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rinhaler · 8 months ago

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Don’t You Love It When I Come Around?

Your relationship with him is so toxic. But no matter how hard you try to end things, he always worms his way back between your legs.

✧˖*°࿐: 18+ only, no minors. ✧. ┊ takuma ino x f!reader

Genre: porn! with a plot! Notes: in january i told u guys to send ino prompts and i would write my favourite and here it is, I'll add the ask below ! Warnings: 18+, fem!reader, dubcon (he's high), toxic relationship, exes to lovers?, rich boy!ino, dacryphilia, pussy eating ♡, light nipple play, vaginal sex, love making ♡, drool ♡, praise, slight orgasm denial, scratching, creampie ♡, manipulation, calls your pussy she/her, pet names (princess, baby/babe, gorgeous etc.) Words: 4.6k

He loves you.

He wouldn’t keep coming back to you with such urgency and wanton if he didn’t love you so ardently. But you ended things, and for the first time there was some finality to the breakup. You’re weak with your will and conviction, usually. You can’t take it anymore, you can’t.

Being second best to every other thing is his life is too hard.

His friends, his family.

Drugs.

You want to be his top priority, but you never will be. It weighs heavy in your heart whenever you’re with him, you don’t feel the type of love you want to feel from him. The kind where you know he’d kiss the ground you walk on and worship your very existence.

Fairy tale love, romance movie love.

He isn’t capable. And it’s taken you too long to realise it.

And usually, you crumble when he begs. His pleas and promises to change always sway you into believing him, despite knowing the truth that he’ll never change for you. He thinks money carries the same weight as love. He thinks his daddy’s credit card is the answer to all of his problems.

He wants to believe you can be bought.

He truly believes that he can buy your subservience with the same unearned money he uses to pay his dealer in fat wads of cash.

The day you met his dealer is the day you think things really began to fall apart between you. He wouldn’t refrain from making lewd comments about you, a fact that has stopped you from going with him to pick up since that first encounter. Your boyfriend didn’t chastise him, no. Instead, he played along. Joking that he’d be willing to share during your most intimate moments or even give you up completely to use as a payment instead of actually paying.

You broke up with him that night, leaving him alone with his friend. He didn’t even bother chasing after you to apologise. He didn’t care enough to check if you were okay, either. It hurt you to think that he was laughing it off with Sukuna, imagining him so nonchalant and uncaring broke your heart.

And you’re lucky you didn’t have to see that you were exactly right.

You can’t even remember why you forgave him that time, it should have been the final straw. He came over, sneaking into your window after your parents turned in for the night. It’s like he’d been waiting for all of the lights to go out. He lifted it, effortlessly, before he stepped inside. He hushed your protests and panic as you worried your parents would hear and before you knew it, he was your boyfriend again.

You jolt from your thoughts as you hear a struggle to your left. Your eyes linger on the window as you notice Takuma try his hardest to lift it open. He looks up and sees you staring, and you recognise something akin to fear sprawled across his pretty face.

He can’t remember the last time you locked the window.

“Baby, please.” he whispers. You shush him, determined to be strong as you approach the window and look at him sternly.

It’s the first time in over a week since you’ve laid eyes on each other, it should have been harder than it was. But you’ve had plenty of practice from when he goes on drink and drug infused benders and doesn’t even bother to send a measly text to let you know he’s alive.

Your fists clench tightly as you hold your parted curtains, though your will begins to dissipate as you see his soft brown stare up at you so pathetically. It feels like love. Maybe one more chance wouldn’t—

“Let me in, baby, ‘m so cold.” he tells you, squatting awkwardly on the roof as he tries to convince you to see things his way. Your blood begins to boil again as you remember how fucking entitled is. Entitled in life and entitled to you. Not this time. “I think it’s gonna—” the metal curtain pole hisses as you abruptly shut them and shut him out of your life for good.

“Go home, Takuma…” you sigh, your own purposiveness decaying as your body seems to crave him, you want to help him, despite knowing you’re being manipulated.

“Oh come on. Don’t do this, princess. It’s starting to rain!” he tells you.

You can’t listen to him. You grab your headphones from your desk and put them over your ears. You quickly scroll through your music library until you find your feel-good playlist and turn the volume to max. Sure you might go deaf in a few years, but it’s better than listening to him do all he can to get you to let him in.

The paranoia of not knowing what he’s doing or saying out there pricks at your skin like needles. Your senses are sharp despite cancelling one of them out. You begin to hear creaks of the window and calls of your name you’re certain you can’t be hearing. Your dad will come to berate you and him if he gets too rowdy. He wouldn’t risk it.

INO: Gonna start singing if you don’t let me in 💕

You learn forward in your seat as you read his message. He’s bluffing, he has to be. And yet, it scares you enough to pull your headphones down while your music continues to play through them. His knuckles are rapping against the window repeatedly without stopping as he waits for you to reply. He gives you a few minutes before the knocking stops, and while you hope he’s given up, you look down at your messages to see three dreaded dots appear.

INO: You’re so cute when you’re mad

INO: What song should I sing?

You freeze as you hear him hum, even over the sound of the rain pelting down against the roof shingles and the glass of your window. It’s a song you recognise instantly, the first song you danced to together when you met at a club two years ago.

“Come on baby, let me iiiiin~!” he speak-sings in tune with the beat and you know it’s only going to get worse. You try to hold strong, you do. The thought of giving him the satisfaction and ultimately the gateway to him winning you back makes your stomach churn, you don’t want to keep being this girl.

But you’ve always been weak when it comes to him.

The shriek of your curtains opening again puts a swift end to Takuma’s singing. His face lights up, and it makes you even angrier. He watches you intently as you unlock the window for him, but you step away to allow him the honour of opening it for himself.

“Shit baby, I’m soaked. Why didn’t you let me in sooner?” he asks, he wrings out his beanie on your bedroom carpet before tossing it aside completely. You roll your eyes as he shuts the window and begins to undress. “C’moooon, you’re not really giving me the silent treatment, are ya?”

You sigh and sit on your bed, carefully taking off your headphones and tucking them back into their protective casing. He barely even looks at you as you tuck your knees up to your chest and observe his every move.

“What do you want Takuma…” you pout. “I told you I don’t wanna see you anymore. Why are you here?” you ask.

He kisses his teeth, the sound makes your skin pinch together and you suddenly feel the harsh chill of the outside breaking in. He smiles at you, his sweet innocent face and warm brown eyes are almost enough to thaw you out.

“You didn’t really mean that, did ya?” he wonders. “Baby, I love you.” he kicks off his shoes and begins to undress. The audaciousness of him is never lost on you, but tonight he’s really something. He sits on the edge of your bed, his back facing you while he moves at a glacial pace.

He’s high. It’s obvious.

The sculptured muscles of his back flex and ripple as he takes off his socks, flinging them without a care in any direction before he stands up to look at you. You swallow, hard, as the buckle of his belt begins to clink before he pulls it out of the belt loops with one hand. Your eyes stay fixed on his as his arm extends and he lets it fall from his grip.

“Bet you’ve missed this dick, baby,” he smirks. “Can see it in your eyes. You’ve missed me.”

You roll your eyes despite his words hitting a nerve. His vision drops as he unbuttons his jeans, missing the way you squirm as you reposition yourself on the bed, tucking your knees further into your chest as you continue to stare while he takes off his clothes.

“Why do you play these games, princess? You know you always come back to me.”

“It’s not a game. I’m done with you, for real this time.” you protest. The way he bites his lip makes you angrier as he climbs on the bed with you, the mattress dipping as he slowly crawls towards you like he has so many times before.

He thinks, he knows everything you say it futile, regardless of how determined you are to not succumb to him for the umpteenth time.

“Take this off, gorgeous,” he demands as his fingers curl into the elastic waistband of your pleated skirt. You shake your head lightly, heart battering in your chest like a drum solo. He snarls, at that, like he hears your heart fighting against your weak defiance. “Suit yourself.” he mutters.

His hands wrap around your thighs and he drags you down the length of the mattress. It takes everything within you not to scream, the thought of being caught by your parents like this makes your whole body sear with heat.

“I’m—” you squeak, a little too loudly. You clear your throat and look at him, your eyes shaking with apprehension and anxiety. He wets his lips as he looks at you, waiting for you to continue. “I’m not fucking you. N-Not tonight. Not ever. Never again, Takuma… I m-mean it. We’re through!”

He sighs, a little pout forming on his lips as he crawls over your body. He cages you beneath him, looking down at you with a moue of dissatisfaction.

“What about a kiss baby? Can I have a kiss, just one?” he asks. His voice is soft and shallow. His honeyed eyes make you crumble as he stares at you with an intensity you’ve never felt from him before. Is it desperation? Is it panic that he’s really losing his grip on you? You can’t even look at him directly, each turn of your head causes him to angle his own so he can continue to stare you down.

And it works.

“Just a kiss.” you mumble, your whole body relaxes when he smiles. It’s such a sweet smile, the one that always adorned his gentle face when you first met. You’ve missed it, dearly.

Your eyes flutter closed as his lips land on yours. It’s chaste, quick, and leaves you wanting more.

“One more kiss, baby. Please?”

You nod, closing your eyes again. You startle when you feel the mattress shift dramatically. Words stay lodged in your throat as you see him on the ground, on his knees, looking up at you between your legs.

“No panties? Must’a known I was coming.” he grins. He flips up the material only slightly. His head disappears beneath the black pleats.

It’s pathetic, truly, the whimper that flees from you when he presses a delicate kiss to your clit. You cover your mouth with your hand, and you even surprise yourself when you feel tears roll down your cheeks.

“Can I kiss her again, princess? Wanna make out with her… do you want me to?” he wonders, repeating the same kiss again… again… and again.

“Y-Yes, Takuma please.” you moan. Your fingers card through his brunette locks, urging him closer to your heat. He complies, desperately. He slowly swirls his tongue over your swollen clit, humming contently as he encourages you to rest your legs over his shoulders.

The pleasure overwhelms you, and you allow yourself to lie comfortably against the mattress. Deep down you knew, you both knew, you were always going to end up like this.

You look between the valley of your breasts when you regain your stability. The shape of his head makes your own begin to spin as you see the material of your skirt move in tandem with his actions. The way he slurps and suckles on your flesh makes it all too clear, you’ll never be able to quit him. Not really, not when he’s so perfect when he’s like this.

Maybe he does love you, maybe all of the things he tells you when you shut him out for so long are indeed true. How else would he be able to ravage you with such vigour and passion? The only time you know him to have drive and patience is in moments like this.

He’s spoilt, but not with you.

He’s a giver, only for you.

Your back arches from the bed when the tip of his tongue targets a particularly sensitive spot between your folds. You moan, you whine, and it only encourages him more. He doesn’t stop when your thighs begin to clamp around his head. It’s more fuel to the fire, you have to smother any and all sounds that want to escape from your body with your hand.

And that, he sees as a challenge.

He holds under the bend of your knee and pushes it, so gently, towards your chest. And still, you feel like the air has been knocked from your lungs. Your skirt is forcibly moved by the action and his face is revealed once more. His eyes glitter and shimmer with expectance and desire as he sees your own face contort from the pleasure he’s forcing upon you.

His lips suction around your clit and he sucks like it’s his sole purpose on earth. Your eyes roll back, and you practically scream into your palm. His hand wanders purposefully to cup your breast. He squeezes experimentally, rubbing his thumb over the material of your top to tease your peaked nipple. The feeling of that is almost enough to make you unravel, your hips jerk at the contact, and he decides to take it further.

He breaches the edge of your crop top, desperate to feel your soft naked mound. Your eyes fill with water and spill consistently as he adds rolling your pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger to the intense amalgamation of pleasure.

“Ino… fuck,” you whisper pathetically, freeing your mouth momentarily to utter his name. To warn him. “I’m gonna cum.”

“… I know.” he mumbles before maintaining his efforts. His tongue swipes quickly over your clit, you whimper and your toes can’t help but curl as he doesn’t dare let up.

You grip the sheets below, desperate to hang onto something as you feel your body seconds from exploding. He shushes you between licks, drooling over your cunt as his jaw hangs low for you. You do all you can to keep quiet, but it’s a gargantuan task. Especially when you haven’t felt so good for so long, it’s near impossible.

Your legs begin to quiver as you cum. Your pussy gushes and coats his face further. And for once in his life, he isn’t ungrateful. He savours the taste and laps at your folds like a starving man. And after such a long time apart, that’s exactly what he is. He’s ravenous, he’s missed this. He’s missed you. And he’ll never not appreciate how delicious you are. And it’s all for him.

“Made such a pretty mess for me, baby,” he murmurs into your skin, repeatedly planting delicate kisses against your inner thighs. He doesn’t stop as he gets on top of you, showering your stomach in the same soft kisses. Each one infused with his desire for you. His urgency to force you to remember who you belong to and who you need.

Your legs spread beautifully for him, his throbbing cock rubs against your core, dampening the material of his underwear.

His eyes fixate on yours as he looks for permission to kiss you. And you give it, instantly, humming when his lips slot against yours. His tongue delves into your mouth, his hips begin to rut into you as you make out.

You run your fingers through his hair, interlocking your fingers to keep him close as you continue humping against each other. He breathes heavily as he breaks the kiss, staring down at you with a hurt look in his eye.

“What’s wrong?” you ask him quietly. It makes your blood run cold, the fear of wondering if he’s about to go back to the regular Takuma again. The one you’re all too familiar with, The one that always lets you down.

“… Don’t like it when you call me Ino, baby,” he tells you. It’s earnest, a twinge of disappointment laced in his words.

“All of your friends call you Ino, Ino.” you repeat. It makes your heart race to defy him, you seldom do. You’re the perfect girlfriend until you can’t take anymore, but this is different. You’ve never felt bold enough to do this, to attempt to rile him up.

Never.

“Stop that.” he growls, kissing you again. “You’re not my friend. You’re my girlfriend, alright? Say it. Please.”

“I t-told you… I don’t want you back. Only let you in so you wouldn’t wake my parents.”

He stops. He stands on his knee and looks down at you with a little frown, his lower lip almost jutting as he hears you. You can’t tell if he’s actually sad, or if it’s merely panic. “Do you mean that? You don’t want me back?”

You shake your head, despite it being the opposite of what you want. It’s almost as if you’ve been possessed.

“… So you wouldn’t care if I left right now? You don’t want to fuck?” he continues. You can barely look at him, you’ve never seen him like this before. He might actually be upset, he’s experiencing regret for the first time in his entire life.

“Well… if you wanna go, I won’t stop you Takuma.” you shrug, it comes a little too easily. It feels like a dream, or a nightmare to Takuma. He can’t help but stare as he realises he’s lost his control of you.

A hand rests on your knee, while the other carefully rubs the lower half of his face. He wants to ask again. And again. Is that really what you want? But he’s terrified to even think it, let alone say it. Because what if you are sure? He won’t know what to do, he’s never known you to be like this before. Maybe he took too long to come over this time, he got cocky. Assumptions and greed consumed him. He came back to you when he was ready, but he hadn’t accounted for the fact you might grow a backbone in that time.

He lowers himself again, your noses barely touching before he kisses the tip of it.

“You love me, I know you do baby,” he says, faux confidence lingering in his tone. Though you don’t notice, to you, he’s just confident. The sound of tender kisses littering your cheeks is the loudest sound in the room, even louder than his desperate whispers. “You gotta love me… because I love you. So much, baby, please forgive me.”

He doesn’t let up, like he’s transferring a love potion embedded from his lips to seep into your skin. You mewl at the sensation, never knowing him to be this affectionate before. You know why, the agonising realisation that he lost you has him resorting to this last ditch effort.

And you hate him, because it’s working.

“I’ll always love you more than anyone, y’know. I promise. I’ll be better this time…” he tells you, the same sorry line he’s told you so many times before. “Can I put it in, babe? Please… Please let me feel you close one more time, if ya really mean it.” he begs. He moves his lips to yours, hoping to silence you with a kiss to remember. There’s a hunger to it, a desperate craving that he can’t satiate.

He needs your help.

He needs you.

“L-Last time, okay? I mean it, Takuma, I won’t take you back.”

He stopped listening to you after he heard you agree, honestly. Reaching down to pull his boxers just enough for his cock to spring free. He moans, it’s akin to a whine as it slaps against his abdomen. He’s been hard since he got that first kiss from you, and tasting your slick made him ache for you.

He jerks himself a few times before he slips himself inside of your cunt. His cockhead resting carefully in your entrance. His body moves closer to yours as he sinks in further, you both moan in tandem as you stretch and swallow his cock oh so gloriously.

“S-See, baby? See how perfect I fit? ‘Cause you love me so much, and I love you.” he explains gently holding your jaw in his grip so he can force you to look at him. His hips begin to roll, but he can’t let you enjoy it. Your attempt to throw your head back in pleasure with your eyes scrunched closed is thwarted as his hips instantly slow. “You gotta say it. Say it back, princess.”

“I love you, Takuma…” you say, defeated. “You know I’ll always love y-you.”

“Yeah?” he smiles widely, moving his hips once more. “Always gonna be mine?”

“… always.” you nod.

He kisses you again, his body weight almost suffocating you as he rests on top of you. He fucks every ounce of passion and longing into you. He covers your mouth, sensing it’s too much. But he can’t stop. You don’t want him to, you’ve never felt so whole with him.

You’re too fucked out to notice how badly your bed is creaking. Even with your moans trapped behind Takuma’s palm, he’s sure your parents will know he’s here by now.

“Fuuuuck, you’re choking my fuckin’ dick, baby. Gonna make me cum too fast.” he tells you, kissing your forehead as he slams his hips into yours. “So tight for me… my p-perfect girl, aren’t ya?”

You nod desperately, clenching around him at his every word.

“Want you to cum for me… but,” he rests his forehead against yours, alternating his movements to slow and deep rather than hard and fast. It has you drooling against his palm, but he doesn’t mind. He likes you, loves you, when you’re his braindead princess. “I only make my girlfriend cum.”

Your eyes widen in horror as you realise what he’s trying to do. You wish you could say you regret letting him fuck you again. But it’s too good, you’re lost to it. You’re almost dumb enough to agree.

Almost.

He moves his hand and cups your face, imploring you to look him in his eyes and tell him you’re his again.

“I c-can’t,” you sniffle. “Hurts too much being—”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t say that, princess.” he interrupts, not wanting to hear your thought in full. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. You love me, yeah? Always gonna be my girl. Mine.”

And as if on command, you nod in acceptance. Because he’s right, you will always be his girl. Whether in an official capacity or not. Even the days you’re separated, he’s always on your mind. You worry that weeks, months or even years could pass without him and he’d still be on your mind.

A particular intense stroke inside of your gummy walls makes your body jolt and a heavy moan tears through your throat. He looks down, admiring where to two of you meet before searching your eyes.

“There, baby?” he asks, experimentally thrusting into the same spot. He grins when he hears you keen once again for him, prodding it again and again until your eyes spill over with tears from the blinding pleasure. “Theeeere she is, right there. Bet you wanna cum real bad, ‘cause I do.”

“I do!” you agree, cupping his face gently before kissing him. “I love you, Takuma, please don’t stop,” you whimper.

“I won’t baby, promise.” he assures you. It’s imperceptible, and he’s glad, you can’t see the relief washing over his entire body as he feels safe once again. You’re his, again. There’s nowhere else you should be but with him. “C-Can’t let my girl down, can I?” he grins.

And after everything. All of the hurt, all of the effort, all of the determination, you’re his again. All of that defiance was for nought. And yet, you’re smiling. Your hands helplessly grip his body, nails digging into his shoulder blades as you scratch, attempting to ground yourself.

His lips find yours, eager to silence himself as he brings you both closer and closer to your demise. His breaths are heavy, his nostrils flaring as he continues to pummel into you. Your kiss is sloppy, but perfect. The messy passion heightens your pleasure, somehow. His tongue finding your own reminds you that there’s no one in the world you’d rather be doing this with.

Every plunge of his length against your sweet spot feels like love. Pure, unadulterated, love. Everything you’ve ever wanted, ever needed, from Takuma this time.

And as you cum together, moaning into each other’s mouths, that feels deeper. He looks into your eyes as he fills you to the brim, your walls clench around him, desperate to keep him inside and milk him for all he’s worth. You never want this feeling to end, he’s the man of your dreams.

He kisses your neck as he continues to fuck himself inside of you, making sure to deposit every last drop of his love into you. He feels it too, it feels different to how it usually is.

Better, somehow.

The pecks of his lips slow as he ventures towards yours again. Each kiss is interpolated with ardour. He doesn’t want to risk stopping for fear of all of this coming undone. He doesn’t want you to see sense, again. Despite what you might think, he is in love. A love so intense he couldn’t begin to explain.

He eventually pulls away, bracing himself for what you might say.

But nothing comes.

He’s grinning from ear to ear because you don’t say a word. Not one. But your expression says it all. You look exhausted, but fulfilled. You look beautiful as bliss ravishes your drained form. However even without all that, he only needs to look into your eyes to see it.

You really are his girl again.

He can practically see the hearts shimmering in your irises. You’re looking up at him like you’ve fallen for that signature Takuma charm once again, but are you really so foolish? Even he is a little surprised.

He wants to do better, of course he does. And maybe this time he’ll really try. He doesn’t mean to let you down so often, it’s not like he wants to do it.

That’s just the type of guy he is.

The type to make promises he can’t keep.

anon: okay but imagine ino sneaking in your bedroom every once in a while and fucking you into forgetting he's an absent boyfriend, he's always smoking with his friend (plug! sukuna *cough cough*) he's a trust fund baby, and the worst boyfriend ever but dick game is so good he has you thinking you can fix him, so every time you let him hit you are looking at him with heart eyes and it almosttt makes him want to do better

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mercurycft · 1 month ago

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𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄 - 𝐋.𝐖

## leah williamson/beth mead x teammate-(ex)reader !! MINIFIC

hi pookies!! i wrote this after watching love actually and I'm still fuming about the whole CD situation iykyk. this is roughly and loosely based on that scene, which is HEARTBREAKINGGGG. this kinda has a cringey ending but my little cringe heart loved it. thank you all for the love recently! i hope you're enjoying all the content. love always - RGx

1.8k words.

emotional. beth being the best best friend. talks of a break up. not proof read.

"you know we dont have to watch it, right?" beth spoke lowly and no louder than a whisper, breaking the silence that had stretched out between you both like a tightrope.

you allowed a small and meaningless smile to crack in the corner of your mouth for a beat as you took a sip of the tea in your hands, eyes still glued to the TV screen. only flicking to beth briefly and for less than a second - as if you were unable to bear the contact. "i know," you admitted. "i want to." you spoke with a fake conviction, leaning forward to lay your mug onto the coffee table.

you watched on in silence, heart hammering in your ears when leah finally came on screen. she looked good, and it pained you to realise. to realise that whilst you're at home, curled up on your sofa, she's out doing brilliant things. you watched as leah sat beside her piano teacher, who you recall fondly after spending many evenings in his company. leah's fingers danced over the piano keys, the camera zooming in to capture the intensity of her practice.

you tried to rid your mind of the hurt for a few minutes, attempting to squash them into microscopic parts of you. you could feel beth's eyes burning holes into the side of your head, but you didn't dare look away for even just a second. scared you would miss something important, or miss her on the screen.

you watched as she prepared for her performance and made her way towards the concert piano, you knew her well enough to tell how nervous she was - breathing uneasy and hands fidgety. the camera followed her every step, until she sat down and found her bearings. as the camera pulled out, you saw the full orchestra behind her, tuning their instruments. you watched on eagerly as the anticipation grew in the room, a storm of nerves brewing in the pit of your stomach.

there was a moment of silence from the tv, before you watched the conductor lift their arms and a chorus of instruments began to play - including leah. as they began to play, it was hard to ignore the hurt bubbling up and into your throat. as her keys fell in perfect unison with the accompanying music, it was like you had been transported back in time.

you can recall it as if it was yesterday - being back in her living room, watching her play it for the first time. she had looked up at you from her spot in front of the keyboard, eyes shy yet hopeful, asking if you liked it. "it's beautiful," you had said, not knowing then that it would become so much more.

leah's eyes remained on the keys as she played, her expression serene. her hair fell around her face like a curtain, obscuring her features slightly. the way it used to fall when you held her close, comforting her after a stressful lesson. it was a stark contrast to the sharpness of her posture now, the determination in her hands as they flew over the piano.

you felt the weight of the moment, the gravity of her talent. the sound of her playing filled the room, swelling like the crescendo of the symphony of your past. you could almost smell the scent of her shampoo, feel the warmth of her skin. your chest tightened and your eyes stung with unshed tears. but you didn't look away. you couldn't. because, as much as it hurt to admit, you were bursting with pride.

beth couldn't bring herself to speak, overly aware of the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. instead, she layed a hand gently and slowly onto the leg pressed close to hers. heaving a quiet sigh as she watched you break for the fifteenth time today.

as the final notes echoed through the speakers, you couldn't help but let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. leah's eyes finally lifted and she took in the applause, her face breaking into a smile that was so familiar and yet so foreign. your heart felt like it was in a vice, but you found yourself smiling back at her, even though she couldn't see you.

you felt beth's hand move to your shoulder, squeezing gently. "are you okay?" she asked. you nodded, not trusting your voice.

"yeah," you whispered back, "i'm okay." but you weren't. not really. you were just watching your past play out on live television, painfully reminded of what you could never get back.

the show continued, but you couldn't focus on anything else. the music had left a hollow space inside of you that only leah could fill. you looked at beth, her eyes filled with sympathy and something else. "you know it wasn't your fault, don't you?" she spoke softly.

"what?" you replied, trying to shake off the emotional fog that had enveloped you.

beth squeezed your shoulder again, "everything, i mean. she wasn't herself and she was angry at the world. she shouldn't have taken it out on you." her words stung to hear, but deep down you knew she was right. leah had always been driven, always been passionate about her career. it was one of the many things you loved about her. but seeing her up there, so poised and professional, compared to the person she was not even a month ago when things ended between you, was like watching a stranger.

you nodded, swiping at the tears that had escaped. "i know," you murmured. "but i can't help but feel like i just missed something. like i could've been there." beth didn't respond, she just held your hand, her thumb tracing circles on the back of it, offering silent comfort.

the applause from the audience on the telly grew louder as leah took her bow, her cheeks flushed with excitement. you felt a pang of jealousy, watching her revel in the moment, knowing that she has finally caught up with the feeling she had been chasing.

beth's grip on your hand tightened. "you know you can talk to me, right?" she said. her voice was gentle, like a soft summer breeze, trying to soothe the storm in your chest.

you nodded, "i know," you whispered. "but i don't know what to say. it's just…it's a lot." your voice cracked slightly, and you took a deep, shaky breath.

"it's alright to feel this way," beth assured you, her eyes never leaving yours. "you loved her, and she was a part of your life. it's natural to miss her when you see her doing something that makes her seem okay."

you tried to force back the tears that now are fighting for release, held back by nothing more than your waterline. it didn't take long until they began to litter your cheeks. "i miss her," you stammered through a small sob, collapsing into beth's chest as she stoked your back.

"i know." she whispered into your hair, gently rocking the pair of you back and fourth.

"she's still the one,"

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kitcat22 · 5 months ago

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I like to think that it takes the Command BatchTM a long time to realise how young Alpha 17 was when he was given them to train.

When they were kids and even as adults Seventeen is always this immovable pillar in their lives. Yeah he was a hardass who wouldn’t know his own emotions if they punched him in the face but he protected, cared for and taught them everything they need in order to survive and is the closest thing to a parent they have (except for Wolffe - he’s infinitely smug about this) He’s the reason they were the most successful batch on Kamino and later the most notable commanders of the war.

Then after the war and the improvement of clone rights, this documentary comes out exploring the years on Kamino before the Battle of Geonosis. It’s basically a horror show and includes footage taken by the Kaminoans to monitor and record their army building process (footage that would later be used in court to convict them of sentient rights violations and various other charges).

In the show there’s this one photo of Seventeen and his kids that’s basically that photo of the mom helping her kids beat their game as they crowd around her. The difference being that it’s a bunch of 6 year olds (developmentally) crowded around a 15 year old as he does his own coursework.

Alpha’s still in his red and blue uniform and has pimples and baby fat clinging to his face and he just looks so, so young.

Afterwards the batch phone him up and its like-

Command Batch: Damn we didn’t realise you were a teen mom… 😕

Alpha 17: …

Alpha 17: I didn’t realise i was a teen mom

It takes some more time for him to understand that this did indeed affect him as a person.

I like to think that while dropping Fox off at his ex corrie guard support group in the community centre he accidentally finds himself in a young parent support group and huh these experiences of giving up your childhood (or never having one) while trying to give your kids the best of everything and feeling far too grown up and responsible and afraid really kinda resonates with him.

He gets invited back to this group because, despite not being a teenager or actively parenting anymore, he has a lot of experience in child rearing (even if the avoiding the wrath of evil scientists doesn’t really apply anymore) and for some reason all of their kids adore him even if he scowls at them constantly.

#he really is a single mom who works two jobs who loovees his kids and never stops #star wars #tcw #the clone wars #alpha 17 #alpha seventeen #commander cody #commander ponds #commander bly #commander fox #commander wolffe

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petit-etoile · 1 year ago

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Oh oh I have an AU I haven't had the chance to write anything for. It's pre-vampirism magistrate Astarion and criminal tav who is incredibly well-versed in law. They keep committing crimes and getting caught in purpose just to see Astarion who fucking hates their guts because he can't ever convict them of anything bc they find loopholes and somehow manage to evade the law. It's an "at each other's throats" kinda romance and they kiss with teeth between cases

darling, if you love me say it back

pairing . ⊱ astarion x tav wordcount . ⊱ 3,604 content warnings . ⊱ canon compliant temporary character death, tav isn't a human but can be whatever else you like, astarion isn't a vampire yet, tav is gender neutral other tags . ⊱ canon compliant, canon temporary character death, introspection, p.orn without plot, oral s/ex, desk s.ex, inappropriate use of a cravat, c.reampie archiveofourown . ⊱ here.

taglist . ⊱ @azrielshadows1nger, @pandimoostuff, @faevi, @microskies, @foreverthemaraudersera, @queenofthespacesquids, @claryvoyantfray, @6doodlaang14, @anne-isnotokay, @itshimbotime, @yeeteth-the-raven, @sessils,@8-opossums, @worryknotdear, @abirdaboxandachippedcup, @ghosts-and-ink, @b4um3pfl4um3, @gunslingerorchid, @hypopxia, @m0ssytrees, @erysione, @odette-attackattack, @catching-fire-in-the-wind, @ashrio20, @wills-mental-illness, @queenofcarrotflowers-s, @kirahlene be added . ⊱ here .

summary . ⊱ The Magistrate Judge Astarion Ancunin has a soft spot for you. You like to exploit that fact.

‘I need to see you in my office,’ Astarion hisses — and the tips of his ears are so red you think they might catch flame. He grabs you by the elbow roughly and tugs. ‘Now.’

‘Let’s do it, baby,’ you say smugly. ‘I know the law.’

Knowing the law might be an overstatement. You have studied the law for only one purpose, and that purpose you know like the back of your hand. So when Astarion presses you, you don’t argue. You do as the magistrate says and allow yourself to be dragged across the court. He admonishes you like one would get onto a dog who misbehaves. You can’t help but laugh.

It isn’t like Astarion isn’t a super serious magistrate with a focus on criminal prosecution. He wants to nail you for your sins, for your crimes. The only catch is that no matter how amazing Astarion is at his job, you’re simply better. If you’ve stolen something, you’re more than capable of hiding the evidence. If you’ve murdered someone, you know all the best ways to hide a body. It comes naturally.

Astarion is wearing that ever familiar frown as he marches through the elegant halls. It’s a frown that says you’re in trouble and there’s nothing that I can do. But that isn’t necessarily true. Astarion will do anything you ask so long as you ask nicely, and you’ve been getting good at asking nicely lately. He prides himself in training you even if it isn’t that simple. He calls it rehabilitation. You call it sex.

‘You can’t keep doing this, you know,’ Astarion snaps at you. ‘At some point you must give it up!’

He isn’t good at whispering when he’s riled up. He runs his free hand through his curls in anger, pushing them away from his face like his bangs being wild make it hard to think. It makes him more attractive.

‘You don’t mean that,’ you say with a shrug.

‘I do,’ he says, ‘very much mean that.’

You grin. ‘You would miss me,’ you tell him lasciviously, and he groans. ‘I know you would.’

He huffs. ‘The only thing that I would miss is the peace after the headache you’ve given me. It’s as though you aren’t even aware of how vexing you are.’

You laugh, and the fine line of Astarion’s temper snaps. He all but throws you in his office and locks it behind him. He’s annoyed with the way you stagger dramatically to one of the velvet couches before his desk. You lean over the arm and kick your feet up.

‘Does the idea of cuffs around my wrists excite you?’

You look over your shoulder. Astarion clenches his jaw. It must hurt to frown as hard as he is. You pull yourself onto the cushions and sit demurely. You study him. His rigid lines, tense gaze. He comes and sits on the edge of his desk, pressing his forehead into his hands as if that will relieve him of his headache. You’re determined to make it worse.

‘I apologize,’ you say sweetly. ‘I’ll behave from now on.’

‘We both know that you are not capable of behaving,’ Astarion says thinly.

He shouldn’t have said that. You can’t help yourself, but most of the time, Astarion makes it so easy for you to dig into his weaknesses and exploit them. You stare at him with wide, innocent eyes.

‘You should teach me,’ you suggest.

Astarion’s patience snaps. ‘I beg your pardon? Have some decorum, please!’

‘Having decorum is so boring,’ you say, pouting. ‘Life is much more fun when you live freely.’

‘And committing crimes is your definition of living freely?’

‘What is the point of living if not to live?’ you ask. ‘Why confine myself to rules of good or bad when I can choose what makes me happy.’

‘What exactly makes a criminal like you happy?’ Astarion asks bitterly.

You’ve always been possessed by a sense of otherness. You rise from the couch and carefully twist your fingers in his cravat, tangling yourself in him as he has become entangled in you. The Silverymoon lace tickles your skin. You pull Astarion closer and he begrudgingly caves to your strength. Your lips barely brush against his and already you can sense it. The barely contained restraint. The hunger. Astarion longs for you. He’s carefully hidden it beneath the scent of bergamot.

Slowly, you slide him free of what pressures him most. The cravat slides from his neck easily. It excites Astarion. His eyes glitter like you’ve never seen before. Being a magistrate isn’t about caring about the laws he’s vowed to uphold. It’s about power. You give it to him. You hold your wrists together with a wicked grin.

You balance the fabric on your fingers. Astarion swallows. Being proper isn’t really his thing. It’s thrilling to watch as he changes his mind. You annoy him — he detests you, wishes you gone. You are the object of all his improper late night dreams.

But as if he’s moving through water, he takes his cravat from your hands. You almost think it’s going to be a rejection. Astarion bundles your wrists together with an expertise that suggests he’s done it before. The binding becomes tight but not too tight and you relish in the way it twists your wrists. He fastens the knot into a pretty bow.

And then he kisses you. He grabs you so roughly by the back of the neck that your teeth slam together, but Astarion sighs so prettily against your mouth you decide you could withstand anything.

It’s a passionate kiss made up of teeth and spit and tongue. Astarion is both pushing you and pulling you. He can’t make up his mind. Does he want you and the stain you’ll bring to his reputation? A magistrate with a weakness for a criminal is such an interesting dynamic, but Astarion is a proud man. You are almost certain he would throw you into harm’s way if a situation ever occurred that deemed it necessary. You would do the same given the chance. This is simply a tryst.

You like to pretend it is, at least. You hate coming across as a romantic. You chase a freedom so exquisite no one will ever understand it, but when Astarion pushes you towards the couch, you don’t complain. You fall across the cushions with ease and catch him as he falls between your thighs.

‘You,’ Astarion accuses hotly, ‘are an irrevocable annoyance I may never be cured of.’

‘You are so very frank in all the ways you despise me,’ you say, moaning softly as he kisses your neck. ‘I think you’re capable of being freed after all.’

‘I am glad to see you are finally aware that it is hate that drives me,’ Astarion murmurs thickly. ‘It repulses me that you think you could possibly be endearing.’

You laugh and Astarion sucks a bruise into your collarbone. He’ll pretend to be aloof and noncommittal to your very presence, but he’s invested. You can feel the weight of his pleasure against your thighs even as he denies his feelings for you. Astarion doesn’t bother with your shirt or his own. He clings to your waist as he finds the lace of your breeches and tugs you free.

Astarion pushes his hand inside of your smallclothes and touches your flushed skin, spreading his fingers so that he can touch every inch your body has to offer. The fervor of the motion is what causes you to gasp. He’s a man on a mission, and he touches you at your core so adoringly it makes the bite of his words all but disappear. He fondles you like he’s never touched your skin before. Your gasp turns to a sultry whine, and he bites your neck like a punishment. You almost think he’s going to admonish you, that he’ll say your silence is worth more. He doesn’t. If anything, the echo of your voice spurns him to go further.

Astarion presses two fingers inside of you and the laughter dies in your chest. He’s trying to rearrange you through a perverse method. If he fucks you good enough, crime’s appeal will turn to dust within your mind. It makes you wonder what it would be like to dote on a magistrate. Would it be enough? Could it be enough? Sinning feels just as sweet.

He curls his fingers against your core and your back arches prettily off the velvet cushions. You bite your bottom lip and try to quell the pining, but then you catch a glimpse of him from beneath your eyelashes. Astarion is watching your every move. His lips are parted. His pupils are dilated. His cheeks have colored at the sound of your voice. He is torn between watching your face for your reactions and glancing down at his hand underneath your breeches. You meet his gaze bravely, chin lifting, and smile.

He adds another just to watch you struggle. The angle, the curve of his wrist, and the situation are enough to make your thighs squeeze together, but Astarion doesn’t let you. He roughly throws himself between your legs so that you can’t, and it’s hot, too hot that you cry weakly. He grins at the sound like he always does, like he always will. It’s his victory this evening.

But as quickly as Astarion deigned to touch you, he releases you. He stands up and drags you by the wrists, turning his cheek the other way when you try to taste his skin.

‘The prosecutor is ineffectual — ’

You snort without meaning to, and Astarion digs his fingers into the swell of your hip. You allow him to maneuver you, bending at the waist while he presses you forward, chest against the chilled wood of his desk. You have to rise on your toes to stand comfortably.

‘Is that what you’re thinking about?’ you ask breathlessly.

‘I’m thinking about the necessary reform,’ Astarion snaps.

You press your cheek into the wood and stare at his door. The prosecutor, the defense. It doesn’t really matter, does it? Astarion is the only one who cares. You’re somewhat glad he does. It means he’s taken your case to interest, and when he presses himself to your lower back, you’re excited. He shoves your breeches to your ankles.

‘Are you going to take me here?’ you murmur. ‘On your desk. Where is your propriety?’

‘You dare speak to me of decency?’ Astarion snorts.

‘The weight of my sins will be forever embedded on your desk,’ you say. ‘You flatter me, your honor.’

‘Do you ever stop talking?’ Astarion asks. You can hear his patience snapping.

‘Well, you’re just so boring,’ you say, laughing. ‘Why don’t you do something that — ’

Astarion kneels down behind you and shoves his way between your legs. You shiver when he presses his lips against your core. He mouths at you hungrily. He grunts low in the back of his throat and digs his nails into your thighs. It steals your breath away. He’s so determined to change the very essence of your being that his tongue and mouth searching where his fingers first were makes you go weak in the knees. You whine.

You press your fingers into the dark, rich mahogany of his desk and try to keep focus. You want to taunt him. You want to tease him, but that wanton desire is almost forgotten entirely by the way Astarion feasts upon your flesh. He parts you with his thumbs and groans against your skin and you almost forget who you are. This is what he wanted. He wanted to pull your desires from you and replace them with his own.

You let him. He works you up as easily as anyone can be worked up, his fingers and his mouth exploring every inch of your skin that’s exposed. He goes to slide a finger in curiously, but you twist your hips away. Astarion is all work and no play. He will tease you relentlessly as it suits him, and he will do what interests him. You interest him more than he’s willing to confess. That’s why he works so hard for your pleasure.

When he’s done with you, he kisses the base of your spine soothingly. Your legs tremble beneath you. Astarion smooths his hand across your hip. You glance at him.

‘Perhaps I can fuck some sense into you now,’ Astarion mumbles.

He has the audacity to sound inquisitive. It’s not like it’s possible, but he seems determined enough to try it out regardless of his intuition. His hands are warm against your skin, and the excitement only builds in the pit of your stomach as you feel Astarion’s skin touch yours. You hear his clothes rustle and his breath catch in his throat. You hide a smile against your arm.

When Astarion slides into your core, it’s like a possession. The breath steals from your lungs. His touch is a familiar constant — you would recognize him anywhere by scent alone. You cry weakly. Your toes crunch from the angle, but there’s nothing you want more at this moment than to learn to be good.

Astarion hums behind you as well, his fingers digging into your hips as he tries to steady himself. The desk crunches uncomfortably against your belly but it’s a welcome pain. It keeps you focused. You still have the energy to wiggle back against him as his cock slowly pushes in until there is no more room left to explore.

‘Be good,’ he whispers, ‘and I will give you what you deserve.’

What do you deserve exactly?

It’s hard to say. You enjoy your life of crime almost as much as you love the way Astarion bends you over his desk. You’re good at stealing, you’re good at killing, but you’re good at being soft and pliant as well, giving in to that sentimentality that keeps you coming back from more.

At first it was an elaborate game. What could you do to ensure that Magistrate Judge Astarion Ancunin looked your way? He was a noble elf, and your hands were covered in fresh dough from the baker you stole from. There was a curious glint in his eyes when he looked over you, yet somehow the gods had deemed the yeast and honey on your fingers was not honest enough to be proof.

You are smitten. You bounce taller on your toes with every aggressive thrust, arms struggling to support your weight. Astarion fists his fingers into your hair and pulls until your throat is exposed. He wants you to sing for him, so you do. You arch your back and moan loudly. The sounds of it bounce around his little office.

‘You wouldn’t shut up before,’ Astarion says breathlessly, a hoarse laugh.

‘Do something — worth talking about — ’

Astarions laughs incredulously, but he does fuck you harder for it. He releases your hair without much flourish and focuses on dragging your hips back onto his cock, punching forward so hard you see stars. It’s wonderful, it’s powerful. If Astarion’s entire goal was to make you forsake the world, he’s done a good job of turning your life around. The cravat rubs against your wrists as you try to seek purchase on the desk. Your fingers drag across the polished wood, and you shudder as you clench down around his cock.

You sound so breathless and silly, groaning while he fucks you against his desk. He fills you full until you’re certain you can take no more. You press a hot cheek against the wood and try to catch your breath. You hook a foot around his ankle for support, twisting on his desk. You tuck your arms beneath your chest. You feel as though you’re coming undone. All your years of villainy, and it comes undone by the consistency of Astarion’s presence.

Your arms are stiff from constantly being up, but you’re almost grateful when Astarion pauses. He helps you turn on top of his desk so you’re on your back instead, and even though the edge digs into your lower back, you prefer that to anything else.

You meet Astarion’s gaze. He tells you he hates you, that he wishes you were out of his hair, that he despises you, but the gentleness of his eyes tells you otherwise. He slides back into you with a small moan, and you wrap your legs around his hips to guide him in further.

‘It’s good,’ you gasp. ‘It’s good, you’re good — ’

Astarion doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. You can see it clear as day in his eyes. Astarion won’t say he loves you, that in his ardent fervor he seeks you out, but he knows that you know. Why else would fate lead you back together? You reach for his face with your hands, and his eyes flutter closed to avoid the wistfulness. He leans into your touch.

You cry softly as Astarion begins to grind into you again. He helps carry you as he does so. And it feels so good, feels so overwhelming that you briefly consider the fact that he has changed you for the better.

A spirit that slides into your very marrow. Astarion is hauntingly beautiful, and if he is a spider then you are a fly tangled in his web. He calls you a pretty thing and you give into the struggle. You press your wrists against your forehead and strain against his cock, unable to hide from the waves of crashing pleasure.

Astarion finishes inside of you with a low moan. He presses a rough hand against your belly to stabilize himself, and shyly, you touch his wrist with your bound hands just to feel his pulse. As soon as he’s caught his breath, he releases you from your bonds.

You almost miss him when he pulls away from you. He uses one of his hanging cassocks to clean himself with and is kind enough to do the same for you. You’re almost certain that your legs won’t work, so you sit up on his desk to rest and damn his paperwork to the hells. You kick off your breeches from around your ankles and sit, legs crossed, while Astarion tries to fix his reflection in the mirror.

‘You are truly an astute teacher,’ you say casually. ‘The art of lockpicking is all but gone from my mind. Thank you, your honor.’

Astarion snorts and shakes his head, torn between ignoring you and giving into your wiles. He curls his hair back into place and then walks back to you, leaning forward until you’re nose to nose.

You think he won’t kiss you, but then he does. His lips taste like summer oranges and you taste him until it’s the only thing you can think of. He hugs you tenderly. It isn’t the same as when he admonishes you. It makes your chest feel warm. You almost feel weaker for it. Your bite is being taken away.

‘I can’t keep protecting you,’ Astarion says softly against your cheek. ‘You torment me day and night. When I lie down in my sheets, I find myself consumed with worry.’

‘You think about me?’ you tease. ‘In your sprawling manse?’

‘Move in with me,’ he murmurs. ‘Then you can be inferior yet vain inside my sprawling manse.’

Astarion is not there that evening. You try to wait as long as you can without seeming suspicious. There are maids, family members, and their admirers who come inside and out throughout the evening — but not Astarion, never Astarion. You wait until the sun sets and fireflies light up the streets of the Upper City but eventually, the malaise of abandonment guides your feet away. You walk the streets aimlessly until a shiver runs down your spine. A chill so violent turns you away from the courthouse.

But in the morning, there’s a fuss. It draws you back into where you left and you can’t help but to lose yourself. Astarion is dead. His mother sobs. The members of the city watch who bear the bad news look equally as morose. Astarin’s father nearly falls to his knees in despair.

When you break into their manse that evening, you look for one thing. You steal a cravat from his wardrobe and tie it around your neck.

Then, you leave Baldur’s Gate.

You aren’t sure where your feet are going to take you.

Part of your yearns for the Underdark. Baldur’s Gate is a cursed city, you decide. You wander back to it after two hundred years of avoiding it like the plague, and not an hour within the city are you spirited away on an adventure you never longed for.

You have changed. You can’t really remember who you were all those years ago, or the hopefulness you might have felt in your chest once. You’re different now. A folk hero. You used to steal from the rich and give to the poor before the mindflayers fed you their parasite and stole that part of you. But you aren’t alone this time. You wander the beach for hours searching for anything that can be of use and pause over a love letter that makes you sob.

It isn’t all bad. You meet a half-elf who scowls as much as she mumbles to herself.

On the other side of the beach, you meet a ghost.

His eyes are different from what you remember. The warmth he once looked upon you with is gone and replaced by unfamiliar sanguine.

#astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion bg3 #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion x oc #astarion smut #bg3 smut #from ，carcosa .#my fic #hyliandreso #you know i hit the prompt square on & then threw in a plot twist #is it really a carcosa fic if there isn't a plot twist somewhere #* say what you want，even if it's bad

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4acoffee · 20 days ago

Text

a snippet of the ex jy fic i’m cooking up…

based off this lil blurb

you go a little hot all over when you find that those honeycomb eyes are now very much trained on you, blatantly ignoring the words of the Master Diviner from right next to him as she prattles on passionately about something you're sure is very important for the good of the Loufu and should require his full attention.

his gaze is far more piercing than you remember.

a little too sharp, too perceptive — penetrating through you in a way that makes you worry that he may just know every single thought and intention running through your head and have physically keep yourself from squirming.

he's gotten taller too, you realize with a flicker of irritation.

he was always a head taller than most, but now, even from across the room, you can feel how he towers over everyone else, commanding attention like he was born for it.

and you think, maybe he really was.

he looks exactly how you would imagine the Great Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Alliance Cloud Knights: powerful, confident, a beacon of intelligence and experience, with a frame that commands respect. thick, sturdy thighs—

— you have to physically shake the last few, incredibly uninvited thoughts from your head and turn away from his overbearing gaze to refocus on your council, standing together in a little circle, looking very out of place and uncomfortable in the bustling unfamiliarity of the Seat of Divine Foresight.

Your heart twists with guilt, knowing you can’t provide them any more reassurance than the fact that you were once close with the General. A small smile slips onto your lips each time you meet their eyes, but you can feel the tension in the air growing heavier with every passing moment.

a moment later, you feel the weight of a heavy arm curl over your shoulders. an all too familiar flash of silver hair tickles the edge of your vision and you immediately know who it belongs to.

the tension in your shoulders tightens once again, and though you try to shift away, his hold doesn’t falter. the confliction that's been brewing up inside you since you first stepped foot back on the Loufu flares up all over again with full force.

your struck with the realization that you can’t decide if you want to pull away as would be appropriate, or lean into the painfully familiar comfort of his presence. the kind of comfort you have no right to be missing.

the room has gone unnervingly silent, all eyes on the General now, but you can’t focus on them. your mind keeps drifting back to those years when things were simpler, before everything fell apart.

you remember how quickly you left, how you never even bothered to offer a proper goodbye. and now you're back, not out of the craving of your heart, but to plead to him for help.

you can feel it in the air—the weight of unspoken words between you and the general, like a wall you can’t quite break down. The arm on your shoulder is still there, but it feels less like reassurance now and more like an unspoken claim, an unrelenting reminder of the past you left behind.

a soft laugh escapes the General’s lips, but it’s not warm, not even close, it’s something darker, and it makes the skin of your arms go cold, you have to suppress the shiver threatening to wrack through your body.

and when he speaks, it cuts through the tension like a blade.

“well, hello” he begins, his voice dripping with something too heavy to ignore. "look who finally decided to come pay me a visit."

you stiffen at the words, but you know you can’t afford to show any signs of being so deeply affected right now. not with so many eyes on you.

his hand tightens on your shoulder, and you can almost feel the bitterness in his touch. he must know what this feels like for you— the weight of returning to someone you once left behind—and he is blatantly using that knowledge to dig the roots of his anger deep under your skin.

he meets your eyes when you finally gather the conviction to look up at him, his gaze flickering with something unreadable at whatever he sees in you. but then, like a predator circling its prey, his smirk deepens, and the words that follow seem to pierce straight through your chest.

“You know, if I’d known you were going to return like this, I might have made sure I was better prepared for your... company." The word is slow, deliberate, and he drags it out as though he’s savoring every second of your discomfort.

"After all, last time we met, you were so terribly eager to leave weren’t you? Even after everything we’ve done together.” and you are absolutely shocked at the way he shamelessly rakes his eyes up and down your form, an unspoken but horribly clear implication to everyone.

The council shifts uneasily at your side, but he doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

the rest of the room, realizing this should likely be a private conversation, begin to go about their business again. but you are all too aware that it’s nothing more than a facade, and that your discussion with the general is anything but.

you keep your gaze fixed on him as steady as you can, already feeling the weight of the upcoming discussion bearing down on you.

“i have to say, it’s impressive,” he continues, lowering his voice just enough to make his words more personal, “the way you thought you could just walk away, disappear, and expect me to forget.” his hand flexes on your shoulder, and the subtle pressure makes your breath catch. “And now you come back, as if nothing happened. how charming of you.”

your fists clench and you shift uncomfortably under the pressure of his arm, not at all expecting him to bring up your shared past so quickly and ruthlessly in front of everyone.

Aeons, how were you going to explain this one to them.

The council remains quiet, clearly unsure how to handle this, but the General doesn’t care. He’s using them, his gaze flickering from one face to the next before landing back on you. His eyes are sharp, studying every little shift in your expression, waiting for you to crack. you think he wants to see you squirm, just a little bit.

The heat in your cheeks flares, and you open your mouth, about to say something—anything—to defend yourself, but the General cuts you off, his voice a smooth but taunting drawl.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” he chuckles softly. “i’m sure you’ve come up with a perfectly reasonable excuse.” he glances around the room, giving the council a knowing look. “why else would you come back to me now, sweetheart?”

You can feel the burn of shame curling up like thorns in your throat, spreading over your cheeks, the sting of his words seeping into your skin. You can’t tell if he’s enjoying this—this quiet torture, playing on every vulnerable part of you that never really healed from the past—or if he’s still just trying to process the fact that you’re here, asking for his help.

The Master Diviner, who you didn’t even realize was around to hear your conversation, clears her throat. glancing almost hesitantly at the two of you, and the General seems to snap out of his momentary indulgence, his gaze flicking back to her. But there’s a lingering smirk on his face, one that suggests he’s not quite finished with you yet.

“Well,” he says, his tone shifting slightly, more businesslike now, though you can hear the edge of amusement still lingering in his words. “Let’s not keep the lady waiting. I suppose we should discuss your, issue.” The way he says the word makes it sound almost condescending, as though the problem you’ve come to him with is nothing more than a trivial matter to be solved with ease.

But even as he says it, there’s a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in his posture. He’s no longer the impenetrable wall of passive aggression he was moments ago. Now, there's a flicker of something softer underneath the teasing. you swear you can see the way he shifts, from the General, to your Jing Yuan.

only you have to remind yourself that he is no longer yours.

For now, the council is still too uncomfortable to say much, leaving you to face the weight of his words alone.

You hold his gaze, a deep breath escaping your lips, and you finally find your voice, low but steady.

“I didn’t come here to dredge up the past,” you say, your words measured, even if your heart is pounding in your chest. “I came because I need your help. And whether or not you want to give it to me is up to you.”

Jing Yuan’s smirk fades slightly, and for just a brief moment, you think you see something like regret flash in his eyes—but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.

“You’re right,” he says, his voice returning to its usual command. “i suppose, this time It’s up to me then, isn’t it?”

And just like that, the tension between you both returns, thick and palpable. You know that despite everything, he hasn’t made up his mind yet. Whether he’ll help you—or whether he’ll make you regret leaving him all those years ago—remains to be seen.

up next.. the general is a pervert 🙂‍↕️👍😀⁉️

#ahahaha i jus think angry bitter hurt jing yuan is sexy af #what who said that #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan #jing yuan x you #hsr x reader #hsr x y/n #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x you #hsr x gender neutral reader #jing yuan x y/n #hsr imagines #jing yuan imagines #hsr angst #coffee's writing

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metanarrates · 11 months ago

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the bill (post that outlines it from last week) has been signed into law.

the slight good news: the language of the bill has been amended so that children can no longer be criminally charged for using a bathroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity.

the bad news: literally almost everything else about the bill is the same. adults can still be charged.

in addition to everything highlighted in my earlier post, I would like to highlight that the law will charge transgender adults with trespass if “the individual enters or remains in the changing room under circumstances which a reasonable person would expect to likely cause affront or alarm to, on, or in the presence of another individual." in other words, if a transphobe is alarmed by a trans person existing in a restroom, and the judge agrees, that's a trespassing charge. maximum penalties for trespassing under utah law go up to six months in jail and a $1000 charge.

I don't think I need to explain the violence that trans people, particularly trans women, face in jail, especially if they are sent to a men's prison as a trans woman. I also don't think I need to explain the poverty that the trans community experiences as a result of systemic discrimination, and how devastating a fine can be to a poor person. and even without the charge, being harassed by both civilians and cops who will demand that you prove your gender is traumatizing and humiliating. even though this law does in fact only extend to buildings that are publicly funded (such as government offices, schools, possibly the salt lake city airport,) this will also embolden transphobes to harass trans people in other places. make no mistake, this law is violence.

additionally, the law also can give out charges of lewdness and voyeurism, both of which are sex crimes. being placed on the sex offender registry can be DEVASTATING for a person's job opportunities, ability to find housing, and basic rights to privacy. in addition to the already devastating housing and employment issues faced by ex-convicts, this would make life practically unlivable for anyone convicted.

I'll emphasize again that this endangers the trans community, particularly the transfem community, but I am also scared for black women, gnc people, and intersex people, all of whom are also vulnerable to gender policing and gender-based harassment. I am terrified at how openly this law gives leeway for civilians to act as vigilantes and for cops to demand to know what a person's genitals look like. I am terrified at the escalation of hate crimes and harassment that this will likely prompt.

please show up for the utah trans community. in the next few days, I will put together a list of trans people's gofundmes in the state. I would appreciate it if you would share that as well. chances are, we're going to need a lot of financial help in the future, especially if some of us end up choosing to flee the state.

as always, death to the american police state and all it enables.

#narrates #in other news my fiancees and i are considering moving to colorado now

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arcaneconfessions · 3 days ago

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I’ll tell you why I dislike Caitlyn more than Ambessa or Silco, it’s because of the character’s subjective morality. By her own morals, Ambessa is doing what she thinks is right, her Noxian upbringing is a reason about why she feels so strongly about mages (they betray that war makes everyone equal hence they are a threat that must be taken out) and why she thinks softness is nothing but a weakness. Her worldview is shaped by the brutalities of war that she’s constantly exposed to (and engages in) which makes her this incredibly ruthless and cut throat character.

Silco is all about the “base violence necessary for change”, his convictions are shown when he invited Vander to join him DESPITE the brutal attempted drowning because he’s motivated by the “greater good”- for Zaun, he emerged a stronger resilient man after the violence done to him. He’s willing to give up shimmer and himself for the sake of Zaun’s freedom (but not Jinx). What I’m getting at is this: you can’t look at people’s actions in isolation because their environment shapes their morality and decisions, Ambessa because she was born in Noxus, Silco is like this because he was born in Zaun, I’m not justifying them but explaining how distorted their worldview is because of their environment, they don’t exist in a vacuum where they do evil things despite knowing better because it’s shown that they are trying to do good.

Cait is different because she was given everything from breathable air, to a safe place to sleep at night, food and even the ability to choose her own path regardless of her parents disapproval- the kids in Zaun are forced to work and steal to survive. HER PRIVILEGES ARENT HER FAULT AT ALL. In s1 we see that despite having it all, she wants things on her own merit and tries to help despite not needing to. She has an incredibly strong moral centre with deep conviction. Like Vi says “she believes what she’s saying” when she disagrees with Ekko saying that enforcers hunt them like animals and she even backs it up- ex reassessing her opinion of Zaun, willing to give up her rifle within that “dangerous place” to save Vi, embracing a shimmer addict (those branded monsters) simply because he was hurting, using her connections to help Vi etc. She tells Ekko to give up the gemstone instead of using it to kill Silco because of the cycle of violence, and I believe her since she showed that she isn’t ignoring his pain but giving him better hopes than bloody revenge.

S2 shows me i was wrong to like the sheltered, sorta prejudiced but kindhearted girl who always strives to be better because her morals are paper thin and just for show. She has direct knowledge of how bad the grey is because Cassandra documents it- shown in the hellfire music video and the fact that Viktor (her brother’s friend) is dying from it even years later. Yet she still uses it on the streets. Gas spreads obviously and chembarons use child labour in their factories (thanks Jayce)- there’s no way to stop third party effects of the grey. Imagine how bad it must be for Zaunites, who breathe in the air that even trees cannot survive in, immediately suffocate and tear up with their eyes turning red? She controls their right to breathe and she immediately uses it against them, all the while calling them animals knowing the truth.

She insists that she wouldn’t have missed her shot (ignoring the fact that she DID just miss her shot when she had a clear go at Jinx’s head and went for her middle finger AND that the hextech weapons were glitching out) and used that as justification for being prejudiced against Vi (“I keep telling myself you are different but you are not, it’s her blood in your veins”) and hitting her where she was stabbed- after taking a calming breath, leaving her and not even looking for her afterward.

And again she ignores the fact that Isha would have been harmed either by being that close to an exploding head (which she knows because she tells Vi to get out the way) or being killed alongside Jinx because their heads were aligned- Vi was not wrong to call her out in the slightest.

She knows the things she’s been told about Zaun are wrong, that they need healing and understanding rather than condemnation but so quickly switches back- using othering language and prejudice, literally calling them animals and Vi one of the good ones until Vi doesn’t do as she wants then saying that she’s no different.

btw she has full right to hate jinx, not saying that she needs to be the bigger person (even if she says that to ekko) but there is NO justification for taking that out on Zaun knowing what she knows or Vi for telling the truth.

So yeah both Ambessa and Silco don’t have the luxury of a kind life, they were both shaped by the brutal realities of their environment and that turns them into brutal people. These guys are villains who do awful things, I hold them at different standards because 1) their role in the story and 2) at the very least they are doing what they think is best rather than knowing better and being evil despite it all. Caitlyn knows better, she has seen Zaun firsthand and has the luxury of having a good life and the ability to recognise that privilege and that allows for a stable moral compass and world view. Jinx is not justification for the grey on Zaun’s streets, or hitting Vi for telling the truth- she knows better and doesn’t care. Even then she gives up because she didn’t have the energy to hate herself for doing these things, not because she got her head out of her ass and saw the impact of what she’s doing. It’s to do with her emotions.

#anti caitlyn kiramman #silco arcane #ambessa medarda #vi arcane #jinx arcane #isha arcane #jayce talis #cassandra kiramman #ekko arcane #viktor arcane #arcane

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shanastoryteller · 1 year ago

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happy halloween!! i would adore anything severus related, please :D

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

They buy a new house, mostly with Sirius's money even though it's in Severus's name because he's the only one of them that doesn't send sellers scrambling, as he's not a known werewolf or ex-convict.

"Oh, how I've fallen," Severus sighs, looking around the charming townhouse in despair.

Remus considers hiding his grin, but Severus always knows anyway so it'd be a wasted effort. "It's significantly nicer than your apartment. Not that I minded it, of course, Andromeda did wonderfully."

"We're down the street from the Weasleys," he says with the same level of horror that Remus has used other people use to describe an imminent Death Eater attack.

"Lots of kids for Harry to play with," Remus reminds him. "Right down in the middle of a magical community. An excellent preparatory school."

Severus looks like he's going to be ill.

"If you're done chitchatting, why don't you help with the unpacking?" Sirius interrupts crankily. Harry's in his arms and kicking his feet like he wants to be let down, but they haven't done anything to baby-proof the place yet. "Merlin, we're going to have to buy so much furniture. And things. Why does being a person require so many items?"

"An intriguing question," Severus says flatly. "Why don't I go ask Andromeda what she recommends? Good luck unpacking."

He apparates away with a crack.

Remus had only gotten halfway through a laugh and Sirius an outraged yell when he returns with another crack, plucking Harry from Sirius's arms and settling him against his chest. "Wouldn't want you to get distracted." This time the sound of him apparating away has a distinctly smug tinge to it.

"Side-long apparition is dangerous!" Sirius shouts, even though Severus isn't around to hear him.

"This is going to be fun, don't you think?" Remus asks brightly.

"This is all your fault," Sirius tells him petulently. "You just had to go and make friends with him."

"Yes, so sorry that I became friends with the person who cleared your name, freed you from Azkaban, and saved Harry from being raised by Petunia," he says dryly. "How could I?"

Now Sirius is the one who looks ill.

It's like he's living with three children, honestly.

#in hindsight i should have called this three men and a harry #prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #anon #harry potter

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theharrowing · 4 months ago

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Collateral 🗡️ 23: This life of death and destruction

Your ex-boyfriend gets in over his head working for the local mafia, and Boss Min has come to collect his payment: You.

But was it simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or has he always had his sights on you?

🗡️ Yoongi x Female Reader x Namjoon

🗡️ word count: 13.6k

🗡️ mafia au, strangers to lovers, graphic violence, major character injury, poly, smut, angst, fluff, nsfw, explicit 21+

🗡️warnings: violence (a man gets stabbed in the eye, weaponized chopsticks, blood); recreational drug use & getting drunk; vomit.

🗡️note: are we ready to continue this story??? the cast of characters has doubled in size, and i think the angst & drama has multiplied, as well. i wrote this opening scene on april 20, 2023 moments after watching the Haegeum mv. it feels good to have finally built the rest of the chapter around it over a year later. this chapter is like 80% dialogue, lol sorry. we are setting up for what is to come in the rest of the fic. enjoyyy!!!

🗡️ also note: in this chapter, mc is borrowing clothing. if you are comfortable with imagining the clothing belongs to the thin kpop idols, please do. if you are not, then please don't. i am not making assumptions or allusions to body size but instead trying to paint a picture of being at the mercy of others.

🗡️ if you have not read the Yoongi POV chapter, i strongly recommend you do so before reading this.

🗡️ beta read by @neoneunnajimin

🗡️ posted sept. 2024 | read on ao3

PREVIOUS | INDEX | NEXT

“He looks hesitant,” Ryujin drawls in a bored tone. She turns to face you and her lips upturn at the edges, eyes sparkling. “Like he’s scared of what he may find when he gets here.”

The air is stiflingly hot, creating a sticky film over your skin, and your body feels heavier than it should. In this humidity, you are dizzy and agitated. More than anything, you are not ready to come face to face with the man who has caused you so much confusion and mental duress.

“Good,” you say, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. Your fingers dig into your hip bones, and you do your best not to shuffle anxiously. You do not fully believe in your conviction, but you want your performance to be believable enough that the girls don't think you're weak. “He should be.”

“Looks like he brought all the family men,” she adds, turned back to watch their approach.

Your heart flutters suddenly, wondering whether she means Jimin is there too, unable to hide the tremble in your voice as you ask, “A-all of them?”

This time, when Ryujin faces you, her expression appears contemplative, almost sad.

“All of them,” she confirms, causing nausea and excitement to stir.

All you can say in response is, “Oh.”

Before you can stop yourself, your feet are carrying you forward, toward the window. You do not fully approach, not wanting to be seen, so you stop as soon as you spot them walking in the street toward the noodle shop downstairs that doubles as your hideout.

Seven figures approach in a V formation. Six of them wear ratty dark t-shirts and khaki pants, and they hold what look like juvenile weaponry—baseball bats and chains. Over their heads are balaclavas, reminding you of Christian's men. Is it meant to taunt him, you wonder. Do they think they will find him and his men here?

Yoongi is in the center, leading the charge, with no face covering and wearing a baby blue satin bomber jacket with thick white lines down the sleeves. On the breasts of the jacket are embroidered dragon heads, reminding you of Namjoon.

Namjoon. The thought of seeing him again, like this, makes your insides stir. You feel the urge to vomit, but you hold your ground and watch as the men approach, wearing a frown on your lips.

When the heads disappear from sight, you turn and listen for the silence that lingers in the air, save for the thrum of your pulse. A calm before a terrible storm.

Ryujin lets out a long, loud trill of a whistle—a signal, no doubt—and you listen as the

hideout breaks out into chaos. Men scramble through the short hallway that leads out into the open space that Yoongi and his men will soon enter.

"No guns!" Ryujin commands as she stomps through the space toward the hallway, clad in a white tank top tucked into a short black tennis skirt and tall leather equestrian boots. "You are on the defense only. Do not harm a single hair on any of these men's bodies. Do so and you die!"

As you stand near the window, you listen to the street commotion below. Vehicles drive along the narrow roads, vendors shout while ringing bells and chimes, and in the distance, a dog barks.

You know that you will not hear the men's approaching footfalls, but you listen for them, anyway. Yoongi and the family men only need to walk through the small dining hall of the open-air restaurant below, then up a flight of stairs. You hear nothing that might give their positions away.

"Wanna hide?" Hwasa—the nickname of your darling friend Hyejin—asks. She rests her chin on your shoulder and loosely wraps her arms around you, engulfing you in a perfume of roses and lilies.

You shake your head and mutter, "No," watching the doorway for any movement.

Finally, heavy footfalls echo through the space, giving you goosebumps, and when you hear the sounds of shouting followed by someone running into the room, you hold your breath.

"Fuck, fuck!" a man yells as he rounds the corner and cowers, shaking like a leaf in the wind. He seems to be patting himself down for a weapon, then he sighs and squeezes his eyes closed as he presses his back to the wall.

"Ya!" Hwasa yells, making the man gasp. "What is it?"

"B-big Duri," the man stammers, eyes wide. He shakes his head quickly as if attempting to clear away his thoughts.

Duri is a hulk of a man who stands watch at the top of the stairs. He is as muscular as he is tall, with a bit of softness around his belly, and his towering status has earned him the title Big Duri from the other men. One snarl from him makes men cower away in fear.

"What about him?" Hwasa asks.

"He was s-stabbed," the man says, staring at the floor. "In the f-f-fucking eye."

Hwasa drops her arms from around you and stands up straight. You open your mouth to speak but find no sound can pass your lips.

Footfalls approach, heavy and fast. You are not sure who you expect storming in from the hallway, but for some reason, it is not Yoongi.

He walks in assuredly like he owns the place, dark hair framing his face in waves. Clenched in his right fist are two bright red chopsticks that look like the ones served at the restaurant downstairs, and you could swear the thinner ends of them are dripping with blood.

"Darling, let's go," Yoongi says, wide eyes fixed on you. He looks like a madman with his hair somewhat disheveled and a sheen of sweat on his throat.

You are surprised to see Yoongi dressed as he is. Under the pastel jacket is a white tee tucked into loose-fitting blue jeans. When was the last time you saw him in blue jeans? Your first trip to Hong Kong?

You heavy-blink, breaking from the thought process, and attempt to hold steady and keep cool. But you do not feel cool. Your pulse quickens, and you worry you might faint.

"I'm staying here," you say, voice trembling.

You half expect Yoongi to storm over and grab you by the arm. Part of you even feels saddened when he stays where he is.

"Darling," Yoongi says, lifting his free hand to wave you over. "I'm not asking you twice."

"How many men did you kill out there?" you ask, eyes on the chopsticks that drip blood beside his dusty white sneaker. Yoongi's arm drops to his side and he heaves a weighty sigh, shoulders falling.

Behind Yoongi, Ryujin saunters in. She grins and stands beside Yoongi, resting her head against his shoulder as she reaches for the bloodied chopsticks in his fist, saying, "You owe me a bodyguard."

Yoongi—whose eyes never leave you—throws the chopsticks to the floor, off to the side. They clatter against the uneven wood, and you wince at the thought of blood splattering.

He mutters, "Fine."

With that admission, you surmise that Yoongi has, indeed, stabbed Big Duri in the eye. How he managed to do so when he is so much smaller than the man is beyond you. You would be amused by the visual of Yoongi leaping onto him like a kitten if the situation were not so infuriating.

Slowly, Ryujin lifts her head from Yoongi's shoulder. She turns her gaze to you as she says, "She doesn't want this life, Yoongi. She told you so, herself."

"Darling," Yoongi says, seemingly ignoring Ryujin, making her roll her eyes. "I will make some changes. We will figure it out. Just come home."

You shake your head. "I told you I wanted to leave."

"You are in danger," Yoongi insists, and you scoff. For the first time since you have arrived to this dingy place, there has been no hint of violence until he turned up.

As Yoongi sighs, his nostrils flair. You can clearly see that he has something on his mind, but he remains still and silent.

Anger rises, and you clench your fists at your sides. This is not the reunion you expected, but you cannot say you are shocked. "I told you I no longer want this life, and the first thing you do is stab a man—a good man!"

"Darling, I—"

"Go home," you interrupt.

Yoongi watches you, expression cold save for a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Every nerve in your body wants to propel you forward and into his arms, but you do not want to return to the home of a maniac who attacks men with chopsticks, beautiful as that maniac may be.

"I have told you time and again that I cannot handle this life of death and destruction! And here you are, bringing it straight to my feet. Go home, Yoongi."

Yoongi tongues the inside of his cheek, raising his eyebrows. In the doorway, you see Namjoon appear, balaclava raised to his forehead. His dark grey tee is smeared with sweat and blood, and before he can open his mouth to speak, you turn around. There is absolutely no way you will be able to keep your strength if you are forced to face any more of them.

"She wants you to leave," Hwasa says. You are grateful for her as you hear the heels of her boots against the rickety hardwood. "Now!"

"I want to speak to her," Namjoon says, and you are surprised to hear Yoongi say, "She does not wish to speak. Come on."

As their deep, low voices mutter, tears fill your eyes. You breathe in deeply, hoping to ward them off, but as you exhale, the air comes out shattered, and you know that you are only moments away from crying.

"Tomorrow night, we can sit down and discuss matters," Ryujin says.

You keep your eyes on the late afternoon sky, hanging on her every word.

"Amicably," she continues. "No weapons. No hot tempers. And you have a man en route to Busan to take Duri's place when we arrive. Deal?"

"All of us?" Namjoon asks, and you fight the edges of your lips, which curl into a sad smile.

Ryujin sighs. "Yes, all seven of you sordid little devils. Now get the fuck out of my hideout. You gave our darling a scare and I will not have her fainting because of it. I will send you a time and place, and you will show up dressed as respectable men. Seriously, what the fuck are you guys wearing? You look like trash."

Ryujin's voice fades as she continues to berate them, footsteps retreating, and it occurs to you once more that somewhere out in the chaos is Jimin. You turn, and the movement causes Yoongi's head to lift and eyes to open wide and expectantly, standing halfway in the hallway. You were not expecting him to still be here. To your disappointment, Namjoon has already left the room.

"Is Jimin here?" you ask.

Relief floods Yoongi's face, and he cracks a smile, nodding as he says, "Yes. Come see him."

You shake your head, blinking back the tears that threaten to fall.

"Glad he's awake," you say. "Perhaps I will see you all tomorrow."

Yoongi's expression turns sad, and you watch as he mouths the word perhaps before you turn your attention back to the window. The sound of his shoes retreating makes you want to throw up, and you swallow it down as a single tear streaks your left cheek.

* * *

Ryujin lies on a large fur rug that she has pulled near the window. Atop the rug is a mess of blankets and pillows, and her limbs tangle with those of Hwasa and the other three girls.

You sit arrow straight on the wide window sill, staring at the street below. The sky slowly darkens, illuminating the buildings with an orange glow that is exaggerated by the neon lights on each restaurant and storefront.

"Yes, Yoongi," Ryujin says into her phone, playful irritation in her tone. "I swear to you there is nobody by that name in our ranks. Seokjin-oppa has already warned me about his possible presence."

You listen, hoping to hear traces of Yoongi's voice coming through the phone, but you know that it is hopeless; his dulcet tones do not exactly travel far even while in the same room as him. Muffled and at a distance, the notion is hopeless.

"You know," Ryujin continues, "you would have less to worry about if you hadn't stabbed my most trusty security guard in the fucking eye with a chopstick."

Her words make you wince, and you turn away from the window, staring at the empty wall opposite where Ryujin and the girls rest. The floral wallpaper is peeled in places and tinted brown from water damage, but otherwise, the space is clean and empty, save for six suitcases and the items Ryujin has brought in and strewn about for comfort.

Outside of this room is a hallway that connects to more rooms, though you have not bothered to look into any of them, save for the bathroom, which is the first room to the right as you exit this one. Whatever this hideout was originally built for, you do not know, and you do not care, although you imagine at least one of the rooms could serve as office space for the restaurant below.

A shrill laugh barks through the air, making you jump. You gaze over your shoulder to find Ryujin's head tilted back, eyes closed as she full-body laughs.

"Don't be a fucking idiot," she says, opening her eyes to meet your gaze. "No scrub in clown paint is going to buy our little darling from me. Now get some sleep; we'll talk about this tomorrow evening, as promised."

Something about Ryujin calling you our little darling sends a chill along your spine, and you turn back to staring at nothing. She ends the call abruptly, and you hear as her phone clatters against the wooden floor, undoubtedly tossed aside.

"Darling," Ryujin calls, voice soft and pretty, causing your shoulders to rise to your ears as if protecting you—from what, you are unsure.

You swallow hard. "Hmm?"

Ryujin giggles. "Come. You're so tense. Relax with us."

She is correct that you are tense. You have been tense for days. When you got into her car at the airport, she said you would be here for two or three days, but it is going on a week, and you are tired of sleeping on rugs in a pile of bodies. You want to return to a bed. Any bed.

As you turn to face Ryujin and the others, you are struck by a sense of homesickness and longing that makes your stomach churn. Hwasa and three slender beauties called Solar, Wheein, and Moonbyul crowd Ryujin, who sits up on her elbows, gaze fixed on you.

Hwasa's head is against Ryujin's left shoulder, near her breast, and she watches you, as well, gaze soft but pleading. Moonbyul, with her long, straight hair lightened to a pale gold blonde, has her head on Hwasa's tummy, curled in on her. The other two are resting similarly, with Solar clinging to Ryujin and Wheein clinging to Solar, long dark hair draped over limbs which are draped over more limbs clad in white cotton and black spandex.

You watch them in their near-stillness, questioning where you would fit. Clearly, the five of them are tight. They call her mother, and she proudly dotes on them as if they are her precious children.

Ordinarily, you wait for everyone to begin dozing off, then you curl up on one of the outside edges, back turned from whichever woman is beside you. But you know that Ryujin wants you to be physically close to her—you can tell by the way she watches you.

What would physical closeness to a woman like her entail, you wonder.

"So shy," Ryujin pouts. "So moody."

Hwasa, as if mirroring her energy, juts out her bottom lip.

Ryujin tilts her head, studying you. "What does the lady require to help take the edge off?"

Although she is not explicitly saying so, you know that she is offering pills. Every day that you do not give in and crawl to Ryujin and her pile of women, she assumes it is due to some defect in your ability to relax. In a way, you suppose, she is correct.

"Going home would take the edge off," you respond, voice flat and lacking all mirth.

Ryujin sighs, and her pretty, impish smile falls into a dramatic frown. "I, too, would like to go home. And I promise that we will, soon. Yoongi is convinced there is some third party attempting to track you down, and he has been insistent on weeding the man out. He seems to think that you are safest while remaining in hiding. I, however, think we are sitting ducks."

You hum and nod.

She sits up ever so slightly, causing the clinging women to shift along with her movement. "What do you think?"

What do you think? Such a simple, innocent question, yet it stirs an anger in you that is so deep, festering in the dark pits of you that are fed by lack of proper comfort and sleep.

There is a part of you that wants to snap at Ryujin and ask whether she really cares what you think. You want to storm up to her, take her by the straps of her white tank top, and shake some sense into her while demanding she returns you to Korea at once.

Another part of you worries that Yoongi is being too paranoid to think clearly and that he is making an already strange situation worse. You find it hard to believe Christian has weaseled his way into Taiwan and is lying in wait to pounce, if that is what the phone call just now suggests.

But, then again, you never would have imagined Christian would show up with a briefcase of money, nor did you expect to see him turning up to the mansion in the middle of the night. Still, the notion feels ridiculous. You're not in Korea anymore.

You shrug, purse your lips as if you are thinking it over, and say, "I don't really know."

Truth be told, you are exhausted, catapulting emotionally from one extreme to another, finding it impossible to truly relax. You are not sure whether Ryujin has done anything to deserve your vitriol; she has kept you safe and fed, even if you are slowly succumbing to exhaustion-induced hysteria.

Her history with Yoongi notwithstanding, she appears reasonable and kind. It is hard to hate her for her past when it has opened up Yoongi's arms to you—for better or worse. It is not as if you regret the time you have spent with him.

And, if you are being honest, you wonder whether the transgression between them was as simple as the men put it, or if there is more to her side of the story. Surely, she did not wake up one day and decide to betray the man she loved.

Or, perhaps, she is charming you the way Yoongi did. What better way to tame a wild beast than to uproot it from the comfort and safety it has grown accustomed to and force it into close proximity, giving it no other choice than to be grateful and eventually feel some semblance of love toward its captor. Maybe she and Yoongi have more in common than you realize.

The thought makes you snicker, and you stand, taking notice of how Ryujin lifts her chin and watches you. Hwasa stirs and sits up, causing Moonbyul to roll off of her with a groan and clench onto the pillow below her.

"Going to the bathroom," you say.

Hwasa stands as Ryujin sing-songs, "Buddy system," causing you to smile and roll your eyes.

You are not allowed to do anything outside of this room—including taking a shit—without the accompaniment of one of the girls. Lucky for you, Hwasa is always willing and eager to be close.

Hwasa tiptoes over and snakes an arm around your elbow, momentarily resting her head on your shoulder as the two of you walk. You have come to enjoy her company quite a bit, and you are relieved to have her here.

While it was shocking to lay eyes on Hwasa after your plane landed in Taiwan, she was very clear and open about her circumstances, and you found it easy to trust her. According to her, Seokjin and Jimin gave her the position at Paradise knowing she was one of Ryujin's women, reminding you of Hyunjin and how he and his family were safe, after all.

Yoongi may not have been working directly with Ryujin this entire time, but it seems that his men have been. And, judging by how comfortable he seemed with letting Ryujin touch him and boss him around earlier, you do not suspect that he harbors the same ill thoughts that he seemed to when you first encountered her all those months ago.

You wonder what has changed. Has it been your presence in his life, or something more? After all the destruction Ryujin's team has caused Yoongi's family over the last several months, ending with Jimin in a coma, some sort of truce had to have been made. You have heard whispers of conversations, but you are curious about the specifics. It seems the woman who was at the helm of the destruction, Hyungseo, is not here.

In due time, you think. You have no doubt Ryujin will open up to you.

As you and Hwasa leave the room and venture quietly into the hall, two armed men look up from the game of Chinese checkers that they play on the floor, and smile. They are beautiful, and you smile back, yanking your gaze away from them before you are able to make any more of an impression on either of them.

Admittedly, you are lonely. Physically, emotionally, sexually…and there is something in the gleams of their eyes that stirs you deeply, but you know that it is not them who do it for you.

It is their eyes. They share the same piercing, knowing gaze of hunger and brutality that glimmers in the eyes of the family men. Your family men.

"I think Yunho likes you," Hwasa teases, voice loud enough for him to undoubtedly hear, though you do not turn back to look.

Instead, you press your palm against the cold metal door leading into the small bathroom and sheepishly ask, "Which one is he, again?"

A snicker comes from the floor, undoubtedly from Yunho's companion Seonghwa, and you turn as you enter the dimly lit room, grinning widely at your friend. The bathroom door swings shut, and the scents of toilet cleaner and bleach sting your nose.

There are three toilet stalls in this room with mint green painted metal doors. The walls are a similar shade of green, and the yellow and white tiles on the floor are chipped in places.

You make your way to the sinks straight ahead and turn on the water, which is always cold, and run your hands under the stream. On the counter, in the corner, is a large black makeup case containing travel-sized toiletries for yourself and the rest of the women, and you open its lid and rummage around for your toothbrush and toothpaste.

"How are you holding up?" Hwasa asks as you unscrew the cap from the toothpaste and squeeze a small dollop of its contents onto your bristles, careful not to take too much.

You shrug, and rather than respond, raise the brush to your mouth. The mint is cloyingly sweet as it hits your taste buds, and you close your eyes, worried that its minty sting may tangle with your emotions and cause tears to well.

"Will you be joining Ryujin to meet with them for dinner tomorrow?"

Without opening your eyes, you begin to shake your head, not sure whether you can handle sitting at the same table with all of them. But then Jimin's bright, gleaming smile crosses your mind, and you shrug and nod. You may as well.

Hwasa chuckles, and her hands rest softly on your shoulders before giving a gentle squeeze. All at once, you relax, dropping your shoulders and tipping your head forward, instinctively giving her permission to do anything she would like.

As you finish brushing your teeth and tongue, she squeezes your muscles and rolls her thumbs in circles. You hold the small plastic brush between your teeth, feeling a dribble of frothy, minty spit roll down your lip to your chin, and you rest your palms against the counter until Hwasa lifts her hands away.

"I suppose I should brush my teeth, too," she says with a pout in her tone, and you open your eyes to see her squirting some paste onto a matching toothbrush that she has written AH on in large letters for Ahn Hyejin.

You spit, rinse, and spit some more, then use the inside of your sweaty black tank top to dab the moisture from the edges of your mouth. When Hwasa is finished, the two of you link arms once more and make your way out of the bathroom, ignoring Yunho and Seonghwa as you walk by.

The rest of the girls, led by Ryujin, walk by in a fit of soft giggles, and you make your way to the pile of blankets and pillows, feeling physically exhausted despite being uncertain of whether you may actually be able to sleep.

Hwasa follows and lies down beside you, beaming as she scoots nice and close and wraps an arm around your waist before you have a chance to roll away and face the wall.

"Not so fast," she says, causing you to chuckle despite yourself. "You always roll away. Snore in my face for once."

Affronted, you attempt to wiggle out of her hold, surprised by how strong she is as she holds you in place. "I do not snore."

Hwasa rolls her eyes, says, "Everyone snores a little," and wiggles closer as her hold on you loosens—so close your noses nearly touch.

You feel too warm, and the scent of Hwasa's perfume mingling with her body heat stirs something inside you, filling you with the urge to flee. You are lonely, and she is beautiful and soft, and suddenly it feels as if all the air has been sucked from the room.

At a loss, you close your eyes. Whether you roll your body away or continue to face her, she will not create more distance because she cannot. As soon as the other girls return, they will pile into the bed, and you will feel the weight of ankles and wrists drape over you.

"Good night, pretty dove," Hwasa sing-songs.

You crack a smile, unable to hold back despite how dangerous it feels to allow yourself to be anything but stoic and collected for the time being. The nickname reminds you of Paradise and of Jimin, and you are unable to hold back.

"Good night, Hyejin," you mutter in response, forgetting her nickname for the familiar one as her warmth and comfort lulls you fast into a sleep you did not expect to come.

You actually feel…good.

* * *

The rattle and clanking of dishes and silverware have all of your nerves on high alert, causing your pulse to spike and your palms to sweat. You are acutely aware of the fact that at any moment, several men you miss and adore are going to come walking into the private dining room to join you, Ryujin, and Hwasa, and you are going to have to face them.

Each time a member of the serving staff enters, your eyes dart up in panic, and each time they bow apologetically, confusion painted across their features. Under the table, from your right, Hwasa grips onto your hand and mutters kind words that are lost over the pounding of your heart.

When your trio arrived first, you were grateful. You assumed that by the time you waited on the arrival of the men, your nerves would have calmed and you would have composed yourself.

But you were wrong. Oh, how you were wrong.

With each passing second, your heart riots behind your ribs, quick and dizzying. You feel the urge to excuse yourself to the bathroom, but you are terrified of what it may do to Yoongi if he arrives to find that you are not sitting at this table.

Food and drink are brought in. Large dishes covered in steaming meat, vegetables, rice, and noodles. Carafe after carafe is set down, and as you sit forward to peer into one of them, Hwasa says, "That is kaoliang. Fermented liquor from China." Your mouth begins to water, but you are not sure you are ready just yet to start drinking.

Shadows linger outside the door to the private room, tall and wide blobs obscured by the privacy glass. Ryujin glances at her watch, mutters, "Fucking finally," and stands, causing Hwasa to stand as well.

You remain glued to your seat. Even if you wanted to stand, you are not sure you would be able to.

As the door slides open, your heart pounds. Seokjin enters with a smirk and a bow of his head, followed by Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, Jeongguk, Namjoon, and finally, Yoongi.

Jimin beams, eyes and mouth wide and happy, and he rounds the table in a rush, pushing past Ryujin, who attempts to pull him into a hug. Your eyes fill with tears, and as you finally get onto your feet, legs wobbling beneath you, the tears spill, streaking your cheeks.

You stumble and crash into the papered wall from the force of Jimin's hug, elbow scraping and stinging, but you do not care. Jimin smells and feels so familiar, and you sob in his arms, burying your face into his black lapel and letting out a deep, shattered breath.

"Oh my god," you manage to mutter against his shoulder, and he tries to loosen the hug to hear you speak, but you shake your head like a petulant child and pull him closer, refusing to let go. "I was so scared, Jimin. I thought I might never— I've missed you so much."

Voices greet one another, and chairs scrape across the floor, signaling that the others have begun to find their seats. This time, when Jimin begins to release the hug, you allow him, dropping your hands from his shoulders but holding them loosely around his hips.

Jimin's eyes are glassy with tears, and hair is slightly longer, almost grown out into a mullet. For the first time since you have met him, it is brown, and you mutter, "Nice hair," while doing your best to smile widely despite still crying.

He grimaces at you, lifting his hands to thumb away the moisture under your eyes. Then he leans in, kisses the tip of your nose, and says, "All better, dove."

"Thank you," you whisper, sound lodged in your throat, then you release Jimin for good and pivot to take your seat, taking a deep breath before allowing your eyes to fall on the rest of the men.

To your surprise and dismay, you find Ryujin sitting across from you with her eyebrows raised and a sharp, devious smile playing on her lips. To her left is Hwasa, and to her right is Jeongguk. You do not need to look to see that Yoongi and Namjoon have taken the seats on either side of you because of course, they have. Where else would they be?

But you do look. You sweep the sprawling rectangular table, starting with Namjoon at your left, then Hoseok, with Seokjin at the far end, where you anticipated Yoongi might sit. Past Seokjin is Taehyung, then Jeongguk, then Ryujin, who is leaning to the side and whispering something to Hwasa, whose hand reaches to where Jimin sits on the other far end.

Jimin inspects Hwasa's rings and nails, dainty fingers tracing delicate lines. When she turns back to look at him, there are tears in her eyes, and you realize belatedly that she has missed him, as well. Of course, she has.

You do not look at Yoongi, gaze ending with Jimin. Yoongi clears his throat, causing Ryujin to stand, and—feeling uncomfortable with also standing while she speaks—you quickly have a seat.

Ryujin bows her head, hair pulled in a tight bun at the back of her head. She, matching Hwasa, wears a black suit with a white silk blouse, blending in with the black suits and black satin undershirts the men wear. You are the odd one out in a sleek black evening gown; Ryujin was insistent. At least it, too, is satin.

"Gentlemen," Ryujin says, and all at once, the men stand, bow their heads, and sit, including Yoongi, who scoots in close beside you. "Thank you for joining us tonight. I trust you have found us a replacement bodyguard?"

Yoongi hums a gruff, low note, and you are acutely aware of his presence by your side. His scent—earthy and musky, ever so slightly tinged with citrus—sneaks past the savory blend of food smells and floods your senses. You swallow a lump of trepidation that has crept its way to your throat.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for trusting me with taking care of our little darling," Ryujin says, turning to look at Seokjin. She remains standing. "As you are all aware, things between Yoongi and I have not always been easy. But, moving forward, I would like for all of us to remain amicable."

At this, Ryujin's eyes land on Yoongi. She appears fierce and ruthless in the way she looks down at him, lips upturned as if to show that she is enjoying this position of power.

You glance from the corner of your eye to find that Yoongi peers back up at her, sitting tall on the edge of his seat. His expression is blank, as is to be expected. There is a long pause during which you wish someone would speak or move to eat or drink—anything to cut through the tension.

Finally, Yoongi folds his arms over his chest and sits back, shifting his weight in a more relaxed position. He clears his throat, and you turn your gaze to the piles of meats, vegetables, noodles, and rice.

It sounds as if Yoongi attempts more than once to speak but struggles to find the words. At this, Namjoon sits forward, pulling your attention to the left, and he asks, "May I?"

Ryujin's face lights up. "Of course, Joonie-oppa. The floor is yours."

"Firstly, thank you for your hospitality. The hideout was certainly difficult to locate—"

Ryujin snickers. At this, Jeongguk stands, facing her, "Look, noona, if you would have answered your phone, we never would have shown up there with—"

"Sit down," Ryujin snaps, turning a playful but intense glare on Jeongguk, whose mouth snaps shut as he takes his seat. Beside him, Taehyung snickers. "I didn't answer my phone because I wanted to converse with her before making any choices, and you idiots acted irrationally."

At the word her, Ryujin lifts her hand and gestures to you, momentarily pulling your gaze. Although you do not glance around, you are certain that all heads turn to look your way, causing you to shift uncomfortably in your seat while you begin watching droplets of condensation streak your water glass.

"Pardon us for being concerned," Yoongi responds, voice tense and pained.

This seems to quell whatever emotion that has Ryujin acting defensive, and she slowly takes her seat and reaches for the bottle of kaoliang. All seem to be waiting for her response, and she takes her time lifting her glass to her lips and sitting back in her chair.

"Nobody faults you for being concerned, oppa. But you need to be more considerate of the reason she has come to me in the first place."

Yoongi must open his mouth to speak once more because Ryujin lifts her hand to stop him before she continues.

"Yes, I know that you are concerned for her safety, especially in the wake of some mysterious man from her past showing up out of nowhere. But she was already planning on leaving for mental health reasons. So maybe storming in with chopsticks blazing is not the wisest way to reunite with someone who is already shell-shocked from all the other bullshit she has had to witness."

"Some of the bullshit was at the hands of your people," Namjoon interjects.

Ryujin levels her gaze on him. "The most heinous bullshit, I would imagine. And as you can see, Hyungseo is not present. I am dealing with her, and Seokjin, Yoongi, and I have already discussed ways I can help with harm reduction."

Your gaze moves to the right, to Jimin, and you are surprised to find he is already looking at you. You smile, unable to stop the tears that form from how relieved you are that he is alright.

"I know that trust has been tarnished between our families, and that myself and my girls have taken things too far," Ryujin admits. "I sent my people out to scare you, and they did so much more than that. I will never stop feeling sorry for what has happened. Not a night has gone by that I have not been filled with regret over someone so precious to all of us becoming seriously injured."

Ryujin lifts an arm, reaches over Hwasa, and holds out her hand to Jimin. He takes it without hesitation.

"He could have died," Jeongguk says, brows knit in a frown.

Ryujin sighs. "I know this, Ggukie. And I am so, so sorry. I am determined to quash any bad blood and begin earning your respect. Tomorrow we leave for Busan. Once we are all back home, Serendipity will be opened for a night of drinking, drugs…whatever you heathens do."

To your surprise, many of the men snicker, amused.

"Seokjin and Hoseok already have a security team on standby so that you are not only relying on my people to keep you safe," Ryujin continues. "The era of family feuding is over. I am happy with my little piece of the peninsula, and I want drug operations to continue in a way that is lucrative for both of us. We will remain your first line of defense in the harbor, and in return, all that I ask is that we get free reign in Seoul to come and go."

Yoongi clears his throat. "If Sunmi-noona will accept the offer, she can be your liaison in the city once more."

At this, a mischievous smirk tugs on Ryujin's lips. She gives Jimin's hand a squeeze before releasing it, then raises both elbows to the table to cradle her chin in her hands. "Tell me, oppa. Why does Sunmi-unnie spit at my feet whenever I mention your name?"

Yoongi says nothing.

Rather than press him, she winks, then reaches for a large metal spoon and begins to fill her dish. Everyone hesitates, and it is Jeongguk who breaks the tension and follows suit, scooping food onto Taehyung's plate and causing the others to act in kind. You sit still, unsure whether you have an appetite.

"Darling?" Yoongi asks at the same time two fingers gently caress the back of your arm.

Your evening gown is a form-hugging halter top with a low back, leaving your skin open to soft, delicate assaults like the ones Yoongi likes to conduct in gentle motions. You flinch but try not to pull your arm away, worried about hurting his feelings.

Yoongi chuckles softly. "Are you not hungry?"

You shake your head but mutter, "I don't know."

"Should I have sat elsewhere?" he asks. He shifts as if he is looking over and around you, and you imagine he is speaking nonverbally to Namjoon.

The room is too bright, the food and cologne smells are too numerous, and the sounds of voices and silverware and porcelain are too loud. You raise your shoulders to your ears, then turn toward Yoongi, still unable to meet his eye as you ask, "Can we talk somewhere else?"

Yoongi stands, says, "Excuse us for just a moment," and waits for you.

As you stand, you catch Ryujin's eye. She appears concerned and places her palms on the table as if ready to stand and defend you.

You nod and say, "We'll be right back," and watch as she relaxes.

A warm palm presses against your lower back, and Yoongi guides you toward the door, out into a small hallway, and to the left. The restaurant's main dining hall is to the right, and you are thankful to walk in the opposite direction, not sure whether you can handle another person's eyes on you.

Yoongi walks into an empty private dining room, switches on the light, and holds out his arm for you to enter. As you step inside, you hear him conversing softly with who you assume to be an employee, and then he joins you, closing the door behind him.

As you stand and face the large, empty dining room, you expect Yoongi to touch you or prod you into speaking. Perhaps you expect him to beg you to return home. Instead, he seems to be waiting.

After only a handful of seconds, you decide you cannot take it anymore. Every ounce of you yearns for Yoongi, and knowing he is so close and being so patient has you reeling. You turn and quickly step toward him, reaching for his lapels and burying your face against his chest. He smells like home, and as he wraps his arms around you, warmth fills your chest, and you begin to cry.

"I'm sorry," you say. "I'm sorry I had to leave. I miss you, Yoongi, but I can't stand being there. I can't do it."

"Shh," Yoongi whispers, lips pressing to your temple, causing you to cry harder. It has only been a week, and yet you feel as if you have been away from him for so long.

"I'm sorry we keep creating distance. I don't know how to make it work out. I'm so scared, Yoongi." You are fumbling, mouth on autopilot, dredging up each time you and Yoongi were apart, feeling somehow responsible for everything despite knowing you have always only done your best.

"Yesterday was a mistake," Yoongi says, peppering kisses from the crown of your hair to your cheek and back up. "I was terrified and not in my right mind. You left in a frenzy, and then there was that letter, and it all been very confusing—"

You sniffle loudly, letting out a sound that halfway sounds like a laugh. "Oh my god, the letter. I'm so sorry."

Yoongi chuckles, gently grabs your shoulders, and pries you away from his chest. You allow him to move you, and you stand straight but keep your eyes on his black satin shirt. You do not want to see his scar or the pretty way in which his eyes downturn when he is sad.

His voice is soft and conspiratorial as he says, "I almost killed Seokjin after I found it."

With wide, surprised eyes, you look up, unable to hold back any longer. Yoongi's smile is loving and big, and his eyes sparkle with happiness, making your stomach roil with uncertainty. His scar is still so red against his soft skin, but it adds so much to his allure and beauty.

"I was under the impression you were running away with Barom, what with the timing of it all. You packed a bag, left behind all of our gifts, and disappeared into the night the moment he arrived."

Despite Yoongi's high spirits, you shake your head somewhat desperately. "I wrote it earlier that day, thinking I might run away a night or two later. I was scared that if I said goodbye, I wouldn't be able to leave." Tears build once more, and your body goes limp, hanging against the weight of Yoongi's hands. "Yoongi, I'm so—"

"Alright, no more sorries," Yoongi says, pressing against your shoulders enough to signal that he would like you to stand up and get your shit together. "Seokjin explained your conversations and motives to us already, and I have long since forgiven the both of you. I understand why you felt you had to sneak away. Remember when I went missing in Hong Kong? I was also in the midst of a mental health crisis, darling. I have no hard feelings."

You straighten out and search Yoongi's eyes for any hint of dishonesty, but all you find is a soft, loving gaze looking back at you. With a relieved sigh, you step forward and wrap your arms around him, pressing the side of your cheek against his chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"I love you," you say, feeling the words fill you with warmth.

Yoongi drapes one arm over your shoulders and rests his other hand against the back of your head. "I love you, too," he says. "And if you need time and space, I will give it to you. Despite everything, I trust the girls to take good care of you."

"Is it weird?" you ask, pulling out of the hug and stepping back only far enough to see Yoongi's face. His only response is to raise one eyebrow. "Being around her again, I mean. Was she always so bossy?"

Yoongi chuckles and shakes his head. "I suppose it is a little weird, but we were friends first and foremost, and being friendly with her again feels easy. She has not always been that bossy, per se, but she has always been strong-willed enough to face all seven of us down the way she did tonight."

This makes you laugh, and you lean into Yoongi once more, tilting your head to press your lips to his throat, just under his chin.

"Thank you," you say. Yoongi hums, and you add, "For giving me time and space. For being understanding. That night was a fucking mess, and I have been really scared for what the aftermath may look like."

"No hard feelings," Yoongi repeats. "As long as you are happy."

All at once, you are flooded with myriad thoughts. Are you happy? This last week, while being more or less calm on your nerves, has also been lonely and strange. Would you feel better if you cut your losses and went back home to your men, where everything felt familiar again? Could you cycle through medications until finding the magical cocktail that would allow you to be whole again?

No, you think. Probably not.

"Are you sure?" you ask, voice soft and uncertain. "I don't know how long I might need. I can't promise—"

Yoongi kisses your forehead, pressing his lips slowly as he hums. He says, "I'm sure. We can figure it out one day at a time."

With everything out in the open, your stomach pangs with hunger. You smile and ask, "Can we go eat now?" and you are delighted when Yoongi smiles with relief and says, "Yes, of course."

With his thumbs, Yoongi rubs below your eyes. His hands linger on your cheeks, and you expect him to lean forward and kiss you, but he drops his hands a beat later, then grabs onto one of yours and asks, "Shall we?"

Yoongi leads the two of you back to the dining room, and as you enter, you are pleased to find the entire table has erupted into pleasant conversation. Jeongguk's arm is draped over Ryujin's chair while Hwasa emphatically tells them a story, and Jimin is leaning close, listening with his chin propped onto his hands.

Taehyung is explaining something while glancing between Namjoon, Seokjin, and Hoseok, and as you and Yoongi round the table and return, nobody acknowledges the two of you until you take a seat and Namjoon—eyes still on Taehyung—gently places a hand on your knee.

It is only when you begin to reach for half-empty bowls of food that Namjoon takes your plate in his hand that you realize how long it has been since the two of you have spoken. You are once again overwhelmed with emotion and fight the urge to say sorry a hundred more times.

Instead, he points with a large metal spoon and says, "Both of these dishes have a tangy garlic sauce, but this one is a bit more spicy."

"I'd like to try both," you say, watching as Namjoon spoons a heap of chicken with vegetables onto your dish, followed by a heap of tofu and peanuts with vegetables in a slightly redder sauce full of chopped red peppers.

As Namjoon sets your plate in front of you, you reach with your long metal chopsticks with the intent to gather some noodles from a dish that is across from Yoongi, out of Namjoon's reach. However, Yoongi takes the dish and begins to scoop some onto a smaller plate for you, and you sit back with a smile and wait for him to finish.

"Still having those dreams?" Namjoon asks.

You know in an instant that he is referring to the dream that you wrote about in your letter, and you feel silly as you bite your bottom lip and nod.

"That has to be really stressful," he says, reaching for a pitcher of water to fill his empty glass.

You smile sadly, imagining his white shirt filling with blood. It is stressful, but— "On the plus side, I get to see you."

As you lift your gaze to meet Namjoon's, his furrowed brow and wilted frown gently lift, not quite into a smile, but at least something a bit more relaxed.

"Hi," you say softly, taking in Namjoon's familiar, beautiful face.

His smile widens, creasing his cheeks with dimples. He mutters, "Hey, you," and the soft, dulcet tone of his voice fills your chest with warmth.

You open your mouth to tell him that you love him. That you miss him. That you're sorry for leaving. So, so sorry.

But Ryujin loudly asks, "Caviar?" pulling the attention of everyone at the table.

Behind her, waitstaff hold new plates, and everyone nods in agreement before continuing their conversations. And although you could pour your heart out now, Hoseok steals Namjoon's attention away, and you decide the moment has passed.

Food and drink continue to appear in waves, and suddenly, you are tipsy and full and tired. Namjoon stands to walk around the table and have a quiet conversation with Ryujin, and Jimin seizes the opportunity to steal his seat. He and Jeongguk discuss business operations at Paradise while you rest your head against his shoulder and close your eyes listening to the sound of his voice. He is alive. He is awake.

He speaks slower, and there is a rough quality to his voice that was not present before. It seems to take him more time to process what is said to him, and he reacts as if on a delay. But he is here and alive and awake.

Only when more kaoliang is poured, and Ryujin raises a toast do you sit up and take your cup. You barely hear what she shouts, booze and excitement slurring her speech, but you make out the words together, family, and happy, and you tap your small glass against as many as you can reach before shooting the strong liquid down.

A large, warm hand rests on your right knee, and as you set down your empty glass, you turn to find Yoongi watching you, glassy-eyed with a smile on his lips. You attempt to smile back but instead, swallow thickly and search for something to say. Luckily, he speaks first.

“Do you have any idea how difficult it has been without you at home?” Yoongi’s gaze becomes pained but remains soft, tugging at your heart.

And although the sentiment is sweet, you are unable to ignore the impossibility of his question. In fact, for some inexplicable reason—you suppose you must blame the alcohol—you become somewhat annoyed.

You ask, “How could I possibly know that? And anyway, don't you have your hands full as it is?”

Across the table, Jeongguk snickers. It takes Yoongi a second to react, and you are glad when the corners of his lips raise into another smile, even if just for a second.

“Being around those girls has made you sassier than you were before, darling,” he mutters under his breath.

You roll your eyes. “It has only been a week, darling.”

Leaning close, elbows on the table, Yoongi lowers his voice and says, “It only took me about a week to begin wearing you down.”

Arousal stirs from the tone of his voice, but so does your stomach. Being kidnapped and worn down is not exactly a topic that you delight in discussing. You must not show your dissatisfaction, however, because Yoongi leans in close and presses a soft, warm kiss against your cheek.

As the raucous dinner comes to an end and you begin to wish everyone a safe trip home, Jeongguk finally approaches. You have been holding back the urge to kick him in the shin all night, feeling somewhat scorned by his lack of attention.

"So you're going to stay with the girls?" he asks, standing close enough to wrap you in an embrace but keeping his arms to his sides.

You nod and find it hard to hold his eye contact, looking down at his satin-clad shoulder instead. Jeongguk lifts a hand and delicately places two fingers under your chin, tilting your head until you look him in the eyes. The contact of his skin against yours sends an electric current through you, and you shiver.

"Call me if you need anything. I can be to Busan in a matter of hours."

Sheepishly, you glance down again and mutter, "I don't have anyone's number anymore."

Jeongguk drops his hand, turns to the left, and says, "Seokjin-hyung! What the fuck, man?"

Arguing ensues, but you are too distracted by Namjoon wrapping his arms around your side and pressing his lips to your neck. Suddenly, your bones are jelly, and you stumble to the right, leaning your weight against his embrace. Yoongi joins, taking your chin in his hand in a similar fashion to Jeongguk, and tilting your lips against his.

"We'll be ready whenever you are," Namjoon insists, lips grazing over your skin. "Whatever you need…please don't shut us out."

Somewhere behind Namjoon, Seokjin shouts, "Yah! I'll upload everyone to her contact list. Quit fussing!"

"Okay," you mutter while smiling against Yoongi's retreating mouth, unable to find anything more substantial to say despite it all lying in wait at the tip of your tongue all night.

"We miss you," Yoongi says, pressing another kiss against your temple. "But we can wait if that is what you need."

Tears well and you fight the urge to sob. Not here, you tell yourself. Not now. You have already cried so much.

You hug everyone, even Seokjin and Hoseok. Jeongguk attempts to play it cool, but he stares at your lips the entire time, and you practically beg him to kiss you before ultimately letting him walk away. Jimin litters your cheeks and temples with loud, wet smooches, causing you to giggle and shriek.

Taehyung asks about your medication, making your heart ache from his kindness. You briefly inform him that you have been having no dizzy spells, and he promises to send you more medication as soon as you are in Busan.

Finally, Namjoon and Yoongi pull you into another three-way hug and take turns kissing your lips, cheeks, and forehead. They mutter soft, sweet phrases that you only make out the tones of, feeling the whooshing of your pulse as you begin to question whether you are making a huge mistake and should just grab your shit and go home.

And then, all waving and clambering out the door haphazardly, they are gone, and the room is quiet.

You sigh and glance around at the dregs of food and alcohol, feeling simultaneously full and empty in more ways than one. Tears fill the edges of your eyes, and you do your best not to blink, worried that any movement will cause them to spill.

Ryujin sighs loudly. "Alright, well, this was fun and all, but I want to get fucking laid. You girls down for a night on the town?"

You glance down at your outfit, ready to complain, only you look good enough to go to a nightclub and find you have nothing to say to the contrary. You even wear a pair of cozy black ballet slippers, which you slid on while feeling unsure whether you could handle so many tumultuous emotions while wearing heels, and for that, you are grateful.

"Sure," you utter while turning to Hwasa, who has a drunk but devious grin tugging on her lips. Her smile widens and she claps excitedly.

The drive to the nightclub is long, and you are exhausted by the time you arrive, having been fading in and out of a stupor. You feel more drunk than you had earlier, and you are tempted to suggest taking a cab back to the hideout alone. Of course, that would never fly. You can already hear Ryujin singing buddy system in your head.

Hwasa eagerly pulls you from the back of the car and chuckles as she rubs her fingertips along the edge of your hairline and says, "Poor sleeping beauty. We'll get you something that will wake you up, okay?"

You respond with a halfhearted smile and nod, and she takes your hand in hers and yanks you to the door, not bothering to stop for the security guard who, to your surprise, makes no move to stop you either. Inside, loud bass-heavy club music plays, and you are led through a series of hallways until you enter a large room full of the rest of Ryujin's girls and a group of men.

The room is dark and somewhat hazy, lit by strips of purple lights along the ceiling and floor. Short two or three-person sofas line the mirrored walls and are dispersed throughout the space, most of which are occupied. On tables set beside each sofa are bottles of champagne and piles of cocaine, with glasses large and small scattered throughout and topped with small lamps that emit very little light.

Ryujin approaches a man sitting amidst the chaos by himself, sitting hunched over with his elbows on his knees, thumbing through his cell phone. You are curious whether these men are people she knows, and you watch to see how familiar she is with the lone man, but Hwasa steps in your line of vision and takes your chin in both of her hands.

"Coke?" she asks.

You want to say no, proud of yourself for being off the shit for as long as you have been away from home. But you are certain that without it, you will not survive this night, so you nod and allow yourself to be tugged further into the room, to an unoccupied table.

"Don't worry, this is from our stash," Hwasa says as she picks up a discarded rolled-up 100-dollar Taiwanese bill and tightens it between her finger and thumb. "Moon and Solar were in charge of overseeing the distribution process."

You mutter, "How generous," doing your best to smile, and watch as Hwasa snorts a small pile into one nostril and then the other. When she hands the bill to you, you take in a deep, slow breath, and let it out, then lean forward to snort from the edge of the pile first into your left nostril and then your right.

As you let the bill fall to the table and tip your head back, sniffing in again on each side, you ask, "Does Ryujin know these men?"

"Mmhmm," Hwasa hums as she fills two glasses with champagne and hands one to you. "A few of these guys worked at Paradise while I was there, and some of them are from Serendipity. Maybe you know them."

"Oh," you say, pulling the glass to your lips but stopping to ask, "How did they end up here?"

Hwasa purses her lips and tilts her head, making a show of how hard she is trying to conjure the answer to your question. Then her eyes widen and she says, "Oh! Some guy started to come around to Serendipity and just sort of gathered the rest of these guys up as, like, a posse. I don't really know what they do, to be honest, but they always dress up in matching suits and cover their faces, which is creepy as hell."

Your stomach tenses, and you feel too anxious to turn your head to the left and figure out who Ryujin is talking to. Although you know that there is absolutely no way in hell it is Christian, something about the description of the men reminds you of his men, and you begin to wonder whether there really was credence to Yoongi's worry surrounding the possibility of Christian being on this island.

"What's his name?" you ask, voice barely loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Hmm?" Hwasa asks into her champagne glass as she leans closer.

You begin to glance over to where Ryujin and the man are, but your heart pounds so hard, you worry you might be sick if you see him.

"The man who gathered all the guys, from Serendipity, " you say, leaning closer.

"What's his name?"

"Oh," Hwasa says, taking a slow slip of her champagne while her wide, dark eyes stare past you. She blinks owlishly, then pulls the glass from her lips and says, "He has a nickname…Insanity? Something like that."

Unable to stop yourself, your head flies to the left, searching the features of the man whose lap Ryujin has claimed with her legs. His nose is sharp and somewhat hooked, and it is not a familiar shape. Worried, you glance around the room, but there is no sign of Christian, as far as you can tell.

"Something the matter?" Hwasa asks, touching fingertips to your arm and making you nearly drop your glass of champagne.

You must look frantic when you turn back to her, based on the fear that pulls at her pretty features. You blink and wet your lips, shaking your head. Unconvincingly, judging by the way her brows knit and she continues to stare at you.

"I just..." you swallow thickly and glance around the room once more, slowly scanning every face you can see. "I just thought he sounded familiar."

Hwasa makes a small sound, and you scan several more faces before returning your gaze to her and asking, "Huh?"

"It's just," she says, uncertain, "well, I heard he was previously working on Jeongguk's team, back when he was a drug runner. So…maybe he is familiar?"

Something is not adding up. Although Seokjin mentioned that he has kept Christian around to do whatever he pleases, it seems odd that he would be known to these women as someone who was once part of Jeongguk's team. As you recall from the day you were taken to the mansion, he did not seem to perform his drug-running duties to Yoongi's liking. Did Seokjin keep him on Jeongguk's team even after that day? Could he have had something to do with the group of men Jeongguk massacred with kunai knives for fucking him over?

You stare at your glass of champagne trying to make all the pieces fit, but it feels like you are missing a huge chunk of information.

Hands touch your shoulders, causing you to jump. You mutter, "Shit," under your breath at the same time Ryujin's high, somewhat mocking laughter fills your left ear.

"So sorry to scare you, pretty darling," she slurs, sounding quite inebriated.

"Don't worry about it," you say, attempting to loosen your posture. Ryujin's hands remain on your shoulders and you do not want her to feel how tense you are. But then she squeezes your shoulders and you close your eyes, this time succeeding in relaxing.

"How do you feel after such an emotional dinner?"

"Good," you respond while her thumbs circle over your muscles. You wonder whether she is the reason Hwasa always gives massages. Or perhaps it is the other way around. "And, I don't know. I guess also conflicted. Homesick."

Ryujin's hands fall away and she rests her chin on your left shoulder, loosely wrapping her arms around yours and pinning yours to your sides. Hwasa busies herself pouring a third glass of champagne.

"You really like them, hmm?" Ryujin asks.

"Yeah," you say, possibly too quiet for how loud the music in this room is. "Most of them, anyway."

The last part is a joke. You like Seokjin and Hoseok just fine, but you are certainly not as close to them as you are to the others. Taehyung, too, for that matter, although he has had the pleasure of watching his boyfriend rail you, which has formed its own kind of bond between the two of you.

"What is your relationship with the guys?" she asks.

Hwasa hands her a glass, and she releases her hold on you and takes it, muttering a soft, "Thank you."

You turn to face Ryujin. Although you still hesitate to become too close to her, you do feel comfortable in her presence, all things considered. If Yoongi is willing to trust her again, then perhaps you should be, too.

"Yoongi, Namjoon, and I are a thing." After a pause, you add, "And…sort of Jeongguk."

Ryujin's mouth falls open and she gasps. "I need to know more!"

You feel your cheeks become hot, and you pick up your glass of champagne, which Hwasa has filled. But rather than explain, you ask something that has been on your mind for a while.

"Before, when you and Yoongi were together, was Namjoon…" Unsure how to finish the sentence, you trail off. Luckily, Ryujin knows just what you mean.

She nods. "Yes. Romantically, those two have always been the closest. Namjoon and I were never super physical. We were just very, very comfortable around one another because of Yoongi."

Interesting. You suppose this makes sense, remembering a conversation between you and Jimin a while back when he told you about how marrying Ryujin was a means to an end more than anything else.

"Yoongi and I were meant to bring two families together. And, don't get me wrong, we were physically and emotionally attracted to one another. But we also had more fulfilling relationships on the side. For Yoongi, it was Namjoon."

"And for you?" you ask before you can stop yourself.

Ryujin smiles wide, but then it falls to a frown. She shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. Nobody you know."

You nod and accept her answer. You suppose that perhaps the two of you are not that close, yet. In tandem, you and Ryujin raise your glasses to drink. But then she yells, "Oh!" and you startle enough to nearly spill your champagne onto yourself. "Jeongguk, though! What happened with him?"

You tip your head back and chug the rest of your bubbly. It is truly miserable to drink quickly, and you instantly regret your decision, feeling the carbonation sloshing around in your guts.

"We, uh…" you begin, feeling shy. Why do you feel shy?

"You should see those two," Hwasa interjects, causing your face to heat even more. "They bicker like children but then circle one another like feral animals. I can only imagine their chemistry behind closed doors."

Affronted, your mouth falls wide. "We what? No we do not!"

Hwasa nods, grinning. "Yes, you do! I thought the two of you were fucking for sure when I first started working for Jimin. I was shocked to learn Jeongguk was with Taehyung and you were with Yoongi."

"And Namjoon," Ryujin supplies.

Hwasa's grin widens.

You raise your hands to your face as if to hide. This day has been exhausting, and these two are giggling at your expense like a couple of school girls.

"Oh, stop," Hwasa says as one of your hands is tugged down from your face. You open just the one eye, keeping the other closed tight behind your palm. "Everyone wants a piece of your ass. Don't be shy about it! Embrace it."

With a sigh, you shake your head. "Not everyone," you groan, feeling defensive.

"Everyone with eyes," Ryujin says, waggling her eyebrows while Hwasa makes kissy noises. "I would shoot my shot if you weren't already so taken."

Hwasa nods and says, "Me too!"

Suddenly, it is too warm and too loud in here. "I need a stronger drink!" you declare, making both women laugh.

You take a step back and turn, moving in autopilot toward the door before realizing you have no idea where you are nor where a bar in this building is.

Ryujin takes your right hand and yanks you gently back, sing-songing, "Ah, ah, ah, not by yourself."

"Alright," you concede, interlocking your fingers with hers. As you begin to walk toward the exit, your left hand is engulfed and you glance to find Hwasa is coming along.

You exit the mirrored room and turn right, taking a dark hallway about halfway and then turning right once more, through a thick black curtain that is guarded by two men on the other side. There is a bar directly to the right, and Ryujin tugs you to the counter and orders a bottle of whiskey that you do not catch the name of.

With a nod, the bartender grabs an unopened bottle from a high shelf and then delicately stacks three medium-sized glasses. Hwasa takes the glasses, Ryujin takes the whiskey, and your hands remain held by both of theirs.

Back in the mirrored room, you return to the table off to the right, toward the back. The girls release your hands to pour three drinks, and you fidget by pinching the satin of your skirt between your thumbs and knuckles, suddenly feeling antsy.

"Cheers," Ryujin declares as she slides a drink in front of you. You take it, hold it up, and tap it against their glasses, then pull it to your lips and smell the strong, bittersweet liquid before taking a sip.

The potent, boozy caramel flavor that you have come to expect is accented by a hint of something earthy, possibly wood. You take a bigger drink, hold it on your tongue, allowing your taste buds to open and fully experience the onslaught as they adjust, and then you swallow it down.

"Tomorrow, we return to Busan," Ryujin says for the second time tonight as the whiskey flows down into your chest, filling you with warmth. You look forward to being at a proper home rather than on some random floor in a balmy, empty building.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your home," you say, sounding far more meek than you intend to.

"I'm looking forward to hosting you."

Hwasa leans her elbows on the table and says, "You finally get to have your own room. That is, of course, unless you want to stay with me."

The playful smile on Hwasa's face, paired with her tired and intoxicated bloodshot eyes is almost enough to make you melt. Almost enough to make you follow her into any room she wants to lead you into.

When you shrug and say, "Honestly, I may be too lonely to sleep alone," you are being brutally honest, and not all all flirtatious.

"I can even decorate it like your room in the mansion," Ryujin says. "Is it still yellow?"

Her words halt your movement of lifting your glass back to your lips. "How did you know that?"

Ryujin rolls her eyes and says, "Please, nothing about that man has changed, down to the way he likes to outfit you. It's exactly as it was seven years ago."

Bile swirls around in your tummy, and you set the glass down on the mirrored table with a clank that is louder than you intend. Could that be true? Is Yoongi really outfitting you in the same fashion he was outfitting her all those years ago.

Hwasa clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and swats at Ryujin's arm, muttering, "Mother, don't say things like that to her," under her breath.

You shake your head, determined to not show how strange the information makes you feel. But Ryujin turns, pouts dramatically, and wraps her arms around you.

"Oh, sweetie, I don't mean to suggest he was trying to turn you into a second me. He just seems to have the same tastes and fashion sense, is all. Trust me, he loves you way more than he could ever love me. I can tell."

You have no idea whether Ryujin is being truthful or trying to make you feel better, but you decide that either way, you see no use in dwelling on it. You are going to be living under her roof for the foreseeable future, and becoming upset whenever she says something a little too blunt, snippy, or insensitive is not going to get you anywhere.

With a nod, you say, "I know. Don't worry." But it only makes her squeeze you tighter.

"Just look at his bullshit excuse for taking you home with him," she says. "Collateral, my ass."

What an odd statement. You ask, "What do you mean?" But what you really mean to say is what do you know?

"The man takes you as so-called payment from your ex but then spends millions of dollars on a wardrobe, an armored vehicle, the most lavish birthday party in all of Seoul. Make it fucking make sense!"

Ryujin releases the hug, and as soon as you are free, you slam back your whiskey and pick up the 100-dollar bill, squeezing it tighter into a tube. Ryujin whoops and claps as you lean close and snort from the edge of the cocaine pile into your left nostril and then your right.

"Mommy needs some, too," she says as she takes the bill from your hand and leans forward.

You tip your head back and raise a knuckle to each nostril, sniffing deeply to make sure none of the drug is stuck inside your nose cavity, then you stand up straight, stretching your back by pushing forward your chest, and reach for the bottle of whiskey.

"Partying so hard without me?" a male voice asks from behind you, and you nearly drop the bottle.

The tone, the accent, and the cadence all confirm your fears are true.

"Christian?" you mutter as you spin, and you almost do not believe your eyes.

From the expression he wears and the way his gaze falls to the floor, eyes widening as they lift to your face, you wager he also cannot believe his.

Christian steps forward and you take a step back, elbow hitting the table and causing you to grip tighter to the bottle of whiskey.

"Barom-oppa!" Ryujin shouts as she pounces on Christian, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hey there, dearie," he says, lifting his arms to return the hug, never taking his eyes off you.

Christian looks somewhat normal compared to the last time you saw him, with a white and red floral button-up tucked into black slacks, and a black leather blazer. His hair has some product in it to give it a slightly messy style, falling in front of his eyes, and he wears minimal makeup.

But there is a darkness to him. Smudges around the eyes rather than clean lines, tattoos on his throat and neck. On his left hand, he wears a black leather driving glove, and across his nose is a red scuff, as if he has been punched. Under the rich musk that fills the air around him, you sense the stale smell of cigarette smoke, and he has silver hoops in his ears and one in his left nostril.

A lot has changed about Christian in the months since you have known him.

Ryujin releases their hug and takes a step back, causing Christian to look down at himself and rub his hands down the front of his jacket as if her tiny body could have somehow managed to do anything to the leather. Then he stands up straight and shakes his head to the side just enough for his hair to move out from in front of his eyes, and you realize that his left eye is completely white. Is it…missing?

"Oh my god, your eye!" you shout, lunging forward before you can stop yourself and raising your left hand toward his face while your right hand nearly drops the whiskey bottle once more.

Christian takes your wrist in his gloved hand and holds firmly onto you, and your entire body flushes hot with nerves as you realize the mistake you have made. The way his gaze holds onto you, even with only one dark iris and pupil, is piercing and intense, and you attempt futility to pull your hand away.

"Funny story how I lost that," he says, expression pulling into a strange, sad grin. He leans close, nicotine on his breath as he says, "I'll have to tell you some time."

You pull on your arm, desperate to release it, but his grip is far stronger than you remember. Should you be afraid of this man?

"Christian," you begin, glancing from your hand to his face.

"Perhaps over drinks, some time," he continues. "Just the two of us."

You nod, willing to lie to him if it means letting you go. Panic rises as you continue to take stock of how different he is from the man you used to know.

Ryujin takes the whiskey from your hand, sets it on the table, and then grabs his hand in both of hers as she says, "Alright, that is enough of that. I need you two to play nice."

The room returns to view, and you remember why you are here and who you are with. You realize belatedly that these two not only know each other but that they are friendly with one another.

"Wait," you say, turning to Ryujin, "you told Yoongi—"

"Look, I lied to him," she says, cutting you off.

Your mouth falls open and your pulse whooshes in your ears. "You…but…" Could she possibly know what she has done by bringing the two of you together? "Why?"

Ryujin chuckles and steps close to Christian, placing her dainty, manicured hands over his chest. "Oppa is harmless. You know that! And Yoongi…well, he's paranoid. Trust me, darling. Nothing bad will happen to you."

You are not so sure you are convinced, but you know that freaking out will do nobody any good. Especially when you are so far away from home. You are not eager to show any more weakness to any of these people. Especially the one they call Mister Insanity.

Someone shouts for Christian, using the name Barom, and you turn quickly back to the table. Your glass contains more whiskey, courtesy of one of the women, you assume, and you pick up the glass with shaking hands and slam it down, then reach for the bottle again.

Intoxication roils through you in hot waves, and you squeeze your eyes closed to take a deep breath in and out before shooting more whiskey. A small hand touches your lower back, and you wish you were curled up in a bed all by yourself, far away from these people and this music. You are tired of being touched.

"I know it's weird to see an ex," Ryujin says. "Sorry for surprising you like this. He told me he wouldn't be around tonight."

"How did he lose his eye?" you ask, focused on the wrong thing as you turn to face Ryujin. You tremble so hard that your teeth clatter.

Her smile falls to a frown and she shakes her head. "That isn't my story to tell."

You nod, accepting her answer, and turn to Hwasa, who watches you with a concerned expression. You mouth the word, "Bathroom?" and she nods and rounds the table, taking you by the arm.

"Down the hall to the left," Ryujin says.

As you walk through the room, you squint, attempting to ignore all the movement in the mirrors in your periphery. It's too much. Everything is too much.

The darkness of the hallway is a blessing and a curse, relieving you from the chaos of the private room while introducing challenges of its own; it is almost too dark and somewhat claustrophobic.

You stumble and Hwasa's hold on you tightens. She picks up the pace and leads you straight into a single-stall bathroom, then turns on a light that is thankfully relatively dim. The moment she closes and locks the door, you stumble forward, fall to your knees on the rough tile before the toilet, and vomit the contents of your stomach.

Your mind races with myriad thoughts, but one is the loudest of them all: What the fuck is Christian doing here?

Oh, oh, I broke down all my doors Oh, do you see it now? Nothing was fixed at all

I never asked to be like this

🎵 visit the playlist

hello, hello!!! we meet again!!! i hope you have all been having great middle of the year months! things have been ok for me but i have been reading a lot more than i have been writing. how did you feel about this one??? it is a little slower, as it is setting the stage for the final chapters. any guess how things are going to go? how do we feel about the new (and returned) characters??? it felt really nice to writing Jimin into the scene again. 💜 i'll be honest, describing Ryujin & the Mamamoo girls laying on the rugs and blankets made me think of Quanxi and her harem of fiends from Chainsaw Man.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!! REBLOGS ARE IMPORTANT BLAHBLAHBLAH LIKES ARE ALSO AMAZING AND SO ON. 💜 tags will be coming in reblogs. also, character asks are always active if you have some burning questions or comments (just don't expect me to outright spoil anything hehehe.)

i love you, stay hydrated!!! if you are somewhere with a heatwave, stay cool!!! 😘😘😘 until we meet again!!!

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#yoongi mafia #namjoon mafia #bts mafia #dpr ian mafia #bts angst #bts smut #yoongi angst #namjoon angst #fic: collateral

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themouthwashes · 2 months ago

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The man of the hour himself Nicolás Cuvier - Works for Filu corp. , which specializes in medical aid and transport of medical goods. - Trans man, probably in his 30's? or nearing that - Glasses are used to make his eyes not get soo tired for being too long staring at screens. - Oficially works as a nurse , but he was in the middle of becoming an actual medic at the moment he went to jail, he learned to be a proper one (and a bit of forensics and surgery) when he got his job in ¨La Pincoya¨ ship. - Looks bitter, but has soft spots, and can be very fluff. - Nico is kinda short too, he needs help to reach stuff at times. - His limbs were changed for other alien ones as part of an experiment he got paid big buck to participate in, if succesful he would have more strenght to do his job, which happened, thankfully, makes moving people easier (and restraining too). - Sometimes drinks or eats nothing but tea and some biscuits, other days he can be ravenous. Reason of he was in jail (cw: cannibalism/murder/mention of abuse towards him, revenge)

- Ex convict due to murder of his former abuser, which ruined a long part of his younger years, then ate some of him in a fit of pure rage and being out of himself, as a way to ¨take what he took¨ back from him and be ¨whole¨ once more.

#mouthwashing #mouthwashing oc #mouthwashing game #mouthwashing fanart #mouthwashing fc #es chileno como los porotos #artists on tumblr #digital art #artwork #digital illustration #cw cannibalism mention #cw murder mention #cw abuse mention #nicolas cuvier

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ieatstarsforaliving · 6 months ago

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The Masc Behind the Mask (4)

Summary: Hazel gets into a fight at the bank. And of course, you just have to save her.

Pairing: Spider-Woman!Hazel Callahan x Classmate!Reader

Warnings: Mature language, use of (Y/N), violence, mentions of bruises, cuts, and blood, threats of death, fainting, just Spider-Woman stuff

Word Count: 5019

Note: I got really annoyed at writing action because uhm it ls hard so the fight scenes are really lame. I also added a special character in here who you might recognize from Spiderverse teehee - Bia <3

Hazel hid in an obstructed alley, quickly scanning her surroundings before kicking off her shoes, sending them tumbling towards the nearby garbage can. She reached into her backpack to retrieve her suit while wrestling her jeans off, hopping on one foot, causing her to tumble into a heap of discarded cardboard boxes– before she managed to put on her suit in place. She shot her backpack to the dumpster with some webs to keep it in place, then leaped onto the roof.

Perched on a ledge high above the street, Hazel looked down at the neighborhood and took a deep breath.

"Okay, this is fine. You’re fine! You basically left (Y/N) all alone in your room without a proper explanation and she probably thinks you’re robbing a bank! But this is fine," Hazel mumbled to herself, adjusting the web-shooters on her wrists before jumping down.

She swung through the neighborhood, listening intensely to the sound of police sirens. As she descended upon the robbery at the bank, she surveyed the area, calculating her approach. The bank’s door seemed to have been blasted open by some form of intense firearm, but other than that, it was hard to see exactly what was going on inside. 3 police cars flashing red and blue circled the scene of the crime, yet the officers seemed to hesitate to interact with the building.

Hazel silently swung closer, landing behind a familiar officer.

“Officer Morales,” Hazel said, startling the officer. Morales swiftly turned to the voice, a hostile glare etched across her face when she saw the outrageous Spider-Woman standing before her.

“We’re handling it,” Officer Morales scoffed, tossing her braid. “We don’t need help from unidentified vigilantes in spandex suits.”

Hazel laughed, giving a slap on the officer’s back. “Come on, Rio. Are we going to do this every time?”

Rio glared at Spiderwoman, sighing before reluctantly pulling out her notepad.

“Three suspects inside the building. They’ve got high-tech gear– dangerous stuff I’ve never seen before. The bank’s closed, so no civilians are in there, but we’ve lost a few officers already.” She glanced at Spider-Woman. “It’s risky going in.”

Hazel gave a nod. “That’s why I’m here. Soon as I send out the officers, take them to a safe distance.”

“Don’t tell me what to do…” The officer grumbled, but nonetheless, waved her fellow police over to update them on Spider-Woman’s appearance.

Squaring her shoulders, Hazel strode towards the bank’s entrance. Her priority was clear– evacuate the officers, contain the threat, and get back to you and clear up the misunderstanding of her being an ex-convict/bank robber.

You know, if you haven't left and called the cops already.

As Hazel entered the bank, her eyes darted from corner to corner– rubble and cash were scattered all around on the ground, with the chairs and ATM machines smashed to pieces. It seemed like the robbers had already emptied out the ATMs, and had moved onto the teller drawers and vaults. As Hazel moved deeper into the bank, her senses heightened– sounds of shuffling footsteps, obnoxious laughter, and some form of– technology?

With a swift, controlled motion, she jumped onto the wall then to the ceiling, climbing the walls upside down towards the noise. She first saw a group of officers pinned to the ground by something invisible, placed by a robber holding a dark trumpet-shaped device. The second robber was holding a massive firearm, with a series of circular indentations giving off an odd blue glow. Hazel deduced that was what blasted the door off. The last robber seemed to be wearing a backpack that extended 2 long metal arms and talons that was grabbing as much cash as it could from the vault, stuffing it into a bag. Each of them wore a black mask, with only their eyes and mouths carved out.

“Trumpet Man, Blaster, and… Noodle Arms,” Hazel mumbled to herself, giving each of her targets nicknames so that the author doesn’t have to write ‘robber’ a bunch of times.

Hazel slowly descended down, hanging from a web upside down until she hovered in the middle of the distracted robbers. The trio didn’t notice her until she cleared her throat.

“Hey, guys! Can I make a withdrawal real quick?”

In a swift, calculated motion, Hazel webbed Blaster and Noodle Arm’s eyes as soon as they turned around. Their shouts of surprise were muffled as she leapt towards Trumpet Man, where the hostages were pinned down. Trumpet Man tried to hit Spider-Woman with his weapon still pointed at the officers— and Hazel easily dodged the pathetic attempts, giving a good punch to his face. The device fell to the ground, and the officers were free.

“Get out of here!” Hazel yelled to the officers. They obeyed as Trumpet Man tried to reach for the device on the floor. Hazel used her webs to grab it first, then attempted to rip it apart.

“God, what is this made of?” Hazel mumbled at the complicated design of the weapon. After a few hits, a crack echoed through the room as the weapon gave away. She was surprised at the energy core— a small orb, the size of a marble, which radiated blue. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Hazel pocked the orb and threw the rest of the machinery pieces towards Trumpet Man as she felt her body snatched by two forceful hands— Noodle Arms had lunged, catching her off guard.

“Looks like Spider-Girl’s come to play,” Noodle Arms sang, pulling Hazel’s body forward then smashing her to the ground. As her body made contact with the concrete, she grabbed onto a fallen chair and threw it towards Noodle Arms, causing him to fall back and lose grip on Hazel.

She twisted her body and broke free, somersaulting backward and landing in a crouched position. “Nice try, but I’ve already dealt with a guy with 6 extra arms. 2 arms? That’s child’s play.”

She moved closer towards Blaster, who had been completely disinterested in whatever Hazel and the other robbers had been doing. As Hazel stomped closer, his attention shifted from the money bag to Spider-Woman, his eyes completely apathetic.

“Alright, let’s finish this up,” Hazel said.

Blaster cackled. He pointed the weapon towards Hazel, its entire shape pulsing with a blue electric glow. Electricity crackled around its barrel, as an unsteady vibration filled the air.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

And he pulled the trigger.

Your breaths came in shallow gasps as you approached the bank. You had run for what felt like a good 20 minutes, which was enough to get you winded. Which was lowkey embarrassing, but you had no time to dwell on your lack of stamina. You latched onto the nearby policeman, heart beating out of your chest.

“Officer, please, my friend is in there–”

The officer gently pulled you away, attempting to hold you steady. “-There shouldn’t be any civilians in there, kid. Calm down.”

You shook your head. “No, You don’t understand— my friend, she was in juvie, and I think she’s being blackmailed into helping the robbery or something, and you need to help her–”

“-Juvie?” The officer cocked his head, then leaned in closer, serious. “Okay, I’m going to have to write this down. So you’re saying one of the robbers is a teen?”

“She’s not a robber— At least I don’t think— I—” You fumbled, not wanting to get Hazel arrested. She didn’t exactly say what she was doing, and you didn’t want to get her into deeper trouble than she already was in. But what could you say to the officers without handing Hazel over to them as if she was a criminal?

Before you could continue your words, a loud BANG exploded from the bank.

Without thinking, you ran into the building. You could hear the officer trying to stop you but you ignored them, sprinting towards the door– or rather, the lack of one— and you immediately began screaming.

“Hazel! Hazel!” You screamed, running into the building. You ignored the mess of broken concrete on the floor, eyes scanning for any signs of your friend. “Hazel!”

You could hear coughing from the deeper part of the bank, and you ran up to the sound, waving off the dust that settled all around you. Your eyes caught sight of the far away wall which had completely smashed down, creating a gaping hole identical to the one of the bank’s door. The air hung heavy, making every breath a struggle. Amidst the confusion, you spotted the friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman sprawled on the ground, her body heaving with coughs as she struggled to regain her breath. Around her was a chaotic scene– remnants of a recent explosion littering the area.

You suddenly felt an immense amount of panic seeing Spider-Woman, the literal hero of this entire place in such a shaky state. You slowly backed away, your body reacting and telling you to fuck everything and run out of the door– but you stepped on a particular chunk of wall, making a very loud CRUNCH.

Hazel immediately turned towards the sound, her heart dropping when she saw you.

“Don’t come any closer!” Hazel screamed, scampering to her feet. “Turn around and run!”

You tried to do as you were told– you really did. But your body froze up in a state of fright, your eyes focusing on the three robbers that slowly emerged from the wall’s hole. You pointed towards them and Hazel turned, groaning before running up to you.

“What are you–” -Hazel deepened her voice. “-I mean, what are you doing here, uh, miss?”

“I-I’m looking for my friend,” You choked out, suddenly realizing what a stupid idea this was. Spider-Woman was here, which meant this situation was a Spider-Woman level threat. You could be in real danger. But so was Hazel. “Her name is Hazel and she- she’s in here. She has blue eyes and– and dark, really messy sort of hair.”

“It’s not that messy,” Hazel mumbled, grimacing at the word ‘friend.’ She then grabbed you and pushed you out of the way as a concrete chunk from the wall was thrown towards the two of you. “Watch out!”

You tumbled to the floor, and Hazel quickly grabbed you and got low behind the mess, whispering to you.

“Listen to me. You’re going to do as I say.”

“But my friend–”

“-She’s fine. She’s not here. She’s waiting for you outside, okay?” Hazel argued. “I’m going to distract the robbers, and as I’m doing that, I need you to run towards the door. Just run, don’t look back, and I’ll handle everything, okay?”

You hesitated.

“Answer me!” Hazel yelled. “Okay?”

“Okay!” You yelled back, letting Spider-Woman give you a pat on the head before swinging towards the robbers.

You scrambled to your feet, the only thing in your ears the rushing sound of your own heartbeat. Spider-Woman’s familiar voice echoed in your mind; Just run, don’t look back. But as the floor rumbled and walls cracked, you couldn’t stop yourself from turning around, your eyes following Spider-Woman as she confronted robbers.

Hazel, not knowing you were stubbornly still in the building, intensely fought against the robbers. She moved with austere agility, using her webs to swing between the men, landing kicks and punches through the bits of rubble they threw at her.

Trumpet man, without his weapon, pretty much rendered useless hits before Hazel managed to web him by the wall. Noodle Arms lashed out, trying to capture her, but Hazel was always a step ahead, dodging and weaving through the attacks.

While she was distracted, Blaster adjusted the dials on his weapon, his fingers moving over the controls with an angry precision. Recovering the weapon’s blue glow, he aimed it at Spider-Woman.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw you, amidst the wreckage and dust— face pale with fear as you stared at Spider-woman’s movements.

“Oh, fuck,” you muttered, realizing you have been noticed by a robber. You had to move. You had to move. But your legs felt like twigs, about to break if you tried to take another step.

An amused grin spread across Blaster’s face, as he redirected his aim towards you.

Hazel’s spider-senses instantly flared, a tingling sensation shooting through her body. Her head turned towards the warning, just in time to take in the sight of a weapon aimed directly at you, its blue glow intensifying.

“(Y/N)!”

Without a second thought, she pushed off the ground with all her remaining strength, launching herself through the air.

The weapon fired, a blinding burst of blue energy hurtling towards you.

Your body recoiled as a reaction, eyes shutting tightly expecting the blow.

A sudden, violent crash echoed through the bank, followed by a strangled cry.

You braced yourself, waiting for the inevitable.

But seconds passed, and the expected pain didn’t come.

You braced yourself, eyes tightly shut, waiting for the inevitable. But seconds passed, and the expected pain didn’t come.

Slowly, your eyes fluttered open, looking through the haze of smoke and debris. Spider-Woman was on the ground, her body shaking from the attack. She had flown into the path of the blast, twisting mid-air to take the full force of the hit meant for you– sending a shockwave through the room and throwing her back against the floor, which had spiraling cracks showing the brutality of the hit.

The impact of the blast had knocked the wind out of Hazel, her every breath a struggle against the pain radiating from her chest and back. She blinked away the dust that clouded her vision, trying to push herself back up on her feet. But each movement sent sharp jolts of pain through her body, making her fall back down with her every effort.

Noodle Arms, encouraged by the hero’s weakened state, closed in on her. His mechanical limbs headed straight for Spider-Woman’s body, as she forced herself back up. Swaying, she attempted to fight off the strikes, protectively staying in front of you.

“You’re done, Spider-Girl,” Noodle Arms sneered, his metallic hands heading for her face. In a quick defense, Hazel pulled her face back, letting the claws snag just a bit of the fabric of her mask. With a yank, the fabric tore free.

Fuck.

A split-second of disbelief froze Hazel in place. The rush of adrenaline that had sustained her through the battle ebbed away, leaving her momentarily defenseless— letting a blow directly in her stomach.

Hazel fell back, landing right by your feet as you flinched back. She immediately tried to cover her face with her hands— but you had already seen her, your eyes widening at the sight of the familiar face.

Hazel’s heart stopped.

Not like this.

I didn’t want her to find out like this.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Not like this.

You stared at the familiar face with a stunned expression, your mouth agape.

“...Hazel?”

Your body went rigid, realizing that the hero you thought could withstand anything, save anyone— was your Hazel Callahan.

And she was bleeding out in front of you.

Your shock gave just enough time for Noodle Arms to grab you. Before Hazel could scream your name, she felt a cruel blow to her head. She toppled to the floor, body completely limp.

“Hazel!”

Noodle Arms laughed, grabbing Hazel’s body and tossing her over his shoulder. You struggled against the strong grip on you, eyes tearing up in utter panic.

The man then nodded towards you with a hungry expression. “What about her?”

The man with the glowing weapon walked closer to you, examining your fearful face and then back at the unconscious Spider-Woman, as if to deduct the relationship between the two of you.

Then he grinned.

“Bring her with us.”

“She’s slept enough.” A voice rang. “Wake her up.”

Blaster raised his leg, delivering a merciless kick to Hazel’s head. You gasped as she crumpled to the ground, pain searing through her head as her consciousness started to return.

“You hear me?” The man sneered. He grabbed her by her head and pulled her up to his face. “Get up.”

“Hhng,” Hazel groaned. Her vision started to return– and within her blurry sight she could see you, sobbing on the concrete ground. You weren’t even tied up, just far too scared to move even an inch from your submissive position. Hazel instinctively tried to reach you, but realized that she was chained– her arms tied up behind her with some metal cuffs. Hazel pathetically struggled against the restraints. “Don’t— not her…”

“Keep your eyes on me,” said Blaster, gripping Hazel’s head tighter. “If you want to keep her alive, look at me.”

Hazel gave you a weak look of reassurance before glaring at the man in front of her. Trumpet Man and Noodle Arms sneered behind him.

“Yeah, alright, you got me,” Hazel taunted, head spinning from the brutality of the hold. “How does it feel to win against a teenage girl?”

The man grinned in amusement, scoffing at Hazel’s unwavering humor– before throwing an intense punch to Hazel’s stomach. Before she could properly process the blow, the fingers tangled in her hair forcefully jerked her head with a savage force. Her head snapped backward, setting her up for another brutal hit aimed at her jaw. The impact sent her body to the ground, slamming her onto the cold floor.

“Hazel!” You shrieked, quickly shuffling to her side. Her chest barely moved up and down as you panicked, pulling her to her knees and caressing her face. “Hazel, Hazel…”

“You okay…?” Hazel whispered. You tearfully nodded.

Good. Hazel sighed, leaning into your hand against her cheek.

“Teenagers these days…” Blaster grumbled, frowning at the two girls on the floor. “Why did you have to show up to our little robbery, huh? Now everything is complicated.”

“It’s not that complicated, really,” Hazel wheezed. “You’re bad guys. You do bad things. I’m a good guy. I make sure bad things don’t happen.”

She earned a cackle from the men, as Blaster crouched down in front of Hazel.

“A good guy, huh? You think what you’re doing is good? And what we do is bad?”

“Oh, here we go with the villain origin story,” Hazel mumbled. “It doesn’t matter what your motivation is– you were hurting people. You were hurting officers.”

“And what do they think about you?” Blaster scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he paced around the floor. “Spider-Woman, a vigilante who ignores the righteous law and pursues evil… even the cops hate you. You think you're so righteous, but you're just as much a problem as we are."

You watched Hazel clench her jaw. He had hit a nerve— Spider-Woman did not entirely have a positive image in the eyes of the law.

Angry, you spoke up. “That doesn't justify what you're doing here. You chose this path. You chose to hurt people.”

Blaster nodded, as if to reminisce about his decision. "Choices, huh? We all make choices. Some of us choose survival. Some of us choose power. And some of us," he glanced pointedly at Hazel, "choose to play hero, even when no one asked them to."

He knelt down beside Hazel, his voice low and dangerously calm. "You think you're better than us? That you're untouchable because you wear a mask and swing from buildings? You're just as much a criminal in their eyes."

Hazel glared right back at him, but her mind was trying to figure out exactly where she was. It was definitely not the bank— based on the interior, it seemed to be an abandoned apartment somewhere, probably a hideout of sorts. There were two doors in the room.

Blaster stood back up, the blue glow from the weapon in his hands casting light on his hardened features. He saw you eye the color suspiciously and grinned.

"You want to know about this stuff?" He fiddled with the machine, pressing a couple buttons and taking out a blue orb. "It's not just some fancy power source. This blue glow is the key to everything we've been planning.

"Years ago, I was a nobody. Scrapping for something, anything, in the mines for money. Until one day, I hit a vein. Not just any ore—a new material for a source of power. Unstable, unpredictable, but damn powerful if you know how to capture it and handle it."

“And you chose to build weapons with it?”

Blaster straightened up, his gaze piercing through the orb in his fingers. “Smart girl. With weapons like these, the higher ups would want in. They can finally change the game. No more petty crimes. No more wars. I want recognition, respect—the kind that comes when governments realize what I can offer. This bank heist? It's not just about money. It's about making a statement. Showing them what we're capable of— what we can sell."

The man placed the orb back in his weapon, firing the machine on. You watched Hazel gulp as the machine whirred back to power.

“Okay, well, that’s great for you, but my arm is falling asleep,” Hazel rasped, in a sort of pleading way. “Can we go?”

“Oh, sure.” Blaster grinned again, with the same sadistic hunger as before. “But, before you go, I think there should be a lesson of what happens when a little girl acts like a hero and messes with the big bad guys.”

Hazel’s breath hitched as the men behind him stepped forward.

Blaster gave a nod towards you.

“Kill her.”

“No,” Hazel spluttered. “No!”

“No, please, no,” You tried, stumbling away from the man who walked towards you with malice in his eyes.

Hazel thrashed against her chains, causing her to fall to the floor again. “Stop! I’ve learned my lesson! I’VE LEARNED MY LESSON!”

“Bet you have, doll.” Blaster chuckled. “But I gotta make sure we don’t see your ass swinging through my neighborhood ever again.”

Hazel's heart raced as desperation hit her body, fighting against the chains that bound her. The cold metal cut into her wrists, sending sharp pains up her arms with each futile tug. Her eyes met with yours— she had never seen you so scared.

“Please…” Hazel begged.

Blaster's expression softened, but it was gone as it had arrived. Unmoved by her pleas, he nodded once again, ordering the arms to creepily stretch towards you. The metallic talons grabbed your throat. You tried to fight the pressure, clawing at the machine. But you had no chance, feeling your airway close as Hazel’s voice began to fade.

Before he could snap your neck, a sudden commotion erupted from the entrance of the room. Shouts and footsteps echoed through the apartment, startling everyone in the room. Noodle Arms spun around, his arms losing grip, momentarily distracted by the unexpected intrusion.

“It’s the cops!” Trumpet Man yelled. “How did they know we were here?!”

“It’s your fault! I told you we gotta get farther from the crime scene than this.”

“Shut up,” Blaster grumbled, looking outside the window hastily. “Alright, this is our chance to leave another mark. Let’s blast through them. ”

As the men started to gather the bags of money from the floor while bickering, you quickly crawled back to Hazel.

“Hazel— Hazel, we gotta go.”

“Yeah, just— help me up, please?”

You helped her up, eyeing the door behind you. That was the door you came through— the door to the stairs. You supported Hazel’s body, your arm bracing her shoulders. She winced in pain as you practically dragged her to the stairs, giving a quick look back at the robbers.

Blaster stared right at you, then at your reddened neck, as if to give a final warning.

You hastily turned back, hurrying Hazel to the stairs.

Every step felt like eternity, Hazel’s weight heavy against you. Hearing her breath so uneven and haggard made your body run cold— you couldn't help but worry— what if she died here? The cuffs on her wrists weren’t helping either, clinking with each motion.

You could feel Hazel leaning more and more heavily on you, her feet faltering as she struggled to keep pace. You had to admit your own fatigue— the stairs were too steep, too long. Your legs trembled as you heard footsteps above you— was it the police? The robbers?

“Come on, Hazel,” you whispered urgently, coaxing her down another step. Hazel attempted to put her foot down but she stumbled, gripping you tighter.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped out, holding you so, so close. You could feel her entire body temperature dropping. The tears she did so well to hold now were dripping down her cheeks. “I can’t. I can’t do it, I can’t.”

Her broken voice shattered your heart. You placed her gently down the stairs, helping her sit down.

“Hey, hey— it’s okay. We’ll take a break. Just for a moment, okay? You’re doing so good.” You wiped her tears from her face, moving the strands of her hair out from her vision.

“I’m sorry-” Hazel continued. “This is all my fault I’m so sorry-”

“-No, it’s not your fault,” Hazel coughed. “It’s not your fault. You saved me.”

You stared at Hazel’s appearance— her usually shy and vibrant features were now marred by blood and streaks of dirt. Her dark hair was tousled and matted against her blue and purple face— she was a mess. So were you. You two had to get out of here.

“Hazel, we gotta get down,” You said. “We have to get back home.”

“No– not home. Not to my mom,” Hazel tensed. “Not my mom. She doesn’t know. No– no one can know.”

“So where do we go?”

Instead of answering, hazel’s eyelids drooped. She leaned her head against your shoulder as a weak groan escaped her lips.

"No, no, no, Hazel, stay with me," you sniffed, struggling to keep her upright. You adjusted your hold, keeping her steady as panic settled in your stomach again.

You found yourself sobbing, clutching onto Hazel’s body as it slowly lost warmth. You couldn’t possibly bring Hazel down all on your own— and even then, you were sure where you were and how to get back home.

“Hazel, I don't know what to do,” You begged, looking around the dark, empty stairwell. “I don’t know what to do…”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind. You turned around as a bright flashlight shined into your face. You flinched at the light cutting through the darkness, hugging Hazel tighter.

“Police! Don’t move!”

It was an officer with dark brown hair braided in a ponytail. She lowered her gun as she saw you crying, her eyes landing on Hazel’s spider-suit. Her stern expression morphed into shock, walking closer to you.

You held onto Hazel, protecting her from the stranger.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” The officer insisted, her eyes traveling to the cuffs on Hazel’s wrists. She stared in silence for a moment before turning to you.

“What’s your name?”

“...(Y/N).”

The officer sighed and looked around the stairwell. Her walkie talkie buzzed, asking for a response. Your anxiety spiked— if people found out Hazel was Spider-Woman, wouldn’t that put her in danger?

Sensing your terror, the officer put a hand over your mouth before answering the walkie talkie.

"Stairwell is clear. No sign of the suspects. Proceeding to the next floor. Over."

You stared at her with glistening eyes as she let Hazel fall into her arms, carrying her bridal style.

“Can you walk?” She asked, to which you quietly nodded.

The officer began descending through the darkness. You followed her, tears still streaming down your face as the officer silently guided you down the stairs.

You never thought you would ever be in the backseat of a police car, but here you were, in the middle of the night, with an unconscious Hazel leaned against your lap. The officer had managed to break the cuffs, letting you see the cuts and bruises on Hazel’s wrist. It matched your neck.

You looked outside a window. Rain had begun to fall, each sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the car. It was almost calming, if you weren’t thinking about the fact that Hazel Callahan was Spider-Woman and that both of you almost died today.

“How old is she?”

The officer’s voice interrupted your thoughts, making you jump. You turned your head to the front of the car. You realized she was talking about Hazel.

“...Eighteen.”

The answer seemed to hurt the officer, as she muttered a curse word under her breath.

“...I have a kid her age,” she said. “I’d do anything to keep him safe.”

You immediately understood what she meant.

‘I’m not risking my son’s life by bringing you to my home.’

Instead, you gave her your address. You couldn’t bring her to a hospital, at least, not with what she was wearing. You just had to somehow sneak the two of you to your room.

The officer continued. “You begged me not to take you to a hospital tonight, but I want you two to get checked tomorrow, alright? My husband works as a nurse. Tell him I sent you and he won’t ask questions.”

“Thank you, Officer…” you searched for her name.

“Morales. Don’t thank me.” She stared at you from her rearview mirror, a stern look in her eyes. “And kid?”

You stared back.

“I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Her words were sharp, but once again, you understood the soft meaning behind them.

“Yes, ma’am…”

Officer Morales gave a slight nod, her eyes briefly softening in the mirror before focusing back on the road.

You looked down at Hazel, watching the passing street lights illuminating her battered face. So fragile, yet so strong. You reached down to hold Hazel’s hand, hoping the heat from your skin will warm her. You leaned your head back, closing your eyes for a moment, listening to the rhythmic sound of the rain and the hum of the engine.

The city continued to blur outside the window. And you too, felt yourself blur.

Previous Chapter: The Set-Up for Chapter 4

Next Chapter: That One Patch-Up Scene in Films

@hardbeingcasual @koryianders @lottiematthewsceo @sourgummywormsss @1-danid @awenthealchemist @butterflymagic415 @samoozi @kyleeservopoulos @treehuggerfrvr @yokurts @hikaru97 @randomhoex @damnkehlani14 @byhuenii @ship-enthusiast @lamolaine @lovepityparties @cinematicdifls @sndixz

#hazel callahan #hazel callahan x reader #hazel callahan x you #hazel callahan fluff #bottoms movie #hazel callahan angst #hazel callahan spiderwoman

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absolutebl · 4 months ago

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This Week in BL - I'm having a GREAT time

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Aug 2024 Week 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) eps 7-8 of 12 - I do love these 2 a lot. It’s such a slow burn sweet comforting quiet little romance. It’s not complicated, it’s not stretching my thoughts or imagination, but it is easy and absorbing. I'm entertained by it without being taxed. And sometimes that’s nice. It's what Thailand does best.

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 3 of 10 - Oh I’m still enjoying it. It’s only episode three and they’re basically boyfriend’s palling around shopping together and hanging out on a bicycle. What’s not to love? Also he got to meet the in-laws. Well… eventual in-laws. Also the girlfriend character. I totally forgot about her. Good times.

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 12fin - Baby faints. Bad guys caught and beat up a bit. Lots of romantic moments, come checking in with ALL the sides, and it ends.

Summary?

Classic CEO meets ingenue archetypes make for a somewhat banal and simplistic romance. This could’ve come from an 80s Harlequin, except that they’re gay. It's... old fashioned. There was nothing meta about this, there was no subversion or commentary on anything BL, queer, or beyond. It’s just a straight up (okay not straight) romance. I was not wild about these characters for this particular pair, but that’s not the pair's fault, they did a decent job with their parts and I look forward to their next show - here’s hoping it’s a bit more meaty. I preferred the side couple because they were more complex and true to BL archetypes, even if they were also a bit miss-handled. A serviceable show if somewhat lacking in its convictions, but with some beautiful sex scenes, people, and fashion. I was a particular fan of Lin‘s gender bending femme style. It’s groundbreaking to see that aesthetic on one of the leads. There were multiple times they could’ve leaned into well established plot points, paranormal elements, and character tension, and instead just glossed over them.

This should probably get a 7/10, but I’m giving it an 8 because of that one oppa line at the beginning, Tenon's tatas, and the call back to Big Dragon with that iconic musical refrain in the final episode. It was a pretty fun ride, emphasis on pretty and ride.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 5 of 12 - Lots of kissing this episode. And lots of different kinds of kissing from the same two actors in various different forms and characters. I really liked it. It’s nice to see that this pair can mix it up a little bit, even if it's just with their lips.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - OK the leg care massage was so boyfriend I can’t even. Who are they trying to fool? I love the way Ing always knows exactly what is going on. Thank goodness for that confession! I’m very much looking forward to the next episode.

(The socratic method, is it?)

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 9 of 12 - Still couldn’t care less about the hets. Yawn. Ah Jane’s ex shows up. (Is that Green? Hi baby!) Meanwhile, Jane gets worried and jealous. I loved Pah in this ep, and almost wish this were a show just about him. Like a grown-up Green Fictions. (Where tf did Poon COME from allasudden? He’s a killer actor. GMMTV better use him wisely.) Also, in that scene with Pat and P’Jo, they’re eating some of my favorite food. I got a little bit of linguistic negotiation with Khun Par Phi. Cuteness. And we end with some actual communication. Yay!!! It’s kind of hilarious to see OffGun in a tentative hug. I don’t think they’ve been that way for a years.

In fact, this whole episode was pretty much about communicating properly between ages and ranks within an office and social structure. I loved that. I’m liking this one more this week. It’s still not my favorite currently airing, but I think that mostly has to do with how much other good stuff is on right now.

SPEAKING OF...

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 3-4 of 12 - Uh huh, a game of one-up-man-ship is it? I think not. That boy wants to jump his cute stepbrother’s bones so bad that big brain of his is starting to melt. I'm here for it. Also, said sunshine cutie is clearly a big old cock tease. Everybody is happy about this. They sure know how to end these episodes on cliffhangers too. I don’t know how I’m gonna wait until next week.

I’m legit mad about how fucking good this is. After Unknown too?! Taiwan is spoiling us this year and THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING IT ALL ALONG.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 3-4 of 10 - Oh my goodness do I love this show. It makes me laugh, I adore the premise, I'm wild over the characters, and the acting is killer. I’m just really happy about this show, OK? I tend to sing and clap: Oh they so cute.

Baby got his first crush and he has no idea what to do about it. I ADORE how angry he is about it. Like... How dare I even consider falling in love with somebody? How annoying of me. It’s great. I even liked the girl in the confession and how cool and sweet they both were to each other over his rejection. Bang up job. This is fantastic BL of the newer modern style. (As contrasted to On1y)

These top two shows are neck and neck for best of the week, for entirely different reasons. But I love all my sons.

Speaking of...

Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Tues Gaga) eps 7-8 fin - Oh it’s so adorable with the drama and the little subordinate coming to their rescue, and them meeting each other’s family. "I want to become someone who is essential in your life" = peak romance.

Summation?

I loved this little show. It was a classic office BL about the older workaholic who loves his job and the younger upstart who unexpectedly loves his boss. It’s a hyung romance where everybody is extremely earnest and sweet and pretty about everything. Except our seme, who is slightly unhinged and a little obsessed in all the ways one likes best from Japan. Plus the kisses were good! I can’t ask for anything more, utterly charming unexpected gem of a show. What a great time! 9/10

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - The lack of communication between these 2 may actually drive me insane. But I still love them. Such a sad ep.

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 3 of 8 - Argh but also oooooo. I bet the uncut version was fantastic this week.

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) eps 5-6 of 12 - I'm starting to like this better. I’m still not convinced, but I did enjoy watching it this week. I’m getting some chemistry off the leads. Admittedly. that’s because they both behave like 16-year-olds. Surprise MosBank cameo - looking handsome as ever, boys. (Honestly, Taiwan really wants that King of the Cameos crown.) And FINALLY our side couple. I’m looking forward to next week primarily because of them. And I don’t even have them yet!

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - OK the lap cuddle was v cute. As was the handholding. But hiking with a metal griddle? Insanity. Might be the craziest thing in a BL this year. And The Sign aired this year. Meanwhile, not a dead fish kiss! Yay!

It's airing but...

4 Minutes (Sat Gaga) eps 1-6 of 8 - Gaga picked this one up so we can watch it there. I'm waiting until the end, it seems angsty and confusing and full of awful people being awful. But also... high heat and I'm shallow. So we shall see which devil wins (and how it ends).

In case you missed it

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - I'm eating crow, binging the fucker, and live blogging. It's just taking me some time. This isn't really a bingable show, not for me anyway. It's A LOT to take all at once.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Coming SEPTEMBER 2024:

9/? The Time of Fever (Korea iQIYI) 6 eps - HoTae & DongHee are back! Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names I an WILD for this.

9/1 Live in Love (Thai Sun Gaga) 5 eps - Short series featuring and online romance turning IRL.

9/3 Happy of the End (Japan Tues Gaga) - Based on a manga, longer than usual run time. A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL. Here it is!

9/6 Kidnap (Thai Friday GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - Ohm Pawat is back for Frigays it's gonna be a blast.

9/7 The Hidden Moon (Thai Sat ????) 10 eps - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) ‘เดือนพราง’ by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger)... A Bangkok writer is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai which is being converted into a café. He gets into an accident and nearly dies on his way there. After that, he sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, one boy catches his attention. Was substantially recast.

9/9 Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) 12 eps? - Be gay YinWar, do crimes. Dehup gives us Yin, War, Mark and a few other familiar faces in a Leverage sitch, only queerer.

9/14 Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sat ????) ?? eps - Remake of the original. I'm scared too.

9/15 Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - Assistant to a player boss who is in love with that boss decides to quit to save himself. The boss then makes a move. (A gay What's up with Secretary Kim?)

9/17 Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 10 eps - Lawyer and a con artist meet at a bar, pair up, fall in love.

9/28 Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YouTube) ?? eps - oh I don't know just Ba Vinh doing his thing with pretty boys again.

Adventures in miss-captions

(been a while since we had one of these)

SNICKER "nail you" and a "nail you down" = completely different things. But this being Japan they might have met either or both. (Cosmetic)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Why yes, you do have the prettiest lips in the biz. No need to tease us like that. (Battle)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

140 notes · View notes

allur1ngs · 11 months ago

Text

✮ play the game (i.)✮

TW: unedited, fluff, some angst, no smut but some smutty-type descriptions ?, CLIFFHANGER (i apologize), italicized words in this chapter indicate a flashback, the image in the center is not meant to depict reader's body type, or any physical appearance, it is simply for visual purposes!!

SUMMARY: while preparing for your upcoming wedding, trouble begins to brew. from your engagement being leaked to a mysterious letter, and an ex who has come out of the woodwork, determined to reclaim you—bada must navigate through it all—fall into your ex’s clutches, lean into the fire that is her conviction, and play the game.

WC: 9.7k

A/N: find more information about this au on my masterlist! here it is!! well, part of it. this is part 1 of 2 parts, the second of which i’ll hopefully be releasing soon. hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter, despite it leaving you on quite the cliffhanger :)

DISCLAIMER: all characteristics portrayed are purely speculation and fiction, they are not meant to reflect bada or team bebe’s actual character, values, or attitudes, and any reference to real-life establishments is completely fictional. please keep this in mind!!

Warmth is the first sensation you experience every morning. It’s a perpetual state of comfort—endless strings of sunlight and heat beating down on your chilly body. The pocket of warmth next to you presses closer to you, spreading the heat until every expanse of your skin is caressed by it.

This is what heaven feels like.

A feather-like touch against your neck makes you stir from your sleep, the small puffs of air you were releasing picking up their pace.

“Good morning.” Bada’s voice rumbles, a small rasp weighing down her tone. She drags her nose up and down your throat, making you let out a small, instinctive giggle. “Oh, that’s a nice sound.” She smiles against your skin, now placing small kisses on your throat.

“That tickles.” You mumble, blearily reaching out to wrap your arms around your fiancée’s neck.

“That’s the point, honey.” Bada laughs, placing one last kiss on your skin before pulling away. She stares at you with stars in her eyes and a wide smile, taking in your sleepy disposition–the way you flutter your eyes, trying to rid yourself of the lingering curse of sleep, the way you stretch your arms out ever so slightly, flexing them after their hours of infrequent use–you’re stunning.

“Bada.” You say, tilting your head to the side with a small smile. “Are you there?”

“Sorry, I was just admiring how beautiful you are.” Your finacée admits boldly.

Your smile turns shy as you look away from her, shaking your head. “You’re the beautiful one here.” Bada is beautiful. Painfully so.

Although she still hasn’t gotten up from bed, her long, straight hair is somehow knot-free, and cascades down her shoulders like a steady stream of crystal water falling from a fountain. Her pink lips are plump like they always are, stretched into a wide and fond smile. Her eyes sparkle under the dim lighting of your shared bedroom, pools dark brown alit with a passionate love you’ve never encountered before you’d met her.

And her body…it’s truly unfair.

Your finacée decided to wear a wife pleaser–as she so eloquently stated, “It’s not a wife beater when I wear it, it’s a wife pleaser”–the white clothing hugs her frame deliciously, outlining the sharp lines of her lean abs and showing her lack of bra, her nipples perking against the fabric. Not to mention the lack of sleeves allows you to ogle her arm muscles, the valleys of muscle fibers straining as she hovers above you. And below the ridden-up cloth of her wife pleaser is a pair of black boxers peeks over her matching black sweatpants, the strings untied, of course. They dangle between her legs tantalizing, almost putting you in a trance.

“I appreciate the compliment, although I’m going to have to agree to disagree with you,” Bada says cheekily.

“I can never win against you, can I?” You joke, twisting one of Bada’s locks between your fingers.

“In every other facet, you will always win against me.” Bada laughs. “But when it comes to this one, I’m going to remain firm.”

“Well, who says I’m going to give up?” You rise from bed, pecking your finacée’s lips sweetly.

“Oh, I know you won’t.” Bad pecks you back, placing her hands on your hips. “That is one of the many things I love about you.” Your finacée pauses, a thoughtful look crossing her expression before she shifts her attention onto you again. “I love you.” She says, leaning forward to place a kiss on your lips.

This had become a sort of ritual for you and Bada. Ever since she’d accepted and admitted her love for you, she made a promise to herself to always remind you just how much she meant those three words she’d uttered that cold night. A kiss and an “I love you” became mandatory in the morning–non-negotiable on your fiancée’s end.

“I love you too.” You respond with a sweet smile. “By the way, what time is it?”

Bada glances at her bedside table, locking eyes with a digital clock. “About eight-thirty.”

“We should get up then.” You move towards the edge of the bed and sling your legs off the side of it but you’re stopped by strong arms wrapping around your sides.

“It’s still early.” Bada mumbles, pressing her chest against your back and placing her head in the crook of your neck. “Stay in bed with me.” She slides her hands down your front, slipping them past the waistband of your pajama pants, cupping the heat between your legs.

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, summoning all your willpower not fall victim to your finacée. “You’re being unfair.” You huff, feeling her fingers rub circles against your panties.

“Am I?” Bada smirks, dragging her fingers up and down slowly–

“Alright, that’s enough.” You stand up, breaking away from your fiancée’s hold. She tumbles back dramatically, plopping onto your shared bed with a sigh.

“I can’t believe it. My bride-to-be doesn’t love me.” Bada says, wearing a fake hurt expression.

You roll your eyes playfully at your finacée, moving to brush away some strands of hair that’d fallen onto her face. “I’m making you get up because I love you. If I don’t get you to eat breakfast at a reasonable time, you’ll head straight to your office and pick at your food.”

"You know me too well," Bada sighs, casting one final contemplative glance toward the ceiling before gracefully rising from the bed.

"I do." you reply playfully. "Now, get ready. I'll be awaiting you in the dining room." Moving to your fiancée's side, you lean in, bestowing a tender kiss upon her lips. She responds with a smile, attempting to prolong the embrace until you gently withdraw. She pouts, seizing hold of your arm and lingering until you grant her another kiss before she lets you go.

"I love you," she calls out as you make your way towards the door.

"I love you too," you respond with a smile, departing the bedroom. Stepping outside, you turn to your left.

"Good morning," Hyo greets you with a brief nod.

"Good morning, Hyo," you acknowledge, walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, your vigilant bodyguard trailing behind.

Upon reaching the kitchen, you warmly greet the staff before assisting them in plating breakfast. The sumptuous meals are carefully arranged on the resplendent dining room table. The Bebe girls are already seated, engaged in lively conversation.

"Good morning, unnie!" Soweon greets you with a sweet smile.

"Good morning, Soweon," you reply, placing her breakfast before her and mumbling a gracious "you're welcome" in response to her cheerful thank you.

Similar fond good mornings follow from the rest of the girls as your fiancée enters the dining hall, still clad in her wife beater, now accentuated with a sports bra. Unconcerned, she hasn't bothered to secure her sweatpants—a playful tease.

"Morning, Boss," the girls collectively greet Bada, bowing their heads slightly in acknowledgment.

"Good morning," Bada declares, taking her seat at the head of the table, with your designated spot adjacent to hers. Placing her breakfast before her, you settle into your seat. "Anything to report?" your fiancée queries, nodding at Lusher.

"Nothing significant, just some... mail," Lusher stands, presenting a stack of mail before Bada.

Absentmindedly sifting through a few, Bada's attention is drawn when Lusher hands her a separate piece, already opened. With a puzzled glance, Bada takes the letter, and as she reads, her expression gradually hardens. Her eyes, cold and unwavering, fixate on the paper stained with inky black words.

Lifting your gaze from your breakfast, confusion courses through you. Before you can inquire about the contents of the letter, Lusher interjects.

"Ah, I forgot to mention that the article released a few days ago continues to gain more and more traction." She places her phone before you, displaying a familiar article on the screen.

The title reads, "Famed Chaebol Bachelorette Lee Bada Caught Sharing Intimate Moment with CEO of Asan Medical Center’s Daughter."

Bada scowls as she glances over your shoulder at the article. "Filthy reporters."

Over the past two days, an overwhelming surge of media attention has descended upon you. It all stemmed from a delightful date night with Bada that turned sour when you awoke to your phone inundated with notifications. The article delved into your family's "official" business, the largest and most prestigious chain of hospitals in South Korea. The reporter had been relatively generous in their depiction of you, highlighting your high rank in the esteemed private high school you attended. However, they pointed out your lack of a complete college education, concluding the article by questioning your worthiness of the seemingly untouchable and most desired woman in South Korea—Lee Bada.

For better or worse, that sentence remained etched into your mind, a brand seared into your brain matter. Bada had been quick to reject the article’s implications. “They speak of you like you are only your material achievements. You are more than just that–you are intelligent and beautiful woman–the only woman that I would ever desire to have by my side.” She’d stared at the words with sharp and distainful ireses, as if they were her greatest enemy. “They do realize that you have more college education than I do, right? Their idiocy never ceases to astound me.”

Nevertheless, the digital words spread across numerous news websites and social media platforms, catapulting you into overnight stardom.

Initially, the attention was positive. Curious netizens found your Instagram account, showering your posts with likes and leaving comments like, "She's pretty, I understand why Bada chose her," and "Her family is influential; they'd be a strong couple if they got married."

Yet, like an inevitable rain on a sunny day, the negative comments followed. They read, “This type of lifestyle will lead you down a path of gluttony. Find the Lord to escape your sins,” another said, “You’re kidding me? After all these years of rejecting countless marriage proposals, Bada finally decides to marry another snooty rich girl?” With so much negative and positive attention on you, it was natural you started to get overwhelmed. Still, you kept your Instagram public, refusing to yield under the harsh comments and criticism you were receiving, instead holding your head high. You are Bada Lee's fiancée, and no matter how much they wished to be in your shoes, they never would be.

"How are you holding up?" Bada's voice interrupts your thoughts. Her cold hand rests against the meat of your thigh, offering a comforting squeeze. "We're working on getting the article buried—"

"Don't," you interject. Bada looks at you with surprise, prompting you to continue. "I won't cower under their attention. I'm proud to be your fiancée, and I don't want to hide it anymore."

Time seems to stop for Bada. Your posture is confident and self-assured, your eyes free of fear, whispering a challenge. They say, "Look at me. Pick me apart if you must. I'm ready."

"Is it possible to fall in love twice with the same woman?" Bada wonders. Well, it must be possible because she just did. The way you boldly stand against criticism, claiming the title of her fiancée, makes her heart burst with emotion. How could she have ever thought she could hide her feelings for you? It's simply not possible. She will always fail. She will always succumb to you.

"I'm in love with you," Bada declares, she squeezes your thigh again, then places her other hand against your cheek, leaning in for a passionate kiss.

Surprised, you reciprocate the gesture without a moment's hesitation. Cheche and Kyma boo playfully, while Lusher, Tatter, Minah, and Hyo share expressions of contentment. Soweon, witnessing the tender exchange, releases a wistful sigh, harboring hopes of one day experiencing a love akin to yours and Bada's.

As you withdraw from your spouse, a shy smile graces your lips. "Not to interrupt your sweet moment, but your cousin should be arriving soon," Hyo interjects, concluding her breakfast and handing the empty plate to the staff.

"Oh!" You exclaim, offering your bodyguard a grateful look. "I almost forgot—"

"Your cousin, Miyuki, correct?" Bada suddenly inquires.

"Yes," you affirm. "She's visiting from Japan and will be staying here until after our wedding."

"Are you two close?" Bada wonders.

"We used to be," you admit. "My aunt wanted Miyuki to learn more about her side of the family, so she left for Japan when we were teenagers."

"You must be excited to see her, then," Bada observes, a warm smile gracing her features.

"I am," you respond, returning the smile. "But I should start preparing for her arrival." Standing from your seat, you hold your plate in one hand and place a kiss on your fiancée's cheek. "I'll see you all in a bit," you bid farewell to the girls still immersed in their breakfast.

"See you later, unnie!" Soweon calls out as you and Hyo exit the dining room.

Bada maintains a smile as she watches your figure in the distance. However, the moment you are out of sight down the hallway, her expression instantly transforms, the warmth replaced by a chilly demeanor. Retrieving the note from her sweatpants pocket, she tosses it onto the dining room table, prompting the girls to freeze and look up at her. Lusher, with a discerning expression, forms her lips into a thin line.

"Find out who wrote this letter," Bada commands.

The girls promptly rise, nodding in agreement and offering a slight bow. Lusher takes the letter and hands it to Minah. "We'll locate them."

"Now," Bada emphasizes.

Without another moment of hesitation, the girls exit the dining hall, a letter in their clutches.

"Miyuki!" you eagerly greet her at the doorstep of the Lee mansion.

"Hello," Miyuki stands on the cobblestone driveway of your home, her long, silky black hair cascading down her shoulders. She appears different from what you remember—Young Miyuki exuded a cheery, youthful glow at all hours. Soft pink cheeks and wide brown eyes defined her. The Miyuki before you now is almost ghostly pale, with dark clothing accentuating the lack of color in her cheeks and skin.

Miyuki nods, approaching you with a small smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it, cousin?"

"Only ten years," you joke, throwing your arms around her in a hug.

Surprised by your affections, Miyuki glances down at you awkwardly but nevertheless reciprocates your hug. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you again as well," you say cheerily. "Come in; we have so much to talk about." You gently guide your cousin inside the Lee mansion, with Hyo holding the door open for both of you. "I hope you didn't have trouble entering through the gates, by the way."

"Checking my belongings and patting me down was a bit excessive, don't you think?" Miyuki comments, her eyes surveying the interior of your home—the gold embellishments, the sweeping spiral staircase, and the diamond-teardrop chandelier.

"I'm sorry, but it's a necessary precaution—safety reasons, I'm sure you understand—"

"But we are family, aren't we?" Miyuki pushes, stopping just shy of the door.

You give your cousin an awkward smile. "She's much different than what I remember," you think. "My fiancée, Bada, takes the security of our home very seriously."

"Where is she, by the way? Lee Bada, I mean," Miyuki asks. There's a concealed emotion in her eyes that you barely miss as you instinctively turn to look at the winding staircase leading to the second floor. "I'd like to meet my soon-to-be cousin-in-law."

"She's working right now but might take a break soon." You take a step forward, motioning in the direction of a split hallway. "I can show you around the garden while we wait."

Miyuki nods, trailing after you while Hyo maintains a discreet distance. However, Hyo's presence seems to pique Miyuki's interest—or annoyance—prompting her to turn to you with a raised eyebrow. "Why is she following us?"

"Oh, this is my bodyguard, Kim Hyo." You stop to point at Hyo, who awkwardly waves at Miyuki. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce her. I've just become so used to her presence—"

"It's alright," Miyuki interrupts. "Will she be trailing after us the entire time?"

"Yes," you answer, walking through the hallway with a quickening pace. Thankfully, Miyuki doesn't say anything else, choosing instead to stay quiet and follow you. Reaching the door to the garden, Hyo is quick to step up and open it, allowing you and your cousin to walk through. You thank her, while Miyuki says nothing.

Stepping into the garden, tall green hedges reach toward the bright blue sky, creating a path through the cobblestone laid in front of you like a tunnel. Walking forward, the hedges start to part, revealing a large white porcelain fountain—three tiers high. Crystal-clear water falls from the porcelain, dripping down in a steady stream, the soothing sound music to your ears. Near the hedges are patches of flowers on each corner of the pathway.

You step aside, motioning to the stone bench adjacent to the fountain. Miyuki quickly sits down while Hyo stands with her back to the leafy hedges.

"So, I'm assuming you've received the invitation to my wedding?" you inquire.

She hums, "It's in December, right?"

"Yes, has my aunt and uncle said anything to you about coming?" you ask.

"No, my mother hasn't," Miyuki shakes her head. "She's been very busy lately, but I'm sure she'll carve out some time to come, even if it is just the day before the wedding."

You turn to face the fountain, watching droplets splash into the water basin, becoming one with the large pool of water. "And my uncle?"

Miyuki remains quiet for a second, gazing at the water fountain as well. "Up to his usual business. Drinking and gambling our money away."

A deep-seated sadness blooms in the pit of your stomach as you shift your posture toward your cousin. "Miyuki..." you place your hand over hers, which are clutched tight in her lap. "I'm so sorry."

Your cousin doesn't spare you a glance, only eyes the garden in front of her, thoughts racing around her mind like a relentless storm, which only leaves wreckage and heartache in its wake. "It's fine," she says, but there's a noticeable shakiness in her voice. "My father has always been this way. There's nothing your sorry can do to fix it."

You close your eyes and sigh. "Still, I want you to know that I've always sympathized with your situation. Your father may be my blood, but I can never see past the things he's done to you and my aunt."

Miyuki looks to her right, briefly catching sight of Hyo who is standing a few feet away from you both. She suddenly removes her hands from her lap, instead moving them toward her hipbone, prompting you to stare at your cousin with a hurt expression. "So, what is the date of your wedding? I noticed the invitations had no date other than it being in December."

You clear your throat, recovering from her actions and take your hand out of her lap, instead placing it on yours. "The date will not be released until two weeks before the wedding."

Miyuki finally turns to look at you, now wearing a bewildered and confused expression. "You're not going to tell your guests the wedding date?"

"I know it sounds a bit ridiculous—"

"A bit?" Miyuki snorts.

"—But this is a necessary precaution. Bada proposed that no one should know until the day comes nearer, just in case someone decided to leak the information to the public—"

"What would that matter? I'm sure with Lee Bada's money, she could surely pay for some extra protection."

"It's not as simple as that." You start to argue back, frustration building in your gut. "I'm sure you understand that Bada's line of work is very dangerous, and she's made many enemies along the way—"

"It sounds to me like—"

"Sorry to barge in mid-conversation." You and Miyuki turn to look at the new voice that cut her off, both of you surprised to find Bada standing near the path to the garden, her black suit a stark contrast to the bright florals surrounding her.

"Bada!" You stand up, a wide smile naturally finding your lips. Mentally, you thank your fiancée for having divine timing and entering the conversation right when you were starting to feel a bit fed up with your cousin.

"Hello," Bada walks to your side without a second thought, her height almost matching the hedges surrounding the garden as she leans in to press a sweet peck on your lips.

"You're taking your break already? I must have not been paying attention to the time—" You ramble.

"It's four in the afternoon." Bada looks at you with a fond smile, taking your right hand into hers before running her thumb across the ridges of your fingers. "I looked around for you until I remembered that you said you'd be in the garden."

Miyuki watches you and Bada interact silently for a moment before she clears her throat. This grabs your and your fiancée's attention, your mood slightly souring as you face your cousin again.

"Right, I should formally introduce you both. This is my cousin—" You begin, but a voice interjects.

"An Miyuki." She takes a step forward, offering her hand as she stares at Bada through her lashes.

You close your mouth, choosing to say nothing.

Bada stares at Miyuki for a second, the smile she'd once worn settling into a thin-lipped, neutral expression. She takes your cousin's hand in a friendly handshake. "Lee Bada."

Miyuki shakes your fiancée's hand for a minute, and Bada begins to pull away, she holds on for a second longer, the action just barely going unnoticed by you.

Hyo, who'd been silently watching from the hedges, catches the movement with her sharp gaze. She cocks an eyebrow up.

Bada quickly retracts her hand, placing it behind her back before she turns to look at you, discarding your cousin's presence for a moment. The edges of her vision blur away; all she can see is you and your unreadable expression. "Before I interrupted, you were speaking about the wedding, weren't you?"

You clear your throat and wear a shaky smile. "Yes, we were."

"Will you and Mr. and Mrs. An attending, then?" Bada faces your cousin. A cool breeze passes by, making you press yourself into your fiancée’s chest. Ever attentive, she quickly rubs her hand up and down your arm, trying to relieve the chill ghosting against your skin.

Miyuki purses her lips, as if she’s in thought. “It would be nice to know the date of the wedding so we can plan accordingly.”

“That will not be possible,” Bada replies without missing a beat. “I apologize, but the exact wedding date will be withheld from all public and private knowledge. At least, until the wedding approaches. And I am more than willing to pay for a private flight so that your parents can attend.”

A hidden emotion flashes in Miyuki’s eyes before she releases a small sigh. “I would understand withholding the date from friends or acquaintances, but I am family–”

“And while both I and my fiancée wish to see you at the wedding, we will not be releasing the date.” Bada sees you shift in the corner of her eye, your pupils practically sparkling under the sun at her words. “Please understand.”

Miyuki remains silent for a moment before huffing an amused laugh. “You are exactly who I thought you would be, Lee Bada.” She takes a step toward you both, a smile on her lips. “I will speak to my mother and father about visiting during December.”

Bada bows her head politely, “Thank you.”

Miyuki says nothing, then glances at the entrance to the garden. “I should get going.”

“Oh, but you just got here.” You frown only with half-sincerity.

“I arrived in Korea just yesterday, I’m still quite jet-lagged,” Miyuki responds. “I hope to see you again soon, cousin.”

“Let me show you out–” you begin, but she cuts you off.

“It’s alright, I’m sure you want to spend time with your spouse.” Your cousin motions to Bada, who remains quiet, her inner thoughts concealed behind a layer of ice.

You open your mouth to say something, but Miyuki is already turning on her heels and heading in the direction of the entrance of the garden. You frown, your eyebrows furrowing as you take a step forward. “Mi–” You’re about to call out her name, but Bada holds onto your arm gently, stopping you from advancing toward her. You look back at your fiancée, confusion written all over your visage.

She shakes her head, then nods at Hyo. Your bodyguard glances at you hesitantly before she steps away from the garden hedges and trails after your cousin, making sure she finds her way out of the labyrinth that is the Lee mansion.

“She is…strange.” Bada suddenly pipes up, her words clipped as she zeros in on the end of the garden path and the doorway to the inside of the mansion.

You purse your lips, a melancholy feeling building in your throat and the pit of your stomach. “She was much different when we were children…”

“Every year added onto our lives tests our character,” Bada mutters, the words leaving her lips like whispers of archaic knowledge. Then, she glances down at you, noticing the storm of emotions behind your eyes. “Hey,” she places her hands on either side of your face, wearing a small, comforting smile. “why don’t we spend the rest of the day together?”

Like the flip of a switch, your expression immediately brightens, a large smile growing on your lips and your eyes widening. “Really? Don’t you have work to do?”

“I can get it done tomorrow.” Bada rubs her thumb against your cheek, mirroring your wide smile. “I’d much rather spend time with you.”

You press your cheek further into the palm of Bada’s hand, enjoying the small chill coming from her skin. Although the rest of your fiancée is warm and comforting, you’ve noticed that her hands run cold–or more accurately, her fingers carry a slight frost. Especially now that the seasons are changing, morphing from the bright life of summer to the path of rebirth that is autumn; shades of dusty brown, muted yellow, and fiery orange.

Before she touches you Bada always rubs her hands together and blows warm air into the palms of her hands, accumulating a small heat to run up and down your skin. Every few minutes she takes her hand back and blows more warm air into it until the frost blooms ebbs away into a comfortable temperature. But right now, standing in the brisk breeze of the garden, Bada’s natural chill comforts you.

“I would love to spend the day with you.” You whisper back, the subtle warmth in your cheeks contrasting your faincée’s frost. “What do you think about us going to a cafe?”

“A cafe?” Bada cocks her head to the side, a surprised look overtaking her features. “Is there any particular reason you want to go?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it recently…” you trail off for a moment, wearing a bashful smile. “we’ve been going to a lot of high-end restaurants and venues for dates–” you hurridly meet Bada’s eyes, quickly adding, “not that I don’t like them, by the way, I appreciate the effort you put into making reservations and taking me there, I’ve loved all our dates.” Carefully analyzing your fiancée’s expression, she shows no sign of taking offense, and is in fact smiling softly back at you, nodding. You take that as a sign to continue, “But maybe we could go to a cozy, small cafe instead of somewhere fancy?”

Bada wears a thoughtful look for a second, her eyes looking upward toward the blue sky before she speaks. “That sounds wonderful, honey. And I think know the perfect cafe.” She takes a small glance behind you, seeing Hyo finally walk back into the garden. “Get Lusher, and pull the car up.” She tells your bodyguard, making her pause mid-step, mutter a “yes boss,” and turn around to walk back into the Lee mansion and head towards Lusher’s bedroom.

“Oh, this is perfect timing!” You pipe up, your eyes lighting up in realization. “The wedding planner and I came up with some ideas that I wanted to run by you.”

Bada takes your hand, weaving her through yours before she slowly starts to guide you out of the garden, through the Lee mansion, and to the steps leading to the driveway. “Tell me all about it over coffee, baby.”

“The name of the cafe is Cafe Layered. It’s small but cozy, and I’ve heard that the pastries they make are made fresh every morning.” Bada shifts in her seat so she can face you better, the world outside blurring as the Porsche you’re in rolls through the streets.

“Oh, I think Jae has mentioned that cafe before.” You nod. “She spoke very highly of the desserts.”

“Then I’m sure we can expect equally as good drinks.” Bada smiles.

Silence overtakes the warm air permeating in the car. The atmosphere is sweet and comfortable–no words having to be uttered as the low hum of the Porsche’s engine buzzes in the back of your ears and mind. In that moment, you feel nothing but peace and elation. To be with your lover, spending the day with her rather than wandering the Lee mansion like a ghost, is the truest form of harmony you’ve ever experienced.

Until the car eases to a stop. A parking spot is conveniently open up right in front of Cafe Layered's entrance, which provides Hyo with a convenient space to park the Porsche. She does so with a smooth movement of her hands, pushing the clutch into the park feature. The rumbling in the background instantly fades away, and with it does your peace.

Bada quickly exits the car, swiftly circling it to open your door. However, just before she does, a subtle tension grips her, a fleeting sense of unease. Standing upright, she turns her attention to Cafe Layered's entrance. Peering through the window, she observes patrons indulging in mountains of delectable pastries, steam rising from the fresh bread. Everything appears ordinary, and yet...

"Boss?" Hyo stands on the opposite side of your car door, glancing inside to find you wearing a perplexed expression as you gaze at your frozen fiancée.

"Bada, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Lusher emerges from the car, scanning the street vigilantly, but there's no one in sight, the surroundings almost desolate except for the cafe patrons.

"Keep an eye out," Bada commands tersely, suspicion etched across her face. She places her hand on your door's handle, hesitating for a moment, then opens it, extending her hand to assist you in exiting the low-slung car.

Suddenly, chaos erupts.

Reporters and paparazzi emerge from behind parked cars and nearby corners, wielding their bulky cameras aimed squarely at you and Bada. A barrage of flashing lights ensues, the incessant clicks ringing in your ears. The paparazzi advance, nearly brushing against you before Hyo intervenes, scowling as she orders them to retreat. "Back up!"

Taking a more aggressive stance, Lusher extends her arms and pushes against the midsections of the reporters, berating one who refuses to step back. "What's your problem? Did you leave the house like that on purpose, or are you sleepwalking?" She scrutinizes the paparazzo's attire, prompting him to blush before fleeing down the street, presumably in search of his car.

While the girls try to hold back the paparazzi, Bada positions herself in front of you, shielding you from the cameras and the blinding flashes. She wears a look of pure anger and frustration as she glares into the void before her. "How did they know we would be here?" she snaps, but upon glancing down at you, her demeanor softens. "Are you all right?" She cups your face, forehead pressed against yours as she searches your eyes. "We can leave if—"

"No," you assert, your expression hardening with resolve. "I said I wouldn't be a coward, and I will not."

Bada scrutinizes your countenance, searching for any trace of hesitation or fear, finding only fierce determination in your eyes. She gives you one last, gentle look before pulling away, interlocking her fingers with yours. Bada takes the lead, stepping forward to face the onslaught while you follow a bit behind.

Initially, everything goes smoothly. Hyo and Lusher create a path through the crowd, allowing you and Bada to progress. However, as soon as you step through, the paparazzi swarm like vultures.

A reporter shoves a microphone in your face. "Can you tell us anything about how you and Ms. Lee fell in love?" Startled, you step back, narrowly avoiding the microphone. Bada steps in, forcefully pushing the reporter away. "Don't touch her," she warns, tightening her grip on your hand as she guides you, attempting to keep you close.

Despite the effort, the crowd surges forward, pushing into your side. "Back up!" Hyo shouts, attempting to maintain order.

Bada, evidently fed up, shoulders her way through the crowd, confidently striding forward. "Go straight inside the cafe and don't come out until they leave, okay?" she instructs, looking back over her shoulder at you, her words barely audible over the clamor.

You nod, signaling Bada to continue forging a path until the entrance to Cafe Layered is within reach. She opens the door, positioning herself behind you to block any potential shoves or pushes.

Entering the cafe, you hear the bell chime, announcing your arrival. Curious glances from customers meet your eyes, but they quickly avert their gaze, murmuring among themselves. Taking deep breaths, you attempt to steady your racing heart and nerves. While you expected some media attention, the chaos far surpassed your anticipation.

Allowing yourself a moment's respite, you take a step forward, spotting a vacant table with two chairs across the cafe. Outside, Hyo and Lusher continue their struggle against the paparazzi as Bada engages with the reporters.

"Ms. Lee, do you have a comment for us about your engagement—?"

"Yes, I do," Bada interrupts, her tone frosty with anger. "All I will say is this: leave my fiancée alone. Show her some respect, and stop harassing her or prying into her private life."

Inside the cafe, you manage to take a few steps toward an open table before someone bumps into you from behind. Stumbling forward, you barely regain your balance, turning to face the perpetrator.

It’s another paparazzo. He stares at you with a mix of nervousness and excitement as he balances an iced coffee in one hand, and his camera in the other. Intent on capturing a photograph, he lifts his camera, but a swift intervention comes in the form of a hand abruptly blocking the lens, and pushing his equipment onto the floor.

Instinctively stepping back, you gasp as the paparazzo's camera crashes to the floor with a loud thud. The man looks shocked, glancing at who had slapped the camera out of his hand.

A tall figure steps up, their dark brown suit blocking your view of them. "You should be careful of how you handle such expensive equipment," They interject, their voice low and raspy

Frozen in your spot, a chill runs up your spine. "That voice," you think, "I recognize it. But from where..." Hidden deep within your mind, dormant memories from years ago lie in wait, eager to be recalled.

The paparazzo's mouth falls agape in shock as he hurriedly tries to salvage his ruined camera, offering muttered apologies under his breath. "I apologize, Ms.–"

"Apologize to her," the authoritative figure sharply interjects, motioning over her shoulder at you.

You gaze at the back of their head in astonishment, the inflection of their voice so familiar yet just barely out of reach in your memory–

Then, the tall figure pivots to face you.

A scalding sensation courses through your entire body, as if touched by a burning flame. Finally, memories flood your mind–whispered promises, secret touches, and years of unfulfilled yearning. These are the moments that permeated the years of your adolescence, leaving you awake at night, pondering the haunting question, "what if?"

"Hyunjae?" you breathe, your eyes widening, a tempest of conflicting emotions stirring within their depths.

Her lips curve into a smirk – that infamous smirk unseen since that fateful night four years ago. She’s wearing a crisp, dark brown suit with matching dress pants covering her long legs—the white dress shirt under her shirt is unbuttoned, revealing a sliver of her pale skin. Strands of her glossy, long black hair cascade in front of her face as she tilts her head, looking at you from head to toe. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Princess?"

“Wha–” you struggle to form a coherent thought, much less a sentence when suddenly the paparrazo rushes towards the door of the cafe and bolts out of it, bumping into people in his wake.

Back outside, the humiliated man’s haste and inconsiderate actions cause him to bump into a woman who’d been innocently passing by, and trying to get through the crowd of media blocking the street. She stumbles forward, brushing shoulders with Hyo, who quickly turns around, grabbing the woman out of instinct to keep her from falling.

She whips around to stare at Hyo, her eyes wide and her breaths heavy. “Thank you.” She whispers, regaining her balance and standing up straight.

Hyo flounders, staring at the woman in front of her in wonder. Her medium brown hair cascades down her shoulders, he tresses almost reaching her elbow in length. Her skin is soft and pale, her cheeks dotted with hints of a pinky blush–and her lips are the color of a ripe peach, ready and waiting to be plucked from a tree branch.

The woman stares back at Hyo, admiring her silently as well. “I like your sunglasses.” She comments, her eyes sweeping over the dark shades.

“Oh.” Hyo reaches up to touch her sunglasses, a sudden rush of heat rising from her cheeks. “Thank you–” she clears her throat, trying to compose herself. “I like your…your hair—”

“Hyo, stop flirting and help me control these guys!” Lusher screams at your bodyguard, making the heat in Hyo’s cheeks reach the temperature of a burning furnace.

Hyo turns back to the woman, then looks down, realizing she’d been holding onto her the entire time. She quickly lets the woman go, apologizing. “Sorry, I have to—”

“Was that what you were doing?” The woman cuts off Hyo, her lips stretching into a small smile.

“Pardon?” Hyo says, a mix of confusion and anxiety written all over her face.

“Were you trying to flirt with me?” The woman clarifies, a small giggle falling from her lips.

The sound is like a ringing bell, a melody that pulls at Hyo’s heartstrings like a harp. Yet, despite the flurry of butterflies in her stomach, Hyo clears her throat and straightens up. “Were you trying to?”

The woman’s smile brightens, her eyes closing as she lets out a full laugh. “You got me.”

Hyo mirrors her smile, but then out of the corner of her eye sees Lusher struggling to keep a paparazzi from rushing into the cafe to get to you. Her smile instantly fades, and her mind screams at her for losing sight of her first priority. “I have to do crowd control, but please have a good day.” She says, her tone noticeably curt.

The woman seems to deflate at Hyo’s words, but she’s quick to recover. She grabs Hyo’s arm and lightly pulls on it, bringing her closer. “Thank you, you saved me from a nasty fall.” She whispers, looking between your bodyguard’s eyes.

Hyo licks her lips instinctively and nods. “You’re welcome.”

With that, they part, their hearts crying out for the other as the woman walks down the desolate street, and Hyo turns back to the crowd, helping Lusher.

Inside Cafe Layered, you face the ghost of your past.

“What are you doing here, Hyunjae?” You demand, your eyebrows furrowing so deeply a crease forms between them.

“Ouch.” She hisses playfully and touches her chest where her heartbeat is located. “Not gonna call me Hyunie anymore, Princess?”

“You lost the right to that nickname years ago, and you know that.” You snap back, eyes set into a harsh glare.

“Yes, I agree.” Hyunjae admits, her smile turning melancholy. “But I’ve come back to make everything right.”

You stare at Hyunjae incredulously, almost laughing in disbelief. “You think you can just come back after four years, apologize, and then suddenly everything will be okay?”

“I never said I was just going to apologize.” Hyunjae takes a step forward, ghosting her hand over your cheek, every part of her longing to touch you again.

You step back like her phantom touch burned you. “Don’t—”

“I’m sorry.” Hyunjae interrupts you softly, her voice filled with sadness, yearning, and regret. “Everything I said to you back then were nothing but lies.”

“That doesn’t matter now.” You look away from her, your eyes cast onto the floor as whispers of the words she’d said to you all those years ago echo in your mind. Internally, you weep for your younger, naive self. “I have a life, I have a—”

“Oh.” Hyunjae leans in close, and for a split second, you think she’s going to kiss you. But she doesn’t. Instead, she inspects the edge of your shirt, making you look down at it out of instinct. There’s a small blotch of liquid darkening your shirt that you hadn’t noticed. “That pap spilled some of his coffee on you.”

You frown, sighing at the stain but shift your gaze back to Hyunjae, who’s now reaching into her suit jacket pocket. She pulls out a white cloth—a handkerchief—and leans in close again, dabbing the area of the coffee stain on your shirt.

You stare down at Hyunjae in shock, but your shock only doubles when the bell to the cafe chimes, and Bada walks in.

She’s huffing, her expression incredibly sour as her eyes sweep over the cafe in search of you—

And when her eyes meet yours, the world stops. Her dark brown irises snap from your surprised look to the woman hovering over you, touching your shirt with her handkerchief. A fierce emotion flashes in Bada’s eyes as she advances towards the small corner you and Hyunjae are tucked into. “Who are you?” Bada snaps, stepping to your side and in front of Hyunjae.

Hyunjae doesn’t answer, she just smiles and continues cleaning your shirt until the coffee stain dissipates. “There,” she mumbles, standing up.

Now at her full height, she matches Bada’s stature, mildly surprising your finacée. But that doesn’t deter her glare. As Hyunjae folds her dirty handkerchief, Bada catches a cursive letter “P” sewn into the fabric before it’s tucked out of sight.

“Well, I think it’s time for me to go.” Hyunjae completely ignores Bada’s presence, instead staring at you like you’re the only woman on Earth. “I’m glad I got to see you again.”

Before you can say anything, Hyunjae quickly leans in again and wraps her arms around you in a hug.

“I’ve always loved you.” She whispers into your ear, her words inaudible to Bada who watches in surprise and unbridled anger. “Never forget that.” While Hyunjae holds you, tears of grief build in your eyes. You’re far too shell-shocked to move or respond, instead, your eyes move to your fiancée, who upon seeing your tears steps forward and pushes Hyunjae off of you.

“Don’t touch her.” Bada glowers at Hyunjae, making a point of holding you close to her side. “Who are you?” She repeats, but this time her voice is dripping with offense.

Hyunjae only smirks, shoving her hand in her pockets as she steps to the side, now shoulder to shoulder with Bada. “I’m an…” she trails off, her eyes sweeping over you, “old friend.”

Without missing a beat, Hyunjae strides towards the door of Cafe Layered, bumping shoulders with Bada as she passes by you both. Seconds later, the bell chimes, signaling Hyunjae’s exit.

Bada grits her teeth, her tongue poking at the inside of her cheek in irritation and fury. However, before she can stew in her anger any longer, she turns to look at you, grabbing the sides of your face, worry flashing in her eyes. “Did she hurt you? I can’t believe she fucking touched you—” Bada tries to control herself, but her words hold nothing venom. “Who really is she to you?”

You stare into Bada’s eyes, a single tear dripping down both of your cheeks. “That was Park Hyunjae. My ex.”

Bada stills, her eyes doubling in size. An ominous, almost looming fear scratches at the back of her mind—a foreboding feeling. The way Hyunjae had touched you—like the intimate touch of a lost lover—makes a bubbling envy invade your fiancée’s body. Venom, is perhaps what it is, an already mounting hatred for the woman she’d just met. “Your ex?”

“I haven’t seen her in four years, but then a paparazzo got in—” Your breaths become slightly labored as you struggle to form a sentence with your heart hammering in your chest. “I’m sorry—”

“Honey, it’s okay.” Bada places her hands on your shoulders, trying to calm you down. “As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

Before you can respond, the sound of Bada’s ringtone fills the air, making her scowl. She digs into her pocket to grab her personal phone, using her other hand to grab yours and interlock your fingers together. She accepts the call without glancing at the caller ID.

“Hello?” She answers gruffly, her eyebrows furrowed as she stares at the floor.

“Boss!” Minah relieved tone calls out on the other line. “You picked up—”

“Minah, what is it? I’m in the middle of something right now.” Bada glances at you, sending you an apologetic look before she frowns at the crystalline tears dotting the corner of your eyes. She reaches over to carefully thumb them away while Minah starts talking again.

“I found out who wrote the letter.”

At her words, Bada stills, her gaze sharpening and her posture unconsciously straightening. She stands tall, exuding the same intimidating disposition she’d held with Hyunjae. “Tell me.”

“You have to come home.” Minah insists. “There was a problem with the newest shipment of…products.”

“What do you mean there’s a problem?” Bada presses her subordinate.

“Trust me, you’re going to want to see this.”

Bada inhales deeply, trying to calm the raging fire plaguing her mind. “Fine, we’re heading home now.”

You glance at your finacée in confusion, who only shakes her head in response. She takes your interwoven hand and places an apologetic kiss against your knuckles.

“I’ll see you soon, bye.” Bada promptly hangs up the call, then turns to face you. “I’m sorry, we have to go home, there’s been an issue—”

“It’s alright.” You cut in, trying to muster a smile to soothe Bada’s worries. “I don’t think I want to stay for coffee anymore.”

Your finacée wears a disappointed expression, the lines in her forehead creasing as she releases a sigh. “As soon as I’ve dealt with the issue we can discuss the wedding plans.”

You nod, quick to add, “Don’t worry about it, the urgent and more time-consuming parts have been sorted out—there are only a few things left for us to give input on.”

“Alright.” Bada glances at the door, relieved to see that the paparazzi and the reporters have left, leaving Lusher and Hyo standing by the doors, carefully examining each passerby. “We should go.”

Together, you and your fiancée leave Cafe Layered, hoping to leave behind the acrid taste Hyunjae had left on your tongues and minds. Still, even during the silent ride home, she looms over you all like a dark cloud, casting a shadow on the lingering echoes of unspoken words and unresolved tension.

“Boss!” The second Bada steps into the Lee mansion, Minah and the other girls stride toward her, their lips tugged downward into uneasy frowns. “We have a lot to show you.”

Bada eyes the girls, then glances at you, a sigh leaving her lips. “I have to—”

“Go.” You give your fiancée a light push, and an understanding smile. “I can tell it’s important.”

Bada takes one last look at you and pecks your lips before nodding at the girls. Her, Lusher and the other girls take fast strides towards the spiral staircase, their footsteps echoing eerily through the hallway when they reach the second floor, you and Hyo staying behind.

“Debrief me.” Bada demands, her face cold and expressionless as they approach the armory room.

“Well, while I was tracking down who wrote the letter, Kyma and Soweon went to check on the shipment were meant to be delivering to Hanwha Aerospace, but when they opened the crates—” Minah stops in front of the armory room and punches in a code into a keypad, scans her fingerprint as well, which makes the airtight vault’s door pop open. She takes the handle and gestures into the room, looking apprehensive. “You should see for yourself.”

Bada walks into the armory without a second thought, catching sight of an open crate in the middle of the room. She approaches it with a slightly raised brow, leaning her tall frame forward so she can see inside.

The sides of the crate are packed with black cushioning, which prevents the guns from moving around—but the pistols inside are what grabs Bada’s attention. She picks one up, examining the weight of the gun in her hand—playing a little hot potato with it as she shifts the gun back and forth from the air to the palm of her hand.

On one of her toss ups, she suddenly and swiftly grabs the gun, clicking off the safety and pulling the trigger at the wall, her eyes narrowing when she feels resistance.

“The pin.” Bada states, lowering the gun and scrutinizing every inch of it under her heavy gaze. “It was sabotaged.”

“We noticed right away.” Soweon speaks up, her lips set into a deep frown.

“Are all of the guns like this?” Bada flips the gun around a few more times, looking for any further indication of sabotage.

“Yes.” Kyma answers.

“I checked all of them for fingerprints but nothing came up. Whoever did this are professionals—”

As the last word leaves Minah’s mouth, Bada dissembles the gun by sliding out the magazine, when something catches her eye. There, engraved into the metal, is the letter “P”.

Bada’s mind immediately goes back to the cafe, remembering the “P” sewn into Hyunjae’s handkerchief, and your words, “Park Hyunjae. My ex.”

“We still have no idea who did this, but—”

“Don’t waste your time investigating.” Bada cuts in, her voice full of irritation and anger. “I know who did this.”

The girls all glance at each other in confusion before Lusher steps up. “Who is it?”

Bada drops the ruined gun into the crate, then turns around to face the girls. “My fiancée’s ex.”

Finding Park Hyunjae was easier than it should have been. One search of her name in the database, and her address was revealed to Bada and the girls. Clearly, she’d made no attempt to conceal her existence, which meant that they were more than likely walking into a trap.

And yet, with a bold display of confidence, the Bebe girls and Bada stand outside the door of Hyunjae's mansion. The lack of outside security isn’t lost on the girls—yes, this was most certainly a trap.

“The door.” Bada points at the doorknob, and motions for Tatter to step up. While Tatter gets out her lock pick and gets to work, Bada turns to look at a building across the street, seeing Lusher sitting at the top of it with her sniper rifle sweeping through the windows of Hyunjae’s mansion.

Bada holds up a fist and then one finger, which grabs Lusher’s attention. She moves away from the sniper rifle and holds up a fist, a confused look on her face.

“How many?” Cheche asks, noticing Bada’s furrowed eyebrows and deep frown.

Bada looks at her, eyes relaying absolutely no emotion. “Zero.”

The girls still in their spots, all turning to look at their Boss.

“They’re waiting for us.” Kyma clicks her teeth.

“Has that ever stopped us?” Tatter objects, continuing her job on the doorknob.

“No.” The girls call out in unison.

“And this will not be the first time.” Bada nods. “She fucked with our business and my finacée. She needs to pay.”

The girls nod firmly, each of them picking up their guns and standing at attention, ready for the upcoming battle.

And when the sound of the doorknob clicking fills the muted air, it’s like the battle cry that signals the girls to charge forward. Tatter goes first, pushing the door open with considerable force—the rest of the girls following after—Bada being the last one in.

But when she steps onto the cold stone flooring of Hyunjae’s mansion, she sees something she never expected to.

Lined up like soldiers, rows of men and women stand before the stunned Bebe girls and Bada. They stare forward, completely disregarding the sight of the girls. It’s an eerie display of power, something that for the first time in years, makes a prickle of alarm run up Bada’s spine.

“You made it.” Hyunjae steps up from behind one of her men, a relaxed smile on her lips. “I expected you to arrive sooner, but—”

“What do you want from me?” Bada interrupts, stepping forward so that she’s as close as she can be to Hyunjae.

Your ex stares at Bada in silence for a moment, before her lips curl into a smirk. “Everything.”

Bada glares at Hyunjae, her grip on her pistol tightening.

“I’m getting ahead of myself.” Your ex starts walking away, turning her back to her enemies with complete disregard to her safety. When Bada doesn’t make a move to follow her, Hyunjae pauses, turns around, and looks at her, now frowning. “Are you just going stand there?”

Bada remains silent, contemplating her options.

“They won’t do anything to your lackeys.” Hyunjae nods at her men. “…As long as you come with me.”

Your fiancée glances at the girls, who all give her hesitant looks. Deep down, Bada knows her best bet is to start a shoot-out with Hyunjae. She could take her chances and finish her here and now—stop her from laying a hand on you—but a nagging curiosity eats away at her being.

Just how serious had you and Hyunjae been? Why has she decided to show up now? Why? Why…?

Bada takes long strides toward Hyunjae, now standing in front of her. “Let’s get this over with.”

Without wasting another moment of precious time, Hyunjae takes the lead and walks down the proceeding corridor. Bada keeps a safe distance from her, paying close attention to every turn and curve they take.

Eventually, they arrive at a door, which Hyunjae quickly opens and enters, Bada close behind. The door swings shut after them, keeping them hidden away from the lackeys and the girls at the entrance.

“Lee Bada—”

“Stay away from my business, and most importantly, my finacée.” Bada snaps at Hyunjae, her words sharp like a blade which cuts deep wounds into Hyunjae’s skin. “I have nothing more to say to you.”

Your ex chuckles under her breath. “So the rumors are true. You are engaged to the love of my life.”

Bada’s expression hardens. “My finacée.”

“My first, and only love.” Hyunjae runs her digits along the desk in her office, feeling ridges of the sleek wood catch against her fingertips. “Did she tell you how we met? How we fell in love?”

Bada remains quiet, her lips thinned into firm lines. She stands tall and proud, although somewhere in the hidden confines of her heart, their strings are being pulled and tugged, played like a cruel harp with every utterance Hyunjae releases.

Your ex smiles down at the floor, taking Bada’s silence as an answer. “I expected as much.” She circles around her desk and sits in her chair, spreading her legs wide to get comfortable. “We met in high school. She was a year younger than me, but thrice as wealthy.”

5 years ago

The air is hot and sticky, filled with giggles, screams, and whispers. There’s hardly any illumination in the living room, save for the strobed red lights that cast a lustrous shadow on the bodies of partygoers. Surrounded by a sea of well-dressed attendees, Park Hyunjae sticks out like a sore thumb.

In her worn-out leather jacket and unbuttoned black dress shirt, she clings to the walls of the living room, observing the “jewels” of Seoul float around like dying embers.

But if they might be dying embers, Hyunjae would be their ash, which wishes and yearns to become coal.

“Not a party person?” A voice fills Hyunjae’s ears, a symphony like no other.

She startles, turning to face the girl beside her.

…Amongst many imitations of fine jewels, one precious stone shines bright.

“Sorry.” You offer Hyunjae an apologetic smile. “I saw you standing here alone, so I thought—”

“You thought wrong.” Hyunjae cuts you off harshly.

“Did I?” You smile brightly at her, despite the stoking fire inside the stranger standing beside you. “Should I go, then?”

Hyunjae stands stock still, allowing a long pause of silence to pass between you two.

“I’ll stay.” You place your shoulder against the wall, the light in your eye twinkling. “What’s your name?”

The following two words sealed your inevitable love. “…Park Hyunjae.”

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