#other times it says can we go back to playing piano tiles

[celkindalikescorn]

Succumbing to nightmares as we speak. Falling victim to vro's shallow emotions. Ruling your heart in light speed. Consciousness said blink gone and i came back to myself looking at this sketch

[rhadamanthes]

Private lesson. Hiromi x reader

word count : 1,6k

warnings: established relationship, piano sex, soft sex, fingering, humping, fluff, pregnancy kink, lot of pet names, breeding kink, doggy style, slight oral sex, this is soooo soft omg i can't believe it, fluff fluff fluff.

"Mimi, look there's even a piano!" you squeal, dragging him toward it by his hand.

"Yes, it's nice baby" he chuckles following behind.

Hiromi, your boyfriend rented a hotel room for the night. For the past few weeks he's been working on a big case for his law firm and he finally finished it yesterday. You threw him a little surprise party with a few of his friends when he came home. He was happy but also told you that he wanted you to relax as you supported him through it: hence the hotel room. The sun is setting, giving the luxurious room a nice orange hue. 

"Before we order food and champagne let's give the room an inspection" you chirp excitedly, intertwining his arms with yours. Going through every room you praise the decoration claiming you want the same back home. In the bathroom you are ecstatic over the golden claw foot tub and all the products laying there. 

"Oh my god mimi can I take these back home? they're so cute" You say grabbing the miniature soaps and shampoo. 

"Let me check their policy first, yeah?" he laughs, rubbing your back softly.

"Avoiding me jail time? you're the perfect boyfriend!" you purr pressing a kiss over his cheek, he leans into the kiss pressing his nose on top of your head inhaling your scent. 

Going back to the living area you still can't believe there is a  grand piano in the room. Taking a seat on the large bench you pat the spot next to you inviting him to join. 

"Play me something" you ask with a dopey smile. Hiromi sits close to you nudging your thigh with his own.

"As you wish" he grins, focusing on the tiles. He extends his fingers and lets them move graciously on the white ivory. The sound coming from them is nothing offbeat like you thought, it's actually harmonious and  you recognize  "Sea of love" . You open your mouth in awe, not aware of this hidden talent. 

"Whaaaaat, Hiromi ! I didn't know you played piano, why didn't you tell me!" you gasp, hitting his shoulder lightly. 

"Well it never came up in the conversation and it would have felt like bragging" he answers with honesty.

"Who cares, this is so cool ! Teach me a few tricks" you say excitedly clapping your hands. 

"Ok" he laughs. His hands cross your shoulder to hover each of your hands, then place a warm kiss on your shoulder "You're ready?" he asks in a deep voice. 

The proximity makes you shiver as he's almost talking in your ear. Pursing your lips you nod your head.His fingers guide Yours over the tiles. You really try your best but you're not used to stretching your fingers like that, Hiromi guides you as best as he can with his own fingers being above yours but it ends up sounding messy. You both laugh at the broken melody. 

Taking a moment to really look at him you get lost in his dark eyes, his hair is combed backward but some stray strands graze his forehead, his nose, god, his nose. You like to trace it with your fingertips when he's asleep, when he's busy but still allow you in his lap, it's one of his most beautiful features, really. Beyond his good looks, he's a selfless person, he makes you feel safe, heard and more loved than you ever felt. Feeling your eyes on him, Hiromi feels the heat cripping up his cheek in a pinkish tone. You kiss him before he can say anything. A passionate kiss to show how much you care for him and how proud of him you are. 

His fingers that were hovering yours are now intertwined with each other he squeezes them as he moans into the kiss.Biting on his lips you let your tongue enter his mouth twirling it against his. Out of breath he breaks the kiss.

"I love you" you whispers looking in his eyes

"I love you too darling" he wastes no time answering.You feel butterflies in your stomach, smiling like a fool.

"Where were we ?" you giggle refocusing back on the piano.Lifting you from your spot, Hiromi helps you up on his lap. 

"It will be easier like that, don't you think, doll?" he asks, kissing the back of your shoulder. You nod your head and place your finger once more on the tiles. 

With a few tries you manage to make it sound less catastrophic but there's definitely room for improvement. Hiromi takes off his right hand from yours.

"You got this one right, let's focus on the other hm?" he asks, resting his free hand on your belly, tracing circles on it. His hands progressively go lower until it's tucked against your pussy. You're only wearing a skirt with stockings, you can feel the heat his skin radiates. You adjust yourself on his lap in an attempt to get some friction against your clit.

"Teacher, what are you doing ?" you tease.

"Giving you an encouragement, get the left hand right and you'll have a reward." 

You hum, grinding a few times against his crotch feeling a slight bulge. The pressure he applies on your cunt makes it hard for you to focus, you start to moan incoherently, vision blurring with the need to feel him all over you growing by the second. 

"What's wrong my dear ? you don't want to play anymore" he whispers in your ear biting at your skin. You just groan, grinding on him harder. "Hands on the frame." 

You oblige, grabbing your ankle he positions your knees on the bench. Understanding where he's idea is going, you arch your back to stick your ass out. glancing back at him with a sultry look. Never taking his eyes off you, Hiromi lifts your skirt, and slides down your panties. He chuckles a bit at how the piece of cloth sticks to your wet pussy. You groan as the cold air hits your private part. Hiromi smiles, petting your rump before spreading your folds with two of his slender fingers. 

"My pretty little pussy"he coos, kissing your entrance softly. you moan resting your head on the cold varnished wood. He licks at your clit a few times dipping his major and ring finger inside of you. 

"Mimi please fuck me" you beg feeling your palms sweating on the frame of the piano.

"Sure thing" he says curling his fingers one last time, making you shiver.

He spreads your legs wider on the bench and you feel his tip teasing your entrance. You back your ass on him to feel him inside, both of you moaning in the process. Gripping on your sides, Hiromi thrusts into your gummy walls, squeezing him in. His cock makes you feel full and he reaches deeper and deeper as he keeps fucking into you but it's not enough. Grabbing his tie you yank it toward you, needing him as close as possible. Surprised by your sudden move, Hiromi let one of his hands fly to the keys so he doesn't crush you under his weight. The disoriented sound steals a laugh from you, locking his lips with his in a heated kiss. His nail digs in your side, you know that I'll leave the mark you like. 

Hiromi gets lost in the feeling of you as always. It's your scent, the way your skin feels under his, the way you desire him and don't hide, your voice. Fuck it's you. From the day he first saw you he knew it was always going to be you. Pulling his tie incredibly closer, you thrust your ass back on his dick needing always more. A familiar knot forms in your belly, you want to cum in sync with him so badly. 

"Hiromi I love you" you say out of breath, tears menacing to rise at any moment. His brows furrowed his cheeks a light shade of pink, a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead.His pace accelerates and you can feel your legs give up under his powerful thrusts.

"Shit, I love you too baby" he says, calling your name between hushered breaths. "My angel, i'm going to put a ring on your finger" he groans "a-and make you a mom" His dick twitches at his own word. You're not better than him, clamping hard on his cock.

"Hiromi please yes!" you beg "Fuck, can't wait to see you with a swollen belly and tits full of milk" he pant keeping up his pace. 

A few more thrust and you cum undone reaching your climax. Hiromi follows you soon after, shooting all of his cum inside of you. Your body slumps on the piano producing hitting various keys and you can't help but laugh again. Hiromi's back shakes behind you laughing silently. Catching his breath Hiromi sits both your bodies on the bench and makes you face him. He caresses your hair, kissing your temple in a comfortable silence. 

"Were you serious about what you said ?" you ask in a weak voice, scared that he said these things in the heat of the moment.  Encasing your face with his hands, he makes you look at him.

"A hundred percent serious, the rest of my life is with you" he says pressing the back of your hands to his lips. The tears well up in your eyes. 

"We're getting married?" you ask cheerfully. 

"Yes my love" he smiles, kissing your hand once more. 

Overjoyed you lock your arms behind his neck and squeeze him in a deep kiss. This is the beginning of a long night after all. 

[pinksugarscrub]

Home

Pirate! Hobie x fem! reader

In the famous words of Luffy (Iñaki) future pirate king, "A ship is also a home".

Inspired by Between the Devil and the Sea by @the-kr8tor

(Tossed draft for The Pirate Princess)

The piano echoes in your mind like an endless melody. Tapping your fingers against the edge of the crow’s nest like you would the ivory keys. You can remember the gold encrusted stars in the ceiling. The walls darker than the depths of the sea. How your heels clicked across a tiled floor that was so iridescent it was like you were dancing on glass.

Although you breathe in the salt from the body of water below, you taste something sweet on your tongue as you reminisce. It isn’t sad, just bittersweet.

“Interupting you am I?”

Laughter bubbles out of your lips as you feel a familiar set of arms wrap around your waist. Hobie burying his nose into the crook of your neck. You never grow tired of the warm fuzzy feeling his presence brings you and you can’t help but try to pull him closer so he’s flush against your back. 

“Woah!” Hobie chuckles,“a bit early for that isn’t it love?”

You click your tongue. Rolling your eyes as you try to jab his side with your elbow. “Oh hush! You’ve officially ruined the moment.”

He snickers, easily catching your arm before twisting you around to face him. “Officially? What are we, bloody marines?”

The chatter from the crew below helps bring you back to reality. Your new reality. One you wouldn’t trade for the world.

Crossing your arms across your chest you lean against the wall of the crow’s nest. Arching a brow at him as you decide to play along. “At least the marines know what to do when a beautiful woman falls into their lap.” 

His grin widens into a smirk you know all to well and you’re already dreading he’ll say next.

“But do they know how to keep their woman satisfied? Hm?” He leans forward. Eyes flicking between your lips and gaze. “Like I do?” 

Of course, like the gullible woman you are, you let your eyes flutter shut. You’re confused until you hear him giggle and you know you’ve been duped because when you open your eyes he’s looking down at you with that cheeky look on his face. It’s so infuriating but it apparently still has an affect on you anyway because you feel heat crawl up your cheeks.

You take this moment of loss to your self-esteem to admire his attire. A newly mended white blouse that’s cut to expose some of his chest. (You’ll have to thank Kamala for that later). Signature holster around his waist. Very casual compared to the thick leather coat he adorns when you go into battle. 

Personally, you believe your crew has more style than a bird of paradise with how many trinkets and accessories they seem to find each time you dock the Mary Jane. 

“Aww darling, c’mere,”he coos. ”You’re so cute when you get all pouty with me.”

You huff in annoyance as you try to keep him away. It’s obvious he’s pretending to struggle but you can’t bring yourself to care. He’s making loud kissy noises while you whine and push your palms against his chest. One on his exposed skin (Were you about to pass up that opportunity? I think not!) and the other on the cotton of his sleeve.

“No! What kind of Captain denies his navigator a kiss!?

He grunts,“The kind that will make up for it later! Now come here-” 

You struggle for a moment longer before you hear someone call out to you. The two of you stop. Blinking at each other before Hobie let’s you slip out of his grasp. His hand on your lower back to keep you from leaning to far over the edge.

“Oh Robbie!” You cheerfully wave down. He’s nothing more than a speck of green but you always manage to hear him clearly.

“Mate,” Hobie yells,“we were kind of in the middle of something important.”

Said first mate scoffs at him before rolling his eyes. Not that you see any of this happen. You just know the man well enough. “Oh yes, so important…” He clears his throat before yelling back,“Riri’s messed with the gear again and I’m pretty sure we’re headed in the opposite direction.”

You can only watch as a tool is chucked in his direction. You’re assuming from inside Riri’s makeshift workshop. Wincing as it successful bonks him in the head. “It’s called renovating!” 

You don’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

“I’ll be right down!” Your boots scuffing against the wood as you make your way past Hobie to the ladder. 

“Pray tell, where-” You squeak as you feel him tug you back into his chest. Stumbling not so gracefully after craning your neck up to see him. “-do you think, you’re going, without giving me my kiss?”

“I’m sorry,” you laugh,”but I have duties, Captain.” He preens at the title. Shifting you around in his arms like you would a rowdy pup. “If we want to reach port in the next six hours and you know, not die of starvation on this ship. I need to go.”

“I never told you not to.” He answers. Grinning as he tightens his hold on you. “But you have at least a minute to spare for your beloved, yes?”

You scrunch you nose, gently shaking your head as if scolding a child. A very greedy child that always seems to attach himself to you. It’s a wonder the crew hasn’t named him the ocean’s clingest sea urchin. “My beloved, yes, my captain…no,” you chuckle. “Come on Hobie, I promise you a kiss after supper and after I help Riri.”

He sighs dramatically before releasing you. His hands up in surrender as he backs away. “Fine fine. But I’m holding you to it eh? The second you’re done you come find me.”

“Aye Captain.” You salute. He watches as you hop down the ladder and after two or three steps you disappear. Once you’re out of earshot he lets out a dreamy sigh, slumps against the walls of the crow’s nest, and cranes his neck up to the sky. 

“Oi, that means you too Hobart!” Robbie hisses. “Stop daydreaming a get down ere’!”

Hobie snorts, fixing his hat. “Alright, I’m comin’!”

[scarletta-ruan]

A SMALL HAPPY PIANO [TETCHOU SUEHIRO X FEM!READER]

WARNING: OOC, soft!character, Hunting Dogs!reader, fem!reader, reader knows how to play the piano, based on one scene from the anime Your lies in April.

TYPE: Drabble

PAIRING: Tetchou Suehiro x fem!reader

WORDCOUNTS: 0.9+ words

NOTES: I haven't write anything else for the last two or three months because of the schoolwork and too much things to do during school, but this idea was my favorite one when I suddenly came up with it in my class. So I wrote it out and posted in here.

“[Name],”

“[Name]?”

A voice suddenly called you back from your real life, your eyes slowly turned to the person who had just called you earlier. The brown haired man was worried and looked at you from his seat, he found out that you had just stared blankly for a while, he might think that you were tired from your work.

When he finally caught your attention, he asked you right away.

“What’s wrong, love? You look lost somewhere, is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”

You shook your head as your response for him, but still he didn't believe in what you had just told him. He placed his hand against your forehead, his warm finger made contact with your skin softly, and your face slowly turned red. 

“T-Tetchou, you don’t have to do this in front of the public. It’s… so embarrassing.”

You shyly said as Tetchou titled his head aside when he heard your words, as his lips opened to say something, you cut him off.

“No-Not that I hate you touching me, but… we are in the coffee shop, and there are lots of people here, you know.”

You explained the reason to him immediately, sometimes your heart felt not right for saying those wrong words to Tetchou so you always had to explain it for him. Tetchou nodded his head then he said.

“I wasn’t going to ask a question like that, I just wanted to ask, is there something that makes you feel uncomfortable? We can get home soon if you want to.”

You shook your head and smiled, then you grabbed his hand gently and said.

“Nothing, love. I just got an attraction from over there.”

Tetchou then saw your finger pointed at the piano placed in the corner of the shop, there was a small girl playing on it and the other one looked at that girl with all of the admiration she got. That was just a normal scene to himself, but Tetchou felt weird when it attracted your eyes. 

“What's wrong with the kids, dear?” he asked.

“What a small happy piano, you see.”

You gave out a praise as your eyes watched the two figures. Tetchou didn't catch what you were saying to him, but still he was curious about how those kids attracted you. You turned to him again, offered him your opened hand then you said.

“Before working for Hunting Dogs, these hands used to play piano, you know.”

This was a new side of you that Tetchou hadn't seen before, you had just told him about your past - the secret you hadn't revealed to anybody in this group. You smiled as you saw his face didn't understand anything. 

“You might figure it out, just look.”

You said as you stood up from your seat, Tetchou never got his eyes off you, his honey orbs followed you until you reached the girls. They were near his seat so he could hear their conversation clearly enough. 

“Wow, the song sounds amazing.” Your familiar voice resounded into his ears again.

“Really, miss?” The kid surprisingly asked.

You nodded your head and asked the kid a question.

“Yes, you are playing well. How long have you been learning the piano?”

The small girl raised her fingers up then counted it out for a while, then she replied to you.

“For about 5 months, miss.”

“Oh, what a big effort you have.” You giggled then placed your hands on the white tile of the piano then continued. “Tough songs can take you a long time to complete it, right?”

“Yes, I practice this song over and over until I can manage to play it without making any mistakes.”

The small girl proudly said. But when she heard you made a sound of the tune on the piano, she gasped and asked.

“Miss, do you know how to play the piano? You had just made out a basic tune!”

You giggled at her then akwardly said.

“Yes, but that was the past story.” You stopped for a while and said. “But still I can play a simple song.”

The girl quickly got off the chair and she forced you to sit on it and gave it a try. You put both of your hands on the piano tiles, took a deep breath, then looked down to check on as if one of your feet was on the right pedal or not. After giving Tetchou a smile you began to play the song.

“Wow, she actually plays Twinkle twinkle little star in a different way from me.”

The girl was surprised when she looked and heard how you managed to play a song. When you played the part she had just learned, the kid got ready to clap her hand but you continued to play.

She was stunned when hearing those notes, if you told her that you hadn't played the piano for a long time, this saying would have been a lie because your skill was far better than this. 

The people in the shop were attracted by your piano sound, even Tetchou himself looked at you and didn't let his eyes off you. His finger tapped on the table along with your melody. When you finished playing the song, the shop burst into a clapping sound.

That was weird, you hadn't got a big applause before when playing in front of lots of people like this. The two kids stood there yelling out of their lungs lots of compliments only for you. 

The kids talked to you for a while then they let you go back to your seat. Soon after that the atmosphere became normal like there wasn't anything happened a moment ago. 

“Do you feel it?” You asked as you slowly sat down on your chair.

“Yes, the small piano is absolutely happy now.”

Tetchou said as his lips drew out a smile on his face.

[thedawningofthehour]

Okay, first of making fun of rich people's houses on Zillow. This is actually the tamest house out of the three that made me want to do this.

This house was in Arizona and is like 15 mil and 13,000 square feet.

Entertaining Room That We Absolute Use.

I'm guessing this is either for the two people that are still friends with them or for inviting over other rich couples to show off how rich they are. Look, we have this grand piano here. It has never been used and we have to pay a guy to tune it regularly, but one day little Susie will prove to be a musical prodigy and we can force her to play for people we don't like.

Oh, this is the other side. I actually hate it more now. The other side wasn't my taste, but at least it was scenic. That flooring and those columns are literally just "look I have so much money." Also the effect of Fancy Chandelier is somewhat diluted if you put two of them in the same room.

Featuring Much Used Table and Chair in the background and...what is that supposed to be, like a secretary counter on the left? I can just imagine some lady in an office chair behind that answering the Very Busy house phone.

"This is where Daddy loses his Christmas bonus on poker night."

Okay, I-no, I hate this, I can't pretend not to. I hate the white kitchen trend, I hate marble countertops. They have...they look like brussel sprouts on a tray? As a decoration?

The dual fridges thing might have been cool if the execution was different, but for some reason the design and color just makes it look like it was tacked on, like if-wait. How many ovens are there?

So they have two stovetop ovens there

And what looks like two ovens in between the fridges? Four ovens?!

I mean, the top oven looks like it might be a microwave? I think the bottom might be a proofing drawer for bread, (lol like these people make their own bread) so many the middle is some specialty oven?

Still. A lot for a kitchen that's almost certainly never used.

I don't really have anything to say about this one. I'm just confused as to what it's for.

I'm increasingly suspicious that rich people are just pretending to be human.

Oh, finally, the living room people actually spend time in.

Featuring Exposed Beams That Are Totally Structurally Necessary.

And big TV you need binoculars to watch from the couch and can't be properly seen from a third of the sitting area. Much used dining table there. Bonus Dead Exotic Animal so you know they travel.

"To show off that we have the money for a bar but we don't want to look like alcoholics."

Deadass thought the back of the couch was stone for a minute.

This room isn't too bad-it's extra and they definitely don't need two sets of double doors right next to each other, but it does seem kind of cozy. I mostly left it in as a palate cleanser for what's to come.

Is that...

Yes. Yes it is.

WHY WHY WHY WHY

Why would you put glass double doors on the bathroom?!

What is going on with that ceiling-oh god, someone is going to slip and crack their head right open on those stairs. Maybe this entire house is an elaborate life insurance plot. If you get bored of your fifth wife just tell her to go take a bath and then you're free to marry your mistress of the month.

This would be so goddamn COLD, guess it's a good thing they have that fireplace.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS SHOWER?! Is it supposed to be a communal shower?!! Why is it so big?! WHY IS THERE A WINDOW?

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHY IS THERE A WINDOW.

I will give them this, I do like how they rounded this out. This part isn't bad. I actually do like the tile design, I just...don't like how they used it.

Just in case you're too befuddled by the actual bathing facilities and choose to go "fuck it" and shower outside.

Actually, the shower out here does make sense, they have a pool. If you're in and out of the water all day, do a quick rinse to get the chlorine off and put a coverup on to go eat lunch or whatever. That's reasonable.

All I can think of here is someone trying to put their makeup and hair products down and accidentally knocking them to the floor because they forget that the counter gets thinner.

Also omg the duuuuuuuust.

There's just something about those 'pretend cultured and fancy' columns against the stark white walls and ceilings that I hate. It's so pretentious and fake.

Is it just me or does every single chair look photoshopped in? There's something weird going on with the lighting.

"Do you hate being able to feel your toes? Do you love having cold feet? Then I have one hell of a basement to sell you!"

I feel like those chairs would actually be extremely uncomfortable and you know each one cost more than my car.

No one has ever used this pool.

Seriously, you couldn't swim laps in it. You could only really swim around in the very deep end, kids wouldn't have a whole lot of space where they can touch to play around. Maybe they could take a little kid to the very edge and splash in the water. And by 'they' I mean the underpaid nanny the parents look down on for being Hispanic despite their ad requiring applicants to be bilingual.

Totally Legit Well. Seriously, guys, this is an ancestral home.

Oh, but we're not done. They have like a guest house or pool house?

Wait, why does this kitchen look better than the main house's kitchen? This one I can actually picture someone using.

Look at that sink! Actually made to wash dishes!

(idk what's up with the line of apples in the cabinet tho)

Okay, the pool house is way cooler. I feel like the big house is literally just for show and this is where people actually spend their time. This looks far more comfortable.

Car stables. "Daddy, why do you have so many cars you use twice a year and cost a quarter million each?"

"Well, sweetie, the short answer is your mother is cheating on me and this fills the void in my life."

Okay I'm gonna go make myself a grilled cheese now. Idk if I'll do another one tonight, but this was fun! I love roasting rich people.

[pocketramblr]

Requesting some writing insight.

I'm trying to write an escape room segment in fic form. I have settled on how to write the character interactions (the overall tone, the nature of their relationship at this point) and I do have an established goal for the puzzle itself... I'd just like some advice on how to plan and implement the puzzle sequence itself.

I've never written that scenario so my advice will have a shade of "blind leading the blind" to it, but I have dnd experience and have been in escape rooms before so perhaps that balance things out.

Ok, so you have the goal for the puzzle. That's good, the next step is to figure out how many steps and mini puzzles there are between the start and the goal. I'd recommend thinking of it as a three-act structure (there could literally be three rooms, or it could just be three stages of clues, like trying to find a box, open the box, and use the correct tool in the box.)

The first act is set up, and should be a sort of tutorial showing what different clues could be. I'd recommend this stage being several clues that can be gathered in any order. For example, maybe stage one is "break into the haunted house" and the players need to get the key to the door code to get in. (Say, six digits) Maybe one clue is found in the mailbox, one in the light by the door, one under the doormat (you could put a red herring here, where the item under the mat doesn't have the correct number, but flipping the mat itself over does. If you do, keep the red herring to be a legitimate clue in stage two!). Then, a clue about the order of the digits in the code. These clues can be found in any order, and can show off how each character approaches the escape room. Who immediately starts trying to look under the doors? Who pulls out a flashlight? Who starts guessing random numbers? Who works together? Who gets really excited about finding clues, and who is very confused?

The second act is probably the longest. In this portion, the clues are more linear and lead to each other, but there should probably be a few that could be found individually. The characters are in the "haunted house" but now must look for clues- will the final act be behind the bookshelf? The piano? The clock? The painting? They don't know, but each clue gets them closer. In this stage, use anything with writing on it, like clocks or books, but also less obvious things: a set of tops where one spins differently and has the correct direction on it where the others point you the wrong way, a set of dice where one number is missing, or appears twice. In this stage, characters will probably try to go linearly. I'd recommend a bigger ending to this stage than the first one: make it a puzzle where they have to do something physical, like jump three times on a floor tile, or crank a wheel to turn a hidden spinning bookshelf, or raise or lower a chandelier. One escape room I once played ended the second stage with a puzzle where we had to find a gun and then shoot the light switch with it, which cut the lights before the final door opened, letting light back in. Slightly terrifying, very fun. An effect like that can add a lot for your characters to play with.

The third stage is going to be the most stressful. The time limit is breathing down the character's necks, they're so close to winning but they could still lose! There usually aren't as many clues in this section, and they can either be entirely linear or entirely not. You could do a mix like the second stage, but I personally feel like that doesn't mesh as well with the vibe. If it's linear, characters rush through reach one. They should be harder puzzles than the first two stages, but you can either have characters solve them quickly because they're learning, or fumble and panic and overthink. Depends on how smart your characters are, and how you want them to win- or lose. If it's not linear, it should be a collect-them-all type puzzle where they either rush over each other, or divide and conquer with newfound practice. Whatever end the second stage had, this one should be even bigger. Putting the final answer together should be interactive, though it doesn't need to be as physical as stage two. The ending should be flashy with special effects.

[the-late-one]

It's one of those days where Blackbeard is nowhere to be seen on board. He is probably hiding away from his crew in some corner of the ship Izzy hasn't discovered yet.

One of those slow days, long days, lost in the middle of the sea, like a lot a lot of other days lately.

Maybe it's the entire ships that are hiding in the end.

Izzy wanders around, searching for distraction, waiting for an order, ending up in the empty cabin of his captain.

His eyes lingers across the dark place, stepping in a large circle licking the walls. Half empty, the cabin is even more ridiculously big.

As his hands brushed the last furnitures that didn't took a swim in the ocean, Izzy stops by the harpsichord.

He rest his ungloved fingers on the tiles, not pressing, only feeling the precious ivory under his skin.

He looks behind him in a hurried turn of his head, waiting to find someone behind, but he was alone.

Tentatively, Izzy pressed on the keys under his middle finger, almost startled when a note escapes the top of the instrument. 

The almost empty room echoes the sound way loudly that he was expecting, but after a moment of silence, he continues.

Fingertips dancing across the tiles, Izzy lets himself being guided by the memory of a slow melody he once knew by heart.

To his surprise, he still is capable to play, not as fluently as he wishes, but the melancholic song is easily recognisable.

Getting lost in the unique acoustic of the room, Izzy can't hear what's coming behind him.

"You got lost ?"

Izzy jumps away from the harpsichord, turning to his captain. Again, Izzy has no idea where he comes from, or how he got there without a noise.

"Sorry sir."

Blackbeard wave his hand to him, walking slowly towards him. "No no. Please, keep playing." He almost looks sorry to have disturbed his first hand.

Without a word, Izzy carefully sits down to play again, properly. The melody comes back in the cabin and Izzy can feel Blackbeard approaching. 

"It's been a while since I've heard that." Blackbeard mumbles, stopping next to Izzy.

Izzy, who can't help a little smile from curling the corner of his lips. "You remember ?"

"Of course I remember." and the captain bend over the instrument to add his hand to the dance of Izzy’s.

The sudden proximity is burning Izzy’s side. It's something he hasn't felt since this morning where Blackbeard generously fed him his own toe.

Only when his captain speaks again, Izzy glances at him to see him face relaxed, a grin shyly stretching his darkened mouth.

"You learned me this one."

The burn on the side of Izzy’s body moved inside his chest. "And now you know how to play it better than me." He answered.

Blackbeard’s hand is, indeed, flying over the keys, adding lower notes to the now sounding better song.

"It was so long ago…" Blackbeard frowns "We were waiting for Hornigold to go down into town, to sneak in his cabin and find his piano." 

"Everytime."

"Hey remember when Jack was with us, and we were trying to find which song was gonna make him tear up the fastest ?"

Izzy lets his smile shine at the memory, shaking his head. His captain mimes him "He was so fucking sensitive !"

For a brief moment, for a second or maybe a few more, and in a way Izzy never thought he would ever feel, Edward is standing next to him. All smiling, laughing, eyes shining in the dime light, body moving to the dance of his hand on the harpsichord. 

It feels good. Like home. A familiarity long gone that is crawling back. 

"It was another time." Izzy says, and he knows he shouldn’t have.

Because next to him, Edward close his face again. "Yeah…"

And it's brutal. The way the gloved hand smash the keys suddenly, violently, and Blackbeard walk away from the harpsichord.

 "Enough of that !" He barks, and Izzy is ready to stand up but "Can't you play something more… I don’t know, joyful ? Light ?"

Izzy nods for himself, searching in his brain fir something adequate. He places his hands on the ivory and eben again, and plays.

After a few seconds, his captain closes his eyes and take a deep breath before turning to the only uncovered window.

"Yeah. Perfect."

Minutes passes, the harpsichord echoing against the wood. That until Blackbeard speaks again.

"Sounds like a flower field in the wind." He says, and Izzy is silently amazed by the way Blackbeard can "see" the music.

"Have you ever seen lavender fields Izzy ?"

This is not a real question, so Izzy doesn't answer, even if he could say "yes" to try to connect to his captain’s brain. The "no" would have sound like licking his boots.

"It's beautiful." Blackbeard continues, staring at the sea, "From afar, it looks like a giant monster scratched the earth with its giant claws, like a jaguar or some shit. Except the flesh inside the scars are purple-ish, or blue. And it smells fuckin' amazing."

The song comes to an end. Izzy hits the last note and look at his captain, still standing for once in the light, lost in his thoughts catched in the waves.

He's about to speak when- "Get back to work Izzy."

The words weirdly stings. Izzy reminds himself where he is, and with who, and that the growl he just heard can escalate so fast into something else that he better leave the cabin. The heat in his chest is still burning with a familiar pain, but its color have changed, and fog threats him to drown his brain.

And if he sees Blackbeard sweeping a tear with black leathered fingers, he doesn't want to think about it.

[duckyface27]

It feels like, with every thing that happens, I sink into the couch just a little bit more—I melt, deflate, and little tiny balls slide off gracefully from inside me. I get more relaxed.

It feels like there's a little soft cat loafing on my lap, meowing at me to pet them. I abide; they purr and coo and trill and put their chin up… They never want me to and will never let me leave—and neither do I…

Sometimes it reminds me of a place. It's a home—any kind of home you want it to be—with a couch big enough for all my best friends to sit on, right beside the hearth. It's a Minecraft dream house I built with friends years ago, just much smaller, and the lighting is warm-yellow-orange—through the best MC-mod shaders.

Outside, there's a garden. There's white-stone pathway tiles and green grass. Sunflowers and daisies and dandelions and roses are lined in concentric circles around the main path. The light of warmth from inside turns into a light of hope. That's my safe place.

It feels like I'm working my abs like a machine. Yet I'm not wearing my sports clothes, I'm not in the right place, or the right time, and I'm not even doing sit-ups on purpose. That side effect of uproarious, incessant laughter is unforgettable. And some of my friends know how to make me work them abs. Sometimes they even turn me into (a much friendlier version of) General Grievous, because my lungs can't handle it either. Ah, but coughing three hours later because of Camel's ridiculously accurate and absolutely hilarious impression of a Spanish accent… it's worth it.

Other times, when I'm just with one of my best friends, it feels like we're somewhere else. We're in an book-decorated apartment with a nice big window. You can hear the rain pouring, thunder roaring at times. But we're in the couch, sitting cross-legged facing each other. My head is on her shoulder. I look up with a smile at her face. She's stroking my hair carefully. A tear flows down my face—soon, I can once again taste one of the best flavors in the world. No amount of thunder, rain, or blackouts is gonna break this.

Sometimes, very rarely, it even feels like I'm playing the piano, them listening behind me. I'm always hiding behind the piano. Somehow Mom and Dad never ask me if I need to vent for 3 hours about whatever caused me to play like that. So if someone who doesn't listen to me play piano all day finally watches as I play… well, there's no going back. I'm at my most vulnerable. But it's okay.

Maybe there's some prelude in the lighter, non-flat keys (D, A, C major, maybe; maybe even F but without playing the third), and then it's all flat keys. D-flat major sets the warm atmosphere—please take me to shore; I'm drowning in this orange sea. B-flat minor is going to let me drown. F minor, C minor; that final ii-V-i fortissimo–piano resolution in C minor is going to make me scream.

But scenes from an old musical come in. It only takes a moment to venture into A-flat major. Comfort begins. It's the good old medley I played in front of a huge audience my age (a terrifying proposition at first, but don't worry, there was nothing painful in it, and the finale was just a surprise). Hope takes the stage through the green E-flat major. And just monents after the grand climax—fortissimo Bb7(b9)-Bb7—a false, warm, pleasantly tense, moaning resolution to D-flat major… just before we finally modulate to E-flat major through Abm6… Signature bass-note finale…

But like I said. That only happens sometimes.

And sometimes. Only sometimes. In fact, only once. It feels like I'm back in the car with The Heroine. I'm not afraid to say something so fucking simple. Like a baby who just learned to say their first words, like a prisoner who knows they're gonna get the electric chair for saying it—but also knows they'd get the rope for saying anything else—I mouth "I… love… you…" And she hugs me. I coo involuntarily—a very high-pitched, soft sound which I am only capable of making when looking at the cutest cats in the universe.

But it always feels like I'd like them to feel the same too.

You know the world is fucked up when you see that it's easier to say "I hate you" than "I love you." But I know you deserve love. Look for it in your pets, your family, your friends, your partners, in the corners of your life. Radiate love. Have some warm and fuzzy feelings.

What does it feel like when you're with the people and things you love the most?

[piercethelenn]

Track nineteen — Just One Yesterday.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of fainting || Word count: 1222

ㅤ

Y/N huffed in annoyance at some of the messages left by her friends who she had tried so hard to ignore after her unnecessarily dramatic exit, although she was a little surprised about how ridiculously accurate Yeojin’s predictions were. After all, they really knew each other like the back of their hands, a fact that had both positive and negative implications. The pianist was well aware that she had to go back to her place at some point, she could not simply keep Heeseung hostage forever just because she was too embarrassed to face her friends after throwing a tantrum and being mean for no reason. She knew that her friends would understand, they always did, but she would still have to apologize for getting mad and being as stubborn as ever.

A part of her actually wanted to be home as soon as possible to tell her friends about what she heard a few hours ago in front of the Lee’s house. It was honestly difficult to believe that it was not Seokmin who sang all this time, but his younger brother, and to think that she had been down horrendous about his voice to the point where she developed a crush… The mental image of her falling for the youngest of the siblings sent shivers down her spine, but like, in a bad way.

一Are you done staring at me like that? I feel like deer being exhibited in a zoo一 Heeseung said, bringing Y/N back to reality. His monotone voice and expressionless face were unfortunately back, making it hard to believe how this was the same person that had lifted up her mood just moments ago. What’s up with this guy?

一Out of all the animals you could’ve chosen from, why the deer?一 She tried to play cool by changing the subject 一With all the eyeliner you have going on there, a panda would have suited you better一. It was bold on her part to joke around like that, given they had barely sealed their friendship by following each other on Twitter, you know, like how people make friends in modern society, but Heeseung’s snort followed by a tight-lipped smile made it clear how he felt comfortable enough to drop the formalities between them.

一If you say so, miss “I can play La Campanella with my eyes closed but I never learnt how to properly tie my shoes”一 He mocked, receiving a loud gasp in response, but Y/N decided to take the compliment anyway. It was a rare occurrence to hear Heeseung say something nice about practically anything; not even his students were used to receiving good feedback, as the vocal coach focused more on pointing out their mistakes instead of their virtues, being this another reason to think of the Lee siblings as polar opposites. 一Anyway, are you planning to tell me why are we here?一.

Well, there was actually a reason for that, but the pianist could not just say “I need more evidence to prove it was you the one singing instead of your brother or I might go insane”, so she had to use her head for once. Guessing what Yeojin or Jay would do in this situation was a good mental exercise to execute a plan, given how the influencer had the ability to put the weirdest ideas into action, and her chef friend was a good strategist. Y/N lacked both skills though, so it was easier said than done, but at this point it was worth giving a shot. 一I’m mad at you, actually一 she somehow managed to keep a straight face.

Heeseung frowned and scanned her eyes as if looking for a clue of what could have happened this time. 一Is it because I stepped on your foot back then when you were teaching me how to use the pedals?一 he tried to guess. 一I already apologized for that!一 since when is singing the “sana, sana, colita de rana” song a valid apology?! 一Wait… don’t tell me you lost a toe…一

It took all in Y/N to hold her laugh, she even recited her failed love confession in an attempt to make her emotions seem genuine 一What kind of nonsense is that? My ten toes and I are fine, thank you very much一 she lowered her head and gazed at the piano tiles for dramatic effect 一I’m just a little annoyed because I took my time to research about the music you like, but after I found an excuse to show off, you said nothing!一.

If Y/N had raised her head, she would have faced a very incredulous Heeseung 一Wait, are you seriously sulking because of something so small? You really are the one of sensitive type, aren’t you?一. She crossed her arms and turned her head in the opposite direction where he was sitting, desperately praying in her head for him to take the bait. 一Fine… What can I do for you to stop acting like a preschooler who just got scolded for eating too much candy?一. Oh my God, Y/N first win?

She turned back to face him again, eyes gleaming in hope 一Sing the song for me一. The vocal coach blinked three, four times, stunned by the sudden request 一I can play the piano for you! Only the chorus, please?一 she batted her eyelashes the way Yeojin taught her, already placing her fingers on the corresponding tiles to start playing the song. Yes, her piano abilities were so refined that she could learn complex melodies and adapt them on the spot to fit the instrument. 一And don’t act all surprised, I know you can sing, how else could you be such a qualified vocal coach if you didn’t?一 she insisted.

一You sound like you waited your whole life to ask me to do this一 he let out a heavy sigh and nodded in acceptance, Y/N feared for a moment that her plan would go to waste, but it seems like fate was pitying her after all that she already went through during the day 一Fine, let’s do it your way一. Heeseung fixed his posture and cleared his throat, he then started a countdown to signal the pianist when to start.

Soon, the empty classroom was filled with the sound of the piano accompanied by a sweet, baritone voice that she knew too well, erasing any doubt left about who the owner of the voice she had fallen for all those weeks ago was.

“I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way, still, I’d trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday”

一Y/N? Are you there?一 the girl was abruptly brought back to reality for the third time that day; she seriously had to do something to take care of her daydreaming tendencies as soon as possible. She had stopped playing the piano long ago, but Heeseung was so immersed into singing that he failed to notice the exact moment the music had ceased, he only realized when he felt her eyes staring intently at him.

一I’m sorry, I have to go一 She hurriedly gathered all her belongings and rushed outside, fast enough as to not give him time to react and try stopping her.

ㅤ

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Taglist: @boowoowho @ckline35 @sxndmemes @purplebearheart @captivq (Send an ask to be added!)

[sxltedcxramel]

Lover’s Quarrel

c!techno x gn!reader

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

: ̗̀➛ Summary:  You and Technoblade have been friends for decades, always by each other’s side you two faught alongside each other. That was once in a lifetime, and should never happen again. Unfortunately life doesn’t play out that way and you happen to need him one more time... or maybe they’ll be a change in plans?

: ̗̀➛ Word Count: 1515

: ̗̀➛ Chapters: 1/1

: ̗̀➛ Tag(s): No beta reader we die like ghostbur, c!techno, gn!reader, immortal reader x immortal techno, angel!reader, god!techno, angst, friends to enemies to friends, complicated ik

: ̗̀➛ Warnings: slight cursing, mentions of torture and death

: ̗̀➛ Taglist: Here

: ̗̀➛ Link(s): Ao3

: ̗̀➛ Notes: *screams into oblivion* one this is all platonic I didn’t specify 😓 two I barely survived the writers drought (no friken inspiration) but I bring to you my first c!dsmp x reader fic (please be kind I tried-) basically this taks place in really old times and not modern considering how its writter like I just finished reading shakesphere although the idea came while listening to classical music so that it how you will. Also this isn’t edited so my bad if theres mistakes-

The room was dimly lit with candles and the r oaring fire that burned passionately at the fireplace. White tiles were plastered with gold diamonds, the shade almost as if it was antique jewelry, Old but could tell an amazing story. The colour completing the beige-coloured room

You waited patiently, cross-legged glaring at the clock that ticked every second or so. 10 minutes you thought to yourself while you grind your teeth. That man seemed to be early only when it was for his own convenience, how distasteful.

Just as you finished that thought you saw the dark oak wood door being pushed open. A man walks in, he wears a white loosely fitted blouse, with bishop sleeves which was decorated with frilly fabrics. Along with death-black dress pants that were worn up to the waist. His face where his mask usually is is replaced with glasses and the man's delicate bubblegum pink hair is loosely braided and thrown on the right side of his shoulder.

“Your late” you glare crossing your arms

He let out a sigh “Well pardon me for taking a while to get ready, It's almost like you didn’t come here unannounced” he spoke sarcastically.

He walked over to the glass tray and picked up a small glass cup with a gold ring around it and poured himself a drink. He eyes you “Would you care for a drink y/n?”

“I don’t drink”

He shrugs “Suit yourself”

“Technoblade, I didn't come here for idle chatter.”

He arched his eyebrow slightly “Oh?” Techno placed his cup down “Pray do tell, what exactly did you come here for?” You watched him walk to the other side of the room as he said that.

“I-��� you could even finish before being rudely interrupted by a rustling noise. You watched as your patience grew thinner by the minute he took out a black vinyl disc and placed it on a wooden box making sure the oin was adjusted well. A soft tune of the piano came out of the music player.

“Would you care for a dance?” He holds out his hand, you stare at it contemplating whether you should grab his hands, you really shouldn't, you didn’t want to play his games, you wanted what you came for, but then again it would harm a dance. Or course your brain chose the latter considering how you delicately placed your hand in his letting him place his hand on your waist the the other on your shoulder. He lead the way,(just like he always does)

“Apologies for interrupting music helps me think.” He spoke as he spun you around the floor “They calm the voices” . You knew all about the voices, how much they love to chant and clog his brain with different variations of thoughts, perks of being his ex-partner you suppose. But you watched as he hid a smirk, you guess he’s just telling only half the truth. You roll your eyes

“You can finish”

“Wouldn’t you mean start idiot” you snap

“Meh”

You clicked your tongue in annoyance, his inability to ever grasp the mood of the situation was flawless. It seemed as if he never cared about the other person's feelings, unless you were the god of death you were out of luck for a serious conversation. You’ve dealt with that for decades

You could remember once in a lifetime the two of you were partners, fast and precise that's how the job went. The blood god and the angel of destruction are an amazing duo. You remember when the two of you used to watch as people begged on their knees for their life or perhaps a mercy kill. Watching as your foes tried to retreat to their bases only for their pitiful lives to end in such a disgraceful manner. At the end of the day the two of you stood in the battlefield side by side knowing the world could shake in fear knowing you two were alive

And you loved it like that desire to make people fear you brought giddiness to your body and enlightened your world. You wanted one thing and it was to get revenge.

Revenge on all who did you wrong from your youth up, and now you were strong enough to bring it tenfold.

Everything was fine, It wasn’t until one day the two of you had sat down for a cup of tea like you usually did on Thursday evenings. He told you he wanted to retire, he was done with the killings and the torture.

He was finally putting down the title ‘Blood god’

At first you thought it was a joke but then you saw his eyes and they were as serious as he could ever be, anger rose up in you unable to process the statement.

How could he leave you like this, he promised to be by your side when no one else would.

A liar that's would your made him out to be

A slap to the cheek was all you left him that day

Now here you were decades later, hand in hand dancing to the sounds of the instruments harmonizing becoming one just the way you two were.

He spun you around gracefully on the tiled floor, there's something about dancing in an empty room that makes you feel weird inside. What was this feeling? Him making you feel weak in the knees, perhaps it was the fact the last time you did this it was when you two were young and reckless. He always seemed to know how to brighten your life,even to the point the friendship you two had was envied amongst the other gods.

He twirled you across the room dipping you slightly “Cat caught your tongue”

You rolled your eyes “As if”

You saw outside the glass panes, the sky was painted a blood orange mixed with lavender purples and hints of blue. The sun slowly sets,bringing the nightfall.

You chuckle to yourself, how romantic of the sky to show such a sight for people who would die before dating each other.

You turn your gaze to the god “I need you one last time” you say cutting to the chase

Technoblade glared at you “I already told you I’m retired, don’t be so stubborn”

“I’m not, your being selfish putting your needs before anyone else's”

He snorts “Isn’t that what you're doing y/n? Or am I reading the situation wrong?” He says sarcastically “Plus I thought you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me, or was that slap something you did on impulse and you couldn’t face me after?”

You grind your teeth “It was not, and why are you making it seem like you're the victim? You're the one who wanted to leave me!” You snapped

He took his hands away from you and pinched the bridge of his nose “See, this is why we cannot have a conversation. You always jump to conclusions” he growls

“I do not!”

“You do! I never intended to leave your side, only retiring. Is it so bad I wanted to stop killing and do something better with my life, and here I thought you’d be happy with it.”

You stared at him shocked, “I..”

Was he right? You were known to act on impulse which did cause problems in the long run but he’d be there to be by your side every time. But yet, you couldn’t fathom the thought of him leaving his life behind to start a new one. Why? You weren’t sure.

Techno sighed “You act so tough when actually you're broken inside. The thing is you weren’t mad at me for retirement, you were mad that things were changing. You're scared of change because you don’t know where you’ll fall between it all.”

The piano falls into a soft handsomely rhythm

The violinist quietly drag their bows delicately

You cast your eyes aside, you couldn’t argue with the truth. You swallow hard fighting back the tears. You couldn’t fathom the amount of times you’ve been in the wrong or how much you’ve hurt him

Stupid

Stupidstupidstu-

A hand is placed on you head

“You think too much, stop that”

“I’m sorry”

“For overthinking or for being impulsive” he questions

“Both” you whisper keeping your eyes on the floor

“And?”

You huffed “You were right about everything”

He grinned showing his pearly whites “I’m sorry what was that? I couldn’t hear you?”

You laughed slightly making your worries go away for the time being “You asshole, get your head out of the skies as if I’m repeating that again”

He chuckles shrugging “Worth a try”

“So, let's get something straight. I’ll help you one last time then I’m forcing you to retire. Seriously you have no say so.” He eyes you “You probably need therapy too jeez”

“Fuck You I’m perfectly fine”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night” he responds ushering you out the room

“Bold of you to assume I sleep”

“Bruhh”

Taglist: @ttakinou @angstyx

[pretendingboyfriends]

Warnings: smut babayyyy

Word count: 2.7k+

Summary: A quiet evening in Italy with Harry.

On an Evening in Roma - Dean Martin

The coral hue of the setting sun seeps through the open doorway leading to the terrace, casting a similarly colored shadow onto the tile floor as the two of you move around the kitchen. A warm breeze drifts through the room causing the curtains framing the door to flutter daintily and the scent of the homemade bread to waft throughout the house, setting a soft and romantic mood for the evening. 

You leisurely pour a second glass of wine for Harry and yourself before you begin crafting your meal, the warm buzz of impending intoxication lulling the both of you peacefully along with the soft jazz you have playing quietly in the background. You both have aprons tied around your waists to prevent your clothes from being splattered with flour or wine, aware of your tendencies for clumsiness.

“Can you crack the eggs into a bowl for me, darling?” You request, nudging the small carton of eggs towards Harry as you scoop the right amount of flour from the bag and onto the clean counter. 

“Mhm,” He hums happily, “How many?” 

“Two is fine.” You smile, shaping the flour into a decently large pile before pressing your fingers into the middle to make a well for the eggs and sprinkling a little bit of salt into it. 

Harry quickly cracks the two eggs into a small bowl and sets the bowl on the counter besides you. “Okay, now what?” 

“Now, we pour the eggs into the middle of the well I’ve created in the flour, like this,” You start, reaching for the bowl of eggs as Harry watches intently, pouring them carefully into the well. “And then we knead it with our hands, like this.” You finish, burying your fingers into the flour, kneading slowly and carefully as Harry rolls up the sleeves of his button up. 

“Can I just-” He mutters, walking behind you slowly and wrapping his arms around you, placing his hands over yours as he rests his chin on your shoulder to watch what he’s doing. “That’s better.” 

You snicker girlishly at him, shaking your head as you continue to knead with his hands over yours. “You’re an absolute idiot.” 

“Mmm, yeah, but you love me.” He hums through a chuckle, nudging his hips against you playfully. 

The two of you knead the flour and egg mixture into a malleable dough, making sure to add flour when needed. Harry’s playful attempts to flick flour into your face has a smile glued to both of your faces as you giggle and scold him for getting into your hair, though truthfully, you don’t mind.

Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, you form it into a ball and wrap it tightly with cling wrap to let it rest.

“Now, after we let the dough rest for 15 minutes, we flatten the dough out with a rolling pin,” You announce, slipping from your place between Harry and the countertop to find a rolling pin. “And then, after that, we cut it into the noodles.”

Harry wiggles his eyebrows excitedly, taking his half empty wine glass from the counter and downing the rest of the liquid as he watches you. “What kind of sauce are we having?” 

You pull a wooden rolling pin from a drawer, mumbling a small “aha!” before setting it on the counter. “I was thinking alfredo, if that’s alright with you. It’s simple and doesn’t take long at all.”

“Sounds amazing,” He hums, stepping towards you to curl an arm around your waist and press your body against his. He leans down for a moment to capture your lips between his and your hands come to rest on his chest. Your lips meld together languidly for a few passing moments as he presses you into the counter and trails his lips down your jaw to your neck. You can’t help but whimper from the plush warmth of his lips, sponging along your skin. 

“Salad!” You exclaim suddenly.

Harry frowns, pulling his face from your neck, “That’s what you’re thinkin’ about right now? M’doing some of my best work over here and all you can think about is salad?” 

“Well, we need something to go with the pasta and bread and we have that vinaigrette that we still haven’t tried.” You reply, patting his cheek with your hand before you wiggle from his grasp. Harry watches you with a pout on his lips, making you roll your eyes at him as you take a container of lettuce from the fridge.  

Minutes later, the two of you are back working on the pasta, a pot filled with water is put aside as you slice the rolled dough into fettuccine pasta. Harry watches as you cut into the dough, creating almost perfectly measured strips, all dusted lightly with flour to prevent them from sticking to the counter. 

“Can you turn the stove on to let the water boil? I’m almost done with the noodles.” You hum, glancing up at him. He quickly complies, smacking a kiss to your cheek before sliding over to the stove and turning the dial to high. “Oh and salt the water, too. Helps it boil faster.” You add, sliding the salt shaker towards him. 

Once the noodles are boiling and the bread is cooling on the counter, you and Harry pour yourselves some more wine and begin swaying to the sound of Dean Martin crooning in Italian. His arms are loosely wound around your waist, one hand grasping his wine glass. You have one arm draped over his shoulders, the other grasps your own wine glass, allowing you to sip it at your leisure.

“Quite like this,” Harry purrs, eyes focused on yours. “Havin’ you all to myself for awhile. S’nice.” 

You smile, bringing your hand up to tangle your fingers into the curls at the base of his neck. “It is nice.”

He leans down, pressing his lips to yours gently, continuing to sway the two of you side to side. His lips taste strongly of red wine as he licks into your mouth, a low grunt vibrating from the back of his throat. Your fingers tug at the curled tendrils of his hair as you adjust your grip on the wine glass, careful not to spill or drop it. 

Suddenly, the hissing of water overflowing onto the hot stove causes your face to separate from Harry’s with a quiet smack as you whip your head to the side to see the water from the noodles spilling over the side of the pot. 

“Shit,” You mutter under your breath, unwrapping yourself from him quickly to turn the heat down and fan at the bubbles with an oven mit. The water and bubbles calm to a simmer and you sigh in relief, stirring the noodles slowly. 

“Everything good?” Harry asks, leaning over your shoulder to watch you stir. 

“Yeah,” You breathe through a sigh, “I think they’re done anyways.” 

Eventually, you’re serving the noodles onto two plates as Harry tosses the salad and slices the bread. You slice a few small pieces of butter onto the steaming noodles before grating parmesan cheese over them generously and stepping back to admire your work. 

“Looks delicious,” Harry smiles, slicing a few pieces of bread from the loaf. 

Once everything is finished, you bring the food to the terrace, placing all of it on the small, round table to set up for the evening. Both of you discard your flour dusted aprons to reveal your cream, silk slip dress that reached to mid thigh and Harry’s white button up with a lavender sweater vest layered on top of it, paired with his brown, flared trousers. As always, he looks like a dream.

You sit across from each other and enjoy one another’s company as you eat, the sun slowly setting as you lounge. Harry endlessly moans over how delectable everything is and you giggle at him, nearly kicking them under the table every time he makes a sound. 

After both of you clean your plates completely, you finish off the bottle of wine, splitting the remainder of the liquid between the two of you before migrating to the metal railing of the terrace. Harry’s arm is wrapped around your waist tightly, pressing you into his side as you gaze out into the quiet street.  

“Lovely view,” He says from beside you and you nod, glancing at him to find him staring directly at you. 

You roll your eyes, taking a sip from your wine glass and muttering “Wanker” under your breath before turning your attention back to the actual view in front of you. He chuckles to himself quietly, easily dragging you around to his front so that he can wrap both arms around you from behind. His lips drop to your shoulder, softly trailing along your skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. You can still hear the music playing in the house, Etta James’ “A Sunday Kind Of Love” drifting from the small speaker on the kitchen counter to the small terrace where the two of you sway.  

You stay like that for awhile, drinking in the perfect weather and enjoying one another’s company until the sun goes down and the only sources of light are the street lights below and the soft light coming from the kitchen. By this time the tune of Yes’ “Yesterday and Today” is playing, the soft piano nearly lulling you to sleep in Harry’s arms.

“S’gotten dark,” He hums into your neck.

“So it has.” You reply, opening your eyes for the first time in what seems like hours.

“Think we should head in?”

You grunt quietly in response, allowing Harry to unwrap himself from you and lead you to the doorway. The sudden prospect of what’s about to come causes both of you to become giddy with excitement. The alcohol coursing through your veins heightening your emotions immensely. 

The two of you stumble back into the house from the terrace, tripping over one another’s feet as you giggle drunkenly. Neither of you bother to shut the door behind you, leaving it wide open for anyone to hear or see into your house.

 Harry falls back onto the couch, gazing longingly at you as you stand above him. His hands dropping to the backs over your bare thighs and tugging you forward to straddle him. You snort loudly and press your nose into his cheek as you wrap your arms wrap around his neck. 

“Dinner was nice,” He mumbles, pressing hot kisses to your neck. You hum in agreement, clutching the curls at the base of his neck as his lips move. “Think I’m ready for dessert now.”

You chuckle softly, rolling your hips into his, “What kind of dessert were you thinking?”

He pulls his face from the crevice of your neck, his hands sliding to grip your waist and push you against his growing bulge as he gazes up at you with lust blown pupils. “The kind where you ride me right here on the couch.”

The delicious feeling of Harry’s bulge pressed directly against your clit mixed with the sexy rasp of his words causes a quiet whimper to pass through your lips. You lean forward, capturing his lips between yours fervently as you grind your hips against his slowly over and over. 

“How’s that sound, baby?” He asks, pulling away for a moment to gaze up at you. 

“Sounds good, s’good, just- please,” You slur, desperately pulling him back in for kisses. He chuckles drunkenly against your lips and slides his hands up your thighs beneath your dress, bunching the fabric around your waist so that he can easily grasp your ass and press you into him. You whimper a little louder this time, fingers tangled into your lover’s mop of curls as he works you up. 

Harry’s fingers find the waistband of your thong and he helps you tug them down your legs  before dropping them onto the couch cushion beside him. Your hands start to fumble with the button of his slacks, fingers working loosely due to your intoxicated brain. 

Finally, his trousers are off and kicked to the side along with his briefs and you’re stroking him slowly as his lips brush against your clavicle. He’s discernibly hard already, rutting his hips up against your hand despairingly. You push yourself up onto your knees above him, holding him right against your entrance before slowly sliding down onto him. Once you’re fully seated in his lap, you gasp out a moan, pressing your forehead to his as he breathes out his own guttural moan. 

“So fuckin��� tight,” He mutters under his breath, hips jutting up into you subconsciously. 

The thin strap of your dress slides off your shoulder as you begin to move on top of him, the movement causing your braless breasts to nearly spill out of the fabric. Harry leans forward, pressing hot, wet kisses to the swell of your breasts as you move, both of you whining breathlessly. 

“Mm, Harry,” You gasp after he thrusts up into you harshly, his tip brushing directly against your g spot and causing your legs to quiver violently. 

“That’s the spot, hm?” He growls, wrapping his arms tighter around you to aid him in thrusting against the same spot over and over as you bounce against him. You nod weakly at his venereal question, hiding your face in his neck and pressing your chest flush against his. 

Your tepid, clammy bodies slide against each other with every girate of your hips, fingers tangled between locks of hair, tugging and combing at the tendrils. Neither of you are fully undressed, Harry's vest and button up crumpled up over his belly button, both straps of your silk dress barely holding on to your shoulders, but you’re both so entrapped with each other that neither of you care. 

“Fuck,” you whimper, biting into his shoulder. “You’re so big, H. Always feel so good.” 

He grunts, pushing up into you harder and silently requesting a kiss from you by moving his head to nudge against yours. You move your head to kiss him, haphazardly taking his bottom lip between yours. His tongue slowly works its way into your mouth as you kiss, hands pressing into your ass cheeks to push you onto him deeper. You move back against him harder, chasing your imminent release no matter how much your thighs burn and ache with your constant movements. 

“I’m gonna cum,” You breathe into his mouth, his arms immediately tightening around your waist to pull you into him and thrust upwards harshly. 

His hand slips between the two of you, thumb quickly gliding over your slippery clit. “Shit- c’mon, cum for me, baby.” 

You toss your head back onto your shoulders, Harry’s lips immediately stamping into the column of your throat as you gasp and your thighs tighten around his waist. You cry out as the knot snaps and warmth spreads across your body from within, Harry continuing to fuck into you from beneath you. 

“That’s it, good girl.” He mutters into your throat, perspiration building at his hairline as he chases his own orgasm and brings your body down into his. 

Moments later he grunts into your skin, cum spilling into you thickly. Your hips roll into him slowly, coaxing everything out of him as his head falls against the back of the couch. Your fingers slip into his sweaty curls, gently and soothingly stroking his scalp whilst the two of you catch your breath. Leaning forward, you press gentle kisses to his face and he mumbles under his breath, “So fuckin’ good to me,” 

The playlist you put on is finally repeating itself after sifting through nearly 2 hours of songs. The door to the terrace is still wide open, curtains quivering slightly from the steady breeze. Harry finally regains his strength and rolls the two of you over so that you’re lying back against the couch cushions, hips still pressed together as he hovers above you. He presses a few kisses to your neck and face before he pushes up onto his knees and pulls out of you. 

He steps away for a moment to grab a damp washcloth for you to clean up with and returns with a clean pair of boxers on and a t-shirt for you to wear (along with the washcloth, of course). He helps wipe the stickiness from the inside of your thighs before waiting for you to change into his t-shirt.

Once you’re both (for the most part) cleaned up, you pitter into the kitchen to grab a small container of gelato from the freezer.  “Up for some real dessert?”

-

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OK HEY!! i kinda just wrote this bc i saw a tik tok of a couple making pasta and wanted to write something similar so here ya go <3 don’t forget to reblog and send me asks!!!<33333

[alj4890]

Hello dear! I have an ask I just recently read TRH book 1 what if we get Liams POV when Riley goes into labor and when he has to make that awful decision. What are his thoughts when Riley passes out and there’s no doctor? Maybe we can find out how they got the door open?

I replayed TRH book 1 & 2 recently, so this ask couldn't have come at a better time 😂. I wonder though if anyone else thinks it was odd that Godfrey was put in charge of installing new security at the Palace. I mean, why wasn't Liam and his King's Guards handling that? I don't know, but those chapters of Riley giving birth are some that hurt me, and only because the poor woman is denied an epidural 😂 I would have Godfrey strung up by his thumbs for causing that and allow Olivia to torture him to her heart's content. But enough of my revenge ideas, let's see what I can do with this for you.

@gkittylove99 ​ @krsnlove ​ @kingliam2019 ​ @texaskitten30 ​ @yourmajesty09 ​ @mom2000aggie ​ @ofpixelsandscribbles ​ @twinkleallnight ​ @lodberg ​  @amandablink ​ @neotericthemis ​  @mm2305 ​ @sfb123 ​ @iufilms​

Masterlist

The Decision

It was too much to comprehend.

One moment, Liam was confronting the man who killed his mother and the next was nothing but chaos and darkness.

Screams rent the air as flashing red lights revealed steel enforced doors dropping down over the ballroom's doors and windows.

Liam knelt beside his wife when he realized she had been knocked down by a panicking guest.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Only my pride." She tried to smile but a painful tightening around her middle struck.

Her eyes widened when she felt a wetness between her legs.

"Liam!" She gripped his arm. "My water broke!"

"What?" He searched through the crowd for their friends. "Now?"

She nodded while breathing through another contraction. "We have to get to the hospital."

"We will." He helped her up. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable while we get a door open."

"Liam!" Riley doubled over. "I don't want to have our baby in a ballroom filled with people."

"Is there a problem?"

The couple stiffened when they heard Isabella's voice. Her husband Bradshaw smiled at them.

"Our guards would be more than happy to help with the door situation," his smile held a hint of smugness, "as long as your child is betrothed to one of our twins."

Olivia arrived at that moment followed by their other friends.

"Are you saying your guards won't help rescue you without a betrothal?"

"We're in no immediate danger." Bradshaw explained.

"In fact, we're quite comfortable waiting for your pitiful little guards to find a way out." Isabelle added. "No need for us to cross international lines and damage delicate feelings with our more than capable personnel."

"Delicate!" Olivia heaved a deep breath. "We don't need your help to get out of this."

"We don't?" Maxwell asked. He let out an oomph when Olivia elbowed him. "I mean, yeah we don't! This isn't the first time we have been faced with a challenge."

"No steel door will ever convince us that their baby should be forced to be with one of your twins." Drake added.

Olivia beamed at him before turning her fury on the visiting monarchs. "I'll have it opened in no time."

"Yeah!" Maxwell cheered. "Go Nevarkis Ingenuity!"

She rolled her eyes while going to examine the metal door that covered the double doors into the ballroom.

"Oh!" Riley eased back down into a chair. She raised her eyes to Liam's. "They're getting stronger."

He gently rubbed her back. "Have you had any pains this evening?"

"It was all in my back. I thought it was from being on my feet most of the night." She took deep breaths to calm down. "But now--"

The flashing red lights and alarm stopped. The couple turned to see a proud Olivia slip a strange looking quartz bladed dagger back into a garter under her dress.

There was a square shaped hole cut within the wall with numerous wires exposed.

"That's going to be difficult to repair." Maxwell muttered.

Liam could not have cared less about the damage. If Olivia wanted to tunnel underground to get them out, then he would gladly rip up the marble tiles himself.

Riley cried out as a strong contraction struck.

"I need a distraction!" She puffed through the pain.

"How about some music?" Hana asked. "I composed a new piece recently."

"Or we could sing." Maxwell offered. "Any song you'd like."

"We could?" Drake shook his head. "Sorry Brooks, but that's not happening."

"You would deny her a song when she's in labor?" Maxwell's jaw dropped.

"I doubt our singing would help her any." Drake replied. "Might even double her pain."

While his friends bickered, Liam found his thoughts drifting back to the secret chamber they had unearthed less than an hour ago. He slipped his hand into his breast pocket to touch the letter he had discovered.

His mother's words about how much joy he had brought her echoed in his heart. He wished she could have lived to see the type of man he had become. He had tried with everything within him to live up to her expectations. Would she have noticed? What would she think of him as king now? What would her opinion have been on this choice he and Riley were given for an arranged marriage for her grandchild? Would she approve of them wanting to give their baby the right to choose his or her own spouse?

He wished he knew. He wished she was here guiding him in not only capturing her killer but in also knowing what to do for his wife and unborn child. He would have given anything to have her wise counsel once more.

"Hana!" Riley yelled to stop the argument between her three friends. "Please play whatever you like." She glared at Drake. "Someone's voice is getting on my nerves."

Hana hurried over to a piano and began to play a soothing song.

"I'm going to check on the door situation." Liam pressed a kiss to Riley's cheek. "I'll be back in just a moment."

"Hurry, please." She pleaded.

"I'll watch over her." Maxwell promised.

"I'll go check on the door with you." Drake added.

Liam made his way through the crowd, pausing here and there to reassure everyone that they would be out soon.

"Give me a boost." Olivia ordered.

Drake squatted down and linked his fingers together.

Olivia slipped her heels off and placed her foot in his grasp.

"One...two..." He heaved her up in the air, "three!"

Olivia steadied herself and quickly studied the mechanism that had allowed the door to drop. A lock had formed thus causing them to be unable to lift it up.

After poking and prodding with one of her stilettoes, she noticed the thin metal holding the lock in place.

"Bring me down." She ordered.

Drake grunted as he brought her back down. "Next time, stand on my shoulders."

"Did you figure out how to get it open?" Liam asked.

"I think I might be able to weaken the lock with heat and one of my daggers. Once we destroy that, we should be able to lift it." She explained.

"Can't we hotwire it?' Drake asked, gesturing toward the exposed wires.

"Not since I had to cut so many to get the alarms to turn off." She remarked. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is some emergency failsafe in place for an enemy's attack on the wiring. It might even drop another door on us."

Liam ran his hands over his face. "Do whatever you can to get us out of here."

"Good." Olivia nodded towards the bar. "Drake, we will start with the brandy to use for fuel."

Liam shook his head at her plan to start a fire of sorts. He hoped she didn't end up hurting herself in the process. Honestly though, he couldn't seem to focus on what he could do to help get the doors open.

"Your majesty! I don't think I can breathe in here another second!" Penelope grasped his arm while hyperventilating. "I don't do well in enclosed spaces."

"When will we get out of here?" Another noble demanded.

Questions began to be thrown at him as the crowd closed in a circle, trapping him directly in the middle.

"Is Olivia trying to burn us up in here?"

"We're going to die!"

"What are the guards doing to save us?"

"Auvernal's guards will have us out in minutes, if your king agrees." Bradshaw yelled out over the crowd. His smile was the final straw to break Liam's barely restrained temper.

"Enough!" Liam roared. "We are not going to die in here. The guards are doing all they can and Olivia is graciously assisting." His eyes zeroed in on Penelope. "Go sit down to try and calm your breathing. You're in the same ballroom you have danced in for years." He then turned to Auvernal's king. "As for your assistance, it isn't needed at this time."

Bradshaw shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, but his eyes held a deep seeded anger as he looked upon Liam. "If you think your guests wouldn't prefer to get out of here as quickly as they can, then I suppose there is little we can do."

Murmurs rose once more around him. Liam clinched his fists then pushed his way through when he heard Riley call out for him.

Will this night never end?

It was becoming too much for him. The whining of his people, his wife in pain and in need of medical care, his own innate need to chase after Godfrey and make him pay for poisoning his mother...he needed it all to stop for a minute to allow him to think.

"Liam!" Riley had tears falling down her cheeks. "We need to go to the hospital now!"

She gripped his hand as Hana finished the last few notes to her song.

He knelt before her chair. "Olivia has found a way to open the door. We'll soon have you out of here and--"

The sound of metal screeching had everyone turning toward the double doors.

Seeing the steel door go up caused Liam to scoop his wife in his arms and rush toward the exit.

Their friends and guests spilled out after them to only stop short.

Godfrey had installed these same safety measures on every window and exterior door along the first floor.

"Liam?" Riley puffed through another contraction. "What are we going to do?"

"I found a way out of there." Olivia boasted. "I'm certain I can--"

Bradshaw clucked his tongue. "This isn't the same type of door, your grace." He smirked at her. He knocked against the thicker steel door. "My guards could find a way outside to open it, but only if you sign this."

He produced a betrothal contract.

Riley whimpered as she looked at it and then her husband.

"Get. That. Out. Of. My. Face." Liam ordered.

He turned on his heel to take his wife upstairs to their chambers. Once he reached the first step he spoke over his shoulder. "Olivia, we trust you to handle this. Hana, please call Riley's doctor and ask her to meet us here instead of the hospital."

***************

The hours dragged on as they waited. Olivia appeared periodically to vent her frustrations with getting the door to open. Drake, Maxwell, and Hana attempted to keep Riley's spirits up as she endured the ever increasing contractions.

Liam felt absolutely useless. He didn't know what to do to help his wife. He didn't know the first thing of helping a woman give birth. What if there was a complication? What about their child? What if he couldn't clear the baby's airways? What if--"

"Liam?"

He focused on Riley, weakly gripping his hand. "Yes, my love? What can I do?"

"I feel...odd."

Maxwell nudged Liam out of the way to check her blood pressure.

"Where did you find a blood pressure kit?" Drake asked.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Bertrand has high blood pressure." Maxwell winked at his friends. "I can't imagine where his source of stress comes from."

Riley tried to smile at his teasing. She could feel whatever it was pulling her under making every movement feel like it she was wading through quicksand.

Maxwell's smile disappeared. He studied Riley's flushed cheeks and stepped back.

"What is it?" Liam whispered as his friend pulled him away from her bed.

"Her blood pressure is really high right now." Maxwell glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know if that's normal for a woman in labor, but I do know that this is when I would be calling an ambulance if it was Bertrand with this reading."

Liam rubbed his hands over his face. This entire night was one nightmare after another.

"Riley?" Hana shook her by the shoulders. "Riley?!"

Liam rushed back to the bed to see his wife passed out. He took a cold rag and wiped her face, hoping it would bring her back to them.

"Riley?" His voice cracked. "Please, wake up." He looked around at their friends. "What should I do?"

"I don't know." Drake draped his arm along Hana's shoulders when she began to softly cry.

"Keep talking to her." Maxwell jogged out the room. "I'll see about the door!"

Liam turned back toward Riley. He placed his hand on her stomach and could feel the tightening of contractions along with the faint movements of their child.

Riley opened her eyes.

Liam gently cupped her cheek.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You blacked out." He explained. "Your blood pressure--"

Maxwell returned with a frustrated Olivia.

"...short of dynamite, I don't know how I'll--" she stilled when she saw the color drain from Riley's face.

"I think it's happening..." Riley became unconscious once more. Her head dropped back on the pillows.

"We have to get that doctor here now." Liam looked up at Hana. "Any word from her?"

"She is right outside." Hana explained. "And so are Auvernal's guards."

Liam took off out of the room. His long, deliberate strides had him at the balcony overlooking the entryway where the Auvernal monarchs stood talking to some of the guests.

His friends had to nearly run to catch up with him.

Bradshaw looked up and curved his lips. "Trouble, King Liam?"

Isabella snickered. "I hope Queen Riley isn't suffering unnecessarily."

Liam launched himself at the smug king when he brought up the severe pain Riley must be in at this moment.

Shouts from his friends, guests, and the King's Guards drowned out him telling Auvernal's monarch to have his guards break down the door.

"No." Bradshaw's easy smile grew into an evil smirk. "I don't see any reason to have my men do anything like that to help a woman who isn't a part of my country nor one who wishes to ally herself with mine."

"You bastard!" Liam jerked his arm back. His fist formed as he prepared to beat this man within an inch of his life for denying his Riley a doctor.

It took Drake, Maxwell, and Bastien to hold him back from starting a war with Auvernal with a single punch. Olivia and Hana got between the two kings while Isabella merely looked on in glee.

"My wife and child are going to die if I don't get that doctor in here now!" Liam shouted. "And you stand there refusing to--"

"Not refusing!" Bradshaw snapped. "I'm trying to help you." He snapped his fingers and was handed the engagement contract by a nearby Auvernal guard. "Sign this and my men will have your doctor in here within five minutes."

Liam felt all the adrenaline that had rushed through his veins when he tried to punch the man leave his body. He felt not only weak but utterly worthless. He couldn't see any way out of this. He couldn't lose his wife. He couldn't lose the child they had eagerly waited for.

He couldn't get the damn door open without the very people he had grown to loathe these past nine months.

"Liam," Olivia whispered, "it's the only option we have now."

"We'll find a way to break it." Maxwell whispered.

"Yeah," Drake patted his shoulder. "Right now, you need to just accept the deal to get Brooks and the baby some help."

Liam glanced over at Hana to get her advice.

Tears filled her eyes. "I--I know this isn't what you want, but we have no choice."

Liam swallowed and snatched the paper from Bradshaw's hand. He signed the cursed document and tossed it in his face.

"There! Now get that doctor in here before it becomes null and void."

Bradshaw quickly gave the orders for his guards outside to break down the door with a battering ram.

In three minutes, Dr. Ramirez was following Liam up to the royal chambers.

She helped rouse Riley and then guided her through the delivery.

Liam watched in awe as his wife produced the most perfect baby girl he had ever seen.

Tears of joy and immense relief trickled down his cheeks as he held his daughter for the first time.

"I think we should name her Eleanor," Riley said, watching him kiss their little one's forehead, "in honor of your mother."

His eyes practically glowed as he looked upon his wife. "Thank you, my love."

She snuggled her head on his shoulder as they both gazed down at their own miracle.

Liam knew he needed to tell Riley what had happened with Auvernal yet he didn't want to ruin this first moment of them as a family.

He silently vowed as he held his daughter that he would somehow find a way to save her from an arranged marriage.

[catzula]

I’ll See You, Even If I Close My Eyes

Synopsis: "I know who you are." You whispered, your eyes still closed.

 "Open your eyes, then. Open your eyes, look at me and tell me you don't hate me."

Genre: enemies to lovers (is that even a surprise at this point?), i feel like it’s a bit angsty but it wasn’t meant to be, a happy ending, fluff

Warnings: Shinsou is really mean in the beginning of this for the story purposes but I kept it short) some cursing, insecurities, mentions of social anxiety also its like 5.6k I think so that's that

pairing: Pianist!Shinsou x fem!Reader

It was late in the night when you first heard it. The music coming from downstairs, a piano piece that enhanced and pulled you to it the moment you heard it. 

Running down the stairs as fast and quiet as you could, you rushed to the living room in the grand piano stood. You didn't know anyone who played the piano in your class, and you desperately wanted to know who this music belonged to.

It was such a soft melody, so sad and almost dark, it sent chills down your spine. The piece wasn't familiar, though what enchanted you so wasn't the song but the way the pianist had delivered it, instead. 

You made it to the room, chest heaving from running so fast. It was ice cold downstairs, realizing it was because all the windows were open, making the whole room smell like the deep night and mist, although as you reached to the piano, you noticed the faint smell of lavender, as well.

You hid behind the cupboard when you reached the room, taking a peek inside to see the pianist, brows furrowing when you couldn't. The tulle curtains dancing with the harsh wind, it was concealing the pianist professionally, only making you able to see the silhouette.

It was a man's silhouette, you could tell that. You looked at his back, hovering over the black and white tiles of the piano, his broad shoulders slumped forward ever so slightly. You weren't aware you had started to walk towards him, getting out of your hiding place.

You were able to only take a glimpse of the silhouette of his side profile before you heard another pair of footsteps coming from the stairs, making you both freeze in your places. 

"Y/N?" You heard a soft voice call out, Yaoyorozu standing there with her nightgown and a blanket she just created. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I couldn't sleep." You answered vaguely, causing her to knit her brows together, but thankfully, she didn't keep pushing. "It's freezing down here," she told you instead. "Let's go back upstairs." 

"Yeah, I'm coming." You answered, trying to stop her from coming there and seeing the- you looked back at the piano, gasping when you noticed he wasn't there anymore. The tulle curtain still dancing with the wind, the faint smell of lavender and night lingering in the air, but the pianist was gone without a trace. 

"What are you doing?" Yaoyorozu asked, yawning gracefully. "You're acting a bit weird." She told you with a smile, and you smiled back. "Nothing, I just thought I saw something." You didn't expect the look of panic to settle on her features, though. "What? Did you see someone?" She interrogated, stopping in her tracks and ready to go downstairs to fight whoever it was.

"I-"

"Is there a break-in? Did you-"

"No!" You exclaimed, stopping her from checking downstairs. You didn't know why exactly, but you didn't want her to find out about the pianist. "I just thought I saw a shadow, it's nothing important." You reassured her, and although she sent you a suspicious look, she took your words, walking back downstairs. 

You could swear you heard a chuckle when you sighed with relief, though.

***

When people asked your best friend, Yaomomo, why you didn't seem to get along with Shinsou, she didn't answer.

(they usually asked her if he did something to you, something bad, but she never told you this)

 The truth was, she didn't know either, no one did, not even you were sure as to why. Shinsou seemed like the kind of guy you would get along with, he was quiet and calm, though he was strong and would do anything to get to his goal. 

He was impressive, and you always had a part in you that wanted to be friends with him, and it hurt when he hated you instead of sharing your thoughts. And it didn't make it any better when you were seatmates, either. It had been only a week of you sitting together, and every day was living hell.

He lifted his head from his arms, waking up from his sleep. His eyes wandered over the room, his bored gaze stopping on you, and brows furrowing immediately.

Only the sight of you was able to make him angry, apparently, the thought souring your mood immediately.

Your eyes locked for a few seconds, the indigo eyes making it near impossible to look away, and he stared at you as if he expected you to say or do something. You could feel the bone-chilling glare he sent you when you looked away, and he smirked when you gathered the courage and tried to glare back. 

"Stop looking at him." Yaoyorozu warned you when you stared for a little too long. "I'm not!" You answered but bit your bottom lip when she looked at you with raised brows. "I mean, he was glaring first."

"Sure." She told you with a small smirk. "You know, I think you should-"

"Go and talk to him, I know. You tell that to me every day." You interrupted. "But I can't, I'm not as confident as you, and I really don't have it in me to go and ask someone just why they hate me so much." 

You huffed when she pouted. "It's not that big of a deal, Y/N. I really think it would be better than glaring at each other like this, and don't think I miss how tired and on edge you always are. I can't stand you staying quiet when he's always mean to you. Why don't you at least fight back?"

"I-" You tried to think of an answer, but you weren't sure either. You were never good with fighting back to people when it came to you, can't find the right thing to say in the middle of an argument, or panic altogether and tear up. It was just easier to ignore and bite your lip, to not answer, and hope they will go away. It had worked in the past, but it just seemed to make it worse with Shinsou.

"I can't." You finally answered her question, and she sighed, but before she got to lecture you more on the topic, Midnight entered the room, and you went back to your seat, still feeling his gaze on you.

***

"I'll just talk to her," you told your friend, "Can you wait here?"

"Sure!" Yaoyorozu told you with a cheerful smile, and you rubbed your hands together anxiously as you walked towards your homeroom teacher, so anxious that you weren't aware he was still in the class.

"Yeah, no." Was your teacher's answer when you requested a seat change. "Not unless you give me a valid reason."

"Um, we don't... we can't get along and-"

"That isn't an excuse, you know." She told you, sighing as she collected her bag and stood up. "But you changed Ochako's seat a few days ago!' You tried one last time, biting your bottom lip anxiously. "Yes, I changed her seat because Mineta was... well- acting inappropriately. I won't change seats because you can't get along, If it came to that, I would have to change almost everyone's seat. Just try to get along, Midoriya never asked me to change his seats, and he and Bakugou really can't get along."

Yeah, that's because he's a masochist, you thought to yourself but bit your tongue before it slipped out of your mouth.

"Yes, sensei." You answered instead, heard a scoff coming from the back of the room as she walked out of the room. 

"And here I am, thinking we got along swimmingly." He raised a lavender brow along with a dry laugh, the kind of laugh that would've been pretty if it was genuine. You tried to ignore Shinsou's gaze as you walked past him towards the exit, following your teacher, who seemed to want to get out of the room as soon as possible, praying to yourself he would let you go this one time. But of course, he didn't. 

"Shinsou-kun, just leave her alone." Yaoyorozu muttered, holding you by the wrist and pulling you out of the room, which you gladly complied with.

"Oh, but how are you going to survive?" He spoke, ignoring Yaoyorozu's warning. "I'm the big bad wolf, aren't I? Isn't that why you run away from me like a hopeless little lamb? Can't even speak, let alone look me in the eyes?" He growled the last few words, resembling the big bad wolf for a second or so, his low growl sending shivers down your spine. 

He sounded almost... hurt.

"What?" He snapped. "Still got nothing to say back? Even after all those things I said, you still can't-"

"Cut it out, Shinsou!" Yaoyorozu suddenly protested, ignoring the looks you had sent her, pleading to just go.

You heard Shinsou sigh, his face softer when he had turned to your friend, the realization making your heart clench. It was just you, he hated, after all.

"You're just proving my point by defending her, you know." Shinsou told her with slightly quirked brows as he packed his bag. His eyes stayed on you for a few more seconds, waiting (begging) for you to say something. But you didn't, and it only made him angrier.

"See ya later, seatmate." He told you bitterly, earning an audible gulp as a response.

***

Shinsou hadn't expected you to come back. 

He didn't want you there, either. You, who made him feel like a villain more than anyone else in the world. But, still, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of excitement when he felt your presence in the entrance of the doorway, going towards the piano and wondering.

Shinsou hadn't sat on the piano this time, watching you as he tried to figure what you were going to do. Instead of scoffing and going back when you saw the pianist wasn't there, as he expected you to do, you pouted and sat on the Stuhl, touching the keys with your fingers.

Shinsou bit his lip, thinking. He wanted to- he wanted to show himself, but he also knew... "Who is there?" He heard you call out, your voice low but firm, the strong tone he had never heard from you, and it made him curious.

"Are you the pianist that was here last time?" You asked, standing up with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes.

"I am." Shinsou answered with a low voice, and you gasped when you got an answer, eyes widening with surprise and confusion because you thought you heard that voice before-

"A- are you..?" You started to ask, but before you realized who the voice belonged to, Shinsou had already got closer to you, hands closing over your eyes, and before you even got the chance to struggle, you were brainwashed. "You can't recognize my voice." He ordered, feeling a bit guilty with seeing the blank expression on your face. "You can in the day, but not at night."

You nodded blankly, and just like that, you were out of his grip. "Don't open your eyes." He told you as he let you go physically and mentally. "Who are you?" You asked once again (he suppressed a laugh when you really didn't open your eyes), your voice this time harsher, on edge and ready to fight.

"I'm a student here, as well."

"I can't say I believe you." You answered, and even with your eyes closed, you could feel his presence and leave a few meters between the two of you, circling him in the room with the reflexes of a cat. Maybe you weren't that helpless, after all.

"I'm not surprised, but I am a student."

"Prove it." You demanded.

"There is a Bakugou Katsuki in your class, who has some serious anger issues."

"Everyone knows that." You scoffed, and he chuckled. "Todoroki Shouto, the quiet, strong kid, who is also a cold Soba addict and Endeavors kid." He kept on.

"Huh," you answered with a sly smile, showing him you were enjoying this just a bit. "Not bad, but you gotta give me a bit more than that."

"What do you even want me to say?" He protested with a chuckle he couldn't suppress, suddenly thinking of something he wasn't sure that was supposed to be said. "Okay, umm..." He looked at you as he hesitated to speak.

"There is a general stuied kid that transferred to your class." He said, watching your face as he spoke. "Hitoshi Shinsou. A kid that's supposed to be a villain."

Your brows furrowed immediately, the smile you just had on disappearing. "Don't call him that." You spoke, your cold voice surprising him. "He is a student in the hero course, not a general studies kid. He is aiming and working to be a hero, and you don't have the right to call him a villain." You protested, your words causing a weight to settle on his chest.

What the hell were you saying? Wasn't his quirk the reason you never spoke or looked at him? The reason you were afraid of him? Where was the meek little girl he knew, that always ran from him, that couldn't even glare at him or speak back? You looked strong, instead.

"But you do have the right, don't you?" He asked, voice now even lower. You visibly flinched.

"Who are you?" You asked after a few minutes, refusing to answer his question.

"I can't tell you. But you do believe I'm not an outsider, do you?"

You shook your head slowly.

"Well then, if that's settled." He told you, chuckling as he spoke. You heard him walk, a creak coming from the piano seat. "Why don't you want me to open my eyes?" You questioned, and he kept his silence for a few seconds. "I don't want you to know who I am." He said simply, and you scoffed.

"I already understood that, I want to know why."

"Aren't you here to listen to me?" He told you, tapping the piano keys softly. "You can listen to me with the condition of not opening your eyes."

You could tell he wasn't going to answer your question, so you went with another one. "Do I know you?"

You didn't know who he really was, did you? It wouldn't be a lie if he said no. Your brows furrowed when he answered negatively, wondering why it felt like a lie.

You shook your head, and he couldn't help but wonder why you were so scared of him when you knew who he was, especially after you had even defended him to someone you didn't even know. His gaze wandered over you, and he found himself thinking just how pretty you were, the moonlight softly lighting your features, the confident look on your face never once going away, and it just didn't make sense how you could be the same girl he saw every day.

"Won't you come closer? I won't bite." He spoke mockingly when you stood where you were, at least 5 meters away from him. You surprised him by actually coming near him. Shinsou stood up, feeling bad making you stand there. He pulled a chair next to the piano. "You can sit here if you want to." He told you, leading your hand to the chair, you shook your head but refused to sit.

"Do you have a requested piece?" He asked, although a bit more cynically than he intended to.

"Do you know any Chopin?" You shrugged uninterestedly, but your curious tone told him you were more than excited for this.

"Chopin it is." He muttered, a short silence followed by him pressing the keys. It didn't take long to recognize the piece, and he was surprised to see you interested in classical music.

He didn't stop playing when he finished the piece, playing something else, some you didn't recognize, some of your favorite piano pieces, and you were mesmerized. By the way he played the passages softly, almost causing a physical warmth to spread through your body.

Soon, it felt like you weren't sitting next to some stranger, so used to each other's presence that you sometimes forgot where you were or who you were with.

You didn't know how much you sat there, already lost the sense of time. Sometime along the night, you had sat on the chair he pulled for you, the faint lavender scent once again making itself recognizable.

"Are you cold?" He muttered, talking for the first time for what felt like hours, snapping you back into reality from the bubble of thought you were lost in. You noticed you were hugging your body, your knees pressed to your chest, chills down your arms, not even aware you were about to fall asleep a few seconds ago.

"I guess so." You muttered and heard him chuckle. "You shouldn't fall asleep next to a stranger."

"Why not?" You asked, still not fully awake.

"I'm a stranger." He declared and heard a muffled laugh coming from you, and he realized it was the first time he heard you laugh, too. "I might be a very bad person, kill you in your sleep." He whispered the last words, and you chuckled, this time slightly more awake.

(His words reminded you if something, a conversation you had with someone else earlier that day, but with sleep clouding your thoughts, you couldn't connect the two)

"Well, you're studying in UA, right? Aiming to be a hero. I don't think you could be that bad."

Silence followed your words, and you wondered if you had said something wrong, shifting in your place. No, it wasn't that you had said something wrong, you had said something so right, something Shinsou had waited his whole life to hear from someone, but he had never thought this someone would be you. 

"That's the weakest argument I've ever heard." He answered after a few seconds, trying to pull himself back together. "It still doesn't stop me from falling asleep, though. Are you tired?"

"I'm always tired." He answered, cursing himself for revealing something of his character. But you hadn't seemed to catch on. Actually, you hadn't been saying anything for a while, and- were you already asleep?! 

Was that even humanely possible, he wondered. Still, he couldn't wake you up, could he? If he did, you would open your eyes and see him, and Shisnou didn't want to brainwash you again... 

He sighed, arms snaking up under your legs and back, pulling you to his arms and an odd feeling spreading to his chest when you snuggled closer to his chest, seeking warmth, the innocent smile on your lips causing him to hold his breath.

He had no idea why he was helping you, either, but he just couldn't leave you there. It was payback for you defending him earlier, he concluded, even though you had defended him against him.

He finally climbed the stairs that went to your room, opening the door as quietly as he could and dropping you on your sheets, a puff of air that smelled like you rising from your bed when he dropped you. Shinsou found himself inhaling and smiling at your scent, brows furrowing immediately when he realized what the hell he was doing. 

He exited the room with thoughts filling his head, so many things to reconsider and think of, and Shinsou knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at all that night.

~~~

"Has Shinsou been treating you better lately, or am I delirious?" Yaoyorozu had asked that day, which you had answered with a shrug, even though the answer was definitely yes. He hadn't called you dumb or a coward for a hot minute, and it was both making you relieved and concerned. 

He wasn't frowning whenever your eyes met (he had once smiled at you, which resulted in you choking on your drink you had just sipped on, so he had decided it was the best not to), wasn't even glaring at you. Still, that didn't mean you had accepted him, or befriended him in any way. You kept on avoiding him with all you had, and he couldn't even blame you, he wasn't even aware of the internal fight you were giving, trying to stop yourself from smiling back, to stop thinking maybe he wasn't that bad after all, to stop yourself from liking him and failing.

Shinsou wasn't deliberately acting better towards you, either. He didn't mean to change anything, but it did. Ever since the first night you had talked with him without knowing who he was, without guarding yourself or hiding what you wanted to say and held back, his anger towards you had started to fade. 

You had met almost every night after that day, and his heart had no right to beat faster when he saw you standing there, waiting for him, but it did. Shinsou knew this feeling and wasn't exactly foreign to the warmth that spread in his chest when you leaned your head on his shoulder as he played something soft, the excitement he had when you praised him for his music, the pride when you laughed loudly at something he said because he had made you laugh and-

And he had no right. 

Not after he had treated you the way he did.

Still, he was too selfish to lose you, so he answered negatively whenever you asked to open your eyes. 

"But why not?" You protested, your head resting on his shoulder, you inhaled his lavender scent, soft hair tickling your face. 

"Why do you want to know that much? Can't we just stay this way? Do you have to know who I am?" He told you, fear causing a feeling to sit in the pit of his stomach, fear of what would happen, of how much you would hate him if (when) you found out.

No, no, you could hate him all you want in the day, hate the persona he had for everyone and you, but he couldn't bear you hating him as the pianist, because that who he really was.

You were the only one who knew the real him, if you hated the real him, he could never gather the courage to show it to anyone else. He called you coward all this time, and it was he who was the real coward, after all.

But Shinsou wasn't the only one with a secret. 

Even though you hated it, even though you couldn't admit it, you wanted the pianist to be a certain someone. Someone with a pair of pretty indigo eyes and the craziest hair you had ever seen. 

And the hope, the feeling of maybe it is him, it hurt to stay clinging to a thread of hope. And you knew, you knew it couldn't be him, and you wanted to open your eyes and kill whatever stupid part of your brain it was that hoped for it to be Shinsou, to open your eyes and stop your feelings that were growing for him with the feelings you harbored for the stranger that sat across you. The stranger you didn't know the name of, the stranger, who played the piano for you every single night until you fell asleep, the stranger you trusted, you liked, and you... loved? 

No, no, that couldn't be true. You couldn't love someone you didn't know anything about, could you? But you did know him, didn't you? You knew him very well, and he knew you, the real you, you who you didn't feel like you had to hide.

"I just- maybe then we won't have to see each other just at night." You answered, trying to think of a reasonable answer other than 'I'm trying to get over a crush here by using my crush I have on you'

"Maybe some other day." He answered, and you sighed since that was his usual go-to answer.

"Maybe some other day." You repeated, once again leaning to him, making yourself comfortable as he played a piece he played often, a piece you had fallen in love with because of him. 

~~~

"You'll hate me." He had once told you when you asked why. He had immediately corrected himself, but you had heard it already. 'You'll hate me.'

"I can never hate you." You had answered, felt the deep breath he had inhaled, felt how he held his breath in his chest in a hopeful manner. "You think that now," he had chuckled in a way of trying to conceal the broken tone in his voice. "I will only believe that if you promise me you haven't hated anyone in your life."

He had sighed when you hadn't answered him.

"But that's not fair," you had protested. "It doesn't depend on whether I have ever hated anyone. Why would I hate you? I wouldn't be coming here every single night if I did, would I?"

"I'm... different with you." He had answered, and you felt your heart-clenching, holding your breath unconsciously.

"How are you so sure?" You had asked. "Do you think you would've hated yourself if you were me?" You had joked, not expecting him to answer.

"I already do." He had whispered, making your brows knit together in anger. "No!" You protested, opening your eyes in a whim to prove to him that you wouldn't, couldn't hate him even if you knew who he was, but before you even got a glimpse, his hand closed over your eyes as if he felt what you had in mind.

"No, no." He chuckled, "no cheating."

~~~

"I'm really sure I can't hate you." You had concluded after a moment of silence, and he had laughed, the sound making you feel warm. "What makes you so sure?" 

"Honest answer?"

"Yes."

"I... like you." You had finally managed to choke out after a few seconds and were greeted with silence. 

"No, you don't." he had told you, and you would've laughed if it was any other situation (because really, who answers I like you with no? And you thought thank you was the worst answer, apparently not), but his voice was so sad, almost regretful. It was obvious he didn't believe you.

"You don't know that!" You had protested, and he had sighed. "Believe me, I do."

"I like you." You repeated, this time more confident and left no room for denial, and somehow you could feel him smiling. "I like you, too."

"Don't you wanna see me after my confession?" He had half-joked, and you knew he would let you open your eyes if you said yes. But you chose not to, knowing well he wasn't ready.

"It's okay." You had answered and heard the breath of relief he had inhaled, although he tried to hide it.

A faint chuckle waked you up from your slumber. You felt strong arms wrapping your body as they lifted you up in the air, and you quickly closed your eyes. You knew he wouldn't know if you did open your eyes, but you... couldn't. Not when he begged you not to, not when he told you you would hate him.

You wanted him to be ready when you did. 

"You should really stop trusting people as much as sleeping soundly next to them." You felt a soft hand caressing your hair away from your hair, the motion making you hold your breath.

He leaned towards you, his hair tickling your face, and he was suddenly so close, you could feel the heat radiating from his face, and you wished, wished for him to kiss you. But instead, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Something you least expected him to say, yet, it was what you most wanted to hear, you realized. 

His arms wrapped around you, lifting you and pulling you to his chest, and you felt oddly relaxed, thinking you were in the arms of someone you didn't even know the name of.

You had your eyes closed as he carried you to your room, trying to look asleep so he wouldn't let you go, and you could stay together, at least slightly longer. 

He opened your room door with his foot, placing you on your bed softly. You stood quiet, hoping he'll stay a bit longer, but also aware he wouldn't. "I know you're awake." He spoke softly after a few seconds, and you couldn't help but smile. "You do?" You asked, and he answered a soft yes.  

"You could've told me that down there so you wouldn't have had to carry me all the way here." You joked as you noticed he was a bit more anxious than he usually was. "You looked comfortable." He answered with a nervous chuckle.

"I should go." He told you, but you felt him getting closer to you instead of doing what he said, his hand caressing your hair out of your face softly, as he usually did when you snuggled to his side when he played the piano. 

"Do you have to?" You gathered the courage and asked, couldn't help smiling when you heard him gasp softly.

"I don't really wanna be alone." You added, and he sighed. 

"I'll only stay until you fall asleep."

"I'll fight my sleep the whole night if I have to." You answered, and he chuckled, making you laugh, too. He sat on the ground, right next to you, his hand still softly caressing your hair. 

"Then I'll stay here until you can't."

And he did. He stayed there even when you felt like couldn't fight it, couldn't hold back from falling asleep as his lavender scent lulled you into the sleep, his hand holding yours, but you were strong, and you resisted, resisted until the sun shone its first lights into your room.

"You're still awake." He muttered, but his voice was afraid, and you knew this voice. 

"You can't recognize my voice. You can in the day, but not at night." He remembered. Realizing it was now day.

It was a voice that made you flinch whenever you heard it, the voice that had told you some of the meanest things that had been told to you.

"I know who you are." You whispered, your eyes still closed. 

"Open your eyes, then. Open your eyes, look at me and tell me you don't hate me."

You did open your eyes, but your voice didn't come out. You gulped, instead, feeling a lump forming in your throat and aching there. "What, got nothing to say?" He asked, trying to joke, but he had meant it serious, he realized.

You couldn't bring yourself to speak, and you didn't know why, either. Didn't you want the pianist to be him? Wasn't there a part of you that wanted it to be him? Hadn't you told him all those things, everything, thinking it could still be him? Then why couldn't you repeat them now? Looking at his indigo eyes that looked at you like he was broken, like he knew this would happen but was holding on to the last thread of hope?

You were afraid, afraid you wouldn't be able to speak, to tell him that you meant it all, and he noticed it. He saw the look of fear in your eyes.

People being afraid of him was something he was more than familiar with, after all.

"I knew it." He whispered, and you noticed his eyes were slightly damp with disappointment. He ran his hand through his hair, eyebags darker than usual, and he bit his bottom lip as if he tried to hold himself back from crying.

"It's okay. You're right about hating me, I knew it would eventually happen but-"

"I don't." You finally managed to tell him when he turned towards your door to exit the room, holding him by the wrist, knowing damn well this would be your only chance to tell him.

"I had- I had meant it all." You spoke and saw the glint of hope in his pretty eyes. "Even if my eyes were closed." 

You saw how it took a few seconds for him to process the words, and when he did, he smiled. 

"You don't hate me?" 

You nodded, and he took a step towards you when you did.

"Not afraid of me, either?"

You nodded, smiling slightly, and he took one more step.

"Are you really sure, though?" He asked, and you chuckled as you nodded once again, and his face was almost mere inches away from yours when he got even closer to you.

"Can I... kiss you, then?"

You nodded one more time, tilting your face towards his. "You should've asked this first, instead." You whispered just before he pressed his lips to yours, making him smile into the kiss.

[babbushka]

Invitation Only

Bond Villain!Kylo Ren x 007!Reader 

3.5k ; NSFW (69, oral sex (m & f receiving) fingering, come eating, come swallowing, mirror sex, PIV)

Inspired by some prompts requesting masquerade/costume party with BV!K

Available on AO3

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

Sometimes, you can’t help but think as you make your way down the grand staircase, being an agent really does pay off.

It’s shockingly easy to sneak into the party, the ball. Because that’s what it is really, a grand costume ball hosted on Halloween. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to slip through the doors, everyone is wearing masks and therefore could be anyone in the world. By that same token, you could be anyone, and for tonight, you relish in the opportunity to be no one; the opportunity to simply enjoy the party, and try to gain some intel for Mi6. There were no attacks planned tonight, no fights – you didn’t even have any guns on you this evening.

No, you were here simply to mingle with the best of the worst; the most powerful criminals, evil villains and masterminds that the world had to offer.

So it should make sense, that you would run into Kylo.

You knew he would be here, of course. In fact, you had almost been counting on it, you had dressed for it. You knew he’d be here, and you knew that he knew you’d be here too, so you made sure to put on your most elaborate ball gown, hair done up to the nines, and of course a beautifully crafted mask tied around your face. You knew he’d appreciate the effort, and that he’d come find you to tell you just how much.

However, you hadn’t expected him to take his time finding you. You’d been at the costume ball for nearly two hours, a martini glass in one hand and a winning smile the only thing keeping you company as you rejected offers for dances from men and women alike. Kylo wouldn’t have been too pleased with that, you smirk to yourself behind your glass, and you weren’t here to cause a scene.

It’s elegant, the party. Set in one of these rich old men’s rich old homes, a castle atop a hill in the south of Germany proudly hosts nearly three hundred guests. Ornate candelabras and chandeliers are lit with the orange glow of candles, there are servants walking around with silver trays of food and drink, the baroque music is played by a lively orchestra, and henchmen and masters alike enjoy the merriment on the dance floor.

You have relocated to the upper level of the ballroom, one hand skimming along the banister railing that prevents guests from toppling down off the balcony which overlooks the dance floor. Eyes cast downward, you search through the group of beautifully organized dancers, trying to find the handsome villain you have come to adore.

When he comes up silently beside you, you grin.

“Are you aware that this party is invitation only?” Kylo muses, his voice deep.

You do not turn to face him, instead captivated by the way the dancers spin and move around one another, choreographed steps that have you itching to join them. Taking a sip of your martini, you smile.

“Who’s to say that I wasn’t invited?” You counter. The both of you know you weren’t invited, but what did it matter? You were here, you weren’t causing any trouble, there was no cause for alarm.

Kylo grins and puts his hand on the railing close to yours. He’s wearing gloves, the same as you are; but where yours are long satin opera gloves that go up to your elbow, his are short made of cotton, white and pristine.

“Finally decided to see the light and join the better side, have you?” He murmurs, voice low in your ear as he steps a little closer to you. He too casts his gaze down to the view below, approvingly.

“Maybe I have, or maybe I wanted an excuse to dress up, we’ll never know.” You shrug, finally turning to look at him.

“It’s a beautiful costume, but I’d much rather see what you’re hiding underneath it all.” He’s all teeth when he grins at you, sinister and handsome beyond belief.

Getting a good look at him, you rake your eyes over his body. He’s usually formal, you don’t think you’ve ever seen him in casual dress, but tonight he has truly taken it up a notch. He’s wearing a white bowtie along with his top hat and tails, his starched shirt handsomely pressed and near blindingly clean. His mask is nothing more than a thin strip of gauzy black fabric over his eyes, and you raise a brow. It does nothing to conceal his identity, unlike the more traditional masquerade mask that you sport.

“Incorrigible.” You swat his shoulder as you link your arm around his, allowing him to lead you away from the banister and down the stairs. “And what are you supposed to be?”

“I’m the tall dark stranger your parents warned you about.” Kylo replies easily, and you bite back a groan at his lines. Kylo is nothing if not dramatic, after all.

“Sorry, is that supposed to impress me?” You reply sarcastically instead, and Kylo chuckles, a low rumble in his chest that blooms into your side from where you’re holding onto him.

“Did it?” He teases.

“No.” You lie, and he only grins again. You’ve missed that smile, even though you’d never let him know that.

“Then no.” He lies right back, and before you can say anything else, he frowns suddenly. “You haven’t danced with anyone all evening.”

That observation doesn’t surprise you, but you feel the need to give him some grief about it anyway. Kylo leads you through the dance floor, the two of you wandering and meandering through joyous couples on the marble tile, careful not to bump into anyone as they spin and bow and step in time to the music.

“Oh so you’ve been watching this whole time, have you.” A waiter passes you by, and you place your empty martini glass onto the tray as he goes, both your hands free for what you hope will be a fun dance. “I wonder why you didn’t come see me sooner.”

Kylo falters for a moment, and that’s a rare sight to see, the sight of him biting the inside of his cheek with nerves.

“I wasn’t sure that you’d want to see me…our last meeting did not end as well as I always hope.” He replies quietly, and you sigh.

The last time you had seen one another was nearly two months ago, an agency helicopter swooping down to pick you up from a rooftop shootout in Spain. Kylo had been the one shooting at you that time, and you back at him.

“I know you missed on purpose.” You shake your head, “You have better aim than that.”

Seemingly appeased, Kylo stops right in the middle of the dance floor and turns to face you fully. The music ends and everyone turns to applaud the orchestra. That had been a short dance, so they do not take a break, the conductor murmuring to her musicians and telling them of the next piece.

“Dance with me, just one dance.” Kylo bows deeply before you, and offers a hand.

You do not hesitate to take it.

This piece is slower, much slower. It is heavily piano based, as opposed to the lively strings of the previous music, and you can’t help but wonder if Kylo planned it this way. The crowd thins a little as well, those who had tired themselves out while dancing their hearts away retiring to the sidelines for a new crop of villains to take the floor.

Kylo’s hand is on yours, his other tucked behind his back as you both follow along with the dance. Kylo has always been elegant in his own way, in everything he does, and the dancing is no different. In fact, as the strings begin to swell along with the piano, you feel as though you’re the only two people in the entire castle. You look into his eyes through his thin mask, and he stares into yours, and that is it, it is just the two of you.

Candles glow all around you as you and Kylo walk around one another, as he holds your hand and bows to you, as he never keeps his eyes off of you. In the back of your mind, you know that everyone is watching you. You, the mysterious woman who has shown up to this party, dancing with one of the most notorious and dangerous criminals among them. Who were you to have won his attention? Oh, if only they knew.

“You’re very good at this.” You say softly, so that only he can hear.

“I’ve been practicing.” He admits readily, and you let out a little laugh at that, at the image of him roping one of the Knights of Ren into dancing with him again and again. They’re good sports, supportive of their master, you wonder if they’re here tonight on the dance floor elsewhere, showing off the moves they have had to learn.

“Now that does impress me.” You smile, and he beams.

The piece comes to an end a few minutes later, minutes spent gazing lovingly into one another’s eyes, quirked shy smiles and affectionate squeezes of hands. Once again, like with every other time you’re with Kylo, he doesn’t feel like an enemy. You don’t feel like you’re surrounded by people who want to kill you, you feel…accepted, welcomed, warm.

Those are dangerous feelings for an agent to have about her target, but you have them nonetheless.

“Shall we get out of here?” Kylo asks you discreetly as you applaud the orchestra once the music ends.

You nod, having hoped that the evening would take this turn.

 The room he brings you to is lavish, luxurious, gorgeous. It looks as though it’s never been modernized from the time the castle was built, whenever that must have been. A great big canopy bed takes up the majority of the room, red velvet drapes with golden ropes holding them open framing the mattress. You hardly have any time to look at anything else, before Kylo is taking you by the hand and bringing you to it.

You step out of your shoes and follow him, his hands frantically searching for the zipper, the button, the clasps anything that will get you out of these clothes and into his arms, and you laugh fondly at his enthusiasm. He’s so enthusiastic in fact, that he drops down to his knees and crawls underneath your giant skirt, his hands working to unclip your garters, to pull your stockings down, to mouth at your pussy through your underwear.

“Kylo!” You gasp and laugh at how bold he is, “Get up here.”

“Naked, I want you naked. There’s too many layers.” He growls, doing as he’s told. You reach behind yourself for the hidden zipper, and when Kylo finds it too, he gives it a hard yank.

“Don’t you dare rip this dress or I’ll gouge your fucking eyes out.” You snap when the dress protests with a creak, and Kylo only moans.

“I love it when you talk dirty to me baby.” Releasing your dress, his hands instead cup your throat, your cheek, as he kisses you sloppy hot and wet.

You kiss him back, unzipping the gown and letting it fall down your body. You remove your undergarments quickly as he kisses you still, his mouth insistent upon yours, his tongue firm and slick as it slides against your teeth. He’s still fully clothed, and he scowls about it, breaking away to begin shedding clothing of his own.

While he does that, you take the opportunity to climb up onto the bed. It’s massive, it feels like there could be five people fitting easily here, and it is so plush that you sink into it with a pleased hum. A fireplace crackles and snaps across the room, and though you’re naked in this big castle, you’re warm. Even warmer still, when Kylo’s naked body joins you on the mattress and pulls you tight against him.

He’s achingly hard, you can feel his cock brush against your thigh as he kisses you some more, touches you. His hand drifts down between your legs and he dips his fingers into the folds of you pussy, massaging and encouraging your cunt to drip all over him. You reach to do the same for him, but he shakes his head, kisses your jaw.

“Let me eat your pussy, I’ve been thinking about it for months baby, please.” He whispers, and you find that you would rather die than deny him.

“How do you want me?” You reply straight away, and he sucks in a breath, excited, eager, rife with anticipation.

“Sit on my face, right here.” He manhandles you a little until you get the hint, straddling his head, your knees on either side of his ears. He’s got you facing away from him, and hanging up on the wall is a grand ornate mirror in a gilded gold frame. Maybe he doesn’t notice, but you do, as he sighs and licks into you with an, “Attagirl.”

Your pussy throbs around his tongue, his fingers. He keeps two in you, rubbing at the front of your walls, thrusting in and out slowly while he licks and sucks at your cunt. Your nipples stiffen at once, and your hands come up to cup your breasts and give them a squeeze, the sensation going straight to your clit.

“Fuck,” You moan, “Fuck that’s good, Kylo,”

It’d been so long since you’d been pleasured like this, since you’ve had his nose prodding up into you, his fingers curling and crooking inside your body, stretching you, opening you up for what you’re sure will be the fucking of a lifetime when this is done.

You ride his face, hips moving of their own accord, wanting more, seeking more. You stare at your reflection, watch as you rise and lower yourself onto his tongue, how your pussy drools and soaks his chin, how he swallows it down with groans and hums and sighs of his own. You look up, there is a mirror there too, you wonder if Kylo’s able to see himself eating your cunt like this, or if his eyes are shut with pleasure.

“Your dick’s drooling for me.” You manage to sigh, “Let me take care of you Kylo.”

His thighs twitch and his knees bend, hips pushing up at the insinuation. He doesn’t stop licking sucking biting kissing fingering your pussy as you shift yourself forward so you can grasp the shaft of his cock with one hand and wrap your lips around the head that’s oozing pre-come just for you.

“Mmm!” Kylo chokes on your pussy with the first hard suck you give his cock, and you both laugh through it, laughter that turns to moans as he fingers you harder, eats you out faster, a challenge.

You’ve never been one to back down from anything, and you don’t plan on backing down from this. You hollow out your cheeks and work him down down down your throat, until your nose nestles in the thick black patch of hair, your neck bulging out from where you’ve managed to fit nearly all of him.

Bobbing your head, your hands wind around his thighs and stroke at his calves, teasing touches that have him gasping as he buries his face in your pussy.

“Fuck – baby – I’m gonna -- !” Kylo moans and grunts into your pussy as he thrusts his hips up and fucks your throat, wishing he had a hand in your hair to keep your head down, keep you steady.

You pull off him quickly so you don’t choke, just as his come spurts from the head of his cock, landing all over his stomach, the hard firm muscle twitching as you jerk him off, stroking every last drop you can squeeze out.

“God you’re good to me.” Kylo grunts, nearly blacking out when you lean down to lick away some of his come, the flat of your tongue scooping it up off his skin and swallowing it. He smacks your thigh playfully for the effort, makes you whine.

“Fuck it into me,” Your voice is raw, used, but you reach for one of his hands and guide it to the pool of come on his abs. “Make me come on yours, mix it together.”

Kylo does as he’s told, moans into your cunt as he smears his fingers through his own come and pushes them into you, coating your insides with it. He thrusts his fingers hard and fast, until you’re riding his face in earnest to meet his pace, watching through lidded eyes in the mirror as your tits bounce and your body sweats on top of his.

When you come, you drench Kylo’s face, and the slurping sounds that come from his mouth as he swallows you down have you coming even harder, until you’re shaking, thighs trembling, and you have to be moved by him to lay on your side.

“Holy shit I missed this.” You laugh, delirious with bliss, and Kylo only hums in agreement, his cock still hard.

He doesn’t reply, instead shuffling down a little to worry one of your nipples between his lips, his arms wrapping around your middle tight. You sling a leg over his hip and card your fingers through his hair as he kisses and licks at your breasts, the both of you trying to catch you breath, shocks of pleasure rippling through your nerves.

After a while, Kylo’s breathing evens out so much, that you’re not entirely sure he hasn’t fallen asleep with your tits in his mouth. You gently tug on one of his ears and he groans, the kind of groan deep in his chest that only confirms you were right.

“We can’t stay here Kylo, someone will surely find us.” You say regrettably, still very aware of the masquerade ball which continues on downstairs. Music is playing, people are talking and laughing, all of those sounds come seeping back into your consciousness as the post-orgasm glow fades from your mind.  

“If they do I will simply tell them to fuck off.” Kylo only holds you tight, nuzzles his face further into your cleavage.

“I know you think you can do whatever you’d like but really don’t you think that’s in poor taste?” You chuckle, amused, twirling pieces of his long dark hair around your finger and giving them a little playful yank.

“Why should it be? This is my castle.” Kylo suddenly is invigorated, and your eyebrows shoot up as he rolls you over so that you’re lying on your back.

Your legs fall open for him, and he easily works his cock into your stretched and relaxed cunt, pussy giving way to him happily, easily. He doesn’t thrust, just holds himself there, holds himself above you as realization dawns across your face.

“…This is yours?” You blink, wondering how you had never known before, wondering just how many other lairs he had.

“Of course.” Kylo leans down to kiss your throat, your jaw, nibbling at your ear. “I threw this party. I wanted to see you.”

Of all the dramatic, theatrical, over the top schemes! You can’t help but laugh, shaking your head and covering your face with embarrassment that you had fallen for such a thing. Surely he knew by now that he could just call you, he didn’t have to go planning something so elaborate.

But – then again, this was Kylo.

Yes he did.

“I hate you.” You grin, and Kylo only takes the opportunity to start moving his hips in earnest, to start fucking you with that never ending stamina he seems to have whenever you’re around, and you laugh, filled with bliss and pleasure as he corrals your legs around his waist, one pushing up his shoulder to get a deeper angle, making you gasp out, “I hate you so much!”

Kylo only grins right back at you, those crooked teeth wanting nothing more than to dig into your flesh, to leave their marks, their bruises in your skin as your mouth falls open and your back arches into his touch. You’re watching yourself through the mirror on the ceiling, and you think that this is a good look, you spread out on the bed under him.

Kylo can tell you’re thinking too hard, and that won’t do, not for this evening. In the morning you can both deal with the fact that you’ve gathered absolutely no intel, that you’re an agent, that you’re the agent – but for now, for now Kylo kisses you, and smiles against your lips as you moan around his cock, and whispers against your tongue,

“Why don’t you close your eyes and hate me some more?”

And you do, except that you don’t.

In fact, you’re sure that after tonight, you’ll never be able to hate him again.

[igotbulletproof-insomnia]

Adopting Bangtan 06

01, 02, 03, 04, 05

Park Jimin & Kim Taehyung, age 8

Song Jieun is your favorite secretary at the school you work at. She’s like some coffee fairy the way she seems to magically know exactly when you need a fresh cup and you only needed to tell her how you liked it exactly one time. She is also endearingly sweet and hardworking, even if she has a penchant for losing things easily. It’s for that very reason why you are rarely surprised when Jieun approaches your desk in the staff room, like she does now, wearing a sheepish smile.

“What did you lose this time?” you question teasingly.

“I… may have misplaced a few copies of the kids’ grade reports…” she winces at the admission. “I think I threw them away by accident. I spent some time clearing out my things yesterday.”

“That’s right, my coffee fairy is moving to Gwangju,” your face twitches into a brief, playful pout. “How are the boys dealing with the change?”

“They’re fine,” she says quickly. “I’m a bit worried, but they’ll be okay, I’m sure.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” you ask, beginning to sign the small stack of papers. You flip the bottom half of the sheets up just enough to see the line at the bottom that you need to sign. You read them all just a few days ago, there’s no need to do it again.

“My fiance has been hinting that he doesn’t want to raise any step-children,” she explains, her voice tense with worry. “He’s especially concerned about my step-son from my last marriage… Heesung wants me to leave them in a boarding school here in Seoul. He’ll pay for their tuition but… I don’t really feel comfortable. They’re so young... I just don’t want him to leave me this close to the wedding.”

“He’s an idiot if he wants to leave you for being a good mother,” you tell Jieun firmly, but gently. “But I guess I understand the concern. I know you’ll do what’s best for the kids, you’re a good woman like that.” You pause, then flash another teasing smile. “I mean, you could just give them to me. I’m apparently running an orphanage at home.”

“Your boys are still bringing home strays?”

“I think I’ve gotten them to understand that they can’t bring home every sad kid and expect me to keep them. They usually have to go home eventually.” You finish signing the last of the forms.

“They have big hearts, I’m sure they learned that from you.”

“Yes, I taught them how to love,” you scoff indignantly. “If only they would learn to pee in the toilet, I might be a little nicer.”

“You love them,”

“Yes, I really do.”

Saturday evenings are chaotic.

As the parent of four preteen boys (and one first grader), almost everyday is chaotic. There is homework and music and video games and dance practice and guitar playing and piano lessons and why are all of these kids so dramatic, you didn’t raise them like this!

“Yah, I have three years more experience than you, how are you going to tell me --”

“Hyung, the answer is literally right there,” Namjoon sniggered, pointing.

“Listen, you brat --”

“The only brat I see here is you, Seokjin,” you sigh, breezing into the kitchen. Seokjin and Namjoon are perched on stools at the kitchen island, occupied with their homework. They were both clever kids, but Seokjin tended to get frustrated easily, and Namjoon was too quick for his own good. The two fought a lot, but they also depended on one another a lot; Namjoon would help Seokjin with the parts of his homework that became too frustrating and Seokjin would fluster Namjoon to the point where the kid acted his own age. “The others finished already?”

“Yoongi decided to stay at school and work with his friends,” Seokjin answers. “Hoseokie is playing with Kookie in their room. I think they’re building.”

“Okay, good,” you nod, “but that doesn’t explain why the TV is blasting Epik High.” Seokjin doesn’t bother verbalizing an answer, just turns to pointedly stare at Namjoon.

“They make good music!”

“And I am not arguing that point,” you agree. “I’m just saying that I could hear Mithra all the way down the hall before I even got to our floor.”

“That’s impossible, the volume isn’t that loud.”

“Namjoon,” Hoseok comes running into the kitchen. “You need to turn the music down our --” Hoseok stops in his tracks, almost slipping on the kitchen tile. “Oh, hi!”

“What were you saying, Hoseok-ah?”

“Um… I got a text, Joonie. Turn the music down.”

“Uh-huh, and how long ago did I send that text?”

“Uhm… about seven minutes ago?”

“And where, Namjoon, would I have been seven minutes ago?”

“Downstairs…” Namjoon suddenly finds the kitchen lights very interesting, the expression on his face imitating innocence.

“Uh-huh. Go fix it, please,” you roll your eyes. “This is the second time I’ve had to talk to you about your music being too loud. If it happens again I’ll be a week late paying for your subscription.” The fact that it had only been a guess that Namjoon had been blasting his music again was going to go completely unmentioned.

“Got it, won’t happen again,” he calls over his shoulder.

“Hoseok-ah,” you address the kid sneaking out of the kitchen. Your tone implies he’s in trouble and he stiffens. You can practically hear him thinking, wondering which of his shenanigans you may have found out about and which ones would have actually gotten him into trouble. Hoseok is a bit of a wild child when he gets into the right mood, but for the most part he’s actually the easiest one to take care of. They’re all relatively easy and well-mannered children, but they all have their bouts of difficulty. “Please try to deliver my messages promptly, not ten minutes later.” You let the scolding settle before adding, “Also, it’s your turn to choose dinner.” The face Hoseok makes in response, the sheepish, oh, right, I forgot, grin is adorable and you can’t help but smile in response.

“Can we get takeout?”

“Depends where from,” you reply as the doorbell rings.

“Can we please not do Jiwon-ssi’s dumplings again? I’m going to be sick,” Seokjin whines.

“Jiwon-ssi makes the best kimchi!”

You leave the boys to argue in the kitchen while you go answer the doorbell, which rings for the second time. Whoever is at the door is awfully impatient, you think, either that or just obnoxious. The apartment isn’t that big, although it is the biggest one you could find on your budget. Three bedrooms, one toilet, a balcony, kitchen, and living room. Yoongi and Seokjin share one room together with Jungkook while Namjoon and Hoseok share another. The space was a bit cramped, but It isn’t the one bedroom apartment you had when you adopted Namjoon, and it isn’t the two bedroom apartment from when you adopted Seokjin and then Hoseok a few months ago. It’s comfortable, and that’s what’s important.

“Seokjin,” you call while walking to the door, “it’s Hoseokie’s choice. Hoseokie, if Jiwon starts flirting with me again, I will hide your lucky sweatpants in some place you will never find them again.”

You open the door, Hoseok’s indignant spluttering and Namjoon’s cackling behind you. It’s a sort of chaos you’ve grown accustomed to, and it fills you with a warm feeling in your heart. You love these boys and are so happy to have met them and received the chance to raise them.

There are two more kids on the other side of the door.

“Um. Hi.”

“Hello!” One of the boys greet and they both bow to you. You blink at them. They’re cute, but you don’t exactly understand why they’re asking for you. “Thank you for taking us in!”

“What?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“You said you can’t adopt more!”

“I… don’t…” you trail off, lost and confused. “What?”

“Mommy said me and Jiminie can live with you when she gets married,” the same boy who spoke earlier explained. His face is rather round, dark eyes framed with thick eyelashes. The other one is paler, features softer, prettier. “She said to give you this.” He holds out a piece of paper, one detailing the transferring of parental rights from Song Jieun to yourself. With your signature at the bottom.

“You’re Song Jieun’s kids?” you ask them, just to be sure. Both boys nod.

“Mommy also wanted me to give you…” the same boy starts searching through his pockets, mumbling to himself that I know I had it somewhere… I had it when we left… did I lose it on the bus? Eventually, the smaller one taps his brother on the shoulder and points to the front pocket of his bookbag. “Oh right! Thanks! Here.” the kid thrusts yet another piece of paper at you, this one a handwritten note written on good cardstock.

“Saem,” Seokjin speaks from just behind your shoulder now, “did you seriously fall for the same trick twice?”

“What trick?” You ask absentmindedly, reading the heartfelt apology. Apparently, that day when you signed those grade reports, Jieun slipped in a guardianship form and you unwittingly signed it.

“I gave you a bunch of things to sign and you didn’t even read them, you just signed it all,” your eldest replies. “I did that three years ago. How did you not learn yet?”

“Is that what happened?” You gape at him.

“Yes, but we aren’t talking about me right now,” Seokjin deflected. “We’re talking about you adopting more kids.”

“Um,” that same kid, the one with the thick eye lashes, cuts in. “Can we come in?” It’s a fair question, and in spite of the confusion and frustration in your heart, you know you aren’t going to send these kids back to Jieun and her new husband. She had already expressed her concern for these kids, and they aren’t even old enough to start middle school. How are they going to live in an apartment on their own? You stole Yoongi for that exact reason so you aren’t going to be a hypocrite now and turn these two boys away, even if you have no idea what you would do with seven children.

At least these two come with an added paycheck. And okay, that is bad, that is very, very bad. It isn’t nice to think of these innocent children as a paycheck, but it helps. You are struggling to take care of the five you already have, receiving extra money for the extra mouths is nice. At least Jieun was considerate about throwing her kids at you.

“Hello,” Namjoon waved. He hasn’t moved from his seat on the sofa, remote still in hand. Map the Soul is playing at a more sensible level, and it's a testament to Namjoon’s interest in the situation because he normally skips this song. “I’m Namjoon. Welcome to our home.”

“I’m Seokjin,”

“I’m Hoseok,”

“And I’m Jungkookie!”

“When did you get here?” you ask your youngest, surprised to see him.

“I heard the doorbell.”

“Right, my children are nosey, awesome,” you mumble to yourself. “Hoseok, let these boys stay with you and Joonie for now, okay? Boys what are your names again?”

“I’m Taehyung,” says the same child who’s done all of the talking so far. “This is my brother, Jimin. He’s quiet and doesn’t like to talk.”

“That’s okay. We were going to order dinner soon. Are you boys hungry?”

“I’m always hungry,” Taehyung grinned.

“Of course you are, you’re a young boy. This lot will eat me out of house and home if I let them.”

“Your house is your home, you’re being redundant,” Namjoon scoffs, going back into the kitchen to finish his homework.

“I fail to see where I’m wrong though.”

“I volunteer to not tell Yoongi we’re adopting more kids,” Hoseok laughs as he leads Jimin and Taehyung away.

“One, two, three, not it!” The rest of the boys shout.

“Hey, I’m the parent here! Why are you behaving like I’m afraid of a twelve-year-old?!”

07

[2996-sana]

Not So Unrequited Love - Jennie

At 11 on a Friday, Jennie finds herself at Coffee Beanz where her, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé usually meet for their weekly brunch. The quaint little coffee shop that huddled despondent among huge city buildings has cemented itself as their go-to place ever since Jisoo came across it during their freshman year of college. The interior was warm and cheery and always played really good jazz during Fridays which Jennie absolutely loved.

Now professionals with outstanding positions in their own industries, the four girls still haven’t forgotten about the one place that always gave them a bittersweet recollection of their time as broke and stressed college students. Not that they need the weekly trips to the coffee shop to see each other. They all lived in the same apartment complex separated by just a few doors from each other after all. It was just a nice little tradition that reminded them to remain grounded no matter how far they come in their own careers.

This week, the topic at hand over their usual coffee and brunch orders was Jennie’s struggle to find a date.

“Why is this happening to me?” Jennie complains, throwing her hands in the air. “Am I lacking something?”

The three girls rolled their eyes at their best friend. Jennie really did have a flare for the dramatics.

“Jen, you literally have people lining up to date you.” Jisoo reassured while the other two hummed in agreement.

“That’s right,” Rosé says, taking a pause to sip her coffee. “I mean Y/N is literally the living embodiment of that statement.”

Lisa snorts at Rosé’s words. You were Rosé’s childhood best friend and business partner who first crossed paths with Jennie about three years ago during their company launching and was notorious in their friend group for your not so subtle crush on Jennie.

This was not lost on Jennie however. Not at all. Moves were made. These so-called moves could’ve definitely been executed better, Jennie was sure of that, but she appreciated your efforts.

You just weren’t her type.

Jennie grimaced hearing your name. “I-I don’t know, Rosie. Nothing against her or whatever. She’s just not my type is all.”

“You know, Jennie, just because Y/N isn’t the typical person littered with tattoos that you usually go for, doesn’t mean she won’t make good company on a date.”

She wanted to rebut Lisa’s argument but she knew the girl had a point. Looking at her dating history, she was known for being with people – boys and girls – who all looked and acted like their moral compass could use some adjusting. What can she say? She has always been a sucker for someone wild.

You on the other hand could be compared to sunshine. Jennie can’t ever recall seeing you without a smile on your face. It almost seemed like it was the last step in your morning routine before walking out of your house. In Jennie’s eyes, you were too nice. Nicer than Rosé (if you’re on her good side) and that is saying a lot.

“Lisa is right, Jen. Y/N is actually super cool,” Jisoo insisted, remembering the time she bumped into you at an art exhibition. It was there that she discovered that you were one for the arts and had two of your paintings featured that night. She also noticed how people lit up at your presence and appreciated how you commanded the room whenever you began talking. It reminded her of how tough and demanding you were during a meeting she was able to attend that one time she visited Rosé. The impressed faces of your investors were ingrained in Jisoo’s brain. She was convinced you were a whole different person when needed to be.

Jisoo was fond of you. Especially for Jennie. She knew that if Jennie just gave you the time of day, Jennie would be able to look past her perception of you: boring and plain – and discover that you are more than what meets the eye.  

“Yeah, Jen! Give her a chance,” Rosé was sporting a pout, clearly wanting both of her friends to get together.

With her best friends’ eyes on her, all looking like they were expecting the same answer, Jennie sighs in defeat.

Oh, what the hell. Just one date. What could go wrong, right?

“Fine.”

“Wow, we can tell just how excited you are.” Lisa was giggling at Jennie’s pained expression. She was sure Jennie was just overreacting anyway. Lisa actually thought you were cute and 100% dateable.

•

You were tapping your foot on the wooden floor of your office finishing off some paperwork when your silver-haired best friend slash business partner Rosé entered unannounced, a big smile on her face that was becoming borderline creepy.

“Why do you look like that?”

Rosé began to squeal in excitement complete with jumping up and down. “Jennie wants to go on a date with you!”

The words cause you to come to a halt as your cheeks are suddenly kissed pink, your blush searing through your cheeks.

For a minute Rosé thought her friend’s face was on fire.

“What?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me loud and clear,” Rosé teased. “Anyways, she’s free this Saturday and I did you a favor and called for a reservation at her favorite Italian restaurant by Graves Street under your name. 7PM, don’t be late! Bye!”

That was the last you heard before the girl slammed the doors of your office closed.

•

As planned, you were sat in one of the tables at Jennie’s restaurant of choice. Large mullioned windows, long embroidered curtains, dark walnut tables with splendidly proportioned cabriole legs, romantic candles on each table, soft live piano music, and a flagstone tile floor. The restaurant was fancy, that you could tell as you observed from your seat.

You resorted to playing with your fingers as you waited for the girl who has lived in your heart and mind rent free ever since you saw her that evening of your company’s launching. You were twenty minutes early due to the nerves that haven’t left since Rosé informed you of Jennie’s approval of the date. You couldn’t believe Jennie actually agreed to this. Last thing you heard was Jennie’s break up with her designer boyfriend of one year and that she was back on the market. You didn’t think you would be lucky enough to even be a candidate that could potentially bring her off it again.

You shake your head at your thoughts. You were getting way ahead of yourself. For now, you should just focus on getting this date right so that a second one could be on the table.

“Hey, you’re early.”

You cast your eyes upwards to see Jennie plopping down on the seat in front of you and you had to forcefully tear your eyes away from the beauty that finally graced you with her presence. She looked sinfully stunning in her black vintage Chanel dress.

“Oh, um…I-I actually just got here.” you blurted, looking bewildered. “You look beautiful.”

You wanted to hit yourself for such a basic compliment but being there with Jennie was nerve-wracking enough as it was so you cut yourself some slack. Jennie couldn’t help but giggle at how obviously flustered you were.

Cute, she thought. “Thank you, Y/N. I think you look dashing yourself.”  

You felt heat rising to your cheeks and prayed it wasn’t noticeable. Thankfully before you could embarrass herself, a friendly looking waiter approached your table with a menu.

“Are we ready to order ladies?”

Jennie looked to you for confirmation which you answered with a tentative nod.

“I’ll have the poached lobster with butternut squash and chestnuts and…” Jennie threw you a glance from her menu.

“I’ll have the, um, beef tenderloin with the crab salad.” You read the first thing you saw from the menu, the pressure of Jennie looking at you throwing you off. “Thank you.”

“Okay, would that be all ladies?”

“Oh, and two glasses of white house. Thanks.”

As the waiter walked away with their orders, a silence settled over them.

“I know everything seems pretentious but I promise the food is worth it,” Jennie remarked with a teasing smile.

“It’s all good, Jennie. How’s work?” Your smile fades as you notice the girl you so badly wanted to impress was suddenly distracted, her attention everywhere but on you. You tried to see what Jennie was so focused on, following her line of sight.

After a couple moments, you realize that Jennie was focused on a couple eating across from each other a few tables away from you. The boy was studiously bent over his meal while conversing with the girl as she collapsed with helpless giggles. It didn’t take you long to realize that it was Jennie’s ex, Kai, having met him during Lisa’s birthday party last year. A big point to also remember was how the dude was literally Rosé’s cousin.

“Jennie?”

Jennie was snapped out her trance, desperately trying to compose herself.

What the fuck was Kai, her ex-boyfriend, doing here with a girl? She wasn’t jealous. Not in Kai’s wildest dreams. She wouldn’t get back together with him even if he was the last option she had left. No, she was annoyed because Kai managed to bag someone before she could. She was Jennie Kim. Why wasn’t she in a disgustingly cute relationship by now? She wanted so badly to curse the boy out until she remembered she was also here for a date with Y/N. Y/N! Right, Y/N.

“Shit, sorry. I just thought I saw someone I knew,” Jennie shrugged. Her tone was apologetic but you could tell she was still distracted.

“It’s okay,” you tried to sound nonchalant, sporting a counterfeit smile, but you could practically feel the uneasy tension in the atmosphere.

You just hoped you could salvage the night.

•

You weren’t able to. Jennie stayed distracted and uninterested the rest of the night, eyes either glancing at the couple a few tables away or at her phone. She answered your questions with one worded answers and empty laughs and you were left to shift uncomfortably in your seat, grasping your sweaty and nervous hands under the table.

You threw yourself on your bed, screaming into a pillow. You couldn’t digest the defeat you felt. You had one chance to show Jennie you were worth her time and you couldn’t even get it right. You felt traumatized and humiliated. Jennie would have that disaster of a date seared into her brain forever and the thought was ready to pop up and torment you for the rest of your life. You knew the regret would come to you in random moments, demanding to be reexamined again.

No, you shouldn’t beat yourself up for it. You tried your best. As far as you were concerned, you didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, Jennie was the reason why things didn’t go as planned tonight.

You gave your pillow another scream at the realization. Jennie was uninterested because that’s what she was – uninterested. She obviously didn’t like you enough to be present during the date.

She could’ve at least pretended to be happy to be there, you thought bitterly.

•

A week after that disaster of a date, you were walking down the street enjoying the only time of the week you had to yourself. Work had been excruciating these past few months as you were in the middle of negotiating with foreign investors and hopefully sealing the deal by next week. The late afternoon sunlight, soft and diffuse, giving way to the strong rays of the day, was doing its job of convincing you that it was gonna be a great day.

You’ve been feeling down ever since the date and you badly needed a day to recuperate and gain back the confidence that you lost. Rosé was nothing short of apologetic when she found out about the disappointing events and reassured you that she, along with Jisoo and Lisa, gave Jennie the scolding she deserved. Although your best friend’s desired reaction was for you to feel better, it just made you more embarrassed knowing that Jennie’s blatant dislike in dating you was known to all of her friends.

Today, it was your mission to forget all about Jennie and that night.

The antique store has been a treasure trove to you. It never failed to give you objects of delight and interest that instantly claimed your attention. Today was no different. Your eyes lit up as you see the old woman, who looked like your typical ahjumma, behind the counter. She wasn’t the kind of old woman you pity with old bones and troubled limbs, but the kind who could still run an entire marathon if given half the chance.

“Ah, Y/N!” the woman exclaimed, “I didn’t see you last week, dear.”

“It has been a nightmare at the company. I’m surprised I’m still walking,” you sighed, making your way to the shelves filled with odd objects.

“Y/N, you should really learn how to take a breather. You’re always at work! No wonder you’re still single,” Nora shook her head, shooting you a look of disapproval.

You laughed as you looked through every rack for some knickknack you wanted to bring home. There was a carved sandal-wood box packed tight with aromatic cotton-wool, and between the layers of cotton-wool were little brass figures, hump-necked bulls and peacocks and goblins, delightful to see and handle.

“You don’t need to remind me of my impending doom of living alone for the rest of my life, Nora.”

You let out an involuntary gasp as you spot a teapot fashioned like a china duck before carefully putting it inside your basket. You continued to stare amazed at the different peculiar objects, completely entranced, that you didn’t hear someone walking up beside you.

“Y/N?”

You jumped in surprise at the sudden voice. And not just any voice. You turned around to see Jennie looking at you with the same look of shock on her face. “Jennie?”

She looked down at your basket before giving you a tight-lipped smile. Something akin to an apologetic one.

“I’m… actually really glad I ran into you,” Jennie stammered, head bowed as if ashamed. “I’ve been meaning to apologize about my behavior last Saturday. I was being rude and incons-“

You cut her off with a soft smile, “Jennie, it’s fine. It’s all behind us now. Apology accepted.”

“Ugh, why do you have to be so understanding? I feel like shit,” she groaned, stomping her feet on the ground.

You almost laughed at how genuinely disturbed she seemed but figured you didn’t want to make her more upset.

“Stop beating yourself up for it,” you urged, gently patting her shoulder. “Anyways, I’ll have Nora ring this up on the counter. Good seeing you, Jen.”

Before you could walk away from the cat-eyed girl, you feel fingers wrapping itself around your wrist.

“It’s a beautiful day out. Care to spare a couple of hours to spend it with me?”

•

Jennie wasn’t lying. It really was a beautiful spring day out. Try as you might, your focus was scattered, filled with nervous anticipation. You were afraid you wouldn't be able to hold a conversation while your thoughts danced in infinite directions. Yeah, operation move on from Jennie Kim was not looking too good. Still as you walked with Jennie along the local park, you were determined to move past that and tried to convince yourself that this was nothing but a platonic hang out.

“How’s work been?” Jennie questioned, hands in her coat pockets as her eyes drifted to the kids playing around the field.

“Hard,” you sighed. “We’ve all been hard at work but I’m sure you know that given Rosie never really shuts up about it.”

Jennie laughs and you don’t feel the familiar butterflies you get whenever you heard the melodic sound and you think that maybe you’re finally making progress.

“Yeah, she always makes sure to give us an earful about it.”

“How about you though? The magazine is doing really great. I’ve seen at least a hundred people reading this month’s issue just today,” you exaggerated, wiggling your eyebrows which again brought out a laugh from Jennie.

She playfully nudged your shoulder, “Real funny, but yeah everything is doing really great. Getting Lady Gaga on this month’s issue was a really great move. We have Selena Gomez up next. We bagged a really great exclusive interview.”

You could hear the pride in Jennie’s voice and you knew it was warranted. Being the self-made CEO of her own fashion and lifestyle magazine, Jennie had every right to feel proud. Plus, it wasn’t easy pulling off having such A list celebrities to feature in your magazine.

“That’s really amazing, Jen. You should be proud of yourself. It’s only going up from here, I know it. I’m rooting for you,” you quipped.

Jennie shot you her famous gummy smile before letting out a whispered thank you.

As the both of you observed your surroundings, you realize you reached the pier.

“It’s getting pretty dark. Should you head home now?” you ask while taking in the beauty of the pier at night.

The pier was a permanent fun fair; bumper cars, the hall of mirrors, the ghost train, a loop-the-loop roller coaster and the big wheel. Waves playfully splashing below, gentle salty breeze, smoothies, burgers, donuts and cotton candy.

Jennie was equally taken by the bustling fair, shaking her head. “I think I can stay a little while longer.”

You broke out into a smile, holding out your hand. “Come on then!”

You dragged Jennie to the end of the dock before sitting down on the edge and beckoning her to do the same. When you tilted your head upward, you could see clearly millions of bright stars dotted on the black canvas of the night.

“It’s so beautiful,” Jennie mused.

“The pier is most beautiful at night. It never fails to shove aside the worries corrupting my mind even for a couple hours,” you smiled.

“Do you come here often?”

You snorted, “Are you flirting, Miss Kim?”

Jennie gasps before throwing her head backwards, erupting into laughter. “You know what I mean, Y/N! Also, what if I was?”

You decided to ignore the last part, suppressing the tingling feeling spreading throughout your body, “I used to come up a lot when Rosé and I were still struggling with the company.”

You could feel Jennie’s stare burning right through you.

“Tell me more about you, Y/N.”

•

Hours later, Jennie laid on her queen-size bed staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t shake the giddy state her night with you left her in. Spending time with you was filled with meaningful conversations and playful (and a little bit flirty) banter. Things with you felt natural and refreshing, like a breath of fresh air from the cocky and overconfident types she was used to going on dates with. Was this what she was missing out on when she decided to act like a complete imbecile on your date?

She couldn’t help the smile making its way to her face as she remembered the events of tonight. She felt light and warm and basically everything good in the world balled up into one. She felt like a high schooler with a crush. The thought of seeing you again tingled through her like electrical sparks on the way to the ground, gathering in her toes.

She was crushing hard.

So, when Jennie found out that Rosé was throwing a big party for her birthday next week, all she could think about was seeing you, talking to you, and maybe stealing a kiss. She was convinced she was just floating through her way on the days leading up to Rosé’s party.

The party was electric just as Jennie expected. Everyone was feeding off of each other’s smiles and fast dancing. She was in one of the lounge couches chatting with her friends sipping on a rum runner as she tried to look past the sweaty dancing bodies with the mission of spotting you.

“Jendeukie, you seem distracted!” Jisoo yelled through the music.

Jennie chuckled, feeling a blush form on her cheeks. Thankfully, the glow from consuming one or two glasses of alcoholic drinks successfully masked it.

“Excuse me for a sec,” she announced as she got up and made her way to the kitchen.

“Jen!”

She cringed as she realized who the voice belonged to. She almost forgot Kai was Rosé’s cousin and was most likely invited to the party.

“Kai, hey…” she sighed.

She was annoyed that the boy had interrupted her attempt to find you, plus she really wasn’t in the mood for small talk with an ex.

“You look ravishing tonight,” Kai smirked, reaching out for Jennie.

She quickly dodged Kai’s advances and whooshed past him, leaving the boy confused in her wake.

“Nice seeing you but I gotta go!”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she escaped her lame excuse of an ex-boyfriend but the relief was short-lived as her eyes found the scene not a couple feet away from her. You were by the sliding door that lead to Rosé’s poolside talking to some woman who was clearly interested in you, judging by the way she was caressing your arm up and down with her ugly wicked fingers. The woman started laughing and she knew you probably said something stupidly funny, reminding her of how much you made her laugh last week. This time though, Jennie was not on the receiving end of your witty remarks and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

This was probably how you felt that night when Jennie ignored your whole existence just to stare all night at her ex. Jennie felt disappointment bubble inside her as she finally decided to tear her gaze away from you and the girl. She sighed as she accepted the fact that you were done with her. Why wouldn’t you be? Did she really expect you to pine over her for years and then come crawling back just because of one night where Jennie did the bare minimum and was a decent human being to you?

Dejected, she takes a break from the loud and busy party downstairs and made her way to the upstairs balcony. The balcony was a concrete ledge with square rough edges but it quickly became an oasis to Jennie as she found comfort in the silence.

“Hey there, stranger.”

Jennie turned her head so fast she swore she almost had whiplash.

“Y/N?”

You grinned as you joined her near the railings, “The one and only. What are you doing here?”

Jennie shrugged off the bitter feeling of seeing you flirting with another girl and forced out a smile, “Needed some fresh air. How about you? You seemed really busy downstairs.”

You raise an eyebrow at Jennie’s icy tone, narrowing your eyes at the girl. What was she on about?

At your (admittedly adorable) confused look, Jennie sighed as she explained.

“You were busy chatting up a girl downstairs, were you not?”

“Careful,” you teased. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous.”

Expecting a defensive reply, you were surprised to find the girl fiddling with her hands. “Jennie?”

You saw as Jennie struggled, clenching and unclenching her jaw, eyes closed in frustration.

“I…I was really looking forward to seeing you tonight,” she lamented, finally opening her eyes to meet yours.

“For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about you. That night at the pier…” she went on, “I realized how stupid I was for not paying attention to you sooner. This amazing person right under my fucking nose the whole time. God, I could’ve saved us both a crapload of time if I weren’t so dumb.”

To say you weren’t expecting this was an understatement. Was Jennie Kim confessing to you? You wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“No use thinking about what could’ve happened if you did this or that,” you stared seriously at the girl in front of you. “Um, I’m right here now, aren’t I?”

You tried to laugh but it came out strained. You still couldn’t believe what was happening.

“So, the girl downstairs?”

“Literally just met her tonight. She’s cool. Didn’t really pay any mind to her to be honest,” you smiled.

“Good,” Jennie hummed, satisfied with your answer. “I meant what I said by the way. I’d really like to start over.”

Before you could come up with a reply, soft plump limps planted itself on your cheek.

“If you’ll have me,” Jennie whispers against your cheek.

 •

“Ugh, today was so stressful!” Jennie agonized as she plopped down on the soft cushion of your sofa. Immediately, her body finds itself entangled with yours. This, Jennie knew, was all she needed after a long day.

“Tell me about it then baby,” you started running your fingers through her messy curls while your free hand intertwined your hands together.

“First, the AC in my office broke down and I was sweating buckets half the day since the repair team didn’t arrive until 2PM,” Jennie revealed, planting a soft kiss on your neck. “To make things worse, my beautiful girlfriend wasn’t able to visit me because she had a meeting come up last minute.”

You giggled hearing your girlfriend’s words, “Clingy.”

Jennie breaks away from your hold, a wild look on her face. “How dare you! Is it a crime that I’m desperately in love with you and wanted to see you during my lunch break?”

“I’m kidding,” you chuckled. “You know I would’ve loved to see your pretty face today.”

“You better be,” Jennie taunted. “I love you.”

…

…

...

“Hey Jen?”

“Hm?”

“Remember two years ago on our first date you ignored me the whole time to glare at your ex-boyfriend?”

Your soft laugh filled them room as Jennie groaned, hitting you square on the stomach, “Don’t you dare bring that up. I don’t even wanna imagine not being with you. Just the thought makes me wanna puke.”

You rolled your eyes at your girlfriend’s dramatics, “Good thing you don’t have to ever live through that then.” hi:) i accept requests now