#not very edited so hopefully not full of fucks

[ghostowlattic]

Love As Light

There are many forms of love and eros, yet when I think of the warmth of love that means the most to me, it's not so much a feeling or something of a state of being, in love. But rather action, reaction, causation. Love is how you relate and are related to.

Watching an interview once with Richard Feynman, he was discussing explaining to his father that photons don't exist inside atoms, laying in wait to be released, they are simply a reaction. 

For some reason I thought of love when hearing this. That love isn't so much a thing sitting around inside someone, it is the actual action of caring, giving, doing. A non existent yet eternal relation. This love is more about how we relate to other things, not how we desire them. The act of loving, caring, doing. Bringing water to the thirsty, feeding hunger, easing pain, calming others, even the compassion and empathy it takes to care what others may feel or be affected by your actions. This love is doing the work, not frail bits of reference. 

Love of action is its own reward. It's the pureness of caring for and being with something else in a joyful state.

In this sense love is rather that endless poetic unbreakable thing, both eternal and unborn. People, however, are greatly in conflict with theirselves and each other. Obviously the more confused and conflicted someone is, the worse off they're probably going to be at about anything in life much less relationships and love.

I think internal conflict in general is more disruptive to positive relationships than the notion of complete self love, though deep self loathing is an entirely destructive force in all manners of life. People need examples of the tenderness it takes to learn to do so without fear if it's alien to them, but carrying around personal Gollums that tell us how terrible we are, will not only destroy love and relations, but will actively need to destroy them to create the negative energy needed to keep itself fed.

When romantic love is projected as words and feelings, I feel it opens people up more to treat each other worse off. Suddenly what one does may not matter so much because it's already a given, supposedly, to be in love, which can be rather meaningless without anything to back it up. Being in love, without any actions is still something left undone. People tend to treat each other poorly if not worse than ever, or use the very concept of being in love itself as an excuse for why their actions matter less.

In this sense love certainly isn't a right or something that comes without any work. It takes energy, thought, doing. When love is made into action, emotions follow suit in a more balanced and lasting way, same as conflict made into action it has a more lasting destructive effect. Yet it needn't be difficult, as with the state of loving the natural world and existence itself, the action may be simply be awareness.

People get lonely, are full of worry, doubt, hormones, pressed by the doom of time and the state of the world itself, so it makes sense why there is so much yearning, craving, projecting and desiring without much focus. Yet with all things in life not just love, when there is no real self control or disciplines and we are at the whims of these things, we shouldn't really be too surprised when ending up with unwanted or unseen outcomes. 

[scourgeofmyownbrain]

Good fucking day, Robot enjoyers! Gaze upon the updated semi-accurate height comparison of Bumblebee across the multiverse.

This is an updated version of a chart I made a few months ago. I had gotten some feedback and then TFOne came out and I kinda had to update it. I also added a Gen 1 Optimus Prime for scale, for fun... no other reason... (edit: slight adjustment made, just corrected a slight mistake in the order)

I am also working on at least two more character charts and one universe chart, so hopefully I can finish those soon (for some fucking genius reason I decided to do the characters that show up EVERY FUCKING UNIVERSE so I'm s u f f e r i n g)

*PST! Optimus, Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave ones are done now*

Listed Heights, Explanations, and Justifications below the cut, bc you couldn't shut me up if you tried and I had shit to say.

Gen 1 - ~10 feet (TFwiki says greater than 3 meters so I rounded up to the first whole number because round)

Netflix Cybertron Trilogy - ~10 feet (He looks identical to Gen 1 so... the reason his photo looks weird is because I couldn't find a good full body photo with him standing straight up facing the camera so I put two images together to make the worst looking photoshop job you have ever seen)

Earth Spark - ~10 feet (There is no confirmed height yet, but using this screen shot (see below) of him standing in front of a barn door, I was able to make a reasonable guess, bc I'm so smart.)

One V1 - ~13 feet (I am well aware of what the TFWiki says: 26.429 feet. And I fully reject that number. A: These numbers are sourced from the Walmart Promotional AR Experience that came out before the movie. B: There are three decimal points, and that number does not convert into a whole number in meters (which is originally what I thought was weird about it). C: The director has said that this movie is both canon to the LA movies and its own separate canon, and Bumblebee in both sets of LA movies does not exceed 20 feet tall. Ever. So, for sanity's sake, I have used the KCV numbers as my baseline. Bee grows when he gets his t-cog so shrink this one down a few feet. Look, I'm working on the Optimus chart rn, and one of the numbers from Beast Wars on the wiki was very observably wrong, and if I can dispute numbers older than me, I can dispute numbers 2 decades younger than me from fucking Walmart. Also, yes, his picture is 3 images sandwiched together)

Animated - 13 feet 3 Inches (There is no actual given heights, but in the comments of the previous version, @phoenix-inanis told me that they had done their own analysis of TFA heights and, gonna be real with you, I am blown away by all of their work and how detailed it is. Go marvel at how much work they put in -> https://phoenix-inanis.notion.site/TFA-Height-Chart-f6ad2960ca8c4c5b859ee4958723aaa4?pvs=4 )

One V2 - ~15 Feet (Please see reasoning above. Since this is as tall as we see Bee get, he's the same height as KCV Bee. Sweet fuck, I have put way too much effort into this shit)

Knight/Capel-Verse - 15 feet (No actual numbers, but Mirage is stated to be 15 feet tall (TFWiki), and he and Bee are like the same height, so... Capel directed the ROTB movie if you're wondering why his name is there)

Bayverse V1 - 16 feet (TFWiki. This is like the first 3 movies minimum, I don't remember when he hits his growth spurt. Also mr bay is king, we have numbers for nearly every character in BV)

Cyberverse - 18 feet (I'm gonna be honest, the only info we have is from a really shitty screen shot of a magazine. SO if any one has a copy of this book from the video below, a high quality scan would be greatly appreciated and I will kiss the ground you walk upon. Yes I found the video where the screen shot comes from leave me alone)

Bayverse V2 - 18 feet (TFWiki. Movie 4-5 I can't remember which one, I'm not re-looking this up. I fucking love the bayverse tho, this is the only universe with concrete and consistent this-character-is-this-height info)

Aligned Cont. WF/FOC - 20 feet (TFWiki/Fandom. Video game info screens you godsend, kiss me sweetly)

Aligned Cont. TFP/RID15 - 21 feet (These two designs are canonically identical, like in ALC canon, Bee has not changed visually at all...Ok, yes I got this number from fandom and they give literally no source for where they got these numbers. But, I can fully believe these are accurate. Just by looking at these characters on the show I can verify these numbers in my mind. Here, let's Compare.

This is Sam compared to Bee from one of the BV movies, I'm too lazy to check which one. Sam is average size for a human and we know Bee is 16 feet tall in the first three movies. Checks out. Let's now look at a TFP Character who is also 16 feet tall.

Jack is average size for a human, and the size difference is about the same. Can you see why I can't question the Aligned heights, even if they don't have a source??!?! They specifically made this universe to be full of freakishly tall robots for some fucking reason.)

Not Pictured: Aligned Cont. Rescue Bots and Rescue Bots Academy Bumblebee - 21 Feet tall. Look, did you want to see all 5 versions of ALC Bee? No, you don't. They're all the same height anyway; the back row would have just been a wall of redundant yellow. 5 different fucking art styles in one universe, why is that one my favourite.

Here's the front row and the back row separated into their own jpgs. I know it's kind of hard to tell which Bumblebee is which when they're all together.

[amazeingartist]

alien vibe times (octosoap edition)

“alien soap being an apex predator species that ghost’s team finds floating in a test tube during a laboratory raid. soap’s conscious and floating around, tracking ghost’s movement in particular with large star filled blue eyes”

(slight divergence from the writing to this but shhh it’s fine)

(and full design here with all my little starting notes and scuffed as fuck photobash doodle)

here are some more notes that go into it a bit more if you’d like to read em (I basically made the species first and then was like, “ok soap your this now” lmao)

(also sorry for not posting for a bit before the global strike, hopefully this makes it up a bit)

currently calling the species “cephalopinna,” literally just combined scientific names lmao

physically they look like an octopus given seal qualities, but they don’t have as many bones as most of their body is just pure muscles. the bones they do have are dense like most aquatic life, and are there to support vital organs or provide the most simplistic skeletal structure

the planet cephalopinna live on is entirely water, with the landmass being submerged and most of the time floating along with the planets current. plantlife does exist, these landmasses varying in size and vegetation—from coral reefs and underwater forests, to sandbanks and floating debris.

cephalopinna are an incredibly intelligent and semi-social species, usually only straying away from other members of their species when a pair are incubating their young

cephalopinna are monogamous and only have one partner, at most two if the first partner dies, otherwise they can die from loneliness after being paired

cephalopinna also have up to 4 spawn but usually only one or two make it maturity. also technically have eggs that are kept tucked away under the hood of the adults neck, next to the gills so that they’re oxygenated and once born, cephalopinna will raise their young to maturity (young could be called pups, cubs, or whelps)

they are incredibly territorial and both male and female “equivalents” of cephalopinna will fight off a competitor to be paired (I say equivalents because there is no proper determination or designation of a male or female sex within the species by human standards)

courtships are dances where a pair will flash colours, gifts of food, and tests of intelligence via what could be considered puzzles (intelligence is highly regarded among cephalopinna)

the front fins have claws that can used for hunting, foraging, fighting, even potentially grooming (gently scraping off algae and parasites) and are very functional as hands as they sorta have a thumb claw

cephalopinna are incredibly large but are excellent ambush predators, laying in wait to latch on and bite while pumping prey full of venom. if the ambush fails, they will chase down the prey till they are close enough to prick them with venom to then follow behind from a safe distance as the prey succumbs to their incredibly potent paralytic toxin

their teeth can crush through bone, nothing of the prey is ever left afterwards

they have a long life expectancy

the connective tissue between their primary tentacles stretch to cover body, while swimming cephalopinna will cover themselves to be more hydrodynamic. they also often do this when sleeping out in the open to protect themselves.

cephalpinna grind their back teeth, like deer, which reverberates through the water, add it with their aptitude for colours, this form of communication has multiple meanings

they have an incredibly advanced camouflage ability, which helps soap in particular in this au appear human. for whatever evolutionary purpose, they have the ability to breathe earth’s—and a few other planets—atmosphere, however they do need to be kept appropriately hydrated it would seem

[lemonandlime22]

Could I request Bitey Child Yuu running to Malleus, Lilia, Riddle, Cater, and Ruggie (Maybe Floyd if you have time but I won't be pushy) crying cause they bit a beast man who's now hunting them down so they came for protection? I just think that'd be really wholesome and cute.

Malleus, Lilia, Riddle, Cater, Ruggie, and Floyd protecting bitey Child!Yuu

Warning(s): Cussing, a bit of rambling, a small plot hole that will not be acknowledged in Cater's. not yet edited

A/N: HOLY FUCK- this is so cute!!!! I have never squealed so much when I saw a req! this exceeds my character limit but imma do all anyway. ty for requesting I hope ya like it! btw, Yuu is called 'fry' in Floyds cause that's what a baby shrimp is called, thought that'd be a cute touch.

[Bitey child!Yuu Masterlist]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before I start I would just like to remind yall that it takes a lot to make you cry if it's not cause you can't bite someone, so let's set up a lil scenario,

You were having a normal well normal for you day, vide checking people and all, when you came across a rather tall and large beast-man who, unbeknownst to you, had had a very long and agonizing day and was on the verge of snapping, if not having a full-on overblot. All you know was that he didn't pass the check and needed to face the punishment for being intimating. As you know, it didn't work out so well for you, The beast-man ripped you off his hand and held you by the collar of your uniform jacket, then started to yell threats in your face. Your eyes started tearing up as you tried your best to grab onto any part of him to bite and hopefully let you go. When your plan failed tears ran down your cheeks but the man's screaming only got louder. You managed to squirm and wiggle your way out of the jacket and ran to hide or find someone that could help, while the beast-man was hunting you down with the scent from your jacket.

Malleus Draconia

Malleus stood at the front of the school admiring the gargoyles for his club activity

usually he would pick you up from whatever you were doing so you could look at them together

but he saw you playing with Ortho when he went to pick you up, and he didn’t want to disturb you.

Before you could even get within 20 feet of the front of the school, he already had heard your sobbing and teleported right in front of you

you bumped into his legs and fell back, but Malleus quickly caught you and held you in his arms

not even questioning it you squeezed your arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

Malleus was already on alert and looking for the person responsible

that’s when he saw a rather aggressive beast-man student stomping towards him, holding your jacket and screaming in your direction

it only took mere moments for the beast-man to notice the taller Draconia dorm leader holding you so dearly, and take off running

not wanting it to see what would happen.

Malleus turned his attention back to you, making note to speak to the beast-man later on,

he shifted you in his arms so you would be more comfortable, he sat you on his forearm and placed his other arm around you with his hand cradling your head and hugged you close to him

he decided to continue his club activities with you in his arms.

You would occasionally move your face out of the crook of his neck to look at a gargoyle

then he would tell you all about the one you took notice of.

You two eventually made it to Ramshackle, where Grim was waiting impatiently

“Yuu! There you are! I’ve been worried- I mean… huh..?”

Before Grim could continue, Malleus shushed him, motioning that you were asleep

he placed you down in your bed and tucked you in

he then went to drag the armchair to sit at your bedside, and Grim hoped into bed next to you.

Malleus watched over the two of you till deep into the night when he finally felt it was safe enough.

The next day he brought you your uniform jacket when he came to bring you along for his club activity that day.

Lilia Vanrouge

This omniscient fuck-

Lilia was just doing his thing,

scaring people, hanging literally with the bats, going to classes etc

when he heard a child cry

I doubt he even needed to think about who it might have been before he ran teleported?? towards the sobbing.

You ran into a bush in the courtyard, to hide from your assailant, and covered your hands over your mouth to muffle the weeping

after what felt like hours of his searching the courtyard, he was drawn away down a hall

where he thought he heard your footsteps.

You crawled out of the bush and ran in the opposite direction

when you had gotten far enough away, you looked back behind you to make sure he wasn't following

but while you were distracted you ran into someone's torso

looking back you found Lilia standing there with his signature mischievous smile on his face

"Well, hello there little batty! How are you this evening?"

You didn't even listen to him before you ran behind him and hugged your small arms around his lower torso and continued to cry,

"Oh~ my little bat... if your worried about that beast-man, 'there's no need, he won't bother you, dearie."

Lilia turned in your hold and put your jacket on your shoulders.

"There you are! Now, what do you say to coming over to visit Diasomnia? I'm sure the boys would love to see you!"

Once you gave a curt nod, he picked you up and brought you to Diasomnia.

You spent the rest of your afternoon playing with Malleus, taking naps with Silver, and chewing on Sebek's hand which he begrudgingly allowed you to do when Lilia told him to let you do it

when it was late, Lilia was happy to let you sleepover

but made sure to go and pick up Grim to sleepover as well.

He tucked you both in and hummed a soothing melody until the two of you were fast asleep.

"Goodnight little bat," Lilia kissed the top of your head

"and goodnight little cat, hehe..." he lightly patted Grim's head, and left you both to sleep peacefully.

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle was making his way from a Dorm Leader meeting and to his next class when your smaller form knocked into him, arms wrapping around him, and twisting to hide on his other side.

He was about to scold you for running in the halls when he felt a growing wetness on his uniform and noticed your shaking

"Yuu?... What happened?"

He was extremely confused and worried

he's never seen you cry.

Placing a comforting hand on your head, he knelt down to your level to hopefully help you feel more comfortable to tell him what happened

in response to his movements you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your slimy face into his shoulder

Riddle has never been all that good comforting others, but he did his best to make you feel better.

Before he could ask you again a large beast-man came barreling down the hallway,

"There you are you little brat!" the beast-man said through gritted teeth

your body stiffened at the aggressive voice, which did not go unnoticed.

Riddle tried to stand up and let you go but you had a strong grip on him, your small hands balled into fists around the back of his jacket

so instead he lifted you up a little bit and turned in the direction of the booming voice

Riddle also noted that the student had your jacket.

"May I ask what you need with Yuu?" Riddle had an idea of what might have happened, and if that fresh bite mark on the beast-man's hand was a clue, he was right-

"That little shit bit me! Hand them- OVER!'

the beast-man yelled through gritted teeth before stepping forward and attempting to snatch you from Riddle by the collar of your shirt.

Riddle was quick to shut that down, by grabbing his pen and collaring the student

the beast-man stepped back and paused in shock, Riddle took that opportunity to grab your jacket from him and pick you up to walk to his next class.

He made sure to keep you with him for the rest of the day, which was petty easy considering you were asleep for most of it,

only waking up when Trey brought you one of your favorite goodies.

He made sure that headmaster Crowley was informed of this as well.

Ah~, and Riddles going to need a good massage though, he carried you for most of the day even when Trey and some teachers ask if he wanted them to carry you so he could have a break, he's not used to carrying something for so long.

Cater Diamond

Cater was getting things set up in the music room for the music club

it usually would be him, Lilia, and Kalim all doing this together but they had to go to a house warden meeting, and Lilia had to fill in for Malleus as always.

He was in the middle of tuning his guitar when the jiggling of the door knob caught his attention

when you came through the door. Cater was a bit surprised

usually you didn't come to the music room unless he would bring you when Riddle or Trey was busy.

But what surprised him more was that you were crying and when you flew past him to hide behind the drum kit it worried it quite a bit

he was about to ask you what you were doing when he heard loud stomping coming from hall

then a rather large and angry looking beast-man busted through the door.

"Where are they?!"

"I'm sorry...?"

"You know who I'm talking about, that brat that bit me!"

Cater inwardly sighed, he knew sooner or later you would piss someone off enough to want to get back at you like this

"Sorry, haven't seen them today." Cater shrugged, turning his attention back to the instrument in his hands.

The beast-man was about to protest, but Cater strummed the guitar, interrupting him

after a few more interruptions, the beast-man huffed and stormed back out of the club room

once Cater was sure whoever you pissed off was far enough away, he turned to the drum kit

"Its ok to come out now kiddo, he's gone."

He waited for a minute but you never came out of your little hiding place

Cater sighed and lightly shook his head with a small smile

he stood up with his guitar and walked behind the drum kit to sit next to you,

you had your knees to chest and was playing with the bow around your wrist

Cater nudged your leg with the instrument to get your attention, once you gave it to him, he started telling you about the guitar

how to tune it, how tuning worked, why some things worked the way they did, etc..

And that's how you spent the rest of evening,

Cater continued to teach you all about the instruments in the room unit Kalim and Lilia arrived,

from then, you sat in front of them as their little audience for the next hour or so.

After that Cater took you back to Heartslabyul and treated you to some of his favorite spicy snacks, then when it was bedtime he told Ace and Deuce to walk you back to Ramshackle

he also told them about what had happened.

Deuce gave you your jacket the next day he got detention getting it back but he thinks it was worth it.

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie was doing Leona's laundry, hanging up his clothes on the line outside of the dorm building

and just as he was grabbing a clip, he caught the sound of his name, or rather a shortened version of it, causing his ears to twitch

he turned towards the direction his name came from, and saw your small silhouette running towards him

as you got closer he could also hear your chocked sobbing of his name

"Ru-g! *hic* Rug- Ruggie-" Your yelling was cut off by another sob

Before he could fully register what was happening and react, you had already rushed to him and started hugging his legs tightly.

Ruggie did his best to console you through your sobs, he tried to pick you up but your grip on his legs was far too strong

yeah he rly could just rip you off but you were crying so he had to be gentle, also your a kid so.

he settled for rubbing your back and offering to make you some food.

Soon after your sobs had finally started to slow, Ruggie heard yelling and cursing coming from the direction of the portal mirror, the same one you came from

it was a common occurrence in the Savanaclaw dorm so he paid no mind to it

not even when you also heard to and started to cry again, he just continued to console you

you let go of his pants and ran into the clean laundry basket behind him and hid

he didn't rly think much of it, just thought that the shouting from a random student had startled you

he continued to do the laundry for a moment before the culprit of all the yelling ran up to him.

"Where the hell is that brat Ruggie?!"

"I don't know what your talkn' about"

"Don't play dumb, hyena! That little shit that's always hanging 'round you bit me!-"

Ruggie was quick to shut his classmate up with his unique magic and make him walk a good distance away

once he deemed it alright, he quickly finished up the laundry and took you,

still in the clean laundry basket, and finished up his chores.

He found you fast asleep under the clean clothes as he was putting them away

and decided to let you sleep and carried you around in the basket while he made some lunch for the two of you when you wake up.

Floyd Leech

My mans just thought you were scared of Jade again.

He was just walking around when he saw your little form ran passed him

and he could hear the very obvious crying.

Floyd easily picked you up and was unsurprisingly met with you kicking, thrashing, screaming, and crying even more

"Hey- Hey! little fry! relax it's just Floydy!"

he held you in front of him so you could easily see his signature toothy grin, and you surprisingly calmed down

but still crying, and now grabbing at his hands that were around your torso.

Floyd obliged and readjusted so that you were sitting on his forearm and facing him

he also gave you his free hand for you to play with it, to which you started to nibble said hand.

This wasn't an uncommon thing, whenever you started crying cause of Jade, Floyd would let you play with and nibble on his hand, which always seemed to calm you down.

He knew it would probably take a little while for you to calm all the way down, so he decided to continue walking around, doing whatever the fuck he does.

Like he thought, your calming down took several minutes, and everything seemed fine for a minute or two until you looked over his shoulder and started shaking again and hugged his arm closer to you

Floyd turned around expecting to see his brother

except he was met with a very angry beast-man speed walking towards the both of you yelling something about "finally finding you freak"

he doesn't know, he didn't care to pay attention.

The beast-man, without fully registering who was holding you, tried to make a grab for you

only to be kicked away by Floyd and knocked on his ass

the beast-man didn't move, far too scared of the tall eel's next move.

It took him a second, but Floyd was able to connect the dots,

the expression on his face was... less expressive than usual, he looked completely serious

but that quickly changed when he looked back at you,

"Hey lil fry! why don't you go find Jade and Azul, pretty sure they're at the lounge!"

Floyd set you down but gave you his jacket before you ran to the lounge, but made sure to grab his magic pen out of the pocket.

When you got to the lounge you were still shaking and refused to answer any questions Jade or Azul asked you.

When Floyd came back he seemed to have some red stuff on his shirt and face, he also held your jacket in his hand.

You stayed at the lounge for the rest of the day just hanging out and helping around, and Floyd carried you back to Ramshackle when you fell asleep in one of the booths.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[wackywheel]

OKAY. so! tomorrow/later today depending on when ur seeing this post, a LOT of you guys are gonna be seeing pokay for the very first time! which is both really cool and also REALLY SCARY! (because what the fuck do you MEAN people dont remember this guy from smplive. what do you MEAN people dont REMEMBER SMPLI-)

sorry. normal. this is a Normal post. i promise!

point is, this little guy --

--(assuming poke doesnt change his skin hours before joining the server) has a lot to him!

a lot that people who are new to poke definitely don't know, and wouldn't know just from looking at him on the surface

so! here's a (hopefully not TOO lengthy) bullet point list of a crash-course on his cubito, as well as some art of his current design!

poke's original skin was this guy, the homa! he's an mc skin rendition of this meme edit that blew up back in the mid-late 2010's

throughout the years, he's added countless accessories and outfits and other little defining traits from other characters, but most notably of those are a dbz style gi, a full on solid snake cosplay at one point, an infinity gauntlet (as was customary of 2019 minecraft skins)

thus, with those powers combined the hoba was born! look at he look at how silly he is behold the him

the hoba has 2 whole refs of his original design over the years! (by hepphast and osidinum on twitter respectively)

...but sadly no full ref for the new design :( we DO have these pieces though! which are very cool! (also all by isabel lol)

as well as basically like. anything from @/malewifeph1lza yall should go give ALL of the people whose art ive shown a follow their stuff is banger 🙏

[mysinsforventi]

How much can you handle, wife of the anemo archon?~

(Please don't repost, use, take my fanfic or my edited picture anywhere!! )

~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~

Venti x f. reader

dom! Venti x sub! f. reader

(reader isn't traveller!! )

+18   (minors DNI!!)

Warnings: 

smut, this is pure PORN/FILTH, cursing, shapeshifting, sizekink, public sex, shower sex, object fucking? (showerhead), creampie, soft breeding kink?, overstimulation, anal sex, double penetration, multiple orgasm, squirting, fingering, oral female, handjob, hickeys, vision abuse, god-complex, power abuse, stomatch bugle, nipple play,spanking, riding, full nelson, dirty talk, enganged, possesive venti, crying reader (from pleasure), dom! venti, (let me know if I forgot something!~ )

About:

After just geting freshly engaged with your boyfriend venti, you asked him to finally not hold back anymore. Knowing him he always told you how dangerous the love of an archon could be! Yet you wanted to see and know all of him! Will venti give in? Will you be able to handle it? Will you still love him afterwards? What could he be hiding from you?

~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~

(I don't know what this is! I got very carried away! I'll go to hell for this!!  

Well.. please enjoy~ )

~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~

"I'll be by your side now and forever and ever~", venti said while kissing you. The kiss had so much love and meaning to it. Your heart was beating so fast, so many emotions you were feeling while the only thought in you mind was, 'VENTI'. The name of the of the one you loved. The one who just asked you to marry him. Still in soft shock but so incredible happy you felt your eyes tear up a bit.

Venti pulled away and looked at you, a gently smile covering his lips. Caressing your cheek, gently brushing your tears away with his thumb. Looking into his eyes you could tell that he felt the same. Was that what soulmates were? Feeling the same way, thinking quiet a like, sharing many things with each other? If that was the case you would be happy to have venti as your soulmate. But now he would be even more than that.. your husband. Your future husband. That sounded very lovely to say.

"Venven, can I try calling you something else? I'm curious how it will sound?", you ask without a second though, a soft blush forming on your cheeks. Venti's eyes widened a bit at the request but brushes with his hand through your hair, "Everything you call me, will just make me fall for you even more my lovely windblume. So go ahead, try it~", he said with a smile on his face. Now a bit curious himself venti bit his lip. Hopefully it wasn't his real name. Not that he didn't like it but.. it always was so hard to hold himself back when you did. And right now the place you were in wasn't very good to lose control. The bard's self control was usually pretty strong but since days, no weeks, no actually since a month or was it even before?? Well it doesn't matter since when but his selfcontrol was on edge since the thought of making you completly his, for all of time crossed his mind. So now that you were finally his there was only one thing to do.. But not now! Now isn't the time! That was what venti tried to tell himself.

"Are you listening my husband??", you asked confused, waving your hand infront of the bard's face. Was it to forward? Maybe it was to soon to call him that. Oh boy.. Now venti didn't respond for minutes.

"Y-Yes!! Wait.. What did you just call me??", venti asked with a stutter in his voice. "Husband?", you said, looking away, now embarrassed by yourself. Was that to childish??

But before you could give it anymore thought you felt two arms hugging you, cuddling you close to his chest. Slowly realising what just happened you placed both your hands on his back, gently caressing over it. "Ven-", but before you could say anything the god started talking, "I'm sorry windblume.. My heart was just about to burst. I feel so full. Full of your love. So don't say it again. Please? It's to dangerous.. I might lose control~", venti whispered the end next to your ear. A quiet gasp left your lips at his words. Curious what his expression was you wanted to lean back to look at him but his arms held you close to his chest, not leting you move.

"Dont!.. Don't look at me right now.. You might not realise it, but you're in a dangerous situation right now! I don't want to rush things between us. So please..", the god said with a serious voice. What a rare sight..

But what the god didn't know was that his beloved soon-to-be-wife wanted exactly that! You wanted to see all of him. You were long time curious about his sides he had yet to show. Always warning you about it made it only the more tempting for you. Soo maybe you should just not listen to him? Just this once? But first you would try talking to him about it~

"Venti.. you said earlier that we would be forever together right? So I want to see all of you. I want to know everything about you! I'm ready! I'll love you no matter what you will show me! As I accepted your proprosal I was clear in mind and I fully thought this situation through. So please will you trust me?", you asked him while your hands caressed over his back gently. Of course if he said no you would still accept his opinion and quietly wait for him until he was ready. After all you loved him with all your heart, soul and body.

Uff, you should have seen his expression. Mouth agape, a blush covering his whole face, eyes widened. This was such an adorable sight for the usual so cheerfull, teasing bard. After a while venti calmed himself down and softly leaned away, his hands caressing down to your hands, just to hold them in his. Intertwining your fingers with his. Looking at you, with a rater serious but flushed face, "I understand your desire windblume. And I'm very happy you feel that way. But.. I don't want to push you away.. What if it's to much for you?", a sigh left venti's lips.

Without thinking you leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Holding his hands to your chest. Kissing him deeply, with so much love you could put into it. After a while you leaned back, panting slightly, "Nothing you say or you do could be 'to much' for me. With each passing day, passing moment I want more of you. I love every part of you. No matter what it is I will accept it and love you with everything I can offer. There is nothing you can do to push me away because I love you way to much to ever back out. I can't live without you by my side venven! Please.. trust me? Please believe in me? I can handle whatever you will show me, my husband!", you responded with a gently whisper against his lips. Hoping he would get the message.

As you looked into venti's eyes you could see a sudden change in them. Did they get darker? No.. now they were glowing?? The same happened to the tips of his hair. A chuckle left the bard, a type of chuckle you didn't know could come from him.

"Oh windblume~ You don't know what you do to me... I hope you know what you just requested from me. Don't complain later okay? I tried to warn you~ But of course my dearest warrior wouldn't be afraid of such a minor thing. If you just knew love...", venti smirked at you, another deeper chuckle leaving his throat.

"But let's not forget where we are. This is a public location. Anyone could just walk by. Not that I would mind~ With you I would do it everywhere~", he looked away, smirking, "since it's your first time seeing me like this I rather would prefer it to be in private. So let's go to your teapot okay?", with that the god looked at you. You on the other hand were still trying to puzzle together what just happened. Where did this person come from and what happened to the sweet bard you knew?? Not that you were complaining, to be completly honest you might were enjoying this a bit to much. Gosh, venti was so hot like this!

"Y-Yes! We should go then!", you said, voice probably giving you away. Pulling out your teapot, just wanting to enter it you felt one arm under your knees. Turning around to ask what's going on but you were cut off. Venti picked you up in his arms, carring you bride-style. A smile appearing on his face, "I told you I'll be good to you. So let me make this day unforgattble for you okay? Let me spoil my soon-to-be-wife today?", he said while entering the teapot.

"Lucky we finally have a room together. Remember when we used to sleep in different rooms? Back then our realtionship was still so innocenct~", the god laughed at the idea while carring you inside the house. "And now it's not?? Besides this is 'our' teapot now, did you forget venven?", you giggled while holding on to him. Having to agree on the 'innocent' part tho. "Of course not?! Do I have to remind you how often we couldn't let our hands from each other mhh?", a sly smirk overcome venti's face as he let you down on the bed. Another giggle escaped you, "But all couples do that? So who is to say we aren't innocent anymore?", you looked up at him, raising one eyebrow. A laugh escaped venti's s body, sometimes you were just to adorable. Maybe the innocent part was you, just you. That he couldn't deny.

"Oh so let's say our realtionship is still "innocent"~ What about the time I fingered you in the library, the other time you seduced me as a maid, the second day in the hot spring as we were in inazuma and of course my favorite hehe.. the one time you were drunk and you told me aaaall about your naughty desires for me windblume~", he ended with a teasing smirk, starting to slowly undo his hat and cape.

A huge red blush covered your entire face, you bit your lips. Fuck! He was right.. this was cleary nowhere near innocent. But you couldn't say that out loud! The brat in you was acting up and you couldn't let him win! "That.. That was all just for starters! No one knows about this! So everyone still thinks we are innocent right??", you smiled with a concerned look in your eyes.

"Come one now! Stop lying to yourself windblume~  Even dvalien complained about how I always smell like you, kaeya knew what he was doing giving me that maid-dress, babara commented on the huge amount of hickeys you left on me on that one day and I'm pretty sure lisa knows about me fingering and making out with you in the libary...but ehh yeah maybe that is still to innocent love~", a chuckle left the bard. Droping down his cape, taking of his shoes before sitting down on the bed next to you.

You also started to take off your shows, slowly taking of your clothes. Just staying in top and your shorts. "LISA WHAT NOW?? How did she find out?? Oh god..", you gasped, hitting your hand against your forhead. This couldn't be.. well.. guess you really had to say goodbye to your last piece of innocence. "Oh and I forgot.. dilluc knows about that one time I fucked you in the tavern on your birthday hehe..", venti looked away, closing his eyes as he was waiting for something.

"WHAT??", you yelled, almost jumping up from the bed, "How?? We were so quiet right?? ", you asked shocked. "Yes, right??!! Ugh.. xiao told him! Remember he walked in on us in the tavern?? Soo dilluc scolded me for dragging you into my 'crimanal-record', he likes to call it that", a growl left venti as he pouted. You just nodded and left your head hanging, "ohh.. soo xiao knows about us too.."

"Yes.. But didn't that heizou-guy ask you for a threesome?? So he knows too hehe~", venti laughed, shaking his head. You looked at venven and nodded, "You're right.. oh god how embarrassing...", you sighed and hit your hand against your forhead again.

All of sudden the god grabbed both of your hands and pinned you to the bed, leaning over you. Whispering between you, as it was a secret no one should know, "See windblume~ We aren't innocenct.. and our realtionship isn't either~ We did so much together. So are you ready to take it one step further? Earlier you begged me to show you a new side of me. So I hope you'll like what you'll see~". There it was again, the glowing in his eyes, the glowing of the tips of his hair. Now even his archon-tattoo on his chest glowed through his shirt. You shallowed and nodded, "Yes I'm ready! I want this! I want all of you~", you whispered back, smiling softly at him.

"Open my braids for me windblume? Will you?", it didn't sound like a question, more so like an order. The bard let your hands free, looking into your eyes. Quickly following his command your helped him undo his braids. Brushing your hands through his now open hair. Not shortly after venti pinned your hands back to the bed. "Now get ready. I wasn't planing on using this card tonight but you begged for it~", he said as he closed his eyes. A huge glow formed over you and all of sudden venti's hair got longer, his form got taller, his chest formed some muscles, he just seemed older? More mature? Of course venti was both of them already. But his form wasn't. And he looked stunning. Like a fairy! A beautiful fairy! Did he just shape-shift for you?? Uff.. lord have mercy.. how were you to survive he could pull such tricks??

After a few minutes venti opened his eyes again, looking down at you with a lustful stare, yet he put on the sweetest smile, "Do you like what you see my wife?~, he asked. You couldn't even bring yourself to answer, to stunned to speak by his new appearance. Even his voice sounded more mature, it did all kind of things to you. Slowly but surley you felt the wetness between your thighs.

"You look so beautiful venven! I just love you more! But how?", you smiled up at him, blush forming on your cheeks. A laugh left the bard, "God's have many abilities, this is just one of the trivial ones. Usually I prefer not to change my appearance! But for you, to suprise you and please you I did it~", venti said while leaning closer, next to your ear, "This is an older form of my appearance, I usually have. Many things have changed. And I don't mean JUST the visible things~ ehe~", another chuckle left the god over you. Chills were running all over your body by the way he whispered these words. Now curious you looked down to his boxers. And a gasp left you. He was right, the bugle looked way bigger than it had ever before.

"See windblume? That's what I meant~ You're so smart. It will fill you up so good~", venti licked over your ear, kissing down to your neck. Leaving some hickeys while gently fondling your breats through your shirt. One finger caressing around your nipples. You couldn't help but moan, pressing your legs together. Nipples hard through your shirt, rubbing against it made you squirm around a lot. But how could you help it? It felt so good!

After a while the bard pulled away from your neck, proud of his masterwork. Whole neck covered by his marks. After all you were his wife now, he was allowed to do that!

"Can I?~", venti asked while softly pulling on your shirt. Waiting for your consent first. You nodded and giggled, "Of course! You don't have to ask venven, I already asked you for it, didn't I?~", a look full of love shined in your eyes, reflecting back in his, to yours again. Venti leaned down to kiss you gently, "I know.. it's just I need to you to confirm it one more time!~".

Taking your shirt of, bra following, throwing it somewhere in the room. Shortly after venti's mouth was already around your nipple, kneading and massaging your breasts with his hands. You threw your head back in the pillow, letting out a moan. Your nipples were always to sensetive. "Archons, I love sucking on them! This is truly my favorite past-time! I could do this forever!", the god sighed in between your tits, looking up at you. His now long hair falling over his broad, strong looking shoulders. With time your panties started to feel uncomfortable, it felt so stick, you swore your juices would start running down your thighs soon...

Luckily your husband knows you well enough. Starting to take off your shorts and panties. Letting up from your nipple, switching to the other and continueing to suck. His other hand gently caressed over your thighs, then in between, up and down.

A whine left your lips, slowly becoming inpatiened, wanting to feel it where you needed it the most. Spreading your legs wide, you felt venti's hand sliding over the slit of your cunt. A moan left him as he felt how ready you were for him. Leaning away once again from your already red nipples, he smirked at you, "You're dripping for me windblume! Do you want my fingers or my tongue first? Tell me~", the god spoke while slowly kissing down, over your stomatch. Geting shy you looked away, pouting,

"Your tongue please? Eat me out venti!", you stated. Looking back at him you got confused. Why was he licking his fingers? The view tho.. It just turned you on more. "To bad that you only get my fingers for now~", the bard smirked, pushing one finger in. Just about to answer you opened your mouth, chocking and closing it again at the sudden feeling of him inside you. This brat...

"Woah.. you're so wet that I just slipped in and i'm really deep already!~ You surely can handle another of my fingers right?~", venti said, still smirking at you. Right after he pushed in another finger. A loud moan left your lips, your legs shaking. Fuck! How is he this deep inside you already? Usually it takes a while- His finger are longer!! Right! You just realised how his form-changing affected his whole body. Oh boy... his cock is about to destroy you.. not that it already did but now?!

All of sudden venti's fingers started moving, in and out. Going faster. "Do you fell this windblume? I'm right at your g-spot! I wonder how fast I can make you cum in this form~", venti whispered licking over your clit, once, twice and another time. Your head was spinning. Damn! This felt soo good you might become dumb just from this. Moaning, squiriming under him while panting his name you came quickly. That was a new record for sure. Leaning back against the pillow you tried to calm down. Yet the god had another idea, sucking on your clit while pulling on your nipples with both of his hands you arched your back from the bed and came again with a scream from your lips.

"Oh windblume~ You really seemed to like this~", venti said with a softer voice, leaning down to kiss you deeply. Not knowing what just happened you kissed back, panting in the kiss. "I didn't believe I ever could make you squirt for me! You always suprise me windblume, ehe~", the god chuckled, kissing you again, "My whole face got wet~", he still chuckled.

Embarrassed you hid your face in your hands. Oh god.. what a mess you must have made! But before you could say anything you felt how venti turned you around, on your stomatch. Gently kneading your ass between his hands, spreading your legs a bit.

"Now I will do what my wife asked from me earlier~", the bard said before leaning in, taking a lick through your still sensetive pussy. Starting to eat you out like you wished before. His tongue felt longer too. Just having it play with your clit made you want to cum. With one thrust venti pushed his tongue into your hole. You moaned, bit your lip. Once again venti moved,

IN

OUT

IN

OUT

FASTER

DEEPER

Tongue flicking against that one spot. Not even seconds later you came again. Moaning his name loudly. Falling back into the pillow, head resting on top of your arms. Venti pulled his tongue out, layed next to you, letting you rest a bit. "You taste amazing as always~ Tell me once you're ready for the next stage! But I warn you.. once we start I might lose control! I won't be gentle anymore! So if you want to back out.. please tell me now!", your husband said with a rather serious face, looking at you, licking his lips clean.

Shaking your head you turned around, sitting up on your knees. Softly kissing him while whispering, "I want this venti! I love you! You don't have to be always gentle with me. I'm not out of glass, I won't break that easy! So don't worry okay? Don't hold back!", you smiled, kissing him deeply again. The god kissed back. Taking off his boxers, making his dick slap up against his stomatch. As you leaned away you looked down and your mouth widened, so did your eyes. How is he THAT huge?? Like.. that was the double size off his normal length! Fuck! How will this fit??

One hand grabbed your wrists, the other turned you around, pushed you down into the matress on all fours. Giving your ass a good spank, "Now it's to late to back out windblume! So take it! Take all of me!", venti growled into your ear. No this wasn't venti! This was barbatos! His cock slowly pressing against your pussy. Grinding it against your clit, up and down. Enjoying how wet and sensetive he got you. His hands both on your ass while pushing the tip of his long cock inside you. A suprised gasp left you, spreading your legs wider. You felt to full, the stretch burnt a bit. Yet you only could think on how amazing it must feel to have him all inside. Venti inched himself slowly into you. Your legs were shaking, you believed you would collapse every second. It felt just so good!

"Halfway in already love~ Just a bit more! You're doing so great windblume~", venti praised you while kissing your back. Leaving another wave of hickeys. A few inches were still standing out and yet your head was spinning, "s-so full venti..", you moaned. The slightest move of any of you and you could cum again. "I- I know... j-just a few inches more o-okay?", venti whispered in your ear, trying to be patiened, to keep his selfcontrol. But with your whining and your tight hole squishing him this wasn't easy at all. Turning your head around to look at him your breats bounced and that made him snap. Fuck it! He thought.

With one hard thrust he was completly inside you. Your ass hitting the skin of his stomatch. "Ohhh~ Fuck!", the god cursed, slowly grinding into you. Just enjoying the feeling of your tightness. Another scream escaped you, feeling like you could break in half any moment. He was so deep. His cock was making you so full. You felt him in your stomatch. And it felt amazing! The grinding was to much, your mouth hanging open, silent moans escaping you. Your sweetspot was right there. Right where his cock was grinding into.

"Y-You feel so good windblume! I never was this deep inside you before. Now I can make all of you mine! Every part of you! I will fuck you now okay? I-I can't hold back-", venti growled, trying to think of the words he wanted to say. A nod from you, a moan and the god was gone. Holding on to your ass he started to thrust inside you, pace fast and hard from the beginning. Staying true to his word. It was rough and hard. Moaning, screaming, clinging onto the sheets, you couldn't do anything else. The only thing that came to your mind was, venti and his cock. All you could feel was pleasure. Balls hitting your still sensetive clit, hands grabing your ass, hard thrusts against your g-spot.

The feeling of barbatos thumb pressing against your other hole made you come back from your thoughts. What was he doing now? Before you could ask his thumb slipped gently inside your ass. Pushing it in and out, circeling his thumb around. At the beginning it felt weird, but instead of complains, moans left your lips. It was to much,"I-I'm going to cuuum v-venven", you moaned in between the loud slaps of his hips hitting your ass. Removing his thumb from your ass while leaning back a bit.

With one swift move barbatos had his hand under your stomatch, pulling you up against him. Your back meeting his chest. Slowing down his pace a bit he answered in a deep, comanding voice, "Then cum for me windblume! Cum all over my cock!". A hand moved down to your clit. Rubbing it, "Think you can squirt again for me?~", a chuckle left the god. Picking up his pace again. Hammering into you. The other hand pressed against your stomatch. Venti bit his lip as he felt himself moving inside you. That was hot. Yet he still desired for more.

"Hold on windblume, I want to test something!", venti said. Stopping his movements completly. Making you whine loudly. A glow appeared. You felt venti's cock geting smaller, his chest becoming softer. Did he return to normal? Why now? You pouted since you were about to cum. This changed as venti started to thrust into you again. Closing your eyes trying once again to focus on your orgasm. Geting close. So close. Until the god stopped again. Another glow appeared behind you.

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO D-", you turned around, snapping at him before geting cut of by your own scream. His huge length was back. You came so hard that you collapsed forward into venti's arms. Legs shaking, hole clenching. "I knew it, my size difference turns you on doesn't it? Maybe I should use all my sizes next time mhh?~", venti teased, gently laying you back down onto the bed. Resting on your stomatch. While gently thrusting into you, beeing almost there himself. "Are you okay? You came pretty hard? I'm cumming too~", a moan escaped venti. Grabbing your shoulders while pounding into you. Throwing his head back, moaning your name. His cheeks red. A second later you felt his white cum pumping into you. It was a lot. The bard collapsed onto you and kissed your back.

"Soo? How was it? You clearly enjoyed yourself haven't you?~" back was the teasing, usually silly bard. You tried to catch your breath, feeling even more full than before, "I-I loved it venven! We should d-do it again.. soon~", you giggeled with your voice sounding weak.

"Everything for my wife~", venti answered, pulling out of you. His seed sickering out of your hole, over your thighs onto the sheets. Without realsing it venti got this feeling. A feeling to stuff you up again. Not wanting to let his seed leave you. A growl left him before thrusting into you again. Pushing himself all the way back into you. Moaning loudly while pushing you down into the matress. "Aww thank y- AHHH!", you smiled but that was quickly replaced with a choke, shocked face. "V-Venti?", you asked, voice muffled during his push of your head into the matress.

"I-I'm s-sorry.. it's just.. I-I can't control myself anymore! Please let me use you windblume?", he tried to be gently but his voices sounded deep. His eyes, his hair, his tattoos glowed. You nodded, pussy clenching at his words.

A swosh was heard as venti pulled you up onto all fours. From the shadow on your bed you saw wings. Fuck that looked hot! Him fucking you from behind with his wings out. A hard, deep thrust inside of you made you throw your head back. "Tell me!.. Say which cock size of mine you like more?!", a question from your husband. No an order. This sounded like an order. Regardless you were to busy moaning, and trying to think of the right words to say. Forming word, yet alone trying to think of the letters wasn't easy.

Another hard, deep thrust. "Mhh? Won't you answer? Do I have to do everything myself?!", venti sighed with a annoyed voice.

All of sudden you felt a lot less full. Did he change form again? A slap to your ass as the thrust became faster. Another slap as venti pushed your head into matress, pillow to far away from all the movements. "Do you like this size more??", venti asked between hammering into you. Enjoying to hear you short breath, your loud high voice, the wet sounds of your pussy. Your brain wasn't working anymore, "I-I", you tried but ended up whining.

Barbatos pulled you up against his chest once again, kneading your breats. You almost bit your tongue as the cock inside you got bigger again. Walls clenching, making it so tight for him. "Or.. do you like this size more?!", barbatos asked, not changing his pace at all. Waiting for your answer. An answer he wouldn't get because you were to far gone already. Mind in the clouds. Brain fucked out. No one home anymore.

"I asked, DO YOU LIKE IT??", the god asked once again, thrusting with force further into you, staying still, just pulling your nipples. Twisting them softly. "YEEES!!! Y-Y- AHH I-", you screamed, tears forming in your eyes. Running down your cheeks, "love it!! Love you!!", you whined, bursting out more tears. Barbatos let out a chuckle and let go of your red nipples, continueing to thrust into you in a fast pace. Hugging you from behind, holding you close, "I love when you scream for me! Your screams make me so hard! My cock is throbbing so much love~", he whispered in your ear. If you could still think straight, you would probably blush so much.

You closed your eyes, just enjoyed the moment. Not expecting it, venti pulled your legs up, holding you in his arms, in a full-nelson position while continueing his fast pace. Hugging his wings around you both. "I'm gonna fill you up! I will pump my cum into you again!", the god groaned against your neck, while leaving kisses here and there. Your eyes rolled in the back of you head, as you came once again. Shaking, squirting all over his cock and the sheeds.

"Wow~ Do I really make you feel this good huh? How cute~", barbatos chuckled. Shortly after he thrustes a few more times and the last one was very deep. Letting out a groan, his seed filling you up once again.

Gently placing you back down on the bed venti kissed you, caressing through your hair. Weakly you kissed back, leaning against his chest. "Are you okay windblume? Let's rest okay?", venti asked, gently laying down with you on the bed. Caressing over your cheek. You smiled and kissed his chest softly, "I'm fine! Just need to catch my breath a bit venven~", you giggeled at his worried face. Lucky your stamina was quiet special. A normal human would probably struggle a lot here.

"Are you sure? We can stop if would like?", your husband asked, looking at you. "Stop? Now? When you still hard?", you giggled, grabbing his cock into your hand and jerking him a bit. A cute whine left venti's lips, "D-Don't worry about that windblume. Let us clean you up first okay?", he said, yet not pushing your hand away.

Your hand felt so good. Venti couldn't get enough of it. Your mouth would feel even better. There were so many things he still wanted to do to you, things he wanted to ask you, things he wanted to try with you. Sometimes he got embarrassed, thinking what a pervert he must be. But it was you.. venti couldn't help himself.

Still moving your hand, geting a bit faster with it you smirked at him. Starting to play  with just the tip you giggeld as he thrusted his hips upwards, in your hand. "S-stop laughing it's not funny!", the bard pouted. Clearly enjoying this. "You're soo adorable venven~", you giggled, kissing his neck while moving your hand faster over the tip. Leaving hickeys like he did to you earlier.

"I want too take you again..", venti whispered, looking away, blush forming on his cheeks.

"Yeah? How do you want me barbatos?", you smirked. Venti snapped his head to you. You did not just! How dare you? You brat! Venti's eyes changed. His whole aura switched. There it is.. What you wanted to see. The side to barbatos that you hadn't met yet. This intimidating side. A dangerous side for sure. "Would you repeat that for me my favorite mortal?", barbatos asked, taking your hand off his cock. You gulped, that really was a intimidating side. The words he spoke alone had so much power to it. The pressure of his eyes on you was almost scary. Yet you leaned forward gently kiss him, "I asked, how do you want to take me lord barbatos?~", you looked him into his eyes, glowing with devinity.

A groan was the only thing heard. "Sit on my lap with your back towards me!", he ordered, pulling you on his lap. Sitting against the headboard of the bed, he let you get into position. "Go ahead! Sit down for your lord!", barbatos said, pointing towards his lap. A blush covered your face as you realised what he meant. Still you carefully sat down, pushing his cock back into your cunt. This angle was almost worse than the nelson one. It all felt tingly and sensetive inside. "Good job! You're taking your lord so well! Now I'll start moving, try not to lose balance or I've to punish you mortal!", the god groaned why already grinding upwards.

It went really well. Keeping your balance wasn't very hard. And now you once again, not knowing for how many times, you were about to come again. That was until barbatos decided to use a little trick of his. Caressing with his hand over your lower stomatch, right where the tip of his cock met your cervix. The anemo symbol appeared on your skin and suddenly you let out a scream, pressing your thighs together, holding on to venti's knees. "W-What is-", you wanted to ask but got cut off during his hand sliding across your nipples. Feeling the same thing you almost collapsed on the matress. Almost losing your balance. It was weird. It felt ticklish, yet like air hitting your sensetive parts over and over again. The pressure was to much! Did he use his powers?

"I gave you a little gift! My favorite mortal deserves just the best after all. My anemo energy is flowing through your body now! It's also another way of marking you as mine~", barbatos smirked, thrusting fast in you. One thrust was so hard that you fell forward, lucky venti's arms catched you. "Ahh... and I was just praising you! Well, that calls for a punishment right?~", this teasing tone of his. You didn't like it. "What are you up to?", you asked, wanting to look at him. Yet his hand grabbed your chin to hold you still, "Look forward!". And so you did like barbatos told you.

A swosh was heard and all off sudden you felt cold, air was hitting your nipples. Infront of you, you saw entire mondstadt at night. Under you, the ground which lead to kathedral of mondstadt.

"How?? Why??", you paniced, face red as it could be. Venti didn't stop at all, kneeling behind you, thrusting his huge cock into you. Amemo energy still flowing in you. "Why? As a punishment of course. Show how sorry you are to the entire mondstadt for disobeying their archon! Go on, moan my name!", barbatos grinned, holding you close while grinding deeply into your walls. About to cum you just looked down at the city and moaned loud, "b-barbatos i'm sorry!!!", with that you came again. Closing your eyes, enjoying the moment you didn't realised venti turning back to his normal form, cumming too. Hugging you close, pressing your breasts together while pushing everything inside your cunt till the last drop.

Opening your eyes again, panting, you saw venti laying close to you, laying in bed, blanket placed over you. "I love you so much windblume! You're truly amazing. Thank you for accepting this side of me!", venti said with a smile on his face, leaning in to kiss you. You smiled, kissed back and whispered, "I love you to venven! All of you! Let's do this again sometime okay?~", you cuddled close to venti. With that you fell asleep. Soon after venti followed you to the land of dreams.

~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~💜~

Bonus:

As venti woke up you were no where to be seen. A yawn left the bard, looking towards the clock. It's still early in the morning, where did you go? Geting out of bed to search for you, just to drag you back to bed to cuddle. It was way to early for him to be up. Seeing light in the bathroom, he walked in, eyes slowly widened as he heard the shower.

Seeing you humming under the shower. Lost in melody. Wasn't that a melody he recently played?  Well but that wasn't the most important thing right now.He could fell his cock geting hard once again. Oh archons, couldn't you just lock the bathroom probably? You didn't even know what you did to him. The way your ass looked so fuckable under the water. He couldn't resist. His tattoos started to glow. With a small smirk he switched his form again, knowing you liked it very much last night. Quietly walking up to you from behind.

Weird. You were cleaning yourself, feeling quiet dirty from all the sweat. Humming a melody of a song that venti had played lately. And suddenly the anemo-mark on your lower stomatch, right above your cunt started to glow. What was that? Did venti gave it to you last night? To be honest, you were so fucked out, that you barely remember anything! You did remember that he switched his form for you, that he showed you a side from him no one ever saw! Which made you so happy. And that it all felt fucking amazing!

A scream left your body and you dropped the showerhead as you felt something tickling inside your body. In your cunt and on your breats. What?? It feels so good.. Next thing you felt was a chest pressing into yours, "Already screaming for me? I'm not even inside you yet~", venti chuckled caressing over your back, hugging you from behind. Another moan left you, legs shaking, leaning against the wall infront of you.

"V-venti.. i-it ahh- what are y-you doi- ahh!!", trying to speak while clinging towards the wall from pleasure didn't work so well.

"Mhh? Me? Weren't you the one seducing me? Leaving the door unlocked, even open, pressing your ass towards me as soon as your felt my presence?~", venti said, giving a spank to your ass while softly kneading it. You yelped, while another moan left you. True! Actually you were hoping for him to come in. But you never expected it to actually happen.

"So you will deal with the consequences! Bend over!", the god ordered while helping to get in position.

ONE FINGER IN

OUT

IN

AND OUT

ANOTHER FINGER IN

OUT

IN

OUT

FASTER

He pushed them into your ass. Stretching you open. Speading up the pace after a while. Enjoying the moans and whines you let out. They even echoed here in the bathroom. How hot you sounded.

At the beginning in felt weird but after seconds it felt soo good. You couldn't help but to push your hips back against his fingers. You wanted more, "v-venti please.. I want you..", you moaned looking back him. His eyes looked at you, and smirked, "You already have me! Say it! Tell me what you want from me?~", the god said. Such a tease! You pouted but gave in, "I want your cock in my ass! P-Please fill my ass up!!", you moaned and hid your face in your hands, leaning against the wall.

Venti removed his fingers and with one thrust he pushed his whole length into your ass. Moaning and pressing you further against the wall. Breats pressing on the cold wall. You almost slipped at the feeling. Yet it didn't hurt at all. The pleasure made your head spin. If venti hadn't such a strong grip on your legs you surely would've fallen over.

"Windblume... now you're completly mine! Everything, every part of you belongs to me~", venti whispered as he started to move inside you. Spreading your ass checks apart, enjoying the view. After a while his pace increased and the thrusts got harder. As your hard nippels moved against up and down with the thrusts against the cold wall you were gone. Drooling out of your mouth.

"You're so tight! I'm about to cum! Cum with me!!!", he groaned. Having an idea. This would make you cum on the spot! Ehe~ Venti grabbed the showerhead and placed in betweenn your thighs, right on your clit. A yelp came from you, pressing your thighs together. A chuckle escaped the bard as he pressed his two fingers into your cunt. Moving his fingers at the same time as his cock. "Look at you! And you still wanted to be innocent yesterday? My lovely windblume, you're such a naughty beeing! You gave all your innocence to me! Now cum!!", barbatos smirked, thrusting hard into you. Letting out a loud groan, cumming himself. Shooting his sees deep inside your ass.

Tears rolling down your face, eyes in the back of your head, babling some non understandble mess while your legs were shaking. You came. Squirted once again. Collapsing into the wall. Starting to whine because of the showerhead hitting your clit. Driving you into overstimulation. Venti removed his fingers just to look at your fucked out, broken face. A devilish smirk appeared on his lips. He didn't know what came over him but he pushed his finger back into your abused cunt. Moving at a quick pace, leting the shower head do it's work.

You shoke your head, trying to show venti you coudln't handle anymore but the only thing that came out were moans, whines, yelps. Nothing helpfull.

"My starlight.. you make me all hard again..", venti whispered while biting your ear gently. With that you came again. Shaking, screaming. But lord barbatos didn't seem to stop! Instead he started to move his cock again. Gently thrusting into your ass.

His eyes glowing,

"After all, you asked for this right? So now you gonna deal with it! You asked for lord barbatos to show you all of him! Now you gonna take all of me?~".

The sun was up, it was lively outside, yet the whole teapot just heard your screams and sinfull actions until the next moon shined.

~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~💙~

(Thank you for reading this!! Hope you enjoyed!~ 💜 )

[noxturnalnymph]

Believer

Dave York x F!Partner(FBI), Chubby Dave York vs Tractor Beam (2.3k)

Summary: Submission for Beef’s October Fic Prompt Challenge - Dave York Made Me Believe:

Someone must be a non-believer (reader or Dave)

The following wording: Dave was not one who liked to be influenced to do anything, let alone that.

The X-files must be mentioned or referenced at least once.

Warnings: spooky pacific northwest vibes, all-around silliness, no sex, references to tall blue vibrating aliens (iykyk) A/N: Thank you to @strang3lov3 for green-lighting this premise and for editing away all my many mistakes. I love you @beefrobeefcal. I told you I would only write about aliens of the Ice-Planet-variety and I think this fits the bill. Happy Halloween!

Dave’s partner simultaneously snaps shut her flip phone and guns the engine, causing the car to lurch forward and the Big Mac he’s holding to slam against his chest. Special sauce dribbles down his tie as Dave shoots her a deadly side-eye.

“That was the division director we met on Tuesday,” she offers by way of explanation, typing in an address in the GPS as she drives, oblivious to the burger collision she’s just caused. “He gave us this location he wants us to check out,”

“Is there a lead on the shipping container theft?” Dave mumbles with his mouth full, as he smushes a napkin to his tie, smearing the greasy sauce further into the fabric. 

“No, it has nothing to do with that, but we’re the only critical incident response unit in the area so he wants us to make contact right away.”

She finishes speaking and then immediately turns her music - an Alanis Morissette CD she’d shoved into the deck - up as loud as she can. Dave has only been working with this agent for a week and even though she came highly recommended, he finds her to be quite irritating. He tries to dab more sauce away from his tie as he finishes his fast food dinner, opting instead to remove the tie completely by the time the car comes to a halt behind a sole forest service cruiser on a long, foggy stretch of road.

“We’re here,” his partner says, grabbing his milkshake and taking it with her out of the vehicle.

“We’re-, where the fuck are we?” Dave says to an empty car as she closes the door and starts walking towards the woods.

Dave exits the vehicle and trudges into the tree-line where he saw his partner disappear, his footsteps crunching on dried pine needles and the crisp air of the approaching evening creeping down his open collar. He wishes he had worn his suit jacket today but since he’s put on a few pounds it doesn't fit him very well anymore, so he left it at the hotel.

He emerges in an eerily still clearing to find his partner standing alongside a forest ranger who appears to be speaking with two hunched figures, huddled under thick blankets. She swivels her head, eyebrows climbing up her forehead as she spots him, and heads towards him with bounding steps. As she approaches Dave grabs the milkshake container out of her hands only to find it empty.

“That was mine,” he grumbles.

“You can afford to share,” she snarks, motioning towards his distended belly. “This is really interesting; see those two girls over there?” she points to the only two people besides government employees in the small field. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Dave mutters sarcastically.

“They’re claiming they were abducted by aliens,” she exclaims.

“Aliens?” Dave repeats.

“Isn’t that awesome?”

“What the-, like little green men, aliens?” Dave huffs, incredulous that they’d be pulled away from a major port theft investigation to be sent to the middle-of-nowhere north of Seattle for this insanity; a couple of local kooks claiming they were probed by space men. 

“Hopefully big blue aliens,” she replies excitedly.

Before he can ask what she means she is practically skipping back towards the small group, and Dave doesn’t have it in him to join. He knows she’s experienced enough to handle this kind of call - a complete waste of his time - and so instead he shuffles around the clearing. He takes a small flashlight out of his pocket to fight against the encroaching darkness settling as the sun dips behind the evergreen treeline.

Flashing his light on the ground he notices the tall grass is still wet from the morning dew, as if the sun didn’t get a chance to touch this little clearing in the woods today. He walks around the edges of it, noting how odd it is that there seems to be a perfectly oval patch of trees missing among these thick woods. As he rounds the circle he approaches the group and can see now that the huddled figures are two women, both pale and shaking. 

He makes eye-contact with the forest ranger - an older gentleman with a graying mustache - each of them giving the other a subtle nod as he passes by. He watches as his partner writes on the small spiral-bound bound notebook she keeps in her blazer pocket. He can’t say she’s not a good agent, she’s been very knowledgeable and thorough so far, but she’s just so-. Dave loses his train of thought as he tunes into the conversation.

“I’m not sure,” the young woman with glasses whispers. Dave spots floral tattoos cascading across her chest before she draws the blanket closer together. “Colette would have had a better view of them since I was face down on the table the whole time.”

His partner - eyes down and still writing notes - turns to the other woman, whose long, dark hair is unbound by the blanket she is bundled in and is gently blowing in the breeze.

“So, how would you describe them? Were they tall, maybe over seven feet? Would you describe their coloring as a shade of blue or steely gray? Did you notice any horns on their heads? Or fangs?”

“Well- Ummm,” the woman stammers.

Dave puts his hands on his hips and gives his partner a look that he hopes communicates the ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ thoughts screaming inside his head. 

Before he can give voice to any of his thoughts he notices the long-haired woman has stopped speaking and is staring at him, slack-jawed. His partner looks back over her shoulder and sees his pissed-off look, mouthing ‘what?’ and then beckoning him forward. He shook his head. Dave was not one who liked to be influenced to do anything, let alone that. He would absolutely not be participating in this charade. His partner turns back to the conversation and since she got no response from the second woman - Colette, apparently - she turns back to the tattooed woman.

“Did you hear them speaking any kind of words you could understand?” his partner questions.

“Actually, yes, but I don’t think you’re gonna believe me,” she answers. 

“What did they say? Maybe you heard a kind of humming or a vibrating resonance too?”

Dave rolls his eyes and sees the second woman still staring at him, her eyes glazed over. He feels like he’s being punk’d, that this trip out to the damp, darkening woods is someone’s idea of a poorly-executed practical joke. Annoyed that his time is being wasted when he could be back at the hotel with his feet up and his pants unbuttoned, he turns away from the group and continues inspecting the area. He shines his flashlight back and forth as he walks, seeing nothing but his shoes getting more muddy with each step.

Suddenly, his light catches on a small, shining piece of silver. Bending over with a huff, he picks it up, turning it over in his hands. It’s a cylindrical shape the size of two of his fingers with a rounded end, like an oversized rivet. He doesn’t think aliens would use such primitive technology and tosses it into the air, chuckling to himself as he catches it and tucks it into his pocket.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees a small light flashing inside the forest that continues beyond the small clearing. He turns to say something to his partner but she’s busy talking and he’s a bit creeped out by the fact that the long-haired woman is still staring at him with heavily lidded eyes, mouth still slightly ajar. He ducks into the dark provided by the heavy tree cover and heads towards the strange blinking.

He continues walking, the light farther away than he initially thought. He has to heft himself over a large fallen tree trunk that spans left and right as far as his eyes can see and then hop a small creek that runs through the low point he’s come across. On the other side of the running water he sees the blinking light, larger now that he’s up close. The only problem is that it’s about 10 feet up in a tree, making it almost impossible for him to see exactly what it is. 

He can’t hear his partner talking this deep in the woods and any leftover sunlight from the opening in the forest behind no longer reaches him. He’s thinking how glad he is to have his flashlight with him as he draws the beam of it up the trunk of the tree to the flashing device. He halts any movement, sucking in a breath when the trembling light reaches it and his eyes grow wide at what he sees. 

The device is being held in tiny hands between two small, yellow, cylindrical-shaped beings wearing what look to be denim overalls, who stare at him with large eyes blinking behind silver-rimmed goggles. One is about two feet tall with one eye and the other is over a foot taller with two eyes and a stalk of hair that sticks straight up. 

They are all frozen in place, staring at each other until he hears a sound behind him, like tiny feet shuffling on dried pine needles. He slowly turns to look back and sees an even smaller two-eyed being holding something out in his hands towards Dave.

“Bah-nah-na?” it asks, in a high-pitched nasally voice.

Dave doesn’t have time to think about how much whoever put him up to this must be laughing, he only thinks about getting the fuck out of there, and he immediately turns and starts running away. He doesn’t scream when both legs go ankle-deep in the cold creek or when he catches a foot under a root, twisting his leg at an unnatural angle. He does, however, let out a loud grunt when he slams his overweight body into the forgotten fallen tree trunk, prostrating himself against the ground, knocking all the wind out of his lungs.

He begins to mutter curses but freezes again when a bright light beams down on him from above, illuminating a blinding circle around him. No fucking way, he thinks. Then he feels it, a force drawing him upwards towards the light. It lifts his arms first, then his legs, his head leaves the ground and he begins to reach out, belly still touching the forest floor, clawing at the ground in a desperate attempt to find something to grab onto.

Twigs and leaves crunch beneath his hands, his futile attempt to clutch onto something failing as his heavy middle is lifted several inches off the ground. He puts his arms and legs beneath him and then - on all fours - scrambles out of the beam of light. It seems to take a moment for the light to find him again, he watches as it zig-zags around the ground, before finally locking onto him several feet away. 

He hasn’t been able to get very far and he’s panting, winded at the physical effort, when the force begins to draw him up again. This time he does cry out, he screams for his partner only for the sound of his voice to be sucked above him, like screaming into the raging wind. He is lifted fully off the ground now, several feet up, and he’s still shouting and pawing wildly at the air.

He hears a metalling ‘clunk’ sound and hears several items drop onto the ground beneath him. Before he can wonder what they are he sees them float past his face, more rivets like the one in his pocket. The light dims for a moment as the force lessens slightly, dropping him halfway back to the ground. When it resumes its upward pull on him it appears to struggle, moving even slower than before. He hears several more clunking noises and then the light goes out completely, the invisible force dropping him back down to the ground.

He lets out another groan as he hits the hard ground once again but this time he doesn’t waste any time, jumping to his feet as quickly as possible and heaving himself forwards. He bursts back into the clearing - now completely dark - and two flashlights point at his red, damp face.

“York, what the hell?” he hears his partner’s voice from behind one of the flashlights.

He heads towards the voice as she moves the flashlight along his body, most likely seeing the evidence of his time scrambling in the dirt and his mad dash through the dark woods. He feels the bones in one of his feet throbbing and knows there are scratches all over his face from branches he ran into during his escape.

“I-, there-, it-, they-”, with each word he manages to get out he stops to take three gulping breaths.

“York, relax, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack, big guy,” she says, as the ranger offers him a canteen of water, which he gladly accepts and begins to swallow down.

“I- I saw them,” Dave finally sputters, the canteen rattling in his trembling hands.

“Who?” she asks, brows knitted together.

“Them,” Dave whispers, eyes wide as he looks upwards at the sky.

“Very funny, York, ha ha,” she says, dripping with sarcasm.

“No, I-”

“I know this isn’t your thing but don’t worry, there’s two other agents who just showed up and they’re gonna take this case off our hands.”

“What? Who?” he says, eyes scanning the treeline in the dark - for people or creatures unknown.

“I dunno, some hot guy and a pretty little redhead. Let’s get back to the car, we can stop at Dairy Queen on the way back to the hotel and get you another milkshake.”

[thisonegirl]

Questions And Questions

pairing : geto suguru x reader rating : sfw warnings : mentioned of murder ; swearing ; angst wc : 1.3k (edited)

Science says that 70% of the human body is composed of water. That means we are mostly water. As you sat on your window sill with yet another drenched piece of tissue, you wondered how many more tears would you have to let out before it all dried up.

It had been days since you spent a full 24-hour period with dry eyes and you still couldn’t see an end to it. Your eyes were sunken and cheeks hallowed. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had eaten, but if your now ill-fitting clothing were something to go by, then you’d say a while.

When Yaga told you about what Geto had done, you could barely believe your ears. The string of words formed a sentence that made no sense and you struggled to reconcile its meaning. You hoped, prayed even, that it was just a misunderstanding or a mistake, but your prayers went unanswered and your hopes shattered as the reality of his very real actions sunk in.

Suguru massacred the village he had been sent to.

To think that such a heinous act was not only perpetrated by the most kind-hearted person you knew, but it was just the beginning of a series of horrific acts he’d committed was simply put, unthinkable.

You racked through your brain for answers you knew only he could give you. You thought about every encounter you had with him up until that point. Every conversation, everything meeting. He was often tired from his missions but then so were you. You couldn’t seem to find a plausible reason for him to do such a thing. Had he been planning this all along? No, he’d never. But he did.

As a friend, you had blamed yourself for not being a better companion but as a lover, you were furious that he hadn’t trusted you enough to talk to you before bursting out so violently. 

What hatred had he been letting fester within him? 

Why didn’t he talk to me?

Why do this?

Why leave us like this?

Questions, questions and more questions spiraled in your mind as you tried, futilely, to make sense of what your boyfriend had done. 

All this… and he disappeared without a single word. No apology, no excuse. Nothing but bitter and cold silence.

When Gojo told you he and Shoko had met up with Geto one last time before he disappeared, you felt anger more than anything. Why not me? Did he not love me enough to see me worthy of even a fucking note?

These thoughts, these questions. They were the ones that brought and spilled the tears from your eyes and they were the ones that plagued you at every waking hour.

Drying your face you decided you needed a walk. Hopefully a stroll in the empty park nearby would calm your mind a bit. You needed it as you felt a killer headache coming.

You slipped on your trainers and one of Geto’s hoodies before leaving for your walk. It was dark and a bit chilly but you welcomed it. Not a single soul around given the hour so you had nothing but peace and quiet.

After walking for a few minutes you decided to take a seat on a bench to rest a bit. Just then you heard leaves ruffling but thought nothing of it until the sound of ruffling turned into footsteps.

You knew who it was. Your heart tightened in your chest as you heard him get closer and closer until he sat beside you. You brought your knees up to your face, hugging your legs firmly against your chest.

You refused to even look at him, not knowing if your brain would be able to reconcile his monstrous behavior with his angelic face. The smell of his cologne filled your nostrils and the tears pooled in your eyes again. So much for a break from crying.

You both sat in silence. Your head still turned away from him, hidden in your knees as the silent flow of tears turned into sobs you could no longer keep in.

You felt his hand lay upon your head and his body lean closer to yours. You tensed up. He must’ve felt it as he then retreated. It took damn near all of your strength to keep from begging him to not go. To touch you, hold you, kiss you. 

“Why?” You sobbed, still not facing him.

“It’s complicated,” he responded, “you wouldn’t understand.”

His stoic tone was unnerving. So cruel and sinister. So unlike the Geto who would whisper sweet nothings in your ear at odd hours of the night.

“Was everything they said true?”

“Yes.”

You had known that it was but hearing if from him was like a knife to the gut with a twist for good measure.

“Why didn’t you come to me like you did the others?”

“I-I couldn’t face you yet,” he admitted, “I believe in the righteousness of my actions but I knew you wouldn’t and I couldn’t face that.”

“And now you can?” You asked incredulously.

“No but I needed to see you.” At his confession you mustered the courage to turn to look at him. You wish you hadn’t. His eyes were bloodshot, but his face was still the same piece of art you had fallen in love with. 

“Why, Geto?”

His hand rested upon your cheek with his thumb sweeping away a falling tear from beneath your eye.

“I had to,” he whispered, leaning forward to rest his forehead against your own, “I have to. And when I’m done this world will be one worthy of your presence.”

You shut your eyes, unable to look at him anymore. A sob ripped through your chest as you felt his nose rub against yours. His lips were a whisper away and it took everything in you not to close the distance. Something he had no problem doing, and in that moment, all of your strength having been used up completely, you savored what would be the last time your lips would ever touch.

“I’m sorry it had to be like this,” he whispered against your lips. You didn’t have the strength any longer to fight against him so you didn’t even attempt to break away from his hold. Not wanting to let him go you leaned further into him, deepening your kiss. Passion and aggression take hold of it and you kiss him with an ever growing sense of desperation. 

Your hands take a hold of his face as though to trap him there with you. You knew you had to let him go eventually but that wasn’t a bridge you were ready to cross.

“I love you more than anything in this world,” he pulled away and confessed breathlessly.

“Then stay,” you whimpered, “stay with me. Stop this and stay here.”

“I can’t, baby,” he kissed your forehead, “one day you’ll understand why.”

His hands left your body but his scent and heat remained. You hid your face into your knees once more to not watch him walk away from you again. 

The pain was tenfold. It was a dagger to the heart, maybe worse. Your sobs grew louder and louder as though the pain in your throat would somehow dull the one in your heart. 

You don’t know how long you had been there crying your soul out when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your trembling frame. You knew it wasn’t him but you still welcomed the strong figure as a source of comfort.

“Hey,” Gojo whispered to you, “hey, what happened? How did you end up here?”  he asked worriedly.

“It hurts…” was all you could get out in the midst of your wailing.

He sighed pulling you closer to his chest. You didn’t need to explain yourself because he knew exactly what you meant.

“I know it does. But you'll be okay.”

When though?

[thearchercore]

i mean i was mad as hell and then i had the time to check your blog and suddenly i was calmer cause you said everything that is needed~

our boy did a brilliant job with a fucking broken car, that's what matters. let the others be happy with editing their symbolic tweets to real ones (psycho) and creating some nonexistent problems for their car hehehe

yeah! im always full of emotions whenever a race ends but it's always good to take a step back and look at the situation and honestly, charles did the best he could and hopefully the team will learn from their mistakes -- we'll be back in jeddah (a street track charles is historically better at) so we may get better result!

it's only one race. for all we know we could pull a reverse 2022 (brilliant start, worse ending). we still have many races ahead and charles' pace (WITH A BROKEN CAR) was very encouraging. he was ahead of carlos and george near the end.

so let's not lose it! remember last year charles DNFed so we're getting better! lol

[ambyandony]

Giorno Giovanna - Monster AU Profile

(hopefully screen-reader-friendly edition with detailed image descriptions)

Giorno Giovanna, part vampire, part... human..? and part... something else.

guest appearance from limbo because she's the only lycanthrope who was applicable to use

Preface about species type:

In the Monster AU, 'standard' vampires are a little more like traditional European folklore / pop-culture vampires. While some JoJo vampire rules still apply, so do many traditional vampire rules. Being only part-vampire also changes the rules somewhat. Usually to his benefit, making his vampirism-related weaknesses less potent against him. And there’s something else about him… he doesn’t seem to be a full 50% vampire and 50%…human.

His other behaviours seem consistent with a somewhat rare, rather misrepresented species… The Gentry.

Details related to Part-Vampirism:

Sunlight will not burn Giorno. It may slightly irritate his skin and eyes and will diminish a majority of his vampiric abilities when he is directly in it for too long, but it will not burn him.

He has little to no reaction to garlic. He’s just not that into it. This isn’t to say garlic necessarily has 0 effect on vampires (it’s mostly just an extreme irritant and deterrent, really), but it’s only about half as effective on him, and he’s lived in Italy since age four so he’s built up a tolerance.

Heightened sense of perception, especially in the presence of blood. In the presence of fresh blood, he becomes hyperaware.

Craves blood but probably can survive just fine without consuming it (he just won’t).

Automatic boost to charisma. Everybody agrees vampirism does this

Excellent regeneration ability. Stop cutting off your arms.

Has to stop to count spilt rice.

Can be around and make some contact with holy objects, but prolonged contact with them will cause him harm. He can be inside a church, but he tends to be inflicted with great discomfort or sometimes pain simply from stepping inside one.

Can be seen in mirrors! But only in some mirrors so he has to be careful. If it’s silver-backed, he can’t be seen. Silver-backed mirrors are less common nowadays (and by nowadays I mean also in 2001) but they’re still around so he has to be careful about mirrors in public places lest he out himself as a vampire.

Often has to be invited into a house. Or… perhaps just prefers to be?

Popular to contrary belief, he does have blood. His own blood usually doesn’t make him hyperaware though, as drinking his own blood would be completely pointless.

Details related to Faehood:

Seems very intent on people giving him their Names…

Occasionally steals your gender

Takes promises very seriously… and never breaks one. If he appears to do so, that’s on you. That’s something you did. You know who you are.

Sometimes looks a little… different. In a way you can’t quite place…

Seems to have an iron allergy. Which may be part of the reason he doesn’t presently drink blood despite his craving for it.

Details about Giorno:

Smug, pretentious, and a little bitch.

Snakey with wording and finds amusement when others are loose with theirs.

Is generally just proudly unfazed in most situations. He knows he’s powerful and thinks he’s invincible, in a perhaps rather childlike way.

Acts ominous, vague and mysterious but do keep in mind he is a 15 year old and a idiot

Very interested in Fugo because of the sheer audacity.

( sort of like "I like this one!"/"I would love to study you.")

When Giorno first met Fugo he was like “May I have your name? :)” and Fugo was like “no you cant have my fucking name you fucking dipshit” and Giorno was so taken aback by the sheer audacity that he just didn’t do anything about it and got attached to him

* and post part he keeps pestering Fugo like “can I have it now” “can I have your name now”

He likes messing with people. Especially Mista because he knows he can get away with it.

Doesn’t need blood but refuses to go without consuming (or complaining about not getting to) because he’s a little bitch.

Can theoretically fuck up technology by his mere presence if he’s not careful enough.

Holds people to their promises, even if they didn’t know they made one.

Good at charming people. Good at tricking people. Likes doing both.

shut up shut up shut up please shut the fuck up

Overdramatic and makes it everyone else’s problem. Occasionally sparkles, not because he’s a vampire, but because he’s a silly dramatic loser. Shimmers in the moonlight but it’s not clear if that’s possibly involuntary.

gender

[brineoffire]

Uuuuuuh hi, hi howdy! I've been super possessed by the need to see more male centered fics with the poly!141 soooo here's a bit. I honestly haven't played the games, but I've been looking into the lore because I'm so hyper fixed on the 141 rn. Bare with me, I haven't posted fics here before and definitely never written army anything. Please please please lemme know if you like it even a lil and I'll type up some more.

Fic notes!

So I saw someone talking about a reader who's in it for the money and I liked that idea- tweaked it a little but the basic jist? Mc loves vidio games so much they went to school for it, can't pay, joins the military to pay it all off. I'm writing this chapter ambiguous on gender so far, but I'm writing with a trans!masc reader here because fuck. I can't find much so better make it myself.

-Edit I forgot to put the title here rip

The Right Price

You can't help but stop to think about how you needed to stop biting off more then you can chew. It's been a few months since your recruiter told you all about the joys, wonder, and honor that comes with serving. You where in the second she told you about the pay. Too many student loans, too much microwave ramen, the list went on, but fuck it yeah? You where the one that said that in the first place when you signed up for your courses. The basics, programming, coding, digital design a bit of physiology because of personal interest. You where over the top when it came to studies. Didn't bother you none when you couldn't have a social life. If you weren't busy studying you where quite literally inhaling any game you could get your hands on. But now when you had to fork over the bill money? You started singing another tune.

So here you are. On the training grounds with the rest of the folks recruited at the same time as you.Your sargent was barking out orders for you all to start your runs one by one, but some smart ass was holding up the line. You actually agreed with half the shit he barked back at the your troop leader, but damn it, you didn't want the consequences.

"That's it! You wanna run your mouth? You can all run double to catch up with Marco's mouth! Now!" He yelled white fisted. The remaining lot of your groan and grumble, starting the run together now at double time to hopefully finish before lunch call. Seven miles was what you had all gotten used to. Seven miles of uneven terrain, hurdles and dives, inclines and ramps now lengthened to fourteen.

"Oh fuck off Marco!" One of the recruit remarks, smacking said recuit behind the head before taking off on a spint. Several others join in on mocking the guy before bolting trying to get it over with. You shake your head as you catch up to him and clap him on the shoulder.

"They'll chill out later man just gotta grit and bare it more y'know?" Marco yanks was shoulder away from you, giving you a nasty glare before taking off too. You raise your brow at that, curious to what set him off before shrugging, taking the course at your normal pace with a hand full of the others. Better late then fatiged. The little spat dosn't bother you anyway. You'll all be split into your first teams in less then a week. You doubt he'd even be grouped with you anyways.

Oh how wrong you where. How very. Very. Wrong. It was actually laughable at this point, because you where either grouped together because your Sargent knew you got under Marco's skin for some reason or because fate wanted to see the drama unfold. You took that as a personal challenge either way. Snapping back snarky retorts anytime Marco decided to fuck around, until one day he had you cornered with a handful of others, in your face yelling about how "your kind" didn't belong in the military let alone the states. You let him finish his rant. Something, something, something, God damned, something, something, blight all the good christians, something, something, belong in the kitchen like a proper bitch.

Oh. Okay. There it was. You laugh in your head. No. Outloud. You flip the positions, getting uncomfortably close to the fuckers so they back off some and spout of some tibits you learned in your phycology classes about the brain being easy to manipulate. Quiet anger radiating from your low tone, keeping it quiet to force them to listen harder. You throw in some extra bs about how you could probably "turn" the lot of them given enough time. That them speaking more shit would be an agreement for him to test his theory. They back off after that, but report you all at once for "harassment". There being no evidence for anything you're transfered to one of the other split groups. Half made up of people you didn't enlist with. Mabey this crop would yeild better results yeah?

Nah. You jinxed it. You know you did. Oh well. This time it's just one guy though. And all it takes is a bit of reverse phycology to have the guy questioning his own damn identity so bad he's sent to the on duty therapist. You're transfered out this time by a different woman. Laswell. She heard out your full story of your transfers and unlike your last transfer she gave you a garentee that she'd make sure to find a good fit for you. You shrug and thank her. No matter what you had to tough it out anyways, you needed that pay check after all. Had no where else to go.

It goes sour when you head with her to a base near Wales. You where supposed to go talk to her about setting up here overseas for a while. Something about spreading out more newbies anyways. You really don't understand half of it so you just agree and you're off to training on this base. As long as you're here you're expected to keep up with basics and the routine set by the Sargents and that's fine by you, whatever to pass the time at this point. They run a drill with half the team ment to run a faux attack on half the base and the rest made to counter. You're getting prepared to counter the fake attack when alarm bells are ringing. That's definitely a little over the top. Usually they just yell over the loudspeakers and... You kinda blink a few times before you realize your group of rookies is being pressed to the armory. It's not a fucking drill at this point. This is NOT what you came here for but, oh fuck here you go! You've played too many games for sure. Mabey it's time to cut back. Because you're immediately focused. Immediately setting up the scene in your head to get you in a headspace where it's all a game. It helps you focus and damn you really need help with that right now.

There's active rounds being fired a ways away from the base as you all are suited with gear and munitions. You've trained for this but damn if you ever thought you'd ACTUALLY use any of that shit. You always imagined it was for show, like how you never use any of the fucking math they taught you anywhere.

You're moving on a sort of autopilot, moving out to a defensive manuver outside, staying under cover like you're told until your unit arrives halfway out, between the fighting and the base. It's impossible to see much past a thick smoke blanketing half the scene but you all move out, groups of three fanning out for any injuries and more importantly, any hostiles. You and your group are about to get to your second vantage point when you catch something they don't, you call out a group of several hostiles over what looks like a member of the base before realizing there's radio static.

Fuck it. Risking your life might score you some bonus merit, some extra cash somewhere along the line, you don't know. You're just trying to rationalize why the hell you bolt for the man, keeping low, keeping quiet until your almost upon them all. You get close enough to make out the British insignia on the man's arm. You've definitely seen him on the base before, and now here he is, no weapon in sight, surrounded by four hostiles. You slow your approach and aim carefully, making sure to get the kill shot on one of them, the spray of bullets catching another in the arm gives you enough time to aim for one of the other ones. You've definitely played too many vidio games but you're damn sure that's what kept you from being shot on your first unofficial day of active duty. You roll. Fucking barrel roll on the ground, with enough force to get you away from the spray of bullets from the last uninjured hostile as you stop yourself and make the shot on him. Dumb luck is what you chalk it up to as the fourth guy falls, letting you finish off the second man as he scrambles to retrieve his weapon.

"Up! Up! UP!" You yell to the man on the ground. You don't notice the look of utter confusion from the guy as you rush to help him to his feet. You've gotta get him back to base or at least the rest of the team and out of harms way. So you sprint as fast as you can as soon as the man's up, keeping to your side as you keep an eye out for anyone else hostile or otherwise. You try your radio again, but nothing you backtrack enough to find the spot you last saw your little team and find them under fire, one covering a wound on the others arm, panicking. You're quick to take over, playing out the scene in the same mind set you started out with. Mission in mind. Quest line to follow. You snap the other guy out of it enough to instruct him on how to stop the bleeding properly and grab the injured mans weapon from him, shoving it into the man's hands and directing him to cover you. Again, your oblivious to the look of pure confusion from the man and your uninjured teammate as you work to bandage up your fellow recruit.

You all make it out in one peice, the base being cleared of the small force that attempted to overtake the base. What you don't learn, and no one bothers to tell you. Is that the man you "saved", Captain John Price, has been talking with Laswell. Not so much talking with her as TO her. Your in it for money? Perfect you'd definitely agree to join the 141 with the pay difference.

"John you can't fucking do that. This kid is green. Way too fucking green! They weren't even supposed to be pulled into active duty! They should have been benched with the newer recuits, not out with their seniors!"

Price laughs and shakes his head. "No. This one's got potential and I wana see how far it'll take em." He was impressed by how some rookie was able to show enough guts to help him when the odds looked bad. He had everything under control, but damn if your actions weren't something interesting. Rolling out of line of fire and still keeping a steady aim? That's quite the task, he boasts for you. Hell, you didn't even think twice about Price's rank or authority, your focused was on recovery and living while taking out the hostiles. As much as Laswell regrets to say there's not much reason to deny Price. His eye for talent really was spot on. What could go wrong in all actuality? She trusted Price, and hasn't let her down yet.

"Fine. But I'm keeping a close eye on this set up."

Price grins as he looks down at your small folder, thanking her and flipping through the pages again. Tomorrow you'd be flying out with him to your new base. Joining the 141 as a tech specialist.

[soulmate-game]

Work burned me out, middle management positions are draining. What was supposed to be an angsty oneshot is now… yeah I’m continuing it. Not a full series, just a two-parter… hopefully.

Edit: I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THIS CLUSTERFUCK OF AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER IS, but BUCKLE IN BECAUSE IT PROBABLY DOESN’T PASS SAFETY REGULATIONS! HOOOOO BOY

Part 1

—*—*—*—*—*

“…” she stared at the being in front of her, face frighteningly blank. Next to her, Bruce fidgeted.

“I’m not going anywhere, so you either gotta learn to love me real quick or get lost quicker,” the child snarked from where he was sitting upside-down on the bat computer chair. “And don’t call me Richard, my name’s Dick.”

“I don’t remember you working with a fetus, Batman,” Marinette slowly drawled, emphasizing the vigilante’s name despite none of the three of them being suited up. Dick shot up with a cry of indignation.

“I am not a fetus! I’m fifteen! I’ve been Robin since I was twelve!”

“Nope,” Marinette countered, unmoved. “I started out as Ladybug when I was twelve, and I was never as small as you,” she blatantly lied. Dick was already taller than her, which wasn’t much of an achievement considering that she was five-foot-one-inch tall. “You are six years old, tops.”

Dick let out an almost inhuman screech of complaint. Even as he rambled on angrily about how wrong she was, Marinette only nodded as if he proved her right about something.

“That was a good squawk though. Definitely a birdie.”

It took another twenty minutes before Dick ran off to tell on Marinette to Alfred, giving her and Bruce some alone time. With which she used to whirl to him and immediately hiss in equal parts fury and worry;

“Please tell me he wasn’t—“

“The timeline is gone,” Bruce reminded her, bracing her by putting both his hands on her shoulders. “He doesn’t remember.”

“Still!”

He let out such a heavy sigh that he seemed to deflate with it, his dark circles growing more pronounced.

“He wasn’t supposed to be,” he admitted softly. “When he turned sixteen, last time, I allowed him to form his own team of teen heroes. Supervised from afar by myself of course, not that they knew that. I had given them the order to stay back and guard their city, but they disobeyed me and snuck onto the battlefield anyway.”

Marinette rubbed at her temples, nodding. “Teenagers have a habit of doing that. This time around, can we ask Bunnyx to supervise them? She has all the energy of a teenager, so she’ll fit in, but the maturity of someone trusted to guard all the timelines.”

Bruce paused, thinking of what little he knew of the pastel rabbit themed hero, and then reluctantly nodded. “That… might be for the best. And giving them more opportunities to train with…” he hummed, hand on his chin. “I might actually change things up, in that case. Instead of jumping to put teens on their own in a tower, the old Justice League headquarters is more protected. And if we started with the ‘sidekicks’,” he gave very purposeful air quotes, “of other Leaguers, it would create a better support system than letting teenagers run around with… really, not enough regulation.”

“Gotta love hindsight,” Marinette agreed with a nod. “The whole teenagers by themselves thing only worked for my team because we were overly traumatized and each saw different apocalypses before we turned sixteen. Bunnyx could fix them herself back then, but still.”

“Best to do better by the new generation,” Bruce agreed with her unspoken statement. “I can still put that old team together again when they’re older, support their development elsewhere in the meantime.”

“Oh, and now that we’re done on that topic,” Marinette snapped her fingers before pointing to the staircase that Dick had disappeared up. “He’s going to make my life a living hell, isn’t he?”

Bruce groaned, offering her a lopsided grimace of apology. “He’s a menace,” he agreed. “He’s scared away any woman I’ve brought to the house, even though most of them are completely platonic. I have to make the press believe the whole playboy thing somehow, and inviting my friends over to chat is the easiest way to do so without breaking hearts for real. Dick hasn’t caught on yet,” Bruce rubbed his forehead. “His antics to scare away Selina Kyle are legendary already, and she’s sapphic. She couldn’t be attracted to me if I was the last man on earth.”

“Could have fooled me,” Marinette teased, suddenly impish. “She’s catwoman, isn’t she?”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, saying only: “Chat Noir. Year one.”

It was Marinette’s turn to grimace. “Point taken. But in my defense, he took way too long to realize he’s gay and watched too much anime at the time.”

Bruce let out one of his unfairly charming chuckles, changing position so that his arm was around her shoulders and pulling her to his side. She fit there surprisingly well, for someone almost half his size. She leaned into him, and the both just soaked in the comfort of one another for a long moment.

“You know,” Bruce started for a while. “If you want to stay in Gotham, we can make you another alter ego so that you don’t accidentally lure Shadow Moth here. Tell that fox of yours to make it seem like you’re in Paris and take some of the weight off of your shoulders for a change. Blackmail Constantine into charming some jars to keep the butterflies in until you can purify them.”

“Hmmm.” She closed her eyes. “Ladybird sounds nice. Fits with the bird thing that Robin has going for him.”

Bruce laughed. “That’ll really annoy him,” he warned, amused. Marinette’s close-eyed smile was pure mischief.

“That’s the whole point. I’m not letting a fetus win against me, bat-boy.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette wasn’t speaking to Bunnyx. Bruce didn’t know what they had said to one another, but he could guess it had to do with Jason.

With his baby, who he just buried. The boy Marinette had thought of a son ever since he first brought him home. She had even smoothed things over between Dick and Jason, which he had considered nothing short of a miracle at the time.

But that miracle was nowhere to be seen now, with Marinette every bit as despondent next to him as he was. He wanted to be angry with her, he did, but he couldn’t. He had seen her blow up at Bunnyx, seen her try to hold her status as Grand Guardian over the bunny holder.

Bunnyx had simply said that she wouldn’t answer to Ladybug until after the grief passed then, and ran away into her burrow.

“Is this the payment?” He heard her whisper, her voice hoarse and broken. “For the do-over? We passed the old timeline. We took down Shadow Moth. Is this the price?” Tears dripped down her face silently, she didn’t seem to notice them. “Was I not a good enough mother? Should I—“ she stopped herself, shaking her head. He didn’t ask what she was about to say. Maybe he should have.

—*—*—*—*—*

Tim was great. He was too much like Marinette at times, which made Bruce’s chest ache, but he was a great Robin. A great son. His experience with Marinette proved priceless when it came to helping curb Tim’s overworking habits and caffeine addiction.

But not even Tim could find where Marinette had disappeared to, even with his detective skills surpassing Bruce’s already.

Tim was the first son of his that didn’t get to grow up with Marinette at all.

—*—*—*—*—*

“It’s fine, Baobei,” she whispered, stepping to the side. Behind her was the waterfall that hid the tunnel to the Batcave. “He’s not the one to blame. He did his best, even now he’s doing his best.”

“Then why does—“

“Because other people need him, and he has too big of a heart to turn them away,” her mouth tilted a little, smile lopsided and sad. “Timothy didn’t replace you. He just forced Bruce to live again. Bruce didn’t kill Joker, because he didn’t want to taint another child with the sight of murder.”

“And you?” The voice was dark, deadly, gruff. Older, and yet… so achingly familiar. She smiled at him again, soft and sad and… proud.

“I don’t have one,” she lied. She had tried, tried so hard. Bruce had gotten in her way first, and then the very same desire to not taint more children with the image of death.

But her baby needed a scapegoat, and she was willing to throw herself on the fire for him.

“That’s why it’s fine,” she repeated. “If this is what you want. Just, please. Let it end with me.”

This time, Marinette made sure she had the Time miraculous safely in her pocket. Nobody would interfere with this.

The bullet sent her into the flow of the waterfall, red flowing behind her like the carpet she used to walk down with Bruce whenever she released a new collection. She felt no regret as she closed her eyes and fell.

—*—*—*—*—*

The shot hadn’t been fatal. Red Hood might have been mad with Pit Rage, but his fondness for his only true mother figure was ever present. He simply wanted to see if she was serious about taking that shot.

His regret was immediate when she didn’t even try to dodge. The bullet had only grazed her shoulder, but she didn’t seem to notice that. She had been so ready to die— to let him kill her— that she had passed out before hitting the water. He dragged her to the Batcave, knowing he had a lot to answer for.

Bruce wished he could have found her sooner, found both of them sooner. But at least they were back.

—*—*—*—*—*

“… I mean,” she rocked on her heels. “You are growing a bit old for Robin…”

Tim glared at her, not appreciating the insight.

“Bruce is stuck in the timestream, and you aren’t doing a thing about it. I don’t hold your opinion very highly right now,” he snipped back. She snorted, glancing away.

As if that little stunt to “kill Batman” could ever fool her. She’d been there for the real thing, thanks, she could spot a fake a mile away. “He’s got Bunnyx going to find him. She owes me big time, let her do the heavy lifting for a change.”

“How many years have you held that grudge?” Barbara asked, eyebrows raised as she wheeled herself towards the bat computer. “Even Jason thinks you should have let it go by now.”

Marinette scoffed at the exact same time as a certain someone tutted next to her, making them look for a moment like a perfect pair.

Crossed arms, a scoff, annoyed glare? If a DNA test hadn’t already proven otherwise, they might have thought Damian was hers.

“Fetuses don’t get to judge me,” was her only argument before she turned on her heel and walked away.

“I am not a fetus! Lady Marinette, I am ten years old!”

—*—*—*—*—*

Bonus:

Jason was curled up around Marinette, despite being told numerous times not to crowd her on the med-bay bed. He argued that he shot her, so he gets to nurse her back to health.

Did she use her blood, tainted by years of use of the Ladybug, to purify his pit madness? Yes. Had he figured that out yet? Nope.

“Love you, Mom,” he murmured in his sleep. Marinette, who had been awake for about an hour already, smiled to herself.

“Love you, Baobei.”

[jamiesfootball]

Whumptober Easy Mode Edition

Day 2: Trust Issues

Going into Whumptober, I knew I wouldn't be able to fill every day's prompt. However, my discord group is doing daily discussions on each day's prompts, so my goal for the month is to at least play with the ideas and then share a little ditty about them on tumblr. If they get written in the future, great! If not, we can at least all have fun playing in the sandbox together

And then today's idea snowballed and it's actually longer than some of the fics I've posted - it's just gonna be like that sometimes. I talk a lot on discord.

So for today I have in mind an AU of the story I posted for day 1:

What if Ted had tried to reach out to Jamie after he was sent back to Manchester? What if he succeeded?

The general idea is that once Jamie leaves, Ted does keep attempting to reach out to him – at first with well-meant voicemails that Jamie reads the worst into, but then via annoyingly chipper text messages.

The problem is that the nicer Ted is, the more Jamie thinks he’s rubbing his face in it.

“Caught your game last night! I know you weren’t on the field much, but boy you made an impression on those spurs. Way to go, bud!”

To which Jamie hears Ted delighting in his severely reduced minutes, sarcastically mocking him for drawing a foul in the last ten minutes. Disguising mind games behind a facade of kindness.

He already got suckered in by that once. Look where letting people in got him. 

He has no way of knowing that Ted actually cares (except Ted insisting he does, of course). More than that, he has no idea that Ted feels guilty for him getting sent off like that without warning (Jamie doesn’t know what’s going on behind the scenes at Richmond, and Ted is taking full responsibility for the fact that Rebecca ‘misunderstood’ whether Ted wanted to keep Jamie.)

But if Ted thinks that his insistent ‘Good luck out there today!’s are going to somehow get into Jamie’s head, or even trick Jamie into giving up details about City, then he’s sorely mistaken.

In fact, Jamie’s going to take this opportunity to tell Ted exactly what he thinks of him.

So they fall into a pattern:

Ted watches all of Jamie’s matches, even the ones where he doesn’t play. He sends encouragement and cute gifs that make Jamie’s eyes roll into the back of his head.

In return, Jamie watches all of Ted’s matches and interviews. He unleashes insults. He mocks Ted’s ability as a coach and the team’s inability to score a fucking goal without him, and he never misses a chance to point out that Roy Kent is a hairy old twat past his prime.

To his horror this only makes Ted start bringing up Jamie in his interviews, talking about how impressed he is with Jamie’s performance and how he does know one thing that Pep doesn’t seem to know: that that kid’s gonna be a star one day.

(Ted doesn’t think for a second how the fuck that’s going to land for Jamie when he goes back into the dressing room. Fucking hell, Ted)

But then the thing about Manchester is that Jamie really didn’t know how good he had it at Richmond until suddenly he had to deal with his dad being around all the fucking time. And it’s absolutely eroding him, like roadkill getting dragged under the wheels of a car.

So one day he has a match where he gets to play the full ninety. Should be a good thing, right? He can finally show off, and hopefully it’ll help him shake off the weird funk he’s been in lately (trouble sleeping, trouble eating, jumpy as hell, and he can’t seem to focus on anything. Normal, but fuck it hasn't been this bad in a long time)

Instead what happens is he goes out and plays the worst 90 minutes of football he’s had all season. Possibly in his entire life.

He never stood a chance. With other players out on injury, it was a guarantee he’d play, and the opposing team came prepared for blood. 

Honestly, with the exception of one very bad moment, he wasn’t awful. Maybe 60-70% of what he’s been putting up all season. Not great, but he hasn’t had a full game with this team literally all season and his head is in a funky place and he’s stressed out.

But the match is a train wreck, and his dad lets him know it. He rips into Jamie like he’s nothing more than a wet newspaper left out overnight.

The cherry on the situation is when he gets home and checks his phone, he finds that Lasso didn’t even bother to send one of his condescending messages about how ‘great’ he played. That’s how bad he played – even lasso feels guilty taking the piss out of him.

Later that night when he’s licking his wounds and rewatching match coverage on Sky sports for the upteenth time, Jamie decides that no, actually, that’s not fucking fair. If Ted’s going to jerk him around then he needs to commit, he’s not allowed to go radio silent just because he feels bad for Jamie or he pities him or something.

He sends an absolutely scathing text message in this respect.

Meanwhile back in London, Ted also had a Bad Day. His marriage is officially dissolved, custody agreements inked and everything. He’s been antsy all day, and to make matters worse him and Beard had a– well, not a fight, exactly, but a cautioning. Beard knows that he’s been texting Jamie, trying to keep in touch with him, and he questions Ted as to whether he thinks that’s wise. He knows what sort of responses Ted gets out of Jamie, and while Ted brushes them off-

“He’s a bit feisty, but if you look past the bark, he’s not so bad. Hell if you edit out some of the profanity, he’s got some pretty good ideas for Richmond mixed in. Well, between taking pot shots at Roy, that is.”

– Beard thinks Ted is maybe letting himself be a bit of a punching bag out of misplaced guilt surrounding the circumstances of his leaving.

“Wow, you’re not mincing words today, huh?”

But between one thing and another, it all gets jumbled up Ted’s head. Later that night he has a conversation with Henry and it goes- fine. Forced. Feels like they’re just stuck in the same old pattern of Ted asking about school and then a few question about Michelle. Then it’s time for Henry’s day to start just as Ted’s is ending, and maybe he’ll pour himself a drink. Maybe he’s been drinking a bit more than he should be lately.

Mostly he feels like a scooped out person today. It’s not until he gets the text from Jamie that Ted realizes oh shoot, that’s right. Jamie had a match. He better get on that really quick.

Double-time, if the amount of acid of that text is any indication. The fact that Jamie reached out first at all is a concern in itself.

Despite what Beard accused him of (which does have some truth to it, if he’s being honest), Ted does, genuinely, enjoy talking to Jamie. He’s a sharp kid with his own point of view and a unique way of putting things together. Ted wouldn’t want to hurt Beard’s feelings by saying it, but Ted’s always learned better with a visual aid, and between watching Jamie’s matches and hearing Jamie talk unfiltered about Richmond’s performance, Ted thinks something’s finally starting to click for him when it comes to this silly little game they call football.

Or at least it’s clicked enough that when he watches the replay of Jamie’s match, his response is a very emphatic, “Oof.”

“Hey, bud. Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. It’s just been a long day. I just watched your match, and wooh-boy, I am sorry. I’m sure that wasn’t exactly how you were hoping your first full game back would go. You know, it’s still crazy to me that y'all actually give the credit of own goals to the player from the opposing team that did it? In hockey, we just give it to the teammate who’s the closest to the goal. Which now that I think of it, probably doesn’t make any sense either, but at least it feels more whimsical. A goal by association, you know, like just the power of somebody else’s presence being nearby was enough to turn the tide and make a difference.

“Look, I know you probably already heard all this tonight – that everyone has a bad day and one match isn’t the end of the world, even if it does feel like it at the time. But you know what, it doesn’t mean you aren’t talented. Sometimes a bad day is just a bad day; nothing for it but to sleep it off and try again next time. So chin up, alright? It’s not easy, trying to find your feet in a place where everyone else already knows what's going on, but anyone who knows you at all should know by now what you’re capable of. This was just a hiccup, nothing worth beating yourself up over. I believe in you, and I know you’ll get ‘em next time.

“Oh, and uh- sorry for the long, rambly voicemail. I know you don’t like those. I just…. I really want you to know that I hope you’re doing alright. And you can call me, too, if you ever need anything, anything at all. I’m just a phone call away.

“You have a good night now.”

Ted hangs up with a long sigh. Not his best work. Nothing he hasn’t said before, really, but he can admit to himself that his heart’s a little sore and that was probably more for himself than for Jamie.

Tomorrow, he promises, tomorrow when he's more clearheaded but no less tenderhearted, he’ll try again. Send Jamie all the usual encouragement and let the kid swat back at him.

Ted doesn’t know that approximately four hours north that Jamie’s listening to his message on repeat. That he’s biting his lower lip so hard that it’s reopened the split. That he’s trying to choke down a sob and losing. That if he presses his face any harder into the cushions, he’ll disappear.

No one told Jamie any of that. Ted’s the only one.

It was easier to brush off Ted when he couldn’t hear the sincerity in his voice. But he listens to the voicemail over and over again, until it’s burned into his brain, until it feels like a living thing in his chest scrambling to get out.

That’s when a niggling feeling of doubt starts to creep in and he starts to scroll back through their text history.

He rereads all the messages Ted has sent him the past few weeks. Caught between Jamie’s own barbwire responses are the “Good job, Jamie!”s and the, “Well done, champ!”s and the, “Well, I don’t know if that sort of feedback is necessarily gonna motivate Roy, but I´ll let him know you were thinking about him. We all really miss you, bud.”

Jamie starts to wonder what they would sound like if they were true. If they were sincere. If Ted really did mean them.

For some reason it’s that thought that finally makes the dam break.

The next two weeks pass in a blur. Ted’s not sure what changed, but after his voicemail something’s different. Usually Jamie thrills in letting Ted have the full force of his opinion, but lately the kid’s so clammed up it’s like digging for pearls. 

(From the way Beard gives him a so-so gesture when he shares his metaphor, Ted figures they’re still in not-agreement on the Jamie situation)

It’s disconcerting, this level of restraint. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear the kid had gone shy. Not too shy, though. He’s still more than willing to tell Ted exactly where Richmond’s strategy is going wrong, although with less colorful language. No, it's mostly his responses to Ted that have taken a muted turn. The last few congratulations Ted has sent, they haven’t gotten back more than a thumbs up in response – which is the opposite of Roy’s usual thumbs down approach. Now Ted has two players that are stubbornly sticking to pictographic communication methods.

(He may not be Jamie’s coach anymore, but in every way that matters Jamie is still his player in his heart)

Ted’s still turning around the puzzle that is Jamie Tartt when the universe decides to throw him a curveball in the form of a phone call from the Mancunian devil himself.

Ted’s halfway through a greeting when Jamie cuts him off with a panicked, “You said I could call you if I ever needed something. Did you mean it?”

There’s a sense of urgency in his voice that makes the hair on the back of Ted’s neck stand up. 

“I meant it from the bottom of my heart. What’s going on? Are you okay?”

In the long pause that follows, ambient noise filters in, a severe and orderly racket that starts filling in some blanks.

Jamie inhales sharply. He sounds wrecked. “I’m in hospital. I’ve, uh. I’ve got a concussion, and they won’t let me leave without…”

He trails off. A small sniff brushes down the line, but it could just as easily be a shirtsleeve sliding across the speaker.

Ted is four hours away down in Richmond. He was on his way to practice. Later this evening, he has one of those press conferences that’s a little too shaped like a firing squad for his comfort. At lunch, he has a meeting scheduled with the scouting department. He’s spent the better part of a week trying to figure out a way to say, “I get what you’re all suggestion, but what I really want is sitting up in Manchester, warming the bench on somebody else’s roster.”

He doesn’t know when he decided he’d fight to get Jamie back, but it wouldn’t change his answer even if he did.

“I‘ll be right there.”

[wonwoosthetic]

Amour-Haine & Co. | Chapter 18 |

series masterlist

word count – 15k

warnings – mentions of sex, mentions of sa (I tried to keep it brief and not mention it an unnecessary amount of time), cursing, screaming, law enforcement related things

a/n – I have nothing to say other than thank god this finally made its way onto tumblr😭 I’m still not 100% satisfied with it but I feel like if I edit it any more, it’s only gonna get worse😭😭 pls enjoy this, thank you for everything🫶🏼 BTW: this chapter includes A LOT of law enforcement and court terms and scenes, but since I am no expert in that field, please be prepared for inaccuracy! If any one you have more experience in either one of these subjects: please let me know!! If I can make it any more realistic, I’d love to do so!! Also: thank you to the anon who inspired me for the Jeonghan turn🫶🏼🥰 when I first outlined the story, this was definitely not planned but after seeing their request in my inbox a few months ago, I just knew I had to include it, so I hope you enjoy it🤍

fyi – not much lovey y/n x wonwoo in this chapter, but don’t you worry bc there will be more than enough in the next ones ˙ᵕ˙

“I’m proud of you.”

"Mmmm," Binna's enjoyable moan echoed through your ear as she took the first sip of her second cocktail that night - she had downed the first one within the first 10 minutes of sitting. "Long day at work, don't wanna talk about it," she commented on it as soon as she found your questioning, and slightly concerned, gaze on her.

You couldn't help but chuckle as you continued to sip on your first cocktail of the evening, your food still untouched next to you. By now the steam had already evaporated, and the ice in your drink had melted, watering down the burning taste of too much alcohol the trainee bartender had graciously given you. 

Your eyes were fixed on her and the lowering level of liquid in her glass as it went down and down with every sip, coming to a halt just right to make it half-full. "Are you sure, you're okay?" You questioned her carefully.

She hastily nodded, wiping her hands, now covered in salt from her fries, with a white napkin. "Yeah, yeah," she brushed you off before placing both of her palms on the surface of the table, slightly leaning forward with a smirk. "Now tell me, how's playboy-turned-loverboy doing?"

"Good. I think," you slyly answered, reaching out for a fry, which was interrupted by a harsh slap on the back of your hand, making you wince as you snatched it back. "OW!"

"Don't fucking say 'I think' as if you don't see him at work all the time and sleep over at his place every second day," Binna snapped at you. What you hadn't told her was that Wonwoo had also asked you to come over that evening, but you decided to cancel, remembering the date you and your best friend had already agreed on.

With wide eyes, you shrugged, "Yeah- well- I don't know. I think he's doing well." You knew the unknown was making her even more giddy, and only more questions would spill out of her.

"I think he's doing a little very well if he gets to sleep with you, don't you think?" She always had her way with compliments.

The liquid of your drink got stuck in your throat as you covered your mouth, giggling at her sudden comment. "Jesus, Binna," you shook your head as she joined your laughter. "I think he's doing well because this whole Chanyeol situation is finally coming to an end." You reminded the both of you of the hopefully last time you'd ever come face to face with the man of the hour. The day was coming closer, prayers were being said each night, quietly just hoping to make it stop.

Your best friend gave you a nod in understanding. "When are you seeing Jihoon again? Tomorrow, right?" You nodded. "Then we can finally stop talking about this piece of shit. He's been occupying your mind a little too much." Just like most of the time, she was yet again right about that. The following day would be the last consultation you'd have with Wonwoo's lawyer before your court date on Friday - Payday.

"Yeah, well," you sighed in frustration, leaning back in the wooden chair, "Can you blame me?"

"No, no, of course not," she quickly reassured you, patting your hand. "But at least you also got some other things to keep your mind occupied with." Wiggling her eyebrows to underline her question. Even without her antic, you would've known what she was implying.

"You mean Wonwoo?" You chuckled, to which she excitedly nodded, biting down on her lips to hide the grin that was daring to escape. "But even there's Chanyeol involved! Do you know how much we've talked about him?"

"Ugh," Binna faked a gag, "Can we just agree to not say his name out loud anymore? Let's just call him... Grapefruit." That woman and her codenames. Ever since she had started working as a teacher, this became a thing of hers to do with all of the men she shared a bed with. At first, it was only to be able to talk about them in front of the kids, since some of those stories may have included a single father or two of the kids in her class, but she had let it seep into her everyday life. Explaining why you'd now find yourself calling a thirty-something-year-old grown man "bookshelf", just because of the way his haircut looked from the side. Grapefruit would be added to the list.

"Grapefruit?"

"Yeah," she nodded, taking another sip, "I hate Grapefruits. Anyways-," she waved it off to change the subject. "What do you mean you talk about Cha- I mean, Grapefruit?"

"Well- like, about the entire situation. You know, some evenings we spent going through court stuff or looked through what he's been up to." Jihoon had mentioned to 'always know who you're going up against'. And Wonwoo and you took his advice to heart. There were multiple nights spent together in the office, sometimes along with Mingyu, or even at his place, going through the files the court had published to you about Exodus' Entertainment. You had stalked his Social Media presence and analyzed his public outings. The smiles he would fake, the words he would lie with. You knew this man inside out, having spent three years with him did come in handy. Even after all this time, he took up more time inside your brain than you would've liked to.

While continuing your story, you motioned around with your hands on the table. "It even all started with him. Sometimes... I mean, I don't always bring it up with Wonwoo, sometimes it's just in my mind. To myself. But... yeah..." Pressing your pointer to a random spot on the wood.

"Hold up-," Binna raised her hand to stop you, "He started it all? What is 'it'? You and Wonwoo?"

You already knew you'd regret your answer before it had even left your lips, but who else could you be the most honest with, if not your best friend since primary school. "Kinda..." 

"Alright, you're stupid." She simply stated, staring blankly right at you.

"No, wait-" You scolded her, but she just shrugged. 

"What? You're an idiot. Why would you think that? How could that asshole have anything to do with what's going on with you two now?" 

You sighed, shaking your head slightly, knowing you'd have to choose your words wisely "No, no, look. I mean," you sighed with an annoyed undertone, trying to get your eyes off her. "I know he doesn't have any effect on me anymore whatsoever, but you can't deny that because of what happened, Wonwoo and I got closer. The break-in started a whole chain reaction-"

"That's idiotic to think about-" Before she could finish, you cut her off.

"No, it's not. It's what made us talk more to each other. Why we started to actually interact and realise that we would have to work with each other and not against each other like we did before." The two of you knew, your words held some truth.

Binna violently shook her head, her bob moving along, "Maybe for you, but most definitely not for him."

You scrunched your eyebrows at the slightly slurred words from your best friend. "What do you mean?"

"He invited you to that event thing before all that shit went down. For God's sake, Y/N!" She shouted into the room, immediately making you jump up to cover her mouth from across the table. You sent her a wide-eyed glare, hoping to make her understand to shut her mouth. Binna nodded as she grasped your hand to pull it down, continuing her exclaim in a quieter volume. "He bought you a fucking dress! And not a cheap one!"

"I know that! But keep it quiet," you snapped at her, sitting back down to continue nursing your drink which was now close to getting empty. God, you should've just ordered two at once, just like Binna did.

"You're not listening to what I'm saying-"

"You're not listening to what I'm saying. I don't think that nothing would've ever happened, but it did speed things up A LOT."

"I thought we went over this. Stop overthinking all of this. Be happy for yourself for once in your goddamn life! You've been fucked over by so many men in your life that don't even deserve to know about your existence. Your father included by the way," she pointed out, making you nod. "And now you found a man that would burn down the entire world for you, and you're still thinking about that shit-eating sorry excuse of a man from your past that doesn't even know how to do his own laundry?" The reminder made you almost chuckle, but the truth was too painful.

To think back on the fact that you once had your hands down his laundry basked and washing machine, because he didn't know how to make use of it, sent a shiver down your spine. "He did actually not know how to do that."

"That's what I'm saying," she sighed out desperately, throwing her head back with a groan. "All of them were such a waste of your time and patience and kindness. So... just enjoy what you have with Wonwoo now. So what if Grapefruit sped up things for you two? If anything, that's a good thing."

"I... I know what you mean. And... I... UGH-" You groaned under your breath, covering your face with your hands before running your fingers through your hair, an exhausted huff of air leaving your lips. If you could, you would've already punched yourself. Just like Binna did after you had told her what happened in Wonwoo's apartment after your quick trip to the Monbebe - she left a bruise that didn't go away for four days and Wonwoo had quite a few questions about that.

"He's not the reason for anything but misery in your life, alright?" The casual use of the nickname made you chuckle. "Wonwoo would still be knees deep for you, he'd still be this big fucking simp, and you'd also still have a crush on him that you, even now, don't want to admit to."

You interfered after hearing her comment as she slyly continued eating some of the fries in the middle of the table. "Hey! That's not true." You huffed out, mumbling the last part of the sentence.

"Oh, it's not? Have you ever said, you know what, 'I like him'? Or 'I have a crush on him'? " Binna nagged, knowing eventually she'd get something out of you.

You decided to stay silent, desperately hoping she'd just drop the subject but both of you knew better than that. 

"Exactly." She pressed her lips and eyes tightly together, her fingers digging into her temples. "You don't know if you have a crush on the man you've been spending the past three weeks with? Non-stop." Binna opened her eyes again to meet yours. "You don't know if you have a crush on the man that has been sending you flowers and food every single day at work? You wanna tell me you don't have a crush on the only man that has been actually able to make you come for the first time in-" Her continuous ranting made you groan out loud.

"OKAY! I like him, alright?! Fine! You win! I like him." With a last deep breath, you stunned her. "There. I said it. I like him, Binna. I really do. I'm scared, yes, fuck it, I'm terrified even, but whatever is going on right now feels really good and I really don't want to fuck it up."

You had decided to let yourself give into him, slowly but surely. The final decision must've happened way earlier in your brain. After yet another hot and passionate session of yours, late at night, cuddling into his side as he subconsciously was still grazing his fingers over your skin while slowly giving into the sleepiness that had overcome him. 

You couldn't help it. The more you tried to fight it, the more Wonwoo was willing to fight. A fresh set of flowers on your desk every single week, pastries from the bakery Binna and you had recently found and started to love every morning by the front desk at the office, heck even the car keys you hadn't been able to get rid of yet. By now it had basically turned into a game of you trying to leave them in his apartment or office, only for you to find them inside your bag later that day again. It made you chuckle each time. He was a stubborn one, that Jeon Wonwoo. Whenever your own thoughts were starting to catch up with you, trying to remind you that he was indeed too good to be true, and every man would eventually turn out to be the same, the CEO made sure to be right there, keeping your mind clean and ensuring you of his not-always-so-inocennt, yet pure intentions with you. The few sleepless nights the two of you had been spending together were proof of just that.

With wide eyes and a smug smile on her lips, Binna leaned back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Well done. I'm proud of you."

Sulkingly, knowing she had finally gotten what she wanted, you crossed your arms. "Leave me alone."

The woman in front of you continued to gaze at you, her lips sealed as she took in your sunken-in frame. A sad smile was starting to form on her face. "You don't have to pretend to be all cold and cool about this. He's pretty cute. With all the stuff he does."

You wish you could've stopped the blush spreading on your cheeks, but it shined so proudly, lighting up your entire face as you bit down on your bottom lip.

"I know," you mumbled, taking a fry to fill your mouth with, trying to distract yourself from the situation and hoping your body would stop naturally reacting like that.

A second of silence passed between the two of you before Binna's chuckle interrupted it. She let her forearms rest on top of the table, leaning in to catch your gaze.

"I haven't seen you blush like that in years," she commented softly, reaching to pet the back of your hand. "You deserve this, Y/N. Enjoy it."

Slowly, you raised your head, still almost too shy to lock eyes with her directly. Your gaze quickly fell to your hands touching before chuckling, finding your own thoughts ridiculous, but as embarrassing as it may have seemed to you, you couldn't and didn't want to hold back.

"I really do like him."

Your best friend nodded, "I know," a proud smile decorating her face. Happiness had never looked and felt so good.

-

The plain white walls were starting to dawn on you. A waiting room so sterile, with two paintings being the only splash of colour in the entire corridor, would do that. Even after all the times you had spent sitting there, you were still not used to it and weren't planning on it any time soon. The hope of not having to return all that much ever again had not yet vanished.

A heavy sigh tumbled from your lips as you sulked even deeper into the grey-cushioned seats Jihoon had chosen for his law firm. The past twenty minutes had started to feel closer to an hour with the hollowness of the room. The only sound echoing through your ear was the rushed typing of his assistant around the corner, who hadn't stopped ever since you had arrived. Not even your phone could entertain you enough anymore, time was just moving too slowly.

Wonwoo, with whom you came, had just gotten off the phone with God-knows-who when he directed his attention to you. Amusement made his lips curl up as he put his phone into the inside pouch of his suit jacket before hiding his hands in his pockets.

"He likes to take his time." 

Your exclaim of a breath told him everything he needed to know. He took a quick peek at the still-closed door to the lawyer's office. A door you had been staring at for at least ten minutes.

You took a deep breath in desperation. "Yeah, a little too much time." Your comment made Mingyu, who was sitting opposite of you chuckle. You had to hold back any snarky remark, remembering that he was your last bit of hope and you were supposed to give him all the time he could possibly need. He was a busy man after all and you were most definitely not his only clients. 

Wonwoo's laugh rang through your ear as he got closer to your seated position. "Well, look who's suddenly the impatient one." His comment made you roll your eyes but made the slight smile playing on your lips almost impossible to hide. The past few weeks with him must've done something with you. 

Ever since that late-night event after your not-so-pleasant visit to the Monbebe, the dynamic between the two of you had changed. Drastically. It was less about built-up anger and frustration, not even about hidden tension anymore. Much rather was it now about appreciation, care, and gentleness and... even enjoyment. In all this mess, the two of you had found a way to enjoy each other's presence and forget about the daunting events that were still haunting you.

You two had spent more nights together since then. More than your old self would probably like to admit. But your new self?... She enjoyed it. Not only did those nights end in sex. No, some were just filled with late-night talking - some work-related, others not. He had started asking questions. Quite a few even. About you, and your childhood. Wonwoo had wanted to know what your favourite season was, what your favourite memory of your school time was, and which celebrity you'd bring back from the dead if you could - questions no other ex had ever even entertained to wonder about. Some questions you hadn't even ever asked yourself. And you answered him. You gave him an answer to every single one of his questions. In return, you had found out about his childhood best friends, about him being his grandmother's favourite grandchild, and about what he'd do if he could go back in time. You got to get to know Wonwoo. Not hot-playboy-CEO-bachelor Jeon Wonwoo, but the Jeon Wonwoo, who graduated top of his year at Seoultech University. Wonwoo, whose discovery of stage fright in middle school shattered his dreams of becoming an actor even before his father could drag him into the family business. Wonwoo, who would kill and die for his friends and family and who might look and act like the coldest asshole to walk the streets of the city, but could be deeply caring about the ones most important to him at the same time. You had almost forgotten about the person you had always thought he had been as you got to meet the real side of him. 

The side that called his mum at least once a week whenever she wasn't in town to keep up with the latest gossip she had to tell him. He'd roll his eyes while on the phone with her, sending you looks of apology while you continued to sip on the wine he had poured for you, chuckling at the sight in front of you as he walked around the apartment, nodding along to whatever his mother was ranting about. The side that would never forget your dinner reservations at 8, already thinking about what you'd be wearing and what flowers to get you to match your outfit while listening to yet another uneducated business partner and throwing him out of the room as soon as one wrong comment would fall from their lips. He cursed their existence and the entirety of the corporate world while promising to make his own office and company a place where employees would enjoy coming to work.

He'd sit in his office, checking his wrist every few minutes, counting down the time and catching glimpses at you talking to the other employees, desperately waiting for the work day to end, so he could be at home, doing the dishes he had left in the sink in the morning, still needing to change the bedsheets before you'd arrive with the food you had promised to pick up on the way. How domestic of you two.

There were no obligations, no rules you had to follow. You were just enjoying yourself. Enjoying your time with him. The words he had trusted you with had branded themselves onto your heart and brain, reminding you every single day of what you were getting yourself into. You started to trust him. You were starting to fall. It was crazy. You couldn't help yourself, you couldn't hold back. You didn't want to. Falling was something so inevitably impossible to stop from happening. Whether you're falling over, falling down, or... falling in love.

You had caught yourself looking at him already. Multiple times in the last few weeks. Commenting to yourself, he's facial structure, the tilted line of his jaw, and the bridge of his nose were just aesthetically pleasing. No one would deny, that you were correct in your assumption. But that was not the reason you couldn't help yourself from looking at him. You had ignored the tingle in your stomach and the warmth spreading in your chest. But there was only so much time that you could tell yourself it was nothing until it did become something. And the end of that time arrived sooner than you could've prepared yourself for and hit you like a wall.

You had repeatedly thought about those nights you had spent with him, sitting by the dining table, snacking on the takeout you had decided on for that evening while reading out loud letters from the courthouse, the judge, Jihoon, Jeonghan, and even Chanyeol. Statements from Sehun were rarely ever in the mail you received, he opted for texting you privately, promising to stand with you and support the decisions you would make. But those evenings had led to the current scene unfolding. Another appointment in the Lee Jihoon law firm. The, hopefully, last official time you'd meet here for the haunting reason of Park Chanyeol.

Wonwoo grunted as he threw himself onto the empty seat next to you, "I swear to God, once we're in there, I'm gonna-"

"You're not gonna do anything," you interrupted him, looking to your left to find his side profile as he was still glaring at the closed door. His patience was running thin, you could tell. With a smirk and a scoff, he leaned back and turned to the side, his eyes meeting yours.

"You don't believe me?" He teasingly wondered.

"Oh no, I do believe you," you assured him with a similar smile, "But I also know that you know better than to anger your only friend that can get us out of this."

"Can you maybe not flirt right in front of me?" The younger CEO cringed as he looked towards the door, trying to divert his eyes from the two of you.

Before Wonwoo was able to talk back, a snarky remark already playing on the tip of his tongue, the white door suddenly opened, revealing the slightly messy head of wavy hair.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jihoon joked as he looked into the hallway, his eyes immediately finding you two and your faces that had subconsciously moved in closer to each other.

With a quick move, Wonwoo pushed himself up from the cushion, his hand already awaiting yours to help you up as well. "Yeah, I was just talking about breaking in your door." You ignored his helping hand, opting to stand up yourself, only to feel his gentle grip on your elbows. Was he really helping you? No. Did you still enjoy the soft touch? Yes.

"Hilarious as always." Jihoon nodded, walking back inside, leaving you to let yourself in.

Before walking ahead, you snatched the two thin folders you had brought yourself into your hands and let yourself get led by Wonwoo's hand on your lower back. Something else, you had learned about him was his love for physical touch. Secret little touches had become a standard when standing or sitting next to him. Wonwoo was by no means a man attracted to any form of PDA, he enjoyed it very much privately though. But no one could deny his love for keeping his hand or even just a finger on you. He took pride in doing this as secretly as possible, making no one else notice it. Mentioning physical touch being his love language only got you a roll of his eyes, you recall, and a comment about Yeri, his cousin, nagging him about doing tests like them on the internet, as well as an MBTI test, so he'd 'have it much easier to find a suitable partner'. Later that day, he did admit those tests revealed that his love languages were, in fact, physical touch, as well as, words of affirmation and gift-giving. And his MBTI was, to his last knowledge, INFJ.

Mingyu closed the door as he was the last one to enter, and all four of you in your designated seats in Jihoon's office - him behind his big desk, you right opposite of him, with Wonwoo to your left and Mingyu on your right. The room matched the entire floor perfectly. Pearl-white walls locked you in, and every door matched the colour of the walls. Each piece of furniture was fitted to the cool tones he had decided on. The floor continued to be dark grey, reminding you of a modern doctor's office. Everyone had their own taste, but you were thankful your office looked much different.

You handed him the last piece of content he'd need for the final trial tomorrow. During the past weeks, Jihoon and Jeonghan had consultations with the judge privately, as well as publicly. None of you were supposed to be there as it was only between the lawyers, and he was yet to update you on the progress he had made.

"Okay," the lawyer looked through the printed-out document you had brought along. "This is everything Sehun has texted you? Every single thing. Every word, every picture he sent, every single emoji? Everything."

You nodded along with his questions.

"Everything. I promise. I didn't change anything. I just, copy and pasted it," you swore to him as you spoke the truth.

Jihoon thanked you. "I'll get this to the judge before the trial tomorrow. She won't read it out loud while we're in the courtroom unless it's one hundred per cent necessary so that nothing will happen to Sehun."

"Thanks," you smiled at him. You had kindly asked him to do just that. With everything going on, and Chanyeol already hating enough people, his anger being on a 10/10 most likely, you didn't want to throw Sehun under the bus and call him out for helping you and doing the right thing. What he'll do after this shitshow was done was his issue to deal with and not your place to be involved in.

"So," Wonwoo decided to lead the following conversation. "Where are we right now? How are things looking so far?"

The younger man leaned back in his chair, throwing the pieces of paper back on his desk. He took a deep breath. "Good, I'd say."

"You'd say? That was a yes-or-no kind of question," The CEO stated, his facial expression strict and cold, just like the rest of the world knew him.

"Well, Wonwoo, I can't guarantee you anything. These people are unpredictable. They always have something up their sleeve, like literally constantly, and I'm trying my damn best here-"

"Then do better-"

"Wonwoo-" Mingyu tried to stop the two.

"Wait," you interrupted them before their fight could explode. "What do you mean? What happened last time?" Your eyes were trained on the lawyer as he pushed his chair to turn around, getting a brown file out of his cupboard before turning back, and throwing it to land right in front of you.

Once you got your hands on it and opened the file, you let your eyes rake over each line written in what seemed to be a university document from Seoultech. With your eyebrows scrunched together and your mouth slightly hanging open, you lifted your head to glance at Wonwoo.

"You cheated on your final exams and plagiarised your dissertation?" 

"What?" He quickly got a hold of the piece of paper, reading it for himself, and opened his mouth, ready to raise his voice as he stood up. "That's-"

"Bullshit, I know," Jihoon stopped him calmly. "Don't worry, I called them and got statements from your professors."

Wonwoo looked at his friend in confusion, "But most of them are retired," who just walked over to him to get the file back into his ownership, a smirk proudly presented on his lips.

"I told you, I'm good at my job." Making the CEO scoff and roll his eyes.

You were still in a twilight zone, not able to follow every detail you had read and the conversation happening between the two men.

"But if it was so easy for you to debunk it, why did they write something like that?" Mingyu wondered, gaining back the lawyer's attention.

He sighed before shrugging and settling back into his chair. "I guess they just wanted to try. They claimed Wonwoo to be a master in faking documents, not realising that if I were to find the real ones, they'd be accused of doing the exact same thing. At this point, they have almost nothing else to lose because they're already so close to losing this entire lawsuit."

"Well," Wonwoo jumped in, choosing to continue standing up, "Then what's gonna happen tomorrow? Anything we need to be prepared for?"

Jihoon looked down at his desk as his fingers had started to play with a pen, occupying himself as he talked. 

"Before I brought you guys in, I sent them some final stuff. Some of the statements Sehun got us, and the security camera footage from your office. I think it was Vernon, but he was able to zoom into the face and de-pixel it, which was revealed to be one of Chanyeol's employees who I had mentioned already last week in front of the judge. So, they'll go over that and comment on it tomorrow. They'll probably ask you guys some more questions about the night of the break-in. Like, where you were, what you were doing, how did you find out, and so on. Just be honest about that. Try to stick to the version you guys have told me, that would make my life a lot easier, thank you. They'll also question Park about it, probably also Sehun." He fell quiet for a second before continuing. "Everything else is pretty much done. They reached out to some of the women, but most of them declined to show up in court personally and chose to send in videos and written statements. It would be smart to read them out loud, but I don't know if they will or if they'll protect the identities of those women. My plan would be to win your lawsuit tomorrow and let them handle the sexual assault cases alone without us involved. And I don't know how that will play in for us... I mean- they've seen all of Yoon's tricks, and they're really not impressed by him from what I could tell."

"Good," Wonwoo commented in the middle of it.

"But they also haven't forgotten about your little fight, remember that." He pointed a strict finger at the oldest one in the room.

Another reason, why Jihoon and Jeonghan had been asked to be seen in front of the judge alone was 'for their own safety'. After the last encounter all of you had in court ended in Wonwoo and Chanyeol almost beating each other up, the judge, Miss Kang, had sent out individual emails, asking the lawyers to visit her on their own. The last sitting would be with everyone again though.

"I have the feeling that the jury is definitely on our side, but the judge might ask about the fight and possible anger issues," Jihoon continued to explain.

Wonwoo scoffed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What do anger issues have to do with any of this?! And if anyone has anger issues, it's that fucking idiot Park, alright?!"

The younger one of the two and you looked at each other in silence, also sharing a quick look with Mingyu, before turning towards the CEO. A tight smile made its way onto your face, but the awkward silence hung heavily in the room. Wonwoo glanced at Jihoon first, before desperately looking at Mingyu and you. With a deep breath, he decided to sit back down.

"I have anger issues only when it comes to him."

-

Getting into Wonwoo's car the day of the last court sitting almost felt like every other time you had done it. The sequence was the same. He'd text you, he was on his way. Once he arrived, he'd ring the number of your apartment and you'd let him in. You'd leave your front door open, so he could come in once he reached your floor while getting your bag ready and possibly doing some finishing touches on your makeup. Days where you had spent the previous night at his place were slightly different. After having breakfast together at his dining table, and brushing your teeth, Wonwoo would get ready in the morning to chauffeur you to your apartment. He'd patiently wait in your living room while you got ready in your bedroom. He had offered to keep some things at his apartment already, yet you declined, assuring yourself of not moving too quickly by still getting ready for the day in your own room. Having a toothbrush and stuff to sleep in at his place was enough for you for the time being.

Your focus was solely on your phone as you texted Mingyu your whereabouts, asking him if he had already made his way over to the courthouse. Nervously, you had also texted Jihoon, keeping him updated with every street you got closer and closer.

The sudden touch of a hand on your knee made you look up. "Stop." Wonwoo had put his hand on you, stopping your leg from violently shaking. "You have no reason to be nervous, we got this."

"That's easier said than done," you scoffed. "They could destroy us. They could've something planned and we wouldn't know."

"Could you check the glove compartment, please?" Wonwoo got your attention, making you raise your head at his sudden question after enjoying the silence in the car.

"Hm?" You hummed.

With a quick glance at you and a nod towards the storage unit in his car, he repeated his question. "The glove compartment. I got a letter from my mum yesterday, and I put it in there. She texted me and said it was for both of us." With a swift one-handed move, you rounded the corner.

"For us?" You wondered confused, reaching forward to open the compartment.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

You got the letter in your hands, immediately noticing the pastel pink envelope, chuckling to yourself. Jeon Chaewon's role as one of the most feminine old-fashioned ladies you had ever met was no joke.

Careful not to destroy the paper too much, you opened the letter, getting the piece of paper out of the envelope when two extra pieces fell into your lap - slightly smaller than the letter itself. You decided to take a look at them first. After turning them around, you gasped. Your hand fell to your mouth before a chuckle erupted from your lungs.

"What?" A quick glance at Wonwoo made Wonwoo's eyebrows shoot up, only to calm down again once he noticed your amusement.

You couldn't help but bite down on your lip as you showed him the plane tickets. "Your mum's sending us to Paris?" Throwing the question into the room as you were still confused, now directing your attention to the letter, reading through the lines she wrote.

"Oh," you exclaimed. "There's a business even in Paris. She wants us to go." Reading the last sentence got another chuckle out of you. "She said, P.S.: If you want to take Mingyu along as well, I can get you another ticket, but think about that carefully."

"Aaah," Wonwoo nodded, stopping at a red light, letting his elbow rest by the window as he glanced to your side. "She told me about this before she left." He reached out to read through the letter himself. "But I didn't know she already booked tickets for us."

"And a hotel," you added.

"A hotel too?" He wondered, looking at you as you leaned over the middle console to point towards the sentence where she had mentioned the hotel you'd be staying in.

Wonwoo sighed, "Jesus..." With his focus still on the handwriting of his mother, he forgot about the illuminating lights ahead of you.

You glanced up as the green light hit your eyes. "It's green," you pointed out, snatching the letter out of his hand, so he'd put his focus back on the road.

Wonwoo noticed you had gone quiet, while your eyes were on the tickets and the letters. "Do you want to go?" He asked.

You looked up at him, putting all the pieces of paper back together into the envelope. "I think now is not really the right time to think about a Paris trip, to be honest."

"But it's a business trip."

"Yeah," you chuckled. "But to Paris." You continued to look at him, waiting for him to meet your eyes. He exchanged glances with you for a short moment, his lips curling up the slightest amount.

"Yes. As a business trip," he repeated, making you chuckle. "So, do you wanna go?" He asked you again, keeping you in his view as you reached another red light for a few seconds.

With a deep breath in, you shrugged your shoulders, keeping the envelope in your grip as your bag was still in the backseat. "Sure, why not. We should do it for your mum if she requested it."

"For my mum?" Wonwoo chuckled, making you nod.

"Yeah," you cleared your throat. "I mean, if she already booked everything, it would be rude not to go. And like you said, it's a business trip for an event, so... that would be good, right?"

He nodded. "Right."

For a second, you stayed silent before speaking up again, noticing how much closer you had gotten to the courthouse.

"Should we ask Mingyu if he'd want to come as well?"

"God no," Wonwoo was quick to answer with a huff. He took a quick look at you, a grin already spreading on his lips. "Somebody's gotta keep the company in check while we're gone, right?"

With a smile, you nodded along with him. "Mm, you're right." Before both of you fell into another round of comfortable silence while the smile never left your lips, biting down to hide it.

You turned your head to glance outside of the window, watching the buildings pass before Wonwoo took the last right turn to enter the parking lot.

-

Exiting the car and walking towards the main entrance of the courthouse, you were suddenly attacked by a group of men and women clinging onto their notebooks.

"Miss Yoon! Do you think, you will win!"

"Mister Jeon, are you confident for the trial today?"

"Is it true that Mister Park was a bad ex-boyfriend?"

"Is this all a publicity stunt to get more attention and build up your company, Mister Jeon?"

"Was the judge bribed by Mister Park and Mister Oh?"

With shock written all over your face, you came to a sudden halt, the grip on your bag strap tightening. Wonwoo, who was right behind you, hot on your heels, was quick to reach around you, pulling you in closer towards his body as soon as he heard the first words being shouted at the two of you. The cold glare of the CEO didn't stop the journalists from coming closer, pestering you with even more questions. The sudden attention overwhelmed you as you stumbled up the stairs towards the main entrance, where Jihoon was already waiting for you, holding the door open, and ushering you to move faster. As soon as your feet crossed the ledge, he closed the doors.

"Get a life!" He shouted at the mass, as they groaned in synch, turning back around and separated into individual groups again.

Still in shock, you turned around, not noticing the hand still on your body, not meaning to let go any time soon. 

"What the hell was that?!" You exclaimed, brushing through your hair the wind had messed up slightly.

Jihoon groaned, walking past you, making the two of you follow him together as he started explaining. "I don't know who called them. Last week only two of them were here, but Jesus..."

"But why are journalists so interested in this? It's not like this is a national scandal-"

"Not national, but within the corporate world, this is quite big. Park's company might be about to break, and everyone wants in on that," Jihoon explained as you were catching your breath again, finding Mingyu's tight smile as he stood by the door of the courtroom, patiently waiting for you.

"Or maybe they're here to watch the Jeon empire collapse." A sudden all-too-familiar voice caught you off guard. Turning around, you were met with the mischievous eyes you've known for oh so long. "How tragic would that be," Jeonghan smirked at you three, his hand deep in his pocket as he casually walked up to you.

"We'll see about that," the lawyer snapped back.

Seeing the cheeky smile that had been haunting you for weeks made your heart race in anger as you bit down on your tongue, knowing every word you'd give off yourself could be turned against you. Without another comment, you turned around and rushed over to Mingyu in quick steps, greeting him with a hug, forgetting about Wonwoo and Jihoon, who decided to join you, leaving your cousin in the middle of the corridor before he disappeared around the corner again.

"Where's he going?" The younger CEO wondered, nudging his head towards the direction Loki had just left in.

Wonwoo shrugged, "Who knows."

"Probably consoling Park and Oh about some last-minute stuff," Jihoon took the word, glancing at you three. "Is everything clear with you guys? Any questions?"

Mingyu and you shook your heads as the oldest answered for all of you.

"No, let's get this shit over with." Speaking from your soul.

-

The four of you were directed towards your designated table on the left side of the room with Jihoon on the far right, closest to the middle of the room, followed by Wonwoo to his left, then you, and Mingyu was seated next to you. The rest of the room was empty, apart from the court reporter who was setting up her station and the security man by each door. As the trial was private, no public interests were allowed in the room. Even with the silence filling it, neither one of you even dared to open your mouth, knowing better than to let anything get to you.

The entrance door opened, the voices of the three people entering immediately bounced off the walls. They may have tried to whisper, but God knows they were terrible at it.

"Good morning," Jeonghan bowed to each security guard with a smile on his face, his followers copying him. As they passed your group, your cousin also sent a grin towards you, Chanyeol opted for a smug nod of his head while Sehun was seen with a genuine tight smile.

Exodus' CEO leaned back in his chair as soon as they all sat down, a loud sigh coming from him, making you close your eyes and take a deep breath in annoyance.

"Aaah," he moaned. "What a beautiful day today is, right guys? How terrible it would be to ruin that for someone." He took a quick look at your table, meeting Wonwoo's glare, but it only made Chanyeol chuckle.

You continued your prayers inside your head to let this pass quickly, followed by praying for his downfall and that he may please rot in a cell and never feel the touch of another human being ever again. He deserved nothing else.

Paranoid, you turned around to make sure your bag was still hanging over the back of your chair. After finding it right where you left it, your train of thought was interrupted.

"The jury will now enter!" A voice echoed through the room, making all of your heads look straight ahead to where the door opened. You could tell, not one of you had thought the trial would start so suddenly. The people who would make up the jury and would eventually be part of the reason for either your victory or downfall today entered the room. None of them even dared to lock eyes with any of you. Everyone kept their heads down until they were seated.

"All rise!" The voice spoke up again, making all of you act responsively as you stood up in synch, the sound of your chairs screeching against the floor slashing through your ear canal.

The door on the very far right side in front of you opened, revealing Miss Kang, the judge that had been assigned to your case. She greeted everyone in the room with a kind smile, making her warm presence light up the room. She was one of the good people within the law enforcement sector of the country, you just knew it. She'd trust you. Right?...

Judge Kang sat down on the big leathered chair, organising the stacks of paper in front of her, before taking a deep breath. 

"This court is now in session, you may be seated," she called out into the room. Each person followed her demand, taking a seat again, nudging their chairs closer towards the table in front of them.

"We've got quite beautiful weather today, so let's not make this complicated, alright? I think we all want to enjoy the few rays of sunshine," she tried to lighten up the aura of the courtroom, clearly noticing the heavy tension daunting on all of you. Quiet chuckles could be heard, following her comment, smiling faces gazing up at her.

She looked down at her papers. "Alright, we call the case 7.4.2-8 in which Oskan & Co. has been charged with theft and stolen copyright by Exodus Entertainment. Is the plaintiff ready?" She directed her eyes to the right table.

"Yes, Your Honour," Jeonghan answered her politely. The pitch of his voice could send a shiver down your spine almost in an instant. Laced with pretentiousness. You had to remind yourself not to react. Not even the smallest muscle on your face was supposed to move.

Unfaced, she then turned towards you. "Is the defence ready?"

Jihoon nodded confidently, "Yes, your honour."

"Good," she smiled again. "We'll first hear the opening statement from the defence, just to freshen up everyone's memory since it's been a while since we have all gathered here, right? Defendant lawyer, Lee Jihoon, please lay out the facts."

-

Breaks were forgotten. The trial was in full motion. One after the other was asked to come forward, sit down and get questioned by their own lawyer, followed by getting torn to shreds by the lawyer of the opposite party. Judge Kang had let Jihoon decide whether he'd want to start questioning one of you first somebody from the plaintiff - he chose to bring out Mingyu. 'Let's start with a defence, not attack', you remembered him saying.

Jeonghan followed by questioning Wonwoo. Picking people apart psychologically was one of his strongest character traits, he was raised by one of Korea's greatest manipulators after all. But his new approach confused you. Unlike the way you had seen him before, he was soft-spoken with the CEO. Nudging his answers out one by one while keeping a low tone. He must've known just how much Wonwoo would usually react to somebody talking to him like he was as stupid as they could come, but he kept it cool. It surprised all of you. He continued nodding politely, excusing himself every now and then, keeping his sharp tongue in the back of his throat, and never declining Jeonghan's accusations directly. Just like you had practised. The words 'No, this didn't happen' never once fell. Wordings like 'Not exactly', 'As far as I know', and 'To my understanding', were the only ones to ever hit your ear. If all calculated correctly, it must've left a good impression on the judge and jury.

Jihoon opted to get Chanyeol out of his seat next. What Jeonghan could do, he could only do better. He had the receipts.

He started out civil and collected. Asking questions about his whereabouts the night of the break-in, followed by general questions about the company, as they were slowly diverted to subject his private life. His hobbies, and how he would spend his weekdays and weekends if work was out of the question. Jeonghan tried his best to object to each question that wasn't concerning the case directly, but you better bet Jihoon had the perfect explanation for each of his statements ready to roll off his tongue. Every time your cousin shot out of his chair, his voice echoing through the room loud and clear, he was asked to sit down just as quickly.

Chanyeol was asked to stay seated as Jeonghan switched places with the other lawyer in the room, opening his mouth to defend his client as best as he could. If only it wasn't for Jihoon doing a much better job in the first place.

You let your eyes glide across the room. Focused on Miss Kang, you watched her take note after note, marking her own thoughts and questions down as the trial proceeded. Further on the right, the jury seemed invested. Some nodded along with each word coming from Jeonghan, while others scrunched up their faces as soon as Chanyeol would even just take a breath before coming up with an answer. It almost made you chuckle. You couldn't see Sehun unless you'd lean back, but you decided against it. It might direct unwanted attention to your action. You were about to glance at the security guard on the left side of the room when the sound of your name hit your ear.

Your head shot towards Jeonghan.

"To my understanding, you were in a committed relationship with one of the defendants." His steps came to a halt right in front of Exodus' CEO. Before he could even open his mouth, Jihoon hastily pushed his chair back.

"Objection, your honour! Privilege! To my understanding, we had decided to leave private relationships out of this trial if not directly connected." Each one of you knew that there was only a hint of truth in his statement since you were all convinced most of this trial was indeed directly connected to the bon you had once shared with the other man.

Judge Kang nodded. "You are correct about that, Mister Lee." She turned her attention to her left, but Jeonghan took the first word.

"Your honour, but doesn't the defendant being a past lover of my client not seem like a direct connection to the case? The fact that Mister Park's work has been stolen by the company partially led by a grieving past significant other must look like less of a coincidence and more like an act of revenge." How dare he use the words 'significant other'.

Miss Kang couldn't help but sigh as she took a quick look at Jihoon, an apologetic expression daunting on her face before she nodded. "Yes, Mister Yoon. You may continue. But try to keep emotional descriptions out of your statements, please," she advised him.

Jihoon lowered his head, taking a deep breath, "Shit." His mumble suddenly got your heart to skip up. You could feel it starting to pump much harder than before. In no possible way was his reaction a good sign. Wonwoo immediately noticed the change in atmosphere, turning towards you, to catch your side profile as you had closed your eyes and held your head down, trying to block out any of the words coming from Jeonghan or Chanyeol.

"The relationship was mostly very peaceful. I mean, just like every other couple, we had our quarrels and misunderstandings, but not much more than that." With a fake sigh, he looked at the jury, trying to paint his eyes with as much pain as possible before he continued. "Towards the end... it did get bad though... you know, I was always told that jealousy was healthy, at least a little bit, but it became quite extreme."

"From Miss Yoon?" Jeonghan nudged him.

"Yes," Chanyeol nodded. "I think me deciding to end things possibly left her in quite a hole-"

Jihoon shot up again. "Objection! Hearsay, your honour."

The judge nodded, "Sustained. Mister Park, please don't interpret any of the defendant's emotions. Just answer Mister Yoon's questions directly." Her reaction made the CEOs smile. She nodded at Jihoon as he sat back down with a quick bow.

Jeonghan took a deep breath. "I would just like to ask the jury to take Mister Park's side of this story into consideration."

"I'm sure they will, Mister Yoon." Miss Kang sent him a tight smile before leaning back in her chair.

Jeonghan dismissed himself as Exodus' CEO was asked to sit down by the table again.

It was now or never.

Only a year ago, you would tell yourself it wasn't worth it to fight back. That Chanyeol was much more powerful than you. Whatever you'd say would be just pushed under the rug. No one would care what you'd have to say. But not now. You had three people right next to you, ready to support whatever you would be stating out there. You had a judge who would patiently listen to you. There was an entire jury that was possibly still undecided. But most importantly, you had yourself and the truth. You had the facts. You knew what was right and what was wrong. Why should the bad guys win just because you didn't even dare to stand up? Too many times, people have let moments like these just pass. Not again. Not now. They couldn't win. You wouldn't let them win. This was for all the women he had hurt. Each woman that decided against facing him in court, but was strong enough to give their statements. You couldn't let them down. They helped you to get so far, now it was your turn.

"Well then," Miss Kang's voice glided through the room. "If there's nothing else to say anymore, I-"

"Excuse me, you honour." Suddenly you could feel each pair of eyes on your form. Each member of the jury had their face turned towards you. Judge Kang's eyebrows raised at the surprised interruption. Sehun, Chanyeol, and Jeonghan unexpectedly looked up, shock written all across their face. Mingyu and Jihoon had lifted their heads to look at you while Wonwoo's hand subconsciously had reached out right, ready to pull you back, unsure of what you were getting yourself into and surprised by your sudden exclaim.

"Yes, Miss Yoon?"

You swallowed the forming gulp in your throat. "I... I still would like to say something. Mister Lee still has to question me."

She nodded. "Of course, would you like to come out?" With her palm, she motioned to the witness stand seat to her left, to which you agreed, pushing your chair back gently before getting the bag off the back. Opening it, the folder you were looking for was already smiling at you. You got it out, opened it to get what you needed and made your way forward. As you passed Jihoon, who had stood up, you came to a halt.

"Ask me everything," you met his eyes. "Every little thing you need to know to win this, okay?"

Your eyes may have fooled you, but you could almost see fear forming in the man's eyes as he took the paper you had given him, nodding at you as he still tried to comprehend what you were asking of him. With big steps and a proud stance, you held your shoulders straight and made your way over to the witness stand seat.

You took a deep breath as soon as you sat down to calm your nerves that, you were sure, would not vanish any time soon.

"Miss Yoon," Jihoon's voice made you straighten your back as you looked up. All eyes were on you. Your heart was threatening to pump out of your chest at this point. You ignored all the other people in the room. You tried to. Keeping your eyes on the lawyer, that's what he had told you. "How would you describe your relationship with Mister Park?"

"Objection!" Jeonghan shot up from his chair. "Asked and answered."

"Not from Miss Yoon," Jihoon turned towards their table as the Judge agreed with him.

"Overruled. The defendants have yet to speak about this matter. You were given the opportunity, now it's their turn." Explaining the definition of fairness. "Mister Lee, please continue."

"Thank you, Your Honour." Jihoon sent in an encouraging smile. "So Miss Yoon, how would you describe your relationship with Mister Park?"

"Pretty normal in the beginning. Quiet. Private."

"In the beginning?"

You clutched the edge piece of one of the papers in front of you. "Yes."

"Could you please go into detail why only in the beginning?"

"Objection!" Jeonghan called out once again. "Leading question-"

"Overruled," Miss Kang interrupted him before he could even continue. "The defendant specifically mentioned 'in the beginning', so Mister Lee has the right to question her further. Please continue, Miss Yoon." Making the other lawyer sit back down with a sigh and you nod.

"Well... ehm...," you were well aware of your pauses possibly only bringing negative attention onto you, yet you couldn't help it as you tried to form the right sentences in your head. "It seemed like a perfectly normal relationship at first, but... I noticed that his behaviour started changing."

"Changing? In what way?"

"Objection! Compound question."

Judge Kang sighed into the microphone. "Overruled. Mister Lee repeated one word, then followed up with his actual question. Please continue."

You took a deep breath, waiting for Jihoon's assuring nod to answer.

"At first, it started out as jealousy. Or so I thought... later on, about a few months into the relationship... it turned into... something more controlling."

"Could you elaborate on that?" He wondered kindly.

"Yes...," you answered, glancing down at the pieces of evidence you were holding in your hands. Copies of which Jihoon had in his own grip. "At first, he asked me to not leave the house without him- I'm sorry, I meant the apartment we shared." Jihoon nodded along. "Whenever I wouldn't obey to that or... other times when I'd get home later than expected from work... he...," you took a pause. Gulped. Took a shaky breath. Not here. "He would get... really angry."

"How would he show his anger?" He was asking you each question softly, carefully. Understanding the sensitivity as soon as his eyes had landed on the file.

Almost bored, Jeonghan raised his hand, "Objection! Relevance."

Jihoon turned towards the judge. "I think, if we hear my client out, we'd see how relevant her answer is in comparison to Mister Park's comments about their past relationship."

Judge Kang nodded. "I agree. Overruled. Miss Yoon, please continue."

Another unstable breath left your lips. "It was- I mean, differently. At first... it was screaming. Then..." You hadn't even bothered putting on nail polish, so you only had your nails left to pick at. "Then... he'd start to... get physical... sometimes... yeah," you whispered at the end.

"Was there any time you felt truly threatened by Mister Park?"

"Yeah...," you admitted. If some jury members had lost interest in the case, at least by now, everyone's attention was back on track. You could hear a hairpin drop. Each breath you took shook the entire room. "There were... occurrences... when I had to go to the hospital. Because... ehm... he..." careful with your words. "He touched me... without my consent."

Biting down on his lip, Jihoon was careful with each word. "Do you have any evidence of this?"

You decided to only nod, as the security kept a close eye on you, noticing you lifting the papers you were clutching onto with your entire being. He went up to you to take them out of your possession, handing them over to the judge as she asked you to continue while going over the doctor's letter. It was the one piece of hospital evidence you had kept from that time. Everything else seemed irrelevant to you as most of the bruises you had showed up with to the hospital could be explained by hitting your knee or arm against furniture. But not this. But there was a second page to it.

"Miss Yoon," Jihoon started again. "You were admitted to the hospital once before, is that correct? Due to a car crash, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes," you spoke out loud.

"Who was driving the car at that time?"

"Mister Park," you answered honestly, knowing that he was reading every piece of evidence off the paper you had handed to him.

Jihoon nodded, now turning to the woman sitting on the highest chair in the room. "Your honour, if you turn to page two of the piece of evidence you were just handed, you can see the doctor's findings, as well as the police report on page three, after the car crash, involving Park Chanyeol and Yoon Y/N. The police stated it was a crash caused by a drunk driver, that being Mister Park. In which he sustained a mild head injury, while Miss Yoon had to be transported to the hospital due to a broken rib and a bruised leg." After a quick look behind him, he turned back to the judge. "If I'm seeing correctly, this document was signed within the walls of this very courthouse. And yet... it has been deleted completely from Mister Park's file."

You decided to stay quiet. You had done your job. You couldn't even look up, knowing disappointed eyes were probably just waiting for you. You had lied to him. Lied to Wonwoo about the scar on your rib. You had mentioned it was due to an injury from falling at the playground as a kid. He brushed it off to be never spoken about it again. And now this.

"So, the all so happy relationship, Mister Park swore to have had with the defendant... doesn't seem to have been all that peaceful after all. That was all, thank you." He bowed before walking back from his spot, joining Wonwoo and Mingyu by the table again.

The all-along so quiet room suddenly shifted as the jury turned to each other to speak at a normal volume, ignoring the room they were still sitting in. Even Jeonghan, who had held back with his objection towards the end, was quick to turn to Chanyeol, who was already raising his voice, standing up to defend himself.

Before it could all escalate too much, Judge Kang got a hold of her hammer, pounding it against the wood to calm the room. "Quiet!" Each person reacted instantly, getting back into their seats, with their eyes on her.

"We will take a ten-minute break. In the meantime, I will go over these documents. The jury is advised to console each other, but not yet come to a conclusion. We will go over everything after the short break, okay? You're dismissed." With one final hit of the hammer, almost everyone stood up. The jury left the room immediately. Chanyeol had pushed himself off the chair aggressively, rushing out as Jeonghan was hot on his heel. Miss Kang passed you quietly while you stood back up, trying to find your breath to face your group of people again.

Before you had even reached them, Jihoon was already in front of you. "What was that? Are you okay?" But you only nodded. "Are you sure?" He asked again. This time, you smiled.

"Yeah..." a faint whisper left your lips as you could suddenly feel your chest lifting again. The tears that had formed vanished all of a sudden, leaving you with a lighter chest and satisfaction rushing through your body.

"Wh-" Mingyu tried to jump into the conversation, but the lawyer stopped him.

"We should maybe continue this outside."

You all nodded along with him, getting ready to leave the room for the break when a voice behind you made you turn around.

"Y/N." Sehun called out for you. He leaned against the desk slightly awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." If only he knew how much he had helped you. With two big steps, you stopped right in front of him, not even giving him a second to react as you threw your arms around him, pulling him in. He seemed to be taken aback, but you quickly felt his hand patting your back, making you lean back, leaving him to breathe freely again.

"Thank you," you smiled at him before turning back to the three other men who were patiently waiting for you.

-

The three of you had been standing and sitting around in the hallway of the courthouse for the past three minutes and Wonwoo was yet to say something. Jihoon had exclaimed his concerns for you, Mingyu had asked you around ten times if you were truly okay and after assuring him that you had truly never felt better, he had decided to sit down next to you. The CEO was still standing by the wall, looking straight ahead while not really focusing on anything in particular.

As the lawyer and the second CEO had fallen into a conversation, you chose to leave them alone and join Wonwoo. Standing up, you patted down invisible creases on your blouse, getting closer and closer to him with each step you took. Instead of joining him by standing at his side, you stopped right in front of him.

Looking up, he didn't even dare to meet your eyes. He just continued to stare straight ahead. There was an unreadable expression on his face, making you want to step around him as carefully as possible to not disturb whatever was going on in his head. As cold as the entire building of the old courthouse was, the only chill rushing down your spine was due to his glance.

As soon as you tried to open your mouth, he beat you to it. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" At the same time, he lowered his gaze towards you, meeting your pleading eyes, begging him to talk to you. "About what he did."

With a sigh, you let your head hang as you looked to the ground. With a deep breath, you got the courage to speak to him as you interlocked your glances. "I told you, I wanted to forget everything involving him."

"Yeah, but you can't just forget something like that."

"Well, I tried, okay?!" You suddenly found yourself with a raised voice, surprising both of you, as well as Mingyu and Jihoon, who took a quick look at the two of you but continued their conversation once Wonwoo's cold eyes met theirs. "You really think I want to dwell on such a horrible memory of a man? He was a person I once trusted, and he used that trust and misused me! Of course, I'd want to forget that!" You hissed a breath in and out, lowering your voice again. "But what kind of person would I be if I had just let him portray himself as a victim while fifteen other women made a statement about him sexually harassing them... huh? I was able to live with what happened to me, but he... he hurt SO MANY other women... I- I couldn't just let that pass. If none of them wants to face him, fine. But I have the chance, and don't take it?..." With a sigh, you ended your rant. "I couldn't live with myself after that."

He let the silence linger between you for a short moment as he straightened his back, looking at you again. "How long have you planned on doing this? Why didn't you involve me? Or Jihoon at least? Or for whatever reason maybe even Mingyu?"

"Up until that idiot opened his mouth to talk about me, I wasn't even sure that I was going to do it. But... I had to. And I had to do it alone. Do you know how good that feels now?" A chuckle of relief tumbled from your lips as you couldn't hold back your smile. "They have every piece of evidence they need to... fine him, take away his company, put him behind bars or God knows what."

"Come here," he whispered as he took a step forward and opened his arms. You didn't move though. You continued to stand still, your arms crossed in front of your chest as you glanced up at him.

"I don't want a hug." Your comment told him that you would still be mad at him for not understanding your reasoning. But that didn't stop him. With another step, he had invaded your room, engulfing you in the warmth of his arms you had come to find comfort in during so many nights. Once he noticed you weren't moving, he leaned down just a slight bit closer to your ear.

"I'm proud of you," he spoke quietly, making sure only you would be able to hear those words he had chosen for just you. "But I was worried."

With a sigh, you gave in, wrapping your arms around his slim, yet muscle-packed, torso, getting a relieved sigh from him in return.

Before any of you were able to truly enjoy the short moment of intimacy, Mingyu's loud voice rang through your ears.

"Group hug!" With heavy steps, he rushed over to you two, throwing his big arms over your shoulders, underestimating his weight, making you grunt out loud. You could feel Wonwoo's annoyance radiating off him, to which you couldn't help but chuckle, which was quickly joined by Jihoon doing the exact same.

"You don't even know if we won and yet you're celebrating." He approached you with his hands hiding in his pockets, watching you with bright eyes and a wide grin.

"Who cares if we won," Mingyu commented, almost getting interrupted by his best friend, who opened his mouth but was stopped by the slightly bigger man. "Y/N got to say what she needed to say. Park will get what he deserves. Whether that involves our case or not, I really don't care at this point, to be honest."

With a deep sigh, the older man nodded. "That's very cute and I understand that, and Y/N, you know that I support you, but I still have a job here to finish and if we don't win this case... you can fire me."

"We won't fire you," Wonwoo, now behind you, with his palm once again placed comfortably on your lower back.

"No, no," Jihoon glanced at him. "I am begging you to fire me if we don't win this, do you understand me?" Getting a roll of his eyes from the older CEO, while Mingyu just chuckled, patting the smaller man's shoulder assuringly.

Your exchange of words was interrupted by one of the security men that had been standing inside throughout the entire sitting, who was suddenly standing in the hallway.

"Judge Kang is asking you to come back inside, we'll continue." The four of you nodded in synch, each taking one last deep breath in. One last time. Hopefully.

But before any of you could even take one step forward, a shrill voice called out.

"Hold on! Just a minute!" Jeonghan rushed towards you from around the corner, your eyes quickly finding his. "Y/N, a word, please." Motioning at you to follow him.

Your eyebrows shot up at the sudden demand. In what world did he imagine you'd go out of your way to suddenly follow his lead.

"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say here as well." Wonwoo's deep voice vibrated through your entire body. You noticed the microscopic step he took closer as you felt his chest brush against your arm.

Jeonghan shook his head, clearly irritated by the men surrounding you. "Could I please talk to my cousin in private?" Looking straight at the man behind you, expecting another snark from him, when you spoke up.

"No." You crossed your arms in front of your chest in defence. Your body knew which stance to take in right away.

He had betrayed you. You hadn't heard from him in years before you met him in the courtroom again. And out of all the people there were in the world, he chose to support the man you had sworn off your life. The man with the name you had tried to scratch out of every piece of skin on your body that he had touched. A betrayer, a traitor, and a manipulator. That's who Jeonghan was. Quite fitting to Chanyeol. Two fucked-up halves that would make a deadly whole.

"I'm sorry."

...

...

With quiet stares, each one of you looked straight ahead. No one was fully sure of what words had just hit their ear. The movement of his mouth could've possibly been an illusion. That seemed more likely than an actual apology coming from his lips.

"What?" You were the one to break the silence. Instinctively, Wonwoo's hand travelled to the left, his fingers gently curling around your waist.

The step Jeonghan took forward was welcomed as none of you decided to move backwards, letting him know he could continue.

He sighed. "I... I didn't know... about... you know... that." With a stressed breath in, he continued. "When I took on this case, he told me the exact same thing he had told you and the judge. With our history, it didn't take much convincing for me. I knew you and him were... yeah- anyways- but... I swear, I had no idea."

Still unphased by his apology, he resumed his ramble.

"I know you don't think much of me, but not even I would go this low to support someone like that.. and I know that... that- this apology or whatever probably won't mean anything to you-"

"Good that you know that," Wonwoo commented, but Jeonghan chose to ignore him.

"But I mean it. He just confessed everything to me. This is the first time I'm hearing about all of this... and... I can't- and I won't support that. I don't need you to forgive me, I know that won't happen instantly. But I swear to God, Y/N, you can think whatever you want of me, but please don't ever think I'd ever support a guy like that." He took another step forward. "When the accident happened, I heard that you got hit by a drunk driver. Not that... he was the drunk driver."

Still, no words from you, nor Mingyu or Jihoon.

"Anyway," Jeonghan sighed and got ready to turn around, the open doors still waiting for all of you. "I'm sorry." With those last words, he disappeared again, leaving your party in the cold hallway. In silence.

"Oh, wow..."

You couldn't hold back your scoff as you took a step forward, letting Wonwoo's hand drop to his side.

"He didn't mean any of that." You rolled your eyes.

"Huh?" Mingyu's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at you, his puppy eyes reflecting the light perfectly.

"You can't believe anything coming from that guy's mouth." You explained, still not entertaining the possibility of there being any good intentions behind your cousin's actions.

The younger CEO was still confused. "Then why did he say he was sorry?"

"To manipulate us maybe? Make us feel guilty? Give in?" Jihoon thought out loud, joining you and turning around to face the other two men. "Y/N, I wouldn't believe anything he said. She would know." Everyone nodded in synch.

Wonwoo nudged his head towards the door, where the security man was still waiting for you. "Let's get this over with."

-

Each person involved was back in the room. Exodus Entertainment was on the right table, while you and the guys were sitting on the left one. The jury of the very far right side, sitting along the wall was already gazing at you - excitement and interest radiating off them. Judge Kang was back in her seat, her glasses low on the bridge of her nose as she quietly went through the papers in front of her again, which seemed to have gotten more over the break.

If you thought your heart had been pumping hard earlier, while you were seated on the witness stand, it was safe to say, it was about to explode once you had entered the room again. Right where you had left your fear behind.

"Alright," Miss Kang started, taking off her glasses with a deep breath as she let her fingers rake through her hair. "Before we start, does the plaintiff or the defendant have anything to say? You may speak now."

You exchanged glances with Jihoon, who shook his head, telling you to keep low, but your attention was quickly taken away once Jeonghan left his chair to stand up, buttoning his suit jacket and raising his hand.

"Your Honour."

Miss Kang sighed with a forced smile. "Yes, Mister Yoon?"

"May I come forward?"

"Yes, you may."

Each pair of eyes in the room followed him as you abandoned the confused faces of Sehun and Chanyeol, making his way to the middle of the room and the podium. Either time moved painfully slowly, or he moved in slow motion, but either way, the pace was too slow, and you could feel the scream of frustration boiling up in your throat.

Jeonghan cleared his throat and straightened his back. Here we go.

"Your Honour. After consoling my client, we have come to an agreement that I would like to exclaim now."

"Please do," the judge commented on his statement.

"My client, Exodus Entertainment, would like to withdraw their lawsuit against Oksan & Co."

The room fell quiet. This lasted for a second before the next round of tumult rushed through it.

"Excuse me, Mister Yoon?" Miss Kang raised her voice in order to speak over the hushed sounds coming from the jury on the right side. Your eyes were frantically moving from side to side, trying to catch any reaction so you'd know which one to share.

"With immediate effect, Exodus Entertainment takes back each claim made against the defendant Oksan & Co."

Your head immediately shot to Jihoon who kept his gaze straight on Jeonghan, his mouth slightly agape as he was still trying to grasp the situation.

"What's going on here?" You could hear Mingyu whisper from your left, only to be interrupted by the loud voice of Chanyeol slashing through the uproar.

"Your honour-"

Jeonghan cut him off. "My client, Park Chanyeol, also pledges guilty to the charges made against him-"

The sudden knock of wood-on-wood, thanks to the Judge's hammer, let the room calm down again. Chanyeol chose to keep standing up while Sehun leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk making its way onto his face. The jury immediately quieted down along with your group, who still had to let more words drop than Mingyu just had. Jeonghan stood still on the podest.

"Mister Yoon," with the hammer still in her hand, Miss Kang started talking. "Are you aware of what you are doing right now? This will have an immediate effect."

"Yes, your Honour. I am very sorry for the waste of time and patience."

"Your Honour!" Chanyeol raised his hand hastily. "May I speak to my lawyer for a second?"

"Oh," your cousin lowered his head slightly, his voice loud and clear echoing through the speakers. "With immediate effect, I am also withdrawing from my role as Mister Park's lawyer. Thank you." Without another word, Jeonghan took a step back and turned around. After a quick glance in your direction and a tight smile, he passed your tables, only to take a seat on one of the benches behind you, usually preserved for public interests.

Judge Kang didn't even try to hide the amusement making her lips curl into a grin.

"Wow," she chuckled lowly, "Well," she cleared her throat, intertwining her fingers on top of the wooden surface. "Mister Park, you don't seem to have a lawyer to talk to anymore. Anything else you'd like to say?"

You zoned out whatever sorry excuse of an answer he gave her as you turned around, finding Jeonghan's eyes already boring a hole into your head.

"What are you doing?" You whispered, hoping he'd be able to read your lips. You only got a small smile and a nod in return.

"Mister Park-"

"This is a shitshow! What kind of fucking bullshit is this here?!"

"Mister Park, let m-"

"How the fuck is he even allowed to do that?!"

"Mister-"

"I swear to God, I will fucking sue every-"

"Security!" 

Miss Kang's final string of patience officially broke as she called out for one of the men on the side to step in. They acted quickly as two rushed up to each side of Chanyeol's big form which had made its way to the middle of the courtroom, getting dangerously close to the judge.

"You can't do-"

"I can, and I did," she simply told him, making him shut his mouth immediately before she quickly continued, putting her glasses back on as she read out loud. "Mister Park, I will see you again in five days as you will be facing twelve charges of sexual harassment, four charges of sexual assault, forgery of state-protected documents, as well as now contempt of court." She sent a smile his way. "We will speak again. Get him out of my courtroom." Before he was pushed out of the room through a door on the left wall.

Only then were you able to realise what had just happened. You could feel everyone take in a deep breath as soon as he had left the courtroom.

"What... what just happened?" Jihoon hushed underneath his breath, his hands placed on the top of his table as he glanced around the room.

"Well," the judge smiled into the crowd. "Each day, you experience something new." She paused for a second before continuing. "May the defendant please rise."

Still slightly out of it, you felt Wonwoo's tug by your elbow, pushing you to stand up. You joined the other three, staring straight ahead as Miss Kang spoke to you.

"With immediate effect, you are acquitted as the lawsuit of theft and forgery filed by Exodus Entertainment has been dropped." She glanced up from her notes to smile at you. "You are excused. Congratulations."

What was she congratulating for? You didn't win...

You didn't lose, but yet you didn't win... at least it didn't feel like you did. This was the end. The end of it all. Why didn't it feel like it?

You must've overheard Jihoon thanking the judge as you were suddenly escorted out of the room, your bag not even on your shoulder, but in Wonwoo's grip as you left the room altogether. Each bench you passed, and even walking through the doors, back into the hallway could almost be described as a fever dream. The sudden turn of tables and twist of fate felt too good to be true and too much for your own body to handle. It didn't feel right.

"What the fuck was that?!" Wonwoo immediately exclaimed the second you had left the room. "What just happened?!"

Jihoon raised his hands in defence, just as speechless as everyone else. "I- I wish I could tell you."

"What was that move from Yoon?" Mingyu interjected, only getting shrugs in return. "So did he mean what he said?" Another round of shrugs.

A nudge on your arm brought you back. "Hey, you okay?" It was Jihoon. You nodded.

"What the hell happened?" You could only repeat what everyone else was also thinking. "Wh-" You stopped yourself as you were still pretty much unable to form full sentences.

Each one of you had their eyes on different corners of the hallway. Mingyu was focused on the wall, his hand continuously running through his hair. Wonwoo had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he walked up and down a short distance along the side. And Jihoon had chosen to sit down, his head in his hand as he took deep and clear breaths in. You were leaning against the wall, eyes switching between each person while you still tried to find the grasp on reality again.

"From my understanding now," the lawyer started. "Jeonghan turned his back on them... I guess... he maybe wasn't lying in the first place?"

"That's impossible," you scoffed.

"Why?" Jihoon wondered.

You shrugged. "Because that's not who he is."

"Is that what you think of me," your cousin's familiar voice made you turn to the side, taking a step back instantly to create a bigger distance between you two. He shook his head with a chuckle. "I know we've never been on good terms, but God... I wouldn't wish stuff like that upon my worst enemy. Why would I celebrate it happening to my cousin?"

"I'm not saying you celebrated it," you stated.

"Alright," he took a step to the side. "And I'm not going to support a fucking asshole as stupid as him." He found your eyes. "I meant what I said. I'm sorry." Maybe one day you'll be able to believe that he's not the total asshole you had always thought he was. Maybe. Just maybe.

He turned around, bowing his head to each one of you before making his way down the hall, leaving the hell of a building in the past.

"Jeonghan!" You stopped him by the call his name, making him turn around. You pushed yourself forward, stopping right next to Wonwoo.

"Thank you." It may not have been much, but at that point in time, it was all you could've given him.

A smile and a nod later your cousin vanished out the doors, the group of journalists you had already forgotten about immediately swarmed him, leaving almost no room to breathe.

It wasn't a lot, but it was a start. A slow one, but a start. With the memory of the past still in the back of your hand, you were able to thank him for what he had done, but that was about it for now. Yes, there was no deeper reason as to why he had done what he did, at least that from where you stood, but the past would still haunt you for quite a while. A past you no longer had to share with the devil himself though. He was brought to justice. You did it. Not you alone, you were very well aware of that. You saw what a group of united people could do. You watched justice get served. The right decisions were made.

"Well then," Wonwoo sighed out loud. "What does that mean for us now?" The question was clearly directed at Jihoon who had made his way to stop in front of you.

He shrugged. "There's still definitely a lot of paperwork due. All the claims were dropped, but I'm gonna make sure there's no involvement of any of you in his future charges, especially with Y/N." You thanked him with a nod. "But for now," he took a deep breath as his lips curled. "I'd say we did it."

"Why doesn't it feel as satisfying as it should be?" Mingyu suddenly wondered as he showed up on your left.

"Once you see him on TV being escorted behind bars, you'll feel it," the lawyer assured him, getting a chuckle from each of you in return.

"Alright," the older CEO clapped his hands after handing you back your over-the-shoulder bag. His eyes travelled to Mingyu, glancing at him over your head.

"Drinks?" The younger one threw into the room, getting a groan of satisfaction from Jihoon in return.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Shocking you with his choice of words.

You chuckled at the reaction that followed from the others, watching the pep in his step with amusement.

A hand on your shoulder made you look up to your right. The usual so cold eyes, suddenly turned warm, were already looking at you.

"Drinks?" His voice in his usual depth, sent a wave of warmth into your cheeks.

You bit down on your lip, trying to hide the smile on your face. A faint thought erupted from the depths of your memory. Something you had almost dared to forget. 

"There's one more thing I'd like to do."

Thank you for reading my loves🫶🏼

Taglist: @nctxtrash @leicy0756 @hoe4wonwoo @jeonwonhi @nothingbutadeadesceane @smileywoo @angelarin @onewoowonderboy @goodforgyu @kavvs @sugarmilkchan @sweetheart-gs @wonforgyu @lilactangerine @meltinghershey @wonw00t @soonchanshua @jayswifeuwu @allorysayshi @shaurenlaw @drama-1998-girl @yoonren07 @malakasae @sseuyeon @venusprada @jeminiepabo @billboard-singer @safsaf1980 @monmarguerite @ji-jii-visha @renjunphile @haogyuslut @destinyg237 @taestrwbrry @renkkuri @travelleratheart101 @love-svt @sunshinein17 @morklee02 @wonuziex @pwwarkjisung @hokuuu @clvudisan @awyunh @restlesswritings @woohaosworld @caratlove10 @woo8hao @misssugarlips @heednpy @yogurttea @sigillaria-svt @seungcheolsblog @s-xoups @orujinkoo

[rmd-writes]

Firstprince eating off each others plates! (See my DM about specific vibes if I’m allowed 😂)

I’ve assigned each prompt I received a number and am using a random number generator to choose which prompt to write because I got quite a few from you all! If you’ve sent me one, I promise I will get to it!! Because I’m using these prompts to try to shake words loose after a bout of writer’s block, these are all just whatever I can come up with in ~20min and barely edited 💖

Thanks for the prompt, Ally! Hopefully I’ve captured the vibes you asked for here 🙏🏽

Seeing as it’s Sunday night, I’m taking the opportunity to use this as my seven sentence/snippet Sunday post!

24. Eating off each other’s plates

“Hello, strumpet,” a familiar voice says from the doorway.

Alex twists in his chair to confirm what he knows – Pez is standing in the doorway.

“You look in dire need of an intervention, poppet,” Pez declares as he crosses the room.

“Hey Pez,” Alex says, leaning forward to accept the cheek kiss that Pez offers. “You’re looking fabulous.”

“Always,” he replies, spinning so that Alex can get the full effect of his cropped, lavender hair, floral blouse and tight black jeans cuffed above embossed black patent leather combat boots. “This is an intervention by the way. Henry sent me up, certain that I might have better luck coaxing you out of this den.”

Alex looks around. There are stacks of paper covering his desk, and the floor. As well as textbooks, pens and several empty coffee mugs strewn across his desk.

“I’m studying, I don’t need a fucking intervention,” he insists.

Pez wrinkles his nose. “Oh honey, you do. Trust me. Up you pop! Haz tells me you’ve found some amazing food trucks close by and there are empanadas calling my name.”

—

Alex sits beside Henry, their shoulders and knees pressed together as they eat, while Pez sits across from them moaning obscenely as he eats the empanadas and declares them “the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

“High praise, considering the long list of things that have been in your mouth,” Henry says drily.

Pez is clearly delighted by his friend’s response and Alex grins. He loves it when Henry is like this – happy and relaxed enough to let his snarky side out. There are very few people who get to see this side of him, but it might be Alex’s favourite.

Alex had ordered every kind of empanada on offer in rapid-fire Spanish, gesturing at Pez and explaining to the woman behind the counter why he and Henry weren’t just ordering their standard order.

There’s an array of paper boats holding the crescent-shaped pastries on the table and Alex has one in front of him.

“Is that the chorizo?” Henry asks him. Alex nods. “Here, swap, I have your favourite spicy beef ones.”

Alex sucks a bit of filling off the end of his thumb before reaching for the paper tray in front of Henry. He doesn’t miss the way that Henry’s eyes dip to his mouth as he does so, or the way that Henry’s pupils dilate a little. He smirks.

And if he makes sure to get some of the coriander crema on his finger when he dips his empanada into the container so that he can lick it off again, well, no one can prove it was deliberate.

(You can read all of my intimate moments prompts here)

Thanks for the tags @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @redshirt2 💖

Tagging @welcometololaland @lightningboltreader @everwitch-magiks @clottedcreamfudge @rosedavid @lilythesilly @nontoxic-writes @stutteringpeach @inexplicablymine @daisymae-12 (art wip maybe?) @jesuisici33 @hippolotamus @stereopticons @kiwiana-writes @carlos-in-glasses @liminalmemories21 @reyesstrand @freneticfloetry @strandnreyes @three-drink-amy @alrightbuckaroo to please leave me with snippets to wake up to??? 💖

[you-can-be-what-you-want-to-be]

Idk how helpful this will be since it won’t be around forever but for people just joining the malevolent fandom very important things to know

1) it has been said by the creator that the main character will NOT end up together romantically just so you know and can manage expectations. He does however read fics shipping it and finds it enjoyable

2) if you make any content you don’t want him to see tag it “ masked “ with no quotations, he has that blocked

3) people on the patron make a lot of the choices. Because of this if it seems like a quick turn happened that’s bc part of the full length episode you’re listening to was actually written a week apart from the other parts (for voting reasons) and bc someone else is choosing what he does

4) episodes come out around every five weeks for non patrons no definitive date but about that long

5) if you’re on the patron you’re not allowed to talk about the episodes before they publicly release

6) this is all one guy doing all the voice acting editing writing all of it which is super fun and goofy to know. It also means on screen female characters are unlikely also in the manage your expectations lane

7) Harlan (the creator) has asked that people don’t even jokingly make comments like “fuck you Harlan wtf” bc one or two of those is fine but if there’s dozens of people saying that and you don’t have someone to get comments it really wears on you

8) there is a discord! It’s called the INVICTUS stream. Not posting a link here since each link is only good for seven days and this hopefully circulates for longer than that but feel free to dm me for a link!

9) it’s not a super busy body fandom and a lot of people search and look for content by latest. If you vague someone in the tag it is almost Guaranteed they’re going to see it don’t start shit

10) yes when you get later on we know you’ll misread the name. There’s a million comments on it it’s sort of expected at this point we don’t need you commenting on it too.

11) spelling of names. It’s John WITH AN H youll confuse people otherwise. That’s canonically how to spell it. It’s kayne not Cain or caine.

12) it’s a horror story. Bad things can and will happen. Some sound affects will be unpleasant. You can be upset that’s part of the fun but you can’t get mad at the people making it for that, you knew what you signed up for.