#still not set on price sorry yall

[tactax-art]

Gorgon!Gaz for the #tactax mwii creatures au

Unlike the myths a gorgon can't turn a being to literal stone, but their unprotected gaze will induce a stunned state in most species, though how, effectiveness, and duration vary by species, indivudal susceptibility, and the level of focus a gorgon is putting into freezing their target.

This also applies at reduced effectiveness to recordings and remote viewing. Glasses and mirrors offer no protection. (For example, Humans tend to get stunned by a fear response for minutes to hours. Alb may become hypnotised by the dream-like colorshift of the eyes for as long as they maintain eyecontact.)

To protect those around them specialised glasses and contactlenses have been developed, though minor responses to those easily susceptible are still common.

A gorgon can freely choose the snakes that accompany them which influences their bodies skin, scale pattern and color. These snakes move indepentently from the gorgon, but can be suggested. A gorgon cannot directly access the snakes' senses, but the snakes' observations are intuitively known to the gorgon, giving them a vast amount of information about their surroundings, and a reputation for having 'eyes in the back of their heads'.

Gaz chooses drab, venomous snakes on missions, but prefers snakes with high iridicense otherwise.

Gorgons have exceptional and directional sense of smell (forked tongue + jacobson's organ), sense of vibration, good vision, and hooked teeth or fangs. Gorgons are naturally crepuscular, obligate carnivores (but may snack and supplement as preferred/needed), and cannot thermoregulate for extended amount of times in extreme conditions without assistance. They do not have hair, only skin and scales. Most needs and 'fine tuning' is influenced by the snakes chosen.

[python333]

task force 141 reacting to [reader] giving them a 'happy father's day' card — python333

— — — —

synopsis you give the tf141 boys some happy father's day cards!!

relationships platonic!taskforce 141 & younger!reader.

characters cap. price, soap, ghost.

warnings 2nd person pov [you/yours/yourself], usage of c/n [code name/call sign], reader is intended to be around 16/17-20/21 but can be interpreted as older as long as they're below 24 (just so that the headcanons make more sense), maybe ooc?

note i'm so sorry but there's no gaz in this one BUT i can explain why!! i was doing my research (going through three different tumblr posts) to figure out the actual age of each character and gaz is apparently 24?? in new updates or whatever?? anyway, even before i found that out, i could only ever imagine writing him as an older brother, simply because he doesn't feel fatherly to me but still has those protecive-familial vibes so if yall want me to write something on him being ur older brother then feel free to request/reply/comment or whatever and i will! :3 this is all comfort no hurt and pure fluff so enjoy!!

JOHN “BRAVO SIX” PRICE

➥ OH GOD.

➥ man i don’t even have daddy issues and i’m crying.

➥ gives you that one dad smile he has—y’all know the one. don’t pretend you don’t—and thanks you for it.

➥ gives you a lil hug too because why not?

➥ tears up just the tiniest bit but it’s pretty unnoticeable but i need you to know that it’s there.

➥ either keeps it propped up on his desk, in one of the drawers of his desk, or puts it in a small frame and puts that on or in his desk.

➥ definitely reads it at least once a week.

➥ he’s so genuinely flattered by it i think that after you leave his office he’d tear up a bit.

➥ you thought he was acting as a father figure to you before?

➥ be prepared for him to take it to a whole nother level.

➥ starts getting you cheesy birthday cards after you start giving him father’s day cards.

➥ is he a father biologically? no. is he one mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? absolutely.

—

You were reasonably pretty nervous.

It wasn’t ever really a secret that you and Price had some sort of father-child-like relationship, what with the amount of hair ruffles, head pats, shoulder pats, etc. that you’d received from him and the swatting at his hand with your own that you had given back. But none of that took away the nervousness you had when you gave Price a father’s day card for the first time.

It’s not that you thought that he would be weirded out by it, you just had a small habit of overthinking things, and this happened to be one of those things. The card didn’t say too much inside of it, a simple ‘happy father’s day!’ and a sentence you wrote that mentioned that you were grateful to know him. That’s it. That’s all it was. And yet, your hand shook as you held it, the other hand knocking on the door of Price’s office.

He nodded in greeting and opened it, and stepped out of the way to let you walk in and sit in front of his desk. He sat at his usual seat after shutting the door, and you set the card in your lap, not wanting him to see it just yet.

“Is there any particular reason why you wanted to come into my office?” Price asked, breaking the silence. You took a deep breath and nodded before you quickly handed over the card, slipping it onto his side of the desk. He took a good look at it for a moment, reading the ‘happy father’s day!’ on the front and looking over the cheesy illustration on the cover. You anxiously waited for him to say something as he simply stared at it, before he picked it up and opened it, reading the short few words that were written on the inside.

You watched as his expression melted into a softer one, and he stared at the card for another moment before wordlessly getting up. Before you could say anything, or question anything, he knelt down to the level of the chair you were sitting in and hugged you. You were frozen with surprise before you hugged him back, loosely wrapping your arms over his shoulders, a little confused by the hug but appreciating the embrace nonetheless. He rubbed your back for a quick moment before standing back up straight and patting your shoulder.

”Thank you,” He said, smiling down at you. “I really appreciated that, kiddo.”

Oh, wow. I don’t know why, but I think I might start crying. “Yeah—yeah, of course,” You’d replied, quickly getting up and giving Price a quick hug before swiftly walking to the door, “I’ll just, uh, I’ll be in my room. Or, actually, no, I’m gonna go—I’m gonna go bother Soap in his office, so if you need me I’ll be in there okaybyeCaptainI’llseeyoulater!” You rushed out, not looking back as you closed the door behind you.

Price had blinked at the door for a moment before huffing out a small laugh and sitting back down in his chair, looking at the card you’d given him one last time before sighing and letting himself tear up a bit. Eventually, after just sitting there and staring at the card, he unlocked one of the few locked drawers at the bottom of his desk and put the card there, for safekeeping.

—

JOHN “SOAP” MACTAVISH

➥ he’s so excited when he reads that card.

➥ he’s so flattered?? and is so happy?? and oh my god he might pass out?? from all the positive emotions he feels??

➥ be careful with what you say because you might break him beyond repair.

➥ it’s like you’ve given a puppy it’s first treat, honestly.

➥ won’t cry but is very close to!!

➥ will definitely show off the card to everyone.

➥ when i say everyone i mean EVERYONE.

➥ he will talk everyone’s ear off about it, no matter who they are or what they’re doing, hell, the man could be pissing with his dick out at the urinals and everything and he’ll still be ranting to the poor soul in the bathroom about what a sweetheart you are and how you gave him a father’s day card.

➥ he starts calling you ‘lamb’ and ‘duckie’ after the whole ordeal.

➥ no i didn’t ask chatgpt for terms of endearment scottish parents use for their children haha!!

➥ he buys a corkboard just to pin the card to in his office.

➥ like it’s literally just in the middle, nothing else on the corkboard, just that singular father’s day card.

➥ the whole thing is just reserved for father’s day cards tbh. he hopes to fill it up with as many cards as you’ll give him, and if you only give him the one, then damn it, the corkboard’s only gonna have one thing on it and whoever questions it can mind their damn business.

—

You didn’t really know what to expect with Soap when you gave him the card.

You felt pretty confident giving it to him, knowing the guy could probably receive a rock with googly eyes on it from you and still cry tears of joy knowing you gave it to him of all people, so giving this card to him was no big deal, right?

You found him in the recreational center, lounging on the couch, reading a book—shocking, I know—and quietly reading the words out loud to himself. The moment you had entered the center, though, he looked up from his book and nodded in greeting at you with a smile on his face and watched as you walked over to him.

Before he could say anything, you quickly put the card in his lap and watched as he looked up at you, a surprised and amused expression on his face.

“What’s this?” He asked, not looking down at the card just yet.

“Read it,” You’d insisted, gesturing towards the card in his lap. He blinked at you for a moment before muttering, “Alright, then,” under his breath and looking down at the card. He picked it up and read the three short words on the front and looked over the illustration on the cover, and the moment the words registered in his brain, his face broke out into a grin and he looked up at you.

“Aww, this is sae sweet,” Soap gushed, “Thank ye!”

He got up before you could talk and hugged you tightly, lifting you off the ground a bit, cooing, “Ye're jist the sweetest, ma God, when did ye get the card?”

“I got it a while ago,” You had admitted, “Decided to give it to you now.”

Soap set you down and put both of his hands on your shoulders, gently rubbing circles into them with his thumb, looking down at you with an elated grin, "I'm gonnae hang this up in ma office—I'll get a corkboard an' everything, jist for this."

You looked up at him with a confused, but amused look on your face, asking, “And you’re just gonna hang that card on there?”

He nodded in confirmation and responded, “Aye, it'll be deid center, naething else on there."

—

SIMON “GHOST” RILEY

➥ oh my goodness.

➥ the moment you hand him the card, it’s like he already knows what it is without reading it.

➥ probably thinks it’s a joke at first.

➥ when he realizes that you’re serious he straight up tears up.

➥ like in front of you and everything he’ll tear up.

➥ “... Are you crying?” ghost, tearing up and literally about to start sobbing, "No.”

➥ he treasures that thing and would literally cease to exist if he ever lost it or if it got destroyed.

➥ won’t flaunt it at all, instead he keeps it in the pocket of a jacket he never wears anymore.

➥ if you ever give him more cards, he’ll consider getting a box to keep them in.

➥ he’s always called you ‘kid’ but after this he starts calling you ‘kiddo’.

➥ THERE’S A DIFFERENCE. I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT IT IS BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

➥ listen kiddo is more affectionate and its softer and its not as playful as kid its more personal and and and [explodes]

➥ the others notice the small change in behavior he has towards you (being more lighthearted with his teasing, generally being less cold with you, etc.) and will tease him endlessly about it.

➥ by others i mean soap and gaz. those two team up and tease him to death.

➥ he could care less though!! he tells himself that they’re idiots anyway and that his behavior hasn’t changed that much.

➥ he’s in denial and i think that him and me are the same fr.

—

You had practically searched every corner, crevice, nook, and cranny of the base searching for Ghost. When you finally found him, he was in the armory and weapons room cleaning the barrel of his rifle, hyperfocused on wiping away the gunk on the gun. You stopped by the door, hesitating in giving him the card. It really shouldn’t be that hard, You thought, What’s the worst that could happen?

You were aware that there were many things that could happen, most of which were bad, but you ignored them for the sake of building up your confidence to give him the card. You stood there for a while, just sort of staring at him, before he—not even looking up from his gun—called out to you with a simple yet firm, “Do you need something?”

You probably could’ve died right there, his firm voice almost completely shattering your confidence for reasons you couldn’t specify, but you instead cleared your throat and walked out of the doorway and completely into the room. You walked over to him and before he could ask any further questions you held the card out to him, your hand having a small tremble to it, an uncomfortably visible display of your nervousness.

He stared at the card for a moment before setting down the cloth he was using to clean his gun and grabbing it, reading the front for a moment before huffing out a small laugh and looking up at you to tease you for it. He was going to tell you what a ‘funny’ joke it was, to tell you to just go do whatever work you’re probably skipping out on when he sees the look on your face that tells him that you’re pretty serious about the card.

He looked back down at the card and read it again, the words ‘happy father’s day’ echoing through his mind as he opened it. He read the few short words on the inside of the card and the shitty drawing of a ghost right next to one that was scribbled out—because of course you had to use pen and weren’t satisfied with the first ghost you drew even though Ghost could make out through the scribbles that they practically looked the same.

You were pretty nervous the longer the silence stretched out, and you were about to take back the card and go jump off a cliff to avoid ever looking at Ghost again when suddenly you hear a sniffle.

“Are you… are you crying?” You’d asked, more confused than nervous now, watching as Ghost shook his head negatively and continued to stare at the inside of the card.

“No,” He answered, sniffling again.

“... You sure?” You’d asked again, far less nervous now, your tone becoming more teasing.

“Positive.” Ghost said firmly, though his voice had wavered a bit. He looked up at you and reached his hand up to give you a pat on the shoulder, muttering, “Thank you for that, kiddo.”

"Yeah, no problem," You had said back, smiling down at Ghost before taking a step back, "I'll leave you to keep cleaning your gun, or whatever."

Ghost had simply nodded and looked back at the table where your card and his gun laid, and you didn't stay long enough to watch him tear up all over again at the sight of the letter.

[vintagestarlight]

Massage

Summary: You give Price a massage after he gets back from a particularly hard deployment.

Pairing: John Price x fiancée!reader

Word Count: ~1.5k

Warnings: mentions of injury(nothing too graphic), light sexual mentions, John Price(because let's be honest this man is a warning okay), fluff, 18+ MDNI

A/N: So Price won by a landslide in the poll😂 here's one of the fics I had planned so I hope yall enjoy! I did right this pretty drunk so apologies if it isn't great

Also, I didn't expect so many people to vote so thank you all so much!😭🫶🏼 Requets are also open!! Feel free to send in whatever you want just make sure it follows my blog rules! I've also got a few more fics in my drafts as well :)

***beware of typos(I tried my best to catch them all)

John turned the ignition off and his truck came to a stop. He looked at the house the two of you shared and smiled as he took in the warm glow coming from the window. Before you came into his life the house was cold and dark; he preferred coming home to this rather than the dark windows he used to. John opened the door and stepped out, wincing as he irritated the bruised muscles. This last deployment was harder than most; although everyone made it back alive, and for that he was thankful, going hand-to-hand with a mercenary ended with the mercenary dead but John fell from a metal walkway grate to the ground below. It resulted in a number of bruises, scratches, and a sprained shoulder.

John lifted his duffle bag out of the back seat and thought about how you would fret over the bruises that blemished his skin. You always checked him when he came home to see if he gained any new scars or broken body parts and he found it endearing. He walked slowly toward the door, his sore body preventing him from going faster. He dug in his pocket for his key and slipped it into the lock before stepping inside. “Love I’m home,” He called out, setting his duffle bag down by the door with a sigh of relief to have the weight off of his injured shoulder; he had a brace that kept him from moving his shoulder but it did nothing for the annoying pain of putting weight on it.

“Back here!” He heard your voice coming from the shared bedroom so he toed off his boots and walked down the hallway. He saw soft light coming from the bathroom and when he walked in he saw something that made his breath catch in his throat. You were in the bathtub with your hair loosely pulled back and sipping on a glass of wine, candles casting a warm illuminating glow. It wasn't anything overly sexual but it still made his face flush; here he was nearing forty and you made him feel like a school boy. “Hey love,” he said, taking in the sight of you before bending down and giving you a kiss. “I’m so glad you’re home,” You said, a heavy weight finally lifting off your chest at seeing your fiancée back in one piece. The black brace over his beige shirt was not lost on you but you didn’t say anything as you decided it was not as bad as it could be. “How’s the bath?” John asked. “You could always join me and find out,” You said, taking a sip of the red wine, looking at him over the rim of the glass. “Now how could I say no to that?” He smirked.

He took off the brace that was nothing but uncomfortable before undoing his belt and stripping off his pants. He slipped off his shirt, wincing as his shoulder twinged, and heard you gasp. “John!” You did your once over to ensure he hadn’t come home severely injured when your eyes landed on the bruises that colored his torso. “What the hell happened?” You asked, wincing when you thought about what could’ve caused such bruises. “If I told you that love, you’d be even more frantic,” He chuckled. “Don’t laugh John!” You chastised. John slipped in behind you after stripping completely, groaning at the warm water, and let you rest against him. “I’m sorry love but don’t freak out too much,” He replied. “They really do look worse than they are,” He added, planting a kiss on your head. He felt you relax more, as if you were afraid of hurting him, and he sighed. The weight of you pressed against him was actually comforting and he wrapped his arms around you. “At least you came home to me alive,” You said. “Just like I promised,” John replied, a long sigh leaving his body.

The two of you just sat there for a little while, your thumb absentmindedly grazing John’s arm; grateful to have your fiancée back. You felt him rest his head on your shoulder and his weary body sagged as he relaxed. You shifted and accidentally pressed your weight on one of John’s bruises and he grunted. “I’m sorry babe!” You said, turning around to sit on his lap carefully trying to avoid the purple-ish tender spots. “Don’t worry I’m tougher than I look,” He joked, running his hands along your sides. “You know,” You started, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I think I know of a way to make you feel better,” You said in a slow voice. “Oh yeah? I think I’m liking where this is going,” John replied, planting a kiss on your nose, then your cheeks, and finally your lips. ‘Hmm… I like the way you think but I was actually thinking about a massage,” You said. “Help those aching muscles,” You offered and smiled as he smirked. “Now that’s a good way to welcome a man home,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Why don’t you go lay on the bed and I’ll dry off and get the oil,” You suggested and stepped out of the tub.

You felt John’s hungry eyes on you and you grinned; John always made you feel desirable even on your worst day. You heard the water splash as John stepped out after pulling the plug, dripping water on the floor. You wrapped yourself in a towel and felt him swat your ass, eliciting a squeal out of you as he laughed. “Don’t take too long,” He said. John also grabbed a towel and quickly dried himself, being mindful of his injuries, and pulled on a clean pair of boxers. You emerged from the bathroom with a bottle of baby oil and saw John lounging on the bed, his pupils blown wide with lust as he watched your towel clad body. “See something you like?” You teased, before dropping the towel leaving you stark naked and John groaned. “I think you should stay like this all the time,” He said, a bit disappointed when you pulled on a bra and panty set. “I suggest you settle down; you’re not exactly in peak condition for sex,” You chuckled. “Come on turn over,” You said, and waited until he was laying on his stomach, arms relaxed.

You got on top of him and straddled his hips, taking notice of the scratches on his back. There were several silver lines across his body from his several years of military service. You had counted every scar on his body countless times so you could always know when he got new ones. But these scratches were new; red and fresh in contrast to the silver healed scars. You squirted a quarter sized amount of baby oil on your hands, rubbed them together, and pressed your hands firmly on John’s back. Using light pressure you began to knead his shoulders, mindful not to press too hard on his injured one, and firmly moved down to his lower back. “Jesus love,” John groaned. John felt himself further relax as you helped ease his aching muscles. You used your thumbs to press into his lower back and rub in small circles before continuing those small circles all the way up his back to his neck.

You loved feeling his skin underneath your hands; the way his muscles rippled when you touched him and it made you feel good that you were able to give him this attention. You heard grunts and moans as you continued to work on his back and shoulders, slowly massaging away the tension that rested in his muscles. You felt your tough military husband become putty under your hands and you couldn't help but grin. “You know I was thinking,” you said, feeling him tense as you needed a particularly large knot at the base of his neck. “What's that love?” He grunted, his voice slurring slightly as your hands slowly lulled him closer to sleep. “I know we had plans to go to that new French place for dinner but maybe we could stay in tomorrow?” You suggested to him. “Maybe just stay in bed and order takeout,” you continued, applying a little more oil onto your hands and rubbing your hands down his arms as he lazily nodded his head. “Would you like that?” You asked. When you didn’t get a response you looked down at his languid form and realized his breathing had become deeper and he started to snore a little. You smiled and slowly got off his back, careful not to wake him, and pulled the covers over him. “Good night John,” you whispered, planting a kiss on his cheek and turning off the lamp before climbing in bed next to him. You soon fell asleep and slept better than you had in months.

[maximwtf]

“I’m sorry all the same”

Astarion x Reader

Words: 2600

Google Docs Pages: 4

Warnings: Haarlep’s deal’s effects, yk how it goes so I won’t have to tag it all :”D Some spoilers from act 3, such as quotes and a tiny bit of lore. Guilt, emotional hurt/comfort, after graveyard scene Astarion

Opening: Haarlep held onto his promise. Using your body, your form, to do as he pleased. And you were foolish enough to believe that you could ignore it. But perhaps you should have considered that at the very least someone would notice a change in your behaviour. 

AN// So wtf I write for bg3 now? I guess so :”D Mainly interested in writing for Astarion, Jaheira and Zevlor. But we’ll see how I’ll manage c: OH, GN reader. Yall also I’ll open requests again once I finish the last Legolas one I have :3

“I’m sorry all the same”

After the battle with Raphiel, everyone had been so worn out and in need of a breather that you hadn’t even had the time to truly consider what you’d lost. Or even truly notice the price of what had been lost in exchange for information. Or what that could possibly mean for the future or the people around you. And if any of those thoughts had had the chance to cross your mind, it would have only been the latter. What would the others think? How would it affect them? How would the exchange you’d had with Haarlep affect the people closest to you?

And it usually came to the same conclusion. Even if the bother from it would be minor, you’d chosen to try and avert the others from paying their mind to it. To let the incubus do as he pleased, as long as you could lead the party onward without slowing it down. But even the strongest of leaders had to fall in due time, that was fate set for those who chose what you had. Which in this case referred to the facade you’d built, shattering, cracking at the seams at times. And no amount of laughing it off could shake away certain people when they at last noticed what was wrong. 

And so had fate decided once more. The feelings of phantom touches trailed here and there. And as he had promised, you knew exactly what was being done and when. And there was no way of stopping it. Only the thought of this being what you chose lingered in your mind as the touches travelled that evening. Making you shut down of the usual glow you held when talking to others, hope of no one noticing your state still somewhere at the back of your mind. 

And it did work, for most of that evening. Fluently talking to the town’s folk and the people by your side. At times the feelings even faded, disappeared into thin air. Giving you hope that the incubus had stopped for the day, freeing you from the locked state as it felt. But what use was it, if even within those free moments it spiralled at the back of your mind. Reminding you of its existence and the chance of it all returning. On the edge of hoping that it would come back, so you wouldn’t have to suffer so with the thoughts. Because at times, it felt like those empty moments were the ones most pained. 

You tried to soothe the feeling of a never ending hell by telling yourself that this was momentary. The form was new and the creature knew exactly what it was doing. But as time passed, he’d surely get tired of the repeating game and move on to something else. And even if this truly was an infinite infernal road, you had chosen to walk it for a reason. You’d avoided a battle and gotten important information out of the man, which in truth cost a great deal. But if it meant that no one got physically hurt, it did seem like the right thing in the end. 

Inevitably, the time passed as it always had. The sun set, which led you along with the rest back to Elfsong. And for once, there was time in the late evening to sit around and talk. There was nowhere to go, no tasks to run and nothing so important that it couldn’t be left to be dealt by tomorrow. The morning was always smarter than the night, anyway. 

But there was something that wouldn’t allow itself to be left alone, to linger until the sun rose once more. The now more intense phantom touches, the caresses that haunted you. Had ruined most of the day and seemed to plan on continuing to do so. 

As it made itself more known, demanding your every bit of attention, it slowly reached your limit. The top of which when it hit, would at last shatter that rather fragile facade. The facade that at times felt like it was being held together by whatever cheap adhesive children held the glitter on the cards they brought to their parents. Weak. 

The fireplace flickered calmly as the few people in the middle of the room sat on the couches and chatted. You tried your best to throw in a few comments but from your perspective they all sounded the same, forced. It was no use, after being driven to a corner as you’d been. So in order to save face, you stood up and informed the others that you’d be heading to bed to catch up on those countless hours of disregarded sleep. And most seemed to have believed that, wishing you a good night as you slowly walked to the comfort of your bed. 

Though, there was one who’d joined in on the others, wishing you a good night. But they didn’t hesitate to stand up and follow along after you’d left. And they didn’t exactly make the noise of their steps unknown either. Never sneaking up on you, especially at moments such as these. Which was a hint enough to make the conclusion that he knew what was going on. You’d feared for that earlier. Earlier when a pair of eyes had followed your movements and interactions with the others. 

So of course you knew who it was, who it always was. It gave you enough peace of mind to sit down calmly before turning around to face him, attempting to keep up the nonchalant facade of an expression. He stared down at you, the expression on his face awaiting. Like he expected you to tell him something. Making it almost feel as if this was frequent enough to make you expect him and tell him you knew why he was there. And that sadly was the truth. How awful that he’d started to care now that you’d gotten yourself into a mess. But there was a way to dodge this bullet. “You can feed on me tonight if you’d like?” And all you could do was watch his expression fall for a moment, taken aback by the response to his knowing look. But the fun of that didn’t last for very long, he was serious. “Darling, no. This isn’t the time, and you know that yourself.” He answered. Boring, you thought. But regretted the rebellion in your mind straight after. “Well in that case, I’ll get some rest,” you informed him before tucking yourself under the familiar blanket. You knew the vampire couldn’t say much else, nor do anything. He didn’t wish to start any commotion. So the only option left was to drop the topic, there was no use in trying to force anything out of you. And he knew that, respected the choice and left for his own bed. 

But the sleep you’d told yourself would eventually come, never did. The touches never relented, at times becoming more faint but at that point it meant nothing. The sound of the others slowly drifting to their beds and the chatter quieting down got your attention for a moment. But after that it all fell back into the same old silence, in which the condition you were in felt the worst. Because breaking the silence at times like these with any of the sounds you’d held back would have shattered whatever crumbs of self respect you were holding on to. 

Saying that hours had passed since the others had fallen asleep sounded like an overestimate, but then again it wouldn’t have been a surprise. This wasn’t the first time the incubus had done this, you wouldn’t have been oh so familiar with all of this if it had been so. And just like any other time, you laid awake. And to truly follow the usual protocol, the decision to leave and get a breather was the next obvious choice. 

With careful steps, which through thorough practise had learned which plank didn’t squeak, you escaped the pestering silence. Then again, this time of night it seemed just as quiet anywhere you went. A lucky catch if you heard commotion somewhere nearby when entering the terrace outside. Which is where you’d headed, sat down on one of the chairs that sat lonely in a corner. 

It wasn’t necessarily the fresh air that helped, the night air was always so cold anyway. But it was the feeling of not being a bother, not letting absolutely everyone around you have to listen and worry. Worst of all, feel bad. 

A shaky sigh mixed with something like a whine escaped as you leaned back against the wall behind the chair. Eyes closed, there was finally a moment of something that resembled peace. Peace, if you fully excluded the plaguing touches and caresses. A sound dangerously close by got your attention though, getting your eyes to snap open. Nothing but the endless hell with the incubus seemed to last that night. 

In the faint light of the terrace it took you an embarrassing amount of time to even make out a shape. Nevertheless, figure out who it was. But maybe you could blame it on the feelings you were experiencing, later on. Just to save face. 

The figure, now determined to be who you should have expected. Astarion, made his way over. He sat down rather calmly and stayed quiet before drawing in a breath and talking. “Assuming you won’t tell me otherwise, I hope there's nothing troubling you my dear?” You always hoped that his arrival would have been more of a fifty fifty in the usual protocol, but it never was. Neither were the things he said, or how he treated you when it came to this. “Perfectly fine.” You glanced at him, another hitched sigh making its escape, tired of being held back. “That’d be funnier if it was anyone but you,” he said while shifting his chair a little closer. The silence he gave you after was plaguing enough in the cold of the night that it forced you to say something. “It’s all the same, no matter what I do. If only I’d be strong enough to completely ignore it.” You shook your head before turning to look at him, expecting a certain answer from him. Knowing he wasn’t very happy per say about your recent approach to this. Yet, never angry. He took a fast breath but the words he’d prepared never came out. Hoping that the pleading look you’d given him had softened some of the words he’d originally thought of. “I know what it’s like, to lose control of what you have. But you of all people shouldn’t have to.” The rest of the words he’d held back escaped with an exhale at the end, left unspoken. But in truth, you wouldn’t have heard them anyway. The other questions so often filling your mind had appeared back the second he’d come after you. And as per usual, there was no holding them back as they escaped your lips. “Were you ever angry with me for the choice I made?” The exchange of yourself for a piece of information. And as often as you found yourself rewording these same questions, he took the time to answer them. Each time so swiftly that you had to believe he was telling you the truth, “Of course not, dear. More so at the creature itself.” But he couldn’t possibly leave it there. “The control you had was not complete. You don’t have to blame yourself.” 

Awful how he cared, making it harder to keep yourself together. “I’m not sure if I blame myself exactly. I’m not sure if it was worth it. I wonder if it ever made anyone, you, angry.” A shudder ran along your spine, shaking your head slightly to get rid of it before continuing. Not daring to look at the man next to you for longer. “But maybe he’ll get tired of the form eventually. In due time, I’d be mostly free. It’s just…he’s been..active today.” You rambled, eyes resting on the comfort of your lap. But even then, you could almost feel the pair of red eyes piercing through you in the dark. Filled with an emotion you didn’t dare to name, not to even look in fear that it would confirm the care for you he’d formed. 

He stayed quiet, the sound of his and your breathing keeping the silence at bay. Even the breath he drew sounded loud, but his words never seemed to be. As per protocol. “Come inside. I’ll be with you, however you want for me to,” he offered so kindly it almost caused you to cringe. Maybe there was still some getting used to you had to do before this would become more comfortable. But you knew he was trying to fix something within himself as well by doing this. He was trying to offer you something he was never given. So maybe taking a hold of his hand and accepting the offer wasn’t for your sake, but for his. 

His steps were as careful as yours has been, as he led the both of you to his bed. You sat down first, flush against the headboard, wishing it would have provided some sort of comfort from the touches. Astarion stood beside the bed for a moment, holding back on a question before it slipped from him, “what would you like to do, darling?” He asked, making you wonder what it was you wanted. To have the peace of mind you had before. Well, what had been left of it after the tadpole had nestled itself somewhere back there. The shiver that ran along your spine interrupted that train of thought. The only thing you could still achieve and wished to have was rest.  “To sleep,” you answered while observing the man sit down and lean against the headboard. He’d left space for you to come over if you so pleased, a silent invitation. 

You knew he probably wasn’t the most ideal person to comfort someone, but also could see that he felt a form of compassion when it came to this. And knowing that he saw a fragment of himself within you hurt deeper than any deal with an incubus ever could. 

You climbed up to him, leaning your back against his chest before kicking the blanket to a comfortable position. The space was so silent, but hearing Astarion breathe removed any thoughts of that. Keeping your attention on how his chest rose and fell in a familiar rhythm. 

His arms snaked their way carefully around your waist, careful as if there was a chance you’d tell him to back off. But you would never, not when he’d finally allowed someone to care for him and come close. He leaned forward just enough to be able to talk quietly. “It won’t last forever. But I’m sorry all the same.” He said, leaning his head back to rest. And there was an ounce of truth in his words, even if he had meant that this time wasn’t going to last forever. Most likely not even until the next morning. But that the deal wouldn’t last forever either. Astarion himself had assumed the same of his fate, but had gotten the chance to change that path in the end. And the thought of that gave you some form of peace of mind, at last. 

And at last the rest you’d been craving for came, slowly and late. But it didn’t matter anymore. The knowledge of not having to be alone and having someone to care for you was hard to accept but maybe you’d get used to it someday. 

[buttdumplin]

Of course you want to show off the food of your hometown to the boys, but this really should have been a solo date with Kyle. Still, you manage to sneak some time together.

cw: Gaz x reader, fat latine reader, gn!reader, implied poly 141, established relationship, mexican slang word count: 1845

You throw the car into park and glance up at your rearview mirror. The three white boys smushed into the backseat push at each other to try to take a look through the window, grunts and mumbles escaping them. Kyle chuckles from the passenger seat, watching the commotion unfold.

“Are we sure this was a good idea?” you turn to Kyle, “We could have brought it back to the house for them.”

“No saben igual después de tanto tiempo, y tu bien lo sabes, tesoro,” Kyle responds, an impish smile on his face.

With a groan, you close your eyes and throw your head against the headrest. It’s the first time yall are back in your hometown for more than a week, and with all the extra time to yourselves, the plan was to eat as much good food as possible. One of your tías told you about this place, where they serve al pastor straight from the trompo, each slice almost caramelized to a delicious crunch. They’ve got the pineapple sitting on top, too. She said it was the best quality she’s seen in town to date. Even her husband won’t stop talking about it. And now here you all are, parked against the curb with the air on full blast.

Every time you’ve gone to a mom and pop shop like this, it’s been you and Kyle stepping in first. You go in with kindness and chatter, and the older ladies always helplessly swoon over Kyle. Laughter bubbles and you both eat happily, and sometimes the ladies sneak extras onto your plates. It’s a sacred time full of loud smooches, the staff going “UUUUU’ all around you, a deep blush on Kyle’s face as you wipe at the corner of his mouth with a napkin, his radiant smile set to make your heart burst. It’s perfect. It’s home.

Once you’ve scoped out a place with your own private date, then you bring your white boys over. At that point, you’ve already tried the place, showered Kyle in kisses, and built rapport with the staff. So by the time they step in, the sun drawing eyes to their paleness, the staff won’t try to upcharge you. It’s a genius pull, honestly, one you’ve done yourself with tremendous success. The white folks always have more than enough money to spare, and since they usually don’t know the prices, well that’s on them. But as you sit here in the car, listening to them point out all the little details of the shop to each other, you can’t help but wish you’d left them at home.

Kyle notices the disappointment on your face as you pick at your fingers. Try as you might to keep your face neutral, your expressions are always so easy for him to read. This is the first time your private outings have been interrupted, all because the shop is just a bit too far from the house for the tacos to travel well and your cousin had to fucking say so. He reaches for your hand, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss, waiting for you to make eye contact with him. There’s a distinct sadness in his eyes, a bittersweetness that’s never appeared on these outings before.

“Next time?” a little bit of hope cracks through his voice.

“Next time,” you swear, noticeably glum.

A thought freezes you before you can undo your belt. You reach for Kyle’s hand again, silly grin on your face, and turn around towards the other boys.

“How do you ask for the price of something?’ you ask them.

Kyle holds back his laughter at the question, squeezing your fingers with excitement. There’s joy on his face again and that’s all it takes for you to know you made the right call.

¿Cuánto cuesta?” they all say as one.

“No,” you say, your splitting with a grin, and Kyle can’t hold in his laugh. “Sorry boys, you’re staying here. Kyle and I will be right back.”

They don’t have the chance to protest or question before you’re bolting out of the car, coming around to open Kyle’s door and pull him from his seat. He lets out another loud laugh, the crinkles around his eyes sending warmth blooming in your chest. You’re both still giggling, if a little out of breath from sprinting inside, when one of the staff steps up to greet you, an older woman who's clearly enjoying the life you’re bringing into the place.

“Hola, mis niños. ¿Es su primera vez aquí? No me acuerdo haberlos visto antes, y a esas caritas las recordaría.”

“Primera vez. Un primo nos dijo de este lugar. Y nomas al verlo, se ve rebueno,” Kyle says, bringing you in closer as you wrap your arm around his waist.

“Una cita con el novio,” you tell her. It’s hard to keep a smile off your face with your sudden success, and it seems to catch in the staff member as well.

As she goes off to put in your order, Kyle helps you pack up some salsa, holding the small containers for you to scoop the goods into. You’re trying to figure out just how many containers you can fit into your hands, Kyle reminding you that you’ll need more guacamole than any salsa, when she returns with a big bag full of much smaller plastic bags of guacamole for you. Before you can even thank her, she’s handing each of you a plate with two smaller tacos, winking at you.

“Si quieren, pueden esperar ahí,” she points towards the door with her eyebrows, where there’s a couple of swings.

Walking over, you eye them a little nervously, worried about the structural integrity. The last thing you need is for it to give out on you, regardless of how nice it might be to reminisce in the seat.

“They’re welded,” Kyle whispers in your ear, “They’re solid.”

Sweet tears brim your lashes as you pull him down to cover his cheek in quick kisses. You can feel his shoulders shake with quiet mirth as he stays in place, accepting as much love as you’re willing to give him. If it were up to him, he’d never move from the spot, not even if his back starts aching or if hunger pangs strike. He’d stay pressed to you until something or someone forced him away. So for now he takes what he can.

“We should eat these before they get cold,” the false concern in your voice clear as you gently rock in the swing.

“Definitely. Wasting them would be disrespectful,” his voice low, pulling at the chain of your swing to bring you close together.

The first bite has you turning to look at each other with wide eyes, a pleasant shock bouncing between you. Words can’t do it justice. Your tía’s husband hyped these tacos up so much that you were a little worried about being disappointed. Turns out he didn’t talk about them enough. All either of you can do is let out groans as you chow down silently, Kyle’s strong arm keeping your swings connected.

“Hijo de su pinche putisima madre,” you say, gulping for breath around the sheer ecstasy of the food.

“Que chingandos fue eso?” he says, soft eyes searching yours as if you have the answer. They say food is sex, but the closest he’s ever come to feeling like this has been with you. What the fuck did they put in this. He leans back to face the woman behind the counter, “Seño, nos puede dar otras dos órdenes más porfa?”

“Ya te las puse, precioso,” she says, stepping towards him with a bulging bag in her hand, “Sabía que iban a necesitar más. El amor hace que te dé más hambre.” Before either of you can get up, she’s shoving another two little tacos into your hands, pressing a finger to her smiling lips.

You take slower bites this time, smiling at each other with cheeks bulging full of food. Now that you know what you’re in for, you’re going to savor every piece. Swings still connected, you nudge Kyle’s foot with the toe of your shoe, pressing your knee more firmly against his. He looks so at peace, his shoulders slightly scrunched as he carefully brings the food to his mouth, his nose crinkled up with delight at each bite he takes. You have the brief thought that maybe you should take a picture of this moment, but you can’t bear to tear your eyes from him. And when he turns, those big brown eyes locked on you, you’re sure you’ll never blink again.

“¿Que piensas, mi vida?” he caught your stare.

“Que te adoro,” you speak the words into his skin, kissing the arm holding your swings together.

“En aceite?”

“Clarín.”

Kyle quickly scans the room, just enough to make sure no one is looking your way, before bending and planting a tender kiss on your lips. His lips taste faintly of salt and fat, just as yours surely do, and you wish you could deepen the kiss, wanting more of the delectable combination. But he pulls away before you can, hunger for you burning in his eyes.

His voice is rough when he speaks again, tongue peeking out in search of the lingering taste of you, “We should get back to them.”

“When we get home?” your voice so breathless you barely recognize it as your own.

Kyle nods and stands, holding the bag of food in front of him, trying to discreetly adjust his pants. You’re both giggling again as he reaches for you, gently helping you up from the swing. Smiles are still stuck in place when you reach the car, slipping into your seats without saying another word.

You pause for a moment, waiting for some kind of commentary from the backseat. Now that you’re back in the car, you can look over and see that the swings are in clear sight of the car. A glance up at the rearview mirror shows you three grinning faces, each one more knowing than the next. They could dog you, tease you, joke about the scene they surely saw. But they don’t. Instead, Simon’s tummy breaks the silence, a loud rumble echoing through the car.

The entire car bursts into peals of laughter, the racket interrupted only long enough to deal out plates and servings. Kyle was right about the guacamole, as the boys pour entire little baggies of it on their tacos. Can’t blame them, honestly. That shit is creamy. And then a corus of moans breaks out in the backseat, first bites hitting hard enough to make the most stoic of them break into delight. You look over at Klye, find him already looking at you, and you both nod enthusiastically, biting into your food.

“We’re coming back,” he says, and then lower, “Just us next time.”

“Fuck yeah we are, that was set in stone the moment the woman greeted us. Gotta show off my boyfriend again,” you wink at him.

[gottalovetumbler]

𝓓𝓪𝔂 9

ⁱᵈᵏ ˣ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

Info: sorry this is unfinished, pt 2 will be day 10, I got off work at 11:30 and had to drive home through a blizzard so I don’t have the energy to finish it anytime before tomorrow at like 6pm so I figured I’d get this half out now and finish it tomorrow, use of Y/N (sorry lmao), cussing (ofc)

——— 😏 ———

You wake with a start. Heart already bumping blood through your ears as you slowly scan the dimly lit room. It’s unlikely that whoever was here last would be back, but not impossible. Deeming the coast clear you slide out of bed. Static shocks through the blanket and sheets as you move.

Clock says it’s 11:45 and lunch gets served at 12 and not wanting another visitor from dark side Bobble (please tell me yall get this reference) you throw on some pants and make your way to the Cafeteria. Slippers quietly squeaking in the empty hall as you go.

Maybe if you just peak your head in, just enough for Bobble and Vel to see you, then they’ll lay off and you can go back to sulking. The white noise of talking grows louder the closer you get to the multiple sets of double doors.

Should be easy enough. The cafeteria is huge and the little 141 crew typically sit in the far back corner, furthest from the entrance right infront of you. So they shouldn’t see you super easily but the guy from last night, he’s expecting you so hopefully he’ll be on the look out.

It’s like a giant pack of starving wolves when you peak around the entrance to see in. There people shoveling food into their mouth like this is their last meal ever, some are even playfully fighting each other for the last cookie or bread loaf. This only cements the fact that you don’t like eating with everyone else and prefer to come by later and eat. Glancing around some more, you take stock of the familiar faces.

Chase is in the food line, dishing out a soup of some kind, already looking tired and it’s not even 15 minutes into the hour long lunch yet. As suspected, the 141 & co are in the back corner. Everyone’s there, including Bobble and Vel and they all seem to be chatting. Not planning or preparing for a mission but just chatting. Like long time friends.

You still have 4 approved days of leave but maybe you should go help Chase out. He’s looking worse for wear and last thing you need is him getting injured some stupid way like you were. Maybe if you’re sly enough you could slip into the back of the kitchen and help with making food or something.

Ghost is busy keeping something out of Soaps reach while also standing in the corner and surveying the room. Gaz, Price, Nikolai and Rudy are playing something with cards. Ale and Val are arguing over something on a laptop screen. Nikto and Konig are stood together about 6 feet away from ghosts on the same wall, also surveying. Finally, Bobble and Vel are just leaned back in their seat, facing forward. Though if you had to guess, they’re probably talking to each other just not showing it.

The counter is roughly 25 feet away whereas the table holding all your issues, is over 60 feet away. Should be easy enough to slip in and help a little, then on the way out you’ll wave to Bobble to show you came and head back to bed.

After double checking and making sure everyone’s preoccupied, you shuffle your way to kitchen door, fling it open and slip inside. You may have used a bit to much force with door because it hits the wall with a resounding SLAM

The noise wasn’t loud enough to draw attention but to make sure you peak through the opening above the counter. No one seems to have noticed till you lock eyes with none other than motherfucking Bobble and quickly drop to the ground.

‘HOLY SHIT!,‘ Now THAT was enough to draw attention. ‘Y/N? What the fuck are you doing on the ground?’

‘Chase, shut the fuck up! Do you want me to get caught! I’m here to help you dipshit, you look like you’re already one foot in the grave.’ You scold, army crawling towards the corner of the kitchen both to block the view of you to anyone else but to also grab your apron stored there.

‘Scolded for what? You’re on leave but it’s not mandatory. No one’s gonna care whether you actually relax or-.’

‘No one's gonnae care if who relaxs or nae? Th' only person ah know who shuid be relaxing is y/n bit she's also ben keepin herself cooped up fur nearly 5 days wi'oot talking tae a'body. Ah swear if she's left her room 'n' didnae come 'n' see me foremaist ah'ament gonnae be very happy.’

A quick glance at your face tells Chase he’s already fucked up so, bless his heart, he attempts to damage control.

‘Ah hello Soap! I’m not sure what you’re talking about haha! Are you wanting second-‘

‘Is she back there?’ Dammit

‘Umm…. no?’

‘No? You sure you wanna lie to me soldier? If I look back there and I see her in those fucking plaid pajama pants and pink slippers, you’re gonna wish you were never born.’

‘Oh…. well you see….. she….’

‘you’re gonna wish you were never born, meh meh meh.’

‘’m sorry I must be hearin things. I swear I just heard a little bird mock me. Did you hear anything Johnny?’

‘Aye sir. Ah believe it cam from th' kitchen richt infront o' us.’

‘Tha’ so? I could’ve sworn who I just heard swore she’d never leave her little-‘

‘Ok ok, can you guys stop now. You know I’m back here now either get the food or get out of line, you’re causing a backup.’

Sure enough, there was now a line of 50+ soldiers all waiting for their food. Growing hungrier by the second but not stupid enough to say anything. Price opens his mouth, seemingly to say something back at you but you just shoo him away.

——— tbc ———

[fivestar-outlaw]

New Horizons (Park Seonghwa) (Epilogue)

Epilogue

Pairing: Park Seonghwa x Fem!Reader

Words: 7.0k+

Warning(s): Mentions of reader being anxious/having anxiety, some swears, drinking, i think thats it.

SMUT (18+) WARNINGS: Multiple orgasms, oral (F receiving)/ face sitting, slight cockwarming, birthcontrol used, No condom use, PiV penetration, cowgirl yeehaw

A/N: Fucking- Finally finished the epilog. Grad school is slowly but surely killing me rn. I only had time to write this during the undergrad class im taking for credits iubgouoren. I hope yall enjoy.

Reader is implied to be living in the US bc uh TIMEZONES ARE FUCKY and i didnt realize how reliant i was on mine (PST) when looking up KST

English dialogue is italicized, Korean dialogue is not

Summary: Attempting an all-nighter while playing Animal Crossing alongside your bias, you didn't expect your turnip prices to be such a high amount... nor did you expect Park Seonghwa to actually accept your offer to sell his turnips on your island.

Series Masterlist | Navigation

You sat at your desk, phone set up for a video call with Seonghwa. You felt nervous. Tomorrow is your graduation, where you'll finally be done with this aspect of your life and will be moving onto the next step. Despite the distance, you and Seonghwa were as close as ever. You both missed each other dearly but talked as frequently as possible. 

You were a little sad that he and the rest of Ateez couldn't make it to your graduation, but you understood why. You didn't have much hope when you told Hongjoong the date and he told you he'd ask if they could. You tried to tell him not to ask since you knew they would be busy with an upcoming comeback, but he insisted he'd try. He talked to you the next night saying they had a packed schedule for that week and couldn't. You figured as much but it still made you a little sad.

You hear the tone for the video call and you quickly answer it with a smile. You see Hwa sitting there, but not in his room. You couldn't quite figure out where he was. He seemed to be wearing a loose sweater and a pair of glasses frames.

"Hello, jagiya." Seonghwa smiled sweetly, he seemed tired.

"Hello, love." You respond. "How are you? You seem a little tired."

"The week has been busy."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Are you currently at a schedule?" You tilt your head. You see him look off to the side. You can see that he seems to be hiding something, but you figure it was because he couldn't talk about anything specific related to any of the filmed comeback videos.

"Yeah, we are staying at a hotel. We are going to start filming soon." He sighs. "It was a last minute decision since filming took longer than expected yesterday. I wish I could tell you everything that went wrong but I can't."

"I'm sure it'll go better today, love."

 "Thank you, jagiya. But enough about me, jagiya, how are you? Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"A mix of excited and nervous. Excited to have my degree... nervous for whatever comes next. Nervous about walking across that stage to get that empty diploma case and not having a solid next thing waiting for me." You press your lips together and glance over to your cap and gown hanging in your open closet. The whole ordeal almost seems daunting now. "I've applied for jobs in my field but I haven't heard anything back... I doubt any will get back to me when I am fresh out of university."

"I wish I was there with you, (Y/N)." He looked into the camera with a concerned expression. "You'll exceed at whatever you do. I know you will. You are smart and very determined."

"It's probably just all the nerves." You chuckle weakly.

"Just know myself and the others are cheering for you, even if we can't be there. Which, we are still sorry for by the way."

"Don't worry about it. I'll have my family film my walk across the stage and we will take lots of pictures to send to you all."

"We look forward to it." He smiles. You hear a door opening and what you believe to be Hongjoong's voice. You couldn't make out what he said but you saw Seonghwa nod before hearing the door close. "Sorry, (Y/N), I have to go. We need to get ready for filming today."

"Don't apologize, love. You got this. I'm sure you will do great." You smile and you can just tell some of the stress he was feeling dissipate. 

"I love you, jagiya." He says softly.

"I love you too." There is some hesitancy to hang up but you bit the bullet and pressed the little red button on the call. You sigh, but feel lighter. It was like talking to Hwa helped calm your worries.

---

You stood with your family for a moment before you needed to join the rest of the graduating students. You stood with them in your cap and gown and a nice outfit underneath. You couldn't help but wring your hands together. You weren't necessarily nervous, but you did feel a little anxious from the excitement now. You felt you childhood best friend place their hand on your shoulder and they give you a calm smile.

"It's going to be fine, (Y/N)." They gently squeezed your shoulder. "I doubt you'll trip, so don't worry."

"Well I wasn't worried about tripping until now." You groan. "I'm not nervous. I just... can't stay still."

"Oh (Y/N), it's okay to be nervous." Your mother coos, rubbing small circles into your upper back. "Just think about the surprise we have planned for you."

"Surprise?"

"Hun, you weren't suppose to mention that." Your father chuckles. 

"I thought I told you all I needed was just a nice dinner at my favorite restaurant." You say softly. "I hope you didn't spend too much-"

"Don't worry about it. We wanted to get you something for such a big day." Your father grinned. You were going to argue back but heard the call for graduating students to start getting in place for the ceremony.

"Make sure to film my walk please!" You said and they nodded. Your family and your best friend gives you one last hug before you go to where you were supposed to, while they went off to grab seats.

You take a deep breath as you find your spot in line with the rest of your majors getting the same degree level as you and your roommate, who also was graduating alongside you. You smiled at some of your classmates you were friendly with and chatted with them. You were given a slip of paper with your name on it by one of your professors and you were left to wait for the ceremony to start. 

You felt your phone buzz under your gown. You were glad you picked something to wear underneath with pockets. You manage to get your phone out and you smile. All of Ateez were wishing you well and saying their congrats. San even sent a selfie of them all together, which they said was taken after they finished filming. You were glad they messaged you and made sure to tell them to get some rest since it was around 6am for them.

The line you were in started moving so you quickly put your phone away and started walking with your line. You can hear lots of chatter from other graduating students and could hear the chatter from people in the stands. You and the others stood still until you heard one of the deans call you guys to enter. You hear the crowd cheer as the graduating class enters the area. You tried to pinpoint your family and your best friend but had no luck finding them in the sea of people. You take your seat and wait for the rest of the graduate students to also take their seats as the stereotypical graduation march song plays.

The song ended when everyone was finished sitting down. Next were speeches by the college president, a provosts, and a dean whom you never personally interacted with, and then two professors spoke; one is the chair of your major which made you smile. Next were student speeches, neither person you recognized.

You gulp, watching as the rows ahead of you go up one by one as they were instructed by a professor to do so. There was the constant noise of clapping with each name, followed by a few people loudly cheering for whoever just got called. You clapped along as well, watching each person receive their diploma case from the college president and walk to the side to get their picture taken professionally.

Next thing you knew the people in your row started to stand. You quickly got to your feet and follow along to the stage. You wait, taking small steps as person by person hands over their name slip and walk the stage. You were getting closer and closer to the speakers stand.

Then, it's your turn.

You made conscious steps to the speaker, not wanting to trip. You hand them your name card and wait as the person ahead finished crossing the stage. The speaker smiled and read your name into the microphone. You start walking across stage to the president as the crowd clapped.

You hear loud cheers coming from the stand on the other side of the stage, more than what you were expecting from the three people there seeing you graduate. You finally see your parents and your best friend up on their feet, your dad and friend shouting loudly. But in the row in front of them, you see eight figures also on their feet shouting as loud as they can. Immediately you can tell it is Ateez. Even with face masks, different hats, and inconspicuous clothes, you could tell they were your boys. Plus, you can easily tell Wooyoung and Mingi's voices as they were the loudest and most distinct.

A large smile broke out on your face as you kept your tears at bay. You walked the stage with your head held high. You shook hands with the college president and took hold of the diploma case. You walked to the end of the stage and carefully took the steps down. You got your picture taken and you started walking back to your seat.

You look up at the stand when you heard your name shouted repeatedly by Wooyoung, San, and Seonghwa. Each member of Ateez waved as you walked by and you made sure to wave back. You felt pure happiness in the moment.

---

When the ceremony ended and all the graduates exited the way they walked in, you immediately started making your way outside. Your parents texted saying they were waiting for you by the large oak tree. You weave your way through the sea of students and their families as fast as you could. You could see the top of the tree but you knew the trunk was still some distance away from where the ceremony was held. 

You finally breach the crowd and see your parents, your best friend, and Ateez, along with their manager. They spotted you and called your name. You immediately quickened your pace.

Wooyoung held out his arms for a hug but you passed him and immediately clung to Seonghwa. The tears you held back immediately fell as you hugged him.

"Y-You're here! I can't believe you're here! Hongjoong said you guys were busy. You said you-" You rapidly spoke.

"Slow down, jagiya." Seonghwa chuckles. He held you tightly and rubbed your back. 

"Sorry, my love." You sniffle and look to his face. Despite the black mask covering his nose down to his jaw, you can tell he has a big grin on his face. He moves a step back from you, resting his hands on your jaw. The pads of his thumbs swipe away your tears gently. "I'm so happy to see you in person again."

"I'm happy too." He carefully guided you to turn around so he could move back in front of you, his back to the crowd. He pulls down his mask and leans in, his soft lips meet yours in a loving kiss. You couldn't help but smile against his lips as it felt like world around each of you melted away. You both slowly pulled away but kept your faces close. "Congratulations. I am so proud of you, (Y/N)." He whispers and kisses each cheek, making you giggled. 

"Congratulations, (Y/N)!" Wooyoung broke the moment of peace between you both as he pulled you into a big hug. You tilt your head back and laugh, all while there rest of Ateez swarmed you for their own hugs. Your face ached from how much you were smiling.

"Seonghwa contacted us a week after you had us do that video call with him." Your mother started to explain. You remember that day well, feeling nervous for your parents to meet your long distance, idol boyfriend. But they immediately loved him and exchanged contact information; mostly just in case you got in an emergency so they could inform him. Subsequently, of course, your parents met the rest of Ateez. "They wanted to surprise you and here they are."

"Sorry I lied to you, (Y/N)." Hongjoong laughed, his smile telling you he was anything but apologetic. "Yuhno suggested the idea of it being a surprise when I ran into him before I talked it over with our company. So really, blame him."

"Hey, you could of said no, Joong-hyung." Yuhno playfully glared then set his sights on Seonghwa. "Didn't you initiate the call with her parents?"

"Yes, but Sannie and Woo also sat in on the call too." Seonghwa shot back. The group delved into a big, non-serious argument of who is to blame for the lies. You shook your head with a chuckle and went to your parents.

"Thank you for arranging this." You hug them both tightly.

"Of course, (Y/N). We could see how happy you were when we met him and how yourself you were with the rest of the group, so we knew we had to put this together for you somehow." Your father had a big smile on his face, you could see tears in his eyes. "Oh, my child is all grown up..."

"I've been grown up, dad. Don't cry, you're going to make me cry again." You chuckle, feeling that sting of tears again in your eyes. You feel arms wrap around you from behind and you knew immediately it is Seonghwa. "Did you guys settle who's fault it is, love?"

"No, but it seems everyone puts the blame back on Hongjoong." He laughs. He smiles at your parents and gives them a polite bow of his head. The rest of Ateez joined back up with your parents and your best friend. They started discussing dinner plans, you jumping in when needed for translation help.

Your smile doesn't leave your face as you lean back into Seonghwa. You could have just cheap take out with everyone and you'd be happy.

---

You said goodbye to your parents and best friend when everyone arrived back at your apartment after dinner. They wanted to let you have some time alone with Ateez. Your parents managed to reserve a private space at a great restaurant ran by a friend of your mother's. The manager went to buy snacks and drinks for the rest of you guys for tonight at a near by convenience store.

"Wow you have a nice place, (Y/N)." Yeosang compliments as he looks at the various decorations and how you and your roommate placed the minimal furniture.

"Thanks, it was a collaborative effort with my roomie. Which, be as loud as you guys want. She won't be in for a few nights since she'll be staying with her family." You smile and turn go to put leftovers from dinner in the fridge, missing the way everyone looked towards Seonghwa. "How long are you here for?"

"Just the rest of tonight. We fly back early in the morning tomorrow. We may have pulled this off but we still have busy schedules coming up." Jongho answers.

"Sorry we can't stay longer." San sighs with an apologetic smile.

"No worries, I'm happy you guys made it for today." You grin and move to sit next to Hwa on the couch, immediately leaning against him. "So I take it you guys flew in last night? Is that why you were actually in a hotel, love?"

He chuckles and nods, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. His fingers gently traced patterns on your arm. "I'm glad we got to witness this."

"Of course, I'd do the same for you guys."

"Well, if you would..." Mingi smiles as he walks in front of you, holding out several small pieces of paper for you. You gingerly take them, and look at everyone with confusion and curiosity as they surrounded the couch. Wooyoung took his spot next to you and rested his chin on your shoulder, aka, on Seonghwa's hand.

"Oh my God." You gasp as you look at each paper. They chuckled at your shock. There were several plane tickets; one to South Korea, a round trip ticket to Japan and then back to Korea, and then one back home. The next paper was a pass for the waterbomb festival coming up.

"We will email you the actual virtual tickets soon." Wooyoung said with a big grin.

"A graduation present from us and our manager." Seonghwa kissed your temple.

"This had to be so expensive..."

"Don't worry about it at all. We didn't have to pay for the waterbomb ticket and we all chipped in for the flights." Yuhno said softly from behind the couch. You felt his hand pat the top of your head a few times. There was a knock at the door and the tallest went to open the door for their manager,  who came in with two, black plastic bags and one backpack. You quickly got up to your feet and approached him with a smile.

"Thank you for all you have done."

"I should thank you for helping me keep them in line." He chuckles and hands you the plastic bags. He walks over to the couch and sets the backpack at Seonghwa's feet. "Remember, we have a flight back to Korea tomorrow. Don't drink too much. (Y/N), drink all you want."

Some time passed and everyone was lounging around in the living room of your apartment. Mingi, San, and Wooyoung took over the couch. Jongho, Yuhno, Yeosang, and their manager sat in chairs from the small kitchen table. You, Seonghwa, and Hongjoong were sitting on the floor, all while everyone watched a trashy, American reality show. You were sitting between Hwa's legs with your back against his chest while he rested against San's legs.

You felt your phone buzz in your pocket. You fish it out and unlock it, seeing it was an email notification. You tapped the notification, though you didn't read what it was for, figuring it was a promotional thing or something. You looked up at the tv screen for a moment before taking a moment to read over the contents of the email.

Your eyes slowly widened with each line you read. You felt your heart flutter as you sit up straight. You felt Seonghwa's hands on your hips and he had a curious look on his face.

"(Y/N)? What's wrong?" He asks softly, trying not to draw everyones attention. He leans forward and you can feel his chest on your back again, his chin on your shoulder. You raise your phone screen up so he can have an easier time reading the email. You turn your head just enough to see his expression turn to one of shock. You felt him wrap his arms around your waist and hold you tight as a big smile broke out on his face. "Does... Does this mean...?"

"What's happening?" Sannie asked from the couch. He leaned forward as well and you pass him your phone. You can practically feel the excitement oozing from Seonghwa. San suddenly stood up, knocking into the eldest's back. He had a huge grin, his dimple prominent on his face. 

Wooyoung snatched your phone from San and you watched as his eyes scan over the screen. He then looks up at you with a big smile. "No way!"

"Care to share with the rest of us?" Mingi asked while Yeosang muted the channel. 

"Well-" San started to speak but then clasps his own hand over his mouth for a moment. He hands you back your phone and sits back down. He eagerly gestures for you to speak. You feel Hwa's hands gently squeeze your hips.

"A job I applied for contacted me and told me they were looking for fresh faces and say they see potential with my resume, my CV, and from my letters of recommendation." You beamed and everyone looked excited for you. A sea of congratulations soon followed. You kept your beaming expression and you see Hongjoong look at you.

"There is more, isn't there?" He asked, a smile growing on his face.

"The job is located in Seoul. And they are allowing me to start towards the end of the year to give me time to get my legal documents situated and to move." 

There was a moment of silence.

Then, your apartment became chaos with pure excitement. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and San already pledged themselves to help you find a place in your upcoming visit. Mingi and Yuhno express excitement for the prospect of staying over at your new place. Yeosang, Jongho, and Hongjoong already start to make plans for when you start living there. Everyone decides to have one more drink to celebrate, their manager unable to say no to such an occasion.

---

You give each member a hug as they are about to leave for the night, saying your goodbyes. You move to hug Seonghwa but he sidesteps you and moves to stand behind you. You give him a confused look while the others chuckle.

"I'm staying with you tonight, jagiya." He pecked your cheek. The others say goodnight, their manager telling him to be read by 7am, and they all quickly leave. Now, it's just you and Seonghwa. 

"That's why he brought a backpack for you." You laugh and turn to face him. You place your hands on the back of his neck and raise a brow. "You've been nothing but surprises today. I really do appreciate it." 

"Of course. I'd do just about anything for you." He smiles sweetly and leans in to kiss you. Unlike the other kisses you two shared today, this one was longer and more passionate. You can feel his lips move against yours as he swipes his tongue along your bottom lip. You smile against the kiss. Before you could part your lips, he pulls away with a flirtatious look. 

"I love you, love." He smiles at your words. He lifts his hand up and gently traces his fingers down the side of your face, sending shivers down your spine. His arms wrap around your body and he keeps you pressed against him.

"I love you too, jagiya." He brings you into another intense kiss, his tongue invading your mouth this time. You feel his fingers curl in against your back, all while your hands find themselves in his hair. He breaks the kiss once more but rests his forehead against yours. "Would you like to celebrate a little more? We don't have to go further than this-"

"I would love to." You grin. You move from Seonghwa's grasp and take his hand, pulling him to your bedroom.

The second you closed the door, Hwa is already guiding you to your bed. He lays you down on your back while he crawls over you, his lips pressed against yours. His hands grip your hips before he starts to slide them under your shirt. He shifts his leg, placing it between your thighs. His knee is just barely brushes against your core. His hands start to gently kneed your breasts over your bra.

Seonghwa starts to trail tender kisses down from your mouth to your neck. You smile at the affection and you place a kiss of your own on the top of his head. He smirked against your neck as he gently bites your skin. You feel him shift his leg that was between your legs, applying a small amount of pressure against your cunt. You let out a soft noise from the sensation and you can feel yourself growing wetter and wetter.

You move one your hands down to the growing bulge in his pants. Seonghwa chuckled and sat up, taking your hand off him.

"Tonight is all about you, jagiya." He smiled softly. He took hold of both your wrists in his hand and held them above your head. "Let me worship you."

You felt a pleasant shiver down your spine again and you nod. Hwa let go of your hands and began kissing your neck again. This time his kisses and bites to your neck were more intense. You knew for sure you would have a couple of marks there. He released his hold on your wrists but you kept your arms about head. Your body is completely at his mercy and that had you excited.

You felt him press his leg against your aching core again and this time you rolled your hips to seek pleasure, causing yourself to moan.

"Good, jagiya." Seonghwa chuckles as he moves his face by your ear. You feel his lips brush against your ear before he gently nips it. He sat up and helped you up as well.

He hums softly, tracing his nose along your face before he kisses you again. He gently nibbles your bottom lip and stares deeply into your eyes. Hwa licks his lips as he leans down and scans your body with his eyes. You feel his hand take hold of your shirt and slowly lift it up and off your body. His fingers nimbly unclasps your bra and he tosses it off your body. 

Seonghwa's hands caress and gently squeeze your breasts, the pads of his thumbs were on your nipples as he rubbed small circles with them.  He hummed with a smile. "I missed these."

You chuckle softly. "You missed my boobs?"

"Yes." He moves himself so his face his close to them. "I missed all off you, (Y/N). I missed your face, your touch, your taste... I missed seeing your smile in person, I missed hearing your laugh right beside me. I miss you."

"I miss you too Hwa." You give his cheek a tender peck. You bite your bottom lip as his hands still kneaded your breasts and his thumbs applied some pressure. "Luckily I got that job. I'll be a lot closer to you by next year."

"Still feels so far away." He whispers and starts kissing your chest. He bites the skin and sucks, doing this until he reached your nipples. His mouth encompasses the pebbled skin. You bring one of your hands up to his head and combed your fingers through his hair. He sucks and gently nibbles, his tongue rolling over your perked bud. He does this to both nipples for a few moments before pulling away, a line of saliva briefly hangs between his lips and your skin. "I want to try something, jagiya." 

"What do you want to try, love?"

"Would you want to sit on my face and let me pleasure you?" His question makes your face flush with heat. 

"You'd want to do that? Are-Are you sure you want me to sit on your face?" You can feel yourself getting more wet by the second.

"Of course." He smiles sweetly. He sits up straight so he can meet your eyes easily, his hands slide down and gently hold onto your hips. "Like I said, jagiya, I missed your taste and I think you will look breathtaking doing so... Do you want to try this out with me?"

"Then... I would like to." You bite your bottom lip and smile. His face broke out in a grin and he helped you off your lap. He moves to lay down as you slip off your pants and underwear. You move yourself up the bed near his head and carefully placed your leg on the other side of his head. His hands slid up from behind your thighs and your ass to hold your hips. You hovered over his face, looking down at him between your legs. You were a bit hesitant to lower yourself down though. "Are you sure-"

You didn't even get to finish your question when you felt Seonghwa pull you down to his mouth. Immediately his tongue went to work against you clit. You moan, one hand bracing yourself against the wall while you bury the fingers of the other in his dark hair. A vibrator certainly worked wonders, but there is something else about his tongue. He moved his up and down against your clit before moving it in circles clockwise.

"Hwa..." You say, almost sounding breathless. He simply hums and continues his ministrations with his tongue. He nuzzles his faces against your cunt and adjust his mouth so he could lap you up. Seonghwa's tongue briefly pushes against your clit and then you feel his lips wrap around your sensitive bud, gently sucking on it. Instinctively you bite your lip to hold back your moan, making him lightly slap your ass, not enough to hurt but to get a point across. He lifts you just enough to free his mouth so he could speak.

"You said your roommate is gone for the night?" He asks and you give him a quick 'yes.' You felt his lips curl into a smile. "Then don't hold back, jagiya. It's just us."

You feel his tongue move against you again in all the right ways, making you moan again. You didn't hold it back this time and you could tell Hwa is pleased with that. He shifted underneath you and he buries his face into your cunt, he continued to gently suck and swirl his tongue around your clit. His ministrations had you squirming, slowly rocking your hips against him, and you were making all sorts of noises. 

"Seonghwa..." You whimper. You speaking his name in such a manner had him groan in pleasure. You feel him shift yet again, his grip on your hips firm. His tongue is off your clit and you feel his tongue swirl around your entrance. He penetrates you and thrusts with his tongue while his nose brushed against your swollen bud. His mouth is working wonders on your and you can feel yourself getting closer to an orgasm. Hwa doesn't relent, keeping the pleasure going and keeping you relatively still with his hands holding onto your hips. "Fuck... Hwa I'm-!"

Your walls fluttered around his tongue. You feel your thigh muscles tighten and they press against his head. A loud noise of pleasure leaves your lips as you throw your head back. Hwa squeezes and lightly massages your hips as you climax, his tongue slowly slides out from your hole and gently licks your cunt. He waits a few moments before gently guiding you off his face. You lift a leg and sit next to his head, your back against your headboard. 

Seonghwa quickly got up, licking his lips clean of your juices though his chin and nose still shined with your climax. He sits next to you and his hands caress your legs. He smiles at you, a look of satisfaction on his face, while you came down from your orgasm. 

"You have a little something on your face." You giggle and gesture around your own chin and nose. He chuckles and you watch as he swipes his fingers over his skin and then lick them clean.

"Better?" He whispers with a slight smirk. You can tell he was trying to be sexy but he still had some of your cum on him. You giggle softly making him blush and chuckle.

"Here, hold on for a moment." You get up from the bed and head out of your room to your bathroom. You grabbed a clean wash cloth, dampened it with some water, and returned to your bedroom. You hand Seonghwa the cloth and he gives you an appreciative smile, his cheeks and ears dusted with a subtle pink. You sit back down as he cleans off his face. He sets the cloth on your nightstand and looks back at you.

You watch as Seonghwa gets off the bed. His eyes scan your body with a smirk. Slowly, he took off his shirt and slid off his pants and boxers. Both of you were completely nude and you can see just how turned on he is. Hwa gets back onto your bed and gets right up to you, his face mere inches from yours.

"I love you so much, (Y/N)." He whispers. His hand comes up and gently caresses your jaw and neck.

"I love you too, Seonghwa." You smile at him, your tone soft and full of love. He smiles back and presses his lips against yours. His kiss is tender this time around. His hand cradles the back of your head to keep you in place, but you know you don't want to pull away in this moment. Your fingers graze the skin of his bare chest. You slowly brought them up to his collarbones and then his neck.

"Hmm, I want to take this all the way, jagiya." He pauses for a moment as his eyes look down at your body and then back at your face. He smirks. "I want to hear all those lovely noises you make."

"If I get to ride you, my love." You say in a sensual tone. His smirk crumbles to a flustered look at your suggestion, but he still smiles regardless.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes." You nod and he bites his bottom lip. Seonghwa moves and sits down, his back against the headboard now. You grin, moving to stand on your legs before you throw your leg over his lap, effectively straddling him. His hands are once again on your hips as he pulls your body against his. He has a lustful and excited smile on his face.

"Condoms? I brought some-"

"No, it's fine. I trust you and I'm still taking birth control." You smile.

You reach behind and grab the shaft of Seonghwa's cock. You carefully drag his tip through your wet folds to tease him a little. You line him up to your entrance and look at his face. He gives a small nod for you to continue and you do so. You slowly lower yourself down, languidly taking him inside you. You both let out a soft moans. You sat in his lap, your hands grip his shoulders, while his cock fully inside you and you take a moment to savor the feeling.

"Ah, you feel so good, jagiya." Seonghwa mumbles, his lips barely brush against yours. You can feel his hot breath but you didn't care. His eyes were half-closed as he stared deeply into yours. You can feel his hands caressing your hips, thighs, and ass. His length twitches inside and you can tell he is full of anticipation for you to start moving. Hwa gives you a sweet smile, which contrasts with the current, steamy situation. "Take your time. You have control right now until you want me to take over."

"Thank you, love." You whisper softy and peck his lips. You wait a full two minutes before you started moving. You take a slow and steady pace, your thigh muscles flexing as you raise yourself up and down on his cock. Seonghwa's hands firmly held your hips yet he made no effort to control your movements, he simply assisted you so you wouldn't be doing all the work. 

"This feels nice." Hwa murmurs and leans his head down, his lips pressing against your neck. You feel his teeth graze your skin and he gently nips at your neck.

"Feels s'good." You moan softly. You rock your hips at a pleasurable pace. It is a very sensual moment between you both. It was just you and him, nothing else mattered. He raised his head from your neck and pressed his forehead against yours. He looked at you with pure adoration and love. His hands slide to your lower back and then moved up to your shoulder blades. You feel his arms against your sides as he hugged you close to his chest. You still moved your hips at a slow pace. 

This is a moment of passion and pleasure, but also a moment of love and bliss.

You sunk all the way down on him and gently grind your hips against him, feeling pleasure come from your clit grazing his pubic mound. Seonghwa smiles at you, enjoying how you look getting yourself off on him. He kiss your cheek and his lips linger to you skin for a few moments. You feel his fingertips press into your back and rub small circles on your skin.

You returned to moving yourself up and down on his cock. You increased your speed, sometimes focusing on his tip and then rotating to taking him all the way. Regardless  of what you did, he was moaning and groaning at all your movements. His hands were back on your hips as you leaned away from him with your hands gripping his shoulders. You both wanted to see your faces.

You feel a coil-like sensation in your lower stomach as pleasure builds up again. Your breathing is harsh and deep, and you can feel your legs getting tired... but you wanted to keep going. Seonghwa could see and feel how you your stamina is waning. He smiles sweetly and leans forward to capture your lips in a passionate yet short kiss.

"Relax, jagiya." His voice is smooth and low. He holds your hips and stops your movements. Seonghwa then starts to thrust his hips up at a quick pace. A loud moan escapes your lips as you cling on to him. He leaned forward and nibbles on your neck while you feel one of his hands move from your hip to your pubic mound. Hwa pressed his thumb over your swollen clit and started rubbing circles.

"O-Oh, Hwa..." You whimper out. You feel that heat building up more and more inside you.

"Hng- You're amazing, (Y/N)."He moaned as well, moving his head away from your neck to stare at your face. You can see he was getting close to his own release by the erotic expression on his face. 

"I-I think... I'm going to cum again." You whisper, feeling that all too familiar feeling crawl up your legs. You looked at him with all the love you could muster. The intimacy and intense feelings all added to your impending orgasm. The way the head of his cock hit that sweet spot inside you just right and his thumb swirling and applying the correct amount pressure sent you over the edge. You lean forward with your forehead against his as a loud whine leaves your mouth, your walls fluttering around his cock.

"(Y/N)-!" He groaned, still thrusting into your cunt. He stared intensely into your eyes, chasing his own climax. His breathing grows ragged and his thrusts became off rhythm. A moan tumbles from his lips as he sloppily kisses you, thrusting one last time. You feel his cock twitch inside you as his cum coats your walls. He keeps himself fully sheathed inside you as you both catch your breaths.

"Seonghwa..." You murmur, your body slumping against his, resting your head on his shoulder. His arms wrap around you and his hands gently grip the skin of your back. You feel his warm breath fan over the back of your neck as he leveled out his breathing. Seonghwa made a noise that sounded like a mix of a sigh and a moan as he rests his head against yours.

Neither of you said anything further. Seonghwa keeps his arms tight around you while you equally clinged to him. Nothing really needed to be said in this moment, the high emotions you both shared spoke enough.

Minutes passed when you finally speak up.

"We should probably clean up and get you to bed." You whisper to him, pulling your head back to look over this face.

"I want to stay like this, jagiya." He murmurs, placing his lips on your neck. "I feel so close to you like this... "

"I know, love, but we have to be up early." Hwa groaned at this, which makes you laugh.

"Stop being right."

"Come on... let's take a shower, Hwa." He reluctantly helps you off his lap, his softening length now out of you. You both get off from your bed and you lead him out your room to your bathroom. His hands remained on your waist as you both walked and then waited for the shower water to warm up. He didn't want to let go of you just yet.

After the shower and after drying off, you both go back into your room to change into comfortable clothes to sleep in. He laid down first, slipping under the covers. When you joined him, you laugh when his arms pulled you flush against his body. Seonghwa tucks your head under his chin and he holds you firmly in his arms. You chuckle and hold him just as tightly.

"I don't want to let go of you again... this feels like it's going to be harder than when you when you visited." He says with a sigh.

"I know, Hwa, I know." You mumble, already feel an ache in your chest. "Let's savor the rest of tonight together."

There is a pause.

"I love you, (Y/N)."

"I love you too, Seonghwa."

Morning came too fast your liking. You and Seonghwa awoke with your limbs practically tangled. His warmth despite the temperatures warming outside is comforting in the moment. You both reluctantly got dressed and made Hwa a light breakfast.

A little before 7am, Ateez and their manager came back over to pick Seonghwa up and of course came to say goodbye. You got an earful of teasing when they see the blemishes and marks Hwa left on your neck. You hugged each member and of course your hug lingered on Hwa, with you both gently caressing each other's backs for comfort.

Goodbyes were harder this time around, but you still had that ray of optimism due to your move to South Korea. It will be rough, but with Seonghwa, the rest of Ateez, and even their manager, you knew it would be a feat you'll overcome.

Your new horizon awaits you and your life with Seonghwa seems to be on the right track.

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

Taglist: @stopeatread @hee0soo @tridkeys @pocketjoong-reads @seonghwaddict @lelaleleb @acciocriativity @h-nji

[octopiys]

II. two turtle doves

Wordcount: 7.2k IM SO SORRY THIS GOT AWAY FROM ME

Pairing(s): eventual Soap/Ghost, Price/Nikolai, implied Alejandro/Rodolfo

Warnings: blood/violence, traumatic injury, chronic pain (written by someone with chronic pain), ptsd, hallmark Christmas, description of an animal attack

(A/N: hello here's the second part! I hit 400 followers, and then lost a few so I was gonna celebrate but take this as it is! Thank yall so much for the support <3, my requests are still open!!)

Find the masterlist here.

His shoulder bag dropped to the floor as he shuffled his way into the small cabin, the snow picking up outside. Luckily enough, the majority of the place was furnished as Laswell told him it would be, outside of other decorations.

He was sure it was more than he needed, but it didn't quite matter. He limped into the bedroom, flicking on the light. A thin layer of dust had covered the place, another project he'd have to start, and dumped his bag's contents into the drawers. A few photos were set out on the dresser, the counter, and....

That was easier than he expected.

Maybe he should've gone into the store when he was in town.

Dammit.

It was late anyways. He forgot that the night comes sooner in the winter. It's been a while since he's been in a place where the nights were actually cold, where the darkness was one that enveloped you.

He locked the doors, double checked the windows, and then checked them again. All secured.

So he got in the shower.

He couldn't listen to music, not now at least. He had to make sure that he categorized everything, made sure that he had all the sounds processed, all the normalicies compartmentalized.

The warm water made him gasp, then breathe a sigh of relief as it worked out the knots in his shoulders.

He needed to cut his hair.

It was by no means within military regulations anymore, not that he needed it to be. But the normalcy was almost required of him, and his mohawk was growing long beneath his fingers. He hadn't had the chance to cut it since.... however long it had been before he started PT. He ran shampoo through it, almost touching the tip of his shoulders, then allowed himself a few more sparing minutes in the warmth before getting out.

The night was long. His mind was restless as he tossed and turned in his too clean sheets. His bed was too soft, too comfortable, or maybe not enough. By the time he got used to the sounds of the water heater, it turned off, and he was left with the whir of the fan and the space heater.

Helicopter blades.

Laswell was worried, and Roach was scared-

He pushed his covers off and turned off the fan, sighing.

His clock blinked at him, the numbers reading 04:32.

No better way to start the day than early.

He stretched, sitting at the edge of his bed. He didn't bother with his knee brace, he'd put it on before he left. Just had to be a little careful around here.

The linoleum was cold underneath his feet as he padded into the kitchen. There wasn't a coffee pot.

He wondered what the chances were that the bakery was open. If not, he was sure there was a Starbucks somewhere within this town, he'll just finish some reports, then....

He popped a few pills into his mouth, swallowing them dry. Pain meds, pain meds that didn't work. But it doesn't matter too much to him right now, as he straps his knee brace on and sighs. He shrugs on his windbreaker, since it's the only thing he has outside of the one long sleeved shirt he owned, and headed out.

The streets were cold, no suprise there, but in no way were they dark. The telephone poles were alight with decoration, Christmas lights winding up and down the wood. Every corner didn't go amiss either, bright as almost day.

His breath fogged up the cold air, and he hunched closer into himself to try and conserve heat. No one was out on the streets, not that he had expected there to be, but that meant that nothing was open, either.

Soon enough, the bakery came into view, the LED lights of the SpecBru sign reflecting on parts of the icy pavement. Lights on, Soap could see in the windows from here, the man from yesterday, Kyle, sweeping and looking like he was in the process of opening.

Soap entered quicker than he would've liked to, startling the crap out of the poor baker.

"Hey-! You're- oh. Hey, Johnny boy, early start to the day?" Kyle asked, recovering his broom from the floor where he had thrown it.

Soap groaned and slid into a booth, rubbing his hands together to try and get them warm again. "Too early. Can the day start if it never ended?" He grumbled to no one but himself, and he heard Kyle chuckle.

"I'll take it you need a coffee, then?"

"Bless ye, Kyle."

The rumble of the coffee machines were heard as Kyle powered them on. The dishwasher was currently going, and most of the display case was empty, not having been filled yet in the early hours of the morning.

Kyle was once again wearing his faded blur cap, but this time, he wore a dark blue apron that covered a red and green sweater.

"A fan of the holidays?" Soap asked, leaning forward as he watched the man work.

"You kinda have to be to live here, Johnny. It's like a month long ordeal." Kyle said with a shrug of his shoulders, watching as the machine poured the steaming liquid into a mug. "It's the theme surrounding here. Y'know, we've even got a petting zoo. Except the guy there isn't too much of the 'Santa' type."

Soap grimaced. "He's nae like-"

"Oh God no!" Kyle laughed as the machine spizzled to a stop, and he pulled out the mug, sliding it across the counter to Soap. "Just a hermit, is all. Not much to worry about, but the kids seem to love him."

Soap hummed, taking a large sip of his coffee, practically moaning as the warmth coursed through him. "That's some good shite, Kyle."

The man laughed. "Thanks, mate. I should probably open a store."

Soap chuckled. "Och, speakin' o' stores, ye ken where I can find a warmer jacket?"

Kyle blinked at him.

"Do *you know* where I can find a war-mer jacket?" He tried his best British impression to try and get the words through the man's head.

Kyle stopped whatever he was doing, giggling like a child. "Please- please don't ever do that again, lord jesus- yes, I know where the general store is, I can take you once Alex gets here, he's supposed to help me open-"

As if on cue, the little bell above the door dinged as it opened, a new guy backing in through the door. Somehow, he was balancing a stack of boxes in his arms, unable to see past them, but still muttered a, "coming through!" as he walked by.

Soap saw imminent death as the man, Alex, was heading straight for a stray chair, diving forward to stop him before-

"Oh, shit!" The American said, tipping forward, but Soap grabbed the top two boxes before they fell, unable to save Alex who fell directly into the chair. The ceramics within the box clicked together, but remained largely unbroken as Kyle slid across a table to help him up.

"Ah- are ye alright?" Soap asked, hesitantly, setting the boxes down quickly before turning towards Alex to check him over.

"Yeah yeah, thank you, Gaz-" He batted Kyle away, doing a once over of Soap, then the boxes, before double taking Soap. "Wait a minute. I... don't know you."

Gaz, who was checking inside the boxes to make sure the mugs were still intact, glanced over between the both of them. "Oh, sorry. Alex, this is Johnny, Johnny, this is Alex. Alex is our head barista, and Johnny... just... moved here." Kyle settled on, smoothing his hands over his apron. To Soap, it seemed like suddenly he looked rather nervous.

The head barista, Alex, seemed also relatively put together, even if he almost tripped and died on the way in. His hair was brushed into an almost curled sort of way, his beard neat and trimmed, and a bit of an unruly mustache. Okay, a bit is an understatement, but you get the picture. Less noticeably, the man also had a prosthetic leg, and an impressive sleeve of tattoos, wearing a scarf he swore he'd seen before....

There was an awkward pause that had settled over the room, before Soap cleared his throat and turned away, feeling like he was intruding on something.

"Johnny boy!" Gaz almost shouted, startling the shit out of him. The baker was sin the process of taking off his apron, throwing it behind the counter, grabbing Soap by the arm. "Time to go to the store. Let's- let's go."

The door closed behind them, and through the frosted windows, Soap saw Alex blinking in confusion.

"So... Alex, huh?" Soap mused, zipping up his jacket.

"You shut your goddamned mouth, Johnny." Kyle groaned, hiding his face in his scarf. His face was burning as his cheeks glowed in embarrassment.

"What? Ah'm just sayin', he's easy on the eyes, laddie-"

"He's dating Farah, and they're both my best friends! Besides it's not like- like- oh, forget it." Snow was coming down lightly, melting as it came into contact with the salted pavement. Soap brushed some out of his hair before it froze in his mohawk.

The sun was barely rising despite it being a bit of a decent time into the morning now, a downside of the long winter nights. But the town was slowly waking up, Soap had started seeing more people come outside, other cars join the streets, lights and displays turning on.

Kyle made an abrupt turn into an alleyway, muttering something about a shortcut, and Soap followed without a trace of doubt in his mind, only burning with one question.

"Why do they call ye Gaz?"

He'd heard it before from the woman behind the counter yesterday, and hadn't thought much of it, and Alex's remark had caused him to remember.

"Ah well-" Gaz pulled the brim of his hat down onto his head, muttering something that he couldn't hear.

"Wh-?"

"I blew up an oven and a kid called me Gas! But he- he had a bit of a speech impediment so it came out as 'Gaz' and-" Soap started laughing at the man's defensiveness, and the story. "- And- shut up, Johnny- and everyone just started using it, that's-"

Soap had doubled over in laughter, clutching his aching sides in the cold air. Kyle rolled his eyes, but couldn't fight off a smile.

Soon enough, after both men recovered, they walked into the store. And it's The Store(trademarked!), according to Gaz, because it had anything they ever needed, which was real convenient! .....until he ran out of baking supplies one time and had to close SpecBru until the store got in their next monthly shipment.

It was much warmer in here than outside, despite the buzzing fluorescents above them. Most of the shelves were stocked, a few people with carts pulling around until they found what they needed.

Gaz dragged him to the clothes section first. "You're gonna want more winter clothes than summer clothes for sure, so we'll find you a jacket first. Then we'll move on to pants, and shirts, and then I'll leave you to roam before Alex burns the place down before I get back."

"Comin' from ye, Gaz." Soap teased, and Gaz grumbled a few curses under his breath.

"Still a valid concern."

He was lucky that the military paid him well before his leave. He never had much to spend it on either way, and rarely was it ever for himself. Between clothes, and the groceries that he hasn't even started looking for yet, it was good that he never did. At least ten outfits, and Gaz making fun of him for an hour, later, Soap finally was able to escape and get groceries. Gaz left him on his own, headed out to load his truck with supplies for the week.

Okay, he could do this.

He started worming his way through the aisles, picking off various things like cereals, some canned goods, and a case of water– all imperishables.

Then he stopped.

He'd be living here for a while, as Laswell tried to tell him, as much as he didn't want to believe it. He was sure he'd need other things, like a toothbrush and- oh, and a coffee pot. With coffee. Oh, that sounds so good.

So he made his way to the coffee aisle, which was also the tea, soup, pasta, and spice aisle, planning on beelining right towards the coffee machinery. Quickly glancing over each box, he picked out a little blue machine, turning it around to read about it as he walked back to his cart.

No more than two steps gone had he run into someone, stumbling backwards, a flurry of apologies leaving his mouth as he lowered the box.

"Watch it," growls a gruff voice in a skull patterned sweater.

You know how when you're imprisoned, and you're supposed to find the biggest, meanest looking guy and either beat him up, or befriend him?

This guy would definitely be the pick in the yard.

Soap did a quick once over. Tall and muscled, wearing at least a few layers of clothes, and an odd looking ski mask that barely hid honey colored eyes, the man was downright intimidating, even for him. Hell, he'd been through war, seen the gulags, dealt with experiments, and torture, and corruption, and yet....

Soap wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Shite, yer just built like a brick chimney are ya? Not surprised ya didn't see me. I'm John MacTavish, but you can call me Johnny if ya want- or if ya want to call me anything else that'd be fine too." His voice wavered with his crumbling suave confidence. He was blowing it as he spoke, but he maintained to hold the fort down as he set the coffee machine in his cart and hurriedly stuck out a hand, just slow enough to hide his eagerness.

The skull patterned man instead glared and reached to grab something off the shelf behind him, brushing over Soap's shoulder to do so.

Yeah, Soap was absolutely dwarfed in comparison.

He smelled like lumber and pine, mixed with something slightly animal, sinewy, like a barn. Not that Soap was, like, paying attention to that at all- or anything-

And then the tension was broken as the man ended his glare to roll his eyes and mutter something akin to "bloody tourists", as he pulled away with a box of tea, honey eyes darting to the sign in the next aisle before walking off.

Soap's face flushed alight with humiliation as he stood, flabbergasted with himself, glancing around the aisle and making eye contact with a lady who also seemed to be hiding her second-hand embarrassment by reaching for too many boxes of pasta.

He needed to find Gaz. Fuck the coffee, he was done shopping, he could come back later, he needed to get out of there before he made anything worse-

"An' then ah just decided ta talk to 'im like a dumb lad who's never seen a real person! After ah hit 'im wit' a coffee pot!" Soap exclaimed frustratedly, as he forcibly hung clothes up in his closet. He had already donned his new boots and coat, feeling much warmer than he has within the previous hours. "Ah mean, sure, ah woulda liked ta get ta know 'im, an'-"

"John, mate, I can't understand a thing you're sayin' when you're all hot and bothered-"

"Ah'm NAE-"

"IF I HAVE TO hear about a fuckin' coffee pot again, I'm gonna throw it against the wall and send you off to get a new one. Take a breather, aight?" Gaz continued as if he hadn't heard about him. "Besides, I've got a pretty good idea of who you're talkin' about. Right miracle he didn't rip your head off after you touched him the first time."

Soap blinked at him, gaping like a fish. "What d'ya mean?"

"I mean, the man's a social recluse. Rarely see him, and half the time I do, it's never longer than ten minutes. I barely get a hello out of him when he comes into SpecBru-"

"He goes into SpecGru?" John eagerly swayed like a teenager learning new gossip on their favorite celebrity.

"-Shush, let me finish. I barely get a hello out of him when he comes into the bakery, but the man's kind. Doesn't quite get on with most people, either, but we see 'im more around the holidays than any other time." Gaz tossed him another shirt, and he caught it, before sticking a hanger through the sleeves, and wiping a hand over his face. "That's the last one, by the way."

Soap thanked him, before an alarm went off on his phone. It jarred him out of his senses for a moment, the newness deciding to-

He hated that goddamn alarm. Up and at em, always. Whether it was paperwork, or deployment, it was always there. Always constant. The coldness of the tile beneath his feet grounded him, soothed the horrid ache in his leg from the ground up. It always got his heart racing when it went off. He'd have to change it when he got back to wherever Laswell was deciding to send him for recovery.

"John, you alright?"

It was the default on his phone. Had to take his goddamn medicine. Always a part of the schedule, so he didn't have to worry about it until suddenly he had no work to do. He lost his schedule. Some things were best left behind.

"Uh- aye, sorry. Can you-" Gaz had his phone in his hands, and Soap was sitting on his bed. He blinked, momentarily disoriented. The alarm was no longer going off. "-hand me the medicine container on the dresser please?"

The deep ache in his knee was beginning to return the longer that he thought about it. He blinked again slowly, taking a deep breath like he was grounding himself. Gaz wordlessly passed him the container, not even sparing a glance to read whatever it said. Tramadol, paracetamol, and another thing he usually forgot. One pill would do for now, while the pain wasn't bad enough to incapacitate him for a second pill.

"As I was saying before," Gaz continued as if he had never stopped, and Soap was thankful. "His name's Simon. Simon Riley. His go to order is usually two eccles cakes and an English breakfast, or an earl grey-"

"Why are ye telling me this?"

"Because I think you're practically in love with this guy, and I'd rather tell you instead of watching you struggle to figure it out. Anyways," He fixed his cap, standing up and leaving to the kitchen to unload the rest of the stuff. Soap followed him out, looking like a lost puppy, begging and sniffling for a crumb of anything Gaz wished to give him.

"Ah'm nae in love wit' 'im! Ah just hit him with a coffee machine!" He exclaimed, storming into the kitchen.

"Right, right, of course. Y'know, he runs the Riley Farm just outside of town. They call themselves a tree farm, but there's a shit ton of other things to do there too. Shame it's just him runnin' it, though." Gaz plugged in the coffee machine. "Got a whole petting zoo and everything."

"Petting zoo? For what, reindeer?" John joked, half disbelief written onto his face that much of anything could live up here, much less be considered 'petting zoo.'

The look of brief confusion on Gaz's face told him that he had hit the nail right on the head. "Nae, you dinnae- reindeer? Really?"

"Well... I mean, it's kind of on brand for us up here." Gaz gestured around, and Soap somehow knew what he meant. A Christmas themed town who's whole shebang is.... yeah, reindeer seemed the least weird out of it all, actually.

It turned out, reindeer was not, in fact, the least weird out of everything he learned.

Gaz had left a few hours ago after everything had been loaded into his little cabin, a place that was slowly coming together as home. Bacon was sizzling in a cast iron on the stove, Soap tired enough to only throw something together.

Skrrtch.

"What the...?" Soap whipped around at the sound behind him. Like scratching on glass, like someone was trying to open a door. He clicked off the burners, reaching for a kitchen knife. "Who's there? Yer at the wrong fuckin' house!"

Skriitchh.

He flipped the knife in his hand, angling the blade away from him. A slight breeze blew through the room, the curtains drifting in front of the glass door. It was dark outside, the early kind of dark that you get in the dead winter. Hair raised on the back of his neck as he heard it again, the slow scratch of something being drawn across glass. He took a couple steps towards the swaying curtains, hand out and-

"Creepin' jesus, fuck-!" Soap shouted after tearing the curtains away to reveal a.. deer? An elk? Whatever it was, it was stuck in the screening of his window, tired pants leaving it limp with exhaustion, it's antlers all tangled in the screen. He breathed an aggravated sigh, pushing the curtains against the wall.

He grabbed his nearest sweater, resting on the dining table and shrugged it on, before clicking in the flashlight on his phone and trudging outside. Pity nipped his heart with the biting cold outside as he stuck his phone in his pocket, the flashlight just peeking out to illuminate the creature.

Its breaths fogged up in the freezing air, small, short puffs of cloud fogging against his window.

"Poor bastard." Grumbled Soap, gently reaching over and patting the deer reassuringly, smoothing over its soft fur. It appeared to be so well kept that Soap could've considered it someone's pet, having escaped its fencing to enjoy the luxury of a screened window. He reached his knife just above the antlers, cutting into the screen and sawing away at the thin metal. The deer huffed, struggling again at the sudden release of pressure and Soap jerked the knife away before the animal could hurt itself any further.

There was a sharp tear in the screen as the deer bucked her head, and Soap muttered out a low curse, taking a step back from the animal. There would be no way to fix it now, not without getting it replaced.

Another tear, and Soap jumped into action, smoothing over its face with soft whispers of reassurance, slowly bringing his knife to cut around what he could.

A beam of light flashed over one of the hills further off his property, followed by some yelling in another language, and Soap's hands started working faster. The deer seemed to have realized that hebwas trying to help, because she lessened the tension in her body like she was trying to help him set her free.

"That's a good lassie, almost done, almost done..." He murmured, cutting through the last bit and snapping to get her attention. She shook her head, grunting and huffing with what he assumed to be appreciation, taking a few wobbly steps.

"We got her over here!" Shouts a deeper voice, thick with an accent and he looked up, startled, to see a man cresting his hill, holding a flashlight. Suddenly blinded by the beam, he doubled back with a wince, shielding his eyes from the bright light.

Another figure joined the one on the hill, and they began making their way down towards him.

"Er- can ah help ye lads?" Soap asked, now on the defensive. The deer huffed against him, pushing her nose into his jacket.

"You found Dasher!" The other man exclaimed, like that explained everything.

"Sorry, what's a-?"

"Dasher!" The man in the hat gestured to the deer, who happily trotted up and pushed her nose into the man's hand.

"Well, seems like the lass found me... More than tha', my window." He gestured to the torn up screen with a grimace. "But ah was able to cut 'er out without too much trouble to 'er."

The first man with the flashlight was currently looking over the deer, quietly scolding it in Spanish. He had shorter black hair, and the beginnings of stubble on his tanned face, a carhart jacket zipped up to his throat.

The other man was older, wore a kind of a fishing hat, along with what Soap would consider an impressive amount of facial hair. It looked slightly similar to Alex, from the bakery, but that was where the similarities ended. Soap noticed he appeared to be doing the same thing as he was, searching for a threat. He recognized the look, after all, he saw the same thing in the mirror every day. A military man.

But the man in the hat spoke first.

"You Laswell's guy?" He barked out the words like they were an order, one that he fought against to comply.

"Aye, I am. Ah take it you're hers as well?" He countered, biting back any attitude that may have leaked the 'I'm not good with authority figures' that he couldbe held in his tone.

"You could say I'm an old friend." The man said, with the same amount of force. Soap had an inkling of a feeling that he would be good friends with this man. "John Price," he said, clicking off the flashlight and sticking out a hand.

"John MacTavish, but you can call me Soap, sir." Soap said with a tip of his head, shaking his hand. It was warm, rough and calloused, the hands of a working man.

"This is my right hand, Alejandro Vargas. He usually monitors the park during the night, but Dasher here seemed to have slipped through." Price continued as the other man, Alejandro, nodded at him.

"You name all the creatures out in yer park?" Soap asked.

"Dasher is more of a, eh... Mascot." Alejandro reasoned, trying to fit a harness over her head, but she was not having it, instead backing up and huffing at him, before retreating back over to Soap.

"Right, a deer for a Christmas town named Dasher. What happened to Rudolph?"

Alejandro bit a laugh. "Too similar to the vet. Besides, I see no red nose."

While Soap was trying to figure out why the vet was a deer named Rudolph, Dasher pressed her nose into the small of his back, nudging him forward.

"She seems to 'ave taken a liking to you." Price grumbled, the thick rasp of his voice giving Soap the idea that the man might smoke a few. "Mind helping us get 'er back to the park? Not a long way from here, promise."

Soap shrugged. He had nothing better to do. If Laswell trusted this guy, then he did too.

He found himself saying that a lot recently.

So, haphazardly, they began steering Dasher up through the hills, the warm lights of his cabin fading off into the distance as Dasher believed this was all again. She pranced around the lot of them, wiggling up to each of them, like she was trying to push them into the snow.

Soon, a barn came into view, and she stopped, her head jolting up, ears pricking as she looked around... like she was looking for a threat.

"Price, eyes up." Alejandro barked quietly, eyes careful and guarded. He pulled something from the belt of his jeans, which Soap immediately realized as a gun. A flash of relief flooded through him, quickly masked by worry.

"What's out here that she could see as a threat?" Soap asked, his voice hushed as he stepped closer to Dasher, figuring he was safer close to her, considering the only weapon he had was a kitchen knife he left on his windowsill.

"Lobos," Alejandro says. "Wolves. Or bears. Or other people."

Soap shivered. "What can-"

"Quiet now," Price hissed, taking a few steps back towards them, carefully surveying the trees around them. "We move together. On me."

You can remove the man from the military, but you can never remove the military from the man.

They hadn't moved ten feet, ushering Dasher along like she was precious cargo on a recon mission, before a scream of agony tore through the air, echoing over from the open windows of the barn.

Yeah. Just like the field.

Alejandro's face went deathly pale as his head whipped around to look. "Rudy!" He shouted, tearing off in the same direction as the scream had come from.

All at once, they snapped into action. Soap dodged for the reindeer, grabbing it by the scruff and tugging her along as Price's heavy footfalls led him through the darkness.

They left the reindeer in the yard, bolting for the large barn doors.

Alejandro was a decent few paces ahead of them, pushing through the doors, turning the corner and disappearing behind it.

It smelled like animals, but well kept ones. Not like a zoo, where the poor creatures are kept in their own filth, ones that weren't cared for. It was clear to him, in this moment, that these animals were very well loved, not just by the owners, but by the town. As he was running, his eyes picked up small drawings, or little cards written in a child's hand on the sides of the stalls where other reindeer were pacing.

At the end of the barn, in one of the very last stalls, was a bit of a gory sight. One of the reindeer had another man pinned to the wall with her antlers, and he was squirming, looking like he was trying his best not to scream. Her antlers went through one of his shoulders, and upon spotting them, his eyes went wide.

"D- Don't hurt her! Dios mio! She's calving, she can't help it!" He shouted at them, his green apron covered in blood. He had a soft nose and kind eyes, his hair was bedraggled, and his face looked to be a few shades paler than it should've been.

"What d'we do then!?" Soap shouted, grabbing Alejandro by the shoulders to pull him back from startling the creature even further.

"Just- ah- don't- we gotta wait for her t-"

A sharp snap filled the air, and everyone froze, hearts hammering in their chests. It sounded like the sickening crunch of a bone breaking, and no one moved for fear of something breaking inside of the poor man.

And then the antlers fell.

The man dropped to his knees as the reindeer backed up, and Price rushed to calm her as Alejandro went to the man's side, muttering in soft Spanish.

Soap joined Price in calming the creature, who seemed agonized. "He said she was calving?" He asked the older man frantically.

"Yeah, that means she's-"

"Having a bairn, ah ken! Let her rest, she's gotta ground herself, we can help 'er from there!" Soap commanded, and Price stepped into act. "Alejandro! How's he doing?"

"I'll be fine, señor! Just- just help Vixen!" The man on the ground said as Alejandro pressed against the wounds in his shoulder.

Vixen. Huh.

Less than a minute past, and Vixen, the reindeer, had lay on the ground, bleating. Her breaths were falling heavy, and Soap slowly crouched down in front of her, palms up to show he wasn't a threat. Gently, he brushed through the fur on top of her head. "That's a good girl, yeah? Just breathe, mama, ye got this, yer doon fine, that's a good lass...." He murmured, and her bleating grew softer.

A gentle silence enveloped the barn. "I need someone ta check ta see if the bairn's comin' out." He said quietly, still stroking Vixen's head.

The man from before pushed Alejandro away, after his shoulder was thoroughly covered enough to staunch the bleeding. "She's almost here." The man spoke quickly, with little shake to his voice. He still had a bit of a Mexican accent, but not as heavy as Alejandro's.

"Aye. Can you gently tug her legs? Very slow, ah dinnae want her ta get stuck." Soap said, before going back to comfort the poor reindeer.

Moments later, tiny bleating filled the air, and the man next to him cheered, holding the small thing before gently balancing it next to its mother and tugging Soap back.

The mother took to her young quickly, licking the rest of the gunk out of its fur, leaving it looking bedraggled and fluffy.

"Got any names, boys?" Price asked, stepping next to them slowly, and crossing his arms as he watched.

The other three men stood there, covered in hay, and blood, and afterbirth, glancing around at one another before Soap spoke up.

"Olive? I mean, ye got that reindeer song going, then it goes like "Olive, the other reindeer," y'know?" He asked, and Alejandro nodded, not having the heart to correct his lyrics.

"Olive-" Price snrked, before covering his mouth, and scratching through his beard. "Yeah, Olive is good."

Soap rubbed his knee.

Price eyed him before clapping his hands together. "Let's head into the house, we can get you lot cleaned up. C'mon, we'll check on em later."

Wordlessly, they followed after him.

Price had a... large house, to say the least. The ranch house was build up near the base of the mountains, shrouded in tall pines that grazed the skies. The lower windows were lit up, and Soap could see people moving about inside.

"Were you a vet, Soap?" Price asked as they walked up the pathways to the house.

"O un medico?" The man, who he now presumed to be 'Rudy' asked, sounding like he was biting back his words. Alejandro stood directly at his side, helping him up the paths, with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Nae, just my basics. My ma had a farm in the highlands where she kept sheep. Figured it couldn't be too different." Soap said with a shrug, wincing as he took another step. His brace was a bit stiff beneath his pants, and the cold nipped his ears, and boy, was he excited to get inside.

"Jack of all trades, then." Alejandro grumbled, pushing open the front door.

The interior of the house was very... campy. But it had a cozy kind of warmth to it, and Soap felt all the tension immediately slip from his bones as he was hit with a wave of exhaustion.

Price took off his bucket hat and hung it by the door, calling out, "We're back! And remember, we have guests, so I hope you're on your best behavior!"

The older man disappeared into the kitchen (that smelled heavenly, by the way) and returned with a tactical bag, unzipping it as he walked. "Let's get you into the dining room, we'll use the light in there to stitch you up." He said firmly, and the three kicked into gear.

Some of the voices they heard towards the livelier parts of the home died down as they left the foyer. Soap didn't want to pry. He really didn't. But some questions were just bubbling up, begging to be asked.

"Ye have kids, Price?" He asked, feeling a strange familiarity between the group he was with. Oh man, did he have things to tell Gaz tomorrow.

Price shot him a cautious look, but relaxed slightly. "I foster." He says simply, and turned to Rudy. "You wanna do this, or should I?"

"Ay coño-" Rudy breathed sharply through his nose, beginning to pull his shirt off, before slapping a hand to his mouth to muffle a cry of pain. Alejandro's hands seized forward in a second, murmuring something softly into the man's ear, before pulling off his shirt.

Soap suddenly felt very out of place, like he was intruding on something much, much more private.

"You better not be getting blood on my dining table, John Price." Said a very distinct, yet very familiar Russian tone.

Soap whirled around, eyes wide as he exclaimed, "Nik?"

And there was Nikolai in a very comfy looking sweater, and a 'Kiss the Cook' apron, suddenly startled at the amount of activity going on in his dining room. From an outsiders perspective, it could've been a horrifying sight: three men covered in blood, hay, and snow, crowding around another guy sitting on the table, with his shirt off, and also covered in blood.

But Nikolai was no regular stranger. Instead, he barked a laugh at their predicament, and turned to Soap. "Did they rope you in too?"

"Wha-? How are ye- do y'know th-?" Soap spluttered before Price sighed loudly, looking between Nikolai, Soap, then to Rudy, and back.

"Can we focus on one thing at a time, please?" Price asked, gesturing to Rudy, who was now trying to fight off a smirk despite being slightly in pain. Alejandro seemed to be making the same face along with him.

"Seemed to have found your way back alright, eh, MacTavish?" Nik asked, stepping into the room and clapping him on the back. Soap seemed to feel slightly relieved at knowing someone else here, but was still extremely confused as to how he fit in. "I hope my meddling husband did not cause trouble for you?"

And it clicked. There we go.

"Nik..." Price mumbled. "Men are bleeding out on your table."

"Okay, okay. Boys, there's a bathroom down the hall, and one right up the stairs to your left. They both have showers. Go clean yourself up, we will take care from here."

Soap didn't even question it, only wanted to get out of his nasty, sticky clothes. He looked to Price, who rolled his eyes and mouthed 'Go', before going back to work on Rodolfo, who gave him a weary smile.

Next thing he knew, he was in a stranger's shower.

Now, this was not the first time he's ended up in a stranger's shower. He had experience. And also, he was tired, and hungry. He wanted to go home and sleep. He wanted... He wasn't really sure what he wanted. The bathroom smelled nice, and the shower felt even nicer, as he washed the grime, blood, and cold away from his skin.

By the time he got out, the mirror was completely fogged up, even the tiles of the floor were warmed from the steam. The liveliness of the house had picked up outside, he heard, and he wrapped himself in a towel. His clothes were missing from the floor, which caused a slight panic, so he grabbed the nearest robe and shrugged it on as he dried out his mohawk.

The laughing and giggling got louder when he stuck his head out from the bathroom. "Oi! Price!" He hissed down the hall, and the laughter disappeared.

Three little heads poked out from behind the corner. They appeared to be young boys, the oldest no more than 8.

The taller one, also presumably the oldest, had short cropped dark hair and bright eyes full of mischief. The one in the middle had fluffy light brown hair, and kinder green eyes. And the youngest one, still enough of a baby face, he appeared to be around five, unable to conceal a wide smile on his face. He was blond with brown eyes that were very hidden in his smile.

"Ye lot! Gimme mah stuff, ye little gremlins!" He hissed, and one by one, the disappeared, running down the hall.

Now usually, it's frowned upon to chase after children in a robe, and really, this felt like a movie locker room situation, where the bullies took his clothes while he was in the showers- lord. He was being bullied by children.

The children were bolting towards the kitchen, a separate garment in each of their hands.

"Git back here-!" He growled at them, slipping on the carpet, before grabbing the corner of the hall and launching himself to try and catch them, and they turned, and-

The kitchen was dead silent, all four adults, and three children staring at him, dressed in only a robe.

"Boys!" Price said firmly, and the children froze, turning to stare at him. "We've talked about this!"

Meanwhile, Alejandro was trying to hide a laugh behind his hand, and failing, horribly. Soap's face was burning as he crossed his arms over himself.

Price stood and the kids bolted, scattering throughout the house. "Nik-! They'll listen to you!"

"You know they will not, мое солнышко." Nik laughed. "Soap, come with me, brother, I'll give you some of John's things."

This was mortifying. Now back in the kitchen, and much more appropriately dressed, he was now avoiding eye contact with the three boys that were still taunting him, just to a much lesser degree.

"Alejandro, where did Rodolfo and Price go?" He asked, over the sizzling of something good on the stove. In their absence, Nik had invited them to stay for dinner, the least he could do when one of his ranch hands got speared by a reindeer.

He learned that the ranch hands called themselves Vaqueros, or Cowboys, which he thought was fitting. They were around for the winters, but went back to a town called Los Almas in the warmer months where they were dearly missed, but they had duty to that town, and everyone understood the call. They were very nice, and the whole place was very homey, something he'd missed in the military.

The boys, he'd learned, were three of the fosters. Their names went from oldest to youngest, Keegan, the tall one who had orchestrated the plan to steal his clothes, then David, who was more shy, but very headstrong (and the one who Kickstart the plan), and finally Logan, the youngest, who was David's biological brother, who gave them away.

They'd had Keegan longest, around three years, and the other two they'd fostered after their father went missing in action. But they were practically inseparable since they had met, which warmed his heart some. He missed his sisters.

"They went out to the barn to check on the little one." Alejandro supplied. "Rudy is.... well, he's usually the vet, but he may be, er, out of commission for a little bit."

"Mandated leave?" Soap wiggled his eyebrows at him and Alejandro rolled his eyes.

"Permiso obligatorio, tu pendejo!" He laughed, waving him off.

There was some commotion towards the front door, and Nik straightened, pulling something out of the oven. "Must be them. Back just in time!" He said happily, and Soap slid out of his seat.

"'M gonnae go see if the bairn's doin' okay!" He said excitedly, before darting out towards the front door.

Fidgeting with the cuff of Price's sweater that he now wore (it was so comfy), he started speaking even before he turned the corner. "Hope the wee one's doin' okay, Price! Ah was gonna ask if ah could come ta check on 'er, but-"

Suddenly he ran into something very firm, and very unmoving, and for half a second he feared he walked into a wall. He took a step back, apologizing, before looking up.

And stared directly into the wide, honey-colored eyes of the stranger he met at the store.

The stranger he now knew as Simon Riley.

Taglist(open): @neonanarchystudios @rai-to209

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[soaps-hoe-141]

Drowning In The Depths

Yall wanted it, so here ya go. Fulfilling my poll duties

Part 4

Pairing: Price x Male!Reader

WC: 20.7k

Synopsis: Interrogation done. Time to meet the team, make him jealous, be a thot, be an idiot, refuse to elaborate, leave, take your punishment like a man

Warnings: NSFW 18+, I promise it's there, it's just at the end. Daddy Price taking what's his down there

"Here," the young Brit held out your duffel bag to you. Taking it you give him a questioning look wondering where he'd even gotten it which prompted him to glance at Soap and Ghost over by a table. "They grabbed it from your apartment," you shot a look at the two, watching as Ghost grabbed the barrel from the disassembled sniper rifle out of the other man's hand with a shake of his head. Soap in turn just grabbed another piece of the gun until Ghost finally redirected his attention to something on the screen before rearranging the pieces how he wanted them.

It was humorous to watch the two as you changed into a t-shirt and a pair of thicker pants this time. They seemed so far from similar but in a way that drew them together endearingly. Ghost distracted him so easily with something else to avoid the Scotsman tearing apart the careful puzzle of the gun he had disassembled earlier. He made sure to turn around and arrange it just perfectly where it went according to his obsessive mind. Even doing it quick enough that when the Scotsman turned back to say something else Ghost was already right behind him, nodding along as if he’d been there the whole time.

Returning your attention to Gaz you threw the bag under the desk still occupied by Cerberus who was watching Gaz cautiously while you changed. Well to be specific they were both staring at one another with the skepticism of well known rivals. The two seemed overtly distrustful of one another in a way that made even you uncomfortable. It was a bad precedent to set, bad blood couldn't be allowed to fester otherwise it might make Cerberus more inclined to be distrustful of even more strangers in the future. Certainly not something you were about to let happen. Especially if you were strapping with their team over the border into a more than dangerous area that could explode at any moment.

Before Gaz could make a run for it, from Cerberus, you cleared your throat and drew his eyes to you instead of the dog, "I'm sorry he went after you." True or not it didn't matter, you were still kind of annoyed that he hit you over the head but at the same time Cerberus had gotten your share. The past was the past, live in your three foot world and control what you could right now. And right now you could control their relationship moving forward, "If it's alright with you I'd like to get him a little more acquainted with the team, starting with you. If he's not having to decide whether your scent is friendly or not he won't be distracted, could keep us from getting blown sky high." 

The Brit pursed his lips and took half a step back not quite sure he wanted to be a part of this, which you had to be honest was fair enough. You could see the look in his eyes, he was about to refuse and before he could outright say no you felt a warm presence at your back. The voice that made you tense sounded right beside your ear as he said, "I'll go first then, Speck." John came around your side, a hand sliding across the small of your back and nearly drawing out a plea for more from you before his sharp look froze your mouth and vocal cords. He was standing between you and Gaz now, blocking the other man's sight of your flustered look.

A quick swallow had you glancing between Cerberus and John trying to reign in the thoughts that were running wild in your mind. He was officially getting to you, and you'd been able to deny it until the moment that he put that large, warm hand in a place he never should have. God you were losing yourself to the possibility, the desire for more. If it weren't for the men in this room and that fact you'd just gotten yourself stitched up you'd shove him onto the nearest desk and be done with all these pent up frustrations. But you couldn't, please God give you the strength not to tear him apart. A damn tease is what he was being now, and one with the ability to back it up. Please back it up.

No, damnit you are a professional with the ability to focus and not some horny fifteen year old who's about to lose his virginity. Chill the fuck out and answer with words not a damn look, "Uh yeah, that's fine. Perfect actually." Your eyes shot down at the dog before you finally managed to remember the command, "Achtung." The intense chocolate gaze shot to you immediately, alert and ready for whatever you had to say next. You turned your gaze back to the Captain and held out your hand, "Alright lemme see your hand then." Another near refusal, hesitation obvious in his eyes. He'd been completely ok with the idea of touching the dog, but the act of touching you when he wasn't the instigator was a completely different story. "Come on, Cap I ain't got all day. You wanted to go first so let's go," Gaz beside him was smirking now and when you all noticed Soap and Ghost's quietness the man sighed and dropped his palm onto yours.

His face began to redden as you flipped his hand over with a smirk, facing his palm up to the ceiling. If he was so worried about embarrassing himself should have just asked instead of assuming. You were finally getting your payback for when he had Ghost search your pockets instead of him. And you had every intention of this being only the beginning. Guiding his hand closer to Cerberus's nose you turned your attention to the dog and said, "Duft." The Dutchie pushed his wet nose into the man's palm taking quick, short breaths. You let your own hand drop away from Price's then, watching Cerberus lick at the callused palm as he familiarized himself with the new scent. The new friend you were providing him with.

Cerberus lifted his head a bit and then laid his jaw onto John's palm, looking up at the tall brunette with eyes that could melt glacial ice. You leaned up to the Brit's ear and whispered low, breath sliding across the shell of his ear, "Tell him 'Pfote'." Blue hues flicked to you, catching a heat there different from the anger you'd been subjected to since you'd first seen him again. Oh yeah, there was that look you were trying to find. The beginning of his undoing if you played your cards right. Two could play at this game of teasing John, your move Brit.

John didn't give anyone else the time to see his momentary weakness though before he turned those blue depths down to Cerberus and said gruffly, "Pfote." Cerberus pushed himself up to sit in front of the tall man before he lifted a paw and dropped into Price's palm.

You smiled at the dog before running your hand over his head and muttering a quick, "Braver Hund!" That had his tail sweeping over the desk with such rapidity you were sure he was about to cause a tornado with it. When you turned your gaze back around John was halfway across the room with his back to you as he looked down at something he'd been fiddling with earlier. For all intents and purposes he was removed from your reach once again, and this time at his own discretion rather than yours.

There was a part of you that longed to have told that piece of shit on the phone to go to hell eight months ago. Maybe if you'd stuck around, if you hadn't been forced to go flying halfway across the world you might have been able to find some happiness there. That would have been nice, that's for sure. Even if you'd lost your job, your livelihood, part of you felt like he might have been worth it. That those heated looks, his ability to always know exactly what to say, and the outstanding way he knew how to use every bit of you, all of that might have just been worth it.

Your gaze turned back to the dog, not wanting to let yourself linger too much for fear the others would see if they hadn't already. A shy voice in front of you that you hadn't heard yet caught your attention, "Hallo." Shock took hold of you as your eyes ran up the hooded man in front of you. Good God where did they get this one from!? "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" His question was lost on you for the most part, and not only because you were so taken aback by the giant's sudden appearance.

There were many languages you were fluent in and had basic knowledge of, but most Latin based languages were lost on you save for Spanish. Just as most Germanic languages fell into that same category, all except for your native English tongue. You'd only realized your proficiency with languages when learning Spanish in high school as is required. The Navy had only provided you with the resources and necessity to further that knowledge and proficiency.

Uncomfortable silence had the tall man taking a step back slowly, slipping back into the shadows of the unlit sections of the room like he was about to bolt. How hadn't you noticed him before now? The shadows didn't really hide him that well and you were certain you hadn't been that distracted by John. Especially not to have noticed the young, ginger man behind the taller one as well. "Sorry I don't know what you said, do ya speak English?"

Even under the hood you could see that big head tilt and you worried for a moment you'd already made a faux-pas without even realizing it. Being social was so difficult when you usually only had to worry about your tone of voice rather than the words you were saying. Cerberus typically couldn't give two shits about what exactly was coming out of your mouth so long as you didn't sound upset. The small ginger man behind the tall one finally alleviated your worry with an easy smile and a quick, "He does yeah. He was just wondering if ye spoke German." You caught a comforting touch from the smaller man that was so subtle you nearly missed it, but it was there.

Huh, another Scot. So the tally now was three Brits, two Scots, and a German. You eyed the rest of the building carefully again, or what you could see of it anyway from your spot in this one room. No one else, so you weren't missing these men, you weren't that cenile yet. They were, in fact, just coming out of the walls then like carpenter bees drilling through the wood of your shed. Good to know. "I'm Watcher, by the way. I handle all the tech stuff, and I love yer dog. He's a beauty," the ginger stepped closer, but stopped with an unsure look towards you as if waiting for your permission to meet Cerberus. Probably a good idea if you were being honest.

The little Scotsman spoke so easily to you, it was kind of laughable how nonchalant he was about both you and the dog. Especially compared to everyone else's reaction. Then again you hadn't tried to shoot, scare, maim, or sleep with either of these two new guys so that might have helped the ease with which they approached you. When you held out a hand the young man readily put his into yours, excitement lighting up his face at the idea of finally getting to meet the dog. "Cerberus," chocolate hues focused on you before you issued the command just like before, "Duft." His nose inched closer sniffing until he was pressing into Watcher's palm and licking at his lithe fingers.

The young man was positively giddy at the sight, "Can I pet him? Christ," his r seemed to roll on forever, "Please tell me I can pet him." You gave a quick nod in answer watching the young man's other hand slide immediately over the Dutchie's big, black head. Scratching behind his ears, down his neck, and into the thick fur between his shoulder blades. When Cerberus' nose tilted up from the young man's hand and you watched the long, pink tongue dive out for Watcher's chin you half expected him to retreat from him. Instead he merely lifted his face a bit before shaking his head and whispering, "Nein." Then he placed a quick kiss on his forehead and forced himself back, "Your turn Koni." The bright blue eyes shifted up to the hooded man who had been watching the interaction the whole time. 

"Koni?" You asked before you could stop yourself, if only you could just keep your mouth shut, that’d be nice. That was an unusual call sign but maybe it meant something in German that you didn't know.

The large hood shook back and forth in answer to you before he said, "No actually. You can call me Konig." He didn't elaborate any further on the name situation though. It was a bit long to be a call sign, in your experience one syllable words were about all a tier one operator had time to mutter in the heat of things. But, staring up at the tall man, you decided it wasn't worth the trouble you'd make asking and instead just nodded, Konig it was then.

Holding your hand out he laid his on top of it, repeating the same process you had with both Price and Watcher now. Cerberus took his time before laying his head in the catcher's mitt that was Konig's hand. It made even the Dutch Shepherd's huge head look small which was a feat. Konig gave the dog a few quick scratches on the head before turning your way and asking, "If you don't speak German then why is your dog trained in it?" Well that made you stop and think.

Lips pressed together into a thin line as you tried to come up with an answer. You’d never really thought about it before honestly. It was how you’d been taught and so that's how you did things. Finally, rather than spread some kind of false information to the young man, or you guessed young man since you couldn’t see his face, you simply shrugged. "Honestly I've got no idea. It's just what the Navy taught me so it's what I use. I mean I guess I could use any language really but I'm so used to it now I've never really thought about changing it."

You hadn't even realized what you'd said until John's voice jumped the gap between you with a quick, "You were in the Navy?" Turning so quickly you felt a crick in your neck that had been there for weeks pop and you locked eyes with him, his brunette brows furrowing at you before you gave a hesitant nod of affirmation. He merely huffed at the information before sitting down at his desk and going back to looking at whatever it was he'd been doing a few seconds before.

Had he been doing something though? He noticed the discrepancy between your first meeting and now in a heartbeat, barely even a pause after you stopped talking, he'd voiced his question. So John was listening then, probably watching too when no one else was paying him any attention. You could really make his head spin then if you wanted, a touch here and a whispered word there and he'd be coming unglued from that chair of his. He'd wanted to be a tease up until now so let's be a tease Captain John Price. Glancing at the last three you questioned them all with a quick, "So who's next then?"

They all turned even stares at one another then before Soap finally spoke up, "Well I guess since," there was a slight pause. A hesitation that had the other two narrowing their eyes in silent threats before the Scotsman finally finished, "Since Gaz is already over there ye might as well just have him do it first."

"Agreed," the only other Brit left besides Gaz answered in his thick accent, without so much as a second thought. When you turned to find Gaz though he was giving them both an open mouthed look of betrayal. He’d been handed over, quite literally, to the dogs by his so called friends it would seem.

Oh how fast they turn on one another. The dark skinned man's look of betrayal quickly turned into a flat even stare that just seemed more like he was over it. "You can both go to hell," he shot across the room at the both of them, only for Soap to smirk and shrug and Ghost to remain as emotionally unreadable as he always was with the mask on. He turned to you, "Right let's go then, mate."

When his eyes fixed on you your face took on a disarming smile. Trying your best to soothe his obvious nerves at getting so close to the animal that had already used his arm like a chew toy. "He's not a mean dog Gaz, I swear," the dark hues flicked to the dog with a shake of his head before you held out your hand watching him set the back of his hand in your palm like all the others had so far. His arm was as stiff as a board though, elbow locked like he'd start shaking if he didn’t stay stiff.

Squeezing his hand a bit you caught the quick look that he settled on your face before returning it with a relaxed upturn of your mouth. "You're too tense, man. Gotta loosen up. He reads body language, he knows how you feel." Gaz watched the dog for a few seconds, head tilting as if he was really considering what you were saying. He didn't seem to truly understand though as his focus settled back on you with his hand in yours. The length of your arm was pressed against his and you'd moved your other hand to his opposite shoulder, coming near flush with his back now as you edged him closer to the animal.

His nervous energy was like electricity in your veins after being pent up with frustration for so long now. He glanced at you over his shoulder and caught sight of the relaxed gaze before you whispered, "Someone comes at you, nearly quakin in their boots, with the hand that smacked your daddy across the face looking like they got a metal rod so far up their ass that it has gone through their elbow what are you gonna do? Let them get near enough to touch you? No. That'd freak you out too. That'd look weird and not at all how someone should come up to ya, and that's what he's thinking. Just take a deep breath, relax alright? I swear to you, he's not gonna hurt you. He’s a good boy." You could see the heat flaring on his cheeks as he settled himself against you, or tried to at least.

Surprisingly he seemed to get it this time though as he melted into you, his arm going liquid against yours as you pushed him forward with your other hand until you were both within reach of Cerberus's nose. "Duft," Cerberus looked where you were still holding Gaz's outstretched palm before reaching forward with his wet, sniffing nose. It took him longer than the others had as Cerberus reorganized the scents in his mind. When the tongue finally licked at his fingers Gaz lit up with a smile, stepping a bit closer and away from you. "See, I told ya. It's all about body language," you pulled your hand away from Gaz's, letting Cerberus and him get better acquainted without your scent muddying the waters.

Eyes glanced sideways where you knew John was, catching the dark gleam in his eyes that was focused solely on you. Warning bells played in your head, you were toeing a dangerous line, but it was a line you were more than willing to cross when it came down to it. When Gaz had finally had his fill of petting the dog you looked over where Ghost and Soap were supposed to be sitting. Only the Scotsman remained though, eyes glued to you and the dog and seeming to not realize that he was left alone. "Looks like you're up then Soap."

The dark brow cocked up in question before he whipped his head to the side, staring at the empty space beside him. "Where'd that blaigeard go?" Blue eyes darted around the room searching for the man with the skull mask and coming up empty. His quarry had long gone by now it seemed. A sigh left Soap as he stood up and came around the desk he'd been sitting at to stand just in front of you.

Soap looked between you and the dog, momentarily finding Gaz as well who had retreated to some things piled in the corner, probably his gear, before a smirk found that naturally suggestive face. "Can I get the special treatment then Speck? It worked so well for ole’ Gaz. I quite like up close and personal if ye know what I mean."

Eyeing him for a second your eyes slid up and down his lean form before you shrugged. "You gotta ask nicer than that, Soap. Where are your manners?" His tongue slid across his bottom lip and he stepped a bit closer.

His voice deepened and his tone slipped into something a bit more casual as he answered with a whispered, "Please may I get the special treatment, Speck?" In truth you hadn't expected it, you really should have. He was obviously the type to try and get under your skin but it still took you off guard. Your eyebrows rose at the Scotsman before a smirk graced your features and you shook your head fighting off amusement.

"Come on then, I'm sure we've got to get going soon." The Scotsman let out a light chuckle and held out his hand for you to grab. Cerberus, now expecting the command, was already leaning forward on the desk. He was eager to learn the new scents of the team he was to be working with now. He'd never had the opportunity really before except for rare occasions, it'd only ever really been the two of you with the occasional tag along that you never bothered to have him learn. You'd very nearly foregone it with these men too, until you'd noticed the tensions between Cerberus and Gaz anyway.

You stepped up behind Soap, holding his wrist rather than his hand as you gave the command and the curious nose pressed into his palm. A low whisper slid over Soap's shoulder as you muttered, "That's it, just like that. Damn good job right there Soap," he pressed back into you and rather than keep it going you pulled away from the man, listening to his little laugh when he received your praise. You took a step back as you watched them both. When your eyes turned up though you saw John had his back to you now and the only other man brave enough, or maybe angry enough was a better descriptor, to keep watching was the now present Ghost. Well fuck, you hadn't realized that when you first decided to put your hands on the Scotsman. Oh well, fix it later. What's done is most assuredly done.

With Soap introduced the only one left was the man currently glaring daggers at you. You bit at your bottom lip nervously before deciding rather than making him come to you and Cerberus maybe it'd be better to go to him. "Hier, Cerberus, fuss," you said watching the dog jump down from the desk before attaching himself to your thigh as if he had his own holster. You passed Watcher who was typing away at something next to Konig while the tall man loaded mags for the both of them as they whispered back and forth. Soap had wandered over to where Gaz and Price were now discussing something you couldn't hear from this far away. But from the map and the pictures they were huddled around they were coming up with some kind of way to get all of you over the border and back in one piece.

Ghost had started reassembling the sniper rifle by the time you made it through the maze of desks, tables, and chairs over to him. He barely even glanced away from the scope he was looking through, using a cloth on the glass to clean it as he actively ignored your approach. "You're the last one Ghost," hazel eyes gave you a look that you could have sworn seemed like his brow was cocked under the mask with a sarcastic reply just dancing on the end of his tongue. "I'll make it quick," a tilt of the head, "I promise." Ghost sat the scope down gently on the towel he’d laid all the pieces out on.

It was an uncomfortable silence with his burning gaze staring a hole through you. His arms crossed over his chest as he watched you before asking, "You like the gloves on or off?" Your mind went blank for a moment, thoughts going off on a tangent about the innuendo hidden there. Honestly you weren't sure if he'd meant for it to sound the way you heard it or not but your frustrated brain didn't seem to care too much about whether he did or not.

Blinking a couple times you finally got your thoughts back under control before answering him with a simple shrug, "Whichever you prefer is fine." He stood stock still, taking you in before something finally clicked for you and you glanced down at Cerberus before saying, "Voraus." The big dog ducked beneath the table separating you two and the second his head popped up over the other side you said, "Anhalten," and the dog froze in place, less than a foot to Ghost’s right and looking back at you silently waiting. You shot a look up at Ghost and nodded towards his still crossed arms, "Hold your hand out then." The man glanced down at the dog before lowering his crossed arms and letting chocolate eyes catch sight of the outstretched palm.

Cerberus didn't dare to move though, staring at the hand quietly and awaiting your quick, "Duft," before he surged towards the hand, sniffing and licking nearly immediately. It seemed the Dutchie rather liked Ghost’s scent, or at least the way his glove smelled. If he never took it off, the damn thing probably still tasted like whatever he'd eaten last, with too many smells for Cerberus to categorize completely. The other large hand came up and ran across the top of his head, ruffling the fur and tracing the pointed ears. He was surprisingly gentle for having seemed so menacing from afar, that was good to know. At least you didn't have to worry about the man glaring at your back through a sniper scope, at least not while Cerberus was with you anyway.

When Cerberus had gotten his fill of the big man he turned a circle, looking for something before catching sight of you once more and crawling back under the table to press his nose into your hand. Ghost was more than willing it seemed to ignore you once more, which was fair you didn't exactly know anything about one another. And it wasn't like you'd come to the team in the best of circumstances, hell you weren't even a part of the team. You were a strap, just someone they had to bring along for translations and to get a hold of a family you'd left with someone who'd only talk to you.

Heading back to the desk that had temporarily been claimed by both you and Cerberus you sat down in the chair. Tapping the top of the desk you muttered, "Hopp," watching him jump easily up to the desk before whispering, "Platz," in the quietest tone you could manage. Cerberus didn't even hesitate to lay down on the desk again. His hearing wasn't damaged then, after the explosions and the flashbang you were worried they might very well have been but he seemed much better off than you'd been left. "Geh Schlafen, Cerberus," you leaned your own head back, turning for just a minute to catch sight of the chocolate eyes disappearing behind heavy lids as you both slipped into a light slumber.

"Price do we really haftae walk the whole way there from the border? I mean that's a long bloody way and I’m sure we could make it if we had some ATVs," Soap huffed out behind you. He'd been talking more or less the whole time you'd been on the road. For the most part you'd been able to stay asleep with Cerberus curled up between your legs in the middle row of the van’s seats, squeezed inside between Konig and Watcher. John and Ghost were sitting in the front, ignoring just about everything Soap said from his place in the back with Gaz…just about.

The brunette huffed and shook his head, "For the last time Sergeant, yes we've got to walk. Speck said cars are few and far between, and those that do come through are almost always hostiles. ATVs are too conspicuous, we went over all of this back at ops. You've walked farther before so keep the chatter to a minimum, alright?" There was a heavy sigh behind you but Soap didn't shoot back a reply thankfully.

You'd been resting your overworked mind off and on since you got in the car with them. Every bit of your body ached, you had barely slept save for what you'd managed to get back at their ops center and on the ride to your destination. And now your only tool to kill was the dog between your legs though he couldn't even do that, or he wasn't supposed to at least. Cerberus was meant to help apprehend hostiles, he wasn't trained to kill them. 

Sure you'd asked for a gun, but the Captain's response had been an undoubted and immediate no. He didn't trust you and you couldn't exactly blame him even if it did annoy you. You hadn't exactly given him much to trust when it came to you though. "Besides," he'd said, clapping you on the shoulder and drawing out a grimace, "you aren't exactly moving the arm too well. Can’t have you shooting someone can I?” The memory drew a scowl from you even as your eyes were closed. Sleep escaped you for the moment until you finally gave up, at least for now, and sat a little taller in the seat.

The moment your eyes opened they were met with intense blue in the rearview mirror, watching you, always watching when you least expected it. God almighty you wished he would stop that, it made a shiver run through you every single time. Then again you knew that was a lie the moment you thought it, you never wanted that gaze to leave you. You were so maddeningly drawn to this man you’d have taken any morsel of attention he paid you. And he’d been paying you more than a few crumbs share since you’d begun to turn the tides on him.

Those depths held you entranced, frozen in time even as the car kept speeding through the seemingly endless streets. Please look away John, please, because there was no way you could manage it yourself. You’d have suffocated in that man’s gaze if it weren’t for Ghost diving across the middle console and throwing the wheel to the side, swerving around a stalled car in the road. The eyes darted from you and back to the road, seemingly surprised as he blinked a couple times. “Fuckin hell old man, we need to get your eyes checked?” The big man looked between him and the road with a quick shake of his head before he settled back on his side of the car.

Swallowing hard you shot your gaze to the dog on the floorboard who gave a low whine at the sudden jerk of the vehicle. You could hear the annoyed huff of breath, more like flustered and still caught off guard if someone asked you, before Price answered, “I’m fine, I saw the bloody thing Lieutenant.” You didn’t see the rest of the silent conversation between the two. Instead you kept your focus on Cerberus, fingers rubbing circles into the muscles of his neck as you worked to soothe his nerves. The both of you needed a break but you’d get it in time. Soon.

It was a two and a half hour drive from their ops center to the Pakistani border, so they weren’t staying in Zabol. Somewhere closer it seemed, probably between Zabol and Zahedan, that was good to know for future reference. John had taken a dirt road off the main highway thirty minutes before that and had now parked the van on a ridge. There was a sheer drop down on the side that you needed to go before the hills shot back in the air in front of you forming a natural valley just on the edge of the border.

With everyone unloaded and checking their gear, you took a seat since no gear meant you had no need to worry about anything they were doing. Your gear was you, Cerberus, your head, and his head, that was all that mattered for you right now. Leaning back against the car you listened to the familiar sounds of chambers being checked and magazines being loaded.

Besides you knew your thigh would be burning soon enough, no need to wear it out unnecessarily when you didn’t even have anything to do. Cerberus, attached to your hip once again by his spare lead, sat in front of you. Your hands were cupping his face, taking careful stock of his attention which you knew was waning, especially after the car ride here. The both of you were nearing the end of your rope now. It would be a hard few hours, but just those few hours more and you were done. Just a few more hours.

Pulling your hands away from his face you kept one lifted in the air and muttered, “Beruhren,” his paw lifted to slap against your palm before it fell again to the ground. “Platz,” he dropped to his stomach, “Umdrehen,” he rolled all the way over quickly, tail kicking up dust behind him as it wagged. He was getting excited now, regaining some of the focus you knew he’d been losing during the down time. “Brummen,” his whole body vibrated with a low growl. A terrifying sound that would have sent shivers up your spine had it not been for the fact you knew him so well.

You let him rumble for a few seconds before you snapped out, “Gib laut!” His maw opened and he barked a singular time. Teeth snapped shut just in front of your face before his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth and he sneezed, his whole body shaking like he’d been dunked in the water. Your hands shot to his neck, running up and down the length of the hard muscle rough and quick as you muttered, “Braver Hund! Such a good boy,” his tongue flicked out to your face and you quickly wiped the saliva off on your shoulder before using him to stand up from your spot on the ground.

Chocolate eyes followed every movement now, refocused and centered on everything you were doing. When you stepped back around the front of the car John casted a quick look your way before turning to the rest of the team, “Ok, we’re on foot from here. Laswell has our quick extract once we have the wife and kids. Copy?” The quick affirmatives resounded through everyone including you. Get there, get the family, and get out. After that you could finally fucking sleep.

Price and Gaz led you all, with Soap, you, and Watcher lined up behind in order. Ghost and Konig were bringing up the rear, the taller of the two a few steps ahead of the Lieutenant. Yall started off repelling down the ridge, and as much pain as you were in doing it you refused to ask any of them for help. It was your burden to bear. Even if Cerberus' added weight added pounds you weren’t sure you could hold up it didn’t matter, he was your responsibility. You picked his front half up off the ground, connecting the vest he'd donned for the mission to your own tactical harness before you did the same with his back half. He was attached to your hip literally this time, his feet just above the ground while he stayed compliantly limp in the harness. Hooking yourself to the rope you backed up over the side with a grimace of pain.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that you were favoring your right side heavily. Your right hand was stuck into your vest as you descended with the strength of the left alone. You were pushing off the wall with only the single leg you could still manage the repeated motion with, only using the right leg to stabilize yourself. It was painful and arduous, and it made your already aching body and mind hurt even more.

A little over halfway down your progress stalled on the rope. Bracing yourself against the face of the uneven rock and looking up and down you fought to catch your breath. Typically this wouldn't have been even a moment of issue for you but the events were starting to take their toll. Your adrenaline reserves hadn't yet filled back up after you'd burned it all out and you were still running on near empty. A voice in the comms spoke quickly, making your pounding heart stutter for a quick moment, "What's wrong Speck?" That voice in your ear was going to cause so many problems on this mission and you could already feel one trying to pop up right now.

Not right now, you had a job to get done. Looking down at the four men already on solid ground below you, you reached for the comm on your vest with your injured hand. "Nothins wrong," a quick breath in, "I'm comin down just needed a second," and a quick breath out. You hooked the thumb of your injured hand back into the strap of the vest and pushed off the wall. It drove a huff of air out of your lungs at the effort, but you did it again, and then again, until you were finally at the end.

When your feet hit the ground you unhooked yourself from the rope quickly. Cerberus was off the ground less than a foot attached to your own harness and as you tried to step back you felt your leg trying to give out under the weight. You were barely holding yourself up without the addition of all the tactical gear and the seventy-five pound dog to boot. It was almost too much for your body to handle.

A hand grabbed your shoulder to help steady you, Gaz coming around in front of you and lifting up the dog's weight so you could detach him. The relief was instantaneous and you quite nearly moaned out a thank you but settled for a nod to the younger man. He kept an eye on you for a moment as you readjusted your vest and other various bits, "'Preciate it Gaz." The young man quirked up his mouth in a half smile before he finally left you alone to go do something else.

Adjusting Cerberus' vest you only looked up again when Konig's boots hit the ground and he detached himself. Ghost made it down in record time, touching down a few seconds after the tallest member of the squad and thankfully making up for the time you'd wasted. The team was back on the road a few seconds after the Lieutenant gave the ok, back in your formation and trekking across the open terrain.

The journey had sweat pouring off every face, and you swore you caught sight of even Ghost and Konig lifting their masks up a few times when they turned around to check behind the group. Cerberus' head was drooping low at your side, even the endless fountain of energy that Dutch Shepherd's were known to possess did in fact have its end it seemed. When Price finally called for a pit stop you were the first to take a seat, thigh burning at the sweat seeping into your wound and the stitches that pulled at your skin with every step you took. Canteens in every hand in a matter of seconds.

Watching quietly you unclipped something from your belt, opening the collapsible bowl and setting it on the ground. Pouring some of your own water into the bowl for Cerberus to lap up. You took slow sips from the canteen indirect contrast to Soap who was gulping water from his canteen and pointing to something on a piece of paper Gaz had pulled out and was showing him. Watcher was sitting back to back with Konig and facing you while the tall man was looking up at Gaz and Soap while they talked in their quiet tones. Probably trying not to get overheard by you honestly. Ghost turned his back to the group and this time you know you saw the mask lift as he took a few sips from his canteen before he returned it to its place in his bag.

Looking for John you noticed he wasn’t in front of you. Turning to look over your shoulder you caught sight of movement. It was him standing just a few yards behind you. The tall man had taken a vantage point he could watch everyone, taking stock of how everyone was faring so far. You remembered when that had been you, separating yourself somewhat from the group to keep a tactical and objective view. It had turned you callous to your team’s problems in the end, forced you to be cold and uncaring else you risked being unable to send them into the fight. You wondered if it was or had done the same to him. How did he fare as leader?

Pouring a bit more water into the now empty, collapsible bowl you pushed yourself back to your feet. You unclipped the lead from yourself, leaving Cerberus to rest and recover in his own space and time. John’s eyes were on something in the distance when you turned to find him again. Sidling up to him you made it close enough that when he turned back to the team he was right in front of you, only a few inches away from pressing against you.

Blue eyes traveled down the length of your body before he cleared his throat and returned his gaze to the thing in the distance, “Speck?” It wasn’t a greeting so much as a ‘What do you want?’ 

You wet your still dry mouth with another sip from your canteen and asked, “What are you looking at?” A side eyed look fell on you then and even in your state of exhaustion and emotional unawareness you could see the frustration he was trying to hide. Frustration at you. You deserved it, that you knew, but it still upset you to see it there.

A quick jerk of his chin towards the distance made you squint into the heat haze, the light bending in some way you were sure science could explain but not you. You’d never really cared for book learning, you were a common sense kind of guy. A verbal answer followed as you continued to watch, “There’s a Pakistani military base that way. They respond to calls at the border so we need to make sure we’re not between them and the call that we know will be coming from the border soon.” Made sense, but he shouldn’t have known where any foreign military base was in the area.

It was your turn to give him a side eyed look, your brows furrowing as you wondered how he knew that. You hadn’t even known that and you’d driven a family through here not too long ago. John didn’t seem willing to elaborate though, and you weren’t willing to ask a question you knew wouldn’t get an answer. Not when you had more pressing questions on your mind anyway. “Why didn’t you ask me when you were interrogating me? You had every opportunity.”

The suffocating tension in the air was felt nearly immediately, making you swallow hard. He didn’t let the silence linger for long though as he answered, “I have a job to do. What I want doesn’t matter, duty calls…” It was then that the silence struck, his words hanging in the air as a harsh reminder of the note you’d left him. Your gaze flicked to the rest of the team who were all still doing whatever it was they wanted to do, seemingly having not yet noticed the conversation you’d struck up with the Captain…yet.

How were you supposed to explain that away? Was there any way to actually soothe the burn you’d left him with? Probably not, especially not with your heavy handed approach to delicate things, and that was what this tenuous partnership between you and his team, delicate. “I’m sorry.” It was a lame apology, lackluster and missing the explanation you were sure he was looking for and that you knew for a fact he deserved, even though you didn’t have one to give him.

His huff of air beside you had you turning to look at him. Blue hues had already been staring though you weren’t sure how long they had been. “For what?” A fair question that had too many answers, and it seemed he was about to list every single one, “For lying to me about the simplest things? Or was it for failing to let me know you were leaving my house? Maybe you’re sorry about leaving me standing in my door and having to watch you drive away in a bloody taxi?” His voice had lowered to a dangerous whisper while you watched him with an even look, “Or are you sorry for nearly fucking both of my Sergeants in the middle of ops for everyone to see?” God he was angry, and shit if it wasn’t hot as hell to watch that passion dance across every feature of his face.

“You’re sorry for yourself, Speck,” he nearly spat your call sign out at you with disgust. “Don’t pretend like it’s anything different,” his shoulder smacked into yours with force, and it took everything in you not to flinch and reach for the injured extremity. Pulses of pain ran through your stiff form as you tried to regain control of yourself. It hurt to see that anger directed so wholly at you, and it hurt even more to see the pain that you knew you had caused. His agonies were your fault and it made your entire being tense with that knowledge. Knowing you’d hurt him was far worse than wondering if you had.

When you turned back to the group John was already telling them all to get their stuff together. Your break was over apparently, back to the sweating and misery of the hike. He didn’t even look at you again, even though you were internally begging him to. You hadn’t meant what you’d thought in the car, never in a million years would you have truly meant that. It seemed whatever higher power existed didn’t care though because John’s back remained stubbornly in your face as the team set out to finish the rest of this mission.

By the time you could see the small village you’d been heading for the entire team was drenched in sweat. It was quite literally pouring off yall in buckets. A small stand of trees provided you with cover on the hill you’d taken up residence on for the past few minutes. John was looking through a pair of binoculars as everyone else prayed for the sun to finally set. When he finally pulled them away from his eyes he handed them off to Ghost who was standing with him, pointing somewhere in the distance and whispering to him. When the big man gave an answering nod blue eyes turned back to the rest of the group, locking on you before he lifted his hand and beckoned you over.

Pushing yourself up you unhooked Cerberus’ leash and muttered, “Bleib,” letting him rest after the long hike. There was no need to make him suffer the walk over there when you were the only one necessary. Stepping up beside the Captain you muttered, “What’s up?”

John didn’t even bother to look at you before he asked, “Which building is it?” You squinted at the buildings, before Ghost reached across the Captain and silently handed you the set of binoculars. Lifting them you searched for the home, ‘Take them to the big house on the east end of the village, Speck.’ That’s what your handler had told you to do and so you had. 

Handing them back to John you answered his question, “Big house on the east end of the village. But I uh,” your hesitation drew both of the cold gazes to you then before you felt compelled to finish, “Well I can’t go in with yall. There’s women inside and the man doesn’t like strangers already, the bunch of us go waltzin up in there and we’re never gonna get anything from him. I already told you that. Plus,” you looked down at the tactical harness around your hips and the vest and radio they’d outfitted you with before you left ops, “I certainly can’t go in like this. They don’t know I’m American, or they aren’t supposed to. Gotta get rid of this shit.”

There was a sour look on John’s face as he processed the information before finally nodding, “Ghost, take Soap and Gaz with you.” The big man nodded and stepped away, grabbing the attention of the two young men before they headed off to the north somewhere. Price stepped away from the side of the hill, turning back towards where the sun was setting behind yall and motioned at Konig and Watcher, “We’re leaving. Watcher, I need one of those earpieces, the one’s that work without the vest.” The two stood up quickly in response, Cerberus, who had been enjoying the quiet scratches from the ginger Scot watching them leave him behind with a muffled whine.

Watcher dug around in his bag for a couple moments while you shed the tactical gear you’d been given. Finally he pulled out the earpiece he was looking for. The young man handed it to John as the tallest and shortest on the team continued on by him down the hill. The tall brunette stopped beside you, “Wait five minutes and then go. We’ll be hidden but we’ll be there.” You gave him a quick nod in response as you handed over the gear as well as Cerberus’ harness and lead. He shoved them in the bag on his back before throwing it back over his shoulder and following Konig and Watcher down the hill.

Your eyes followed them until the growing darkness hid them from sight, especially at this distance. Counting the seconds in your head, you took a seat on the ground and waited with Cerberus beside you. Everything was so cool now, even a little wind picked up to dry the sweat that covered your face. You closed your eyes against it, taking in a deep breath as your limbs went limp. It wasn’t like you meant for it to happen, to be honest you would have sooner smacked yourself on the thigh right where the stitches were than let the cool breeze lull you into slumber but the next thing you heard was a frantic whisper of, “Speck!? Where the bloody hell are you!?”

Jumping awake you glanced at the darkness around you, searching for the source of the voice until you realized it’d come from right in your ear. Good Lord you were fucked today. You pushed yourself up and hurriedly answered, “On the way.” No one responded, and you couldn’t tell if that was worse or not. “Cerberus, fuss,” and the familiar weight settled against your leg as you started down the hill. Slowly at first, getting the stiffness out of your legs, before you sped up to a quick jog. The Dutch Shepherd kept up easily, as the village came into view.

No lights adorned the streets, hell there wasn’t even any power to this whole place. It was eerily quiet, and you felt eyes on you despite seeing no faces to which they belonged. That was how it had been the last time too. You’d stopped your sprint down the hill before anyone inside could have seen you. A stranger in their midst was enough attention for you already. Movement ahead caught your attention but you couldn’t make out if it was a local or one of the teammates you’d recently been introduced to.

A quiet voice caught your attention, “Stay focused. We’re covering the front of the home now.” You had to stump the urge to nod an answer or touch the ear that the voice came from. Stay focused, he says. Whispering quiet words into your ear was certainly not the way to keep you focused on the mission, John.

The door to the home loomed in front of you as you lifted a hand and tapped a solid rhythm into it. It took several moments before you heard a lock turn and saw the door slowly pull inwards to reveal the face of a familiar glaring man. He spoke in Balochi first, thankfully it was very similar to Pashto, so when he gave you the standard greeting you repeated it with a quick nod. His eyes looked you over critically before he asked you a question. You thought you knew what he said but you weren’t certain, so you shook your head slowly and asked, “Pashto?” His brows furrowed and he nodded slowly so you continued in the language, “I need the family back.” The man tilted his head at the request but he didn’t respond with a no at least. “I have more questions for them,” the man glanced nervously behind you as if he was looking for something.

Finally, he answered back, “Come inside, not out here.” He stepped back from the open door, beckoning you into the home. Shit, you didn’t even have so much as a fuckin knife. You go in there you could be as good as dead in a matter of seconds. But, did you even have a choice? Go in and they could kill you before anyone can get to you. Don’t go in and John might still do the same. Fuck it.

You stepped in after him, Cerberus right between your legs now as you moved into the narrow entryway. The man was at the end, making sure you shut the door behind you and you heard more voices through the mic in your ear starting with Ghost saying you had entered the building and ending with Price asking what the hell you were doing. “Why couldn’t this be discussed outside?” You asked the man at the end of the hallway, stepping into a small, nearly empty, living space.

His answer was quick, “I haven’t received a call regarding them. You are not supposed to be here.” Your eyes narrowed as you took a step closer to him, watching him shrink back from you and the dog, both of you now staring intently at him. His eyes flicked to another narrow hallway, and you followed his gaze. He took another step back from you and returned his eyes to the hallway. Like he was trying to tell you something without actually saying it.

The feeling wasn’t right, no explosives according to Cerberus but something was certainly different than the time you’d been here last. “Pashto?” You asked again and the man gave a slow nod, before you asked, “Farsi?” He nodded just once before he shook his head and you continued in Farsi, “Is someone else here?” The man nodded again, vigorously, and your eyes returned to the hallway, “Knife?” He gestured towards the open archway into the kitchen and you stepped through it, eyes searching for the weapon before you slid it off the counter and started down the hallway.

Cerberus stayed between your thighs, moving in tandem with every step you took in the small passages of the home. When you stopped at the first door you glanced back at the man who gave you another quick nod. Boy wasn’t this some of the dumbest shit you’d ever done. Looking down at the dog you put your hand on the door knob and as you turned it you let out a quick, “Voraus!” The dog ran in ahead of you and you followed quickly. The second you both were in the room though a door further down the hall opened and shut. Two doors, one room, shit. Cerberus lunged at the now closed door, barking and scratching at it.

John was in your ear nearly immediately, “What happened? Speck, what’s your status?” He said that word with one hell of a cute accent, you suddenly realized. No time to dwell though, you pulled the door open and Cerberus surged through the opening turning further down the hall. Why had he gone further into the house, why not the front door? As Cerberus sprinted by another door it flew open, smacking you in the face and sending you stumbling backwards with a hand on your bleeding nose.

A quiet curse accompanied by a groan caught the Dutch Shepherd’s attention as he realized what had happened and turned. He had no space though, the turn was slow and awkward. And when you saw the barrel of a gun around the edge of the door you kicked out a foot. It flew closed, trapping whoever it was by the forearm. You acted without much thought now, John’s words long forgotten as you jammed the knife through what you could see of the man’s right arm and watched his gun drop to the hallway floor. The second it did you grabbed the weapon and opened the door for Cerberus to plunge inside, watching him tackle the man to the ground with his teeth around his forearm. One shot, one head, one man dead.

“Fuss,” you issued the command, and expected to hear the voices again, but there weren’t any. You reached a hand up to your ear but the earpiece was gone. Good Lord it was always something. Rather than dwell on it though you continued down the hall, opening the door to the outside, so that was why whoever it was had headed further inside. You didn’t see them, nor any tracks, but thankfully you didn’t need to. “Such,” you told the dog who took a few steps forward, nose to the ground as he sniffed at the dirt.

Not even a second later he took off, and it was your turn to follow the dog. You left the little village behind at a breakneck pace, holding the stolen pistol in your hand, and ignoring every shock of pain from your leg. You didn’t see John, Konig, and Watcher busting into the man’s home, sweeping through the rooms of the house to come up empty for you and the family. You didn’t hear the Captain yelling at you until Watcher found your earpiece shattered on the hallway floor. Nor did you hear Price near begging Ghost to tell him that he’d seen you leaving, or had some clue as to where you were.

And you certainly didn’t hear Ghost answering him that he’d seen you leaving the home out the back, through an exit none of you had even known about. You didn’t even know that Ghost, Soap, and Gaz were doing their best to keep an eye on you as you made your way across the open ground, trying to head you off before the Dutchie took a hard turn directly South and away from them.

Cerberus was following the scent so fast you were having a hard time keeping up with him. At least until he paused, walking back and forth over the same spot for a few seconds. As you caught up to him you heard whines, watching his head lift as he looked around the dark area. "What's wrong buddy?" Cerberus turned towards you for barely a second before he barked and took off again. Whatever it was he'd solved his problem it seemed, you still had yet to solve your own though. No backup, no flashlight, and no witness to show for all your troubles.

Not until Cerberus' thundering barks started, you were close. Close enough that he was slowing down, looking up at you as if to say, "He's right here, don't you see him?" No. You didn't. "Cerberus-" just about to give the command to search again you caught sight of movement disappearing over a rocky hill. "Stop!" You yelled out in Pashto, but the person kept going. "Fuss," you said and took off with Cerberus at your hip. "Stop," you yelled again in Arabic this time, cresting the hill and looking down at the rocks that stood between you and your quarry. Big enough that whoever it was could hide from you the entire way down the hill. With only the moon to light your way it certainly didn't make things any easier.

Cerberus was calm at your side, and when you glanced behind you the thought to just go back to the rest of the team crossed your mind. But you'd be going back after you lost the ear piece, seemingly fled from the team, and had killed the only other person who could tell you where the man you were looking for was, or his family at least. You'd be going back only to disappoint them…or rather him. 

"Fuck it," you muttered under your breath, it was your catchphrase at this point. "Such," you gave the quiet command, watching Cerberus move quietly through the rocks with you staying a few feet back. As you neared a boulder he sat down, staring at it quietly. You edged closer, before calling out to the person in Arabic, "If you don't come out I'm sending the dog. I just want to talk. Come out, hands first." Not a sound came out from behind it, and for a few moments you wondered if Cerberus was wrong.

Until two hands appeared from around the boulder. You leveled the pistol with one hand at the person, watching as they came out slowly, staring at you. They were stock still as you watched them, until light seemed to blind them for a moment coming from the top of the hill accompanied by a, "Bloody hell, Speck." The voice caught your attention, blinded you to everything else, and in an exhausted, adrenaline fueled state you turned to look up. Three lights shined down at you, one of them you knew belonged to John. You didn't see the panic form on his face, you only saw the light of his rifle flick away from you and his voice yell, "Look-"

It took less time for you to turn back than it had for you to initially turn around. A gun was in their hand, his hand. Time was slow, like when you tried to run in water. The command left your mouth in one heartbeat, "Fass!" Cerberus shot forward, your hand steadied its aim but there was no need to. As the gun aimed at your head the dog's mouth closed around their forearm and his head shook violently, ripping at the flesh there even as a single shot went off into the air and the man fell back screaming.

A hand touched your shoulder and you turned, staring at John's face, illuminated by Konig and Watcher's lights. You could see the worry as his eyes ran over your form in a quick glance, ensuring himself you hadn't taken a bullet. "You broken?" You glanced down at yourself and shook your head in answer, looking back up at him, seemingly unfazed by the fact you’d almost been killed. The hand on your shoulder tightened its hold just a bit, fingers digging in as he nodded slowly seemingly pleased with your nonverbal answer for once.

The worry melted away though when growls penetrated the sound of the night, drawing your attention to the man currently being torn apart by a dog on the ground, listening to another scream go up in the air. You stepped forward, sliding the pistol into the waistband of your pants before grabbing Cerberus by the scruff, and glancing up at John who gave you a quick nod.

"Aus," immediately the dog let go, and you pulled him back, listening to his excited barks as the Captain took the man's pistol and rolled him over. Zip ties went around his wrists behind his back before he was hauled up and shoved up the hill. The man flinched away from Cerberus as you muttered, "Gib laut! Braver Hund!" The dog was going wild, he'd done a good job and he knew it, and he was more excited to be recognized for it, especially by you.

Your hand stayed firmly in the dog's scruff as he continued to try and dart forward, lunging against your firm hold in his excitement. You didn't want to ruin his fun, he was too proud of himself, but you couldn't let him get away from you either, not with the hostile detained already. As you crested the hill you caught sight of lights about two hundred yards off, seemingly searching the rocky outcroppings heading in your general direction. John handed the man off to Konig with a hard shove and pressed the button on his radio, "You're headed right for us Ghost, we see you. Shining my light your way now," the Captain swept the barrel of his gun in an arc watching the lights in the distance focus in your direction.

Cerberus was still barking, tail going wild as you looked at John and asked, "I could use my gear back now if ya don't mind." He slid his bag off and handed you the Dutchie's harness and lead first. You glanced down at Cerberus before saying, "Beruhigen," immediately his barks quieted and his wagging tail slowed, settling down as you put his vest back on him. You heard John radio in for the extract, watching him press a button on his helmet, probably for ISR tracking on your position. Snapping the lead on Cerberus and then on your own belt you rubbed your fingers over his head, whispering quiet praises to him that he desperately needed to hear after the longest target pickup of your life.

As you slid your vest on, along with the harness you'd used to rappel off the cliff earlier, you caught sight of that burning gaze. The frustration with you seemed to have abated for the moment after you'd given them a lead of some kind at least. Ghost, Soap, and Gaz were the only ones who could break his concentration on you, well that and the arrival of the sound of helicopter blades overhead. Now that was a sound that could put you to sleep, and it would the second you were strapped in. A nice clean extract for once, no injuries, not really any hiccups, good God almighty wasn't that nice.

You'd expected to be drug back to the same ops center as before, but when the helicopter landed next you were offloaded into a military base. To say the least you were surprised, and when John made straight for a blonde woman in civilian clothes, accompanied by a few men who took your detainee, you were more than curious as to who she might have been. There was no chance to ask though as the two split up and the Captain stopped to let the rest of you catch up, pointing towards what you assumed was a barracks area and said, "Come on guys, Laswell told me we smell like shite."

Soap smacked Ghost on the back as he sprinted ahead, "Oh fuck yeah. Need meself a shower." The big man gave a quiet huff of ascent to which the dark haired Scotsman answered a bit offended, "What's that supposed to mean then? Ye know ye dinnae exactly smell like a bloody rose yerself Lt." You couldn't see Ghost’s face then but you didn't need to in order to know that there was a glare currently affixed to the shorter man.

Following at the back of the group you stayed completely quiet, watching the others break off one by one to disappear inside their bunkhouses. Watcher and Konig headed off together, and then Soap and Gaz, and then John and Ghost. It left you and Cerberus to stand awkwardly alone in the middle of the path just looking about curiously. They must have forgotten you didn’t actually have a place to go, you also didn’t have any other clothes to your name seeing as you’d left your duffel bag in the ops center. Well this sucked.

It was Gaz who came back around the corner first, eyeing you a bit confused. When he reached you and Cerberus his head tilted a bit before his eyes widened in realization and he said, “Oh damn mate! I forgot you don’t have anywhere to bunk do you?” A quiet shake of your head confirmed the answer and Gaz looked around as his hand ran over his short hair. “Cap!” The dark eyes flicked over your shoulder and you turned to see the Captain leaving his and Ghost’s shared bunkhouse. The brunette turned to head your way, a bag slung over his shoulder and flip flops on his feet in place of the boots you’d only ever seen him wearing.

Every ounce of resolve went into dragging your eyes away before you heated up in the worst way possible. “Gaz?” John was glancing between the two of you, wondering what it was that’d gotten him called over here.

Gaz nodded towards you and said, “He doesn’t actually have anywhere to bunk. Or any clothes for that matter, Cap.” There was a nonchalance to your gaze that was honestly comical in the situation. Not only did you not really care about losing everything you owned, it seemed you also couldn’t have cared less about not having a place to sleep.

John simply nodded in response, “Laswell brought your bag. It’s waiting for you in the showers. And you’ll be bunking with Ghost, he’s being moved over there.” He nodded towards the only bunkhouse you hadn’t seen anyone else go into earlier. “Now come on, and bring the dog, he looks like someone threw a bucket of paint all over him.” You glanced down at Cerberus’ bloody visage, a sight that definitely needed to be remedied even if it was his badge of honor to wear. He’d worn it long enough.

You followed the other two men then, both of whom had thrown bags over their shoulders. The showers were devoid of anyone else, a few rows of lockers standing between you and the warm water you knew laid beyond. It wasn’t your turn to shower though, first you’d get Cerberus cleaned off and settled back in the bunkhouse with some food, water, and a nice place to rest and then you could get yourself handled.

So that was what you did. Unclipping his vest you threw it next to your duffel bag, pulling the dog behind you under a shower head and turning the water on. “Sitz,” you muttered and watched the blood caked and dried into his dark fur begin to run down the drain. Gaz, passing by you with only a towel thrown over his shoulder, stopped and said, “Hey mate, this is for you. I had an extra one.” He tossed a bottle of soap to you, making sure you caught it before he continued on down to another shower.

Squeezing a bit of the soap out you ran it over the black and brindle fur quickly. Cleaning the Dutchie up as he licked at your face. It wasn’t until you stood up and turned the water off that you said, “Rütteln,” and watched him shake his fur out. You smiled at the way it spiked up in clumps, and his tail shot water with every wag. At least he smelt better though, you’d both been getting more than ripe in that cramped little sweatbox of an apartment.

You stepped around the corner and that was when all thought left you. Hell you were pretty sure your heart and lungs had stopped working just as much as your brain had. The sight in front of you had your fists clenching and your pupils blown wide. John. He stood not even five feet in front of you naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist. You hadn’t even heard him go by you in the showers but he’d obviously taken one. The man was literally glistening with the water. Standing with his bare chest on display for anyone passing by the row of lockers to see, dark hairs littering his pale skin.

A feeling of lightheadedness took over your body, and you were very, very close to passing out. God, your blood pressure was through the roof. You could feel it pounding not only in your ears and your neck but in your temples as well. There was a throb at the base of your instantly hard cock, an ache settling there as it begged for your attention.

When he turned and caught you staring was when you saw it, for the first time, a hint of smugness there. He’d wanted you to see him, wanted you to be standing there frozen and wanting him and with no way to get your revenge in any subtle manner. It was payback for basically feeling up both Gaz and Soap earlier at the ops center. Goddamn was he sight, you were a man who hadn’t found an oasis in far too long now, not since you’d been with him last. And at this very moment you were feeling every second of that time in abstinence.

The door opened somewhere off to the side and that was when he broke your hyperfocus. Just as you’d been watching a droplet of water sliding down his bare skin, through his dark happy trail and turning into nothingness where the towel was wrapped securely there. “I left you a couple towels next to your duffel bag,” hell his voice didn’t even sound the least bit suggestive and it still had you aching even more. You couldn’t even get out a simple, ok, in response. Not even Cerberus beside you was enough to break the hold his half naked body currently had on your weary mind. “You should go dry the dog off, Speck.” Now that did it. Your gaze shot down to Cerberus, finally breaking away from John as you nearly tripped over a naked Soap coming around the corner with a towel in his hand in your haste to get away.

“Hey watch where yer-” he stopped as his eyes fixed to your face and his beaming smile turned up to you, “Oh well hello there Speck. Wee Cerby gettin a bath too?” Slowly your wits came back around and you got your head on straight before nodding down to him. “Thas nice, well don’t be too shy. Ye need to get yerself a shower too. Cannae be howlin’ when yer bunkin with Ghost. Ye might just wake up out on the tarmac.”

You huffed a bit at that, “Damn right I do,” you muttered in answer as you stepped around him, back into the row of lockers you’d left your duffel bag in. Two towels sat beside the black bag and you picked one up, drying the dog off before you slipped his collar on over his head. “Are ya hungry Cerberus?” The dog whined in answer, no doubt he was, you’d both been at it for far too long now. You fished into the duffel, pulling out the last of his dog food and the two bowls you always kept packed. His loud bark echoed through the showers and several curses followed it. “Sorry,” you called out before clipping the dog’s lead on him and wrapped it around your waist to take him back to the bunk.

Settling him in was easy enough, he dug into the bowl of food with fervor and the water bowl had to be filled up before you even had the chance to leave again. Finally though you made it out of there, just in time to see John, thin t-shirt and a pair of jeans on now. He looked just like he had at the bar that night, even his beard was trimmed up now. Had it been trimmed when you were staring at him? Hell who were you kidding, he could have dyed his hair purple and you wouldn’t have noticed back at the showers. You were too focused on the way his muscles had moved underneath the skin. And how the soft hairs on the front of his body seemed to outline every angle of him.

Just as you had been about five minutes ago, you were caught staring again. Ocean hues landed on your face and his narrowed eyes cut into you like a hot knife through butter. You swallowed, refusing to acknowledge the tightness in both your chest and your underwear. A shower was all you needed, a long, ice cold shower. Shoving your hands in your pockets you forced your gaze away, feeling that burning stare along your back as you headed back to the building you’d come from before.

Gaz passed you on his way out, holding the door open and smirking before muttering, “Good luck in there. Soap’s singing again.” Your brows furrowed as you entered the showers, not quite catching on to what he was saying. 

Immediately your ears were assaulted by loud pleas from multiple people to stop and then an outrageously loud, “AND IIIIIIIIEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUUUU-” echoed through the whole shower block. Your hands clap over your ears, the sound vibrating in your ear drums in just a way that it made your exhausted brain dizzy with the vibrato. Damn, it wasn’t like it was bad, it was just not the time or place for something like that. You have to admit though, it was kind of funny.

Grabbing the towel from the bench where you’d left it you slipped into the shower you’d used for Cerberus. The singing didn’t stop when he reached the end of the song though, Soap just started up with another. “CAUSE BABY YOU’RE A FIREWORK! COME ON SHOW EM WHAT YOU’RE WORTH-” and the Soap playlist continued. You were turning around to wash the grime out of your hair when the skull faced mask caught you by surprise. He wore it in the shower too?

Ghost didn’t stop to chat, just nodded quietly and kept on going by, his towel held around his waist by a single hand near his hip. You took in the tattooed forearm, a bit impressed by the intricacy of it. That wasn’t even considering all the other tattoos that decorated his scarred skin. 

It wasn’t long before you heard two more sets of footsteps behind you. Both Watcher and Konig were heading by when you glanced back, not stopping to pay much attention to you as they went, save for a quick smile of acknowledgement from the ginger. You heard the door open and close a few times after that. Just you and Soap left now huh?

Though when the water shut off down the row of showers it seemed he wouldn’t be in here much longer either. At this point you were very nearly sleeping with your eyes open under the warm water. Just letting the tensions wash out of your muscles and mind. Letting them slide down the drain like the dirt, blood, and sweat on your skin.

The clearing of a throat made your eyes open and you stared now at the azure hues in front of you, noticing his amusement in a heartbeat. You raised a brow at his warm gaze, that was traveling lower with every second. “My eyes are up here darlin,” you finally said before he could really take in all the sights, forcing his gaze up to your eyes.

Azure fixed on you then and his beaming smile was like a ray of sunshine, this man was just too damn happy all the time. It did make him slightly endearing though you had to admit. “I know where they are, just thought I’d figure out where everything else is though.” His head tilted as he inspected your face before asking, “How’s the nose? Broken or anything?” You’d honestly forgotten about it.

During the chase you hadn’t even touched it, just let it leak all over the front of your shirt, covering you in blood just like Cerberus was. Reaching a hand up you prodded it with your fingers before shaking your head, “Nah it’s fine. I’ll sleep it off tonight.” Soap laughed at that comment before nodding looking at your shoulder and the two bullet wounds on your arm. 

All of the wounds he’d wrapped earlier were still tightly bound by the bandages, seemingly to his dismay. “Ye need to take those off while yer in there. Come see me after yer done showering and I’ll replace them, aye?” You gave him another nod and watched him push off the side of the shower entryway to head back to the locker room. He was talking in there but you couldn’t hear what he was saying and soon he too left.

You pulled at the bandages wrapped around your limbs, exposing the stitched up areas to the world with a wince. Alone you were a bit more expressive, you allowed yourself to feel the pain. Besides you were so exhausted at this point that pain was probably the only thing keeping you standing anymore. You threw the bandages onto one of the shelves, you’d throw them away when you were getting out. The sound of the door opening again had your head tilting towards the sound with a sigh before you asked loudly, “Forget your soap, Soap?”

No answer came, maybe it was Ghost then. He’d left in a hurry, so had Konig and Watcher. The little devil on your shoulder whispered false hopes in your mind that maybe it was him. It had your member twitching with need as it woke itself back up. You’d barely managed to settle it down the last ten times and here it was coming back. God it was so damn pushy.

Turning to face the shower head again you reached up, pulling it down so you could lean your forehead against the cool tile and still feel the warm water on your skin. You took deep breaths, ignoring your hips that shifted of their own thought and mind. Do not touch it, do not think about it, someone was in here and you could do this some other time. Not right now.

Water slid down your back as you lifted your hands to lace behind your neck. Weariness crept into you then as your hips kept humping mindlessly at the air, your cock wishing it could slip into something tighter, warmer, and wetter. “Shit, shit, shit-” a moan left your mouth of its own accord at the rough hand that was suddenly wrapped around your length. “What the fuck?” Your eyes shot over your shoulder as you started to pull away. When you saw those all too familiar eyes though you froze, and so did he.

It was a stalemate. Who was going to blink first? Fuck it. You. Most definitely you. You were going to break so hard and fast he’d never even see it coming. Without a thought you shifted back into him, pressing into his hard erection with the curve of your ass. Taking that as an invitation to continue his hand pumped along your length in response.

Lips tickled the back of your ear along with the hairs of his beard as he whispered, “Such a dirty little whore for me, Speck.” Another moan left you as he pushed you forward with his whole body seeming to press against you. Your chest came flush with the wall just as his chest came flush with your back. The cool tile burned your aching nipples, too cold on the overly sensitive skin. 

There was too much happening, your pulse was throbbing in every injury you’d sustained. His breath along your skin was sending your mind into a frenzy of feasting piranhas. This had to be a dream, that was the only way the man who’d been glaring at you for the past however many hours would have been touching you right now. You were back in your bunk right now having a wet dream like some teenager and Ghost was having to listen to it.

But by God if you didn’t care, not with how his hand was pumping you with reckless abandon. He didn’t realize just how close you had already been before he got here. Too fast, too much, “S-Slow down,” you barely got out through your clenched teeth. The feel of his member pressed firmly between your cheeks and rutting up into them with his own needs had you fucking into his hand in time with his strokes and pushing back against him. You could feel the throb of him now. How close was he then?

Breath ghosted over the shell of your ear as he growled, “No. You’d do well to listen and remember, Speck. You think you won't get yours because I was gentle the first time around?” His grip on you tightened almost painfully so. The warm water served as a makeshift lubricant but it wasn’t anything like you needed to keep his calluses from catching on the sensitive flesh. But fuck if that little bit of pain didn’t make your pulse race even faster. “Cum. Now.” The low growl in your ear sent shocks through you, the tension at the base of your cock came apart in an instant at his order.

White ropes of your seed painted the tiles of the shower wall in front of you, but there was no relief. Not even as the last of the tension evaporated and you saw white drops of you sticking to the skin of his hand before the steady stream of water washed it away. The sensitive nerve endings and veins burned like fire, his hand still pumping your erection even after you’d found what you’d thought would be your high. It was not. “Fuck John, slow down,” he still wasn’t listening, “St-stop.” His hand stilled at the base of your member, and you blinked as you watched your cum disappearing down the drain.

Finally your brain caught up with your mouth and you relaxed against the wall, trying to wrap your head around what was happening. His gravelly voice had you twitching in his hand though as he said, “Gonna make me think you’re running away again? You just left, Speck. Again.” There was no crack in his voice but you could still hear the emotion there, the silent prayer that he was sending up in hopes you’d get what he was saying.

You didn’t. Sure you understood that what you had done was wrong. On both accounts. You never should have left without saying goodbye and you certainly never should have walked out that backdoor without backup. But what if you hadn’t? That trail would have been near impossible to follow on those rocks, the scent is harder to follow and it is very time sensitive. You’d made a decision in the heat of the moment with the ‘Fuck it’ method. And it’d kept you alive so far at least.

When you didn’t answer you felt a squeeze of his fingers at your hip as he said, “Were you trying to piss me off? Trying to get me all fuckin heated earlier today back at ops? Pressing up against Gaz, like you were gonna bend him over the table or some shite.” His firm grip ran along your length and your muscles tightened at the feeling. Teeth nipped at your shoulder before his breath slid across your skin, warm even under the hot water of the shower. “Letting Soap press up against you like he was a bitch in heat,” his grip on your hip tightened. He released your member to grab the other hip as well before his low, angry growl returned, “And you fuckin liked it, acting like a bloody slag the both of you were.”

The force of his body slamming you forward made you wince until he turned you around with a quick jerk of the hands around your hips. You took in the sight of him, it was the first time you’d ever seen him fully naked before and it made your cock jump. The burn in his eyes made your entire body burn, especially when he leaned forward. Just inches from your face before he stopped so close you could feel every breath as it left his mouth. You tried to move forward, to steal a kiss from his lips, but his hand shot up from where it had been around your hip a moment before and he held your jaw in tight grip. “On your knees. Now.” And who were you to disobey?

The pain in your thigh meant nothing compared to the ache and longing you’d had for him since the moment you’d woken up that next morning. His hand was wrapped around the base of his cock, God was it bigger now? It certainly looked like it was. Holy shit, had you forgotten how he looked and felt after so long? The thought had your mind spinning again, the thought of maybe experiencing it all for the first time yet again sending thoughts tumbling around your scattered mind.

One hand was stroking himself, staring down at you as if he was trying to read your very thoughts. The other grabbed at your hair and pulled your face up to stare at him. His hips inched closer and your eyes shot to the erection that was just tantalizingly out of reach of your mouth. You started to reach a hand up to hurry him along but he stopped you with a few words, “Keep your hands still or I’ll tie them up.” Another obeyed order and you could see the satisfaction in his eyes. He liked it when you listened to him. “Good boy, Speck,” the words were like a purr and they soothed your racing heart easily.

Finally he stepped closer, his cock just an inch or two away, just hovering above your face like a promise of a reward so long as you behaved. You opened your mouth, near begging to taste it, especially when you held your tongue out. Glancing up at his eyes you caught sight of his smile, watching the way his beard twitched at the sight of you on your knees for him.

Your eyes were trailing down his bare chest and abdomen. God, he was a Greek god statue and you were absolutely nothing in his presence. When your eyes finally found his hard member again he finally let it press against your tongue. You’d forgotten the way he tasted, the way his skin felt as it ran hot along your tongue.

His hips drug back until only the tip of your tongue was pressed on his length before he pressed forward again. Heavy balls hit against the underside of your chin and you immediately turned your head down and ran your tongue over them. He let out a quiet sigh at the feeling, using the hand in your hair to press your mouth even closer, urging you to continue. 

Your lips sucked one into your mouth, tongue circling it before you pulled away for a quick moment and then your mouth found the other one. Little tugs at your hair directed you where he wanted you to go, and the first time you ignored it the hand tightened in your hair and pulled you back away from his throbbing member. Burning eyes glared down at you, before he growled, “You want it?” His other hand wrapped around the base of his bobbing cock again, waiting for your answer.

A vigorous nod took hold of you before you remembered he liked to hear your answer, “Hell yeah I do John. I want it so bad,” when your eyes shot up to find his gaze again he still didn’t look satisfied with your answer. Desperation was taking hold as he held your head still with one hand and held the long awaited treasure with the other. “I’ve wanted it everyday for the past eight months. Haven’t stopped thinking about it, haven’t stopped thinking about you. The way you taste, the way you felt inside me,” your teeth bit into your lip then and your eyes squeezed shut. Every word was not only going to the base of his erection but to yours as well.

When he finally jerked your head closer you glanced up to see the satisfaction on his face again. Listening to his gravelly voice rattle through you as he spoke, “Then start fuckin listening, Speck.” You nodded a quick answer and before you could verbalize it he continued, “Open your mouth.” God he was like a different man, and you couldn’t get enough of this side of him. Your jaw dropped open in response and finally, fucking finally, the weight of his heavy cock slid into your awaiting mouth. A groan left his mouth at the feel of your lips closing around him and sucking him in as if you were trying to speed up the slow drag of his hips.

Your tongue traced the water droplets across his shaft as he buried himself in your mouth at a steady pace. Even when he touched the back of your throat he didn’t stop, he was only halfway inside and he knew you could take more. He’d seen and felt you do it. Your throat relaxed around him as his hand finally released the base of his erection and wrapped around the underside of your jaw. He was holding you in place and from your past experience with him you were almost certain you knew what for.

Burying himself completely inside your mouth and down your throat he held you there, pulling you closer still as the short dark curls tickled the skin of your face. When you tried to swallow around him he groaned at the feeling and bucked forward. His hand at the back of your head hit the tiles first to soften the blow for your head. The fingers that had been around your jaw slid down around your throat, feelling the length of it but not like he was choking you.

You couldn't fathom what he might have been doing until he moaned into the steamy air and muttered, “Bloody hell I can feel myself every time I move.” He slid out of your throat then, fingers pressing against your throat as he reveled in the feel of him stretching you so much. Your lips were still around the tip of his member as you tried to suck the soul right out of him, watching his head tilt backwards for just a moment, “Got such a tight fuckin throat." He grunted into the air with another thrust and this time you could feel his fingers dancing along the skin of your throat as well before he growled, "And a perfect mouth for a whore.” John let your head stay pressed back against the tiles as he released his grip on your hair. You watched as he braced himself against the wall instead with his fingers spread over the wall. The thick digits of his other hand were still grazing across the thin skin of your throat, unwilling to let the feel of this escape him even for a second.

The pace as he kept going sped up quickly, but by no means had it started out slow. He wasn't giving you the chance to adjust to him, if your teeth got too close to him he just pulled your mouth open farther with his free hand. If you weren’t sucking hard enough he would bury himself as far as he could in your throat until you were gagging on his length. All the while he whispered quiet little praises and degradations that had your throbbing member aching.

“‘M close,” he grunted out suddenly between his light huffs of air and sighs of pleasure. You hummed around him as if you were begging for him to cum down your throat like he had the last time. Begging to taste him again, to swallow every drop to sate the hunger you'd been suffering through for too long. To give you everything he had just like you’d dreamed about too many times to count now.

John, it seemed, had other ideas though as he pulled out of the mouth he had fucked until your lips were red and puffy now. A large hand wrapped around his length as he stared down at you, his eyes half lidded and his chest heaving with the effort. Looking down at you on your knees for him, lips still parted ever so slightly as you were still catching your breath because of him. Because he'd fucked your throat so hard and so long you'd been drooling over his length completely drunk on the way he tasted. Your saliva was dribbling down your chin and slicking the cock he was currently jerking like there was no tomorrow. His freehand curled into your hair again, tilting your head back so you could see every inch of his body working to reach his high.

A figurative buffet for your hungry gaze to feast upon. Watching his hand twist at the tip like he was trying to mimic what you would have done to him, because you had done that to him. But his high seemed to have stalled as he jerked his hand up his length and groaned at the feeling. Unable to reach the finish line by himself though, even with your panting visage as his visual aid, he just couldn't get there. So desperate for release and still so far from it. You started to move your hand but stopped yourself remembering his earlier threat. So instead you simply asked, "Let me do it for you? Please, John, I wanna do it."

His forehead fell forward and he nodded, adding a quick, "God yes," with a voice that had lost all its edge from before. That domineering side seeming to have dissipated the moment he saw you wanting him, pleading for him to let you help. His hand fell away from his aching member and yours immediately replaced it. He was coming apart at your touch nearly immediately. Fingers still holding painfully tight in your hair meanwhile the other he'd moved back to the wall, holding himself up as he watched your steady hand work wonders on him.

It didn't take long before your other hand was working along your own shaft, aching for a real release this time, not like the one from before. John was too focused on the hand around him to notice your ministrations, too caught up in the way you were soothing that ache for him that he failed to see you were taking the chance to also soothe your own. When you found his burning gaze a thought crossed your mind. The memory of that look of satisfaction and the smile at nearly every plea that had fallen from your lips, the way he had wanted you to ask for it, to beg for it. Fuck it. "I want you to cum on my face John," a groan fell from his mouth and his forehead fell forward against his forearm, hips bucking into your hand. Oh yeah he was disgustingly close now, "Please, I want to see you cum sir," and with a twist of your wrist at the tip he moaned into the echoing room.

Thick ropes painted your face as he bucked his hips closer, some of it catching in your hair. The tip of his member slid across your cheek as his hips finally stilled and you pulled your wrist away. It wasn't until you broke eye contact and looked down at your own leaking member, that he seemed to fall back into that dominant role from before. The fingers in your hair tightened again and he pulled your gaze back up to him, "Don't you dare." Your hand faltered but you couldn't stop it, you were so fucking close again. You could feel it edging nearer even as he pulled you up off the tiles till you were standing and nearly eye level with him. "You don't get to cum yet," pleasure rolled through you at the words, heading straight down to the nearly releasing tension you were trying to drag out.

Fingers left your hair finally and your head fell back against the tiles with a groan. Until you felt them close around both your wrists as he drug your hands away from you painfully hard member. "What did I say?" He rumbled in your ear, deep and rough and everything he hadn't been the last time. A whine fell out of your mouth before you could stop it and you watched his eyes travel down to your lips. For a fleeting moment you thought he'd finally kiss you. God, he really had no place here not when John was around, but you wanted to taste his mouth again and you'd pray to any higher power so long as you got your wish. You wanted to feel him exploring every corner of your mouth again, his tongue sliding over yours like you knew only he could. Instead he turned you back around to face the wall, water spilling over your head before he pressed you into the tiles chest first again.

"You can't answer me when I ask you something? Ignore me when I tell you something? You're going to learn to listen today, Speck," he pulled your arms behind your back holding them both around the wrist with one hand. You pulled against him, tried to get away and chase your fleeing orgasm but his other hand tangled back into your hair and pulled your head backwards. Your back arched as his hips pressed flush against yours and you felt his still hard erection sliding against your wet skin again. You could feel his beard burning across your skin right next to your ear now. Feeling the way the prickly hairs scratched across your skin leaving a trail in a way that was still so familiar, and you knew you'd be scratching it tomorrow. The dangerous lilt of his voice made every inch of your skin light up, "If you want to cum again it'll be on the end of my cock."

"Good God yes, please, fuck me please," it seemed your mouth was still disconnected from your brain else you doubted you ever would have said those words in that order to anything but a fantasy. John smirked against the skin of your neck, his lips pressing against the delicate skin. He wanted to mark you up, the both of you knew it. The Brit wanted to stake his claim and let it be known that not a soul alive could touch you, and damn if you didn't want him to do it. 

And yet he refrained, for now at least, because he could realize you were still very much in need of medical attention and neither of you wanted the others to find out about this. Especially not whenever Soap inevitably took a gander at your wounds, and inevitably couldn't keep his mouth shut that you had bite marks and hickeys all over you. And you were not very good at lying, never had been when it came to the real world and real people. Put you in a life or death situation and give you a fake identity and a name and you were golden. Put you in front of family and friends and you were a sweaty mess trying to keep it together.

Fingers slid against your tight hole as John's mouth continued to let out quiet breaths against the pulsing skin at your neck. He wasn't kissing it or biting it, just staying annoyingly out of range, teasing you with a promise for more and never coming through. Your lips pressed tight together, humming in anticipation before his fingers finally slid inside you without so much as a warning. They went all the way to the knuckle and drew out a string of quiet whines from your mess of a mouth. The fingers pumped steadily inside of you, too little of the wrong thing though, even as they curled inside of you. A smirk found your own mouth then as you let out a breath into the air, catching sight of him as he tried to figure out what'd brought that look out of you. He didn't have to wait long though as you fucked yourself back onto his fingers said, "Thought I told you to fuck me, John, not finger me." 

What the hell was wrong with you? You thought it and when you caught sight of his face again you knew he was thinking the same damn thing. Staring at you with those furrowed brunette brows and twitching mustache that gave him away so quickly it was almost comical. He pulled his fingers out and you ached at the loss until you felt the blunt tip of his head sliding against your tight and unused hole.

Oh shit, how stupid could you possibly be? Very, was the answer to that question. You could feel his hesitation, the worry that he might hurt you like he almost had that first time in his truck when you'd stopped him while he was barely even inside of you. He whispered against your ear, more gentle this time than he had been this whole time, "Tell me to stop if you need me to. I don't want to hurt you." A quick nod of answer and you felt the tip pushing inside your too tight hole and drawing a groan at the burn.

Fuck you weren't ready for this, for him. You hadn't even touched yourself down there since you'd last seen him, you didn't really even know how to do so. It'd been eight months since anything had touched that tight ring of muscle and it might as well have just been your first time again. His hips pushed forward smoothly, every ridge and vein of his cock causing your breath to catch and little whines to roll out of you without thought. John didn't go slow though with your hands still trapped at the small of your back, and as he was sinking inside you he very nearly lost his hold.

Your hands were straining to grab onto something, to brace yourself against some solid object. Straining to find some semblance of control that he was hell bent on not allowing you. His hips came flush to yours and it was too much, too fast, and yet it felt so damn good. Your eyes rolled back in your head already drunk on him with his hand still around your wrists and the other still curled into your hair. The moan you let out was obscene, and you could feel his cock jump inside you at the sound drawing out a quiet breathy, "J-John," that had his mouth finally dipping into the space where your neck and shoulder met.

Breathless and body raging with need you pressed as close as you could to him, feeling him grinding deeper as you did. "Such a good whore for me, yeah?" You nodded without thought, humming your agreement in hopes it would mean he'd finally touch you. That he'd finally let you cum since he was deep enough you could feel every line of his body against yours. Your hopes were dashed though nearly immediately as he pulled out fast enough that you could feel your body clenching at the sudden absence, trying desperately to find where the source of your aching pleasure had gone.

When he slammed back into you though you were done for. You fell apart as he took what he wanted from you, using your trapped arms to pull you back so he could sink as deep as possible inside of you. Your thoughts were a mess which was only mirrored by your babbling mouth. In any normal conversation you would have barely said more than common pleasantries and just enough to keep the conversation going. But to him, for him, you were searching for any string of words that would have him groaning in your ear. It wasn't until his hands left your hair, your forehead falling forward against the tiles that his newly freed hand roamed your body. It drug across your skin, nails leaving their trail across your back and sides before the water dripping off of John's shoulders washed them away.

The pads of his fingers slipped around your side, beginning a slow descent to what you hoped was your aching member. Please, please, please- the string of begging thoughts rattled around in your mind. You needed it so bad, needed to finish the right way this time. Eight months of pent up need and frustration and you were beginning to tear up at the feel of him inside you. Gasping every time he pulled out and moaning like the whore he kept proclaiming you to be whenever he slammed back in at his brutal pace, clenching around him desperately every single time. You tilted your eyes down, watching his fingers glide lower, and lower, and then lower still until finally, good Lord thank you finally, he wrapped his hand around your throbbing length.

"Fuck yes, John," you breathed out his name like a whispered prayer, and not two minutes ago it had been one. "Please, please, let me cum. I need to, want to cum on yo-" the hand you were watching dropped your member and you felt a sob clawing up your throat at the loss of contact. Eyes shutting tight so you didn't see the hand coming. "No, no, please. I've been good, please I need-"

Fingers wrapped around your throat and cut off the rest of your sentence before it could leave you. You tried to gasp but there was no air to be had as he pulled you off the tiles and back against his chest again. "Stay quiet for me, Speck. I locked the door but someone might try to break in here if they hear you crying like that. Crying like a good little slag for me," he accentuated it with a hard thrust staying buried inside you for a few seconds as he grinded into your depths. Feeling him strangle the cry for more in your throat.

A nod was all you could manage and you barely even managed that before he finally released some of the tension around your throat. His fingers still held fast there though, keeping you from finding the cool tiles again or from taking in a deep breath like you so desperately wanted. Forcing your back to arch against his strong torso. His pace started back again, jolting into your depths with newfound speed and ferocity. "So good for me now huh? Willing to follow orders and be a good boy. Where was that at earlier, Speck?" You couldn't find the breath to answer him, shaking your head wildly because that was the only thing you could actually manage to do even if it wasn't really an answer. He sank inside of you and you could hear his own desperation now as he grunted and said through gritted teeth, "So bloody tight." 

He was too much for you, pressing against every wall and nerve ending seemingly without any effort. You were never meant to have discovered this pleasure filled sin that was John Price. God the feeling of him inside you was better than a glass of sweet tea on the hottest day of the summer. He was going to be your undoing because nothing could match the way he felt when his hips slapped against your ass and he pulled you down even further on him, feeling him roll his hips against you. You were grinding back against him when you finally felt it. That shock that had you nearly doubling over as his cock slid against that bundle of nerves.

The fingers around your throat finally let go and you could gasp for air again. Leaning forward as far as you could and pressing back into him. You felt his hand against your ass, strong fingers digging into the flesh and still refusing you the freedom of your own hands. He pulled you back against him with one hand and then leaned forward, draping himself over your back with his hands still digging into your skin. His grip was hard enough you knew he was going to leave marks there even despite having been so careful up till now.

His teeth nipped at the lobe of your ear catching it between his teeth and sucking on it lightly. When his hand left your ass you hoped desperately it was heading back down to your throbbing cock. But when you saw it bracing him against the wall your eyes shut tight with a needy whine. Desperately you wanted to complain but you knew that would only prolong this torture. His lips trailed over your shoulder, pressing into the still sore muscle and soothing it nearly instantly with a gentle kiss. And then he was growling in your ear again with a voice deep with lust, "Cum." Your cock jumped at the order but even as you grinded back against him you couldn't manage to obey. The ache was still settled at the base so stubbornly you could've died and it'd have been there when you woke up in hell.

Whining out quietly you answered, "I-I can't. I need-" his beard grazed against the back of your neck as he moved to your other side, distracting your scrambled mind even more than it already was. "I- please- John- need-" Sentences tried to form in your mouth but they got no further than a couple words before dying on your tongue. A low hum vibrated through the man behind you as if questioning what you were saying. Fuck, even you didn't know what you were saying. There was a stutter of your hips as you tried to pull forward along his length, stopped immediately by the strong hold on your wrists as John shook his head against your shoulder.

The man behind you nuzzled against the crook of your neck, humming again as you tilted your head for him, inviting him to do whatever he pleased to the exposed flesh. God please let him understand what you were trying to say in order to save you from the agony of another lost orgasm. "You can do it, I've seen you do it. Came on my cock the last time and I never even touched you." A groan left you incoherently then, trying to remember that night and failing to do so with the heat of this moment you were in right now.

Had you? You couldn't remember anymore. Your mind was a wild scramble now as you were still trying to piece the words together to beg him for mercy. "So," he pulled away from your neck, leaning heavily on the one hand as he pulled out of you slowly. "You're," he slammed back inside of you, earning a gasp at the feeling of the shocks racing through you. "Gonna," another hard slam against your ass, hitting that spot with ease now. He knew without doubt he could make you do whatever he wanted so long as he hit that one specific place. "Do it," your aching cock jumped at the sensations, "Again." He slammed in and grinded against you, his length heavy inside of you as he rolled over that place that was about to send you spiraling into the white at the edge of your vision.

He slammed a few hard thrusts into your depths as he leaned closer again, you could feel the warmth of his chest this close to your back now. When his low, rumbling voice echoed beside your ear you were done for, "Cum. Now." One last thrust and you were painting the tiles in front of you as you went blind to the world around you. Feeling only the fast thrusts of his cock as it buried deep inside of you over and over again as you tried to catch your breath. Then he was grunting and pulling you back on him as he strained to get deeper while he spilled inside of you. "Fuck, so good, so tight, fuckin perfect you are," his forehead was pressed against your shoulder as he rutted into you soothing the aftershocks of his overstimulated member.

Neither of you spoke for several minutes, just standing there as you both came down from the feeling of pleasure rolling throughout the both of you. John seemed thoroughly spent behind you, his chest rising and falling against your back, and his beard scratching against your skin with every movement one of you made. You were in no better shape, staring down at your softening member and panting into the humid air. It wasn't until the ache in your thigh and shoulder had you shifting that you felt John's head lift.

Felt his eyes burning into the back of your neck and knew he was wondering why you were moving. "My shoulder,” you paused with a grimace before continuing, “I've gotta move it," immediately his hands opened and he let your wrists go. He moved them instead to your waist and wrapped around your front to hug you close to his sweat and water slicked body. 

He was still pressing against your walls, buried deep inside of you but you could feel him softening now. It seemed he was just enjoying the feel of your skin on him again. You couldn't complain though, you were enjoying it just as much. He maneuvered the two of you around, refusing to let you go as he leaned back against the tiles now and let you lay back against him.

His chin rested on your left shoulder, mindful of the injuries you'd already suffered today. A soft murmur against your skin had you tilting your head though as you turned to glance at him with furrowed brows. Just about to ask what he'd said he repeated it without prompting, "Said I missed you." Oh. 

Your chin tilted up just a bit, the corner of your mouth turning up in a hint of a smile. His hands pulled tighter around your waist, nearly squeezing the breath out of you now, "Thought you were going to die today. I didn't have a shot without risking shooting you too, none of us did. He'd have killed you if not for that dog." The brunette pressed his face into your neck again, and you reached a hand up to run over the back of his head. Soothing him the only way you knew how, with physical touch.

Your fingers played in the short brown locks, moving down to his temple and rubbing soothing circles into it. Listening to his quiet sigh at the release of tension you could feel through his whole body. Until finally you were cupping his cheek, fingers scratching along his meticulously cared for beard. You felt his hips grind against yours, his member still pressed deep inside of you and you shied away from it. Wincing at the feeling and shaking your head at the thought of going again, "No more, John.” He halted and you could feel his gaze burning you, “Not right now. Damn." You forced yourself not to move again, taking a second to steady yourself against him.

The worry in those blue eyes when he pulled your face back to his nearly had you melting at the sight. He was holding the both of you frozen in place now as he asked, "Are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you," there he was. That was the John you remembered from back in the UK. Gentle and worrying and so dead set on pleasing you that you never would have guessed he had it in him to be so…dominant.

A slow nod did nothing to ease the worry though. He liked to hear it, wanted to hear you say it out loud so he knew you were telling the truth. "I'll be fine, just didn't expect it. Didn't expect you to be so rough," he was searching for that sincerity and when he found it you could see the smile on his face, even hidden behind that beard.

He pulled your face a bit closer as he leaned in, mouth just a hair's breadth away from yours. "What, you didn't like it?" Finally he closed the distance, lips pressing gently against yours. Pulling away you could still see that smirk as he asked, "Didn't like it when I treated you like a whore? Because you were definitely acting like one earlier today." His lips pressed against yours again and you felt the tease of his tongue against your lips, before he pulled back just a bit and growled out, "A right brat you've been all fuckin day." Another kiss, this one a bit more rough as he stole the breath from your lungs. As if he was trying to take you over so completely you had to rely on him for the very air you breathed.

It was you who broke away this time, letting your head fall back against his shoulder with a satisfied smirk, “Never said I didn’t like it. Just didn’t expect it.” His cheek rested against your shoulder then, breath playing across the skin of your neck in warm waves. It was impossible to move for either of you, well probably not for John but for you most definitely.

Time stood still for you, reveling in the attention you’d only ever received from him before. Finally he shifted behind you again, peppering light kisses to your face and muttering quick, “I’m sorrys” and “I knows”. You squirmed in his arms, trying to pull away, but he held you still with ease, finally pulling out of your depths and settling you against his body once more. After a few minutes you finally lifted your eyes to his again as he gave a little huff of amusement and whispered against your skin, “You need another shower I think. Good thing we’re still in here.”

[hostilecandle]

🍏 and 🍈 for the writer asks pls!

God I'm so sorry for this ramble 🙏😅

🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation-

Religious Imagery 😅 lmaoooo. I overuse that shit SOOO much. It's in every single fic I've ever written. Doesn't matter fluff or smut or what fandom, I always find a way to work it into the main themes. Literally writing a long af Price x Reader and its title is taken from Psalms 😅😅 I grew up a gay man in a Catholic military family in the Midwest of the United States. Gotta funnel that experience somewhere, so fics it is :D

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics-

Okay this said free pass to ramble about blorbo so I will be taking that opportunity here lol, so my apologies i have many thoughts about this man. I'll use CoD bc it's the fandom I'm in rn so I gotta say John Price (Both the og and reboot though I'm just gonna refer to the reboot Price for this). This man does things to my brain that need to be studied under a microscope I swear 😵‍💫😵‍💫 I have a whole ass character study of him written that's several pages long and I'm still not done.

Headcannons for him (some I've written, some just vibes):

-This man SCREAMS a good ol future midwestern dad type in the making to me. He loves to hunt and fish. He loves the solitude and quiet of both activities, even if he doesn't get anything. Its just peaceful. There is always a beer in the fridge for when the game is on. When he's got a family/partner/retired (whatever you'd prefer), he's a yard guy (yall know the type). I just feel like he cannot sit still when he's home. He's gotta be doing something with himself after years of keeping busy. He's got all the fun toys like a riding mower that is so unnecessary for the yard size but makes him happy. He's always outside in the spring/summer doing something to the yard and god forbid the grass get too tall. He's also not big on socializing with neighbors, a very much a keep to himself and/or his family kinda guy, but he's always SO polite and the ladies in his neighborhood love him.

-From my own homelife experience but it just feels so Price, when he's home he's AWFUL about just leaving his firearm on the counter or coffee table or bed side. Just wherever he remembered to take it off and set down and it's just another thing to forget where he set it like his phone and wallet. Speaking of, he's terrible about losing his phone/keys/wallet/etc. He has a little dish by the entry that he swears he puts it all into but they're never there when he goes to leave and he has to scramble to find them every time

-He's a coffee drinker (black with just a little sugar) and unironically loves to read the paper whenever he gets the chance. He's a small talker and enjoys it, he talks about the weather, gas prices, taxes, and match scores. He gets bored easily when just waiting around and will chat with just about anyone

-He has horrific night terrors and carries a lot of guilt for things he's done in his job. He firmly believes it was all necessary and worth it for the greater good but he wrestles with himself a lot. I personally like to think when Gaz pushes him on it after the interrogation in MW, it actually rattled him a bit. Not because he felt any guilt necessarily for what had just happened (I don't think he felt any in that instance), but because that's one of the first times someone else has pressed him on his moral convictions. "You draw the line where you need it" is not a belief that comes from nowhere or from a man who hasn't wrestled with himself and asked himself the very same questions Gaz was throwing at him. He meant every word he said though and while I feel guilt will catch up to him in the late hours of the night some nights after years of living like this, he fully believes he's justified in everything he does and it's integral to his character and who John Price is as a person

-He's a staunch atheist. Baptized but never believed in a God really anyways but after the things he's seen, he can't find it in himself to even entertain the thought. That being said, in the bottom of his desk is one of those old fashioned crosses that's hollow that holds holy water and one's last will and testament. Obviously being in the military there's already the records of his will but keeps that in his desk regardless because on the off chance he's wrong about there not being a God, it doesn't hurt to be safe.

He's SUCH a Girl Dad™ in the making. He would THRIVE with having a daughter. I'm talking the tea parties, tiaras, letting her put makeup on him, his nails, all of it. He'd support her in any endeavors growing up and would do his damndest to be in the crowd any chance he can get. He'd be her biggest fan. Pictures of her on his desk, in his wallet. Always bragging about his daughter when he gets the chance because he'd be so proud of her

He's a salt of the earth kinda guy. Just has very classic masculinity. Like he's a Man™ and takes pride in it. But its in the, "I'm gonna take care of everything because this is how I care for what's important to me" way. He enjoys being the handyman around the house and who people come to because they respect him. He has a Project Car in the garage that he swears he'll get to and the back is littered with power tools and lumber

(Okay this parts not headcannon because he not old, he's only 37!!) He's actually very tech savvy and likes things to be as up to date as he can get so everything runs smooth.

He feels personally responsible for the wellbeing of the other main 3 of 141 but not in a fatherly way like people think, but these men are his brothers and he hand picked them, he has so much faith in their abilities. (However he unwittingly becomes a mentor figure to Soap very much against his knowledge and will lol)

He had to shave once for an Op and the boys ragged him so hard he refuses to ever shave again. Genuinely fucked him up a bit lol

He has a temper. He's got a good lid on it 99% of the time but its always simmering underneath

Has a wicked sense of humor. Most people don't know or recognize it but he's actually the funniest person in the 141. He's always cracking jokes to break the tension but he says it with such a straight face before breaking into smile to let you know he's joking.

[wegworks]

Weird Question to followers (Fnaf)

just working on new content and had a random thought:

"Would yall be willing to pay for the low poly models?"

Like I'd make it worth the price (Prob like $15 or something), & It'd probably include stuff like:

-All the models new and old (And future ones), All their alt textures, All the props i've made, The whole fnaf 1 office set i'm working on, and all textures i've used/made for fnaf productions, Including the caramelldansen video background plates.

Sorry for the odd question again, I figured I'd ask before I do anything.

Also If everyone says no, I'll still upload the thing whenever I finish updating it.

Edit Update: Wrote a list of what i have done rn (Keep in mind this is only me doing these so this might be a bit)

[blorbobutworse]

Hey, I’m so sorry I know you don’t know me and I’m not following you, I don’t mean to pry or invade your privacy I’d just love to share something with you more like I need you, I’m Ameera 23 years old, and I’m calling out to the community 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 to please support us so me and my girlfriend can come out, we have dreams about going for pride rallies,clubs, to be able to kiss in a park express love with no restrictions or fear of being caught, we are both from a typical religious Muslim family, we are know as best friends by our families and friends, we have made this decision to come out to everyone so many times but couldn’t because of how homophobic our parents are due to religious values and ethics. Any one from a typical religious Muslim family can attest to how important it is to follow the rules and moral that are in the holy Quran, So we have come to a conclusion to be ready and be prepared for the worst, Cause the price we may have to pay is to lose our families and maybe friends and of course their support, so we have decided to get an apartment and move in together and start a new life where we can freely be who we really are, and here is where we need your support, though we both work and have some money saved up, but we still need help, getting and setting up an apartment is a lot so we will definitely need all the love and support we can get(donation link pinned on page), Thank you for your donations so far,but we are still 37% to the goal so please add your own bit,I know everyone have one or two things we go through, and this is not me imposing on any one to help, but if you can with how ever little, it will be so much appreciated, and if you can’t, kindly reach out to encourage us cause we also need that as much,This is the biggest and hardest decision we have ever had to make and please share to whoever you feel can help. We shall draw strength from the pride to pull through this, I’M NOT A SCAM feel free to go through my page or do whatever to confirm and my DM is open if you have questions or requests to clear your doubts, I believe pride is for all

Hey I can't do much, dont have a debit card quite yet. However!! Mutuals if yall could help spread this!

[maximwtf]

Heyy, would you be interested in writing legolas x reader (f or gn) where reader is hopelessly in love with legolas but the love is unrequited. Reader never loses hope (doesn’t push it tho) and at the end legolas finds solace in reader but only because his “first choice” refused him/died/left (or something) and he chooses only after that the reader.

Sorry if this doesn’t make any sense.

Legolas x elven! reader

Words: 2530

Google Docs Pages: 4

Warnings: minor character death, kind of angsty, elf grief, cuddles but it’s sad, hair braiding

Opening: You find yourself falling for someone you’d been working alongside for hundreds of years. Though, you soon notice he seems to be interested in someone else. So no matter the attempts you make at getting closer to him, none of it works. He notices, but kindly lets you down. 

It’s only after a dreadful battle that you notice the elf he’d been interested in had fallen. Making you skip from second place to first, Legolas finding some solace in you. 

AN// Reader can be any gender! Hehe, I haven’t written for Legolas in a while, so hopefully I still got him somewhat figured out. Thank you for the request though, I had fun with this <3

I’m also closing requests for a while as I write out the older ones. Mostly because they be suspecting arthritis. And no matter what this is, every joint in my body including my hands hurt so much, it takes me ages to write anything past 1k words. So hope yall don’t mind too much, I love writing the requests when I’m feeling out of ideas. Yall are much more creative, hehe <333

“Solace with a price.”

You’d tried to deny it, tried to tell yourself that there was no point in pursuing your feelings any further. It was clear as day that the man you’d laid your eyes on was after someone else, and you were in no way looking to get in between them. So you had tried multiple times to forget, to turn the other cheek. But what could you truly do when your mind had made a decision on its own. And it was persistent. 

You’d been a part of the guard for as long as you could remember, having wanted to join as soon as you could. So it had been the work that drew you in, having always been interested in weaponry and protecting the borders of the kingdom. It was only logical for you to want to join the guard. Though, it soon dawned on you that a lot of the jobs that required more movement were the patrols. Other than that, you’d be lucky to see anyone while on guard. Apparently the king wasn’t too fond of spilling the blood of his own. 

But he had a son. A son who wasn’t as afraid to fight as he was. But the prince wasn’t fierce either, not a killer. But he was a skilled archer who at some point started leading the patrols. You didn’t mind of course, having acknowledged his leadership skills quickly. And that had been all it was for the most part. You’d see him during the patrols, and other times he had more important business to attend to.

But as time went on, a crush began to form. You found yourself talking with him during the patrols and if you were lucky, after as well. He was very reasonable and well versed in a lot of subjects. Which gave the two of you much to talk about. And if not that, you found that fighting alongside him was fascinating. From your perspective, it felt like the two of you worked well as a team. Making the battles you from time to time faced during the patrols much easier. You found him a pleasure to be around, and sometimes caught yourself waiting to be able to talk to him. 

Though, a problem surfaced when you noticed him having his eyes on someone else. You knew he wasn’t one to bring his relations into conversations easily, especially when there were others around. But when he talked to you about this elf, it only confirmed your fears. And maybe it also pushed you over the edge just enough that you decided to come clean with your feelings. 

It was important for you to do this before he got any further with the elf he’s set his eyes on. Confessing any later would only make it all the more awkward, and if you never said anything you’d just feel even worse. So at the end, you didn’t see many ways out of the situation you’d gotten yourself into. 

So, after another patrol you bit down any hints of doubt in your mind and went for it. It took you a moment to find him, noticing that he’d left to tend to his other duties. You caught up with him in the hallway, near his father’s throne room. “Legolas!” You called out, slowing down to a walk as he turned back to look at you. He’d of course sensed your presence before you were even able to call out his name, but he always acted as if not. As if the call had been the first indicator of your form following him. “I had something…I wanted to talk to you about.” You cringed a little at the wording, but quickly faded the unpleased expression to a faint smile. 

Legolas had now fully come to a stop, eyes keenly on you as you closed in. “Go ahead”, he said in a calm tone. Somehow saying what you’d been planning so thoroughly, now that he was in front of you felt impossible. The sight of him standing in front of you, calm and collected, while your heart raced as your thoughts tried to form a comprehensible sentence. You could have sworn a flash of worry appeared in his face for a while, releasing it must have been for the amount of time it took you to finally speak up again. “I’m not certain if this is the best time nor the place to tell you this, so I apologise in advance.” You started, but to your ear it somehow now sounded like a formal report rather than a confession. The look the elf was giving you didn’t help, he seemed confused but curious to hear the rest. Though, he didn’t interrupt you. Allowing you to continue. “I fancy you. And I wanted to ask if…you felt the same.” You stuttered out the last part, feeling odd to leave it at the first statement. But now that you thought about it more, the last part sounded almost more like a plea. Mentally scowling at that, you waited for his response. 

Legolas looked a little troubled, but even that was hard to catch. You found that he was usually rather hard to read, the emotions on his face so faint that you really had to read into everything to catch how he was feeling. “Henion…” (I understand). Legolas said, voice a little quieter than before, though you assumed it was to not bring attention to the conversation. “But you must be aware of-” He began, but you stopped him. Not to be disrespectful, but you understood what he meant. “It is okay. I only wished to tell you…” You lied. Of course a part of you had hoped he’d somehow change his mind, choose you. But now it all felt awkward, regret brewing within you. But you also knew Legolas was nowhere near dumb enough to ignore that. “Walk with me?” He requested, seemingly having skipped over the previous topic. Not that you minded, not anymore. At least that’s what you swore to yourself. “Of course”, you nodded and followed him to the throne room. 

You’d sometimes tag along with him as he went to give a report to his father from the previous patrol. The king didn’t seem all too fond of the elves Legolas spent his time around. Though, you told yourself that he’d somewhat warmed up to you. That he wasn’t as harsh when it came to you tagging along with Legolas even after the patrols were done. Something about that gave you hope, even if it was false. 

You tried your best to keep your relationship with him as it was before, and he was making it easy as well. He’d talk to you like before during patrols and you’d still sometimes go with him to deliver any reports to his father after. It made you almost hope that you had another chance. That you had just confessed too early on, and that there was a chance after all. So keeping your hopes up, you kept talking to him. Sharing things about your life with him, and listening to whatever he had to say. 

But as time went on, you began to doubt if there was a chance at all. Legolas still seemed to view you as a close friend, if anything. He still had his eyes elsewhere, and each time you attempted to get closer to him he was able to kindly turn you down. So you didn’t push any further. Slowly trying to come to terms with the fact that this was never going to work out. 

But you still shared many things with him. The connection you had with him during battle was still there. And that’s what you put your trust on when a battle was announced, knowing you’d be sent there. 

But as you had expected, no battle was fought without the blood shed of your own kin. As the dust began to settle and the sounds of battle died down, you found yourself exhausted. Muscles so worn out you felt shaky. But even through that exhaustion you felt the need to find Legolas, having lost sight of him at the very end. The chaos around the area made it hard to make out anyone specifically, raising some worry within you. Maybe deep down you knew that he was okay, but not being able to find him as quickly as you would have hoped shook you a little. 

Your eyes landed on a small group of elves, some who had survived the battle with a smaller amount of injuries and a couple of healers. They’d all gathered around someone, and by the looks of it seemed desperate. A possibly fatal injury, you thought with a flash of sorrow and grief washing over you for a moment. The death of an immortal being, as pure as an elf, was never a pleasant sight. 

You raised your gaze, having paused for a moment to pay respect to whoever had fallen. Scanning the nearby area, you could spot who you believed to be Legolas. He’d strayed from the small group you’d just come across, form somehow slumped. You couldn’t see his expression clearly enough to tell what was going on, making you curious. 

You didn’t dare pass the group, staying near them as your eyes followed Legolas’ movements. This position allowed you to see the dreadful sight bestowed next to you. As the warriors began to make their way back to the kingdom, it gave you enough space to see who the healers were tending to. You recognized them, soon a more lost expression spreading across your face. Understanding why Legolas had seemed more distraught than you’d ever seen him before. Something so important to him had been lost that day. 

And from there began a confusing period of time. You could tell Legolas was defeated, down from the loss. And you were no stranger to the dangers of loss and what it could do to your kin. So it wasn’t unwarranted that you were worried about him, and had made it your mission to try and help him get back on his feet. 

And doing this also healed something in you as well. Perhaps you couldn’t court him, but helping him as a friend felt good as well. Like you had a purpose to fulfil by his side, even if not in the way you initially had hoped. 

This also meant you started spending more time with him. Publicly you could barely tell of the heartbreak he was going through, but it showed more when the two of you were alone. Which you found endearing, meaning he trusted you enough to talk to you about his thoughts. Though, during one of these talks he told you something that mixed up your whole view of the situation. 

“Would you still court me?” His calm voice asked. Your hands stopped braiding his hair, having to blink a couple of times before drawing in a breath. You felt Legolas tilt his head towards your’s, trying to find out why you’d gone so silent. Though, he didn’t say anything else, waiting for your response. Which you tried to form into something respectful. You wanted to tell him that this might have not been the best time to make decisions like this, but at the same time every other part of you wanted to say yes. “Yes, I think”, slipped out without even thinking. Something that resembled a smile appeared on the prince’s face, like he was relieved? “Then we shall make it official.” He said, something new in his tone but you could tell that this hadn’t magically removed the grief from his mind. Yet, he reached out for your hand and turned around to face you properly. He’d been between your legs, back towards you as you braided his hair, as had become tradition. You looked into his eyes, swallowing down the guilt that tried to overtake your mind. You’d gotten what you wanted, right?

Things moved so fast after. Or maybe they didn’t, you couldn’t tell. You’d been so shocked after that night that a feeling of numbness had spread across your whole being. What was even going on? The king had approved of the courting, which hadn’t come as a huge surprise to you. But even then, it all felt a little too unreal. And the guilt that had been brewing ever since he had confessed to you was going to boil over soon, you felt. But so the days kept passing, and this was now the reality you lived in. 

You were getting ready for bed, tidying up your hair so it would be easier to handle in the morning. Routines that somewhat kept you sane, keeping thoughts away from what had been going on. You’d watched Legolas go lay down already, beginning to wonder if you had started to slow down your routines on purpose for the amount of time they now took. Because there was still a part in you that wondered if you should have been helping him with the grief as a friend or as his partner? That, did Legolas choose you out of genuine interest or out of needing someone to just be there for him?

You shook your head, trying to swallow the hesitancy back down. No. Even if this was all wrong, you couldn't possibly leave him now. Not when someone he’d cared about had died, you didn’t want to put him through another heartbreak. This was what you had wanted, right?

While in your thoughts you had wandered to the bed, laid down and somehow automatically turned your back to Legolas. He might have been engulfed with bits of grief, but he wasn’t blind. If he saw the way you looked, he’d be able to tell how miserable you felt right then and there. You did still love him the same way as before, and this had been exactly what you’d asked for. But how could you enjoy something so precious, when it felt like you’d stolen the first place medal and sneaked your way out of the second place? And all of this was happening while you couldn’t tell Legolas of these feelings without hurting him, nor did you wish to leave him. You’d promised yourself that you’d help him now that he needed you the most. 

While engulfed in a state of self loathing and sadness, you felt the man scooch closer. His hand moved to your upper arm, as if to ask if he was allowed to be so close. He was, you wanted him to be. But you didn’t want to admit that to not feed the guilt. When you didn't reply, his arm moved itself over your waist to bring the both of you closer to each other. Taking the silence as a ‘yes’. But was there a way to enjoy closeness like this when you didn’t feel like it was meant for you. 

The edges of your eyes burned, but only a singular tear managed to escape. Racing its way down your face and disappearing into your pillowcase. At what cost had you gotten the ‘gi melin’ that felt like it echoed in the air as he said it. 

[justonefeather]

Wish I could afford shit or afford to fix my shit so I wouldn't be driving an 04 with the cel on, what I really want is that 2022 electric Ford pickup so I can still actually do things in the mountains and leave my house when there's snow on the ground (why don't cars have more ground clearance fr??) But I can't afford to buy a new car, and definitely not a BRAND NEW car, yikes lol I don't have 80k laying around and loans mean the bank can take it back and I don't like that. I don't even have the 2800 I paid for this car LMAO and I talked him down from 3200 😭😭 for a then-16-year-old car too

[helliontherapscallion]

Hello! Um hopefully this is ok but can you do a platonic poly relationship with tech reader and philza? And one day the reader comes over to there abode with a basket full of sweets and pastries (muffins bread ect-) also cottagecore quiet reader please she/they pronouns

Thank you! :D

(A/N): I’m back yall! Sorry I’ve been gone (in terms of writing/request doing) for so long, I just kinda lost motivation to write for a bit

Ok so you’re childhood best friends with Technoblade

You two met when you accidentally bumped into each other in the village by the sbi fam’s house

You were calmly along the cobblestone path when a cute dress in a store window caught your eye. You kept walking, but you were eyeing the dress as you walked by it. It was just your aesthetic: a vintage ruby red dress with laces tying the two sides together, a floused opening to the bottom of the dress, and puffy white sleeves. It looked like it was in your size too. It was absolutely perfect.

Just as you were about to walk into the store to check out the price, you bumped into someone and fell to the ground behind you. Looking up, you saw that the person that you bumped into was also on the ground looking at you. You saw that the boy was about your age with fair skin and long pastel pink hair tied into a messy ponytail. Peculiarly, he had small tusks poking out from his bottom lip, floppy pig ears on the top of his head, and crimson eyes. A piglin hybrid perhaps?

Feeling a small blush work it’s way onto your face, you quickly got up and held out a hand to the boy. “I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going! Are you okay? Here, let me help you up.” 

He looked at your hand for a bit before he grabbed it with his own and allowed you to haul him up to his feet. You looked him up and down scanning him for any injuries he might’ve gotten from the fall. Luckily, it didn’t look like he got hurt. The boy looked down at his feet and bent over to pick up the picnic basket and the few muffins that dropped out of it. Putting the muffins back in, he handed the basket back to you with a small smile and a blush of his own.

“It’s really no problem, I’m fine so it’s no harm done. Actually,” he chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, “I wasn’t looking where I was going either. I got distracted by that sword in the window.” He pointed with a thumb over his shoulder at the armory shop next to the dress shop. In the window was a shining golden sword glimmering in the bright sunlight. If you squinted, you could see a sign that said that it had a high level fire aspect and looting enchantments. 

“Well, it looks really pretty. I don’t know much about swords, so maybe you could tell me about them? I’m (y/n),” you gave him a small smile and stuck out your hand once more. He shook it with a grin, “Technoblade.”

That was the start of a beautiful friendship with him and his family

You met Philza, his father

The avian was extremely excited and happy that his quietest son finally made a new friend

He treated you like you were his own daughter

You might as well be a part of the family with how much you came over to babysit Tommy or to just relax with Techno

You always bring over a basket of baked treats/pastries whenever you came over

Lemme just say, the family feasted and always fought over the last one

When you started to come over at least once a day for a bit with a basket full of sweets, Philza had to pull you aside and ask you to slow down a bit with the treats

“Hey (y/n) could I actually talk to you for a second?”

“Sure! Tech, I’ll be out in a sec.” The piglin hybrid curtly nodded and walked out the back door to the backyard. You smiled at Philza before you set the basket down onto the table and started to put the rolls onto a plate.

“I know it’s not much today, I didn’t have much time yesterday to bake.”

“That’s fine, but it’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” Internally, you began to panic slightly. Oh Ender, you didn’t do anything bad did you? You couldn’t think of anything you did wrong. In fact, you actively avoided any wrongdoing or talking to strangers. Oh no, were you accidentally rude to someone?

“You aren’t in trouble,” he smiled lightly when he saw you slump in relief, “I was just wondering why you always bring over baked things. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious and we really appreciate that you take the time to make us things, but we kinda have a little too much. Maybe slow down a bit with bringing them over?”

You felt an embarrassed blush spread across your face as you nodded and put all your focus into transferring the bread rolls over to the plate. “Sorry Phil, I just bake whenever I’m stressed or bored and I just have a lot left over after I give some to my family.”

“And that’s completely valid! Just maybe don’t bring over so much, breaking up the fights with Tommy, Wil, and Tech just gets a bit much at times,” he grinned and clapped a hand over your shoulder.

As the years passed, you and Techno only grew closer

You taught Techno how to do meticulous neat braids in his hair while in turn he taught you some self defense

Mans makes sure you can properly and efficiently wield a sword and shoot a bow and arrow 

Poor guy can’t lose another friend

When he moves to the tundra, he invites you to live with him but you reluctantly refuse

You had Tommy and Wilbur to look after in L’manberg

Being pissed at Schlatt when he exiles them

Following them into exile leaving behind shocked Manbergians 

They didn’t think you were capable of the screaming, let alone such profanity

Practically launching yourself at Techno when he agrees to helping Pogtopia

Him making sure that the withers don’t harm you, even going as far as hitting them and luring them away from you

Staying with Techno after L’manberg is reinstated under Tubbo’s rule

Starting to dislike leadership and governments in general after Tommy gets exiled (again)

Convincing Technoblade to let Tommy stay with you two

Absolutely hating governments when the Butcher Army places Philza under house arrest and rolls up to your guys’ house and takes Techno and Carl

They lock you in the house, but you pick the lock with the bobby pin you kept the bandana pinned to your hair with 

You follow them to L’manberg and break down when you see the anvils crashing down onto Techno

Screaming profanities at the Butcher Army and taking out your sword to attack them not noticing when Techno runs away safely

Philza watching everything from the balcony and cheering you on

You almost take away one of Fundy’s (whom you considered to be your nephew until the whole Butcher Army incident) lives before you feel a sword slice your arm and an arrow shooting its way through your thigh

Turning, you gave Tubbo and Ranboo the fiercest glare you could as you were standing over a half-dead Fundy with a sword dripping blood hanging at your side

You, the soft spoken and sweet one that gave everybody baked goods wherever you went, screaming profanities at the festival and the execution was scary enough, but this?

Absolute nightmare fuel, gonna stick in their minds for a long time

You attempt to fight them but you lose and end up with injuries too severe for you to continue fighting

Philza being the one to yell at you to go home to the tundra telling you that Techno’s alive bc of a totem of undying 

You felt kinda stupid after that, Technoblade never dies (you often half joked that he was immortal like Philza)

You limp home and get met with a bone crushing uncharacteristic hug from Techno

He patches you up after reassuring you that the blood on him wasn’t his (he tells you about the duel in great detail)

In turn you tell him about your 3 v 1 duel, feeling a bit dejected bc you ended up losing

Him being literally so proud of you for facing 3 people at once, but also scolding you slightly for going into it blindly

When Philza moves in, everything feels complete and fulfilled (at least to you)

You help Philza clean and dress his damaged wing

Also helping him do some physical therapy so that he could at least move it

Comforting him whenever he felt down about not being able to fly again

You invite him and Techno to cook with you and it surprisingly ends up better than you expected it to be

When Tommy betrays Techno, you and Philza end up being the only ones he could fully trust (later slowly adding Niki and Ranboo to the mix when The Syndicate is formed)

You are Harpocrates when The Syndicate is formed due to your quiet nature

Philza and Techno fully 100% supporting your decision of not wanting to reveal your identity

At the second meeting you show up with a full mask covering your face and the opposite of what you normally wore (more of a grunge type beat)

Only communicating in nods and writing at meetings, living up to your nickname

You never reveal your identity to Niki or Ranboo

Pleasant late night conversations around the fire with hot chocolate and your baked goods

Techno still lets you braid his hair (sometimes you even put flowers in it) from time to time

You braid Philza’s hair when it gets too long

Braid chains when yall get too bored? Hell yeah 

Ultimately, you three become a strong family unit (goals)

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@crybabyjabby  @izzybobizzy13  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @bunnyz-pxstel  @averytiredfanfictionwriter  @dcml04  @sparkling-gayyyy  @bbigbbrainn  @thaticecreambish  @kiinokochii  @satansphatass  @bxkubitch  @bxmentchildxx  @roxy3457  @montygator17  @feverish-dove  @the-fictionwriters-hairdo  @jichuuchaeng  @404rynnotfound  @luluwinchester  @laura--444  @the-cult-classic-bitch  @youngstarfishdinosaur

[notnctu]

switchin’ lanes - l.jn | ridin’ club

━ welcome to the ridin’ club smut series 

genre ➠ slow burn, smut, pwp???, fluff (if u squint) wordcount ➠ 8.3k details ➠  fem!reader, streetracer!jeno, badboy!jeno, college!au,  ━ where you and jeno are in a relationship, but not with each other. warnings ➠ explicit language, cheating, flirty banter, alcohol consumption, drugs, yall at a party, physical fighting (not with you), mentions of cuts/bruises, hickeys, drunk public dry humping, thigh riding, fingering, oral (f/receiving) synopsis ➠ If your boyfriend didn’t decide to join such a stupid unofficial club, then maybe you wouldn’t be in such a sticky situation where Lee Jeno is literally knuckles deep in your sticky situation as he drives you home. Or maybe if your boyfriend actually touched you, then you wouldn’t be seeking it from someone else, who can’t keep his hands off of you. taglist ➠ @rabbit-doyochi ; @darkneogotmyback ; @im-lame-irl ; @p-mini ; @niniluvsmarkhyuck ; @saniahmichael ; @jaehy9ngs ; @danyxthirstae01 ; @jaehyunoos ; @pikijaemin ; @suhweo​ ; @dearlyminhyung​

a/n ➠ hi yall its author doie❀!! i hope you enjoy the series pls leave me feedback lmaoo ill literally take anything. we also hit a milestone for followers and honestly its so crazy to know how quickly this tiny sideblog has grown! we’re so thankful that yall follow us, thank u for lovin us and we will try our best to put out more content!! also through the lens hit 1k notes how is that even possible like wow im speechless thank u for everyone who left such kind comments i treasure every form of feedback :) 

The heavy double doors of the classroom stare tauntingly at you. The evening setting in, painting the sky with strokes of orange and pink. You managed to remain complaint free the entire day, until your forgetful boyfriend canceled on you because of a club meeting. A meeting for an unofficial club on campus because it is illegal to street race. A club consists of delinquents that are obsessed with cars and steal your boyfriend away from you. 

This is the fifth time this week that your boyfriend stood you up or coincidentally forgot your dates. You can’t remember the last time he physically stood in front of you and not through a phone screen. However, it is not completely the stupid club’s fault that your boyfriend has neglected you. 

He truly is the worst boyfriend ever. He blames everything on his bad memory and does not prioritize you in his life. He loves one thing --- his car. You could be lying in a hospital bed, and he wouldn’t care to check up on you. 

So why did you stay with him? Because you’re scared of being alone? Possibly, but it is a can of worms that you did not want to open just yet. Sex is definitely not the reason you stay with him. He hasn’t touched you sexually since the first and now, last time you two slept together. 

You try your best, to only be waved off with a yawn. He doesn’t compliment you. He doesn’t look at you lovingly. He doesn’t even kiss you for longer than two seconds. You are a toppling tower, ready to crumble at any given moment.

The anger in your body fuels you as you pull the door open to reveal several men in leather jackets chatting away with each other. One by one, they all begin to lay their eyes on who abruptly interrupted their joyous conversations. Your eyes scan the room full of intimidating men, whose auras cause a shiver to run down your spine.

Your boyfriend is nowhere in sight, given that there are plenty enough guys who have the ability to cover him. You walk into the open space and the entire mood of the room shifts. 

Heavy cologne and a deafening silence fill the air. One particular male, who has been eyeing you the entire time, gets up and walks towards you. 

“Are you lost, baby?” Scoffs and chuckles sparsely cover the corners of the room. The unknown male has a jarring cut on his eyebrow, matching a small bruise on his upper cheekbone. 

“I’m looking for my boyfriend…” Your weak voice trails off from the sudden attractive male intimidation. The tall man peers around the room, crossing his arms.

“If you are this beautiful woman’s boyfriend, please fucking come out now. It’s very rude to keep your girl waiting for you!” Initially, his low throaty shout startles you. A heavy heat falls on your cheeks when you register his choice of adjectives.

The whole room falls silent once more, before your pitiful boyfriend steps out from between two bulkier men. “Hey babe, what are you doing here?” His eyes nervously bounce around the room, a shaky laughter erupting from his gut. 

“Sorry, Jeno. I didn’t mean to cause such a scene. I didn’t even see her come in.”

Like a trigger, you remember your intentions for storming in uninvited. Jeno gauges your flaming reaction to your boyfriend’s apologetic words. He nods, not out of acceptance of the apology, but out of disbelief.

He pulls your boyfriend by the collar of his white shirt and your eye widens at the condescending tone that causes your boyfriend to cower, “I’m not the one to apologize to.” With a careless toss, your boyfriend ends up shaking in front of you.

“Jeno is not the only one you should be scared of.” You whisper angrily to him as the rest of the room continues on with their previous chatter. 

Your boyfriend rolls his eyes, “listen, Jeno’s been arrested before. You don’t want to get on that man’s bad side.” 

Your eyes wander behind your boyfriend’s hunching shoulders, catching Jeno steal peeks at you too. There is no interest in the other rambling male that stands in front of him. He just wants to check you out a bit more. 

He is the hottest person you’ve ever gotten the attention of. You feel flustered, and a bit flattered at his lingering gaze. His brown hair is slicked back messily, giving you more to admire. Jeno is an absolute cliche from a bad boy fanfiction. He is unreal, and the odd chance that he can’t keep his eyes off of you, is also unreal. 

But with a light nudge from a blue haired fellow, Jeno’s eyes peel away from your’s. They exchange a few words, which then propels Jeno to hurriedly put on his slightly tattered leather jacket.

You lick your lips to the sight of his body lines as he stands up to follow his friend, but not without another look back at you. Noticing your stare still on him, he bids you a tiny wave goodbye with a smirk to die for. And like that, he’s gone. 

“Are you listening to me?” Your boyfriend’s voice finally reaches your reality. Your focus shifts to the obviously irritated expression on his face. 

“I guess, I’m not. Don’t fucking stand me up again or I will key your car.” You aren’t actually those kinds of girls, but your boyfriend didn’t take a threat seriously unless it involves his highly treasured car. 

And like Jeno, you also make your exit out of the steamy room. The chilly night brush against your unknowingly hot cheeks. Then, you take yourself to the only unhealthy coping mechanism you can think of: a place of free alcohol and no boyfriend.

It takes you a few months to completely stop caring about your dying relationship. You figure how easy it is for your boyfriend to do it, so you make the same decision.

He spends his nights with his friends he made from his club, and has totally become a self proclaimed car enthusiast. You lose yourself in copious amounts of cheap alcohol at your local parties and it’s almost like you stop sulking over a man who kisses his car goodnight.

While being alone did not bother you as much as you had been dreading, the sexual frustration is a completely different issue. You are absolutely drooling whenever your eyes find Jeno in the crowds of sweaty bodies.

If there is one good thing that came out of your boyfriend’s membership in that club, it had to be Lee Jeno and a few other notable people who attended the same parties as you.

He became a very close acquaintance, and you had learned some very important names associated with the Ridin’ Club. Na Jaemin, Lee Haechan, and Huang Renjun. But the three could not compare to the kindhearted Jeno that makes butterflies stir in your lower abdomen. 

Over the months, you also had learned rather quickly that your sexually clouded mind had tricked you previously into thinking that Jeno’s stares were full of lust for you. His girlfriend makes it clear that it isn’t the case.

Although you have caught the couple making out several times when trying to use the bathroom, your feverish, impure attraction toward Jeno never calmed down.

“You’re looking very tempting tonight, baby.” Jeno’s beaming eye smile greets you, even after completely undressing you with his gaze. His arms are wide open to embrace your warm body. 

The parties are always too hot to wear a fully clothed outfit. You often settle for a cute tank top and a short skirt to prevent your legs from collecting extra moisture. Jeno, without a fail, shows up in black jeans that clad his lower half, tucked with a simple white shirt. His tattoos and toned arms being on full display for you to admire. 

“Better make sure your actual baby doesn’t hear that.” The loud beats of the music make Jeno’s chuckle almost inaudible, but his expression remains cheerful, as per usual. “Did you get into another fight?” 

The fresh wound cut through his smooth complexion, which will eventually join the rest of his collection of fading scars. He mindlessly grazes over the new bandaging and dramatically winces. Clearly concerned, you grab his hand away from the injury. “Don’t touch it, stupid.”

His smile curves into a sly smirk, as he intertwines your fingers and kisses the back of your hand. “It doesn’t hurt at all.” His chest heaves into a fit of giggles, “just wanted to see you care for me.” 

Groaning, you shake his massive hand off of your’s. “Very funny. I should start charging you for my attention.” 

“Name your price, I got all the money in the world for you.” He winks, while lightly pinching your cheek. You are lying to yourself if you thought you could ever stay away from him. Jeno stirs up a part of you that craves the cheesy nicknames, flirty comments and the undivided attention. 

He motions you to follow him into the mess of people. Almost as if he’s a god, the crowd parts for you two to walk through without unnecessary extra bodies. The fear that settles in many individuals’ chest is understandable.

Like your first impression, Jeno is a complete walking fanfiction trope. He negotiates better with his fists, usually with good reason. The guns of the Ridin’ Club, though, his friends are very much to be feared as well. They will not hesitate to run someone over, if given the heated situation to do so. And most definitely, you can count them to be backing up their fighter, Jeno. 

You had not been mindful before of the chatter that regarded the secret Ridin’ Club. They are notorious for fast paced very illegal races in the middle of nowhere destinations and tempers that aren’t meant to be provoked. Besides their intimidating aura, it melts away after getting to know them.

Lee Haechan, the most annoying brat, but has the strongest, the most loyal bond to his boys. He’s also notably funny, often making you laugh with an exchange of banter.

Huang Renjun, the whiniest and initially quiet boy, but grows to be one of the loudest and will chew you out if anyone dares try engaging in verbal combat. 

Na Jaemin, the flirty playboy who always has a swarm of girls, but the gentlest man with a soft spot for cute things. 

And finally, Lee Jeno, the owner of your nights. He is the friendliest of them all, despite him being the toughest one. While his stare can kill, melting away his layers reveal the warmest heart. Not that Jeno is the only one to show initial interest in you, but he is the most considerate to the people he holds close to him.

He has taken care of you for many drunk nights and watched protectively over your intoxicated figure in the crowds. He makes you feel safe and seen, which are some of the many reasons you are entirely attracted to him.

“(Y/N)!” Jaemin’s scream pierce your ears the moment the blueberry catches your eye. He excitedly nudges the other two boys, who are busy pouring drinks into red cups.

“You’re going to make me spill it, idiot!” Renjun grumbles, but looks up to see your dazzling smile and tremendous excitement. His own smile grows, “so the life of the party finally decided to say hi.”

“Hi, my fanclub. I appreciate the long awaited greeting.” Your over the top, sarcasm causes all of them to chime loudly. Haechan hands you a cup and wraps his arm around your shoulders. 

Jeno joins you at your side and the five of you clink your drinks to the ceiling. A fit of yells over the music and a competition of who can finish first. As per usual, you set your cup down after draining the entirety. The others are still chugging the burning liquid down their throats. 

Haechan coughs after dropping his cup onto the counter. His face is twisted with the most disgusted contour, “I don’t know how you do it, (Y/N).”

“I already drank more than you guys, so it just tastes like water now.” You scream over the loud music. Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun toss their empty cups into the sink. 

At this rate, you are completely blindsided by the effects of the alcohol as your legs give out to gravity. Jeno catches you quickly, holding your elbows and your head is placed on his shoulder. Jaemin chuckles lovingly, before helping Jeno balance you against the island. Your head feels heavy on your shoulders, as the room spins in front of you. 

“You good?” Haechan pats your head gently, whispering close to you.

“I---” You try catching your breath after being winded. “--It’s hitting me now.”

Jeno wraps his arm around your lower waist to draw you close to him, “want to go sit down?” He mumbles into your hair. You nod, Jeno and Renjun supporting your limp body to walk over to the couch.

The dark living room is lit up only by colorful led lights, but it is not enough to make out much of anything. Everyone is in their own world, dancing and socializing within their own selves. The two men set you down on the cushion, but your impulse catches onto Jeno’s wrist before he leaves. Renjun is already lost in the crowd.

“Can I sit on your lap?” You pout cutely, all the shame in your body has been displaced with courage. Jeno’s eyes soften at your sudden request, and kisses the top of your forehead.

“The throne is all yours.” He says as he sits at your side and pulls you on top of his thick thighs. His arm is loosely dangling around your waist, resting on top of your thighs. 

The intimate position causes your mind to wander into dark thoughts. His strong, sturdy legs feel delicious against your clothed core. While you’ve been in this position once before, you could never forget how protected, yet very horny it makes you feel. 

“What’s on your mind, (y/n)?” Jeno’s deep voice brushes against your bare shoulder and you feel his chest press against your back. “You’ve been pretty silent tonight.”

You turn slightly to face him, “if I told you, I’m scared it would ruin things between us.”

“There’s nothing in the world that can hold me back from you.” He is always so quick to spill such alluring words. His soft lips graze lightly on your skin as his sparkling eyes look up at your expression.

All it takes is one more tiny kiss on your arm to get you grabbing his face, drawing him into a steamy, long awaited kiss. Surprisingly, he kisses you back, open mouth and tongue lapping with your’s. His hands reposition your legs to where you straddle him. Your faces dive deeper into each other’s as the kiss continues to intensify.

Jeno’s lips still have a hint of alcohol, but he mostly tastes like mint gum. And they are comparable to a cloud, the softest lips you have ever made out with. It is like kissing pure heaven, completely different from your boyfriend’s two second pecks. Jeno devours you in a needy way, like he’s been waiting to explore the wonders of your lips. 

However, you pull away when you feel the vibration of his phone against your inner thigh, almost like a wake up call. As if all the liquid courage disappeared, you blink back in shock at Jeno’s plump wet lips. The thought of his girlfriend crosses your mind, and maybe slight guilt for your own boyfriend fills your system.

You quickly start getting up from his hot body, “fuck, I’m so sorry..” But his hands pull you back onto him, your legs finding their way open above his thighs again. 

“Don’t be, I’ve always wondered what your lips would taste like.” A smirk, then a hearty chuckle relaxes your contracting nerves at the potential of a ruined friendship. 

“But, your girlfriend..” Your tiny voice trails off and Jeno picks up your chin. His fingers rubbing along your jawline.

His eyes do another lap around your features. He admires your averting shy eyes, your beautiful lips, and how they all come together to make a stunning you. 

There is no doubt in Jeno’s mind that he is very attracted to you. He knew it the moment you barged into the club meeting. You are his type of woman, a good mixture of confident and timidness. You like to have some fun, and aren't afraid to be bold. Not to mention, that you are incredibly hot and every time you flirt back just makes him melt inside.

“She won’t care. She hooks up with people all the time.” It puzzles you, all this time you had been holding yourself back from Jeno because he has a girlfriend. All to find out that the relationship isn’t as serious as you thought it to be.

“I know, it doesn’t make sense. But we aren’t two people to be tied down, but at the same time, we like each other enough to want to stay together.”

Your confused expression causes Jeno to laugh and ask, “what’s the dilemma with your boyfriend?”

Rolling your eyes at the mention of your boyfriend, you sigh, “it’s like we’re still together, but we aren’t at the same time. We’ve abandoned the relationship unknowingly.”

Jeno runs a warm hand up and down your thigh, while he listens intently to you. He nods, grabbing your waist to pull you over his groin. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“No, he’s a shitty person and an even shittier boyfriend. We literally haven’t fucked for the past year. I’m practically a virgin again.” His hand automatically gives your thigh a light squeeze.

Jeno’s eyes light up as you quickly cover your mouth out of embarrassment. A devilish smirk raises his cheekbone, and lust clouds his mind. Gauging his reaction, your cheeks turn hot.

“We’ll have to change that, don’t we? My baby must be all kinds of frustrated. Tell me, do you like when I touch you then?” Jeno drops in tempo, usually when he wants to be more intimidating with a deeper voice. 

You clear your throat intending to speak, but you can only nod your head in response. “C’mon, (Y/N). Use your words, like a big girl.” Even with the loud music and continuous chatter, you can hear Jeno‘s taunting whisper. 

His words tickle your collarbone as he runs his lips against your neck. Your heart is pumping rapidly at the turn of events, as if the possibility of having something beyond a kiss from Jeno is more than possible at this rate. 

Jeno enjoys your small whimpers as he marks your neck with purple love bites. Right in the center of the crowded room, Lee Jeno is just casually giving you hickeys.

“Yes, I love that you can’t keep your hands off of me.” 

Almost immediately, you can feel his lips curve into a smile on your skin. Pop! Jeno marvels the darkness against your skin in the mood lighting. A small part of him hopes you do end up seeing your boyfriend sometime soon, so he can see who you really belong to.

“How about we try touching like this?” Jeno pushes you down hard against his pelvis, the veins on his hands becoming evident from the grip and the tiny drawings permanently staining his fingers.

You gasp the moment you feel Jeno’s hip begin to move underneath you to the beat of the song. He rolls your hips rhythmically to match his speed. His clothed hard on can be felt through the only barrier you have on --- your panties.

The thin fabric is soon drenched in your juices after the continuous friction up and down his length. You throw your head back to every bump against your clit, the electrifying feeling enact more of your wetness to puddle. 

You can’t believe you were grinding against Jeno in the middle of a full party, as if his friends aren’t a few feet away. It is a good thing that your skirt pools around both of your waists to conceal the dirty deed underneath.

Jeno’s lip escapes under his top row of teeth as he rubs his clothed length against your barely covered pussy. He can feel his jeans dampening from your wetness and his eyes roll to the back of his head from how the feeling of wanting you consumes his body. He really becomes uncontrollable when it comes to you. 

This is the most sexual activity you have had with another person for over a year. Jeno just looks absolutely heavenly intoxicated with lust, and your mouth waters at how big his cock must be. You can feel his length the harder Jeno rolls against you, and it is definitely bigger than your boyfriend’s. 

You are trying so hard to stay quiet and unnoticeable, but the pleasure seeps out every crevice. Jeno is trained on you as your hand reaches up to cover your mouth, the muffled whimpers escaping your lips uncontrollably.

“I’m so close.” You admit, your body jolting every time his jean button grazes against your sensitive bud.

Jeno moves you over his thigh, forgetting his incredibly hard dick straining in his jeans. As long as you are satisfied, he can care less about his own pleasure. A low scream erupts from your throat when he flexes against you. 

His thigh is much more stable, with more control for consistency. You quickly notice the dark, wet spot on his jeans and you blush even harder. Your underwear clings onto you from the excessive moisture, but Jeno continues to help you finish.

The strands of hair cover your face, but Jeno needs to see your fucked out expression. He is taken aback when you start riding his thigh faster, grinding harder without the aid of his hands.

His mouth hangs slightly open in awe at your neediness, he truly did not know the extent of your sexual frustrations. Oh, but how he is incredibly turned on by you getting off on him. 

“I want you to cum for me, you deserve it.” Jeno brings you in for another passionate kiss. The mixture of his tongue sucking harshly on yours, and the friction on your clit are more than enough to reach your climax. 

Your legs clenched tightly around Jeno’s thigh. The small knot in your stomach that built, drops like the beat playing in the background. The feeling of white is familiar, but it is more intense than when you would touch yourself. You are finally receiving the pleasure from someone else’s touch, someone who wants you to unravel for him.

Jeno pulls away from your lips, kissing down your neck and collarbones as your chest heaves for air. His palm soothes your shaking legs as your climax subsides. You fall into his arms, and he laughs. The reality that you two just did that publicly registers in both of your minds.

Digging your shy face further into Jeno’s shoulder, he whispers lovingly, “let me drive you home.” 

“Are you still drunk?” The muffled question tickles Jeno’s neck.

“I think you beautifully cumming on my thigh sobered me up.” He jokes and you quickly cover his mouth. Your heart practically stops and you hope no one else heard him.

It is silly that you are now self conscious, as if the whole room didn’t just watch you and Jeno grind on the couch. But, the feeling of embarrassment and regret lingers in your stomach. You mentally thank the dark room for concealing both of your identities.

“I’m sorry for your jeans.” A pout begs for forgiveness as you stare at Jeno’s beaming smile. He takes your hand off of his mouth, not forgetting to give your fingertips a lingering kiss.

“I’m sorry for your boyfriend. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Jeno parts your hair from your neck, admiring the marks he left on you. A small sense of pride builds inside of him, accompanied by a tiny bundle of possessiveness.

“Let me say goodbye to the boys and I’ll take you home.” 

Nodding, Jeno carefully lifts you off of him and onto the cushion. He leans over to kiss your cheek. As he gets up, you see the darker shades on his jeans from your doing. However, Jeno is completely unbothered and continues to find his friends.

Now that you are alone, you feel a bit nervous that someone would come up to you and talk about what they saw. Checking your phone, your screen blinds you with absolutely no notifications from your boyfriend. Going on social media is worse, as you scroll to see that your boyfriend posted a photo.

It is a photo of his hot, red polished car. He obnoxiously posed squatting next to the front wheel, his lips puckered up and kissing the rims. With a caption that makes every regret in your body disappear, “with my one and only.” 

The phone is tossed somewhere else, wishing to delete the image from your memory. Your eyes wander around the room, when they spot a suspicious man sneakily dropping a small pill in an unattended drink. He, then, looks up and catches your stare. Caught red handed. 

But the male smugly smirks, “you’re going to pretend you didn’t see that, like how half of this room pretended to not see you grinding on Jeno.” 

“You’re complete scum, I can’t believe you just roofied someone’s drink.” You yell in utter disbelief at the unwavering man. His disgusting smirk changes into a menacing smile.

He approaches you, his height allowing him to tower above. You gulp, scared at how he can easily overpower you at any second.

“And what are you going to do about it? What? Jeno didn’t loosen you up enough?” His revolting hot breath beating down your nose, invading every corner of your personal space. 

Before you can find any insult to speak back, his figure goes flying sideways and out of your face. It’d be a lie to not admit your heart skipping a beat at the sight of Jeno’s clenched fists and locked jaw. His sharp gaze watches as the stranger gets up from the ground, inflammation already growing on his left cheek.

“Dude, what the fuck!” He shouts angrily, holding his cheekbone as he winces at the pain. Immediately, the conversations are replaced with gasps, and small whispers at the sight. People gather around the living room to see the commotion. Even you are unsure how to react to the sudden fight.

The other man lunges at Jeno with full force, but Jeno stops him by grabbing the man’s collar, “this,” Jeno punches his lip, busting it open, “is for dropping a roofie in someone’s drink.”

The stranger groans at the impact, but still gets up with a fist straight for Jeno’s gut. Watching Jeno take a blow is much more difficult than you had been expecting.

He crouches over from the punch, but quickly regains his composure to put the man in a headlock. A few more gasps erupt and wonder if you should stop him before he does something unnecessarily stupid. 

“This,” the man squirms to try to get out of Jeno’s iron grip, “is for disrespecting my babygirl.” And with a shift snap, the male falls limp and unconscious.

A surprised intake of air and Jeno peers up at your scared expression. He calmly walks over to you, ignoring the swarm of people that had gathered around the scene. He can only see one thing — you. Jeno’s wandering eyes try to read your expression, but all he sees is a terrified girl.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, are you okay, (Y/N)?” 

Blinking blankly for a few moments, you are mortified at the laying body, “what did you do to him?” 

Jeno looks back at the stranger casually, “I put him to sleep for a bit. He’ll wake up in about 20 minutes.”

A rush of reassurance washes over you knowing that he is alive and Jeno didn’t just kill someone in front of you. You exhale all the anxiousness and nerves, 

“thank you for stepping in.”

“I don’t fight without a good reason. You are more than a perfect reason to fight for.” He pinches your cheek cutely, and his tough exterior fades away yet again. 

His famous eye smile that warms your insides is back as if the scary, intimidating expression didn’t exist a few seconds ago. Jeno’s good sides only appear with you. Nevertheless, you are happy to know how special you are to see them. 

“Violence is never the answer.” He nods, only taking it for a grain of salt. “Are you okay? It looked like stringbean knocked some wind out of your gut.”

The teddy bear thrusts himself forward into a fit of laughter, his head resting on your lap. His melody lights every dark corner inside of you. “He did get a good punch in there, didn’t he?”

His rumbling laughter stops, and he peers up at you. “I can’t believe you were still worried about a complete asshole.” 

Scoffing, you break the shared gaze. “I’m a compassionate human being.” Jeno stands up, extending his hand for you to take.

“I know, you’re the best kind of person.” He genuinely means it with the way his tone remains quite stern, eye contact unwavering. He is revealing more of his intimate parts, and in return, you wish for him to see your’s. 

Silence drowns out all the commotion between you two. Jeno grows shy at the way the galaxies reflect in your stare. “I--” Never once, did you think you would witness Lee Jeno stammer over his words. “I-I, let’s-- I want to take you for a drive.” 

To Jeno, a drive to him is equivalent to your hand in marriage. Even his own girlfriend has never been on a drive with him. It is a big part of his personality, given that he is a crucial member of the Ridin’ Club. However, out of all of them, he is the last one to flaunt his hobby. It is special, almost sacred to his entire being. 

“Me?” It is the dumbest question to ask, but you really want to clarify his intentions. Before this night, you two were barely considered friends. You two never saw each other outside of the late night parties.

But now, Lee Jeno wants to take you on a drive. It makes you wonder if the desire of companionship is mutual, that he too pines to further your relationship.

“I’m not looking at anyone else,” Jeno still waiting for your hand and holding an intense eye contact. His heart lays exposed for you, just right on his sleeve. An innocence paints his usual intimidating aura, “let me show my special girl, what is special to me.” 

He must possess some magic because he knows every way to make you swoon. And like that, your palm meets his and he locks his fingers between yours. 

The moment you enter Jeno’s striking, eye catching car, you automatically relax into the leather seats. His pristine car matches his personality --- simple, but captivating. Your boyfriend’s car is the exact opposite, which is why you never enjoy sitting in it.

Jeno has pieces of himself that scatter his car, like an adorable small plushie that watches out the back window. A beaded lanyard dangles from his rear view mirror. It even matches his scent of a deep ocean breeze.

Unlike your boyfriend’s obnoxious details, Jeno did not have a light up stereo that flashed annoyingly to every beat drop in a song. Instead, a sweet lilac color illuminates at your feet, along with his. 

“You like what you see?” Jeno catches you astonish at the tiny aspects of the interior. 

“Of course, it’s yours. It’s exactly like how I would imagine it to be.” Jeno is proud, hearing you praise his car. Even he can admit, it is a bit weird to be so connected to an inanimate object.

Nevertheless, his car, racing, driving became a huge part of his life. And unlike his friends, he feels rather shy and slightly embarrassed for being such a geek. 

But hearing you actually appreciating the small details of his car when you probably hate every aspect of racing due to your boyfriend’s doing, it makes him feel very happy.

Maybe happy is an understatement, more like overjoy at how you freely can recognize the things that make him content. You respect him, and are mindful that as mundane as a car is, you know that it is something important to him.

Silence becomes the majority of the ride out of the quiet, suburban neighborhood. While Jeno’s eyes remain focused on the road ahead, you are concentrated on him.

He drives with one hand on the wheel as he rests his elbow on the middle console. His eyebrow creases here and there. It is the most normal, mundane activity anyone can do --- drive. That is all he is doing, yet the effect it suddenly has on you can not go unnoticed. 

Abruptly, with the rev of the engine and a press on the gas, the car practically flies on the empty freeway. It catches you off guard, causing you to hold onto the grab handle. Jeno peeks over at your shocked figure, and smiles to himself.

“Relax, (Y/N).” He calls your name, reaching over to rub your thigh as a way to calm your anxiousness. Automatically, your hand grips onto his for support and the other one drops from the handle. 

Exhaling, your eyes are trained ahead. The car is moving so fast that you can’t even make out anything around you. Everything becomes nothing, but colorful streaks against a dark background. The gravity against your chest feels crushing.

“How-- How fast are you going?” 

Jeno glances at the speedometer and intertwines your fingers into his own. “I don’t think I should tell you that, you might actually have a heart attack.” 

The window rolls down and you are hit with rumbling wind, “I know you’re scared right now, so stick your head out the window and take a deep breath.”

You look at him in pure fear, “what?! I can’t even move, let alone stick my head out the window!”

Jeno shakes his head, “trust me. Please, trust me.” He needs you to experience the same thrill he does. His own adrenaline is through the roof, out the entire atmosphere of the vehicle. The amount of joy he is experiencing became tenfold now that you are sitting beside him. 

You trust him and very meticulously, go against the wind. Your hair crazily dances along with the rush and your eyes water from being dried out. Adjusting to the pressure, you also stick your hand out the window. It whips backward, but you feel the wind slip between your fingers.

The rise in heartbeat and excitement pump through your veins. The beauty in the white streaks that create a runway, it is nothing but you and the open space. There is no other way to explore it, except at a high pace. You understand why Jeno loved it so much. 

Jeno bounces between the road and half of your figure out his window. Your eyes are closed initially, before you barely squint open. Tears fly by with strands of your hair, but you start to move your hand to physically feel the thrill pass between your fingers.

Then he sees it in the side mirror: the sweet curve in your lips he loves the most and the wideness of life in your eyes. It only makes him press the gas harder.

“That was incredible! You should take me riding with you more.” You marvel at him as he starts the route to your place. It is complete playfulness that hints in your tone because you are aware of how sacred these are to him. Nevertheless, a part of you still hopes he agrees to do so.

Jeno nods, “only because I like you,” He pauses, gauging your reaction with his side eye gaze, “a lot.”

Your heart sinks to an unsettling place in your stomach. Jeno could not possibly be serious, however, his tone no longer matches the playfulness of your own. It almost seems like he is telling the truth. But you didn’t want to believe that. 

Your eyes make a full circle before settling at the disappearing sidewalks, “stay in your lane, Jeno.” It is to keep the mood still light, you and Jeno aren’t ones to be serious. 

His hand has been on your thigh for the whole night, whether it be out of habit or comfort. His touch is always welcoming and warm, but suddenly, you feel the small squeeze on your flesh. Turning your attention on his face, you can see how a smirk has grown. 

“But yours seems much more fun.” Immediately, your stomach leaps with somersaults. Your throat gets dry and tight, not anticipating that response. 

“Beside, you can’t act like we both haven’t swerved. It was barely moments ago that you were cum---”

“---No need to further explain.” 

“And I’d proudly do it again.” His voice drops several decibels and his hand slowly snakes it’s way up your thigh. All the while, his eyes still on the road ahead.

You gulp as every heartbeat constricts your throat. Lifting the ends of your skirt higher to expose more, you secretly want Jeno to cause your legs to shake again. “D-Do what again?”

Jeno perks up to the sweetness of curiosity in your tone. He pulls up to a red stoplight, being able to finally look over to your innocent face and needy hands gripping the cute, thin fabric. He stares deeply into your eyes, “make my baby cum.” 

Similarly to the stoplight, you give Jeno the green light to pull your panties to the side. You spread your legs wide as his finger massages your pussy lips. He gets dangerously close to your erect clit, barely skimming over it. 

A needy, yet delicate moan escapes your lips and Jeno’s jaw tightens. He’s more upset that he’s missing the view of your legs spread, open mouth in ecstasy, half lid eyes all in the passenger seat of his car. He hopes for another red light, just so he can peek over at your delicious figure.

“Jeno, please touch me.” Your voice is airy and desperate. He hummed in response, completely withdrawing his hand from your core. However, you catch his wrist and bring it to rest on your inner thigh. “Please.” 

The distinct beg in your tone drives him crazy. As he dips his finger into your sudden wetness, a shiver runs up your spine. Right when he applies minimal pressure on your bundle of nerves, you jolt and close your thighs around his hand.

One touch already feels too good to be true, that finally someone, Lee fucking Jeno, is actually touching your nakedness. Peering down, Jeno’s arm is flexing in between your legs. His veins popping ever so slightly and his tattoos paint his smooth skin. 

“Open your legs, babe.” His low devilish chuckle rumbles in your lower abdomen. “Let me give you the lovin’ you’ve been deprived of.” 

You shudder at his cadence and slowly pry open your legs. Jeno stops at a red light and gets to see your reaction as he rubs you in a fast rhythmic pace. A soft cry yelps from your throat and you have to grip the handle to keep yourself from spazzing out any further. 

Almost like a trance, he doesn’t notice that the light turns green. He’s locked into the sight of your contorting body. Your hips have a mind of its own, yet again, as Jeno feels you rolling deeper into his touch.

“Poor baby, you’re so touch starved that you can’t control yourself.” 

“It feels better when you do it.” You whine, your lip being bruised from your biting. But your eyes notice the green illumination and you blink over at Jeno.

He is practically drooling at the sight of you, his eyes are trained at your needy hips and dripping wet core that soaks his fingers. You stop every urge to steal more kisses from him.

Jeno briefly recovers from the trance and steps on the gas. He takes this opportunity to ease a finger into the core, causing you to exclaim and squeeze around his digit. “Oh fuck, you’re so tight.” 

“More, Jeno.” The way his name rolls off of your tongue makes his heart flutter and his dick to raise in his jeans. Without much hesitation, he slowly slips in another finger and you moan at the stretch. Pumping and curling, he ensures that you are enjoying every action.

His fingers curl against your plushy flesh and your legs spread wider for him to go deeper. You’re a moaning mess when he curls up to your sweet spot, rubbing his fingertips quickly. The familiar queasy feeling builds in your lower regions, and Jeno becomes merciless with his fingers.

He guides them in and out of you, feeling your tightness release and invite him back in. The sloppy wet noises fill the car and drown out the engine. Your half lidded eyes bounce at Jeno’s unbothered figure and the entire scene seems absolutely unbelievable to you.

One hand on the wheel. The other knuckles deep in your pussy. Eyes focus on the road ahead. A comfortable man spread. His hair is messy from the long night.

It is all too unbelievable, that Jeno’s already giving you a second climax of the night when you could barely get one in a year before. And he loves touching you as much as he loves driving. 

However, the guilty raises as fast as the ball of tension in your gut. You two pull up in front of your apartment building, while Jeno’s tugging his fingers against your flesh aggressively. In a split second, you hold onto his wrist to stop him. 

He shifts into park when the car settles into a spot and peers over to you. A curious expression daunts onto him, rather concern that he might have been too much. “I’m starting to feel guilty.” 

Jeno nods, and retrieves his fingers out of your dripping core. The feeling of emptiness causes all the built up pressure to dissipate.

“I understand,” he begins, but pauses at the sight of your sticky juices glistening on his fingers. Your eyes widen as he licks them clean, a soft moan escaping from the back of his throat. 

The small action spikes your heart rate and you rub your legs together. With a pop! Jeno hums delightfully, “baby, you taste so good. I’m a little sad I won’t be tasting more, especially directly from the source.” His lustful eyes glance down at your thighs and back to your profile. 

“I’ll walk you up to your apartment.” He says way too casually, unbuckling his seat belt. A mixture of emotions are running through your head. There is guilt, but lust is too powerful to ignore, especially when it’s Lee Jeno. The damage is already done, right? It’s not like it wasn’t moments ago that you humped him in the middle of a party. 

“Wait,” your hands find themselves gripping onto his leather jacket tightly. Jeno gently reaches over to release your strong grip and replaces the leather with his hand. 

“Yes, babygirl?” Jeno’s round, friendly eyes meet yours. The lust clouded darkness is no longer there. His hand feels hot and somewhat rough. 

“I’m going to break up with my boyfriend, so promise me, you’re not going to dip out of my life afterwards… I don’t need you to be anything more than a friend. I just can’t lose you too.”

He turns around in his seat to face you comfortably. “I don’t think you’ve noticed, but I can’t stay away from you, let alone have the ability to leave you.” He reassures you with a soothing and calm tone. His thumb draws circles around your knuckles. “I’m always going to be your friend, whether or not I know how you taste.” 

“Do you still want to try it … you know, from the source?” You shyly ask, an innocence embodying your gaze and voice cadence.

Jeno raises an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. “I’d love to, only if you let me.” 

Instantly, you shift to get on your lower back. Jeno watches as you excitedly position yourself open for him and actually finds your eagerness quite adorable. Your left leg bends behind the driver’s seat and your right rests on the dashboard. 

He hooks his arms underneath your thighs to pull you forward towards him and your whole body slides against the leather. With a slow lift, your skirt reveals your drenched panties. Rolling them off and tossing them to the back seat, he lays eyes on your still dripping pussy. Jeno takes a second to admire your flower, this being his first time he’s seen such a private part of you.

“You’re beautiful, you know that right?” He chuckles deeply, before his tongue licks a long strip up to your clit. You exclaim out of the tingling pleasure that seized your insides.

He flattens his tongue against your bundle of nerves, flicking and circling. His finger enters your pussy again, curling up to rub at the same pace he is licking. The pure sight of Jeno’s head in between your legs is enough for butterflies to explode. 

His sole motive is to make you feel good. There is nothing else in the world that he wants at this moment beside pleasure to overtake your body. Jeno eats you out like he hasn’t had a meal in months. His mouth wraps around your clit. The mixture of his flicks and sucks cause electric bolts to run down your legs. 

You get more wet as Jeno pumps his finger in and out of your hole. Your juices are practically dripping onto the interior of the car, but Jeno doesn’t care.

He fucking loves it. He loves the taste of you lingering on his tongue. Your breathless moans. Your waterfall dripping on uncontrollably. The view of you unwinding because of him. Nothing can be more perfect. 

Running your hands through his messy locks, you press him closer into you. A devilish smile draws on his face as he flicks his tongue side to side. “Oh, fuck! I’m.. so c--close.” 

Your back arches upward into Jeno’s mouth, feeling his muscle lick harder and faster on your throbbing clit. He adds a second finger, and the simultaneous stimulation practically throws you into another dimension. The pleasure overtakes your entire lower half, your legs trembling from pure ecstasy as you approach your orgasm.

“Don’t stop, I’m going to---” Then, Jeno pulls away and shoves his tongue into your warmth. A gasp hits the air as he also continues to rub circles on your sensitive nerves. His tongue fucked your pussy incredibly skillfully and deliciously. With this switch, your legs violently shake and try clamping together.

However, his strength holds you wide and open for display. A low grunt follows suit as his dark eyes zone in on your contoured facial expressions. Then, the white light blind you once again and the ball of tension unravels itself on Jeno’s tongue. Squirming and screaming, your hips buck forward on their own. 

It is close to being too catastrophic, this being the most intense orgasm you’ve had after a whole year. Nevertheless, the satisfaction is right on the tips of your toes and you greedily indulge in the euphoric moment. Jeno feels your walls squeeze around his muscle as he laps every last bit of you up.

He is absolutely addicted to your juices, making sure he catches every drop. Finally pulling away, he wipes the extra drip on the back of his hand. Jeno blinks at your raising chest and limp legs. Chuckling, his warm hand massages feeling back into your body.

“Do you want me to carry you back up?” His hoarse, raspy voice wakes you from your post orgasm daydream. You flutter your lashes at him fondly and happily nod at his offer. 

Getting out of the car, Jeno walks over to the passenger side and your arms rest nicely around his neck. His palms support your butt, but also smoothing your skirt over to cover your decency. A poke against your outer thigh makes you realize that Jeno is strained against his jeans.

“I can take care of you too.” You pout cutely at Jeno, but he shakes his head.

“It’s not about me tonight. It’s about you.” Leaving a soft kiss on your cheek, his eyes turn into moon crescents from his lovable smile. The kind, friendliness makes an appearance again.

Or so you think! In a sheer second, Jeno’s deep voice rumbles your stomach and his hooded eyes pierce your soul, “next time though, I’m fucking you real good, babe.” 

You hum in response. Saliva collects in your mouth, already looking forward to more of Jeno. But a chilly draft brushes up your exposed area as Jeno carries you up the flight of stairs.

“Wait, Jeno… I don’t have my underwear on.” The ‘Level 3’ sign is in view as Jeno turns to walk. 

He only laughs and shrugs nonchalantly, “it’s better that way anyways.” Without another word, he continues upward to your floor and you playfully punch his solid chest. In all honesty, that’s not going to be the only time you leave behind your panties in his beloved car. 

Your hatred for the notorious Ridin’ Club subside after such a wild night. If anything, you owe it all to your shitty ex-boyfriend for joining such a ridiculous club. Without him and the club’s existence, who knows if Lee Jeno would’ve still swerve into your lane.