#so i'm aware that i'm driving but also not about to be so overwhelmed i kill someone

[thedaythealienscame]

drove again today :thumbsup:

[nanpecan]

₊✩‧₊˚once more to see you˚₊✩‧₊

{nanami x f!reader}

˚₊✩‧₊summary: You're a manager at Jujutsu Kaisen and happen to get assigned to driving a rank 1 sorcerer you've had a crush on for a while. Everything seems to be going as normal until an interaction with a curse leaves him a little hot and bothered.

˚₊✩‧₊tags: nanami x fem!reader, explicit smut (mdni) !!

˚₊✩‧₊ word count: 5.6k

˚₊✩‧₊author's note: this has been in my head for so long and I guess its part one to a longer story but who knows if I'll ever get around to writing it, yet alone posting it. anyways first time, kinda nervous; this is super self indulgent and i'm not even sorry about it.

˚₊✩‧₊this is also kind of inspired by this Mitski song, hence the title. I love this song, I think it's very Nanami coded<3

˚₊✩‧₊all parts here! pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt 5. pt 6.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

An obsession. 

That’s what it was. 

A rush of emotion when you caught even the smallest glance of him. 

Always in a hurry. 

Always somewhere to be. 

Never paying any mind to you. 

This lifestyle was a rushed one and you hardly ever found time for yourself, but your mind always seemed to have a second to wonder about him. 

Was he safe? Was he injured?

You had heard about him through others. 

You had really only seen him in action from a distance, once, and very briefly. But that had been enough to develop this stupid crush. 

You were a busy body, nothing but a cushion to the real missions of importance. 

You had come to accept that you would never really matter past making it from point A to point B, with whatever message you had to deliver, or whoever you had to transport for the day. 

You were secretly content with the position. You had started because you wanted to make a difference. 

But you knew you were a coward. 

You had the spirit but lacked the physical strength to back it. And that made you afraid. 

“Nanami Kento.” 

Your hand stopped mid air as you reached for your phone. 

“I’m sorry?” You must have misheard. 

“You owe me one.” Akari said with a smirk. The head manager had been one of your closest friends since you had begun working as an assistant. You had similar pasts and were around the same age, so you had instantly clicked. She was very much aware of your infatuation even if you hadn’t directly expressed it. She could see right through you every time you tried to feign indifference whenever the topic of Nanami was brought up. 

“Nanami needs transportation to his next mission. He usually goes on his own, but the client insisted he gets driven to this location specifically.”  There was something suspicious about that last statement, but you dismissed it as she kept talking.  “Ijichi is busy dealing with something so it was passed down to me.” She smiled again and shrugged. “But I have some very important business to take care of so I’m passing it on to someone I trust is more than qualified to drive a sorcerer of his class.”  She winked at you. “Don’t worry about the briefing he’s been sent all the information. All you have to do is drive him there and back.” 

You looked down at your phone and tried to act nonchalant. Until you saw the details. “Today?” 

She nodded. “Sorry for the last minute switch up, I figured you’d get in your own head if you had too much time to think about it. Make a good first impression. I’m rooting for you!” She gave you two thumbs up and laughed. 

You tapped your finger against the wheel nervously. You had never been more nervous to drive. It’s okay, you thought to yourself, nothing is going to happen, I doubt he’ll even speak to me. He’s not much of a talker, and besides, he always carries around a newspaper or a book. He won’t be paying attention to me. Just focus on-

You flinched as you heard the passenger door open. You had expected him to sit behind you. 

You felt your stomach drop as Nanami was suddenly next to you. It was almost overwhelming, his size, his smell, his warmth. 

You stared ahead awkwardly and felt his gaze on you. You turned to look at him trying not to seem too flustered. 

“Ah, good afternoon.” You smiled warmly at him. “Um, I’m y/n.” You said. 

He nodded and didn’t say anything back. 

“Right, it should take us around 36 minutes to get to your location.” 

He nodded again, his glasses turning to his watch. He suddenly looked up and stared ahead, as to signal that he was ready to head out.

This was so awkward. It was kind of making it easier to be around him. You didn’t know what else you expected. You’d actually preferred the silence rather than trying to carry a conversation with him. At least that’s what you were telling yourself. 

“Feel free to mess with the radio. I don’t have any preferences.” 

“I prefer to sit in silence before missions.” His voice sent a chill up your spine. Wait a minute, in silence? Weird. You thought to yourself. “Is that okay?” 

“Yes, that’s fine too.” Really weird. Most sorcerers would listen to something to amp them up before a mission. For Kusabe that was smooth Jazz, Yuki would put on 80’s Japanese Rock Classics, Ino would put on Ska and you couldn’t help but laugh the first time he requested it. You smirked at the memory and felt his eyes on you again. You dropped the smile and clenched your jaw. “Alright, we’ll be off then.” He hadn’t stopped staring. You quickly turned to look at him and smiled warmly. He turned away, seeming flustered. You quickly made a note of his reaction and you felt your stomach flutter a bit. You let your eyes linger on him for a bit longer, as he tugged at an invisible string on his suit, before turning away and driving off. 

-

You arrived at your location and looked up at the old building. You bit your lip to hold back a laugh. The crooked neon sign over the door was no longer lit up but you could still read out what it said, ‘Paradise X Massage.’ You curiously looked over to see Nanami’s reaction. As usual, he was stoic. 

He has to know what that means, right? You went around the car to stand next to him and the moment you took a step closer you felt the aura of the building. A shiver went up your spine and your stomach felt tingly. You couldn’t help but smile. A curse born from a place of sex was bound to have this kind of aura. 

Things started to click. Of course Nanami was the best sorcerer for the job. He would take this very seriously. You doubted he ever let his emotions get ahead of him. You thought back to a story Ijichi had told you a long time ago about a group of male sorcerers that had been sent to exorcise a type of Kejoro, only for them to return unsuccessful, unable to carry out the mission, as well as being hot and bothered for a week. 

You felt Nanami’s eyes on you again. You looked at him before turning back at the sign and scrunching your face. “Nanami, I wouldn’t have taken you for this type of man, but don’t worry I won’t tell.” You winked at him and cringed at your stupid joke. You didn’t know him like that. He probably thought you were insane. 

“Thank you, I try not to make it a habit.” He said back with a small smile. 

You looked at him a little surprised and laughed. 

“There you are, hello!” A sweaty man with beady eyes came your way and beelined to Nanami. “My name is Gonji, I was the one who sent for you.” He glanced at your direction before turning his back to you to speak with Nanami. You blinked and grimaced. “I bought this location five months ago, I should have known there was something wrong for the price I paid, but hey! That’s business! I’m planning on fixing her up and turning it into a real refined establishment if you know what I mean. I already have the clientele, and the girls but this damn thing keeps scaring the girls away and-“ he whispered the next words. “-killed three of my guys. But hey, that’s business!” He laughed nervously. He was talking a mile a minute, becoming more and more sweaty. The air had to be getting to him. “Anyway I’ve already called a bunch of weirdos to go in there and kill the damn thing but they were all useless. Scammers all of them.” He spat at the ground. “Hey if ya help me out, I’m sure we can work out some sort of discount for you once we’re up and running. What do you say, your choice of girl-“ 

“Has it taken any hostages?” Nanami cut him off. 

“No it only scares off the girls, but lets them out. The men on the other hand…If they do manage to make it out they act like wild animals. I have to keep them away from my girls.” He laughed and then erupted into a coughing fit. “That’s why I recommend you bring a driver. Even if you do kill this thing, the tent in your pants won’t let you focus on anything else for another two hours.” He cackled and elbowed Nanami in a playful manner. Nanami’s jaw clenched and he stared down at the man. Gonji didn’t seem to notice. He finally turned towards you. “Well at least you brought yourself a cute mouse to play with if it gets to be too much.” You couldn’t hide the look of disgust on your face when he finally looked at you. “Hey there little lady, a smile might help.” He rolled his eyes and turned back to Nanami. “Women these days. Can’t take a joke.” He tried elbowing Nanami again and was stopped by Nanami’s large hand grabbing his forearm. 

“We’ll get started. Did you want to go inside with me?” Nanami asked the man. 

Gonji pulled his arm out of Nanami’s grasp and swore at him under his breath. “No, I’m taking off. I have places to go, people to see, although I’d pay god knows what to see that bitch’s blood spilled on the floor.” He looked around and picked up a rock before weakly throwing it at the sign. He missed, it didn’t even hit the wall. He messed with his jacket, embarrassed. “I’ll be leaving now. I’ll send the payment tomorrow when I come and see the place again.” He waddled off. 

“What a fucking dickhead.” You said. “We shouldn’t even exorcise this curse. He shouldn’t be allowed to run a place like that. I’m willing to bet-“ 

“Will you put up the barrier?” You turned back to Nanami and nodded before muttering the incantation. Nanami awkwardly placed a hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.” He turned towards the barrier. “For the record I agree. Scum like him are a scourge to society and should be dealt with accordingly. For now let’s bring this curse some peace.”

“Let’s.” You said in agreement. You watched him disappear into the veil.  

-

You leaned back against the car and checked the time on your watch. He had been gone for 20 minutes now. You sighed. Was it an insult to worry about him? He was one of the best - in your heavily biased opinion. 

   You heard your phone ding from inside the car as you received a message and you quickly went around to check it.  

    -So when’s the wedding? 

Akari was checking in on you. 

   -answer me this, what does it mean when someone doesn’t want to listen to any music on a 30 minute drive. 

   -No music? Like at all?     -none.    -weird. 

   -that’s what I was thinking! he must be fighting demons in his head.     -or he just wanted to savor every minute with you<3     -shut up.     -how’s it going anyway?     -don’t you have “important” business to take care of?     -:p boooo     -it’s fine, it’s some sort of sex cu-

You jumped as the back passenger door to your right was suddenly being opened. You felt the car shake as Nanami collapsed into the seats.  

“Shit, Nanami? Are you okay.” You should have been out there to greet him. You exited out of the car and dropped the veil. The building was a pile of rubble. You made your way around the car and yanked open the door. 

You felt blood rush to your face and your jaw dropped as you looked at what lay in front of you. 

Nanami had taken off his suit jacket, and was no longer wearing his glasses. He was suddenly desperately undoing his tie and fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, all the while breathing heavily. He turned away from you as you looked in.  

“What’s wrong, are you injured? How can I help?” Your face felt hot as you watched him struggle with his clothes. You hesitated to move forward, unsure what to do. 

He moved around a bit more, still struggling with his shirt, and you got a better look at him. His face was flush red and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was panting, basically gasping for air. You stared at him feeling a burning in your chest as your heart beat in your ears. 

You snapped out of your trance, this was not the time. He might be hurt. He had backed up enough to be leaning on the opposite car door so you moved forward and let the door shut behind you. “Let me help you with that.” You said softly, moving your hands closer to help him with the buttons. “Are you hurt?” You asked as he let out a soft grunt. “Let me take a look.” His hands fell to his side and you noticed he was gripping the seats. He winced away from your touch, hissing as your knee touched his thigh. 

You froze. Your hands still on his shirt. He shuddered away from you but you felt him move his thigh forward, slightly, to touch your knee again. He let out a deep exhale and a muffled grunt. He repeated the movement again and again. You stayed there staring at him, face burning as you realized he was basically humping you. His breaths got faster and you felt the ghost of his hand on your back slowly pulling you closer. His inner thigh was now pushing into your knee repeatedly and you felt him slightly buckle his hips as his hand finally landed on your neck and pulled you forward. Your hands, still on his shirt buttons, pushed lightly against his chest and your head fell into the space above his shoulder, cheeks now next to each other. He pushed hard against your knee one more time and then you heard him moan deeply into your ear. 

“Fuck.” You heard him mutter. His voice was full of frustration. “Fuck.” He said again. 

You slowly pulled back, looking at him, completely in shock. He wasn’t meeting your gaze. He just kept muttering “fuck” and “sorry” under his breath. 

You looked down and once again felt blood rush to your face as you realized what had happened. 

Since his body was leaned back against the door, you had crawled closer to him and were now on your knees between his legs. You guessed at some point he had managed to undo his belt, the button to his trousers, and pulled down the zipper because you were staring at his erection through the fabric of his underwear. It was soaked. 

You quickly pulled back away from him, somewhat losing your balance and placing your hands back down to steady yourself. Nanami lurched up as you placed your hands on his thighs and you watched as he came again. This time seeing the white liquid bleed through the fabric and drip down. 

“I- I am so sorry.” You said quickly and started to back away. You needed to leave him alone. One of his hands grabbed onto your arm keeping you in place. You looked at him confused. 

“No, stop,” he said, panting. “I’m sorry,” he said, finally looking into your eyes. “I’m sorry. Fuck, I apologize. This is bad. I can't control-“ he squeezed your arm a little as his eyes shut and his brows knit together. “I need...” he looked into your eyes and slowly moved closer to you. His face was inches away and you felt the warmth radiating off of him. He looked directly at you now and seemed to be looking for some sort of sign. His eyes were beautiful. You realized this was the first time you had seen them. “Please…” You continued to stare at him, in shock. He wriggled beneath you and let out a soft moan. “I need you.” 

You understood. 

You quickly moved closer to him, crashing your lips into his. He moaned into your mouth and desperately pressed his lips to yours. You pushed your tongue through his closed lips and he slightly opened his mouth meeting you with his own tongue. You let him slither his in yours before closing your mouth and tugging at his lips slightly. When you finally pulled back you were both panting heavily, a string of saliva connecting you. You looked down and saw he had come again. 

“Y/N, please,” he took your hand and pulled it towards him. “I want…” you looked at him and smirked. Your eyes wandered down as he groaned again. 

“What do you want?” You said mischievously. You looked back up. 

“Please.” You had intended to tease him, but he looked so distraught and frazzled, you felt it would be too mean spirited. You nodded and let his hand guide you to his pants. You laid your hand down gently over him and felt him twitch underneath you. He groaned and you felt your face burn up again. This was happening. 

“I’ll-I’ll help you out, don’t worry.” You said nervously. You pressed down and his hips jutted into your hand. Your chest felt fluttery as your eyes were glued down to your hand and his member twitching beneath it. You smiled a little and clenched your thighs together. Focus. You were all talk. You tried to hide your nerves as you slowly wrapped your fingers around his clothed cock. He tried to suppress a moan as he shuddered underneath you. You watched the discoloration in his underwear spread as more fluid leaked out. “Wow.” 

He suddenly pulled your face closer to him and kissed you. He was desperate for contact, moaning into your mouth as he used his free hand to pull down the band of his underwear and you gasped as you felt his hot skin in your hand. 

You opened your eyes to try to sneak a peek but his right hand was buried in your hair, keeping you in place to make out with him. You kept your fingers together and wrapped around him as he thrust his hips forward, sliding between your curled fingers easily. He tugged at your bottom lip with his teeth as you felt him wrap a hand around yours, guiding you to stroke him. His breath shuddered at the feeling and he pulled you closer again. You moved your free hand to steady yourself as you leaned over him. 

He looked up at you and you saw fire burning in his eyes. He suddenly moved your hand away from his dick and placed his hands on your hips lifting you slightly so he could readjust himself under you. You were straddling him. He watched you carefully as he gently rocked his hips up between your legs and moved his hands up to go under your shirt. He waited patiently for your approval. You nodded and his hands slithered up your shirt to cup your breasts. You gasped as he roughly kneaded you and you started to undo the buttons on your shirt. Nanami decided you weren’t fast enough and ripped the shirt off of you. You didn’t have time to process past the sound of fabric ripping because he sat up and kissed you again. 

His hands moved impatiently all over your body as he pulled you closer. He was rough, but not in an aggressive way, he was impatient. You suddenly felt his fingers work their way into the waistband of your pants and you moved your hands to stop him. He looked up at you and stopped moving. He stared silently, still breathing heavily. “Would you like me… to stop?” He asked. 

You looked down at him and took a moment to assess the situation. Nanami was half naked laying under you. His shirt was now off revealing his toned chest and abdomen. You finally looked down and saw his dick. Wide and long, the bright red tip was leaning right and radiating heat. Your mouth watered. And you lightly moved your hips forward to feel it push against your core. 

“Is there a problem?” He asked. 

You hesitated to answer him. How embarrassing, you thought to yourself, this is probably going to hurt. Would he stop if you told him you were a virgin? Maybe it would be for the best. You could feel yourself soaking through your underwear, but would that be enough? He was big. You looked back up at him and opened your mouth to speak. You met his eyes and you blushed. His hair was tousled, skin pink and flush and of course he was breathing deeply. You noticed something on the side of his neck. A cut. It was a puncture wound, no bigger than your pinky nail, but it looked deep. 

“You’re injured.” You put your hand up to it and carefully examined it. It was emoting cursed energy and everything clicked. He might have defeated the curse in the building but she had gotten a good lick in. You put your hand over it to heal him. 

You weren’t good at much, but your ability to use a tiny amount of RCT had been your saving grace. Not that you were very good at it. You could really only handle superficial wounds like this one. 

Suddenly his hand grabbed your wrist and pulled it away. “Later,” he said. You stared at him confused. “I want to finish you first.” His hips thrust upwards against your pants and you couldn’t help but smile. You nodded and brought your hands down to undo the button to your pants. Nanami hissed under you as you shifted your weight around trying to pull your pants down. You were able to get one leg out and began pulling them down the other when he grabbed you quickly and settled you on top of him again. He looked up at you and you watched his eyes move down to take in your body. “Are you ready?”

You looked back at him nervously. “I-you’re so big.” You were too embarrassed to tell him it was your first time. He sat up and was suddenly inches from your face. 

He smiled coyly and nodded. “It’s okay, I can help you.” You felt one of his hands grip your waist and the other moved down to rub your clit. Your breath shuddered and you automatically buckled your hips against his hand. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders for support. He smiled wider, amused. His fingers moved lower and he slid them between your folds to collect your arousal. You were breathing heavily, your face buried into his chest. You felt him slip a finger inside of you, slowly, you felt him push up against you as far as he could go before there was a slight pop. 

A moan escaped your lips as he pushed his finger deeper. “Fuck,” he muttered. “You’re so tight.” You felt him drag his finger out, “I’m adding another one, okay?” You nodded lost in bliss. You bit your lip as you felt his fingers stretch you out again, this time sliding in a bit easier. His hands were large and his fingers long, but you knew this was easy to take compared to the real thing. Your ability to think was damped as he sped up his thrusts and his other hand slid down to rub your clit again with his thumb. You gasped and felt yourself clench onto him. You moved your hips forward desperate to feel friction. You were panting wildly and felt yourself getting close. You moved your arm down and wrapped a hand around his cock. Roughly stroking it, to repay the favor. 

“Wait-I’m close, I-I want you inside of me.” You whispered into his ear. You could feel his heartbeat quicken as his lips crashed down on yours again. 

“Whatever you want.” He said. He removed his fingers and you winced at the new empty feeling. Still rubbing your clit with one hand, he moved his now free hand to stop your strokes and guided himself between your legs. He thrust slowly against your folds running his cock between your thighs and your mound and you buckled your hips against him.

You smiled happily. Even if you couldn’t take him, you’re sure you could come from just this. He suddenly stopped and pulled back, you looked down at his cock now gleaming, covered in your fluids. He lay back against the seat and put his hands on your hips. “Now it’s up to you,” he lifted your hips and positioned you so your cunt was hovering over him. “Take your time, if you don’t think you can do it, let me know.” You felt embarrassment rush through you. Did he know? 

“Thank you.” You said meekly. 

“I’m not trying to embarrass you,” he said softly. His hand came up and caressed your cheek. “I just don’t want to hurt you.” The kindness in his eyes made your heart flutter. You nodded with new determination. You placed a hand on his chest to balance yourself as you reached down with your other one to position him in place. You thrust your hips against his tip and pushed it into your folds, watching as his jaw clenched from the feeling. You found your opening and slowly lowered yourself to allow him inside. You winced as the tip entered you and you pushed down as far as you could go. You looked down in disappointment as you realized he wasn’t even half way in. You moved your hips back and forth just on his tip and he moved his hands onto your hips digging his fingers into you. He hissed and closed his eyes from the feeling. 

“Sorry.” You apologized. 

   He opened his eyes and furrowed his brows. “Don’t apologize. If that’s all you can do, I’ll take it.” He slowly thrust his hips and you moaned. You wished you could take him further. You bit your lip, you could do it. You reached down to lead his cock further into you and you braced yourself as you pushed him in deeper. You whimpered as you felt him stretch you out and after a little resistance he slid right in with a plop. He pulled you closer and bucked his hips slightly as he felt you wrapped around him. Pulsing from the new feeling. You winced as he moved. He was so big. You looked up at him and his face was pure bliss. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes closed, brows furrowed. “Shit,” he muttered. “You’re so tight around me.” He looked up at you. “Is this your first-“ you cut him off with a kiss. You winced at the sensation of him inside of you but suddenly moaned as he pushed up and you felt him reach a spot deep inside of you. You gasped as he thrust and hit it again. 

“There, right there, please.” You said desperately. He smiled and began thrusting his hips upwards satisfied every time he saw your face scrunch when he hit that spot. His hands moved back to your ass and he spread your cheeks out allowing himself to go just a little bit deeper. You let out a yelp as he now directly hit that spot inside of you. 

“Good girl, you’re taking me so well”. He said. You smiled lazily and kissed him. He slowed his pace a bit as he moved his hand down to rub your clit again. He had seen how much you had liked it and wanted you to finish soon. The feeling of you clamping down on him was going to make him cum soon, too. You let out a heavenly moan as he started to rub you. 

Your hips moved down on their own as you rode him. “Nanami! Fuck!” You whined as you bounced over him. You pulled him closer to you to make out and he began to move his hips in opposition to yours. You gasped as you felt him reach deep inside of you, and you wanted more, you felt your climax building up as you desperately pushed against him. Wanting to keep him deeper. He understood and thrust sharply and rubbed your clit harder. Loud moans of his name and ungodly noises left your lips as you felt it all become too much and you suddenly felt your whole body shake vigorously as you came. You felt tears come to your eyes. 

You had never felt this good, you felt radiant, like a blinding fire took your body and left you refreshed. You shook over him a couple of times, enjoying the feeling of your cunt pulsing on him. He had stopped moving, still buried deep inside of you so you could ride out your high. Your eyes fluttered as you looked up at him and you smiled, happier than you’d ever been. He planted a kiss on your lips. 

“You’re beautiful.” He said. You felt heat weld up in your stomach, he wiped your tears away softly. 

You looked down at him and furrowed your brows. “You didn’t come.” You lifted your hips slightly and winced. “Keep going.” You blushed as you saw the white ring that had formed at the base of his cock. The opening of his pants was also covered in your slick. 

He nodded and put a hand over your waist, quickly flipping you over and laying you down across the back seats. You were now under him and watched as he backed up, pulling his pants further down. You watched him through the V frame of your legs. Your cunt was sore and you felt like you looked a mess but when he looked back up at you, all your insecurities vanished. He took the sight of you in and you saw his dick twitch with anticipation. He came closer and while you expected him to just go in you gasped as his face went between your thighs and his lips latched onto your clit. You let out a moan. It was too much, you were still so sensitive. You grabbed his head and ran your fingers through his blonde locks. He looked up at you as he ran a stiff tongue against your folds and you shuddered. He smirked and went to town. 

He threw your legs over his shoulders and devoured you. Your toes curled and you had to stop yourself from closing your thighs, afraid to crush him. You suddenly felt his fingers curl deep inside you as his tongue played with your bud and you yelled out, your climax hitting again. You held his head against you as you rode out your high; thrusting your hips forward, and rubbing your cunt over his entire face, his nose in particular hitting your clit and making you shudder. You let your head fall back and looked up at him. He smiled at you before backing up and lining himself up to your entrance. “Are you still okay?” 

You nodded, exhausted but ready for more. This had to be a dream. “Whatever you want.” You repeated back to him with a smile.

“Good girl.” He pushed himself easily into you and you watched his face form a scowl as he went past your tightest part. You clenched down on him and he opened an eye and smirked at you. “Tell me if it gets to be too much.” You couldn’t even answer him before he was thrusting into you quickly, his hands on your hips holding you down and pulling you against him. He was desperate to fuck you. His hips bucked wildly against you, going in and out at a sickening pace. You could only stare at him in bliss, your mouth open and deep moans escaping everytime he moved. He grunted and pulled you closer, feeling himself coming to his limit. “You’re so good. You’re taking me so well, Princess. Fuck.” He muttered. 

“Nanami-” you moaned his name as you felt another high wash over you. You yelped and shut your eyes, arching your back with a cry. You wrapped your legs around him, locking him in place as you felt him growing more desperate with each thrust. You hummed as you noticed him looking at you, once again looking like he was looking for a sign. You smiled, exhausted and nodded. That’s all he needed. 

He grunted again and thrust his hips into you one last time, roughly, as he came. You felt him shooting hot ropes of cum inside of you and you brought his head down to kiss him. He smiled against your lips. You felt his cock pulsing inside of you and your eyes closed sleepily. 

“Thank you, y/n.” 

You nodded as you felt exhaustion come over you. “You can go again if you want.” You said barely keeping your eyes open. 

“What?” 

“You made me come three times just now. I think I owe you two more rounds.” He smiled and shook his head. 

“Rest, I’ll clean you up.” You furrowed your brows and frowned. “Do you trust me?” 

“Yes, but,” your eyes closed again. “It’s not fair. Go again, I don’t mind. I’ve been dreaming about this for so long I-“ you fell asleep.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

pt. 2 pt 3. pt 4. pt 5. pt. 6

˚₊✩‧₊nana here: if you made it this far bless you. if you saw a typo...no you didn't. idk if i'll ever post pt 2...i guess it depends on how this does or if a certain someone somehow convinces me to post the next part—shout out to cath my biggest supporter<3

[talksungchan]

we'll always have summer ☀︎ lee juyeon

₊ ⊹☼ WORD COUNT: 18.0k ₊ ⊹☼ PAIRING: the boyz' lee juyeon x female reader ₊ ⊹☼ TAGS & WARNINGS: summer vacation!au, teeth-rotting fluff, no angst whatsoever nada, juyo having a crush, reader is a bit shy at first, no plot just y/nyeon hanging out and pining for each other, dialogue heavy, a scene making out and some kisses here and there, canadaz instigating together

₊ ⊹☼ SYNOPSIS: during your post-college-graduation crisis, you meet lee juyeon during a 3 week lake house vacation with your mutual friends. serendipity watches over you as you get entangled into a whirlwind summer romance.

₊ ⊹☼ NOTES: hyung line are all the same age in this as each other, 98 line as each other and maknae line as each other! idk how i wrote 18k words of juyeon pathetically crushing on y/n but here it is! also the female ocs in this fic have no relation to any idol irl or at least was not written with anyone in mind :-) this also feels like the wrong time to post a tbz fic but i'm desperate to get this out and i'm hoping and praying that the boyz can resolve their negotiations with ist and find a good home in their new label <3

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Whoever said that university was supposed to be the best 4 years of your life didn't think about the implications of that phrase on deeply lost and terrified new grads. Sure, it was intended as an encouragement to try and enjoy your college years while you were in them, but now you're on the other side and all you can feel is... now what?

In hindsight, there was a reason that seniors spent practically the whole year panicking about what came next and applying to every internship, grad role and job listing that popped up, no matter how relevant. You too had participated to some degree but to no avail as you stand here with no employment or future education plans in mind.

Okay, so maybe going on a 3 week holiday as soon as you come out of graduation wasn't the best idea you've ever had, but technically, it wasn't even your idea. In fact, you had even rejected Kevin's invitation multiple times citing your need to job hunt in the city immediately, but he kept pestering and pestering and pestering that you eventually had to give in. The universe will reward you for at least trying to resist, right?

There were really many reasons to not go on this trip. The main one being that Kevin was the only person out of about 15 people you knew that were coming on this trip. You had met a few of his friends fleetingly before, but never long enough or often enough to form a proper friendship or relationship with them as you did with your junior year project partner turned friend. Another reason was that you were so painfully introverted and shy that meeting all these new people all at once with nowhere to run to or hide seemed like the perfect recipe for disaster. What were you going to do if it all went wrong?

Still, Kevin had managed to address all your worries and reassured you that his friends were very welcoming and aware not to overwhelm you too much.

"Remember Y/N, we're here to relax, have a good time and forget the worries of the real world," Kevin lectured you as the two of you entered the lake house together. He had been the one to organise this trip as he found the cabin slash mansion and then roped all of his friends into joining.

Chanhee and Changmin had slept the entire ride, so Kevin allocated them the job of hauling everything from the car into the house. The people pleaser in you was desperate to help, but Kevin maintained that staying up and entertaining him on the long drive up was enough and that the two boys deserved it for being so called lazy.

"There's 5 bedrooms, all with two double beds," Kevin recalled as he scoured the house, "We take the biggest room with the en-suite."

"We can sleep 20 people? Why didn't you invite more?" you plopped your bags onto the large sectional couch.

Kevin just shrugged and stepped away to investigate the documents on a table, "So we could have a bit more space. Plus, we didn't want to invite anyone else."

"Aw i'm honoured to have made the cut, Kev," you teased by nudging him on the shoulder.

He shot you an unimpressed glare, "Clearly not considering that you literally refused to come until two weeks ago."

"I'm here, aren't I?" you countered, running to the front door to hold it open as you saw the other two boys approaching with the miscellaneous things your group was assigned to pack. It mostly involved some activities like a karaoke machine, some boards and floaties for swimming and other things to keep you entertained.

Another group set to arrive later was assigned the food supplies, while the girls that were coming on the trip were in charge of drinks.

"How far away are the others?" Chanhee smiled at you appreciatively as you make their life a little easier. He set two bags down on the floor. Changmin hobbles behind him with overflowing arms, clearly not wanting to make more trips than necessary.

Kevin pulled out his phone and hummed as he checked on the drivers' locations, "Jacob's car is like only a few minutes behind. Sangyeon's car is like an hour behind and the girls won't be here for a couple of hours since Minseo had to do a morning shift at work so they left a bit late."

"Who's in Jacob's car?" you asked curiously, wondering who you were going to meet first. You'd met Jacob a few times before when you were a junior and he was always very nice to you despite not having spent an extended period of time together. However, you hadn't seen him in almost a year! Obviously you had been acquainted with Chanhee and Changmin now, but you'd only met them once before they climbed into Kevin's car for the long journey that they dozed through.

"I think Hak, Eric and Juyeon are with Jacob and Sunwoo, Younghoon and Hyunjae are with Sangyeon," Changmin listed off quickly, "Prepare yourself to meet Eric, seriously."

"Hopefully he's sleepy from the drive," Chanhee rolled his eyes playfully but fondly at the thought of their youngest friend.

While this was a graduation trip for the boys in your car and a few of the others, Kevin had still invited their friends of different ages. It was a nice way to escape the reality of adult life for those who had graduated the year before you and just a fun trip for the incoming seniors below you.

You've heard from Kevin that his friends had a vast range of personalities, which you expected considering there were 11 of them. The concept of opposites attract definitely applied to friendships too, which was how Kevin's bubbly and social self found you, a raging introvert.

By the time that Jacob's car roared into the pebble driveway, you had already unpacked your clothes in the closet that you were sharing with Jacob and Kevin- the only ones you knew and felt comfortable with. Kevin had decided to just throw his duffle onto the foot of the bed and will probably just dig out some outfits each day from the floor.

You heard commotion begin to rumble downstairs through your ajar door and fought an internal conflict whether to go down and make yourself known or have Kevin come and get you. By the end of it, they had made that decision for you when you hear multiple footsteps stomp up the creaky stairs.

"Y/N, how are you? It's good to see you again!" Jacob flashed you his signature sweet smile as he tapped on the door and opened it wider, "Can we come in?"

"Sure, it's your room too! It's also good to see you, Jacob," you replied, getting up from the edge of the bed where you were rummaging through your backpack.

"You must be the famous Y/N," someone with a boyish smile peeked from behind Jacob, "I'm Eric! Nice to finally meet you."

"Ah, I've heard lots about you!" you gave him a small but enthusiastic wave.

"And knowing Kevin, it was probably not nice things," Eric scoffed as he shot a glare over his shoulder in the direction of the staircase behind him. That was when both he and you noticed a tall boy lingering behind him.

Eric wrapped an arm around his shoulders and brought him forward, "And this is Juyeon-hyung."

Through his sleepy, lid-heavy eyes, Juyeon gave you a soft smile, "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"Juyeon," you let the word ruminate in your mouth as to why his name sounded familiar until it comes to you, "Ah, you're one of the others who graduated, right?"

He nodded, letting his face relax into a small smile, "Yeah."

"Congratulations to you," you tell him.

"You too, Y/N," there's a softness to Juyeon's voice- a kind of kindness and sincerity that comes naturally. Whereas Eric's voice was immediately enthusiastic and upbeat, Juyeon was calmer and more demure.

Eric disappeared behind Juyeon and Jacob was unzipping his bag behind you on the bed he was sharing with Kevin. You point awkwardly to the bag that Juyeon was clutching in his hands, "Which room are you staying in?"

As if he just remembered he was carrying it, Juyeon's eyes snapped to his hold before he let out a soft 'ah!', "I'm rooming with Chanhee and Changmin. Do you know which room that is?"

If you recalled correctly, you did, "I think it's that one," you point to the door immediately behind him, just opposite of your room.

Juyeon gives you an appreciative nod and pushes the handle of his room open with his elbow, "Thanks Y/N. See you later."

"Bye Juyeon."

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Over the rest of the first day, you settled yourself on the living room couch with Kevin playing a variety of card games and planning what you wanted to do on the trip while doing so. The others dipped in and out- Jacob joining when he finished unpacking and Changmin once he got tired of Chanhee beating him at table tennis outside.

Eric was stretched out on one of the other couches, soft snores coming out of his mouth after the drive exhausted him (and also the other passengers who he was 'entertaining'). You don't know where Juyeon disappeared to, but it was probably to replace Changmin as Chanhee's opponent.

The game of dobble was getting heated with Jacob's rare frustrated side coming out, as was teased by the other players. So far, Changmin had won the most games, but that was probably because he was the most willing to scream and snatch the card away. You, on the other hand, had miserably lost every single round.

But at least you were able to plan your meals over the game of snakes and ladders you played earlier.

Once Sangyeon's car arrived and you acquainted yourself with him, Younghoon and Sunwoo, you excused yourself from the game under the guise of being a very bad loser, which you were.

You hadn't checked out the back garden and it's various facilities yet, so you were intrigued considering that was one of the main reasons that Kevin booked this place.

"Hi Y/N, do you wanna play?" Chanhee waved to you as soon as he spotted you in between serves. Juyeon followed suit.

"Nah, I'll watch for now- I just wanted to check out the yard!" you gestured to the area.

You immediately noticed the large blue swimming pool that dominated most of the garden. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas strewn around it and a little enclosure with pool floats provided. There was a fire pit with outdoor chairs in the back corner and then a stretch of grass that was perfect for net games like foot volleyball or badminton. Chanhee and Juyeon were occupying the ping pong table, but you were also standing next to a pool table in the covered patio.

The lake you were staying at was located a short walk down some steps from the front of the house, so you could only see some hills and other houses from the back. It was definitely a nice atmosphere combined with the warm weather you were having and not a bad place to spend 3 weeks procrastinating your life.

You took a seat on the cushioned furniture under the patio, covering your eyes from the sun to watch the boys play. It seemed that Juyeon was overall better than Chanhee, but Chanhee could catch him out with fast balls and spinning balls.

It was entertaining to watch them for a while, your eyes moving either side to follow the ball. They were getting competitive with each other, bringing out their vicious sides, which was amusing to watch. Juyeon seemed like a collected person when you first met him, but like everyone else, he had a different side to him in situations so tense.

"I wanna play," you heard a voice ring behind you, "Let's play pairs?"

Sunwoo appeared from the woodwork and approached the table. Chanhee and Juyeon paused their game, claiming Juyeon as the winner before agreeing to the game.

"Y/N, play with us? Who do you wanna pair up with?"

"I'm not any good at ping pong, so whoever is unfortunate enough to have me then," you got up from your comfy position and stretched out.

"Hm, Sunwoo's not bad so Sunwoo can go with me and you can go with Juyeon since he won," Chanhee reasoned, bringing up the extra paddles from the ground.

You migrated to Juyeon's side, giving him a sheepish look, "I'm sorry, but we're going to lose."

Juyeon chuckled and shook his head, "You have to believe in yourself, Y/N. Here, watch me serve and then you can serve the first ball."

He positioned himself with his body open to you so you could see what he was doing. Juyeon carefully explained what he was going to do and demonstrated the serve. Sunwoo threw the ball back and it rolled over to you.

"You can do it," Juyeon encouraged as you readied your stance.

Taking a deep breath and not wanting to disappoint your partner, you mimicked his movements and jumped in elation when it went exactly where it should have gone. Juyeon cheered beside you, which quickly faded as Chanhee returned the ball to your side, only for it to bounce twice and then land at your feet.

Juyeon was giggling as you looked at him apologetically, "The serve was good, but now we have to work on your return."

"How about I serve and then you just return all of the balls while I stand behind you?" you countered teasingly, "This isn't much of a competition for them."

"Y/N, by the end of this trip, you're going to be a ping pong goddess," Juyeon said firmly, holding up the ball to you again.

Over the next while, you started improving with your skills with tips that the other boys showed you. Juyeon did end up having to carry your team, but you had some good moments too. You didn't expect to be so open to play with the guys, but if Kevin's friends were anything like Kevin, you should have known you would have got along great.

Eventually, some more of the boys decided to come out and play while they started preparing lunch inside with the ingredients they had brought, so you retreated back inside to join Kevin.

"Your friends are nice," you told him sincerely at the kitchen island as you watched Younghoon and Changmin open up endless packets of ramen.

"I told you they were," Kevin agreed.

You had known Kevin for a year and a half, first meeting him at the start of the second semester of junior year. While he had tried to get you to meet his friends multiple times, it just never worked out properly with your schedules all the way up to college graduation. You did want to meet them properly instead of fleeting introductions and goodbyes in the hallways or around campus, but it wasn't your fault that your timetable was absolutely rammed and you were too anti-social to attend any evening events.

However, he had told you enough stories about his friends that it really felt like you did actually know them. That's why meeting them for the first time was weird- you knew lots of things about each of them.

"I don't think me and Chanhee would have ever worked out though," you frowned as you remembered Kevin trying to get you to go on a blind date with him when you first met and got comfortable with each other.

"I see that now," Kevin huffed at his failed matchmaking, "You're both divas- hey!"

You held back a laugh as Kevin's stumbled on his stool from you pushing him, "Don't spread false rumours about me around your friends! They could get the wrong idea!"

"Honey, it's a fact," Kevin snorted, "Once they get to know you better, they'll see what I mean."

Your personality slowly but surely crept out the longer you knew someone, but you weren't sure that 3 weeks was enough time. Then again, it was 3 weeks of constantly seeing them and being forced to spend time with each other, all while doing activities that might just end up testing your will.

"How about Changmin, though?" Kevin tried to whisper lowly.

Said boy whipped his head around and gave Kevin a pointed look, "I'm right here, you know?"

"So? Anybody who I set up with Y/N would be lucky to have her," Kevin jeered to his friend.

From behind you, you hear a deep voice, "Who's being set up with Y/N?"

Juyeon takes the stool beside you, an orange manifesting in his hands that he began to peel. A small smirk flashed on Kevin's face that you did not miss, but Kevin leaned forward and placed his chin and his hand, "Why, are you interested?"

You shoved Kevin again, "You are so annoying. I'm sorry about him Juyeon."

"I'm used to it," Juyeon shrugged casually as he offered up a slice yo you, "Orange?"

You quickly refused and thanked him and he carried on eating the fruit beside you. He must have got bored of the game or wanted to supervise the lunch. You vaguely remember Kevin telling you that Juyeon was one of the better cooks in the group.

After a while of silently supervising the ramen station, the doorbell sounded through the house. Kevin raced to open the door and welcome the girls in.

You had never met them before as they were some of Chanhee and Changmin's friends, but Kevin reassured you that they were very nice girls that you probably would get along with. It's not even that you didn't have many friends of your own- Kevin was just the first to ask you to come on a trip and all of your friends were diving straight into their big-girl jobs.

"I'm guessing you're Y/N? I'm Minseo," a girl with short, cropped hair approached you cheerfully, "Stick with us whenever you get tired of these boys. They get old pretty quick."

Younghoon scoffed as he walked past with the big pot of ramen in his gloved hands to bring to the table, "You three are way more chaotic than us."

"Don't believe him," another one of the girls came over with a backpack that was making a clinking sound, "I'm Suyeon! And I have some of the drinks and Jiwon has the rest."

Suyeon has copper-red hair and piercing eyes, while Jiwon has mousy brown hair and tattoos on her exposed arms. They definitely have dancer builds, so you imagine that they first met Changmin through dance.

The boys take their turns saying their greetings to the girls and Juyeon calls in everybody outside as lunch was ready. Other than the ramen, Younghoon and Changmin had managed to whip up some side dishes from what they brought, so it wasn't a totally helpless lunch.

The table was just a large slab of polished wood on some legs with long benches around each side. It was a little bit of a squeeze to get all 15 of you around the table, but it wasn't totally horrible once everyone settled and stopped squirming.

You had Kevin to your right and Jacob to your left with Eric directly in front of you. The table was too broad, however, to be able to make meaningful conversations with those in front of you without shouting.

"Is there any activities you want to do, Y/N?" Jacob asked you.

You tried to recall the array of activities you saw outside when you pulled up to the house, "I want to row a boat out on the lake. I'm kind of scared of stuff like that. What about you?"

Jacob shrugged, "Nothing particular. I just want to relax after a full year working."

"How has that been anyway?"

He sighed defeatedly, "It's nice making money, but I definitely miss college. Don't let me scare you though."

"I'm terrified enough as it is, considering I don't have a job lined up," you tried to make it sound like it wasn't weighing you down, but Jacob seny you a sympathetic half-smile.

"Loads of people are in the same boat, Y/N. Don't worry about it, honestly. There's always something waiting for you," Jacob advised you softly, "Promise you'll try to enjoy this vacation before worrying about real life?"

"You sound like Kevin, Jacob," you stifled a chuckle, "I will try, I promise.

Your conversation with Jacob is cut short by Eric yelling at the elder to pass the water with his mouth full, followed by him being scolded by the others.

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

You don't even know what time it is when you wake up the next morning. It's well into summer so the sky is already bright and gives you no indication by the colour and you find that your phone is dead when you tried to check. Remembering that you brought your charger down after dinner while you all watched a movie in the lounge, you groaned at the thought of having to get up so early.

Soft snores were still escaping from Jacob and Kevin's bed, so you tiptoed out of the room, all while trying to brush through your tangled hair with your fingers. The house was so quiet that you definitely did not expect to see someone's back leaning over the kitchen counter while they sat on a stool.

At your footsteps, the mystery figure turned around with a surprised sound.

"Oh, Y/N. Good morning," Juyeon's voice was deep and still raspy this early, "What are you doing up?"

He was wiping his eyes with his fists bawled up and you resisted the urge to 'awh' at him as you fetched your charger from nearby, "I left this here last night and my phone died. I don't know what time it is, but why are you up so early?"

Juyeon shrugged, "I sometimes wake up early and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was going to make a coffee if you want one too?"

In your head, you weighed up the pros and cons of an early morning beverage. Something in you was screaming to go back into your bed and doze off the rest of the morning- something that will be robbed from you when you reach the real world- but at the same time, Juyeon was looking at you with his sleepy, cat-like eyes and red cheeks.

"Sure," you slid onto the stool beside his as he hopped off and made his way around to the kitchen side. There was only the whistling of the kettle for a while as Juyeon collated all the ingredients he needed and found the mugs in the cupboard. He only broke the silence to ask you if you took milk and sugar in your coffee.

You had zoned out so much that you didn't snap back into reality until he was sliding your coffee over to you and placing a plate full of French pastries between you as he took a seat. Gratefully, you pinched the croissant to curve your morning hunger.

"How did you find yesterday?" Juyeon began as he sipped on his drink.

"It was nice meeting everyone. I think I knew everyone's names anyway from Kevin talking about you all before and from his posts," you told him, "I'm still feeling shy, but it will just take time for me to get comfortable."

"I was the same when I first met everyone," Juyeon nodded, "We all came at different times since we're different ages, but I also get shy meeting new people, so I know how you feel. I'm glad that Kevin managed to convince you to come, though."

Your surprised look doesn't faze him, "Ah, really?"

Juyeon looked slightly more awake after a few sips of coffee as he smiles gently at you, "It's always nice to make a friend."

"Yeah," you agreed. Juyeon had a certain way of speaking that was just so comforting and he was quickly becoming one of Kevin's friends that you could see yourself being close to.

"Are you staying in the city after this?" he moved on casually.

Ah, the famous question. Your grimace told him everything he needed to know as you scrunched up your face, "I would like to, but that's T-B-D. It's gonna be stressful looking for a job after I get back from the trip- that's why I didn't want to come in the first place. But whatever. What about you?"

"I'm gonna be a dance teacher at a local studio," Juyeon told you, pride sparkling through the statement, "I'm excited about it, but my dream is to have my own studio one day, have a crew and work with some famous people."

You suddenly remembered something Kevin had told you once, "Ah, you majored in dance with Changmin, right?"

Juyeon nodded.

"Kevin took me to one of your showcases once this year, but I had to run out before I could meet you guys after," you recalled fondly, "You had a duet with Changmin and I remember being very, very impressed. I can't dance, so..."

He looks at you in surprise as you remembered it, "Oh, thank you for coming! And I really appreciate that. I'm going to miss those showcases, actually. They were always stressful leading up to them, but when I get to perform, it's the best feeling ever."

The lilt in his voice told you just how passionate he was when it came to dance. You wished that you had something you treasured dearly too, but you tried to remember Jacob's words from dinner- something will always be waiting for you.

"I'm gonna have to see you guys dance again at some point," you smiled, "I know Kevin said a lot of you guys do."

"What has Kevin told you about me?" Juyeon placed his chin on his palm, body leaning over towards you.

You paused for a minute, trying to recall all the facts you knew about Kevin's friend and trying to pick out the ones related to him, "He said you're the best cook in the group and that the world moves too fast for you. He said that you like nature too."

"Too? You do as well?" he asked curiously, "They say I'm slow, which they may be right."

"Yeah! I like taking walks and seeing the world," you affirmed, "I've never been to this part of the country, so I'm intrigued by the area. It looks so beautiful from what I saw on the drive up."

"We should definitely take walks together!" Juyeon suggested enthusiastically, "I don't know how many of the others will join, but it'll be fun."

Before you could agree with him despite how shy he was making you feel, Changmin's sleepy voice boomed out behind you, "Morning guys."

"Did we wake you up?" you asked him in concern.

Changmin shook his bed hair firmly, "Nope. Chanhee rolled over and started cuddling me."

"So you left him?" you teased.

"It got too warm," Changmin whined as he noticed your small breakfast spread, "Can I get a coffee too?"

"Hah, make it yourself," Juyeon huffed as he pointed out where the supplies were kept, "Did you know Y/N attended our showcase a few months ago? The one where we had the duet?"

Changmin laid out the items on the other side of the island and thought for a second before a eureka moment came to him, "Was that the one you had to leave early cause you had a date?"

You groaned at the thought, flopping your head in your hands on the table, "Oh, don't remind me! I can't believe Kevin told you."

Juyeon looked between the two of you, confusion splattered on his face, "Why, what happened?"

You shivered in your seat, "He was a dickhead. It was a blind date with one of my friends' boyfriend's frat brothers and it was so bad I had to actually tell him I wanted to leave."

"Oh, that bad?" Juyeon grimaced.

"He shamed me for ordering a proper meal, insinuated many, many times how he wanted to come over to my place after, picked up a call from one of his friends in the middle of it and then made me pay the whole bill when I said I wanted to leave and offered to split," you recounted, slightly more amused looking back on it now.

"That's really horrible, Y/N," Changmin offered as he stirred his drink.

"I'm used to bad dates now," you sighed in defeat, "I've never had any luck."

Juyeon made a noise of recognition from your side, "Have you gone on a lot of dates?"

"Mhm, my friends all found their partners pretty early on in college. I guess they just wanted me to have the same magical experience as them, so they'd always set me up on dates," you recalled your dating life through the past 4 years, "Actually, I went on a date with Jacob accidentally without knowing he was Kevin's friend before he graduated."

Changmin's eyes widened as he laughed in realisation and slapped the countertop, "I forgot that happened! That's so funny."

Juyeon pouted beside you, "Am I the only one that's never heard of any of this?"

"Maybe it's cause you holed yourself up the last two years in the practice room," Changmin replied sassily.

"Says you!" Juyeon turned to you, "How did your date with Cobie-hyung go?"

"I thought he was really sweet, but we decided not to go on a second date because he was graduating soon," you answered honestly, "He only did it as a favour to my friend when they worked on a project together."

"Oh, so you liked him?" Juyeon pressed on.

Your face reddened as you vehemently shook your head, "It's not like that! We just went on one date, that's all."

"Stop teasing poor Y/N," Changmin frowned from the other side, "It's like coming up to 8 now, so we should start making a proper breakfast for everyone."

You hadn't exactly established how you were going to do the cooking rota, but since you three were already down there, it wasn't a bad idea to get started. Juyeon agreed, hopping off the stool and rummaging the fridge for what they brought.

A grocery trip was definitely due with everyone, but for now, Juyeon's car had lugged along some ingredients from their college apartments that could be utilised.

"Can I be of any help?" you asked into the air as you watched Changmin check what was in each cupboard.

"Are you good at cooking, Y/N?" Juyeon quirked an eyebrow at you. You gave him an unsure look, to which he laughed and handed you a carton of eggs, "I guess I have a lot to teach you during this vacation, Y/N-ah."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

You've always preferred the sunset to the sunrise. Maybe it's because you've seen far more sunsets in your lifetime, due to your previous displeasure of waking up early. Over the last few months with finals, though, you've gotten used to being up at the time the sun peaked through the horizon, even if it was because you hadn't slept yet.

The moment that Minseo noticed the first shades of pinks in the sky, she dragged the whole group out to the waterfront and you all were sprawled out on the ground, watching as the sun dipped down. There hasn't been a good sunset in the four days that you've been here, so you were excited for the first one with the group.

You were even almost confident enough to call them friends as you spent the past four days getting to know them through lunches and dinners, boardgames and pingpong and cooking and cleaning. They were all great people with impeccable sense of humour- you were glad to have come to the trip.

You perched Hyunjae's digital camera on your tucked knees as you examined the way the sky was transforming. Beside you, Kevin was sketching in his notebook.

It was getting late, nearing 8, and you had spent the whole day in the pool with everyone playing different games and lounging around. You all decided as a group that you would take the first week easy- no plans, just relaxing. After that was when you would jump into activities outside of the lake house. You were on the winning team of pool volleyball today, but had lost every chicken fight on top of Kevin's shoulders.

After dinner, you were all drying up when Minseo called everyone out. The air was still warm, but less aggressive than the sun beating down on your skin earlier in the day. There was a mild breeze that cut through the heat, making it more bearable to be outside.

Chanhee was sat on your other side, humming a song as he scrolled on his phone, meanwhile in front of you on the small hill, Jiwon and Suyeon were playing uno with Younghoon and Juyeon. You snapped a picture of them with the camera entrusted to you, which they didn't even notice.

"Jiwon has a crush on Younghoon," Chanhee whispered in your ear. You jumped in your spot, clutching the camera tight to your chest.

"Jesus, Chanhee. You scared me!" you scolded the smirking boy.

"Oops," he patted your head in apology, "Isn't it obvious though?"

You turned your head back to the group to examine. Now that you knew that, you could put meaning to the way that Jiwon was leaning her body towards Younghoon's and the way she clung onto every word he said and everything he did.

"Does Younghoon know?" you hummed.

"I think so, or he's pretending to be dense," Chanhee murmured, "I think he was waiting for Jiwon to graduate, so maybe something will happen on the trip. They've been friends since high school, but the girls are on the dance team with us."

"That's cute," you noted, "What about the other girls?"

"Minseo and Sangyeon dated for a few months, but nothing ever came of it and they stayed as friends," Chanhee recalled in a dropped voice, leaning his lips up to your ear due to Sangyeon's proximity, "But they don't like it when we make jokes about it. Suyeon's never showed interest in anyone but Eric used to have a crush on her. Not anymore, though. In my opinion, proximity can make people think they feel things."

"What, like being around someone can trick you into liking them? Isn't that how crushes and relationships work?" you turned your body to face Chanhee.

He cocked his head in thought, "Maybe, but sometimes people develop crushes for the sake of having crushes instead of actually liking someone. Like some people feel compelled to date someone or like someone because everyone else expects them to because they're close."

"That's..." you trailed off, trying to find the right word to say, "Interesting."

Chanhee lets out a small giggle and turns back to his phone, "It's just something I've thought about after seeing so much friendship group incest."

When you swivel your head back to the lake and the sky beyond it, you find Juyeon staring at you with a perplexed look. When he noticed that you were looking back, he raised his arm in a small wave. You return one back to him, a little confused why he was looking. Suyeon nudged his arm, directing his attention back to the game in front of him.

"Have you ever thought about dating Kevin?" Chanhee asked after a moment of silence.

Kevin beside you perked up at the sound of his name, the scratching of his pencil ceasing. You met his eye and chuckled, "I think we always knew that we'd be better off as friends."

"She's not my type," Kevin dropped in as a dig. You nudged him when you made sure his pencil wasn't touching the paper.

"What's your type, Y/N?" Chanhee pressed on, "If you don't mind me asking."

You thought about his question carefully, trying to pick out what was actually important to you instead of what you would list off to your friends when they would find blind date suitors.

"I just want someone I can be comfortable with and not have to put on an act," you told him simply, "It'd be nice if they'd have some of the same interests as me, but I want someone I can find comfort in. Someone not too energetic and just someone who can treat a girl right. It's not a big ask."

"What, that's it?"

You nodded sheepishly, "To be honest, I just want to find someone naturally- to have them come to me. I've appreciated being set up on dates, but I don't want to look too hard anymore."

"What about giving Jacob another shot?" Kevin quizzed suddenly.

You release a small laugh, "I think that ship has sailed, Kev."

Jacob was a few metres away, strumming on his guitar surrounded by the rest of your friends. There was something so lovely about Jacob, but past that, you don't think you could see a relationship with him.

"Hmm, Hyunjae? He's very nice," Chanhee offered up, a teasing tone in his voice.

You rolled your eyes at your companions, "Did you two not hear anything I said? I want it to happen naturally."

You suddenly get distracted by someone ooh'ing and ahh'ing loudly. When you look up, you're instantly met by the most vibrant sky you've seen in a long time. The sky is painted in shades of cotton candy pink and vivid oranges. It was one of those bright, golden sunsets, devoid of any moody colours.

Snapping a few pictures on the camera of your friends and their silhouettes against the sky, you stood up for a better view. Through the lens, you find Jiwon and Younghoon standing together, shoulder to shoulder as they peered up. You were so preoccupied by their figures that you missed Juyeon standing up, brushing himself off and walking over to you.

"Y/N, can I have the camera?" Juyeon appeared beside you, making you jump slightly.

"Oh yeah, sure," you carefully placed the camera in his palm, not wanting to be reckless with something that wasn't yours.

Juyeon smiled appreciatively, taking one step back behind you and holding it up, "Okay, smile!"

Your eyes widened in surprise as you shook your head, "Don't get me in it! It won't turn out nice."

Trying to escape, you ducked to the side of him, but he caught onto your wrist and gently manoeuvred you back to your original place. Juyeon gave you a pointed look, "Trust me, okay? Just smile. Say cheese!"

Sensing that you wouldn't be able to get him to back down, you indulged his request and smiled softly at the camera. The digital device looked so tiny in his large hands compared to how they looked in yours that it was almost comical. He had to fumble a little to find the button, but when he clicked it finally, you broke your pose.

Juyeon looked down at the screen as you came closer to see for yourself. He turned it towards you with a triumphant smile on his handsome features, "See? So pretty."

He's probably talking about the sunset.

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

On a morning you found yourself awake early again, you received a DM from one Lee Juyeon.

juyeon: i was about to go on a walk. care to join?

y/n: how did you know i was awake?

juyeon: i saw that you viewed my story i just uploaded :> will you come?

y/n: give me 10 minutes

When you tiptoed down the stairs at precisely 7:15AM, you found Juyeon squinting at you from the living room couch.

"Has anyone ever told you that you squint a lot?" you yawned out as you placed your shoes on the ground and slipped into them.

"I have terrible vision," Juyeon explained, "And before you ask, I don't have glasses because I cheated on my eye test."

You slapped your hand over your mouth to muffle the laughs coming out, "How is that even possible?"

Juyeon rolled his eyes playfully, "Yeah, yeah. I know!"

He stood up from his place on the couch and followed you out of the front door. With one of the spare keys, he locked the door behind him and joined your side.

"Do you even know what I look like?" you teased him.

He made you stop on the gravel track, placing his hands on your shoulders. Teasingly, he squinted his eyes at you before relaxing onto the heel of his foot, "Of course I do. I would never forget a pretty face like yours."

Shocked at his flirty remarks, you pushed against his shoulder with your hand, "You're too much, Lee Juyeon."

His laugh is melodic as he tried to catch up with your fast pace, "You should learn how to take compliments, Y/N."

"Yeah, but you're teasing me," you humphed in response.

"Maybe, but it's still a factual compliment!" Juyeon argued. You were embarrassed to know that your whole face and ears were probably lit up like a tomato right now from his words.

Instead of replying, you chose to steer the conversation away, "Do you even know where we're going?"

Juyeon shook his head, "I just thought we could follow this trail around the lake. It's a nice morning."

The air was crispy- not too hot, not too cold. Everything was pretty still, other than the few people you could see having coffee on their front decks at the other houses surrounding the river. All you could hear, though, was the chirping of the birds in nests nestled in the trees and the soft crunching of rocks and grass under your shoes.

You hadn't managed to walk around the lake with the others yet in the week you've been there already. Time was moving so fast and there was still so much left to do. You were intrigued by the flora surrounding the lake, so you were trying to find free time to explore- thankfully, Juyeon beat you to it.

"Look at those flowers," you murmured after a few minutes of walking. There were tufts of pink flowers by the water edge that you crouched down to investigate further.

You heard the shutter of a camera faster than you could see Juyeon taking a picture of you on the ground.

"Hey!" you pouted up at him, swatting at his hand, "Let me see!"

"No can do," Juyeon replied smugly, "For my eyes only."

You brushed off your legs and stretched up next to him to continue walking, "That's not fair! I'm in the photo!"

"Later," Juyeon hummed innocently, walking forward a bit faster.

He continued leading you around the lake for a while, just chatting about trivial things you could see. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his cargo shorts, eyes shaded from the sun with his cap. At one point, you spotted a paddling of ducks near the edge, so you dragged Juyeon down to crouch beside you as you took pictures of them.

"Look how small that one is!" you cooed, pointing to what seemed like a baby duck that was following behind its mother closely.

"And look how cute they are when they tuck their necks in," Juyeon reciprocated as he found a flock further away that seemed to be sleeping or resting on the water.

"I used to have a stream behind my house when I was young, so I've always loved ducks," you waft a blade of long grass in the direction of the ducks, hoping they'd come to you.

"That seems like a nice childhood," you could hear the gentle smile in his gentle voice, "What was your childhood like?"

Your eyes followed the animals splashing about in the water, amused as two of them started chasing each other, "Nothing special. My parents had ordinary jobs and I have an older brother and a younger sister, so I was stuck in the middle. I grew up just outside of the city we went to college in, so I got to visit them often. My life's not very exciting. What about you?"

Juyeon humphed in disagreement, "I'm sure that's not true. There's always something special about the mundane. I grew up not far from the city too. I have a little brother who's 4 years younger and he's kind of in his teen-angsty phase right now, so I'm staying away physically. I call home pretty often, though."

"My sister just got out of hers," you laughed in solidarity. You finally decided to leave the ducks alone as they changed course away from you, "We get along much better now."

The sun was rising higher in the sky as you reached the halfway point around the lake. At this point, you had probably been out together for 45 minutes, but no one was noticing your absence yet.

"I can't believe they're not awake yet," you murmured as you checked your notifications.

"Nah, Changmin and Chanhee were awake and reading webtoons in bed," Juyeon informed you, "I told them we were going on a walk."

"You didn't invite them?"

"There's no getting those two out so early for no reason. That one morning with Changmin was a fluke," Juyeon uttered, "Besides, it's nice just us two, right?"

His words send the butterflies in your stomach into a frenzy- he seems to have a way of doing that to you without even realising. You've spent a good amount of time with Juyeon on this trip, thinking that he was just taking you under his wing. Unfortunately for you, the man was drop dead gorgeous so it was hard not to feel giddy around him. Especially since he had such a way with words.

You have to remind yourself often that you were just friends. He treated everyone just like he treated you, right? Lee Juyeon was just a nice person.

"Right," you smile slightly, hiding your pink cheeks from him, but in turn getting blinded by the beams of light, "The sun's so bright."

Juyeon sighed beside you, "I should have told you to bring a hat."

You opened your mouth to reply, but you suddenly feel fabric encapsulating your head and the sun fade out behind the material of a cap- Juyeon's cap that he had taken off his own head and placed on yours.

"Oh, no, Juyeon. Keep the hat; the sun's gonna be in your eyes now," you moved to take it off, but he keeps his hand splayed on top of your head to prevent you from doing so.

"I'm taller than you, so the sun's hitting my face differently," he said to you sweetly.

You think he's lying, but if you've learned anything about Juyeon the past week, it's that he doesn't take no for an answer, "Thanks, Juyeon."

"You're welcome, Y/N-ie."

And if anybody noticed that you were wearing Juyeon's favourite cap when you arrived back to the house with a full spread of breakfast on the table, they certainly didn't say anything.

But when Jacob perched himself on the edge of your bed when you woke up from your post-breakfast nap, you knew you were in trouble from the mischievous yet apprehensive look on his face.

"What?" you groaned into the pillow that you smothered yourself with.

He waited for you to remove the pillow from your face before giving you a knowing look, "Kevin sent me."

"Why?"

"He's busy with Sunwoo and Hak," Jacob dismissed, "We want to know what's going on with you and Juyeon."

You sat up on the bed, looking at him incredulously, "What do you mean what's going on with me and Juyeon? Nothing."

Jacob frowned at what he thought was a blatant lie, "Don't think we haven't noticed you two have been spending a lot of time together recently. You two went out on a secret walk this morning alone."

"No one else was awake!" you protested, "None of you are morning people anyway!"

"You're not either, said Kevin," Jacob retorted.

"I'm trying to be," you huffed, "Besides, I've known the guy for one week. I'm not hiding a relationship from anyone."

"Yeah, but do you like him?" Jacob tacked on, "Kev wanted me to interrogate, so I am doing so."

"You're all so nosy," you murmured exasperatedly, "Juyeon is very nice; we're friends. Kevin would act this way no matter who I got close to."

"That might be true," Jacob nodded, "But I've never seen Juyeon act this way. He's normally pretty reserved when it comes to girls, but he's always approaching you first, looking out for you and considering you in things."

Your heart fluttered learning this new information about Juyeon, but you don't show it as you crossed your arms at Jacob with a disapproving glare, "Then take it up with Juyeon and not me."

"You know what'd be funny? To see if Juyeon will get jealous if anyone else gets close to you," Jacob tapped his chin in thought, "I've never, ever seen Juyeon jealous over a girl."

And as if the world was playing a hilarious, cruel prank on you, you heard Juyeon call your name as his feet padded up the stairs. He let out a sound of surprise when found your door ajar and Jacob sitting on your bed instead of his shared bed with Kevin.

Juyeon's eyes darted quickly between the two of you, with you still half-tucked under the sheets. His face kind-of hardened at the sight, but he quickly masked it with a half smile, "Hey, Y/N. I made you a smoothie to energise after our walk! Hi Cobie-hyung, what are you doing here?"

Jacob shot you a smug look, that you rolled your eyes subtly to, "I was just talking with Y/N. Is there something you need?"

Juyeon eyed him suspiciously, placing the cold glass on your side table. He didn't even reply when you thanked him, instead keeping an eye on Jacob, "Nah. Was it something private, though?"

"Hm, a bit," Jacob smirked. You were half a second away from shoving him off your bed for playing with Juyeon like this.

"Oh, okay. I'll go then. But we're about to go paddling in the lake so make sure you get ready soon," Juyeon backed down hesitantly and he turned his attention to you with a disarming smile, "You still have my hat, right, Y/N? Don't forget to bring that with you out. The sun's intense today."

As Juyeon left the room with the door wider than it was when he found it, Jacob rotated his body to you comically slow like he was in a movie.

"Shut it, Jacob."

He shook his head and released an angelic, teasing laugh, "That was next level, Y/N. I've never seen that man jealous let alone put on a territorial display!"

"Jacob!"

He put his hands up in surrender, "Fine, fine. I'm leaving too, but have a think, yeah? Don't want to let a guy as good as Juyo slip away."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

There were multiple boats scattered around the lake-side. There were 15 of you, so it wasn't an even split into pairs, but some of the boys were more confident to go by themselves.

As expected, Jiwon and Younghoon were pushed together to pair up and they strapped on life jackets first before clambering onto a rocky paddle boat at the end of a dock. Sangyeon and Hyunjae got their own boats, while Chanhee and Changmin shared one together. Minseo and Suyeon climbed on after, meanwhile Sunwoo and Haknyeon paired up. Eric, ever the brave, slid into a boat by himself, but let out a scream when it wobbled immediately. Thankfully, the activities staff was still holding the boat to keep it from tipping.

That left you, Jacob, Kevin and Juyeon to decide how to configure yourselves and you could see the Canadians' meddling from a mile away.

"Dibs on Jacob!" Kevin slung his arm around his friend and ran off towards the dock, leaving you speechless with Juyeon.

He gazed at you with shiny eyes, "Guess it's us again?"

"Ha. Us. Again," you enunciated dumbfounded at how obvious Kevin and Jacob were being.

Juyeon didn't seem to note any of this as he casually tugged on your arm in the direction of the boats, "Come on. Let's go."

You were the last ones to put on your life jackets and when you looked out at the lake, you could see your friends had already ventured far into the water. Juyeon stepped into the shaking boat first, taking a seat at the far edge.

When you looked nervous about climbing on, Juyeon held out his hand towards you, "Be careful," he said, nonchalantly.

You held your breath as you took his large hand. Your hands looked like a kid's in his large hold, but the way he wrapped his fingers around your own and made you feel secure had you less wary of getting onto the boat.

When you finally were able to sit across from him, you released the breath and the staff had unhooked you from the dock. Juyeon clapped for you in pride.

"I've always wanted to do this," you admitted to him, watching the water ripple around you.

He quirked an eyebrow at you and held the oars in your direction. He was the one currently manoeuvring the two of you further into the water, "Oh, do you wanna steer, then?"

You took the two pieces of wood from his grasp and grinned at him lopsidedly, "Can't promise we won't capsize though."

He smirked at you from across the boat, "I can swim. Can you?"

Your terrified look had him laughing in stitches as he teased you, "I guess I'll be the one saving you from your own disaster, then."

You kissed your teeth playfully at him as you tried to get into a rhythm with the oars. It was actually harder than you thought to move the boat in a smooth motion due to the drag of the water, but Juyeon just watched you in amusement as he leant back on the boat. You appreciated that he wasn't trying to take over the second he realised you weren't any good at this.

"Y/N-ie!" you heard a voice shout to your left. You looked over to find Eric's lone boat coming towards you at full steam. You watched as his face contorted into panic, realising that he didn't know how to slow down his boat.

Before it could crash into you, Juyeon reached over and held you down on the boat by your shoulders. When Eric made impact, you rocked in your seat, but less than Juyeon who swayed in his mid-standing crouching position. You stabilised him by holding onto his arms with yours.

Juyeon jumped back once he realised the crash was over, cheeks pink as he felt your touch on his bare skin. He settled back into his seat, looking unimpressed at his younger friend.

"Eric," he scowled at the sheepish boy, "Be careful. You could have tipped us over."

"Sorry," Eric pulled his lips into an apologetic pout, "I just wanted to say hi."

"It's okay, Eric. We're safe," you laughed off the incident as you brushed your hair back into place. You had passed over the oars to Juyeon at this point as you conversed with the guilty tanned boy, "Are you enjoying it?"

Eric nodded happily, "It's so much fun! I could do this all day."

Your heart melted at his enthusiasm. Eric was definitely giving you younger brother vibes through this trip with his puppy-like energy.

Juyeon swatted the oar in his direction, "Go bother someone else, Youngjae."

You glared at your boat-mate, "Juyo, that's not very nice."

"He almost killed us, Y/N," Juyeon exaggerated dramatically as he pushed the nose of Eric's boat away from yours.

Eric clicked his tongue and shook his head, laughing under his breath, "Alright, alright, I get it, hyung. Sorry for almost killing you."

You watched in disbelief as Eric paddled away at the speed of lightning, now looking like he was about to crash again into Minseo and Suyeon's boat. Turning back to your partner, you shook your head at him.

"What? That was dangerous," Juyeon whined at your glare, "Anyway, you called me Juyo."

Your hands flew up to your mouth as you burned red at the slip up, "Oh sorry! I never asked if I could call you that. I just heard Jacob call you it earlier."

Juyeon flashed you a boyish grin as he paddled your boat away from where everyone had seemed to congregate, pushing at each other's boats, "I don't mind. You can call me Juyo; I like it," then his face morphed with something unrecognisable for a second, "What were you and Jacob talking about?"

Your eyes narrowed into slits as you examined the boy in front of you. Where he was confident meeting your eyes earlier, he was now looking at everywhere other than you. It had you thinking whether there was some truth in Jacob's words, but you definitely didn't want to get your hopes up.

"Didn't he say it was a bit private?" you tried to say nonchalantly. Juyeon began to nod like he didn't care much at all, but you just laughed at him, "I'm kidding. We weren't talking about anything specific. I don't know why he said it was private."

"Oh, so you're not dating?"

You gasped at the accusation, "Me and Jacob? Why would you think that?"

Juyeon shrugged as he continued to row steadily, "You guys spend a lot of time together. He was teaching you to play the guitar last night."

Ah, Juyeon must have noticed Jacob instructing you on the patio after you expressed interest in learning to play. You had thought that he was inside making dinner with the girls, but he must have stepped out or seen you in the reflection of the glass door.

You smiled coyly, "We spend a lot of time together, but we're not dating are we?"

You don't know where this bravery came from- you weren't usually so teasing to anyone you spoke to. However, being with Juyeon showed you a new, more playful side to yourself that knew how to be a bit less uptight and closed off.

Juyeon pressed his lips into a thin line, "Right. We're not."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Halfway through the trip, Minseo had the idea to have a fancy dinner out one day in the nearest town. She wanted to get dressed up and get properly ready, since most of the activities you'd been doing thus far either involved the water or getting sweaty in the sun. Because this wasn't in your itinerary, you and the three girls took their car out to shop for new dresses, while the boys searched their luggage for something appropriate.

You deduced that they didn't have anything to wear either when you bumped into Sangyeon, Younghoon, Haknyeon and Eric midway through the shopping trip with bags and bags occupying their hands. They must have been sent out by the others to buy shirts and slacks. While buying new outfits could be considered excessive, the pieces were always recyclable and appropriate for the real world that the graduates were about to go into and the working adults were already partaking in. The dresses on the other hand, were not so transferrable, but you just hoped that you'd find an occasion to use it again in. You didn't feel too guilty considering the four of you only delved into thrift and second hand shops to find your outfits for the mid-scale restaurant that Minseo found.

You got ready in the girls' room, spending more time with them since being around the boys 24/7 got tiring sometimes. They had been very welcoming to you through the past week and a half despite being a tight-knit trio already. They were also all graduated and figuring out their lives, but welcomed you into their group regardless. You could definitely see yourself keeping in touch with them after the trip ended, even if you ended up in a random city far away.

There was always something nice about getting ready with a group of friends. Jiwon had curled the back of your head while she rambled on about how Younghoon was taking his sweet time making a move on her, meanwhile Suyeon was painting pink varnish on Minseo's right hand. The four of you took pictures after cleaning up the inevitably messy room and sat cross-legged on the bed as you sent them to each other.

"Juyeon's gonna die when he sees you," Suyeon smirked as she airdropped a set of photos she had taken from you.

"Why does everyone keep thinking me and Juyeon have something going on? We're just friends," you muttered, swiping through the images.

The room fell into silence and you looked up to three disbelieving faces. Minseo rolled her eyes at you, "Be serious, Y/N. Juyeon is smitten with you."

You pressed your lips together to contain a cheesing smile. Suyeon nodded in agreement, "Don't forget we're on the dance team so we know him quite well. We've never seen him with a girl like this."

"Maybe he just kept it separate from dance."

"Then he was not seeing anyone because he was dedicated to that shit 24/7," Jiwon told you, "Trust us. He likes you."

You looked on apprehensively, "Guys, we just met. It's been a week and a half."

Minseo flopped back on the bed in exasperation, "Have you never heard of love at first sight? I feel like it's pretty common that crushes develop quite quickly, especially if you're spending all day and night with someone."

"Think of Love Island," Jiwon offered, glaring at you when you stifled a laugh, "They're locked in a villa together 24/7 and by day 3 they're married with kids making out by the pool. You're basically doing better than them!"

You giggle at her analogy, appreciating the girls trying to justify the growing affection you've developed for the sleepy-eyes boy the past few days, "Maybe, but even still, I'm not the type to make the first move at all. I still want to give it time."

Suyeon nodded in understanding, "That's fair. Don't worry though, you'll know your answer by how he reacts to you tonight. You're a literal smoke show, babe."

You side-hug her in thanks and return the compliment. Minseo pushed herself off the bed as she checked the phone, "The guys have already left. We should get going too."

Downstairs, the four of you strapped on your sandals and did a sweep of the house to make sure everyone had left and you didn't accidentally leave anyone behind. Jiwoo recalled a time to you about how after one dance show that everyone either attended or participated in, they were sorting out transport after the show and each car thought that another car was taking Sunwoo home. It resulted in Sangyeon having to turn the car around once they realised at the restaurant that Sunwoo wasn't there and a grudge that Sunwoo held for months afterwards.

When you reached the restaurant in town after a small drive, the boys had already been sat down for a few minutes. The server led you to an area where they had joined 3 tables together to accompany your large group. You could see the spaces they left in the middle for the four of you.

"Y/N," a soft voice called out for you as you reached the table. Juyeon stood up from his spot and pulled a chair out, "Hope you don't mind sitting next to me."

The girls let out some sounds of amusement behind you as they took their seats. Jiwon slid in to the sit between yours and Younghoon. With your body aflame, you returned a gracious smile, "Not at all, Juyo."

After you had sat down and greeted the other boys, you opened up the menu to confirm what you wanted despite checking it earlier. Everyone's attention had turned away from you, so Juyeon took it as an opportunity to lean closer and bring his lips up to your ear, hidden from view by the menus.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he murmured shyly.

Fighting the urge to just scream in glee and giddiness, you chewed on your bottom lip. Juyeon's hair was styled differently today with some of his hair being pushed back and away from his forehead when day-to-day, his hair fell into his eyes. He was wearing a plain button up with the top buttons undone and he had sprayed on a perfume that was completely intoxicating.

"You don't look too bad yourself," you whispered to him, masking the way your heart was racing just at the sight of him.

Juyeon returned a triumphant smile and moved back to look at his own menu. From beside you, Jiwon was practically vibrating in her seat from excitement.

"He's just being nice," you mouthed to her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her best friend slash longstanding crush.

You were never much of a drinker in college. Sure, you partook in your fair share of college parties and bar hopping nights, but you wouldn't say that you were an expert in the matter. Your tolerance was okay, but as the dinner progressed, it seemed like a better and better idea to keep ordering more wine.

By the end of it, all non-drivers on the table were verging on tipsy, all while Kevin, Sangyeon, Minseo and Jacob watched in amusement. There hadn't been any more heart-swooning moments from Juyeon through the dinner, but just being sat in close proximity to him made you feel safe and warm.

When it was time to head back to the lake house, Sangyeon had proposed the idea of ending the night with lighting the fire outside. You had utilized it a few times already, so there was a reserve of wood and flammable materials in the corner waiting to be used. It was a clear and still night with a slight breeze, so it was perfect to light it up.

Thankfully, Sangyeon and Jacob being sober worked out as they could start the fire together without harm. You definitely didn't trust the stumbling Eric or mumbling Haknyeon to do it themselves. Even Hyunjae looked a bit out of it.

The fire was roaring strong as you perched yourself on one of the benches surrounding it. Every so often, Sangyeon was throwing a log into the flames and fanning it to keep it going. It wasn't too cold in the night, but the fire provided a blanketing warmth. You were all still in your 'fancy' outfits and everyone was taking photos at different spots in the back yard. Jacob had fetched his guitar and was strumming random melodies while Sunwoo and Chanhee sang along beside him.

To your left, you heard a click of a camera.

"Lee Juyeon, will you stop taking photos of me?" you mused as you found him with the camera up to his eyes.

He smiled softly, "What's wrong with wanting to remember this moment? You look beautiful."

Your eyes fluttered shut as his words tugged at your lips, "Juyeon..."

Juyeon let out a hearty laugh as he put the camera down and scooted closer to you on the bench, thighs pressing against each other, "I'm being too obvious, aren't I?"

Everyone else was far away enough from you to be able to hear, so you were less fearful of being subject to teasings if they heard this conversation.

You thought that the wine was giving you a bit too much liquid courage, "Keep it up and I might believe what our friends are telling me."

Juyeon's breath hitched, "And what are they telling you?"

Eyes closed, you felt Juyeon press his side more purposely against yours, "I don't wanna say," you mumbled.

"Oh come on, don't I have the right to know if it concerns me?" Juyeon retorted back, "Please?"

A burst of courage pumped through your veins, "They're saying you might have a crush."

Juyeon was silent for so long that you were afraid that if you opened your eyes, he'd have disappeared. Still, you felt the warmth of his body radiating to you. Your head was heavy, lolling in front of you while Juyeon formulated his words.

You opened your eyes to a blazing fire as Juyeon chuckled lowly beside you, "I might."

Your voice indicated the surprise you felt at his indirect confession, "You might?"

"I might," he repeated. You could hear the smile in his voice, "Hard not to."

You avoid looking at him as you find a stick on the ground and start poking the fire, "You develop crushes that quick?"

"What can I say? I've always been a hopeless romantic," Juyeon mused, stretching out his arm behind you to be able to lean on them as he shuffled in his seat.

"That's not what I've heard," you recalled the conversations you've had with his friends.

Juyeon gasped, "How much have they been talking to you about me?"

You chuckled, "You're all they can ever talk about with me, if I'm being honest."

Juyeon grumbled under his breath, "I'm gonna kill all of them!"

You paused for a moment, suddenly frowning at the orange flames, "Is this just the wine talking, Juyeon?"

He snapped his head towards you so suddenly that you do the same and finally meet his eyes. The flames reflecting back in his eyes and on his face cast a golden glow on his skin, "What? No! They might have given me the courage to say these things but I'd never deceive you."

You dropped your voice to a whisper, "Do you mean it? That you might have a crush?"

Juyeon giggled at your words as he reached up to your face and tucked your hair behind your ear. Oh, he was surely a hopeless romantic.

"Definitely."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

When you woke up the next morning, your heart was already racing. It was the residual effects of the way Lee Juyeon made you feel the night before. While you couldn't talk much more after Kevin plopped down on the bench beside you causing you two to jump apart, you shared many knowing smiles throughout the night.

But it left more questions unanswered than answered. Despite that, you tried to push down the feelings of uncertainty to focus on the present.

Kevin and Jacob were already awake by the time that you emerged from under your sheets. They were both applying their skincare on the bed, a Youtube video playing on low volume near them.

"Morning sunshine," Kevin's voice was too teasing that you knew you were in for it, "How was your night with mister loverboy?"

"Kevin," you warned lowly, sending piercing glares in his direction. Jacob had stopped what he was doing to listen in.

"All I'm saying is that you two looked very comfy by the fire last night," he shrugged innocently, "Look, Juyeon's a great guy. Not sure why I didn't think to set him up with you, but you two go together well."

"Can't believe you thought Chanhee was a better option," Jacob snorted beside him. Kevin picked up his pillow and smacked his companion with it.

"Juyeon's great," you affirmed, "I just don't want to go too fast or anything since I don't even know where I'm gonna end up."

"Have you heard back from any of the jobs you've been applying for?" Kevin asked softly.

Every single day, at the end of the evening, you would open your laptop in bed and send applications for every new job listing you could find, even if they weren't related to your degree. Someone would have to take you, right?

You nodded slowly, "I have a few interviews in the city after we get back. I'm trying not to get my hopes up with any of them since I've done so many interviews this past year to no avail."

Kevin got up to your bed and gave you a squeeze, "You'll find something, okay? You're too good to let go of and all those companies were dumb to not have you."

"Thank you Kevin," you said sincerely.

"Now, get up! It's beach day!" Kevin yelped excitedly.

Although you were facing a very large lake, there was still something different about going to the beach, digging your toes in the sand and dipping into the ocean. The nearest nice beach was nearly an hour away, so you all agreed to try and get up and get ready early.

You took a lightning fast shower and packed your things into your bag. The boys had brought tents with them that you could use to get changed in once you got to the beach, so you just slipped on a sundress with sandals. You met the girls in their room and then planned to go down to Minseo's car. Although you rode over with Kevin, you were definitely enjoying the girls' presence and so moved yourself to their car by their insistence.

When you were at the top of the staircase, you felt an arm brush against yours and the weight of your tote bag disappearing as it was snatched out of your hand.

"Morning," Juyeon breathed, bringing his lips to the shell of your ear.

You jumped in your spot, clutching your chest in surprise, "Oh my God, Juyeon! You scared me! And I can take my bag."

Juyeon raced ahead a few steps to keep it out of your grasp, "It's no problem. Are you going in Minseo's car?"

"Mhm," you nodded as he opened the front door to find some of the other boys loading their things in. You waved good morning to each of them as you unlocked Minseo's car with the keys she entrusted to you. They were still packing their last bits.

Sangyeon bounded over from his car, eyeing you and Juyeon, "Hey, we only want to take 3 cars instead of 4 to the beach. We need another person in the girls' car."

Before Juyeon could open his mouth to volunteer, Younghoon had rushed over and stretched his arms over the both of you, wedging you apart, "And that's gonna be me. Sorry Juyo. Get Eric or Hak to switch with your girlfriend."

Both you and Juyeon let out a trapped, muffled sound of surprise at his comment and you kept your eyes down on the gravel to avoid showing everyone your flushed faces.

Younghoon's belly laugh echoed through the lake, "I'm just playing, guys. You should see your faces- ow! Juyeon!"

Juyeon smirked innocently, batting his eyelashes like he didn't just kick Younghoon in the shin. Sangyeon tutted like them like a disgruntled dad as he returned to his own car. Through his window, you could see Chanhee, Changmin and Sunwoo all already asleep in the back of the car while Hyunjae loaded heavy-looking coolers into the back.

Younghoon dashed inside, probably to help the girls with their items, leaving you and Juyeon looking at each other wide-eyes and shy.

"Sorry about him," Juyeon sheepishly said.

You waved him off with a dismissive hand, "Don't worry- I've got used to the teasing. How was your sleep?"

"I barely slept last night," he admitted, "I was overthinking. I wasn't too much last night, was I?"

You shook your head immediately, "No, no. Of course not. We didn't get to talk much last night, but honestly, you're good. We're on the same page, I think."

Juyeon fought the smile on his face, "We are?"

"Definitely," you echoed his words from the previous night with a teasing tone. You could practically see him folding into himself in shyness, but you just tugged at the hem of his shirt with a soft expression, "It's so early in the morning to be teased together by Jacob and Kevin if we go in the same car, so I'll just see you at the beach. Is that okay?"

Juyeon nodded affirmatively, "I agree. I'm just gonna pass out in the car anyway. Have a safe trip, pretty."

Your cheeks were permanently red around him, "You too, Juyeon."

When your car was finally on the road going at a constant speed, Minseo looked at you through the rearview mirror and sighed, "I've always wanted a summer romance."

You frowned slightly, "Do you think me and Juyeon will just be a summer thing?"

Minseo's mouth dropped agape as she rushed to collect herself, "No, no. I didn't mean that. I just meant I've always wanted to meet someone on vacation and make a relationship out of it. I think it's cute."

"Juyeon's not one for flings," Jiwon uttered beside you. She was squished in the middle seat between you and Younghoon, who was sleeping soundly with his head nested in her shoulder, "He's never had a girlfriend or a situationship through college. I don't know about high school, but I don't think Juyeon's the type to play around with girls."

"And he wears his heart on his sleeve. We've always been able to tell what he's feeling- if he's nervous, if he's mad or frustrated. He's such a sweet guy so we hope you can take care of him too," Suyeon added on from the passenger seat.

You nodded slowly at their heartfelt words, "I've realised that about him. He's very real."

"Did you guys confess to each other last night?" Minseo asked hesitantly, "You guys looked really close by the fire."

"Kevin said the same thing this morning," you chortled, "And kind-of, I guess? It was more of a half-confession."

"That's better than nothing," Suyeon hummed, "You guys should talk properly before we leave."

You agreed noiselessly as you thought about it. There was definitely something going on between you- that much was clear. You were a little nervous about it all after remembering what Chanee said to you about people developing feelings in close proximity, but you thought to yourself that that wasn't something to project onto yourself or onto Juyeon without proper deliberation.

You were also in close proximity with the other boys, but that didn't mean that you developed feelings for them either. You felt that you owed it to Juyeon who was brave enough to be so forward with his feelings to explore the relationship without prejudice.

Sure, it might get hard when you start working and living your lives again, but that was for future you who had experienced it to decide. You've let your fears stop you from many things in your life before, but whenever you're beside Juyeon, he makes you feel like you should throw out all those doubts and just enjoy the present moment with him.

You got so in your head during the car ride that you didn't even notice the car halting to a stop and the locks clicking open.

"We're here," Suyeon murmured softly, reaching from the front to gently shake Jiwon and Younghoon awake. She turned to you with an understanding look, "You okay, babe?"

"Yeah," you breathed out, "I'm just trying not to worry about it."

"Mhm," she smiled softly as Jiwon stretched awake beside you with a sleepy grunt.

The beach car park wasn't too far from the sand, so you all loaded your arms with the items from the trunk in order to set up camp for the day. It was blazing hot with the sun high up in the sky, so you were all sweating by the time you decided on a large enough spot on the beach. Thankfully, it wasn't too busy as it was a weekday, but there were still some people dotted around.

Jacob's car hadn't arrived yet since Kevin texted in the groupchat that they had to make a stop to let Eric go to the bathroom halfway through. Sangyeon's car was taking the coolers and the tents down to the beach and thankfully, the tents didn't require setting up other than anchoring them down in place with sandbags and everyone's belongings.

The group decided a few nights ago that you were going to do a barbecue on the beach after you swam for a bit, so Hyunjae and Younghoon were separating all the ingredients they had brought for that into a corner of the space. Sunwoo, Chanhee and Changmin had immediately ran away with a beach volleyball to play with away from the food.

You laid out a bunch of beach mats and picnic blankets, keeping them from blowing away by placing someone's bag on each of the corners. Suyeon and Jiwon were applying sunscreen on each other, having changed into their bikinis already, meanwhile you were waiting for Minseo to change in the second tent after you changed in the first one.

"I'm so hungry," Minseo grumbled as she dropped her bag of clothes on the mat and rummaged for the sunscreen.

"Me too, but we can't swim for a while if we eat," you reminded her. You had munched on a breakfast bar that Minseo kept stashed in her car at the start of the journey, but you had to wait to eat lunch or else going into the ocean wasn't a good idea. You don't actually know if that's a myth or not, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

She squeezed a dollop of cream into your hands that you lathered all over the areas you could reach and then turned your attention to each other to help get the spots missed. You let it seep into your skin first so it wouldn't get washed off as soon as you entered the ocean.

By the time you felt ready to go, Jacob's car had pulled up and you could hear them coming from a mile away thanks to the speaker in Eric's hand already booming music. They didn't have much in their cars, but you could see a donut inflatable around Juyeon's arms.

"Hi gorgeous," Juyeon smirked at you as he placed down the ring on the mat, "You look ready to jump into the sea."

"We've been waiting for a bit," you burrowed your toes into the golden, warm sand.

"Blame Eric. He didn't go to the bathroom before we left and then chugged a bottle of water," Juyeon rolled his eyes, "It's okay, I put on sun protection in the car."

You laughed at the visual that appeared suddenly in your head, "You guys were definitely rubbing sunscreen on each other's backs, right?"

He hid a guilty smile, "Maybe, maybe."

Mid-laugh, you were struck silent as Juyeon suddenly pulled his shirt off in one quick motion. The past week and a half that you'd been swimming in the pool, he'd been wearing a top. Sure when he was drenched, the fabric would cling to his skin and you could see the outline of his abs through them if you were looking (you definitely were not), but seeing him suddenly shirtless in front of you had your mouth gasping apart. The sun made his abs reflect golden honey and his muscly arms flexed as he pulled the shirt off.

Juyeon smirked at your reaction, "You're gonna catch flies, babe."

You snapped your mouth shut, scrunching your face in embarrassment as he chuckled at you. Trying to walk away from him, Juyeon just huffed and caught your bare waist with his large hands, pulling you back towards him, "Don't be shy, c'mere."

A passing Changmin gagged as he glared at you two, "Oh I'm gonna be sick. Get a room."

Chanhee, who was walking by his side and practically attached to his hip, huffed along, "They make me feel so single. It's so gross."

"Fuck off," Juyeon smiled innocently at his friends, who flipped him off without even sparing a glance at the two of you. He turned his attention back to you, "Sorry, is this too much?"

The sliver of skin he was touching was burning under his fingers, but you pushed down your usual reservedness, "I feel like exploding, but no, it's okay."

He bit at his plump lips, "You're so cute. Let's go swim?"

"I don't know if swim is the right word. I told you I can't swim. Maybe waddle is better," you reminded him at your inability.

Juyeon ahh'ed and picked up the inflatable, "Use this, then. Or hold onto me, yeah? I won't let you drown, promise."

He held up his pinky finger at you, which you wrapped your own around. But instead of breaking apart, Juyeon used it to tug at you towards the ocean. He started breaking out into a jog, catching you off guard, and you picked up your pace to run beside him.

When you reached the ocean, you were struggling to catch your breath from both laughing so hard and the sudden exercise he made you do. Thankfully, the sea was warm under the sun, so it wasn't an added shock to the system.

Juyeon helped slide the ring over your body so that you were in the middle of the donut hole and you paddled deeper into the ocean where your feet couldn't touch anymore. A few metres away from you, Haknyeon and Sunwoo were splashing at each other.

"This is nice, I like this," you told Juyeon happily, "I was kinda scared to go into the ocean."

Juyeon placed his hand on the ring, "Don't worry, I got you. Let's go a bit deeper, yeah?"

You let him push you along a bit further since his feet were still touching the sand at the bottom and when the water came up to his shoulders, he stopped and let you paddle around him in the donut. He watched in amusement as you giggled to yourself happily.

"So adorable," he murmured. After a few minutes, when he realised that there was no one near the two of you for a considerable distance, he reached his arm out to half your floatie.

"Mhm?" you quirked an eyebrow at him as he pulled you in closer.

"Do you trust me?" Juyeon began, eyes shining with mischief.

Your eyes widened as you gripped the float tight to your body, "Oh no. What is it?"

Juyeon chuckled and reached for your waist under the water. He tugged at you, but the float kept your bodies at a distance.

"Wrap your legs around me. I'm gonna take the float off you," he proposed slowly, watching your reaction.

"Juyeon," you drawled in fear, holding on even tighter.

"I won't let you drown, come on," he encouraged, "I'm still touching the ground."

Reluctantly, you moved your body as close as you could to him. The minute he felt your legs close around his torso, he flicked the float off over your head and pulled you in flush with his toned arms. Disregarded, the donut moved steadily with the waves.

"I told you," he murmured. You had got a bit surprised from the way he pulled you tight to his body, instinctively tucking your head into his neck and squealing. Juyeon rubbed at your back with his palm to reassure you.

This was definitely the closest that you'd been to Juyeon at all- actually, it was a major step up altogether. You think that you half-confessions you'd shared with each other had given him all the confidence and courage all at once.

"Is this okay?" Juyeon asked quietly as both of your hearts thumped against your chests strongly.

He had asked you that so much, just showing how much of a gentleman he truly was, never wanting to go further than you were comfortable with.

"Yeah," you hummed softly, pulling your head back to look at him. A gentle smile rested on his features as he gazed at you. Your back was turned away from the shore, "Are they looking?"

Juyeon craned his head around you and stifled a laugh, "They're trying to act like they're not. Do you care?"

You thought about it for a moment. To be honest, they all already knew; they were the ones pushing you together at every moment. You shook your head, "No."

Juyeon grinned, moving the hair that had floated to your face behind your ear. Your hands were preoccupied hanging on for dear life around his neck, so he took it as his obligation to help, "You're so beautiful, Y/N."

A lot of guys had told you that, especially on the blind dates you've been on. Whenever they said it, it never felt real and always just felt like they were saying it to get in your pants or as a gateway for you to owe them something. When Juyeon says it to you, his words drip with sincerity.

"Thank you," you mumbled shyly, moving your head back into his neck.

Your torsos were pressed against each other, so you could feel the rumble and vibration of his body as he laughed at your reaction. You tried to unbury yourself away from him, but his hand crept up to the back of your neck and kept you there, sending shivers down your spine. Your body shook in anticipation as the silence hung thick in the air.

"I'm just gonna say it," he breathed out shakily, "I really do like you, Y/N. I know we've only known each other 2 weeks, but I've really enjoyed spending time with you. You honestly have made me feel things I haven't before and I get excited to see you every morning. That's so cheesy, I know. If you do like me back, I don't want to ask you to be my girlfriend yet, but would you be down to keep getting to know each other and going on dates after this and seeing where it takes us?"

You're not sure if he kept your face buried into his skin for your benefit or his, since his voice was shaking as he spoke. You smiled into his neck, whispering confidently, "I like you too, Juyeon. Isn't it obvious?"

"Maybe, but I like that. I don't like playing games," Juyeon released his hold on the back of your neck and moved his arm back to your waist to keep you pressed against him.

"You've only been out of college a few weeks, how are you so mature already?" you playfully teased as you peered up at him.

Rolling he eyes, he squeezed at your waist, "I've always been mature. It's a shame we didn't meet earlier; now I feel like they were gate keeping you away from me."

"You were one of the last ones I had yet to meet," you revealed, "I had met everyone briefly other than you, the girls, Eric and Hak."

He bumped your forehead with his, "Best for last, right?"

"Definitely," you grinned.

"Okay, I dragged you out just to tell you all this, to be honest. Let's go back to everyone before I lose control and kiss you or something," Juyeon suddenly blurted, taking a few steps back to the shore with you still wrapped around him.

A surge of confidence had you squeezing your legs around him to stop him, "Who's stopping you?"

Juyeon's eyes widened in surprise as he chewed at his lip. Reluctantly, he dropped his voice and leaned in closer to you, "Are you sure?" His hot breath fanned over your lips.

He'd practically made all the first moves up until this point and you could see the honesty in his eyes. You figured you'd save him the trouble as you reached forward and pressed your lips against his.

He tasted a bit salty from when he had splashed the ocean water over his face and a bit like the orange Fanta he was drinking earlier when he got out of the car. Juyeon yelped in shock against your lips, but smiled into them as he applied more pressure and properly slotted his lips between yours.

You hadn't planned on actually making out with him in the middle of the ocean as your friends watched on in astonishment, but he captured your lips every time you pulled away slightly and licked at your bottom lip with his tongue. Your hold around his neck grew stronger as his grip on your waist grew tighter.

"Juyeon," you whispered against him when you came up for air.

"Don't blame me, this is your doing," he uttered each word between deep kisses. He wasn't kidding, he felt like he had lost control when it came to you and he couldn't bring himself to pull away from you. The gentle tide was bobbing the two of you up and down, but he kept his hold tight as he kept your lips attached and slotted his tongue into your mouth.

You indulged in him, deepening the kiss even more, "I'm really glad I met you, Juyeon," you panted.

This was enough to pull him away from you, keeping your foreheads pressed together, "Me too, Y/N. Me too."

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

So you didn't hear the end of it from your friends during the rest of the beach day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. It wasn't like you'd planned the impromptu make out session to be witnessed by 13 pairs of eyes, but honestly it's their fault for not looking away.

Juyeon also didn't hear the end of it from Sunwoo for letting his inflatable donut float away too far out of reach to retrieve. The younger boy forced him to send more money than it actually cost as compensation, but Juyeon believed it was totally worth it.

It was your final full day at the lake house and you haven't been able to peel Juyeon away from you for more than a couple minutes. In full honesty, you'd always wanted a boyfriend that clung to your side and kept you warm, safe and protected and he was definitely checking off all those boxes.

"Disgusting," Hak scoffed as he passed behind you on the couch. You were sitting sideways in Juyeon's lap, scrolling on your phone as he played against Hyunjae on a game you had never heard of. The competitor was sat far away from the two of you on a different couch across the living room.

"It's not my fault you're single," Juyeon clapped back without missing a beat.

Haknyeon groaned and ran away faster to the back yard. You'd already spent the morning outside- Juyeon had been making good on his promise to improve your table tennis skills this whole trip, but you definitely wouldn't consider yourself a ping pong goddess yet. Thankfully, there wasn't a time limit anymore for him to keep helping you improve.

In between rounds, Juyeon would pat your head and stroke your hair softly. You would turn to him and give a soft smile that he would return before Hyunjae loaded up the next game. You were just going through your emails, blocking out in your calendar all the interviews you had amassed from your applications over the three weeks. You were feeling more optimistic about returning to the world, even more so with new relationships and friendships making your life more exciting. You were also excited to see your college friends again; they were sulky about missing out seeing you become smitten with a man, but their teasing was never-ending anyway.

"Baby you can go join the others if you're bored," Juyeon murmured lowly as he kept his eyes on the flat screen TV. He was aggressively mashing the buttons on the controller and you actually had no idea if he knew what he was doing.

"I'm fine here," you assured him.

One thing that had changed since Juyeon confessed to you was the development of pet names. Juyeon adored calling you every pet name under the sun, no matter how shy or blushing they made you. Another thing was his clinginess; Juyeon barely touched you at all before you two bared your feelings and you had no idea how he kept that side of him under wraps. He was lucky that you indulged in each and every one of his quirks.

When Juyeon was by your side, he was either holding your hand, playing with your fingers or wrapping his entire, huge body around you. He was so much taller than you that he practically swamped you, but it made you feel so giddy. Now you knew the exact meaning of the honeymoon phase.

He showed you his affection previously through acts of service and he hasn't slowed down in that department since. In only a few days, he had committed himself to making you a morning beverage as soon as you woke up and making sure that you were warm when the nights became cooler or shaded when the sun was too hot. Sure, he may have a patch of sunburn on his back, but as long as you didn't, he was a-okay.

"You're quieter today. Are you sure everything's okay?" Juyeon hummed. Hyunjae was too busy screaming at the TV to hear anything you two were saying.

"I dunno. I'm excited to go back and explore us, but at the same time, I really, really don't want to leave," you squeezed your eyes shut with a deep breath, "I don't want anything to ruin what we have."

Juyeon's eyebrows pulled together in concern, but he dropped a comforting kiss on your shoulder to comfort you, "It might be different, which I know is scary, but that's the exciting part. It might be even better than this! We'll always have this summer together, but just give us a chance out there, yeah?"

"Of course, Juyo," you flopped your head into his chest and nuzzled yourself into his shirt, "I don't have any doubts about us, I promise. It's just that everything is so new."

"It's gonna be great, baby. I'm already planning all the dates I wanna take you on and all the things I wanna show you and everywhere I wanna eat with you and-"

Hyunjae let out a yelp of frustration as he lost the battle. You don't know how Juyeon was winning despite him rambling adorably to you.

Your lips curled into a smile at his blabbing and you cut him off by pressing your lips into his jawline. Juyeon mirrored your expression and craned his head to connect your lips together. Juyeon was definitely insatiable when it came to kissing.

"I thought the pining was bad, but this is much, much, much, much worse," Hyunjae cried out, throwing his controller on the seat beside him, "Do you two have no shame? Y/N, you were so shy in the beginning."

Your head was buried into Juyeon's neck as he wrapped his arms around you, game abandoned. Feet padded loudly on the hardwood floors as Kevin's voice sounded out, "Oh, she's only shy at first. Y/N is actually a menace."

"This is all kind of your doing, Kevin," you gestured to you and Juyeon.

Kevin bounded over and leaned down to squeeze the two of you in his arms, "And that's why I expect your first baby to be named after me! Kevin or Hyungseo, I'm not picky."

Juyeon scoffed at him and shoved him away, "Shut up, you didn't do anything. Don't give him credit, Y/N."

"You know I had to beg Y/N for three months straight to come, right?" Kevin deadpanned, "I definitely deserve thanks."

"Well it's definitely no thanks to you that I only met her now when you've known her for a year and a half!" Juyeon retorted passionately.

Kevin plopped down on the couch beside Juyeon, shoving away your feet that were perched up on them, "We had to physically drag you out of the dance studio if we wanted to hang out with you. You genuinely had a visceral reaction to the thought of leaving that basement."

Juyeon had been showing you videos of his choreographies the past few days and while he was incredibly innately talented, you also could see how much work he put into his craft. You were definitely very, very attracted to that side of him, not only for his talent but also for his dedication and persevering nature. He promised to teach you a few things about dance, but you told him not to get his hopes up in that department.

Juyeon couldn't argue with that one, so he just nuzzled his head into your body. You squealed at how adorable he was being, while the other boys around you audibly cringed in unison.

"Is it too late to back out of our tenancy agreement?" Changmin sighed, also taking a seat on the adjacent couch. Juyeon just threw a pillow at him that he caught and popped on his lap.

Both Juyeon and Changmin were employed by the dance studio to start after graduation. Since they'd been house mates for a couple of years already, it just made sense to continue living together at a place closer to the studio. Another reason why you'd never met Juyeon was that out of the batch of guys in your graduating class, only Kevin lived apart from them off-campus. Chanhee was left behind from the roommate situation after Juyeon and Changmin found a new place, but he quickly weaselled his way into convincing the incoming seniors Sunwoo, Haknyeon and Eric to live with him in a 4 bedroom house since he got a job at the university.

"Where are you gonna live by the way, Y/N?" Kevin asked curiously.

"My childhood home isn't that far, so I'll probably stay at home for a bit until I figure out everything. I'll probably get a place in town as soon as I can," you manifested to yourself, "I'm trying not to worry about it."

Juyeon gently ran his fingers through your hair, "Yeah, don't worry about it."

"You can sleep on mine and Jacob's couch if you ever need. We're gonna get a pull-out," Kevin grinned. He was giving up his solo, roommate-less life to move in with his fellow Canadian.

Juyeon gasped dramatically and trapped you in his arms, "No way is she sleeping on your couch! What if Cobie-hyung tries to steal her from me?"

Kevin reached over the couch and slapped Juyeon around the head playfully, "Stop being jealous that Y/N and Jacob went on a date before she even knew you existed."

You giggled at his pout and leaned into his hold, "Jacob has no chance against you."

A pained sound came from the direction of the back door, "Y/N! You wound me!"

"Why are you all just suddenly appearing when you're mentioned in the conversation?" you cried out exasperatedly as Jacob passed by the living room. He sent you a teasing wink, which Juyeon belatedly blocked by placing his hand in front of your face. You swatted at his hand, but he in turn just gripped your fingers in his hold.

Eventually, everyone congregated in the living room one by one. It was your last night together, so you all decided to just collate a bunch of food in the middle of the living room, put on some music and drink if you wanted to. Juyeon had volunteered to drive Kevin's car home since Kevin had a whole bottle of whiskey he was dying to finish, so you decided to stay sober with him so you could stay up on the drive without the effects of a hangover.

In the kitchen, you, Juyeon and Chanhee had prepared a bunch of snacks, ramen, meat and other food, meanwhile everyone dragged their pillows and duvets downstairs. You don't know if one big sleepover on the couches and hardwood floors was good for your bodies the night before a long drive home, but it seemed like the best idea at the moment.

It was amusing to watch everyone get drunk and recount their favourite memories from the trip, such as finally succeeding in ambushing Sunwoo to throw him in the pool. One of your own personal favourites was finally being consistently on the winning team of chicken fight in the pool once you convinced Juyeon to partner up with you. You deduced that Kevin was the problem in the pair.

When the night was dwindling down and everyone began to transition into a sleepy state, you changed the music to a calm Disney film that you could leave running in the background. Eric and Sunwoo were the first to knock out, snoring on one of the mattress they had hauled from their rooms. Two mattresses and a knocked out Hyunjae, Sangyeon, Minseo and Suyeon away, you were tucked under Juyeon's comforter and cuddling against his body. He had one arm under your head and the other draped over the top of you, his fingertips ghosting on your back. You were facing him, chin tilted up as you peppered silent kisses along the bottom half of his face and his neck.

"Are you sure you don't mind falling asleep next to me? I can move if you want," Juyeon mumbled sleepily, his eyelids heavy and closing involuntarily no matter how much he fought. Even in this state, he still put you and your comfort first.

"Thanks, Juyo. This is perfect, I promise," you cooed into his skin, "Let's go to sleep, yeah?"

"Mhm, goodnight my love," Juyeon's breathing eventually slowed down and became more steady as his heartbeat did the same. You matched his breathing and it wasn't long before you fell into dreamland with him, "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, my Juyeon."

You never could have expected or anticipated just how much this trip that Kevin had pestered you to go on would change your life. Maybe your story with Juyeon was a whirlwind romance, but it was still just the start. You never could have foreseen the way the sweet boy with the cat-like sleepy eyes could unpick your heart and nestle himself in there. You never would have guessed you would find comfort and solace in someone like Lee Juyeon at such an uncertain time of your life.

And when he dropped you off at the doorstep of your parents' house at the end of the trip (it was definitely way too early for him to come inside), the searing kiss he left on your lips and the promise to see you the next day made you feel like meeting Lee Juyeon was your serendipitous fate - an accidental discovery, a happenstance you stumbled upon, but one that was inevitable in every way.

a/n: thank you thank you thank you for reading. find my masterlist here & all likes, comments, reblogs and feedback are so, so appreciated <3

[joohanisms]

xdh + their favorite way to make you cum 💭💫

this is soo silly and more of a characterization exercise than anything else but!! i hope you guys like it &lt;3

cw: oof here we go, afab reader, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, mention of thigh riding/dry humping, overstimulation, mention of squirting and dacryphilia, edging, slight begging, fingering, twitter porn link in junhan's, oral (fem receiving), mention of face sitting if you squint wc: ~900

gunil

dick.

a traditional man

Nothing beats some pounding. he Will make you cum with his dick inside your cunt.

big fan of cumming together <3

he's all about the connection, honoring the making love expression, fucking you deep and slow...

but dw, he Will have his balls slapping your clit while taking you from the back if the situation (your sex drives) requires.

likes making you a little cock dumb. it boosts his ego in unimaginable way – he's making you feel so good you can't think about anything else other than him <3

will probably go a bit insane if he ever hit it raw. like there had been very few times he came before you. but this was a moment.

he'd be sooooo overwhelmed over how much he Loves and Wants you + your pussy ain't helping him at all :-(

jungsu

idk how to say what i mean but. non-penetrative stuff

dry humping, having you hump his leg, thigh riding, being used i guess? but in a loving way <3

his thoughts are somewhere around damn this is so low maintenance?? i'm not even doing anything?? and i make you feel good this easily?? this is all i've ever asked for??

but not in a "lazy" way. you know how he's always looking out for everyone? now he can take care of you only by standing still/rutting himself against you. not having to think is refreshing sometimes, you know?

in his opinion, it's sooooo absurdly hot to be able to make you cum without barely doing anything!!

has accidentally cummed in his boxers multiple times in his haste to make you cum.

btw if you can cum untouched (only by nipple stim, for exemple) he might die on the spot

if he's in a dommy mood, he will also play with you through your underwear just to be a tease :-(

jiseok

absolute menace

likes overstimulation very much.

doesn't really have a favorite method to do so, but is best with his fingers (as expected from a guitarist)

has a vibrator.

looovesss to play with your clit. will go LBLBBLBLHLLLBLBLHL with his tongue (i laughed writing this)

bonus points if you either squirt or cry!

even more bonus points if your mascara runs off!

aaand it's top tier sex if he gets to cum on you later!!

will hold your hips down and pull your hands away if you squirm too much – but if you start uttering the first syllable of the safeword he is immediately off of you.

if you ask nicely, he'll let you use a vibrator on him and give him a taste of his own medicine <3

and just a psa: i think that because of his love to overstimulate you and wreck you, he'd be one of the members who would be so down for a threesome he'd suggest it himself <33

seungmin

another menace.

as insane as jiseok but all the way on the other side of the menace spectrum = edging king

so controlling and aware of his every move. will make you INSANE, sobbing pleaseplewspelspelseseungminseungmin, have you like 5 seconds away from cumming .. and then he STOPS????

although you know the orgasm will hit you harder after being edged, you cant help but want to kill him /lovingly

will get you worked up and stop touching you (you whine) only to go hard on you (you nearly scream) in any way he'd like :-)

if you favor any method, he'll be more than happy to comply!!

likes it a lot when you get a little desperate. he will shush you, say "it's okay, baby" and start POUNDING. you see stars when you finally cum <3

hyeongjun

i have a vision bear with me.

fingering. but you're across his lap. like this. (PORN LINK for reference)

really likes fingering you in general because it doesn't matter how lazy he is at the moment, he Will be making you cum! cleanup is pretty easy too :-)

his sex drive is something like a low thrum. he's not usually insanely horny, but he's slightly horny (nearly) all the time, willing to make you feel good (as long as it's not public. he has limits.)

so if you come onto him, he's ready to give it to you – sometimes he won't even take his clothes off. he'll just focus on you.

the power trip it gives him + the feeling of being in control makes his head spin... 😵‍💫

will inevitably get hard by the time you cum and you inevitably get him off then.

jooyeon

absolute MUNCH!!!!!!

pussy to his face all day. smother him. hold his hair in a ponytail. give him thigh earmuffs. could probably go a month with only pussy and a cup of water

sit on his nose. if he dies he dies

absolutely sloppy with it but insanely good

drooly boy <33333

when he's in his usual bratty mood he will be SOOOOO cocky and smug to the point you would slap him on the back of his head if his tongue wasn't making you see stars.

in a subby mood though... puppy. puppy boy. if you pull his hair, he'll moan so sweetly against your cunt :-(

if you pull him away from you while he's at it, he'll rest his head on your thigh and look at you with sparkling eyes and a wet chin, waiting for an explanation as to why you're interrupting his 5-star meal.

[anonymous-existences]

2 : Blazing Bravery

Danny was putting on his helmet, Dante already in his motorbike waiting for Danny to approach and finally ride the bike so they can leave for Dante's work, before he could walk away from the door he heard Pariah clear his throat before placing a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Baby Ghost, Jasmine has told me that when humans visit one another they tend to bring gifts to the other as a sign and courtesy of politeness. Thus in this new understanding I have decided that you shall bring these to the workers of Dante's Dutiful Job." Pariah handed Danny a small box of cookies, freshly baked home made cookies Jazz has taught him to cook. "Thanks Dad." Danny mutters with a smile as he took one cookie from the batch.

Dan pressed his motorbike's horn, "Gotta go!" Danny just ran to Dan and waved goodbye as Dan drove away, Pariah was frozen by the door of the shop. He took a deep breathe, "Ghost Prince, Baby Prince, Baby Ghost, Daniel, Danny.... called me Dad." He mutters as he approached Jazz and Clockwork in the Living room.

"Pardon? What did you say Pariah?" Jazz tilts her head confused and didn't get to hear what Pariah fully said. Pariah took a deep breathe again, trying to contain his happiness, his joy, his excitement under a calm facade. "The Little Ghost Prince, Baby Ghost that is Daniel... Called me... "Dad"...." He says trying to sound calm but there's an underlying hint of rejoicing tone under his breathe.

Jazz perks up and starts clapping, "Congratulations!" Jazz just exclaims and Pariah's lips tucked a small smirk ever so tiny bit slightly in his face, he was proud and rejoicing internally at the advancement on his and Danny's Father-Son relationship. "I'm so happy for you my dearest Pariah." Clockwork floated over to Pariah and kisses the man's forehead delicately, Pariah hummed, core purring in delight.

"Yay! Danny called Daddy 'Dad'! Yay! Yay! Yippee!" Elle jumped around the coffee table happily still holding onto her crayons and bond paper where she's drawing her family for a class assignment. "Yes, Yes, after Daniel comes home we shall celebrate. Will Daniel know the reason of such celebration? No, we are not to say a single word about this Alright?" Pariah glances over to his husband and his two daughters.

Both girls looking at each other before looking up back at Pariah before giggling and nodding along in amusement, "Ofcourse Dearest, I won't say anything." Clockwork hummed also amused by Pariah's reaction to finally being called "Dad" by Danny, Pariah was leaning his head of Clockwork's hands as they caressed the Man's cheeks.

Dan was driving to Crime Alley in moderately fast speed, "Now I understand why Elle can't go.... You never told jazz you worked at Crime Alley?" Danny raised an eyebrow, "She don't need to know little twerp, spare me the worry panic she will perform...." Dan sighed soon stopping Infront of a garage.

"Heya Lucas, I brought my brother, don't worry he's no trouble." Dan parked his bike and took off his helmet and helped Danny helped his own off, Danny looked over to the 'Lucas' person. "Hey Dan, you must be Danny." Lucas crouched slightly to Danny's height smiling in eagerness, "I'm Lucas, your Brother's friend! It's nice to finally meet you Danny!" Lian had a Lean Tall Frame, His hair dark and curly and tied into a messy bun, he had intense amber eyes and piercings on his ears and lip, his skin was a natural warm brown, Danny looked up at him still befuddled by the other man's height.

"It's nice to meet you too sir... I wasn't really aware that my brother talked about me to his friends...." Danny smiled awkwardly, fidgeting slightly as he shook Lucas' welcoming hand. He was still getting used to strangers and new people, his anxiety every so paranoid and overwhelming, Danny looked over to Dan who was setting up their helmets nicely in a rack by the counter. His cheeks had a hint of reddish tint assuming that Dan could hear the two's small interaction. "How old are you Danny?" Lucas finally asked, still crouching to meet the boy's gaze.

"I'm uhm— 17 sir—." Danny stuttered, he was taken aback when Lucas started to smile and laugh softly. Danny tilted his head in confusion thinking that maybe he did something wrong. "Please just call me Lucas or Kuya, no need to be so formal kiddo." Lucas ruffled Danny's hair under his hood and Danny flushed up in Embarrasament immediately running over to Dan and hiding behind him.

He heard Lucas from afar laughing even more in amusement as Dan just raised an eyebrow, now confused on what they talked about, "What's up Twerp?" Dan glanced over to Danny who had his palms on his cheeks in hope of calming down the embarrassment in his face. "Nothing..." Danny sighed out as the flushed red cheeks finally soothed down. Danny then perked up as he saw the backdoor.

"Dan, Dan, I know you want me to stay here and all but can I go to the back alley? I promise I'll help later Im just gonna check on my friends." Danny asked tugging on Dan's jacket whilst easily taking Dan's phone in the man's back pocket. "Is there WiFi here?" Danny asked again, "Yes there is WiFi and yes you can stay by the back or wander off. Just... Make sure to be invisible... So no one spots you and possibly try and you know, get you in danger." Dan whispered the last sentence and Danny nodded with a nod and entered the staffroom lounge and headed out to the backdoor with ease.

The familiar weight of a tracker embedded on his hoodie that Dan had placed on him Incase of emergencies and a panic button In his sleeves within easy reach of his fingers if he were ever to be around too much danger, he smirked playfully and slipped into near-invisibility. Although he wasn't fully and truly intangible at the moment so he wouldn't feel the exhaustion creeping up on his nape, he still blended with the shadows and the corners of the darkness seamlessly.

He floated upwards and wandered around Crime Alley, the unfamiliar cacophony of distant rumble of traffic—the screeching of tires— rustling of rats somewhere in the rooks and crannies of the alleys... And the whispers of Crime. They whisper to him, Danny took off one of his earrings that dampened his abilities as he placed himself atop a roof of a tall building looming over crime alley.

The ghosts whispers, the shades murmur and the greatest of it all is the information they provide. Dead Men don't tell tales, they tell secrets and wisdom, they speak through the static—chirps—warbles of the ever so familiar Ghost Speak. Danny took all of the whispers in, noting them in his mind. Not because he really planned to tell anyone anything, but because it's interesting and new, he slowly floated back down near the dumpsters planning to walk to the garage by himself soon enough.

Danny perked up at the sudden grumbling of a stranger he didn't notice was even present near him, for a moment forgetting his invisibility he instinctively pressed himself in the grimy brick walls of the alley. Danny looked over atop the dumpster, He could make out the silhouette of a figure huddled deeper in the shadows, illuminated only by the flickering neon sign of a nearby bar casting a sickly yellow glow.

The voice, rough and edged with frustration, was a low growl. The figure was holding a phone and a box of donuts sitting atop the dumpster(gross) but it's smell was temptingly delicious. Danny didn't dare approach as the stranger spoke, "Weeks! It's been weeks, and I still haven't found the damn rat! Someone's feeding the Crimson Hand everything. Every move we make, every heist we plan… they know it all!."

A sharp, ragged breath hitched in his throat, the silence that followed heavy with unspoken threats as he held the phone to his ear, "And they're getting bolder. That last job… it nearly went south because of this leak. Nearly." He grumbled in frustration, in a moment of rage he stomped off still yelling on the phone and leaving the delicious box of donuts behind.

Danny a mischievous smirk plastered on his face stood up, no longer hidden in the depths of the shadows, he approached the box of donuts and opened it eagerly. "Mmm... What a treat." Danny snickered to himself, licking his lips and stealing the box of donuts whilst cackling menacingly in his head. "Right.... This is stealing.... Maybe I can..." An idea popped in his head as he pulled out his glow in the dark inked pen and sticky notes that he always carried just in case.

Danny as he was munching on one of the donuts wrote what the guy was having a problem about, knowing that he'll most likely come back for his donuts after all. Danny lent his ear to the murmurs of the ghosts, "Crimson... Trace... When's he doing the stealing stuff?.... Mhm... Uh-huh.... Novem...ber.... Thirteen..... At 12 AM...mid.. night... At the Caffeine Fix Cafe down three blocks in this alley secret route in the backdoor to a harbor...? Okay—" Danny wrote on the sticky note and also gave directions on where said 'Rat' Salvador would leak their information.

"Thank you!" Danny smiled and ate another donut, he stuck the note with a spare box he found somewhere, it was a bright neon green sticky note that has a ghost doodle on it that was bound to stand out in the dark gloomy alley, he stuck it to the sides of the box and floated back up the rooftops and ate his donuts peacefully.

The man burst back into the alley, his face a mask of furious frustration. He frantically searched the ground, his eyes darting around, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "The donuts! Damn it, where are the donuts?!" He muttered, his voice laced with a barely controlled rage that was quickly overshadowed by a rising panic.

He spotted the neon green sticky note almost immediately, its ghostly doodle a stark contrast to the grime of the alley. His eyes widened as he snatched up the box, his fingers trembling slightly as he read the message. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a mixture of disbelief and seething fury. "Sorry for stealing your donuts. . . I can help you tho with some info… November 13th… midnight… The Caffeine Fix…Crimson Trace is distributing stolen stuff and embezzling funds." he whispered, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

His voice rose in a torrent of barely coherent rage. "Those treacherous low lives!" He slammed the box down, the sound echoing in the narrow confines of the alley, more curses and threats were yelled in the empty air of the alley, the Man soon driving off in a rage with his motorbike. Danny licked his lips as he finished eating another donut.

Danny just hummed, "I should bring back the rest of these donuts to Dan..." He smirks playfully as he floated back to the garage safely, hoping to avoid danger or anything related to a crossfire on his way back. Danny entered the backroom lounge of the Garage and was met with Dan resting on the couch with Lucas just about to head out of the room to the main front.

"Oh hey Danny!— woah are those a box of donuts— did you steal that??" Lucas asked confused as Danny placed the boxes of donuts in the table, "I traded for it." Danny merely said, not elaborating more information. Lucas didn't ask further as he knew it wasn't his business and that it was Crime Alley either way. Later that night went as usual as Dan would say.

They were closing up and Lucas has already left since he had to come home to his kids, Danny was playing on his switch playing Animal Crossing, Reworking and Rebuilding some structures on his island. He listened as Dan, a man of few words but possessing a surprisingly rich baritone voice, began to sing along to the music playing softly from his phone – a powerful, swinging rendition of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. The song's bold and confident melody perfectly complemented Dan's deep, resonant voice. It wasn't simply humming; it was singing, his voice a commanding, resonant sound that seemed to fill the entire garage.

He poured emotion into each note, his voice hitting every note with effortless precision. The lyrics, about a life lived on one's own terms, resonated with a quiet intensity. Danny just stared and kept wondering if he too could one day sing like that, Danny perked up as he noticed a battered Motorbike pull up outside the front of the workshop, Dan didn't as he was still immersed in his impromptu performance.

The man took off his helmet and stared at the open entrance of the workshop, stunned in his motorbike watching Dan pour his everything into singing. Dan raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes to identity what the man looked like, He had A big bulky frame with black hair with a white streak(just like his hair!), his eyes were a sapphire deep blue with a hint of ectoplasmic green that Danny was ever so familiar of.

He stood there, seemingly captivated as he listened to Dan. Danny called out to Dan finally after finishing his lollipop, "DAN! CUSTOMER!" Danny yelled and Dan froze, "Ah... Oh, Sir Jason." Dan says as he met eye to eye with the other man. "Hey there Dante, and please I keep telling you— just call me Jason." The other man, 'Jason' smiled gently as he placed his helmet between his hip and arm. "I'm here actually for an oil change— I know it's late and also my baby girl kinda looks battered up so I'm wondering if you can help fix her up and all as well." Jason just says.

"Ofcourse! You're always the late night customer anyways." Dan snickered and took the bike with him inside, Jason following suit and meeting eye to eye with Danny, for a moment their eyes flashed an ectoplasmic green upon setting eyes on each other. Danny's breathe hitched, not out of fear but out of curiousity on this man who's core looks beaten and half-formed. Dan seems to have noticed before and had been the one to slowly cleanse and feed 'Jason' ectoplasm through being in each other's vicinity.

Danny stood up from his corner, "Who's this?" Jason asked tilting his head to the side and hiding his interest and suspicion on the teenager. "This is Danny, my little brother. C'mon Danny introduce yourself." Dan nudged Danny's back and Danny shook Jason's hand, "it's nice to meet you, Sir. You must be Jason, Dan talks nicely about you sometimes—Ack—" Dan hits Danny's back, Danny snickered mischievously.

"Sorry, My sister likes to hear about our days and all so we just kinda talk about everyone we meet Since yk, new to Gotham and all." Dan motioned his hand and sighed in embarrasament, Jason merely chuckled in amusement. "It's fine! It's no biggie, I'm glad I could be part of your dinner talks, it seems very fun." Jason just smiled and Dan nodded, still embarrassed about Danny talking about their dinner gossips.

Dan walked away to work on Jason's Bike and left Danny and Jason by themselves, "You like him." Danny immediately stated and Jason flinched, "W-what— I don't know what yo— why would you think of that conclusion— haha— he's just a frien— don't tell him, I'll pay you." Jason stammered and failed at coming up with a reasonable excuse on the spot, "500 buckaroos." Danny smiled menacingly, "You're a greedy kid." Jason clicked his tounge, his cheeks still flushed a tint of red.

"Uh-huh, And this is Crime Alley, plus this is also Gotham, so it's 500 bucks or I'm snitching." Danny stuck out his tounge but soon enough smirked mischievously as Jason handed Danny 500 bucks and Danny slipped the money in his pockets. "What are you anyways....?" Jason slowly muttered and glanced at Danny, "Just like you, but also different at the same time. I'd rather not talk about it." Danny scoffed and Jason nodded in understanding.

They are to never speak about their eye contact interaction. Dan kept working on Jason's Bike making it look as new as if it was bought just earlier that Day. "Jason Todd by the way." Jason states his full name, "Daniel James Nightingale, Just call me Danny." Danny replies and both just silently nodded at each other.

Dan finished with Jason's Bike and let Jason leave soon enough, Dan took a deep breathe and sighed, "Alright Chum, let's go before we're late for Father Pariah's dinner cooking, I heard he wanted to cook tonight." Dan chuckled and Danny nodded with a smile putting on his helmet afterwards and following Dan outside who now had his helmet on for safety even if they didn't need it.

The roar of the engine was a counterpoint to the city's nervous hum as Dan and Danny sped home, their faces obscured by motorbike helmets. Dan, driving, navigated with practiced ease, avoiding the city's crime ridden roadways — the narrow, twisting streets and notorious crime hotspots. A fight, even a brief one, was the last thing he needed, especially with Danny along. He'd already pushed his luck too far.

"Dan, I hear gunshots." Danny blurted out making Dan immediately halt his speeding bike with utmost relentlessness, perking his ears he finally picked up on the gunshots slowly nearing them, the cacophony of screaming and an obvious gang fight where they would not want to be caught in the crossfire of. Dan sped off away from the crossfire but unfortunately his bad luck caught up to him and now they were right in the middle, surrounded, fallen debris swallowed by flames blocking their way.

Dan immediately slides his motorbike in one of the alleys and grabbed Danny, embracing the boy in his arms tightly. "Shush, let it die down, if any of them comes here.... I'll kill them." Dan's eyes flashes a dark crimson red, determined to protect Danny from the danger of being caught in the middle of a crossfire. Danny nodded clutching onto Dan like a little scared kitten, he didn't want to feel pain especially not right now.

This was no normal gang fight, this was a whole arsonist gang fight where buildings are engulfed in inferno. Danny's core thrummed at hearing the screams, he wanted— NEEDED to save them. It is his obsession, his purpose of —Living— but Dan immediately held him back. "Look champ, if we're gonna save them put on your hood and you're gonna have to let me come with you." Dan demanded and Danny nodded.

— — — — —

The inferno in Crime Alley raged, a terrifying spectacle of destruction. Crimson Trace gang members, fueled by Ignis's reckless ambition, systematically torched buildings, creating a chaotic kill zone. Civilians screamed, fleeing in terror, their panicked cries swallowed by the deafening roar of gunfire and the crackling of flames. The air itself vibrated with fear, thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood.

Red Hood, perched precariously on a crumbling rooftop, his voice tight with grim urgency, relayed the scene to the Bats. "B, this is a fucking massacre! Some bastard named Ignis is personally overseeing the arson. They're trying to wipe out the competition and claim Crime Alley as their own! Especially Me!"

Batman's voice, a low, controlled rumble, cut through the comms. "Nightwing, rooftop disruption. Robin, prioritize civilian evacuation. Red Hood, assist Robin, Red Robin and Spoiler also assist Robin in saving civilians, avoid casualty as much as possible. I'll handle Ignis." A hint of concern and steely determination, unusual for the usually stoic Batman, laced in his tone.

Chaos escalated quickly as fire does great damage, Dan could tell it was only that specific part of crime alley and it's probably to do with the many roadways and alleys Separating streets from one another quite confusingly. He looked up and saw Robin on a small balcony on a higher floor trying to pick a lock of a blocked off semi-metal window.

Dan growled under his breathe, seeing someone so young in the heart of an inferno an arsonist and many others has started. Danny still clung onto his back, as Dan suddenly scaled the wall. "ROBIN! OUT OF MY WAY!" He quickly snarled which took Robin aback and immediately jumped out to another window as Dan slammed his fists on the metal windows revealing the kids trapped inside.

"Hey there... C'mon it's safe. Robin's here to get you all out..." Dan's gaze softened and his hands reaching out to the kids as he carried them out, Danny also holding onto them as he scaled the wall and dragged Robin up to the rooftop where he deemed it safer for them before dropping them off, "Jesus Christ, He's your Age Danny, a fuckin Robin!" Dan huffs out and dropped Robin but gently put down the kids for Robin to tend to.

Robin and Danny made eye contact and Robin immediately upon seeing Danny's face started to flush up under his mask. Stunned and nervous but he was fast enough to focus on the situation at hand. Robin immediately tended to the injured children as much as he could with the limited equipment he's brought, he was about to turn to Dan and Danny to check on them but it turns out they'd have already gone back down to apparently save more lives and risking themselves.

"Danny. What do the ghosts say?" Dan asks, Danny had one of his earrings off hearing the ghosts of Gotham, directing them to trapped civilians and guiding them so they wouldn't face any major danger other than some goons that Dan can easily knock out. "East. Eastward, 4 story building, first floor right by a window painted yellow, the Windows are barricaded with hard thick wood and there is a woman and a baby inside as well as some cats that are apparently guarding them trying to keep them safe even if they know they really can't do anything at all. Faster Dan." Danny states as fast and as coherent as he could.

Dan growled and jumps above debris that blocks his way, his hands partially burned from the fires they're running through, the weaker whispering shades actively protecting Danny and Dan from getting any major injuries or burns as they whispered and guided the two halfas to the building they say where the trapped people are. "There are two more kids with the woman now, Dad is outside in the crossfire, gang member of the... Black Prints? Oh.... That's the guy I helped earlier? You're protecting him too? Good good... Do that yes." Danny conversed subtly with the ghosts of Gotham.

Dan punched slid atop a hood of a car and found the yellow window of the building described, "Cover your body." Dan reminded Danny and Danny immediately curls himself behind Dan as Dan punched through the wall leaving his knuckles bruised and bleeding. "Hey! Are you okay?!" Dan asked as he ran inside , the fire was spreading and he could hear the meowls of the cats.

Dan didn't hesitate to grab the inflamed debris that's blocking his way and shoving it to the side creating a much safer pathway for the trapped people, "Jesus Christ, Lorraine is that you?! Fuck! c'mon now! Get moving get moving!" Dan carried the weakened Woman and one of the teenager kids holding the baby, Dan guided them out of the building before it collapse on them, the cats were nestled inside Danny's hoodie as Danny clung onto Dan's back much also like that of a cat.

"You. None of you question what I'm about to do okay?" Dan glanced over at the kids who just nods in understanding before Dan carried them all and floated and left the physical plane along with the others he's carrying, actively transmitting his Intangibility abilities temporarily to those he is touching as he gets them to a safer part of the alleys and drops them off where he knows a Bat will find them.

"Shush okay? You didn't see us." Dan reminded the kids and the cats as the kids nodded in understanding, the cats clinging onto the passed out woman, 'Lorraine' as Danny recalls Dan calling her. Dan ran back into the fire, Danny kept guiding him as the ghosts whispers in his ear. Eventually they run into a struggling Red Robin as he tried to lockpick a door because he genuinely can't take it down.

"Out of the way little Red Bat." Dan scoffed, Red Robin was taken aback and Spoiler pulls him out of Dan's path as he tackled the door sending it flying out of it's hinges, he groaned slightly and then his eyes landed on a familiar face. "Oh my fucking ancient— LUCAS—" Dan recognizes his friend on the floor coughing, "KUGG— wassup Da-cugh- Dan." Lucas looked bleary as Dan grabbed Lucas holding the urge to shake his boss, he sighed and shoved him on a stunned Red Robin's arms and heading to Lock Lucas's basement fully so his snake and turtle pets wouldn't get caught in the inferno, good thing the Door was Metal.

"You! You're a civilian too! C'mon!" Red Robin yells and Dan stopped the urge to roll his eyes, "Stay out of my way Red Robin, We both know you need any help you can get at this moment. Do what you do as always. Be a Hero." Dan sneered and punched the window open and headed out from there running through the alleys once again. "Welp— he's a fast lad— cough— fu—huck, my insurance ain't gonna cover this— cough— atleast he has my pets saf— cough— safe." Lucas coughed out more, struggling to breathe in the smoke as Spoiler carried him and lead Lucas to the safe zone/camp as fast as possible.

Red Robin sighed and tried to chase Dan but was promptly halted by a debris that's in flames suddenly falling information of his path, he nearly touched the fire and trip towards it but managed to fall backwards instead, his chest heaved and his heart racing at the near-death experience, "Jesus Fuck that's gonna keep me more awake than coffee ever did." He blurted out with a gasp, slowly standing up with his body trembling subtly at the adrenaline rushing in his veins.

Tim runs to find out that most of the gun fighting were dying down. As if the goons of Crimson Trace was coming back to their base, Red Robin couldn't help but follow one of the retreating goons. They were running right in the middle of the inferno's heart— but why— Tim just knows Batman and Red Hood are there and he needs to keep finding trapped survivors.

— — — —

Ignis, his amber eyes burning with fiery intensity, a wide small plastered across his face. He held the remote aloft, One hand with the remote and the other holding a fireball suggesting he is a Meta who uses fire. His voice a raspy baritone whisper that echoed through the gloomy abandoned building he has settled in. He chuckled lowly as Batman and Red Hood were unable to move any closer to him, "One wrong move..." He hissed, "And Gotham's underbelly turns into a pyre, Every corner, every den of vice, will erupt in a symphony of destruction! Park Row, choked by its own darkness, will finally be cleansed by fire. And you, Red Hood, will be the first to burn."

Ignis's cruel gaze hardened as he loomed over the two bats, carelessly waving around the remote that's connected to several bombs scattered around that specific side of the city, specifically Red Hood's claimed turf. "Oh I know how you bats work oh I know so well~! Especially you Batman!" Ignis continued and laughed menacingly. "I know how you work the most." His smirk widens as Batman stood still.

Batman was thinking of the ways he can turn this situation around with Red Hood's help. "You think you can stop me bats? You think you can stop the Crimson Trace? Well you can't!" Ignis laughed louder. "Cleansing? You think you can play god you bastard? You think you can decide who gets to live and die?!" Red Hood yelled, his hand was subtly hovering over his gun, ready to shoot at any given opportunity.

Ignis smiled widely, "This city is a festering wound, a breeding ground for corruption. It needs a strong hand, a leader who can bring order out of chaos. And that leader is me."

"Order through fear and violence?" Red Hood scoffed. "That's not leadership, Ignis. That's tyranny."

"Fear is a powerful tool," Ignis countered, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "It keeps people in line. It makes them obey. And obedience is the foundation of a strong society."

Danny, kicks his back and sent his tumbling forwards and the remote flying right in Batman's hand, "Real Lame Dude." Danny scoffed and raised his fits prepared for a fight. Ignis, his face contorted in a mask of rage, roared, "Who dares?!" He scrambled to his feet, his eyes scanning Danny the source of the attack, He pulled out a gun and Red Hood did the same at the same pace.

Danny moving in unnatural speed kicked the gun out of his hands and uppercuts his face, Ignis growled as he stumbled back. Batman, ever the strategist, saw the opening and lunged forward, a well-placed kick to Ignis's chest sending him crashing into a nearby wall. The impact sent a shower of plaster raining down, momentarily obscuring the scene.

Red Hood, never one to miss an opportunity, used the distraction to his advantage. He sprinted towards Ignis, a flurry of punches aimed at his exposed face. Ignis, however, was not one to be easily subdued. He roared with fury, his body ablaze with a sudden burst of fire. The flames danced around him, a fiery shield against Red Hood's onslaught.

Danny, sensing the shift in the fight, moved with a blur of speed. He dodged a fiery blast, his agility honed by years of being Phantom. He landed a powerful kick to Ignis's side, sending him reeling. The impact knocked the wind out of Ignis, momentarily extinguishing his fiery aura.

Batman, seizing the moment, charged forward. He landed a precise strike to Ignis's jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact was enough to stun him, leaving him vulnerable. Red Hood, taking advantage of the situation, rushed in and disarmed Ignis, his gun clattering to the floor with a metallic clang.

Danny took this opportunity and roundhouse kicked Ignis's face in frustration, Batman subdues the man who's now weakened because of Danny and their collaboration in taking him down. Because of Danny they were able to assess and quickly take him down before any more casualty were to occur.

Batman's face remained impassive as he cuffed and successful seize Ignis to the ground. "We need to get him out of here before he recovers."

— — —

30 minutes has passed since Ignis has been handed over to the Police. Danny was being tended to by the ambulances as Him and Dan had burns on their hands and arms, Danny just chuckled at Dan groaning as his hands were patched up by the nurses. Batman conversing and relaying information to the police as the firefighters soon put out the fire.

Danny leaned his body to Dan as relief and exhaustion overtook his body, the adrenaline dying down. Lucas was sat beside Dan as he was breathing in his inhaler, "You okay Lucas?" Dan raised an eyebrow, looking over to Lucas who breathed out in relief. "Yep! Feeling Dandy and better than before, atleast I'm not surrounded by fire anymore." Lucas snickered and Dan sighed, staring at his bandaged hands.

Danny glanced to his side for a moment and saw Robin practically dashing to him. "You! Are you okay?" Robin asked Danny, Danny could feel he was worried. "Yes, yes I am now." Danny chuckled, "You shouldn't recklessly just—" Robin stammered and Danny tilts his head. Robin caring for him? That's odd.

"Thank you for caring Robin, but I'm fine really!" Danny smiled softly making Robin wince. Danny was confused on why Robin is reacting so... Cute?. Danny just snickered finding the young vigilante adorable. "Robin! C'mon, B is calling." Red Robin called out from afar, clicking his tounge before facing Danny again. "Just please don't risk yourself like that again. It is very unethical and unnecessary." Robin nearly stuttered out and then walked away.

"Vigilantes are odd..." Danny leaned back on Dan's arm, thinking of the time he too was a vigilante technically. Does phantom count as a vigilante? Probably.

"DAN! DANNY!" They heard cry out, both boys flinched in surprise. Dan looked over to the source of the voice and saw Jazz teary eyed stomping over to them with Pariah and Clockwork behind her. "Oh my god— are you okay— oh— fu-uck— why didn't you call? DAN!" Jazz just held onto Dan's shoulders and then looked over to Danny, sobbing as she checked Danny and Dan's Injuries.

"Damn, Hi Jasmi—" Lucas started but was promptly cut off by Dan's glare. "Oh god, you too Lucas? Are you okay? I know you have asthma—" Jazz also frantically checked Lucas's body. "i-i'm fine miss Jasmine—" Lucas stuttered nervously with a hint of red in his cheeks, visibly flustered.

Danny upon seeing Pariah and Clockwork immediately ran to them, "Dad! Father!" He cried out as Pariah immediately swooped him up and embraced him tightly, "Fuck— are you— fucking.... Goddamit... Baby Prince don't.... Don't jump into danger like that ever again..." Pariah tried to hold back his tears.

"I'm sorry.... I had to .. save them." Danny said sobbing in Pariah's arms, Danny was scared too but he needed to save those people trapped inside the buildings. Pariah just sat on the ground and hugged him tightly, feeling his shoulder dampening because of Danny's tears. "I know Prince, but please atleast say something before running off from Dan... He's the only one who can keep you safe without us there."

"I know... I'm sorry." Danny was clinging onto Pariah tightly, "don't say sorry but please... Let's go home okay...?" Pariah ushered them into the car, especially Dan and Danny.

Danny sat in Pariah's Lap clinging onto his dad like a scared kitten, Clockwork Carreses Danny's Hair softly, Jazz and Dan in the back was still. Jazz was hugging Dan close to her chest Elle was staying at home with their neighbors Penner and Keigo. "I'm here Baby Prince, you did good... You did so well." Pariah muttered softly as he drove away.

"Mhm..." Danny just hummed as Pariah placed his free hand on Danny's hair, keeping the boy close as he drifted off to sleep in Pariah's Lap, Exhaustion finally taking over his body. Danny closed his eyes, "Sleep now Little Daniel." Clockwork softly whispered, and so he did.

I hope you all had fun reading XD this is the longest chapter I've made in so long :33

As always this is Spectral Mysteries in my Masterlist! :)

Masterlist

[pianokantzart]

Do you think that movie Princess Peach was particularly out of character compared to the games? This seems to be a common opinion, but I just don't see it. The more I play games with her either as a playable character or an NPC, game Peach seems to be everything movie Peach is: kind, headstrong, diplomatic but also willing to fight when necessary. People who know more than a cursory glance at Super Mario know that she's not helpless, so I'm not assuming that this is isn't it.

I think what threw most people off was seeing Princes Peach being so fiercely independent.

In many mainstream Mario games Peach's desperation for help is the driving force of the story. Her archetype is to be a gentle, beautiful, pitiable victim of an evil monster. She is reaching out and begging for rescue, and you alone can save her.

Yes, she's quite powerful in her own right and playable in a number of games, but actual character moments in these instances are rare, and definitely not enough to undo decades of her being the poster girl for "damsel in distress." Not to say Peach is pathetic. Her humble kingdom is easily overwhelmed, her soldiers are toddler-sized and squishy, and most of her kidnappings use the element of surprise. She's doing the best she can amidst impossible circumstances, but she's all too aware of how much she needs help.

But the movie doesn't take that route. In the movie she has been warring with Bowser on her own for years, and traveling independently to far-off places to ensure The Mushroom Kingdom doesn't get mixed up in the fight. She is confident in her own abilities, and more protector than protected.

She's not the delicate crown jewel of a vulnerable people, but a mama bear who will come at your throat if you threaten her family. The closest version of Peach I can think of that matches Movie Peach's level of grit and independence is Peach from the Super Mario Adventures comic.

But, unfortunately, those comics are not exactly part of the lexicon of the average, casual Mario enjoyer.

However, I do think this says something about how characters are subject to change depending on the medium. The Mario Movie and the Mario Adventure Comics are both narrative driven, which means that Princess Peach needs to be more than just an end goal the players feels sorry for. What works in games will not always work in a fully fleshed-out story.

With Peach being (at present) the only female in the main cast, keeping her cutesy and vulnerable while ensuring she stays part of the action would be an extremely difficult balancing act. In an isekai-style origin story where Mario is just beginning to learn how to be a hero? Even more so. So they instead make her a mentor figure, guiding Mario through the strange new world he and his brother are lost in. It's different, but it's not a bad different. Peach is still diplomatic, feminine, and empathetic, but her role as a lone royal safeguarding The Mushroom Kingdom makes a touch more sense on paper.

All I ask is that she keep her tea parties and cake baking.

[nenelonomh]

organization 101

organization is about how we gather stimuli in our environment to complete tasks quickly and more effectively. it's about arranging our surroundings, providing order, and structuring items and activities around us.

this topic can be applied in so many instances - including physical spaces, digital files, schedules, and mental clarity.

staying organized offers several benefits:

★ when you're organized, you waste less time searching for things or figuring out what to do next. this efficiency leads to increased productivity

★ clutter and chaos can contribute to stress. an organized environment promotes a sense of calm and control.

★ organization helps you allocate time effectively. you can prioritize tasks and allocate resources efficiently.

★ a clutter-free workspace (or living space) allows you to concentrate better on the task at hand.

★ organized spaces encourage healthier habits, such as regular exercise, balanced meals, and adequate rest.

but how can you stay organized?

★ start with one area of focus (e.g. closet, desk, documents, ...) and gradually expand. focusing on one area allows you to see tangible progress, and as you declutter or organize, you'll build momentum to tackle other spaces.

trying to organize everything at once can be overwhelming. by narrowing your focus, you can prevent feeling swamped. concentrating on a specific area also allows you to learn effective strategies,, which you can apply to other parts of your life!

★ keep a to-do list. you can use a planner or digital tools to track tasks - and prioritize and sort tasks by urgency. write things down promptly to avoid forgetting them.

by freeing your mind from trying to remember all of your tasks, this mental offloading allows you to focus on the present moment. you can also assign urgency and importance, ensuring you will tackle what matters most.

★ give everything a home. clutter happens when items lack designated spaces. organize your physical and digital spaces intentionally.

★ once organized, maintain order consistently by building habits and systems. regularly review and adjust your systems when needed.

maintaining daily habits can significantly contribute to staying organized.

digital files

personally, the biggest issue i have with organization is building (and maintaining) a good system for digital files. it is crucial for me to learn how to organize these well, however, as a digital creator.

here is the process:

★ create a folder structure,, and design a clear hierarchy of folders that reflect your workflow. organize files logically based on projects, departments, dates, or file types.

at the moment i sort my files as content home < links, content plan, instagram, pinterest, tumblr, youtube < scheduling, post ideas

however, sometimes i find myself with documents that don't fit any of these sections. my plan for the future is to reorganize this to be the most effective it can.

★ use descriptive file names,, and name files clearly and concisely. include relevant keywords to make searching easier

★ consider using tags to categorize files across multiple dimensions. tags enhance searchability and allow flexible organization.

this is something that i am looking to employ!

★ utilize cloud services like google drive or dropbox for easy access from anywhere.

i will forever be a notion girl,, even though it is not quite a cloud service, it allows me a similar experience.

★ make decluttering a routine. delete duplicate or unnecessary files.

★ pin essential folders to your sidebar for quick access.

physical decluttering

writing this, i was reminded of the (horrid) bedrotting trend, especially those videos where people would show their rooms with shit everywhere and mould growing on stuff. i'm aware that some people find it super hard to maintain organization or declutter - hoarding is a very real issue.

the benefits of staying organized were previously mentioned, but decluttering specifically has its own little set of positives. this includes reduced stress, improved focus, enhanced productivity, and more positive overall wellbeing.

here are some essential tips if you are struggling to get started:

choose a small area or category to begin decluttering. set a timer (15-30 minutes) and sort items in that area into 'keep', 'donate', 'trash', or 'unsure' piles.

you could also attempt a room-by-room approach, by tackling one room at a time. focus on completing each room fully before moving on to the next.

try to organize your belongings into categories (keep, donate, sell, discard) to make decisions easier.

remember - progress comes from consistent effort, and small steps lead to a clutter-free space.

further reading

i hope today's post was helpful!

as for further reading, check out these sites: ★ How to Declutter Your Home: 6 Best Room-by-Room Methods (thespruce.com) ★ First Steps to Decluttering - Understanding the Clutter - Being Minimalist ★ Productivity, Organization & Personal-Development | 101 Planners ★ Executive Functioning Skills 101: Organization | Life Skills Advocate ★ How to Be Organized - 10+ Habits - Organized 31 ★ How to Be More Organized & Productive | 10 Habits for Life Organization (youtube.com) ★ How to Be More Organized (verywellmind.com) ★ How to Organize Your Digital Files | Reviews by Wirecutter (nytimes.com) ★ Master How to Organize Digital File Management (riverfy.com)

❤️ nene

image source: pinterest

[funnier-as-a-system]

Hey, um... This ain't exactly.. An easy thing to say but, uh..

.._I SCARED OFF MY HEADMATES._

I JUST REFERRED TO THEM AS "THE VOICES" BECAUSE. WELL. I DIDN'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT THIS STUFF THEN!! AND ALWAYS DISREGARDED THEM WHENEVER THEY SPOKE [THEY ARGUES A WHOLE LOT. LITERALLY COULDN'T DO ANY WORK FROM THE SOUNDS OF 0NI, D AND COMPLEXITY ARGUING ALL THE TIME-]

Ok.. Calm calm.....

So. I never ever listened to them and sometimes also arguing with them tried my best to ignore them.. Yelling "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP" repeatedly usually got them to... Well, _shut up._

But just. We had another argument together. After _STARSCREAM_[don't even ask me how she got in here I don't fucking know] decided to act all mighty and shit another yelling match started that I just.. Couldn't take it anymore.. I had some.. Uhm, "quite the words" to say the least. They silenced for the day after that..

And then the next morning they just.. Weren't there when I woke up. At first I was, well, glad! It was finally quite for once! I could do things that normal people did! But uh.. After the second day it was far too quiet for my liking.. And.. It's been a month now. It's still too quiet.. Starscream[why HIM instead of others I have no idea] came back for 20 minutes a week ago.. I was glad to have at least SOMEONE back but she went away again..

I learned about this whole "system" stuff thanks to a follower saying "oh this is such a funny post as a system!" on a reblog I've done. --Which led me here. I've been... _Learning_ the past few days.. And. Well. Things really do fit me well and.. I'm not sure if I hate that or not...

I.. The reason for this _ask_ is because.. I wanted to know if others had this.. Well, "_experience_" too? Like.. I.. I miss them, alright? It suddenly went from 7 to 1 in here and it's far too quiete!!! I just.. I wanted to know if there was possibly a way to bring them back..?

I understand if this isn't the way to go for this typa stuff but... I.. I really don't know _where else_ there is.

Welp. Thanks for.. Having this account and all I suppose. Were a real help in things and, the posts are quite funny as well..! [Sigh..]

- @blog-bites-eats-u-violently

Hey, there. It sounds like you've been having a rough time lately. You have my sympathies for that. I won't give too much advice on this situation you're in – I don't feel equipped to do that – but you're not alone in this experience, anon. We went through a very similar situation a few years back, actually.

At the time, we'd just recently made our then-host (as in, the headmate who was our host at the time) aware that they had others in their head, that they were part of a system. We had... a rough few months after that, filled with fear and doubt. And at one point, our then-host became overwhelmed, and ended up driving away the headmates who were talking to them.

The silence lasted for about two days before another headmate of ours stepped up to talk to our then-host, helping them work through their issues and reconnect with those they'd run off. From what they can remember of the event, it was mostly a matter of mentally "reaching out" – consciously trying to connect to the ones they'd driven off so they could apologize. None of us are sure how it worked – best we've got is that we've always visualized our communication difficulties as walls that we have to get our internal communication/messages past – but it did, and we're all chill now on that front.

So, yes, others have had this experience before, and your headmates will likely come back to talk to you again. I can't promise anything, but if my-our story is anything to go off of, even situations like this can be recoverable. It just may take a while for all the hurt to be worked out.

[fuctacles]

@steddiesummerexchange for @chaosgremlinmunson | part 3/3 | beta @stevesjockstrap 💚

T | 10858 | Steddie, Buckingham, platonic Stobin and Hellcheer, Wayne&Eddie | Soulmate AU, unconventional soulmates, misunderstandings, idiot4idiot, fluff | divider by me | Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3

He knows he has to tell Chrissy as soon as possible, but she'll have to wait. There's someone else he has to go through first. 

He kicks off his shoes, hangs up his jacket, and accepts his fate.

"So, not a word, but I got a new tattoo."

Wayne turns away from the TV, raising one bushy eyebrow at his nephew.

"Thought you were playing DnD today."

Eddie nods his head, sways on the balls of his feet, and sighs. 

"I was," he admits, and holds his hand up, palm facing his uncle. 

He observes in real time as the realization hits his beloved relative and an infuriating grin spreads on his face.

"I said not a word!"

"I'm not saying anything." Wayne raises his hands innocently, the satisfied grin on his face making his wrinkles contort in joy.

"I gotta call Chris," Eddie grumbles, making a beeline for the phone. His uncle's amused gaze doesn't leave him for a second.

Chrissy is, needless to say, ecstatic. She makes plans to get ready together faster than he can explain the situation. It ends with him digging deep into his wardrobe the next day. 

"I don't have any good jeans!" he exclaims, showing his friend another pair. 

"Well, I want to see all of them anyway, so I can choose the ones that give you at least an illusion of an ass," she explains patiently, sitting on his bed and doing nothing else but judging.

"Rude," he murmurs, but he's aware his ass is as flat as a wooden plank so he doesn't argue. "What if he's a platonic soulmate too? What if I'm misinterpreting things again?"

"Please don't remind me." Chrissy shudders and Eddie makes a face of his own. When they first found each other, there were a couple of unsuccessful attempts at kissing before they realized they were strictly platonic. "Then he'll have to fight me because I'm not sharing. He already has his platonic soulmate, we're all due for some action."

"You know, as much as I know you," Eddie says, pulling out another pair of pants from under a pile of winter clothes. "It never ceases to amaze me how nasty you are."

"You're nasty," she throws back. "Now put these on, I wanna see some ass."

His outfit looks the same as always, with a couple of minuscule differences Chrissy insists are making a change. His pants are charcoal, not black, and his ass is almost noticeable in them, and his shirt is one of the shorter ones. If he moves his arms the right way, a sliver of his stomach will show. He barely wins the battle for his hair, though.

"We can't have the same hair!" he protests when she describes what she wants to do - a ponytail with some loose strands. She pouts, with torture devices already in hand: a brush and a scrunchie.

"I'll let my hair loose," she offers, surprising him. She always complains about hair getting in her face when it's not tied back.

"You're that determined, huh?"

She nods her head furiously.

"Fine," he sighs. "Do your worst."

In the end, he doesn't look bad, but also not exactly like he tried. Just a cleaner version of his daily look. He gets a stink eye from his friend when he throws a leather jacket over it but she doesn't say anything. She knows he doesn't have many to choose from. 

They drive to the mall, where they are planning to grab ice cream before going to the cinema. When the pairs spot each other at the entrance, Steve seems to take extra joy in waving to Eddie. The dice on his palm rattles and so does Eddie's when he waves back. They both land on twenties. 

Despite it all starting because of the girls, it was their first official hang-out together, so the boys hung back to give them some space. And to observe the intense stare Robin was giving Chrissy's hand, like she was too overwhelmed to touch it. Eddie could tell that Steve was barely holding back a laugh.

"What are we seeing," Eddie asks when Steve wins the fight at the register and pays for his chocolate cone.

"Some comedy about aliens. Or, there's also a romcom we can switch to."

"Nah." Both Robin and Eddie stick out their tongues with disgust.

"Well, sci-fi comedy it is."

They chat a bit at the ice cream place, mostly watching Robin and Chrissy's attempts at flirting, before moving on to the ticket booth. When Steve asks for two double seats away from each other, something must show on Eddie's face, because Steve smirks at him.

"For privacy," he says, reaching out to gently trace the outside of his hand with his fingers. 

Eddie has to be pushed towards the theatre after that, too floored to move. He panics a little when separated from his soulmate, who is too engrossed in her crush to even notice. 

"Hey." Steve tugs gently on the cuff of his jacket. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you. I won't even touch you if you don't want me to." He seems disappointed by that prospect but his tone is soft and genuine. Eddie knows he can trust him so he twists his wrist to squeeze his hand gently.

"It's okay. I'm just still a little surprised by it, is all," he reassures him. 

"Okay." Steve squeezes back. "Just tell me if I'm too much."

"Sure." 

He doesn't have to say anything, because he can barely sense his presence next to him. Other than them putting up the armrest to press their shoulders together, and Steve brushing against his hand from time to time, he doesn't press further. Eddie, though, is getting antsy, and having Steve next to him proves to be just a part of this problem. Halfway through the movie, he leans closer to his companion.

"You're never picking the movie again."

Steve groans quietly. It sounds like he's relieved.

"I know, I'm sorry," he admits his mistake. "It looked good in the trailer."

"They are supposed to look good." Eddie points out. "Wanna leave?"

Steve hesitates. They both look at where their friends are sitting. The girls are leaning towards each other though facing the screen, probably roasting the movie to shreds.

"They seem fine, I guess," Steve reluctantly agrees. Eddie stands up without further prompting and gently leads him through the dark, down the steps, and to the exit.

The light in the hall blinds them for a second but Eddie doesn't drop his hand, half-blindly pushing forward.

"Gotta use the bathroom. Then we can grab a bite or something."

"We should wait for the lovebirds," Steve protests. 

Eddie rolls his head to the side, not sharing the sentiment.

"I don't know, they seem fine without us."

"But it's a double date," Steve presses. 

"Okay Harrington, we can just hang around the mall I guess. Until that sad excuse of a movie ends." He gives in, shaking his head. 

Steve seems happy with getting his way, which weirdly makes Eddie feel the same. 

They ease their grip on each other only when they reach the bathroom. Without a word they enter stalls far away from each other, figuring the urinals would make it too awkward. When they are washing their hands minutes later, Steve gives him a grin through the mirror.

"We have the bathroom all to ourselves, you know?"

Eddie raises an eyebrow, something in his gust twisting with nervous anticipation.

"Yeah? You wanna murder me or something?"

"Uh, no?" Steve's smile falls. "I just— Sorry, that was stupid. Forget I said anything," he sighs, threading his fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair. 

Eddie turns sideways to face him, his hip digging into the sink.

"You know, Chris and I tried dating for like a week after we found out. Kissing her felt wrong, like I was kissing my sister, but we were both convinced we were interested in each other like that."

Steve makes a face.

"Yeah, I was so sure I had a crush on Robin for a while. But then she said she's strictly into girls and we quickly realized we're twins separated at birth." He smiles. "So I uh, understand why you'd want to feel things out first." He nods.

But Eddie bites his cheek.

"That is the opposite of what I'm saying."

Steve cocks his head, brows furrowed. He has mirrored Eddie's stance, leaning against the sink.

"What are you saying?"

"Yeah, I do wanna feel things out, but I think kissing would be most efficient."

Steve doesn't hide the smile that grows on his face. Eddie bristles at that, mostly from anxiety and embarrassment. He chuckles nervously.

"Okay, your excitement scares me a bit. You really wanna kiss me that bad?"

"I don't think you realize how kissable you are." Steve shifts a bit like he's getting ready to pounce. "Can I?"

"Be my guest." Eddie waves his hand and straightens up himself, his minimal experience making him unsure of the proceedings.

He's expecting a straightforward kiss, but it's not what he gets. Steve slides closer, his heavy hand landing on his side. His face is right there, but instead of his lips, there is a feather-light touch on his nose, where Steve gently traces it with the tip of his own, inhaling his skin. Eddie breathes softly and okay holy shit there goes the first soft peck on his lips. Then another. And two more, until he's softly murmuring "Stop teasing" against them, prompting Steve to capture his lips in a proper kiss. 

There's nothing of the confusion from his kisses with Chrissy. This time the emotions are easy to pinpoint and decipher. They grow like an itch at the tips of his fingers, eager to touch, and he indulges by wrapping his arms around the man in front of him. They take a couple of wobbly steps towards the wall until Eddie can comfortably lean against it, trapped between cold tiles and Steve's warm body.

"Does it feel platonic?" Steve leans back to ask, his hand sneaking under his jacket to slide over his hip, scorching hot without the thick layer of leather.

"My dick says no," Eddie answers, making Steve snicker.

"Well, my dick agrees with yours."

They look into each other's eyes, a new form of understanding weaving between them, a bond more complex than the matching tattoos on their palms. They are each other's and there is nothing platonic about it.

Eddie muffles an unsexy sound of laughter, held back in his throat. Steve's lip wobbles.

"Maybe they should touch, they might be soulmates too."

The dam bursts, and they start laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh my god," Steve wheezes out, leaning heavily on Eddie. "You're so stupid."

"You're stupid," Eddie counters between laughs, shoving him before wrapping his arms back around him. Their tight embrace is the only thing holding them up while they laugh against each other.

They barely register the sound of the door opening, but catch the movement with the corners of their eyes. They turn in unison and spot a guy, frozen in shock by the sight of them: two guys holding one another up in a fit of laughter. The three men look at each other in silence, until Eddie squeaks and it starts all over. The man runs into the stall furthest away.

Eddie shoves Steve away, and Steve shoves back. They start a half-hearted slapfight until Steve catches his right hand, the one with the tattoo, and kisses the inside of his palm. Eddie's eyes go wide.

Steve grins and skips out of the bathroom.

"Hey!" Eddie calls after him, quickly following. "Not fair!"

The girls find them lounging on the sofas in front of the theatre, poking each other with Twizzlers. Or maybe feeding each other. The scene is unclear, but the wide smiles on the men's faces are unmistakable.

"Twizzler?" Steve offers to his soulmate while poking Eddie's cheek with the candy. The man catches it with his teeth and tries to pull it from his grasp.

"Sure, thanks." Robin grabs one from the pack without batting an eye. "I get it the date was a success?"

"Was yours?" Eddie asks back, looking at Chrissy with a Twizzler hanging from his mouth.

"Yeah." She grins, hip-checking Robin. 

The girl blushes, chewing on her candy intensely. She's avoiding Steve's gaze but his stare only intensifies. He's basically peeling his eyelids back to burn a hole in her forehead with his eyes only.

"Did you guys kisssss?"

"Robin. Robin. ROBIN. Don't ignore me."

"I know you can hear me. ROBIN!"

She flinches when he mentally yells at her and he raises an eyebrow now that he has her attention. She glares at him.

"We did. Did you?"

He smiles smugly.

"Duh."

She snorts.

The exchange doesn't go unnoticed by their other soulmates.

"What was that about?" Chrissy asks first with a frown. But before any of them can answer, Eddie suddenly grips Steve's knee.

"Holy shit!"

Steve looks at him. Eddie's eyes are wide and full of awe, which is becoming his favorite expression on the man. 

"Can you read each other's minds?!"

"Uh, yeah," Steve admits, suddenly sheepish about the ability he's been so happy to have. And which impressed the little nerds to no end. And the big nerd too, apparently. If the way he started shaking his knee was anything to go by.

"Steve! My man! My soul!" Steve can't help but laugh at his exaggerated antics. "Magic tattoo? Mind reading? What other freaky shit can you do?"

"Well, the mind reading is more Robin than me..."

"Still!"

"...and the other freaky shit I don't show on the first date." He grins cheekily. 

Eddie's mind goes blank for a second, his excitement freezing as he reboots and processes what he just heard. Steve's grin only widens. He might like this reaction even better. 

Robin makes a retching sound, as she does, so he flips her the bird, as he does. Chrissy, though, has an evil smile that lets him know she'll be a great co-schemer in making Eddie squirm.

"Uh-huh." Eddie's mind has rebooted by now, so he looks back to him. "Next date when, then?" he asks. He tries not to look too eager but fails miserably. 

"I'm free tomorrow?"

"Perfect." Eddie grins at him. Steve picks his hand up from his knee and gives the tattoo there a gentle kiss. He bites back a smile at the soft gesture. 

"Do you guys have any soulmate abilities?" Robin asks, always the mood ruiner. She makes another dive for the candy and Steve lets her have the bag. He'd rather hold Eddie's hands anyway. They're a bit sticky from the Twizzler fight, but he doesn't mind. Maybe he should lick them clean...

"Well..." Chrissy trails off, and it immediately picks up his curiosity. 

"Don't say it," Eddie hisses at her, eyes narrowed. She shrugs with a teasing smile.

"They're gonna find out anyway. Besides," she pouts and gives him her best puppy eyes. (Steve is very impressed, after all, game recognizes game.) "Are you ashamed of our bond?"

Eddie seethes. 

"I fucking hate you," he says, but doesn't stop her from saying what she wants to. He just looks away and Steve observes his cheeks going progressively redder. 

"Eddie knows my cheering routine by heart."

Eddie makes a displeased sound in his throat and refuses to look back at him. 

"Really?" Robin sounds impressed. "So you guys can perform together?"

"Yup. And we do. My cheer squad fucking hates it."

Steve can't help but imagine him among the cheerleaders, in a matching dress. It would show off most of his hairy thighs, and his long legs. He'd have to tie his hair up like today so they don't go in the way while he's jumping and cheering for Steve's team, pompom's shaking, skirt flipping up when he spins—

"Where the fuck did your mind just go?" Eddie's voice brings him back to reality. His face is still red, but his eyes are now narrowed in an attempt to look threatening. 

"Can I see it?" he asks in lieu of an answer, though it's probably enough to clue him in. "In a cheer outfit, preferably?"

Eddie starts to sputter out protests, but Chrissy grins mischievously at Steve. 

"I can make that happen."

He knew he was going to love her. 

[bigskydreaming]

The Vampire Daniel Molloy, when Louis asks what he's looking forward to most about the next stage of his newly immortal life:

Hmm. With how much my maker already complains about me ruining his life and how every day I give him a new reason to regret ever siring me, if I had to pick just one thing, I'd say the thing I'm most looking forward to is when I hit vampire puberty.

Louis: ....

Daniel: Vampire puberty's when the really wild superpowers kick in, right?

Louis: I suppose technically that's not....inaccurate.

Daniel: Hey, what are the chances of me getting the 'set shit on fire with my brain' thing you've got? Can you even imagine how much that would piss him off? His disappointment of a fledgling having the same gifts as the ex who dumped his ass....oh, man. C'mon now. I bet I could do some real damage with that.

Louis: Actually, while we're near the subject: would you please stop introducing yourself as 'the reason your vampire parents got divorced?'

Daniel: No, Louis, Louis! You're not getting it, see....the thing that makes it funny is its true.

Louis: You've really decided to lean into the whole 'second childhood' angle, huh.

Daniel: Mmmm. And just think. If you'd turned me fifty years ago when I first asked, I'd be well past this stage by now. And also still twenty. And hot.

Louis: Ahh. Its like that, then, is it.

Daniel: Oh, only a little bit. Really though, its like, every day I discover a new way to make Armand rue my very existence all over again, and maybe I'm just a simple man with simple needs, because that's just....very fun for me. I mean, there's just something extra validating in knowing the guy you're all "fuck that guy, I hate him, he sucks" about hates you waaaay more than you can be bothered to hate him. Because then its like you win the feud, right? You still get to hate that guy, which is great, because fuck that guy, he sucks, but you also get to know your very existence drives him way crazier than his ever makes you, and I mean, let's be real. Who doesn't like winning things?

Louis: Well I'm so glad you've found something that gives you a sense of purpose at least. Its very -

Daniel: Yeah, yeah, immortal blood drinkers need hobbies other than mass murder, it keeps the body count low and is good for the environment. Relax. I know. I literally wrote the book on it. You were there.

Louis: That's what you got out of it?

Daniel: Why, did you want me to fixate on your sex scenes instead? That seems weird. A little narcissistic even. And at the risk of self-awareness, when I'm the one -

Louis: Right. Well. I just wanted to make sure you had something to focus your energies on. It can all be a bit overwhelming at first and with your level of public attention at the moment, its very crit -

Daniel: Nope, all good here. Got myself a steady supply of Deadbeat Dad jokes that make my maker's eye twitch - apparently base word play is "gauche" or some shit - ugh, my god, its like nothing I do is ever good enough for him, and I only ate one of the editors on my shitlist to test drive my shiny new murder skills. He had this thing about Oxford commas, used to bug the crap out of me. Its like we get it, you hate them. They're literally dots on a page, they can't hurt you, can we please move on....

Louis: ....

Daniel: Louis, I'm kidding. Look, you don't have to worry about me. I already decided I find emotional evisceration way more satisfying than the physical version. Less clean up and it lasts longer anyway. I'm not going to get myself into trouble by cosplaying as Jack the Ripper where paparazzi can catch me red-fanged, and even if I do, I hereby absolve you of all responsibility. You can stop mother-henning me, you didn't turn me, you literally said no when I begged you to, its the whole reason I have eternal wrinkles instead of youthful tautness.

Louis: Not gonna let that one go, are you.

Daniel: Gimme a few centuries and ask me again. I'll let you know then.

Louis: Mmhmm. So this was....memorable and we definitely won't be doing it again. But you do seem to have things figured out so I'll leave you to it, then.

Daniel: Wait, Louis, don't go! Don't you want to hear my five-century life plan for annoying Armand into an early retirement mausoleum? I made visual aids!

Louis: Goodbye, Daniel.

Daniel: Fine, leave then! I don't care! You're not my real dad anyway! Et cetera, et cetera!

[m4rried2the-moon]

( PICK A PIC ) ❤️‍🔥 — what about you can best aid the revolution?

Funds for Palestinians 🇵🇸🍉

Relief / Other funds 🫶🏾💖

- what about you can help demonstrate your passion for humanity ? ❤️‍🔥🐦‍🔥

woke up angry opening my phone 🙃(understandably so) and figured that you might be too ! so, here is a reading to highlight qualities about you that could aid in the current revolution . it can be difficult to navigate the trauma of what's happening and shock you into stillness but this reading will hopefully give you a good idea of where to start if you've been in a cycle of guilt and deep empathy . that being said, please listen carefully to your intuition and only take what resonates <3

pile one 🍉

- qualities you have : the sun, strength/justice

- how to use it : the fool (seven of coins), the moon (the high priestess + the tower)

your radiance and brilliance overpowers false truths, injustice. pile one, you have a strength that comes from a forever knowledge of what is and isn't right. this is a deeply humanitarian energy, like a public defense attorney. very "for the rights of the people" and it's about controlling and directing that passion.

you can put this to use by continuing to hold out hope for a better future for this. i see that you have been wanting to start a project of some sorry to contribute to palestine and other causes---keep it up! don't let doubts of nothing coming out of your dedication and commitment stop you from figuring for what's close to your heart. if you know you must do something then do it! any effort is effort. use this drive for justice to inform and inspire others with your radiance.

pile two 🍉

- qualities you have : ace of cups, the magician

- how to use it : two of pentacles, two of wands

you possess a deep and unbridled sense of positive emotional well-being as a strong quality, pile two. your internal atmosphere being as sensitive as it is also marks for powerful manifesting energy. you are well aware of the gift you possess and not even need to be reading this (/j). you are in touch with your spirituality in a way that basically makes you an alchemist of desired outcomes. This also may happen naturally/with minimal intent.

you can put this spiritual sensitivity and connection to the divine to use by expanding your energy into different projects. this may sound overwhelming to some but i can also see this pile as people who are already planning their outreach and discussing with friends/family, boycotting and sharing new info. would say continue to stay encouraged! think about the progress that we've made so far for palestinians and how this will result in a nearly global release! we're so close, do not accept defeat as an option and keep your head up.

pile three 🍉

- qualities you have : three of wands, knight of wands

- how to use it : the empress, ace of wands

ready for action and a planner. your dominant qualities are that of a leader, and it's nothing for you to assess and judge a situation that calls for action. i'm sure you've already been putting your for down in the face of neutrality when it comes to palestine and other causes. you are not easily swayed by fears of the collective and hindering beliefs.

the best way you can use these leader qualities to aid those who can't and themselves is continuing to let your voice be heard and trusting that your effort is working in the best interest of those who need it most. It's clear in your pull that you are taking every chance you can already to stand up for what you believe in---yes! so happy and proud, keep it up! I would say you are already aware you're doing everything you can.

hey guys ! i hope this helped truly & just wanted to say that i know it's hard to see so much anguish and pain on such a global scale but the moment we give into ignoring it, we become a part of the problem. if you've been doing your best to share and inform at least, that's enough. do to the best of your abilities and don't beat yourself up if you're circumstances are limiting to your outreach ❤️🤓👍🏾 okay that's it. love u guys bye

[itz-pandora]

Guys watch this before clicking read more

I have so many thoughts

THE PARALLEL BETWEEN MARIA'S WOUND AND THE DESTROYED MOON?!!! OH MY GOD!!!! OH MY. MY GOD. That's the entire reason I started writing my thoughts down because that's way past important. Where's that post about the symbolism and correlation between Maria's name and the moon because that's all I can think about

AND I LOVE how they're choosing to portray Maria recently, excited and eager for everything, even though it hurts her. Also how fascinated she is with earth makes me happy. I love the idea she'll just endlessly ramble to Shadow about Earth. Also her VA does a good job at letting you know how out of breath she is and how she's still all upbeat even tho she's literally about to pass out

Also ?!!! I AM GOING A BIT CRAZY AT SHADOWS PORTRAYAL!! I'm so hyped to see how he's interpreted in Generations. He seems so confused, and like each time period he's in impacts his personality heavily, like he's still with them on the ARK. He wants to save everyone even though he knows he can't and I'm SCRATCHING AT THE WALLS because of it. I think the way that they'll try to portray him going into the past is with him being only half-aware of everything, OR, HE'S TRYING TO LIVE A LIE TO MAKE HIMSELF FEEL BETTER. Ohmygod the second one makes me feel ill because he just wants to be happy, he wants to keep his little family together and safe, but he knows that the fate is inevitable, just wondering if he could've stopped it. It's haunting to him. The feeling of not being in control is present throughout the entire episode, where he's constantly dragged through each event, each one being more exhausting than the last. Everything is happening to him, he's not the driving force, and that's the sad part, he had an entire game about defining his identity, and still, he's always been a puppet to someone else, bent to their will.

I'M SO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING WITH GERALD BECAUSE ITS DEFINITELY SOMETHING. SHADOW WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU??? Shadow had to PHYSICALLY CLASP HIS HEAD BECAUSE OF THIS. I NEED TO KNOW.

Dude is this supposed to be Shadow's second traumatic flashback regarding the ARK, since in the hero story of SHTH, there's an entire level about the ARK where he plays with Maria as his sidekick, and it was triggered by hearing the sirens of the ARK (which I LOVE btw. Of COURSE he'd associate the noise with events since it's been drilled into his psyche before the amnesia)

I LOVE how scared he is at the end. He's sooooo panicked. I love how they give him the sparks when he's overwhelmed, it makes me feel so happy.

Who is HE?! It can't be Shadow before his memory loss, that guy did NOT SURVIVE. Also idk if they're going to return to the "pre and post amnesia Shadow are different people" thing they implied, because I think it'd be best to have it be like his memories are fragmented, and it's all about remembering, and THEN WE GET A NEW INTERPRETATION OF SHADOW?? Pls? Like not new but somewhere in between SA2 and after that, but with more little brother energy because MARIA IS HERE!!!!

GUYS WHAT ARE THOSE FLOWERS AT THE END AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN. PLEASE TELL ME SINCE THEY PROBABLY HAVE SYMBOLISM

This is so disorganized sorry I'm not normal at all

And ofc Eggman's piss was still on the moon. We love continuity

[distastefullydelightful]

It's a Saturday night. You're dressed like a cheap bimbo fuckdoll, as instructed. Knowing how adventurous we are, you assumed I might take you to a fancy club to parade you around. We've been driving for a while now, however, and as we depart the city, it begins to dawn on you - I've got something else in store for you tonight. Eventually, we pull off the tarred road onto some gravel. As it crunches beneath the tyres you see a dimly-lit structure ahead. You notice the dull red glow of a number of breaklights in the dark. I hand your "cumdump" collar to you.

"Put this on", I say. I then fasten a leash to it, and lead you inside. Your heart is pounding. You're thrilled and you're nervous. You're overwhelmed and you're wet. And you have questions, none of which I answer.

And here we are. In this derelict public bathroom off the side of some underused road in the middle of nowhere.

"It's time to get on your knees, slut", I command. I then proceed to take a couple small video recorders out my pocket, placing them on surfaces around the bathroom, all pointing towards where you're kneeling. Your pussy is throbbing by now. You have a sense of what's coming, but the fact that I won't answer your questions also has you a bit unnerved. I switch the cameras on, walk behind you, and start unbuckling my belt.

"You're my filthy fucking whore, aren't you?"

"Yes daddy, I'm your filthy fucking whore."

"Well then, it's time you got treated as such. And it's time the world saw you for the fuckmeat you truly are."

As you whimper, I lift your skirt up, pull your skimpy thong to the side and slide my hard dick into your slippery cunt.

You notice footsteps and murmuring outside, and you make your nervousness known to me. But I put my hand around your throat and hold you down as I start to pound away, faster and faster. A man walks into the room, and immediately motions for the other five to follow. As I pound away at your slippery pussy, I hold your head to make you look them in the eyes.

"Tell them what you are, slut!"

As you bite your lip and whimper, you manage to explain that you're a slutty little cum bucket. They grin excitedly. You're a pretty girl and you look like a street hooker. This is going to be fun. As they unbuckle their belts and start to approach us, I unload deep inside of you. You feel the familiar feeling of my cum flooding out your cunt.

"Clean up your mess, you filthy fucking whore".

You turn around to lick up the cum. But just as you're about to, I tug the leash to look up at me.

"Ask them for permission" I say, motioning toward the group of strange men amassed from advertising your cumdump holes on the internet. They're here to use you as fuckmeat, and you know you have no choice but to give them all kinds of power over you.

The thought of it, on some level, disgusts you. How has it come to this? Are you really going to ask strange old men for permission to lick up the cum which has just dripped from your pussy on some dirty bathroom floor? And yet, you crave this. You're deeply depraved, and it's moments like this when you're forced to confront it.

"Can I eat the tasty cum please, sirs?" you ask. You can't even imagine if anyone you knew saw you like this. You'd be mortified. But right now, it feels so fucking right. You want it so badly and reason has long departed.

Turns out, they're a tough crowd. "Why should we let you? Tell us what you are and why you need it, you pathetic fucking slut" a particularly confident one barks. You know he has no right to speak to you that way but your pussy is aching as a result. You're fuckmeat to him. He doesn't respect you and he doesn't even see you as a real person. And as much as that should revolt you, you want him to show you your place.

You look onto the floor to see this small puddle of cum slowly starting to spread into the cracks between the tiles. You feel humiliated and pathetic. But you just fucking want it. Your pussy is taking over your mind, and you're aware of it happening but incapable of doing anything about it, even if you wanted to.

I answer the man before you even can. "Because she's a good whore and she'll take you all tonight. But she needs to prove to all of you that she can. Eat the fucking cum, slut."

And you do. You feel the cold tiles on your tongue. The reality of your behavior dawns on you, but the more disgusted you are in yourself, the more turned on you become. As you eagerly lick the floor cleaner than its been in months, you feel another dick enter you. It's the confident one. He's thick and raw inside of you, and he's not looking to take it easy. He slaps your ass, pulls your hair, and verbally degrades you. Part of you wants me to come to your defence when he treats you like a cheap disposable slut, but the fact that I join him in the degradation sends you over the edge into mindless whore bliss. As you cum, you feel him emptying himself inside of you. He dismounts you with a few more condescending words and forcefully shoves his dick into your mouth to clean it.

You can feel his cum start to stream from your pussy too. It's overflowing. "You're making a mess again. You know what to do." After polishing his cock with your tongue you move back a few paces until you can lick the new cum puddle up. Shortly after beginning, you feel a new dick slide inside your cum-lubricated pussy.

And so the night unfolds...you're there on this dirty floor, looking like a cheap whore, licking the cum off the floor as it floods from your pussy. After each load is deposited into you, you move back a meter or so, to lick up the cum that dripped from your pussy as the next guy mounts you and fills you up.

Over the next two hours, each of the 7 men in the room have deposited their deed into your fertile young pussy at least twice. Your thighs are glistening with it and you're a sticky mess.

As the men start to depart and you finally stand up again, you notice me switching the video cameras off. You'd forgotten they were even there. "I'm proud of my whore", I say. "I can't wait to show everyone what a depraved fucking slut you truly are."

[icecreampotluck]

his, this is a fun little informational post! if you are writing a character that is a) ADHD(-coded) and b) clumsy, consider looking into

dyspraxia

also known as developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia is a motor control and spatial awareness disorder that is HIGHLY comorbid with adhd. it can manifest as early as one year old, delaying a lot of the expected milestones in babies. beyond physical effects, dyspraxic people often struggle with ordering tasks in their brain, memory, and speech (but that one can be a combination of the ordering things AND the motor control). for the FIFTY PERCENT of dyspraxic people with adhd, these symptoms often are tied to the dopamine deficiency- i personally am clumsier when im sad or overwhelmed or understimulated (tonight i spilled flan juice in my crocs and then when i was walking home it was wet and sticky and awful and logically i knew if i walked faster i could get home and solve it but i physically couldn't move faster because the distress was aggravating my dyspraxia and so i had to focus very hard on Walking and not Falling) here are some things my dyspraxia makes me struggle with that I would love to see in characters like this!

handwriting! i basically can't do it at all, but for other it could be messy or a task they have to focus on

biking! balance is no bueno.

driving a car! a lot of dyspraxics don't have the spatial awareness to know where the car is

in the same vein: shopping carts.

holding things! i forget I'm holding them and then i let go unconsciously

knowing how big things are. I used to think cop shows were lying about people knowing how tall criminals were. now I have nightmares about witnessing a crime and being like "uhh. talller than me?" i also frequently pick a container that's way too big or way too small for the stuff I'm storing.

lefts and right! i still gotta do the finger L's.

another common things with dyspraxia is fatigue. we are putting more physical effort into the same tasks than non-dyspraxics. it's tiring, y'all.

if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! other dyspraxics, feel free to add on things that would make you feel Seen.

[pocketgalaxies]

still trying to wrap my head around keyleth's "i trust orym and orym trusts you so i trust you." bc when she said that my first instinct was disappointment, i think? or at least wishing it was a little different.

i think it would've been so much more meaningful to imogen if keyleth just said "i trust you." to have someone trust her and her integrity, not just bc of the company she keeps but because of her. and to hear that from keyleth, someone that imogen has come to respect a lot. i also think keyleth would be keenly aware of those things – if there's anything i'm sure she's learned over the years, it's that her words have immense weight. this is absolutely one of the reasons she pauses so much when she talks (both a marisha-ism as well as a character moment!)

so i guess i just wonder if keyleth actually doesn't trust imogen enough yet and has to filter it through orym, just enough to give imogen the confidence and validation she desperately needs but not so much that it's a falsification or overinflation? would she lie about trusting imogen in order to instill confidence in her, i want to say probably not? but it could probably go either way and would be heavily dependent on what she's experienced in the last 30 years – what is keyleth's relationship with telling white lies and keeping little secrets, after a few decades as the voice of the tempest? it's easy to imagine that it's changed, but also perhaps remaining honest is something keyleth has come to greatly value. tbh i don't think this was particularly explored in c1, and vm did deceive quite frequently, but never in the role of Mentor to a younger, more naive adventuring party like bh

i do love the follow-up of "i see a lot of myself in you" bc the parallels were there all along and i just never noticed them. young women who grew up in a publicly broken family with the weight of their destiny becoming progressively heavier on their shoulders. unimaginable, overwhelming power coursing through them as they explore a foreign and vast world. questioning every single decision they make along the way. the responsibility of the fate of the world frequently, unrelentingly, falling to them for reasons completely out of their control. not knowing anything but knowing they love their companions and knowing they want to do good. not knowing at all what good is anymore. still striving for it regardless.

it does make me lean more toward yes keyleth does trust imogen, because keyleth knows that imogen does not trust herself but keyleth can recognize that she can be trusted, because keyleth was the same way and she turned out okay. if anyone would understand the simultaneously terrifying but also unquestionable reliability of a truly good person trying to survive in a harsh world, it would be keyleth. but then why didn't she say so! and also i just personally would like to think that keyleth does trust imogen after seeing all that she's sacrificed and the level of dedication she's demonstrated over the last several months. but maybe that's just my bias after seeing every little bit of anguish and anxiety that imogen has experienced, and it's very hard to tell/remember how much of that has actually been perceived by keyleth. but also to see herself in imogen would suggest that she's seen at least some of it?

anyway i'm driving myself crazy. but i wish she could've told imogen she trusts her, and idk what stopped her. :(

[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

What do I Know about You - Part 3

Next in the collaboration with @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan! Thanks so much for the help and the lending of OCs!

Previous Chapter Here!

Next Chapter Here!

The madness that started it all! HERE!

Also much thanks to @kit-williams for use of her oc Anrir

Tags: @sleepyfan-blog @bleedingichorhearts @passionofthesith @egrets-not-regrets @bispecsual @felinisnoctis

Summary: The other shoe drops. And now Lullaby and Khopesh have an entirely new issue to work around, and just when things were starting to get better.

Will this bond abnormality drive the two lovebirds to fly separate ways? Unlikely but at least one of them has to be confined to a cage for study, the other is Not happy with this outcome.

Warning: Negative Self Talk, Depression, Lashing out in anger and a trilogy becoming something that is slowly spiraling out longer and longer (but we are going to present this monster in more manageable chunks). Emperor Save Us.

You lay on your side, here…in a type of room you Hoped to never have to set foot in again. 

“There is something we need to tell you, both of you…”

You'd returned to the base with Khopesh as Anrir requested. You'd even let Khopesh carry you on his shoulders as you took your short walk back. Both of you were feeling playful and You felt lighter than you had in ages. 

Ironic with how you now wished to just Sink into this hospital bed like a rock now

As you'd strode in you'd seen the ancient Nightlord again in the lobby, perhaps you'd been a bit too chipper to notice the mood was different.

“Well I said I'd be back soon, so here I am!” You joked, stepping down with Khopesh's help. “Does this have something to do with Claude or Jophiel? I was hoping to get a chance to be slightly less awkward around them.”

Anrir had shaken his head. “Not exactly,” His voice had a pensive and almost solemn air to it. That's when you picked up on something not being right. “Apothecary Hura and I will explain all we can. But in private. My office is this way.”

“Anrir?” Khopesh asked, bringing a hand up to your shoulder.

The older Nightlord nodded. “This concerns you as well Khopesh.”

You both did as you were told. And indeed Apothecary Hura was waiting for you in said office. 

The dread of uncertainty had begun gnawing in your gut. But you used Khopesh's hand and presence as a comfort and reassurance. You're going to face this Together, it will all be alright. 

But it wasn't. 

“What?” You flinched remembering your reaction. “What do you Mean my bond is mutated?”

“It has taken on a form that has yet to be recorded previously.” Hura explained. “Rather than resembling a floral structure…it resembles something else…more akin to a…fungus.”

Anrir picked up the conversation. “The ‘zap’ you felt when touching Claude, was not merely static electricity. Claude's psychery activated upon touching you, leading Cedric to call his brother Jophiel over to examine you with his warp sight.”

“He described your bond and it is unlike anything we have seen previously.” Anrir continued. “In full truth it…unsettled him quite a bit.”

You cringed again, but you didn't blame Jophiel. How would you react if you walked into your garden only to find your Petunias had turned into Death Caps? Not well you assumed. 

“But I'm not Bonded! You of all people know that Doc.” You'd protested. 

“Yes…which makes your apparent mutation all the more fascinating and bizarre.” Hura had replied. “It's like the half of the bond that remained after…the incident, took on this whole new form on its own without anyone noticing the changes, until now of course.” 

“The zap also implies you May have some nascent or yet to be tapped psychic potential.” Anrir stated. “We needed to tell you this so you could be aware and prevent, say…a less friendly reaction to a zap occurring in the future.”

That part had still been overwhelming and wild but…up to that point the things they were saying weren't truly Bad, aside from scaring Jophiel. No…it was really more the next part that made your stomach twist and your eyes scrunch up in that Awful way. 

“We also believe, with the way your bond has mutated… It may not be possible for you to form a permanent bond again.”

A harsh sob ripped through your tightly locked lips and you turned your leaking eyes into your I pillow. 

“I…I can't ever…bond…again?”

“We are not certain but…as the bonds structure and function are so radically different…”

“Different function how?” You interrupted. 

Anrir paused, he seemed to be debating telling you. 

“Different in function How, Doc?” You demanded, which would have been laughable to Anrir if the situation wasn't so…heartbreaking. 

“…When Jophiel shook your hand…your bond began siphoning his power away.” Anrir finally stated quietly. “A regular bond produces a single, stable connection of warp energy. Even if we assume that energy depletes and renews it…. Dissipates when the bond is severed, leaving it to erode away gradually.”

“Yours is alive…and is actively seeking warp energy without your conscious thought…”

Draining...Unworthy...

B...r...o...k...e...n...

“It's like a Parasite…”

Another sob wracked your frame and you pulled the hospital blankets close around you. The difference in texture grated on you but you were also too tired and upset to care. 

“I'm like a Parasite!” You felt like screaming, you felt like crying. You felt your hands coming up around your head. 

“Lullaby…” Khopesh reached for you. 

A million alarms went off at once “No!” You shrieked, jumping back and putting your hands up. 

“Easy there young one.” Hura calls out soothingly.

Anrir states, in his own sort of calming way, “We know this is a lot to take in…”

“Lullaby?!…please…why are you pulling away from me…” Khopesh reached for you.

You'd crammed yourself deeper into the office's corner. “What if my bond is hurting you?? What if it's messing with your head?!” Another even worse thought came. “What if that Thing has been sapping at Your bond with Gary and Nancy?!”

Khopesh paused, he…he hadn't thought about that…

“And what happens if this…this Thing eats up the whole bond!?” You cried, terrified and frantic. “I can't! I can't put anyone else through that I won't-” 

“Please little one, breathe.” Hura calmed you, or tried. 

You took gulping breaths trying to soothe your panic and in that moment you suddenly let out a humorless laugh. “Of course…of Course the night I Finally feel like I can move on This happens…”

“But maybe part of me deserves this?” Another fit of pained giggles bubbled up. 

“Lullaby do not Say that…!” Khopesh protested.

“No, because even though I didn't like thinking about it…part of me…part of me still Did!” You insisted. “About how I'd probably outlive both Gary and Nancy and then maybe…if I was lucky…the universe would let us have a chance to be bonded…”

Khopesh didn't know how to respond at that moment. 

“But not Only do I learn my bond looks weird!? But that I probably can't Ever bond again! Oh And! And! My bond apparently Also Sucks the Life out of whoever it Touches!?” You put your face in your hands, slumping against the wall. “I'm not just Broken…I'm a Leech…a parasite…” You mumble through the tears starting to form. 

“And worst of all I don't even know how to make it stop…” You mumble the same words you had before. Now quietly into the pillow. 

Hence why you are Here now. You can't actively stop whatever this Thing inside you is, so you're going to stay where you can't ...hurt anyone else. 

Khopesh hadn't been happy with that option. “Over my rancid corpse! You are Not taking them from me and sticking them in some Tiny bright room Alone!”

Anrir set his gaze into a stern determined glower. “It will be over your Sedated living body if you do not Stand Down, Scout.” Anrir hissed, “We must take all necessary precautions for both Them and the other individuals residing here.”

Khopesh didn't respond verbally aside from the guttural growling he was mustering up. And in that moment he Loathed, absolutely and totally L O A T H E D Anrir for trying to use his authority in this way. Feeling betrayed, and Angry and wanting so Badly just to grab you up and steal you away to his nest and Hold You until this nightmare would somehow pass and you could both go back to how things had been Before this fucking Horseshit!

“Khopesh…please...”

His snarling rage was broken in an instant. He turned his attention back to you. 

Still so far from him, even only a few feet away but withholding your touch. Not for any meanness but because you Desperately didn't want to hurt him anymore than you already might have. 

“Please…don't fight them on this.” You ask solemnly. 

Khopesh tenses up and relaxes, his hands clenching and unclenching, he is reminded of the conversation they had earlier and his shoulders slump, “For you, I won’t fight them on this… For now.”

Khopesh watches as you walk away, from the way his shoulders shift and the slight forward motion of his body, he longs to follow after you, but he doesn’t. He glares at Hura and Anrir a little bit, “Why did you or the other Apothecaries tending to Lullaby not find out about this … issue… sooner?”

“The last time Lullaby had been checked over at their last visit- such a mutation in their Bond hadn’t been noted in their file,” Hura says as he reviews some of their papers, “The Astartes run facility that they go to is local, near to the farming community that they live and work with. That clinic doesn’t always have a Psyker-Apothecary present at all times. Librarians, Sorcerers, and Dark Apostles are uncommon on Ancient Terra- and their services are… quite highly needed in a number of ways all across Ancient Terra. It’s possible this was a Sudden Development, or something that might have slipped under the radar due to a lack of resources until it reached this point, this is very much an unknown phenomenon. This is a new form of Bond- as spoken of before, is unknown, as this is the first recorded incident of it, as far as I know.”

You stay in that isolation medical cell and sit on the bed. Curling up on your side as you try not to cry again. Thinking over the information that they had been given by Hura and Anrir. Parasite. Something in your mind hissed angrily. You didn’t ever want to intentionally hurt anyone, especially Khopesh, and you worry that you might do so because of the wrongness of your bond.

You're pulled from your thoughts when someone knocks on the door and Hura comes into the room, he takes off his helmet- and your mind twinges a little when you look at his face. You look away from him.

“Do you want to call anyone?” Hura asks them. “We would prefer you not go into detail, but you have permission to inform your emergency contacts and anyone who will be affected by your absence of course.”

You think for a moment. “Yes- there are a few people I want to call,” You reply.

You pull out your phone and the first person you call is your dad, “hey dad, I was out having dinner with Khope- I mean, a friend. And I uh- happened to run into Apothecary Hura- do you remember him?”

“Oh- Apothecary Hura? That older space-man who helped you after that… nasty business with your fall,” Your father says, “... Are you alright?”

He can tell from the way your voice is hitching that you are… hiding something, worried about something. Your father shifts a little and you can hear the movement over the phone, “Bearbear, are you wanting to have some lasagna?”

“Are you wanting some lasagna?” is the code phrase that you and your parents had developed, for situations where asking for help, or if they were feeling unsafe, but couldn’t say as much.

“No, thanks for asking, dad,” You reply, a rush of fondness welling up in your heart.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Your father asks. 

“Not at the moment,” You say in reply, part of you wanted to blurt out what Hura and Anrir had told you, but the warning that the pair of Apothecaries had given you about it stayed in your tongue. Worried about something happening to him if you did say something.

Besides, it's not like your dad could do anything about the issue that they are having anyways. You chat about a couple of random things with your dad before hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath. Time to call mom.

“Hello Lullybird!” Your mother says happily, “How are you doing today- well tonight?”

“Oh- I had a lot of fun with Kho- with a friend,” You reply, shuffling a little on the bed of the isolation room.

“That’s wonderful!” Your mother says enthused. She’d always wanted you to at least try your hand at dating and getting out more, “how’s it going?”

“It went great,” You reply with a smile, before it fades as Hura shifts a little in place, “So uh- Funny story, I happened to run into Apothecary Hura- and he wanted to check over a couple of things, so I’m staying overnight at the Space Marine run Hospital in Gannett Point. Uh- I have a big favor to ask of you…”

“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Your mother says fussingly, “Certainly! What can I do to help?” 

“I need an emergency feeder for the farm set up while I’m… away.” You reply.

“Of course I’ll get that set up,” Your mother says, “... How long do you think your going to stay at the hospital?”

“Uh… I'm not sure, it depends on what all Apothecary Hura thinks is best.” You respond honestly.

“... Alright,” Your mother says, “... If you need or want anything else, you can call me your or your father.”

“Yes mom,” You replied with a fond smile.

“I love you, Lullybird,” Your mother says.

“I love you too, mom,” You respond. “I’ve got to go- doctor’s tests and what not.”

“Oh- of course. I’m driving back to the farm now, is your Dad home?” Your mother asks.

“Thanks Mom,” You reply, grateful for your parent’s help. “And yeah, Dad's home, should be there when you get home.”

You place your phone back into your bag, before turning to Hura and looking up at him, “I was wondering if you could ask Khopesh to bring me some stuff from my house? Just some comfort items to help me feel a little less…out of place.”

“Of course,” Hura says with a nod, “What sort of comfort items do you want him to get?”

“My stuffed rabbit, the pillow off my bed, and my childhood blanket.” You explain. “Thank you Hura- and thank Khopesh for me,” 

“Of course, but also Please let your father know that one of the local Night Lords is coming by to do you a favor, so as to not… startle him.” Hura says.

“Good call.” You nod and send a text message to dad with that information, to warn him so that Khopesh doesn’t unintentionally scare him. You quirk your lips in a half smile, it wouldn't be out of form for Khopesh to jump at an opportunity to be his usual incorrigible prankster self.

Your smile fell. But…given what you'd both just learned, and how he'd seemed when you left him…you doubted he'd be his usual self for a while. You hated seeing him look so lost and angry. 

Hura leaves the room to go find Khopesh- checking in with Anrir for a moment, who warns him of the mood one of his gremlins- er- sons is in. Hura thanks him and he heads off to find Khopesh.

He hears the sound of flesh hitting something soft and looks in to see an enraged Khopesh attacking several Astartes grade punching bags. Some of them are already busted- and watches as the younger space marine pounces on the one he's using currently; punching, clawing, and biting it as it swings and groans at his added weight. He Rips and Tears out fistfulls and mouthfuls of stuffing as if they were the entrails of an enemy, growling and snarling angrily.

Angry, Khopesh is angry, unbelievably pissed that his own Father ‘betrayed’ him by taking his Lullaby away. His head snaps up when he hears someone coming into the area he’s in. He had noticed, but had ignored it when the other people who had been in this sparring/work out room had slowly left after watching the way he had attacked the punching bags. Cowards. Something in his mind sneered as he continued to fight, trying to get his rage and aggression out on the bags, which are far more easily replaceable than something, or someone else.

As he pants a little something in him that sounded an awful lot like logic murmurs in his mind Anrir and Hura aren’t stealing Lullaby from you. He shakes his head and growls another thought coming to mind they sure as fuck are stealing Lullaby from me!

“Khopesh,” Hura calls out- making sure to not be within easy lunging range as he waits for Khopesh to decide on if he wants to acknowledge him or not. Younger brothers could be quite temperamental (not that the older ones aren’t, but the younger ones could get… rash with their actions if not allowed to process their emotions).

“What do you want?” Khopesh spits at Hura glowering at him.

“I have a request,” Hura starts.

“Like hell I’m doing anything for you,” Khopesh says with a growl- about to say something else.

“Lullaby, wants your help with something,” Hura continues to say, as if he hadn’t been interrupted.

Khopesh snapped to attention, “What can I do to help Lullaby?”

“They want some comfort items from their house, to help them handle this situation,” Hura says.

“What do they need or want?” Khopesh asks, insistence pushing his anger aside. 

“They have requested their stuffed rabbit, their bed pillow, and their childhood blanket.” Hura replies, a hand reaching out with the list of items they had requested.

Khopesh nods, he’s determined to see this task through- to help Lullaby and get these items for them. At least this way, I’ll be able to see Lullaby, once I get these items. He thinks hopefully.

He brushes past Hura without much else said other than a quick, and begrudging “Thanks,” As he exits the sparring area, who should he come across but Claude.

In truth…he knew the Primaris had also been watching him from the doorway, drawn by the sounds of his snarls and vitriol. But in his anger he hadn't cared much. He saw you lose yourself, what a Fine big brother you are after all. Khopesh pushes the thought from his mind. 

“Claude, I need you to listen carefully.” He says, grabbing the younger marine by the shoulders with a barely contained urgency. 

“Of course brother,” Claude replied, seeing Khopesh's stress. If you hadn't zapped Lullaby this wouldn't be happening. Your brother and his special one would be safe and Happy if it wasn't for you and your Curse! One of the voices hissed, he forced himself to focus on his brother's words not the ones in his head.

“Please, keep yourself aware of Lullaby, watch over them while I cannot.” Khopesh pleads, gripping more tightly as he emphasizes his next words. “Karlsor is too wrapped up in this with Anrir, I cannot ask him and he'd likely just cuss me out and tell me to be patient.”

“I must go retrieve some items for Lullaby, for the time being, keep your eyes and ears open and report anything major to me as it happens. I-” Khopesh licked his lips nervously. “I can't bear the thought of them being hurt while I cannot do anything.”

Claude seemed taken aback. “Do you really think Anrir will hurt them?”

Khopesh paused, and that once annoying voice of logic came back in his mind telling him to Not be an idiot, Of Course Anrir isn't going to hurt them! They're an innocent Baseline And he wants to study them why would he harm…

“No…or rather, not intentionally.” Khopesh clarified, finally pulling back. “I just…I need a line of communication open, so I can know their status. And if something does go wrong…” Fuck he did Not like the idea at all. “I can know I need to rush back, Please Claude.”

The Primaris marine nodded solemnly, he still felt partially responsible for this happening at all. He would help get Khopesh and Lullaby through this. “I will! I Promise.” He swore.

Khopesh nodded gratefully. “Thank you little brother. I will be back as soon as I am able.” 

“You’re welcome,” Claude says with a determined look on his face. 

He watches Khopesh head off and takes in a deep breath or two, centering himself and then heading off to where Lullaby has been hidden away and monitored by some Old Chaos Apothecaries. 

Part of him shudders at that, he knows that Hura and Anrir are trustworthy- have proven themselves to be able to not be… disgusting treacherous many-faced, forked tongued liars waiting to kill or twist them into horrific evil. Besides.. The… teal… Ultramarine also knows and is monitoring Lullaby, Anrir and Hura….

Hm… Part of him wants to call Cedric- who already knows some of what is going to help out, but that is not something he can decide on. He’s not an apothecary, and just a battle brother, a Librarian in training, yes. But still something prickles at the edge of his vision. 

Ah fuck. He focuses and grasps the feeling-sense-emotion that is a-vision-is-coming and puts it in a ceramite clad box and shoves it deep, deep in his mind. While it’ll make the symptoms and recovery Worse, after he does have the Vision, at least it’ll be after he’s spoken with Lullaby and helped guard them per Khopesh’s request.

He opens his eyes and heads to their isolation cell, he knocks and is let in. Hura seems pleased to see him- and Anrir explains that one of the tests that they want to do is see if Claude and/or Lullaby shock each other again. 

Karlsor is in the room with his arms folded over his chest as he leans against the room- the older Night Lord Librarian is going to use Warp Sight to see what happens, if anything does happen or if things go… strange.

Things that could be going… Strange can happen when Warp Nonsense happens, especially Odd, Unusual, or Unknown things happen. Claude looks around the room and at Lullaby, “... Are you alright with this test being preformed?”

“I want to know what’s going on,” You say, “I hope that this can help.”

“Alright,” Claude says, as he steps closer and reaches out a hand to you. You also a reach out a hand to Claude and brace yourself for the zap of pain to happen.

You feel no pain- and the Zap that had happened before had been noticeable in the way it felt- and others had noticed that Something had happened the first time that you and Claude had shaken hands.

Karlsor does notice- that the little feelers- the mycelium tendrils start to curl and start to siphon off of Claude. Claude does inform them when he starts to feel a bit of energy drain. Hura and Anrir are writing something down and one of the Apothecaries request that they stop holding hands.

Hura asks, “How do you feel?”

You look at him incredulously. “How do I feel?” You have to stifle a disbelieving laugh. “I feel like shit!” You say, ‘broken, useless, a disgusting parasite.’ Your mind hisses at you venomously. “I am a Fuck damned parasite.”

Hura doesn't respond for a moment, and you feel shame creeping in.

“I was actually asking if you felt any Physical difference from the energy transfer.” He clarified.

Yep…full barrel of shame pouring Right over your head and into your gut. He didn't deserve to catch strays off your fuckin pissy attitude. “Sorry…I just…I dont feel…I can't- I don't have the words right now.” You amend quietly, rubbing your fingers over your eyes tiredly. 

Physically, at least, You feel better- more refreshed and recharged, but you won’t be able to realize that now. Not with the self-hatred you feel and the downward spiral starting to make you feel worse.

Claude looks away, understanding how they feel- it’s hard being a Psyker, even if one can’t really access their powers- they are marked out as Other, as Different, as Wrong. Dangerous. A Liability, more than an asset.

“I don’t believe you are a parasite,” Hura says as he comes over, offering you one of his massive hands, “I wonder… can you siphon off the energy of non-psykers as well.”

As a Death Guard Apothecary who… survived through the Heresy and out into The Storm that was first meeting The Grandfather and the… fall into his embrace and the Becoming. Hura has met many different kinds of entities, including some forms of sentient parasites- and from what he knows with his vast amount of Knowledge, he doesn’t think Lullaby is one of them. Then again, further testing is needed.

You hesitate, but eventually move your hand over Huras, the mossy rusty texture on his palms is slightly off putting, but you brush that aside. 

“Karlsor…are you able to monitor?” Hura asks the shade wearing Night Lord.

“Yeah yeah fuckin give me a minute. Shits not exactly Easy.” He groused, rolling his joints and shoulders. 

Maybe it was a trick of your own eyes, but you thought you saw Karlsors pupils…shine, just for a moment. But you figure it was a trick of the light. You'd never seen any visual difference when being warp examined before. 

“Well, fuckin hell…” Karlsor muses as he looks at the two of you. 

“What do you see?” You ask before the present Apothecaries can.

“The little feeler things aren't Just moving over Hura's hand…” He explains. And its true. “With Claude they kinda went everywhere but with Hura…its looks like they're attracted to the ‘vines’ of his bond.”

You yanked your hand away immediately. Followed by hoping up and putting more physical distance between the two of you.

“Fuck! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“Young one please,” Hura held up his hand, trying to stave off your panic. “Did the tendrils have any noticeable effect on my bond?” He asked Karlsor, who had turned off his warp sight.

Hura had also being trying to feel or sense any changes as Lullaby touched his hand- he’s no psyker or dark apostle, but being a Grandson of Nurgle… changes you in ways that are more than just physical.

He doesn’t feel any different from before they had touched him, and even after they had snatched their hand back, he still felt normal. He lightly touches his bond, it feels the same- just as strong. With a bond full of vines, flowers and thorns.

“I don't fuckin Think so…” He groaned, clearly having some kinda of headache from his psychery usage. “When they touched Claude the tendrils kinda started glowing,” He explained. “And Claude felt the energy getting pulled, but since your bond can't Talk there's no way to know how much energy got pulled just now.”

“The tendrils lit up again…but the bond didn't seem to Change at all. At least not visually.” Karlsor finished. “Now I need a fuckin break my head feels like somebody tried to Crack it open with a hammer.”

Anrir nodded. “Very well, we'll take a break, and if you're not recovered by then, we'll have Claude examine instead.” He then turned his attention to you. “Do you require a break as well?”

You took pause at that. A little surprised by the concern you were being shown. “I'm…fine for now, physically at least.” You replied, honestly at this point…you really felt just…Just far more Numb than anything. 

Anrir took notice. “Come now, this could be quite good news. Hura's bond wasn't harmed by you touching him. It's unlikely Khopesh's would suffer either.”

That was a fair point. “But I only touched him for a Moment. There's no guarantee a bond will hold up if I'm in close prolonged contact with someone…”

Anxiety twisted in your stomach at the thought of all the physical contact you'd had with Khopesh before the reveal that this…this Thing was a factor. It made you sick to think you'd been hurting him and his bond this whole time. 

Anrir shrugged. “That is a possibility…but I suppose we won't find out unless we do more tests. And either way…”

“Do you really think Khopesh would simply give up? Throw in the towel and let you slip from his grasp because of this?”

The phrasing was a bit odd. But you couldn't deny Anrir had a point. “He'd probably fight like hell to find a way around it.” You agreed. “But…this isn't exactly a problem you can brute force.” 

“You underestimate my son's tenacity.” Anrir half laughed and scoffed. “He does not falter in the things he pursues. And neither do I.” Before you could protest the old Nightlord placed a cold yet…comforting hand on your shoulder. 

“Let us continue. I believe we may yet find a positive path forward for you and your power. After all…the most important aspect of Any ability is How it is used.”

You couldn't disagree, but you did hesitate. “A positive slant to this situation feels very far off.” You replied. 

Anrir shrugged. “Then we best get moving.”