#now to see if I can finalize the trap route tonight so I can get back to writing the first few chapters

[reiderwriter]

hey, i really love your writing esp fluff hehe..

I was wondering if you could maybe write a story where gf!reader has anxiety and decides to spend night at spence's but constantly keeps apologizing cause she is like afraid to be inconvenience but he keeps hugging and comforting her just some really fluffy story

Love yaaaa🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶💕💕

-🍓

A/N: FINALLY getting back to some classic requests! Thanks for this cute one 🥰 I love fluff where Spencer is so caring and considerate, so I hope you like this one, too!

Summary: After a traumatic experience, you avoid confronting new fears with your new coworkers until a late invitation lets you find comfort in Spencer's arms.

Warnings: mentions of kidnapping, guns, other cases details etc.

If any other member of your team had so bluntly asked you the question ‘are you okay?’ you'd have lied to their face, convincingly, and not felt bad about it for even a second. 

It had been, after all, long enough since your kidnapping to have become comfortable with new surroundings again. You went on cases fine. You dealt with similar unsubs perfectly, and you were absolutely a professional. 

But with Spencer Reid in front of you asking you that same question, you felt like you were one slight breeze away from crumbling entirely. 

The night had grown old as you sat with Spencer looking over some case files. You weren't shipping out for this one, thankfully, but you still wanted to be sure you knew every detail of the case so you could help find your guy and get him off the streets. 

But having worked from 6 pm to 2am, your eyes were growing bleary, and you had to finally look up to the clock to see how long you'd been zoned out for. 

“Shit,” you murmured, wiping the sleep from your eyes. 

“I have to go, Spence,” you scrambled for your keys, pulling your bag onto your shoulder as your heart started beating. 

It was okay. You'd be okay. It was dark outside, but you'd driven in the dark before now. The roads were clear anyway, and you weren't on a job. You could drive home, get some sleep, and forget anything happened. 

“Y/N, it's late, you’re tired,” Spencer said gently from opposite you, grabbing your bag from your hands and gently placing it down again. “It's okay, you can just… stay over tonight.” 

In the few weeks since you'd been kidnapped, you'd told everyone you knew that you were okay and doing fine and that it would take a lot more than that to get you down. And then you'd go home to an empty apartment, triple check every lock, barricade yourself into your room, and sleep with a gun on your bedside table and a knife under your pillow. 

You didn't drive in the dark. You didn't eat or drink anything you hadn't personally prepared, and you didn't dive head first into cases anymore. A few people had remarked about how you'd matured as an agent. They didn't understand that bile rose up in your throat every time you thought about being alone in a room with men. 

Being alone with Spencer was different. He was your Spencer. You'd seen him kill unsubs, but you'd more often see him peacefully trap and release spiders instead of killing them. You'd seen him fumble talking to women by pulling out magic tricks, just as often as you'd seen him be approached by every single working girl you'd interviewed on a case. 

You'd slept over before. This wasn't any different. 

“Yeah… yeah  you're right. It's probably not a good idea to drive this late.” 

He smiled at you as you abandoned your path to the door, and went to grab you some clothes to change into. You paused, and tried to breathe deeply as you assessed the situation. 

You'd been to Spencer's apartment before. If you slept in the living room, your best route out would be the front door. The kitchen didn't have any good exits. The bathroom window didn't open wide enough. The fire escape was connected to both the living room and the window in Spencer's bedroom. If anyone came through the front door, it would be safer to sleep in the bed and jump out the window before they had a chance to pursue you. 

But if they came up the fire escape, they could choose between which window to come through. Without a second thought, you crossed to Spencer's window and checked the locks. They worked, but they were old. They could easily be forced open. 

You checked, and you still had your gun on you, thinking about where the best place to store it would be. Next to the bed, under the sofa, somewhere it'd be easy to grab and shoot. 

You worked yourself up walking yourself through your plan that when Spencer came up behind you again, without thinking, you turned the gun on him.  

“Whoa, Y/N!” 

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I don't - I was just thinking about what I would do in a h-home invasion, and it seemed safer to have the gun close, but-” 

Slowly taking the gun from your hand, Spencer pulled you towards him and into his arms. 

“Are you okay?” he asked again, and though it was the 100th time you'd heard the question in the last few weeks, you finally, finally broke down and told him the truth. 

“N-No.” 

Stroking your hair, Spencer held you as you began to quietly sob, not pulling away as you clung to him for dear life, letting the fear slowly drain from your body. 

“It's okay. It's going to be okay, I'm here,” he whispered. After a few minutes, you gathered yourself and pulled away, wiping your eyes as you looked up at him again. 

“I'm sorry, I must just be really tired. I'll just crash on the couch-” 

“No, Y/N, you can't do that.”

“It's fine, I'm fine now. I've crashed on your couch before, and-” 

“And the couch is next to the door. You're going to sit there all night with your gun in your hand, waiting for the door handle to turn. You won't rest.” 

You opened your mouth to retort, but he grabbed your hand and led you to the bedroom again. 

“I know what it's like, not being able to sleep at night. Feeling anxious and alone and scared all the time.” 

He handed you a pile of clothes and let you sit on the bed as he began to untie your shoelaces. 

“Sleep in the bed. The window has a secure lock, and it's covered by the alarm system. The bedroom door locks as well." Finishing, he looked up at you from the floor, smiling weakly before standing up and pressing a kiss to your temple. 

Your heart, which had been resting comfortably with the new details of your security, flared up into a fast-paced drum beat again as he left for the bathroom. You weren't sure if you were scared still, or if somehow a small kiss and care he'd shown you were enough to have you flushed like a middle-schooler. 

You quickly slipped on the pajamas, which you recognised as old FBI training clothes, and hopped into the bed before your brain could decide to investigate any further. 

Spencer returned quickly and climbed into bed right beside you, turning off the lights beforehand. 

“Thank you,” you whispered, looking at him as you laid on your side. 

“What for?” 

“For not making this awkward.” 

“Awkward? Is it weird for us to share the bed? Should I have taken the couch? I should have taken the couch, let me go-” 

You leant over the small space between you and wrapped your arms around him.

“Thank you for not letting me spiral. Thank you for letting me be not okay.” 

He relaxed into your touch as you spoke and pulled you into him for a hug quickly. His hands rested awkwardly still on your shoulders and waist, as if he were scared to touch you more, to seem inappropriate somehow. 

“Spencer?” 

“Hmm?”

“I think I'd feel safer if you just held me a bit tighter.”

With your head on his chest, you heard the short rumble of laughter that popped out of him as he relaxed into your hug, closing your eyes and falling asleep to the sound of his heart beating. 

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger Barel Main Route - Blind Love Chapter 24 Premium Story

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there. Awkwardly translated smut ahead

NSFW, MINORS DNI

As though he was training me in some way, he had me commit pleasure to memory…

Tonight was no exception and Roger was once again toying with me in his bed.

Roger: …What do you wanna do, Kate? Wanna go all the way tonight?

His fingers suddenly stopped and his words made the pit of my stomach clench from being teased thoroughly.

(But he’s been teasing me this whole time. Surely he’ll do the same tonight…)

Kate: You’re going to put it off again, aren’t you? Why are you doing this?

Roger: I’ve told you. I’m big, so it’s not gonna fit ‘til you get used to it.

His fingers sank back into where they were earlier.

The wet sounds made me want to cover my ears in embarrassment, so instead, I wrapped my arms around Roger’s neck.

Kate: Ahhnn, aaa…haaa

Roger: You’re so wet. Look, you can feel it, can’t you.

Kate: Aaahh…I can…So take your fingers out already…

Roger: Can’t. Gonna stay here ‘til you tell me you wanna go all the way. Let’s see how many times I can make you cum with just my fingers.

Kate: No…Aaahhh.

My vision was blinded by pleasure and I could feel my slick flowing down my thighs.

(It feels so good…I might pass out if I lose focus)

(But I wonder if he’ll deny me again)

My heart pounded, wanting more.

(What will happen when he fills me up…)

(Not with his fingers, but something more…If this misery could be filled with Roger’s touch—)

When I imagined it, my breathing intensified and my body felt like it was melting inside.

Kate: I…want to finish with you… Ah…Please…fill me up completely.

Roger: Pfft…haha…You’re really…

My body trembled when he pulled his fingers out.

Roger: Finally got you to say it.

He brought my hand to his lower half

(…)

My whole body flushed when I felt the mass nearly bursting out of his pants.

Roger: Been like this for a while. Been holding back for a long time now.

Kate: It’s your own fault.

Roger: Haha, true. But there’s a reason why. Wanted to hear you say “I want this.”

(If that’s true, then I fell right into Roger’s trap)

Kate: …You’ll take full responsibility, right? After all, I’ve learned so many things that make me feel good. I can’t go back to my old life, and I can’t live without you…

(It’s frustrating, but…I want this so bad…)

With my whole face feeling hot, I bit my lip and Roger’s shoulders shook.

Roger: How simple and cute can you get? Haaa…This must be what love is. Neglect, teasing, training…We’re gonna have a lotta fun from here on out.

Kate: You’re the worst bully and pervert!

Roger: Haha, don’t pout. Besides …I’m also at my limit.

He lowered his voice, as if luring me into a world of obscenities. 

Roger had been holding back for a long time…you could tell by his voice.

Kate: Looks like I wasn’t the only one being denied here, so you’re forgiven.

Roger: If you’re in a forgiving mood…then forgive me for this sin too.

Roger opened his shirt, pulled out his belt, and reached for his pants.

He guided my hand to the breathtaking mass.

It was hot, and when I wrapped my fingers around it, I could feel it throbbing under my touch…

Despite how monstrous it looked, it was oddly lovely.

Roger: …Oh?

Roger examined my face and finally smiled.

Kate: W-what is it?

Roger: I just get happy when I see how you look when you want something. I finally get to satisfy you, so look forward to it.

Kate: I get so embarrassed when you say things like that.

Roger: You say that, but you love being put in embarrassing situations, don’t you?

Roger’s face hovered over me as he pushed me down on the bed.

He parted my legs and rubbed himself along my wet folds.

Kate: Haaa…aaah…you’re teasing me again?

Roger: Mnnn…As much as I like teasing you, it’s not that. I definitely don’t want you to feel pain. So…haaa…Gotta coat myself with your slick first…

His somewhat needy voice tickled my chest sweetly, and the pleasure increased simultaneously with my heartbeat.

Kate: Nnn, haaa…aaahhh…

Roger: Hey now, don’t rock your hips like that…or it’ll slip in.

Kate: But the wetter I get you, the faster we’ll be one…Mnnn…

Roger: What you said just now is unfair.

The obscene sound of my overflowing slick resounded as the tip of his heat sank in.

Kate: Haaa, aaaahhh…

I gasped at his size when he entered in one stroke.

Roger: …Ha…You okay?

Kate: I’m…fine…so please move.

Roger: Yeah, I’m going…

Roger pushed further inside.

Kate: Haa…Ahhhh….

Roger: Kate…relax. Breathe.

But even with his voice in my ear, I couldn’t do what he said.

As I bit my lip at the pressure I had never experienced before, a hot touch parted my lips.

Kate: Mmph…

A sudden gulp of air caused sweet moans to escape.

Kate: Haaa, nnnn, aahh, Roger…it’s so hot inside…

Roger: Yeah, I’ll fill you to the hilt. 

As Roger moved his hips, he held my head and kissed me…

I wrapped my legs around his waist and rocked against him. And then—

Kate: Haa, aaahhh…!

I wrapped my arms around his neck the moment he bottomed out.

Kate: Nnn…are you…

Roger: Yeah, I’m all the way in. You did well, Kate.

Because he was so big, it was like I could feel him against my belly as he stretched me out to my limit.

But it satisfied me in a way that his fingers or tongue couldn’t…Words couldn’t describe how happy I felt.

Roger: But it doesn’t end here…You wanna feel good, don’t you?

Those words alone made me ache with lust, as if trying to catch the apex of my heat.

Kate: Yes…Please Roger, I want more.

Roger: I’ll satisfy you as much as you want.

His strong back rolled.

My nails scratched at his back as he thrusted again and again—

We exchanged heat countless times until we finally buried our heads in a pillow in exhaustion, a reddish-brown dyeing the sky. 

—We welcomed the true dawn as we embraced each other, as naked as the day we were born.

Next

[peachybeom]

Valentine Blues

Taehyun x reader

ex-best friends to lovers

Please reblog if you like this!

You were currently experiencing the worst day ever and were about one more tragedy away from having a breakdown.

Huffing violently you stood in the middle of an alleyway, watching your home route bus disappear with the main traffic.

Your phone beeped at the same time and you reached for it while taking rest on a wall nearby.

[10:51pm] Roomate.

Hey Y/n,

I just wanna thank you again for staying out tonight!! Because of you me and Josh can FINALLY enter the home base tonite and get extra juicy iykwim ;)))

Happy Valentines day babes!

Okay yeah now you can feel the breakdown coming.

You were so engrossed in storming all the libraries in town, looking for a specific book for your asshole Professor, to get him to reward you some extra credit, that you had conveniently forgot the stupid promise you had made to your roommate.

As much as you wanted to crash on the soft mattress of your bed and mute the world for rest of the weekend, you weren't desperate enough to walk into your roommate having sex with her co worker while roleplaying as a nurse.

In your peripheral vision, you could see couples huddled together, walking hand in hand. Some sharing an ice cream, others practically devouring each other with their intense stares.

Love was definitely in the air, and it made you nauseous. It wasn't that you were anti love or something, in the past you actually looked forward to this cliche holiday.

But recently you had managed to convince yourself that after several bitter breakups and unrequited crushes, being in a loving, healthy relationship seemed just impossible for you at this point.

Shaking your head, you pushed aside all the pointless worries and tried to focus on your current problem which was being homeless for the night.

You racked your brain to think which one of your crackhead friend would be available to offer you a lodging.

Kai? No. You knew he had plans with his girlfriend in her dorm to watch some random Disney movie and cry like a baby while she consoled him.

Soobin? Doubtful. His still had problems prioritising his girlfriend over odi, so that was a territory you didn't want to enter.

Beomgyu and Jeongin? Never. Those two would definitely be somewhere wasted in a club while they humped their way through another round of beer pong. They had actually tried to convince you for an entire week to join them at the club tonight and form a 'Singles Union', An association which helped each other to get laid. No way you were walking into that trap again.

That left you with Yeonjun- ehhhh. You actually had no idea what he was upto. Last time you heard from him, he was 'Single like a Pringle and definitely ready to Mingle'- his words not yours.

Sighing, you crossed your fingers as you dialled his number on your phone. Hopefully he could be your saving grace.

After a few rings he picked up the phone.

"Hey Junnie, I know it's kind of late and well.....Valentine's day but I really really need a favor from you," You said rushing your words. The cold weather was definitely peeking under your raging emotions.

"Oh hi Y/n, yeah sure what's up," Yeonjun replied, in a whisper.

"Yeah so I actually- I hear a woman's voice. Are you on a date?," You asked, cutting off your own words.

"Yes I am, but I can help you. What's the problem?" He answered.

To this you stifled a laugh. Choi Yeonjun on a date? The no strings attached Choi Yeonjun taking some lady out to have a nice dinner? This day was getting more trippy minute by minute.

"It's a speed dating thing. Now tell me what do you want, I don't have much time." Yeonjun said in an annoyed tone, taking the silence as a way of you teasing him.

Ah that makes so much more sense.

You almost felt bad for interrupting Yeonjun on his 'date' but you knew he was the only one who could save you right now.

So you told him about your problem.

"Hmmm you are aware that you can just crash at my place right? You already know where the key is kept, I won't be home for the night anyways" Yeonjun stated matter of factly.

Your ears perked up at his suggestion and you almost cursed yourself for not thinking about it earlier until a face flashed up in your mind.

"And what about Kang Taehyun?" You questioned grimly.

"Beggars can't be choosers Y/n. Besides it's not like he's the spawn of Satan." Your friends responded.

"But Yeonjun-,"

"Listen I have to go but consider this. It's not like you have any other option. Byee happy love day!" And then Yeonjun abruptly ended the call.

You groaned loudly and stomped your feet like a baby, earning glances from a few pedestrians. But you couldn't care less about them.

You started to weigh your options.

Spending a night at a run in shady motel full with horny couples or with your friend's roommate, the annoying, son of a gun- who also happened to be your ex bestfriend, Kang Taehyun.

After giving both of them intense thought. You decided to swallow your pride and take up Yeonjun's offer. Atleast his bed would be free of mysterious bodily fluids unlike the motel's.

After almost walking for half an hour- a consequence of missing the bus earlier, you finally reached Yeonjun's apartment.

Your feet were giving up on you and your teeth began to clatter lightly due to the cold February weather.

You could hear faint music from the other side of the door.

Great. Taehyun was home.

You weren't surprised though.

Even though you despised Taehyun, you decided to knock on the door instead of unlocking it out of common courtesy.

Nothing happened for a few moments and you knocked again. Still nothing.

Growing impatient you reached for the key and was about to use it when Taehyun opened it.

Correction: A very shirtless dripping wet Taehyun, with a towel around his waist opened the door.

"Lover boy isn't home tonight," Taehyun started with a stern tone. Oblivious to the fact that he was basically half nude standing in front of you.

"I-uh," You gulped, trying to compose yourself.

Taehyun is annoying and irritating and an asshole. His chiseled abs could not facade his shitty personality.

"Yeonjun said I could stay here tonight, Now move." You continued before making your way inside the apartment.

You did feel a bit intrusive and rude but your day had already been a mess and dealing with Kang Taehyun was icing on the cake.

Ignoring and engaging in minimum conversation with him was your goal.

Reminiscing the comfy feeling of a bed, you made a beeline for Yeonjun's room and turned the knob to open the door.

"What the fuck," A string of curse words left your mouth as you saw the room before you.

It was completely trashed and the stench of freshly applied paint almost made you dizzy.

"Yeonjun's room is being renovated, didn't he tell you that?" A voice mocked you from behind.

Taehyun was now leaning against the door frame -now fully dressed- and drying his hair with a hand towel.

You wanted to cry. You knew that this proposition was too good to be true. Breaking down over a trashed room was childish but anyone in your place would feel the same way. Everything was getting on your nerves.

There was no way you could sleep in the living room too, your fingers were already numb and your throat felt scratchy.

"I'm gonna kill him," You muttered under your breath before taking your bag and making your way to the exit only to be stopped by Taehyun midway.

"Hey I can't let you leave. Yeonjun would kill me, also not to forget you are sort of homeless aren't you?" He said raising a hand.

Your eyes widened. So he knew, great.

The last thing you wanted to be infront of him was vulnerable and embarrassed, but here you were.

As much as you hated to admit it, he was right you didn't have any other choice.

"So where will I sleep?" You asked raising an eyebrow, refusing to admit defeat.

"In there," Taehyun replied pointing to his bedroom.

"No way I'm sharing a bed with you. You pervert, " You answered him in disbelief.

But the thing was even though you hated Taehyun, you knew that he won't make a move on you without consent.

Deep down you still trusted him.

You, Yeonjun and Taehyun went way back. They were the first two people you ran into on your first day of college, when you were a naive, insecure friendless student. They were the ones who took you in and made you feel welcomed.

"Oh no, You'll take the floor," Taehyun answered bringing you back to reality.

What?

You stared at him blankly as he broke out in a fit of laughter.

"God it feels so good to have the upper hand," He continued.

Suddenly the thought of walking home alone and witnessing your roommate doing the dirty didn't phase you anymore.

So once more you picked your stuff and started walking towards the door when you felt Taehyun grab you wrist.

You'd had enough. Fuck avoiding him.

"What the hell do you want Taehyun. I've already had a crappy day as it is, spent my entire day searching a useless manuscript for that Professor dimwit, ran two fucking stations only to miss my bus home and walked here in this freezing weather with people sucking off each other's face all around me. So No, I don't have the energy to deal with your petty humiliations. Let go." You turned around lashing at him.

Your fists were bawled and your lips quivered. Taehyun always worked you up, he made you feel weak and vulnerable and you hated him for that.

Something changed in Taehyun's expression and his eyes softened. He loosened his hold on your wrist as you pulled it away from him.

"You can take the room. I didn't plan on sleeping there anyways, got some assignments to finish," Taehyun finally spoke up, his voice soft and laced with guilt.

You stared at him for a minute too long and then without saying another word you made your way to the room and shut it behind you.

You sunk down on the floor, once inside.

Grabbing a fistful of your hair you let out a shaky breath.

This wasn't fair. While the rest of the world was busy celebrating love and happiness with their significant others, you were left here moping in the bedroom of the boy, one you managed to successfully detach and despise in your mind for almost a year now.

The reason you were so hostile towards Taehyun wasn't because he was sort of pretentious or his face was too annoyingly perfect, it wasn't because he was so calm in situations where one shouldn't be.

The true reason was that Taehyun made you feel things that you would never allow yourself to feel.

Everything thing he used to do drove you wild. Made your heartbeat like crazy whenever he was around you, the touch of his hands, the small comforting smiles which adorned his face when your eyes met.

You were always rational with your love life, never reaching for places you couldn't but Taehyun was an exception.

He led you on, starred in all your hopeful fantasies and dreams but then left one day only to leave them shattered on the ground.

"Y/n I think you've got it wrong. It's best for us to remain friends don't you think? Best friends can't hurt each other,"

Except Taehyun was wrong. Best friends can hurt each other, they can leave scars which can take ages to heal. Those words still haunted you to this day.

He had rejected you that day.

But it wasn't the response that upset you the most, it was the shitty excuse he gave you, because the promise to remain friends was just as difficult. You could never look at him the same way again, the pain eventually grew into hatred and here you were now.

Holding back tears, you finally looked around the room. Nothing had changed since the last time you've been here, Taehyun had always been a pretty minimalistic person. Everything felt the same except for two photo frames which were placed on his bedside table.

You went up and examined the two pictures closely. One was of the day when Yeonjun, Taehyun and you decided to take a spontaneous road trip to your home town. A smile spread across your lips as you recalled the happy memories.

However it was the second picture which earned a gasp from you. In it, you were shoving a handful of Chocolates into Taehyun's mouth laughing while he looked at the camera with mischievous eyes, hands wrapped around your arms.

You couldn't understand why Taehyun would still keep this picture with him, nevertheless framed and on his bed side table.

Before you could think about anything else, you felt a knock on the door. Startled you dropped the frame on the bed and went ahead to open it.

Taehyun stood there in front of you, holding a jumper in his hands.

"I have to grab some books and here, I figured you would be cold," His expression still apologetic.

His hair was messy and a hint of sleepiness evident in his eyes.

You took the sweater from him and moved to the side to let him in.

Your heart skipped a beat when you brought the jumper closer to your face. It smelled like him.

"I'm sorry Y/n. I acted like an asshole earlier," Taehyun said minutes after, eyes still settled on his giant bookshelf.

For a moment you didn't know how to respond but then you spoke,

"I'm sorry too for lashing out on you, it's just today's been a pain in the ass for me,"

As you were speaking you realised, how much time it had been since the two of you spoke without bickering, let alone apologize to each other.

"I thought you'd probably be out tonight celebrating," He continued now looking at you.

You scoffed at this.

"My love life has been in shambles since forever," you replied letting out a pathetic laugh.

Since you.

"Same for me, if that makes anything better,"

Even though the three of you did not hang out together anymore. Yeonjun always used to give you updates on Taehyun's life even though you pretended not to care.

You had no idea where this conservation was leading. At any moment you could ask him to leave, but there was piece of you that wanted him to stay just like it did a year ago.

"Actually I- uh got something to give you, just a second," Taehyun said abruptly before leaving the room.

He exited the room in such a hurry that you didn't even have time to process what he said.

Something for you? What could it be? The thumping of your heart making it hard to concentrate on anything.

The door opened again and this time Taehyun returned with a mug in his hand.

He stood beside you next to the bed and placed the mug in your hands.

"What's this?" You asked him, puzzled.

"I know the circumstances aren't the best but I couldn't break the promise," Taehyun replied, his expression soft and a little embarrassed.

You still couldn't get it.

"I can't cook or bake to save my life so here's some hot chocolate instead....Happy Valentines Day Y/n."

That's when it hit you. A few years ago you and Taehyun had made a made a pact with each other, for every valentine's if either of you were single or sulky the other person's job would be to look out for them and cook them a 'comfort' food of their choice.

Taehyun remembered. Of course he did, that explains that picture he kept on his nightstand.

You were overwhelmed to say the least.

"Hopefully this makes everything just a bit better," Taehyun finished off.

That's when you heard your own sniffs and felt a tear running down your cheek.

Taehyun looked at you with a panicked expression as he sat beside you and opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off.

"I can't do this anymore Taehyun, it's too unbearable. I did everything to get over this Despised you, avoided you but I'm just so weak. I'm pathetic," Even though your vision was blurry, you could still clearly see Taehyun's sculpted face in front of you.

It was pathetic really. The facade you managed to pull off for so long came undone the moment he confronted you.

Beomgyu and Jeongin would probably laugh their heads off and label you a loser if they ever got to know about this.

But Taehyun pulled you into a hug, his warm embrace enveloping the whole of you.

"Don't say that, I hurt you and it's my fault. I was a coward Y/n, I didn't want to ruin or complicate things but it only caused pain for both of us,"

He pulled back to face you.

"I know I can't ever make up for the things I said that day, but- fuck it I miss you. There are so many things I want to say that I couldn't back then but most importantly Y/n I- I love you."

Although your mind was an emotional mess. Hearing those three words from Taehyun made the butterflies in your stomach wild. The school girl crush, the giddy feeling you felt everytime Taehyun was near you returned.

"Same," you blurted out meekly not trusting yourself to form coherent sentences.

This earned a wide grin from Taehyun, giving a perfect view of his pearly white teeth and adorable eye whiskers.

He placed a hand on your cheek, wiping the tears and then leaned in dangerously close.

"May I?" He whispered against you lips and without thinking twice you smashed your them against his. This exact moment, you dreamt of it countless time. Being in Taehyun's arms was something you thought you could only see in your dreams. Actually you still weren't sure if this all was real or you were just lost in another dreamland. .

"I've missed you so much y/n oh my god" Taehyun breathed against your lips.

What eventually started soft and slow turned hot and steamy in a matter of seconds. Hands roaming all over and your entire body melting into his.

When Taehyun slipped his hands under your jumper to take it off you suddenly pulled away from him, breaking the kiss.

"What happened, did I do something wrong?" Taehyun asked with a worried look.

You shook your head quickly and pointed to the mug now placed on the nightstand.

"The hot chocolate will get cold," You replied.

Hearing this, Taehyun visibly relaxed and entwined his fingers with yours.

"I can make you a thousand cups of hot chocolate later but right now let's focus on us," He said in a deep voice, laying you down further on the bed.

"Am I really going to get laid with Kang Taehyun on fucking Valentine's day? Past us would be cringing so hard," You teased him further.

Taehyun replied by burying his face in your neck.

"Happy Valentines Day baby. Lets believe in love again."

The next day when you woke up to a naked Taehyun sleeping peacefully beside you. You had to pinch yourself to convince yourself that this wasn't a dream.

Never in a million years you thought such a disastrous day could have such a perfect ending.

Taking a sip of the cold chocolate milk from the night before, you started down at his beautiful face.

He gently stirred beside you, eyes opening slowly.

"Good morning, you're real" He speaks in a hoarse voice, eyelids still heavy with sleep.

"Yes Tyun, I am" You smiled at his cute state.

Taehyun pulled you closer to his side and whispered in your hair, "Did I tell you, you make all my problems go away"

"Speaking of problems-" You started but were cut off by the loud bang of a door opening.

"Hey Taehyun, Did Y/n come here- WHAT THE FUCK MY POOR EYES. DO YOU TWO NOT KNOW THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS HOUSE" Yeonjun screamed covering his eyes.

You giggled at Yeonjun's mortifying reaction and slipped yourself deeper into the sheets.

"You're the one walking in without knocking, get the fuck out yeonjun" Taehyun screamed back, throwing a pillow at his direction.

[lynzishell]

The Past 💛 Atlas

Now that I’ve spoken it out loud, I can’t ignore the strangeness around Ash anymore. The nightmares, the flashes of memory that don’t belong to me, and now, what feels like someone else’s words coming out of my mouth.

I’ve decided to keep some distance until I can figure this out, even if the very idea of it has me twisted up in knots.

As usual, when I arrive at work, he’s already there, joking around with Evan and Lex. I make a point to walk back by the windows to my desk, so I won’t have to face him. I know I’ll need to talk to him eventually, but I have no idea what I’m going to say, and now doesn’t seem like the time or place to say it anyway.

So, I avoid him. I avoid the situation. I avoid myself.

I sit at my desk, put my earbuds in, and I retreat to a familiar place deep within. And I work. I work through lunch despite the protests from my stomach. I don’t stop working until six o’clock, long past when Ash usually leaves. I don’t know if he tried to say hello or goodbye. I don’t even remember the day.

When I finally look up, the office is nearly empty, and the sun has just started to sink toward the horizon.

Rather than taking my usual route home, I take a right out of the building and head toward the gym. No one else is going tonight, but that's fine. I just need to think, and I think best when I'm climbing or running.

But I only make it two blocks before I hear his footsteps behind me, moving quickly along the wet concrete as he tries to catch up. I hadn’t even realized it rained today. The sky is clear now, but the moisture has left the air feeling sticky and unseasonably warm.

My heart jumps when I feel his hand tap my shoulder even though I was expecting it. I take a breath and turn to face him.

“Hey,” his greeting is like a hand reaching into a dark well, reaching down to try and pull me up from where I’ve retreated deep inside myself. His eyes search the darkness in mine. I can’t tell if he can see me or not.

He squints slightly and I know then that he can’t. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” I say automatically.

“Everything’s fine?”

“Yeah.”

He squints harder, and the corners of his mouth pull down into a frown, “Did I do something wrong?”

The confusion in his voice twists at my stomach and I have to focus on staying upright, on keeping all the muscles in my face and shoulders relaxed. It’s not easy, but I’ve had two decades of practice and I’m better at it than I’d like to admit. “No,” I say simply. Keeping my answers short to keep the emotion out of them.

Then it happens. I watch as his eyes harden like stones. This is it. This is when I fuck everything up. I can feel it, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But maybe it’s for the best. I can’t risk him getting close to me.

“Atlas, what the fuck is going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Do you think I’m stupid?”

The sharpness in his tone makes me flinch, cracking my armor, and I feel my brows pull together, “No,” emotion sneaks into my voice, drawing out the word.

“Atlas, I—” he seems to struggle for a moment. I wait, desperate to reach out to him, to put my hand on his arm and reassure him, but I’m trapped. My armor has become a cage, as it so often does. Helpless, I listen as he tries again, “I like you, a lot, and we had a really great time the other night, but… you said you’d call and you didn’t, which is fine, like, people get busy, it’s whatever… but you’ve spent the entire day acting like I don’t  exist and now you’re telling me everything is fine, acting as if nothing happened, making me feel like I’m fucking delusional or something. Do you have any idea how awful that feels?”

Yes. I feel myself deflate, a wave of shame pouring over me. I don’t think I can hate myself more than I do in this moment, realizing that I am indeed my mother's son. “I’m sorry,” I try to infuse as much sincerity into the words as I can, but they still fall flat.

“Right. You wanna tell me what’s going on then?”

“I can’t do this, Ash, I’m sorry. I think we should just be friends.” I let it out in a rush, unable to look him in the eye.

“Friends?”

I nod.

“You know, a ‘friend’ would’ve had the decency to talk to me about this rather than avoiding me.”

“I know, I’m—”

“Sorry. Yeah. I got that. Can you tell me why?”

“Because…” I sigh, grabbing on to the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense, “because we work together. I just… I don’t date people I work with.” It’s not necessarily a lie. I usually don’t consider my co-workers part of the eligible dating pool. But maybe if things were different, I’d’ve made an exception.

“You don’t date people you work with?”

“That’s right.”

He scoffs, “This would’ve been good information for you to share with me a lot sooner. I really don’t appreciate being led on.”

“I know, I didn’t mean… I got caught up. I shouldn’t have. I really am sorry.”

His head drops away from me, “Yeah, me too,” he says to the ground more than me, nudging a rock with his shoe. “So, friends then? That’s what you want?”

No. “Yes.”

He nods, still looking at the ground as he takes a deep breath. “Okay.” He finally looks back up at me, his eyes shining, not with their usual playfulness and excitement, but with tears threatening to spill over. I’ve hurt him. “Okay,” he says again, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He turns around abruptly before I can respond and starts walking away.

I stand there for a moment, stunned. Everything about this feels wrong. I want to take it back. And I nearly call out to him, tell him to wait, that I didn't mean it. But then he reaches a hand up, wiping his face, and I stop myself. I've done enough damage already.

I was wrong earlier. It turns out I can hate myself more.

Prev // Next

[ittybluebell]

Roommate | Daredevil G/T | Chapter 1

AO3

Next

Matt Murdock didn't have anything against mice. He'd never been personally harrassed by one, but he understood the need to get rid of them. One easily turned into a dozen and with all the mess and digging into food, eviction was necessary. Despite how many rodents he heard daily, it wasn't something he thought about. The only reason mice were on his mind now was because one had moved into the floor, and he could hear it moving around as he laid in bed.

Now, like he said, Matt didn't have anything against mice.

Scrtch-scrtch-tick.

This one, however, was pushing its luck.

It showed up one night, moving in when he was out vigilante-ing and he only noticed the next day. At first, he didn't care. It was alone and hadn't yet realized there was food in his apartment. He had other, more pressing issues than a single mouse. It was a benign little thing - hardly a problem. Most nights, he could ignore the pitter-pattering and scraping or put in his noise-canceling earbuds.

Tonight, the mouse was too loud for earbuds. As he tossed and turned, Matt fumed, wondering what that rodent could possibly be up to. Rearranging furniture? Fuck, it sounded like it. Little mouse furniture.

Enough was enough. Matt threw a pillow at the floor and told the thing to shut up. To his surprise, it did. Matt sighed and finally went to sleep.

From that night on, he noticed a drastic decline in his downstairs neighbor's noise pollution.

How silly it was, Matt thought during a good mood, holding a grudge toward an animal. Especially one that was polite enough to let him sleep in peace.

Oh, how naïve he was.

The mouse quickly reinstated its grudge status when Matt noticed things going missing. It started with the bagels - a hole in the bag he noticed because the scent of bagel was particularly strong. Upon investigation, he discovered there was a complete lack of crumbs. And a chunk discreetly chewed from the middle. From there, things escalated. He smelled the shift in the air, smelled the remnants of another living being in his apartment. Little objects went missing - things even a seeing person might miss. But not Matt Murdock.

The sock was the last straw.

"What's the best bait for mouse traps?" Matt asked as soon as he entered the office.

"Cheese?" Foggy answered, confused. "Why? Do you have mice?"

"One. One mouse."

"How d- nevermind. Let me guess - you can't sleep."

"It's taking my stuff."

Foggy laughed. Karen huffed.

"At least tell me you're using non-lethal," said Karen. Upon his silence, she aww'd sadly. "Matt, no. It's just a mouse. You can't kill it."

"They're pests," said Foggy.

"But they're so cute. It just wants a place to live."

"Karen-" started Matt.

"No, no, she's got a point." Foggy spun his chair around. "Matt, you can't kill it! So cute and fuzzy!"

The lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night groaned. "Fine, I won't. Just stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Foggy, I can feel your eyes fake-tearing up."

Matt bought some glue traps and baited them with peanut butter. When Karen told him glue traps were worse - "They're so inhumane, Matt!" - he assured her that he'd know when the mouse got stuck; it wouldn't suffer. As much as the thing annoyed him, Karen was right: he wasn't going to abandon his no-killing rule for one mouse. (One mouse that must have a vendetta against him. He would not stoop to its level.) What kind of hypocrite would he be, huh?

The traps were set. Now to wait.

And wait.

A week passed. No mouse was caught. When he listened to its movement, he realized it was avoiding the spots he'd trapped. Avoiding the usual routes.

Smart. For a rodent. But Matt was smarter.

More traps, different bait. Traps disguised as the food and objects he'd noticed go missing, even the mate to his missing sock. It couldn't resist now.

Days passed.

Evidently, it could resist.

Foggy teased him about being outsmarted by an animal. Karen was on the mouse's side. Somebody must've told Jessica because he got a condescending text offering her services. Traitors, every one of them.

It all came to a head one terrible Friday night. Matt was already in a bad mood when he got home from work but going out, hearing and feeling New York City, pushed him over the edge. He was annoyed, his brain was overstimulated, and he just wanted to rest. The rooftop access door shut behind him and he threw his helmet into its trunk, about to shed the rest when the distinct sound of scratching and plastic crinkling in the kitchen cupboard caught his ear.

Matt stilled. It was here.

He marched with purpose toward the sounds.

That little bastard wasn't getting away this time. Catching it would be a satisfying end to a crappy day.

The mouse started fleeing before he was even close. It was headed for the other end of the cupboards - a hole in the floor Matt wasn't aware of but now could sense the air flowing from within. He'd have to seal that in the mor-

Mice didn't run on two legs.

Matt cocked his head, listening to the pattern of footfalls. He'd never cared to pay attention, but now it was impossible to miss. He knew what scurrying rodents sounded like. Whatever was in his kitchen, it was no rodent. It was bipedal. A bird? No, not with that speed. Not with that gait. He needed a closer examination.

Matt threw open the cupboard door. The first thing to hit his senses was the scent of corn chips.

The second was the heartbeat.

The creature's heart pounded swiftly in its chest. Air rushed from a mouth that was too upright for any kind of animal, a nose too humanlike. Small shoes hit the baseboard as it ran. Fabric rustled the same way he heard every single day in the street - like clothing.

Matt got lower, needing to be closer, needing to examine this little anomaly. How it moved, how it sounded, how uncannily familiar it was.

The living shape that his senses created was so alike to people that he was too shocked to outwardly react.

The little thing escaped into the floor, and Matt Murdock was left crouching there. Slowly, he shut the door. He took off the suit, dressed his wounds, and went to bed, his mind racing.

His body was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. Not when he was tracking the creature's movements. Every scrape, every soft thud of a step, the whisper-

Whispering?

"You're fine. He didn't see you. There's no way…"

Whispering. Okay.

Matt pretended he didn't hear anything and put in his earbuds. That was a tomorrow-Matt problem.

Unfortunately for tomorrow-Matt, another problem knocked on his door first. That problem rhymed with Stank Hassle and didn't like to be ignored. Frank did offer coffee when they left so at least it wasn't a total bust. It was a good opportunity to get Matt out of his head; to get a clear perspective of the night before. Matt decided he was exhausted and hallucinating. The alternative was a tiny person living in the walls of his apartment. Delusion was easier.

Delusion was also what kept the borrower from abandoning the apartment altogether.

Call them stubborn, or stupid, but Finch didn't want to leave. Borrowers could only get so lucky. Landing a decent apartment with an oblivious bean was a rare opportunity, and Finch had no intention of giving it up. They would use this good fortune. Even if they didn't deserve it.

Finch shook off the guilt following that thought.

They spent the first week setting up: finding a place to sleep and tidying it up, living off the rations they packed. They got a lay of the land, surveying the apartment and its infrastructure. The excessively bright billboard directly in front of the living room window, the kitchen, and - most importantly - the bean. Light - or lack thereof - was never an issue for him. Not once did he flip a switch or so much as use his phone, which read texts aloud to him. He hardly looked at whatever claimed his attention. Everything added up to limited vision, but they couldn't be sure. It was safest not to risk any assumptions.

Evidence pointed to some damn good hearing when Finch was carving planks of wood out of the floor's innards. They were minding their own business, content with their repetitive, calming task, when something large and loud impacted the ceiling a dozen paces away.

The borrower nearly jumped out of their overalls, giving a startled squeak.

"Shut up," yelled the muffled voice above.

Pretending their soul wasn't just violently expelled from their body, Finch smoothed down their curly brown hair and exhaled shakily, making a mental note to postpone noisy work till the bean was away.

And they did good on that: when the bean was home, Finch completed the quieter, slower tasks. They thought they'd discovered the formula for living under the radar, satisfied to have found a routine that worked.

Then the traps appeared. Finch cursed their luck. The jig was up. The bean set up gross glue traps in outer access points, a couple even getting to the paths Finch took. Finch avoided them and laid low for a bit, hoping the lack of activity would convince the bean they'd skipped town. But more traps appeared. Smart ones, too - they almost fell for a couple. Now, Finch knew a thing or two about a thing or two. They made new routes and took extra care when borrowing. They even started mapping paths to the apartments below. Despite their small stature, Finch had a lot of room for determination. After a life of sticking their hand in the fire, they learned to take the heat. If the bean wanted them gone, he'd have to try a lot harder.

Night fell. The bean was gone. He followed routines - ones he scarcely strayed from. It would be hours before his return.

Finch made their way to the kitchen. They pushed up the trapdoor and strolled through the cupboard. They still had to be careful: just because the human wasn't home didn't mean they could throw all caution to the wind. Leaving evidence was a massive negatory. Finch didn't care for stupid rules, but the rules of borrowing were locked in their brain. They were already careless with the bagels, something they couldn't afford again. Desperation wasn't an excuse for sloppy borrowing - not when it exposed them.

Finch observed the boxes and containers around them, reading labels and calculating risk and reward. There was no chance of getting into that cereal box, but the nutrition bars would be a good grab. The box was short and already open. Finch pushed a can of tuna against it and hopped on. They began extracting a bar only to realize they had no way of getting something so large home without a sled.

"No, that'd be too easy." With a huff, Finch dropped it and shoved the can back into place. "'cause food can never be-" plastic crinkled under their foot "-easy?" Finch inspected the blue packaging. It was an open bag of tortilla chips. They grinned.

The scent of corn chips filled the space as Finch unfurled the bag. They dropped their backpack and started breaking the triangular chips into smaller pieces. Salt-free, too? Hell, yes. They tested the backpack's weight, put a bit more inside, then pulled the strings tight. They slung the strap across their chest. Oh, yeah, this would last them a good while. Finch fought with the chip bag, trying to roll the top underneath like it was before.

"Come on. Stupid fuckin'-" They tried to simultaneously lift the heavy bag and pull the other end.

Over the sounds of plastic popping and crackling in their ears, Finch didn't hear a door open and shut.

DOOM.

They did, however…

DOOM.

…feel the approaching footsteps of the human bean.

Finch froze. Blue eyes snapped wide open, their head flinching away from the plastic. It couldn't be...

Finch bolted.

He's supposed to be out why is he back-

DOOM.

They didn't need to know why he was back - just that he was and he was approaching at an alarming rate.

DOOM.

Oh, fuck, that's actually really close-

The doors ripped open. The hinges didn't even get a chance to squeak.

Finch stumbled. Air caught in their throat. For a moment, Finch was rooted to the floor. Just a moment. Long enough to see the human's form towering beyond the counter, covered in some kind of dark red leather. Long enough to see boots more than capable of squishing the life out of them.

Legs like fenceposts bent as the human came unbelievably closer. Closer than Finch had ever been to a bean. A giant face suspended above them, features blank and expressionless. Not once did the bean look at them.

Finch ran. They didn't look back. When they reached the hole in the floor, they plugged it up and kept going. Keep running.

Only when they reached the safety of their shelter did they falter.

"Oh, shit," they gasped, resting their weight on a nearby post. If their heart didn't outright stop, they were sure it might burst from their ribcage. Finch felt that exploding was a reasonable response. "He didn't see me." The scene replayed in their mind, over and over like a glitched tape. "I'm fine. You're fine. He didn't see you. There's no way he saw you. Just breathe."

Delusion, like they said. It was a powerful thing. It pulled many tricks on the mind. Like convincing oneself that they weren't discovered.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet, one might even say, if they weren't one Matt Murdock. He never got that phrase. Nothing was 'too quiet'. In his - correct - opinion, nothing was quiet enough. There was always something creaking, breathing, or thumping, even in the smallest hours of the night. But on some front he had to agree: there was a suspicious lack of activity from the critter in the floor lately. Reluctant as he was to admit it, he couldn't deny that it wasn't an animal. Animals didn't mutter to themselves, in full sentences, in English. He wasn't mentally, emotionally, or spiritually prepared to assess beyond whatever that meant. In the moments his mind wandered, however - such as now, sitting and listening to a recording for his current case - he found himself pondering the tiny being regardless.

The peace wasn't an accident. Finch had been avoiding that place, giving themself and the air time to settle. They continued work on their residence, slotting together panels of wood and cardboard to form walls. One room would do for now - they just needed protection from the elements and potential scavengers slinking around. Skies above, if a cockroach tried anything, it was next on the menu. Grind up the little fucker into a smoothie. Finch wished a bug would: it'd be miles better than those godforsaken tortilla chips. Finch gave the wood posts they'd just secured a good push, nodding in satisfaction and moving on to the wall. It would be the last one to seal up their box of a house.

Four days. It'd been four days since Finch was nearly discovered; four days since they stared a bean in the face and got away unscathed. Four days since they got an answer to what they'd only suspected: the human couldn't see. That explained the brilliantly bright billboard, the sensitive hearing, the lack of lights - it explained a lot. Finch had to re-evaluate their approach to borrowing. This human would be extra careful about his possessions - the sock was proof enough - and notice what was out of place. In some ways, this both simplified and complicated things.

But borrowers were nothing if not adaptable.

Finch ventured up to a peephole in the wall and looked out. Nothing had changed except the bean now sitting at the dining table, papers and an electronic box neatly laid out on the tabletop. Casually dressed, he was listening to… a podcast? No, too personal. Finch liked podcasts. There was a crime involved, but this sounded like a conversation Finch would overhear more than something designed to entertain. So this bean worked in solving crimes. A detective?

They listened to the dry as hell audio a scant longer before growing bored and moving on. Hey, at least the bean was preoccupied.

Naturally, they found themself puttering toward the kitchen. Wielding two bent nails tied to their belt, Finch climbed up the cupboard door, using hinges and decorative bevels alike to hoist themself up. Those bagels were good. Were there any left? Nothing but corn chips really wore down a person's capacity to give a damn. They perused the counter, confident that the bean was sufficiently distracted by his work. Finch was disappointed to find the bagels sealed in an airtight container. It was their own fault, slicing up the bag so messily. They pulled a face and resumed their search.

A plate of mostly-eaten pasta sat before them. Fuck yes! Finch scuttled to it, pulling out rolls of tinfoil from their bag. Careful to avoid crinkling, they gathered up all the leftover noodles and sauce that would fit.

Finch squirreled away their haul, licking their fingers clean of evidence and ignorant of the man listening to their heist just a few metres away.

Matt stopped paying attention to the tape some time ago.

The sounds of Hell's Kitchen couldn't drown out the little inhabitant in his walls. A scent had blown into the room, vaguely familiar with hints of tortilla chip. He sat straighter and listened, idly shuffling papers and tip-tapping his fingers on the table. He found himself unable to be anything other than impressed as they scaled his counter like a mountain climber. Whatever was left from dinner became his visitor's latest plunder. That was fine; less waste, right?

He was disappointed when they returned to the walls. He wound back the recording to get some work done, but found himself consistently distracted by his small neighbour's goings-on. This discovery was just so unique, so strange - how could he not be curious? He heard them venture out again, across the apartment now. Into his bedroom. What could they be doing?

Oho, if Matt found any more socks missing-

He turned in his seat, about to rise, when he heard:

"You hafta to be shittin' me."

The voice, quiet in size only and bold beyond that, was the mildly annoyed tone of someone who'd been inconvenienced. Matt had heard it before, in the late hush of the night, when no one else would. Muttered curses and remarks that blended into the creaking and groaning of buildings and chatter and sirens of the city. One voice that Matt Murdock had tried very hard not to think too much about.

"When is enough too much, huh?" the voice griped. "Does he think I'm just gonna lay on one? 'Oh, felt silly today, stepped on the massive rug of glue.' How 'bout I drag this onto your floor, see how you feel walkin' in a minefield?" They growled. "UGH. Beans."

Well.

There was no denying it anymore, was there? A tiny person was living in the walls of Matt's apartment.

Matt leaned back, processing. He'd tried ignoring it - for the sake of his mental health and faith - because it was insane. It was impossible. It shouldn't be.

And yet…

Matt wanted - needed - to investigate further.

He got up, quietly, light on his feet. He didn't make it two steps before he heard a swear and the tiny person retreated once more. Into an electrical outlet, by the sounds of it.

Hm. He couldn't sneak up on them - not this time. They heard him- no. Matt quirked his head, considering. They felt him approaching. Like Matt, they could feel vibrations. Vibrations that alerted them of a threat. It only made sense.

Heh, 'threat'. Regular ol' Matt Murdock was the threat this time, not his alter ego. Wasn't that something?

The next time Matt encountered his new neighbour, he was trying - and failing - to fall asleep. There was too much on his mind for sleep. Frustrated, he huffed and flopped over, restless, his thoughts racing. Sounds of the city were extra distracting tonight. He considered getting up and making a cup of tea - maybe that would calm his mind.

Noises from the kitchen drew his scattered focus. He sat up, listening to the scuffing and tapping that he'd come to recognize as his uninvited houseguest. Three visits in one day. Were they always this proactive? Well, he did interrupt their attempted heist of his bedroom. Matt scooted to the edge of the bed. He would make that tea, actually. As he stood, he remembered sneaking didn't work last time. Right. Heavy-footed. However, he had a hunch that this attempt would yield a sneakier result.

Aided by socks, Matt softly padded through his apartment. Tiny - the name he assigned his little visitor - was fiddling with some kind of packaging on the top shelf. And as he got closer, lo and behold, they did not startle. His theory was correct: the further Tiny was from the floor, the weaker their pallesthesia became. Their ability to detect vibrations just wasn’t as sensitive as his own. Once he stepped foot into the kitchen, Matt dropped the Daredevil act and let himself be known. He grabbed a mug and turned on the kettle. Tiny's pulse quickened; their breath hitched. He gave them time to hide before he opened the cupboard for a tea bag. He quickly realized the box wasn't in its usual spot - his own doing, unfortunately.

"Stupid tea bags," he muttered for Tiny's sake; an 'I'm not looking for you, I swear!' assurance as he searched the cabinets. For extra sauce, he added, "Always misplacing them."

Would he forgo tea? He did start the kettle… as much as he got a kick out of playing the part of oblivious blind guy, causing Tiny undue terror wasn't his end goal. He wanted to test them, their cockiness, not scare them. Tiny may be a thief, but they were just trying to survive. Why else was food their number one haul? Matt dedicated his life to helping people in need. Wasn't Tiny part of that demographic? Weren't they someone in need? Unless small people were running drug cartels and trafficking rings, Tiny was innocent.

Doubt and guilt crept in. Maybe he was pushing the bit too far.

Matt was just about to get up and leave when something square and coarse pressed into his fingers.

He faltered, then pinched it, rubbing his thumb over the material. Its strong, earthy scent gave it away.

A tea bag.

Small shoes lightly retreated. Matt withdrew his hand. He held the sachet of dried herbs, cogs turning in his mind. He tilted his head.

Tiny handed him a tea bag. That…

Matt found himself puzzled and oddly touched. It was for their own good, to avoid getting found, but he couldn't not appreciate the nice gesture. He easily smelt where the tea was, of course. But Tiny didn't know that. Huh.

Maybe he was being too harsh about the sock.

The kettle's bubbling pitch rose to a squeal. Wincing, Matt shut it off. He dropped the tea bag into the mug and poured steaming water over it.

What a strange experience. He wondered what Tiny was thinking. Their heartbeat eased into the fluttering pace that he learned was its resting rate. It was the trait that had him most convinced his roommate was a rodent of some sort, though the way they squeaked when startled was a close second.

Matt threw out the tea bag and took the mug to his room, leaving Tiny to their task.

The next day, he casually slipped questions about tiny people into a conversation with Foggy. (It was not casual and quite random, actually.)

"You mean, like… fairies?" Foggy cautiously asked.

Sort of? Matt didn't know whether Tiny could be considered a fairy. They certainly didn't seem like the fairy type, not with the kind of language he heard them utter. Did fairies say 'fuck'? Would that break some kind of fairy law?

Karen told him about a book series that she'd been obsessed with as a kid: it contained many smaller magical beings. Brownies, for instance. Matt settled on definitely not that one. What favours was he receiving? Aside from the tea bag - an isolated incident - absolutely none.

Matt wasn't convinced they were a magical creature. Really, they just… seemed like a normal person, albeit smaller. They hummed to themself, snickered at their own dumb jokes, and swore a hot streak that would impress even Castle and Jones. Matt was pretty damn sure they'd been building a house under his floor, though he noticed all the loud busywork was put on pause when he was home, most notably when he was sleeping. Another nice gesture that was also for their own self-preservation.

Maybe they were a mutant. Or maybe they were mutated, like him.

When Matt got home, he discarded the glue traps. It felt wrong to leave them now that he knew it was a person he'd been trying to catch. Guilty, he started leaving crumbs in easy-to-reach locations. It wouldn’t hurt him any - his grocery budget wasn’t gonna tank because of some scraps. If chips and leftovers were what they were after, then they had free reign over the countertop. That didn’t stop him from being cheeky about it, though - if Tiny was getting confident, he might as well play along.

He found Tiny’s courage something to marvel at. Roaming a giant’s home? Without fear? His vigilante persona was literally named Daredevil and he was impressed.

However, bravery and foolishness were not mutually exclusive. That’s when the cockiness came in.

Matt was minding his business, washing the dishes, when Tiny wandered out. Brows hitching up, he continued sponging the plate. Surely, they wouldn't-

Oh, but they did.

Unwavering, Tiny climbed up the counter they same way as before. They walked up to the pan on the stove and hooked a leg over. Matt fought hard not to chuffle. This was getting out of hand. Matt remembered an adage about not feeding animals or else they'd grow dependent. Had Matt inadvertently done exactly that? Animals that were accustomed to people often didn't see the danger. Tiny was certainly no animal, but the absence of caution they displayed in the moment was, frankly, ridiculous. It was a massive leap from the times they would flee his presence. He was starting to think he'd played too ignorant.

A smirk tugged at his lips upon hearing the leftover eggs being pilfered. When he turned to fetch the pan, Tiny was already hopping to the floor and disappearing behind the fridge.

Stealing right behind his back. When was enough too much, indeed.

AO3

Next

[nomoreusername]

Bless You

Pairing:Newt x female reader

Summary:After crawling through the vents you end up meeting a cute British boy.

Aris and I are the only ones left from our Maze. We've been told all of our friends are safe and happy. We'd believe it if we were complete idiots.

Now we spend our nights on look-out for any clues we can find. Any possible escape routes, our friends, or ideas of where the bodies go is quickly noted.

"I swear we're just going to fall through these things one day,"I mumbled, crawling next to my friend.

"That isn't even funny."

"It wasn't supposed to be. I'm just adding more terror to this already horrifying place. Maybe you can put it in your list of fears."

"We have enough of those,"He pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm just saying-"

"Stop,"He hushed, putting his hand out. I gave him a questioning look, but he only shook his head.

"Go back,"He mouthed, pointing behind us. This was understandably confusing and irritating, but I didn't ask him about it. I'm sure I'd get an explanation later.

Apparently, that came sooner than I would have hoped. Someone sneezed, and I did probably the most idiotic thing in my life.

"Bless you,"I said, absentmindedly. Aris looked at me in disbelief. It was then that it clicked in my mind how much I just messed up.

"What? Who's there?"Someone asked.

"Let's go,"He mouthed again.

"What if we just see who they are?"I suggested.

"No. Go back now."

There was the rustling of bedsheets. Aris was silently begging me to leave. I know I probably should, but maybe we could trust this stranger.

Actually, now that I'm thinking it through that's a bad idea. Quickly but quietly we got ready to leave.

Everything next happened in a flash. The vent cover was off, and some strange boy climbed from his bunk into the ceiling. We all sat there staring at each other. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion while I just was frozen with wide eyes.

"Who are you two?"He asked after a minute of dead silence. While there are a thousand other questions probably running through his head that's probably the most obvious one.

"You're dreaming,"I blurted out. Aris gave an exasperated sigh from next to me.

"No. I've definitely seen you before, and I doubt I'd dream of strangers."

"I'm just the girl of your dreams,"I shrugged.

"Y/N, you are terrible at excuses. Listen, I'm Aris, that's Y/N, and we're just trying to figure some things out."

"Are you taking a bloody midnight stroll through the vents?"The boy asked. It was clear now that he had an accent. It was strangely nice to listen to. That's probably not something most people would think about when a stranger is sitting across from them in a vent, but nothing about this situation is normal. There's no way any thought could make this weirder than it is.

"We're doing some things. Before I explain why we're in a death trap do you want to tell us your name?"I asked, tired of referring to him as stranger in my mind.

"What?"He asked quickly.

"Y/N, that's a terrible thing to say,"Aris scolded.

"It's the truth. Now tell us your name stranger,"I repeated.

"I'm Newt. Now what are you talking about?"

"I like your name. Well, since you've disturbed our mission we'll explain tomorrow. Meet us at our table. You'll find it in no time."

"But-"

"So long Newt. Have a great sleep,"I said before he could get another word out. Judging by the paranoid expression on his face I don't think that's happening, but we pretended not to see as we made our way back to our rooms.

"Seriously Y/N? That's the way we get caught? Because you said bless you?"Aris whispered.

"It's a reflex. It's not my fault I have manners,"I defended.

"We know nothing about him. He could think we're insane."

"We know his name is Newt,"I reminded him.

"That's not what I meant. Tonight think of how we explain this to him. I'll do the same. I'll see you tomorrow Y/N."

"Will do. Goodnight Aris,"I responded, before making my final stop of the night.

Carefully dropping into my top bunk I laid down and stared at the ceiling. All the while I thought more about the random boy I had just met. Something tells me the mysterious blonde with a cute accent will believe us just fine.

[webslingingslasher]

Dead or Alive

my first eddie munson fic, lets goooooo. he is so fun to write for, bad boy but also a nerdy boy.

Pairing: Eddie Munson X Reader

Genre: slight angst, mostly fluff, established relationship

Word Count: 2.5K

Summary: your boyfriend has been begging you to play with him, and right when you give in his true colors show

Dunguns and Dragons is fucking stupid. 

You’ve made up your mind, and while you’re at it you’ll tack on understanding how people can hate Eddie Munson. You eye the chain hooked on his belt loop, it hung low and rested around his knee. A candle to the left of him flickers and it reflects in the silver, you want to wrap it around his neck and choke him. 

He dragged you into this, it wasn’t your forte. “And that’s okay!” Is what Eddie would reply, you want to mock his words now. One of his teammates had to call out for a few meetings so he had begged you to fill in every day, multiple times a day for three days. You were at your wits end, even though you had no idea how the game was played, (outside of what Eddie talked about,) you agreed to get him to finally shut up. 

Oh he was ecstatic when you said yes. 

You narrow your eyes at him, he sat next to you in his throne, he’s watching the reaction of his players after he cast another vicious play on the young teens. They talked amongst themselves, stage whispers as they tried to plan an escape route. Eddie turned to look at you, he was gleaming with pride, he was trying to make you proud tonight. He wanted you to see him as a smart, calculated thinker that had excellent storytelling, you could see that he wanted you to be happy for him. 

And you were, at least before what he did. 

He nods his head to the kids, Dustin on a rant about how his skill point would be more useful, Mike was shaking his head with his fingers in his ears going ‘la la la.’ You look him up and down like you’re disgusted, (because you are, who does that?) when his head tilts you know he’s pretending like he didn’t know the betrayal he had just caused. 

Eddie looks at you and leans in, he’s only breaking character for a second. 

“You mad at me?” He wears a sly grin, he knows you are. And he loves it. 

You think of not responding, the urge to spit at him won. “I want to wrap that chain around your neck.” 

His eyes feel like a trap, lost in the maze forever. You won't back down though, not even when he winks at you and holds a hand to his chest. 

“Trust me, I’d love that.” 

You’re grumpy. “You’re insufferable.” 

Eddie gives a sympathetic pout, “Yeah, you’re mad still.” 

His comment makes you cross your arms and stare at Dustin until they speak with a solution. 

The group comes up with an unhinged plan, but it somehow works. When Lucas rolled a D20 even Eddie couldn’t deny the overcoming win that not even he had deemed possible. And even while you wished equal death on Eddie you could still muster up enough love to clap and cheer for Lucas. You’re not sure what he did but you at least know a D20 is a really, really good thing. 

Eddie congratulated the team and teased a trailer for the next week's session before telling them to get their asses out and into Harrington’s car, it’s raining outside. You can hear their voices echo down the hall as they theorize what next week would bring while the door slowly shuts. 

You wish you weren’t stuck riding with Eddie, he can sense this. 

He crosses the room to slide in front of your seat, his lower back rests against the table and he crosses his arms. His shoulders and biceps look strained in the cotton, you try to forget how fucking hot he was right now. Not that you could execute an escape but you wouldn’t even try. 

“Whad’ya think?” 

You huff and make a motion of looking away. 

“It’s just a game, trouble.” 

You can’t help yourself, you slam a foot on the floor and point at him to enunciate your point, “And you killed me!” 

It was a total betrayal on his end. He begged you to join the game, he even came up with a character and a backstory and got you genuinely excited to play. Then he killed you barely twenty minutes in, just gone in an instant. No chance of resurrection, just immediate death. 

The worst part is, he called it. He said it so carelessly, he didn’t bend the rules or try and work around it. No, instead he just hissed through his teeth, “Ouch, you’re dead, Y/N.” You give a small laugh, you think he’s joking, he’s not. Defeat covers your face, you look to Mike who nods softly, you look back at Eddie and… no support, he’s going to the next part. Like your life meant nothing, you meant nothing. 

Needless to say you spent the other half hour pouting at the DM who claimed to have your back but then didn’t.

“You had to die! The game wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t.” 

You look at him like he has three heads, “Right. I forgot, Eddie. The game with make believe characters and skill points and a DM to magically spin a story into something else on the flip of a dime, wouldn’t make sense if I had lived.” 

Eddie finds this adorably funny. His eyes crinkle and as pissed as you are you want him to kiss you until he makes it right. 

“If you take away all the magic there’s still a base game underneath, and you had to die.” 

“If the roles were reversed I would’ve let you live!” Because you would’ve, when you hold the power to instate rules you also have the power to take them away, right? 

He smiles sympathetically, “It’s a good thing you’re not a DM babe, cause you would suck.” Eddie reaches forward to tap at your nose, you tilt up to try and bite at his pointer finger. He saves it just in time, you know he’s trying to be funny but it really did hurt your feelings. 

“You hurt my feelings, Eddie.” You’re honest, he can’t fix it if he thinks you’re kidding. You’re not, he has some real face to save. Especially if he’s insisting you stay the night. 

He can hear by the tone in your voice you’re telling the truth, and for a small fraction of a second his heart squeezes. His tone is gentler, speaking softly he wants to let you know he’s not the enemy, especially when you hear what he’s about to say. “I’m sorry, baby. I couldn’t have let you live because you were a brand new player, that means you have no experience. The guys were already in hot water from last week. It was bound to bubble over into this week.” 

Eddie just told on himself. 

“Wait, what?” 

His head leans towards his shoulder, “what, what?” 

“You knew that I would die? You knew what the plan was for this week and you still begged me to join the game? Like, you got me excited and set me up with a whole backstory knowing I’d die? That is so fucked up, Eddie.” 

Eddie groans, he just made you even more pissed. He has two options, pretend he had no idea this would happen and have you know he’s lying and therefore creates a new problem, or he can deal with you being grumpy for a few hours. 

He reckons the truth is the best route.

“I mean, yes?” His words had you drop your mouth open, he hasn’t finished yet. He holds out a hand to stop you from commenting, “But also, no. I knew there was a strong possibility but I didn’t bring you here knowing for certain you’d die.” 

“Was there a better chance of me dying or winning?” 

His silence is answer enough. 

“Eddie!” You whine out his name, he feels like he’s not explaining it well enough. 

Eddie pinches the bridge of his nose, “Look, I don’t play. I also can’t help you play, that’s my job. If I broke character it would ruin the integrity of the game, trouble. The truth is the kids are at much, much higher levels than you and playing with someone with no levels at that point is extremely hard. They have to factor in your skill level with theirs, and they can’t just bring you along for the ride. So, at that point it was better you die before all of them died.” 

“So… The children killed me?” 

Eddie bounces the words in his mind, he lets out a hum. “Their actions got you killed, however they knew the consequences of what they were doing.” 

You tap your feet on the ground again, an entitled whine ripped through you. “But you’re my boyfriend!” 

A proud grin, “I know I am. You still had to die.” 

“Well, if you can’t keep me alive I guess there’s no point of dating you.” You tried to stand, his hand pushed down on your shoulder to keep you seated.

 “I can’t show favoritism. Especially when everyone knows you’re my girlfriend.” 

You still have a pout, you grumble your words. It tells Eddie you’re more upset about his delivery than the actual actions. “You didn’t have to be so mean about it.” 

“You’re right, I didn’t have to be so dismissive. I know you were excited to play and I moved on from it like it was nothing, but I am the brutal DM, ya know. You’ll just have to trust me when I tell you I was absolutely crushed for you, I really thought Henderson would come up with a way for you to make it outta there alive.” 

You scoff, “Yeah well, Henderson only thinks of himself in this game. I thought it was supposed to be about teamwork?” 

Eddie gives you a small smile, he doesn’t want you to shoot the messenger. “They didn’t see you as a teammate, baby. They saw you as a favor.” 

“That’s fine, just know you and your teammates will never see me here again.”

“Awe, don’t say that!” Eddie reaches a hand out to cup your face, his thumb resting on your bottom lip. “I don’t even have a choice, Eds! I’m dead, remember?” 

Ah. You don’t play the game, you don’t know the rules. When someone dies they don’t cease to exist, they end for that game but the next one they start again. It’s like respawning in a video game, Eddie thinks he can use this to his advantage. 

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” 

He pulls away from the table to sit in his throne, he pulls open his big book and pretends to search around, he clears his throat and starts to speak in his whimsical tone. “When the dust had settled and the gang was gone there was one left behind. They had assumed she was dead, but they had forgotten they were in the land of bones. Witches and warlocks haunted the grounds, anyone who dare die in their land will be avenged.” 

Eddie knows he’s doing the right thing when your face of confusion melted into overwhelming joy. 

“Celia the great opens her eyes, she can barely see through the dust that has yet settled. She calls out for her friends but the only noise is her voice echoing off the walls, before she could question what was happening, Joyana, the most powerful witch in all the land appeared before her.” 

You were nearly bouncing in your seat, your boyfriend was pulling favorites and was bringing you back to life. Sometimes it’s a good thing to have a DM as a boyfriend. 

“Joyana helped Celia the great stand. She tells her, ‘The land of bones is where we must reside, but it is not for you. We must be kept here, but not you. We have harnessed all magic into these walls, the living shall stay living. The dead must die.’ Celia,-” The DM winks at you. “If you roll below a nine you will live, above, you stay in the land of bones with the witches and warlocks.” 

You take a deep breath and nod. You bite your lip and take the dice from Eddie’s palm, he’s given you a D10, not that you’d notice. There wasn’t an option of you losing. Holding your breath you flick your wrist to release the resin, it rolls and bounces on the table. You can’t bear to look, you hear Eddie’s chain scrape against the table when he stands to look at the number. 

His voice is low, “Celia the great,” You open your eyes at him, pleading that he lies if you didn’t win. “You are alive.” You can’t help the gasp that comes from you, a screaming cheer is ripped from your throat as you stand and wrap your arms around Eddie’s neck. Bouncing against him as he laughs and hugs you back. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The words are mumbled against his shirt, he starts to say that if he wanted you to play next week he had to do something but you couldn’t help yourself from pushing him away by his shoulders before gripping them on tiptoes to place a heated kiss against his mouth. 

Even Eddie, who couldn’t care in the slightest about common decency was taken aback by you shoving him into his seat before straddling him. If he had known you would react like this he would’ve shown favoritism earlier, be damned with his club rules. 

“You know how fucking hot you are playing? Even when I was mad I couldn’t see past it, you look like a boss up there. And you’re so smart, Eddie. You can come up with all these storylines without a second beat and you can pull rank and god I love you.” 

He’ll accept the praise even when he’s exaggerating things. 

“I’ve only dedicated a decade to the craft, I’m glad you appreciate it.” 

You can’t help but kiss him again, “And you saved me!” 

Eddie taps your thighs, “Well if I want you to play next week I need you alive.” 

You grin and try to turn to look at his book, he reaches forward and closes it. Even if you don’t understand the game he won’t let you look at it, no one but him was allowed to look at it. Absolutely no exceptions. 

“I was just trying to see if I leveled up!” 

Eddie winces, “That comes with experience, on the bright side you only have two hundred and ninety nine hours before you hit level one!” 

A grimace has taken over your face, Dungeons and Dragons is fucking stupid. 

[auroragehenna]

Ai-less Whumptober

Day 27 Paranoia

CW/TW: Aftermath of torture, seasoned whumpee, wlw flirting (gasps)

Word count: ?

Did that person just stare at her? The one that looked like an elf. It was hard to tell with the hood on. But her features somewhat resembled hers. Please not, she already finished a job today. But usually people don‘t spend their free time here outside, why else would she be here, her head whispered. No they actually do, this is freaking garden, get it together. Was that a blade she saw glinting in the dusk light? Yes, that‘s also normal. You also carry multiple. The world is a dangerous place you know. My point. Shut up! Over there‘s another person! Shit! Was this a trap?! Did she walk into another trap?! Not again. Wait did the lighting just change?! No, I don‘t think so? Fuck the girl is coming here. Shit, shit, shit. Tierney clutched her hidden blades and went though her spells in her mind.

„I’ve never seen a wallflower this pretty.“, the girl said. Sitting down next to her, with a bit of space and leaning back on her arms and hands. „Are you doing alright thought?“

Tierney looked at her absolutely baffled. Still clutching her hidden weapons. But this wasn‘t a behaviour she encountered before. We can‘t trust her! Before she even really processed it her hand shot down onto the grass, fingers digging into the soil. „I‘m fine. What are you up to?“, she asked still suspicious.

„I’m up to a lot, but not tonight. Tonight is just about the grass between my toes and the stars above my head.“

Tierney looked at her. Her eyes seemed to light up with something deeper. Something more emotional. Before she sighed and started to speak again: „Listen if you‘re here because of my reputation or to kidnap me just say that I‘m done with games.“

„Kidnap you?“ she asked with confusion written all over her face. As her face relaxes again she follows up with: „The only games I play have the goal of relieving idiots from the burden of heavy pockets filled with money.“

Tierney finally relaxed a little bit again. Her other hand eased it‘s grip on the knife and freed it out of it‘s hiding place. She casually lowered her hand with the knife onto the grass and used the other one to release your arms. She nearly smiles a little. „Well I can‘t really judge that.“

„The guards think otherwise“ She laughed. „I know a beautiful place a bit south from here, close to a park, and great view of the city.“

Danger! „I uhm.“ Fuck it, if this is another job then I might as well do it. And if it‘s not then? Uhm… „Yeah, why again?“, she asks confused.

„It’s my safe spot. I thought I share it with you if you need a place to escape reality for a moment“ she smiles. „I‘m Nalani by the way.“

„Tierney. Okay. But no funny business.“, she adds earnestly.

„You can just tie me up with flowers, if you don’t trust me“ Nalani giggled

Tierney smiled a little bit. „Indeed I can.“ She got up on her feet and watched the girl do the same. „Alright. Show me.“, she hesitated, „I would like to see it.“

„would you like the scenic route or walk among the peasants, my lady.“ Nalani snickered, while over exaggerating noble etiquette.

Tierney raised an eyebrow at her. „Typically I like to take routes that have more nature and less people, fair lady.“

„That means we drop the fancy talk and jump from rooftop to rooftop“ She grins before she skillfully jups up the closest building.

A grin also widens up on Tierney‘s face now. She focuses on the fluffy ears on her head until her whole body morphs into one of a cat and follows you up to the rooftop before starting to morph back. But halfway through she get‘s stuck and ends up somewhere in the area of a cat and her own self. She rolls her eyes and balances on her footballs for a few moments. At least it will be good for climbing and jumping. I just hope it won‘t freak Nalani out. But the girls seemed fine and so she followed her over the rooftops through the town.

Nalani giggles a bit as she sees why the tiefling had fox ears beforehand. „I hope as part fox you can keep up with me!“ She yells cheerfully.

Tierney tsk‘d. She wasn‘t yet sure if she liked this weird stranger and she certainly wasn‘t sure if she could trust her.

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Taglist: @yourlocalgaefae33, @princessofhe11, @greatkittencloud, @bisexuawolfsalt, @ailesswhumptober

[ohyangchon]

We smoked at the roof of Joe’s shop, the large wooden cabin dotted with coffee plants looming over the otherwise-rarely used dirt path that stretched towards more zombies, more unknown territory.

“Didn’t strike ya as the type to be tough as nails,” admitted Joe, though there was a twinge of fatigue in his tone that he hadn’t bothered hiding, “How long has it been since ya moved behind my place, anyway? I remembered havin’ ta bail ya out a couple times and then it turned out we were neighbors the entire time.”

“Lost count,” I replied, more to be polite than anything, “Time moves slow when you’re basically dead.”

There was a glimmer of sympathy in Joe’s eyes beneath the shades, but he returned to staring out into the distance. “Yer cabin’s not too shabby. Remembered ya exchanged a couple o’ things to get that girl all patched up. I’d like ta think that we’re pretty lucky. Hardly no Blood Moons causin’ us problems with the business. You do the runnin’, I do the tradin’. It’s pretty good ta finally have someone in the wasteland that I can see comin’ back consistently.”

“I was just stumbling in the dark,” I tapped the cigar in my hand a few times, allowing the ash to scatter in the wind, “They don’t teach you this shit in community college. Trial and error, really. Like the time I was scouting you that trade route and got myself mauled by a fucking zombie bear.”

“Hah!” Joe let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head, “Remembered how we had to pull ya outta that place after. Ya borrowed one o’ my 4x4s and still couldn’t get close enough ta that bear. ‘ventually I had ta talk ya down from gettin’ all ya trash back. ‘m still surprised ya paid everything ya borrowed off so fast.”

I crossed one leg over the other, sighing as the sun set before us. There was always a constant fog that set in at night, where I sat in the cabin alone to contemplate life. “Least I could do when you started me off. It was nice to have somewhere convenient in the wasteland to check back in,” I replied, eying Joe again, “And someone to come back to always felt like a perk.”

“Glib, aren’t ya?” Joe blew a cloud of smoke towards me, teasing as always, “Ya do good business, kid. I didn’t hold out much hope fo’ ya. Ya acted lots like the upstarts that end up gettin’ killed by mobs cuz they bit off more than they could chew. I thought ya’d end up one o’ the dead within the first month.”

I scratched my head, shrugging at this. “I’m pretty lucky. I have a really good partner who’d rather die than see his trade route go up in flames,” I teased back, tossing him a wink, “Makes going back to the cabin all the more worthwhile.”

Joe reached over, lifting my chin with his hand. Despite the deep callouses from the heavy firearms he carried to fend off the hordes, he was surprisingly gentle around me. “I like ya, friend,” he scoffed, though I swore a grin peeking through his beard at this, “It gets real lonely out by myself here. Folks think it’s all just tradin’ and sellin’ in these parts, but they don’t know the struggle it was ta set it up that way. Ya get it. That’s why I value ya.”

Snubbing out the cigar, I rested my arms on Joe’s shoulders, staring back at him. “You...wanna come by the cabin after you close up shop?” I asked now, jerking my head towards the gaudy red cabin I’d painted myself, “I promise I’ll stop stepping on my own spike traps. It’s only a short walk away, and I’ve got Shepherd’s pie on the grill tonight.”

“I don’t know what kind o’ miracle you keep pullin’ with the food ya scavenge, but I can’t pass up Shepherd’s pie,” Joe leant in to whisper in my ear - his beard tickled, and I swatted him away, “Just lemme give the other boys their jobs fo’ the night, and I’ll roll up ta ya place lickety-spit. Wait for me?”

“Mmm,” I hummed back, releasing my grip on him to gesture back downstairs, “See you tonight, then.”

“Seeya tonight, traveller,” Joe relaxed now, snubbing his own cigar out, “We could discuss that little errand ya goin’ fo’ tomorrow.”

[chyrstis]

Self-Indulgent Sunday /WIP Wednesday

Okay, I’m just going to break even here and do a two-for-one entry. XD

Tagged by the lovely @fadedjacket @scarlettkat86 and @fluttyseed I’d love to pass a few tags along for both categories above, and you’re welcome to choose whichever ones you’ll have more fun with, if not both.

Tagging: @sharky-broshaw @amistrio @shallow-gravy @tommymillers @softmillers @ma-sulevin @narcis-the-monk @redroci @shellibisshe @painterofhorizons @finefeatheredgamer @teamhawkeye @geronimo-11 @marymay-fairgrave @risenlucifer @faithchel @raisinghellinotherworlds @ofravensandgenesis @mackie-hattwie @strafethesesinners and anyone else that’s interested! <3

First off, some Hana/Sharky, b/c I might’ve been working on more for this section waaaay down the line today, and though I’ve posted the part right after this, I thought it’d be good to post the first part of it too (and I don’t think I have yet?, but if I have whoops, and if not, excellent). I’m always weak for these two, and really should get on writing more for them, stat.

--

“What’s-what, what are we-?” Sharky’s head perked up the minute he caught sight of her. “Oh, uh…hey Dep. Wasn’t thinking-didn’t think I’d see you ‘til morning.”

“I got in early, and I-”

His relieved grin made her trip over her next words. Even half-asleep like this his smile warmed her to her very bones, and nearly told him that outright.

“I, um, I couldn’t wait to see how my favorite guy was doing. Just wanted to see if you were actually getting any shuteye in, and didn’t think you’d be all the way out here.”

“Cabin was full-up, and while I can dig that for a while it’s just…a guy’s gotta have some space, man.” Sharky yawned, stretching his arms out, and ran a hand through his hair once he was able to recover from it. “Ground’s also ass compared to a bed or the truck, but…it works.”

“It’s also cold as hell out here, and I was thinking-”

Even half-asleep like this, he seemed to snap to attention. Unzipping the entire bag, he lifted it up for her.

She’d been ready to drag him back to the cabin. To carve out a space with the others and find a way to make it work, because there really was no reason for him to stick it out here alone. Not with a roaring fire being offered up indoors, and four walls surrounding them.

But she knew what was waiting for her back there. Where she’d stay up, thinking about too much already, before adding alcohol to the problem. All of this without him.

And she’d done enough of that over the past week. She’d done enough of it to decide she didn’t want to do it ever again.

Quickly zipping the tent flap back into place – nearly busting it in the process – she peeled off her jacket and unlaced her boots before slipping in next to him. He shifted back to allow her to, fitting her back against his chest, and nearly sighed at the change in temperature once she settled into his arms.

---

Then the No-Cult AU, b/c really this is my self-indulgent Sunday entry right here. It’s been practically writing itself since last Wednesday, all b/c the idea struck while I was sitting at my dentist’s appointment. Sharky’s off working on something fun with Hurk, and John has a question to ask.

---

Something buzzed right at his hip, making him start as he swept the dirt up, and nearly tipped it over onto himself. Stabbing the shovel into the pile next to him, he scrubbed his hands off on his jeans, and dug his phone out.

John. That had him raising an eyebrow, and as soon as he read the message, the second one joined it.

Color one, or color two?

“Wha..?”

Sharky stared down at the text, scrunching up his face as he read and re-read the words until the next set of messages popped up.

Two squares one by one, both red.

Okay, this had to be a mistake of some kind. He’d been thinking that after the first text, and now with this sitting in front of him, he was left scratching his head over it long enough for John to send something else.

Either or, or neither?

dude its red

Clearly, but I’m undecided on the shade of paint I want to use, and thought your opinion might sway me.

Shit, so John did mean to text him after all, but the last thing he’d slapped a coat of paint on was his flamethrower, and he doubted John was looking for any pointers on something like that.

yea cuz im someone thats got an eye for this kinda shit

Possibly better than you think. And I thought it’d be worth it to ask.

Snorting, Sharky rolled his eyes, but after a minute took another look at the pictures. 

Maybe there was something different here. Something he wasn’t getting due to light, or the giant thumbprint he’d left on the screen, but he wiped it off and tried again. Squinted as he held the phone up to his face, rotated it, shielded the sun from it with his hand, and marinated on it for a good five minutes.

But in the end, red number one was no different than red number two, and he couldn’t do a thing other than shrug at the screen. Then actually typed something out, because John wasn’t exactly here to see him do it, and wouldn’t know shit unless he told him directly.

---

And finally a theoretical part from the Trap fic, b/c I remembered I had this, and really hope I can find a way to make this work judging from the route I’m trying to pin down.

---

Continuing up, she jumped to grab the next and felt her arms strain as she went. Every single time she’d complained about pull-ups flashed through her head, the worst kind of, ‘I told you so,’ but she made it. Moving higher and higher as they went, until the ground below was far enough away to make anyone miss it.

Huffing out a breath, Hana knelt by the ledge to watch for John. “Got it?”

Still eyeing her, he was able to get a better hold from his position, using the height he had on her to get a better hold.

“I see no reason why I wouldn’t, Deputy. In fact, I’d say that-”

Moving his foot, whatever was under it gave, and she caught the shock crossing his face just as it hit.

Slipping back, Hana grabbed for him, and dug her heels into the ground until she was jerked forward, nearly slamming her chin into the dirt. John’s fingers clamped down onto her wrists, holding on as she was dragged forward until they came to a clear stop.

Eyes open, teeth clenched tight, she could hardly manage a breath as she swallowed.

But John was still there. Staring right at her as he breathed himself, pale and with sweat beading on his brow, his composure just as shredded as hers was.

“John?”

He didn’t blink, didn’t move, just kept on looking right at her.

“I’m going to try and pull you up, okay?”

Blinking once, he didn’t let up on his hold and gave a short nod.

[katsukikitten]

Hello friends! Here is my contribution to the Bakugou Birthday Bash! The master link will be linked here ! Please enjoy my bit of an angsty fic! And all of the other art and works that are on the master list! Enjoy the big bakugou blow out and remember to leave a comment on your favorite pieces! Happy birthday ya shitty man! (Lowkey become 3d please)

Warning: he's 28 btw 😂 (my fic says so also)

It shouldn't be this fucking hard to get groceries and booze. It's a quick and easy errand. Everything already pre-ordered for an important birthday that just needed to be picked up. And yet here you were crying in your car trying to get it together before the attendant asked for the order name. Honestly you had texted out "I can't do this today. Sorry." Several times before deleting it, telling yourself not to hit send. But you would have to be having the worst mental day of your life wouldn't you? Today of all days, how fucking selfish of you.

Especially with the amount of time and effort you and Kirishima had put into this idea. Since New Year's actually, months and months of planning after the two of you had gotten shit faced at Denki and Mina's new years party, creating the brain child. All after bonding over switching patrol partners six months before, you had gotten Bakugou and he had gotten Ashido. Kirishima and yourself giggle over stupid things to the side of the party, people watching as you took shots. Kirishima points towards a normally grumpy blonde.

"Wow I think he's actually having fun." You snort, as you watch Bakugou hide his rare cat smile behind a sip of his beer as Mina makes Denki the butt of a joke.

"He actually loves parties. He never says it so people just think he's a wet blanket." Kirishima laughs, pouring the two of you another shot. Bakugou lets out a particularly loud laugh after 'Dunce Face' proves Mina's point. I guess that would be the time that it started.

When you started to fall. His laugh makes your cheeks deepen in hue and burn, to want to hear it again, to watch it again and learn all of the other sides of your patrol partner that he obviously only reserved for his closest friends.

"Let's throw him a great birthday party." You say, holding up your shot as a devilish smile spreads over sharp teeth. The mountainous man clinks your shot glass before he adds.

"Let's." In unison the two of you down the burning liquid as the plan comes into fruition.

Four months, four months and nineteen days of you thinking of nothing but your patrol partner with whom you got extremely close with since New Year's. So why? Why today of all days were you struggling? Why would normal everyday tasks feel more as if you were wading through mud than the breeze they should have been? You flip down the visor, looking yourself in the eye through little square mirror as you grit your teeth hissing

"Get your shit together."

Your little pep talk helps you get the several cakes and the cart full of booze that everyone requested, planning to make this the best birthday ever. Helping Kirishima set his house up with decorations, setting out the snacks, catering and even pouring some drinks as guests began to arrive to set down their gifts and help with the last minute touches before hiding. Masking through the pit in your stomach as you smiled at all of your friends as they poured in through Kirishima's door. Through the weighted emptiness you felt as each one wrapped you into a tight hug, already praising you and Kirishima for the amazing effort, that Bakugou would be so surprised when it was more than just you and Kirishima here. . Finally you had to go and get the guest of honor just before sundown to catch him before he went to bed. A much needed breather from the constant smiling and forcing a laugh that everyone thought sounded genuine.

Enjoying the silence of the evening train as it pulled you across town to the unsuspecting blonde. And maybe you could have made it through the night from your shitty pep talk or at least through getting the freshly 28 year old to his party but instead you catch your reflection in the window. Your facial features weighted with exhaustion, shoulders hunched allowing your body to continue to produce cortisol. Tears prick your eyes as you deep low, too low. Remembering everything and nothing all at once, steeping in guilt as you beg yourself for just a few more hours. That the depression episode can happen when you're home and alone, after the party goes off without a hitch. Tears fall anyway and they do all the way to Bakugou's until you finally get enough control to step out of yourself for a moment. Ringing the doorbell several times as a smile is plastered on your face, the door swings open. Bakugou's eyes narrow as they take you in, he notices that something is off. Your smile is a little too wide, your eyes rimmed red but he says nothing about it. Instead he lets his initial anger come forth.

"Oi! I told you to fuckin' text me when you were on the train so I could meet you at the station!" He growls, slamming his door shut and pocketing his keys. Deadly and sweaty hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket as his palms itch to hold onto something else. Garnet eyes track your own hands as you reach over your head stretching.

"Yea yea, I hear you Dad." You tease giving him a look, "I still made it okay."

"Kirishima should have come instead of you that fuckin hair for brains." He snarls keeping pace with you as he always does on patrol.

"I know Dad must be sad cause his favorite didn't come to pick him up." You try not to sound dejected, nudging him in the ribs to distract from the crack in your voice, "Happy birthday ya big lug."

Bakugou cuts you a glare, mind racing before his barks out a "Thanks."

Comfortable silence stretches between the two of you before you two hit the train station, passing a corner store.

"Was shitty hair burning dinner? Do I need to stop for back up?" His thumb hooks over his shoulder towards the neon as he stands idle waiting for you to jog your memory. Kirishima had burned the last friend's dinner making Bakugou so angry he walked six blocks to make something that was 'FUCKIN EDIBLE!' while you tried to air out his apartment. You laugh loudly, genuinely for the first time that day causing Bakugou's shoulders to sag with relief. In the ten months he had been working with you he had only seen you faking a smile or laugh once or twice. Then the time after that you were absent from work the next day or two forcing him to patrol with Denki but worse yet...making him worry.

"Guess I'll grab something just in case." He gave you his back so you wouldn't see his face or the faint blush that dusted his cheeks.

"No, no! I ordered out this time. From that famous chef you like." Bakugou glares your way, digging in his back pocket for his wallet.

"How much." He demands through gritted teeth while you show him the palms of your hands in surrender.

"Woah woah! It's your birthday gift! You can't pay me back for dinner! I'd sooner burn the money before I'd accept it from you!" Your watch dings with a message from Kirishima asking for an ETA. You grab onto Bakugou's hand pulling him along into a run as you shout over your shoulder.

"We're gonna be late!"

Oh how Bakugou wished you hadn't done that, he was already struggling to keep his heart beat even when you were around and now to grab onto him. To pull him along in a hurry like those cheesy insta posts that couples did on their "grand adventure" together. He swallows the lump in his throat as he reminds himself that you are nothing more than his patrol partner. His friend at best.

Even though the train was mostly empty Bakugou stood closely by you, as he always did when the two of you were in a crowded space. He had seen how most men took advantage of the situation and he hated the idea of that happening to you although he knew you were more than capable of handling it on your own. Hell you could kick even his ass but he would die before ever admitting that. Instead he watches you talk about what you ordered for dinner and how you got the cake from that bakery Sato works part time at, the same one he got your birthday cake from but he doesn't hear a word. Instead all he can see is the golden light from the setting sun worshiping you. Kissing your skin to make it glow, giving your eyes a hue that makes his heart fall into his stomach and illuminating you in a true light. A radiant ethereal thing is what you were and Bakugou was just lucky enough to be standing by you. So out of it he doesn't realize the two of you are at your stop.

"Uh Suki?" Your voice is soft paired with the setting sun has him acting weird. He leans closer to you, pulled by some invisible force before he stops himself as he watches you look up at him beneath long lashes.

"You okay?" You ask almost nervously from his proximity, the smell of spice and caramel wrap around you making you feel warm and fuzzy. Temporarily making you forget that you were trying to act on the train, making you relax as you just talked to Bakugou. He sucks his teeth as he picks up your bag to sling over his shoulder.

"Yea but you were gonna forget your whole damn purse like you always do." He huffs, this time he was the one pulling at your hand in a rush before the doors closed to trap you two on the train. His hand feels warm in yours, his grip tight as he drags you along before pulling you within his sight, another habit of his you happened to notice. Almost reluctantly he lets go of you hand as Kirishima's house comes into view.

"We better have a good time tonight patrol Princess or you owe me a special birthday gift." He laughs causing you to roll your eyes at his stupid nickname that stuck after your first day with him, adamant that the two of you take your route instead of his it was a huge argument. But it was a good thing he listened to the "princess", it put the two of you smack dab in the middle of a robbery. You stick out your tongue.

"Trust me. You're gonna have a good time!" You push him up the steps as he bats away your hands. Opening the front door before everyone jumps out of various and bad hiding spots.

"SURPRISE!!" All of the alumni of class A and some of B shout, a select few already slurring their words. Bakugou's scowl turns into a smirk before he looks over his shoulder at you.

"Aw you did this to me?" His voice is teasing but his eyes almost sparkle, you nod encouraging him to go deeper into the party. As he does people flock to him laughing and yelling out happy birthday until he's sick of hearing it. All the while your smile wanes with the night. Until an hour in that heavy episode hits you full force. Numbness setting in where happiness should be, rotting as it turns to shame and guilt as you watch your friend, your crush, enjoy his night. Bringing a glass bottle to his lips as he talks with Kirishima, who then presses a shot into his hands. Bodies dancing to the house music that beat out of the speakers competing with chatter and laughter.

It felt weird to watch everyone truly enjoying themselves while you felt low. It felt more as if you were standing outside of the house, looking in through the window to see everyone enjoying themselves, no one even knowing who you were as you stared in.

You felt distant, alone. What a shitty way to feel in a room full of people, none of it being their fault and so the guilt pressed harder. Eyes watering as they lingered on the blonde who deserved this celebration and more. Making you decide to give the best birthday gift of them all.

To slip away upstairs and onto the roof, to give the room space to breathe when you felt like suffocating.

Crying to no one but the moon.

And no one noticed. Two hours slip by before Kirishima insists that Bakugou make a wish and eat cake before everyone gets too drunk too. The entire house drunkenly sings happy birthday but Bakugou notices a voice missing. Yours that's just a touch off key, not to mention he didn't hear you say the stupid nickname 'Suki' where his name should be in the song. Plus you weren't one to miss out on dessert. For as long as Bakugou has been working with you, you never turned down the opportunity for sweets. Whether that was taking the long way back to the agency to try to catch a certain street vendor or to hover by the deserts at a party to pick the very best treat.

And if it was a birthday party, you never could shut up that y'all could not leave until after they blew out the candles and made a wish.

His eyes linger for a second longer, making sure he didn't miss you before his heart sinks. He takes in a sharp inhale, thinks on his wish and blows out the candles.

Meanwhile you hear the cheers of everyone down stairs and sob into your knees. You missed your favorite part of birthdays. Of hoping they make a wish that comes true, of watching their face as they think of something quickly or how some people tear up when they finally realize just how loved they are on their birthday.

It isn't long after that do you hear the sound of combat boots on shingles. Whipping your head up in the direction of the sound. Stomach clenching with guilt as you watch Bakugou walking towards you with a slice of cake.

"Brought ya some cake, since I didn't hear you sing off key to me." He says sinking down beside you as you furiously wipe at your tears.

"I'm-um."

"You don't gotta explain yourself to me." He snarls as you stare dumbly at your cake, "You know that."

"I know…" Silence passes slowly, the moon shines overhead and the party carries on below.

"Well, I'm waiting!" Bakugou says dramatically, "You gonna sing or am I gonna have to sing to myself?"

"Oh." It makes you giggle a bit before you blush, realizing he is serious. You take a deep breath before singing "just off key" when you don't, to him.

"Sukiiiiii!" Relief washes over his features when he hears the dumb ass name, "Happy birthday to youuuuuu!"

"Okay, now you can eat the damn cake." He grunts, his smile never wavering as he looks to the empty street below. You follow his eyes, chewing the inside of your lip, setting the cake down.

"What'd you wish for…" Curiosity gets the better of you and earns his intense gaze. He smirks, scoffing at the end.

"You always say you shouldn't tell or it won't come true." He laughs at your pout, before he finally admits "I wished for courage."

With a furrowed brow you give him a puzzled look, he just holds your gaze.

"Why? You're like the bravest hero I know!" Bakugou can hear the truth in your voice, you aren't saying it just to fucking stroke his ego.

You actually meant it, making this conversation that much harder.

"Yea except when it comes to this one thing I want to do. Its fuckin easy and I've done it hundreds of times just as I'm about to do it I fucking back down cause I'm probably fuckin reading into things too much." He leans in closer, again his smell mesmerizes you, causing your body to visibly relax, "Too much of a fuckin bitch, thinking she doesn't want me like I want her. So I wished for the courage to follow through. To fuckin' just do it."

Your heart is racing out of your chest before one of his hands finds the nape of your neck pulling you into a feverish kiss. Teeth gnashing from the passion, lips perfectly modeling to the other before tongues lightly dance around one another. Lengthening seconds into hours with just a few head tilts and plush lips. You moan into his mouth, he pulls away, eyes clouded with lust as a string of spit connects your tongues. He pants, face flushed and his hand warm, almost burning at the nape of your neck, the shingle by his hand charred from restraint as he pants out.

"I wished for you."

[sorryimananti-romantic]

Hide and Seek | Kang Seulgi

police!seulgi x criminal!reader au

word count: 5.2k

genre and warnings: angst, suggestive, violence

(i do not own anything except this story)

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

“Hands in the air where I can see them- and drop your weapons.”

A smirk creeped on my face as her voice rang through my ears- the familiar voice I was addicted to now. I did as I was told and dropped my dagger on the ground, the clattering of it ringing in the empty alley.

Empty except for me, my prey who had run away thanks to the police officer who was now twisting my hands behind my back, clipping handcuffs while I just smiled.

It was her. Again.

“You are under arrest for the attempted murder of an innocent civilian. You have the right to an attorney-”

“Oh please,” sarcasm dripped from my voice, “We’ve done this so many times, Seulgi. No need to repeat the same shit-”

“That’s Officer Kang to you,” she tightened her hold on my handcuffs, “Mind your manners.”

I scoffed, “You know, there’s another scenario that could be playing right now, with you handcuffing me- ouch!”

“Say things like this again and I’ll dig this gun deeper in your back- and maybe even shoot,” She growled in my ear, pushing me forward, making me walk to the police car. “Get inside.”

I huffed, obeying, pretending to look out of the car and watch the city fade by as we travelled to the police station, when in reality, my mind was occupied with two things, one of which was observing every step the police took and taking in everything- the escape routes, the protocols, etc.

The other… well. It concerned the very pretty officer sitting in the first seat-

“How many times are we going to do this?” Seulgi sighed, “We are one step away from getting your lawyer off your back, and then you won’t be able to walk free in the streets, ever.”

“That one step, honey, is gonna be one very long step and before you take that, I’ll have my backup ready.”

“Why are you even talking to this psycho?” The driver, a very annoying and fat man, scowled at me through the rear view mirror, “Don’t let this shit get through your head-”

“Don’t let me get through your head, mister.”

“Shut up,” Seulgi glared at the two of us, “My head is about to burst, I need silence.”

Unlike the other times when I would keep rambling nonsense and keep teasing Seulgi, this time, I kept quiet. Very, very quiet. And it was getting harder to hide the smirk from my face to see Seulgi squirming in the front seat, my gaze burning her, until she finally looked back at me, just a few minutes away from the station.

“You’re quiet today.”

I didn’t reply. Let it get to her. I only met eyes with her once, no sign of any emotion on my face and continued looking outside.

Let her think she had me this time. Let them think they have the upper hand.

As soon as we reached, I was escorted straight into my cell. The people here were familiar with me now- the maniac who never killed but almost did every time, the spoiled brat with connections so I was let out every time I attempted something. I was free.

And I was in control- I had everyone in the palm of my hand.

I knew Seulgi was watching me while she did whatever she was doing- wondering why no one was coming to my escape this time, wondering why I had rejected the offer of a phone call that I always took.

I felt victorious when, after a few hours, everyone had left-leaving me and Seulgi, who was packing her stuff to go home.

“Always working late, are you?”

With satisfaction, I watched Seulgi jerk at my voice- as she had almost forgotten I was still here. She confirmed my suspicion by saying it out loud.

“What are you really doing here?” Seulgi, finally having finished up, stood in front of my cell.

“You tell me, officer.”

Seulgi scoffed, “Officer? I’m seeing a lot of firsts from you today.”

I scoffed. “What are you doing, Seulgi? I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me- as you’ve so often told me. What are you doing here, standing so close to me?”

The way her body jerked as if she hadn’t noticed me come closer and closer every second brought a grin to my face. She tried taking a step back, but I grabbed her wrist- making sure my grip was loose but not loose enough. My thumb caressed her wrist but I made no effort to bring her closer. But from the look on her face- her eyes wide and mouth parted open in surprise, she knew I could do so many things to her.

But I didn’t.

I let her go.

Seulgi glanced at her wrist, then back at me, her expressions soon changing into a glare. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You tell me, Seulgi,” I sat back on the floor. “What do you think I’m doing?”

With that, Seulgi left and my body rumbled with laughter.

This was going to be fun.

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

I was released the very next morning. And it seemed my plan had worked perfectly.

It had become a game of hide-and-seek now; me, who always got caught just at the right time by Officer Kang. It was a wonder that no one had made the connection yet.

I smiled as I wore my black outfit, gloves and mask- tonight was going to be fun.

Seulgi, of course, had been as disturbed as always to see me get released and not being escorted to the prison despite my long list of attempted murders. I always told her she should blame the people of this country for not abiding by the law and catching criminals like me instead of blaming me.

And she, of course, did not understand that.

Just before I had stepped out of the police station after being released, I had caught Seulgi’s eye- a very intense glare. I raised an eyebrow, and she just muttered that she won’t let me get away.

“You wouldn’t have to, Seulgi. Next time, you don’t have to let me get away.”

With a wink, I left, leaving her eyes wide with confusion.

I tightened my gloves as I ran over the plan again. Truthfully, I hadn’t the whole plan etched in my mind- but I knew how to get where I wanted to.

It was going to be the same trick- just the game that would be different this time.

Right before midnight, I left, knives sticking out from my belt hidden by the long raincoat I wore, strolling through streets and alleys until I finally found my prey.

A group of three girls were bullying one girl. A smirk formed on my face as I watched them, not attempting to break the thing apart. I decided to follow one of the bullies- the one who looked like the leader.

But before that, I walked to the victim, looming over her beaten figure, not offering her help, just observing her.

“How long are you going to be weak?”

“Don’t rub it in my face,” she moaned in pain, “Who are you anyway? Another bully?”

I shook my head, bending down to face her, “Do you want me to get rid of your bullies?”

I didn’t miss the glint that passed her eyes before they furrowed in confusion, “What are you going to do?”

“You should call the police,” I got up, straightening my coat and putting a hand on one of my knives, making sure the girl saw it and her eyes went wide with horror, “Tell them the girl’s about to get murdered. Tell them where I will be. And if you scream, it won’t be her who’s getting murdered tonight. Just do as I said.”

The girl had to gulp twice and slap herself before she took out her phone and I winked at her before following the trail of my prey. The other two girls were saying goodbye, and my prey was walking all alone in an alley.

“Perfect,” I muttered, following her until I heard the familiar blare of police sirens, right when I ran at her and threw her to the ground.

“Hello, little bully,” I pointed the knife at her face, “Want me to carve that permanent smirk you so like to wear?”

She screamed and I hit her temple with the hilt of my knife, “Shut up, bitch. This is what you get for being a scum.”

“I-I won’t do it again, I pro-promise. I’m sorry!”

I threw my head back as I laughed, dragging the knife down her arm, making blood spill, the girl struggling to move but failing because of how I had her trapped with my body on top of her. “How does this feel, sweetheart?”

I took my sweet time tormenting her, leaving little scars here and there until I heard the footsteps draw closer, which was when I raised my knife in the air-

“Hands in the air!”

I smirked, but pretended to sag with disappointment as I turned around, grinning as I saw Seulgi pointing her gun at me, and I dropped my weapon.

This was the last time I was dropping my weapon. The last time I was going to be submissive.

“There you go,” I shrugged, and Seulgi came to handcuff me, and as soon as she had cuffed my left hand, I grabbed her hands from my right hand and brought her closer, making her bump into me as she tried to wriggle away, horrified.

“Alone tonight, are you?” I scoffed, “Fell right into my trap, Seulgi.”

“What trap?” Seulgi scowled, glaring at me. I grabbed both her wrists by my cuffed hand while my free hand ran over her uniformed body.

“You ever wonder why I never actually murdered anyone?”

Seulgi raised a brow, “Because you don’t have the guts?”

I gave her a pointed look, “Nice of a police officer to provoke a potential murderer. No, Seulgi. It’s to mess with that little, stupid head of yours. Look at you, so distracted. Do you like me holding you like this?”

Seulgi turned her face away as I laughed in her hair, my face travelling down until I was breathing in her neck. I brought my mouth to her ear to whisper:

“I don’t see you struggling, sweetheart.”

She pushed me away, and I shook my head in warning, revealing her hand cuffed with mine, twirling the key to the handcuffs in my finger, proving just how distracted she had been to not notice me fishing out the key from her pocket.

“I swear to god, if you don’t give it back this instance-”

“Chill!” I un-cuffed her and put the key back in her pocket, “I was just messing with you.”

“You are under arrest for attempted murder, bla bla, you know the drill now, don’t you?” Seulgi, finally calming down after having taken a deep breath, dragged me to the car as she said the usual words, making me sit in the backseat.

It was time to play with her.

As we drove in silence, I scooted in the middle, staring holes into her. Seulgi tried her best to ignore me as she drove.

“I wonder why everyone was so busy tonight,” I pretended to play innocent, “It’s not like they had new evidence on a cold case, right?”

Seulgi almost hit the brakes as realization settled in. “What are you playing at?”

“You have two choices, Seulgi. You know I planned this. You can let me go and this game we’re playing will end right here. Or… you can take me to the station and you’ll become a player in my game- you’re already halfway in, by the way.”

“What. Game. Are. You. Playing. At?”

Seulgi was seething- something that made me grin. “Hide-and-seek, Seulgi. I know how you love to play that with me.”

Seulgi was breathing deeply now, as she tried to concentrate on her driving. The two minutes to the station while she made her decision had to be the longest two minutes of her life. She stopped the car in the parking lot, both her hands still on the steering wheel as she racked her brain, trying to come to a decision.

“We don’t have all night, Seulgi.”

“I can’t let you go.”

I raised my brow, a grin creeping on my face, making her roll her eyes. “I mean, I can’t let you roam around the streets and let you kill someone, as much as I would love to let you go and never see you again. So, you’re coming with me.”

“You are so gonna regret this before you start to love this.”

“I don’t know what’s going on in your head,” Seulgi got out of the car, opening the door and grabbing me by my arm harshly. “But this is over for you now. Whatever game you think you are playing, it’s not gonna work-”

I stiffened, turning harshly and putting my cuffed arms around her neck so that Seulgi was trapped between me and the car, smirking as I stared down at her, her eyes wide. I let her feel the adrenaline I knew she was feeling as I pressed my knee on her thigh, making her breath hitch.

I scanned her face slowly, making sure she noticed, before saying:

“It’s already working.”

She didn’t take her eyes off me for the few moments before we were interrupted by one of the officers threatening to shoot me if I tried something. I sighed, letting Seulgi go, waving my cuffed hands at the officer, satisfied when I saw her trying to get herself together.

“There’s only two reasons you’d look the way you’re looking right now, sweetheart. A dishevelled, flustered mess. One of them is that you’re scared of me- which I know you’re not. So… you know what it is now.”

“Don’t think for a second that I could ever feel that way about you-”

“What way, exactly, are you talking about?” I raised my brow, feigning innocence.

Seulgi, defeated, sighed before grabbing my arm harshly and taking out her gun, digging it into my back, earning a groan from me. “You’re shit.”

“Can’t say I’m not,” I let her drag me to the cell, watching her the entire time she was in my vision, pleased to see her squirming due to my burning gaze. I waited until everyone was gone or sleeping before starting to whistle.

“Can you keep it down?” Seulgi slammed her file on the table, and I turned to raise a brow at her.

“Make me.”

Seulgi only rolled her eyes, and I continued to whistle the same tune over and over until I saw Seulgi freeze from the corner of my eye.

“Made the connection yet?”

Her mouth was parted open in surprise as she racked her brain for where she had heard this specific tune-

“You followed me?”

“Did I now?”

Seulgi slammed a hand on the desk, rushing to my cell, gripping the bars, “How long have you been following me?”

I got up, treading towards her, licking my lips as I scanned her tense figure. “How long do you think?”

“Can you, for once, answer my question without a question?”

“I can, if you come inside.”

Seulgi bit her lip, thinking of whether she should be stupid and enter or be wise and just let me be. I smiled internally in satisfaction- her eyes betrayed her, always.

“I guess you’re not coming inside. Go away if you’re not.”

I turned to sit, but stopped when I heard the keys clinging, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling this time. She had taken the bait. Entering, she shut the door, putting her hands on her hips.

“Spill.”

“Where do you think you heard it?”

“I don’t think there’s one specific place…”

“Correct. Do you remember when we first met?”

Seulgi scoffed, “I don’t think I can forget the first time I handcuffed you- you were an animal-”

“Uh, let’s skip that part. Sure, I might have been a tad bit… aggressive. But Officer, that wasn’t the first time we met.”

Seulgi felt like a bucket of cold water had dropped on her. She stumbled a step back in realization, “It can’t be…”

“Oh, but it is, Officer.”

Seulgi was having a rough day- she had a very messy blind date, she wasn’t doing well with the murder case her squad was handling, and she just needed a break.

She sat on the bench in the very empty park, looking up at the dark sky. Even the moon was hidden. She sighed, wondering how she would ever muster up the strength to go back home.

Her attention was caught by a faint whistling tune. She turned her head to look around but there was no one there. She busied herself scrolling mindlessly through her phone when she heard footsteps, ignoring what sounded like a person jogging until the said person stopped in front of her, panting for breath.

“Can I sit here? I don’t have the strength to jog to the next bench.”

Seulgi eyed the person standing in front of her, shrugging as she nodded, and watched as the person took a long drink of water before smiling at her.

“Why jog at this time of the night? It’s not really safe out here these days.”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m a police officer, actually.”

“Then I’m safe, Officer.”

Seulgi shook her head, bringing herself back to her senses. “But you… You’re not…”

“Do you remember that time, Seulgi? You and me, sitting on the bench all night while you let your guard down and talked about how you had such a bad day…” I creeped forward, Seulgi frozen in her spot, “I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me earlier. My disguise isn’t that perfect.”

If Seulgi was being honest with herself, she would have admitted that she had been reminded of the person she’d met that night once or maybe twice. But she had pushed it off as it just being a resemblance.

Because there was no way this was happening, right?

“I know you want me, Seulgi. Do you remember that time I was injured and you tended to my wounds like a good little girl?”

The both of us immediately went down memory lane-

“Are you stupid? Why would you risk your life apart from the victim’s?”

“Don’t tell me you care about my life, Officer.”

“I’m just extremely annoyed right now because there is no one in the station except you and me. Why do I have to be your nurse?”

“Oh come on. I’ll go to the hospital when I’m let out tomorrow- you know I will. I just need you to do something about this quick-” I pointed at the gash that ran down my arm, from near the elbow all the way down to the wrist. Seulgi rolled her eyes, searching for the first aid kit and then putting it outside the cell first, taking out the key to the handcuffs and entering, cuffing my unhurt arm with the bar.

Bringing a stool in front of me, she gripped my arm, turning it around to examine the bleeding scar, pretending my gaze wasn’t burning her. She glared at me once before cleaning the wound while I just watched her gentle movements.

“Why are you so kind, Seulgi?”

“What do you mean?”

“You shouldn’t be doing this. I’m a… criminal. But you always make sure I have water, or food- if I insist.  And you… care about people even when they’re like me. Why?”

“It’s my job-”

“No, this- this isn’t your job,” I sighed. I wasn’t particularly feeling high and ‘manic’ like my other days. Tonight wasn’t planned. It was just an unfortunate incident where I got caught and Seulgi being like this… wasn’t helping.

Seulgi put the cotton down and locked eyes with me. “You’re all humans. I cannot leave anyone like this.”

I just stared at her, my gaze going down to her parted lips. She noticed, clearing her throat and continuing to clean the wound.

“Do you ever think about leaving this job, just escaping from everything else and starting new?”

“Do you?” Seulgi started applying an ointment on my wound.

“We all do, don’t we?” I sighed, “If I had the chance… I’d leave, Seulgi. I’d leave this life behind, go to an island… or maybe the mountains. It would be just me and my cats-”

“Cats?” Seulgi laughed a little, and I smiled, despite myself.

“Yes, Seulgi, cats. I don’t always go around bloodthirsty, you know. I have a life too.”

“Right.”

“Anyways, I’d bake cookies. The house would be small, and there would be books, and I’d sit by the fireplace. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

“It does, actually,” she nodded, and I noticed she was done, but still had my arm in her hand, staring at the wound.

“It’d obviously be better if I had human company too…”

“So you could kill them later?” Seulgi finally looked up at me.

“I’d never do that to you.”

For a second, Seulgi was surprised- and so was I, because I had obviously been thinking of her when I said that. Seulgi shook her head, tucking her hair behind as she started packing the first aid kit, about to leave when I gripped her hand.

“Can you… stay with me- for a few minutes? I… tonight wasn’t something I was expecting.”

Seulgi wasn’t sure what I was referring to, but she put her kit down. “You sound vulnerable. For once.”

“I am,” I admitted, slumping back, “I am so vulnerable right now that you can do whatever you please with me. Kill me, kiss me, I won’t care.”

“There is no killing or kissing happening,” Seulgi shook her head, but I smiled when I saw a ghost of a smile on her face too, “As much as I would like…”

“Kissing me?”

“Killing you,” Seulgi smiled sarcastically, “I’d have to hold my temptations.”

“And if I can’t hold mine?” I leaned forward, taking her hand in my free hand, bringing her closer, “if I can’t resist?”

“Killing me?” Seulgi asked.

“Does it look like I’m about to kill you?” I asked, my eyes scanning her face, the two of us so close we could feel each other’s breath on our skin.

Seulgi made no move to scoot away- as if mesmerized, she sat still, only her eyes roaming around my face, as if trying to read what I was thinking.

“You can go, if you want to,” I whispered, my hand caressing her arm and then moving up her chest, all the way to her neck, until it went to cup her face, and Seulgi couldn’t calm the roiling in her stomach.

How could someone as savage as the person in front of her have such a fragile touch? Hold her like she could break?

She forgot what I had just said, her breath quickening every second as I drew closer and closer, until our foreheads were joined. But I heard the sound of the keys dangling. We had company.

I drew back, scanning her face once before kissing her forehead, good and slow. “We have company. Go.”

Seulgi sat frozen in her spot- until I tapped her face lightly. “Go.”

She stumbled as she took the kit and left, forgetting to cuff me back. I just slumped back, watching her, smiling at how the night had turned out.

“So,” I smirked at how Seulgi was clenching her head now, as she made all the connections.

“Are you… doing this all on purpose? How long have you planned this?”

“Would you believe me if I told you it wasn’t on purpose? That our first meeting- as normal people, and as a police and a criminal were both coincidental?”

“I don’t think I can…”

“Come on,” I turned around, pretending to walk in the cell when I was actually un-cuffing myself from the key I had replaced in Seulgi’s pocket. “I’m a criminal, maybe, yes, but I’m not a liar.”

“I wouldn’t put that past you,” Seulgi countered, “You’ve been stalking me. Am I one of your next ‘victims’? Is this what all of this is about?”

I turned, smiling, approaching her until we were face to face. “Look at me, Seulgi. Look me in the eyes and tell me if I’m lying.”

While she took the bait and looked me in the eyes, I took the cuffs off one hand, took her gun out of her pocket in the blink of an eye and before she could react, I threw it outside the cell from the slightly open door, her neck whipping as she saw just what I had done, and I gripped both her wrists.

“Got you.”

In a second, I cuffed her right hand with my left and threw the key outside too.

“Are you out of your mind!” Seulgi slapped my face- or at least tried to- she was interrupted with me dragging her across and shutting the cell, the keys outside dropping to the floor.

“Oh my god,” Seulgi, horrified, slammed her fist in my chest repeatedly, “What have you done!”

“I told you to let me go, didn’t I?” I growled in her ear, and she went still, her fist still on my chest as she sighed in frustration. “You did this, Seulgi.”

I put her dark hair behind her shoulder, running my fingers across her jaw as I whispered, “It’s just you and me tonight here, baby. I made sure of that. No one will know what happened, not even the cameras- it would be over before the morning. So relax… and let go.”

Seulgi was helpless- she couldn’t do anything now- and ashamed. She had been too distracted. She had played right into this trap.

“Relax,” I whispered, bringing my lips to her ears, trailing it down her jaw as I tilted her face up, “I know you want this.

“Why are you doing this to me?” She almost whispered, “Why me?”

“You had me, Seulgi. Right from the very beginning. There’s just something about you that I couldn’t resist. I’m all yours- do whatever you want with me.”

Seulgi bit her lip, trying to hold herself together, but every move I was making was affecting her, shaking her from the inside out. Her legs were growing weaker, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the situation she had just caught herself in- or something else entirely.

“You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to do this.”

I held her chin in my hand as I kissed her right cheekbone, then her left, locking eyes with her- but she wasn’t looking at me anymore.

“Don’t look away from me, Seulgi. There’s nothing wrong with what you feel right now… we’re all… humans, aren’t we?”

Seulgi scoffed at me quoting her but changing the context entirely. I nudged her face up and she finally looked at me, her eyes glazed.

“This is wrong-“

“There’s nothing wrong with this,” I assured her, “Obviously would have been better if we were in different circumstances, but Seulgi- there’s nothing wrong with this.”

It was like she was compelled- she shut her eyes, unable to hold the eye contact any longer. I smiled as I rubbed my nose with her, her sighs fuelling me.

“Tell me you want this. Tell me you do.”

I planted butterfly kisses on her face, stopping before I reached her lips.

“I’m going to ask you one last time. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll let you go right now. Tell me you want this-”

My breath hitched when I felt her fisting my shirt, her other hand that was cuffed to mine intertwining, her nails digging into my skin.

“Don’t make me say it out loud,” she whispered, despite herself.

She should be fired from her job. She was going to be so ashamed after this- but she couldn’t stop. She brought me closer and I cupped her face as I brought her lips to mine.

It was indescribable- the feeling of finally having someone- this forbidden something we had- but it was like a drug, and she felt it too as she kissed me back with a need I didn’t know she had in her. Her hand went to cup my face as well, my breath hitching this time as she kissed me, harshly, as if she was punishing me through this.

“Slow down,” I broke apart, smirking.

“Slow down?” Seulgi mocked, “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

My brows furrowed in confusion, but when she pecked my lips lightly this time, I relaxed.

“I shouldn’t be doing this, should I?”

“Let’s not think about that,” I kissed her, slow this time, taking in the marvelling feeling of how our lips fit as if made for each other, our stomachs roiling as our free hands roamed around, until she bit my lip and I took that as a sign to put my tongue in her mouth, our kisses growing quicker and more passionate as we made out.

Seulgi pushed me back and back until I hit the wall, and I growled into her mouth- it was time to show her who really was in control. I turned and slammed her body into the wall, my knee going in between her legs making her breath hitch harshly as she stared at me, eyes full with lust.

“Look at you,” I caressed her jaw with my thumb, “Look at how much you want this.”

For maybe an hour it was just us making out, whispering dirty little things in each other’s ears, me telling her that this was okay, that us made sense, that we should just forget about being a cop and a criminal while we were at it.

“Seulgi,” I sighed into her ear while she was playing with my neck, “Do you want to run away with me?”

Seulgi paused, burying her face in the crook of my neck and I hugged her this time, somehow the hug hitting me harder than the passionate make-out we just had. “We could have that life, Seulgi. Your dream life- whatever you want, wherever you want. Just say the word.”

“What about work, and my friends-”

“It’s your choice, Seulgi. I won’t force you into this. I know you have a life here- however… boring it may be. We’ll have to stay low-profile for a good while and then, if you want, we can let your friends- only the close ones- know. They won’t recognize me anyway so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Our cuffed hands were caressing each other as she thought, and I just melted into the hug because if she disagreed… it would be our last time being this close to each other.

“If I don’t agree?”

I sighed, kissing her head, “I’ll leave. Forever. I can’t have a forced relation- not with you.”

Her arm around my waist tightened.

“Then let’s run away.”

[hanmasushi]

MONTERO (Short Bonten! Scenario)

What happens when you're the new recruit and the only woman in Bonten.

warning ✁ suggestive content, slight cursing, mentions of alcohol and drugs. third person pov. fem!reader. Bonten Men !! Short scenario.

a/n ✁ uhh im just gonna leave it here bye.

wc ✁ 1.6k

ost ✁ Montero by Lil Nas X (pink fonts are lyric references to the song)

For a moment she’d forgotten how she got roped in the situation she was in now. Slightly intoxicated yet she felt more in control than she’d ever been. She smiled as she felt warm hands on her ass, allowing herself to be pulled.

She only briefly remembers receiving a text from Akashi indicating a time and place. It was a famous club in downtown Tokyo and it was set at a later time of the night. She knew she was going to get dressed. She’d only been part of Bonten for a week, as per Akashi’s recommendation, and she could already tell they were an expensive bunch.

She had her long hair tucked in a neat bun, a black coat covering her body while sporting a fresh makeup look. She was decent enough, but she brought extra paraphernalias just in case she’d need them.

Hours passed by and they were now on the upper deck of the club overlooking the crowd, hectic laser lights and constant color shift filling in the venue along with the loud booming of trap music. She still didn’t know what their course of action was but she knew this was an urgent mission. With Akashi, Sanzu, Kokonoi, Ran, and Rindou, basically the majority of the important Bonten figures present, this mission was definitely something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

This was her first mission, she wasn’t an executive but Akashi made the point to make her tag along. She was being tested, she suspected. She was about to ask when Akashi beat her to it, he was leaning into the railings with a fresh lit cigarette at hand.

“I had an informant of mine saying that crucial information about Bonten was being sold to our biggest rival gangs in Tokyo. And no, there was no mole this time. Information was stolen from us by a notorious hacker. It was said that he was selling it for a considerably expensive price. We couldn’t do anything stupid like attacking him in his own base because a few clicks could mean Bonten’s demise. So I heard that he was going to do the exchange an hour from now. What we’re looking for is a small flash drive, it was said that it’s the only copy to exist that he made. The outcome of this mission could mean the rise or fall of Bonten.” Akashi said in a casual manner, he was now halfway done with his cigarette.

“That’s him.” Sanzu pointed to a guy in the middle of a crowd. It was a lanky guy in a worn out band tee, dark flannel jacket and black skinny jeans.

“Him?” she couldn’t help blurt out but she was positive she could take him out in hand-to-hand combat. The guy looked clearly out of place considering he was like a boy undergoing puberty eyeing every woman he could lay his gaze on, awkwardly nodding as he took a sip of his drink. She was getting secondhand embarrassment just by looking at him.

“Don’t be fooled, he may seem harmless but he’s smart enough to hire guards around him. Getting close to him will not be easy.” Ran pointed around a bunch of beefed up men not too far from the hacker, blending right into the crowd.

“Besides, creating casualties in a crowd like this is not ideal.” Rindou added.

“Best route of action is to wait till he gets out of the club, and beat the other gang to it. Then we’ll have dollface over here, take the drive and make a run for it.” Koko said as he looked at her with his usual smug expression.

“So your plan is to wait for how many ungodly hours and make me an errand girl? Well that’s fucking sexist.” She said trying not to lose her composure, talk about workplace discrimination.

“You got a better plan?” Sanzu loomed over her, his pills having been taking effect considering he was starting to get maniacal and chaotic by the minute.

“Actually, I do.” She said as she started taking her bun and letting her long hair loose. She then took off her coat revealing a black corset mesh mini dress, hugging her figure tightly. “And I'll bet you I can do it in less than three minutes.” She was now applying a crimson shade of lipstick that she pulled out from her purse, she was right about needing her paraphernalia, instantly transforming her fresh glam into a sultry one.

“Yeah right.” Sanzu scoffed. She then shoved her coat and purse into Rindou’s empty arms. Rindou was about to protest because he thought she was going to jeopardize the mission but Ran held him back, he wanted to see how this one plays out.

She was already downstairs blending in the crowd, she was gonna need liquid luck if she wanted to be believable. She downed three shots of vodka before she took one look at her new superiors as if to say “watch me”. That was when Montero by Lil Nas X played and the entire mood of the dancefloor shifted as the smoke machines and lights made the atmosphere more alluring. With smoke filling the air as the lights faded out into purple red blue hues, oh she was in the zone.

I caught it bad yesterday

You hit me with a call to your place

Ain't been out in a while anyway

Was hopin' I could catch you throwin' smiles in my face

It hadn’t been a minute since she downed the vodka but she could feel her body heating up. She was swaying her hips delicately, instantly catching the attention of beautiful strangers around her. She had to gather up momentum if she didn’t want to be suspected.

Romantic talkin'? You don't even have to try

You're cute enough to fuck with me tonight

She let herself be the center of intoxicated strangers, her plan was to make him notice her. It wasn’t long till she caught the hacker’s attention, all she had to do was make him long for her.

Call me when you want, call me when you need

Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way

Call me when you want, call me when you need

Call me out by your name, I'll be on the way like

She never broke eye contact as she continued exchanging body heat with strangers. Swaying off synching into the beat of the song. She had her way of making the man focus on her. Teasing as if she was challenging him to be brave and get closer.

With a different man’s hands around her, she wanted him to feel envious of what was in front of him. That’s when he took the bait, he took one last sip of his drink as if to say fuck it. She knew she was winning the moment he let his guard down. He made his way to her, she was trying to suppress her laughter as she thought of how the alcohol he consumed made him feel that he was desired by a woman like her.

Mmm, mmm, mmm

Mmm, mmm, mmm

For a moment she’d forgotten how she got roped in the situation she was in now. Slightly intoxicated yet she felt more in control than she’d ever been. She smiled as she felt warm hands on her ass, allowing herself to be pulled. She played along, taking his lead, she definitely wasn’t raising any alarms. He was a terrible dancer, she thought. All he had going on was groping her intimate parts of the body. Just a bit more, she continued grinding on the man behind her, feeling him. In the corner of her eyes she could see the executives. Ran, Kokonoi and Sanzu were amused. Akashi still bearing the same neutral look as he smoked another cigarette. Rindou, on the other hand, was shocked at the display. It was near the end of the song when she knew she had to start wrapping things up.

For the finale, she thought she’d surprise them even more by turning around and pulling the guy into a deep kiss.

Oh, call me by your name (mmm, mmm, mmm)

Tell me you love me in private

His hands still on her ass, she decided to take advantage of the situation as she delicately slipped her hands in one of his pockets till she thought BINGO, she’d found the motherload.

Call me by your name (mmm, mmm, mmm)

I do not care if you lyin'

As she broke off the kiss, the man felt like he was still in trance. It took him a moment to realize she was slowly pulling away. He opened his eyes, she gave him one last flirtatious look before she disappeared into the crowd.

Well I'm just feelin', mm-uh

I wanna get, mm-uh

I'm in my, into my, uh

I'm mm, mm

I'm still, mm, mm-mm

The entire time the executives were definitely taken aback from the sudden explicit display.

Seconds later, she was back in the upper decks with the rest of the executives with the guy's scent still lingering. She handed the flash drive to Akashi, who this time had a satisfied look.

“With 30 seconds to spare,” She said to Sanzu. She then took her coat and purse from Rindou, who was just as confused as he was intrigued. She then wrapped her coat back to her body.

"And that is how you handle men, gentlemen" Kokonoi and Ran let out an amused chuckle.

“My my, I don’t know where you found her but I think she’s going to be useful.” Ran said to Akashi.

“As expected.” Akashi simply replied.

The men all made a mental note not to let their guard down around her, despite being an asset, the way she lures men is alarming for them.

[glowingbadger]

Okay, I LOVE the Spiky sword boy and his sheer inability to handle most emotions. May I ask how would Felix handle being teased throughout the day by his S/O? Like maybe she wears a little more revealing article of clothing than normal or other small things to really get at him?

Full disclosure, when I first started playing FE3H, a friend of mine asked which route I had chosen first, and I told her I'd joined the Blue Lions. And she had the audacity to look me in the eyes and say, "Because of Felix?" And like, yes because of Felix, but also fuck you.

Anyway, more content from me about teasing an uptight, emotionally congested man with a heart of gold (y'know, for something different xD)

Felix (FE3H) x Fem/AFAB Reader - teasing

NSFW 18+

If you'd known that Felix would be so easy and so fun to tease, you would have tried something like this far sooner. You'd watched him gape openly when he'd first seen you at the dining hall that morning with your blouse opened deep at the front ("It's so warm today!") and a skirt that hugged a little too tight and far too short. Later, you had made sure to sit across from him at the day's strategy debriefing so you could watch him struggle to keep his gaze above the neckline. By the time you'd insisted on joining him to spar in the afternoon, he was so off-kilter that even his swordsmanship began to suffer. Even in less-than-optimal attire for combat, you were able to keep up with him- for a while, anyway.

At last, he rallies his focus and blocks your strike just above the hilt. The impact so close to your grip manages to disarm you, and Felix takes a firm step forward and levels his practice sword at your throat. You're both panting, both red in the face- but you wear a grin while he scowls in reply.

"You had the upper hand a minute ago," he says, not lowering his blade, "If you were actually dressed properly for a fight, this may have been a real match."

"If I were dressed properly for a fight, I would never have had the upper hand at all." You retort, your wicked grin widening. It's the first time you've called attention to his reaction to your ploy- and his expression shows how your acknowledgement only flusters him further. Dark, narrowed eyes scan your body down, then back up.

"You're trying to get under my skin."

"I'd say I'm succeeding." you quip back. You see his chest rise and fall heavily in the moment of tense silence that follows. Finally, he lowers his weapon with an irritable exhale. Every muscle in his body is wound tight, his posture stiff, as though consciously holding himself in place. You bite at your bottom lip, just imagining that restraint snapping and coming undone.

"We're on the night patrol together tonight, right?" you say as you come to stand beside him.

"Uh- yeah, I guess so." Felix mutters. You smile and kiss him lightly on the cheek- a deceptively innocent gesture.

"I'll see you later, then."

Evidently, Felix had managed to collect himself by the time you joined him at the Monastery Gates that evening- at least outwardly. Eyes that had wandered your body all day are now kept strictly in check as you walk side by side around the perimeter walls. He even manages to chat with you more or less as usual as you make your rounds. In a way, you're impressed. But that doesn't keep you from wondering how you could push him just a little more.

"Soo..." you trail off for a moment, walking a bit ahead of Felix with your hands innocently behind your back, "I was chatting with Sylvain earlier today, and-"

"Sylvain?" he says sharply- and you know your bait worked. Too easy.

"Yup! We had a nice long chat, it was really sweet of him to take so much time out of his day for me."

Felix seizes your wrist in hand and tugs you back to him.

"He saw you like this? Did he try anything? If he did, I'll slit his-"

"Felix, come on," you cut in with a laugh. You face him and gently brush his bangs aside, admiring the way his sharp features are accented by cool moonlight. He gives an irritable sigh and steps forward, and you subconsciously step back in unison.

"You have no idea how people have been looking at you today." he says with a dangerous edge in his voice. You feel your back hit the wall, trapping you between cool stone and Felix's harsh glare.

"I've only been watching how you've been looking at me," you say, closer to a whisper than you'd intended. And in an instant, Felix's lips are on yours. He grabs onto your wrists and pins them above your head, and as he secures them in place with one strong hand, the other tugs up at the hem of your skirt. You whimper into his kiss like a mewing kitten as his tongue thrusts past your lips. He's harsh and unforgiving, and it's all you can do not to lose your breath as his touch runs unabashedly up your inner thigh.

"Felix...!" you gasp as two fingers press against the thin fabric of your panties, rubbing firmly along your wet heat.

"Quiet," he hisses, "Do you want the knights to hear you?"

Frankly, when you see that intense look in his eyes and feel his rough fingers slide into your clothing and between your lower lips, you couldn't care whether the archbishop herself heard you. Still, you manage to bite your lip and stifle a moan as two digits surround your stiffened clit, rhythmically stroking the sensitive nerves and sending sparks of pleasure through your core. Your thighs twitch inward, squeezing around him as he runs his fingers slick across the aching bud, setting your legs trembling. Felix must be able to feel your body going weak- or perhaps, he's every bit as impatient for satisfaction as you are. His touch leaves your needy body before long, and he releases your wrists. But before you can question him, he hikes your skirt up your hips without a word, then fumbles open the front of his pants to free his member, already throbbing hard and flushed a dark crimson.

Then, muscled arms wrap under you and lift you up against the wall. He hooks your knees over his elbows, spreading your legs wide for him as he aligns with your eager pussy. Sighing out his name, you wrap your arms around his strong shoulders for support. Then, you feel his warm cockhead parting your slickened folds. With a low groan rumbling in his chest, Felix pushes into the tight heat of your cunt, stretching you around him as he plunges inch after inch into you. Somehow, he feels bigger than usual. Perhaps a day of teasing has had a more tangible affect on him than you'd anticipated.

Felix brings his lips to your jaw, kissing and biting his way back to your ear, where the heat of his breath sends a shiver down your spine. His hips begin thrusting into you, pumping his cock into you until your overflowing arousal coats his full length. Thick veins drag along your inner walls, stimulating a range of wonderfully tender spots, and your nails dig along his upper back in desperation. You've known that Felix isn't much of a dirty talker- and given the circumstances, that's probably for the best- but the way he softly pants and groans into your ear floods your body with a new, more urgent need. The thought that this is what he's wanted with you, that all day Felix has been one taunt away from fucking you against the nearest surface, is such an intense rush that you can already feel yourself clenching and gripping around him.

"I'm- I'm gonna-"

"Do it," he whispers harshly along your neck, "cum for me- now."

He bucks his hips upward, sheathing himself deep inside of you until you can feel the pressure up through your center. His lower body is partially supporting you, so your weight pushes you down onto his throbbing length. Felix kisses you, not even bothering with skill or finesse- only raw need. And you cum, hard. Your body shudders, your pussy squeezes around him, and the knot of pleasure built inside of you comes undone at once. His kiss muffles your helpless, blissful whimpers, and before you've even ridden the full wave of your climax, his own begins to take hold. He holds you almost painfully firm against the rough stone wall as you feel him shoot his cum into you in powerful volleys, one after another. Felix breaks away from your lips, his head coming to rest at the crook of your neck. He utters a tortured groan as his manhood swells and flexes from base to tip, pouring out the last of his release into your over-used and over-full body.

You're reminded of your sparring match earlier that day. The two of you are both thoroughly spent, panting heavily and struggling to steady your breathing. Felix tries to be gentle when he sets you back on your feet, but neither of you realize how unprepared you are to use your legs again, so you stumble forward into him. You expect a disgruntled comment, but instead, he wraps his arms around you and holds you steady while you regain your bearings.

"Wow..." you murmur, clinging to the front of his shirt, "I should try teasing you more often."

[princecharmingwinks]

i did the thing <3 and i'm back with a fail date that i'll leave open ended ;) was dating a chef and we went to a restaurant he wanted to try in the next town over. we order lunch, we're chatting, we're laughing, its going great. food comes out and he took one bite, he stopped smiling and whispered 'oh no...' XD

You did a thing!!! Hello!!! Welcome to the fold, fabulous to have you in the ranks. Hope you meet some nice beans :) Opened endings? Oh, we kicking up a notch haha.

--

Setting the scene - Derek is definitely the chef. No one should trust Stiles with sharp objects like knives. Derek is a werewolf and knows it's time to tell Stiles. They've been seeing each other for a few weeks and he's never felt this way about anyone. He wants to officially ask Stiles to be his boyfriend (why does he get butterflies everytime he thinks of that word?).

His family and pack (Laura and Erica in particular) have been dying to meet the human who has swept Derek off his feet. Not that he can blame them, Stiles is everything he has ever wanted and more. They just, click. But it was getting to the point that the women of the pack were threatening to stalk Stiles if they weren't formally introduced asap.

So Derek decided today was the day to ask Stiles to be official and start explanations of the supernatural kind. They'd travelled a town over to avoid the Hale pack's pesky eavesdropping. And to try out a new restaurant that's been getting rave reviews. The lunch was going well, they ordered and chatted and it was perfect.

The waiter places their food on the table and leaves. Derek swallows and is about to start explaining (how do you even start to tell someone that you have a desire to howl at the full moon?) when Stiles jumps in first.

"So are you finally going to tell me your secret?" Stiles asks, all big eyes and soft smiles.

Derek's heard of gay panic but is there such thing as wolf panic?

Derek is too caught up with the question to even register the mild but unusual scent of his meal. He takes a bite to try and calm himself...and internally curses.

"Oh no..." he whispers.

Stiles frowns and watches as Derek swallows his mouthful slowly and grimaces in the direction of the kitchen. He follows the movement as sees two stunning - like model stunning - women wave from the kitchen peak hole. One with dark straight hair and the other with blonde ringlets, both with predatory smiles.

"Do you know them?" Stiles cocks his head in confusion.

Derek looks like he ate a lemon, "This cannot be happening."

"What’s going on?" Stiles reaches out for Derek's hand which the other man takes and interlocks their fingers.

The women have left the confines of the kitchen and are walking over to their table now.

Derek gives a tight smile, "If we survive this, I'll buy you all the curly fries in the world."

"Oh Der-Bear, brother of mine!" The brunette is calling out in a sing-song tone.

It all clicks in Stiles' brain. He grins and gives Derek's hand a squeeze, "If we survive this, promise to marry me one day."

Derek doesn’t get a chance to answer that particular request when the women have reached the table. When first meeting someone, the usual custom was to introduce yourself and ask to join the meal. These women did not get that memo.

The brunette, Derek’s sister slides into the booth blocking Derek’s escape routes, the blonde does the same to Stiles, snuggling in close.

Derek sighs the way only a brother could, “Stiles, meet my older sister, Laura and my friend - although at this moment I’m not too sure why - Erica.”

Derek should have known something was up when he found the latest restaurant reviews magazine left open on the dining room table. He had assumed it was left out by his mum, the two of them often discussing the latest food trends. He hadn’t thought it was left as a trap by his manipulative pack mates. But the moment the ever-so-light sprinkle of wolf’s bane had touched his lips, Derek knew he was in trouble.

How the two biggest trouble makers in his life had managed to find out the exact details of his date and get themselves access to the kitchen was beyond him but he imagined it had something to do with their feminine prowess (or their intimidation tactics) both equally as strong. 

He was still trying to process how Stiles could know about his wolf and now he had to manage these two? 

“What are you two doing here?” Derek reluctantly asks.

Erica grins, a dangerous twist of crimson red lips, “You’ve been keeping Stiles a secret for too long, Derek. We had to take proactive measures.”

“And ambushing my date was the best way to do that?”

���We’ve gotta make sure Stiles can handle the unexpected.” Laura ‘helpfully’ supplies.

“I don’t mind thinking on my feet.” Stiles interjects. 

Derek is in awe of this man. How did he find someone so perfect?

“So are you all werewolves or just the Hales?” Stiles asks. The three wolves all stop and blink at him. 

“What, is that not the right terminology? Is lycanthrope more appropriate?”

Erica is the first to break the silence, almost doubling over from the force of her laugh. Laura is joining in too.

Derek on the other hand is just in plain shock. “You knew?”

Stiles shrugs, “I’m a curious creature. I research. And things didn’t always add up with you. Like you are way too good looking to be just human. And there’s the whole tendency to growl when things get - ah - heated.”

“We are so keeping you! Come over for dinner tonight so you can meet the whole pack.” Laura announces, not waiting for an answer. She kisses Derek on the cheek and rises up from the booth. Erica follows suit and throws Stiles a wink before the two of them walk out of the restaurant with linked arms.

Derek breaths a sigh of relief. 

“So did I pass the test?” Stiles asks, moving over to sit beside Derek in the booth. Derek lifts his arm and draws Stiles in. 

“You were perfect.” He kisses the human’s forehead. “You are perfect.”

“You going all soft on me now, Hale?” 

Derek smirks, “Do you like my last name?” 

Stiles crinkles his eyebrows in confusion, “Yeah?’

“Do you wanna keep it?" Derek is full-on smiling now, little bunny teeth and all. “That was the rule, right? We survive this and I marry you?”

Stiles blushes at the memory, “Only if you buy me all the curly fries in the world. And we are hypernating, Mr Old-School. I’m always going to be a Stilinski in one way or another.”

“Done.” Derek whispers as he leans in and kisses Stiles.

Derek wasn’t sure why he was ever nervous to make things official. Somehow he had gone from worrying about the title ‘boyfriend’ to this. They still needed to have a proper conversation and he knew the human would have excel spreadsheets of questions about the supernatural. But as Stiles’ hands cupped his jaw and pulled him in for another kiss, Derek thought those discussions could wait.

Now they just had to meet the rest of the pack - oh no...

--

Ta da! Hope you liked it my friend. This one was fun to write. Can you tell I like big happy Hale alive families? Because I certainly do. Also, my version of Laura will forever and always be played by Meghan Ory (just as a fun fact). Thanks for popping in!

[fics-n-stuff]

Home - Pt 2

For @glowstick-lesbian, request here

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Reader

Summary: After Y/N finally gets out hiding, it's time to sit down with Kaz and talk through whatever it is that's going on between them.

Word Count: 5.1k

Warnings: Brief talk of Jordie and Kaz's trauma and touch aversion

A/N: Wow this ended up being longer than I intended! I'm so sorry it's taken so long, I was focused on The Bastard's Shadow and Affluenza pts1 + 2, and then I started picking up more shifts at work and got writers block at the same time. I really hope you like how it turned out!! ❤❤

Pt1 here

After the very enlightening visit from Kaz, the days seemed to drag on even slower than before. The next two months went by in a crawl, and no matter how much you buried yourself in work you couldn’t distract from the longing you felt to get out of your apartment.

When your messenger came to deliver the news that your pursuers were willing to come to a truce you had been so happy that you’d gone straight to pour yourself a glass of whisky to celebrate. From then, you counted down the days until the meeting that you set up, the result of which should mean that you were free to roam the city again.

Inej had shown you how to get out of the window and onto the roof months ago. It was your escape route in case of an emergency, but you had used it every now and then just to sit on the roof and enjoy a taste of the outside world. That night, you had climbed out with intention and dressed in your finest coat.

You travelled over the rooftops towards the Government district, where your meeting had been arranged to take place near the Stadhall. The presence of the stadwatch would serve to protect you in case the deal went south.

You had been jittery with a mix of anxiety and excitement when you descended to street level and wended your way through the streets to find three men waiting for you at the Stadhall, all of them tall, broad and commanding. Barrel businessmen that you had crossed one too many times, and no doubt they had been angered that forcing you into hiding hadn’t put a stop to your business.

You were too smart to have not found a way around it; you had to be to run the business that you did. You owned three boarding houses and two bars in the Barrel and two ships that brought in imports from Ravka and Novyi Zem, a squaller as a permanent fixture on the crew of each to whom you paid a fair salary. You’d had Kaz put them under the protection of the Dregs to keep them safe from slavers. On top of all of that, you used your contacts in Ravka, Novyi Zem and other parts of Kerch to help get kids out of the Barrel and into honest work elsewhere. You might operate from the criminal underbelly of Ketterdam, but you made a mostly honest living.

The meeting took longer than you had anticipated. The three men were eager to negotiate territories that you couldn’t conduct business in and items that they didn’t want you to import because it was cutting into their own business. You held firm, you knew what was fair and you would be damned if you let anyone bully you into submission.

In the end, you essentially just agreed not to get in their way, which was easy enough to do. You wouldn’t actively compete with them in the sale of imported goods, and you wouldn’t try to convince any of the lads that they used as runners and grunts to get out of the Barrel. As long as you kept your distance from them you’d be fine, since they were clearly tired of chasing after you.

“Alright then, the deal is the deal.” You said, holding out your hand. All three shook hands with you in turn, echoing the phrase as was customary. When the man in the middle – clearly the leader and the last to shake with you – took your hand, you tightened your grip and leaned forward. “If you try to cheat me after this deal, you will have Dirtyhands to answer to.” You said lowly. He tried not to show his reaction but the fear in his eyes betrayed him, and you released his hand. It wasn’t often that you involved Kaz and his reputation in your affairs, but sometimes it paid to be friends with the most ruthless man in Ketterdam.

You left the meeting with your head held high and took a gondel back to the Barrel. You were approached by a few people who stayed in one of your boarding houses or drank in one of your bars on your walk to the Crow Club, telling you that they had been curious or worried about having not seen you around for so long. You didn’t engage in any conversation beyond polite acknowledgment, too eager to get to the Crow Club.

Inej was the only one that knew that you were getting out tonight. You had told her when she had come to deliver your food for the week and she had promised to try and keep everyone corralled at the Crow Club so that you could make a big entrance, but the later it got the less likely it was that she could keep them all there without raising suspicion.

You practically ran down the last street towards the Crow Club, bursting through the open door and searching the crowd for your friends. Jesper caught sight of you at the same moment that you spotted them all at the bar, and you saw his jaw drop in shock. A huge grin spread on your face as he set his drink down, his sudden change in demeanor getting the attention of the rest of the group and causing them to turn to follow his gaze.

“Y/N?” Jesper called, prompting you into as much of a sprint as you could manage across the crowded floor of the gambling hall. You vaulted yourself into him, wrapping your arms tightly around his lanky frame. “You’re back! How?” He exclaimed, and you laughed as you felt him hug you back and sweep you off of your feet.

“I had a meeting to call a truce. As of tonight I am a free person!”

“We missed you so much!” Nina grinned, prying Jesper’s arms off of you so that she could pull into a hug herself. “Why didn’t you tell us that you were finally coming out of hiding?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” You grinned, pulling away so that you could move to hug Wylan next. “I missed you guys so much too, you have no idea.” You caught sight of Kaz over Wylan’s shoulder, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. You pointed your smile at him and his lips twitched upwards before he cooled his expression and gave you a simple nod.

Your reunion was spirited to say the least, even Matthias couldn’t help but smile at the fact that you were back. You made them tell you about all of the most significant things that you had missed in the year that you had been trapped inside and update you on any power shifts between the Barrel gangs. Jesper wouldn’t shut up, Wylan was excited to tell you about all of the new explosives and weapons that he had developed, and Nina was making a list of places that she wanted to get lunch together to make up for lost time. It felt amazing to be with them all again.

“Okay! I want to play a few hands of Three Man Bramble before I go.” You announced, pushing your glass away from you after downing the last of its contents.

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Jesper grinned, slinging an arm around your shoulder and guiding you to a table.

It seemed apt that fortune seemed to be in your favour, winning so consistently that you continued to play even though you knew that you shouldn’t. It felt like every time that you looked up from the table you caught Kaz watching you, and his unashamed gaze made your heart flutter.

After a while you saw him give a slight nod towards the door, an action that meant that it was time to go, and you tucked you lip between you teeth as you gave a subtle nod back and turned your attention back to your cards.

“Unbelievable!” Jesper exclaimed upon seeing that you had won again. “I guess you’re catching up on a year’s worth of luck.”

“Perhaps, but I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.” You smiled, gathering up your winnings. “I need to go and breathe some more fresh air.” You pocketed half of your winnings and pushed the other half around the table to Jesper. “Not too much fun.”

“There’s no such thing as too much fun.” He beamed and pulled you to him so that he could plant a kiss on your cheek. “Good to have you back, Y/N.”

“Good to be back, Jes.” You winked before bounding back to the bar to say goodbye to the rest of your friends. Kaz had already disappeared, no doubt in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to the fact that you were leaving together.

“We’re going to get waffles tomorrow. I will break your door down if I have to.” Nina asserted, practically crushing your ribs in a hug. “Inej, you’re coming too.”

“What about me?” Wylan pouted, and you laughed.

“Everyone’s invited.” You replied, holding his face and turning it towards you so that you could press a soft kiss on his forehead before pulling him in for a hug. “I just got out, I want to spend time with you all!”

You kept your hug with Inej pretty short, considerate of the bad feelings that too much contact could stir up in her, and even managed to coax a hug from Matthias before you headed out. Kaz was waiting not far from the entrance and you smiled as you quickly made your way towards him

“Hey.” You chirped.

“You wanted it to be a surprise, huh?” He questioned, starting towards the Slat. You chuckled.

“I know you’re not a big fan of surprises, Kaz, but I thought this might be a fun one. Why? Were you offended that I told Inej and not you?”

“Did you have anyone go with you to your meeting?”

“No, I didn’t need any backup.”

“Things could have gone badly, and you didn’t tell anyone about it.”

“Well things didn’t go badly.” You rebutted. “I’m here, I’m fine, and I surprised you all.”

“You shouldn’t put yourself in danger like that.” Kaz said flatly, ignoring your point, and you groaned loudly at his stubbornness.

“If it makes you feel better, I made sure to drop your name in to intimidate them. But I can handle my own business.”

You hopped along the cobblestones playfully, irrationally happy to be back out on the filthy and foul smelling streets of the Barrel, but even the stink couldn’t dampen your joy at finally being free. You were sure that you and Kaz probably looked like a bizarre pair walking together now, him with his stoic exterior and identifying limp next to your childlike joy, though you had taken after him fashion wise with your smart attire and well-fitted, black coat.

Walking back to the Slat with Kaz took you in the opposite direction to your home – now that you were out of hiding you could finally return to where you actually lived in a house on the boundary of East Stave and the Zelver District – but you wanted to talk to Kaz, and he wouldn’t have asked you to leave with him if he didn’t want to talk to you too. Nevertheless, you continued the rest of the walk in silence.

When you got to the Slat, Kaz continued straight up to his room while you lingered on the ground floor to say hello to some of the Dregs that you were more friendly with. The noise of the Slat was unfamiliar to you after so long, but you had kind of missed the rowdiness of it.

You followed upstairs shortly after. Kaz had left his door ajar for you and you could see him sat at his desk through the opening.

“Shut the door behind you.” He said as you slipped inside, and you heard the door click as you push it shut after yourself.

“You wanna talk to me?” You questioned, walking over to lean on the side of the desk casually. “Or did you just want some time to look at my gorgeous face?” He did look up at you then, his eyes darting around to take in the entirety of your face, and you felt your heart flutter.

“How did your meeting go? What deals did you make?” He asked. You sighed. It wasn’t new that Kaz was asking about your business, he liked to know about what you were doing the same way that he liked to know about literally everything else, but you had hoped that this conversation would be a little less mundane than that. You had hoped that he might express an iota of joy that you were back.

“I can’t dock my ships in 3rd Harbour anymore.” You shrugged. “So I’ll stick to 2nd for imports going into the morning market, mostly 5th for everything else. There’s a few streets that I need to keep my business off of, and obviously I can’t try and undermine their operations anymore. That doesn’t mean that I won’t, it just means that I’ll be smarter about not getting caught.”

“And what do you get from them?”

“They leave me alone. I don’t need more than that. I mean, their terms are hardly going to impede my business anyway.”

“And your insurance?”

“You.” You smiled sweetly. “Very few people are bold enough to cross someone that has Kaz Brekker on side.”

“I thought you prided yourself on running an honest business.”

“I do. My association with you doesn’t make my business any less legit. I’m more honest than most of the Merchant Council anyway.”

“That’s fair.” He conceded with a slight nod.

Kaz had visited you a few times since the night that you had both let on about how much you cared about each other, but you hadn’t talked about it. It felt like the tension between you had been building and building like an elastic band ready to snap. It was driving you crazy.

“Anything else that you want to talk about?” You hinted. Kaz let out a long breath, his eyes sliding away from you for a moment. You could tell that he wanted to talk about it but he was struggling to get it out. “Because you haven’t told me that you’re glad I’m back yet.”

“I am glad that you’re back.” He affirmed, then he took a hard swallow. “We all missed you.” You smiled brightly at that.

You could hear the crows moving around on the half-roof outside of Kaz’s window and crossed the room to perch on the windowsill. There hadn’t been anywhere for the birds to land in the apartment that you had been cooped up in.

“Can I stay here for a while? I don’t want to be alone again just yet.” You said softly, tucking one knee up against your chest as you watched the birds through the glass.

“Sure.” Kaz answered.

You sat in silence for a while after that, which wasn’t unusual for you two. Before you had gone into hiding, you had spent many evenings with Kaz in his office just like this. Tonight felt different though. Something had opened between the two of you and now you couldn’t close it. The feeling permeated every corner of the room until you felt like you might explode if you didn’t break this silence, but, to your surprise, Kaz spoke first.

“I’ve been thinking about that day that I saw you outside the Crow Club.”

“Why?” You asked, blinking in surprise. Kaz was still facing forward at his desk, back turned to you, but his pen had stilled over the page.

“I watched you for a while, deciding whether to chase you off or recruit you for the Dregs.” He continued, ignoring your question. You were used to that too. “You were good at pickpocketing – you could spot a good mark, distracted them by pretending to beg for pennies – but you stayed in one place for too long.”

“I know, you told me at the time.” You smiled amusedly.

“I was just planning on telling you exactly that, but after I got your attention and you looked at me I knew that I had seen you before. It was in your eyes.” He turned around to look at you then, his gaze finding yours immediately. “Your eyes never changed.”

Kaz’s eyes had. Maybe that was why you hadn’t recognised him. Kaz Rietveld had eyes full of wonder and warmth, that were curious about everything and shone when he was happy. Kaz Brekker's eyes were cold, they held secrets. The curiosity had become analytical, and the shine had turned into a devious glint. Kaz Rietveld didn’t exist anymore, the R tattoo on Kaz’s bicep was the only relic of him, and you were the only one left to remember him.

“Crows remember the faces of those that are kind.” He finished softly.

“And that’s why you took me in? Because I was kind?”

“Because we were friends. We are friends.”

“Just friends?” You murmured, a challenge in your eyes. It wasn’t a provoking challenge, more of an encouraging one. You wanted to know where he stood and you wanted him to be able to tell you. He was silent for a long stretch.

“Would we ever be able to be more?” He asked. You knew what he meant. Kaz had built up so many walls that he didn’t know how to let down, and he knew that about himself. It was how he had survived, but it was a way of being that wasn’t very conducive to relationships. He didn’t think that he could do it.

“That depends on you.” You answered with a soft smile. “Because I’m not looking anywhere else.” Kaz swallowed and looked away quickly, but you swore that you had seen a hint of a blush in his cheeks.

A knock came at the door, and you cursed whoever was on the other side in your head.

“What is it?” Kaz called.

“There’s a man downstairs says he has a job for you.” Specht’s voice came through the wood. “Won’t talk to no one else but you.”

“I’ll be down in a minute.” Kaz replied, then muttered something under his breath bitterly. You heard the creak of Specht's retreating footsteps and Kaz turned to you. “Will you wait until I get back?”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

You watched Kaz leave the room and let out a long sigh once the door had closed behind him. You were finally talking about whatever it was that was between the two of you and you just had to get interrupted.

You shed your coat, dropping it lazily on the floor next to you, and rolled up your shirt sleeves. Despite the pressure put on you from some members of the Dregs, you had never gotten the crow and cup tattoo on your forearm. You had known from the start that you didn’t want to belong to the gang, no matter how thankful you were for the help that Kaz had given you.

When you had realised who it really was that had approached you that night outside the Crow Club, you had been shocked. He knew your name when he spoke to you, though he had seemed unsure of it, and you had furrowed your brow and asked if you knew him.

“It’s Kaz.” He had said, and you had blinked.

“Kaz Rietveld?” You had whispered in disbelief. His jaw had clenched, his shoulders stiffened.

“That’s not my name anymore.” He snapped. “It’s Kaz Brekker now.”

When you asked him why he had changed his name he had simply told you that it was easier that way. When you asked him about why he was in Ketterdam he had answered that his father had died and they had sold the farm. When you asked about Jodie he didn’t answer.

He had walked you to the Slat, told you not to talk to anyone, and brought you up to this very room. You had trusted him enough to follow. Despite his proud presence in the Barrel, despite the fact that he was walking you into the den of a gang, despite the fact that he was almost unrecognisable from the Kaz that you knew as a child, you had trusted him. And in the years that followed, he had never broken that trust.

He had helped you pay for the first boarding house that you purchased, come with you to the bank when you took out the loan to buy your first ship, had come to the harbour to see you off the first time that you had gone to Ravka.

Kaz had once reminded you of something from your childhood while around the other Crows, and once it had slipped that you and Kaz had been friends when you were young, people were constantly asking you about what he had been like. He never told anybody anything about himself and people had been eager to find a source of information on him, but most people had quickly come to realise that you weren’t going to say anything either. Kaz had never thanked you for your discretion, but you knew that he was glad for it.

If you were honest with yourself, you had found yourself drawn to him ever since you got your first glimpse through his cold and uncaring exterior and saw his loyal and protective nature. The pull had only grown since.

Your thoughts were broken by the sound of the door opening, and you looked over to watch Kaz enter. The door clicked shut behind him and he moved to the wash basin directly across the room from the window that you were sat in, set down his cane and pulled off his gloves .

“A good job?” You asked. He shrugged.

“A job that I’ll do.” He answered and began unbuttoning his shirt. You tried not ogle as he pulled it off and picked up the washcloth from the basin, but you caught sight of a reddened stripe of raised skin across his side and furrowed your brows.

“When did that happen?”

“A few days ago.”

“How deep did it go?”

“Not too deep.”

“It doesn’t look like you stitched it up properly.”

“It’s fine.” He dismissed. You rolled your eyes and got up from the window ledge. Kaz never took proper care of himself but he was always too stubborn to admit it.

“Let me see.”

“I said it’s fine, Y/N-"

“Kaz.” You interrupted sternly, meeting his eyes in the mirror. “I said let me see.” He held your gaze for a moment before letting out a huff and raising his arm so that you could get a better view of the wound.

You kept your distance as you looked over the injury, but you could clearly see that the stitches were sloppy on the end of the gash towards his back; the side that he couldn’t reach easily himself.

“You’re keeping it clean?”

“I know how to treat a wound.” He grumbled.

“I know that you know how, that doesn’t mean that I actually trust you to do it. You didn’t even have it bandaged or anything, what if it gets infected?”

“It won’t, Y/N, stop worrying so much.”

“Well, if you’re not going to worry about yourself then somebody else has to.” You exasperated. “At least bandage it.” You didn’t wait for a reply before you crossed over to the cabinet where he kept his impressive stock of medical supplies and grabbed a roll of gauze. Kaz caught it grudgingly when you tossed it to him and set it to the side while he finished washing his torso.

“You worry too much.” He muttered.

“It’s good for you.” You smiled.

You watched him as he unrolled the gauze and wrapped it around his body, carefully laying it over the wound with pale fingers that you rarely saw. He was precise, but he couldn’t see his back and the bandage twisted as he moved it between his hands.

“It’s folded.” You told him softly, taking half a step towards him. “I can fix it... if you want.” There was a beat of silence before Kaz nodded slightly.

You moved towards him slowly and reached for him even slower, your eyes constantly flicking back to the mirror to gauge the reaction on Kaz’s face. Your fingertips barely brushed over his back as you unfolded the downturned piece of bandage and you immediately stepped away when you were done. It took no more than a few seconds, but you could hear Kaz’s short breaths and when you looked at him in the mirror you could see that he had paled.

You picked up the clean shirt that was laid on his bed and held it out to him at full arms length. His hand shook as he took it from you. He pulled it on quickly, making short work of the buttons, and pulled his gloves back on hastily.

“Sorry.” You mumbled, though you weren’t exactly sure what you were apologising for.

“It’s because of Jordie.” Kaz’s voice was hoarse when he spoke, his eyes trained on his shoes. “Why I can’t touch anyone. It’s because when he died...”

“You don’t have to tell me, Kaz.” You said softly when he trailed off. He shook his head slightly and cleared his throat, squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds.

“When Jordie died, I was sick too. It was the Queen's Lady plague. One night, I fell asleep in an alley and woke up on the Reaper's Barge.” He swallowed thickly, wringing his hands together thoughtlessly, and you could see sweat forming on his brow. “When my fever broke, I had to swim back to the harbour, and Jordie... whenever someone touches me, all I can feel is those corpses.”

Silence hung between you as you tried to find the words to respond. It was a lot of information to take in, but suddenly things made sense. Now you understood why Kaz had become the way that he was; why he was prone to shutting people out, why the light behind his eyes had dimmed.

“Kaz, I... I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay.” He muttered. “I have work to do. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” He crossed the room to sit down at his desk, his movements tense. You watched him for a minute, unsure of what to do. It felt wrong to leave him alone right now, but you didn’t know if he would want you to stay.

“I’m sailing to Novyi Zem next week.” You said. It was the first topic that you could think of. “I’d really appreciate it if you could look over the rent ledgers while I’m gone.”

“Sure.” He replied flatly. Silence again.

“Will you come with us all to get waffles tomorrow?”

“I have work to do, and Nina didn’t invite me anyway.”

“Yeah, well, the celebration is for me and I’d really like for you to be there.” You smiled slightly. “She probably didn’t invite you because she knew you’d say no.”

“Smart of her.” Kaz responded, and you let out a frustrated huff.

“Don’t do that, Kaz. Don’t shut me out.” You complained. He didn’t answer at all. You folded your arms over your chest and went to stand beside his chair. “I don’t care that you can’t touch people, it doesn’t bother me. You went through trauma and that’s not your fault. What is bothering me is that you’re choosing to stay closed off to everyone. You can’t keep your walls up forever, you’ll kill yourself trying.”

“I can’t handle it, Y/N.” He snapped, his voice low. The gravel in his voice might have intimidated you into backing off if you weren’t so adamant on getting through to him.

“You’ll never be able to handle it if you don’t start trying.” You insisted. “Maybe if you’d just admit to yourself that you care about people it wouldn’t be so hard to see that we care about you too.”

Kaz pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut tightly, and released a long breath. You watched him, waiting for a response, not backing down. After a moment of silence, he glanced up at you.

“I can’t need anyone.” He said slowly. “Not after Jordie. I can’t let myself need anyone else.”

“You don’t have to need me, Kaz. You just have to want me.” You replied softly. His head snapped towards you and you actually saw his pupils dilate for the few seconds that he held your gaze before quickly turning away again. You hadn’t meant it like that, but you weren’t upset that he’d heard it that way.

“I don’t deserve you.” He muttered. You leaned against his desk, a sympathetic smile on your face even though he wasn’t looking at you.

“I’ve been around this long, I’m not going anywhere.” You promised. “There’s more to love about you than you think.”

Kaz tapped on his desk with a finger, a nervous action that he would usually suppress. Then, he took a sharp inhale and turned back to you.

“Okay.” He breathed. “I can try.” You bit down on your tongue in an attempt to suppress your grin, but you couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across your face.

“That’s all I ask.” You lilted. You stood up straight, pushing off of the desk and starting across the room to the window. You rolled your shirt sleeves down and snatched your coat up from the floor. “I’m going to head home. I expect to see you at my door promptly at eleven bells tomorrow morning, ready to get waffles.”

“Alright.” He nodded, breathing a single light laugh.

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”

“Here, Y/N, these are for you.” He said quickly, picking up and couple of envelopes from his desk and holding them up for you. “You’ll have to make sure to notify your business partners of your change in mailing address.” You chuckled, going to take the letters from him, and he gave a small smirk as he handed them over.

“Thank you.” You smiled, before turning and heading to the door. “Eleven bells, Brekker. I know you’re a punctual man.”

“I’ll be there.” He affirmed. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Kaz.” You echoed softly before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind you, a fond smile on your lips.