill him in on the rest of the reasoning behind why he said this particular thing at this particular moment. Were cats deathly allergic to milkshakes, or something? Well, screw his imaginary cat, Tango wasn’t! 

He said: “She…likes to play with bottles. I kinda grab them whenever I can.”

“Etho!” He added, and then mentally slapped himself upside the head. This was precisely why he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near field work. “That’s my cat’s name, yup! Mhm, so, I’d take you up on that, but—“

“But you have to get back to your cat?” The boy said, his cheek bunched under one of his eyes like he wanted to believe that but had heard one-too-many a ridiculous excuse before and wasn’t quite sure. 

“Exactly.” Tango let out a breath. Jesus Christmas this was hard—where the hell was Skizz when Tango needed him? Oh, right. This was not at all how the night was supposed to go.

Conversation lapsed, but Tango failed to notice his opportunity for an out. The spy in him knew deep down that this was his chance to leave, to apologize for the lack of a milkshake and laugh off the fumble that was their interaction and begin his long walk back to school, knowing by the time the boy god home he’d forget all about having met Tango at all; the teenager in him stared at the freckle at the inner corner of the boys left eye. 

“Sorry, you’re new around here, aren’t you?” 

Tango continued staring. This was the third time the boy had apologized. 

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve lived here…all my life?” His voice lilted higher at the end, almost like he was posing a question rather than making his case. “Everyone here has lived here all their life and I’ve…never seen you before.”

Tango has too, in a way. Home was a complicated concept for a spy; he may not be one yet, but his parents were—he knew enough to understand. It wasn’t like his childhood went untouched from the transient nature of spy work, a suitcase and go-bag always ready by the door. Even if he was the one being left and not the one doing the leaving, Tango knew flexible, he knew inconsistent. 

For years his most stable constant had been school, his mom in the headmasters office, Skizz Impulse and Etho. Where was home but here? 

He couldn’t say that, that wasn’t the cover. After years of being told I’ll be back soon with no indication of when soon was and little clarification of back from where and absolutely zero certainty that was something that could be promised, Tango resented lying. He wasn’t meant to be forming covers—he was meant to be locked in a lab somewhere, but one term of CoveOps at the start of sophomore year was a requirement. A requirement Tango would have to get through. 

Tango had never seen the boy before either. He didn’t know how to respond. 

“But, hey, I guess I’ll be seeing you around? At school?”

“No!”

The word was short and sweet, one syllable, something if the rampant apologizing was any indication the boy had not insignificant experience hearing. But his head tilted on the axis of his chin, lilting higher into the air and away from the middle of his chest—the dog that thought it’d heard a word it knew and was trying to determine if it was of the good or bad variety. “…No?”

Tango cringed. Probably visibly. “I’m…homeschooled,” was the lie, this time. 

“Oh, alright,” Tango hoped the drop in his tone was disappointment and not disbelief. He hoped the boy blessedly naive of the ways Tango was being false and not incorrectly assuming him indifferent to their chance encounter. 

Unwilling to bet on the chance and deeply reluctant to do what he knew a good spy should—remembering too many holidays gone remiss, and birthdays of the ill-get-you-next-year variety—Tango said, “I’ll be around, though.” 

The boy brightened, one of those artificial lamps that mimics sunlight where sunlight doesn’t reach, from darkness to light in mere seconds—like it was simple, easy. Ill so readily forgotten. 

“Good,” the word was delivered with an amicable nod. “Better get home to Etho, then.”

There was a moment of pause as Tango prepared to exclaim Etho?!? Suddenly in fear that he’d somehow found the one normal boy who wasn’t normal at all and was actually some sort of enemy spy, Tango accidentally blubbering his way through giving up national secrets he didn’t even know he knew—and then he remembered what he named his fake cat. 

“Right! Etho, yes…right, gotta get back to,” —had he given his fake cat pronouns?!— “yup! Okay, bye then.” 

Tango turned with great effort, his eyes shut and the rational part of his brain begging him to get a grip, his hands clasped tightly around the slightly icky with condensation bottle of soda that he’d come here to claim and by some miracle had. He hadn’t gotten more than a step or two away before the boy called, “Hey, what’s your name?” 

And Tango made possibly the stupidest decision of the night—despite all the competition, that’s pretty impressive, he knows—and called back, “Tango.”

“It was nice to meet you Tango!”

Tango smiled over his shoulder at the boy, walking backwards down the road he’d been so cautious to cross before, wanton joy on his face and something Tango didn’t dare to name, hands in his pockets. “You too,” Tango laughed. 

“My name’s Jimmy, by the way!”

The comm in his ear crackled to life after too long staying suspiciously silent before Tango could do anything about that, and he heard what he knew to be Etho saying, “Cipher, meet me at the corner of Pine and Cherry.” 

The sobering bucket of ice water dumped on your head after a particularly rough all-nighter, Tango felt his nerves wake up one by one; his spine was suddenly straighter and everything a little more on edge than it’d been a few minutes ago. He resisted the urge to scan the roofs and the streets and the shadows. He ignored the shame that said he just got caught doing something he shouldn’t have been; he kind of already knew that, but something in him also wished this had just been for him. Bye Jimmy, Tango thought in reply before saying, “Yeah man, on my way.”

Forget milkshakes and normal boys, Tango had some bragging to do. Other than to resent lying, if there was anything being the child of spies taught him, it was how to mask disappointment. 

He turned the corner toward Etho without looking back. 

[hopepetal]

Writing I did for my boatem vampires au!

I love seeing all your thoughts, theories, questions, and comments on this au! Feel free to shoot me an ask whenever! Don't be shy, I love talking to you all!

—

There was an intruder in their territory.

The thought of a trespasser in his forest made Impulse seethe with rage. Especially when Gem had mentioned the traces of magic she'd sensed from the place the stranger had crossed into his territory from hers. Any and all supernatural beings should've been well aware of the territory markings, meaning whoever was in the forest was either desperate or a threat.

Scar was right beside Impulse as they ran through the forest, Mumbo and Grian not far behind. The moon, partially covered by clouds, shone down through the trees as the vampires ran, providing them unneeded but welcome light. Combing the area near where Gem had reported the intruder, it wasn't long before the scent of magic and blood caught Impulse's attention and drew the group of vampires to a tree that most certainly hadn't been there a few days prior.

The vampires fanned out into a semi circle around the tree, an air of somberness having descended on them. “That's a nature spirit's tree, isn't it?” Mumbo pointed out, reaching out and lightly placing his hand against the bark. “I wonder what happened.”

Impulse frowned, approaching the tree as Grian decided to climb up into the branches. “They– Grian, that's disrespectful, get down– they must have taken pretty bad damage if they decided to shift. I doubt they were a threat, then, but why…?”

“Why indeed.” Grian finally spoke up as he began to descend from the tree carefully. “Could it have had anything to do with this?” His feet hit the ground, and he held out the small bundle in his arms.

Scar peered over, audibly gasping and stumbling back. “Oh, baby!” he exclaimed, eyes like saucers.

Impulse and Mumbo gave him confused glances, before looking at what Grian was holding. And it was just like Scar had said– oh, baby. Impulse froze, brown eyes locked with large silver ones. For a moment, he remembered hazel eyes and tiny hands and a cheerful voice calling his name. He shook the images away before the memories could be tainted by the sound of their screams, focusing on the present. “That… is a baby,” he agreed. “A very tiny, very human baby. Why was a dying nature spirit carrying a human baby?”

“Kidnapping?” Mumbo suggested, looking between the others, “no, that's a fae thing, isn't it?”

“People other than the fae can kidnap kids,” Scar pointed out, giving Grian a concerned look. “Are you supposed to hold babies like that?”

Impulse shook his head, automatically reaching for the infant. “Give her to me.” He took the baby into his arms and cradled her, making sure to support her head. Instinctively, he began to rock side to side on his feet.

“I'm surprised she isn't screaming,” Grian piped up, “aren't babies supposed to scream?”

“Let's hope she doesn't,” Impulse muttered, continuing to rock her.

There was silence for a moment.

“We're adopting her!” Scar exclaimed at the same time Grian went “Impulse, don't tell me you want to keep her.” The two shared looks before starting to laugh.

“But seriously,” Grian continued through soft laughter, “are we taking her in? I know that look,” he added before Impulse could interrupt, “and honestly, I'm all for it if the rest of us are. But how…?”

“We just tell her we found her one day?” Mumbo suggested, “and decided to adopt her?”

“I'm worried about the fact she's human,” Scar pointed out, “do we raise her like a vampire? Obviously we can't just feed her blood.”

Impulse shrugged. “We'll have to get used to human food, then. It's not like we can't eat it– we'll just have to have a supply of blood somewhere she can't get into.”

“Guys,” Mumbo interjected, but was ignored.

“We have the extra room– but she should stay with us, shouldn't she? Babies should stay with their parents in tiny cribs?” Scar asked, Impulse nodding.

“Do we feed her formula? Or do we have to, y'know… I don't think any of us could breastfeed– no, Scar, put your clothes back on!” Grian smacked Scar's hand before continuing. “Babies drink milk, right? We could steal a cow from Tim!” he suggested.

“Guys–” Mumbo tried again, but was interrupted.

“We are not stealing a cow from the ranchers,” Impulse shot Grian down. “We'll just have to buy baby formula, I suppose– or ask Gem? She takes care of baby animals. Maybe we could figure something out with her?”

“Gentlemen, please!” Mumbo yelled, finally getting everyone's attention. “This is all well and good, but there's something really big we're missing.” He looked around at the others. “What's her name?”

“Can't we just call her Baby?” Scar asked, “I think that's a lovely name.”

Impulse chuckled. “Actually, I had something in mind. How about… Pearl?”

The other vampires shared a look, before various affirmations were given.

Scar grinned. “I like the name Pearl. I could give her so many nicknames! Pearlie. Pearlo. Pearlie pop. Pearlie whirly–”

Grian smacked him over the back of his head. “Stop it, Scar! You're going to confuse the poor girl, and she doesn't even know how to speak yet!”

Mumbo giggled. “Pearl, then. And you all are sure we can handle raising a whole child? She's a whole human being, you know.”

Impulse hesitated, looking up. “...yeah. Yeah, I think we'll be able to handle it. If we need help, we'll have Gem and the ranchers. They're pretty good with kids, right?”

Grian made a face. “Tim's okay, but I'm pretty sure Tango would start focusing super hard on his projects and forget about a baby. Gem, I'm not sure. On our end, well– we have the financial ability and space to support her. We're pretty mature– don't look at me like that, Impulse– so, yeah. I think we could raise a child.”

“We'd raise her better than the wilds would,” Scar pointed out. “She'd die out here. Or worse.”

Impulse pressed his mouth into a thin line. “...yeah, no. Not in my territory. We're taking her in,” he decided, glancing down to see inquisitive silver eyes staring up at him. “Hi, Pearl,” he cooed, smiling softly.

Mumbo glanced toward the sky. “We should probably get her home. The moon's starting to set, and I don't think we should be running at full speed with a human baby.”

“Good idea,” Impulse agreed, “we'll walk back, then.”

“I still think we should steal a cow,” Grian said during the walk back, “I think it would be fun.”

Impulse snorted, rolling his eyes. “Yeah. If you wanna get burnt to a crisp while trying to steal from a fire spirit, be my guest, Grizzly bear.”

Grian blinked. “I'm sorry, what did you just call me?”

Mumbo chuckled lightly. “I can kinda see it. His hair's a fluffy mess, just like grizzly bear fur. Good one, Impulse!”

Grian turned on Mumbo, eyes wide and indignant. “I do not look like a grizzly bear!”

Pearl, still cradled in Impulse's arms, let out a soft babble followed by a giggle. Impulse grinned down at her, gently tickling under her chin. “I think that means she agrees, Grian.”

Grian groaned, shaking his head. “Well, I can't argue with a baby!”

Scar beamed. “Indeed you can't. Too bad, G-man!”

Finally they arrived back home, and were quick to pull together a sleeping area for Pearl. They'd all sleep in the same room tonight, Impulse decided, and the others were fine with that.

“As long as Scar keeps his clothes on–!” Grian had squawked, earning laughter from the rest of the group.

Scar placed a hand over his heart, casting a solemn gaze over the group. ��I, Scar, promise to keep my clothes on during the sleepover.”

“He didn't,” Grian would later explain to Pearl, “we woke up and his shirt was halfway across the room.”

“It was not!” Scar would argue as Pearl giggled, his hands gently braiding her hair. “He's lying, Pearl! Lies and slander, I tell you!”

The next day, Impulse took care of Pearl while the others ran to the nearest town and grabbed whatever items they needed to properly care for the baby. Things wouldn't be perfect, but they would try.

—

“And that's why Griba told me babies grow on trees?”

“Yeahhh. Not sure what he was trying to accomplish with that one. Maybe he just panicked or something.”

“...thank you for telling me the story, Impy. Or should I call you Dad?”

“Ha. Whatever you want, moonshine.”

—

Thanks to @evenmoreevil for that breastfeeding line. Btw. It's his fault.

[automaticdata]

HGCZ reaction-y thing part 5

"Ok hey, I have some time, let's do some more reactions!" *proceeds to get through a significant chunk of the first story before remembering I'm supposed to be writing stuff down* *then gets distracted by a video game* Um. Oops?

There's A Room Where the Light Won't Find You through Birds of Prey:

(warning, some UnOrdinary webcomic spoilers)

There's A Room Where the Light Won't Find You:

Kind of expected this to pick off where the last one left off, but it's tackling another aspect of the superhero stuff, so it makes sense it doesn't.

Did not expect Scar to get uncomfortable from the media, but it makes sense, especially if Pearl is getting close-ups and he isn't sure how.

Scour, huh? Hmmm. Can't think of anyone associated with the word Scour ...

Scar is now calling Cute Guy "Cutie" does he even realize he's flirting???

"hot stuff" does Cute Guy realize he's flirting??? are they both oblivious???

Swirling cloak of magic and a moon mask - yep, that's Pearl. Why is Pearl doing villainy things? Must find out more ... (also Scour makes sense as a name if she's collecting info - scouring for info, you might say)

The irony of HotGuy asking Pearl for an interview XD

Hart??? who? and does this mean Pearl knows who Grian is? What is the relationship between Pearl and Hart and Grian?

Pearl showing up at Scar's when he's still changing out of his HotGuy outfit? suspicious. She saw his cat in the window? very suspicious, she may have seen HotGuy inside, too.

(this is when I realized I was forgetting to write stuff down oops)

Ah, Pearl just moved in, that explains why she's there with no explanation. I was wondering if her cover story was interviewing actor!Scar or something, but "oh hey I just moved in" works, too. It does mean if she hasn't noticed he's HotGuy yet she probably will in the near future, especially if he's entering his apartment in his superhero gear.

Soup group reference ftw

"Hart was here, this is the Soup Group's doing" omg the Soup Group is the group of friends Scar was talking about earlier omg. My guess is Hart is Gem - we saw her have a heart on her jacket earlier, and she's associated with deer (aka harts). I wonder what Impulse's villain name is?

Wondering if the guy Scar fights, the runner, is Impulse, but it also sounds like there's other people they got to be lackeys because Cute Guy talks about catching a "stray," but he would have recognized Scour or Hart.

HotGuy nearly dies and Pearl makes it about the shop? Kinda cold, wow.

Okay so like. Side note, because collateral damage comes up in a lot of videos on youtube critiquing superhero movies, but I think it's important to note I think there's a difference between a superhero causing damage in order to get to the bad guy and a superhero getting caught up in damage that a bad guy causes. Unless I'm missing something, this was the latter. Scar did not aim at the flower shop; it sounds like it was behind him and he was flung into it. It would be different if he, like, missed a shot with an exploding arrow, but this was him being the victim, not the perpetrator.

Keeping that in mind, Pearl has managed to weaponize the Soup Group's attack the way the media IRL can distort things. I don't want to bring IRL politics into this too much, but I remember getting kinda aggravated with a particular popular news station because the network created drama between two primary candidates with separate views, just so they could get more eyes on the primary debate they were hosting. In that case, it was the network prioritizing profit above all else, but it did have the result of creating internal turmoil among the people who supported these two similar candidates, possibly splitting the votes for them and affecting the primary. And that was just when they were motivated by profit; technically, media can do a lot worse (and some media companies do.) By prioritizing the opinions of the shop owners whose property got destroyed and ignoring the fact that the superheroes were injured and didn't cause the damage by themselves, Pearl is helping construct a narrative which in some ways is just as dangerous to the superheroes.

One of the things in the UnOrdinary webcomic that's interesting is that the authorities have turned public opinion against vigilantes, and it definitely has a huge affect on the story. The vigilantes who see that the authorities are doing shady stuff are seen as foolish people motivated by glory by most people. The novel that is seen as "causing" the rise in vigilanteism is literally illegal, and being found to have a copy of it gets you suspended from school, put on a watch list, and the book confiscated. [UnOrdinary spoilers]When the author re-released the book on the internet, he was killed for it.[/spoiler]. It makes it so that helping people who are crushed by the system is seen as a bad thing by the general public.

(I spent a good amount of time trying to look up how to spoiler-text that and I don't know if I'll remember to HTML that up when I'm done with this (because HTMLing it and then returning to rich text editor deletes the HTML, apparently) or even if the HTML will work if I do remember. Sorry if I spoiled UnO stuff for people. Edit: the span tag did not work for hiding the spoilers and got rid of the read more, so ... yeah. =/)

What Pearl is doing here is actually kind of clever and really devious? It's making the media a tool for the villains, and turning public opinion away from the superheroes.

Okay, back to reacting.

Does Pearl feel guilty? or is something else going on? Hmmm ....

Miraculous Ladybug vibes with Scar wanting to go on a date do something as civilians and Cute Guy saying no. But instead of the ML trope being a recurring gag, it's used as an actual plot point that had emotional significance to both the characters involved. HotGuy desperately wants to hold onto his friend, and Cute Guy is scared of what happens if their identities are revealed. It works, and it works well unlike ML but that is very off-topic I'll shut up now.

Love the contrast between Cute Guy being cautious and thinking it would be better for the material to burn while HotGuy is like "screw it I'm saving the civilians." Inter-hero conflict caused by differing priorities/ideals - A++.

Honestly not sure what to think about the Scour/Pearl v HotGuy/Scar scene. Scar managed to remove her leverage over him by revealing her identity, but I don't know if he did the right thing letting her go. It could be good, it could be bad; I honestly don't know.

I do think it's cool that he cut her off before she revealed Grian's identity to him. Like, even though he wants to know who Cute Guy is, the dude respects his sidekick/partner enough that his gut instinct is to silence someone before they reveal his identity, even if the only person they're revealing it to is Scar himself.

Hmmm, sounds like it may have been a good thing letting Scour go free ...?

wait wait wait DON'T JUST DROP THAT INFO AND LEAVE, PEARL, WHAT

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Love the art that follows it, both the very serious sketch and the contrast between happy civilian Pearl and Scour.

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"why do social media founders turn to villainy" omg lol

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ZEDDIT????? XD

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Birds of Prey:

First thought on the cover was Etho (probably because of the mask) but then I realized it was Gem.

Grian being nervous about Hart and feeling the phantom pain of the gunshot wound D=

(.... and it was at this point that I got Baldur's Gate 3 which proceeded to consume my life for awhile, this the delay in this reaction being posted, sorry)

Grian beating himself up over losing Hart. =/

"Grian has always been confident as a vigilante" -- even during the chicken debacle? XD Sorry, not relevant to this story I know, but funny nonetheless.

Oh no, confirmation (sort of) that Jimmy's dead. It's possible the "no body" thing is significant, but I don't know if HGCZ is one of those "if there's no body don't assume death" stories, so ... considering last we saw it looked like Jimmy was shot in the head, I'm going to assume dead unless we find out otherwise.

Grian, man, you need to stop beating yourself up. You aren't going to be perfect, and no one expects you to be perfect. =/

My CodBros fan heart is aching for Grian. He feels so bad about Jimmy's death. D=

"Truthfully, he knows the exact moment Cuteguy started slipping" D= D= D=

The stakes are definitely higher, and they're taking their toll on our protagonists.

Oh boy, Hart found their hideout? That's not good. =(

The problem with taking a break between reading stuff is now I'm going, "wait, is the ticket thing they're talking about the same one we saw earlier from HG's POV?" but I don't remember details enough to say for sure without doing a reread. If it is (which is what I assume), it's really cool we get to see that moment in the context of everything Grian's going through and his POV.

It has not escaped my notice that Grian is more protective of HotGuy's identity than his own.

Grian, you need to give yourself a break. You need time to mourn Jimmy, to process the fact you got shot, and all the tangled emotions that go with that.

I can actually hear Hart's dialogue in Gem's voice, idk why it's so easy to imagine but it is.

Hart, how exactly did killing Jimmy do anything to attack the problem from the root? (Yes I'm still bitter about Jimmy's death so sue me).

Not sure what I think about the reversing mutations thing yet.

"Hope you don't mind that I've come to pick up my bird" XD

It's not professional therapy, but it's a start. Grian's taken a tiny step toward healing.

Okay so like. Reversing mutations. I think part of why I struggle with my opinions on that is because it's not something that we really have a basis in reality to form an opinion on? Like. Mutations don't work in reality the way they do in superhero stories, so reversing them would also not work the same way. The closest frame of reference I have for it is like the "mutant cure" in X-Men, which I don't know if that applies here.

Like, in X-Men, the mutations are spontaneous and genetic. People are born with them, even if they manifest themselves later. So "curing" mutations is like. Trying to "cure" someone of having blue eyes. It's something that's happening naturally through DNA, and "curing" it won't fix anything. It's just a bandaid on people's prejudice in the X-Men universe.

In HGCZ, if I'm remembering right and understanding correctly, the mutations were caused by an external element (skulk) being introduced to the environment. People who did not have mutations before suddenly got them. This means the mutations are less like IRL mutations and more like a disease/side effect caused by the skulk ... but one that doesn't actually harm its host body, most of the time? so like. I honestly can't think of an IRL comparison that works.

And I think that's what makes it hard to like. Get a sense of what the HG+CG POV vs the Soup Group POV is at this point. We've seen people complaining about vigilantes, but not really about the mutations as much. Are the mutations harming people? Are people getting sick from them? Do outside groups covet mutations and they're trying to impose them on unwilling populations or weaponizing them for military use?

I assume we'll get a better idea of what's going on with the Soup Group later, but the "reversing mutations" thing definitely has potential for an idealistic conflict that will be interesting. I just don't think we have enough info to know what's behind it yet.

[ssvperboy]

It was so much worse to have her point out the truth to him. Hoodie much preferred it when he was being delusional about everything, when the truth about how he had felt and why was utterly ignored and covered up by the taste of alcohol and the lips and bodies of other men and women. This was too real—all of it was far too real. He had been so incredibly terrible to Brooke and while he knew that for a fact, it was hard to admit that he’d done the wrong thing(and worst) thing. And though he wanted to retort, wanted to say something and have it with her, he couldn’t. His head hung low as he half-looked at her from his position. She was crying… he had made her cry and that only made Hoodie grow more frustrated. 

“It was easier,” he tried to explain, voice still relatively loud. How could he possibly explain why he’d done any of it, in a way that made sense to someone who wasn’t himself? His heart beat loudly, rapidly as he tried to think of what to say. “You’re not getting it.” It was a cop out he kept coming back to but frankly, he was blanking on what else to say without making himself out to be a dick. Not like it was hard to make himself look bad here. 

“It was supposed to be easier, Brooke! You were supposed to see.” He was still yelling, though it wasn’t like that was going to make his point any clearer. It wasn’t the Brooke wasn’t worth trying, it was just that trying didn’t automatically mean Hoodie would’ve been better. He couldn’t stand the thought of watching her fall out of love with him slowly, opting for it to happen at all once. It should’ve hurt less that way… for both of them, yet Hoodie had fucked up so royally that they were somehow having the conversation he had dreaded in the beginning.

“Fuck you,” the words slipped from his lips before he could fight them, slurred and loud. “I am not a coward Brooke.” He spat his words out at her, frustrated. “You pretend to see me as someone I have never been! I can’t love you and be forced to watch you see through your fucking rose-coloured glasses all at the same time, Brooke!” He was doing the one thing that was hard—he wasn’t giving into his impulses. How could she not see how much he loved her then? “I don’t think I can be better, I’ve tried. I’m sorry this is what I am—I don’t know how to be something else!” He left like he was about to explode, like his heart was about to fight right out of his chest. 

He didn’t know if he could kiss her, though he wanted to. He wondered if she’d even let him. “Do you have any idea the kind of restraint I have to have around you—do you—this physically hurts.” And as a single tear slid down his cheek, Hoodie swallowed hard, eyes on Brooke.

She was sure she was looking at him like he was crazy. Was he crazy? "Say - You didn't have to say anything! The actions said plenty." Her head shook, long blonde hair falling around her shoulders as he got more frustrated. Was it fair for him to be the one who was frustrated in this situation? She wasn't sure to be honest. If she was sober she'd probably say no, but then again they could never have these conversations sober...and they were never really conversations, always ending up in arguments like this one. Brooke wasn't sure when the dam had broken and she'd started crying, but when her tongue darted out to lick over her lips she realized they were wet and salty and then she registered that her face felt wet and she must have been crying. She hated crying. "So you didn't want to, but you did it anyway?" she asked, her tone full confusion and less anger. He was making about zero sense, or maybe it was the alcohol fuzzing her brain that wasn't letting her receive his message. "Then how did you want them to go? Honestly. How did you think kissing me, and telling me you love me and then fucking other girls afterward, was going to go?" Her anger was back, the bite in her words clear as she asked them. When he yelled those two words at her she understood what he was saying and realized they were back to the same problem they'd had 7 months ago when he'd first admitted how he felt about her. Despite loving her, he didn't think he deserved her. Didn't think he was good enough for her, and clearly that hadn't changed. Where as before she'd been understanding, this time she was mad. Dark hues stared back at him as her head shook again. "God damn it Hoodie. No, you don't get it!" She shot back, closing the minimal distance between them, her hand not holding the bottle reaching up to point in his face. "You're not, not good enough. You're just a fucking coward! I'm right here. After everything I'm still right fucking here, wanting you, and loving you, and you're too much of a coward to even fucking try! You'd rather just chalk it up to you not being good enough for me that way you have an excuse to not even try to be with me."

[tobiosmilktea]

hiii can i request tsumu, kenma, oikawa, and kuroo where they’re in a secret relationship and the reader feels like they’re hiding her bc they’re ashamed of her ? like a hurt too comfort type of thing? thank u bb 🥺🥺

- 🍒

secret relationships w/ atsumu, kenma, oikawa, and kuroo

a/n: i have so many angst requests,, yall must like getting hurt 💀 also this wasn’t as angsty as i thought it was gonna be since im going through writers block yet again and i can not handle pain rn (also not proofread, so read with caution lmao)

— m. atsumu

it honestly surprised you at first, the way someone like miya atsumu returning your feelings the moment you told him you liked him near the start of the school year

there wasn’t that instant gratification though, knowing that one of inarizaki’s golden boys still felt out of your reach

despite being in a relationship with you, it wasn’t like anyone knew of it besides osamu and your closest friend

of course you didn’t really mind as you’ve always thought couples who were obnoxious with their relationships 24/7 and constantly making out in the hallways wasn’t your cup of tea either, so you get why atsumu wanted to keep it a secret

besides, with a guy so popular like him, you really just thought he was sparing you from the harassment (not that it would be bad if all the girls crushing on him new)

you get that he was just trying to protect you, and yet the more you thought of it, the more than it was simply just an assumption and you really didn’t know why your relationship was kept secret

it wasn’t like either of you would get backlash in any way, so what was the problem?

you weren’t exactly the type to be the most insecure either

sure, you were aware of the flaws you had, but it wasn’t something you were ashamed of as you learned to get used to it

yet it’s hard to fully love yourself when your boyfriend isn’t even comfortable with the fact that no one knows you two are even together

you hated jumping to conclusions, but you couldn’t help but to think the worst case scenario—was he ashamed of being with you?

you honestly thought the idea was impossible

if he was seriously ashamed of the thought of being with you in public, why would he even waste all those months dating? were all those dates and nights sneaking out to see each other for nothing?

it was like this for weeks with the way your own thoughts sabotaged you as you stood next to him during lunch

in moments like this in school, surrounded by your classmates and acquaintances, you and atsumu were only friends who sat next to each other occasionally and shared conversations that only friends would have

only friends

god, you hated the way that atsumu wouldn’t even look at you the way that he would when you two are alone

was he that embarrassed to be with you?

you didn’t want six months of all your hard work and effort of making time to be with him for nothing,, you had to do something about it

everyday, you, atsumu, and osamu would walk to school together with osamu typically walking ahead of you and your boyfriend

most couples would hold hands as they walked together, but atsumu had made it explicitly clear as the closer they get to school the farther they had to be from each other to avoid suspicions

thinking of it now, it sounded wrong to begin with and you had no idea why you even agreed to do such a thing

the school was close, maybe a block away and instead of slowing down your pace to create a gap between you and atsumu, you stubbornly stayed next to him to which he flickered you a weird look

he shrugged it off but the moment you two passed the gates and into campus, you slipped your hand into his

without missing a single beat atsumu immediately pulled his hand away from you with a look on his face that held all the questions running through his head at that very moment

“what are you doing?” he asks, almost in a harsh whisper

a frown melted upon your expression at how quickly he pulled away, almost as if he was disgusted by you. “i um, didn’t know you hated the thought of people seeing us together so badly.”

you didn’t know where all your strength went as it disappeared the moment you needed it the most

yet as you were about to walk away, atsumu tugs at your wrist lightly and pulls you into his embrace—his warmth and comforting scent of chamomile from  saved you from the embarrassment that was tainting your cheeks red

“no, no it’s not that,” he mutters, lips tickling your forehead. “i just wanted to keep you to myself a bit longer.”

— k. kenma

you honestly weren’t surprised at the fact that kenma wanted this relationship to be kept secret

he never seemed like the type to be in a relationship let alone get the attention of being in one in the first place, yet it irked you to the core

it was fine at first; acting like you two were just friends while at school or at volleyball practice and it wasn’t at all weird or out of the ordinary

maybe that’s why you were okay with it in the first few months of your relationship with kenma as you were always near him the majority of the time

yet you constantly had to fight the urge to not be so touchy with him from wanting to hold his hand to leaning your head onto his shoulder—you often had to stop yourself especially in front of your friends and his teammates

you were good at keep secrets, but it was absolute hell not being able to even tell kuroo considering you always hung out with him too (it was a given obviously but you digress)

kuroo is a bit curious in his closest friend’s antics so his constant teases of how you and kenma would be such a cute couple annoyed you to your core

he laughs as if you and kenma being together would be absolutely impossible and wouldn’t happen in a million years, and yet here you two were, pretending to laugh at his jokes and agreeing and it would be, in fact, impossible

as mentioned before, you’re more annoyed at keeping your relationship secret rather than angry

your actions were more abrupt and cold rather than your usual warm self and kenma definitely noticed

despite his usual calm and collected expression that he has on a daily basis, it covered up his own emotions of blatant insecurity and worry that you were losing your feelings and losing them quick

the last thing kenma wanted was for everything that happened between the two of you to be wasted over his own fear of being judged for being with you

you were his first in everything and he certainly wasn’t going to let you become his first heartbreak either

he worried about this for a few days, overthinking while he played video games with kuroo, lev, and yaku that they noticed how quiet he was being over the call

it was then did he impulsively asked kuroo to go on a separate voice channel with him just so he could blurt out, “i’m dating (y/n).”

and to his surprise, all his best friend said was: “yeah, i know. (y/n) told me.”

“what? why?” kenma asked with confusion evident on his visage

“she had no one else to go to vent.” kuroo answers, his amused laugh echoing through kenma’s headphones. “don’t worry, i won’t tell anyone.”

“thanks, but... i think (y/n)’s angry at me and i don’t know what to do.”

“she told me that she was getting tired of keeping your relationship a secret. she asked me if you felt embarrassed or even ashamed of being with her.” he explained.

confusion and a bit of worry washed over kenma as his words suddenly faltered, “i could never be ashamed of being with her,”

“then i guess, you should tell her that.”

“what should i do?”

his best friend lets on a smirk (not that kenma could even see it, anyway), “i’m so glad you asked.”

you weren’t exactly sure what you expecting to be honest

you knew there was something going on between kenma and kuroo as if they were planning something intricate, but you weren’t bothered to even ask

perhaps you were still in that petty mindset of giving kenma the cold shoulder after having to keep your relationship on hold all the time that stopped your curiosity

sure, it was a bit childish, but you were planning on talking about it with kenma the moment he came back into the classroom after going off somewhere with kuroo

which by the way, where the hell were they? lunch was ending soon and you needed to talk to you boyfriend asap

the timing was almost perfect the way the thought of him entered your mind was at the same time as his familiar blonde hair walked back into the classroom with a melon bun and a canned drink in his hand from the vending machine—your favorites

“i noticed you didn’t eat lunch, so i bought you this.” he says, placing them down onto your desk.

“is this supposed to be your way of apologizing to me or something?” you mused at him.

there was a faint smile on kenma’s face when you did. this was your usual self, one that constantly smiled at him rather than deadpanned and cold. “no,” he simple put it. taking in a breath of confidence before pressing his lips on the corner of yours. “but i was hoping that would.”

with wide eyes, your eyes scanned the room to see if anyone noticed, afraid at the fact that you broke the first rule. despite being a blushing mess from a minuscule peck on your cheek, there was an inkling of confusion still evident within you, “why did you do that?”

“kuroo told me everything.”

“i knew that guy couldn’t keep a secret,” you mutter as you tried to ignore that infamous feeling of butterflies in the pit of your stomach. “i don’t think people saw, so they won’t think we’re together—”

“what if i wanted people to know we’re together?” ded asf

— o. tooru

you honestly should’ve known oikawa was going to keep this relationship between the two of you a secret since the moment he confessed his feelings to you

what else could you have expected from aoba johsai’s most popular boy wonder with an actual fanclub full of naive girls

perhaps you’ve become naive yourself considering you dealt with months of having your relationship constantly being swept under the rug, psyching yourself out that he was doing this for your sake

and you understood that

it was the reason why you even agreed to keep your relationship on the downlow considering how annoyingly notorious oikawa’s fangirls were, they wouldn’t have let you see the light of day if they were to find out

if you were in fact being honest, there was a period in time near the beginning of the relationship how cautious you were being—barely talking to oikawa unless it had to do with school, avoiding his gazes during class, and even swallowing your pride by just watching his fangirls flirt with him and there was nothing you could do about it

you honestly had to give yourself a pat on the bat for dealing with six months of this treatment

you figured it wouldn’t be that bad, especially after schools where you and oikawa could finally have alone time to yourselves, but even those times alone with him there was a lingering feeling of tension and unease

the thought of someone from school even finding out of you two being  together even affected your relationship outside of school hours

you were tired of waiting outside the school gates for hours just for him to come out of volleyball practice and apologize that he couldn’t walk you home yet again

you figured that oikawa had grown far to used to seeing you waiting for him all the time that it was practically common sense that he was going to reject you again and again

you had to stop waiting for him at some point, but there was an inkling inside that for once, just for once, he would look at you with a smile so sweet that he would finally go with you

but not once has it happened

was he really that afraid of people finding out of his relationship with you that he’s willing to disregard all your hard work to even make this thing (whatever is was) to even happen?

if you were truly being honest with yourself, the only reason why this relationship is still up and active for this long is all because of you

you’re the one always asking him when he’s available during the weekends so you two could finally see each other, you’re the one always texting him first, you’re the one always being the most understanding of the situation

and yet it’s almost like oikawa isn’t even batting an eye at how difficult it has been for you

you absolutely hated jumping to conclusions and thinking of the worst case scenario and yet here you were, suddenly drowning at the possibility that the only reason why oikawa wanted a secret relationship was because he was ashamed to be with you

it was a thought that kept you up at night, tainting your optimistic thoughts of hope that this relationship would actually work out to decimate into thin air

the more is simmered in your head, the worse it became—what if his feelings that he confessed to you was a lie?

you hated overthinking

but if you really thought about it, even before you and oikawa dated, neither of you two were close. just two acquaintances in the same class that occasionally shared answers with each other just by the convenience of sitting nearby

you even went as far as believing that him dating you was just a joke, that this whole goddamn relationship was just some mindless prank just because he was bored

six months of wasted time. you were over it

the next day at school, you didn’t even look at him, you didn’t smile or even acknowledge the way he said good morning to you (as a friend does)

you figured he’s probably too dense to even notice, but he did. the usual glow you had each morning when you said good morning back to him was gone

he already missed the way your gazes would meet and how he would constantly find himself lost in your irises, but now you couldn’t even look at him in the eye

the only person who’s aware that you and oikawa were dating was iwaizumi. it was a given as who else would oikawa ramble on and on and on about how pretty you looked or how smart you are if it wasn’t his best friend?

if anything, iwa was the only guy oikawa could complain about how you were ignoring him

“maybe she’s bored of you for once,” iwaizumi cuts straight to the point. there was really no point in beating around the bush

offense was written all over oikawa’s face, utterly surprised, “how could she?”

“you can’t keep your relationship with her a secret forever, you know.” his best friend goes on to explain, “with the way things are going with you two acting like you’re nothing but acquaintances, (y/n)’s bound to lose her feelings.”

“but i don’t want her to lose feelings for me! and it’s not like i can suddenly tell all my fangirls that i’m dating someone, they’ll freak!” whines oikawa.

“why do you care about your fangirls’ feelings more than your own girlfriend? seems to me, it doesn’t even look like you care about (y/n) at all the way she’s constantly waiting for you after practice only to be rejected.”

it’s obvious iwaizumi wasn’t here to sugarcoat

“i just don’t want them to harass (y/n)...” oikawa reasons, trying to ignore the way his heart drop at iwa’s words like a gripping poison

“then that’s your job to tell those girls to back off.” he suggests, “they literally treat you like a god, surely they’ll listen if you tell them to leave her alone.”

the following day, you came across oikawa waiting outside your door, dressed in his uniform with his gaze lingering about to occupying his attention

“what are you doing here?” you ask him as you close your front door behind you. he’s probably here to break up with you, you thought to yourself

you had to force yourself to ignore the way your heart dropped at your own self-destructive thoughts

taking a deep breath as you approached him, you readied yourself for harsh news to come your way

but it never did

instead, you were greeted by oikawa’s infamous smile that made everyone at school to fall in love with this guy (including you)

he takes your hand into his, intertwining his calloused fingers that dwarfed yours in size. you don’t remember the last time you held oikawa’s hand, but it felt so familiar and warm

it was like home

you couldn’t help but feeling the ends of your lips tugging into a smile as you looked up at him, “what if someone at school sees us?”

you were expecting some kind of excuse, but all he did was shrug. “who cares?”

— k. tetsurou

when you and kuroo started going out, you certainly wasn’t expecting it to be like this

if anything, ‘going out’ would be a stretch if you count late night dates and sneaking out at midnight just to see each other as dating

it certainly wasn’t your usual definition of dating either as you yearned greatly to be able to do normal couple things with your boyfriend—like actually going out on dates during the day, eating lunch together, hell, even just holding hands!

it almost seemed laughable how normal things done in relationships were something you never even experienced with kuroo even after a few months of being together all due to him wanting to keep the relationship a secret

and if you were truly being honest with yourself, you never really understood why he wanted to keep it on the downlow in the first place

you never really questioned it as you just that much of an understanding person, but at a certain point it just wasn’t adding up

it wasn’t like he had girls going after him 24/7 despite being at the top of his class, popular, and nekoma’s volleyball captain

it wasn’t like oikawa who had an actual problem with hoards of girls surrounding him and tracking his ever move, so what was the big deal of letting your relationship public?

it was then did it hit you

the suddenly downpour of insecurity within your own loving boyfriend that you trust so much was getting the best of you

“what if he’s embarrassed to even be with me?” you contemplated in a harsh whisper to your best friend

it was in the middle of lunch and you two were sitting alone on a bench in the school’s courtyard chatting while eating—well, more like overthinking in your case while you friend just sat there and nodded

“if he actually felt that way, then he would’ve broken up with you already.” your friend stated in between bites, “besides, if i didn’t have feelings for someone, i wouldn’t put in the effort to sneak out just to see them.”

you hummed, not sure what to say as she did have a point

but could you really blame yourself for wanting an actual relationship rather than one that’s forced to go unnoticed?

“i should talk to kuroo about it...” you sigh out.

“talk to me about what?” an oh-so-familiar voice calls out to you and your friend

kuroo’s figure approaches the two of you as he give you a curt smile with hidden meanings that you weren’t able to even notice. you were too caught up in your own meddling thoughts that you also didn’t notice the way kuroo frowned slightly at the way you avoided eye contact with him

“nothing,” was all you said before standing up and throwing your trash away. “lunch is almost over so we should all get to class.” was all you said before briskly walking away

kuroo’s brows furrow in confusion as he looks over to your friend, “what’s up with (y/n)?”

“she thinks you’re too embarrassed to be with her, that’s why you hide your relationship.” she cuts straight to the point (homegirl just wants to eat her lunch in peace ffs)

“what?” your boyfriend huffs out in shock, almost offended at the fact that you out of all people would believe such a thing. “why does she think that?”

your friends shrugs, “not sure. that’s something you should be asking her, but if it were me, i would want a normal relationship as well.”

kuroo doesn’t say another word before walking away. and yet his walk quickened so he could catch up to you before you could get to class, footsteps echoing through the hallway in patters as he sees your familiar figure near your classroom 

“(y/n)!” he calls out to you as you slide the classroom’s door open. it was sure to catch the attention of the rest of the students already in the classroom as you turn towards him, brows furrowed in the same confusion

as he neared you, there was almost no sign in him stopping, sending your heart beating in a frenzy as you parted your lips to tell him to slow down

but before a single syllable could even fall from your lips, your boyfriend’s own pair press against yours harshly. it was sweet like caramel and you swore everything moved in a slow motion when you suddenly realized where you two were

he stole your breath away when he pulled apart from you, eyes immediately scanning the room of his own classmates staring at him in awe

“since when were you two dating?” matsukawa asked rather loudly, it seemed that others were interested in knowing as well.

panic suddenly coursed through you as you gave kuroo a look, gravely ignoring the way yoru heart was thumping against your chest and the dozens of unanswered questions running through your head

“w-we’re not actually dati—”

“we’ve been together for a few months actually.” kuroo cuts you off, sending you a wink before entering the classroom

[yslkook]

TiO (8)

mind of mine masterlist

summary: jungkook is a man of mystery and you take him on a date.

pairing: “badboy” jk x “shy/reserved” oc

warnings: cursing, alc, excessive use of pet names, a shitty relationship, unprotected sex (pls use protection, these two are being foolish) , some choking, grinding, making out, oral

word count: ~6.3k

a/n: if you want to be tagged, send an ask plz. would love to hear your thoughts. a big thank you to @cutechim for creating the texts for me lmao<33

***

Jungkook remains tight-lipped about what it was he had done over the weekend, when he had gone with Jin and Mina to a tattoo convention a few hours away. They had ended up staying the night there, and while Jungkook wanted to ask you to come with him, he wondered if it was too soon to ask. After all, you were both still enjoying each other’s company at your own sweet pace.

Eventually his little secret gets put on the back burner for the rest of the week. You were supposed to get bubble tea with him on Tuesday, but unfortunately a last minute work issue with your client and your application came up. You’d ended up working late, your eyes screaming in fatigue and went straight to bed that evening. He had understood, of course he did.

On Thursday, he was supposed to grab lunch with you at a cafe that he thought you might like, but this time it was him who had a conflict. His older sister had showed up to the tattoo parlor without any prior notice. She does this every so often, when things aren’t going well with her on again, off again shitty “boyfriend”.

Jungkook had sighed, cancelling on lunch with you to spend time with Jooyeon and comfort her with fried chicken and ice cream. You had sent an understanding thumbs up and a promise to call him later and end up having lunch with your work wife, Kira instead.

Kira who doesn’t fail to point out the glow in your cheeks and your general aura, even though it’s been nearly a week and a half since you saw Jungkook last. You roll your eyes and ignore the flames in your cheeks (and her laughter), and change the subject to your work projects. She tells you about some of the coding issues and compliance issues she’s been having with her software, and you tell her about the hours you’ve been pouring into your application for your client.

It doesn’t bother you that Jungkook hadn’t asked if you wanted to meet his sister. After all, he’d told you bits and pieces about her and her relationship. And in the last few weeks, your relationship has blossomed so beautifully. There was no reason to rush, you think. You’ll meet her hopefully under better circumstances for her.

Jungkook spends most of the evening with Jooyeon, letting her cry herself to sleep in his bed. His sister hardly ever cries like this, with sobs full of pain and hurt because of another man. But it’s been happening too much lately, too many fights and too much of Joo losing herself. It makes Jungkook see red more often than not. He knows what you’d say- that she needs him more than anything else and to not be so impulsive.

He makes sure Joo eats a warm meal before she falls asleep and he shoots you a text:

Jungkook: baby

You: hi

You: everything ok?

Jungkook: no, joo’s bf is a fkin asshole

Jungkook: she’s sleeping

Jungkook: miss u

You: im sorry baby :( can i call you?

He jumps at the chance, the sound of your voice and sight of your pretty face on video call instantly calming him. Jungkook is sure to wear a beanie to hide his surprise for you (but you don’t question it. After all, you’ve seen him in beanies plenty of times before and it’s dim in the apartment.) He moves to the couch, asking softly for you to tell him about your day. You recount every single detail from memory, shifting under your covers to tell him about how you had nearly stumbled down the stairs in front of your manager’s manager because you had missed a step.

It pulls a soft laugh from him.

“Jungkook,” You say quietly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t even know what to say,” Jungkook sighs, “She’s just… Byung-woo and her have had this on and off thing for years now. He won’t commit to her and she just refuses to see him for what he is. Like, when it’s good, it’s really good. But when it’s bad, it’s awful. I wish she’d fucking see it for herself. I don’t know what to do anymore, baby.”

“Oh, baby,” You murmur, wishing you could hug him, “All you can do is be there for her but be honest with her. She’ll come around soon, hopefully. It’s hard to see past a shitty person sometimes, when all you want is for them to love you.”

“I hope so, too,” Jungkook says, “She’d love you, you know?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Don’t get a big head,” Jungkook chuckles, “Maybe you can meet her someday. Under better circumstances, I mean.”

“Really? You want me to meet your older sister?” You ask softly, feeling a little flustered, “That’s serious.”

“I told you, baby,” Jungkook soothes, “I’m serious about you.”

“Yeah. Seriously crazy about me,” You giggle to yourself. You know if Jungkook was with you, he’d flick your forehead.

“It’s true,” He murmurs, “Maybe I can see you this weekend?”

“Yeah, you still have to show me what you did over the weekend! Take care of Jooyeon first,” You reply, “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll drop stuff off, just tell me.”

“I will,” Jungkook promises, “Sleep well, I miss you.”

“Sleep well. I miss you.”

***

Jooyeon ends up leaving on Saturday morning after a lecture from Jungkook and with determined resolve in her eyes. You jump at the chance to take him out tonight, knowing how stressed he’s been the last few days.

You: be ready at 6:30 tn, im taking u out. and dress slutty

Jungkook doesn’t know how to interpret your text when he reads it. He considers asking Mina and Mei what this means, but ultimately leaves it alone. Replying to your message with a quick thumbs up, he busies himself with getting ready to see you (and surprising you, finally after a full week of wanting to show you what he had done.)

Once you parallel park your car (which takes far too long than you’d like to admit), you grab the small bouquet of purple roses that you had gotten for Jungkook and text him saying that you’ll be up in a few minutes.

Taehyung had caught you struggling to parallel park, and had told Jungkook with a snicker. Which earned him a punch to the arm.

There wasn’t a particular reason that you had chosen to get purple roses for him, other than the fact that they reminded you of him. You hope he likes them.

Jungkook hears a soft knock at the door, and can already envision you behind it. He hopes you like his surprise, the one he’s been teasing you for a week about. You had given no hints of what you would be wearing- you had only sent him one selfie that didn’t give much of a hint into your outfit. He has no doubt that you’ll look gorgeous, but still.

Maybe Jungkook’s nerves shouldn’t be this intense, but he can’t help it. He swings the front door open, only to be greeted by you swaying on your feet with your hands held behind your back. His heart throbs when you pull your hands apart and present him with a beautiful bouquet of purple roses.

How ironic.

“Hello,” You say with a small smile, suddenly feeling a little shy and gasping when your eyes land on his hair, “Wow. You weren’t kidding…”

His hair is tied back into a ponytail, but it’s unmistakably elegant and so violet. Two neat pieces of his newly dyed hair fall into his face effortlessly, but then your gaze reaches the piercing on his left eyebrow. Your lips remain parted in surprise and without thinking, you reach up to touch his hair. It’s still soft, as it always is.

“Come in, baby,” Jungkook says, taking the roses from you, “You must really like me, huh? Got me flowers and everything?”

“Shut up,” You mutter, cheeks heating up, “Don’t get a big head.”

Jungkook only grins wolfishly at you and winks at you, eyes unashamedly glued to your ass. You roll your eyes, and swat his shoulder as you watch him put the rose in a vase and place it in the center of the dining table.

This isn’t the first time you’ve been in his shared apartment (that he lives with Taehyung and Jimin in) but you somehow feel shy in his presence again, as if it was the first time. The first time you had been here with him had been the first time you had spent the night at his apartment several weeks ago, after a night out with your friends.

You let your gaze wander, curious eyes settling on the subtle matching of the furniture and the cleanliness of the apartment. There’s not a stray speck of dust in sight, but maybe you’re distracting yourself from addressing the pretty purple of his hair. Your mouth is dry, and you’re probably drooling a little. You wonder if Jungkook prepared for this, the same way you did (in that you had washed your car, cleaned every inch of it and gotten a new car freshener).

A faint scent of fresh laundry and lavender sits in the spaces of his home. It calms you and gives you the boost to turn your eyes to him.

“Thanks for the roses, baby,” Jungkook says, giving you a smile and starry eyes. He pulls you into his arms, your back against the counter. “Surprise. Do you like it?”

“Uh,” You mumble, brain deciding to short-circuit with the way he looks at you. His smile turns into a smirk, deciding to further render you speechless by pressing himself closer to you and cradling your neck. He’s careful not to touch your face. He doesn’t want to mess your makeup up terribly, at least not yet.

“I know you like my hair. Your face says it all, baby,” Jungkook continues and ducks his head for a quick kiss, “You’re pretty.” He does quite like this dress, light blue and dotted in small flowers with thin straps. His eyes are instantly drawn to the drawstring at the center of your chest and he quells the urge to pull at it.

Jungkook’s mouth waters when he sees the side split of the dress but you want more from him immediately, but he pulls away to your chagrin. Even with the simple kiss, the burgundy color of your lipstick stains his plump bottom lip.

You shiver. It appears that he tried to take your words via text to heart- to dress slutty. He’s wearing a loose animal print button up, with the top three buttons undone. It gives you a delectable view of his pecs, his collarbones and a hint of the tattoo on his right side. As if you weren’t already weak in the knees for him as it was, he wears a black coat and tight, leather pants.

Jungkook pulls it off, like he pulls everything off and the purple hair blends seamlessly with his look. Tonight, he’d opted for two silver hoops in each ear and a thin silver necklace to match.

Your knees are weak, they’ve been weak since you had seen him in this offensive outfit and his hair, his new piercing that was clearly an attack on your entire existence.

The purple hair. The piercing. He’ll be the death of you tonight, you know it. Your legs are wobbly, panties already probably a little wet just from seeing him and from a few of his kisses. But you can’t help it. Without thinking, you press your lips to his, drawing your tongue into his mouth eagerly. You are so hungry, so eager to devour him and drink up anything that he offers you. Jungkook tugs you closer to him lightly by your waist but-

“Seriously? Right in front of my dinner?” Comes an amused voice from behind Jungkook and you nearly screech at the familiar sound of Jimin’s voice.

“I- I didn’t-You-” You stammer, feeling your face heat up to a degree that it’s definitely never heated up to before. You hide behind Jungkook to fix your surely wrecked lipstick. You’re certain his own lips are probably comically smudged with your lipstick as well. “Sorry Jimin, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know, we’ll leave-”

Jungkook only rolls his eyes at Jimin’s wide smirk and knowing eyes. He hears you scolding Jungkook for not telling him that anyone was home, to which he promptly responds “well, you didn’t ask!”

Despite the very natural and easy flow of conversation between you and Jungkook in your car, you still feel overheated and jumpy, your fingers incessantly tapping on the steering wheel. It’s not Jungkook, it’s you and your own nerves. It’s not the first time you’ve gone out to dinner with him and it’s certainly not the first time you’ve had him in your car. If Jungkook notices, he says nothing.

“Where are we going, baby?” Jungkook asks, looking at you. You don’t meet his eyes, choosing instead to focus on the road despite being at a red light.

“Umm, that place you mentioned the other day. The one we talked about trying together,” You say softly. Jungkook can only wonder why you’re a little quiet, but he thinks he knows. You slip into your head so easily and he doesn’t mind gently tugging you out of your thought cloud and into reality with him.

“Can you help me park,” You mumble sheepishly, “I get nervous parking in such tight spaces.”

“Yeah, pull over here before it’s impossible to,” Jungkook murmurs. You nod and do so, hopping out of the driver’s seat to switch places with him. But before you can get in the passenger’s seat, Jungkook grips your wrist loosely. You look at him curiously, with wide eyes and he drops a kiss to your lips, swallowing your surprise.

“You’re so pretty,” Jungkook murmurs, “So fucking pretty, baby. I love this dress on you.” You preen at his praise, leaning forward for another kiss with a shy smile. He subtly squeezes your left tit before letting his hand travel downward.

“You look really good, Jungkook,” You murmur before he kisses you, “I-I really, really like it. A lot.”

He gently caresses your thigh from under your dress, the heat of his hand shooting straight up your core. Jungkook slips his tongue into your mouth quickly, coaxing your endearing nervousness away. As if you both aren’t pulled over to the side of the street where cars are passing you by (and surely wondering why you both were making out like this in public).

“Are we gonna be those people who have a roadside quickie,” You laugh, gently pushing his shoulder when you pull away.

“Roadside quickie? Get your mind out of the gutter,” Jungkook says but his lips twist into a wicked smirk, “But hey, if you wanna give me road head, I’m not going to complain about it-”

“Ha, you would be so lucky,” You scoff, feeling your nerves beginning to ease out of you, “C’mon, our reservation is soon. And then we can talk about road head.”

Dinner goes perfectly and after a glass of wine you feel those inexplicable nerves wash away. What did you have to be nervous for anyway? It was Jungkook- Jungkook who you’ve known for years. Your friend before any of this. He asks you about work, how your application is going-

“Your client sounds pretty demanding,” Jungkook muses, “You keeping up with it okay?”

“Yeah, but I’m not even an application engineer so I’m just learning as I go. My true roots are data and data science but I get to see all of it. Which is cool. But also time consuming, like the other evening, I had to read up on the compliance regulations. But my favorite thing is creating modeling and programs for this app, it’s really cool because it’s healthcare specific. So I’m learning about that sector as well, it’s mostly python but we’ve been doing testing with different healthcare providers in the area and they’re all responding really well to it-” You’re rambling, you know it, but your passion for your career knows no bounds and Jungkook makes no move to stop you. He only smiles at you, eyes crinkling and nose scrunching, gesturing for you to continue.

It’s funny. Not even a few months ago, you would have cut yourself off from your own rambling. In an attempt to convince yourself that the other person didn’t need to hear about it. Maybe that was Sora’s subconscious influence on you. Today, you don’t think twice about it, glowing and shimmering under the dim, blue lights of the restaurant as you tell Jungkook more about your job.

He makes your heart race and he’s sitting right in front of you. Your chin is in your hands as you listen to the pretty words slipping out of his lips. He’s so dreamy, and you struggle to not let your gaze stray from his eyes and linger on his exposed tattoos and chest. You don’t even know where to look, deciding to settle on the way his newly purple locks fall to his forehead just perfectly.

“What do you wanna eat for dessert?” You murmur, looking at the menu and cautiously allowing your foot to brush against his.

In hindsight, you should’ve seen it coming-

“You,” Jungkook says easily, as if he’s talking about the weather.

“Corny,” You roll your eyes, but nudge his foot again. You end up deciding on sharing a slice of decadent, chocolate mousse cake. Which Jungkook ends up finishing off when you satisfy your sweet tooth after a few big bites.

He leans over without a second thought, thumbing away stray cream from the corner of your mouth. Your tongue darts out to lick the tip of his thumb and he looks at you with wide eyes before grinning roguishly.

“Wanna get outta here, baby?”

“Should I take you home, Jungkook?” You ask, finding the courage somewhere in the remnants of the glass of wine currently evaporating from your system to take his hand in your lap once you’re both settled in your car.

“Do you want to take me home?” Jungkook asks with a quirked eyebrow.

“I have some wine I think you’d like at my place. I just got it,” You say a little breathlessly, “And I have to inspect something, I might need your help.” Jungkook laughs, a little derisively and you pout.

“You don’t have to bribe me with wine, baby. You know I would’ve been down regardless,” Jungkook says, squeezing your hand, “What do you need to inspect? Do you have a leak or something?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a leak alright,” You say under your breath, thinking about the growing wetness in your panties, “My man just showed up here with purple hair and an eyebrow piercing, looking like a damn model after one whole week. I have to inspect him.”

“Oh, is that so? In that case, I would love to be your lab rat. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t seen the inside of your bedroom before-”

“Who said you’d get that far?”

“I already did, baby. Did you forget?” Jungkook’s smirk widens, eyes sparkling with mischief. He gently cups your face, thumb on your chin and hovers just over your lips. You think he’s about to kiss you, so you close your eyes in anticipation of his lips on yours.

But it never comes. Instead, his breath fans over your cheeks and he lets out a low laugh. “I sure didn’t forget, and I know you didn’t either.”

You roll your eyes and swat his hand away, ignoring (but letting out a smile) when he chuckles. You decide to hold his hand for as much of the drive back home you can.

Jungkook’s hands are on your hips even as you’re fumbling with the keys to your front door. He’s a distraction, his warm heat plastered against your back and the simple act of opening your damn door feels like too much of a chore. When Jungkook’s lips glaze over the back of your neck, his fingers roaming your waist, it’s difficult for you to focus.

So Jungkook scoffs and turns the key for you. “Can’t open the door, baby?” Jungkook taunts and you level him with a glare.

“It’s not my fault you can’t keep your hands to yourself in front of my door!”

“You like it,” Jungkook says, shutting the door behind him and hugging you as you try to walk away from him to wash up. You escape his grip with a giggle and lock yourself in your bathroom, while Jungkook waits with a disgruntled pout.

When you come out, you head into the kitchen to pour out two glasses of wine and bring some snacks out. You’re not particularly hungry, though you wouldn’t mind eating and you’re sure Jungkook wouldn’t mind either.

Your train of thought is of course interrupted by the man himself and he wraps his arms around you from behind, pushing you into the counter. One might say that Jungkook is being clingy, but you know this is how he shows his affections. Through physical touch more than anything else. And you quite like it, you like the reassurance of his body close to yours. It’s what you’ve always wanted and never known that you needed.

“Missed you,” He breathes into your hair. Even if he’s been with you for the last few hours… You understand him. It feels like you’re both making up for lost time. For time that you could’ve spent together, rather than apart.

“Me too,” You murmur, “Can you take this to the couch, honey? I’ll bring the glasses and the wine.”

Jungkook hums and kisses your temple, squeezing your ass before heeding your soft demand. You sit next to him, thighs touching, and pour out a glass for both of you to enjoy. You lean against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his bicep and turn the television on. But neither of you are really paying attention.

“Hey,” Jungkook murmurs, “I had a good time tonight, baby.”

“Don’t I know it,” You say smugly, “It’s not everyday a pretty girl takes you out for din-” He cuts your words off by pulling you into his lap, somehow not spilling even a single drop of wine in the movement. You would’ve killed him if even a hint of a wine stain appeared on your velvet couch.

You press your hand into his shoulder, the hint of his tattoo and the glint of his piercing catching your eye. You swirl your glass of wine with your other hand. “What a precarious position to be in,” You say dryly, even grinding your hips into his playfully. He gives you a look, and stills your movements with one hand on your waist. Jungkook sets his glass on the coffee table behind you and cradles your neck, pulling you down for a sharp kiss. It’s almost desperate and needy, nothing like his kisses from before.

You slip your tongue into his honeyed mouth, tasting seeds of his desperation with your tongue. But then, you remember your wine glass and pull away from his lips with a lewd smack to reach behind you and place it on the coffee table as well.

“So pretty,” Jungkook moans, pushing the straps of your dress to the side and dotting your shoulders in wine-stained kisses, “Pretty girl, my pretty baby-”

You tilt his cheek towards you for a kiss, whining into his mouth at his praise. It shoots down your spine in a delicious hum and his hands roaming the expanse of your back makes you feel warm and powerful.

The way your hips move in time with his, the way you fit into the crevices of his thighs and his chest- he just wants to give you everything. He wants to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Jungkook will give you everything, if you let him.

“And what about you?” You rasp with swollen lips and wild eyes when you finally pull away. You press your fingers into the exposed, inky part of his chest, where his shirt is unbuttoned for your eyes. “You look so fucking good all the time, but-but I told you to dress slutty and you did this for me, huh? You did this for me, bunny?”

Jungkook’s cock jumps in his tight pants and his throat goes dry. Your eyes are devious, filled with mischief and sin and he gives himself to you fully and wholly.

“Yeah,” Jungkook nods eagerly, “Yeah, I wanted to look nice for you, baby.”

“A-and your hair,” You mumble, feeling a little lovesick, “I love it, I love it, I love it-I just wanna- wanna make you feel good. Can I do that, bunny? Make you feel good?”

Jungkook nods with wide, doe eyes, wondering how the tables were turned so quickly.

“Take me to my bedroom,” You demand softly. The glasses of wine and snacks on the tray are left forgotten as Jungkook easily scoops you up in his arms. Even with your lips soft and slow against his neck, he somehow makes it to your bed.

It’s definitely not the first time you’ve had Jungkook in your bed (or that you’ve been in his bed). It’s not the first time you’ve peeled his shirt off meticulously and licked your way down his chest, to unbutton his tight pants. It’s not the first time he’s seen you on your knees on your bed (to alleviate the strain on your knees if you were on the floor).

By now, the shock of your impatience has worn off. Jungkook frequently reminds you to slow down, that you both have nowhere to be except with each other.

It looks like his pants are glued to his legs, and while you can appreciate the visual, you want to appreciate the real thing. You groan in frustration and Jungkook does the work for you, pushing the offending fabric away and breathing a sigh of relief. You crawl closer to him, nails featherlight against his taut thighs.

He’s golden, his body taut and spilling with swirls of color in the divots of his muscles. Your mouth waters.

But Jungkook moves your hands away when you start inching closer, wanting to palm his cock. He joins you on the bed, pushing your back to the bed and hiking the skirt of your dress up to your hips. His hands are tight and warm and welcome on your hips, a flare of desire shooting down your spine and straight to your pussy. You buck your hips up towards him with a pout but he only squeezes.

“What did I tell you,” Jungkook murmurs, swatting your thigh lightly.

“You’ll have to remind me,” You breathe.

“Told you to slow down, baby,” Jungkook says, letting his fingers trail up your thighs and slip under your panties. His hand is warm in contrast to the rings on his fingers. They do little to cool your skin, though. “Impatient girl.”

“You say that like a bad thing-”

“And you talk so fucking much,” Jungkook drawls, hovering over you and dropping his weight on top of you, nudging your cheek to kiss you. You reach upwards to thread your hands through his hair but he’s quick, so much quicker than you. Jungkook pins your wrists with just one hand, and the mere action, the mere display of strength has you sighing and your pussy fluttering.

“Lift your hips,” Jungkook says thickly, and you do so immediately. It’s easy for him to pull your black lace panties off to the side. But before he does so he gives you a small smile of approval, knowing that you wore them specifically for him to see.

“I really do love this dress, baby,” He says, “Makes your tits and your ass look amazing.”

“Take it off, then. And see the goods up close,” You say, wiggling against his grip.

“I will,” Jungkook says lazily, “Don’t you worry your pretty head about it.” Without a single warning, he lifts you up easily into his lap. Your bare pussy brushes against his bare cock deliciously, your hips moving of their own accord. He stills you again, and carefully unzips your dress and pulls it off of you. His fingers on you are soft but firm, leaving your head spinning and hazy.

You haven’t even had his cock yet, and you’re about ready to combust. Jungkook pushes you on the bed, your tits bouncing with the force of your back hitting the mattress and hovers over you. You pull at his hair a little impatiently and he groans, the sound reverberating across the walls only to ring in your head. You want to hear it again, and again and again.

“Jungkook,” You whine, “Please, bunny, do something. Look at me, look at my pussy, come clean me up-”

“So needy,” Jungkook murmurs and ignores you in favor of kissing your tits, rubbing your nipples with his fingers, “‘M needy for you too, baby.”

“You’re so hard, so big,” You babble, “Please, want your cock, baby.”

Impatient. Jungkook kisses your chest, your belly, your hips and makes you cum on his tongue twice (while you tear up and cry a little bit, gripping his purple locks fiercely and holding onto his shoulder) before letting you stroke his cock. You’re about to push him on his back to blow him with determined eyes, but he stops you.

It appears he’s impatient too, and he wants to see you cream his cock before cumming all over your tits (which has become his favorite place to).

“Jungkook,” You breathe sharply, “There, baby, right there-” You cut yourself off with a groan, stilling your hips and pushing his face into your chest. Jungkook’s groans are muffled against your tits, but you feel the wetness of his lips and the warmth of his tongue over your nipples.

“Shit,” You mumble, “Feels so good-”

“So pretty, baby,” Jungkook coos, pulling away from your tits to look up at you with lust in his eyes, “I’m yours, all yours-”

You groan, bouncing on his cock even harder as a flare of possessiveness flashes across your belly. “Move back,” You say softly, “Lay down. I’m gonna ride you so good, baby.”

Jungkook barely has a chance to catch his breath before your nails are on his chest, trying to hold yourself steady as you push yourself down onto his cock, pulling a deep moan of your name from his lips. His hands are tight on your hips, watching with wide eyes- he doesn’t know where to look, what to do.

He squeezes when one of your hands drifts over his and rests on top of his hand.

“I’m yours, I’m yours,” Jungkook mumbles, “Whatever you want baby, I’m yours-”

“You talk so much,” You say hoarsely, with a wicked smile, “It’s cute.” Your free hand floats upward, resting loosely at the base of his neck. His chain is cold against his heated skin but all he can focus on is the glide of your hand over his neck.

His cock twitches inside you and your smile widens. “Is this okay?” You whisper, “This okay, bunny?”

“Harder,” Jungkook groans, “Fuck, harder, baby.”

“Like this?” You ask innocently, closing your hand around the sensitive spots of his neck. His pretty eyes flutter as he nods, a quiet moan slipping out into the air.

“You’re pretty like this,” You say softly, “Shit, you’re pretty like this…”

He lets out a choked laugh at that. You lean forward, pressing your lips to his hastily. Jungkook thrusts upward, hips meeting your ass but your hand doesn’t leave his neck. Not just yet. You breathe into his mouth, allowing him to swallow your soft whimpers.

You wet your lips with a loud smack and cradle his cheek gently. Jungkook is mesmerized by the heat in your eyes, smoldering and burning through his skin. You let your fingers glide over your clit, gathering wetness and before Jungkook can ask what you're doing-

“Open,” You mumble hoarsely, “Open, bunny.”

Pushing a finger past his chapped lips, you gasp at the sight of him below you with your fingers in his mouth.

You could cum just from watching him. His tongue swirls over your finger before sucking lightly with a pretty flush covering his cheeks. Your eyes widen, another gasp brushing over his cheeks.

“Fuck,” You mumble dreamily, “You’re so good, bunny.”

Your body is burning, jaw slack and the feeling of Jungkook’s bare cock inside of you almost too much to handle. It was wildly irresponsible- he wasn’t wearing a condom and you weren’t on birth control, and it was a conversation for later. But you can’t think, not when it feels this good, not when you’ve had a taste of his cock in this way. Besides, he always pulls out just in time. But still, you both should know better.

“Oh, Jungkook,” You whine, “‘m close, I’m so fucking close, make me cum, bunny-”

“Baby,” Jungkook rasps, “My pretty baby looks so good on my cock like this. My smart, kind, b-beautiful girl, my angel-”

Tears prick your eyes- it’s easy for you to become overwhelmed like this. You tug your hands away and thread your fingers through his, dipping your head for a kiss.

“You like that, angel? You like being mine?” Jungkook murmurs, slowing your hips so he can take over. But he knows you’re close.

“Only yours,” You mumble. Jungkook pulls you into his chest swiftly and flips you so that you’re on your back. He places your legs over his shoulders and brackets your head with his forearms, his necklace just above your nose and his hair tickling your face. But you're mesmerized by the determination and adoration in his eyes.

“Jungkook,” You murmur brokenly, “O-oh, y-yeah, baby, there, mmmf-” You squeeze his biceps with a gasp, watching his face closely. Pushing his hair behind his ears, you cradle his cheek and pull him down for a sweet, long kiss.

His fingers dance across your thighs and rub your clit in slow circles and murmuring soft words of praise in your ear. You’re vaguely aware that your body erupts in a tidal wave of flames, warming you from inside out. You don’t hear anything except for your cries of his name, you don’t see anything but him through your blurry eyes.

“Baby,” Jungkook says through clenched teeth, “O-open your mouth, baby. Fuck, baby, this pussy- I’m gonna cum, baby, fuck-”

You open your mouth with hooded eyes and your tongue lolling out and Jungkook pulls out of you abruptly with a series of curses. He’s not fast enough to get all of his cum in your mouth, some of it landing on your cheek. You swallow his cum with a dopey smile and open your arms for him to bury his face in your tits.

“Fuck, baby,” Jungkook says breathlessly, rolling off of you and pulling you into his side, “This pussy’s gonna be the death of me. Where’d you learn to ride dick like that, huh?”

“I’ll never tell,” You mumble, “Gimme a kiss.”

And so he does, tasting himself on your lips. He kisses you nice and slow, just how you both like after a night like this. Eventually he cleans you up and you do the same for him.

Under the covers with only the shared warmth between your sheets to keep you company, you rest your head on Jungkook’s bicep and look up at him. Your fingers continue tracing patterns on his chest, tracing the swirls and curves of ink as they appear.

Jungkook dips his head to nudge your nose and you softly laugh as his hair falls into your face. “What are you thinking about, baby?” He murmurs, lazily draping an arm over you. By now, you’ve realized that Jungkook is possibly the most vulnerable with you in moments like this. When you’re both bare and basking in a post-sex haze.

That’s not to say that he’s not vulnerable at other times. But it’s just different like this.

You take his hand and thread your fingers through his. His fingers are bare, as you had taken his rings off and they’re currently sitting in your jewelry dish on your dresser.

“We just,” You murmur, “We spent so long being apart. When we should’ve been together. All because I…”

“Stop,” Jungkook says firmly but gently, “Don’t do that. You’re where you’re supposed to be. We’re where we’re supposed to be.”

“But we wasted so much time not being together because of me,” You mumble forlornly, feeling your throat getting a little dry, “Because I listened to Sora and didn’t-”

“Oh, baby,” Jungkook says, pulling you in for a hug and a forehead kiss, “That’s not true at all. We’re together now, and we both had some growing to do. That’s what matters.”

“Okay,” You reply in a strained voice. You don’t quite sound like you believe him, and Jungkook makes a mental note of that. “Do you feel like… we have lost time to make up for?”

“Do you feel like that?” Jungkook counters, making your heart skip a beat, “Because I don’t. I know it’s hard, baby, but you can’t beat yourself up for that. It’s in the past, baby. Forgive yourself. There’s nothing to race against, it’s just me and you.”

“I’ll try,” You say a little meekly. Jungkook nods and pulls you in for a soft kiss, one that has your toes curling and your belly flipping. He shifts so that you’re tucked into his side, surrounded by him and his hands on your skin. He kisses you until your previous thoughts don’t feel so loud in your head, he whispers to you and pulls sweet laughs from your throat until you can detach from the strange cloud that had suddenly appeared.

He’s your safe place.

*********

MoM TAGS: @tiemeuptogoldenchains @boymeetsparadise @jungkooksseuphoria @kaepjjangiya @drumsofheaven @ppeachyttae @tae-bebe @yiyi4657 @mygscafe @beeeetsandskzreads @maichiverse @hordanhearsawhooo @anonymous2505 @dreadity @mysugarkoo @ULTRAANONYMOUSEY @moonchild1 @fan-ati--c

TAGS: @kookdbean @codeinebelle

[symbioteburnout]

And here she thought she was going to be doing this alone. Ignoring the fact that, as one bonded to a symbiote, Andrea Benton was never alone, she herself wasn't supposed to be here on her own. In actuality, this was supposed to be a rescue done by her and Flash Thompson, otherwise known as Agent Anti-Venom, but Andi was impatient, impulsive, she'd run off to deal with it herself. Flash had a habit of being called away to do other things, but rescuing captive hostages from a hate group, that was something that certainly could NOT wait.

Covered from head to toe in a suit that was a smattering of red and white and black, Silence tore through the Friends of Humanity who tried to rush her, some immediately knew she had a symbiote, so of course, they came with fire. Flamethrowers and molotovs, unaware that Andrea and Silence weren't like most symbiotes or hosts, in that she had protection against the flames. Ready to start tearing into these hillbillies, she soon became distracted when something or someone came crashing out of the sky and flattened the deadly farm equipment.

While she wasn't decked out in her more recognizable costume, the combination of white and brown hair made the woman recognizable enough.

"...Holy shit!" Rogue, THE Rogue, the X-men's southern belle, here?!

She'd have to contain her fangirling for now, rescuing the hostages took priority. Rogue had already freed the mutants, that just left the other Klyntar, some were just masses of slime without a host, but at least one or two were bonded. Quickly, Silence picked up part of the destroyed harvester and hurled it across the field, clocking one of the other hicks upside the head and causing him to drop his flame thrower. With a flick of her wrist, she fired several cords of webbing and slingshots her closer to the other symbiotes, overpowering their captors.

"Go, hurry! Be free or whatever!" She waved her hands, the blobs already slithering away into the tall grass while confused hosts just shrieked and ran away, so much for gratitude.

The crowds were erupting into chaos, some were trying to flee, others ran to their trucks while more piled into the tailgates. Some of those trucks rushed the enclosure, driving through the fence while those who remained poured into the enclosure as well, thinking their numbers would be enough to overwhelm the X-woman and the symbiote girl. Andi attempted to regroup, getting closer to Rogue, her heart was pounding now from adrenaline, and the excitement of getting to team up with such a well known hero.

"Hey, so, this might sound weird but, after we're done kicking hillbilly ass, can I get a picture later? Coach will never believe this."

the x-men had specific alerts set up when it came to the firneds of humanity. they were tracking large purchases of things like land and buildings, at least as much as they could. so finding that they'd bought a huge, secluded farm upstate? well, that was a worry. but it wasn't legally something they could do anything about. so a little bit of recon was require.

rogue wasn't usually the pick for this kind of thing, but in actuality, she was kind of ashamed to say that she fit in here better than most of the other x-men. with a hat jammed onto her head, covering her most notable feature, a plaid shirt, jean shorts, and the application of some good old fashioned southern charm like her daddy used to have. well, it was like riding a bike.

her hands balled into fists as she elbowed her way through the crowd to get to the front. the presence of the combine harvester and a bunch of collared mutants sending a chill right down her spine. their leader- who bares a striking resemblance to her own father in everything but accent- spews hatred through a megaphone while she scans the other members of his crew until she spots the one with the collar remote in her back pocket.

she edges her way through the crowd- and then there's an explosion of sound and movement as someone- or something- breaks into the arena. so much for recon, time to go to work. rogue dives forwards towards her own target, landing a firm, rib-cracking punch and grabbing the remote. her hat gets knocked off in the tussle and she hears the murmuring cry of 'x-men' go out around her but she's a little preoccupied with finding the right button.

the remote beeps, the collars beep and the mutants are free, which is all she cares about. she's grabbed from behind and simply shoots straight up into the sky until there's no-one left holding her. She drops straight back down, landing feet first on the combine harvester with enough force that it crumples into the ground. the driver left terrified and tangled but alive.

" get outta here! " she yells at the newly freed captives who haven't already started trying to flee or fight their captors. she spares a glance at the being that had interrupted the speech to begin with. " y'all good over there?! " she looks pretty good. the guys with guns look less good. rogue decides to turn her attention to them.

" those ain't toys, y'all could really get hurt, " she chides, diving into the fray once more, sweeping legs out from under the crowd, laughing as she dodges their attempts to hit her. " an' i've seen better aim on monkeys at the zoo! "

[simeonisalesbian]

How would the demon ladies propose? Just the thought has me soft 😭

Lmao I took this and ran with it anon so it's a bit longer than I planned. I'm a sucker for the cliche of proposals going a bit wrong but still ending happy and cute soooo hope you enjoy :3

Lucifer:

she stresses on where to propose to you more than anything

The concept of a nice romantic dinner came to mind but she really would prefer to propose to you in private

It just seems more personal like that

so she manages to agrange a task for each of her sisters to leave the house

she then sets up a small dinner for just you two.

it is all going so well but as soon as she reaches into her pocket to pull out the ring her D.D.D. rings.

She'd ignore it but looking at the screen and noticing one of her sister's names she answers

Now instead of proposing she has to clean up whatever mess her siblings got into

once that's over with she'll end up apologizing a few times before pulling out the ring explaining that she wanted to propose earlier

Of course there isn't any reason she can't do it now either so she does giving you the heartfelt speech that she planned asking you to be hers till the end of time

Mammon:

she put a lot of thought into her proposal to you

She managed to save enough money for a ring and a big fancy dinner and she planned a whole romantic evening with you

however she is incredibly impulsive and has a tendency to word vomit when she's around you

So she ends up blurring out "marry me" after running away with you from her latest scheme that went south

Even if you do say yes she's immediately backtracking

She'll immediately ask you to take it back so she can try again like she planned.

She doesn't even have the ring here!!

Please let her try again she really wants to do this right. She knows she messes everything up but she can't mess this up for you.

Also she spent a lot of money trying to get you a reservation and it would be a shame to pass it up ya know

Leviathan:

honestly she just kept pushing back her proposal date

She just couldn't get the right moment and it just never seemed like the right time

She almost did go through with it once when the two of you were at the beach but she lost the ring and had to buy a new one

By the time she actually does propose she, you also had a ring coming to the the conclusion that maybe she didn't want to propose and you’d have to take the initiative here

So you both end up pulling out rings to give the other

Levi does complain for a minute insisting that she really wanted to propose to you

she'll then go on to explain just how many times she tried to propose (there were a lot)

Even though you pulled out a ring too she still wants verbal confirmation that you'll actually marry her.

Satan:

she makes a big scavenger hunt type thing. She got the idea from a book she read with you actually.

She even manages to rope her sisters into helping through much bribery and complaining

she sets up little clues around the house involving the two of you and waits for you to follow them

The end will be in the library where you pull out a notebook and open it to the marked page that says "will you marry me?"

She'll come around the bookcase holding the ring box

It's all perfect...until the cat sees the ring and decides that it looks like a fun new toy

she didn't plan on this she promises

You can both laugh this off later...preferably after the ring isn't in danger of being cat food

Asmodeus:

everythimg about asmo screams big and loud and this isn't any different.

She does ask if you're fine with a public proposal before hand she doesn't want to scare you off after all

Once she has the green light though she pulls out all the stops

she books a band to play in the park where she plans to have a nice romantic picnic. She'll take you there after shopping for a bit

It all goes according to plan at first.

However the one thing Asmo can't control is the weather

It's started out as a soft drizzle and she insisted it would pass ducking into a nearby store with you

That was just hopeful thinking though as the rain progressively got worse

The more it stormed the more her mood soured

when you asked what was wrong she pulled out the ring explaining how she had a perfect day set up for you and now it was all ruined

You'll have to insist it wasn't ruined and tell her how you have had such a good time.

She'll smile at you saying how much she loves you and how she really hopes you'll marry her rain or shine.

Beelzebub:

Beel shows her love through food in various way

This of course isn't any different

she manages to book the entire restaurant (perks you get from being a great customer I suppose) so that it's only you two and the staff

She also arranges to have the ring baked into the dessert

it sounded good in theory until you weren't exactly hungry for dessert and asked Beel if she wanted it

she immediately panics. If she turns the cake down you might worry but she can't eat it because it has your ring in it

So she asks if the two of you can just split it instead. She'll pull out the puppy eyes if she has too..

Luckily you managed to hit the ring when you go to cut the small cake in half.

Once you pull it out of the cake, a bit confused Beel slips to your side getting down on a knee.

She smiles up at you asking you to marry her and get to share meals like this with her forever and always

Belphegor:

this is probably the most effort she put into planning anything, which isn't saying much but still

she got the rings months ahead of time and had planned on proposing to you on the night of a meteor shower

so when the night arrived she pulled you along to go see see it despite the fact that it had been raining all day

the grass was a bit wet but she still spread out a blanket for you to both lay on.

however the sky was dark and covered with clouds from the earlier storm

Belphie insisted on waiting a least a little while longer in case it cleared up.

after a few hours she gave up and tossed the ring box to you moping slightly

she explained how she had a whole speech prepared and how after the meteor show was over she'd propose but now it was pointless

just place the box back in her hand and tell her to try anyway.

she'll smile saying you're ridiculous but proceed to tell you how she wished to spend the rest of her nights with you as long as you both live.

[thechangeling]

She burns like rum on a fire

Why did I do this to myself ughhhhh?

So @adoravel-fenomeno and I were talking about Kit potentially getting into an abusive relationship given that he's statistically likely too given his roots. So now I give you this fic! Sorry. Kit is using he/him in this fic because he hasn't really gone on his gender quest yet.

The title is from Cherry Wine by Hozier. I reccomend you listen to Cherry Wine and Trauma by NF while reading this.

Cw: Mentions of physical and verbal abuse, abusive, controlling behavior, negative self talk and extreme denial. Also brief mention of blood.

2013

Don't cry.

Don't cry Kit told himself over and over inside his head as he tried to get a hold of his breathing. As he lay on his bed at 2 in the morning, desperately refreshing his conversation with Autumn.

Autumn or as his best friend Janessa liked to call her "the virus" was Kit's girlfriend. His very first. A mundane with the sight. They had been dating for a few months now. When they had first gotten together everything was amazing, it so it seemed.

They had some much in common and they had fun together. Autumn was hot, funny and charasmatic. She had this way of making him feel like the only person in the room. She showered him with gifts and complements that made Kit finally feel worthy for the first time in his life.

But as time went on things shifted. Autumn insisted on spending almost ever waking second with him. Kit didn't mind at first, he loved hanging out with her. But he missed his parents and his sister, and he knew they missed him too. Whenever they had family movie night, or they wanted Kit to watch Mina, Autumn threw a fit. She insisted that he was ignoring her.

She didn't want him seeing Janessa either, or Nessie as Kit called her for short. Autumn always insisted that she was plotting to steal Kit away from her, which was ridiculous but nothing could change Autumn's mind when she was in a mood. So Kit had found himself blowing Nessie off to hang out with Autumn and making excuses for it.

Kit always felt super guilty for making Autumn so upset. He tried to get out of his agreements if it to stop her from crying but sometimes Tessa and Jem wouldn't let him. It was frustrating when they didn't understand. She would rage for awhile, calling Kit stupid and worthless. Sometimes she would make comments about him being adopted, telling him that Tessa and Jem didn't really love him and they only saw him as a free babysitter for their real child.

She would make jokes about all kinds of things. How Kit wasn't a real shadowhunter, his weight, his past, his bisexuality, his ADHD. Kit knew that Autimn didn't really mean anything by it. It was nothing personal and she didn't really mean it. She loved him. And he loved her.

Tonight had been different though. His grades had taken a turn for the worst because he had been blowing of the tutoring sessions the school had payed for as a part of his accommodations. Because he had been spending that time with Autumn. Kit knew it was a bad idea to miss those, but his girlfriend needed him. She didn't have anybody else. She couldn't count on her parents like he could, and she didn't really have any friends.

But Kit was in big trouble. Tessa and Jem were mad. The school was mad. People were saying that Kit was ungrateful.

Ah yes because every disabled person should just bend down and kiss the feet of every person that deigns to give them what they're legally entitled to.

But Kit knew that he had really screwed up this time. He tried to explain to Autumn that he couldn't see her as often as he used to anymore because he needed to fix his grades. And she absolutely lost it. Which he had been expecting.

However what Kit hadn't been expecting this time was for her to hit him.

And she hit him hard. Punched him straight in the nose. And sure it wasn't that big of a deal. Kit was a shadowhunter and he was pretty much used to being hit. But he hadn't been expecting it.

And there was just so much blood.

Autumn of course instantly apologized profusely. She kissed him over and over and told him that she loved him and she didn't mean to. And Kit knew she was telling the truth but-

But he still felt a sinking feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain.

But Kit had applied an iratze, wiped off the blood, and now everything was as good as new. When he had arrived back home, his parents had noticed anything or asked him any questions.

Now he was lying awake at 2 in the morning, filled with guilt and worry as he waited for Autumn to text him back. He gnawed on his bottom lip anxiously as he tried not to over think things.

Maybe she was still mad at him? Was there something else Kit was supposed to say or do? Or maybe he should just leave her alone for awhile?

It was maddening.

Kit turned off his phone and threw it down in frustration, pulling his giant red and black flannel over his shoulders and curling in on himself. He felt strangely exhausted, but unable to sleep. His nose and left eye socket still throbbed a little despite the fact that they should be healed.

Kit thought about using another iratze but his steele was across the room and he couldn't bring himself to stand up to go get it.

God he really was pathetic. Maybe he deserved this. Tears welled up in Kit's eyes.

Don't cry. Don't cry.

This time Kit couldn't hold it back. So he let himself cry. Tears came streaming down his cheeks as he tried to muffle his sobs with his hand. Deep down he knew it was his fault. It was always his fault.

But with Autumn he had really tried. Sure he wasn't perfect but Kit really cared about her. And it wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough.

Kit couldn't help but think of the last time he felt like this. The last time he was rejected. He had been careful about trying to keep all thoughts of Ty Blackthorn out of his head for awhile. Autumn was a good distraction, even when she was screaming obscenities at him. It was still a distraction.

Kit closed his eyes and conjured the memory of holding Ty up on the roof. If he squeezed his eyes tightly enough, Kit could still feel the softness of his hoodie and the slight tickle of Ty's dark hair against his skin. He could conjure the smell of Ty's skin and the way he had trembled slightly against Kit's body.

I should have kissed him. Kit mused, hugging himself tightly. Just once. Even if Ty had pushed him away in disgust, it would have been worth it. Just to know what it felt like.

Suddenly from the bottom of the bed, Kit's phone lit up with a call. He scrambled to grab it, thinking it was Autumn, but it was actually Janessa. Kit cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound normal as he answered the phone.

"Why are you calling me at 2 am Nessie?"

"The better question is why are you still awake at 2 am," she pointed out, sounding smug. "I'm a vampire. Creature of the night remember? It's kinda prime time for me Kit Kat."

Kit smiled as he felt the previous angst wash away. "Yeah fair enough. But still, why are you calling me?"

Kit heard her sigh into the phone. "Well honestly because this is probably the only time you're free now a days," she said spitefully. "You know thanks to she-who-must-not-be-named." Kit rolled his eyes.

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about, Janessa!" He snapped.

"Well your girlfriend's a total bitch!"

Normally Kit would argue with her and tell her that she was way off base. That Autumn wasn't so bad and that she was trying. That she loved him. But today he just couldn't.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "We got into another fight tonight," he admitted. "Just a few hours ago actually."

"I'm sorry love," Janessa murmed. Nessie wasn't British. She was actually Canadian. But she had moved around the world with her previous band before settling in Devon and leaving them to go solo. She had picked up on some British expressions though.

"I wish you weren't going through this. But Kit, you gotta break up with her! She's bad news!"

Kit rested his face against the palm of his left hand. "I can't," he groaned.

Janessa let out a frustrated yell on the other end of the phone. "What the hell are you planning on doing Kit!? I mean are you just gonna wait into she hits you or what?" She spat.

"She already did," Kit responded instantly without missing a beat.

He gasped and slapped a hand to cover his mouth. Kit had no idea why he actually told her. Impulsivity maybe? Or maybe he just needed to get it out. But he instantly regretted it.

There was a long uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone. Kit was just about to ask Janessa where she went when suddenly she spoke.

"I'm coming over."

Kit tried to protest but she hung up on him.

Before he had time to panic or scream or throw something, there was an aggressive tapping on his window. Of course. Janessa had vampire speed. He looked up to see Nessie perched on his windowsill looking solem.

Her long black curly hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she wore what by her standards was probably a casual outfit. A black long sleeved low cut crop top and white ripped skinny jeans tucked into thigh high heeled leather boots. And of course, she wore a full face of makeup. Even after the facial feminization surgery she was still a little insecure about going out without makeup on.

Nessie banged on his window again, more impatiently and Kit jumped up to let her in. She landed on his bedroom floor with the grace of a cat, making no sound. She stared at him silently with an expression that Kit found hard to decipher.

"Show me where," she whispered in that deep raspy voice of hers. She reached for his face and Kit let Janessa cradle his face with her hands and tried not to wince as her cold skin came into contact with his.

He shook his head. "No you won't see it, I put an iratze on it already. It's done." Janessa scoffed and stepped back.

"You know the damage isn't just skin deep Kit," she said pointedly. "No matter how much you want to pretend it is."

He glared at her. "Wow that's so insightful Nessie!," he said sarcastically. "What else you got?"

"Oh come on Kit you know I'm right," She hissed. "You have to end it!"

Kit shook his head. Why does she keep saying that?

"No. Why should I?" Kit retorted. "She loves me." He tried to sound as confident as he could, but truthfully he wasn't so sure anymore.

Autumn had gone above and beyond to make Kit feel loved and appreciated yo the point where she was almost obsessive. But she could also be cruel and spiteful. Kit had convinced himself that he should be happy with what he had because it was as good as he was gonna get.

And the sad part was that was still true.

"No she doesn't," Janessa breathed desperately. To Kit's horror, it looked like she was about to cry. Kit couldn't remember if he had ever seen her cry. Not once.

"Somebody who really loved you could never hurt you like that!" She protested shakily, her voice warbled as tears spilled down her face.

Kit could feel his tears returning at the sight of Nessie crying. He rushed towards her and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck. In the comfort of his best friend's embeace he allowed himself to finally sob. He cried for that broken niave part of himself that kept getting hurt.

She rested her chin on the top of his head, (she was taller then him,) and held him close. "Please promise me you will break up with her," Janessa begged.

"I just don't get it," Kit whispered against her skin. "I did everything right. I did everything I could." He blinked back tears. "Why doesn't she love me Nessie?"

He felt her shake against him. "I don't know Kit," she sobbed. "But I love you ok? I love you and your parents love you, and Mina loves you so much!"

Kit sighed, pulling back to wipe his tears. "I know, but what if I, you know-. What if I never find someone? Like romantically?"

Janessa studied him, raising her eyebrow. "Well do you need to find someone? Who is this arbitrary someone who can give you something a friendship can't?"

That's actually a good point.

"I mean," Nessie continued, crossing her arms and shifting her weight. "If you do end up in a relationship then cool, it's whatever. But the way I see it is you shouldn't focus all of your energy on looking because you're gonna end up missing out on some pretty cool stuff in the mean time." She smiled.

Kit thought about it. He knew logically Janessa had a point. But he just couldn't feel it. He was too depressed and defeated. And as ashamed as it made him, Kit still missed Autumn. He tried to smile along with Nessie but it must have looked weak because she looked concerned.

"Hey," she cooed, reaching for him.

"Can you sing to me Nessie?" He asked. Kit  felt a little pathetic but hopefully she wouldn't judge him.

She smiled lovingly at him. "Sure." Janessa took his hand and led him to his bed.

"Any requests?" She asked as she pulled off her boots and lay down on Kit's bed. He followed her, snuggling up against Nessie with his back to her.

"No not really," he murmered, closing his eyes. Kit was finally starting to feel how exhausted he really was.

Janessa wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, resting her head slightly against his shoulder. "Ok," she whispered very softly.

Kit heard her clear her throat softly before the sound of her breathy angelic alto filled his ears.

"I'm turning out the lights, to remember how to see. Till the renaissance takes place, Until a renaissance takes place, and resuscitates the color of paint and divinity."

Kit smiled sleepily at the sound of his enneagram song, something Janessa had introduced him to.

He yawned and let the sound of Nessie's voice lull him to sleep, putting all thoughts of Autumn behind him.

In my head Kit is like 5'4 and Janessa is 5'9. Originally I had her at 5'11 but I wanted her to be closer in height to Kit. Also did I name Kit's abusive girlfriend Autumn after my toxic controlling ex best friend? You bet I did!

Tag list: (you know the deal) @playwithravenclaw @lavender-scented-rat @jazzkaurtheglorious @waterlillies   @nott-the-best @stxr-thxif @magnus-the-fabulous-entp-bane @foxglove-airmid @littlx-songbxrd @clarys-heosphoros @queenlilith43 @arangiajoan @hardlymatters @the-wckd-powers @thomas-gaypanic-lightwood @adoravel-fenomeno

[outerbankswriting]

Could it be? (JJ x Reader)

Description: She has a crush on JJ, but he has always seen her as another one of the “dudes”, or  at least that’s what she thinks so she just doesn’t even try anymore, until things start to shift between the two of them. (A/N: I’M NOT GOOD AT DESCRIPTIONS BUT THESE IS JUST WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO HAPPEN IN OUTER BANKS WITH JJ)

Warnings: swearing, angst???

CHAPTER ONE

You considered yourself a lucky person. You were a Kook, you had a loving family and an amazing group of friends who you could also consider your family.

However, your parents were never approving of the extremely close bond you had with your friends since they were Pogues and you were one of the richest families compared to the rest of the Kooks.

You constantly got into heated arguments with your parents defending your friends but at the end of the day you did whatever you want, which usually meant spending every afternoon with your Pogue friends.

The sun was setting and you were spending an amazing time with your friends. Pope and JJ were pretending to fight to “practice” in case any criminals decided to get in the way. Sarah was comfortably staring at the act while being wrapped around John B’s arms and Kiara was also staring at the guys with a disapproving yet a supportive look on her face while you were just smiling at their foolishness.

“Alright so I think Sarah and I are heading back home since it’s getting pretty dark.” John B stood up from his place, helping Sarah get up and holding her hand.

“Just say you’re getting laid instead of coming up with the night bullshit man.” JJ winked at his friend and John B just shook his head, hiding the smile behind his face.

“Oh please JJ.” Sarah sighed but as you made eye contact with her, she grinned at you.

“Leave them alone JJ, it is getting dark and I think I’m leaving too.” You gulped down what was left of your beer and picked up your beach bag.

“I agree with Y/N,” Kie stood up and walked towards Pope, “walk me home?”

“You don’t have to ask.” Pope replied and interlaced his arms with Kie.

“Great, another couple getting some action tonight.” JJ sighed and Kie just gave him a look.

“Sorry dude.” Pope rubbed JJ’s shoulder and Kie immediately punched Pope’s shoulder.

“Stop crying JJ,” you went up to him, “just pick some tourist up like you always do.”

JJ mocked you and you just stuck your tongue out at him.

“She’s not lying bro.” John B added.

“Well maybe I will.” JJ shrug his shoulders and grabbed another beer.

You cleared your throat and waved goodbye at your friends before agreeing on meeting tomorrow morning for breakfast by the beach.

As you walked home you couldn’t get out of your head the thought of JJ getting it on with a stupid tourist girl. 

You knew you had given him the idea but it’s not like he wouldn’t have done it either way. JJ had always been like that. You couldn’t blame him though, he was good looking and funny, any girl would easily fall for his charms and end up on his bed.

What he didn’t know was that you sometimes wished that girl would be you.

Of course no one knew about that, not even Kiara your best friend.

JJ and you have been friends for years and you know what the two of you have is too good and special for it to be ruined by a stupid crush you have on him. You also knew it would never be possible for JJ to think of you in that way. He has always seen you as one of the dudes, or at least that’s what you’ve always thought. He always told you about the girls he slept with and even about his old (but now gone) little crush on Kiara.

You didn’t mind that much though, because at least that had brought you closer to him. JJ’s friendship with you was something he didn’t have with neither John B nor Pope. He trusted you more than the guys and you were always the first person he would run to or tell things to no matter what.

After getting home and taking a long refreshing shower, you sat down on your bed reading your book to distract your thoughts from the fact that all of your friends (especially JJ), but you were getting laid.

You were about to finish a chapter of your book until you heard something hit your window, but you quickly ignored it blaming it on the wind. You got back to reading until multiple knocks on your window made you put down the book and take a look.

As you turned on the flashlight from your phone to see better outside, you saw your blonde friend waving at your window.

You quickly made your way downstairs to let JJ in. You were a little worried since you had no idea what would make him come to your place almost at midnight when he was supposed to be banging some girl.

“I don’t have any condoms.” You joked once you opened the door but the smile on your face faded away as soon as you saw JJ’s face covered in blood and his hand covering his stomach.

“JJ what ev-“

“Shhh!” JJ shushed you. “I don’t want your parents to know I’m here.”

“They’re not even here,” you replied and grabbed his hand to lead him upstairs, “they’ll be gone for the week for some business thing.”

“Oh so you’re home alone?” He managed to wink even with a black eye.

“Oh shut it and tell me what happened.”

“I’m alright,” he smiled, “I just wanted to know if you could let me borrow your phone to call John B and tell him I’m staying with him so I don’t have the unfortunate luck of running into him banging Sarah.”

“What happened to yours?” You asked, not believing he was alright at all.

“It died.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“God Y/N, why are you always so stubborn?” JJ sighed, “My phone died.”

“I don’t care about your phone.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“I care about the blood covering your face.”

JJ looked down on the floor and just shook his head.

“Did you run into Rafe again?” You bit your lips. 

Rafe Cameron was your ex boyfriend and also the worst kind of Kook you could meet. 

He’s always getting into fights with your friends, especially because of the fact that you spend all your time with them while he’s still into you.

“No, not really.”

You looked at JJ as he was trying to speak but then went silent. You grabbed your first aid kit and wiped the blood off his face.

“JJ,” you paused as you gently grabbed his cheek to clean it up, “who did this?”

He stared into your eyes, his were filled with tears which made your heart shrink. You had never seen him look so hurt, so vulnerable.

“My father.” He whispered almost as if he did not want you to hear.

You felt the blood rush to your head. You knew JJ’s father was impulsive and hot-headed since JJ constantly talked about his disagreements with him, but you would’ve never thought the one person who was supposed to protect and take care of him, would beat him up this way.

“JJ-“

“Please don’t tell anyone.” His voice trembled and he avoided eye contact with you.

“I won’t.” You replied and finished aiding his face.

You noticed his hand kept pressing over his stomach.

“Take off your shirt.” You demanded.

“Never thought I would hear you say that.” He managed to smirk even with tears in his eyes.

“JJ I’m not playing.” You said seriously and he bit his lip, slowly taking off his shirt as he whimpered in pain.

You saw the multiple purple and red bruises on his stomach and felt sick. Your own eyes filled with tears but you quickly wiped them away to not let JJ know.

“This can’t keep happening.” You were angry.

“I’ll be alright.” He just shrugged.

“No JJ,” you shook your head, “I won’t allow it.”

“Oh yeah?” He chuckled, “What are you going to do? Fight him?”

“Maybe.” You said with a straight face but he just laughed. 

He secretly loved that about you. 

How you were also quick tempered and never afraid to speak your mind and stand your ground, but even though he knew how much you cared about him, he would never allow you to get near his father.

“Can I call John B now?” He sighed.

“No.”

“Uh? I kinda need a place to sleep that’s not my house.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why you’re staying here with me.”

------------------------------------

CH.2

A/N: would absolutely love to hear your opinions about this!!! let me know if you’re liking it so I can post the second chapter.

[nessinborderland]

Be Mine (04)

Pairing: Niragi x Reader / Chishiya x Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Omegaverse

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: You were able to stay unbounded throughout your life. You didn’t want an Alpha; you didn’t need one. You would rather die than to give yourself to some random male. But the man that saved your life thinks differently.

Warnings: Alpha/Omega, Dubious Consent, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Finger fucking, Rough Sex, Rough Kissing, Unprotected Sex, Creampie, Breeding, Pregnancy Kink, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Drama, Developing Relationship, Past Abuse, Scars, Death, Blood and Gore, Animal Death

Notes: Okay so, not much to say about this chapter. You'll find out why :) Please mind the new tags :) we don't want anyone getting triggered here. Fun fact: every time I write "x growled" I imagine Perry the platypus from Phineas and Ferb doing his signature growl lmao. Cracks me up every time :D

AO3 Link        Masterlist

Game, “Akazukin: Red Riding Hood.”

Everyone’s eyes are locked on the screen.

“Red Riding Hood has to run from the Big Bad Wolf while being protected by the Huntsman,” starts the robotic voice. “One person will be Red Riding Hood, while the others will be divided into two groups: the Big Bad Wolf and the Huntsman.”

“What the- “

“Clear conditions,” the voice continues, “Whoever manages to bring Red Riding Hood to the final checkpoint, wins. The time limit is thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the losing group dies. If after thirty minutes no one is in possession of Red Riding Hood, both groups die. Is instant Game Over if Red Riding Hood dies or refuses to follow the rules.”

You were terrified of this tale as a child; you had nightmares of an actual wolf coming in the night and devouring you and your mom. Then you had grown up and realized how the tale could be interpreted as a warning to Omegas when it comes to Alphas and their manipulative nature. That hadn’t changed your opinion on the story.

The screen changes to white.

“Now for the groups,” says the voice once again, “Red Riding Hood- “

You gasp; it’s you. It’s a picture of you. You’re Red Riding Hood.

“Big Bad Wolf- “

Your eyes go wide again; Niragi and Chishiya.

“How unoriginal of them,” you hear Chishiya remark with a huff.

“The Huntsman-” and it shows the faces of everybody else in the game. There’s a pregnant pause where everyone just stares down at their phones as it dings.

“Rules,” reads the voice, “No outside weapons allowed. There are axes, as well as other useful weapons hidden throughout the area that are only to be used by the Huntsman. The Big Bad Wolf is not allowed to use any weapons besides the ones already in their possession.”

“What weapons?” you ask no one in specific as you look at Chishiya and Niragi.

They both raise their hands as Chishiya simply replies, “Claws.”

You make a surprised sound, “How are you supposed to protect yourselves like that!?”

They both look at you, and this time is Niragi that says, “I don’t know about this dog but I can do a lot with these.” You don’t fail to notice the threat in his voice as he looks down at Chishiya. The other man just huffs out a laugh.

“The game will commence in five minutes,” says the voice in a cheery tone, “Use that time wisely.”

A commotion erupts as everyone starts realizing what the game consists of. You can’t believe it yourself; you’re nothing more than a pawn in this game. Shouts of “We have to fight two Alphas to death?” and “We can do this, there’s a lot of us.” start all around you. Someone is crying. Some people just run into the dark. You ignore the loud voices around you and focus on your phone as it lights up.

If you stop running or hiding, it’s game over. If you show yourself to the Wolf, it’s game over. If you try to cheat in any way, game over. 

A hand on your shoulder makes you jump. Niragi is looking at you with that expression you hate; betrayal and pain. But now there's also serious determination.

"No matter what you do, you can't stop running," he says. "This seems way too easy for a Ten of Spades, so watch your back."

"What about you?" you ask, eager to cover his hand with yours.

"Oh, so now you worry about me?" he retorts with a bite to his words. You can't help but flinch when his hand drops to his side and his expression changes to a mean smirk. "I'll live so I can kill that motherfucker and make you regret the moment you fucked him." 

"Niragi I- " 

"Save it," he turns your back to you. "I don't wanna hear it." 

You see him walk away, approaching the two other militants that came with him. At least the imminent game made him pause his murder attempt. You take a glance at Chishiya, who is still focused on the screen. You wonder what is going through his head; if you know something about Chishiya is that he always catches details others don’t.

"You!" someone pushes you in the back, and you fall to your knees before you can balance yourself "Who the hell are you?”

Two different growls sound at the same time someone lunges themselves to whoever pushed you. You look up to see Chishiya in front of you in a protective stance. You take the hand he offers you and stand up to see Niragi, currently on the ground punching a man.

“Niragi stop!” you scream. He either ignores you or doesn’t hear you. No one else tries to stop it either; Chishiya simply because he doesn’t care, and everyone else out of fear. The man being beaten tries to fight back but is clearly at a disadvantage. You gasp when you see Niragi’s fingers take the shape of claws. You jump, grabbing his arm before he can slice the man right in the face. “Stop!”

Niragi looks back at you with yellow eyes, and you see as his hand takes a human form again. You pull him out of the crying and bleeding man on the ground. He doesn’t make any effort to stop you. His eyes are locked on you, still animal-like.

“You- you’re part of the game, aren’t you!?” coughs the man Niragi had punched. He sits down holding his nose, quickly dragging himself away from the other man. “You- you have to be!”

“E- Excuse me? you shakily ask in a confused tone. 

“You’re not even a player, you’re just part of the game!” the man continues, “Are you gonna tell me that is a coincidence that this game is the way it is?! All you have to do is follow some rules! You live either way!”

You shake your head, “I- I am not sure what you’re implying, but I have nothing to do with this!" you reply. You confess that yes, you think it’s a big coincidence you got the role you got, but you’re not involved. You had no idea.

The man takes a step in your direction, but Niragi puts himself in the way.

“Watch it,” he says in a commanding tone. “Remember who you’re talking to.” The man holds his stare for a moment, before looking down and taking a step back. Niragi turns to the rest of the group. “Whatever you shitheads are thinking, she’s not involved in any of this. So, unless you wanna die before the game even begins, I advise you to shut up and focus on the game.” The corner of his lips pull up in a smirk, and you see the glint of fangs. “May the best wolf win.”

He then turns to you and your eyes lock. You want to talk to him, explain how and why things happened the way they happened. But you can’t say anything, not when he steps closer with a look in his eyes you can’t quite place.

“You’re wasting time, go!” Niragi orders as he pushes you forward. You stumble a little as you start walking into the dark park. You look back at him and Chishiya, and you nod to each other; they will be able to find you. You’ll be alright. They will be alright.

You bolt into the night. You can barely see anything in the dark, except for the shadows that the moonlight helps casting. You just know you have to run, or you’re dead; they’re dead. The conversation from moments ago keeps playing in your head; could it be possible that this game was made specifically for you? But how would they know that the three of you would be in the same game? It sounded so far fetched; but also...possible.

Hunting horns blast through the air, making you jump and cover your ears at the awful sound. You know what it means.

Game Start.

You start hearing rustling and footsteps behind you as the other players soon follow in your steps; if to catch you or find a weapon, that you don't know. You keep running until you’re out of breath, stopping for just a few seconds behind a large tree. Your legs are shaking and your lungs are burning. The area around you is silent though, and that gives you some peace of mind. You close your eyes and sniff the air. Nothing. 

You’re about to start running again to look for an actual hiding place when a sound makes you freeze in your tracks.

A howl.

And not from a regular wolf. You recognize it instantly.

Never in your life had you heard a werewolf howl until now. After the war, an Alpha fully transforming very rarely happened. The ones that did only transformed in extreme situations, usually to protect a loved one. The regular individual would not transform not even once in his lifetime. And here you are, hearing two of them. It awakes something primitive in you, and every single hair on your body stands up in a shiver. You have an impulse to howl too, but control it at the last second; you’re not doing that. You’re not an animal, as much as the wolf inside you likes to prove you wrong.

You’re startled when a hand covers your mouth, something cold pressing against your neck. You try to move, but the blade nibs at your skin. So you stop, trying to control your breathing.

“Don’t you dare to make a sound.” whispers a male voice. “I’ll chop a finger for every sound you make.”

You give a trembling nod, letting yourself be dragged by the unknown man. He’s way taller and stronger than you, so you don’t even try to fight back. You notice he’s not alone. What seems to be two young girls walk behind you, whispering in agitated voices. 

“Kai, are you sure the checkpoint is this way?” asks one of the girls in a low tone.

The man grabbing you, Kai, shushes her and stops. You can hear him sniff the air, probably looking for signs of an Alpha close by. He suddenly pushes you against a nearby tree and locks eyes with you. You’re surprised to see that Kai is not much older than a highschool boy.

“Mira, press this against her neck,” he whispers to one of the girls. She approaches you, trembling hands holding the small ax against your skin. The boy stabilizes her grip before nodding, “Don’t let her move or make a sound,” he says looking into the girl’s eyes. “If you do and those Alphas hear us, we all die.”

If you’re honest with yourself, you would stay quiet either way; the last thing you want is the blood of those kids in your hands. You watch as Kai takes a map from his pocket, opening it and analyzing it for a few moments.

“If this map can be trusted I’m pretty sure the checkpoint is this house right here,” he points at a place on the map and then ahead on the path, “About three kilometers that way. We can do this.” he checks his phone. “C’mon, we only have about twenty minutes.”

You have been walking for a short moment when the smell hits you.

One of them is close; Niragi, you’re pretty sure. The others smell him too, and you notice in the dark as their eyes widen in a panic and they start running, pulling you with them. You can hear him as he gets closer, like a monster in the night. You try to ignore the exhilarating feeling that goes through you at being chased by him; it’s just like the first time you met.

One of the girls trips and falls right behind you. You flinch at hearing her screaming get louder until it abruptly stops. The other two kids hesitate before Kai stops, pushing you and the other girl to keep running. The girl, Mira, grabs your hand as you both run, and you can hear her crying.

A far away whimper of pain makes you stop in your tracks; one of the Alphas was injured.

“We have to go, please!” begs Mira as she pulls your hand, “Please, we have to-”

Mira’s words are cut short when she falls and you’re pulled down with her. You gasp in pain as you hit the ground, arm stretched into whatever hole the girl fell into. You hear a scream, then silence, as you hear a sound you can’t quite place. It’s dark and you’re not sure of your surroundings, but you could swear that hole on the ground wasn’t there seconds ago.

You’re about to ask if she is okay when the metallic smell of blood hits your nostrils. You squint in the dark, trying to see something in the black hole. The moonlight appears out of nowhere, and you can finally see. You gag when you notice the contorted body of the girl, now impaled in wood spikes. Her eyes are wide, mouth open in a permanent scream.

There are traps.

There are traps everywhere and you can’t see them.

You drag yourself away from the hole, feeling a panic attack start to form as you struggle to get air inside your lungs. You try to shake the image of the dead girl from your mind, shakily rising to your feet. Your phone gives an alarming beep, and you take a look at the screen to realize you have been in the same place for too long. You have to keep moving.

You shake the tears from your eyes and walk by the hole without a second look. 

A scream far behind you snaps you out of your stupor, and you immediately take off running again. You don’t want to think about what might be happening. Despite their numbers, you can’t imagine how Betas can ever win against two fully transformed Alphas.

You’re running through an open field now, surrounded by flowers that you can barely see. A noise to your left makes you look at the line of trees, but you can’t find the source of the sound. 

You’re so distracted that you don’t notice the open trap right in front of you.

You scream as the dented iron snaps around your ankle, pain sparking up your leg. You fall to the ground like a bag of potatoes, and immediately try to open the trap up. But you’re not strong enough, and the iron teeth just dig deeper into your skin. You control a sob as the pain and panic grow; you have to keep moving. You have to hide. A sound, now closer, makes you stop whimpering, and you hold your breath as you see them.

No, not Niragi and Chishiya.

No, not the Huntsman either.

Wolves. Real, wild, one hundred percent animal wolves. A pack of them. No more than twenty meters from you.

You stay still, hoping that they won’t take an interest in you.

But no. Of course that’s not what happens. 

You look around for something to defend yourself with, but you’re defenseless. Here you are, trapped, wounded, on the ground, and without any means of defending yourself. The wolves approach you slowly, like they know you have no means of escaping. They start surrounding you.

“Stay away!” you scream, shaking your arms in hope that the movement will scare them away. “Shoo!”

It does not.

One of the bigger wolves prepares himself to jump. You close your eyes with a sob, waiting for the moment they will tear you apart. 

He’s here.

You feel the air shift as a big dark form covers you. You’re now completely involved in his scent; cinnamon and wood. You keep your eyes closed and brace yourself. The air is filled with the sound of growls and whimpers and teeth ripping flesh. Something warm and wet splatters on you and you know it’s blood. A loud whimper of pain, a strange mix between a wolf and a human, makes you snap your eyes open.

In the moonlight, he’s huge. Terrifying. Beautiful. Bodies of wolves are on the ground. The survivors try to fight the much bigger werewolf. His fur is black as a raven’s feathers, thick and glossy and matted with blood. You can’t look away until he’s done.

Niragi is clearly tired and injured. Saliva drips from his open jaws as he takes labored breaths. He turns to you, and you notice one of his paws is practically mangled, a shine of white bone contrasting with the black fur. A big oozing laceration runs down one of his flanks, and you’re not sure if it was done by an axe or a wolf.

You snap out of your freezing state and make a move to go to him. You scream when the trap still around your ankle makes itself known. He’s on you in less than a second, hovering over you as his snout touches your leg lightly. You can’t resist the temptation to touch him, grabbing the fur of his neck and pressing your face against him.

You feel him when he suddenly changes back into a human, and your face is now pressed on his bare skin. You notice he’s naked, pale skin now almost fully covered in blood and dirt. A cut you haven’t noticed in his wolf form now clearly shows on his forehead, making blood run down his face like a waterfall.

“Niragi-” is all you manage to say. You want to cry, ask him if he’ll be okay. You panic again when you notice how much time you have left; probably not more than ten minutes. Niragi says nothing as he focuses on opening the trap with a grunt. You let out a cry of relief as the thing leaves your ankle. The wound bleeds profusely, so you take off your top, tying a makeshift bandage around the injury with the help of Niragi.

He finally looks you in the eyes as he helps you to your feet, supporting you against him.

“Y/N we-”

That’s all he manages to say.

The next moments happen so fast you can barely process it. 

An arrow comes flying out of nowhere, burying itself into Niragi’s chest. His eyes go wide as he looks at you, a surprised expression in his eyes. You watch him with an open mouth as his eyes turn to gold for a moment. Then he falls to the ground. Rough hands grab you and pull you. Someone is screaming; you realize later that it’s you. Other voices laugh and they sound...excited? Happy? You can’t understand why. You trash around in an effort to get free. Whoever grabbed you punches you right in the face. For a moment, all you see is black with sparks of white. You hear a faint, “We only have five minutes!”. No. Niragi and Chishiya have to find you. They promised. They can’t die. Then you’ll be alone again.

Someone screams again. Loud voices. People running all around you. You hit the ground with force enough to take the air out of your lungs. Someone tries to grab you again, but their grip disappears like they have been pulled away. Tears are streaming down your face, but you can’t open your eyes. You can’t stand up. You hear the familiar sound of a wolf growl.

Niragi? 

No; peppermint and rain. 

Then you feel something warm touching you. You feel soft fur under your skin. Then it’s like you’re flying. You grab onto whatever is moving under you out of instinct. You know you have to hold on tight. You try to focus, but it’s too much. 

Then nothing. Darkness. You’re not sure if you lost consciousness or not. A loud sound, similar to a siren, is what makes you open your eyes. You’re on the ground, stone cold under you as you try to sit up, covering your eyes from the sudden bright lights. 

A cheery tone comes from your pocket. You stare at the phone; Game clear.

You finally look around, and there he is.

A big white wolf. 

Not as big as Niragi, but still impressive. His white fur is covered in blood; if his or someone else’s, you can’t say. Your vision turves as you try to stand up and lose your balance. He catches you before you can fall, teeth gently grabbing your jacket. You stare at him in confusion; what the hell just happened? A spark of pain makes you look down at your ankle. Memories come rushing back.

You gasp. No. It can’t be.

“Chishiya, where’s Niragi?” you ask in a trembling voice. His cold eyes stare at you for a moment too long. You’re about to make a move to find Niragi yourself when the white wolf changes right in front of you. Like Niragi, the man is naked and mostly covered in blood. There’s a cut on his arm, still bleeding. A wave of concern runs over you, and you feel yourself panic even more. He sighs before his eyes lock on you.

“He’s dead.”

Next Chapter

[passivenovember]

You Look Stupid When You’re Sad.

Steve Harrington smelled of sour patch kids and unbaked cookie dough.

Billy didn't think it was a bad smell, exactly, just weird; intense, heady, and stuck to the walls of his brain. Doughy when the sunlight couldn't dry the track marks of Steve's sweat before nap time, heady when it got into Billy's system and stuck with him like the thrum of his heartbeat.

Wherever Billy went Steve Harrington was there. Like a shadow. A noisy, scrawny, wire-frame glasses wearing shadow that elbowed its way into the chair across from Billy's during lunch and followed him around at recess; three feet behind and always pretending to spot interesting shapes in the clouds when he thought Billy wasn't looking, but.

Billy was always looking.

It was so weird.

Steve was so weird. The way he made bright, happy noises when he was paired with Billy for station time, how he always drug his mat over from the other side of the room to sleep next to Billy when it was time to zonk out after second recess despite knowing that the spot was saved for Barbara, Billy's actual best friend.

She got nightmares and Billy liked to be there to hold her hand while she dreamed but every afternoon, without fail, Steve came wondering over with his lip stuck out in a question.

It was confusing.

Steve was so confusing. The way he hugged his mat to his chest, chin quivering with a little, "Okay. Sorry, Bills." Every time Billy slapped his hand on the carpet and growled that the spot was taken. Occupation, not reserved for pasty-kneed dorks with wire frame glasses, and.

Billy didn't want to make the kid cry, or anything, but he always managed to do just that. Paint himself as a bad guy.

Billy rubbed his forehead as Barb settled in on his left hand side one afternoon after such an altercation, smiling so big her lips disappeared behind the plastic frames of her glasses.

"What's wrong, Stevie?" She asked, and.

Billy tried not to be jealous.

Steve hiccupped, cheeks growing redder by the second. "I wanna nap with you guys but Billy won't let me."

"Hey, that's not--"

"You can sleep with us if you want to. Billy has a really big blanket, maybe he can share with both of us." Barbara looked at him expectantly, like. "Right Billy?"

And it was dumb.

It was so dumb, that they were staring at him with hopeful eyes and Steve's chin was still quivering and Billy didn't want to be the bad guy; he wasn't Mesogog and he didn't want to hurt the kid's feelings, but.

Steve Harrington got under his skin. With his soft hair and big brown eyes, always following Billy around and begging for the space to be made. Billy got clumsy and nervous when Bambi was nearby, and.

The idea of sharing space. Sleeping next to Steve with his chirpy little noises and warm soft hands, it.

Made Billy feel like he was breaking out in itchy red bumps.

No.

He would stick to his guns; the blanket just wasn't big enough for three people. But then, Billy's grumpy brain supplied, Steve could steal Barbara and keep her as his own best friend if Billy didn't let him stay, so. It was time to cut his losses.

"God, you look stupid when you're sad." Billy muttered.

Steve started crying again.

Billy really wished he'd stop that.

"I'm sorry, Billy. I know I'm dumb but I don't mean to be." Steve whimpered. He tucked his mat under his arm and made to get up.

And leave.

As if Billy would let Steve make him look bad in front of everyone, especially Barbara.

"Lay down, dork." Billy grumbled, tugging the blanket up around his shoulders and peeling it back for Steve reluctantly.

Harrington's smile was so bright it could've melted crayons when he settled in close, chirping happily as Billy pulled the blanket around them and tucked in on impulse. The room went dark, Mr. Talamantez reminding them to count butterflies if sleep wouldn't come.

It didn't.

Steve smelled too much like cream and sugar for Billy to get any rest at all.

--

"Whatcha making, Billy?" Steve asked, pink tongue poking out in concentration as he peered over Billy's arm at his art project.

A stack of pink and red construction paper was Billy's favorite thing in the world because it meant endless possibilities. Pink was soft and sweet, red was passionate and cool. Like hot wheels and firetrucks and hearts full of warm oven mitts, so.

He pulled the leaflets from his backpack during circle time and got busy, carefully folding the delicate paper hamburger style and then tracing swirly, dramatic lines for each heart on the page.

Valentines was Billy's most favorite day of the year.

Even more than Christmas, even more than his birthday, and only a little bit more than Halloween because on Valentines? The whole universe was covered in flowers and little tin wrapped chocolates and love hearts were the best thing for a kid to make with scissors.

Billy ignored Steve's tongue, turning his shoulders to the room. "I'm making love hearts."

"For who?"

"None of your beeswax."

"Okay," Steve said happily, grabbing a handful of markers and re-situating himself much closer than Billy would've liked. Steve's Nike's tapped the itsy-bitsy-spider on the rug as he declared, "I'm drawing batman on a surfboard!"

And Billy tossed aside his first ruined Valentine. "Oh cool, I don't remember asking."

"That's okay," Steve giggled. "Sometimes I get motor mouth. My Daddy says it's 'cause I'm a fruit."

"My daddy called me that sometimes before he got sick." Billy turned to glare at him. "That's not a good thing."

"It is to me!" Steve giggled again. He was always doing that. "I like Kiwis. My mommy packed some for lunch and I had them for breakfast. They're yummy in geek yogurt. They make me smile because they have beards!"

Steve cackled like kiwi's having beards was the funniest thing on earth and Billy wondered what there was to be so happy about.

He tried not to smile at Steve's dumb face. "I think you mean Greek yogurt."

"Yeah, probably. If I'm like a kiwi, that's alright, I think." Steve's tongue poked out again. "Surfboards make me think of you." He declared, and.

Steve smelled like toasted chocolate on s'mores, his hands somehow kicking up more of his sugary sweet odor each time he reached for a new piece of paper. Billy didn't know how he was supposed to get anything done when his circle buddy smelled like a chocolate birthday cake.

It was kinda gross.

Billy pulled out a sliver marker and traced Stinky Butt Max on one of the smaller Valentines, remembering to fold down the corners so the sensitive skin on her palms wouldn't get hurt when she inevitably started smacking him it.

The pink Valentine looked more like a chewed up Starburst gummy this way, but. Max wouldn't know the difference.

Steve peered over his shoulder again, cooing softly. Like a baby dove. "That ones pretty, Bills! Is Max your Valentine?"

"Ew," Billy wrinkled his nose like he sometimes did when Max needed a diaper change. "She's my baby sister, don't be an Ick Monster."

"What's an Ick Monster?"

"Somebody who makes weird jokes and says weird things, so." Billy shrugged, scrawling his mothers name on a second love heart. He poked Steve's tummy with his marker. "That's you, I think."

Steve giggled before slapping Billy's hand away, and. Watching him work.

After a while Steve inched closer. "So you don't have a Valentine?" He wondered, and.

Billy didn't understand the question. "Mr. Talamantez said we're all each other's Valentines so nobody feels sad."

"Yeah, but. Everybody has someone they want to smooch on Valentines." Steve started playing with his hair, fingers twisting waves in a sea of brown, like they sometimes did when he was nervous. "Someone they like best-best. Better than all the other kids."

Now it was Billy's turn to giggle. "That's icky."

"Smooching?" Steve's eyes sparkled. "It's fun sometimes."

"Like you've ever kissed anyone."

Steve looked offended. "Have too."

"Have not."

"Have too," Steve pouted, crossing his arms.

Billy began work on a third Valentine. "Who did you kiss?"

"Nancy Wheeler."

Billy snorted, not sure if he wanted to imagine Steve kissing Nancy Wheeler, or. Kissing at all.

Steve's chin started quivering. "You don't believe me?"

"No." Billy said lightly, capping the marker with a sniff.

Kissing was not fun. It was wet and violent and looked like it maybe hurt a little bit, the way he'd seen his mom and Susan kiss when he got up to go potty at night. Billy regarded Steve through easy, narrowed eyes; Steve wasn't the kind of boy who kissed like that.

"How come you're so weird?" Billy wondered.

"I like being weird." Steve said, reaching for a green marker to color in his surfboard. Steve nodded at the small pile of Valentine's strewn on the carpet between them. "You should put the love hearts on foam when you're done."

"I was already gonna do that, genius."

Billy wasn't already going to do that, but he'd eat a centipede before he let Harrington know he came up with a good idea.

"They could be superhero colors!" Steve hollered suddenly. He was so loud all the time. "That way your mommy and sissy can know that you love them because they're cool. Like Aqua-man."

Billy frowned, watching Steve fold his Batman drawing over and over again until it all but disappeared from sight. He leaned back against the wall with an eye roll, shocked out how much Harrington lacked any concept of taste, or.

Shame.

"Aqua-man isn't cool," Billy said. Because Aqua-man wasn't, he was like. The lamest of them all. "His only power is making the bad guys drown, at least the other heroes can punch really hard."

"Punching isn't always the best, though." Steve tucked Batman into the front pocket of his shirt, leaning into Billy's space. "Sometimes punching just makes the bad guys stronger. Like Wilson Fisk."

Billy frowned. "Punching works for Spiderman."

Steve considered this fact, pink tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth again. He thought really hard for a long time, as if Steve didn't have Spiderman socks on everyday at recess when he removed his Nike's to fill them with rocks.

Such a weird guy.

Finally, Steve smiled. "I like water, though. Your eyes are like water. From the fountain in the hallway, and like the lake at camp." Steve pushed his way into Billy's space, frowning with his head cocked to the side like there was more thinking to cross of the list. "You're very pretty, Billy. Like a cloud."

And.

Billy didn't have the words to articulate the way Steve's smell went a little crazy after that, like a bag of powdered sugar had caught fire from a signal light once he realized what he'd said. Billy waited for Steve to take it back, because.

Boys calling other boys pretty wasn't allowed in Mr. Talamantez' classroom, or. Anywhere else.

Steve didn't take it back.

"You wouldn't like Aqua-Man's water, 'cause you'd drown." Billy said, getting back to work on his Valentines if only for a distraction from the way Steve was watching him. "He doesn't control his power very well and sometimes the mean guys get hurt real bad."

Steve kept right on talking. "I wouldn't be a mean guy though," He reasoned, sliding impossibly closer on the alphabet rug. "I'd help him fight crimes. Like Captain Underpants!"

And.

Billy had nothing to say to that, sucked in and drowning by the way Steve's eyes were glittering.

"You're a weird guy, you know?" Billy breathed.

Steve's giggle went right to Billy's tummy, teaching it to do backflips, somehow.

"That's okay." Steve said, reaching back for a fresh piece of paper. "You'll remember me better and maybe you'll ask me to be your Valentine."

Steve's hair fell across his eyes, head bopping along to whatever song he was singing to himself today. His lips glittered like a frosted donut. Like he'd been eating a strawberry ice cream cone instead of confusing all the boys around him.

Maybe you'll ask me to be your Valentine.

Huh.

Billy started work on a new love heart and pretended not to notice.

--

On Tuesday morning Billy woke to the smell of pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Maxine was already up.

Her long red hair was piled on top of her head in two Princess Leia buns. Susan had put in little heart clips and the pink dress Billy's mommy had made special was already covered in mashed banana and something that looked like magic marker.

She was all ready for Valentines day.

Billy didn't understand why they bothered trying to make her look dainty when Max was more interested in destroying Billy's favorite toys and starting fires.

She sat on the floor of the room they shared together, sucking her thumb and playing with Billy's favorite race car. Her wet, chubby fingers made the blue Camaro shine brightly with spit and Billy felt like his face was burning up.

"Hey," He said, rubbing at his eyes. "Hey, you're getting spit all over my--"

"Race car!"

Max held it out to him triumphantly. Billy frowned, moving to grab it from her chubby little fist. "I know that's my race--"

"It's a blue car," Max said thoughtfully. She looked at him, like, "Blue cars are my favorite."

"It's my favorite too--"

"Can we share?" Max wondered, putting the little wheels on Billy's knee and letting the car zoom back and forth. He imagined that Evel Knievel was in the drivers seat wondering why his car wasn't first in the race.

She looked happy, like always, to be playing with Billy's toys.

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess we can share. It's Valentine's Day."

Max seemed to enjoy that. "I like today!"

"You do?"

"Yup," She said happily, little chubby fingers tangling in Billy's hair because he hadn't brushed it yet. "Candy and sour gummy worms and kisses from cute boys!"

Billy glared. "You're kissing cute boys?"

"Uh-huh!" Max hollered. "Lucas gave me a dandelion."

Billy thought long and hard.

About Valentines Day and all the things that came with it. The pink shirt that hung pressed in his closet, fresh cupcakes with plastic rings, a bag of Scooby-doo Valentines Susan had picked up at the market for all his classmates, homemade love hearts at the bottom of his backpack. Three with red foam, one with a delicate lace doily, and.

Kisses.

Max was getting flowers and kisses from a boy.

From someone special.

Billy took the race car from Max's hand and drove it around, thinking about boys with brown eyes and soft hands.

Maybe you'll ask me to be your Valentine.

"Wanna eat some breakfast, Max?"

"I had 'nanas." She said with a smirk.

Billy hummed, standing to get dressed. "Mama probably made chocolate chip pancakes, you don't wanna eat something special?"

Max's little red eyebrows pinched together. "I can have yours?"

And.

Billy didn't know what was so necessary to her about taking everything that was his. Playing with his toys, sleeping in his pj's, eating his breakfast, it was like Max didn't know how take something and make it her own.

Billy pulled the pink shirt over his head, feeling every bit like a turtle when Max did the same with the collar of her dress.

"You can have my pancakes." Billy concluded, puffing out his chest. "If you'll be my Valentine."

"You don't have a boy to kiss?"

"I might," Billy picked the race car off the ground with a smile. "This is practice for when I see him at school. So, will you be my Valentine?"

She thought about it.

Long and hard, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, before nodding with her entire body. "I think he will."

Billy sighed. "Really?"

"If you give him sour gummy worms and smooch his forehead he will," Max said.

And.

Maybe things would turn out okay. Billy nodded, grabbing the race car and driving it across Max's forehead, careful that the little plastic wheels didn't get stuck in her hair.

--

From the stucco ceiling of the classroom beautiful strands of silver and gold hearts painted a mirage of stars.

All the desks had a rose and a cardboard mailbox intended for the delivery of Valentines and at the center of the room a table filled with cupcakes and strawberry Capri-sun packets. Preparation for the party this afternoon, and.

Mr. Talamantez had turned their space into a glittering, perfect fairytale.

Billy hugged his basket of Valentines close to his chest and tried not to search for Steve before dropping his backpack at the cubby station.

He was right in the middle of tugging his special sweater down over his head when Barbara scooted in next to him, pretty in a little pink jumpsuit.

She handed him a tiny, delicate giftbag full of chocolate hearts and dinosaur erasers, smiling from ear to ear as Billy hugged her nice and tight before handing off something he had made special. A tiny paper crane his mommy helped him fold, and a bunch of rainbow goldfish sat nestled in a basket of paper Mache.

They were her favorite snack in the whole world and Barbara was Billy's favorite person, so it seemed fitting.

She hugged him and Billy smiled, peering around the room for a head of wavy brown hair. "We could share our presents with Steve," He muttered, like. It wasn't a big deal or anything. Billy tugged on the sleeves of his red sweater and tried to stay cool. "Where is he?"

Barbara pointed to the book shelves.

Steve was sat under a string of twinkly lights, shoulders tucked against the pillows Mr. Talamantez set aside for circle time. His face was buried in the crook of his elbow, and.

He was crying.

Of course he was crying.

Billy felt the Valentine in his pocket grow heavy.

Barbara said, "Steve broke his glasses, maybe you could make him smile?"

And.

Billy wanted to do that. Longed to make Steve giggle and chirp with happiness like the annoying little Meadowlark he seemed be. It would be so easy to. Walk over there, tap Steve's shoulder, and say the words.

Pose the question.

Will you be my Valentine?

Steve was making huffy, nervous little noises when Billy came to a stop beside him.

"Hey Harrington, playing with all your friends?" Billy sneered, confident that Steve would giggle like he was did, but.

When he finally turned around his face was red and puffy. As if he'd been crying all morning and all night, too.

"What do you want, Billy?" Steve whispered.

He sounded sleepy. Spread thin, like the last spoonful of jam on burned toast.

"What's wrong?" Billy asked carefully. "What happened?"

Steve sat and rubbed at his eyes, chin wobbling as more tears spilled over. "My daddy broke my glasses." He whispered.

And Billy hated it.

He always hated when Steve cried but today. Right now, he.

Felt like he had to do something about it.

Billy took the love heart from his pocket and sat down next to Steve, cuddling back into the pillows until their shoulders were touching. It took all of five seconds for Steve to settle in next to him. Roll his head back against the wall until he was looking at Billy with a question in his eyes.

Steve looked at Billy's shoulder and back up at his face, like.

"Can I--"

"Come here, stupid." Billy grumbled, Pulling Steve in until they were cuddling on the pillows.

Steve chirped. It wasn't his usual sound, light and airy, it was.

Thick.

And heavy.

Like a blanket sopped with rain water. Steve buried his face in Billy's neck. "I don't have any Valentines to give this year."

"That's okay."

"I made something special for you," Steve whispered, pulling back to study Billy's face. "I know Mr. Talamantez said we weren't supposed to, but--"

"Will you be my Valentine?" Billy's stupid mouth said.

Steve blinked at him, and.

Billy wanted to hide in the bathroom for thousand years.

Steve pulled away to sit crisscross-applesauce. Facing Billy, like this was something important. "Huh?"

Billy mirrored him, tucking his hands away so they wouldn't shake when he held out the love heart.

It was pink. Big and bright and outlined with a white doily that Susan helped him glue around the edges. Billy had dug through Max's box of stickers for the one with Winne the Pooh, the one he'd been saving for someone special. Winnie was covered in tiny valentines, eating right out of a jar of honey with a butterfly sitting on his nose, and.

Billy had thought it was perfect.

He worked for hours on the font. The saying that made his mommy laugh when he read it to her; you're bear-y sweet. Be my Valentine.

Steve took the love heart in his hands, and.

Didn't say anything.

Billy frowned. "I just. Remember you asked me to be your Valentine, or. For you to be mine. And--" His hands were shaking again. "It's stupid. God, this is--"

Steve leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

It was gentle. Like the brush of butterfly wings, barely there and then gone before Billy had a chance to really register the movement, or. Think about what it could mean.

Steve wasn't crying anymore when he said, "I'll be your Valentine."

Billy's brain took a minute to catch up. "Huh?"

"I'll be your Valentine, Billy." Steve giggled, staring down at the love heart once more. "This is so cute. I loved Winnie the Pooh when I was a baby. My mom always put me in footie pajamas that had Eeyore on them. And tinker bell too, sometimes. You could've put the Red power ranger on there instead. He's my favorite--"

Billy sat back against the pillows.

He was learning that Steve Harrington was weird.

Like a puzzle with one piece missing, or. An empty tube of bubble mix. Steve was colorful and loud and all over the place with opinions. He shined bright and loved hard, and.

Sometimes it was best to sit back and listen.

--

Happy Valentines Day!!

I really just sat down and wrote this. Wow. Anyway--thank you for reading and supporting my work. Your comments and endless kindness keep me going when I don't always feel like trucking on, and I wanted to do something to remind you that if this was an elementary school classroom I would give you so many lollipops.

[liam-cadmus]

ANBU

Sasuke grits his teeth, hiking Neji higher on his back. He’s thanking Kami that the Hyuuga is light— the fact should be worrying, if they’re not unconscious and bleeding right now.  The omega has a loose hold around his neck, his black cloak enveloping Neji enough that the warmth of his back is keeping him cold. He tries to hold Neji as securely as he can with one arm, the other supporting Shikamaru. 

His hawk summon, Aya is guiding him through the forest outside the walls, slowly walking closer the gate. Their shadows isn’t seen in the dark, his mismatched eyes looking around in case they get ambushed again.  Wet plops of mud can be heard from his footsteps, dragging Shikamaru with him. He ignores the shaking of his hands, ignoring it to move faster, despite the protest of his wheezing breaths. 

He feels Shikamaru waking up from where he’s supporting him with his left arm, the beta thankfully— awake. “Deer, wake up.” he says quietly, still pulling the other teen along, “It’s just a bit from here, just open your eyes please.”  He pleads, no matter how it hurts his pride, but his emotions are haywire— sometimes being an Uchiha has it’s downsides— and his anxiety is high-strung. His alpha instincts making his ears ring, the overwhelming impulse to protect the people important to him.

Shikamaru blearily opens his eyes, making him sigh in relief seeing familiar chocolate brown eyes. “You with me?” he asks, one brow raised. “Barely.” Shikamaru mumbles, the Nara inhaling his alpha scent, the toasted almonds and smokey cinnamon pheromones helping the beta gather his thoughts. He breathes out slowly, gritting his teeth at the bones in his ribs grating against each other, shivering as the cold wind hits his bare chest, his clothing around the two males he’s with to keep them warm. Shikamaru moves to pull away, making him click his tongue in annoyance. “Deer, stay close.” he tugs the beta closer, Shikamaru’s arm hitting his rib by accident, making him hiss in pain. Shikamaru, only pulls away more when he hears the hiss, attempting to wrench free of his hold. He would be amused if he his instincts aren’t screaming at him to not let go any of the two. His hand grips Shikamaru’s waist tight — making sure that the beta can’t be separated from him.

The beta male just narrows his brows, titling his head, licking his dry, chapped lips. “Why do you keep pulling me?”

 He shakes his head, pretending to shrug, before leaning on the wall, relieved to see they’re in the outskirts. He stops in his tracks, leaning on the wall with his dislocated shoulder, his chakra exhaustion finally putting a toll on his battered body. “Just don’t walk away, you might pass out, you hit your head pretty damn bad earlier.” he rasps, while lowering Shikamaru on the ground slowly, the Nara sinking on the muddy grass below him, blinking repeatedly to fight the sleep away.

His body aches for carrying the two for so long, for once thanking Kami for being an alpha, even if omega genetics is the major second gender running in Uchiha Clan.  “Kakashi,” he calls out, mismatched eyes staring at the lone dark grey eye in front of him, relief flooding his whole being at seeing reinforcements arriving.

“Kid, how are you still standing?” his sensei asks him, sturdy hands holding him up while Wolf carries Neji from his back, Sasuke falling forward to Kakashi’s chest. “5 soldier pills, 3 adrenaline shots and pure sheer will.” he snaps, exhaling shallowly. “Crow, Wolf, we need to shunshin these three to the hospital.” The two other ANBU scouts carry his team on their backs, Itachi and Kiba staring at him with worry.  He waves a hand dismissively, smiling in satisfaction when he sees Itachi’s red eyes glaring at him. “I’m fine, aniki.” he answers, letting Kakashi support him as they shunshin, arriving in the hospital, nurses and doctors alike walking out of their way.

Kakashi drops him to a bed, Sakura slamming the door open with Ino, Tsunade coming in last, the woman glaring at him. “Brat, what mess did you get into?” she pursed her lips, her eyes looking over the obvious bruising by his ribs, and the shudders going through him.

“Obito is with Shisui finishing the mission, they’ll arrive using the Kamui in a bit.” he croaks out, reassuring Kakashi and Itachi for their lovers.

Tsunade rolls her eyes at him, fondly scoffing a ‘tch’ under her breath. “I question myself why you’re my favorite Uchiha.” she says at him, earning a shallow breathy laugh from him, “It must be my charms, a lot of people say so.” 

He drew in a large breath when Tsunade moved his bones back into place, the action making him choke on his breath, coughing wetly. “What happened, Uchiha, you’re only supposed to get intel.” Sparrow asks him, making him look up from where he’s staring at his bloody knuckles.

“Kiri ANBU, three teams, ambushed us.” Several winces comes from the other ANBU scouts, Kakashi’s lips pressed to a tight line. “Obito’s fine, old man.” he teases, patting Kakashi’s arm with his unoccupied hand.  Tsunade decides to click his shoulder back in that exact moment, making him slap the arm in accident. He bit his lips enough to draw blood, turning to the woman with his eyes whirring, glare in place. “That was uncalled for.” Tsunade looks at him, before her hands glow in green chakra, healing the muscles and tissues around the socket on his shoulder, humming. “You should’ve paid attention then, brat.”

He rolls his aching shoulder blades as he leans back on the hospital bed, inhaling the scent of antiseptic and white sheets. He looks at his shivering pale skin, while wrapping his ankles together, whistling, “Thank you, mom.” he says, watching as Tsunade fondly pats his leg. “Try not to get hurled across the field next time.” she jokes, if only she knew. “You should tell that to Shika.” he points to the half-asleep Nara, the beta opening an eye to glare at him. “No, but really, you were thrown across the field.” he says in a firm voice, knowing the beta didn’t remember it, “Kami, my heart stopped beating for like, minutes.” he admits, crossing his arms. “Glad to know you care for me, Uchiha.” Shikamaru yawns, pillowing his head on his folded arms. “As if carrying you two across a whole damn forests isn’t caring, I don’t know what it is.” 

He moves to stand, bare feet planting on the cold ground, stubbornly ignoring the protests of the others telling him he’s healing. He opens the bathroom before looking at them flatly, over his shoulder. “I don’t want to sleep from getting doused on the rain.”  He gestures at his bare chest before turning to Shikamaru, “No matter how lazy you are, you better take a shower or else,” he threatens, narrowing his eyes, “I won’t hesitate to drag you to the shower, wounded or not.” The Nara sighs in defeat, before dryly answering. “Yes Captain.”  He closes the door, turning the knob to the hottest setting, pleased when he sees three folded clothes on the shelf, amused that the three of them already have a separate room from the other patients.

He walks out the shower, steam billowing by his ankles, drying his wet dark locks. He chuckles watching Shikamaru dragging his sleepy form in the bathroom, throwing his towel to the back of the brunette.

The brunette glares at him, before picking the towel off the ground, closing the door behind him. Sasuke fixes their masks by the bedside table, collecting their discarded uniforms to the hamper on the corner, separating his cloak and placing it on the back of a chair.

Sasuke moves their beds beside each other, gently rousing Neji awake, “You need to take a bath,” he tells him, the Hyuuga sleepily walking to the bathroom, while he lays down face down on the larger bed, listening to their humming.

He lays still while the two males drop to either side of him, a thought on the back of his mind nagging him if the his brother and the others are still in the room, but he’s too tired to care. He reminds himself to tell the others of his relationship, tired of being professional in front of them.

He rolls tiredly, looking up to Neji peering at him with white eyes, staring at his very soul. He huffs a quiet chuckle when he feels Shikamaru laying down beside him, an arm moving across his stomach, the rise and fall of his chest comfortable to Sasuke’s side, his arm wrapping around his shoulders.

Neji doesn’t break eye contact, blinking at him softly, the Hyuuga content on switching his gaze between him and Shikamaru. Shikamaru opens his eyes slowly, nuzzling him softly, “Neji, just fucking sleep.” he grouses, letting out a faint brown sugar and coffee scent.

Sasuke snorts, before pulling Neji down, tucking his head to brown locks, inhaling honey — the scent pleasing to the nose even if he hates sweets. 

He kisses their temples, looking at their intertwined hands over his stomach. Shikamaru leans over to kiss Neji on the lips, nudging their noses together before laying down again, muttering ‘how troublesome it was to lean over’. 

“Ah, sleep, I’m tired, you’re both heavy.” he complains, his eyes already drooping. “Ji, you heard that?” he listens as Shikamaru mockingly whispers, the two of them talking about how he’s the heaviest out of the three of them, which is untrue — he has the lightest steps, Shikamaru is the heaviest out of the three. He cuts in, “I’m not the heaviest, I just happen to be the one strongest to carry your two sorry asses across the forest.”  “You love these sorry asses though.” Neji teases, white eyes in mischief. “Damn right I do, now sleep.” he kisses their lips, before pulling the covers over them.

The silence is comfortable, the warm sunlight through the curtains lulling them further to sleep, their scents mingling, the combination fitting so perfectly, their chests breathing in the same rhythm.

“Baby Uchiha!” Obito greets quietly, making Sasuke scowl at him in irritation, not appreciating woken up from his sleep. He glares, feeling his drowsiness slip away from him, making him grumble.  “We still need to do the report.” Obito reminds him, still standing in his uniform. Sasuke stares at him, glancing from his mates to Obito, and back again. “Fine.” he answers blankly, separating his limbs from his lover’s, pushing the two together. Sasuke sighs at the sleep he just lost, before securing his boots, murmuring how it’s unfair he can’t rest after bringing two people on his own. 

“Sas, why’re you leaving?” he glances back at Neji’s sleepy mumble, making his features soften.

“Just report, I’ll be fast.” he reassures him, closing the door when the omega tucks his head on Shikamaru’s chest.

“So, that’s your lovers?” Obito teases, throwing an arm around his shoulder, ruffling his hair.

“No, that’s just my teammates who just likes to cuddles.” he retorts dryly, pushing Obito’s hand out of his now unruly hair.

“Maa, maa, you’re so agressive.” Obito mimics Kakashi, making him puff out a laugh. “Come on, I still need to sleep.” he tugs his cousin to run faster, the two of them on the way to the Hokage Tower.

(A very short AU prompt, soooo.....it’s a Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies....with A/B/O dynamics and Sasuke has the Rinnegan, cause I want to. I would’ve wrote this better if I wasn’t so damn busy...so excuse me for the OOC moments..)

[batsfinest]

Goddddddd Batdad taking baby Damian in as soon as he's born is SO fucking cute it makes my TEETH rot. Talia knowing how cutthroat, merciless, ruthless and overall toxic environment the Al Ghuls live into and not wanting another her, another Bruce, another child being born with a sword in their hand.

She's disowned when her role in helping Bruce leave with Damian is revealed. Bruce becomes an enemy to them and she has no father anymore, but it feels welcomed. Freeing. Her shoulders finally feel light, knowing her reputation isn't tied to her father anymore.

Talia can be her own demon.

Damian is Bruce's first love, no you cannot change my mind.

Bruce is young. 24 years feeling like centuries old on a soul he felt was leaking away before holding his son's tiny hand between his thumb and index finger. The media is slamming him because sympathy for orphans washes away once they stop being children, but Bruce hasn't been one since he was 8 and watched his mother's hollow eyes sink in a body bag.

The media calls him immature. Reckless. Impulsive. All the synonyms in the thesaraous to describe what a horrible person he is for using a baby they speculate isn't even his to clean up the gritty, smudged image he made for himself. It doesn't make him want to hide Damian from the world, because he refuses to treat his baby like a shameful secret.

He's more proud of Damian than he ever was of the cowl.

Jason is his 2nd love, dirty, sharp tongued, and brave, looking him in the eyes when he tries to steal the tires off his car. His eyes are a stormy ocean reflecting a deep, lonely sadness, the kind you feel for a lifetime and more. Its like looking in a mirror.

Of course, not unexpectedly, he takes Jason home. "I can care for him. Why wouldn't I?"

Alfred is in the middle of preparing a blanket, fluffy and inviting, much like the ones Bruce was wrapped as a baby, when his throat raises with a high note of unconvinction. "I don't see a reason why anyone right in the mind would look at the lobsters boiled in a soda bath in our kitchen and say you weren't qualified to look after a child."

"That's strike 220, Alfred. "

"221, actually, sir."

Bruce's heatless retort dies quick once he sees Jason's thin limbs holding the small figure of a baby boy, covered in a light green blanket of his own, against his chest in a protective hold. He snaps a silent photo of the sweet scene, making it his phone background, and for the first time in years, his tears feel happy.

Its a cycle that repeats. He's proud of his boys, his kids, and wants to show it, then the world pushes. Bruce ignores it. Ignores the news station spitting on him for being the father of two without a ring on his finger, the scandal magazines speculating on a secret spouse he doesn't have, the journalists cornering him on every public appearance hunting for the hottest news to sell the freshest scoop.

He ignores it, until the push comes for his boys.

" That one, the new one, - Jason or something? I don't buy the whole nurturing father shtick. Wayne is a honcho in his prime, with more money than he has any right to have, on the cover of every magazine and news report imaginable, got women throwing themselves at him, left and right, and I'm just supposed to believe he'd trap himself with that responsibility, no question? Why?

Cause I'm supposed to be moved by the fact that he took in a crack whore's son after she slipped on the bucket? No. The courtain's gonna fall soon, and I'll be laughing when it does."

The TV is clicked off, the news anchor's smug face staring him in thr eye before darkness covers it, leaving Bruce to look at his own stormy reflection, crackling with cold fire, an expression Alfred mirrors in his tight silence. They both hear Jason's feet stomp up the stairs, but neither comment on it.

That particular news station falls in shambles in less than a few hours. It surprises everyone and no one.

When it comes to push and shove, Bruce was often the punch.

The public appearances get a bit easier after that. He can enjoy an ice cream with the boys in the park without annoying paparazzi following them, without reporters breathing down his shoulder for a private interview or a persistent business partner ringing him up.

He can just laugh when Damian covers his suit with creamy strawberry because the black is so dull for a baby's eye and when Jason draws mustaches and beards on his face with his own cone, and try not to sound too harsh when trying to tell Jason him and Damian are too heavy for him to push on the swings. But his son's more stubborn than a donkey, so he manages it, somehow, and Bruce gets a bright idea. To him.

Batman has a sidekick that he takes to McDonald's after crime is fought and people in Gotham has seen more scarring shit than That. Its just another Tuesday.

Now, because I'm superbat trash, of course I'm gonna make Clark eat shit with how fast he falls for Bruce. They're at the Wayne Gala, something extremely important for a new reporter on the block who has the chance of meeting the name that starts in Gotham and walks all the way to Metropolis.

The list of things he expected to cross out in the long scripture Clark thought of for Bruce Wayne shortens by the second when he watches the man and a little dark haired boy make silly faces at a camera, joy sparkling bright and evident in his smile as he cooes at whom the jounralist assumes to be his youngest.

A crisp voice hitching with a british accent emerges from the other line, sounding positively scandalized, as if to give voice to the stares Bruce is receiving. " Bruce Thomas Wayne, you are at high society event, control yourself - Do not force me to march there to fix that nest of hair I have no doubt that little menace was the culprit of , -"

" But it was sooo boring before! This whole thing is boring, Al, " the child,- Jason, he reminds himself. At the ridiculous amount of research he went through for this so he wouldn't look like a complete fool, he should at least know Bruce hates it when his children aren't referred to by name. "Can we come home now? I'm kind of tired of watching these numbnuts break their backs just to seen as good people for donating like a dime of what they actually make."

Bruce's hair is wild, sticking in every direction. Clark loves it with a vigor he can't put Into words.

"We talked about this before Jason, no talking about the uneven distribution of resource made by capitalists before you eat your vegetables, -- Aww, Dami! Look at daddy! Hi, baby," Bruce's smile, Bruce's voice, Bruce's face. Its all so warm it puts the sun to shame, and Clark is attracted like a moth to a flame.

He's got it, he realizes with a shiver.

He's got feelings.

[sweetestlamb]

Fever Dream

Summary: Seojun's perspective on that kiss that broke his brain. Header by the ever talented @ewolfwitchwisegirl. 

He doesn't know how he'll be about to contain his tumultuous desires now, not when he knows how she tastes after she's been crying and how her soft body feels molded against his on the solid wall, the hard surface gratuitously keeping him from dissolving into a puddle of goo on the floor. He can feel the vague shape of her breast pressing into his chest and that's enough to make his thoughts stutter, short circuit, fracture and then reboot.

She was supposed to just be teasing, that glint in her eyes was meant to be a promise for another day.

Kissing Kang Sujin, that was a fever dream that he woke up from too many times to count with the ghost of her lips on his and her debilitating moans still washing over his sliver of self control. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he wanted her, in less than innocent ways at least to himself. Informing her was something different altogether because it was clear that she was inexperienced, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen but he knew that she'd never shared herself with anyone else before.

Not before him, and what had he even done to be this lucky? He wasn't sure but he had no intention of stopping to find out.

So he lets her intrude on his space knowing that she won't cross the invisible line they've drawn, hugs are becoming more accepted as are kisses in certain places- cheeks, brows, chins- but never the lips, that is uncharted waters for them and he's nervous about being her potential first kiss. His first had been at a party and he'd barely sat down before they were spinning a bottle and a girl he'd only spoken to twice was leaning over and sloppily devouring his mouth.

He had been disgusted in the moment, feeling violated but everyone's cheers made him feel as if his feelings aren't valid, boys were slapping him heartily on the shoulder congratulating him on kissing the hottest girl at school and he pushed down the nausea he felt at having his first kiss stolen, grinning and showboating even though he just wanted to wash his mouth out with soap.

First kisses are special, an awakening of passion and shifting of innocence- the two meeting and transforming into something new.

The press of soft slightly strawberry scented lips- the last remnants of her lipgloss- on his own chapped mouth plunges him into a blistering cold vacuum and his body can do nothing but be, swimming in a submerging bubble of unawareness.

It's so delicate that he barely believes that it's happening, surely he fell asleep after school before going to work and he's in his bedroom right now ignoring the sounds of his blaring alarm much to his dismay.

This can't be real.

He stiffens harder when she tilts her head to the side slotting their lips together, hers opening the barest amount and he's still lost in a daze because it feels so real, her skin is warm and smooth and her hair smells like fresh cut flowers and those adorable full cheeks are flushed against his skin and how can a figment of his imagination be this vivid?

Then it's over and he feels light-headed, his body floating like dandelions blown apart in the wind, every part of him reeling and trying to come back down to earth.

He can vaguely hear words through the roaring in his ears and when his eyes heavily slide open she's all motion, a sweep of red along those round cheeks and he reads her rapidly moving lips not trusting his ears to accurately decipher her words.

I'm sorry.

It won't happen again.

That ultimately knocks him off his cloud and he finally looks at her- even if it's a dream he desperately needs it to happen again, several times, still feeling the distant sensation of her skin on his and clarity rings through the fog in his mind piercing through his thoughts like the beams from a lighthouse until he can see clearly, this wasn't a dream or a fantasy.

Terrified to let this moment slip through his fingers, he tightens the digits on her thin back dragging her closer and speaking despite his throat feeling like it's made entirely of sandpaper, "Don't apologize you short circuited my brain, come here."

He's always devastatingly honest with her because he can see the way that doubt looms behind those eyes, he plans to hold on to her tighter too now that he knows she wants this, wants him.

Kissing her is liberating because immediately it's messy and uncoordinated and he can feel her lips spreading into a smile and a chuckle escapes his lungs, there's no pressure to be perfect or to be something sexy and mature that they haven't mastered yet. When he breaks the kiss to smother her in pecks, his heart blooms at the melodic giggle he's rewarded with. This is enough.

So he tells himself prepared to draw back and slip back into the innocent touches they're more used to.

That's why he's unprepared for her to grab his face and tug him closer, back into a kiss but the mood has changed now there's a static charge that hadn't manifested before that is now thick in the particles between them. He struggles not to freeze, hands splayed easily across the slim expanse of her body- she feels so slight and fragile in his arms and he squeezes her harder comforted by the strength he feels in her bones.

She won't break.

She keeps twisting and turning and he's docile in her exploration, no sudden movements lest he break the fragility of this moment.

He's shocked when she growls and pulls away harshly, his lips are still puckered up at her sudden removal.

"What are you doing?" Her annoyance is detectable despite the breathless tone and it makes his body squirm, he's too aware of how close they are right now.

He blinks, "What?"

He doesn't know what's wrong but the scowl on her face tells him that he's going to find out.

"Don't you want to kiss me?"

He blinks again. Then swallows, hard.

Wasn't that abundantly evident? He was trying everything in his power not to overwhelm her with how badly he wants to kiss her, lick into her mouth and taste her tongue, become a flavor on her taste buds and hear the pretty sounds she makes as they succumb to temptation.

"Is this a trick question?"

She peers up at him with narrowed eyes, her lips a distracting plush pink.

"You aren't kissing back, you're just letting me kiss you. I thought you would be an expert." She shifts slightly glancing away from him, a tight line in her jaw.

He preens, internally.

"Why would you think that?" He has an idea but he wants to hear her say it, to see that flush on her pretty face.

She glares at him but it's lacking the usual fire, it makes his body simmer instead of burn.

"This isn't your first kiss, according to the bathroom walls you've kissed twenty-five girls at school and a few guys."

She states this information in a matter of fact tone but he can see the tightness in her face, he smooths his hands up and down her back in languid strokes.

"Don't believe anything you read on those walls. In our bathroom it says that you only kiss older boys, is that true?" He just means to tease her a little but she shifts coyly this time, he watches entranced as she rubs her index finger across her pouty bottom lip. He forgets what question he asked.

"Is that why you're not kissing back? Should I go find someone older?"

He's not stupid he knows exactly what she's doing, but knowing doesn't stop him from reacting or falling into the obvious trap, he knows that he needs to work on his impulse control but the thought of her kissing anyone else makes him want to punch a wall until his knuckles are sore.

"Shut up." It's not the best retort but it makes the coy smile on her face slide off and her eyes widen at his tone, the shock only lasts for a second-lighting fast before she stands taller, somehow towering over him while being inches shorter the oxymoron that she is.

"Why don't you make me?"

It's a clear challenge and he contemplates being the bigger person and not rising to her bait, maybe it's time for some maturity and thoughtfulness.

Her groin bumps into his as she presses harder against him and that small movement chucks his restraint out the window, hurling it down to the pavement. He grabs the back of her skull, his hand big enough to cover her whole head and without hesitation he slams into her, heady when she gasps giving him the perfect opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth and get his first taste of her, no longer holding back unable to even attempt.

Her tongue is still in her mouth and he gently coaxes her into moving with him, curling around the nimble muscle and drawing her back into his moist cavern she follows him and it's awkward at first, their rhythm is off- too fast, too slow but then they get it right after numerous failed attempts and she melts into him, her blunt nails scratching at the column of his neck and he hisses at the prickling sensation letting out a grunt of his own.

They kiss long and deep, swallowing each drop of each other and then soft and chaste recovering from the lack of oxygen making it to their brains, she keeps making these delicious little sounds and when he brushes against the nape of her neck she bows into him boneless and he stores that away in a vault in his mind.

He doesn't know who makes the first move but their hips start to move together, chasing something unknown.

They are undulating against each other on the wall and he prays that nobody comes because everything feels too good and he might implode if they have to stop. He almost whines when she breaks away, the loud pop of their lips separating making his head ring.

"You're too good at this. Did you really kiss that many girls?"

He stares at her, glowering at him after her biting accusation and he can't help the laughter that swells in his lungs, grunting when she punches him in his stomach.

"If all that practice made me so good then shouldn't you be happy? You get the benefits."

She pushes him away, staring hard before walking away briskly, her short skirt momentarily distracts him with it's flouting movements.

He takes a moment to recover, adjusting himself discretely before he chases after her throwing his arms over her shoulder and smirking when she folds too easily into his embrace.

"Let me go." He raises an eyebrow as she moves closer to him contrary to her demand.

"No. Where are you going?"

She huffs before looking over her shoulder.

"To get more practice too."

Her words crash over him and instantly he pushes her into the wall unleashing an onslaught of tickles on her sensitive skin, she squeals and tries to escape his attack but he has her right where he wants her.

"Take it back!" He shouts digging his fingers into her sides listening to the staccato hiccups of her full belly chortle.

There are tears streaming down her face, but she still screams, "Never!"

He wishes he could bottle this up and keep it forever.

He calls Chorong on his break, thoughts of the kiss still swirling in his mind he's bursting at the seams to share his happiness. His best friend answers on the second ring, sounds of chewing loudly blasting through the speakers.

"Ah Seojun!"

He smiles at the enthusiasm, it's nice having a friend who is always so happy to hear from him.

"We kissed." He planned on setting the story up more but the words force their way out before he can formulate a detailed retelling.

"What? Already?!" Chorong's shocked exclamation forces him to move the phone away from his ear lest he injure his precious ear drums. He brings it back when it sounds like the other boy is finished assaulting him.

"What are you taking about? We took our time." He argues, he has been waiting to kiss Sujin for weeks now thinking that this day would never come, why the hell was Chorong acting like they jumped the gun?

"Took your time? It's been one day!"

He blinks down at the phone, taking a deep breath before replying with clipped tone, "Who exactly do you think I kissed?" He impatiently waits for the incorrect answer.

Chorong sighs like he's the one acting weird and the answer is obvious, "That girl from school, the one that everyone says you're going to date."

He rolls his eyes up to ceiling taking another breath before responding, "You know I like Sujin why would I kiss some other girl?"

There's a long pause and then he hears a deep swallow and he barely moves the phone away in time before Chorong is loudly replying sounding beyond exasperated, "Well you liked Suho before and you got over him quickly! Your feelings change like the weather how am I supposed to keep up?!"

He sputters at the phone indignant, what the hell was he going on about? Liked who??

"What the hell are you talking about?!" He bellows back, slamming his fist into the counter top.

In the end, he scares away some potential customers as they're walking through the door and his boss threatens to fire him.

He doesn't care about any of it though because he knows what Kang Sujin tastes like.