#my heart rate JUMPED and i can't stop shaking

[fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-liar]

this is the most stressful thing I've ever watched

[bkd-b3ans]

You try to repair a watch, Boothill is being annoying as usual, you end up discovering his neurolink perfectly mimics human emotions.

-> Ship: Boothill X Mechanic!Reader (or just tech savvy idk the term really)

-> Rating: Safe for All

-> TL;DR: Boothill visits you after closing hours, nearly ruins a 5 million watch repair commission, stares for a bit too long while you work and overheats for a bit, ends up learning you live above your own workshop and you learn he gets flustered easy.

-> Extra notes: No idea where I will go with these, I just love writing stuff. Next one is going to be more about touching / feeling, but until then, you too can experience casual chatter. I do not proof read, whatever is written is in accordance to Ellios script, go meow at him. Take this "2nd" part as pure world-building.

-> Word count: 2k~ ish

-> First part: here

Thank you for reading and bearing with my awful English. If you have any prompts I would be more than happy to hear them.

"Pardner? Yoohooo~" Boothill was waving his arm like a manic from the front of the counter, trying to catch your attention, but you were too engrossed in your work, tinkering away with some expensive watch you were paid to fix, the tiny gears and springs neatly organized in your table in tiny boxes with labels, while you were hunched over the table, looking through a magnifying glass and listening to music, tongue almost sticking out like some cartoon character while you were trying to place the gear in its place carefully using some precise tweezers.

For all you cared, your shop was closed for the day, so why would anyone in their right mind, or that knows how to read a sign, would even bother you? Of course you didn't take into account a Galaxy Ranger that had a passion for annoying you at random times.

"Psst, hey, over 'ere..." he sighed, "Fudge this". Impatient as ever, Boothill just helped himself with one of the expensive motor oil cans in the counter and stepped around it, taking off his hat and placing it on your head.

The whole motion made you jump out of your skin, dropping the tweezers together with the very important, one of a kind gear, that you could barely notice while it was on your table, let alone on your floor, rolling off into the void like all of the pens you've lost throughout the years.

"WHAT THE FUCK, MY FUCKING WORK OF MY AEONS-" you took off the hat annoyed, hand still shaking from the scare and heart running laps in your chest. Shoving the hat into Boothills chest, you couldn't help but be angry at the man, sighing.

"Damn sugar-cube, didn't know ye were this jumpy. Ye should be more aware of yer surroundings you know?"

"What the hell does that mean. MY SHOP IS CLOSED BOOTHILL, CAN'T YOU READ??"

"Well, not your language no, it's all a bunch of jumbles and lines"

You looked confused for a moment before realizing that neither of you were from the same planet. You rubbed the bridge of your nose, trying to get rid of your furrow.

"Just, shut up and help me look for that gear. AND PUT THE DAMN CAN DOWN"

He raised his arms in defeat, putting down the can of motor oil and looking around your workbench while you were painfully looking for the gear with your magnifying glasses.

"Lotta' shiny pieces you have on the table. Are these really more important than your good old buddy, Boothill?"

"Unless you're willing to give me 5 million, then yes"

Boothill choked

"5 million?? For some beautiful watch?"

"What can I say, some people have more than they know what to do with. Now stop yapping and get on your knees, I can't see shit."

"Is that an invitation, darling?"

"... BOOTHILL!"

"Aye aye, don't get your feathers ruffled like this darling, just sit there and be pretty"

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

You couldn't help but be annoyed still, slumped in your chair, fiddling with your pen, while Boothill was looking around. How long has it been already, maybe a few minutes? Hours? Days??? Your work couldn't wait that much, and each ticking second felt agonizing. You were so close too, getting interrupted was the last thing you needed right now. You always had plans, a schedule, deadlines, you couldn't afford the unpredictability that is Boothill sometimes.

You almost got too lost in your thoughts before you heard a sudden thud, metal against wood, and a proud exclamation.

"Here it is sugar-cube, your pretty little thing... Cogwheel whatever. Now can you stop looking like someone spat in your food or do I need to repair this watch myself to make you happy?"

You could swear sometimes he was like a dog, a big doberman. For as scary as he could look sometimes, you couldn't help but be unable to push him away. All you could do was just let out an amused scoff, taking the gear piece in the palm of your hand, and gently placing it in it's box.

"No, no, you've done enough damage already. Why are you here even?"

"Just wanted to pay my best buddy a visit? What, a man can't do that no more?"

"No fixing your body? No maintenance work? Really nothing? Just a visit? Odd, thought you were a busy man"

"Oh I sure am sugar-cube, but sometimes even I need to sit down and relax."

"... In my workshop"

"In yer workshop, yes."

You sighed

"Fine, fine, stay for as long as you need, but don't touch anything that is in this-" you motion around your workbench "general area"

He tipped his hat in acknowledgment

"Aye aye, I'll stay put, fudge me, you can be very serious sometimes."

"5 million"

"Right yes, that's understandable."

You went back to work, trying to finish placing the last pieces inside that damned watch, headphones back on your ears. Boothill was simply slumped on the couch you kept around the waiting area, that barely saw any use to begin with. He was just looking around, bored out of his mind, the silence really starting to get to him. On occasion he's throw you glances, looking like a kicked puppy only to be met by your back either way. Yet he couldn't help but notice the few tics you had, tapping your foot, humming to yourself from time to time, arranging your hair by shaking your head around, and just how damn beautiful you looked in that dim warm light.

By no means we're you prettied up and groomed, after all, working with machinery all day will just lead to one always being covered by oil or sutt, clothes messy, the tools around your belt loud and heavy, but to him, it was part of the charm. The passion you had for what you did, the care you treated everything with, even his own body when it needed repairs. Sure, you two may butt heads more often than goats, but you were the reason he kept making his trips back to your workshop for any needs. He trusted you, felt comfort in your presence.

He could feel his insides start to heat up, his mind trailing off. Sure, he couldn't blush for the love of him, after all blood stopped flowing through his body long, long ago, but his body still reacted from time to time to strong emotions, and now it was no different. It felt, uncomfortable almost, a strange emptiness in his metal gut. Maybe it was the bullets he snacked in like some chips, or maybe it was more than that. He just simply pulled his hat over his eyes to focus and calm down.

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

Finally, after so many hours, you were finally done, the watch ticking gleefully, almost as if happy with it's new look. You sighed in relief, finally placing down your headphones and slumping in your chair, pulling your glasses up.

"Finally... I swear they are trying to drive me insane with all these new 'trinkets' that have way too many small pieces for their own good. How you holding up, Boots?"

"Fine as ever sugar, bored out of my mind, but rested"

"Yeah, I can see that, you've already made a dent in my couch"

"Hey, I helped ya find that gear for free, can't I get some more respect"

"And who's fault was it that I dropped it?" You said, raising your eyebrow.

"Aye aye, sorry 'bout that."

There was a moment of pause

"Say, partner, you've messed around inside my body for a while now. Do you know if there's any functions that might mimic proper human emotions?"

"Human emotions? Hmmm"

You thought for a moment, trying to remember if you've seen any kind of code that might do that.

"I don't think I've seen anything like that, but I've also never like, actually paid attention. There may be some functions that mimic that, after all, you might need them to think and work properly. Why?"

"Ah, nothing important, was just wondering."

"I can always check if you want. Of course, for a price"

He couldn't help but scoff, amused "You were never free eh?"

"Someone has to eat"

"Sure, sure. I mean why not, might as well get this mystery solved, since I'm here and have nothing better to do."

"Then come with me"

You both went inside your garage, Boothill already used to all the steps, laying down on the weird table chair as he put it while you connected the cables to the back of his neck, opening the hologram screens.

"Let's see..." you rubbed your chin, pacing around while moving around screens, trying to find anything remotely similar to what Boothill mentioned, but it was rather hard. Every line kept changing dictating different functions every moment.

"Hmm...."

"Anything the matter?"

"No, I just realized why I might have never seen that kind of function. Your neurolink is adapting to everything you do, so it's changing constantly. I think the only way to spot anything us to trigger whatever made you so curious about your 'emotions'"

"Trigger em? And how the fork do you plan on doing that?"

You thought for a moment, moving next to Boothill, dragging the screens along with you. You didn't really give a warning as you poked his chest with a screwdriver, noticing some changes.

"What in the beautiful sky are you doing?"

"There it is" you just pointed at the screen at the suddenly changing lines.

"Your body reacts to your mental state. Right now you are confused"

"I sure as warm lake I am, you're poking me around with a screwdriver."

"What else would have you wanted me to do? Touch you with my own hands?"

He was about to say something, but you grabbed one of the screens, squinting at it.

"Getting flustered, Boots?" You could almost feel your own smug smile forming on your face.

"Flustered? Please, you'd think I'd get 'flustered' from just a check-up?"

"Bashful... Interesting"

"Hey! Stop saying things and answer me, sweetheart"

"And annoyed. Yeah, you do seem to have those functions, and they're damn advanced to mimic human emotions. Guess you aren't just metal after all. You still have the ability to feel. It's interesting how this changes..."

You got too focused on the lines of code, not paying attention to how you started leaning against the table, your hand extremely close to Boothills, fingers almost touching. Sure, you were just staring at the lines changing, but Boothill was staring at your hand, annoyed almost that he couldn't just grab it, only to be confused over why he was annoyed. You just chuckled to yourself and pushed the screen away, unplugging the cables.

"Well, mystery solved, your neurolink functions exactly like a brain and it sends the proper signals, so your body will be affected by your emotions."

"Great-" he rolled his eyes, standing up and scratching the back of his head "You need a new table, this one is forking uncomfortable."

"I don't take feedback"

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say darling." he just hopped off the table, adjusting his hat.

"H-"

"1k credits"

"Damn, let me finish at least. Fine, you know the drill"

"Nah, I'll let it slide this time. Getting to check your internals can be fun sometimes" you patted his back

"I'll go home, unless you want to guard my shop, you should leave too."

"You don't just live in your workshop??"

"...what...?"

"You know, like, I've always only seen you here, where is your home even."

"Oh... Oh! I guess you can say that? My home is upstairs, I bought the whole building when I opened so everything on the ground floor is the shop, upstairs is my place."

"Ok that makes sense... Can I-"

"No"

"Fine fine, I'll go my merry way then. I'll see you next time partner, and thank you for the free check-up"

"Don't get too used to them"

He nodded, tipping his hat and leaving.

[smuddee-papabear]

naga partner manhandles you with their tail 🙏

Ooh I love nagas. You didn't specify gender so I'm going to make both gender neutral

gender neutral reader X gender neutral naga

Tw: rough handling, biting kink

---

Most mornings were easy, your partner was too busy warming up on their heating pad to complain too hard about you going into work. The day would start with you wriggling your way from their sizable tail before taking a shower. You'd get your breakfast and coffee before leaving after giving them a peck on the cheek.

Some mornings, however, they wouldn't let you go without a fight. This was one of them.

"I have to go into work." You know they won't care about that the moment their tail wraps your leg.

Your naga lets out a huffy sigh, tail trailing up. "I could provide you with everything you need without that silly job getting in the way."

"That silly job pays for your food bill." You tease, turning to look at them. It was a mistake. The way the morning light shines on their gorgeous scales is far too distracting. "And your heat pad."

Your naga partner clearly doesn't like that assessment. Their expression darkens slightly. "I can feed us both and I don't need a fancy pad to warm myself."

"Oh no?" Your raised eyebrow is another mistake.

You yelp as a strong force shoves unexpectedly on your chest. Before you know it you're wrapped in a coil and pushed into the floor right in front of them.

Your breath is knocked out of you, and not just from the force of it. Naga!Partner's eyes gleam with satisfaction as they loom above you. You're sure they can feel the jump in your heart rate. A devilish smile crosses their face.

"If you think I can't, get out of my coils and go into work."

For a moment you stare open mouthed at them. Get out of their coils? How does this prove that they can provide for you?

Finally you start wriggling against the well muscled body, trying to ignore how intently your naga watches. It doesn't take long before you're out of breath.

Unwilling to admit defeat you start kicking your legs and manage to make minor headway. Before you can be proud of that you hear tutting from Naga!Partner and another section of tail wraps your legs before you're yanked upside-down and dangled in front of the naga's eyes.

Heat flushes your face. "Hey! I was doing what you told me to!" A chaste kiss to your lips has you too flustered to splutter out more of your indignance.

"Are you just giving up?" The smug tone causes your blush to spread further.

You try to curl up and grab their tail but are stopped when they use another coil to shove up into your back, arching it almost uncomfortably. Once again the breath is knocked from your lungs.

You barely have time to get it back before Naga!Partner shifts the end of their tail to force your legs open just enough to put you in a very vulnerable position. They tease your crotch with the tip.

Despite what you should be wanting, to get free, a sharp moan escapes your mouth.

Your naga's breath tickles the back of your neck and sends shivers through your body. "I can provide for you." Their hiss is somehow so loving and so angry at the same time.

You open your mouth but are embarrassed the only thing leaving it is a breathy whine. Something cold and flat slides into your hand. Only a moment goes by before you realize what. Your phone; a clear demand to call in sick.

It takes effort but you manage to speak without another whine. "I have-...I have to work."

"No," Naga!Partner's teeth skim the skin on your neck. You can feel their fangs trail along. Goosebumps form where they do. "I can provide for you."

"Need...need t wo-work...!" You manage to choke out. To be honest you don't really care about it anymore. Your heart is racing, body throbbing with every shift of your naga's muscles, mind foggy with need.

Their fangs push into your skin. It's not enough to break it but it is enough to cause a jolt through your shaking frame. "I will provide you with what you need today."

You call in sick, and just as promised your Naga!Partner provides all you need and more.

[dalliesque]

Mr. Nice Guy, Fresh Guy

𐙚 sypnosis let me introduce myself, nice guy, fresh guy of the night (alright) everybody tells you better watch out girl.

꒰ png flirty!HAN TAESAN x fem!reader , fluff , neighbours to lovers , coworkers to lovers , mutual pinning , flirty taesan , lower case intended . cw petnames. wc 890 words, proofread ꒱

yu notes : oh no i think i have the taesan brainrot 👻 shout out to @sanaxo-o for proofreading this, without her this would actually flop 😵‍💫 thank you sm hon <33

𐙚 Wednesday

“let me (re)introduce myself, nice guy, fresh guy of the neighbourhood.” taesan raises his eyebrows in a flirty manner, his hands sliding through his hair in a slick motion before leaning once more on the fence separating his and your front-yard. you hold in a chuckle, nodding. as you glance his way, soon looking away, your focus still solely on the plants in your yard, badly needing your care after being left for so long by the previous owner.

“so..” taesan continues, clicking his tongue watching you curiously. “you free this weekend? you know since i helped you and all” hearing this, your head snaps towards his direction not believing the words escaping his mouth. taesan simply shoots you a wink, and you can't help but to chuckle. your head returning to it's original position, fixed on the plants.

thinking about it, his words were true. he did help you with stuff (moving things around to your new house, since he's strong and all;) and what's the hurt in repaying the favour and let him take you out? wait.. is this a date? “i can make time for you.” you reply to his words, which did take a bit longer than it's supposed to be. a shit eating grin slowly appears in taesan's face. so shitty you can feel it from the back of your head actually, “i can feel your stupid grin from here” you roll your eyes playfully, looking back at him spraying a bit of water his way.

taesan laughs as he dodges the water you're spraying mercilessly towards him. “is this your way to repay my deeds?”—”no but it would be if our hang out isn't a date” “oh.” taesan stops dodging the water fully just standing there while staring right at your eyes. a little smirk on his face. oh how bad you want to wipe it away from his stupidly handsome face. taesan lets out a chuckle, about to jump over the fence. “i'll spray you with the jet if you get any closer!!”—”fine!!”

𐙚 Thursday

“can you rate how excited are you for the date from 9 to 10?” taesan appears behind you, whispering close to you. his warm breath tickles your ear, sending shivers down to your spine making you almost jolt out in surprise. “a hello would be nice??!”—”hello” you roll your eyes, sighing as you shake your head in disbelief. what the hell is he doing in the ladies locker room? “what are you doing here? it's the ladies lock—” you pause, oh there's no such thing as a ladies locker here. a smirk grows on taesan face, leaning in on the lockers.

“this is not the changing room babe” you scrunch your nose looking away, feeling heat from your neck slowly going up your cheeks from the embarrassment. oh how you wish to just dissappear under a big rock. “don't call me that.” you utter, going back to your locker to continue arranging your stuff. “oh sorry, i was just warming up. who knows i'll use it often in the future” your whole face is crimson red by now, forcing you to exit the shared locker room “hey wait you haven't rate the date yet!” “it's still in two days!!” “well should we do it now?”

𐙚 Friday

“one more day.” taesan teasingly whispers, his voice entering your ear gently and swiftly exiting the place as if nothing had happened. as if he didn't relentlessly tease you today, and as if his words wouldn't bother you the whole day and of course not forgetting the playful wink he'd send you before going out through the door. this is really bad for your heart. it's the second day of your shift here on the pizza store, but you're already pondering whether to quit or not. he really knows your weak spots. you thank the universe for making him work in the delivery rather than cashier or anything else involving being close to you 24/7. cause you would definitely would not survive.

𐙚 D-DAY(TE)

taesan rests his head on the palm of his hand looking at you intently as you twirl the pasta around your fork nervously. “look at my eyes” you give him a quick glance before holding in your laugh, looking back at your plate. “stop looking at me that way!”—“with these sexy eyes of mine?” you roll your eyes playfully still not looking his way. “oh come on just give in my shawty”—“shut up!!” taesan let out a small ‘ouch’ when you nudge his legs with your own under the table. he soon laughs holding his hand up in surrender. “atleast you're looking at my eyes now.”

you smile, okay, maybe his eyes are... what's the word? sexy? no, not that, but whatever the way to describe his shining, shimmering eyes, you wouldn't be able to say it out loud. it would obviously bruise your ego. “swooned by the nice guy's charm?” taesan raises his eyebrows, a mischievous smile overcoming his lips. yeah, that's it his eyes are charming, and yes, you probably did get swooned by the ‘nice guy's charm.’

striked cannot be tagged !!

@ :: @gyuvinreblog , @hyunhanie , @keii-starz , @starryriize , @eun-luv , @bambisnc , @intakstars , @enhacolor

@yochubi

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as love tropes: joshua

soulmates

'hand in hand, you and me. today, tomorrow, forever.'

when 00:00 glow green in the darkness, you clutch your bedsheets tighter, feeling light burn on your right wrist. it's happening. what everyone talked about, waited for, dreamed of. it tingles for few seconds and when it stops, you know that name of your soulmate is now etched on your wrist with black ink which will not come off no matter how hard you'll try. unspilled tears sting your eyes and you're about to go to the bathroom, when you hear careful knocking and gentle 'love?' from the other side of the door.

'joshua?' you question loudly before jumping from the bed and rushing to open the door. just like you predicted, your boyfriend is waiting on the other side, wearing oversized hoodie on top of his light blue pjs. 'babe, what-'

'your roommate is here?' he asks, interrupting you gently. at the shake of your head, he then points inside. 'can i come in then?'

for the first time since you started dating you hesitate. should you let him in when you don't know if it's his name on your wrist and vice versa? there are so many things on the tip of your tongue: have you checked? is it my name? am i your soulmate? your insides are churning just from the possibility of someone else's name being written on his wrist. joshua takes a second to assess your state and it doesn't take him long to understand what's happening with you. he's always been good at figuring out your feelings even before you did, always knew what to say or do to calm you down. before you can voice out your fears, his arms find their way around your waist, gently but firmly pulling you towards him. 'shh,' he whispers, hugging you tight. 'i know, love, i know.'

'i'm scared,' you mutter, hiding your face in his neck. and it's such a familiar place for you, you can't imagine not being able to do that, can't bear the thought of not having joshua this close to you.

you didn't know how joshua felt the same, how holding your trembling body in his arms made him want to tuck you away from this world and just forget about everything. if the stars decide that you two are not meant for each other then he'll write his own story, create another univerise in which you are his and he is yours because that's the only correct way of how it should be. he hasn't looked at his wrist, mostly because he is scared too but also because he doesn't have to look at it to know who is his fate. gulping, he tightens his arms around you, leaving small kisses on your shoulder.

'have you looked?' you ask in a small voice, biting your lower lip. 'what if-'

'look at me,' joshua asks, leaning back until you move your head and make eye contact. 'i haven't looked. we're both going to look right now but before we do, i just want you to know that it won't change a thing, okay? you are it for me and i don't care if universe agrees with me or not.'

'b-but, if it's not my name..' you start, not being able to finish that sentence because every word breaks your heart.

'then i will cover that name with yours,' joshua says with sureness of person who will not change his mind. 'i will go to the tattoo parlor right now and will make sure that only your name is on my wrist. i love you. do you love me?' at your nod, most beautiful smile blooms on his face. 'ah, i'm just the luckiest guy, aren't i? universe already blessed me with your love, let's check if it blessed me again, shall we?'

it's scary. your throat tightens up and heart rate slows down in anticipation. you didn't think that figuring out who's your soulmate will happen in the middle of the hallway of your dormitory with your boyfriend right in front of you, but life has its own plans. grasping sleeve of your sweatshirt, you look up at joshua, who's already looking at you with impossible fondness. you are it for me, he mouths and with this rolls up his sleeve, looking down. you don't have to look down at your own wrist, because watching surprise and happiness glow on joshua's face is the answer enough for you. when he looks back at you, there are tears in the corners of his eyes.

'it did bless me again,' he whispers, not looking away from you. his eyes are filled with awe and he brings your faces close, so close that your foreheads are almost touching. 'i would've created another universe for us but i don't have to. you are mine in this one.'

what comes out from your mouth is a mix of hysterical laughter and whimpering sob. joshua smiles and takes your hand in his, showing you both his own name written prettily on your wrist. he strokes it lovingly with his thumb as you stare transfixed, not being able to utter a single word. relief floods your system and you sag against him, smiling at the way he keeps on leaving small kisses anywhere he can reach.

'you are my soulmate,' you let out, still in shock. 'josh, you are my soulmate.'

he chuckles, nodding. 'yours, baby. forever and ever.'

he hugs you tight, looking up to the ceiling for a second, silently thanking whoever is responsible for this to happen. he prayed yesterday, promised that he won't ask for anything else as long as he'll get this wish right. i will never ask for anything else, he thinks, mentally sending this message to the universe. you gave me everything.

a/n: oh the feels :') impossible to picture anyone else for this au, so of course it's joshua. tell me how you liked it! - nini

my other works can be found here

[4sturns]

BREAK THE INTERNET

camboy!chris s. x fem!viewer!reader

genre: smut

synopsis: being chris' top tipper and most loyal viewer, you're gifted with a private one on one cyber call with your favorite camboy.

warnings: cyber sex, sub!chris (reader tells him what to do), whining and whimpering, use of vibrator, praise kink (4sturns knows what praise is ????? woah ...), orgasm denial, use of petnames (mamas, baby, etc.), not proofread!

wc: 1.822

a/n: sat there thinking about how kinky i am compared to others in the fandom and suddenly had the great idea of writing for camboy!chris because god he'd be such a pretty camboy .. thank you for 500 followers too this is for you guys ❤️‍🩹 also brace yourselves because this is probably the longest fic i have ever written in all my years of writing

you're sat at your desk, your laptop propped up at an angle which conceals your face, but shows off your breasts which are clad in a red lacy bra.

there's music playing lowly on a speaker somewhere on the other side of the room, something you put on to calm down your nerves.

you bounce your leg, waiting anxiously as you wait for chris' call notification to pop up on your screen.

you've been a viewer of chris' for a while. he was the first camboy you'd ever encountered and he was certainly your favorite. something about him and how he always gives in to his tippers made you cash in on his streams. he was just so good, so obedient, and so pretty.

unbeknownst to you, you had somehow became his top tipper in the span of a couple months. what you expected to be a cumulative amount of fifty dollars, maybe sixty, turned out to be close to ten times the price you assumed you had tipped him.

even with the initial shock, you still couldn't blame yourself for giving him so much money. he was just so good for you, giving you exactly what you wanted and asked of him every single time.

a sudden and loud tone rings from your laptop speakers making you jump from the unexpected noise. the screen flashes with chris' name and his provocative profile picture, your heart rate picking up at the sight. a shaky hand reaches up to the track pad to accept the call, not before a nervous breath leaves your body.

the call zooms in to show you a full view of chris' camera. his face is out of view, similar to you, but he's sporting a white tank top and plaid pajama pants in comparison to your red bra and black silk shorts.

through your little square screen in the corner, you can visibly see your chest heaving. your mouth feels dry, heart pounding uncontrollably. normally you'd feel fine, but that was when it was chris talking to his entire audience, not just you individually.

"hey mamas," chris greets you, he sounds just as breathless as you. "god, you look so good in that set."

you crack a faint smile although he can't see it. a hand goes up to play with the necklace around your neck, relieving some tension as you work up a response.

"not too bad yourself, chris." you can see him shift around, a muffled moan piercing through your speakers gains your attention.

"already worked up? is it because of my boobs on your screen or because you like my voice a little too much, baby?" you're almost shocked at your own words, you were just shaking a moment ago and now you're taunting the very guy you'd get off to almost nightly for the past three months.

"fuck, if you don't stop teasing me i might just cum in my pants." chris moves his camera back to reveal his face. you're stunned for a second, taking in his beauty. it's not the first time you've seen his face, but you swear he gets prettier every day.

based on chris' chuckle, you're sure he saw the way your chest spiked up with the silent gasp you let out when he showed his face.

"tell me what to do, mamas. you're in control of me tonight." his words are spoken quietly, but god do they do a number on you.

"can you— can you touch yourself, for me?" you stutter slightly. you're so used to giving him commands through his chat that giving him a verbal command one on one makes you lightheaded.

without a word, chris' hand inches towards the bulge in his pants. he starts palming himself through his pants as small whimpers leave his mouth. you're sitting back in your chair, your face from the nose down is now visible on the screen. your eyes are fixed to the screen as your entire body starts to heat up.

"can i take off my shirt? please, ma." he's still palming himself, but he stares right into the camera. you can't bring yourself to speak, so you nod your head, praying he gets the memo despite how little of your face is actually showing.

thankfully he does, his free hand gripping the bottom of his top before swiftly removing the garment. his soft, long hair bounces back into place, covering part of his eyes in a way that makes him look like an angel. a sinful angel.

suddenly, chris stops palming himself, his hand going to dip past the waistband of his pants. he quickly whips out his dick before hissing at the cold air which hits his tip.

you're in awe, no matter how many times you've seen his dick before, it'll never quite compare to how good it looks in this moment. but once the feeling subsides, you quickly remember something.

"i never told you you could take your dick out of your pants, did i?" you're now leaning forward, as if challenging chris through the screen. there's no battle however, as panic quickly flashes through chris' features.

his mouth springs open as floods of apologies and excuses leave his mouth, although you're not quite picking up what he's saying. your eyes are piercing your laptop screen as you notice his tip leaking a clear liquid. you watch as his entire cock twitches when you let out a low chuckle.

"i'm sorry, please, i'm a good boy! i swear i'm a good boy." chris pleads with you, causing a wave of heat to overtake your body. you say nothing as he continues to ramble. but you know you can't keep him waiting, you'd be torturing yourself more than him.

"show me how good you are and stroke yourself for me, hmm?" chris complies almost instantly, his head nodding frantically as he wraps a hand around his hard cock. whimpers and high pitched whines fill up your speakers as you instruct him to stroke himself faster. but just that isn't enough for you.

"can you do something for me, baby?" chris' eyes open, an eager smile crosses his face as he momentarily pauses his movements.

"anything for you, mamas." his hair flops around as he nods his head.

"grab that little black vibrator, the one you know i like." you remember the first time you stumbled onto chris' live broadcast. you remember how tightly he was gripping the base of his cock as he held a vibrator right under his angry, red tip. you remember how loud his whimpers were, how much he was begging for release. the image of his cum painting his stomach white as the buzzing continues in the back is something that will never fail to make you moan.

chris comes back into frame holding the toy, a devious smile makes it way onto your face. it's caught on your camera and you can tell chris knows your intentions aren't pure from the way he visibly gulps. regardless, he sits back down infront of his screen before positioning himself to face you again.

"use it on yourself, the same way you always do." the words leave your mouth sounding more like a command than you'd like, although it really is a command.

chris takes your words seriously as he quickly fumbled with the buttons on the little toy to turn it on. a breathy moan leaves his mouth as he finally lowers it down to circle around his tip. the sight is breathtaking. chris' head tipped back as his hand grips at the base of his cock so tightly you're surprised it's not turning a shade of purple. the vibrator soon finds home right under his tip, buzzing away at his sweet spot.

you bite your bottom lip to conceal your moans, a hand sneakily sliding into your silk bottoms as you feel your soaked folds. your fingers move quickly to collect your arousal before dipping into your throbbing cunt. a whine escapes your lips right as chris lets out a rather loud groan.

you know he's close, but you can't let him go yet. not before you do.

"you're such a good boy for me, so good." you lean back in your chair, propping a leg up on the table to get a better angle, maximizing your own pleasure.

chris' eyes flicker open to take a quick peak at his laptop screen. he nearly cums at the sight. your face is now fully in frame, except it's twisted in pleasure. your fingers moved fast, plunging in and out of your soaked cunt as strings of profanity leave your puffy lips. he thought your voice was pretty, but he never expected the voice to belong to a goddess like you.

"fuck, ma. i'm so close," your eyes open to watch chris' face as he turns the intensity of the vibrator up a level. his eyes are shut tight, but you can still see the tears pricking at his eyes as the pleasure builds up.

"hold it for me, baby. be my good boy and wait for me." an anguished cry leaves chris' throat, though he obeys you and holds himself back from his release.

on your end, you're working hard to reach your own release. you've long discarded your bottoms, having thrown them to the floor somewhere behind you. one hand works diligently to draw circles on your clit, while the other drills into your pussy relentlessly.

"i can't, please i need to come so badly. i've been a good boy, right? please, mamas. i need it." chris is in tears by now, the muscles in his stomach flexing with how much force he has put in so far to control himself for you.

you can feel yourself approaching your own climax, strained moans are pulled from your body as you find the energy in you to speak.

"go ahead, baby. paint your stomach white for me like the good boy you are." through your laptop speakers, you can hear chris' loud pants and whimpers as his orgasm washes over him, a cry of your name leaving his lips in such an erotic moan that you're sent over the edge.

your legs tremble and shake as you let your orgasm rip through your body. your body feels like it's on fire, little surges of electricity rage through your body even after the buzz of your orgasm fades.

you peer over at your laptop screen to see chris has discarded the vibrator, though his hand is still working to give his dick a few final strokes before going limp. his stomach is coated in thick ropes of cum, his skin glistening with a thin layer of sweat.

"did i do good for you, mamas?" chris asks, his voice barely above a whisper, clearly spent from all his whining.

"you did so good for me, such a good boy. you're my baby boy."

[paint-the-walls-white]

Classic Slasher

Pairing: Ghostface (Danny Johnson) x Fem!Reader

Summary: In an attempt to get away from the stress of life, you visit your families cabin. Even when there aren't any people around for miles, you can't shake the feeling of being watched.

Warnings: KnifePlay! MaskStaysOn! Chase! NonCon to Con! Degradation! Praise! From the Back! Bondage! Anal!

As you dropped your luggage by the door, you sighed, excited to finally have a relaxing vacation. Work had been extra stressful and your parents had given you the okay to stay at their lodge in the mountains. It was a nice cool October day, just a few hours before dusk, so you decided to start your vacation with a nice soak in the hot tub on the back deck.

After putting away your clothes in the bedroom, you changed into your bikini and slid into the nice hot water, sighing as it soaked into your skin. The chilled air offered a nice contrast to the boiling water. After a few minutes, you checked your phone and notified your parents you had just gotten to the lodge, but the message wouldn't be delivered. No mobile service.

'I'll just tell her later..'

Just as you placed the cell phone back on the edge of the hot tub, the landline inside started to ring. You decided it was time to get out of the jacuzzi and went to answer the phone but it stopped ringing before you could pick it up. An eerie feeling began to develop in your stomach but you shook it off and went to change.

A few hours later, the sun had just set for the evening and you had made dinner, settling on the couch in some pajamas to watch a movie; the phone started to ring again.

"Hello?"

'Hello? Who is this?'

"I think you have the wrong number sir,"

You listened closely on the line, hearing the soft sound of breathing. That eerie feeling came back.

"Hello? Sir?"

The repetitive beep from the speaker clued you in that the person on the other line must have hung up the phone. Unsettled, you put the phone back on the stand and walked over to the couch, plopping down with a bowl of popcorn in your lap.

"Guess it was the wrong number.."

Scrolling through the options on Max, you settled on The Nun II as you hadn't seen it yet. You were intently watching the movie when you suddenly got that eerie feeling of being watched. Pausing the movie, you walked up to the sliding glass door, locking it and closing the blinds. Then you made your way around the house, locking the rest of the windows and doors until you felt a bit better and sat back down to finish the movie.

You jumped at the sound of the phone ringing next to you. It was the same number from before. Swallowing that anxious lump in your throat, you answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi," It sounded like the same man from before, which caused a chill to run down your spine.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Just wanted to talk to someone. You're the only person I've been able to contact out here."

That made you uneasy but you relented, "Ok.. Why are you calling? What's your name..?"

He chuckled, "Why don't you tell me your name first beautiful."

You couldn't help but blush at his blatant flirting, pausing the movie to turn your attention to him, "Why do you wanna know my name?"

"I wanna know who I'm looking at."

Your heart sank into your stomach,

"What did you say?" Your heart rate picks up and your breathing becomes shallow. Time seemed to stop. He said something but you asked him to repeat himself again,

"I said I wanna know who I'm talking to,"

"Oh.. I thought you said.. Never mind.. Sorry I'm a little skittish, I've been watching too many scary movies I guess.."

Your heart rate calmed down a little bit, but you could feel your skin pricking up with goosebumps. You rubbed at your thigh to calm down, causing the bumps to fade. Biting at your nails, your eyes flicked around the room anxiously.

"Oh yea? Do you like scary movies?"

"Mhm.. My family watches them religiously for Halloween, we have a whole spreadsheet of what to watch every year."

You calmed down a bit and began talking to the man more calmly. After talking for a few minutes, raving about scary movies and which are your favorites, the man speaks up again,

"You know you never told me your name.."

"Why? I kind of like the mystery,"

He chuckled lightly again, "Well, then do you have a boyfriend?"

"No.. Why? You wanna ask me out on a date?"

"Maybe.. Or maybe I just wanted to know if you’re really up here all by yourself."

That feeling crept into your stomach again. Dread makes its way into your bones as time seems to stop. You never told him where you were.

"How did you.. How do you know I'm here alone..?"

"You told me, remember?"

"No, I did not. Are you watching me?"

You frantically got up to peek out the windows, searching for anyone who could be lurking around the house, but all you could see was the impossibly dark woods.

"No point in looking for me Doll, you're not even gonna see me coming."

"This isn't funny, Psycho! I'm hanging up!"

You threw the phone back on the stand and ran up stairs to grab your dads shotgun. That's when the landline in that room rang again. You saw it was his number again. You picked up, preparing to scream at him.

"If you hang up on me again, I'll gut you like a fucking fish!"

Your breathing picked up as you held the phone to your ear. This wasn’t happening. You warily made your way down stairs, peeking around every corner until you made it to the living room again.

"What do you want?"

"I wanna play a little game. You answer three little questions about horror, and I'll let you live, get one wrong and I'll rearrange your guts."

You swallowed, tears flooding in your eyes as you sat on the couch, gun in hand and the phone pressed to your ear.

"Ok.."

"Very good. Question one, this one is easy. What is the name of the killer that haunts peoples dreams?"

You flicked your eyes around the room, "Freddy Krueger,"

"Very good. See? Isn't this fun? Question two: Who is the killer in Friday the 13th?"

Really? This was so easy, "Mrs. Vorhees. Jason didn't appear until the later movies."

He chuckled through the phone, "Very good, Now for the third question,"

You sucked in a breath. If it was anything like the first two, this would be easy.

"What room am I in right now?"

Your heart dropped. No, He couldn't have gotten inside. You had locked everything up earlier-

"Tick tock. What room am I in, Doll?"

"Please.. Please just leave me alone!"

"That wasn't the fucking question. If you don't answer in the next ten seconds I'm gonna fucking kill you. Ten. Nine. Eight..."

"I-I don't know- The Basement!"

"Four.. Hah... Good guess."

You breathed a sigh of relief, until the power went out.

"But that's the wrong answer."

Your stomach sunk as the phone line went dead. So much for a vacation. You were going to be killed and no one would know for far too long. No. You weren't going to sit back and be killed. You were going to go down kicking and screaming.

You shucked a bullet into the chamber, eyes adjusting to the darkness, ear listening closely. The air was eerily still and it was impossibly dark. Standing, you walked down the hall to the basement door. He said he wasn't in there, and he seemed like the kind of person that wouldn't lie about that.

As you crept down the stairs, you were careful to avoid any creaky spots, your wooly socks insulated the sound of your footsteps. When you reached the bottom of the stairs, that's when you heard it. The heavy sound of a shoe pressing down on wood.

He was right above you.

You thankfully had grabbed your phone and stuffed it in your pocket before moving, if you could get out through the basement door then you could make a run for it and call for help.

And right when hope was just in your grasp you heard the phone in your pocket start to ring. You hadn’t had service this whole fucking time and now it decides to start working? Seriously? You fumbled to decline the call, dropping the gun to the floor. If he didn't know where you were before, he definitely did now.

You ran, making a break from the door across the basement as you heard his hurried steps down the stairs. You tried to unlock it with shaky hands, getting to the very last lock before you couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.

You turned, completely horrified as a man stood at a hulking 6'4", broad shoulders concealed by a black cloak and a ghost mask with no emotion behind it. He brandished an eight inch hunting knife in one hand and in the other a phone in his hand. He dialed a number and your cell phone started to ring. You answered the phone and pressed it to your ear:

"Boo"

You quickly undid the lock and swung the door open but he slammed the door closed, caging you against it with a knife pressed to your throat.

"Don't fucking move or I'll slice your throat."

"O-Ok.." Your back was pressed firmly against his broad chest. Despite the fact he literally had a knife to your throat, your body flushed at the contact. A heat pooled in your stomach because of the warmth he emitted against you.

"That's a good girl.. Aww you were so close huh? Ain't that too bad.. You're one of the smarter ones I've had.. I love that final girl mentality.."

You let out a shaky breath as he pressed harder against you, your chest now flushed against the door. The cold wood caused your nipples to harden and you whimpered underneath him under the guise of fear.

"Please.. I'll do anything, just please don't kill me.."

He chuckled against the side of your face, his warm breath creeping from the black mesh of his mask.

"How cliche.. I thought you were better than that sweet heart. But fine. Humor me, beg for your life.."

He eased up his knife, gently grazing it against your skin. Chills followed the cool steel of the blade as he ran it over you. The leather of his glove squeaked as he moved to tightly grip your face. 

"Please.. Please don't, Please.."

"Ghostface." He barked out the title. You whimpered at the harsh tone in his voice.

"Please Ghostface.. Please don't kill me.."

As much as it was embarrassing, this was extremely arousing. Something about the way he had your life in his grasp, demanding you beg, it was just so degrading; but really fucking hot.

You whined as arousal started drooling from your cunt, soaking your underwear. He traced the knife over your shoulder, running it under the strap of your tank-top before pulling it taunt.

"How would you feel if I just fucking shredded your clothes.. Hmm? Not like you could do anything to fight it anyways.. You know what? On the couch. Now."

Ghostface gestured at the couch in the center of the basement. He eased off of you, allowing you room to walk. As much as you wanted to run, some twisted part of your mind wanted to see where this was going.

"Thats a good girl.. Sit."

Sitting on the couch, you pressed your legs tightly together in an attempt to ease the building ache in your abdomen. He crouched to meet your eye level, gently placing the tip of his knife on your chin to raise your face, forcing you to meet the gaze of his mask.

He tutted at her shamefully, "What am I going to do to you..? This is gonna be real fun.." It was completely dark in the house, but the moonlight shone just enough through the basement window that you were sure he could see the flushed expression across your face. He stood, flipping his knife in his hand.

"Don't fucking move."

Ghostface got to work, quickly shredding your shirt down the middle. You gasped as he nicked your skin, flinching at the contact. He was quick to slice again, growling, "I said not to fucking move. Do you want me to slit your throat?"

You quickly shook your head. You were so light headed and flustered. He groaned at the sight of your bare breasts.

"Fuck.. Aren't you a beauty.." You blushed under his eyes and moved to cover your chest with you arms,

"Don't say that.. It's embarrassing." He barked out a laugh, ripping your arms away from your chest and pinning them on the back of the couch with one hand, his knife at your throat once again. His warm breath brushed across your face as you looked into the black mess of his mask. There were no features visible behind it, but that made it all the more exciting.

"I will do and say whatever the fuck I want. I thought I told you not to fucking move?"

The fear in your eyes quickly faded as he released your arms to shrug off his cloak, shucking off his belt to bind your hands. You eyed his crotch for a split second before meeting his gaze once again.

"You're such a fuckin' whore you know that? Letting me do this to you. Let's get these fucking things off."

He flipped you over so your chest pressed against the back of the couch and your knees dug into the leather seat. He sliced at your shorts, nicking your ass and thigh before tossing them aside. You were left completely bare for him, bowing your head in shame as slick dripped down your leg.

"Fuck.. I knew this pussy would be so fucking beautiful.." His gloved hand prodded at your folds, halting almost as soon as he made contact.

"And... Wet..? Wait, are you getting off on this?"

You buried your face into the couch, mumbling a yes into your arm as you clenched around nothing. Your face flushed a bright red, creeping down your neck and to your ears.

"Fuck..." He pulled away from you, running his hand over his mask in frustration. You peaked over your shoulder, completely embarrassed.

"Are.. Are you disappointed..?"

"A little! I didn't think you'd be this fucking easy. You really are a whore aren't you?"

You hid your face again, yelping when he smacked your ass firmly, pulling your head back by your hair to look at him.

"I asked you a fucking question. Answer it."

"Y-Yes.." He released your scalp, quick to return his gloved fingers to your sloppy folds. You whined as he quickly sunk two fingers in. He slowly pressed in and out, groaning at the sight of your slick coating his glove.

"Look at you.. You're so fucking ready for me, aren't you? No fucking resistance.."

Your eyes widened as you heard the sound of his pants unzipping, whining at the loss of stimulation until he snickered, slapping your pussy. You let out a yelp as he smacked your clit, your slick sliding down your legs.

Ghostface pressed the head of his cock against your sloppy folds, groaning at the feeling of your wet cunt. He slid in between them, gliding the length of his thick cock through your labia at a painfully slow place. He pulled your hips to meet his as he towered over you.

"Beg for it like you begged for your fucking life. Say it, say you want this fat fucking cock inside you."

You whimpered as he glided along your clit, 'Please... Please Ghostface.. Please fuck me.." Your cheeks were burning a bright red at this point, far too aroused to care that this man had broken in and threatened your life after stalking you for who knows how long.

"Good fucking girl...Fuck you're so wet for me.."

Your eyes widened as he started stuffing himself in your pushing, a breathy moan escaping your lungs as he pressed against your cervix with ease.

He groaned at the feeling of your tight pussy wrapped around him, pulsing along his length. You whined at the stretch, pushing your hips back to meet his. He slid his hands up your scalp and pulled your head back to look down at you.

"You're gonna take this fucking cock like the good whore you are.. And then maybe.. Just maybe, I'll let you live.."

Eyes clouded with desire, trembling with need, you nodded. He groaned, pulling out until just the tip was left before thrusting into the hilt, forcing you to press harder into the couch. You moaned loudly at the contact as he continued to pound you sloppy cunt.

"That's a good fuckin girl.. Taking this cock.. So fucking well... Oh fu-uck.."

"Please.. No more.. S' too much.." You whimpered as the knife was pressed to your throat again. Tears picked your eyes from the overwhelming pleasure.

"I'll stop when I'm fucking done Bitch." He groaned, drilling into you at a punishing pace, grinning maniacally behind the mask as he began carving his initials into the flesh of your ass. You hissed at the pain but just rested your head on the couch to look back at him.

All you could do was whimper as your slick collected between your thighs, His cock collecting a ring of your arousal at the base. Your moans became desperate as you started to tighten around him. You threw your head back, arching into him as you came around his cock.

"Fuck.. Are you fucking cumming right now? Look at you.. Fuck.. You're so fucking tight.."

As you came on his cock, he continued his brutal pace, overstimulating your sensitive walls.

"Please.. Too much..." He groaned, pulling fully out of you. You whined at the loss but then gasped as he prodded at the tight ring of muscles just above where he was. "N-No-!"

Ghostface sliced at your back, "You don't get to fucking tell me No. You'll take it... Don't worry Doll.. I'm not a monster, I'll prep you first.."

You gasped at the feel of cool metal prodding at your slopping folds, sinking the handle of his knife into your cunt. You squeaked as he pressed a finger into your ass, whining at the feeling of being full.

He pulled the handle of his knife from your cunt and pressed it against your ass, replacing his finger with the slick shaft. You moaned loudly at the intrusion, surprisingly sensitive.

"That's a good girl.. Fuck.."

Ghostface pulled the knife from your ass and lined up his heavy cock, slipping in the head, slowly pressing in until you took his whole length. He quickly started a brutal pace, fucking your ass with a punishing force.

"You fucking like this, don't you? You like when I fill your fucking holes like this?" He stuffed a finger in your pussy, quickly working his way up to three.

You could only mumble incoherent phrases as he fucked you stupid, a different coil winding tight in you abdomen.. It almost felt as if you were about to pee.. But there was no way.. That'd be so embarrassing-!

"No- No- I'm gonna- Please..." He groaned as warm liquid flooded from your cunt.

"Fuck.. did you just fucking squirt from this..? That's so fuckin hot.. Fuck I'm gonna cum.. Take it.. Take it!"

He pressed his cock as deep as he could into your ass, spilling his seed into your tight cavern. The wet sound of him pulling out made you blush as you slumped against the couch, completely spent.

He gently unwrapped the belt from around your wrists and stuffed his cock back into his pants.

"Clean yourself up. I'll be back tomorrow Doll."

You slowly slid off the couch, nodding slowly as you walked on shaky legs to the bathroom. You could feel his presence was gone by the time you turned on the water. You screamed as you looked at what he did to your ass.

D.J.

[lucy90712]

Thunderstorms- Gavi

The loudest clap of thunder I think I've ever heard woke me very suddenly from what was a great dream from what I remember. Shortly after the thunder the room was lit up with multiple bolts of lightening. That's when I knew I'd be awake until the storm passed I've always been scared of storms so unless I sleep through them I spend the entire time awake usually shaking slightly. It's such an irrational fear but I can't help but be scared although I have never told anyone that I'm so scared of storms because I don't want to deal with the teasing. My parents know that I used to be scared of storms but I imagine they think I've grown out of it which I wish I had but outside of that I haven't told anyone even my boyfriend. 

Another clap of thunder made me jump while Pablo slept soundly beside me. That man can sleep through anything I swear, he's slept through fireworks literally next door, thunderstorms and everything else that would wake a normal human being. I know he won't wake up on his own but I'm definitely not going to wake him as I don't want him to laugh at me at least not right now. Instead I just tried my best to get close to him as he slept in hopes that would help me sleep as cuddling with him usually helps me sleep. I shut my eyes and tried to relax but the constant noise and light was always on my mind so I couldn't let myself relax. My hands were still shaking and I could feel my heart rate jump every time there was more thunder. I know breathing techniques are supposed to help calm you down but even those weren't settling my nerves. All I wanted to do was shut myself in a dark room where I couldn't see or hear anything but that's not possible I have to stay here and try and sleep.

Cuddling into Pablo's side didn't help me one bit so I gave up and just kept tossing and turning which made Pablo start to stir. I stopped moving in hopes that he'd just go back to sleep but he kept stirring until his eyes opened. Some more thunder came and I tried so hard not to move or make a noise but the longer it went on and the louder it got I couldn't stop myself making a small noise out of fear. That definitely gave away that I wasn't sleeping as I felt Pablo turn over in bed and his arm touched my waist. 

"It's ok I've got you" he whispered in my ear as he pulled me into his chest 

"I'm fine" I said trying to convince myself more than him 

"You don't have to pretend baby I know you're scared but I'm right here to keep you safe" he said 

"How did you know?" I asked

"I see the way you always tense up when there's a storm and I could see you shaking" he said 

"But you've never made fun of me it's such a stupid fear if you knew why did you never tease me about it" I questioned 

"Why would I make fun of you it's not a stupid fear and even if it was there's no way I'd make fun of you I just want to make you feel better you could be scared of apples and I'd still do everything I can to protect you so thats what I'm going to do so remember if you are scared just tell me I'll be there for you like you are for me" he said 

"Thank you but apples really" I laughed 

"That's just the first thing that came to mind but you get the point" he smiled 

He decided to keep listing random things I could be scared off that he wouldn't make fun of me for while stroking my hair and back to relax me. This list got more and more ridiculous until he said that if I was scared of footballs we would have a problem but he'd still find a way to love me which made me laugh. I think his aim was to distract me and it was working as just listening to him talk as he rubbed my back was making me feel tired again. 

Just as I was starting to fall sleep some more thunder made me jump so Pablo came up with a new idea every time there was thunder or lightning he pressed a soft kiss to either my hair or my forehead. He kept talking and giving me kisses until I was struggling to keep my eyes open and I gave in and let sleep consume me. Being able to fall asleep during a storm is a big thing for me but it's only because Pablo is by my side. Him knowing about my fear is actually a huge weight off my shoulders especially knowing he won't tease me for it being able to turn to turn to him when I'm scared will really help me. 

[arduouslove]

Loving You isn't Hard to Learn 06

genres: hybrid, romance, found family, slow burn(ish) series rating: mature (mentions of/references to death and abuse. eventual smut) chapter warnings (may contain spoilers): mentions of death. accusations of drugging/roofie-ing. descriptions of injury to the face. the reader character cooks meat; if you don't eat meat, please think of it as them just cooking it for other people. relationship(s): ot7 x female reader

In the middle of what many would call nowhere, a sign glows bright yellow. Old, unmaintained, and on its last legs, the letter e flickers for a few seconds before going dark. H aven’s Door Motel, it now reads.

prev | chapter six (12.0k) | next

The floor is cold when you wake up on it, though not as cold as it could be, so you must've been sleeping on the floor for at least a couple hours. As you sit up, you try to get on your knees, but find your legs tangled up in half of a throw blanket. You grumble, touching one hand to the side of your head, where you had to have laid directly on the floor rather than the throw pillow you can see pushed under the coffee table. Okay, you're definitely not telling Hoseok your head kind of hurts. He's already enough of a worrywart. Speaking of...

Looking up at the couch, you see Hoseok's sleeping face smushed against the cushion, his hair ruffled all over and his mouth slightly open. Upon closer inspection, a small wet spot of drool has grown on the couch cushion directly under his mouth. You grimace at that but quickly shake the split second of disgust away. It's just saliva; it'll wash out just fine.

You untangle yourself from the blanket, and when you stand up, you drape it over Hoseok's sleeping form as quietly as you can. Yawning, you head to the kitchen, first filling your kettle and turning it on, then moving to the other side of the counter and unplugging your phone from the wall. As the screen flicks on, you see a missed call from Lee Minhyuk from only a few minutes ago, and a text from him that followed soon after.

It seems I forgot to leave one last thing to you. I found it in our storage this morning. I'll be in my office all day if you'd like to come and pick it up. Otherwise, please let me know by phone call.

As professional as always, this guy. Glancing over at the microwave, you take note that it's only 8:56AM, which isn't that early for someone like him, but still. Lee Minhyuk is punctual, you'll give him that. Well, you suppose if you head out soon, you could get back before ten, depending on what it is Minhyuk forgot to give you. Some paperwork, maybe. He did say before that Mr. Jung had liquidated everything he owned other than the motel... You wonder what it could be.

Not wanting to wake your two house guests up, you stop the kettle before it can beep to signal that it's boiled and pour the hot water over a tea bag in a to-go mug to let it steep while you get changed. You sneak on tip-toes back to your room, and you move your hand as deftly as possible on your bedroom doorknob, focusing on your feet as you step in and close the door behind you. Bee-lining to your dresser, you tug off your pyjamas and pull on some fresh clothes as quietly as you can.

But when you turn around, Jimin is sitting up in your bed and looking at you with a frown.

"Oh my gosh!" You jump and pat a hand over your heart, taking a sharp breath in at the sudden sight of him. He barely reacts, just raising one of his eyebrows at you, his bottom half still snug under the comforter. "How long were you just sitting there?"

Eyes still half closed, Jimin says, "Long enough."

"Oh. Well..." Embarrassment trickles along your veins knowing he watched you trying to quietly sneak in. He looks too tired and uninterested to care about the fact that you changed right in front of him, though. There goes your confidence in your own sex appeal. "...Did you sleep okay?"

"It was fine." His words come out short and curt, and you can't quite pinpoint why, but you get a weird feeling as you try not to narrow your eyes. He flips the covers off himself and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, using his hands at his sides to push himself off and stand. His eyes dart around your room. "Where are my clothes?"

You blink. "Oh. They're in a hamper in the bathroom. I was planning on putting them through the wash and then making something to eat." Of course, stopping by Lee Minhyuk's office threw a tiny wrench in those plans, but still, you weren't expecting this from Jimin as soon as he woke up. Whatever this is.

Just as he tries to exit your bedroom, you move to stand between him and the door, your hand held up. Jimin stops himself before either of you touch, and he frowns slightly when you go, "Whoa, hold on. What's the hurry?"

"I have to go back."

"Go back?" you echo, confusion tinged in your voice, but Jimin doesn't bother. He gently puts a hand on your wrist and moves you out of the way, which you let him do all too easily in your stupor. Go back? To the streets? Blinking and shaking yourself out of it, you turn to follow him into the bathroom, where you watch him find his dirty clothes at the top of the pile in the hamper. "What do you mean?"

Jimin doesn't look at you as he focuses on unbuttoning his pyjama top. "She's looking for me."

Sputtering, you completely miss the fact that Jimin is taking off his clothes right in front of you. "Rayoung?"

Even though he doesn't answer you, the determined look in his eyes tells you you're right. He slips on his old clothes and pushes past you again.

"She is?" You struggle to follow both him and his words, stepping into the main living space after him. "How do you know--"

Jimin whips around, and you almost bump into him, but your feet screech to a halt directly in front of him. He glares at you with those piercing brown eyes. "She loves me," he says.

Your mouth opens and closes like those dogs in kids movies they'd feed peanut butter to so it'd look like they were talking. You can't say what you think, no, that would be too harsh. You can't just say outright that someone who loves him wouldn't leave him to live miserably like he did. But, what can you say? You don't want him to go back to where he was, even if what he thinks of Rayoung is true... not when you have something within likeness of a solution so close to falling in your grasp. You were planning on going to the motel this evening with Hoseok -- and, ideally, Jimin -- to scope out the building better and finally figure out what the hell you're doing.

"Jimin..." You hold yourself back from reaching out to him, knowing that your touch might be the last thing he wants. "At least eat something..."

"I'm not hungry," he tells you, and with the conviction he puts behind the words, you almost believe him.

"C'mon, at least a bite--"

"No!"

Jimin's sudden volume startles you, and your eyes go wide as he pushes both hands against you, causing you both to stumble back a step. You stare at your feet for half a second before looking back up at him, a breath of a laugh tainted with disbelief puffing past your lips. "What--"

"Don't come any closer!" He wraps his arms around his chest and scrunches his eyes shut. "I don't know what was in that fucking tea, but you can't keep me here." His back turns to you. "Rayoung was right. I can't trust anyone."

Completely thrown off, you straighten up slowly, his words settling in your brain. "...Excuse me?"

Jimin says no more, simply standing there in the foyer with his back turned, shielding himself from... you.

Roused from his deep slumber, Hoseok appears next to you. His hair is tousled and pressed flat against the side of his head that he slept on, but the sight isn't as endearing as it would be if you weren't so baffled by what Jimin just said. Taking one step in front of you, Hoseok puts a hand on your arm before you've even realized you went to get closer to Jimin, one hand up and pointed at him.

"You--" Hoseok's firm grip on your arm stops you from getting far, and as he pulls you partway behind him and your shoulder bumps into his back, you lower your voice to a whisper. "You think I drugged you?"

With his head down low, Jimin still refuses to respond. His entire body trembles, fear coursing through him like rapids under his skin. Even you can see it.

But something fogs over your rationality.

"Are you serious right now? I didn't-- I would never--" You try to take a deep breath, but it gets stuck in your throat and only serves to fuel this ugly feeling inside your chest. "You're delusional."

Hoseok hushes out your name, a warning of sorts, or maybe something closer to a plea. You don't hear it past the ringing in your ears.

"And it's not because of anything in my fucking tea," you continue. "No, you know why you're delusional?"

Hesitantly, Jimin turns around half-way, his frowning profile causing that awful roiling in you to flare up.

"Because even though you've been living on the streets for months, starved enough to root through restaurant trash bins, abandoned by the very person who supposedly loves you--" Something flashes across Jimin's eyes, but you have no grasp of what it is. "--you still think she's coming back for you."

No one says anything for a second -- too long, and Hoseok's hand slides down your arm and gently wraps around your wrist. You tug it out of his grasp with a sharp inhale. "So let's just go," you say, walking to where you keep your car keys. The jingle-jangle as you pick up your keys is the only sound in the apartment aside from your footsteps. "I'll take you right now. Near Antonio's, right? She left you around there and that's where you think she'll go looking for you?"

Hoseok softly calls your name again, but you don't hear him. Jimin only follows you with angry eyes.

"I was on my way out anyway," you continue. With your hand already on the doorknob, you slip on your shoes. "So yeah, I have no problem with dropping you off on your own with nowhere to go." You pull the door towards you and step out, eyes still on your feet. "Where you have no sure way of getting food."

Jimin doesn't look at you as he puts on his shoes.

"Where Hybrid Services already know your face--"

Your words choke to a stop when you look down the hall towards the elevators. That damned fluorescent yellow armband you had no business caring about a couple days ago -- two of them -- appear in your sight just a few metres away, directly in front of the apartment-next-door's open entrance, where your neighbour to the right, Anne-Marie, is talking to the two officers.

Without uttering another sound, you push Jimin back inside your apartment as quickly and overtly as you can. Unfortunately, this means you achieve that by shoving your hand in Jimin's face, but your head isn't exactly in the right place to think about hiding-someone-away etiquette.

"Wha--?! Stop--!"

"Shh!" You make frantic eye contact with Hoseok while Jimin glares daggers at you. At this point, you know you can't just go back inside yourself; both the officers and your neighbour have probably seen you already. You keep your voice as quiet as you can, hoping the boys can still hear you with their weird hybrid powers. "Both of you, not a peep. Got it?"

You don't wait for either of them to answer before you grab the doorknob and swing the door shut in their faces. As soon as you look back down the hall, both officers, a man and a woman, and Anne-Marie are looking at you.

"Good morning," you greet with a slight bow, completely unsure of what to do or say next.

Would asking some sort of question be suspicious? Or would trying to walk by and ignoring them be even worse?

Either way, you have to get to the elevator...

Before you have to decide, (or maybe after you already should've, considering the awkward silence,) Anne-Marie waves you over with a slight frown. "Leaving so early today?"

"Ah..." You nod at her with a strained smile as you walk up to her and the officers, making sure to smile and nod at them too in that weird, you're not really part of this conversation but you're standing here so I'll try to include you sort of way. "Yes, I have some errands to run this morning."

Anne-Marie doesn't question you, thank goodness, and just gestures towards the officers. "Well you should hear them out before you go," she says. "Apparently there's a feral hybrid on the loose."

"Feral hybrid?"

You don't have to fake the initial look of concern that appears on your face, but the way you deepen your frown at the flyer one of the officers hands you is definitely for show.

"Yes," he confirms, face stiff and almost bored from repeating the words so many times to all the residents in the building already. "He ran away from a hybrid clinic in the city and was last spotted in this neighbourhood."

Anne-Marie nods along as he speaks and shakes her head when he points out the area the hybrid was spotted last night on a small map included in the flyer. "So close to home..." she mutters, which he ignores.

Continuing after him, the female officer speaks up. "We're doing rounds to make sure everyone living in the area is aware of the risks of a feral hybrid, as well as inform everyone of the proper procedure."

"Which is...?"

"Do not approach," the man tells you as your eyes finally focus in on the two pictures of the feral hybrid, one from the front and another of his profile. In both photos, he's smiling, eyes bright. "It's dangerous for regular citizens to attempt to capture feral hybrids. Leave it to the professionals and call Hybrid Services upon encounter."

He doesn't look so dangerous.

His smile is wide and almost boyish, like someone told him he was posing for a photo op rather than the strange hybrid-version of a mug shot it actually is. He holds up his name placard like it's an award he's proud of. "V," it reads, then a bunch of numbers underneath. His animal ears are perked straight up, and you can't tell what kind of ears they are in the grainy black-and-white pictures, not to mention how small they look compared to Hoseok's. Still, the deepness of his smile, the happiness in his eyes and the scrunch of his nose -- you're not scared at all.

You don't say any of that, though.

"I'll keep an eye out, thank you," you say with a polite smile. "What kind of hybrid is he?"

The two share a look, the female officer grimacing before she turns back to you. "That's unfortunately classified information."

"What? Why? Wouldn't it help us be safer and more prepared if we know what he looks like?" You turn to make eye contact with Anne-Marie, who drinks in your words and nods with a slight frown towards the officers, a finger propped concernedly on her chin.

The man sighs. "As much as I agree with you, these pictures are the only images any of us have to go off of. Even Hybrid Services hasn't been informed of his sub-species. It's private information belonging to the clinic, and legally, we don't need to have it to apprehend the hybrid."

"I see..."

After thanking them again and giving your due goodbyes, you do your best not to turn around and watch the officers as you wait for the elevator. You step into the elevator, and as your finger finds the button for the ground floor, you peak down the hall and let out a breath of relief. The officers seem to have skipped your door because you already spoke to them.

It would probably be suspicious to re-enter your apartment so soon while they're still patrolling your floor, you think. The last thing you need right now is Hybrid Services finding a reason to look into you.

And, maybe, you need a minute to yourself. Just to breathe.

You hadn't meant to snap at Jimin like that, it just... So much doesn't make sense to you. You've barely had Hoseok around for a few days, but you feel as though your friendship is something already. Maybe not something to be proud of, exactly, but it's something.

Jimin... you've known him for even less time, if you could even call that "knowing" him at all. And yet, you felt this strange surge of protectiveness over him.

You really hope that isn't part of the saviour thing Hoseok spoke of before...

Sighing into the empty elevator, you try not to think about the fact that it probably is, and instead focus on what is right in front of you. Your car keys are still in your hand, the shape imprinted into your palm from how hard your nerves had made you grip them between your fingers while you talked to the officers.

You take the coward's route and run away.

Lee Minhyuk's office building isn't that far in terms of distance, but the traffic around it is pure hell. It gives you much too much time alone with only your thoughts. You try to drown them out with whatever is on the radio, but even that can't seem to calm the disquiet within you. The more you think about the things you said, the more regret builds in your gut. What right did you have to say those things to Jimin? Sure, you think it's a fool's dream to believe this Rayoung girl is out there searching for him, but to purposefully shut him down like that? To crush that dream just because you got offended by emotions he was completely valid in feeling? Just because he's been scarred by humans before and you happen to be one? It's not his fault that he thought you might've drugged him, it's a product of--

"Ah, you're here."

Blinking, you realize that your body went on autopilot and walked you up to Lee Minhyuk's office without you knowing, and you watch his back as he goes to sit at his desk.

"Yeah I... got your text," you say dazedly, unsure of anything else you could possibly say in the moment.

"Well, it's good that you came. I wouldn't want you to go without this." Minhyuk holds his hand out, and you step closer to his desk to let him drop whatever the thing he forgot is in your awaiting palm.

A single key stares up at you, attached by a small ring to a simple metal tag.

Silver Meadows Columbarium, it reads.

"Oh."

Moving the key to your fingers, you flip over the tag and read lot C 258 on the back. You'd never heard of Silver Meadows Columbarium before. Never needed to...

"I believe Mr Jung set up his..." Minhyuk pauses as he mulls over his word choice. "...accommodations before he passed."

You can't help but ask, "Just him? No family, or...?"

Your words trail off, both of you knowing that Mr Jung left you as his sole beneficiary. If he had family, he didn't leave them anything. Not even the location of his remains.

Minhyuk shakes his head, and you frown.

"He prepared for his own death all by himself?"

Your concern is met with a small, understanding smile on Minhyuk's face. "Well, he may have done the paperwork himself, but he wasn't alone. He had you."

"But I--" You hardly knew Mr Jung.

"He brought you up more than once," Minhyuk says, making you close your mouth and blink stupidly at him. At your silence, he continues. "He came to my office a few times to sign the papers and whatnot, and he mentioned you every time. Always said you're the only one who laughs at his jokes."

"They're funny!"

Your own response jars you a bit. The last time you said that, you thought Mr Jung was alive.

Minhyuk only smiles again, softly. "He was happy you thought so."

"Did he say that?"

"Not in so many words, but I it wasn't hard to tell. Don't get too caught up in the fact that Jung didn't have blood relatives he wanted to include in his will. Evidently--" He gestures to you. "--he had a family of sorts."

Except that you weren't it. You couldn't be, right?

A seedling plants itself in the forefront of your mind.

A seedling named Hoseok.

That's must be it -- Mr Jung wanted to leave his estate to Hoseok, but couldn't figure out how to, legally. Hybrids probably can't even have bank accounts, much less accept inheritance, which is why Mr Jung defaulted to you. He trusted you to help Hoseok start up Heaven's Door as the legal owner of the land it's built on.

In his letter, he'd said it's that it's you, whatever that means.

You look down at the key in your hand, taking a deep breath in. It might not be the key to Heaven's Door Motel, but you clutch it in your fingers, and as you step out of Lee Minhyuk's office, you make a silent promise to Mr Jung.

You'll get Heaven's Door up and running.

And you'll do a damn good job of it too.

=

When you return to your apartment, you have a brown paper bag of fresh pastries in your hand and a heavy something in your chest. You tried to figure out what you want to say to the two hybrids in your place on your way home, but it's hard. You feel like all you keep doing is messing up. Now, you even ran off without a word after seeing the Hybrid Services officers, which had to have freaked Hoseok out.

You grimace as you twist the doorknob. Less than an hour ago, you'd resolved yourself to running Heaven's Door with everything you've got, but are you really the right person for the job?

When you enter, you go to call out for Hoseok, but you freeze with your mouth partially open. The guys stand ramrod straight in front of you, Hoseok with a slight smile and Jimin with a hesitant clench of his jaw, arms crossed. You gape at them for a couple seconds until Hoseok frowns at Jimin and jabs his elbow into his side.

"Ow! What the--"

"Don't you have something to say?" Hoseok prompts through his teeth, a harsh grit to the question.

Jimin huffs, his arms shifting in front of his chest, hands holding his own arms a little tighter. He meets your eyes. "I'm--"

"Wait." You hold up a hand to stop him, not missing the confusion that flashes across Hoseok's face. Something like panic reflects in Jimin's eyes when he sneaks a glance at Hoseok, but you don't acknowledge it. "Let's talk." With the hand still holding the paper bag, you gesture towards the couch. "Have a seat. Both of you."

Jimin doesn't move until Hoseok does, following silently while Hoseok watches you out of the corner of his eye as he sits down.

You set the pastries on the kitchen table before making your way to them, stopping in front of the couch and chewing over your thoughts. Jimin regards you with a half-frown, brows knitted in apparent distrust. You can't really blame him.

If your ears were better, you might've heard the slight gasp Hoseok let out when you dropped to your knees, bent down, and pressed your forehead to your hands, which are now flat on the floor. You bow in front of them, let out a breath, and raise your head once you gather your thoughts, putting your hands respectfully on your lap. "I'm sorry," you say. "I fucked up."

Hoseok's ears twitch, dipping, and he scoots forward on the cushion, about to say something, but you don't let him.

"Jimin, I want to apologize for this morning. I had no right to react the way I did." You look at Jimin, but you can't read his face. "It's not your fault if humans have hurt you enough to make you think we're all the same. People can be... horrible. I wish things were different, but... I want you to know that I will never intentionally hurt you--" Your eyes meet Hoseok's. "--either of you. I'm not going to punish you. I'm not going to force or coerce you into anything you don't want to do. I don't want to be the kind of human you're afraid of."

Hoseok shakes his head. "I'm not afraid--"

"I can't promise I won't fuck up again," you say, wincing as you realize you've spoken over him, but when he doesn't speak up again, you continue. "I honestly feel like a walking disaster with how many times I've fucked up, and it's only been a couple days. Sometimes I speak before I think, and I really need to work on that. I'm sorry."

You don't know when you started staring into your lap, but you let out a long breath, and only after that do you slowly look up at the two hybrids. They both wear blank expressions, and it makes you want to shrink back in on yourself. "I just--"

"I lied," Jimin blurts out, and you face him, eyes slightly widening.

"...Lied? About what?"

Sighing, Jimin casts a glance at Hoseok, who nods determinedly. He fidgets with his hands, looking at them rather than meeting your eyes. "I guess, technically, Rayoung isn't looking for me right now," he mumbles. "But she will. As soon as she breaks up with her stupid tool boyfriend."

"Oh." You blink at Jimin. "Well, um... You're welcome to stay with us. Until then, I mean."

Jimin's lips form into a contemplative pout, but he says nothing.

You scratch the back of your neck. Is there a good way to approach this? "We could, um... let her know somehow? That you're with us."

You eye Hoseok, who's hopefully in the same boat for you to be saying we. He wasn't exactly Jimin's biggest fan last night, weird possessiveness over pyjama sets aside. Now, though, you see that even he can tell this Rayoung girl is bad news. Still, Jimin's ties to her seem to run deep, and you know it's nowhere near simple to tell someone a person they love isn't as great as they thought.

Jimin takes a deep breath in, his shoulders scrunching up as his body tenses and relaxes. "Can I... think about it?"

"Of course!" You perk up at the idea of him even considering your offer after the way you snapped this morning, and you point at the brown paper bag on the table. "Do you want to have breakfast while you think?"

While Jimin marks a straight line to the kitchen, Hoseok holds his hand out for you before you even move to get up. You take it, and he uses his other hand to gently grasp your elbow and lift you onto your feet. He doesn't let go right away, instead holding both your hands and whispering, "You shouldn't have gone out alone." He rubs his thumbs over your knuckles. "You're still concussed."

The proximity combined with his concern for you causes heat to stir in your chest. It's uncomfortable and foreign, so you try to force it down, smiling and letting out a chuckle that screams casual. You hope. "I can hold my own. Besides, I think I'm all better; right as rain up here." You pull one of your hands out of his tender hold and curl it into a fist, knocking on your cranium like a door. Except, the impact makes your brain swish around in your skull like gargled fluoride. "Whoa-- shit."

You sway, tipping the direction you knocked your own head into. Hoseok keeps you standing, but he doesn't like it. "You just proved my point."

"Listen--"

"From now on, no going off on your own," he says, and from his tone, there's no point in a rebuttal.

You roll your eyes, and, whoa, does the room always spin when you do that? Still, even wooziness can't stopper your sarcasm. "Protective much?"

"Kind of my job description."

"I thought I was your bodyguard," you tease, and he chuckles, his seriousness evaporating with the sound.

"As if--"

"You're dumb."

You and Hoseok both turn towards the kitchen, where Jimin stands next to the table with a half eaten pastry in his mouth. Ignoring the glare he's under from Hoseok, which you don't notice, he speaks around the pastry. "Only a dumb person would go out on their own in your condition."

Even though you're pretty sure he should be on the same side as Jimin on this, Hoseok sneers at him, the slightest of growls rumbling in his throat.

Jimin holds up a hand, mockingly. "Easy, pup."

"I'm older than you, punk!"

You can't help it; you laugh. Jimin is all over the place, accusing you of atrocities one second and talking to you and Hoseok like you're long-time friends the next. The two hybrids cease their bickering at the sound of your laughter.

"Okay, okay." You take a breath to stop the giggles threatening to break past your lips. "New temporary house rule: no one should go off on their own unless they have to."

Jimin raises a brow. "No one?"

"Ideally." You nod. "Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about. When the Hybrid Services officers were here before, they were telling everyone there's a feral hybrid in the area. The entire neighbourhood is going to be on alert-- I don't know how kindly they'll take to finding any unregistered or, uh, stray hybrids if they run into either of you alone."

Nodding along, Hoseok rubs his chin with his thumb. "Makes sense."

"They know what the hybrid looks like, but we don't know how much they actually care about the picture. Who knows if they'd just nab any male hybrid off the street," you say. "It's probably best to play it safe; at least while we're still in the neighbourhood."

"What do you mean, 'still in the neighbourhood'?" Jimin asks, curious.

You smack your own forehead and ignore the way Hoseok immediately brings his hands up like you're going to knock yourself over any second now. "Right, uh... We're kind of..." Bringing up a hand, you gesture between yourself and Hoseok. "...prospective business owners? Is that--? No, we're, uh...starting up a motel? But, like, for hybrids?"

Hoseok is decidedly unhelpful with explaining what Heaven's Door is meant to be, staying silent and just making a face as you botch it.

"Anyway, it might be safer if we head out there sooner rather than later if the neighbourhood is getting paranoid over stray hybrids. It's outside of the city, and Hybrid Services doesn't do patrols out there. I was thinking to move once I'd figured more shit out, but I didn't think the whole 'feral hybrid' thing would happen today, and I definitely didn't foresee meeting you." Not that anything that's happened to you in the last few days could've been foreseen, either. You smile at Jimin. "But hey, at least you were a pleasant surprise."

"Didn't I threaten to kill you?."

You shrug. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"And your guard dog attacked me."

"After you attacked her!" Hoseok argues.

Clicking his tongue, Jimin gives his head a nod. "Point taken."

"Anyhow," you continue on. "While you think about what you wanna do, I'd like you to come with us. Of course, you're free to refuse. I still have two-ish weeks of rent paid for this place, so you could stay here, but..." You share a look with Hoseok, then return your eyes to Jimin.

"...I'd be alone?" he finishes for you.

"I guess I'd just feel better if you're with us."

Jimin seems to absorb your words, but he stays silent for a few seconds. He tosses the last bite of the pastry into his mouth, chewing quietly and brushing his hands together to get rid of the leftover crumbs. He takes a breath. "I guess I sort of owe you for the food and the bed I slept in last night... The least I can do is make you feel better."

Your cheeks make way for a beaming smile.

"Just while I think about it."

You school yourself. "Right! Right," you say, clearing your throat of any enthusiasm that might've gotten clogged in there. "Just while you're thinking about it. Nothing's set in stone."

=

Either Hoseok calls shotgun outside of your hearing range, or Jimin silently sits in the backseat of your car out of some unfounded sense of regularity. He doesn't speak a word as you drive, just watches the world pass by through the side window. You can't really see him in the rear view mirror, and most of your focus is on the road, but there are a few moments where you catch his fingers scratching at his arms before he flexes his hands and stops. You're reminded of the red, bumpy skin you saw on his arms. Now, it's covered by his shirt and jacket, both of which you convinced him to let you wash before you all left your apartment.

"I don't think this is the right way..." Hoseok says, squinting at the street signs as you drive out of the inner city.

"Yeah, uh." You'd looked up the address to Silver Meadows before you left, and it's practically on the other side of the city as Heaven's Door. "There's somewhere I wanted to go first. You know how I left this morning?"

Hoseok nods.

"Well, it wasn't just to throw a tantrum, if that's what you were thinking."

"I thought maybe you were trying to get those Hybrid Services officers to think you were going somewhere, so they'd think no one was in your apartment," Hoseok says, making your eyebrows rise on your forehead.

"Wow, you're pretty intuitive, aren't you?" Your eyes dart to the backseat, but you can't see Jimin's face since he's sitting right behind you. "Were you guys able to hear that whole conversation in the hallway?"

Jimin scoffs, something sarcastic in the simple sound, while Hoseok nods again. "It's weird how even they don't know the species of the feral hybrid," he says. "Without that information, they'd go after any stray hybrid they encounter -- not that they weren't doing that already."

"But they might treat any stray like they're feral and dangerous," you finish the thought process for him, and when you meet his eyes, he sports a grim expression. You roll your shoulders back, sighing. "It's a good enough reason to stay on our toes, but hopefully we won't run into any trouble outside of my neighbourhood..."

And, hopefully, the feral hybrid doesn't get found by anyone less than civil. The cheerful face of that hybrid flashes across your mind, and you wonder about his circumstances. What makes a hybrid go feral, anyway? What made him run away from the hybrid clinic? How much of the information the officers gave you is a stretching of the truth?

"So where did you go?" Hoseok asks when you make another unfamiliar turn.

"Lee Minhyuk texted me -- he was Mr Jung's estate lawyer." You add that in to give Jimin some context, but you're not sure if he's even listening. "He forgot to give me the key for Mr Jung's niche."

Hoseok's brows furrow as he echoes you. "Niche?"

"It's what they call the individual sections in a columbarium," you explain, not too informed yourself, but you know enough. You take Hoseok's silence as him not filling the gaps quite yet. "Mr Jung's urn is being kept in one. Lot C, niche 258, at Silver Meadows Columbarium."

"Oh." Hoseok doesn't exactly slump in his seat, but you see the way his shoulders sag just the slightest. "He was cremated?"

You nod, eyes still on the road. "Yeah... I hadn't thought about it much. I'd assumed his family was dealing with all the..." Breathing out a long exhale through your nose, you try to think of the right words. (And come up with nothing.) "...well, that kind of stuff. But apparently I'm the only one with the key."

"Mr Jung never talked about any family..." Hoseok mumbles.

A road sign ahead reads Silver Meadows, and you slow down to turn into the lot.

"You're not bringing flowers?"

You turn your head at Jimin's sudden question, surprised since he was quiet the whole drive. He meets your eyes.

"You're visiting a grave, and you didn't bring flowers?" he asks, arms crossed.

"Oh." You look downward. "I hadn't thought about that..."

Jimin doesn't say anything, and you've run out of words yourself. Does it make sense to go back to buy some? You think about Mr Jung, and far above wanting to go get flowers for him now, you wish you could've brought him one back then. When he could see it.

You find a parking spot and switch off the engine.

"It's okay," Hoseok says before any of you exit the car. He's not looking at you, though. "We can bring flowers next time."

You watch him step out of the car, and as he does, he pulls his collar out of his pocket and fastens it around his neck, clasping the metal ends together before he shuts the car door behind him. Before you'd left the apartment, you told him to bring it, but you forgot about it during the drive.

"Oh, right. Jimin." You twist in your seat and reach into your bag, finding the red velvet choker you'd stuffed in there earlier. You've never really worn it since someone gave it to you however long ago, and you just hastily grabbed it from your room before you all left the apartment. You hold it out for him. "Wear this for now. It's not technically a collar, but... no one will be looking too closely. I hope."

Jimin frowns, but he takes the choker. "Can't I just stay in the car?"

You don't want to pressure him, but you can't help the grimace that crosses your face. "I feel safer together..."

"Fine," he huffs, bringing his hands up to fasten the choker. "You're lucky this is cute."

By the time you both catch up to Hoseok, he's already found the directions to lot C. He walks silently, and when he finds niche 258, you and Jimin hang a bit back, giving him a moment.

This section of the columbarium is indoors, and the walls and niches seem to be white marble, or made to look like white marble. Whichever it is, it feels a bit... cold.

Mr Jung's niche is empty, save for the black urn inside. Jimin was probably right -- some flowers would at least bring some life to the space.

Hoseok stands in front of the niche, which is embedded in the wall at around the height of his chest. His arms hang limp at his sides. You step up beside him, and you take his hand, gently, bringing it up so you can push the key into his palm.

"I think he meant to give this to you." And everything else, you want to say, but you hold your tongue. That's a lot to put on someone all at once.

You would know.

Hoseok holds his hand in front of him, staring at the key. He looks up at you and meets your eyes with his watery ones. "You think so?"

"Of course I do." You put a hand on Hoseok's shoulder, your thumb rubbing back and forth over his coat. "You said Mr Jung never talked about any family, right? That's because you were his family."

Sniffling, Hoseok bites his bottom lip to stop it from trembling as he breaks eye contact and returns to looking at Mr Jung's niche. "I... I wish he wasn't this far away. He made it so much harder to visit."

"Hey..." Gently, you use your hand on his shoulder to turn Hoseok toward you, then put both your hands on his arms and give him a reassuring squeeze. A tear threatens to roll down his cheek, but you reach up at thumb it away. "I know you probably knew Mr Jung better than I did, but... something in me thinks he'd want to say..." You turn your head to look at the niche, smile, and shake your head. "He's not in there." Bringing a hand up, you softly poke the pad of your pointer finger between Hoseok's eyebrows. "He's in here." You move to his chest and poke at where his heart should be. "And here." Finally, you take both his hands, a bit awkward with the one still holding the key, and hold them between you. "And that's what matters, right?"

Hoseok nods, but his face crumples up, and he tucks it into your neck. You wrap your arms around him just as his embrace you tight. Over his shoulder, you glance at Jimin, who quickly looks away, but you know he was watching. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, suddenly very interested in his worn out shoes.

"But we can still visit, right?" Hoseok mumbles into your skin, bringing your attention back to him.

"Of course. And next time, we'll bring flowers."

=

As you slide into one of the parking spots in front of Heaven's Door, it occurs to you that this is the first time you're seeing it in the daylight. All of its mediocre glory. The outer walls are a faded yellow, with supporting pillars and railings on the second floor landing which were once white. The doors to the individual rooms are a nice dark green that matches the roofing, but you have to admit they've seen better days. Still, you can feel the potential the old building blooms in your chest.

"Not too bad, hey?" you say to Jimin, who's leaning forward between the driver and passenger seats to peer out the windshield at the place.

He sniffs. "It's no Plaza Hotel."

"You've been?"

"No, I've seen Home Alone 2."

Chuckling, you pull your car key out of the ignition and exit the car. You put your hands on your hips, inhaling a big, exaggerated breath as you take in the motel. Hoseok walks over and stands next to you, arms crossed.

"Well," you say. "It might be a bit of a fixer-upper, but that's nothing a couple of fixer-uppers like us can't handle, right?" You bump your shoulder into Hoseok, who smiles at you and bumps back with his hip. You stumble a bit, but Jimin's hand on your back stops you from swaying too hard. When you take your eyes off your feet, he meets your eyes with a plain expression.

"You guys are disgustingly optimistic."

A hand on his shoulder, you grin. "You just named one of my best traits!"

=

The move into Heaven's Door is by no means smooth, but you can't say it's not something you expected.

The first thing you notice is the broken window in the convenience store under the motel lobby, which you'd missed that first night in the dark. Hoseok sheepishly admits that he'd had to break in to eat the snack food inside. You don't push it -- that void of time between losing Mr Jung and meeting you isn't a topic you think is worth diving into if it's going to bring Hoseok back to that time. The window won't be cheap, but if you don't put a custom decal on it like the shattered one on the ground, it might not be as expensive.

Secondly, Hoseok leads you and Jimin to the master room you remember Mr Jung mentioning in his letter, and you realize you'd only seen the motel from one side. Behind the lobby, which has a lot of that same forest green as the doors outside, Hoseok shows you the half of the building you had no idea about before. An entire branch extends behind the lobby, about the same length as the front, but instead of the entrances to each room facing outside like the ones you saw before, there are doors mirroring each other on both sides of a hallway. Immediately to the right is the master room, but at the end of the hallway seems to be a common area with couches and coffee tables, and two walls lined with a counter and cabinets. Hoseok tells you it's the same downstairs, except the end of the hall is a kitchen and dining area. It reminds you of a college dorm.

If anyone stayed in the rooms you saw out front, you don't think they'd even notice this half of the building.

The master room is smaller than your apartment, but it has its own half-kitchen and en suite bathroom with a pretty nice shower. Hoseok explains to you that most of Mr Jung's time and focus went into building and upgrading the interior of Heaven's Door, which is why it has its less than shiny exterior.

You can tell Hoseok was staying in the master room up until you... kidnapped(?) him.

"This is probably the nicest room in the motel, huh?" Jimin posits, walking inside with his hands in his pants pockets. He's wearing the clothes he met you in, now washed but no less worn down.

You nod. "Probably. We're a bit far from the city, so it would make sense for the owner to just live here."

"Dibs." Jimin flops down face first into the bed.

Hoseok crosses his arms. "Yah."

As you fail to hide your laughter behind your hand, Jimin squirms in the bed, twisting himself so he lies on his back. He stretches his arms and legs out like a sea star. "Smells too much like dog here, though."

While Hoseok sneers, you say, "Probably because this is Hoseok's room. You and I can take the rooms next door and across the hall."

"Why would I wanna be next door to you?" Jimin closes his eyes and interlocks is fingers behind his head, fully relaxing into the bed.

You let out an affronted scoff. Your hand goes up to your chest, right over your heart even though Jimin can't see it. "Um, my amazing company and charming personality?"

"Pass."

As you and Jimin go through this back-and-forth, you miss the way Hoseok's face fell when you said you'd be in a different room. His disheartened expression goes unnoticed, and when you stand up, proclaiming there's a lot of work to be done, he smiles at you with all the sunshine he can muster.

You're none the wiser.

=

Aside from the horrors (the mere idea of business management, the building maintenance, the absolute atrocity that is dealing with plumbing, the phone calls, etc, etc,) at least it's fun to print keys. Hoseok apparently never figured the system out because Mr Jung took care of getting it installed, but half an hour on the computer, and you manage to print a key for both yourself and Jimin. He chooses the room across from the master, while you're right next to it.

Hoseok insists on him and Jimin carrying all the food you'd brought inside, but to appease your need to take part, he lets you carry one item for each trip from your car to the common kitchen area. (You find this a little patronizing, but it is admittedly nice to be doted on by them both, even if Jimin's still pretending he doesn't care.)

((He takes a bag you were reaching for, despite already having both his hands full.))

Much of your things are still back at your apartment, but you have time to bring them over. The first day is mostly about getting Hoseok and Jimin out of dodge -- you can worry about your own problems later. You spend the afternoon sitting in the lobby, poring over the paperwork left there and googling motel business 4 dummies like your life depends on it. Hoseok, who'd been cleaning up his room and taking care of the broken glass outside (and inside, unfortunately) the convenience store, forces you to take a break in the form of helping him make dinner.

During dinner, unprompted, Jimin tells you he's still thinking.

It hasn't slipped by you, of course, that Jimin's stay with you is conditional and, lest you hope otherwise, temporary.

But when he says that, staring into his food rather than looking at you, a tiny smile makes it's way onto your face,

"Take all the time you need."

=

On the third night, you wake up to soft knocks on your door. You have no expectations because your brain is in the process of trying to dissect the dream you'd just been ripped out of, but seeing Hoseok on the other side of your door still isn't something you were prepared for. He's wearing the new, new pyjamas you'd bought for him in a sparse shopping trip you'd all gone on the second day, despite him saying he didn't care that much about Jimin wearing the other ones.

You go to say his name, but he just brings a finger up to his lips in a silent shush, and with his other hand, he gently takes your hand and leads you down the hall into the master room.

Nothing in your body wants to fight it, so you let him bring you right up to the bed. He practically pushes you onto it, but the way he pulls the warm comforter over you defies any ill intent. When he settles in on the other side of the bed, his breath puffs against your cheek. He hasn't really scented you since the day you met Jimin; you've been near each other almost constantly since, so there was really no reason to.

You remember him telling you it's about separation, but also not. He never did tell you more about it.

In your sleep-ridden haze, you shift to your side. Hoseok is on his side too, rather close, and his eyes are closed, but you know he can't have fallen asleep so fast. Gently, you bring a hand to the back of his head, careful, as always, not to touch his dingo ears. You pull him closer ever so slowly. If he resists at all, you'll let go.

Hoseok lets out a shaking breath. He wraps both arms around you and tugs you closer, his face pressing itself against your neck. Eyes still closed, he squeezes you close. It's warm.

That's right, you think.

He’s a strong little pup, but he hates being alone.

How did you manage to forget that?

=

If Jimin has anything to say about the fact that you've started to retire to the master room at the end of the day, he doesn't vocalize it. Hoseok never brings it up, either. He's hardly touchy during the daytime, keeping his hands to himself, especially in front of Jimin. Yet, when night comes, he pulls you to bed like he's done it his entire life and keeps his arms around you until you fall asleep and wake up to find him all tangled up in the sheets.

Jimin either hasn't noticed, or, as you suspect, he doesn't care.

He'll often say he's "still thinking about it". You're not quite sure how to respond to it every time, so now you just smile and nod, sometimes reminding him that the choice is still his.

One night, you find him in the common area, sitting on a couch and watching a muted cartoon on the tv you'd connected to your Netflix account the day before. The subtitles aren't even on, and when he turns at the sound of your footsteps, you see the red of his eyes, and the shining tracks on his cheeks.

There's still a lot you don't know about Jimin.

Rayoung. Her boyfriend. His red contacts and why he wore them.

"It's freezing in here," is all he says as he wipes his cheeks with his sleeve. "You should get the heating system checked."

You sit down next to him, neither of you looking at each other. "Feels normal to me."

The cartoon isn't one you recognize, but it looks like it could be fun if you knew what anyone was saying.

For a while, you and Jimin say nothing. He sits next to you, and you next to him. At some point, he shifts just the slightest bit closer so your shoulders brush against each other. That's as far as he goes for your body heat.

"Do you get cold easily?" you eventually whisper.

"Mhmm."

"Is that a snake thing?"

Jimin shakes his head, slowly, the late hour finally getting to him. "Some reptile hybrids are like that, some aren't. There aren't many of us, so people don't really know why. At least... that's what he told me."

He. You decide not to dig into that. Jimin will tell you if he wants to.

"Your scales... the skin around them seemed irritated."

"...Itchy..." Jimin's head falls to your shoulder. He doesn't snuggle in, but he rests there. "I had a cream for it..."

"We should buy some," you say.

"It's expensive... You shouldn't buy it if I'm going to leave soon..."

Though his words cause a muted ache in your heart, you don't stew on it. That was always the case.

"You can take it with you."

Jimin doesn't respond, asleep on your shoulder.

You're not sure how much time passes, but later, you hear light, shuffling footsteps behind you, and you turn your head towards the sound, careful not to jostle the slumbering Jimin on your shoulder. Hoseok stands there, eyes half closed but on you nonetheless.

"You left," he mumbles, swaying slightly like he's struggling to stay both awake and upright.

You give him a small smile, lit only by the tv that's still playing that cartoon you don't know the name of. "I didn't go very far."

"Come back to bed?"

Gently, you lift a hand and gesture at Jimin. "Can we bring him back to his, first?"

=

When you're sent the invoice for the window repair, you realize (not for the first time) this won't be easy.

You didn't think it'd be a walk in the park, of course not, but you've never really had to worry about the cost of running a business before. Now, you look at the numbers, and you just can't wrap your head around how it'll all work. Mr Jung left you a considerable amount, yes, but... will it be enough? You can't imagine the motel is in any high level of traffic area for travellers. There are quite a few campsites around in the surrounding forest, but that's about it. How many customers would it take monthly to support the motel? How much has to or even can be sacrificed before any income is made?

You've already spent so much on keeping you, Hoseok, and Jimin alive and warm for the past week. It's normal, you suppose, but you've never supported two dependants before, and the fact that you're currently unemployed doesn't settle the heavy feeling in your chest at all. You're draining your savings while not making any money in the meantime.

A safe haven for hybrids...

...who can't pay rent.

Maybe Mr Jung was older and more senile than you thought.

You shake your head and rub your hands over your face, resting your elbows on the desk in front of you. First, you gotta apologize to Mr Jung for disrespecting the dead. You might be cynical, but he had a dream. A really good and nice dream. Secondly, you scold yourself for thinking what you did about hybrids. Of course they can't pay rent. They were born into a system that actively discourages their financial (and pretty much every other kind of) autonomy. They can't pay for anything because of humans.

Still, you don't know how long you can keep running Heaven's Door on your inheritance alone. You haven't even opened yet -- how much will it cost to run for a month? Three? A year?

"Do the numbers change if you sigh hard enough?"

You turn in your swivel chair to glare at Jimin, who's sitting in the chair next to you with one leg folded up to his chest, foot propped up on the seat. He doesn't return your gaze, enraptured by the match-three game he's playing on your phone, which he's been going at rather consistently for the past two days. You don't really have a job for him right now, and aside from the tv, he doesn't have much to take up his time. You'd offered to grab the contents of your bookshelf back at home for him, but he'd casually refused, telling you he'd take a look next time you make the trip, but not to go out of your way.

"Maybe they will," you taunt back, which goes just as ignored as your glare. "I better sigh harder to test it out."

You tilt your head, looking at your phone in his hand. "Should I get you guys phones...?" you ask, mostly to yourself.

Jimin's eyes glance up, and he finally acknowledges you. He doesn't need to say it. He does anyway.

"I'm still thinking."

Curling your lips in, you nod, turning back to the computer and hovering your hands over the mouse and keyboard even though you have no plans on what to do with them. "Right. Right..."

Thankfully, Hoseok chooses that awkward moment to walk into the lobby. "You should take a break," he says. "How is your head feeling?"

"It's fine, doc." You roll your eyes, smiling. "Just as fine as I said it was yesterday."

"Have you been taking your meds?"

You shake your head. "The doctor said they're for headaches. They're just painkillers -- the few times my head has hurt, the pain went away by the time I remembered I could take them."

Jimin lowers your phone and gives you a look you can't quite decipher. It's not positive; you know that at least. "You're still getting headaches?"

"Only itty-bitty ones," you try to placate them.

"How long has it been since you fell?"

You almost forgot you lied to Jimin about how you got your concussion. By the looks of Hoseok's guilty expression, though, you're not sure if you regret it. You don't want him to feel responsible, but talking about it -- whether or not Jimin knows -- still seems to remind him of what he did. Where you put the blame doesn't matter to him. He still thinks it's his fault.

"Uhh... a little over a week?" you answer, keeping a careful eye on Hoseok. "Maybe eight or nine days."

Jimin frowns. "That can't be good, right?"

"The doctor said to go back to the hospital if the symptoms last over two weeks." Concern laced in his features, Hoseok crosses his arms.

You nod along. "I'll put the date on my calendar, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine by then."

"You better not play it down when the time comes," Hoseok warns.

"Yes sir," you joke.

Hoseok takes in a sharp breath, shoulders scrunching up for half a second before he forces them to relax. A small huff of a laugh escapes Jimin's nose, and you look at him in confusion, but his eyes are on Hoseok, something playful and teasing in them. Jimin mouths something to Hoseok, which you can't read.

Hoseok grumbles and tightens the arms crossed in front of him. "Shut up."

"No fair," you whine. "You guys already have inside jokes?"

Jimin just laughs harder while Hoseok gives him a death glare and says, "It doesn't count as an inside joke if I don't find it funny."

"Don't worry," Jimin teases through a smirk. "I find it funny enough for the both of us!"

You can't help but smile at the ever-growing amity between the two hybrids, which is admittedly playful in the biting way, but it still makes you happy that they're somewhat getting along.

=

"We should celebrate," you tell the boys one day.

"Celebrate what?" Jimin questions, hands stuffed in his coat pocket and shoulders scrunched up to his ears.

You'd gone around the back of the motel and found a paved, patio-like area, complete with five wooden picnic tables, propane patio heaters, and an old-looking but (probably) functional barbecue, but Jimin isn't exactly a fan of the cool breeze flowing through the air.

You lift the lid of the barbecue, examining the charred grates of the grill. "Well, I dunno, but it'd be a shame not to use this before it gets too cold out."

"Too late," Jimin mumbles. His lips are hidden behind the front of his coat, which he's ducked half his face into.

Hoseok ignores Jimin, nodding at your idea. "A barbecue night would be nice."

"How are you on the grill?" you ask him.

"I'm better at prepping."

You chuckle. "So basically, not good?"

"Not good," he echoes with a smile.

After sharing some giggles, you look at the barbecue again. "I'm sure I could figure this out."

"I'm going back inside," Jimin tells you both, already walking away.

"C'mon!" you call after him. "It'll be fun!"

=

Although you're in a different store now, near the edge of the city closer to the motel, the pet/hybrid aisle hosts a pretty similar collection to the store near your apartment. You pull another plain, black collar off the hook on the shelf, which matches the one currently sitting around Hoseok's neck.

He's not paying attention at all, as far as you know, instead hunched over the pushbar of the shopping cart he insisted on pushing for you, poring over the grocery list you'd written on a memo pad for tonight's "celebration".

In your mind, you've started calling it your "new friends party :D", emoticon included, but you haven't worded that out loud to either of the boys. Hoseok would surely laugh at the childishness of the name, even if he'd politely try to stifle it, and you know Jimin would only remind you that his relationship to you and Hoseok is temporary.

Mood killer, you think to Jimin, although it's the hypothetical version of him.

The real Jimin is looking at the array of collars on the shelf like you asked him to, and you step up next to him.

"What do you think?"

Jimin frowns, deep in thought. "They're all ugly."

Okay, maybe not that deep.

"Ouch," you chuckle, fingers toying with the black silk in your hand. "You don't have to wear one all the time -- just while we're in public spaces like this."

Grumbling, Jimin stuffs both his hands in his coat pockets. "In public... that's when I wanna look good."

"Okay, okay." You pat a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we can find one you like online, or something."

"Doesn't this one work?" Jimin points at his neck, fingers ghosting over the soft velvet of your red choker.

You tilt your head. "I guess... Probably."

The tags for collars have to be bought and customized separately anyway. There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to put Jimin's on your choker, though attaching the tag might not be as simple as the store-bought collars. Manageable, though, you're sure.

"If you're done being picky, we should get going. The frozen meat will be rotten by the time we get to the car," Hoseok says, making Jimin roll his eyes and stick his tongue out at him.

You clap your hands together. "Ooh! We should get ice cream!"

When you bring all the groceries to the counter, you notice that Jimin keeps his head down, avoiding the eyes of the person ringing everything up. This isn't new -- Jimin seems to not like making eye contact with anyone but you or Hoseok.

He'd tossed the red contacts after one of them had an intimate meet and greet with your bedroom floor, but you can tell he doesn't like being without them. It's awful, you think, how long he wore those fake red eyes just because his owner... what, enjoyed the idea of owning a deadly hybrid?

The... exoticism?

You shiver.

On the cusp of winter time, with Jimin in a couple layers, you wouldn't even know he's a hybrid if you weren't paying attention. As far as you know, his only hybrid-defining trait is his scales, and the only ones you can see right now are on his neck. They'd easily go unnoticed to the everyday passerby.

"Your total is--"

The cashier's voice startles you, and all you can do is shake your head when they ask if you have their points reward card.

Before heading back to the motel, you make a quick stop at your apartment, telling the boys that you're just grabbing some more of your clothes and that they can wait in the car. You do grab some clothes, but you also pick up a few of your favourite books. Hopefully the boys will be able to find some entertainment in them. Recently, you discovered a recreation room in the motel, complete with a couple of exercise machines and a pool table. With how preoccupied you are with all this motel business stuff, though, you haven't had the time to play a round of pool or even think about exercising. Maybe the boys have been in there, but it seems like Hoseok is almost always somewhere around you, still weary of your condition.

It's sort of fair, you think. Dizzy spells still hit you sometimes.

Jimin, too, often sticks around somewhere nearby. Maybe it's because he likes scrolling through your phone and doesn't want to just take it and leave whatever room you're in.

Which brings you to the real reason you stopped by your apartment. You walk up to the mailboxes and pull out your key, smiling when you open your locker and find the packages you were expecting.

It's a bit of a pricey expense -- at least, for how you used to budget your life before it flipped on its head -- but you think it's worth the money. A simple phone for each of the boys, a new family plan to save on the phone bills, and a specialty reptilian hybrid eczema cream. You hope it's the right one for Jimin. You haven't seen his irritated skin since that shower due to the chilly weather, but you still catch him scratching his arms over his clothes from time to time.

You're sure if you told Jimin you wanted to buy the cream for him, he would've refused. The phone, too.

"Took you long enough," Jimin says when you dip back into the driver's seat of your car.

You chuckle. "I missed you too, Mochi."

He huffs at the nickname and crosses his arms, then turns his head to stare out the window. You don't see his faint smile.

=

"It's freezing," Jimin complains through chattering teeth, hands stuffed in his coat pockets and shoulders scrunched up practically to his ears.

You can't hold back a little laugh. "I told you, you could either help me out here with the grill, help Hoseok with prepping everything inside, or run the raw food from the kitchen to out here." Raising an eyebrow at him, you gesture towards your gloved hands and the food you're flipping on the grill with metal tongs. It is chilly out, especially since the sun set, but you're wrapped up in your own jacket, and the fire from the grill is keeping your cheeks warm. It probably feels colder to Jimin, though. "You wanna trade with me?"

He gives you a flat look. "You're kidding."

"Thought so. You wanna trade with Hoseok?"

Cringing, Jimin shakes his head. "I hate touching raw meat."

"Well, there's our answer then," you say. "Was that the last of it?"

He nods, another shiver rippling through him. It's almost endearing how red his cheeks are turning, but you know he really can't stand the cold.

"Okay, go inside and warm up. I should be done cooking everything in ten or fifteen minutes. Bring this plate in--" You point at a foil-wrapped plate of the food you've already cooked. "I can bring the rest inside once I'm finished."

Jimin's eyes widen slightly. "I thought you wanted to eat out here?" He looks at one of the picnic tables.

"Nah." You shrug. "It's way too cold for me, and the food will cool down too fast."

Elated by this news, Jimin smiles and bounces on his feet when he grabs the plate and runs it inside.

"And help Hoseok clean up the kitchen!" you yell out right before the door shuts behind him.

Truthfully, you did want to eat outside for the celebration, but it's more important to you that Jimin is comfortable and happy. After all, he's one of your new friends, and that's the whole point of tonight. You smile at the thought, excited to gift the boys their new cell phones after dinner.

Flipping some of the last pieces of meat on the grill, you hum to yourself. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a hand reach for the plate you have set to the side for the cooked food. It tentatively grabs one of the slices of meat and pulls it off the plate, which you let out a chuckle at.

"What, you couldn't wait a couple more minute--"

You choke to a stop, though, when you look up and see neither Hoseok nor Jimin.

Dark eyes meet yours for less than a moment before swiftly turning downward. The man stumbles back a step, but he freezes in almost the same way you do. Except, instead of his jaw dropping open like yours does, he pauses mid-chew, the frisked meat still in between his teeth.

That's not what makes your breath hitch, though.

Even under the blackened sky, you can see the bruises.

A dark, deep purple sits boldly under is left eye, the surrounding skin a sickening blend of yellow and green that winds up all the way to his brow. His chin sports another bruise in a similar state, like the blows had been a couple days ago and the skin has gone through only the first stages of healing. Although his face is grimy with sweat and dirt, you can see crusted blood just at his hairline before his black hair hides anything else. You can tell his lip was completely busted at some point, marred with dark, dried blood that's been split over and over again and given no chance to heal.

Even his stance looks like he's in pain. Like he's trying to make himself look smaller.

You swallow the shock down, the words not coming out. "I..."

He snaps out of it at the sound of your voice. Both of his hands shoot up, palms flat and facing you. "Sorry-- I'm sorry," he mumbles and winces, like it hurts to speak. His voice is scratchy and rasping.

He backs up further while you try to find something to say, something to do, but before you can do anything, he runs off the patio and disappears into the treeline, a clear limp in his movement.

"Wait!" you call out, but he's gone.

Maybe it was the injuries that made you want to go after him. Maybe it was the way he held himself, like he didn't want to be in his own body. Maybe it was the way his voice trembled, or the fact that he definitely wasn't wearing enough for the temperature outside.

Maybe it was all that combined, but most of all, it was the pointed black ears you saw on top of his head.

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[wavypotatochips]

hi, so it's the first time i send a request in your blog, found it the other day and literally love it. I saw that someone asked the other day a Sergio Ramos x reader were she says to him daddy but in a fluff way, so could you do it but in smut maybe? thanks and hope you okay <3

𝙎𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣? [𝙉𝙎𝙁𝙒 𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉- 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙊𝙍𝙎 𝘿𝙉𝙄] | 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙤 𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙤

𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: Sergio Ramos x Female Reader

Word Count : 2k

𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: Im so glad you enjoy my blog and im doing fine, thank you for asking!! Here's the NSFW version [: Thank you so much for requesting!! I Hope you like how I represent your idea ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚!!

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Due to finals, I have not been able to write as much as I usually do and I'm currently catching up on current requests because I'm a little behind. If you would like to send a request, do so now as after this weekend, request will be temporarily unavailable. mwah mwah love ya! ♥

You and Sergio have been living together for a few months now, and it's been nothing short of amazing. You both have your own quirks and habits, but you love each other more with every passing day.  Sergio is generally perceived as serious and even aggressive by most people, but in your company, he exhibits a playful and silly demeanor. While it's common knowledge that Sergio is someone who takes his work and responsibilities seriously and doesn't back away from a challenge, you are aware of a more tender side to him that he seldom displays to others. Witnessing him let his guard down and abandon the stern façade he usually wears is quite refreshing.

One lazy Sunday afternoon, you're lounging on the couch, reading a book when Sergio suddenly jumps out from behind the armchair and tackles you. You shriek with laughter as he pins you down. "You didn't see that coming, did you?" he says, grinning.

You giggle and squirm under his weight, trying to push him off. "Get off of me, you big oaf!" Sergio laughs and tickles you, making you wriggle even more. "Not until you say I'm so handsome and I'm the best boyfriend ever!" he says, still tickling you.

"Okay, okay, I'm so handsome and I’m the best boyfriend ever!" you say, still giggling.

Sergio laughs, shaking his head, and continues to tickle you. "You know that's not what I meant!"

You laugh even harder now, your side cramping and tears falling down your cheeks. "Okay, okay, please s-stop I can't breathe!" 

He smiles, finally stopping as he grabs your hands and pins them up above your head as you continue to chuckle softly, trying to regain your breath.

“Atta girl, just breathe slowly you got this,” he smiles as he looks down at you.

As he speaks, butterflies flutter in your stomach, and a warm blush spreads across your cheeks. Although you were already flushed from laughing earlier, you couldn't help the reaction he stirred in you. Perhaps he didn't even notice how his words affected you, lost in the moment. You bite your bottom lip playfully, deciding to tease Sergio a bit. "Thank you, Daddy," you say with a hint of mischief in your voice. 

You can see the surprise in his expression at the endearment you've used, realizing you've never called him that before. But something about the way the word rolls off your tongue ignites a fire within him that he didn't know existed. His jaw tightens, and his eyes seem to darken with desire. "Say that again," he demands, his voice low and husky.

You meet his gaze, pretending to be oblivious to his reaction. "Say what?" you ask, looking down at his lips before meeting his eyes again. "Daddy?" you say the word slowly, relishing in the effect it has on him. Sergio leans in closer to you, his breath warm on your face. "I like the way you say that," he whispers, his voice barely above a growl. "I wonder how it would sound hearing your pretty lips cry out while calling me that.” You feel a shiver run down your spine at his words, and your heart rate picks up as he whispers down at you. Stick to the plan….stick to the plan, you think to yourself.

The air between you is charged with electricity, and you can feel the tension building.

His grip of your wrist loosens up as you sit up. He leans down, his lips brush against yours. You kiss him, not being able to resist. As your lips meet, the world around you fades into the background, and all that remains is the taste of him on your tongue and the sensation of his arms around you. His kiss is soft and tender at first, but as the passion between you builds, it becomes more urgent, more insistent.

As soft pants escape his lips, he grabs your waist and pulls you towards him, indicating that he wants you to sit on his lip. As you straddle over him, you immediately press your lips against his. Your hands glide through his hair, drawing him closer to you, while his hands trace the curves of your body over your back. It's a blissful time, and you forget about everything else for a while, immersed in the heat of the moment. “I don't think you realized what you have done to me, Y/N,” Sergio mumbles against your lips as he grabs your ass, pulling you towards him so you can feel his bulge. You moan against his lips, becoming more turned on by the minute, yearning him to be inside you. And, based on the way you started rocking your hips back and forth on his lap, he knew precisely what you wanted as well. He pulls away from the kiss as he clutches your waist, causing you to stop moving and forming a frown on your face. "Tell Daddy exactly what you want, Y/N." Sergio's voice is demanding as he stares deeply into your eyes. You feel embarrassed, but hearing Sergio refer to himself as Daddy enlightened something inside you. You keep quiet out of humiliation, while knowing exactly what you desire. “Y/N… Say it," Sergio says. "I want you to fuck me," you say back. Sergio smirks but says nothing else, instead leaning back on the couch, "Oh yeah? "Show me how badly you want me," he teases.  You bite your bottom lip because you know exactly what he wants. You move off of him and kneel down between his legs, looking him in the eyes as you carefully untie the sweatpants he is wearing. You want to tease him for messing with you earlier and making you feel ashamed just moments before.

As you undo the strings, you grab the hem of his sweatpants and pull them down to his ankles with his assistance. His cock twitches with anticipation as you kiss the tip of his member through his boxers. He clenches his teeth slightly as he detects your unusually slow speed, "Y/N," he demands, "You don't want to start something you can't finish." And he was correct. You almost came before he even touched you the last time he teased you. You nod politely and take his boxers, slipping them down as well. His cock jumps out of his boxers, causing you to lick your lips. You are such a slut for him. As you place him in your mouth, you grab the base of his cock with one hand and begin to give him head by bobbing your head up and down. He sighs as he grips your hair, allowing you to maintain the steady pace you've established for yourself. After 30 seconds, your jaw starts to ache, but hearing Sergio's groans and murmured curse words fires you on enough to push through the pain. Both of your hands are wrapped around his cock, your head bobbing up and down, your tongue paying special attention to the tip of his cock. "F-Fuck Y/N," he groans softly as he pants. His grasp on the top of your head intensifies as he pulls back your hair to free you from him. "Ride me," he mumbles. You're panting as well, trying to ignore the pain in your jaw. "Yes, Daddy," you answer obediently as you remove your shorts, leaving only your lacy black panties on. You straddle him again, teasingly rubbing your barely covered pussy on his demanding dick, causing him to groan. He holds your jaw with one hand and pulls you towards him wanting to make out. You groan against his lips as you kiss him, enjoying how hungry he was acting as it made you want to devour him even more. While you two are kissing, he takes his hand away from your jaw and moves it to rest against your lower back, while his other hand moves your panties to the side. His fingers rubbed up and down your slit, two of them slipping inside and causing you to gasp against his lips. When you gasp, he is able to put his tongue into your mouth. As he curls his fingers inside of you, his tongue dances around with yours. You shake from the sensation and moan  against his lips, enjoying how he makes you feel. His fingers stray from your body as he quietly pants and pulls away from the kiss. He smirks as he sees his fingers sparkling with your juices as he gazes into your lust-filled, desire-filled eyes. He asks, "Now who made you this wet?," as he puts his fingers inside his mouth to rinse the secretions from them. As you observe the scene, you nip at your bottom lip. “You did, Daddy.” He taps your side and smirks once more, urging you to stand up.  You put some distance between the two of you. Before inserting it, he runs his tip along the inside of your slit. Then you start to recline on him, letting his cock into you more deeply and making a moaning sound. He takes his hands on your waist and lifts you up and down to bounce you on his cock before you have a chance to get used to his large, girthy size. As you place your hand on his chest and scream his name aloud, "S-Sergio!" you exclaim. He moans and tilts his head back. So that you may regain control, he stops bouncing you and says, "I'm sorry, my love." He says as he presses his lips back against yours, "You just feel so good around me. You give him a kiss in return and put your arms around his neck to intensify the kiss. You start to rock yourself back and forth whilst riding him as the kiss gets deeper. When you rub yourself up against him, you groan as you feel his member dig deeply into you. Sergio gives you about a minute to finish before he wants to take control again. You start to whimper as he grips you by the waist and elevates you high enough for his cock to emerge from you, but he speaks before you can react, "Turn around, my love."

You turn away from him, nod obediently, and spin around so that your back is now toward him. You take a squatting stance with your back against his chest while you get comfortable between his legs. In order to put distance between you and him, he softly pushes you. He then takes your sides and starts to help you thrust upward while you bounce up and down. You groan aloud as this position seems to be hitting harder than before. All that can be heard when he penetrates you is the moisture from your pussy gushing against his cock.  You whimper out, panting heavily, "I-If you continue I'm going to cum!" Sergio interprets this to mean that since you are about to have an orgasm , he should continue harder. You scream loudly from the pleasure as he makes a slow, powerful thrust, and unsurprisingly, you have an orgasm. He grunts as he does this. Your pussy clenches his cock firmly, forcing him to cum as well without any provocation. He has you in such a tight grasp that you might get bruised, but you don't mind since you enjoy it. He says, "F-Fuck," as you slump back against his chest. Your legs are still twitching as you pant heavily while keeping your eyes closed. Sergio lets you get off of him and helps you turn around so you can curl up next to him with what little energy he still has left. He leans down to kiss your forehead while still attempting to catch his breath.“I love you so much, my love. Just give me one moment and I'll get you all cleaned up, okay?” You incline your head slightly in his direction while nodding. You admire the way he treats you like a Queen while still fucking you like a slut. The perfect combination

[baileys-3]

The Secret Datin Era - New Chapter (#34) - now on AO3

I am a bit nervous about this chapter and how you like it :)

Thanks @himynameiscookies for beta-reading - again - but I will thank you every time :) Because I love your changes and corrections :)

Thanks a lot for alle the comments and your Kudos. And wow ... on the way to 1000 Kudos ... can't believe that this story is near this mark ... incredible

Short Update: Started writing chapter 40 yesterday. It's over 200.000 words now and a lot more words will follow. Still can't believe this story got so huge.

Sneak Peak:

Lucy wakes up a little differently than she imagined. Instead of feeling a warm and strong body pressed up against her, she's startled as she feels a hand on her mouth, causing her to momentary panic. But, the familiarity of his voice, whispering in her ear, quickly reassures her, and her heart rate returns to normal.

"It's me … sorry." He sounds almost a little panicked. "Tamara's here. You need to get dressed."

She is immediately wide awake. Tim lets go of her mouth, so she shoots up from her bed and Tim starts frantically collecting things from the floor.

And then she hears Tamara's voice. "Lucy, are you awake?"

Lucy thinks quickly. "Uhh ... I'll be right there. Wait a minute." Then she jumps up and dashes to her wardrobe colliding with Tim on the way. He catches her and stops her from falling then shakes his hand with a silent "Ouch". She has obviously hurt him somehow. She mumbles a quiet "Sorry".

Then she opens her wardrobe and pulls out some kind of T-shirt, a pair of PJ’s and she puts both on more quickly than she ever has in her life. Tim has now gathered their clothes from the floor, cradling them in his arms—a comical sight considering he is otherwise entirely unclothed.

She points towards the bathroom to tell him to hide there. But before he leaves, he beckons her to him again, so she closes the distance in just a few steps. Tim leans forward slightly so that he can whisper quietly in her ear.

"My shoes are under the shelf behind the front door. And you'll need a good story for the flowers."

She nods, and then, lifting herself slightly, she places a kiss on his lips. Next, her mouth hovers closer to his ear.

"I'll handle it. Worst case, you might be stuck in the bathroom for a bit. I'll try to lure Tamara into her room. I'll send you a text when it's safe. Perhaps she'll leave again quickly if she's simply forgotten something. Keep an eye on your phone."

He rolls his eyes. "It's not like I have much else to do."

[midnight--rainn]

over in no time.

pairing: elliot x sunshine

summary:

"I'm whispering your name like I'm taking a vow, I need you when my heart rate races and pounds. I wish that I was somewhere I was safe and sound."

or

after elliot finally gets to sunshine, they think they're out of the woods. until brachium appears, with a solemn look on his face.

the balance has not been restored.

an: im bored and wanted to start posting fics on here so here you go! you can also find it on a03 under the username @midnight_rainn

"El?" Sunshine calls weakly, still trapped in their own hell that took the form of a car. They were trapped- had been since Blake pulled them into this hellscape. Sunshine was losing hope- very quickly. That was, until, an unexpected guest arrived.

A person, someone Sunshine didn't recognize. When they called Blake's name, however, they realized who they were. The horrified look on his face and theirs said it all. Blake had let Sunshine have a moment of reprieve to speak to the person, his lover, but soon, it turned into a screaming match. The person had tried to help Sunshine, to convince Blake that his actions were wrong, and if he let them go they could just go home together.

But, Blake couldn't. Because he knew what was going to happen, and he needed it to stop. Sunshine wasn't quite sure what had happened- still trapped in the car. They heard the yelling, and the fighting, but then it all stopped. There was a shrill gasp, and then nothing. Then, they heard it. The sobs, ripping through Blake's throat. They didn't have to see them to know what had happened. He killed them, whether accident or not. It was always going to be him. He could never save them from himself.

He sat there and cried for what felt like hours. Until Sunshine heard a noise. It was faint, barely even there, but they knew who it was. El. Their El. He had finally come. He didn't forget them after all.

"El?" They call again, feeling lightheaded from lying practically upside down the entire time. They hear footsteps briskly walking- then running to their location. "Sunshi-" He pauses, looking at Sunshine's state. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." He says over and over while he works to get Sunshine out. If Blake knew of Elliot's appearance, he wasn't doing anything about it. He just sat, his dead lover in his arms, dead to the world. 

When Sunshine finally feels the seatbelt retract they fall into Elliot's arms, he cradles them, runs his fingers through their hair. "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. We- we tried to get the department to help but they didn't do anything. I had to-" 

"It's okay, El. You're here now. We're here. We're free." Sunshine looks up at his face with a smile. He gives them a quick kiss on the forehead as he stands, letting Sunshine lean into him for stability. "Okay, I'm gonna take us back into the real world, we should be in my brother's car, he got us out." Elliot tells them, preparing to take them back to their lives. But, as he does, the ground begins to shake violently. He instinctively pulls Sunshine closer, he wasn't going to lose them ever again.

The ground shakes again, a huge crack forming down the middle of the land, heading towards them. They jump back, watching the car Sunshine was trapped in fall into the dark abyss that's appeared in front of them. "Holy shit. What- what's going on?" Sunshine fearfully asks as the couple keeps backing away. Sunshine again looks over at Blake, oblivious to everything that was going on. He was right on the edge of the abyss, about to fall in.

Sunshine fought the urge to call out to him, to tell him to get to safety. But they don't. Earlier today, he would've gladly watched them fall, laughing the entire time. They weren't going to try and "save" him, he obviously didn't want it. 

Then, the abyss begins to fill. At first, they can't tell what- until the familiar feeling returns to them. The one that determined everything for them, their future. They watch as the familiar black liquid begins to rise into the abyss, coming closer and closer to them until it stops, brimming at the top. The water is beginning to seep into the dreamscape, pooling at Elliot's shoes.

"Hello, little one. Elliot." A voice says, and they both immediately know who it is. Sunshine relaxes, knowing that it's just their dear friend, but Elliot tenses next to them. Why was he here? They were free, it didn't make sense. "Brachium. What- what's going on?" Sunshine asks, taking a step closer to him. He stands on the other side of the abyss, a good ten feet away from them. Why was he so far away? 

Brachium had a somber look on his face, different from his usual cadence. He looked- upset. His eyes, though black, looked dull. "I'm sorry. The balance- it is not completed. It is calling, and it needs an answer." 

"What the hell does that mean?" Elliot asks angrily, pulling Sunshine closer to his side. Whatever was happening was not good, for either of them. "When- when I saved you, little one, I disrupted the balance in our two worlds. It's calling. It's your time." Brachium tells them, holding out a hand sadly. No. Not after everything- I just got out. I can't die, not now. Sunshine thinks, tears brimming at their eyes. 

"No." Elliot shouts angrily. "No. They went through all of this bullshit, you're not taking them now." He's terrified, trying hard not to show it. He thought Brachium was their friend- he was supposed to help them, not kill them. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Any of it.

"It needs a life, Elliot. It will not rest until it has one. I- I cannot let you leave until the balance is fulfilled. I am sorry." Brachium looks sadly at the two of them, at how wrong everything has gone. It was all his fault, he was the one who had saved them all those years ago. Maybe if he hadn't- none of this would've happened. "So- I have to die?" Sunshine asks quietly, looking down at the ground.

Elliot shakes his head next to them, pulling them to arms length so he could look them in the eyes. "No. You are not dying. You're not. You can't." "I have to, El. There's no other way. He said we can't go- you can't go. It needs a life." Sunshine reasons, trying to pull away gently. They don't want to leave him- they never did. But if they had to, at least it would be to keep him safe. To keep him alive.

Again, Elliot shakes his head, this time in realization. "No. It needs a life. They didn't say which. Right?" Brachium nods. "So- so Blake. He can- he can jus-" Elliot points over at Blake, but to no avail. He's not there. Neither is his lover. "Where- where did he go?" Elliot asks, confused. 

"He is already with me. He made that choice the second he lost his loved one. But, you're right- it needs a life. Not a specific one. One from inside this scape." Brachium explains, looking over the edge, where Blake presumably fell. Maybe it's peaceful, on the other side. Maybe I'll like it there, Sunshine thinks to themself, stepping forward. "Okay." They say, preparing to step into the water.

Elliot grabs their arm, pulling them back. "No. No, I'm not gonna let you die today. It doesn't have to be you." Sunshine realizes what he means, shaking their head. "No- no. You are not going to die for me, El. I won't let you. I started this, I'm ending it." "No, he started it." Elliot accuses, venom in his voice. "You shouldn't have to suffer- to lose your life because of that." 

"You shouldn't have to either, El." Sunshine says quietly, as he pulls them into his chest, resting his head on top of theirs. "I know. But one of us has to. And it's not going to be you." Elliot cups their face in his hands, tracing their features, knowing he won't see them ever again. "Elliot- please." Their voice breaks, as he leans in for a kiss. Their last, no doubt. 

Sunshine savors it for as long as they can, memorizing every feeling, every little thing about him. They know what they have to do. They're not going to let him take the fall. They stood closer to the river, taking a step back, and then running to the edge, preparing to throw themselves off. Elliot quickly runs after them, shouting something as he grabs them and pulls them back. They fight each other, until Elliot hears a crack under his feet, breaking under the couple's weight. He slips, beginning to fall, but before he does, Sunshine grabs his hand, the only thing stopping him from the end.

"No. NO!" Sunshine yells, desperately trying to drag him back up to solid ground. Elliot already has tears brimming at his eyes, a somber smile on his face. "Please, El. I c- I can't do this alone. I need you. I love you." They tell him, both of their hands now clutching Elliot's. They know he's too heavy, that they won't be able to pull him over- but they try. "I know. And it's okay. I'll be okay, you'll be okay. I love you, my Sunshine." Sunshine shakes their head, their grip slipping on Elliot's hand. For a moment, they just look at him. Hanging over death itself, with seemingly no fear.

They realize then that it's because he's doing it for them. He would do anything for them. That was the best and worst thing they'd ever heard. "I love you." Elliot repeats, letting go of Sunshine's hands. He falls, landing in the river without a splash. They wait for him to come back up, but he doesn't. It's silent again. They couldn't scream, they couldn't jump in after him, they just watched. 

The river went on. Whether Elliot was alive or not.

[avisteliterature]

A Good Dream

Alfonse (Fire Emblem) x Reader)

RATING: General

GENRES: Hurt/ Comfort/ Fluff

WORD COUNT: 1,121

SUMMARY: Sometimes it feels like your time in Askr is a dream. Alfonse tries to prove to you that it isn't.

Alfonse's footsteps echo in the empty hallway as he heads towards the mess hall to sneak in a quick late night snack. The moment he goes through the doors, he finds a figure clad in darkness sitting at the table closest to him. Not having expected to find anybody here, his thoughts immediately go towards ridiculous conclusions like the one before him is a ghost or something, and he yelps out of instinct.

The figure jumps at the sound of his voice, letting out a short scream of their own. It's only then that Alfonse recognizes the one before him as none other than you, and he places a hand over his chest to calm his racing heart. "You scared me!" He accuses.

"I scared you?! You're the one that suddenly screamed behind me without warning!" you shoot back, equally accusatory.

You stare at one another in silence as you process the situation before huffing and shaking your heads in fond exasperation at both of your unbecoming behaviour. The two of you are a bit more meek now that your fears have subsided, and you both utter out a small but sincere apology to each other. Alfonse glances behind you, finding a small candle placed atop the table beside a mug of what he can only assume to be your preferred drink of choice.

You follow his gaze, note what he's staring at, and then bring your attention back to him. "Do you want some?"

"I can make my own," he answers, but you stop him before he could leave to fix himself a mug.

"Allow me," you insist, and Alfonse has no choice but to relent.

You hum, seemingly satisfied, and you leave him alone for a moment. The prince decides to take a seat and waits for you to return. You had taken your own mug with you, he belatedly notes. He idly wonders to himself if perhaps you had just finished up, in which case, he was probably holding you up. He hears footsteps approaching, prompting him to look up and finds you walking towards him with two mugs in hand. Apparently you had gone to refill yours while you were at it.

"Thanks," he offers his gratitude and accepts the drink. The two of you sit together in silence for a moment, taking occasional sips from your respective mugs before Alfonse decides to break that peace with a concerned question. "Is there something keeping you up?"

You offer a distracted hum. "Mm, I guess." You don't provide any further explanation or insight and instead change the focus to him instead. "Why are you still up?"

Alfonse sighs. "I wanted to get some more training in for the day. I feel as though I'm falling behind the more recently summoned Heroes."

"I promise you, Alfonse, that isn't true at all." You're quick to jump in and offer your thoughts on the matter. "You've been working really hard. I can see that—anybody with eyes can see that—and your efforts show in your accomplishments both on and off the battlefield. You become even more fine of a prince with each passing day."

"I-I, uh... thanks..." He's grateful that the mess hall is so dark. At least this way, you won't be able to see his bashful smile, accompanied by an embarrassed blush that reaches the tip of his ears. He doesn't know if you're truly sincere in your compliments or merely saying what he wants to hear in an attempt to comfort him, but he can't deny that your words made his heart leap in his chest.

Silence stretches over the two of you once again, the atmosphere a bit more awkward than before. The Askran prince glances over towards you. You seem to be staring intently at your half-empty mug. He wants to ask you about what's on your mind, but he knows that you won't share so easily. He knows how difficult it is for you to open up to him, and there's nothing he can do except patiently wait for you for whenever you were ready to share.

To his surprise, you actually speak up and lay out the worries in your heart. "I was remembering my home."

"Do you miss it?" He asks.

You shake your head. "Not really, no," you answer without missing a beat.

A sense of guilt and shame washes over Alfonse when he finds himself relieved at your response. He already understands that you have your own circumstances for not wanting to go back home, and although it's a pitiful kind of sentiment, he can't help but feel kind of happy over it. It would mean that you would be less likely to go back home and leave him alone in Askr, but he knows that such thoughts would be considered greedy and selfish, so he never voices them out loud.

"..." You fall quiet once again. You gather your thoughts one by one before slowly explaining yourself, your gaze not once leaving the mug in your hands. "Sometimes, I wonder if this is all a dream. Like, if I'm really here, or if all of this is really happening. Sometimes, when I go to sleep, I'm scared that when I open my eyes again, I'll wake up in my old bed and go back to the life I had before coming here to Askr."

You stop talking after that, allowing him a moment to let your words sink in. The moment they do, he reaches out to hold your hand, prompting you to look up at him with inquisitive eyes. "How does my hand feel to you?"

You bring your gaze down to the hand over yours. "It... feels warm..." you answer with a tinge of embarrassment.

"Then it's proof that you're here. That warmth is proof that this—" Alfonse squeezes your hand to emphasize his point, "—is real." Without even realizing it, he ends up leaning closer towards you. "This is real..." he repeats, bringing his voice down to a whisper, making what he says seem far more intimate. "...If it wasn't, then I would have been dreaming a very good dream ever since you came here."

Your breath catches in your throat, and you can't find the words to respond. Your cheeks become pink, and you avert your gaze. Even though Alfonse shouldn't be able to see your expression well because of the dark (the candle does little to light the scene), you still feel compelled to hide your face.

"Does this feel like a dream to you?" Alfonse questions.

You hesitate, still trying to collect yourself. "Sometimes, yes... but... as you said, it is a very good dream... and I wouldn't mind living in it for longer..."

[cloneshipping7567]

Romantic Confessions Part 13

Part 13/30

13. "I can't fathom the idea of my life without you in it."

Pairing: Hunter x Crosshair (As requested by LuminousBug on Ao3)

Rating/WC: T/1751

Warnings: None

~~~

“This is what happens when you let a kid call the shots,” Crosshair drawls, arms crossed over his chest as he glares at Hunter.

Hunter rolls his eyes in frustration, glad for his helmet being firmly in place. He and Crosshair have been arguing this entire time, and the sniper is really starting to get on his nerves. “That kid saved your life,” he points out, not bothering to hide his annoyance anymore. “Unlike the Empire, who left you for dead.”

“That’s your problem, Hunter. You take things too personally.” Crosshair steps closer, ignoring the others’ uneasiness. 

And you don’t take things personally enough, he doesn’t say. “They destroyed an entire city,” he says instead. Their home. All of the clones’ home. They left them all for dead, including Crosshair. It feels pretty karking personal. 

“They did what needed to be done,” Crosshair says, leaning into Hunter’s space. “Kamino, regs, the Republic. Their time is over. The Empire will control the entire galaxy. And I’m going to be a part of it.” He shakes his head, and Hunter scoffs openly at him. “Hunter, you made the wrong choice.”

“That’s all you care about?” Hunter finally asks, unable to contain it anymore. “Power? Control? You aren’t important to them. Don’t fool yourself. All you will ever be to them is a number.” 

Crosshair’s chin tilts up, giving away his annoyance. “And what am I to you?” he challenges, the sneer on his lips obvious in his voice. 

“Everything,” Hunter hisses, without missing a beat. 

Crosshair staggers a step backwards at the single word, taken aback. It’s almost satisfying how surprised Cross is, how Hunter could so easily knock him off his game. He stalks off to one of the couches in the far corner of the room.

Fine. Let him sulk. Hunter’s nerves are still fried from the amount of times Crosshair has almost died today. He’s beyond annoyed with the amount of fights they’ve had in the last few hours. 

And, Crosshair is right about one thing: Hunter has no idea how to get them out from this mess.

He turns to look around the room, trying to come up with a plan. He ignores Crosshair and Omega, despite their harsh words to each other, and discusses using the medical capsules as an escape to the surface. 

It takes them a while to figure out how to safely do it, but soon enough he and his brothers are on the surface. Hunter looks down into the water, impatiently waiting for AZ to push Omega’s capsule above the surface. 

“I’m going after AZ!” Omega’s voice suddenly chimes into the comm. 

“Omega, don’t!” Hunter yells, his heart stopping in his chest. Of course she would risk her life to save a droid; it’s just who she is. Why does she have to be so good?

Hunter takes his helmet off and grabs onto the side of his tube, causing Crosshair to shoot him an annoyed look. 

“I don’t see her,” Echo says, worry pitching his voice. 

“I’m going in,” Hunter decides, looking over the side and breathing heavily. He almost jumps, when he sees it out of the corner of his eyes. 

He turns his head to see Crosshair pointing his rifle directly at his face. He looks up at Crosshair, betrayal clearly written across his face. 

He hardly has time to analyze Crosshair’s expression, before he’s shifting the rifle and shooting off a grappling cable. Hunter breathes a deep sigh of relief as it connects to something and starts to reel back in, and leans over the tube. He pulls Omega in, helping her settle. “I’ve got ya,” he mumbles softly, before turning around to raise a brow at Cross. 

Crosshair doesn’t say anything at all, just looks behind him to see Echo, Tech, and Wrecker all aiming their blasters at him in Hunter’s defense. He throws his rifle to Wrecker, who catches it, and sits back down with his arms crossed. 

Hunter pats Omega’s back, helping her cough up the small amount of water she managed to breathe in and catch her breath again. 

Once she’s settled enough, he turns to look at Crosshair once more. He wants to say something. Anything. A simple thank you would be nice right now, but none of the words he can think of seem deep and strong enough to convey what Hunter is feeling. 

Gratitude for saving Omega, yes. But there’s more to it. It makes him feel…something that Crosshair wouldn’t let Hunter dive in after Omega. It makes him feel hopeful that Cross gave Wrecker his rifle-Hunter is sure that signifies something. Some sort of progress. 

And the way Crosshair looked at him, for that millisecond between aiming the rifle at Hunter’s face and aiming it at the water--what was that? What was Cross thinking, what was he feeling? What does it mean?

Hunter thought he had gotten good at getting over Crosshair in these last few months. That he had accepted Crosshair’s absence, had accepted that he needed to move on. That Crosshair didn’t want to be with him anymore, and didn’t even want to be in Hunter’s life anymore. 

“I have a visual on the Marauder,” Tech says suddenly, startling Hunter. He looks back at his and Echo’s pod, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “I suggest we start paddling.”

Hunter looks back at Crosshair once more, wishing he could say something, wishing he knew what he wanted to say. Instead, he turns back around, and starts paddling towards their ship. 

The journey there is long, and the sun has almost completely risen by the time they reach the landing platform. But they make it eventually, and they all take a moment to stand and stare out at the ruin that used to be their home. 

“It’s…all…gone,” Omega says, her voice sad. Hunter walks over to her, putting a comfortning hand on her shoulder.

“We should leave before the Empire’s scouts show up,” Tech suggests, looking to Hunter for approval. Hunter nods once, squeezing Omega’s shoulder. 

“You coming with us?” Wrecker asks, turning to Cross.

Hunter almost scoffs. Of course he is; where else would he go? He doesn’t have a ship other than theirs, and the Empire just tried to kill him. They won’t come back for him. Of course Crosshair is coming with them. 

Except, “None of this changes anything,” Cross says, making Hunter’s breath catch in his throat. 

No. No. He isn’t leaving Crosshair behind again. He isn’t getting back on that ship without Crosshair in tow. Even if it’s kicking and screaming, or limp from a stum blast; Crosshair is leaving this platform on the Marauder with the rest of their batch. 

“You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours,” Hunter says, offering him one more chance. 

“I’ve made my decision,” Crosshair says, turning away from them. 

Hunter crosses his arms over his chest, and listens to his siblings pile onto the ship after accepting Crosshair isn’t coming with them. Omega looks up at Hunter, before looking at Crosshair. She looks back to Hunter and nods once, before following the others onto the ship. 

“What?” Crosshair practically growls, tilting his head over his shoulder to look at Hunter.

Hunter steps closer, and waits for Crosshair to finally give in and turn to face Hunter. “Come with us, Cross,” Hunter says softly.

Crosshair scoffs, but his eyes aren’t cold and closed off like they have been. “I told you, I choose the Empire.”

“Cross,” Hunter says, stepping closer and uncrossing his arms. He’s close enough now that he has to tilt his face up slightly to look the other in the eyes. “Come with us. Come with me.”

Crosshair breathes in a sharp breath, eyes quickly darting between both of Hunter’s. “Why? You have your happy little family. Why are you being so persistent?”

Hunter hums softly, keeping eye contact despite how much he wants to curl in on himself and refuse to let Crosshair ever see him as vulnerable as he’s about to be again. The past several times have proven that Crosshair will hurt Hunter again, that his vulnerability will be unwelcome. 

But he can’t expect Crosshair to sacrifice everything while he keeps all his cards close to his chest. So he takes a deep breath, and lets it out in a controlled sigh. “Because I’ve never stopped loving you.” Crosshair’s eyes go wide, and his lips part in shock. Hunter pushes through. “Because I think about you all the time, and I miss you. Because I’m tired of waiting for you to come back on your own. Because I can’t fathom the idea of my life without you in it. I love you.”

Crosshair blinks, eyes wide. “Hunter…”

Hunter reaches one hand up to cup the back of Crosshair’s neck, the motion familiar and comforting even after all this time. Crosshair’s hands automatically land in their practiced places, one on Hunter’s hip and the other on the place where his neck meets his shoulder. Hunter hums softly, leaning forward so their lips are almost touching. “Cross,” Hunter whispers, eyes flicking between his eyes and lips. 

Crosshair swallows thickly before connecting their lips with a soft press forward. It’s chaste at first, simply testing the waters. 

But Hunter has missed Crosshair, and they both almost died about fives times each today, and he’s tired of fighting, and of keeping himself at a safe distance. He wants to be reckless, he wants to risk it all, he wants to take a leap of faith and land safely in his former lover’s arms.

He smiles into the kiss, deepening it enough to get the point of everything he can’t find the words to say without pushing too far. It feels like coming home in a way nothing else has ever been able to make him feel. 

Crosshair pulls away first, breathless, looking at Hunter with wonder in his eyes. “Hunter.”

“Come with me,” Hunter whispers, squeezing the back of Crosshair’s neck lightly. “I miss you. I love you. Come with me.”

Crosshair leans in and connects their lips again, just a soft touch of their lips, before he steps back. “Okay,” he says, looking towards the ship where their team is very unsubtly peeking around the entrance to the ship. “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

Hunter smiles, taking Crosshair’s hand and turning towards the ship himself. He rolls his eyes at the expressions on their faces, leading Crosshair back to their ship. To whatever future awaits them.

[yellowcry]

A little bit of sugar (and lots of poison too)

Luisa takes unnatural twitchy steps, looking through the deadly silent town. Why was she out? It's so foggy in her head

TW: Blood/gore, Death, Murder, Cannibalism, Body horror

The dove is dead and had rotten so much

The town is conquered by the darkness of the night. The shuffling of Luisa's feet growled around, bouncing in stillness. She takes unnatural twitchy steps, looking through the deadly silent town.

 

Why was she out? It's so foggy in her head. (I can't think)

 

Her muscles are tensed, shrinking from unbearable hunger. It twitches her stomach, pushing the dark pitch black bile up her throat. She bends in half, coughing her lungs out. It feels as if she's stabbed in her chest The disgusting mucus smashes against the rough dry ground. It leaves a rotting smell in her throat, only bursting her unbearable starvation further. Her stomach growled, shaking the surface. The pain in her insides makes it impossible to think of anything else. Her skin crackles, tearing itself apart.

 

Everything is rotting. (Do I rot?) The scent, the taste clings to her receptors, filling her with a sickening feeling. Luisa licks off the blood from her teeth, trying to get distracted in a different flavor.

 

The torn clothes are stuck to her wet, clammy body. Like dried blood between her fingers. Luisa rubs them, scattering them into crumbs.

 

Luisa doesn't think she was injured in the near past. 

 

Her body is trembling. Bile drips from her lips like a coughed-out water, mixing with saliva that she can't stop from coming out of her jaws. It's another way her body demands nutrition. (or maybe to show what beast she has become) Her teeth grind in bare unfiltrated rage. A need to dig into something, drown down an animalistic appetite. It tears her stomach in half, spreading inside of her twisted conclusion. Her hair lies on her shoulders in cluttered brown shreds. Some of the black thing is stuck between the front strands.

 

What is happening to her? Why does she feel so strange?  

 

And so she walks around the empty village. Her mind is hyper-alert, reacting to any sight of grub. The earth is cracking under her feet. She's a predator, searching for dinner. The patience is running low, Luisa digs her nails into her palms, feeling the warm blood congealing in the fresh wounds. Bites her tongue to the salty metal taste. The plaza is crashed, fair tents are destroyed under her inhuman strength as Luisa searches. Where's everyone? Hiding like pathetic cowards. She needs food. It's the only thing she can think about. The vomit rising in her throat doesn't matter. The fact that something is wrong in its core(in my core, what is wrong with me?).

 

She just wants to eat. There's nothing wrong with her.

 

"Luisa..."

 

Her neck clicks as she looks at the source of the sound. A young girl, really small. She probably should go find her parents.

 

Luisa doesn't care. At a speed that is far more than anything a normal human can produce she jumps onto the young woman. The latter tries to pull out without a shadow of success. Her green glasses slipped from her face, breaking against the bare ground of the street. Luisa roars, she can't let her go. Her heart runs at a crazy rate faster than any exercise could ever make it beat. Pulse cannon into itself, crashing like a fruit in a hand. Her eyes are wide open, not blinking. She never blinks now. It's a useless waste of time when she can't see everything.

 

A roar rings in the air. It's nothing human. The sound of a demon, a terrifying being from scary stories parents have told to their little kids. 

 

She fressing onto the girl's small arm. Bone fractures under the pressure, muscles ripping apart. The girl screams, pleading for something that Luisa can't understand. (What's she saying?) Her mind is too focused, unable to do anything except rip the soft gentle meat. The words of her dinner can't stay in her mind for long enough to proceed with them. Unable to care about a pure fear in her victim's eyes. (Do I know who it is?) Luisa bites off huge pieces of other's body.

I'm sorry I'm sorry, stop, stop this, I don't want to hurt her

 

A small, tiny part of Luisa that is still sane begs to stop. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she's not supposed to eat humans. She can't do this! Her essence is curling in guilt that swallows her brain. It's wrong, the fact grosses her mind out. Just for a moment before remorse gets drowned out. It's so foggy, too foggy.

I'm a monster, am I not?

 

Blood covers her fangs. The taste is driving her crazy, erasing any thread of reality she has left. Her free arm breaks through her victim's body, squeezing her insides, throwing it out. Luisa hisses in pain when gastric juice burns her skin. It peels off, showing the inner parts of her fingers. Senorita is limp. Luisa growls at the realization. Alive flesh is much more tasty. It doesn't mean she won't finish it, but it would be much nicer eating her alive. She spits out the bones, they are crushing to the white calcium dust. Swallows the raw blood, feeling her insides with a smell of dead life.

 

It doesn't stop her hunger. Nothing seems to stop it no matter how hard she tries. She reaches with her trembling hand, scratching the blood off her dehydrated lips. The bright red glitters against her tanned skin. It gets stuck in cracks that are going deep down under her withered skin. Like soil broken by an earthquake.

 

Luisa can't help it. Her body doesn't listen to her anymore. Moving on its own, more like an animal in the best case. A beast that can't be stopped. It pushes down, buries whatever is left from her. Blocks her thoughts until they are crushed inside her mind, turned into stupid nonsense gibberish. Makes her throw up with disgusting black mucilage and twists the air in her lungs. 

 

She can only think about food.

 

LET ME OUT, PLEASE LET ME OUT

[viatagrinner]

Keith Howell. A Valentine from the Beast.

Valentine's Day in Jade, like Rhodolite, is a day of showing love through sweets. Keith has always expressed his gratitude by giving sweets to those who have been so kind to him.

MC: Lots of sour-sweet fruit, just the right amount of sweetness and firmness in the cream, fluffy dough...

MC: Keith, it's so good. I can't stop eating it, it's my favorite cake!

Keith: Ah, really!?

The prince sees MC looking at him with eyes as bright as stars, he almost jumps on the spot.

This is his first Valentine's Day with his heroine. He consulted with his other personality, the court cook, and the result was a cake decorated with roses that the girl would love.

That the cake would be delicious was not in doubt, but whether MC would have liked it was another question.

(That's why I'm so happy and will experience relief from the bottom of my heart.)

(However, whenever I see Miss MC eating, she looks like a little animal, it's cute...)

( .....I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable if I stare at her. I don't want her to hate me.)

Keith came up with the cake, and "mean" Keith designed it.

(I'm sure "he" would be happy too.)

His alternate personality always understands when it comes to a girl, even if it's not to talk about her.

Now MC is giving him a gift. It's a box with a reindeer and a leaf painted on it.

(It's like a dream come true to get it from someone I love.)

In the box were "puffy" mini muffins. Each one was decorated differently. The girl tensed up, but Keith really liked it all. He wants to eat all the muffins at once.

Hidden in the muffin was a star-shaped chocolate chip cookie.

(Since it's Valentine's Day, I think she put it in to make it special.)

Suddenly, Miss hugged the prince.

Then she lifted her face, it was bright red.

It was her first Valentine's Day with her lover. And she was very excited. Keith has boundless goodness and that's why everyone loves him. She wanted to impress him to express her love for him.

(Miss MC, that's too sweet.)

(Maybe that's why she seemed restless...?)

Getting MC's candy and love is too good for Keith.

Keith: I'm so happy, I don't want today to end.

In the back of his mind, he desperately tried to suppress the rising fever.

He wants to eat the cookies. He asks her for references.

(It's a little embarrassing, like I want you to hug me again.)

She points to the chocolate muffins.

The prince ate them; there were heart-shaped cookies. Then received a sudden kiss from the girl on the corner of his lips.

MC: The heart cookies were designed to convey love with a kiss.

(She chose the muffin, knowing it had a heart cookie in it...)

No one can remain calm after the woman he loves treats him like that.

The prince can no longer hold back.

The mind disappeared along with the muffin.

He offered the same muffin he just ate to the girl.

She ate it. Now Keith has already kissed the corner of her lips.

Keith: Would I embarrass you if I told you that I wanted to express my love to you with something other than sweets?

MC: ...I don't mind. I want as much love from you as possible.

(You always say things that make me happy.)

A passionate kiss leads them to the bed.

Keith again caresses his lover.

As the prince caresses her "weak spots," the girl's voice grows sweeter.

She tries to turn away, but the prince won't let her.

Keith: Please don't hide your face. Just look at me.

The way she shakes herself in the face of the onrushing stimulation, the trembling transmitted from deep inside her body, everything is so lovely and unbearable.

Keith: I'm supposed to be giving love, but all I'm doing is receiving it.

МС: I believe that receiving love is one of the ways we can share our love.

МС: Every time Keith receives my love, I receive so much more, don't you think?

(Ms. MC is too sweet for me... At this rate, I think I'll forget my restraint).

(Valentine's Day has become a day when I feel so happy.)

Next year he will be looking forward to MC gift more than anything else.