#maybe eventually my entire left upper arm will just be things I love and associate with gram

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

Kinda want to get the Xena chakram tattooed on my bicep

[notnctu]

switchin’ lanes - l.jn | ridin’ club

━ welcome to the ridin’ club smut series 

genre ➠ slow burn, smut, pwp???, fluff (if u squint) wordcount ➠ 8.3k details ➠  fem!reader, streetracer!jeno, badboy!jeno, college!au,  ━ where you and jeno are in a relationship, but not with each other. warnings ➠ explicit language, cheating, flirty banter, alcohol consumption, drugs, yall at a party, physical fighting (not with you), mentions of cuts/bruises, hickeys, drunk public dry humping, thigh riding, fingering, oral (f/receiving) synopsis ➠ If your boyfriend didn’t decide to join such a stupid unofficial club, then maybe you wouldn’t be in such a sticky situation where Lee Jeno is literally knuckles deep in your sticky situation as he drives you home. Or maybe if your boyfriend actually touched you, then you wouldn’t be seeking it from someone else, who can’t keep his hands off of you. taglist ➠ @rabbit-doyochi ; @darkneogotmyback ; @im-lame-irl ; @p-mini ; @niniluvsmarkhyuck ; @saniahmichael ; @jaehy9ngs ; @danyxthirstae01 ; @jaehyunoos ; @pikijaemin ; @suhweo​ ; @dearlyminhyung​

a/n ➠ hi yall its author doie❀!! i hope you enjoy the series pls leave me feedback lmaoo ill literally take anything. we also hit a milestone for followers and honestly its so crazy to know how quickly this tiny sideblog has grown! we’re so thankful that yall follow us, thank u for lovin us and we will try our best to put out more content!! also through the lens hit 1k notes how is that even possible like wow im speechless thank u for everyone who left such kind comments i treasure every form of feedback :) 

The heavy double doors of the classroom stare tauntingly at you. The evening setting in, painting the sky with strokes of orange and pink. You managed to remain complaint free the entire day, until your forgetful boyfriend canceled on you because of a club meeting. A meeting for an unofficial club on campus because it is illegal to street race. A club consists of delinquents that are obsessed with cars and steal your boyfriend away from you. 

This is the fifth time this week that your boyfriend stood you up or coincidentally forgot your dates. You can’t remember the last time he physically stood in front of you and not through a phone screen. However, it is not completely the stupid club’s fault that your boyfriend has neglected you. 

He truly is the worst boyfriend ever. He blames everything on his bad memory and does not prioritize you in his life. He loves one thing --- his car. You could be lying in a hospital bed, and he wouldn’t care to check up on you. 

So why did you stay with him? Because you’re scared of being alone? Possibly, but it is a can of worms that you did not want to open just yet. Sex is definitely not the reason you stay with him. He hasn’t touched you sexually since the first and now, last time you two slept together. 

You try your best, to only be waved off with a yawn. He doesn’t compliment you. He doesn’t look at you lovingly. He doesn’t even kiss you for longer than two seconds. You are a toppling tower, ready to crumble at any given moment.

The anger in your body fuels you as you pull the door open to reveal several men in leather jackets chatting away with each other. One by one, they all begin to lay their eyes on who abruptly interrupted their joyous conversations. Your eyes scan the room full of intimidating men, whose auras cause a shiver to run down your spine.

Your boyfriend is nowhere in sight, given that there are plenty enough guys who have the ability to cover him. You walk into the open space and the entire mood of the room shifts. 

Heavy cologne and a deafening silence fill the air. One particular male, who has been eyeing you the entire time, gets up and walks towards you. 

“Are you lost, baby?” Scoffs and chuckles sparsely cover the corners of the room. The unknown male has a jarring cut on his eyebrow, matching a small bruise on his upper cheekbone. 

“I’m looking for my boyfriend…” Your weak voice trails off from the sudden attractive male intimidation. The tall man peers around the room, crossing his arms.

“If you are this beautiful woman’s boyfriend, please fucking come out now. It’s very rude to keep your girl waiting for you!” Initially, his low throaty shout startles you. A heavy heat falls on your cheeks when you register his choice of adjectives.

The whole room falls silent once more, before your pitiful boyfriend steps out from between two bulkier men. “Hey babe, what are you doing here?” His eyes nervously bounce around the room, a shaky laughter erupting from his gut. 

“Sorry, Jeno. I didn’t mean to cause such a scene. I didn’t even see her come in.”

Like a trigger, you remember your intentions for storming in uninvited. Jeno gauges your flaming reaction to your boyfriend’s apologetic words. He nods, not out of acceptance of the apology, but out of disbelief.

He pulls your boyfriend by the collar of his white shirt and your eye widens at the condescending tone that causes your boyfriend to cower, “I’m not the one to apologize to.” With a careless toss, your boyfriend ends up shaking in front of you.

“Jeno is not the only one you should be scared of.” You whisper angrily to him as the rest of the room continues on with their previous chatter. 

Your boyfriend rolls his eyes, “listen, Jeno’s been arrested before. You don’t want to get on that man’s bad side.” 

Your eyes wander behind your boyfriend’s hunching shoulders, catching Jeno steal peeks at you too. There is no interest in the other rambling male that stands in front of him. He just wants to check you out a bit more. 

He is the hottest person you’ve ever gotten the attention of. You feel flustered, and a bit flattered at his lingering gaze. His brown hair is slicked back messily, giving you more to admire. Jeno is an absolute cliche from a bad boy fanfiction. He is unreal, and the odd chance that he can’t keep his eyes off of you, is also unreal. 

But with a light nudge from a blue haired fellow, Jeno’s eyes peel away from your’s. They exchange a few words, which then propels Jeno to hurriedly put on his slightly tattered leather jacket.

You lick your lips to the sight of his body lines as he stands up to follow his friend, but not without another look back at you. Noticing your stare still on him, he bids you a tiny wave goodbye with a smirk to die for. And like that, he’s gone. 

“Are you listening to me?” Your boyfriend’s voice finally reaches your reality. Your focus shifts to the obviously irritated expression on his face. 

“I guess, I’m not. Don’t fucking stand me up again or I will key your car.” You aren’t actually those kinds of girls, but your boyfriend didn’t take a threat seriously unless it involves his highly treasured car. 

And like Jeno, you also make your exit out of the steamy room. The chilly night brush against your unknowingly hot cheeks. Then, you take yourself to the only unhealthy coping mechanism you can think of: a place of free alcohol and no boyfriend.

It takes you a few months to completely stop caring about your dying relationship. You figure how easy it is for your boyfriend to do it, so you make the same decision.

He spends his nights with his friends he made from his club, and has totally become a self proclaimed car enthusiast. You lose yourself in copious amounts of cheap alcohol at your local parties and it’s almost like you stop sulking over a man who kisses his car goodnight.

While being alone did not bother you as much as you had been dreading, the sexual frustration is a completely different issue. You are absolutely drooling whenever your eyes find Jeno in the crowds of sweaty bodies.

If there is one good thing that came out of your boyfriend’s membership in that club, it had to be Lee Jeno and a few other notable people who attended the same parties as you.

He became a very close acquaintance, and you had learned some very important names associated with the Ridin’ Club. Na Jaemin, Lee Haechan, and Huang Renjun. But the three could not compare to the kindhearted Jeno that makes butterflies stir in your lower abdomen. 

Over the months, you also had learned rather quickly that your sexually clouded mind had tricked you previously into thinking that Jeno’s stares were full of lust for you. His girlfriend makes it clear that it isn’t the case.

Although you have caught the couple making out several times when trying to use the bathroom, your feverish, impure attraction toward Jeno never calmed down.

“You’re looking very tempting tonight, baby.” Jeno’s beaming eye smile greets you, even after completely undressing you with his gaze. His arms are wide open to embrace your warm body. 

The parties are always too hot to wear a fully clothed outfit. You often settle for a cute tank top and a short skirt to prevent your legs from collecting extra moisture. Jeno, without a fail, shows up in black jeans that clad his lower half, tucked with a simple white shirt. His tattoos and toned arms being on full display for you to admire. 

“Better make sure your actual baby doesn’t hear that.” The loud beats of the music make Jeno’s chuckle almost inaudible, but his expression remains cheerful, as per usual. “Did you get into another fight?” 

The fresh wound cut through his smooth complexion, which will eventually join the rest of his collection of fading scars. He mindlessly grazes over the new bandaging and dramatically winces. Clearly concerned, you grab his hand away from the injury. “Don’t touch it, stupid.”

His smile curves into a sly smirk, as he intertwines your fingers and kisses the back of your hand. “It doesn’t hurt at all.” His chest heaves into a fit of giggles, “just wanted to see you care for me.” 

Groaning, you shake his massive hand off of your’s. “Very funny. I should start charging you for my attention.” 

“Name your price, I got all the money in the world for you.” He winks, while lightly pinching your cheek. You are lying to yourself if you thought you could ever stay away from him. Jeno stirs up a part of you that craves the cheesy nicknames, flirty comments and the undivided attention. 

He motions you to follow him into the mess of people. Almost as if he’s a god, the crowd parts for you two to walk through without unnecessary extra bodies. The fear that settles in many individuals’ chest is understandable.

Like your first impression, Jeno is a complete walking fanfiction trope. He negotiates better with his fists, usually with good reason. The guns of the Ridin’ Club, though, his friends are very much to be feared as well. They will not hesitate to run someone over, if given the heated situation to do so. And most definitely, you can count them to be backing up their fighter, Jeno. 

You had not been mindful before of the chatter that regarded the secret Ridin’ Club. They are notorious for fast paced very illegal races in the middle of nowhere destinations and tempers that aren’t meant to be provoked. Besides their intimidating aura, it melts away after getting to know them.

Lee Haechan, the most annoying brat, but has the strongest, the most loyal bond to his boys. He’s also notably funny, often making you laugh with an exchange of banter.

Huang Renjun, the whiniest and initially quiet boy, but grows to be one of the loudest and will chew you out if anyone dares try engaging in verbal combat. 

Na Jaemin, the flirty playboy who always has a swarm of girls, but the gentlest man with a soft spot for cute things. 

And finally, Lee Jeno, the owner of your nights. He is the friendliest of them all, despite him being the toughest one. While his stare can kill, melting away his layers reveal the warmest heart. Not that Jeno is the only one to show initial interest in you, but he is the most considerate to the people he holds close to him.

He has taken care of you for many drunk nights and watched protectively over your intoxicated figure in the crowds. He makes you feel safe and seen, which are some of the many reasons you are entirely attracted to him.

“(Y/N)!” Jaemin’s scream pierce your ears the moment the blueberry catches your eye. He excitedly nudges the other two boys, who are busy pouring drinks into red cups.

“You’re going to make me spill it, idiot!” Renjun grumbles, but looks up to see your dazzling smile and tremendous excitement. His own smile grows, “so the life of the party finally decided to say hi.”

“Hi, my fanclub. I appreciate the long awaited greeting.” Your over the top, sarcasm causes all of them to chime loudly. Haechan hands you a cup and wraps his arm around your shoulders. 

Jeno joins you at your side and the five of you clink your drinks to the ceiling. A fit of yells over the music and a competition of who can finish first. As per usual, you set your cup down after draining the entirety. The others are still chugging the burning liquid down their throats. 

Haechan coughs after dropping his cup onto the counter. His face is twisted with the most disgusted contour, “I don’t know how you do it, (Y/N).”

“I already drank more than you guys, so it just tastes like water now.” You scream over the loud music. Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun toss their empty cups into the sink. 

At this rate, you are completely blindsided by the effects of the alcohol as your legs give out to gravity. Jeno catches you quickly, holding your elbows and your head is placed on his shoulder. Jaemin chuckles lovingly, before helping Jeno balance you against the island. Your head feels heavy on your shoulders, as the room spins in front of you. 

“You good?” Haechan pats your head gently, whispering close to you.

“I---” You try catching your breath after being winded. “--It’s hitting me now.”

Jeno wraps his arm around your lower waist to draw you close to him, “want to go sit down?” He mumbles into your hair. You nod, Jeno and Renjun supporting your limp body to walk over to the couch.

The dark living room is lit up only by colorful led lights, but it is not enough to make out much of anything. Everyone is in their own world, dancing and socializing within their own selves. The two men set you down on the cushion, but your impulse catches onto Jeno’s wrist before he leaves. Renjun is already lost in the crowd.

“Can I sit on your lap?” You pout cutely, all the shame in your body has been displaced with courage. Jeno’s eyes soften at your sudden request, and kisses the top of your forehead.

“The throne is all yours.” He says as he sits at your side and pulls you on top of his thick thighs. His arm is loosely dangling around your waist, resting on top of your thighs. 

The intimate position causes your mind to wander into dark thoughts. His strong, sturdy legs feel delicious against your clothed core. While you’ve been in this position once before, you could never forget how protected, yet very horny it makes you feel. 

“What’s on your mind, (y/n)?” Jeno’s deep voice brushes against your bare shoulder and you feel his chest press against your back. “You’ve been pretty silent tonight.”

You turn slightly to face him, “if I told you, I’m scared it would ruin things between us.”

“There’s nothing in the world that can hold me back from you.” He is always so quick to spill such alluring words. His soft lips graze lightly on your skin as his sparkling eyes look up at your expression.

All it takes is one more tiny kiss on your arm to get you grabbing his face, drawing him into a steamy, long awaited kiss. Surprisingly, he kisses you back, open mouth and tongue lapping with your’s. His hands reposition your legs to where you straddle him. Your faces dive deeper into each other’s as the kiss continues to intensify.

Jeno’s lips still have a hint of alcohol, but he mostly tastes like mint gum. And they are comparable to a cloud, the softest lips you have ever made out with. It is like kissing pure heaven, completely different from your boyfriend’s two second pecks. Jeno devours you in a needy way, like he’s been waiting to explore the wonders of your lips. 

However, you pull away when you feel the vibration of his phone against your inner thigh, almost like a wake up call. As if all the liquid courage disappeared, you blink back in shock at Jeno’s plump wet lips. The thought of his girlfriend crosses your mind, and maybe slight guilt for your own boyfriend fills your system.

You quickly start getting up from his hot body, “fuck, I’m so sorry..” But his hands pull you back onto him, your legs finding their way open above his thighs again. 

“Don’t be, I’ve always wondered what your lips would taste like.” A smirk, then a hearty chuckle relaxes your contracting nerves at the potential of a ruined friendship. 

“But, your girlfriend..” Your tiny voice trails off and Jeno picks up your chin. His fingers rubbing along your jawline.

His eyes do another lap around your features. He admires your averting shy eyes, your beautiful lips, and how they all come together to make a stunning you. 

There is no doubt in Jeno’s mind that he is very attracted to you. He knew it the moment you barged into the club meeting. You are his type of woman, a good mixture of confident and timidness. You like to have some fun, and aren't afraid to be bold. Not to mention, that you are incredibly hot and every time you flirt back just makes him melt inside.

“She won’t care. She hooks up with people all the time.” It puzzles you, all this time you had been holding yourself back from Jeno because he has a girlfriend. All to find out that the relationship isn’t as serious as you thought it to be.

“I know, it doesn’t make sense. But we aren’t two people to be tied down, but at the same time, we like each other enough to want to stay together.”

Your confused expression causes Jeno to laugh and ask, “what’s the dilemma with your boyfriend?”

Rolling your eyes at the mention of your boyfriend, you sigh, “it’s like we’re still together, but we aren’t at the same time. We’ve abandoned the relationship unknowingly.”

Jeno runs a warm hand up and down your thigh, while he listens intently to you. He nods, grabbing your waist to pull you over his groin. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“No, he’s a shitty person and an even shittier boyfriend. We literally haven’t fucked for the past year. I’m practically a virgin again.” His hand automatically gives your thigh a light squeeze.

Jeno’s eyes light up as you quickly cover your mouth out of embarrassment. A devilish smirk raises his cheekbone, and lust clouds his mind. Gauging his reaction, your cheeks turn hot.

“We’ll have to change that, don’t we? My baby must be all kinds of frustrated. Tell me, do you like when I touch you then?” Jeno drops in tempo, usually when he wants to be more intimidating with a deeper voice. 

You clear your throat intending to speak, but you can only nod your head in response. “C’mon, (Y/N). Use your words, like a big girl.” Even with the loud music and continuous chatter, you can hear Jeno‘s taunting whisper. 

His words tickle your collarbone as he runs his lips against your neck. Your heart is pumping rapidly at the turn of events, as if the possibility of having something beyond a kiss from Jeno is more than possible at this rate. 

Jeno enjoys your small whimpers as he marks your neck with purple love bites. Right in the center of the crowded room, Lee Jeno is just casually giving you hickeys.

“Yes, I love that you can’t keep your hands off of me.” 

Almost immediately, you can feel his lips curve into a smile on your skin. Pop! Jeno marvels the darkness against your skin in the mood lighting. A small part of him hopes you do end up seeing your boyfriend sometime soon, so he can see who you really belong to.

“How about we try touching like this?” Jeno pushes you down hard against his pelvis, the veins on his hands becoming evident from the grip and the tiny drawings permanently staining his fingers.

You gasp the moment you feel Jeno’s hip begin to move underneath you to the beat of the song. He rolls your hips rhythmically to match his speed. His clothed hard on can be felt through the only barrier you have on --- your panties.

The thin fabric is soon drenched in your juices after the continuous friction up and down his length. You throw your head back to every bump against your clit, the electrifying feeling enact more of your wetness to puddle. 

You can’t believe you were grinding against Jeno in the middle of a full party, as if his friends aren’t a few feet away. It is a good thing that your skirt pools around both of your waists to conceal the dirty deed underneath.

Jeno’s lip escapes under his top row of teeth as he rubs his clothed length against your barely covered pussy. He can feel his jeans dampening from your wetness and his eyes roll to the back of his head from how the feeling of wanting you consumes his body. He really becomes uncontrollable when it comes to you. 

This is the most sexual activity you have had with another person for over a year. Jeno just looks absolutely heavenly intoxicated with lust, and your mouth waters at how big his cock must be. You can feel his length the harder Jeno rolls against you, and it is definitely bigger than your boyfriend’s. 

You are trying so hard to stay quiet and unnoticeable, but the pleasure seeps out every crevice. Jeno is trained on you as your hand reaches up to cover your mouth, the muffled whimpers escaping your lips uncontrollably.

“I’m so close.” You admit, your body jolting every time his jean button grazes against your sensitive bud.

Jeno moves you over his thigh, forgetting his incredibly hard dick straining in his jeans. As long as you are satisfied, he can care less about his own pleasure. A low scream erupts from your throat when he flexes against you. 

His thigh is much more stable, with more control for consistency. You quickly notice the dark, wet spot on his jeans and you blush even harder. Your underwear clings onto you from the excessive moisture, but Jeno continues to help you finish.

The strands of hair cover your face, but Jeno needs to see your fucked out expression. He is taken aback when you start riding his thigh faster, grinding harder without the aid of his hands.

His mouth hangs slightly open in awe at your neediness, he truly did not know the extent of your sexual frustrations. Oh, but how he is incredibly turned on by you getting off on him. 

“I want you to cum for me, you deserve it.” Jeno brings you in for another passionate kiss. The mixture of his tongue sucking harshly on yours, and the friction on your clit are more than enough to reach your climax. 

Your legs clenched tightly around Jeno’s thigh. The small knot in your stomach that built, drops like the beat playing in the background. The feeling of white is familiar, but it is more intense than when you would touch yourself. You are finally receiving the pleasure from someone else’s touch, someone who wants you to unravel for him.

Jeno pulls away from your lips, kissing down your neck and collarbones as your chest heaves for air. His palm soothes your shaking legs as your climax subsides. You fall into his arms, and he laughs. The reality that you two just did that publicly registers in both of your minds.

Digging your shy face further into Jeno’s shoulder, he whispers lovingly, “let me drive you home.” 

“Are you still drunk?” The muffled question tickles Jeno’s neck.

“I think you beautifully cumming on my thigh sobered me up.” He jokes and you quickly cover his mouth. Your heart practically stops and you hope no one else heard him.

It is silly that you are now self conscious, as if the whole room didn’t just watch you and Jeno grind on the couch. But, the feeling of embarrassment and regret lingers in your stomach. You mentally thank the dark room for concealing both of your identities.

“I’m sorry for your jeans.” A pout begs for forgiveness as you stare at Jeno’s beaming smile. He takes your hand off of his mouth, not forgetting to give your fingertips a lingering kiss.

“I’m sorry for your boyfriend. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Jeno parts your hair from your neck, admiring the marks he left on you. A small sense of pride builds inside of him, accompanied by a tiny bundle of possessiveness.

“Let me say goodbye to the boys and I’ll take you home.” 

Nodding, Jeno carefully lifts you off of him and onto the cushion. He leans over to kiss your cheek. As he gets up, you see the darker shades on his jeans from your doing. However, Jeno is completely unbothered and continues to find his friends.

Now that you are alone, you feel a bit nervous that someone would come up to you and talk about what they saw. Checking your phone, your screen blinds you with absolutely no notifications from your boyfriend. Going on social media is worse, as you scroll to see that your boyfriend posted a photo.

It is a photo of his hot, red polished car. He obnoxiously posed squatting next to the front wheel, his lips puckered up and kissing the rims. With a caption that makes every regret in your body disappear, “with my one and only.” 

The phone is tossed somewhere else, wishing to delete the image from your memory. Your eyes wander around the room, when they spot a suspicious man sneakily dropping a small pill in an unattended drink. He, then, looks up and catches your stare. Caught red handed. 

But the male smugly smirks, “you’re going to pretend you didn’t see that, like how half of this room pretended to not see you grinding on Jeno.” 

“You’re complete scum, I can’t believe you just roofied someone’s drink.” You yell in utter disbelief at the unwavering man. His disgusting smirk changes into a menacing smile.

He approaches you, his height allowing him to tower above. You gulp, scared at how he can easily overpower you at any second.

“And what are you going to do about it? What? Jeno didn’t loosen you up enough?” His revolting hot breath beating down your nose, invading every corner of your personal space. 

Before you can find any insult to speak back, his figure goes flying sideways and out of your face. It’d be a lie to not admit your heart skipping a beat at the sight of Jeno’s clenched fists and locked jaw. His sharp gaze watches as the stranger gets up from the ground, inflammation already growing on his left cheek.

“Dude, what the fuck!” He shouts angrily, holding his cheekbone as he winces at the pain. Immediately, the conversations are replaced with gasps, and small whispers at the sight. People gather around the living room to see the commotion. Even you are unsure how to react to the sudden fight.

The other man lunges at Jeno with full force, but Jeno stops him by grabbing the man’s collar, “this,” Jeno punches his lip, busting it open, “is for dropping a roofie in someone’s drink.”

The stranger groans at the impact, but still gets up with a fist straight for Jeno’s gut. Watching Jeno take a blow is much more difficult than you had been expecting.

He crouches over from the punch, but quickly regains his composure to put the man in a headlock. A few more gasps erupt and wonder if you should stop him before he does something unnecessarily stupid. 

“This,” the man squirms to try to get out of Jeno’s iron grip, “is for disrespecting my babygirl.” And with a shift snap, the male falls limp and unconscious.

A surprised intake of air and Jeno peers up at your scared expression. He calmly walks over to you, ignoring the swarm of people that had gathered around the scene. He can only see one thing — you. Jeno’s wandering eyes try to read your expression, but all he sees is a terrified girl.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, are you okay, (Y/N)?” 

Blinking blankly for a few moments, you are mortified at the laying body, “what did you do to him?” 

Jeno looks back at the stranger casually, “I put him to sleep for a bit. He’ll wake up in about 20 minutes.”

A rush of reassurance washes over you knowing that he is alive and Jeno didn’t just kill someone in front of you. You exhale all the anxiousness and nerves, 

“thank you for stepping in.”

“I don’t fight without a good reason. You are more than a perfect reason to fight for.” He pinches your cheek cutely, and his tough exterior fades away yet again. 

His famous eye smile that warms your insides is back as if the scary, intimidating expression didn’t exist a few seconds ago. Jeno’s good sides only appear with you. Nevertheless, you are happy to know how special you are to see them. 

“Violence is never the answer.” He nods, only taking it for a grain of salt. “Are you okay? It looked like stringbean knocked some wind out of your gut.”

The teddy bear thrusts himself forward into a fit of laughter, his head resting on your lap. His melody lights every dark corner inside of you. “He did get a good punch in there, didn’t he?”

His rumbling laughter stops, and he peers up at you. “I can’t believe you were still worried about a complete asshole.” 

Scoffing, you break the shared gaze. “I’m a compassionate human being.” Jeno stands up, extending his hand for you to take.

“I know, you’re the best kind of person.” He genuinely means it with the way his tone remains quite stern, eye contact unwavering. He is revealing more of his intimate parts, and in return, you wish for him to see your’s. 

Silence drowns out all the commotion between you two. Jeno grows shy at the way the galaxies reflect in your stare. “I--” Never once, did you think you would witness Lee Jeno stammer over his words. “I-I, let’s-- I want to take you for a drive.” 

To Jeno, a drive to him is equivalent to your hand in marriage. Even his own girlfriend has never been on a drive with him. It is a big part of his personality, given that he is a crucial member of the Ridin’ Club. However, out of all of them, he is the last one to flaunt his hobby. It is special, almost sacred to his entire being. 

“Me?” It is the dumbest question to ask, but you really want to clarify his intentions. Before this night, you two were barely considered friends. You two never saw each other outside of the late night parties.

But now, Lee Jeno wants to take you on a drive. It makes you wonder if the desire of companionship is mutual, that he too pines to further your relationship.

“I’m not looking at anyone else,” Jeno still waiting for your hand and holding an intense eye contact. His heart lays exposed for you, just right on his sleeve. An innocence paints his usual intimidating aura, “let me show my special girl, what is special to me.” 

He must possess some magic because he knows every way to make you swoon. And like that, your palm meets his and he locks his fingers between yours. 

The moment you enter Jeno’s striking, eye catching car, you automatically relax into the leather seats. His pristine car matches his personality --- simple, but captivating. Your boyfriend’s car is the exact opposite, which is why you never enjoy sitting in it.

Jeno has pieces of himself that scatter his car, like an adorable small plushie that watches out the back window. A beaded lanyard dangles from his rear view mirror. It even matches his scent of a deep ocean breeze.

Unlike your boyfriend’s obnoxious details, Jeno did not have a light up stereo that flashed annoyingly to every beat drop in a song. Instead, a sweet lilac color illuminates at your feet, along with his. 

“You like what you see?” Jeno catches you astonish at the tiny aspects of the interior. 

“Of course, it’s yours. It’s exactly like how I would imagine it to be.” Jeno is proud, hearing you praise his car. Even he can admit, it is a bit weird to be so connected to an inanimate object.

Nevertheless, his car, racing, driving became a huge part of his life. And unlike his friends, he feels rather shy and slightly embarrassed for being such a geek. 

But hearing you actually appreciating the small details of his car when you probably hate every aspect of racing due to your boyfriend’s doing, it makes him feel very happy.

Maybe happy is an understatement, more like overjoy at how you freely can recognize the things that make him content. You respect him, and are mindful that as mundane as a car is, you know that it is something important to him.

Silence becomes the majority of the ride out of the quiet, suburban neighborhood. While Jeno’s eyes remain focused on the road ahead, you are concentrated on him.

He drives with one hand on the wheel as he rests his elbow on the middle console. His eyebrow creases here and there. It is the most normal, mundane activity anyone can do --- drive. That is all he is doing, yet the effect it suddenly has on you can not go unnoticed. 

Abruptly, with the rev of the engine and a press on the gas, the car practically flies on the empty freeway. It catches you off guard, causing you to hold onto the grab handle. Jeno peeks over at your shocked figure, and smiles to himself.

“Relax, (Y/N).” He calls your name, reaching over to rub your thigh as a way to calm your anxiousness. Automatically, your hand grips onto his for support and the other one drops from the handle. 

Exhaling, your eyes are trained ahead. The car is moving so fast that you can’t even make out anything around you. Everything becomes nothing, but colorful streaks against a dark background. The gravity against your chest feels crushing.

“How-- How fast are you going?” 

Jeno glances at the speedometer and intertwines your fingers into his own. “I don’t think I should tell you that, you might actually have a heart attack.” 

The window rolls down and you are hit with rumbling wind, “I know you’re scared right now, so stick your head out the window and take a deep breath.”

You look at him in pure fear, “what?! I can’t even move, let alone stick my head out the window!”

Jeno shakes his head, “trust me. Please, trust me.” He needs you to experience the same thrill he does. His own adrenaline is through the roof, out the entire atmosphere of the vehicle. The amount of joy he is experiencing became tenfold now that you are sitting beside him. 

You trust him and very meticulously, go against the wind. Your hair crazily dances along with the rush and your eyes water from being dried out. Adjusting to the pressure, you also stick your hand out the window. It whips backward, but you feel the wind slip between your fingers.

The rise in heartbeat and excitement pump through your veins. The beauty in the white streaks that create a runway, it is nothing but you and the open space. There is no other way to explore it, except at a high pace. You understand why Jeno loved it so much. 

Jeno bounces between the road and half of your figure out his window. Your eyes are closed initially, before you barely squint open. Tears fly by with strands of your hair, but you start to move your hand to physically feel the thrill pass between your fingers.

Then he sees it in the side mirror: the sweet curve in your lips he loves the most and the wideness of life in your eyes. It only makes him press the gas harder.

“That was incredible! You should take me riding with you more.” You marvel at him as he starts the route to your place. It is complete playfulness that hints in your tone because you are aware of how sacred these are to him. Nevertheless, a part of you still hopes he agrees to do so.

Jeno nods, “only because I like you,” He pauses, gauging your reaction with his side eye gaze, “a lot.”

Your heart sinks to an unsettling place in your stomach. Jeno could not possibly be serious, however, his tone no longer matches the playfulness of your own. It almost seems like he is telling the truth. But you didn’t want to believe that. 

Your eyes make a full circle before settling at the disappearing sidewalks, “stay in your lane, Jeno.” It is to keep the mood still light, you and Jeno aren’t ones to be serious. 

His hand has been on your thigh for the whole night, whether it be out of habit or comfort. His touch is always welcoming and warm, but suddenly, you feel the small squeeze on your flesh. Turning your attention on his face, you can see how a smirk has grown. 

“But yours seems much more fun.” Immediately, your stomach leaps with somersaults. Your throat gets dry and tight, not anticipating that response. 

“Beside, you can’t act like we both haven’t swerved. It was barely moments ago that you were cum---”

“---No need to further explain.” 

“And I’d proudly do it again.” His voice drops several decibels and his hand slowly snakes it’s way up your thigh. All the while, his eyes still on the road ahead.

You gulp as every heartbeat constricts your throat. Lifting the ends of your skirt higher to expose more, you secretly want Jeno to cause your legs to shake again. “D-Do what again?”

Jeno perks up to the sweetness of curiosity in your tone. He pulls up to a red stoplight, being able to finally look over to your innocent face and needy hands gripping the cute, thin fabric. He stares deeply into your eyes, “make my baby cum.” 

Similarly to the stoplight, you give Jeno the green light to pull your panties to the side. You spread your legs wide as his finger massages your pussy lips. He gets dangerously close to your erect clit, barely skimming over it. 

A needy, yet delicate moan escapes your lips and Jeno’s jaw tightens. He’s more upset that he’s missing the view of your legs spread, open mouth in ecstasy, half lid eyes all in the passenger seat of his car. He hopes for another red light, just so he can peek over at your delicious figure.

“Jeno, please touch me.” Your voice is airy and desperate. He hummed in response, completely withdrawing his hand from your core. However, you catch his wrist and bring it to rest on your inner thigh. “Please.” 

The distinct beg in your tone drives him crazy. As he dips his finger into your sudden wetness, a shiver runs up your spine. Right when he applies minimal pressure on your bundle of nerves, you jolt and close your thighs around his hand.

One touch already feels too good to be true, that finally someone, Lee fucking Jeno, is actually touching your nakedness. Peering down, Jeno’s arm is flexing in between your legs. His veins popping ever so slightly and his tattoos paint his smooth skin. 

“Open your legs, babe.” His low devilish chuckle rumbles in your lower abdomen. “Let me give you the lovin’ you’ve been deprived of.” 

You shudder at his cadence and slowly pry open your legs. Jeno stops at a red light and gets to see your reaction as he rubs you in a fast rhythmic pace. A soft cry yelps from your throat and you have to grip the handle to keep yourself from spazzing out any further. 

Almost like a trance, he doesn’t notice that the light turns green. He’s locked into the sight of your contorting body. Your hips have a mind of its own, yet again, as Jeno feels you rolling deeper into his touch.

“Poor baby, you’re so touch starved that you can’t control yourself.” 

“It feels better when you do it.” You whine, your lip being bruised from your biting. But your eyes notice the green illumination and you blink over at Jeno.

He is practically drooling at the sight of you, his eyes are trained at your needy hips and dripping wet core that soaks his fingers. You stop every urge to steal more kisses from him.

Jeno briefly recovers from the trance and steps on the gas. He takes this opportunity to ease a finger into the core, causing you to exclaim and squeeze around his digit. “Oh fuck, you’re so tight.” 

“More, Jeno.” The way his name rolls off of your tongue makes his heart flutter and his dick to raise in his jeans. Without much hesitation, he slowly slips in another finger and you moan at the stretch. Pumping and curling, he ensures that you are enjoying every action.

His fingers curl against your plushy flesh and your legs spread wider for him to go deeper. You’re a moaning mess when he curls up to your sweet spot, rubbing his fingertips quickly. The familiar queasy feeling builds in your lower regions, and Jeno becomes merciless with his fingers.

He guides them in and out of you, feeling your tightness release and invite him back in. The sloppy wet noises fill the car and drown out the engine. Your half lidded eyes bounce at Jeno’s unbothered figure and the entire scene seems absolutely unbelievable to you.

One hand on the wheel. The other knuckles deep in your pussy. Eyes focus on the road ahead. A comfortable man spread. His hair is messy from the long night.

It is all too unbelievable, that Jeno’s already giving you a second climax of the night when you could barely get one in a year before. And he loves touching you as much as he loves driving. 

However, the guilty raises as fast as the ball of tension in your gut. You two pull up in front of your apartment building, while Jeno’s tugging his fingers against your flesh aggressively. In a split second, you hold onto his wrist to stop him. 

He shifts into park when the car settles into a spot and peers over to you. A curious expression daunts onto him, rather concern that he might have been too much. “I’m starting to feel guilty.” 

Jeno nods, and retrieves his fingers out of your dripping core. The feeling of emptiness causes all the built up pressure to dissipate.

“I understand,” he begins, but pauses at the sight of your sticky juices glistening on his fingers. Your eyes widen as he licks them clean, a soft moan escaping from the back of his throat. 

The small action spikes your heart rate and you rub your legs together. With a pop! Jeno hums delightfully, “baby, you taste so good. I’m a little sad I won’t be tasting more, especially directly from the source.” His lustful eyes glance down at your thighs and back to your profile. 

“I’ll walk you up to your apartment.” He says way too casually, unbuckling his seat belt. A mixture of emotions are running through your head. There is guilt, but lust is too powerful to ignore, especially when it’s Lee Jeno. The damage is already done, right? It’s not like it wasn’t moments ago that you humped him in the middle of a party. 

“Wait,” your hands find themselves gripping onto his leather jacket tightly. Jeno gently reaches over to release your strong grip and replaces the leather with his hand. 

“Yes, babygirl?” Jeno’s round, friendly eyes meet yours. The lust clouded darkness is no longer there. His hand feels hot and somewhat rough. 

“I’m going to break up with my boyfriend, so promise me, you’re not going to dip out of my life afterwards… I don’t need you to be anything more than a friend. I just can’t lose you too.”

He turns around in his seat to face you comfortably. “I don’t think you’ve noticed, but I can’t stay away from you, let alone have the ability to leave you.” He reassures you with a soothing and calm tone. His thumb draws circles around your knuckles. “I’m always going to be your friend, whether or not I know how you taste.” 

“Do you still want to try it … you know, from the source?” You shyly ask, an innocence embodying your gaze and voice cadence.

Jeno raises an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. “I’d love to, only if you let me.” 

Instantly, you shift to get on your lower back. Jeno watches as you excitedly position yourself open for him and actually finds your eagerness quite adorable. Your left leg bends behind the driver’s seat and your right rests on the dashboard. 

He hooks his arms underneath your thighs to pull you forward towards him and your whole body slides against the leather. With a slow lift, your skirt reveals your drenched panties. Rolling them off and tossing them to the back seat, he lays eyes on your still dripping pussy. Jeno takes a second to admire your flower, this being his first time he’s seen such a private part of you.

“You’re beautiful, you know that right?” He chuckles deeply, before his tongue licks a long strip up to your clit. You exclaim out of the tingling pleasure that seized your insides.

He flattens his tongue against your bundle of nerves, flicking and circling. His finger enters your pussy again, curling up to rub at the same pace he is licking. The pure sight of Jeno’s head in between your legs is enough for butterflies to explode. 

His sole motive is to make you feel good. There is nothing else in the world that he wants at this moment beside pleasure to overtake your body. Jeno eats you out like he hasn’t had a meal in months. His mouth wraps around your clit. The mixture of his flicks and sucks cause electric bolts to run down your legs. 

You get more wet as Jeno pumps his finger in and out of your hole. Your juices are practically dripping onto the interior of the car, but Jeno doesn’t care.

He fucking loves it. He loves the taste of you lingering on his tongue. Your breathless moans. Your waterfall dripping on uncontrollably. The view of you unwinding because of him. Nothing can be more perfect. 

Running your hands through his messy locks, you press him closer into you. A devilish smile draws on his face as he flicks his tongue side to side. “Oh, fuck! I’m.. so c--close.” 

Your back arches upward into Jeno’s mouth, feeling his muscle lick harder and faster on your throbbing clit. He adds a second finger, and the simultaneous stimulation practically throws you into another dimension. The pleasure overtakes your entire lower half, your legs trembling from pure ecstasy as you approach your orgasm.

“Don’t stop, I’m going to---” Then, Jeno pulls away and shoves his tongue into your warmth. A gasp hits the air as he also continues to rub circles on your sensitive nerves. His tongue fucked your pussy incredibly skillfully and deliciously. With this switch, your legs violently shake and try clamping together.

However, his strength holds you wide and open for display. A low grunt follows suit as his dark eyes zone in on your contoured facial expressions. Then, the white light blind you once again and the ball of tension unravels itself on Jeno’s tongue. Squirming and screaming, your hips buck forward on their own. 

It is close to being too catastrophic, this being the most intense orgasm you’ve had after a whole year. Nevertheless, the satisfaction is right on the tips of your toes and you greedily indulge in the euphoric moment. Jeno feels your walls squeeze around his muscle as he laps every last bit of you up.

He is absolutely addicted to your juices, making sure he catches every drop. Finally pulling away, he wipes the extra drip on the back of his hand. Jeno blinks at your raising chest and limp legs. Chuckling, his warm hand massages feeling back into your body.

“Do you want me to carry you back up?” His hoarse, raspy voice wakes you from your post orgasm daydream. You flutter your lashes at him fondly and happily nod at his offer. 

Getting out of the car, Jeno walks over to the passenger side and your arms rest nicely around his neck. His palms support your butt, but also smoothing your skirt over to cover your decency. A poke against your outer thigh makes you realize that Jeno is strained against his jeans.

“I can take care of you too.” You pout cutely at Jeno, but he shakes his head.

“It’s not about me tonight. It’s about you.” Leaving a soft kiss on your cheek, his eyes turn into moon crescents from his lovable smile. The kind, friendliness makes an appearance again.

Or so you think! In a sheer second, Jeno’s deep voice rumbles your stomach and his hooded eyes pierce your soul, “next time though, I’m fucking you real good, babe.” 

You hum in response. Saliva collects in your mouth, already looking forward to more of Jeno. But a chilly draft brushes up your exposed area as Jeno carries you up the flight of stairs.

“Wait, Jeno… I don’t have my underwear on.” The ‘Level 3’ sign is in view as Jeno turns to walk. 

He only laughs and shrugs nonchalantly, “it’s better that way anyways.” Without another word, he continues upward to your floor and you playfully punch his solid chest. In all honesty, that’s not going to be the only time you leave behind your panties in his beloved car. 

Your hatred for the notorious Ridin’ Club subside after such a wild night. If anything, you owe it all to your shitty ex-boyfriend for joining such a ridiculous club. Without him and the club’s existence, who knows if Lee Jeno would’ve still swerve into your lane. 

[holeinotomemind]

MLQC Fanfic: Hearts of Storm - Ch 2 - My Jupiter?

WARNING: NSFW/18+ fic. No smut in this chapter, but eventual smut, dub/non-con, eventual 3P, spoilers, long dragged out fic and angst. Not morally correct. Turn away if this is not your thing. Pairing: Shaw x MC, Gavin x MC, Shaw x MC x Gavin AO3 Link: [here]

Notes: [See full notes on AO3] Catch up post. Special thanks to Lutz, Sonicaj and Kinako for beta-ing. Another slow chapter, but we're getting somewhere. I promise!

USB key in her hand, Yui hurried onto the bus. She didn’t know how she managed this past week, staring at the Ferris Wheel and the Merry-Go-’Round filled with so many sweet memories which were now bringing her so much pain.

Those were memories she wanted to cherish for the rest of her life and she wasn’t ready to taint them by associating them with this pain that was threatening to rip her heart into shreds. But life had a strange way of being cruel to her. The more she wanted to avoid it, the more she needed to confront it.

She went to work at the amusement park hoping that she’d be selling admission tickets or being a janitor in some absurd corner of the park, but instead she was given the job of handing out balloons in front of the carousel, the exact same one where she told Gavin she couldn’t imagine being with anyone else but him when they were standing in for the wedding shoot. The only saving grace was that she was in a bear suit, meaning nobody could see her face when she broke down crying at the memories with tears streaming down her face.

Yui was able to befriend her target quickly, but it took her a full week before she was able to get the information she needed. She was at her limit after a full week of staring at the things that reminded her of what would never be anymore. Now she left the park as soon as her shift ended, fleeing as if being chased by an invisible monster.

She took a seat at the very back of the bus, where no one would see her, leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. She could feel her hands shaking and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself.

“It’s over.” She muttered to herself. She could return to keeping those fond memories pure. There was no need to force herself to face reality every single day as she worked at the park anymore.

She didn’t realize she had been clutching the USB key in her hand with so much force until her hand stung from it digging into her palm. She loosened her grip a little and remembered that she should let Shaw know she completed her mission. She took her cell phone out from her purse, but as she was about to press the call button, she realized her hands were still shaking.

She didn’t want to call him in this state of mind. She would have felt too exposed. Putting her phone away, she decided to wait until she was home and calmer first. Sighing, she leaned her head against the window again, staring out at the moving scenery with hollow eyes.

Her mind drifted and she wondered what Gavin was doing right now.

Would he be on a mission? Or perhaps this was his day off? It was late now. If he wasn’t on a mission, he would probably have gone to bed now. He liked to sleep early on his days off, unless he was with her. Then he would have stayed up later after their dinner or movie dates to take her home.

A voice pierced through her thoughts and Yui realized it was the bus’s PA system announcing a stop. She looked up at the monitor and belatedly saw that the bus was already two stops past the one she was supposed to get off of.

She quickly jumped out of her seat and got off behind the other passengers before it was too late. Looking around she realized she never gotten off on this stop before, but was not entirely unfamiliar with the area. It was, in fact, not far from her place, so she decided to just walk her way home. It’d help her clear her head at least.

It was late and most shops were already closed, but they had their lights on in the windows, showcasing their products to passerbys. Yui leisurely walked by, stopping in front of a few shops displaying items that caught her eye.

Then, she noticed a liquor store she had never seen before. The word “Open” flashed on the neon sign hanging on the door. As she walked up to the shop window, she noticed a sign that said imported liquor and underneath it an assortment of red and white wines from all over the world. What caught her eyes, however, were the green and white beer cans sitting unassumingly in the corner.

Her heart raced.

Before she knew it, her hand was already pushing open the door to the store. Walking over to the beers, she picked up a six-pack and looked at the label. She wasn’t imagining it, they were the same fruit beers she had with Gavin when they went on that island holiday.

She bought them without thinking.

And that was how she ended up on the rooftop of her apartment an hour later, staring idly at the night sky.

Her phone buzzed for the nth time. She stared at it for a long while before sighing and picking up.

“Why didn’t you pick up?” As expected, it was Shaw. He sounded annoyed, but at the same time there was a hint of something else. She tried to identify it, but her brain wasn’t cooperating and she gave up.

“Didn’t wanna.” Her words came out slurred as she aimlessly stared at the four empty cans lying on the ground.

“You drunk?” His voice deeper now and sounded as if he disapproved.

She frowned. Who was he to disapprove of her? That twenty year old obnoxious little brat, who drinks coke mixed with pepsi.

The noise of a plane flying above caught her attention. Her eyes traced it across the night sky which was clearer than usual tonight.

“Go away.” She pouted and hung up the phone. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him tonight, not when the moon was shining down so gently on her.

Yui tipped the can against her mouth and realized she had finished her fifth can of fruit beer. She could feel her face burning up as she grabbed the last one and popped it open. She took another swig before she looked up to the sky once more.

The moon was hanging in the sky and beside it was a star shining bright.

She giggled. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt funny to her. Ironically funny.

She reached out a hand towards the star, wanting to touch it. The brightest star to the southeast, he once said. The star that always showed up to stand guard over the moon.

But it was too far. No matter how much she stretched out her arm, it was still out of her reach. Tears began to fill her eyes as her vision blurred and her smile faltered.

“Gavin, the moon is shining bright tonight, but where are you?” Her voice trembled as tears began to roll down her face. “Where’s my Jupiter?”

“What are you doing out on the roof in the middle of the night?” A male voice broke the silence that she was so sure would have been her answer.

Slowly she turned her head towards the voice and saw the silhouette of a tall male walking towards her. He stopped a foot in front of her and she craned her head up to try to see his face, but the combination of alcohol and tears blurred her vision. She couldn’t quite make out his features, but she recognized those amber eyes.

Those were the eyes she had been dreaming about day and night ever since she came here. Those colors of bright amber, she wouldn’t mistake anywhere. They belonged to the person she loved so much.

Wanting to make sure he was real and not a figment of her imagination, Yui reached up a hand to touch the man’s face. When she felt his warmth under her trembling fingertips, tears fell down her cheeks anew.

“Gavin,” she whispered inaudibly under her breath the name that she had repeated a million times in her head.

She felt his long fingers circled her wrist, pulling her hand away from him.

No! She panicked. Quickly, she searched his eyes. Her vision was still unclear, but she could sense that he was looking at her with annoyance and frustration.

“Please don’t look at me like that.” She pleaded, couldn’t bear it.

Terrified of his rejection, she jumped to her feet. Dizziness from all the alcohol she consumed hit her hard at her sudden movement and she stumbled towards him. She fell face first onto his broad chest.

She felt him putting his hands on her upper arms, trying to push her away from him. Yui shook her head violently, quickly wrapping her arms around his waist. After all this time, she could finally feel the warmth of his body again, could finally embrace him again. She wasn’t about to let him push her away.

“Let go.” She heard him say, voice stern.

“No.” She refused, hugging him even tighter. “I don’t wanna let go. I missed you, so so much.”

“I said, let go.” He shoved her away so hard that she was forced to take a step back from him. But Yui could feel his hands still holding onto her upper arms, making sure she didn’t fall over.

His small gesture of care gave her intoxicated mind hope that, perhaps, he didn’t truly want her to let go. Maybe he was upset with her and she just needed to be bolder to show him her true feelings, she convinced herself.

Shrugging off the arms holding her, she stepped towards him again. Cupping his face with both of her hands, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips onto his. She closed her eyes, kissing him again and again, the way she remembered he liked best, desperate for him to want her back.

Her lips quivered when he didn’t react to her. His mouth remained closed, his body almost rigid. She could taste the saltiness of her tears as she realized her Gavin didn’t want her anymore.

Defeated and embarrassed at the rejection, she awkwardly retracted her shaking hands. She averted her eyes to avoid seeing the disgust he must have in his eyes now. Tears streamed down her face, falling silently on the ground.

“S-sorry… I shouldn’t have…” She stammered as the ache in her chest intensified, so much so that it took all her willpower to keep herself standing upright.

But before she could take a step back away from him, she felt his hand tighten around her arm, yanking her back against him. His other hand gripped the back of her neck forcing her head up. She only had time to let out a surprised gasp before his lips came crashing onto hers.

His tongue forced its way into her mouth domineering her senses, not allowing any room for her to retreat. His kiss was like a storm, sweeping her off her feet so that she had no choice but to follow wherever he leads.

The sharp edges of his jacket zipper dug into her palm as she clutched it, trying to hold on. Gavin had never kissed her like that before. Even during their most intimate moments when they hungered for each other, he was always gentle with her, but this kiss was different. This kiss was rough and all-consuming, as if he was ready to engulf her whole.

Yui was confused at the change but wasn’t about to complain. Her love was here with her now, wanting her just as much as she wanted him. The only thing she desired more at this very moment was for them to melt into each other, to become one so that they would never have to part again.

She didn’t know whether it was due to the kiss robbing her of the needed oxygen or it was the fruit beer she previously drank that caused her mind to become increasingly hazy, but she didn’t care either way. She mewled into his mouth as she clumsily tried to kiss him back, determined to show him how much she loved him, wanted him.

She could feel his hand trace down her spine before he snaked his arm around her small waist, pulling her even closer to him. Feeling his hard length pressed against her stomach, revealing his desire for her, she let out a small moan.

Tears fell from her eyes again, this time in joy. She was so happy to know that he still wanted her.

When he finally broke the kiss, they were both breathless. She gazed up at him and saw him looking back at her, seemingly searching for something in her expression. But when he frowned, she grew afraid.

She was frightened at the prospect that he might have regretted kissing her and he was about to leave her again. Frantically, she circled her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her and begged, “Please don’t leave me.”

He froze at her words for a moment. Then as if he made up his mind, he let out a small curse under his breath before he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

Felinotherapy

Summary: A new member of the Agreste household takes her job very seriously; she’s here to fix things and she won’t stop until she does. She’s going to better Adrien’s mood, take care of Gabriel’s solitude and Hawkmoth’s shoelaces. She’ll even acquire a nap buddy. And, she’ll do it all with feline style! Did I mention that she’s a cat?

A sequel to “New Kitty On The Block"

A birthday gift for Remasa. Be careful what you dream of.

A sincere and gigantic thank you to @kellarhi, who beta-read this story for me.

Read it on AO3 / fanfiction.net

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"AAAAAAdrieeeeen!" 

An angry wail broke the silence of the mansion, booming with a powerful echo over the cavernous rooms and halls. Oh, paws. For human that was normally so quiet, this person could be loud when he wanted. And easily annoyed, surprisingly. 

She would have raced out of the room if it wasn’t for the fact that she was currently dangling high in the air. The tall man that people called "Sir" or "Gabriel" or "Father" (why did humans need so many names anyway?) had just grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and now held her as if she was the most disgusting animal he’d ever seen.

"AAAAAAdrieeeeeeen! Take this mangy creature away from me!" 

He wouldn’t stop yelling until the blond head of the smaller human appeared at the door.

"Sorry, father," the boy said sheepishly. "What has my Lady done this time?"

The adult sighed and rolled his eyes. "I can’t believe you call her that now."

"She’s mine and she’s a Lady after all," Adrien chuckled, taking her into his arms. He ran his fingers over her multi-colored black and reddish fur.

She slowly blinked at him, squinting her lime green eyes. The cheese aroma she had come to associate with the boy surrounded her, and she started purring her lungs out. He scratched her neck absentmindedly, revealing an elegant collar with a glittery name fixed in curvy letters.

Lady Noir, it read.

“Who’s the pretty kitty?" Adrien cooed with a smile. 

She tilted her head into his palm for more pets and enthusiastically kneaded his forearm. 

Gabriel pointed to the leather chair. Scratches marked its backrest in two parallel lines. In hindsight, not her smartest move, but she had been practising leaps and her aim still lacked precision.

"I thought I told you to trim her claws," the man scowled accusingly. 

Adrien rubbed his chin over Lady Noir’s head, right where the entirely dark left half met the reddish right half creating an illusion of a red and black mask that was split in the middle— the pattern that, according to the boy, had earned her the name. 

"It must have slipped my mind," he said.

Her ears twitched at a new sound. Was she the only one who could hear the snickers coming from Adrien’s shirt? 

xxx

Lady Noir hadn’t been used to luxury prior to being adopted. The Agreste mansion was definitely a place where a cat could spread her wings. Metaphorically of course. Cats do not have wings, although… among the inhabitants of the house, there was one that could fly regardless.

She wasn’t certain if Plagg really should be referred to as a cat, but he was the closest thing to the idea of a cat: the master of lazing about, with a knack for causing trouble; curious, gluttonous, cheeky and mischievous. In short, he was her idol, and guide to all things feline. Just like her, he had his own ways, but inside he was just a big softie with a heart of gold—or possibly cheese, as he basically inhaled the stuff in enormous quantities. Lady Noir tried his camembert thing once. The experience could be summed up in a single word: Yuck! Plagg was outraged when she took several baths to get rid of the foul smell afterwards.

Although Plagg’s interests seemed to be limited to dairy products, he never failed to remind Adrien to restock on her treats when asking for more camembert for himself. She could go through her stash of snacks almost as quickly as Plagg went through a block of cheddar. It wasn’t hard to do, considering she stayed in the boy’s room most of the time.

Lady Noir prided herself on being a very observant cat, and recognized immediately that Adrien needed her company the most. Besides, she knew she’d been brought into the house explicitly to become his cat. Which, in Feline, meant that the blond boy belonged to her now so she supposed it was her duty to meet his needs the way he’d been meeting hers.

He didn’t need much. Just a little bit of distraction when he was tiredly bending over his textbooks, or a kneading session when he was exhausted after one practise or another. Some nuzzles and nibbles to wake him up. Lady Noir also made sure to keep him company at night. Together with Plagg, they made sure no nightmare could reach him—purring was the key to their success.

She was the model of contentment, and only got miffed when they left her and went outside through the window. Adrien seemed to really enjoy those outings, when he put on a black suit that made him look a bit like a cat. Lady Noir loved to play with the long tail or swat at the golden bell, but those were rare occasions. Usually Plagg vanished somewhere when the boy changed into his black cat-like gear. He always left in a rush only to come back much later, tired but happy, and smelling like luck for some reason. The flying cat then appeared again as if nothing happened and demanded his cheese.

Lady Noir would gladly go out with them, were she invited. Unfortunately, there was little entertainment to be found in the huge empty house when Adrien left for school or his cat job. Boredom eventually drove her to explore it once she was done with the boy’s room.

xxx

It would have been nice to have company when Adrien was out, but Plagg always went where her boy did. His father became the next obvious choice, as the only other permanent resident. Unlike the boy, he didn’t smell of cheese, but of butterflies and passion fruit, which intrigued her to no end, as he never left the house and was rarely seen out of his room. 

They hadn’t started their acquaintance on friendly terms, which admittedly was partly her fault. She decided to make amends in a typically feline way—by bringing him offerings. And what better gift could a cat bring to a person who smelled of butterflies? The house was full of them if one knew where to look. And she was a very clever kitty. No butterfly could hide away from her for long. She caught them expertly and brought them to Gabriel’s desk whenever she could. He must have liked them, because they disappeared very quickly. 

xxx

And then one day when she came to his room with fresh prey in her mouth, there was a new smell around. It was damp, cold and heavy—metallic, with a hint of algae, old stone, and moss. A little bit of sniffing allowed her to find the hidden door and after some paw work she was able to push it enough for a slim cat to slip inside a dark corridor. 

Maybe she’d find some mice or rats in here? It was ages since she got any decent prey and maybe Gabriel would prefer a fresh, fat rat over those flimsy butterflies? She knew she would. 

But she found no rats as she explored, just another huge chamber, with faint light seeping through a ceiling window on the other end. It shone over a strange tall tube. Lady Noir knew tubes. There were plenty of them in the house in various sizes and they made for very nice scratching posts. Much better than those generic things from the pet shop. No self respecting cat would scratch those when they had a perfectly good tube, chair, or drape right under their noses. 

Lady Noir arched her back, wiggled her tail and reached for her newest scratching post. There was a metallic clank and the tube hummed softly. Then the upper part of it rose up revealing its contents.

She sniffed once, twice. The air smelled a bit like Adrien, minus the cheese overtones. She looked around and hopped onto the tube. There was a woman, tall and blonde, asleep inside. What a novel idea! This was the perfect place for a nap, sun beam and all. It looked like Lady Noir finally had found a nap buddy for her long days!

Up close she could tell there was something off with the woman’s scent. Something she couldn’t quite put her claw on that felt like weakness or illness. But Lady Noir wasn’t afraid; she prided herself on being an excellent feline doctor. After all, whenever Adrien was sick she stayed with him, drawing the bad vibes away. 

Happy with her newly discovered friend, she curled up on the woman’s belly and dozed off. 

xxx

Plagg wasn’t happy when he saw Lady Noir after her first basement nap. He hissed at her and grumbled something about dark magic. Admittedly she did feel rather strange, but she blamed it on the salmon pâte that must have been a bit on a stale side. However, the flying cat would have none of that. He dragged her into the upper level of Adrien’s room and licked her clean—she was definitely feeling out of it if he was allowed to do that. 

She did feel better afterwards, right up to the point when it turned out Plagg was no gentleman at all. He coughed a hairball right in front of her, the weirdest hairball she’d ever seen. Part of it consisted of her own hair and Plagg’s saliva, but there were also purple strings present: streaks of something Plagg called “bad energy" tangled with the rest of the hairball. He said it had ‘no place in our home’, so he put his paw to it and whispered something under his breath. The thing turned to ash with a quiet buzz. The room seemed brighter after that. 

Lady Noir thought that would be the end of it, but the sprite proceeded to talk her ears off about “bad energy", forbidding her to go near its source again. So of course the first thing she did when Adrien and Plagg left for school the next day was go back to her nap buddy. 

Every time the flying cat returned home to find her “feeling off", he would holler, lick and cleanse her fur, and then turn the “bad energy" into ash.

“I swear, Spots," he grumbled, stuffing himself with camembert to get rid of the bad taste, “I don’t know what you do to get all tangled in that mess."

She could only shrug to his complaints. After all, the napping lady was her secret and one did not betray their buddies.

xxx

Lady Noir kept going back to the basement, but since the only entrance led through Gabriel’s room, she had to sneak her way around him. Sometimes he would visit the sleeping woman, although most times he sat at his desk and worked, casting longing looks to the enormous painting that covered the whole wall from floor to ceiling. Lady Noir knew very little about art, but she thought the person in that painting looked a bit like what her nap buddy would have looked like, if she was younger and awake.

It usually took hours for Lady Noir to get an opportunity to sneak to the underground level of the mansion, so inevitably she started to keep the man company as well. He turned out to be as sad and lonely as his son, but he seemed more desperate and anxious than the boy. There was always an aura of deep grief and heartache around him. No self respecting cat would allow it. That’s how Lady Noir decided to include Gabriel in her daily routine. Between the sleeping lady and Adrien she still had plenty of time, which she could put to good use, if only the man would allow it.

Since the butterfly strategy hadn’t worked, she had to come up with a new plan to get his attention. Laying on his tablet seemed to annoy him. Stretching on his sketches irked him. Pushing his pencils off the desk usually got a growl out of him. 

A few times he grumbled under his breath, but Adrien wasn’t home to take her away. So after a while, the man accepted her presence; however, he moved her away from his things, which allowed for her to lounge on the unoccupied part of his desk. 

One day she must have dozed off, because when she woke up he was nowhere to be seen. Yet, as his scent lingered in the air, he couldn’t have actually left. Her nose led her to the painting and then to a spot on the floor. She thumped it with her paw and was rewarded with a deep echo as if the space below was empty. Another hidden passage?

She sat beside it and meowed experimentally.

There was a hollow clank, then part of the floor moved and revealed a smooth silver head with eyes hidden behind a mask. The man who appeared in the passage smelled like Gabriel but he didn’t look like him. He was wearing a single-color suit—not Gabriel’s usual clothes. He cast her an exasperated look and sighed deeply. 

“Stop it," he said and returned to the tunnel.

Of course she didn’t stop. As soon as the trap door closed behind him, she let out a wail of sorrow only a cat is capable of. 

“I’m serious. Cut it out!" Gabriel’s voice, albeit muffled, replied from under the floor.

“Meeeeooooooowrrrr," she lamented.

“Oh, for the love of—" 

The silver head emerged from the passage again. Cold blue eyes pierced her. The man’s lips, the only thing visible from under his silver mask, were pressed into a thin line.

“Meow?" She mewled tilting her head. Her tail curled attentively into a question mark.

“Fine," he rolled his eyes. “But you had better behave."

A dark glove caught her scruff, and the next thing she knew she was sliding through a tunnel in the man’s arms. 

There was a large chamber on the other end, similar to what she had found in the basement, but this place must have been somewhere high up, judging by the plethora of light from the round window. And there were butterflies. Every flat surface was covered in them. She had never seen so many before.

She wondered if she could catch a few for Gabriel, but the man raised a warning finger.

“Don’t even think about it," he said, depositing her on the ground.

He tapped his foot and the butterflies took flight. She halfheartedly swatted at them, but where was the challenge when there were so many? She lost interest in an instant and decided to explore the chamber, leaving the silver-headed man to his own devices.

He called her when he returned to the trap door; it was then that she discovered Plagg wasn’t the only flying creature in the house. The man murmured something under his breath and suddenly he was no longer wearing a silver mask or a strange suit. Gabriel stood in his place and a violet sprite hovered next to him.

“Nooroo," the man said, “This is Lady Noir, Adrien’s cat."

xxx

Nooroo was a good friend. He was appointed with the task of keeping her busy when Gabriel needed to focus on his work. She chased after the sprite, eliciting quiet chuckles from Adrien’s father, when he thought they couldn’t hear him. They played their own version of hide and seek, with the cat tracking the violet creature’s hideouts all over the room. He drew her away from Gabriel’s sketches and his tablet. In reward, he usually got a generous helping of passion fruit that the man kept hidden in his desk. After some time, she discovered that one of the drawers got filled with her favorite snacks so that, after a wild run over the room, she could feast alongside Nooroo. A few times she caught Gabriel gazing at them, while a shadow of a smile danced on his lips.

He kept disappearing into the tunnel, though. At first Lady Noir sat next to the trap door and meowed incessantly, but he rarely returned for her. Once, she spied that, before entering the passage, he pressed parts of the enormous painting. Oh! Well, cats could also press things when they felt like it. After a few days of practice and careful aiming,  she managed to figure out how to leap from the desk to land on the canvas in a way that would allow her to open the trap door.

She proudly strutted into his secret room. Emboldened by her trick, she viciously attacked his shoelaces to draw his attention away from the window and to cut off his monologuing. 

To say that Gabriel was surprised when she showed up in his chamber wouldn’t say half of it.  He yelped, and jumped half a meter in the air. Lady Noir was sure that if he had a tail, or any hair on that smooth silver head, it would have bristled like an angry hedgehog. 

The second time she followed him, she decided on a less threatening approach and just rubbed her head into his calves. Her purr of contentment echoed in the cavernous space, amplified by the dome.

After the third time she managed to sneak into the chamber Gabriel gave up and just took her with him, allowing her to lounge in the sun beam from the window, while he did whatever he came to do there. As far as she could tell it mostly consisted of talking, grumbling, hissing, gritting his teeth and stomping angrily. Sometimes waving a fist was involved. One name stuck in her memory, mostly because he mentioned it a lot.

Ladybug.

xxx

Funny thing, Adrien sometimes had a guest who used the window. A guest who smelled like luck—the faint scent the boy sometimes brought with him when he returned from his cat escapades. A guest whose name was Ladybug. 

What was even funnier was the fact that the girl visited him other times, under a different name, in a more regular outfit and used the door. Although she still smelled like luck, in this form she was referred to as Marinette, while another flying creature, a red bug, hid in her purse.

Lady Noir was a young cat and she hadn’t had much experience before she got to the mansion, but it seemed that every human she met was accompanied by a flying friend. She wondered why humans needed them?

It took a while before she discovered that Adrien had no idea that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person. She couldn’t believe it! She knew human senses were weaker than cats’, but the boy would have to be basically noseless not to recognize that scent. She tried everything a cat could think of to show him the error of his ways. She allowed the girl to pet her, hoping Adrien would recognize how familiar Maribug was with his cat and how she always stroked her in the exact same way. She brought the girl a figurine of Adrien in his cat form, wishing he’d understand that the scent he wore came from the girl. A few times, in an act of desperation, she even tried to drag Plagg out of his hiding spot under the sofa; but the sprite refused to show up, even though Marinette had her own bug who could have been Plagg’s sister.

Afterwards she received another one of Plagg’s lectures, but instead of scolding her for the upteenth time about getting the “bad energy" all over herself again, he ranted about how his existence must be kept secret from other humans. She really didn’t see the point, if every other person seemed to have a—what did he call himself? A kwamice. 

xxx

Ladybug in both of her forms seemed to be very fond of Adrien, which didn’t escape Lady Noir’s attention. It soon dawned on the cat that the boy’s feelings for the girl were also stronger than those for a “friend”, as he sometimes called Marinette. She made him happy, and it didn’t even take Lady Noir’s genius to see that. The cat figured a girlfriend—a romantic partner—was exactly what Adrien needed. She doubled her efforts at enlightening him about there being only one person who smelled of luck. Plagg only rolled his eyes at her antics.

“You might as well give up now, Spots," he told her. “I’ve been dropping hints much longer than you, and the kid isn’t really that dense. It’s just the magic of the Miraculous. It won’t allow for him to see that they are the same person unless she shows him herself."

Lady Noir refused to give up. In a typically stubborn feline fashion, she decided she would let Adrien know even if it was the last thing she would do. Painstakingly, she tracked down each and every item in Adrien’s possession that bore the girl’s scent. They were hidden all over his room. Carefully, she moved them to the little red figurine that looked like Ladybug— for good measure, she threw in some pictures Adrien had stacked in one of his trophies. She kept telling herself her plan had to work. After all it was consistent with what Plagg had said—“she” had to show him herself, and the various items he’d collected from her would show who she was. But, Lady Noir reasoned, no one said anything about what would be shown and by whom.

Finally the day came when her display was ready. The bracelet Adrien usually kept on himself was her last loot. The pink piece of paper he had hidden in his desk, the notes he sometimes browsed through, the blue scarf he liked so much—everything she could find was already there.

Satisfied with her work, she dragged Adrien to her collection, rubbing her head against his calves. 

“Really, Spots?" Plagg chuckled from his bin. “You needn't bother."

“Meow," she headbutted the Ladybug figurine. “Mrow," she grabbed the cat boy doll and move it closer. “Purrrr," she took the bracelet in her teeth and laid it on top. Then she sniffed the papers and the scarf ostensibly. 

Adrien gazed politely at her theatrics. He reached for the scarf. She sniffed again. Plagg cackled in the distance.

Sniff. Adrien took a deep breath smelling the scarf. Sniff-sniff, he sniffed the notes. Lady Noir put her nose to the cat boy figurine again.

“That scent…’ Adrien murmured. He closed his eyes, taking each and every item and reverently putting it to his nose. “That scent…" he echoed. The bracelet fell out of his hand. “She’s… that’s… it can’t be, can it?" he mumbled. “Plagg?"

The sprite flew out if his bin and looked over the scattered items and to Adrien. The boy’s eyes were blown wide, his lips opened as he stared at the Ladybug figurine.

“No way," the flying cat drawled. “You have got to be kidding me."

xxx 

After her success, Lady Noir could devote more time to Gabriel’s wellbeing. She decided to spend the day on his desk. She didn’t even notice when a finger started rubbing at the perfect spot between her ears. She cracked one lime green eye open. Adrien’s father was sketching, deep in thought, while absentmindedly scratching her head. His hand slipped under her chin and then moved to the side of her muzzle and to her back. 

Lady Noir purred, nuzzling into his palm. She put her paw over his wrist and clawed gently. Then she dared to nibble on his thumb.

Surprised, Gabriel whipped his head to her, his hand frozen mid-scratch. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. She slowly let go of his hand, but he just smiled. Emboldened she rose from the desk and strutted to him. 

“Who’s the pretty kitty?" he cooed lowering his head. 

She headbutted him without thinking twice.

“You are," he hummed, as she proceeded to rub her whiskered cheek against his chin. “You’re the prettiest kitty!"

Slowly, he reached for her and scooped her into his arms. His fingers slid into her fur, scratching and tending. The man’s jacket was quickly covered in a thick layer of additional hair, but he didn’t seem to mind, engrossed in the caress.

Nooroo’s head popped from behind Gabriel’s shoulder and he winked at her. 

“The prettiest, softest kitty," the man babbled. And for the first time his smile reached his eyes.

xxx

The next day she found a toy mouse on Gabriel’s desk in the spot she had claimed as her own. She also smelled a new brand of snacks somewhere near. 

Later, Adrien’s father didn’t go into his butterfly chamber, choosing to take Lady Noir to the sleeping woman instead. He held the cat the whole time, his fingers buried deep in her fur, as he gazed at the glass tube, commenting on how the woman’s skin seemed to have regained some color. Nooroo pursed his lips and cast an anxious look to the woman as if considering something. When they returned to Gabriel’s room, the sprite made sure the door to the passage stayed opened enough for an industrious paw to fit into the crack, making Lady Noir’s visit to her nap buddy much easier.

That day Plagg wasn’t happy. Nor on the days after that. Not even when she brought him the toy mouse.

xxx

Lady Noir quickly got used to Gabriel petting her while he was working. It was now easier to sneak out for a basement nap as the man took on a habit of having lunch with Adrien when he returned home during the day—sometimes in Marinette’s company. Usually Nooroo came with a heads up when the meal was nearing its end, so that she could leave the sleeping lady and return to her spot on the desk. Gabriel couldn’t design without her, claiming she was his new inspiration. And he definitely was on a designing spree these past few days. According to Nooroo this was the first such successful spree since the sprite arrived at the mansion. However, that day Nooroo didn’t come. 

Lady Noir woke up to a finger rubbing behind her ear and another gently stroking her back. The touch wasn’t familiar. 

“Who’s the pretty kitty?" A feminine voice whispered, hoarse and scratchy, as if it hadn’t been used in a while.  

Intrigued, Lady Noir risked a peek at the person petting her. Bright, green eyes looked back at her with kindness and confusion. Eyes so similar to the ones she saw in the painting in Gabriel’s room, so similar to Adrien’s eyes. The sleeping lady had woken up after all those long days and delightful naps! Lady Noir purred in contentment. Another pair of hands to pet her was good news.

Her nap buddy hummed, letting her fingers wander over the cat’s back. “Mmmmm, this is so nice."

Lady Noir couldn’t agree more. All that was missing now was—

A thud sounded in the spacious chamber. Gabriel stood at the entrance, the bouquet he brought scattered on the floor.

“Emilie?" He rasped. “You’re… you… how do you feel?" In just three steps he was at the woman’s side. To Lady Noir’s indignation he took away one of the hands caressing the cat’s back and pressed it to his lips; a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Well rested," Emilie sighed, her lips stretched in a soft smile. She sniffed experimentally. “And surprisingly not allergic to cats anymore."

Lady Noir’s ears twitched. Nooroo giggled somewhere nearby. Upstairs, a door opened and closed. She heard the faint echo of Adrien and Marinette’s steps as they ran to his room, laughing. Gabriel still held Emilie’s hand, but his breathing sounded shaky. The cat yawned looking between two humans, who stared at each other as if this was their first meeting in a long time. She stood up and squeezed herself between them just in case they’d forgotten she was there as well. A tail in Gabriel’s face and a gentle rub of her head to Emilie’s chin should do the trick. 

“Meowr,” she chirped.

Gabriel chuckled, even though his voice seemed tight. “Who’s the clever kitty?” he cooed scratching behind her ear.

Lady Noir sat attentively, her tail lashing behind her. She definitely was the cleverest kitty. She purred, pleased with herself and the fact that her nap buddy would now be able to pet her as well. Something told her that she would not be the only one getting the much needed attention and affection from Emilie. Just one look to the woman’s smiling face and Gabriel was already putty in her hands. 

There was love here, and where there was love, there was happiness. She could feel it in Gabriel’s heartbeat, she could see it in Emilie’s blush. The aura of grief and melancholy was slowly melting away, replaced with tentative hope and the promise of a happier tomorrow. Things were definitely going to be better around here, and that was perfectly fine with her.

 The End

(Please check out the amazing art by @sinfulpapillon​ to go with this fic)

[flydotnet]

Euthanasia

VRAINS Rarepair Weeks 2018 - Day 4: Birthday/Dying

Summary: [Euthanasia: substantive. From the Greek for "happy" and "death" ; literally, "a happy death".] He is dying in his beloved's arms, but it's too late to realize that, and it's too late to tell her about it. He simply wishes she wasn't crying over him in his last moments. That must be why he doesn't want to die now.

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Ships: Hireshipping (Ema/Akira), platonic and brotherly Akira & Aoi

Wordcount: 2.3K words

Notes: Shhh I skipped Day 3 and I know it, I simply wasn't inspired at all by festivities yesterday lmao. Sup you non-only-DSS-shipper peeps, remember when I made y'all suffer with some angst? Well, it's back woopsie daisy. I've never continued Cyber Thunder Cider (still need to, despite my canon being outdated af by Ema and Kengo's actual situation that was revealed afterwards in the show), so I'm here to bring you what would essentially be the other side of that story. I originally wanted to subvert the prompt with some shitty proverb but instead it's dead-ass angst. Deadass Hire angst because who doesn't want more Hireshipping and suffering in their life? Well, maybe you don't, but I sure do and I'm the one with the angsty Hireship fics here.

Event hosted by @vrainsrarepairweeks

AO3 version available here.

Almost shot through the heart, huh.

 That was rather ironic to think about: he had survived many potentially lethal deals in a shady back alley to finance his sister’s happiness, and yet this would be the end of him. What an ironic ending to his life. It was by saving someone else from death that he granted it upon himself once and for all.

This person he had saved was clutching him against her chest with little consideration to how much he was bleeding out. It was heart-breaking in such a selfish way: he didn’t want the last moments he’d see her to be so sad and painful for her. He had never wanted to see her cry and especially not because of him.

 He wished he could tell her not to weep over him, that’d it be okay. After all, she called for an ambulance as soon as she realized he had been shot: she had done what she could already. There was no reason for her to feel bad about something he had decided to do for her sake: he had never been forced to do so, he simply wanted to save her. Ema’s life, in a moment, mattered much more than his. It still did then: he was actively dying now, and she was alive, safe and sound, albeit miserable. No matter which way he tried to see it as, it was still better than letting her get shot. Would it have gotten her, she would have been killed on the spot.

Bleeding out to death was a weird way to go. In a day and age of instant demises, of lives ending shorter than they got conceived, it was surprising to him that he had been given the time to see Ema’s sorrow over his incoming end and to reflect on his own life. Not that there was much to say about it before his parents had died: afterwards, it had been day-to-day survival, switching between school and back-alley jobs he could never be proud of having done, all for Aoi’s smile which slowly disappeared because he hadn’t given her the attention she deserved. Ah, Aoi…

 “Ema, can… Can I ask you something…?” His voice was groggy and struggling to escape from his throat, as if caught inside by a spider’s sticky and tricky web. It was exhausting to even speak, but he had to do this for Aoi’s sake.

“O-of course…” Her own voice was hesitant, almost wishing not to exist. Through his blurry vision, he could still she was turning away from him, pinching her lip, a tear running down her cheek. Would he have the strength to do so, he would have landed her his handkerchief for her to brush away her tears.

“Can you promise me to watch over Aoi for me… Please…?”

His demand was split in the middle by blood pouring out of his mouth. His lung had been touched. Her own face looked like it had been split apart by it.

“O-of course I will…”

Ema seemed very unsure of her promise, as if doubting her certitude to assure it. Now this was more worrisome… However, that might have been because of how upset she was.

 Still reassured to hear her agree to it, he swallowed back more of the blood he coughed out. The bullet had lodged itself inside his left lung, near his heart that was beating three times too quickly, and yet his pulse was weakening by the moment. His body didn’t know where to go while he was somewhat at a peace of mind: all he needed to do was to make sure Ema and Aoi were both safe. He had saved the former from getting mortally shot: she would take care of the latter. He could sense Aoi had a fondness for the cyberhuntress already, it would only be a question of time.

“By the way… You can get my flat….” He added to make sure they would live perfectly fine when he’d be gone.

 Ah, he was still fairly young to die, now that he thought about it. Dying at twenty-six wasn’t exactly going very far in ages where the average life expectancy was around ninety years of age. Oh well, it was too late to regret doing this. A hand on the dampness that had become this suit he felt like he always wore, it was time to even think back on everything, but his mind blanked. They said your entire life flashed before your eyes before you died, but his never came back to unfold itself again to him. Instead, all he could see was a blurry rendition of Ema’s sorrowful face.

It was as though seeing her so torn over his demise was what prevented him from exhaling his last breath. He didn’t want to die, far from it: he at least wanted to see Aoi become an adult, date a boy or a girl he would be overly suspicious about like a strict father only to warm up to them when he’d see how much they cared about his sister, graduate college and go on to have a life he hoped would be even more successful than his. He wanted to make sure she wouldn’t become like him: a workaholic figure that should have been there and wasn’t, who would come home late and get scolded by his own hired huntress for running himself to the ground. He wanted to see his sister become a great woman, to see her continue doing what she wanted, to save the world like she was already doing with Soulburner and Playmaker.

And he wouldn’t be there to see it, and it broke his heart to even think about.

 He would miss Aoi for sure, but he would also miss Ema and her cheeky smile. They had known each other for years, meeting through the Internet like so many people did around him. He didn’t want to see her go anytime soon, thus why he continued hiring her to the very day he was shot and killed. He simply didn’t expect today to be that day, and that she’d cry over him. For such an independent woman who disposed of data that could ruin people’s lives like she’d give out papers in the streets for some association or other motive, she was incredibly emotional and shaken by it. He’d have thought death didn’t affect very much and that he was, to her eyes, yet another hirer, yet another temporary boss.

Ema was who he wasn’t, and he loved her for this. Her mischievous spirit was always amusing to see in action, always coming up with new ways to trick others into fulfilling her objectives. It was this capacity to always have the upper hand over others that fascinated him at first. He had eventually grown to appreciate most aspects of her: her smile, her winks, her sisterly instincts about Aoi. He knew he could trust in her when everyone else would have dismissed her as shady and traitorous. It was more complex than that: she chose who she was loyal to, and he was lucky enough that she was loyal to Aoi and him.

 He didn’t want to see Ema go. If he could, he would have selfishly made it so she would remain with him until he gave out his last breath, but he was still aware help was coming. The scent of her flowery perfume was the only thing keeping him from gagging over the stench his blood constituted in his nose, a smell of copper and iron fought against by the spice of flowers that simply matched her personality perfectly. Maybe he actually was in love with her. Well, why the maybe? He was in love with this cyber Amazon, completely infatuated with everything she was; and he was lucky enough to be dying in her arms and not anyone else’s.

He never thought he’d see her cry over someone’s death. It just didn’t seem like an “Ema thing” to do. At best, he was hoping she would ask him how he was seeing his hand covered in red, but instead she caught him in his fall and gently laid him on the ground. This was awfully considerate of her: most people he had worked with before would have run away for their lives instead, either fearing losing it directly or losing their freedom by getting involved in a murder. At least, he knew she would watch over Ema for him once he’d be dead, which was just waiting any second to finally decide itself to happen. He didn’t want to die now, but if he had to… then be it.

 “Akira…?” Ema asked him, voice full of uncertainties and hiccups.

“Yes…?”

“Why did you do that, you fool?!”

Oh. There was this question again. She had asked him before, but he had been unable to reply because of blood getting out of his system. The haemorrhage still hadn’t stopped: he didn’t expect it to. The burning pain in his chest was quieting down because his senses were failing on him one by one.

“Obvious… To save you…”

“And why that…?” The newfound fervour in her voice was gone again, much to his chagrin.

“Because I…”

It wouldn’t get out. He was still timid to tell her. It’d make us feel worse anyway, would it not? She’d understand it was also personal between them. He didn’t want her to get any strings attached to him in his last moments. That would be a heartless thing to do.

“I wanted to… see your smile again…”

 Before she could properly hear him, his voice dimming down and eventually dying out, sirens had filled the scenery and so had red and blue lights, blinding him and hiding her. He’d never know if she ever heard him or if she had ever known of the true nature of their relationship to him. He’d never seen her smile again, or Aoi and her grow close, or even Aoi grow up and become an adult. His life had never flashed before his eyes: it was for the better, because this way he could hope to watch over them from the potential plane that was the afterlife.

Oh, how ironic of him to hope such a place existed now that he was on the verge of dying!

 His vision turned black before he could hear Ema scream for his name, repressing back a sorrow before fully letting herself sulk down into despair.

  When he opened his eyes, everything was white around him. Was that the afterlife so many religions professed the existence of. Maybe. That wouldn’t be the first time he’d be proven to be wrong, after all. Everything felt toned down: his sight was blurry, he could barely hear anything that wasn’t his own laboured breathing (or was it? Did people still breathe in the afterlife? Wasn’t that just a necessity of the body?), and his sense of touch was numbed. If afterlife started by not being able to move, then perhaps it would have been better not to access it.

It took him a few minutes to fully realize he was, against all odds, still alive and simply under sedatives. The blood loss he must have suffered was massive considering how slow he felt, as if every part of his body was made out of the heaviest metal. Moving anything seemed to be an egregious effort. Well, it was already a surprise that he was alive, he couldn’t be too capricious about how he wanted to make it out of there alive. He supposed he still had time to write his will, after all. Maybe he should do that as soon as possible since he had so nearly avoided death today. Or was it even today?

 The surrounding sounds were extremely mechanical: if he had to guess, he’d say there were a heart monitor, a machine helping with his breathing and an IV dripping. The contents? Most certainly blood, perhaps other nutrients. He was too numb to know if he had one or two pipes inserted inside his wrists. A voice soon enough came to his ears, a bit cottoned down but still a relief to hear again.

“Big brother, you’re awake…!”

Aoi’s timid voice was filled with a relief he had never heard coming from her. He had scared her too… But she was there, her hand on his, fingers enlaced in his, a heat he could progressively feel. Ah, he had missed his sister so much in so little time.

 There was another hand, this time on his forehead. After giving his dear Aoi the slightest smile (yet the only one he was able to give her at the moment), he lightly tilted his head to the left to see Ema’s eyes and face washed away in relief, dried trails on her cheeks, but with a smile he could only guess was heartfelt. The weight that had been on his chest since a time he didn’t know how to estimate had lifted as soon as he saw it through his weakened state and senses. He had missed it dearly too.

“Don’t ever do that again… You scared the shit out of us both!”

Her scold had this gentler tone to it, a tone that didn’t want to truly scold him away, as if gently reminding him not to almost die in her arms again. He’d miss them both too much to do so once more anyway.

 The last thing before Morpheus’s arms came back to pick him up was her emotional smile and tears of joy, reminding me of how much he wanted to keep seeing her, to keep hiring her until he would find the bravery to tell her that he truly loved her as more than an efficient treasure huntress. Perhaps he could, one day, make of the three of them a complete family.

But for now, needless to say, it was time to give himself a way to sleep the weakness off.

[hopeishappinessff]

Holding Onto Hope: Chapter 6

Hope

My workload prediction was nothing short of accurate. By Thursday afternoon, I knew the most enjoyment I’d get for the weekend would consist of staring at lines of ink in three different books and working the muscles in my hand until it cramped from writing so much. Now that it was Saturday evening, I couldn’t help but wonder why I didn’t just put my work down for this one night and attempt to have a bit of fun like everyone else I associated with. After taking about two and a half hours to get herself dolled up, Destani left with Taylor for a supposed "date" consisting of dinner and a movie. I was only speculating, but I was sure the two of them were really starting to enjoy each other’s company since the day they’d met and for once in the decade that I’d known Destani, I actually praised Taylor for making her so obviously happy.  I’d never known her to have decent taste in guys, but after meeting Taylor and watching the two of them become smitten for one another, I felt like a proud mother. I was starting to feel restless in the position I was lying in on my bed, but I refused to shift my focus from my work for even a second… I was nearing the last few sentences of the last paragraph I had to write for one of my classes, when a sudden thought struck me… I’m almost done with my work. Plucking my phone from my side on the bed, I nibbled into my bottom lip as I considered the possibilities of what I should do with the spare time I’d have left after I finished my work. It was almost ten o’clock and I knew I certainly wouldn’t want to stay stuck in my room for the remainder of the night.  Rushing to jot down a few more lines of my barely there thoughts, I finally input my thumb print on my phone to unlock it and flipped through my contacts for one particular number. I was a tad curious to know if his offer still stood, because in all honesty I didn’t really want to sit in my room alone. I assumed Chris was already off with a few of his fellow bulldogs at the party he originally wanted me to accompany him at. I didn’t find it necessary for the two of us to constantly be tied to each other’s hip, so he wasn't the first person I thought to call. Another philosophy that I’d mentally composed for a healthy relationship… a few days of separation here and there would only benefit the two of us. If we were constantly in each others faces every single day, we would eventually get annoyed with each other.  Finally highlighting his name in my contact list, I flattened my thumb against the green phone symbol and waited patiently as the device rang.

“Hello?” He answered, invading my ear with velvety smooth voice.

Smiling and nibbling at my bottom lip, I cleared my throat and slid to the edge of my bed “Hey, it’s um… it’s Sy’Diyah.”

“Really?” He asked, obviously faking his tone of surprise, “And what has prompted you to ring me up on this lovely evening Ms. Sy’Diyah… just wanted to say hi?”

I rolled my eyes at his mockery and scoffed, recalling the comment he’d made a few days ago regarding me calling him just to say hi “No… yes. Okay, I’m sort of calling to say hi… and I also wanted to ask if your offer still stands.”  “My offer, huh? Well… what if I said it’s kneeling now and it’s no longer standing to entertain your consideration?”

I couldn’t help but smack my lips as he outwardly mocked me and my persistent I can’t party this weekend attitude “Well if it doesn’t stand anymore, I guess it’ll be pretty useless if I tell you that I just finished all my work and I really don’t wanna sit in this room all night.”

I could hear a bit of shuffling in the background and seconds later he cleared his throat “Nah, that whole sentence was actually very useful to me… especially since I’m sitting here in my room right now, bored out my mind.”

I laughed and stood entirely from my bed, moving swiftly toward my closet “So since you’re sitting in your room, bored out of your mind, and I’m sitting in my room… done with my homework, I think we should probably drop by this party you told me about…” -- Slithering one neon orange strappy heel out of Benny’s BMW and planting it firmly on the sleek ground beneath me, I used the handle of the passenger side door to pull myself from the dim confines of his car and stood to my full height beside it. Taking a moment to smooth my hands down over my white tight fitted v-neck and ripped boyfriend jeans, I raised my gaze and swung a slew of crazy curls back out of my face just as Benny rounded the front of the car to approach me.   “You know, I really can’t get over how… appealing you look.” He stated, stepping to my side and placing a hand on my upper back, prompting me to move forward. I smirked as I walked beside him, biting back a full grin from the sound of his suave compliment.

“Why thank you… you look quite, handsome yourself.”

I could feel his orbs bearing down at the side of my face and I glanced up, catching him in the act of gawking at me “Thank you.”

With a nod, I turned to face forward once more and decided it would probably be in my best interest to keep my eyes glued to where I was stepping to avoid tripping in these heels.  Making our way up a strenuous three flights of steps, we finally arrived at the vivacious entrance of the party. I focused my attention on Benny just as he gently gripped my wrist and pulled me through the crowded doorway and into what I assumed to be the living area of the apartment. I was quite surprised by the size of the place, only because of the dancing and sweaty bodies packed into the space. There were even people lining the hall leading to two reasonably sized bedrooms and a currently occupied restroom. 

“You okay?” Benny asked, leaning close to the side of my body to be heard over the music. I nodded, roving my eyes over the scene of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of at least one person that I was familiar with. I saw no one and for that I was only a tad nervous, but that snippet of fear quickly vanished after feeling Benny’s hand make its way to my lower back, barely pushing me forward toward the kitchen. The moment we crossed the threshold of the kitchen, the immediate stench of smoke taunted my nose and my face fell right into scowl as I inhaled. “You want something to drink?” Hastily shaking my head, I turned and took a few steps toward the entrance of the kitchen, only to be blocked by Benny’s lofty stature.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, a look of concern plaguing his features the moment he got a look at my face.

“The smoke is really strong.” I replied.  He merely smirked, stepping backward through the door to push it open. I stepped past him, making haste to inhale as much of the so called “fresh” air in the living room. I could hear him chuckling behind me, but I paid him no mind… I was too busy trying to gather my composure so that I could turn around and reprimand him for even thinking to take me in that tainted kitchen. 

“Can you dance?” He asked, not even giving me the opportunity to turn around before he pressed his nimble fingertips into my lower back, blowing a rush of sweet, warm breath against my neck as he spoke. I shuddered a bit, feeling the sensation of my face heating and morphing into a light shade of scarlet from his actions.

I turned my body to face him, gazing up into those intoxicating brown orbs “I believe I can… can you?”

He stared at me for a few seconds before cracking a small smile and flicking his tongue out over his lips “I can do a lil bit… I’m tryna see what you can do though.”

Surrendering my arm to his hand, I allowed him to pull me out onto the makeshift dance floor and into the midst of the gyrating bodies dancing carelessly to the bass of the music.  

Chris  I didn’t even bother to bite back the urge to groan as I tossed my head back with my eyes squeezed shut. The sight of her bobbing head was giving me quite a rise and I wasn’t tryna catch my nut that damn quick… I wanted to savor the feeling and relish in the slurping sounds of her plump ass lips gliding back and forth over the head of my dick. No lie though, it was seriously starting to fucking annoy me that she seemed to be having a problem moving her damn lips any further than the tip. Lowering my head and staring at her through squinted eyes, I buried my fingers in the thick tracks covering her head and yanked back, stopping her mid slurp and depriving her of what she’d apparently been previously enjoying.

“The fuck are you doing?” I asked, pulling her head further back from me when she attempted to reattach her lips.

“I’m giving you head like you wanted me to… why’d you stop me?” She asked, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling slightly as if I were depriving her ass of food and water.

“I ain’t want you to do shit… you wanted to do it. You made it seem like you knew what the fuck to do.” I said, pushing her away from me and tucking my shit back in my boxers… I would probably walk the fuck outta here with my dick on ten, but it was cool though. This bitch was being too generous with her head game and I wanted my shit aggressive… like, you either take every fucking inch of it, gagging or not, or get the fuck outta my face.  “Wait, what are you doing?” She asked, pulling my hands away from my zipper and quickly slipping my dick right back through the hole in my boxers.

With a sigh, I licked my lips and stared down at her “You fucking around ma. You act like you scared to take the whole damn thing and I don’t like that shit.”

Flicking the tip of her rosy tongue over the head, she raised her chinky eyed gaze to meet mine “I’m not scared, you’re just too big.”

“Well if I’m too big, maybe I should find somebody else to make me nut, huh?” I smirked.

“No you shouldn’t. I’m gonna do it,” She slid her lips over the tip and flicked her tongue around it a few times, forming her lips into a tight O and pulling back with a loud pop, “You taste too good for me to let another bitch suck this dick.”

Bringing my hand back around to the back of her head, I gripped a handful of her hair and pushed her head forward “Well how bout you use that mouth to suck, not talk.”  Gulping in a gust of air, she spread her lips and surprisingly, maneuvered her mouth until I felt the head of my dick thumping against the back of her throat. She gagged noisily and pushed her hands against the front of my thighs, fighting desperately to get me to release her head from my grasp.

“You can’t handle that shit, can you?” I full out grinned, adoring the sight of saliva drippling down her chin and onto her chest. Holding onto her hair and tilting her head back just slightly, I gnawed at my bottom lip as she gazed up at me, eyes watering and mascara running. Figuring she was probably nearing the first stages of choking to death, I pulled her head back only to have her knock my hands away from her head and slide my dick further down her throat.  I knew I could sense her aggressive attitude from a damn mile away when I first met her ass and now the shit was finally coming to light. The way she boldly removed my hands from her sewn in tresses was definitely starting to turn me on more and I fucking loved how she was so confident that she could look me dead in the eyes as she blew me like a champ. She continued to deep throat me, occasionally pulling back to gather an ounce of breath and spit out accumulated saliva and precum. I’d never really been the type of nigga to get into that sloppy head shit, but I was either sexually frustrated from getting absolutely no pussy all week, or I was just abnormally turned the fuck on right now. Whatever the case was, ‘ole girl was putting in some serious work with her mouth. Gripping the edge of the counter I leaned against with one hand, I used the other to grip her hair and jerk her head forward the moment I felt that toe curling, tingling sensation in the tip of my dick. With my shit now balls deep in her mouth, I squeezed my eyes shut and thrust my hips forward, bumping her head back and sending her into a gagging fit. Grunting lowly, I pried my eyes open and stared down at her as she temporarily formed her mouth into a little suction, sucking with a certain prowess that tapped at every fucking nerve in my body. With no warning on her behalf, she pulled her head back simultaneous to my climax and I frowned, fighting back the urge to snatch her ass up by her head and shake her until she explained to me why she moved back before she could catch this nut.

“Unh-unh ma… I ain’t tell your ass to move. I want your mouth on this dick til every fucking drop is gone.” Shocked by my own sudden outburst, I stared blankly at her as she eyed me cautiously as if I would strike her at any moment. I wouldn’t hit the girl for not abiding by my demands, but for some reason I wanted nothing more than to plow my entire shaft back into her mouth until she couldn’t breathe just so she could swallow every fucking drop, and any other time besides right now... I woulda been completely turned off by even the thought of that. Finally releasing what felt like all of my little children, I pushed her away from me, catching a handful of her hair in the process and dragging her ass up until she was as close to eye level with me that my height would allow.

“Swallow that shit girl,” I growled, pushing one hand up against the bottom of her chin to keep her mouth shut, “Swallow it… all of it.” I really didn’t have to insist that she do it because she seemed more than willing to gulp it down like it water. After taking it all down like a pro, she opened her mouth and flicked her tongue out, showing me that she had done the deed.

“Good girl.” I said, smirking at her and stroking her chin as she licked her lips and leaned forward close to my mouth.  Reflexively moving away from her, I glanced at her as I readjusted myself in my pants and zipped my jeans “Aye, the fuck did I tell you when we came in here Nicole… I got a girl and these lips are only for her.”

“But the dick is for every other bitch, right?” Her question caught me off guard and I stared at her blankly for a moment, but quickly gathered my composure.

“Nah,” Stepping closer to her and a leaning in a bit to reach her level, I smirked and stared directly into her eyes, “But what nigga can’t resist a hoe when he sees one?” With a smirk, I finally turned away from her and retreated to the bathroom door.

-- After my rendezvous with Nicole in the bathroom, I decided that I should probably go soothe my nerves after the comment she made with something strong to drink. At the moment, I stood with my back against the wall near the kitchen, nursing some dark liquor in the cup in my hand. My eyes steadily roamed the scene, catching a grip of chicks staring directly at me with pure lust in their eyes and obvious sexual antics displayed in their dancing bodies. Nothing about any of them interested me though… I had already had my share for the night and I wasn’t planning on leaving another mark of regret on my soul with any of these other females.  Glancing to my right, I caught a glimpse of a grinning Shawn coming my way with a cup in his hand.

“Wassup bro?” He greeted me, slapping my available hand then moving so his back was to the wall beside me.

“What you grinning bout nigga? You walking through here like you just saw a celebrity or some shit.” I noted.

He licked his lips and shook his head, continuously grinning as he raised his cup to his lips and lowered it after taking a sip “Nah man, but I just slipped up outta some celebrity status pussy though dawg.”

I chuckled and shook my head… this nigga was a fool.  “But yo,” He muttered, taking another sip from his cup,” I thought you said ya girl wasn’t coming through here tonight.”

“She wasn’t… she said she was loaded with homework.” I replied, drinking the burning liquid from my cup as well.

“Well I coulda swore I saw her over by the balcony dancing with Benny.”  ��dancing with Benny… My cup damn near slipped from my grasp as I replayed those words about sixteen different times in my mind just to be sure I heard this nigga right. Dancing with Bennny. He could not be fucking serious... this nigga had to be kidding right now.

“Are you sure it was her man?” I asked, tryna maintain my composure for as long as I could, though I was quite sure by now my fucking face had already flushed a bright shade of red.

“Yeah dawg… I don’t mean to come off like I be staring at your girl or anything, but uh… she got long ass curly blonde hair and a slim, curvy frame, right?” He asked.

Staring at him for more seconds than I gave a fuck to count, I eventually did drop my cup somewhere on a random surface near me and stepped away from him, absolutely positive that the girl he was referring to was my girl.  I marched with every intent of tackling Benny’s ass out onto the balcony and throwing him over the fucking side of the thing and I found myself squinting to focus as the most deadly feeling washed over me. I was pissed beyond belief at this point and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t seeing red and my head didn’t feel like it was steaming like the engine of a train. I hadn’t felt this way in months and I was honestly scared outta my own damn skin at the feeling. Everything in my peripheral began to blur and the only thing left for me to gaze at were the dancing bodies of Sy’Diyah and Benny, who stood feet away from me and mere centimeters away from each other exactly where Shawn said they were. Neither of them noticed me approaching, even with the random people being pushed the fuck outta my way as I got closer.  Finally closing the distance between the three of us, I caught Benny’s eye first and he smiled at me, like… the nigga actually smiled at me.

“Wassup Chris?” I barely paid any attention to his greeting as I glared at him, feeling the biggest rush of anger surge through my entire body. Punch him in the face Chris… just do it. Don’t be a pussy, just do it. Forcing the overbearing and dominating thoughts to the back of my mind, I approached the two, never once tearing my eyes away from Benny.

“Aye,” I blurted, breaking Sy’Diyah out of her daze of dancing, “Come on.”

She didn’t even hesitate to stop dancing and walk toward me. I could only imagine she’d already caught the flash of anger in my eyes and she knew not to argue against me.  Gripping her wrist, I dragged her away from the fuck nigga and back toward the kitchen, past Shawn and to the front door. I was having a hard time focusing on walking straight and not turning around and slamming her ass against the nearest wall. The one thought keeping me moving was getting her to my truck to express exactly how the fuck I felt… if I turned around and happened to catch Benny even glancing in my direction, I was sure to lose it and crush the niggas throat with my bare hands.

“Chris, let me go. I can walk without you pulling me.” She said, through what sounded clenched teeth. I ignored her and continued on out the apartment and down the first flight of stairs.

“Please Charlie… you’re hurting my wrist.” Still, I refused to face her until I got us both to my truck so she would just have to deal with my hand on her fucking wrist and sprint to keep up since she decided to get all dolled the fuck up with these five mothafucking inch stilettos on!  “Aye man, let her go… she said you hurting her wrist.” Stopping dead in my tracks, I slowly turned to face Benny, who stood about five steps away from me. He eyed me for a moment, obviously surprised by the sudden change in my entire demeanor compared to the first day I met his bitch ass.

“Why don’t you just let her arm go dawg?” He mumbled. Abiding by his request, I released Sy’Diyahs arm and watched her as she discreetly nursed it with her other hand as if I really put a fucking bruise there. Slowly moving up the steps toward Benny, I kept my breathing at an even pace, my head cocked to one side, and my eyes squinted at him rather than the crowd of people bustling through the door to get a look at a spectacle that I refused to satisfy them with. Now chest to chest with Benny, I moved him back against the nearest wall and leaned in close. “Lemme explain something to you, Benny… I’ve tried, so fucking hard to keep my mouth shut with you, but you just making it so hard. I’m a territorial nigga, right… and that...” I raised a finger in Sy’Diyahs direction without even bothering to face her, “Is my territory. I don’t want this shit to escalate between us bruh, I really don’t. I wanna keep it civil with you nigga, ‘cause I’m not tryna go to jail for assault or murder. Now Imma keep it at this and only this… I will not catch you speaking to my girl again. Period. It’s shit you don’t know about me Benny…  because of fuck boys like you, there’s shit from my past that haunts me to this very day that I vowed to never bring to my fucking present, but you… you bringing it all back right now homie… slowly but surely.” Standing nearly nose to nose with this lanky ass nigga, I sized him up about three times with my nose turned up in disgust before finally ending the confrontation. Turning to make my way back down the steps toward Sy’Diyah, I snatched her by her wrist once more and dragged her ass down the remainder of stairs. 

Hope My wrist was burning, my feet were aching, and I was nearing a random outburst of tears. The entire night came crashing to a screeching halt right before my eyes and now, here I am… sitting in Chris’s truck, plagued with silence and nearly losing my mind as I watched Chris from the corner of my eye silently driving us to our destination. He hadn’t uttered a single word to me since he dragged me out of the party and at one point I started to truly believe he had completely forgotten that it was me he’d latched his powerful hand onto and dragged down three flights of stairs in death defying heels. I knew the moment I looked up at his daunting stature while Benny and I were dancing, that nothing but trouble and turmoil would come through the night. I was used to this from him, well not necessarily used to… more so trained with the thought of him getting upset with me for some unknown reason and giving me the silent treatment for what felt like decades before blowing up in my face. Now all I had to do was sit there… and wait for the explosion.  Pulling into a vacant parking space in McWhorter Hall’s student parking lot, Chris shifted his truck into park and left it running, thankfully so, because without the low hum of the engine the tension would have been too much to bear. I discreetly slid my hand down to the passenger side door handle, reaching for the lever to pull the door open so I could silently excuse myself from this awkward predicament. I was caught off guard by the sudden sound of the doors clicking and I looked down at the lock to see that he’d locked the doors and placed my door in particular on child lock, forcing me to stay stuck in this truck with him.

“Don’t touch the fucking door.” He mumbled, barely raising his voice above that of a menacing whisper.

“I’m sor…”

“And don’t apologize for shit you not sorry for.” He interrupted, rendering me speechless.  He laughed at humor that was clearly not present in this situation and my skin crawled at the thought of how angry he must be.

“You know, this is so… so fucking backwards to me.” He muttered, still, laughing. I kept my head low, cutting my eyes in his direction to see that his entire face was now a light rosy shade. “I always… always, believed it would be the nigga in the relationship to lie to his female and do some shady shit like… show up at a got damn party with another person.” 

“I didn’t lie to you Chris.” I argued.

“Well what the fuck did you do, Sy’Diyah? You sure as shit ain’t tell me you would be showing yo ass at that damn party, let alone with… Benny. You know what Sy…” With haste, he unlatched his seat belt and swung his body around to fully face me, pointing a finger at me with his lips briefly tucked into his mouth, “I swear to you girl, I was this close… this mothafucking close…” I stared at him, watching as he demonstrated “how close he was” to doing whatever it was he apparently was gonna do back at the party “I didn’t know I was gonna go Chris, Geez. You act like I have to report to you whenever I wanna do something that doesn’t involve you.”

He blinked at me and reached for the brim of his hat, turning it so that the back was facing forward, giving me a full view of his handsomely contorted features “Please don’t catch attitude with me in this got damn truck Sy’Diyah… please don’t do that.”

Rolling my eyes and turning to look out the passenger side window, I scoffed and ran a hand over the top of my loose hair “Can you let me out, please?”

“Nah, I can’t do shit. Tell me what the fuck you was thinking about when you walked up in there with that nigga… knowing full and got damn well I don’t like his ass.”  “First of all, Christopher, I was thinking that it wouldn’t be a good idea to call you because I knew you had already gone out for the night, so I was trying to be considerate. And second of all, I didn’t even think you were gonna be at the same party…” My words clearly went unheard because he incessantly interrupted me as if what I had to say wasn’t important.

“But why the fuck would you show up at any party with that dude? He’s not me… you shouldn’t be going no damn where like that with any other guy but me.”

“You know, you should really break this habit of telling me what I can, cannot, should, and should not do,” I stated boldly, rolling my eyes back in his direction and staring directly into his dim orbs, “You’re not my dad.”

Squinting one eye and twisting his face into the deepest frown, he tactfully formed his right hand into a fist and without warning, threw a punch at my armrest, which was pulled up right next to my arm “Stop being fucking sarcastic.” 

I flinched at his actions… his fist landed just centimeters from my arm and I could have sworn he was aiming at me and not the seat. Noting that his face was clearly beaming a darker shade of crimson, I licked my parched lips and sought control over my erratic breathing “If you hit me in this truck, Chr…”

“Ain’t nobody bout to hit yo ass girl, but you and yo lil boyfriend keep fucking with me and you gone get that nigga knocked the fuck out.” He said, leaving me to wonder if he was entirely sober.

“Why would you say that, asshole? Clearly he’s not my boyfriend.” I fussed.

“The nigga may as well be, shit.” He muttered, slumping back in his seat.  Focusing my gaze straight ahead, I released a gust of a laugh through my nose and shook my head “Why are you being so insecure Chris? Are you… jealous?”

The question flooded from my mouth before I even had a second to rethink it and I quickly turned to face him as he slowly crooked his neck to one side and tilted his head to glare at me. He seemed to stare for a least a full minute without speaking or even moving for that matter. He slowly nodded his head, as if he’d just come to a mental conclusion about my statement and readjusted his hat so that the brim was forward and pulled low over his eyes. He mumbled something, but it was too low to hear, so I quickly asked him to repeat what he’d said.

“Get the fuck out.” He demanded in a low tone, pressing his finger into the unlock button “Since you so fucking into this nigga all of a got damn sudden and you apparently think I’m jealous of him… get the fuck out my truck and go fuck him with him.”  I was appalled… even stupefied by the way he spoke to me. I didn’t know where it was coming from and I didn’t want to ask. I simply wanted to scramble out of his truck, race up to my room, and bury myself in the corner of my bed so that I could drown in my own tears. My eyes were already watering as I replayed every word he’d just unleashed on me and with one last glance at his profile, I tugged at the handle of the door and slid one foot out. Stopping just before both feet were safely on the ground, I instinctively reached into my purse, grabbing the trinket of my love and adoration for him from the side pocket. My actions happened without thought and I found myself quite satisfied with the sound of him cursing lowly after feeling his own Charlie Brown pendant hitting him square in the right cheek.

[mylittledragonhoard]

Fic: Viva Las Vegas

[AO3]

Chapter Three: Monday Morning

Something pulled Kili out of the blissful arms of sleep, and though he was tired, he found himself in a better pair of arms as his sleepy mind recalled where he was and who he was with. Whatever had woken him was promptly forgotten in favour of better things.

He looked across the rather lavish hotel room to see the sun peeking in from behind the blackout curtain they hadn't bothered to close completely the night before. The light was already pretty high in the sky, though considering what time they’d finally fallen asleep, the sleeping in was definitely not surprising.

He grinned to himself and snuggled back down underneath the arm wrapped around him. Fili made a soft noise of protest at being disturbed but remained asleep, his grip tightening around Kili a little more before it relaxed again. Kili didn’t feel like going back to sleep, but he was quite happy with lying awake and watching the blond, letting the memories of last night drift back to him.

The night before had been nothing short of amazing and Kili could honestly say that it had been the best night of his life. And the sex, which had been passionate, tender, and fun, had only been a part of it.

The Kiwi was a very attentive partner and had made sure Kili was half out of his mind with pleasure half the night. The brunet was going to be aching in places for days and he was going to savour every moment of it.

Kili had had a few partners before, both male and female, but he couldn't remember ever having enjoyed himself so much. He wasn't a stranger to sex, but he'd never been anyone's sole focus for hours before, and his body still tingled just thinking about Fili's fingers and hands exploring his skin.

The blond had taken his time mapping out every inch of Kili’s body, finding all the best ways to make the brunet gasp and moan and took great pleasure in making Kili do so as many times as he could.

At one point, Kili had felt fingers moving across his shoulder blades in a familiar pattern that Kili knew by heart. Fili had discovered the tattoo that had been inked across the brunet's back the moment he’d turned eighteen; the entire solar system.

"Are you a space nerd, Ireland?" The question had been asked as kisses were pressed to every planet.

The brunet had smiled and buried his face in the pillow sheepishly, but he hadn't gotten the impression that he was being made fun of. Not with the way gentle fingertips caressed over the inked skin almost in reverence. "A little bit, but not in an I want to go into space kind of way." He had explained, and then he had told Fili something that not even his friends knew.

"It's one of the things I really remember most about my dad. He died when I was little.” He began and Fili settled in to listen. His friends knew about his dad, but not the memory associated with his tattoo. “He had a telescope and I remember looking through it with him almost every night while he taught me about the constellations and the planets. Sometimes we’d set it up outside, and he’d let me stay up way too late looking at the stars."

The entire time he spoke, his tattoos were traced and kissed while Fili paid close attention to what the brunet was saying. "Even now, watching the stars makes me feel peaceful. They're so huge and so old; it's just...kind of humbling, you know? It makes my petty problems feel insignificant and puts things into perspective a little? Maybe that makes me crazy." He'd ended, unsure how it made him sound. "Anyway, it makes me feel closer to my dad, and I guess that's all that counts."

"It doesn't make you crazy." Fili had promised as he'd nudged the back of Kili's neck with his nose. "I have the same thoughts when I'm in or looking at the ocean." He'd paused, then, "I'm sorry about your dad."

"Thanks. It was a long time ago..."

When it was Kili's turn to explore to his heart's content, Fili hadn't hesitated in telling him what he liked either, and he hadn't had a problem with vocalizing his encouragement. Unlike Kili, Fili didn’t have a speck of ink on him, though the blond admitted to wanting a tattoo eventually. What Kili did find were a few more scars that he hadn't noticed before because he'd been a little preoccupied panicking. There was the one along the back of Fili’s neck and upper back that caused the blond to shiver when it was kissed. It was smoother while the few along his right shoulder blade were jagged. He had what looked like a couple of chicken pox scars along his forehead as well.

He mentioned about the one down Fili’s neck but couldn't bring himself to really ask what happened. It was clearly a surgical scar since it was so straight and smooth.

Fili had grinned, “Accidents happen. I’ve had a few injuries the last couple of years.” Kili had his own random scars that he’d collected doing stupid shit in high school and being a clumsy kid before that, so he knew how it went, and considering he knew some of the things Fili had done, a few scars weren’t surprising.

“Besides, they totally make me look cool.” The blond had stated smugly.

“Oh yeah, you’re Mr. Cool.” The brunet had returned the teasing, which he’d followed up by attacking Fili’s sides with his fingers. That was how Kili found out that Mr. Cool was ticklish.

By the time they'd completely exhausted themselves, neither were left wanting in any way.

Sated and pliant, but not quite ready for sleep after sleeping most of the day away, they'd snuggled together and just talked. Fili, Kili had discovered after promising not to tickle anymore, was an awesome snuggler who used his whole body to wrap around Kili.

Talking came easy too now that he wasn’t hungover and suffering from a headache. Kili had never clicked so well with anyone before, not even Ori, who had been awkwardly shy and a little intimidated at first, or Tauriel, who hadn't actually liked Kili when they'd first met because they were too competitive.

Fili had all but demanded to know more about Kili - "I don't care how boring you think you are. I want to know who Kili Oaks is right down to his favourite colour."

"Well, it was green a couple of days ago, but now it's the shade of your eyes." He smirked, and while he might have been teasing, it was quickly becoming the truth. Fili had the prettiest blue eyes, and Kili never minded when he’d get lost within them.

"Oh I found myself a sweet talker."

They’d made it a game where they’d answer question for question no matter how silly the questions became the later it got and the sleepier they grew.

Fili was completely open and honest with his answers and Kili made sure he returned the gesture with his own honesty.

Fili learned that Kili had finished his first four years at university but had lost interest in the English degree he’d been majoring in. He’d decided to take some time off to just work and get a little life experience and hoped that maybe he’d actually find an interest in something. He planned to do that once he got back home from Vegas.

The brunet learned that Fili had wanted to be a marine biologist when he'd been younger, but plans had changed and that dream had never come about. He’d never gone to university or anything else after high school, though he still remained fascinated by the ocean and what dwelled underneath the waves just like Kili and his planets floating out in space.

Kili also learned that Fili's favourite colour was the darker blue of a blue glaucus, and after having to look up what the hell that was the brunet had laughed. "Ocean nerd."

"I can't deny that."

They eventually talked more about their families, Kili revealing that he was an only child. Although he missed his father, he'd never been lacking because of his uncle, who had helped raise him until the man had moved away from Ireland. Kili’s mother had moved them from Ireland when he’d been fourteen to follow him. The adjustment had been difficult for Kili as he’d had to leave everything he’d ever known, and he’d been a rather angry teenager who took his anger out on both his mother and his uncle. He’d finally befriended Ori and eventually accepted his new life.

It hadn’t helped that he’d realized his attraction to both men and women and had been a thoroughly confused teenager since he’d never heard of bisexuality before. At the time, neither his mother nor his uncle was very supportive, and a lot of hurtful things had been said by all parties.

When Kili had finally gone to college, he’d learned that he wasn’t broken or wrong to feel what he felt, and both his mother and uncle had taken it upon themselves to learn more and educate themselves. They’d both apologized for their ignorance, and the healing had begun.

Fili admitted that he hadn’t had many friends while he was younger because he’d been too shy to make them. He had an older half-brother from his father's previous marriage, but he had grown up as an only child since the two had never really gotten along. He'd never really been too bothered by it, or by the fact that he’d never been his father’s favourite. And now he and both his parents hadn't been on speaking terms since Fili had turned eighteen either.

"They didn't want a gay son." Fili had shrugged. He hadn't denied that it had hurt him a lot, but he also had an uncle who had stepped into the role of father long ago and had taken him in, doing his best to make up for the lack of love and affection.

They’d curled around each other in silence for a while after that, Kili feeling lucky that his family had come to an understanding and glad for the fact that at least Fili had such a great uncle.

The silence didn’t last long though as they plunged back into their game, not wanting to ruin the mood between them with sad childhoods.

Fili’s uncle had a couple of dogs that had quickly decided that they belonged to the blond instead, but he'd had to leave them behind when he'd started travelling. Kili had never owned a pet until his second year of high school when he’d gotten Raven, a Brazilian Black tarantula.

“A tarantula.” The disbelieving tone in Fili’s voice had been familiar and caused Kili to grin.

“Yeah!” He’d been beaming as he explained and totally showed off the pictures he had of her in his phone, “She’s a big sweetheart, real docile and loves to be handled. You’re afraid of them, aren’t you?” He couldn’t help but be a little amused because this was coming from the guy who jumped out of planes and swam with sharks.

“Always have been.” Fili had no problem admitting it as he eyed the pictures, zooming in on Kili’s screen to get a closer view of her pedipalps. They were rather long, and Kili wisely kept his mouth shut about the fact that the large fat fluffy things between them were her fangs. The guy was actually taking an interest in something he was afraid of because it was an interest of Kili’s. Kili was not going to ruin that moment. “Actually…she’s kind of cute.”

Oh, did this man know what to say to win Kili over. Not that he needed to. Kili was well and truly won over.

The brunet was a massive movie collector and had a ton of them at home. Fili had been an avid reader for as long as he could remember but hadn’t had the time the last couple of years, though that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy movies too.

“What do you mean you don’t like horror?” The brunet had gasped in mock shock upon finding out. “That’s my favourite genre!”

Fili had just shrugged with a sheepish chuckle, “I don’t need any more horrors in my life. I’m more of a Disney-Happy-Ending fan. All that suspense and gore is too much. A friend tricked me into watching Saw. I lasted ten minutes and had nightmares for a week.”

“Okay, well that series is pretty intense for me too."

“They made more than one?” Fili had sounded completely shocked.

“There are seven.”

“…why?! Don’t we all think about death enough?” And he actually shuddered. “I’ll stick to the happy movies.”

Something about the conversation tickled the back of Kili’s brain, and the familiar feeling of there’s something this man isn’t telling me that he’d gotten the day before as they ate supper returned upon hearing that. It was the important questions that Kili couldn’t bring himself to ask, no matter how much he wanted to know.

You think about death often? Are you sick? Are you dying?

It wasn’t any of his business – at least, not yet.

Among all the random facts they’d learned about each other, they’d also brought up the issue of the marriage. They both agreed not to give it too much thought for the rest of the week and to just enjoy the time spent getting to know each other. Figuring he’d have a couple of days to enjoy the fun parts of a newly married couple before they had it annulled, Kili wasn’t going to force Fili to tell him anything he didn’t want to reveal.

Kili liked to think that he’d at least give this man something worth remembering.

A chirping that sounded like a group of crickets brought Kili out of his musings about last night and made him realize what it had been that had woken him in the first place. He managed to tear his eyes away from the sleeping form long enough to see the screen of his phone light up from where it sat on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.

With a soft grunt, he reached for the cell and opened the notification to find a couple of text messages from Tauriel, along with the messages she’d sent the night before.

[From: Tauriel] Hey you man slut. Did the mind blowing sex fry your brain? [From: Tauriel] Kili [From: Tauriel] Kiiiiiliiiiiiii [From: Tauriel] Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllll [From: Tauriel] *iiiiiiiiiiiii. Stupid enter key [From: Tauriel] Tell me where you are. We can come meet you! [From: Tauriel] I really want to meet Mister-I-have-the-world’s-greatest-ass in person. [From: Tauriel] Kili I know you have what could be considered a god in your bed BUT STOP IGNORING ME.

Grinning at the wicked idea that came to him then, Kili opened his camera and snapped a picture of the sleeping blond next to him. The sheets had been pulled up so there wasn’t anything racy about the picture, though the hickeys Kili had made along Fili’s neck were visible. That mass of long blond hair was strewn across the pillow and his face was completely relaxed in sleep. His eyelashes gently fluttered against his cheeks occasionally and his lips were parted just slightly as he breathed.

He looked really young and innocent in sleep, which contrasted greatly with what Kili had experienced.

Kili fully intended to send the picture to Tauriel along with a message along the lines of ‘I’m happy right where I am thanks’, but he couldn’t hit the send button.

The image was borderline precious, and something within him loathed the idea of sharing something so sweet with anyone else. He wanted to keep it for himself.

He deleted the picture from the text but sent the message anyway, letting Tauriel know that he’d meet up with them eventually.

[From: Tauriel] We had plans you sex deprived shithead.

[From: Kili] Nothing was set in stone. I’m really enjoying myself right now, I promise I’ll find you guys. Weren’t you the one saying that maybe I’d get laid because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas since we booked this trip? This is me. Getting laid.

[From: Tauriel] Yeah well I never thought it would actually happen.

[From: Kili] Ouch that fucking hurts.

[From: Tauriel] Yeah I bet it does when you’re all snuggled up to that guy.

[From: KIli] :3 He does help to soothe the pain. And I had to help him get over being traumatized by you talking about your vagina ;)

[From: Tauriel] Fuck. I forgot about that. You know how I am when I’ve had a few.

[From: Kili] The poor man is scarred for life. It may just take all week to help him get over it.

[From: Tauriel] And you’re just the man for the job, right?

[From: Kili] I have yet to hear a complaint.

[From: Tauriel] But what about us??? We’re awesome too! And your BEST friends. What’s he got that we don’t? :(((((

[From: Kili] Um…a penis?

[From: Tauriel] Ori’s got one of those!

[From: Kili] One I want in my mouth.

[From: Tauriel] You’re so picky. Fine. I won’t ruin your orgasmic week because God knows you needed to get laid. But what happens if we were to innocently run into you? Would you introduce us then?

[From: Kili] Innocent my ass. You can’t do anything innocently.

[From: Tauriel] I’m under the impression your ass and ‘innocent’ don’t belong in the same sentence after last night.

[From: Kili] Fuck off lol IF you can catch us, then I will introduce you. But you won’t.

[From: Tauriel] That sounds like a challenge. I accept. But you have to give hints.

[From: Kili] Fair enough. GOOD LUUUUCK!

He snorted softly, but the sound must have been louder than he thought because the body next to him stirred a little, and eyes the colour of the ocean Fili loved so much opened and blinked up at him sleepily.

“G’mornin’, gorgeous.” Fili’s greeting was heavily accented, and the beautiful husky pitch of his voice had Kili abandoning his phone without a second thought and shifting to get a little more comfortable on the shared pillow.

“Good morning to you too.” Kili could feel his cheeks heat up a little at the endearment, but he didn’t try to keep the wide smile from his face. This was the blond completely sober and not hungover and the breathtaking smile that broke out across the man’s face was being directed at him.

The stray thought of how nice it would be to wake up to a smile like that every morning made a home in the back of Kili’s mind.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” The brunet admitted with a sheepish grin, pushing the silly thought away. Who wouldn’t want that?

Fili shook his head even as he yawned, “Nah, should be getting up anyway.” He slurred before stretching, Kili’s eyes watching the expanse of that toned chest as he did so. Fili caught him staring and chuckled as he relaxed again, pulling Kili to him.

Kili let himself be pulled, unashamed at having been caught. He tucked himself against Fili’s side, hand automatically sliding up and over the blond’s chest to hold onto him as he rested his head against a shoulder. “So what’s the plan today? I doubt you’d want to spend the rest of the day in bed with me, but I’ll throw that out there in case you’re looking for suggestions.” He grinned, glancing up so he could see Fili’s face while resting his chin on that strong chest.

He was probably never going to get over that chest. Mmm!

The blond let out a laugh and a hand rubbed along Kili’s back until it slid down to squeeze Kili's ass. “I wouldn’t say no to that suggestion, but I suppose we should do something else before you get tired of me.”

Kili snorted at the very idea even as he moved, throwing a leg over Fili’s waist and pulling himself up so he was straddling the blond, completely comfortable with their lack of dress. “Oh yeah, totally getting bored spending all my time with, and I quote: ‘the man with the world’s greatest ass’.” He smirked down at said man.

It took Fili a bit to register the words, but a pleased flush coloured his cheeks as he chuckled. His hands came up and settled on Kili’s hips to steady him and most likely as an excuse to touch, “And who said that?” He tilted his head curiously, peering up at Kili with a wide grin and twinkling eyes.

“Nobody important.” Kili shrugged a shoulder, “But they weren’t wrong.” He leaned forward, bracing his hands on either side of Fili’s head and just admiring him. “Do you even know how kissable you look right now?” He wondered, chewing his lip as he took in the relaxed and almost adoring expression on the blond’s face as he gazed up at Kili, completely at ease with being stared at. It really wouldn’t be such a hardship to stay in this bed for the rest of the week.

Those blue eyes lit up and it was clear that Fili was trying to smother a grin by the way the corners of his mouth twitched and the way his dimples threatened to show. “Obviously not, since I’m not being kissed.” He pointed out, fingers tapping out a random rhythm against Kili’s hips. “I should find someone who’s willing to remedy that for me, I think.”

“Yeah?” Kili leaned close enough so that he could feel Fili’s breath against his face, “You don’t think there’s anybody here wanting to do just that?” He asked playfully.

The Kiwi pondered that for only a moment, “Nope, don’t think so because you’re clearly not interes—” The rest of what he was going to say was muffled against Kili’s lips as the brunet dipped down the rest of the way to claim Fili’s mouth with an eagerness that proved his interest. Kili felt the smile against his mouth and he swallowed the pleased sound that Fili made.

They kissed slowly and tenderly, as if they had all the time in the world to do so, happily losing themselves in each other. At least until a loud grumbling sound caused giggles to erupt between them.

“I think we should shower, then find a place to eat before your stomach decides to eat itself.” Fili teased giving Kili one last kiss.

Kili groaned as he buried his face in Fili's shoulder, effectively pinning the blond to the bed. Fili didn't seem to mind this at all. "Let me starve. I'm comfortable." He mumbled though it was slightly muffled.

A hand rubbed up and down the length of his back. "I can't let you starve. Come on. We'll be back here before you know it."

"Okay fine." Kili dragged out the last word as he struggled to get up. He slid off and managed to make it off the bed. He grabbed his jeans from the floor, frowning at the fact that he’d been wearing them for two days now. He must have spilt alcohol on them because they smelled, and he could see a smear of some sort of food from the day before. “I think I need to stop by my hotel room for some clothes.” He mumbled as he shook them out, not particularly liking the idea of running into his friends so soon.

Fili had gotten up and was rummaging through a bag sitting on a nearby plush chair. He was slightly bent over, which gave Kili the perfect view of his delectably perky ass. This could very well become an issue. One look and Kili wanted to squeeze those perfect globes. “Here.” The Kiwi said, drawing Kili's attention away just in time to have something thrown in his face.

“What’s this?” The brunet asked as he pulled it away, shaking it out to see. It was black with faded gold print reading Xena: Warrior Princess.

“We call it a shirt, Ireland. I’d personally rather you not wear one, but places seem to have a ‘no shoes, no shirt’ policy here. Pity.” Fili responded cheekily.

Kili giggled a little as he gathered the shirt under his arm. “Got pants, or would you rather see me walk around without those too?”

The hungry look Fili gave him was answer enough. “As appealing as that thought is, I don’t want to be bailing you out of jail.” The blond dug into the bag again and pulled out a pair of black jeans, “They might be a little short, but try these on.” He tossed them and this time Kili caught them. "I'll ask the hotel to do our laundry while we're gone so you can have clean clothes."

They ended up taking separate showers because both agreed that they wouldn’t be leaving any time soon if they showered together. Kili went first and immediately regretted the idea of not showering together when he remembered the size of the shower and the large mirror right across. The first time he'd stepped inside this bathroom that was bigger than his bedroom at home, he'd vowed to make use of both. Preferably with the Kiwi.

Fili's pants were surprisingly comfortable and not too short at all and Kili stepped out of the bathroom to show off a little. "It looks like I have thoroughly gotten into your pants now." He quipped, getting a laugh in response. “These hug my ass rather nicely; looks like you have some competition.” He swayed his hips a little to give Fili a good view.

When there was no witty remark in return, Kili turned around and found those blue eyes glued to his ass in probably the same way Kili’s had been earlier. Pleased by the attention, the brunet smirked, crossing his arms until Fili came out of whatever daze he’d fallen into.

“See something you like, Mr. Durin?” Kili asked even as he stepped closer to Fili, stopping in front of him and wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. His fingers playing with the hair at the back of Fili's head caused the blond to shiver, and it made Kili feel a little powerful to have such sway over him.

“You in my clothes." Fili finally managed, "and I’m really tempted to take them off you and take you up on your suggestion about staying in bed all day.” He admitted with a saucy grin as his hands trailed down Kili’s back until they cupped his ass and pulled him flush against him so they could kiss.

For a moment Kili thought he'd won and was completely prepared to toss the Kiwi back on the bed, but then his stomach decided to grumble louder than before.

Fili smiled against his mouth before slowly pulling away. With the crinkles around his eyes and those dimples showing, it almost physically pained Kili that they weren't still kissing. "We're feeding you." The blond insisted as a phone was placed in Kili's hand. “I’ve narrowed our breakfast choices to three places. The app’s open. Feel free to browse the phone if you get bored.” Fili reluctantly stepped away, and with that he was gone, leaving Kili to figure out where they were going to eat.

Kili stared at the phone a little dazed even after Fili had disappeared into the bathroom. He could almost feel the weight of the trust the man had in him just as sharply as he felt the weight of the phone, and as he sank down on the bed and found the navigation app already opened with their choices, he allowed himself a sappy smile.

After choosing the location that sounded more interesting than the others, he did just what Fili had suggested and looked through the phone.

He made it as far as the image gallery that was clearly full of the images that Fili had taken on his travels. He flipped through the thumbnails of all the albums, which seemed to be sorted by location for the most part.

There were pictures taken at a race track with Fili inside a race car wearing all the gear. He wasn’t driving, but he was sitting in the passenger seat giving the camera a thumbs up. What a dork.

There was an album full of mountains, or it could have been the same one over and over. Kili didn’t know mountains very well, and the people within them were tiny. He assumed one of them to be Fili.

There was an entire album dedicated to sunsets and sunrises over different backgrounds: oceans, mountains, cities, what looked like a desert, and then the exact opposite with trees galore that might have been a jungle. There was even a sunrise taken from a plane window, the orange, gold, and red light colouring the clouds and making an altogether beautiful scene.

There were pictures upon pictures of different wildlife in multiple folders. Turtles newly hatched, sharks, whales, dolphins, and so many fish. But there were also elephants, zebras, lions, tigers, colourful birds, moose, horses, and even butterflies and bees gathering pollen from flowers.

There were pictures that had to have been taken from an airplane that had its doors wide open and people parachuting in the background in another album, and yet in another Fili must have gone to an aquarium or something because all the pictures were of marine animals. There seemed to be a tunnel built into a large tank, and Kili could see fish and sharks galore. More of the images showed what might have been a ‘petting pool’, where one could actually touch the creatures living inside it. Kili swiped through sting rays and sea urchins and all kinds of fish before coming to a stop on an image of Fili giving a bottle nosed dolphin a kiss on the tip of its beak. The Kiwi radiated happiness in each photo he was in, and that just made him more beautiful in Kili’s eyes.

The sudden affection blossoming within his chest was unexpected but not unwelcome.

The idea of being part of this grand adventure pleased him, but Fili had no proof of it like all the other images. At least, not yet.

Kili closed the gallery and found the texting app, typing in his number and sending himself a blank message. It took only a few seconds to send the image of the two of them kissing back at the restaurant the day before to Fili’s phone so he’d have the picture too.

He saved it in a new album he named Viva Las Vegas for fun before turning the screen off and setting the phone down next to him on the bed. He sighed and closed his eyes and waited, the image of Fili laughing as he shared a kiss with a dolphin burned into his memory. No matter how this week ended, Kili was just glad to be a part of this man’s journey, and for Fili to be a part of Kili’s.

“Did you fall asleep?” That pleasant voice drew him back to reality, and he opened his eyes and tilted his head enough to see the object of his thoughts slipping his own shirt on. The material was a nice green, but Kili had never heard of the band before.

“Nope.” Kili grinned as he sat up, “Just picturing you naked and having you in that shower later.”

The brunet was treated to that adorable giggle-laugh again, “Now that our evening’s planned, let’s say we get food in our bellies and find things to do to pass the day faster. Because I think that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard. Come on Warrior Princess.”

[haberdashing]

Since some of you expressed interest in hearing about my OCs, here is the promised rambling about them!

Note: I’m leaving out ones that I’ve already published fic for, and there are probably (definitely) more that I can’t remember off the top of my head.

Putting this under a readmore since it's rather long.

First, the fandom OCs that I haven’t written fic for yet:

I’ve made a few posts referencing Ophelia Jane Smith, but I haven’t given any general description of her, so here goes.

She’s my character in a Pokemon RPG campaign, with @lordlyhour as a fellow player and @verldra as the DM. (If you’re intrigued by the idea of a Pokemon RPG, I can throw a copy of the rulebook and associated info your way, just say the word!)

She’s a twin- or was, anyway, the tense changes depending on who you ask. (Her name wasn’t actually chosen for the Shakespeare reference, but because I was poking around on baby name sites looking for twin names, and found the suggestion of Ophelia and Ezra, which both mean “help” but from different languages of origin.) See, when she was... seven or eight or so (haven’t quite pinned down the timing), she went for a walk in the woods and lost track of her brother. And nobody ever saw him again... at least, not in human form. But while searching, Ophelia did find a Phantump that felt strangely familiar, and- knowing, perhaps, about the lore that Phantumps are the ghosts of children lost in the woods- she decided that the Phantump was her brother transformed, and brought him home and treated him as such from then on.

(...this backstory was approved specifically with the caveat that the Phantump in question is NOT actually her brother. Sorry, Ophelia, everything you think you know is a lie. Whoops.)

Also, like most Pokemon protagonists, by the time she heads off on her journey she has a mother but no father in the picture. In Ophelia’s case, a few months after... whatever happened to Ezra, her father left for what she had assumed was a business trip (her father is/was a freelance occult specialist, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to leave abruptly to go on a trip to where his expertise was needed), but he never came back. Ophelia’s mother knows more about what happened to him than Ophelia does, but she gets upset whenever the topic is broached, so Ophelia still doesn’t know what exactly became of him.

On the topic of her parents: Ophelia’s mom is the town medic for the little town in Orre where she resides, and as mentioned above, her father was an occult specialist; Ophelia’s inherited some of the personality of them both. Like her father, she loves to learn new things, even if the knowledge isn’t something terribly practical, and is fascinated with the occult (much to her mother’s chagrin); like her mother, she cares deeply about helping people and Pokemon and wants to make the world a better place, at least in some small way.

The campaign’s still in its early days, but right now her team consists of “Ezra” the Phantump and a Houndour from the woods near her hometown that willingly joined her team and was given the nickname Queen.

(I’d promise that these aren’t all going to be this long, but... well...)

The other fandom OC I haven’t touched via fic yet is Franklin Clark, who’s from the world of the Avarice AU. He’s Ford’s first reincarnation, and is as much of a nerd as you would imagine based on that information. He’s also black, has a very noticeable case of vitiligo (mostly on his face and neck, with some spots on his chest and upper arm as well), has a single mother (his dad died shortly after he was born) who struggles to keep their family in the lower-middle-class range rather than plunging into poverty... And he lives in the small town of Mud Bluffs, Arkansas.

...yeah, his school years would be tough enough even without getting into the whole “friends with a demon” thing. As it is, well... at least he gets good grades?

He’s an only child, but is somewhat close with his relative Ellie, who is technically his niece even though she was born a couple months before him. (Weird family trees are weird.) As time goes by, he eventually gets to know the Pines family as well, and learns more about who exactly this “Ford” person was and why it’s such a big deal to Stan/Mercuriat that they have the same soul.

As an aside, his name is Franklin. If you call him Frank, he’ll ignore you, or at least try to do so. And the only two people who get to call him Frankie are his mom and Stan, and even then he rolls his eyes and plays annoyed half the time.

On to the original OCs! Otherwise known as characters in search of a story... or, really, characters for whom I have a small snippet of story in mind but have no idea how to turn that into a whole Thing.

I’ll start this section with Scott Carlin, who I came up with way back in high school and hadn’t touched for some time before I started thinking about him again for some reason a couple weeks ago.

I can’t decide whether I’m going to use real place names and such in the story I have in mind or fictionalize them all, but for the sake of comprehension I’ll use the real names in this description.

Scott Carlin’s a teenage genius with particular aptitude for math and science who skipped a grade or two to get into college. He really wanted to get into a top-tier school- Caltech, MIT, Harvard- but all of those schools didn’t accept him, so he ends up going to NYU, or a school like it- not a BAD school per se, but not what he was really hoping for. It doesn’t help that it’s annoyingly close to his home in NYC when all he wants to do is revel in being away from his less-than-supportive father and their small, cramped apartment.

Another thing that annoys Scott is that of all the roommates he could’ve been placed with, he got stuck with Ryan (last name tbd because the one my high school self picked is super unsubtle). Ryan seems in many ways to be the opposite of Scott- he’s super-wealthy, takes luxuries for granted, and spends more time partying than studying. What Scott doesn’t quite realize until some ways into the story is that there’s more to Ryan than meets the eye- yes, he’s a rich kid, but he’s also something of a genius himself. (I imagine Ryan as being a bit like a young Tony Stark- yes, he’s brilliant, but he hides that part of himself often, being content to be seen as a rich playboy alone.)

If I stick with the story idea I came up with in high school, the plot starts with Scott, who’s bored with his classes and needs to occupy himself with some project or another, cobbles together a machine that theoretically could act as a time machine. He turns it on, not really expecting it to work... but it does.

...It also explodes in the process, stranding him several decades into the future.

Scott struggles to find a way to get back to his own time while learning what he can from the future, including the surprising (or at least, surprising to Scott) news that his old roommate Ryan turned out to be quite the successful entrepreneur.

All I’ve decided thus far while thinking about this story lately is that Scott’s trans and mixed-race, and that the love interest I had initially thrown into the narrative is entirely unnecessary.

Next up is Niklass (last name tbd, though it’s possible that he doesn’t go by a traditional last name, or any at all), who I first came up with in high school as well.

Niklass can’t lie. Or, more specifically, he cannot say something that he knows or believes to be untrue.

If you were to ask Niklass about this, he’d tell you that he was something of a spoiled brat as a kid, causing all sorts of problems at school and then lying when asked by his father what he had done, leaving his father more disenchanted with the school than with his son. Eventually, one of his teachers- the one who specialized in the study of magic- got sick of having to put up with Niklass’ chronic lying and cast a spell on him; Niklass woke up one day and found that when he tried to tell a lie, the words just wouldn’t come out. His father was (understandably) not happy about this, and tried to get the teacher to reverse the spell, but to no avail.

All of this is, of course, true.

But what he leaves out is that his father wasn’t just some random guy who spoiled his kid- he was an evil dictator that controlled the region. And the teacher who put the spell on Niklass didn’t just get a stern talking-to, but was tortured for days, maybe weeks, in the hopes of getting him to reverse the spell and finally was killed once it became clear that the teacher wasn’t going to give in.

Niklass got into the study of magic himself, initially with the hopes of reversing the spell himself, but later on he learned to admire magic on its own merits. He never did find a way of reversing the spell, but he’s made his peace with it. What he hasn’t made peace with is his father; Niklass has spent years running as far as he can from his father, even possibly into other dimensions (that was the original story line I had in mind for him, but now I’m not so sure).

Also, if you’ve noticed some loopholes in the “cannot say what he knows/believes to be untrue” phrasing of the spell... well... let’s just say Niklass has noticed them, too. Just because he’s stopped trying to get out of the spell entirely doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to test the boundaries and use what loopholes he can find to his advantage.

Last but not least, a relatively new one among the original OCs (from college or shortly afterwards, I forget exactly), Isaac Kaufman.

Isaac was raised in a Conservative Jewish family. He’s trans, and when he came out to his family in his teenage years, they continued to misgender/deadname him repeatedly and also made it crystal-clear that once he turned 18, he was on his own, and they weren’t going to give him a cent for college.

Between student loans, scholarships, and work, Isaac was able to scrounge together enough money to go to college on his own. While there, he got involved in the party scene, using his newfound freedom to indulge in some things that his parents definitely wouldn’t have approved on.

While walking to a nearby bar to join some friends in festivities there, a mugger pulled Isaac into an alley, got out a gun, and said to give him everything he had or else he’d shoot.

Isaac had gone through some rough times before, but this was the first time that he’d really feared for his life in an immediate sense. His brain went into fight-or-flight mode, and he chose flight.

Adrenaline rushing, Isaac sprinted away from the alley, not really concerned with where he was going so long as it was away from the mugger...

...and got run over by a car.

...several blocks away from the scene of the mugging.

While in the hospital, Isaac noticed that it felt like the rest of the world was slowed down, like people were drawing out every syllable they spoke. At first he wasn’t sure what to make of it- was it a side effect of some medication they’d put him on, or his brain not quite working right because of the accident? But after a while, Isaac figured out what was really going on.

It wasn’t that the rest of the world had gotten slow; instead, he was the one who had gotten fast. Super-speed fast.

For a bit, after getting out of the hospital and struggling to coordinate his return to school, Isaac didn’t really do much with his powers, save for things like snatching an expensive bottle of wine from a store too fast for anyone to spot him. But that all changed when he happened upon an old lady who was getting held up at gunpoint by a mugger; Isaac remembered when he had been in the same situation and decided to intervene.

The old lady’s improbable escape from the mugging made local news, and one clip in particular went viral- the old lady’s statement that she couldn’t see her savior’s face or make out anything about them save for “a black blur” (he happened to be wearing black clothes that day). Isaac weighs his options and decides to embrace the name Black Blur and become the superhero that some of the media had already proclaimed him to be, fighting crime in the city whenever he can.

He also ends up becoming a philosophy professor, one who deals specifically with the subject of superheroes and others who act to carry out vigilante justice- and his view of the subject as published in papers isn’t all positive. (It’s not that he’s faking the perspective, either- Isaac does grapple with the morality of his own actions on a regular basis.) He also has a loving wife and, eventually, a daughter, and he cares for them both very, very deeply.

Balancing work, family, and superheroics might be hard for some people... but hey, Isaac’s got the time for it.

Also, word to the wise: don’t mess with his family. Just don’t. He’s got literally hundreds of plans drawn up for various things that could go wrong re: his superhero identity interfering with his personal life, and none of them end well for the one who forces his hand.

(I do actually have a few half-formed ideas for other superheroes in Isaac’s world- a college student who doesn’t realize for a while that he’s turned invisible to others’ eyes, a mother-and-daughter pair who both don’t realize that the other is also a superhero- and I’ve considered combining them all into some sort of superhero autobiography anthology, but if that ever happens, it won’t be any time soon.)

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves CH:3

Chapter Three: All Stood Up

The Rainbow Falls train station is known by Zootopia at large as 'The Gateway to the Meadowlands'." While there are many routes by car or on foot to venture into Zootopia's more northern districts, there is a significant lack of subway lines that venture beyond the steep mountains that separate the north and south. Some mammals chalk it up to the difficulties involved in mountain tunneling, while others believe it is due to the lack of economic incentive to tying The Meadowlands and Alpine Glade to the more bustling districts. Despite their relative size, the population is significantly smaller than the rest of Zootopia, and so difficult to build subway lines that would be rarely used and hard to maintain could be seen as a waste of money. The eventual answer to the transit problem was the creation of the "Rainbow Falls Rail Line", An above ground train that passes through the sole valley between the northern range into the upper districts. The line encompasses the North and South Meadowlands, Alpine Glade, and the northern outskirts of Zootopia. While not the only route, it is certainly the fastest for any traveler seeking to relax in the sprawling borderline country the Meadowlands has to offer.

Needless to say, visiting home was always more of a chore than Vernon thought it should be. With all the transfers and pick-ups it could become rather grating rather fast. It was at times like this he wished his family lived far enough away to simply visit by plane.

For Vernon the walk over to the Rainbow Falls station from the Haymarket terminal had been uneventful compared to the subway ride, but tiring none the less. The trip was always tiring, but it hadn't helped that the wolf had a rather rough nights sleep. After waking up to find Dawn nervously typing away on her laptop and attempting to ease her back to a comfortable sleep, the wolf was left to ponder over his own growing dread over the whole reunion affair. He wasn't nearly as nervous as Dawn, but was keeping up a brave front for her sake. Any show of weakness or worry might help spur the timid ewe into a full blown panic and that was the last thing he wanted. But as he lay there in the dark of the bedroom, cuddled up with his Honey Lamb, he couldn't help but ruminate on some of the ways the trip could go south.

His largest fear was having to deal with his brother Yuri. Vernon's Mother had already confirmed he would be showing up this year, along with Ada his Hyena mate. Yuri had always been a troublemaker, and that was saying something when Vernon reflected on his own muddied past. He always knew the perfect words to say to get under your pelt, a skill he had only honed with time. There was a snowballs chance in Sahara Square that Yuri was going to keep his yap shut when it came to Dawn. He was most definitely going to spend the entirety of the trip tormenting the lamb. If Vernon could barely contain the urge to hit him under normal circumstances, this was going to be a true test of willpower.

With Yuri he could only pray that at the very least the rest of the family would call him out on it, but that was rare. Most of them preferred to just try to ignore him. So if the wolf pushed Dawn too hard, it was going to be up to Vernon to push him back and keep Dawn's spirits up.

The other somewhat major concern was how his Father was going to react to Dawn. Much like Vernon's Mother, Dorian knew Dawn was coming as well as exactly who she was. But how he was going to handle it was another story. While Dorian was mostly easygoing, there were point of contentions with the older wolf which he refused to budge on. He could be stubborn at times, and his beliefs about certain issues were often set in stone. Vernon could remember the push back he got when he told Dorian he was going to study to become an architect rather than a police officer. Even now, despite Vernon having a position in the Architecture Department in City Hall his Father still believed that he would 'come around' and join the force.

Dorian's feelings on interspecies couples were reasonable, but with that came his staunch distaste and disgust for anything relating to prey or predator supremacy and the criminals who've worked to perpetuate such notions. Dawn's history with Night Howler, despite her best attempts to make up for it might not count for anything in his Father's eyes. But Vernon reassured himself that once he met Dawn, and could sense her sincerity as he did, that it would be all water under the bridge. At least, Vernon hoped. There were other concerns of course. Would his other brothers behave? how would their mates get along with Dawn? But they paled in comparison to those two looming issues which the thought of managed to steal enough sleep from the wolf to create the need nap on the subway, and even that hadn't quite been enough.

Vernon rubbed his eyes as he stumbled onto the busy train platform at Rainbow Falls, letting out a dull yawn as he dropped his green duffle bag to the floor. The wolf again stretched in a desperate attempt to wake himself up, before turning to the ewe he had in tow. Vernon had also been pulling Dawn's roller suitcase along. The ewe's suitcase easily doubled the size of Vernon's own bag, and was actually larger than Dawn herself. Despite the size it was an easy carry for Vernon, and he playfully insisted that the ewe seat herself on it and he would carry her up to the station which she agreed to gleefully. To the wolf it was worth it just to keep looking back and catching her silly grin as she enjoyed the ride.

"Last stop, everybody off." He chuckled.

Dawn beamed as she hopped of the suitcase, allowing Vernon to stand it up.

"Did you enjoy the ride my Queen?" Vernon grinned, his words laced with playful sarcasm.

The ewe gave the wolf a dull and un-amused stare.

"It was acceptable, now bring me a cluster of grapes as I have grown hungry." Dawn leaned her hoof on her head, feigning helplessness before breaking into a laugh.

"No, it was delightful."  She smiled weakly before faltering into a look of concern.

"Are you okay Vernon? You seem awfully tired." She asked. "Maybe carrying me was to-"

"Nah." The wolf assured. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You know I'm not a morning mammal." He snickered.

Despite his assurance, the concerned look didn't fully leave Dawn's face. As the ewe went to open her mouth, Vernon decided it was best to change the topic to the task at paw.

"Welp, let's see if we can spot Wade and his girl." Vernon sighed, turning his attention to the bustling stampede of mammals.

The wolf craned his head over the bustling crowd as best as he could to make out hide or hair of the dowdy grey little wolf that was his older brother Wade. The wolf was supposed to be already waiting for them, if the text Vernon had received a few minutes ago was anything to go by. Still he was having a hard time picking him out of the crowd.

"See him yet?" He heard Dawn over the murmur of the crowd.

"Nah." Vernon said, squinting as he held his paw over his eyes to block the glimmers of sun peering through the canopy overhead. "Shouldn't be to hard to find in his off duty clothes."

"Why, does he dress weird?" Dawn half shouted as the din of the crowed grew.

Vernon turned back to Dawn, crouching down to better hear her.

"No, but he always wears this hideous 'Tundratown Terrors' Baseball cap. He loves that thing." Vernon chuckled. "It's practically a rag at this point, but that bright blue should stand out like a sore thumb in all this."

"Why not try looking for him by finding his mate?" Dawn asked. "It's not exactly hard to find a giraffe right?"

The wolf hadn't thought of that. Wade had only been dating the cow for about a month now, and so Vernon hadn't become fully accustomed to associating the two. Vernon stood back up, glancing over the crowd again. He looked from side to side before crouching back down.

"There's about seven or eight giraffes walking around here. That narrows it down, but not by much." He gave the ewe a shrug.

"So call her over." Dawn replied. "W-what was her name, G-g-" Dawn scratched her chin, clearly trying to eke out the name.

"Giselle." Vernon stated.

"Yeah Giselle." Dawn clapped. "So just call her over and I'm sure Wade will be with her.

Vernon stood back up, giving the crowd another brief glance. With a deep breath, the wolf placed a paw to his mouth and began to call out.

"GISELLE!?" The wolf's eyes darted from long speckled neck to long speckled neck.

"GISELLE ZARAFáH!?" Again he called, adding the cow's last name. But not a single giraffe paid the wolf a single mind. Vernon got a few odd stares as the crowd continued to move around the couple, which he simply shrugged off.

"GIS-"

"EASY THERE PUPPY!" Vernon felt a firm paw grasp his arm, and turned to find Wade standing right next him. "You could have just called out to me you know." Wade chuckled nervously.

Wade was a somewhat smaller wolf than Vernon, as well as somewhat leaner. His physique clearly a reflection of a mammal who had to keep up at least a modest regiment in order to perform his job. His grey fur matched Vernon's, but lacked the white around the eyes and neck. He was dressed in the kind of worn out clothes Vernon expected. An old The Beagles' tee under a worn padded green fishermen's vest and blue jeans. And on top of it all off he was wearing the hideous blue hat Vernon had come to know quite well. The contrast between the shaggy, worn and faded sports cap and Wade's cloudy blue eyes was something the wolf seemed to think was a real eye-catcher when it came to 'the ladies'. Vernon agreed, but for entirely different reasons.

"Wade!" Vernon pulled the wolf into a hug and squeezed tightly. Between the Hunters, hugs were almost as much of a test of strength as a sign of affection. "Good to see ya! "

He could feel his brother's grip weaken first, signifying Vernon had bested him at the art of the brotherly hug before pulling away.

"Still wearing that old thing huh?" Vernon tapped the brim of is brother's cap.

Wade backed away from the rough prodding, caressing the brim affectionately with his own paw.

"Of course, I can't go to the reunion without this bad boy." Wade smirked.

"You remember Dawn." Vernon gestured to his beloved little ewe.

"Oh of course, eh." Wade scratched the back of his head. "Howdy again Ms. Bellwether."

Wade crouched slightly, extending his paw to the lamb. Dawn smiled, shaking Wade's hand gently.

"Wade, I told you before. You can just call me Dawn." She chuckled.

In the time that Vernon and Dawn had officially become an item, Wade had visited with the couple at least three or four times. He and Dawn had already formally met sometime ago when Wade took the three out to lunch roughly a week or so after Dawn got out of the hospital. Every time they had gotten together things seemed to go well, although Vernon noticed that Wade was rather stiff and awkward around the ewe. He wasn't sure whether this was due to Dawn's history, or Wade's natural awkwardness around prey-folk. Vernon knew Wade was somewhat fearful of scaring innocent prey.

"OH!, Yeah, sorry Dawn." Wade replied, wincing has he released her hoof.

"So where's Giselle?" Wade jumped slightly at Vernon's question, earning him a curious glance.

"Yes, yes, I can't wait to meet her." Dawn added.

"Oh...well um, she's." Wade looked over the crowd briefly. "She's around."

Wade seemed jumpier than usual. His eyes seemed to be darting around nervously, and he kept wincing in discomfort. Vernon knew something was up, and was about to ask about it when Dawn cut him off.

"Oh! You know what, I should get us all something to drink at that Snarlbucks stall before we get on the train to up north." The ewe smiled widely as she turned to Vernon.

"Puppy, what do you want?" She asked.

"Oh, tiger size black coffee, and just bring a whole bunch of sugars. I think I need the extra pep today." Vernon engaged Dawn, but continued to dart his eyes between his twitchy brother and the sheep.

"What about you Wade?" Dawn turned to face the other wolf. "You can order for Giselle right?"

Wade winced again.

"Erm..." Wade's voice cracked. " We're fine, U-um I mean-" The wolf coughed,  running a paw over his scalp. "Nothing for us I mean."

It was at this point Wade seemed to notice Vernon's stare, and the wolf could swear he saw Wade visibly gulp.

"Well, okay." Dawn seemed slightly disappointed. "I'll just get our drinks then." She flashed Vernon a final smile before taking off into the crowd toward the distant stall. With the ewe now out of sight, and definitely out of hearing range Vernon allowed his curious glance to fall into a more agitated glare. Now he was sure Wade was hiding something bad, and it was best to confront it now rather than let Wade hang himself.

"Alright spill it Wade." Vernon said bluntly.

"W-what!?" Wade jumped, taking a step back from the larger wolf.

"What's the bad news?" Vernon crossed his arms.

"I don't th-"

"Wade, we both know you are a terrible liar. That's why they never let you grill suspects." Vernon cut him off. "The quicker you get it out the easier it will be, so tell me."

Wade's head drooped in shame as he let out a prolonged and disappointed sigh.

"I-" Wade shook his head. "Giselle isn't coming along."

Vernon simply stared through the wolf. There was no way he had heard him correctly.

"What?' Vernon asked in disbelief.

"S-she's." Wade shrugged. "She couldn't make it this time around. I'm sorry, I-it was out of my paws."

Vernon could feel his stomach drop. This was not happening. Wade and Giselle were part of Vernon's deflection plan when it came to bringing Dawn home for the Harvest Festival. With both of them coming home with prey mates, the attention would be split between them giving both couples a bit of breathing room.

Without Giselle the pressure was going to fall solely on Dawn and Vernon, they being the only 'new' couple in attendance. While it would be annoying, Vernon was sure he could endure the scrutiny. But he was more worried about Dawn, and how she would fair under the constant spotlight of the Hunter brood.

"W-Wade." Vernon stammered slightly. The wolf glanced back toward the stall in an effort to spot the wayward ewe. He wiped his brow briefly before turning back to his brother.

"What are you t-telling me right now?" Vernon asked again. Hoping desperately for a different answer.

"It was a family emergency, she couldn't help-"

Vernon grasped his brother by the shoulders, giving him a slight shake.

"W-wade, Dawn is really worried about this." Vernon gulped. "I-I'm worried too, but I've been keeping a positive attitude for her sake." he shook his head. "I mean less worried, but still.."

Vernon allowed his head to hang in exasperation.  The floor seemed to spin as he tried to focus on the tile to get his bearings. With no real success the wolf looked back up at Wade.

"You were supposed to help us break the ice!" Vernon shook him with more vigor, nearly knocking his cap off. "With you and Giselle the family wouldn't focus so hard on me and Dawn."

"I know bu-"

"You two were supposed to keep them from dog-piling her!"

"I k-know I'm sorry, It can't be helped!" Wade stammered back.

Vernon released his brother, sighing as he placed a palm over his face.

"I don't want them to end up hurting her by accident." He drew his paw back over his scalp. "What if they grill her on her past she doesn't want to relive? She's technically an ex-con." Vernon shook his head.

"W-well she's not a child Vernon...I mean if they do talk about it-" Wade trailed off.

Vernon let out another sigh, slouching his shoulders in defeat.

"I know, I ju-" Vernon shook his head again. " I want her to have a good time, to feel welcome. I want them to get to know the Dawn I know, you know?" He eyed Wade pleadingly.

Wade nodded softly.

"How the hell am I gonna break this to her?" Vernon asked.

"Break what to who?" Vernon's blood froze. The wolf tried to turn toward the voice, but his body failed to move. Only his eyes managed to shift to the source of the call, falling on a familiar ewe holding a drink tray. Vernon grimaced.

"H-hey Honey Lamb." Despite his best efforts, the sentence came out shaky. "T-that was fast."

"Well they weren't that busy." Dawn smiled. The ewe raised the tray toward Vernon, the cup clearly too large for her to hand off on her own.

Vernon gingerly took the large cup from the tray, flashing Dawn a weak smile.

"Thanks Darlin'." Vernon grabbed a hand full of sugar packets off the tray as Dawn took it back.

"Oh, get this!" Dawn clasped at her purse with a free arm, giving it a jostle. "I got a text from Judy while waiting at the stall. Turns out Nick and her are heading out to Bunnyburrow for a festival too."

"R-really?" Vernon gulped slightly. "Same kind?"

"I think so, although she said it was called 'Carrot Days' or something." The ewe shrugged. "I think it's the same thing with a different name. But it's nice to know I'm not the only one meeting their mates family this weekend."

"I wonder how the Hopps will take that one." Vernon murmured.

"From what I heard they already met Nick, and Judy's Mother knows, but I'm not sure about her Dad." Dawn said.

"Good luck Mr.Hopps." Vernon smirked as he popped the lid off of his coffee. Even though Vernon and the fox were on somewhat acceptable terms, the wolf could only stand dealing with him in small doses. So Vernon couldn't began to imagine what having Nick as an in-law would be like. Vernon shuddered at the thought before pouring a few of the sugar packets into his piping hot coffee. As he idly stirred his drink, he decided to shift the conversation to the train before the ewe brought the conversation back to the missing giraffe.

"Well, we should probably get to the train. It should be heading out soon." Vernon muttered.

"What about Giselle?" Vernon dropped the new packet he was opening as Dawn spoke. He felt like an idiot. Of course, how could he avoid the subject of Wade's absent date as they boarded the train without her? Bringing up the need to get to the train was only going to beg the question. The wolf let out a defeated sigh. There was no way out of this, they had come to far to go back. Much like getting Wade to spill the beans, it was best to just get the truth out as quickly as possible. But Vernon was damned if he was going to be the one to bring her down. Vernon glanced at his brother, gesturing his head toward the ewe.

"Well, this is your fault, so why don't you tell my lovely little lamb the bad news." Vernon grumbled, taking a sip of his powerfully bitter coffee as he eyed Wade.

"My fault!?" Wade sputtered. "It was a f-" Vernon watched Wade turn to Dawn as the words died in his throat. Dawn was eyeing them both in utter confusion.

"What is going on?" Dawn asked. The ewe took a sip of her decidedly more frilly coffee drink, leaving a small dollop of whipped cream on her muzzle. "Did something happen?"

"Tell her Wade." Vernon gestured to the ewe again.

Wade scratched the back of his head. The wolf gave Vernon another unsure glance, only for Vernon to respond by once again gesturing toward Dawn.

"Well..." Wade muttered, seemingly struggling to get the words out. "I-I uh-."

Vernon could see the desperation in Wade's eyes as they continually glanced between him and Dawn. He knew just how much Wade hated making mammals unhappy, it was part of the reason why he ended up falling into a mediation role among the Hunter Brothers. Despite how agitated he was at Wade at the moment, the pity he felt for the stammering wolf inevitably overrode it.

Vernon sighed. "Giselle isn't coming Lamb Fry." Vernon stated bluntly as he crouched down to Dawn's level.

"W-what?" Dawn asked in shock.

Vernon gently wiped the little dab of whipped cream off Dawn's muzzle before gently caressing her face.

"I'm sorry Dawn, apparently she had a family emergency come up and she can't come along." The wolf's ears sagged. "So it's just us."

The ewe was silent for a moment, staring at the wolf in clear disbelief.

"T-that...really? She's n-not coming?" Dawn stammered.

"I'm sorry Floofs. I-"Vernon's slowly shook his head, but it became faster and more vigorous as he began to rethink the whole scenario. Despite the fact that he wanted Dawn to meet his family, with the sudden change in circumstance it would be unfair to ask Dawn to simply press on. They hadn't come too far to go back, and it was probably better if they turned tail now for Dawn's sake. Maybe they could meet his folks some other time, without the rest of the Hunter clan in tow.

"If you want me to just cancel this and we can go home, I ca-"

"N-no." Dawn stuttered.

Vernon eyed the ewe in surprise.

"Dawn, we don't have to-"

Dawn placed her coffee down and grabbed the sides of Vernon's muzzle, keeping his eyes trained on her. He could see a determination burning behind her shining lime green orbs.

"I'm not going to run away! I'm ready to do this!" Dawn stated firmly.

Vernon was shocked, but it didn't last long before a smile crawled across his muzzle and a chuckle escaped his maw.

"You absolutely sure now?" He grinned.

Dawn released his face, and as she picked up her coffee she gave the wolf a firm and decisive nod.

"Well, ain't she a tough little ball of fluff." Wade remarked.

As Vernon rose to his feet he flashed his brother a smug grin.

"Now don't you go getting too jealous, she's mine." Vernon said.

Dawn beamed in response, fluttering her eyes at Vernon affectionately. Wade let out an uneasy laugh before turning his attention to the rising din around the train station.

"Welp, we better get moving. Don't want to miss the train." Wade said.

Vernon began to cobble up the suitcases, doing his best to keep his coffee from spilling onto himself.

"Yeah, yeah, but don't think you're off the hook about Giselle. I expect a full explanation of this 'family emergency' on our ride out." Vernon stated as he began to dutiful march toward the train.

"Don't say it like that! You know I wouldn't lie about something so serious!" Wade retorted. Vernon could hear Dawn giggle.

It didn't take very long to get settled on the train. After helping Dawn up to her seat, Vernon stowed his duffle on the shelf above them and set the ewe's rolling case between his legs. Settling into his seat, he watched his brother wade sling his satchel bag on the seat next to him before sitting across from the pair. Wade still looked fairly uncomfortable, unable to properly meet Vernon's gaze whenever he looked his way. Dawn seemed alright on the surface, but Vernon could tell by the way she had latched on to his arm that she was still processing what the absence of Giselle spelled for the pair. The awkward and uneasy silence permeated until the train finally started moving. Wade began to watch the platform slide away from the window before finally finding the courage to speak.

"It really was last minute you know." Wade muttered.

"Hmm?" Vernon replied.

"Like it happened this morning." Wade finally managed to meet Vernon's gaze.

The wolf sighed, taking a sip of his pungent coffee. He could feel it starting to work it's magic as the groggy haze began to fade.

"Alright, so what happened." Vernon asked.

"Her father got into a car accident." Wade stated.

"Oh my goodness!" Dawn yelped. "Is he-"

Wade gestured for the pair to calm down. "Easy, easy! When I say car accident, it was only sort of one."

Vernon was so thrown off by Wade's description an odd chuckle escaped his muzzle.

"How does a mammal 'sort of' have a car accident Wade?" Vernon shook his head in disbelief.

"Well..." Wade scratched his head. "See it's like this."

"Giselle's Father is getting into his forties now, and he's kind of working through a mid-life crisis." Wade stated.

Vernon failed to suppress another snicker. He didn't want to laugh at the situation, but a mammal suffering from a mid-life crisis always seemed to lead to hilarious antics in a desperate attempt to feel young again. Vernon could already picture a slightly balding mammal in a shiny new sports car, trying desperately to come off as cool or hip. Although he had a hard time imagining a balding giraffe. After all, such a mammal was so tall how could one even check his hairline?

"Recently he bought a new car, some shiny open top sports car with red and black giraffe printing." Wade continued.

"Ha, I knew it!" Vernon smirked before feeling a jab at his side. Glancing down the wolf found Dawn eyeing him with slight irritation.

"Hush Puppy, let him finish." She chided.

"Thank you." Wade muttered.

Vernon turned back to his brother, nodding at him to continue.

"Well...he was on his way to work this morning in the new car. He had the top down, and was driving way faster than he should have been." Wade sighed. "While chatting on his cell phone no less."

Vernon simply nodded, keeping his face as stoic as he could.

"That's illegal isn't it?" Now Dawn was interrupting Wade.

"Yes, definitely." Wade nodded. "Anyway, he wasn't paying attention and turned onto the wrong road. Are you both familiar with Pack  Street?"

Vernon simply nodded.

"Wait a minute, Pack Street?" Dawn asked. "That road isn't zoned for large mammal traffic."

"Exactly." Wade pointed at Dawn. So he's speeding with his top down, and he doesn't realize the lamp posts on Pack Street are lower than on his usual route, and so-"

"Oh no!" Dawn gasped.

"He hit a lampost?" Vernon inquired.

"More like the lamp post hit him." Wade drew his paw up to his throat, gingerly bringing it against his neck. "Poor guy clothes-lined himself going fifty miles an hour."

"Sweet Sawgrass, is he alright?" Vernon murmured in shock.

"He bruised his trachea, and did some pretty heavy damage to his larynx. But Giselle texted me that he'll recover." Wade sighed. "Still she wanted to stay until he was discharged, so that messed up the whole weekend plan."

"Well, maybe she could still join us after he gets out?" Vernon asked hopefully.

Wade shook his head dismissively. "That's pretty unlikely, the poor guy isn't even awake yet. They'll probably keep him till at least Monday."

Vernon heard Dawn let out a sigh before feeling her lean harder into him. Looking back at her he could see she felt bad for Giselle's Father, but there was still the hint of lingering fear painted on her face. Vernon gently patted the poof on her head in an effort to put her at ease.

"Hey Honey Lamb?" Dawn managed to look up at him, her once determined glare looking a little more shaky and unsure. "Remember what I said, if anything goes wrong we'll leave. You're my top priority." Vernon gave her a reassuring smile.

"There's really nothing to worry about." Wade added. "I can tell already Ma is going to love you."

"R-really?" Dawn mumbled, now turning her attention to Wade.

"Oh yeah, trust me." Wade smiled. "Your probably got the best shot out of all of the girls at getting along with her. I may not have known you for too long, but you remind me a lot of Ma."

"Let's not be to hasty there Wade." Vernon chuckled uneasily, the wolf was slightly averse to the idea of comparing Dawn to his Mother.

"Nah I can see it. Dawn's gentle and kind. But she can be surprisingly tough when it comes down to it. I mean look at what she did at the Wine Factory. Ma would have done something like that if she were in Dawn's hooves." Wade gestured to Dawn.

"Wade, that's so sweet. Thank you." Dawn smiled.

Despite the fact that Vernon didn't really want to acknowledge any similarities between his Mother and the ewe he planned on marrying, he couldn't help but smile at Wade's sudden praise of her. This was the most outspoken he'd seen Wade be over what he really thought about Dawn, even in private talks with Vernon.

"I just...I had to fight for the ones I loved. I couldn't let Ver-" Dawn shook her head briskly. "I mean everyone get hurt because of me. I just..." Dawn paused. "I did what I had to."

"And that's exactly how Ma is." Wade assured. "She gets tough when it comes to those she loves." Wade smiled.

"And I think you've shown us just how much you love 'ol Puppy over there, so of course she'll love ya." Wade gestured to the larger wolf.

Vernon laughed. "That's true." He pulled the lamb into a side hug.

"You two both love me, so ya got that much in common." Vernon grinned.

"I don't know..." Dawn muttered. "I mean...I can't give her grandpups or anything like that."

"Neither can the rest of us." Wade chuckled. "'Cept for maybe Ulric..." He trailed off. "Or me if things don't work out with Giselle." The wolf place his hands on his knees. "I suppose if worst came to worst Ma and Pop would just have to have more pups of their own."

"What about your Dad?" Dawn asked innocently. "Surely he'd mind me being with Vernon."

Wade's grin faltered slightly. "W-well I think he'd take to you just fine." He coughed awkwardly. "I-I mean he knows a good mammal when he sees one, I mean w-we all do don't we Vern?"

Vernon nodded weakly, but inside his previous fears came rolling back to the forefront. Just how was his Father going to handle Dawn? Would he be able to look past her previous transgressions and see that she was truly changed? Vernon gulped slightly at the thought, the last thing he wanted was his Father to hurt her. It was apparent that Dawn was probably thinking the same thing as he felt her grip around his arm tighten.

"W-what about the others?" Dawn mumbled.

The grin quickly returned to Wade's face. "Oh the other brothers? You got nothing to worry about." Wade prattled off. "They're mostly harmless and anything they do that's outta turn their ladies will keep them in-line."

"You won't even meet most of them till tomorrow anyway." Vernon shrugged. "Zach and Vanna are the only ones who live near the ranch. The rest of 'em live to far away to make the trip in one day."

"Yeah, so you'll get a chance to settle in and get to know all of us a little bit at a time." Wade added. "That way it won't be so overwhelming, you know?"

Vernon could feel the tension in Dawn's grasp begin to ease. While the plan to distract the family with Wade and Giselle had fallen through, at the very least Wade was good at helping Vernon keep the ewe calm. The better Dawn felt, the better Vernon did.

"T-that sounds good." Dawn mumbled.

"That'a girl." Vernon smiled, squeezing Dawn into another hug. "I told you everything will be okay."

Dawn smiled back up at the wolf a genuine smile, free of any lingering hint of fear. Vernon could feel his heart flutter at the sight. Seeing the ewe smile was something that could never get old for him. As Vernon turned his attention to the mountains rolling past the windows he took a sip of his now repulsively cold coffee, and for a brief moment he felt as though everything was back on track.

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

Zootopia won best animated feature at the Oscars! Woo! Congrats to the whole team. Also some people pointed out getting clothes-lined by a lampost at (70 miles an hour in the first draft) 50 miles would kill someone. I lowered to fifty afterwards, but my reasoning is we have a giraffe with larger and stronger neck muscles hitting a smaller lamppost that immediately fell apart on impact wouldn’t kill the giraffe. I don’t know I’m probably wrong...maybe I should just re-write that part.

-WT