#thank goodness someone else bidded higher

[quinncupine]

I have discovered that I have the strangest group of coworkers ever, and I couldn't love them more!

[g0dlyunsub]

it takes two.

spencer deals with a lot on the field, but nothing can prepare him for when he’s stuck inside a locker with you.

pairing :: spencer x fem bau!reader

warnings :: 18+ due to sexual themes but no smut, slight claustrophobia triggers

word count :: 2.2k

author’s note :: inspired by a scene from s9e23, i'm imagining spencer in a fitted collared shirt and tie, reader wears a skirt

accompanying song :: stuck between by dutch criminal record

“nothing’s showing up on vicap. i’ve cross-checked records against everything you’ve mentioned, sir, but there’s literally nothing. zilch,” you hear garcia let out an exasperated groan as she ferociously taps at her keyboard. 

you watch as hotch kneads the skin between his brows with growing impatience while morgan starts to pace around the room. you’re not doing any better yourself, your stressed-out fingers threatening to tug at the strands of hair neatly holding your ponytail together. 

it’s too frustrating. the leads are clearly there, but your team is lacking the final puzzle piece to complete the profile, to confirm that it’s someone in the department that’s deliberately injecting themselves into the investigation.

“your answer is probably written down on paper. ugh, i hate when bad guys try to act all smart,” garcia fumes, and sulks as she gives an apologetic wave from her side of the screen. hotch nods, relays a thank you, and cuts the call before rounding the whole team together.

“think about it, those two are the perfect scapegoats. all of these agents have everything to lose, so why not just blame them? they’ve been in and out of cells already, and it makes perfect sense to craft a narrative that’ll point fingers at them,” morgan starts, making small gestures as he speaks with his signature cadence, topped with a honeyed rasp.

“and they’ve got all the authority to influence the public’s opinion,” jj nods in agreement.

“we need to try to get those two to talk again, but we also have to take extra precautions. jj and prentiss, go interview them one more time to see if they’ll spill any names. morgan, i need you to work with garcia to look for other possible leads. reid and l/n, go to the records room to review the files of the agents working with us. dave and i will try to hold down the fort,” hotch instructs, nodding at each of you as he rolls out the orders. 

“and try not to draw suspicion. if all else fails, say that you need to run to the bathroom,” rossi adds with a wink. it always amazes you how calm the italian agent is during such high-pressure situations, a trait you’ve grown to immensely appreciate.

“shall we?” you say as you nudge spencer, and he hums back in response. you bid a wish of good luck to emily and jj and traverse the hallway to the records room with the doctor, your heels clacking beside the cushioned steps of his slightly worn converses. 

after looking left and right to make sure no one’s around, spencer opens the door. you silence the sounds of your heels as you follow inside, and let the bolt of the lock plunge into the frame by slowly closing the door. 

“alright, you take the left, i’ll take the right,” you whisper, and spencer gives you a thumbs up. 

the two of you work silently and as fast as possible, sifting through the piles of records that lie on the tables and beside the cabinets. you feel your heart jump into a cartwheel every time a sheet of paper slips out of the manila folders, the sounds of rustling and creasing setting you on edge. 

“i found mcgregor and drew, but i don’t think it’s either of them,” spencer declares with a voice that isn’t supposed to sound loud at all, but it feels hundreds of decibels higher than the bare whisper you spoke with earlier. 

“okay, i found weaver and lee, but they don’t fit the profile either. let’s continue looking for the other two,” you call back. 

spencer walks over to you and kneels beside your left to help you with your search. once you spread the folders on the floor, you spot one of the two remaining files, and spencer soon finds the other. you’re about to turn through the sheets in the folder when the doorknob starts to shake, startling the both of you.

“shit. spence,” you blurt as spencer takes his file in one hand and grabs yours with the other, and shoves them into an open drawer. after he slides the compartment back with his careful and nimble fingers, you grab his arm and squeeze into a spare locker. you barely manage to seal the opening shut in time.

you could say that it was quick thinking that saved your and spencer’s cover, since the door jiggles and thrusts open a mere second later.

you never would’ve imagined that the day would come when you would draw air directly from spencer’s breaths, let alone enclose yourself in the same room as him. 

and yet here you are, perched on top of spencer’s knee, the scratchy fabric of his trousers resting under the hollow space of your pencil skirt and between your legs. his other leg presses against your side of the wall with an uncomfortable bend, while his chin sits an atom’s width from your forehead.

it’s a nonnegotiable consequence that comes with his tall figure, the way his clothed knee has to rub against your inner thighs under the draped fabric.

one of your hands lies awkwardly on his chest while the other is on his thigh, right above the knee that’s using you for leverage. your attention immediately shifts to your left when you see the rays of the intruder’s flashlight scope through the room. 

you stop mid-exhale when the light pours through the gaps of the locker, casting shadows on spencer’s face and your body. he looks stressed, anxiously wetting his lips with closed eyes, face turned away from you.

and he looks overwhelmed. rapid bursts of inhales and exhales fire from his body, likely due to the collar of his shirt being bound tightly around his neck with the tie. with shaking fingers, you slowly reach for his tie, waiting for approval to loosen it. 

you feel his forehead bury into the cave of your shoulder, and he whispers his desperate ask into your ear: “please.”

despite the lack of light around you, you’re able to locate the small end of his satin tie, and you tug lightly. the knot unfurls as you pull, and spencer lets out a small sigh of relief before breathing a low thank you in your ear.

as this happens, you hear the intruder surf through the piles of papers, unlocking drawers and lifting boxes left and right. hurry, hurry, hurry, you pray desperately in your head. beads of sweat start to form at your temple and threaten to fall down to your exposed neck, which happens to be situated directly in spencer’s line of sight.

“come on,” you hear the guest in the room complain, angrily flipping through papers and slamming the cabinets. you think it’s finally time for him to leave when you hear the high-pitched ring of his phone. 

but your eyes widen when instead of heading to the door, he makes strides towards the locker right across from yours, and leans his back against it before holding the phone up to his ear. holy shit.

“jensen speaking,” he says with a gruff voice, and plays with the button of his flashlight so it turns on and off spontaneously. as the light flickers, it dimly shines the space inside your locker. 

spencer turns his head to meet your eyes, a panicked expression covering his face. you’re about to mouth a small sorry for the helpless situation you’ve dragged him into, but just as you’re about to do so, spencer’s trousers slide against your legs, creating friction so unbearable that you let out a squeak. 

you freeze, looking up to see spencer’s eyes flash warningly. he instantly clasps your mouth with his hands to cover any further sound from escaping your lips, but with no form of support to maintain his position, he starts to slip, and his shirt lightly skids against the locker’s slippery walls. this is somehow even worse for you, because spencer’s knee starts to dig further up your legs and into your cotton underwear, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut.

luckily for the both of you, jensen seems to be distracted by whatever words are being spewed from the other end of his phone call to pay any mind to your suppressed yelps. 

“i think their agents might be on to us,” he scowls, and you watch from the corner of your eye as he tosses the last of his files into a box and opens the adjacent locker to ram it inside.  

“yeah, i’ll try to stall them for as long as i can. they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.” 

jensen curses and promptly ends the call, returning his phone into the pocket of his shirt. he finally walks to the door, sighing as he twists the knob and steps out. the two of you lie in wait for an additional three minutes before trying anything. 

“i think we’re good,” spencer huffs, finally opening the locker door with a thud as the sounds of steel clashing against steel echo throughout the air. 

“yeah,” you nod, taking a breath to collect yourself as you step out. you watch as spencer runs a hand through his hair and moves his fingers down to adjust his tie. 

he returns the stare, his adam’s apple bobbing when he eyes your wrinkled shirt and scrunched up pencil skirt – which looks more like a mini-skirt with how it sits right below your hips.

“i um, i need some air. how about you?” spencer asks at last, clearing his throat. you bite your lip when he starts to brush the dust off his thighs and knees, the moments of earlier flooding into the back of your mind like the warmth pooling between your thighs.

“yeah, i could use some fresh air too,” you respond breathily, averting your eyes and focusing instead on smoothing out your shirt and retying your loosened ponytail. when you’re done, you turn around and stagger to the door, not looking twice to see if spencer’s following you. an intense flush spreads across your cheeks, and your only viable path of escape is to the bathroom.

“you, um, missed a spot,” you hear from behind, and you follow spencer’s gaze to see that he’s referring to the back of your skirt.

“oh,” you say as embarrassment swamps you, and you hurriedly pat at the fabric. “does that look better?”

“it’s still folded there. if you want, i can- may i?” 

the question tumbles from his pretty lips and messes with your head. his hand hovers right around your waist, the same way yours lingered on his tie as you waited for his consent. and his softening eyes. his slightly smoldering gaze looks so innocent and alluring at the same time, your heart starts to feel heavy with the weight of desire. 

note to self: never wear a pencil skirt again.

“please,” you utter like a silent prayer, and mentally prepare yourself to endure the test of his fingers against your skin.

as soon as he receives your word, his hand lightly brushes against your thigh and trails down your skin. he takes the hem of your skirt and pulls down, giving several tugs before releasing the stretched garment. 

he clears his throat when you don’t move even after he’s retracted his hand.

“all good now.” 

spencer’s words drown out your thoughts and snap you back to reality. he’s already standing by the door, holding it open for you with a patient smile.

“thanks,” you say as you walk out and rub your hands together, nervous for what you’re about to say next. “spencer, um, i’m so sorry about that whole ordeal, it was really unprofessional of me to drag you in there, i wasn’t thinking when i-”

“you did the right thing,” spencer interrupts your ramble with the shake of his head, and his flawless smile pulls at your heartstrings.

“i would’ve pushed you in there if you hadn't. that door’s the only way in and out if you don’t count the windows,” he continues, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walks you to the elevator.

“oh,” you shyly murmur back, your cheeks flushing with a shade of bright pink as his words pour over you like warm water. he would’ve pushed you in there if you hadn’t?

“yeah, but how about we try a bigger locker next time?” spencer almost reads your mind as he half-mindedly jokes, causing you to drop your jaw in shock. he doesn’t acknowledge your reaction, however, because he starts to dial rossi’s number on his cell.

“by the way, the uh, new look suits you. the grey skirt and all,” spencer says with a lopsided smile before he raises a hand to excuse himself and call rossi. you’re saved the embarrassment of responding when rossi accepts the call, but your palms are already profusely sweating at his compliment.

note to self: maybe wear the pencil skirt again.

[roguishcat]

A sound judgement

Thank you so much @pursuitseternal for your request and for giving me this prompt (Magistrate Astarion AU, where he was never turned)! This was an absolute delight to write, even if it took me a while to actually get done. Hope you enjoy it!

Excerpt:

And this was when Astarion remembered that he was, in fact, the law and you had no choice but to obey him. A small voice in the back of his mind chose to remind him how badly this could backfire. Astarion chose not to heed the warnings of said voice and immediately began plotting.

Word count: 5.1k

Pairing: Astarion x female Reader

Tags: some suggestive themes, Astarion being a menace to society, Astarion being a brat, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff

❤️Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! ❤️

If you want to be added to my taglist, feel free to send me a message or leave a comment!

The afternoon sunlight brushed warmly against your cheek as you enjoyed a rare moment of peace. Instead of running around Baldur's Gate, fixing buildings, helping those in need, the Hero of the Gate for once decided to read a newspaper in a park. Something quite mundane for some, a rare luxury for you.

You were not slacking. But you have come to realise that in your bid to please everyone you would soon completely burn out. Which is why you didn’t feel a smidge of guilt when you found yourself going to Bloomridge park instead of the Upper City.

Not having to make any decisions and just simply be for an hour felt absolutely heavenly. Children played, the members of the book club gossiped, and couples whispered among themselves. This was exactly what you loved about this city. No matter how much havoc was wrought, Baldur's Gate healed rapidly and would soon be back to its former glory.

You cast your eyes over the articles in the newspaper. Nothing special, thank the gods. Just silly gossip and the like. You quickly looked through it and gave a happy sigh. No news was always good news in your books!

Yet, no matter how pleasant this little break was, you were well aware that your assistance was needed at ten odd locations today. It was time to get back to work.

Getting up, you looked at the newspaper in your hands and decided that perhaps someone would enjoy reading it. Afterall, there was hardly any reason for you to take the paper with you. And leaving it behind would probably save some poor apprentice a copper. Thus assured that you were doing no harm, you folded the newspaper up neatly and set it down on the park bench for another to enjoy.

Just as you were about to walk away, you heard someone clear their throat loudly.

"What do you think you are doing?"

It was one of the Fists. You didn't recognise him. Perhaps it was a new recruit, seeing as otherwise he would have known who you were.

"Excuse me?"

"You are littering," he stated, pointing to the newspaper with an accusatory finger.

Ah, so a simple misunderstanding.

"I am not littering,” you smiled pleasantly, in spite of feeling that it was rather strange of the Fist to worry about something as inconsequential as litter out of all things. “Just thought someone else might enjoy reading the paper now that I'm done with it."

The Fist did not look impressed by your explanation. In fact, if anything he seemed even more set in his belief that a heinous crime was being committed in broad daylight.

"I am arresting you for littering in a public garden," he seemed to think about it for a moment. "And for arguing with a city guard."

"I've hardly said any-"

"Resisting arrest, are we?" he drawled, making your mouth tighten as you bit back a snarky retort.

"No, I will come with you willingly," you grumbled.

Perhaps if you played along for a bit, you could talk to someone of a higher rank. Saying anything to an overly eager guard who was obstinately sticking to his accusations would just attract onlookers.

"Good. The judge is waiting for your arrival."

"What? What do you mean judge?" you frowned. What business did any judge have looking into misdemeanours and especially something like littering?

"His Honor Judge Ancunín is waiting for you. Don't dawdle. It's rude to keep him waiting."

Suddenly all of this made sense. You ground your teeth and followed the Fist. Of course it was Astarion! That ass!

"Oh, trust me. Him waiting for me will be the least of his worries once I see him."

You felt that you had every right to be annoyed at Astarion. No scratch that. You had every right to be livid and spitting fire! Because this was the fourth time that bastard got you arrested in a little more than a month! And every single bloody time if was for something dumb and trivial. You had no idea how Astarion managed to do it, how he knew exactly where you would be, and how he convinced those Fists that he was to be the judge handling your case.

That stupid, stupid ass!

He couldn’t just come by the tavern and talk to you like someone normal. No, he needed a show of power, especially with him being promoted to judge in high court! Because apparently this was how Astarion got his kicks nowadays. He needed for you to be near forcibly escorted to the courtroom and thrown at his feet. Preferably pleading for mercy and asking him if there was any way that you could make it up to him.

You scowled. The whole scenario just sounded like the plot of some cheap, third-rate smutty novel one would pick up at Sharess'. But if he thought that you would cower before him, that elf had another thing coming!

On the other side of the city, Astarion Ancunín was drumming his fingers against some book he was supposedly reading. Astarion was in a foul mood. It's been several months since the defeat of the Absolute. He and the merry band that defeated the cultists were celebrated just as you deserved for about a tenday, and then went back to your lives. Halsin was immediately off with his wagonfuls of brats, Gale returned to Waterdeep, Shadowheart went to live with her parents in the countryside, Wyll and Karlach waged war in Avernus whilst Lae’zel sought to overthrow Vlaakith. In short, everyone left the city except you and Astarion. Well, Jaheira and Minsc were probably about, but he didn’t care about them enough to check.

For a while, Astarion enjoyed the privileges that came with the title of Savior of Baldur's Gate. The fame had him moving up the ranks with impressive speed until he was promoted from magistrate to judge. No more minor cases! Oh no, he was in the big leagues now. And he was so, so bored.

Astarion could hardly believe that this dull, bureaucratic crap was all he did for years until he got tadpoled. And in the past, he enjoyed it well enough. But having experienced the thrill of adventure, the rush of adrenalin, the drama and the fun of travelling, he could not fathom sitting at a desk for the rest of his long, long life.

Which was when he realised that the only acceptable source of entertainment was you. Except getting to you was easier said than done. Everyone wanted your time and, being the annoyingly selfless creature that you were, it was near impossible to find any window of opportunity and see you for longer than a few minutes. And by the gods Astarion wanted to.

You two shared a couple passionate encounters when you were on the road and decided that you were better of as friends. Well, at least you decided that. Astarion was not quite on board with the whole platonic thing, but with death literally being around every corner, he begrudgingly agreed that a budding romance was the last thing you both needed at the time.

And this was how the two of you became friends. Except Astarion wanted more, so much more. And herein lay the problem. He never in the past had to woo anyone. His good looks and roguish charms were generally enough to have everyone chasing after him. An interested look and a smirk would often be enough for his potential lovers to drop their pants fast.

But this tactic, if one could really call it that, didn’t actually work on you. And he tried showing his interest. Astarion invited you on outings and to parties. Afterall, there were soiree aplenty where he his resplendent beauty would definitely be reason enough for you to want to sneak away and spend some quality time in some secluded alcove. Except yoh would actually have to turn up for that to happen.

Not deterred, Astarion tried sending you gifts and you sent him something equally pleasant back. Which he interpreted as 'thanks for the present, but not for the interest'. This had him gritting his teeth in annoyance but surprisingly not giving up.

Because he wanted, and craved and yearned. He wanted nothing more than sequester you in his rooms and not allow you to leave for weeks. Or until he felt that he fucked that whole ‘friendship’ idea out of your mind.

And this was when Astarion remembered that he was, in fact, the law and you had no choice but to obey him. A small voice in the back of his mind chose to remind him how badly this could backfire. Astarion chose not to heed the warnings of said voice and immediately began plotting.

So he abused his power in every way, had you arrested time and time again, dragged through the city and thrown into prison to await his judgement. You should have been flattered really that he went to all that trouble simply to arrange a meeting. Honestly, most wanted nothing more than to have a passing glance from him, when you had the entirety of his attention!

Except something seemed different this time. When you walked into the courtroom and levelled him with a look previously reserved for your enemies, Astarion wondered if perhaps his plan was not quite as foolproof as he had thought.

But it was too late to back out. He assumed a sort of casually reclining bored noble position and waited for the Fist to read out what you were being charged with.

It was a surprisingly long list. Perhaps Astarion should have chosen a less zealous guard.

As each wrongdoing was reported to him, Astarion couldn’t help but worry about the way your face darkened by the minute as your eyes shot daggers. He was quite sure that it would have been actual steel piercing his flesh by now if it weren’t for all those witnesses.  

“Enough,” he lifted his arm with an imperious look, making the Fist pause, only half-done with his report.

“Your Honor?”

“I see that this matter does indeed require my special attention. Yet, seeing as this is the Hero of the Gate,” he paused for dramatic effect noting with annoyance that this seemed to have the desired effect only on the scribe, the Fist and whatever staff were about rather than you, “I may be persuaded to lift the charges.”

“How generous of you…. Your Honor,” you said in a reverent tone that contradicted your face expression.

Astarion gulped, to his confusion feeling both concerned and aroused.

"Well,” he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, “I am nothing but generous."

"Of course. And earnest too!" you nodded. “Why, I am sure that your impartial perspective will allow you to deliver an objective verdict-"

"You forget yourself!” Astarion cut you off abruptly. He rather enjoyed your insolence, but appearances had to be kept up. “Justice should be a harsh lesson. To make sure that no such offense occurs in the future. I ought to administer the punishment where you stand. Make an example of you."

"Well, what are you waiting for, your Honour?” You leaned forward slightly and lowered your voice. “Punish me as you see fit."

Astarion thanked every god he could think of at that moment that he was required to wear loose fitting robes. Because he was already half-mast and carrying on with this conversation would eventually make his problem rather obvious to all present. That would be the Fist, the mages, the scribe, and whoever else was milling about that he generally did not notice. Wholly unacceptable.

"Do follow me, no guards required, thank you."

"But- but your Honor!” the Fist stammered, clutching the report to his chest. “What if she tries to assault you!"

"Trust me, I am perfectly capable of handling this one."

He pretended not to notice you rolling your eyes, motioning for you to follow as he started for his office.

You made your way down the long, winding halls, quite sure that you would be lost if it wasn’t for Astarion. Every now and then the surface of the walls would ripple, and a clerk would emerge from the depths of a secret passage and shuffle past, head bowed and curling in on themselves, only to sink into the opposite wall. If you were to press your fingertips against the surface, you were sure that you would find solid stone.

The narrow hallway widened and you walked into what appeared to be the archive, shelves filled with scrolls, stone tablets and books. A veritable cornucopia of every kind of crime carefully recorded and catalogued over centuries. You scowled as you thought of how your supposedly atrocious crimes were among the entries.

You walked up two flights of stairs and finally reached the door to what seemed to be Astarion’s office. The elf opened the door and stood aside, letting you walk in first. You scoffed and pushed past him, making a show of flicking your hair in his face. Astarion drew back a little with a grin, anticipating you doing something so childish.

The door clicked closed behind you and immediately magic hummed to life.

"Arcane Lock? Really?" you arched an eyebrow.

 "Just so we don't get disturbed, dearest."

Your eyes followed Astarion as he walked around his desk and sat in the beautifully upholstered chair. Just like everything else in his office, it looked eye-wateringly expensive and imported.

"How may I help you on this fine day?" he motioned for you to take a seat on the other side of the desk.

"How may you-"

You cut yourself off and took a few deep breaths before you said something terse that would get thrown into prison. Again. You took a seat, noticing immediately that your chair looked much less comfortable. Trust Astarion to make his company squirm in their seats.

"Astarion, I think-"

"Your Honor," he corrected you with a smirk.

"Fine, whatever! Tell me, oh great Judge Ancunín, ignoring the abuse of power, the made up charges and you potentially bribing the city guard into arresting me, what are you actually hoping to get out of this, hm?"

Astarion took off his glasses and started polishing them with careful, unhurried movements. Outwardly he was the epitome of calm and grace, the one in charge. Inwardly, however, he didn’t have a clue what to do now that he had your full, undivided attention.

Because eloquence in the courtroom apparently did not translate into eloquence with you. Astarion was kind of hoping that you would just somehow fall into his arms and then the two of you would forget about the battle of wits in favour of something far more engaging. But apparently you wanted a real, honest answer. And that would be tricky seeing as he didn’t know how to put what he felt into words.

The silence stretched, tensions high, your patience almost at its end.

"Do you know what? Fine,” you spat, narrowing your eyes at him. “Don't answer that. It was stupid of me to think that you would treat me as a friend. I'm just going to pay a fine or whatever else I have to do and be out of your hair. You obviously have better things to do around here than talk to my lowly self."

"I never wanted to be your friend,” he interjected, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"Well," you cleared your throat, annoyed at yourself for feeling hurt by his words. "You've made that plenty obvious."

Understanding that you misinterpreted his words, Astarion quickly grasped your sleeve as you prepared to rise.

"I- I am not sure exactly what I want,” he frowned, looking down at the polished wood of his desk.  “I have very little experience of wanting to be around others for the sake of enjoying their company. Getting acquainted with someone was always done with one purpose in mind, to climb the social ladder until I came out on top," he gave a little high-pitched laugh, running his fingers through his hair to brush it back.

"So when it comes to you, my dear, the last thing I want is to be your friend,” he took a deep breath, letting go of your sleeve to interlace his fingers to stop himself from fidgeting. “I have never wanted to be just friends with anyone less in my life.”

“And I don't know what you are to me,” he took a breath to summon the courage to carry on. “But when I look at you, I ache. We are good together. There is a potential for... something wonderful,” he did look up then, eyes locking with yours. “And I want to find out what that is, if you want that too."

You were stunned, momentarily speechless. Looking at him as if you were seeing him properly for the first time. Because it has been so long since you've seen that raw, earnest expression on his face. Body language filling in whatever blanks that were left behind by words.

"Oh hells, say something," he pleaded and put his hands on top of yours.

And then you were in his lap and your lips were on his, because you would be lying to yourself if you did anything but kiss him at that moment.

"You are still an ass," were the first words out of your mouth when you broke apart.

"Yes, dear," he kissed you jaw and then down your neck.

"I can't believe you had me arrested!"

"And I probably will again if you take days to answer my letters or otherwise ignore me," Astarion was already done with the ties of your outer clothing, discarding them by throwing them carelessly somewhere behind you.

"Do you know how embarrassing it was to be escorted to the courthouse? I bet newspapers will have a field day with this!"

"And any journalist who writes a word about this will be brought before me."

You tried to get his robes off him but were having trouble with the diamond encrusted broach holding the cravat in place.

"Argh, why do you insist on decorating yourself with all of these useless baubles!"

"Well, someone has to support the local businesses. You do your bit to see Baldur's Gate restored, I do mine."

"Oh, shut up," you laughed, finally getting a glimpse of his chest and running your hands down soft skin with a sigh.

"Feeling happier dear?"

You felt a breeze on your shoulders and then Astarion's hands cupped your breasts.

"No, I'm still annoyed at you."

"Well then I must double my efforts."

Clerks scuttled about the endless, winding halls, each wanting to impress their superiors.

A loud thump was heard, and a tremor reverberated throughout the building, making the panes of glass zing in protests.

A young human clerk gasped, "What in the hells is going on?"

"Judge Ancunín is questioning the Hero of Baldur's Gate," another replied with a yawn, seemingly not worried.

"This sounded bad, do you think he will need a hand?"

"What, ya mean since his own hands are full?"

The other clerks tittered, picking up scrolls and putting them back on the shelves.

"Oi, stop being mean to the newbie!" someone called from a distance.

"Or be even more of an ass and let him barge in, that would be even more entertaining," a tiefling chortled without looking up from his scroll.

"So, no one is in danger?" He said slowly, not really sure whether he was meant to ignore whatever was going on during an interrogation.

"Nope, in fact, I'm pretty sure that next couple of days are going to be easy," the tiefling took another scroll and added it to the pile in front of him.

Another tremor went through the building, making an ink pot fall off the desk.

"What do you think is going on there?" the young clerk whispered to the co-worker that seemed fairly friendly, unlike the rest.

"Aw crap, don't tell me that no one explained the birds and the bees to you yet?"

"Oh. Oh!" He gasped, a blush dusting his cheeks as realisation set in.

A halfling carrying thick tomes past his desk stage-whispered to no one in particular, "This one is not the sharpest quill, right?"

"Shit! Code Arsehole! Judge Buttershed is in our wing!"

An elf burst in, every head turning in his direction. The clerks stopped laughing, one hurrying down the hall towards Judge Ancunín’s office whilst the rest got to work with impressive speed.

"Why are you even covering for Judge Ancunín?"

The tiefling rolled his eyes at the newbie but graciously chose to reply.

"Because in spite of his eccentric ways and borderline obsession with the Hero of the Gate, he is the best we've had in years! Do you want to have to rewrite all your scrolls because your handwriting is neither here nor there?"

"Gods, do you remember the 'no use of magic above Level 1 in governmental buildings’?"

"Pft, that was nothing,” a handsome elf with long hair put up in a severe, tight chignon scoffed. “I heard they used to have gremishkas just to make sure no one used magic on site.”

"He's here!"

Most would not understand what the commotion was even about. To a casual observer, Judge Buttershed would appear fairly unremarkable. Just a short, portly man with a sweaty face and capricious expression whose spectacles were woefully unfashionable even a century ago. His whole demeanour screamed that he disliked everyone in this room immensely and could not wait to go back to his wing, where according to him things were still done the right way, and settle into his chair in his office.

"I heard that Ancunín was late for court yesterday. Again. Although, judging by the disorder I see here,” he boomed, a little spittle flying forth, “this is of little surprise. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to give him a stern talk."

"Considering his status, your Honour, is that wise?”

Judge Buttershed looked down his nose at the half-elf who dared contradict him.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? I will make sure to fire you first once Ancunín is out of here,” he pointed a fat finger at the clerk.

Expecting to see fear and reverence in forest-green eyes and finding neither, he cursed under his breath and made his way down the hall, muttering to himself and shooting hard looks at whoever happened to cross his path.

Thus assured that he was doing the only thing that would save Baldur’s Gate judicial system from collapse, Buttershed burst through the doors, all righteous anger, ready to deliver his judgement. Only to find his rival and the Hero of the Gate sipping tea, engaged in amicable conversation.

“Oh? To what do I owe the honour Buttershed?” Astarion quirked a brow. “What was important enough for you to barge into my office without making an appointment with my secretary?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me that way, you- you- charlatan! You know full well that you have no business sullying these halls with your disgusting presence!”

“Astarion? Who is this? I will make sure to mention him the next time I pay a visit to Duke Ravengard,” your voice was pleasant enough but the look you levelled the intruder with spoke volumes. “In fact, I was going to call on Ulder tomorrow. Luckily, with us being old friends and all, I hardly need to bother to make an appointment!”

Judge Buttershed was defeated, and he knew it. Whilst he was prepared to take on Ancunín, feeling that he could successfully make a case and prove that the elf committed professional misconducts, the Supreme Marshall of the Flaming Fists was not someone to trifle with. Bidding his farewells to you only, he left the room in a flurry of silk and barely concealed complaints muttered under his breath.

“Now, my dear. That was most impressive,” Astarion purred, taking a sip of tea.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you shrugged, picking out a particularly scrumptious-looking biscuit and happily crunching on it. And then selecting one more, wondering if Astarion would mind terribly if you took the rest with you.

“I mean, you accuse yours truly, saying that I abuse my power. But are you any better?” he set his cup aside to place a kiss on the corner of your lips, your cheek and under your jaw. “It’s nice to know that the heroes are as bad as the rest of us.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Astarion,” you popped the biscuit into your mouth with a smile. “Now then, I must leave. Seeing as I missed most of my appointments for today and have to reschedule, don’t expect to see me for a while.”

His hands tightened round your middle, head resting in the crook of your neck.

“Must you leave?”

“For now. But I will make sure to come by in the next few days or so, okay? I miss you when I’m not around you,” you admitted, looking at him from underneath long lashes. “But there is so much to be done still… I feel selfish. For feeling so happy.”

Ah. And that was your most vexing quality that he exploited so readily when you first started travelling together. Your damnable selflessness. He loved you for it. He hated that you extended it to others.

Astarion sighed into your shoulder and withdrew. You felt the absence of his warmth so acutely that it took all your willpower to turn around and walk out of his door at that moment.

Astarion got you arrested on five more occasions before he finally summoned the courage to ask you to move in with him. Not for any particular reason. You were barely home as it was, so did it really matter which space you cluttered up with your armour and such? Which corner you tossed your boots in at the end of a long, tiring day?

Astarion, of course, being quite meticulous, made sure to organise your things for you. He began by colour-coding your undergarments drawer. To which he got a mixed response, considering he expected nothing but enthusiasm and gratitude.

A year into you living together, Astarion tossed a book onto your shared bed with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Dearest, I got you this. Considering you might not have enough reading material.”

“The ‘Court of Love’? Let me guess, you saw the title of this smutty little number and just couldn’t pass by?”

“Something like that. Would you indulge me by reading out a passage or two whilst I get ready to retire for the night?”

You narrowed your eyes. Something seemed off.

“What are you up to, Astarion?”

“My love! Your suspicions wound me!” Astarion crawled onto the bed and leaned against the bedframe.

You didn’t trust him for one second, but decided to play along for now, being a little curious yourself.

“The culprit was dragged in front of the magistrate. Her heavy breasts heaving with every laboured breath, nipples erect and pointing in his direction… Oh gods, this is terrible!” you chortled, making yourself comfortable and putting your head on Astarion’s bare chest.

“Isn’t it? Go on then, I want to hear what happens next,” he grinned, twirling a strand of your hair around his long fingers.

You giggled and turned the page.

“The magistrate rose in one swift movement, his eyes flashing and muscles flexing. He moved slowly, a predator circling his prey. Her eyes followed him, heart hammering as he breasts rose and fell with every breath, her nipples-  What is with this writer and nipples?” you rolled your eyes.

“Hot, isn’t it?”

Astarion was clearly having a whale of a time, though he seemed to be familiar with the text, his attention directed at you, as if wanting to make sure he caught every reaction, every expression.

“Are the nipples meant to be moving around so much? They could be out there directing foot traffic! I’m guessing that you picked this up at Sharess’?”

“Indeed, I did! And who are you to judge the quality of this book!” Astarion said with an air of a mother defending her child. “I’ll have you know, it was sold out in hours! I worked hard to get my hands on this copy!”

Then something clicked in your mind. You read the next two pages quickly.

“Magistrate Arunin and the Hero of the Coast? Astarion, is this based on us?” you looked at the cover at the book to check the name of the author. And sure enough, it was the Fist that arrested you for littering and then two more times after that.

“I’m going to kill him!” you growled, throwing the book on the floor. “And I don’t mean that in a cutesy way. I mean I will literally run my sword through him,” you pushed against Astarion’s chest. The elf gripped you tighter to stop you from leaving, as you were clearly intent on making good on your promise in spite of the late hour.

“Being a slave to the quill is truly a dangerous profession these days,” Astarion laughed, flipping you over and manoeuvring you so swiftly that you felt a little dizzy until he had you pinned against the bed.

“Now, whilst that murderous glint in your eyes is truly fetching, I think our energies would be better spent on each other rather than on some writer. Besides,” he went on, popping button after button open and pulling your shirt open slowly, fingers trailing along your skin, “I hear that he is planning on writing a sequel. And I find myself eager to read what depraved adventures the magistrate and the hero will get up to.”

Your words of outrage were quickly cut of by insistent lips as Astarion kissed you, tongue darting out through the smallest opening in his mouth to coax your own to open. And then there was no more talking, just groans and sighs, and gasps and moans.

As night bled into morning and you were fast asleep, Astarion congratulated himself on his usual practical sagacity, as once again his sound judgement resulted in an outcome most pleasant. Perhaps you were not keen on his brilliant plan at first, but you had no reasons to complain about his ways of going about getting what he wanted now.

And thus assured that he was always right, Astarion pulled you closer and closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest.

💖 Tag list 💖:

@ninty900, @ayselluna, @dajeong, @ravenswritingroom,

@misscrissfemmefatale,

@clazberryk, @anukulee,

@preciouslittlebhaalbae,

@sh3rl0ck, @mellowenthusiast2299,

@fleetstreet78, @starlight-rogue

[ihni]

Imagine, a charity auction - you know, those ones from the movies where people bid on another person and it's like a "date" or a picknick or whatever. I'm not sure about the setting or the story behind it (school? basketball fundraiser? country club stuff?), but Steve goes there (is dragged there, perhaps) and he's Over It already and thinks it's stupd, but he's got money and it's for charity so whatever, he figures he'll do his duty and bid on someone and maybe have a meal and exhange awkward small talk with whoever, and then go home.

Anyway, to his great surprise, Billy Hargrove is one of the people who have agreed to be auctioned off for charity (unknown to Steve is that the charity is for abused kids or animals, and Billy feels Strongly about that, okay?). And like, he's wearing a good shirt, unbuttoned to his chest, and tight jeans and he's smiling with white teeth and his hair is perfect and Steve hates him suddenly, is filled with rage about this guy, his bully, standing there and smiling and thinking he's gonna bring in a lot of money and probably, like, score with whoever buys him.

And the announcer must know that Billy will bring in the most money, because she saves him for last, and when she presents him she wags her eyebrows and says that whoever buys Billy will have him all to herself, for the whole evening, and that he's up for almost anything and like, Steve wants to throw up a little.

But then an idea hits him and he thinks, what better way for payback than to bid on Billy? If he wins, Billy will be his for the whole evening; he can make Billy do whatever he wants - like rearrange the garage or clean the upstairs bathroom with a toothbrush. Or maybe, just maybe, he can demand an apology for that time when the guy gave him a concussion - he doubts that it'll be sincere, but just the possibility of watching Billy Hargrove growl out an apology, however insincere, is enough to have Steve's heart speed up.

Okay, so the most likely thing to happen is that Billy will laugh in his face and refuse to do anything Steve tells him to do, but at least if Steve wins, Billy won't be going home with any of the women here. Won't get laid, if that's what he's counting on. And honestly, even if Steve won't get to live out his petty revenge fantasies, it'll be worth it just to ruin the guy's plans for the night.

So Steve checks his wallet, and then waits until the bids are trailing off - they're already higher than for anyone else, and perhaps not so strangely, it's mostly adult women who have been bidding - and then he clears his throat and doubles the latest bid.

Everyone turn to look at him, but Steve only has eyes for Billy. His eyes are very blue in the light of the spotlight where he's standing, and wide as if startled. The smile has fallen off his face, but he quickly puts it back when people's attention drift back to him for his reaction.

The gavel falls, and Steve has just won Billy Hargrove for the rest of the day.

Now. What happens next? It could be a kind of pick-your-own-adventure kind of thing.

Romantic/fluffy: They are awkward at first, but they eat their food and Billy really IS kinda different like this, when it's just the two of them, and maybe Steve asks about why he even did this, and Billy lets slip that he really DID do it for the charity, that he doesn't care about the ladies but the CAUSE, and maybe he thanks Steve for the bid. Says that it will help a lot of kids/animals. And that thank you startles Steve, because who knew that Billy could be polite, huh? Human, almost. So he doesn't go through with his plans of making Billy work for it, but instead they just hang out for the rest of the night and like, they CLICK, you know? And in the end Steve confesses that he was GOING to make Billy do menial work as payback, and when Billy laughs and asks why he didn't, he just shrugs. "I don't know," he says. "This was ... better, I guess." And Billy looks down and then back up and licks his lips and nods, too. "It was good. Thanks. For not making me scrub your bathroom with a toothbrush." And they laugh, and then maybe they drink a little more and i don't know HOW but once they're both a little tipsy and interested and such, they kiss, too.

Angsty af: Billy 100% definitely expects the worst. He heard what the announcer said, too, and he's seen the leering way these women looks at him and he KNOWS it's a meat market, barely veiled prostitution, okay, so he knows what's expected of him by whoever wins. He's been psyching himself up for it - he's gonna sleep with whoever wins him, and he'll make it worth their while because while he won't enjoy it, it's what's expected of him and besides it's for a good cause and it means that he can somehow help kids/animals who are being abused so he'll just ... do it. But then STEVE is the winner, and Billy is so confused. Because he knows that Steve hates him, he's never made a secret out of that ... so why did he bid on Billy, when he has to know what kind of auction this is? (Spoiler alert, it's not REALLY that kind of auction, but of course Billy believes it is) Obviously it's payback, right? Right. So Billy squares his shoulders and figures he's gonna take this, too - if he can sleep with some old lady, then he can definitely stomach Steve and whatever the guy has in store for him (because at least Steve is a GUY, and also maybe possibly Billy might have had a tiiiiny crush on Steve since he rolled into town. Okay it's not so tiny. Okay it's still ongoing. Fuck). It's not gonna be like in his fantasies, maybe - Steve still hates him, after all - but he'll take what he can get. And so when they get somewhere alone and Steve starts making awkward smalltalk, maybe Billy is so set on what he's sure going to happen, that he decides to take the first step. Get it over with. Rip the bandaid off. So he turns so he's facing Steve and is like "Okay, so how do you wanna do this?" Steve looks confused and is like, "What?" Billy continues, powering through, "How do you want me? On my knees, or ...?" or maybe he just drops to his knees, to show that he's not gonna back out, he's not a pussy ... Cue a very confused and appalled Steve, but not for the reasons Billy probably thinks. Bad continuation; Steve goes with it, because hell, how many chances are he going to get to shut Billy up this way? Less bad continuation; Steve is horrified and pulls him to his feet again and they talk and clear the air. Billy being like "... but I thought you bid on me for payback" and Steve's like "Yeah, I was gonna make you clean my bathroom, you idiot!" (and Billy's like "... I'd rather suck your dick.")

Somewhere in between the two: Steve DOES go through with making Billy do menial work at his house as a means of payback. And Billy knows that he doesn't have to do it, that he can just up and leave, but he figures a) he kinda owes it to the guy for breaking his face that one time and also b) it's for charity and Steve DID shell out a lot for his payback so Billy will play along. So he rearranges Steve's garage, with dusty heavy boxes and stuff. He cleans the bathroom ... with a goddamn toothbrush, because apparently Steve is mentally eight years old. Steve, in turn, didn't expect Billy do ANY of the things he came up with, and is confused as to why Billy hasn't punched him in the face and left, yet. So he comes up with worse and worse things for Billy to do; hand-wash his dirty socks. Crawl in under the crawlspace under the house to remove old building material. Clean the drain under the sink. The whole time, he's expecting Billy to snap and just, stop. But he doesn't. So when Steve tells him to climb onto the roof and remove the bird's nest in the chimney and Billy's only reply is to ask for a ladder, Steve snaps (because that's dangerous, okay? he could DIE). "What the hell, Hargrove, why are you doing this??" "Doing what?" "Everything I say!" and then they shout a bit and it all ends with Billy saying that it's his way of saying sorry for what happned at the Byers' house, and Steve is stunned because he did NOT actually expect an pology. And of course Billy is embarrassed for not understanding that Steve didn't actually expect him to do all that stuff, and Steve feels like shit for making him do all that stuff when apparently the only reason why he did it was as a way of an apology. And by then it's pretty late so Steve offers for Billy to have a shower at his place and he'll get a late dinner started (they never even got to the eating part, since Steve didn't think Billy would even stay around for the FIRST task). And they have a late dinner together. And talk, like two civil people. And actually learn a bit about each other, after that.

(I'm sure there are like 20x more events that could happen, too. I just like the charity auction plot and I want like ALL the variations.)

Thoughts?

[arlakos]

Miraculous Sage AU

Ever since Marinette was 10, she could see spirits.

She could see them, floating about, moving in and between the crowds of mortals who walk through the streets of Paris. Some were beautiful, others majestic, some horrifying, but all of them were adorned with bright and beautiful colors, and all of them kept trying to reach out to the humans in the crowd, hoping one of them would notice.

Soon however, one of them noticed that Marinette could see them. A spirit that looked like a Raven, clad in the colors of red and black.

Then another spirit noticed. Then another, then another. Soon all the spirits began to swarm Marinette, excited at the idea that a mortal could see them, after trying for so long to be heard.

Naturally, Marinette, being a 10 year old girl, was scared by these spirits. The Raven, having been silent this whole time, was able to calm the crowd of spirts, before speaking to the girl.

The Raven explained to the girl that they were not spirits all all, but in fact Kwamii, beings of idea and concepts brought forth from the mind of all living things, but were unable interact with the living world due to being higher beings.

The Raven revaled themselves as Nevaar, the Raven of Knowledge, who long ago met a man similar to Marinette. This person, known as the First Sage, created items known as Miraculous that allowed Kwamii to appear in the regular world, in a bid to use their powers for good. However, the Sage refused Nevaar a miraculous on the grounds that they were too erratic and sly to be allowed to appear in the mortal world, not at all subservient like the other chosen Kwami were.

So Nevaar left, and kept looking for someone else to help her, having stolen the knowledge of how Miraculouses were created from the Sage himself, having sneakily watched him work on the first miraculous of the Creation Kwamii Tikki. Which lead the Raven to Marinette, having possesed the same power as the Sage.

Though Marinette was scared of the Raven at first, Nevaar's tale soon won her heart over, and decided that she wanted to help the spirts. So with Nevaars help, Marinette created her first Miraculous, the Raven Miraculous, so that Nevaar could be by her side and offer the bluenette their wisdom.

Then she made another, and another, and so on.

By 13 years old, Marinette Dupain Cheng had her own Miracle Box, filled with the Miraculous of all the Kwami she met. Her quiet world would be turned upside down however, when Marinette was given a Miraculous from someone else. As Tikki woke up for the first time, she met Marinette ... along with all of the latter's Kwamii friends. "Um....hi?" said Marinette weakly.

AU summary

Marinette is a Sage, being one of the few people who could see Kwamii's as intangible spirts.

She gets this from both sides of her family. Sabine's family is descended from the first Sage in Tibet, while Tom's family comes from a European Sage who created the European sect of the Order of the Guardians.

Marinette meets Nevaar, along with a bunch of other Kwamii, when she's 10 years old.

Marinette and Nevaar become friends, and with Marinette's knowledge, creates her first Miraculous, the Raven miraculous.

As a result of her training by Nevaar, Marinette has learned to not only create Miraculouses, can also modify them, allowing or removing restrictions on it's powers or the Kwami.

Unlike the Miraculous created by the Order, Marinette's Miraculous do not force the Kwami to follow their wielder's orders, allowing them some independence. The only thing a Kwamii must do is transform, mostly so that a wielder can transform if needed

Thank's to Nevaar's influence, Marinette is much more braver earlier than in canon, allowing her to stand up to Chloe much earlier.

Still, canon plays out the same, resulting in her gaining the Ladybug Miraculous and Tikki.

Tikki is left baffled by the fact that their newest wielder is a Sage, and one with their own Miracle Box to boot.

Feel free to ask me questions!

[harleychick91]

New SuperCorp Story!!!!

The Winning Bid (rated T)

Lena finds herself donating ten thousand dollars as she and a board member’s wife get into a bidding war. The prize? A date with National City’s Girl of Steel.

AO3 and FFN

Rubbing my temples, I stared at Sam and Jess who sat across from me. Both looked perfectly content after their outlandish proposal for the fundraiser. Are you kidding me? Auctioning off a date with Kara, well Supergirl, as a prize for National City’s Winter Fundraiser. It would bring in funds but how do I ask that type of question to my best friend? How will I feel seeing Kara on a date with someone? Especially another woman. She’s not been on a date since Mon-El. Is she even ready for that?

“Miss Luthor?” Jess questioned. “Are you alright? You have that look in your eyes again.”

“The one where she’s trying desperately to not admit she’s head over heels for her best friend and the thought of someone on a date with said best friend makes her skin crawl?” Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Definitely,” she chuckled. “If you strain too hard, you may burst a vessel. How are you going to explain that to Kara?”

“Shut up, Sam,” I grumbled. The action caused the brunette to laugh harder. “I could fire you.”

“You could,” she smirked, “but you won’t. You love me and Ruby too much.” Becoming serious, Sam continued. “The fundraiser is in a few weeks so you’ll need to ask Kara soon.” Hearing a soft knock, the woman grinned. “I wonder who that could be? Someone who has permission to freely walk in and knock on your door.” Jess looked between the two of us, refusing to make a sound. The tightness of her jaw barely hid her amused grin.

Running a hand through my hair, I tried to compose myself before the reporter entered. “Come in, Kara.”

“Hey!” Blue eyes fell on Sam and Jess. “Oh, am I interrupting a meeting?” Placing her bag and jacket on the coat rack, Kara studied us. “Is everything okay?”

“Lena has a question for you.” Sam stood with a grin. “Jess and I were just leaving. See you soon.” With that, the two women left. “Oh, Lena!” Sam popped her head back in. “See you at the meeting this afternoon.”

“Leave,” I smirked. I should fire them both. Sadly, both are far too good at their jobs to lose. Sighing, I leaned back in my chair.

“What’s going on? I could feel the tension as soon as I walked in.” Taking a seat, Kara’s brows furrowed. “And your heart rate is elevated.” She paused to listen again. “More than just too much caffeine.” Does she always listen to my heartbeat? My stomach dropped remembering a few select late nights after having one too many drinks. I hope not. “Lena?”

“Nothing is wrong,” I tried to smile. “I have a meeting with the board later today and have a favor to ask you.”

“Sure. What can I do?”

“I need Supergirl’s help,” I began. “The board has put me in charge of the door prizes for this year’s charity event.” Kara nodded, unsure of where I was going. “As you know, most of the attendees are of higher tax brackets so the prizes need to be elevated to compensate. Sam and Jess had the idea of auctioning off a date with-,” My voice trailed off. I swallowed a groan. “With Supergirl.”

“Oh…” Kara’s face fell.

“Obviously, you can say “no” and I’ll figure something else out.” Half of me wants you to say no but I have no idea what else I’ll do. I can’t exactly auction myself up.

“It’s for the children’s hospital and Toys For Tots, right?” I nodded. “Then I’ll do it.”

Relief washed over me. “You really don’t have to if-,”

“Will it help you?” The blonde studied me.

“You have no idea how much,” I sighed.

“I’ll do it,” Kara smiled. Please, don’t say it. “That’s what friends are for.”

Forcing a smile, I thanked the blonde and changed the subject. “When is Eliza flying in? I’m sure you and Alex are excited to see her.”

“We are!” She beamed. “Mom insisted we still have the Christmas party.” Kara paused, becoming bashful. “I hope you can make it. Alex invited Sam and Ruby. Everyone else will be there too.”

As if I could say no to that hopeful sparkle in your eyes. God, I’m wrapped around this woman’s finger. “Of course I’ll come. I bet you’ve already decorated for Christmas.”

“Yup!” Kara beamed. “Day after Thanksgiving I put everything up.”

“Of course you did,” I grinned. I love seeing how happy Christmas makes her.

“Halloween is your holiday and Christmas is mine!” She paused. “Have you decorated yet?”

My stomach dropped. “I don’t normally decorate since…” My voice trailed.

“Oh…” Kara fumbled, brow creasing.

What is she planning? I know that look. “Do I need to bring anything to the party?”

“We do a gift exchange each year. All gifts are under fifty dollars.”

“I’ll make sure to pick something up then.” Besides the gift I got you yesterday. “Did you have to promise not to use your x-ray vision on the gifts?” I teased.

A light blush tinted the reporter’s cheeks. “Yes,” she shrugged. “Years ago.”

Chuckling, I smiled at the bashful woman. “Well, I appreciate your help. I’ll pitch the idea to the board this afternoon and let you know if the idea is accepted.”

“Sounds good.”

Realizing Kara only brought her bag and jacket, my brow furrowed. “Did we have a lunch that I forgot about? Or coffee…” Flipping through my planner, I skimmed this week’s page for anything highlighted in blue.

“No, no. I was on this side of town for a story and wanted to say hi.”

“Oh, okay.” My chest warmed. She wanted to drop by just to see me. Ugh! Kara, just friends don’t do things like this. Not that I’m not happy to see you. “It’s appreciated since I know how busy both of us are this time of year.”

“I’ll always make time for you,” Kara smiled with a soft blush.

“Well, seeing you is always a welcomed surprise.”

Finish reading on AO3 or FFN

Happy Holidays!!!!

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 28/09/2024 (Alex Warren)

For a fifth week, Sabrina Carpenter remains at #1 with “Taste” - it’s been there since release, and shows no real sign of decline. I suppose time will tell, but for now, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, G-Eazy

Rundown

This is a pretty slow week, and if Alex Warren having the biggest debut doesn’t tell you that, everything else should, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened and of course, we start as always with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after a peak in the top 40 or five weeks within the covered region. This week, we bid a fair adieu to, firstly, a couple songs that really did not kick off and are gone really early like “ALL RED” by Playboi Carti after just a week in the top 40, “Moi” by Central Cee and RAYE, “Nobody’s Soldier” by Hozier and “Pretty Slowly” by Benson Boone, alongside two more seasoned hits in the form of “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone and, thank the heavens, “I Don’t Wanna Wait” by David Guetta and the hacks over at OneRepublic. I have never once said my coverage is unbiased.

Apart from Ariana Grande’s “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” back at #74 and “i like the way you kiss me” by Artemas at #71, just creeping back up in a slow week, alongside Coldplay’s “Yellow” at #62, we don’t have many returns of note, so we can look towards the interesting and relatively significant gains for “KEEP UP” by Odetari at #51, kind of surprised that’s making it higher, “Close to You” by Gracie Abrams at #47, “Who” by Jimin at #40, “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae at #37, “Carry You Home” by Alex Warren at #32 thanks in part to the new song which we’ll talk about later and the album next week. Then we have “feelslikeimfallinginlove” by Coldplay at #32, “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish at #23, “Embrace It” by Ndotz taking virality up to #20, and finally, “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan at #15.

And as for our top five, well, it’s mostly stagnant. Sure, at #5 and #4, “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter swapped places with “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, but our top three stays still: “Espresso” by Sabrina at #3, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan at #2 and of course, “Taste” at #1. Now to run through our batch of new songs, a small but really mixed bag here, starting with:

New Entries

#73 - “I Only Smoke When I Drink” - nimino

Produced by nimino

Alright, I’ll bite: who the Hell is nimino? And perhaps more importantly, does it matter? This is a woozy, bordering on fuzzy and lo-fi, spin on a house tune from a producer based in London who has been active since at leasst 2018 in EDM but hadn’t broken out with a big single until now. Firstly, here’s a way of telling if someone is more of a real deal bedroom producer finally getting a deserved break instead of an opportunist TikTok viral moment: this is a bit of a deep cut of a sample, isn’t it? R&B singer Rayana Jay released her song “Hangover” in 2019, it’s a smooth jam with just barely over a million streams on Spotify and a post-success feature from G-Eazy alongside the much more unknown and definitely much more talented Beni Moun. It’s not something that stands out to me, but is a cute enough song that closes her album - it’s rough to finish your record with a G-Eazy feature, though. It stood out to nimino though! He takes not the chorus but the opening line I wouldn’t think twice about to make the titular hook, turning it into a mantra unrecognisable from its original context.

This new song has flittering percussion and synths similar to a Fred again.. track alongside the filtered, more typical house drums which all eventually collide into a louder, almost overwhelming melodic blend against the original cooed hook. The main synth may be too loud, actually, but it phases in very well into a chirpy rhythm that really reminds me of the late 2010s with the cute vocal sound effects and one-offs like the kid laughing, the shuttered future bass-esque synth and nice little percussive percs that show a level of detail to the production here. The sound design is top-notch, the drop is not one-note as the second time around, we get a much more filtered rendition that renders everything into pitch-shifted fragments and even new elements from the original sample coming in, before a final lead-up to what seems like a crescendo amongst 2-step drums… and it just doesn’t arrive, which in this case is genuinely disappointing, because the potential is there for a longer song and really impactful third drop. For what it is, though, it still exceeds my expectations greatly and is a neat, fun little jam I wouldn’t be against seeing chart for a few weeks longer. I believe this is what the kids are calling “stutter house” but I may also need to check out more of nimino’s other work to see what he’s been up to outside of this viral hit, and also to see if he ultimately fits into that genre or, like many EDM DJs nowadays, is a jack of all trades. I feel like his late-summer, wavy sound will fit into many different styles. For now, I recommend this… and not really the song it came from.

#72 - “TEFLON DON” - Future

Produced by Southside, Topp, Peeb, MoXart Beatz, London on da Track and Desro

So, Future dropped an album. Or mixtape. Or album called mixtape. Either way you shake it, it does not seem like this drop will make as strong a wave of his duo of collaborative projects with producer Metro Boomin, primarily because of how there are no features, and it’s an overall rawer project that spends most of its time in and out of short, hard beats with a lot of decadence and deviance from the main affair and no-one else. Given its shorter length, the lack of other voices does not really lead to it dragging as you’d expect, and outside of other long-time collaborators Wheezy and Southside, there aren’t many recurring producers, and a lot of beats have varied contributions from several. There’s a snappier and more diverse palette of instrumentals than you could have expected as a result. However, that doesn’t translate to sales, and this album debuted at #11 on the UK Albums Chart, with only one song charting - I didn’t expect to discuss MIXTAPE PLUTO at all but I’m sure the last-minute music video helped matters, though it’s also the opener - I assume many tapped out after realising there wouldn’t be any guest stars, but Pluto does hold the tape well on his own. This has a hard trap beat, some operatic textures, and splintering production amongst the other alien loops that find themselves in his mix serving one verse from Future, comparing himself to John Gotti like many a rapper before him and not saying much of interest. Why do I prefer this to many other trap bangers? It’s simple: firstly, the beat has a genuine dark menace with the vocals and strings, but mostly because of Future, whose relentless flow locks him into falsetto vocal cracks and nonsensical ad-libs that add so much more character to this track than needs be. It’s far from my ultimate favourites on the album - “SURFING A TSUNAMI” and “LOST MY DOG” are what I recommend - but it’s a fair opener that primes you into exactly what you’d expect from a decent trap solo tape from the king of the genre.

#70 - “S P E Y S I D E” - Bon Iver

Produced by Justin Vernon and Jim-E Stack

Sure, Bon Iver. We’re just doing whatever the fuck this week anyway, it appears, so why not Bon Iver? Ostensibly an indie folk band around since the 2000s, the catalogue of which I’m admittedly not familiar, Bon Iver is synonymous with its lead songwriter and vocalist, Justin Vernon, who will often use the name when in collaboration with bigger acts like Ye, Taylor Swift and Travis Scott, with the Bon Iver albums themselves also increasingly using outside collaborators, making the name feel closer to, say, Tame Impala, even if they’re yet to be that level of one-man band, though they started out as such initially. It doesn’t appear that any of the band actually play on this one, though, with pop producers Jim-E Stack and BJ Burton helping out for a lead single I also did not expect to chart at all this week.

He has - or they have - got an EP coming out and interestingly, this has less of the folktronica, art pop and R&B influences Vernon has been messing around with for the past decade now, instead going for a stripped-back, conventional singer-songwriter track with some great acoustic guitar playing from Mr. Iver, alongside a falsetto vocal that I have always struggled to distinguish from James Blake if I’m honest, especially since I usually hear him in a poppier context. There’s not even a chorus here, but there is a delightful swell of strings jumpstarted by a floaty, almost flippant falsetto chirp from Vernon, though that same swell has a certain melancholy to it, fittingly when there’s a great deal of despair in the content. Vernon begs at the end of the song for him to be made a man from what’s left of his life, one that he acknowledges as full of mistakes, nothing like how he’d have hoped. He starts to enter the stage of sobering up, realising what’s been wrong by the tail-end, but that’s only after moping about self-sabotage for so long that actually articulating what the problem is seems unnecessary. The last verse’s last glint of hope is not a plea for fixing, but more a rearrangement: he barely even resembles the man he’s supposed, so with whatever remains, make a new one. It’s a sombre ballad, it won’t last on the charts, and there isn’t a particular moment that really resonates with me like a specifically poetic turn of phrase or vocal inflection: there’s little to the song over than vocal, guitar and strings, so it’s not very layered in that front. There’s something missing that prevents me from gravitating to it in a specific sense, outside of the context of the tracks it will be sandwiched between, but it’s a powerful vocal, pleaant listen and downright earnest song that deserves well enough to be here.

#66 - “Heavy is the Crown” - Linkin Park

Produced by Mike Shinoda

Well, I suppose with all the controversy floating around, you’d want to move quickly and release some good songs to shut everyone complaining up, right? Well, potentially, that method will work - given the YouTube comments and the tour on the way, with pretty much guaranteed sales, I don’t doubt it will. It won’t work on me, though, primarily because this song sucks. I liked “The Emptiness Machine”, but this feels pretty transparent in its approach: let’s recreate “Faint”. From their 2003 album Meteora, the single starts with an eerie strings sample before dropping into the distorted guitars and a jungle-adjacent drum sound, as co-lead Mike Shinoda raps slightly awkwardly with his characteristic digital stutter, before Chester Bennington crashes in for not just the anthemic chorus but a guttural screech for the bridge. It peaked at #15, but this isn’t a direct sample, instead just a very similarly-structured song which could be a decent thematic song, but it feels a tad lazy when Shinoda is referencing his own rhyme schemes and newly-hired Emily Armstrong also does a long scream in reference to Chester’s iconic one from “Given Up” that really just does not hit the same: technically impressive, but it doesn’t feel as “real”, especially with all the electronic, reverb-heavy production that has flattened this song in terms of having the impact it wants to, including that gross Auto-Tune pre-chorus and the unnecessary echoing. More than actually creating new and interesting music with their new members, this song feels more like a corporate-requested Linkin Park compilation of revisited ideas in a song that’s not even three minutes, squashed into some promo link with League of Legends. Yes, really. I appreciate that since they’re in a genre where sounding like you care is kind of required, they can’t go fully into autopilot, but this has erased some of my hopes for that new album, given this is completely a retread, very transparently, and nothing else.

#35 - “Burning Down” - Alex Warren

Produced by Adam Yaron

You know the stomp-rock revival is really coming to a head when we’re giving Alex Warren, who barely really has the one hit with “Carry You Home”, a serviceable folk-pop tune but nothing special or distinct, a second hit… and an album this week! Maybe we’ll see how that does to see if he can join Noah Kahan in being the figureheads for a really unexpected turn in pop - rock? - music, but for now, he’s got a new single to promote it, it’s debuting over trap legend Future on one of his many peak runs, a Bon Iver lead single, and megastar band Linkin Park’s video game crossover marketing launch, so there must be something to it. There must be. There’s not. Okay, I suppose, the gospel organs are a tad unique, even if it’s moreso just bringing the Christian imagery that’s often subtext in folk songs to a more explicit angle, reflected in the choral vocals and a tone from Warren that resembles David Kushner - yikes - over a dark atmosphere leading into the song that completely flails into a swinging tune by the time the chorus hits. It’s a nasty post-breakup piss-off, but it’s not fully unlikeable given the smug tone has some more genuine drama, with the backing vocals doing a lot of heavy work there, and the chorus being genuinely catchy helping a great deal too. I do find Warren’s vocals here actually pretty shit, generally, he sounds dull on the verses and I have no idea what emotion he’s trying to convey the rest of the time, not sure he does either. In fact, given the mediocre writing that doesn’t really give much detail, he’s the weakest link in a song that sounds more professional than the breakout track, but also in a variation of this genre I don’t have much patience for. It’s once again serviceable, and I appreciate that there is much more character to this than “Carry You Home”. The problem is that I don’t really like that character, and whilst it’s not as immature as a Benson Boone, at least he sells that unlikeability factor in a really uniquely stressful way. This is just unremarkable.

Conclusion

That word does tend to summarise the week, both chart-wise and with the quality of these songs, though most of them remain on a pretty positive edge of the spectrum. nimino, whoever that is, grabs Best of the Week for “I Only Smoke When I Drink”, with Bon Iver just cutting Future off for the Honourable Mention with “S P E Y S I D E” - if it were another track, he could have ran away with it. I can only give one bad title here, Worst of the Week to Linkin Park’s “Heavy is the Crown”, but it’s not as offensively bad as much as it just being utterly see-through. As for what’s on the horizon, expect Kylie Minogue and JADE to land their new bops onto the chart, then maybe something from Alex Warren and Lady Gaga’s soundtrack companion album… and then The Weeknd and Playboi Carti following up their faltering singles with an immediate collab that will probably debut pretty high. I can’t say I’m excited for all of that, but we’re entering the end of the year, with just two months of non-Christmas chart-reviewing, so I suppose we’ll have to see. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy and I’ll see you next week!

[scythegameing]

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 2: Meetings and a Late Night Meal

Word Count: 1477

The meeting was… interesting, to say the least. Scythe had barely made it to the Agency building in time, and when he did he was exhausted from the running and teleporting it took to get there. Spore was waiting to make sure everyone got there in time, and held the door open for Scythe as he walked through.

“Good, everyone’s here.” Voidling said after Spore closed the door to the meeting room. It seemed as though all major heroes from all five cities were gathered in that meeting room. Some of them, like Hotguy and Stratos, he knew from elsewhere. Others he knew from missions and general public services.

“There’s been more villainous activity around the North-Western Hermiton areas,” iWork pointed to the area in the map on the large round table. “Witnesses have noticed more frequent appearances of Ender, Tanuki, and Earth in the areas of the crime, though reports of seeing Earth have lessened in the last few weeks.” he continued.

Scythe looked around the table, making short eye contact with Joel and Scar, but made sure to look at a few more people to not seem too suspicious. Admittedly, he and Joel had been out more often as college and other work got stressful.

Voidling spoke next, “I originally thought of Just increasing night hour patrols and monitorization in the area, but I’ve come up with a different plan that I would like to run by you all.” Leaning forward, he continued,

“I’ve gotten a deal with a few of the largest and most credible Informatives throughout all of our cities. They have agreed to do what they can, and get us any information about the routes and inside information on Ender and Tanuki, but it is a very expensive deal.” By the time he was done talking, his brows were close together in deep thought.

“Does anyone have any other ideas or anything they would like to ask about this plan?” iWork asked the group after a few more moments of silence.

There was a good five to ten seconds of silence and awkward looks around when finally someone seemed to speak up. “How do we know if we can trust the Informatives to give us correct information? They may be the most credible out there, but that doesn't mean they won't provide false information if they get a higher buyer, right?”

Everyone turned towards Cuteguy. After a few more seconds of silence, The Sheriff spoke up. “I think I understand where he’s coming from. Most of these guys work for money or some sort of trade right? How can we be sure that someone else won't come around and out-bid us in a way?” He finished with a look around the large, central table, his gaze stopping at Voidling and iWork.

The two looked at each other, then back at The Sheriff and the rest of the heroes. After what felt like a few moments too long, Voidling finally spoke, “I see where you’re coming from--” he looked at The Sheriff and Cuteguy, “--both of you. There is no way to know for sure, and that is exactly why I wanted to call all of you here so we may discuss this together. I don’t have much more information to give you guys, but does anyone have any questions they would like to ask?”

Scythe definitely had questions, but he only asked one of them. “If I may, who are the informatives? I’ve done my own research in the past about these informatives, and I have some knowledge that might help. Like for instance, they usually refer to themselves as Informative Operators, or IOs for short. 

They talk to eachother alot too, and have this sort of network between everywhere and everyone to make sure they all have the latest news, in a way.” He realized he trailed off a bit, and looked up to see everyone looking at him as both surprised and impressed.

Obviously, he knew this not because of research, but because of his own friends, although the people who don't know already don't need to find out.

“That… is actually really useful, thank you Lux.” Voidling finally said. “Our current ‘IO’s that have provided themselves available to us are Storyteller, Slab, Snowfall, and The Above. I have also done my own bit of research, though clearly not as much as Lux, and have found that they are known to be some of the most timely and trustworthy providers.”

All of the gathered heroes discussed amongst each other for a few minutes longer, and an endpoint was reached. Voidling would ask each IO if they would be able or willing to gather the information that they are looking for, and in turn they would each get paid handsomely.

Scythe did have a little bit of anxiety about this agreement, though he did do well to not show it to the other heroes. Two of the named IOs are close friends of his, and another is one of Joel’s partners. He wondered how Joel reacted to his partner being named as a detective of sorts for a case on himself, and made a mental note to ask him next time they saw each other outside of the Agency.

It was around 2pm when Scythe had finally gotten back to his dorm room, and he felt like he could sleep for a decade. He had exhausted himself getting to the meeting, had to still put up his full illusion for roughly 3 hours, then had to travel back across all of Hermiton to get back to his dorm room. Getting back took almost an hour and half by itself since he was so exhausted.

By the time he got to the city border of Cursia and Hermiton, his illusion was completely gone. He still had about a 20 minute walk from the border to the campus, and another 10 from the campus entrance to his dorm room. He expected to meet Ella as he walked in the door, and wasn’t surprised when he walked in and saw her sitting on the couch, turned towards the door to see who was coming in.

Scythe tiredly smiled at her as he closed the door behind him, and he almost lost his balance as he walked to the couch, though he would never admit it himself. Ella looked at him with worry in her eyes as he sat down and asked, “Are you alright? And don't tell me yes, we both know you aren’t.”

“Then why ask if you already know?” Scythe complained. “I was exhausted by the time I got there, had to hold up for hours, then had to come back while still being exhausted. Take a wild guess as to how I’m doing right now.” Even though his words and tone sounded harsh, him and Ella both knew that he didn’t mean it in a rude way.

Instead of saying anything back, Ella simply put Scythe's head on her shoulder and draped her arm across his shoulder, bringing him into a half-hug, half-cuddle pose. Scythe simply took a deep breath and leaned into the embrace.

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

It was around 11pm when Scythe woke up, and he hadn't even realized he fell asleep. He groaned as he sat up on the couch and looked around, finding Ella still asleep on the couch. He realized by the way she was lying that he must’ve fallen asleep on top of her or leaned against her, and he kissed her forehead before getting up completely. Grabbing a blanket, he made sure to softly drape it over her to keep her warm in the chilly dorm room.

Then his stomach growled. And he realized he didn't eat anything other than a very rushed and incomplete breakfast. “Shit…” Scythe cursed quietly to himself.

Making his way to the small kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out some eggs, and pancake mix from the pantry. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he started making pancakes and eggs as a late night meal, but I mean come on. How quiet can you realistically be?

It wasn't very long after he turned on the stove and got the pancakes started that he heard Ella start to stir. He turned around to see her sitting up and rubbing her eyes, trying to get rid of the sleepiness.

“Good morning sleepyhead. You up for a midnight snack?” Scythe asked as he turned back to the stove. She chuckled

“That's rich coming from you, who basically passed out on me as soon as you leaned over. But yeah, that sounds great actually.” she replied, standing up from the couch and walking over to Scythe.

“Sounds good. Could you start the eggs for me? It shouldn't be much longer until I have enough pancakes done.” he asked her, and she nodded and grabbed a pan to start the eggs. The next 2 hours flew by, and after the pair were done eating, they both went to bed, for real this time.

(AN: Scar and Joel are both heroes, and their aliases are Hotguy and Stratos, respectively)

<<<Previous Next>>>

[realm-sweet-realm]

What cult tactic would each one use to gain followers. Joey Drew. The plague doctor. And I am William Afton.

Awesome question!

To be clear, I do not think any of this canonically happened, but all of them would make for a not-very-divergent AU.

For Joey Drew, it's obvious. It was the Great Depression. If he were to start a cult, he'd prey on the desperate, who would be abundant at the time.

Once he has them hired, the employees would be subject to many tactics that cults use: sleep deprivation, limited contact with outsiders, and dietary control. Joey canonically encouraged his employees to sleep at the studio and kept Henry from seeing Linda thanks to his heavy workload. Doing this intentionally, with a special emphasis on doing it to those who seem susceptible, along with encouraging his employees to live on a nutrient-deprived diet of bacon soup and vending machine snacks, isn’t that much of a stretch.

So, now your target population is isolated from the outside world, most of their friendships and even relationships being from within the studio. They don't have any of their own time to seek meaning. They're dependent on you for a paycheck during a time when jobs were hard to come by. And they're tired and dazed. It's the perfect time to start bringing a... spiritual element into work. He'd start having mandatory sermons about demon worship and creativity and Bendy, making their labour out to be noble and the studio's creations to be above all else. He'd plaster such messages everywhere in the studio, in every poster and memo. Sure, to some, they're just being dragged to church, but others would fall for it, and Joey would know the difference.

Joey would collect an inner circle of loyal people to do his bidding. If he wants someone specific, he can always spike their coffee with ink. A part of their servitude would be getting sacrifices and participating in rituals, or being sacrificed into ink creatures themselves, but so too would be creating a culture of obedience and fear in the studio, such that not even the most skeptical speaks against the cult.

The Plague Doctor also has a desperate demographic he could exploit: the terminally ill and their loved ones. He could use his followers as proxies to recruit people straight from hospital waiting rooms. In extreme cases, they would kidnap people from hospital beds and bring them to the doctor for supernatural healing in exchange for a period of servitude.

He wouldn't have to explain the zombies, or what "the pestilence" is. His followers would follow him because it's in exchange for life-prolonging treatment. Leave the cult, and you quickly get sick and die.

Most would not believe him, but some would be convinced that a healer so powerful must know what he's talking about when it comes to the pestilence. These would be his inner circle and would clamp down on the disobedient by dragging them to Doc for zombification.

William Afton would take a different approach. As a pillar of his community and a social butterfly, he interacts with all sorts of people, and he's keenly tuned to people who are a lot like him. Scared. Guilty. Filled with terrible urges to commit violent acts. Wanting a way to sate their desires and quell their negative feelings. William would find said people, often at churches or parties, recruit them with the promise of immortality, interactions with others like them, and a goal that allows them to sate their bloodlust. He would hire these people, train them, and elevate them to leadership roles in his company. He would also get on the good side of powerful people such as Hurricane’s mayor so he could have others look the other way on his crimes.

While William would only recruit a small number of people, he would also have his company at his beck and call. They don't know why they're being asked to design the things William asks them to, and the most obviously evil parts of the job are left to the higher-ups.

The cult continued after William's death. They created Glitchtrap so he'd live on in some form, not realizing that William's obsession with immortality was less about avoiding nonexistence and more about not wanting to experience a punishing afterlife. They're still recruiting new members, researching remnant, and concocting new ways to wreak havoc.

[liminal-storage]

Blind Call

Bit of writing thanks to a plot thread given by @punches-and-cream-puffs.

Warnings: Mentions of violence/violent urges?

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

The scent of wet leafrot pervaded the air, just as a feeling of rot pervaded her mind. 

Well, not rot precisely, but something else. A distraction. Worry dancing intimately with something else. There was rage there, of course. Rage in its proper place. 

Her footsteps carried her rapidly down the paths of the Lavender Beds, feet contacting paving stones with more force than was necessary. As if she were on a mission. As if she had no mission at all and merely needed to expel some pent-up energy before it killed her. The stones glistened, slick and dark after rainfall, but she took no notice as the autumn-chilled water splashed up around her boots. 

Since the day of the auction, wherein the bids had been high and the tensions even higher, one thing had been plaguing her. Something vital found amongst the sea of taffeta and gilded masks. Where she had expected to feel awkward amidst the well-dressed and wealthy echelons of Ishgardian society, she found distraction instead. 

Certainly there were sights aplenty to serve as that distraction, but lack of need outweighed any actual interest. Artifacts and artwork couldn’t pull her focus from the task at hand, and she’d remained unswayed in parting with contents of her gilpurse. Yet distraction came all the same. Not in bidding but in gossip, in facts that sent her reeling in a way that bid silence be her companion for that night. 

A good investigator never let go of a solid thread, and while she certainly had not done that, she had perhaps pinned said thread for another day, another worry. 

When the time came for fighting, she’d moved almost automatically. Instinct and muscle memory, rather than actual thought or strategy. Slash, move. Blood flowed, weapons clashed, arrows sang through the air. But the information that had reached her ears echoed over and over again long after the enemy had fallen. 

Those echoes made her blind beyond that night, too. Blind to another problem presented thanks to Arafel. Blind to evidence within the cave on Priarch’s scouting mission. Ignorant to the answer to a simple bit of wordplay. Underneath everything, the worry and anger, there lingered a burning desire…no, a need to tell someone of what she knew. 

"I heard Marcelloix chased off another pretty little thing; he has an eye for fine things and fine women, but his temper..... Heard he was following her straight out of the auction before it could even start! Think of the scandal; I hope my Eloisa finds a better match than -that-."

The name had, of course, caught her attention immediately. It was a name she’d kept an ear out for going on moons now. To hear it at the auction came as something of a surprise, but the rest of the statement bade her dismiss that particular line of gossip. The Marcelloix she’d heard of seemed careful in keeping up an air of humility and kindness. How else would he hide what he had done, had been doing for years?  Her gaze had shifted from scanning the nearby book titles to the small group of masked women standing nearby. It was from that group that the sound of that name had drifted, but it was a couple speaking near the piano that stole her attention. 

"It's a shame Ser Vadeboncoeur couldn't make it; Marcelloix would have loved these scenery paintings. But you know how hard it is to pull him from his humanitarian works; heard he's pouring his gil into some orphanage project now." 

And there it was, the lingering distraction. The name Marcelloix again, but linked now to a profile more in keeping with the picture Teagan had painted of who he was. What’s more, that name had a second, a surname that she’d been hoping in vain to hear until that night. The gossip could’ve made her feel sick. Humanitarian? Him? It was almost laughable. The talk continued. 

"I hear the Vadeboncoeurs couldn't make it, but you know how they are. I'm sure they have one of their servants here to pick out some fine pieces to add to their own collections, while the master of the house does what he does best. Heard he's been tracking down some assets that were lost a few years back; I admire his determination. It's no wonder his ventures are often so profitable."

Something horrible seized her then, a fury so great that she hardly realized the bidding on the amphora was beginning. While the words came to her ears on gentle whispers, it felt more like someone had inserted needles into her nerve endings. 

Heard he’s been tracking down some assets. 

Assets. 

Teagan and her shaken demeanor. The knowledge that the man had the audacity to touch her, to try to lure her away for a ‘friendly chat..’ 

Assets. 

More water sloshed underfoot as Kuni made the last turn towards the bridge and the ferry out of the Lavender Beds. She needed rougher terrain for her wandering. She needed to tear into something. She needed to get away from houses and lights and people. 

Everyone had different facets to their personality. Faces they presented to the public. Secrets they only showed their loved ones. Horrors they’d never tell their loved ones about. 

Did Marcelloix’s family know what kind of monster he was? Did they know, and support his endeavors as complicit supporters meant to keep up the charade? Or were they oblivious, convinced that he was as kind and gregarious as the public thought him to be? 

She’d kill him. 

She’d drag him underground and bind him there, fated to die alone and forgotten. She’d skin him alive and leave him under the desert sun. She’d let her companions have a turn at him, drawing out his punishment day by day by day. There was no forgiveness for the things he’d done. 

Even if some might argue otherwise.

Perhaps that was simply one of her own facets. Cruelty and wrath to contrast the kindness and tenderness given to her loved ones. And where she truly existed lie somewhere in between. 

That was fine by her. If her place somewhere in the middle of kindness and wrath meant that she could track down this beast, it suited her well. 

His name was a prey’s scent, and now that she had it, she would never let it go.

Now, if only she could do something about the anxious fury thrumming in her veins.

[nancypullen]

Annnd I’m Back

I may have mentioned that the mister took a quick trip down to visit his mother and siblings, I’m flying down to see my mom in March so I didn’t tag along on this trip.  I still have sticker shock from buying my March ticket.  Granted, I’m flying into a small airport but if I’d left from Nashville the price would have been just under $200, leaving from Baltimore (same carrier)  was almost triple that. Ugh.  I’m still going through Atlanta so it’s not like I was able to book a nifty non-stop. It is what it is. Just seems like a rip-off, and I’m in denial about things like longer trip, added fuel costs,etc.  It’s not that much longer.  Anywayyyyy, enough beefing about that.  While Mickey was out of town I unplugged.  I ignored news, social media (mostly) and even email.  I lost myself in arts and crafts, reading, and watched a lot of Ina Garten.  It was soothing.  I forgot about the crazy world and just existed in my happy bubble.  Sure, I could do a lot of that when my spouse is home - but it’s lovelier to do it with no timetable.  I could skip making meals because if I wasn’t hungry it didn’t matter. I’ve been worrying about everyone’s meal schedule but my own since I was eighteen. Turns out I really only get hungry about once a day. I might be onto something here.  Oh sure, you could say that just because I cooked for someone else doesn’t mean I have to sit down and eat it too.  Get outta’ here with that crazy talk. I could waste away to normal doing that.  Most of my meals looked like this - roasted green beans, brown butter carrots from the crockpot, and a dab of garlic aioli to dip those beans in.  Healthy-ish.

Moving on to the crafty part of my week - some of it was practical and some of it was frivolous. I happen to think that frivolity is a necessary part of life.  The practical side of things had to do with that big ol’ trunk I bought a couple weeks ago. It sits under the double windows in the master bedroom (I’ve been told that’s politically incorrect and it should be primary bedroom).  That’s the perfect spot for it but it blocks a heating/cooling vent.  I figured all it needed was a little lift.  I found some wooden legs, not quite as big and squatty as I wanted, but I’m a fan of using what’s available.  I called upon my old friend spray paint...

and in no time that trunk was raised just to window height (the cats love it) and air was once again flowing freely.

I wonder where that trunk has been and what it has held - wish it could talk! My next project was equally as easy, and involved tea cups. There’s an auction house in Denton, Trice Auctions, and you can buy anything from tea cups to a dump truck there.  I opted for the cups.  Trice is a company that handles mostly estate sales. Every week they post a variety of goods and you can bid from the comfort of your home and pick up your winnings the following day. I tend to get excited over furniture and dishes (McCoy bowls, Fire King Jadeite, etc) and my picks usually close at a higher price than I’m willing to pay.  Nice to know I have good taste though. I’ve purchased some gorgeous frames - a grouping of three for TWO DOLLARS, and some beautiful tea cups and saucers. The cups and saucers came in at about two dollars a set, so I spent something like eight or nine dollars on those.  I’m turning them into pretty bird feeders. Anything is possible with Gorilla Glue.

I’d ordered a set of plant stakes from Amazon - the type that support large plants, I chose some that are 30 inches tall. 

Once again, my BFF showed up to help...

they arrived silver, no thank you.  I would have loved to really dress them up, maybe use something glittery, but I went with a good, solid green so that the stake will actually blend in with the gardens or potted plants where they’ll eventually be placed.  Once the stakes were dry I glued the saucer to that circular part and let it set.  Then I glued the tea cup to the saucer.  When spring arrives my porch plants and a couple of garden spots will offer bird seed in these sweet little cups.

I’ll put them in protected areas, and they’ll be easy enough to rinse out with a hose.  I’m convinced that the birds will appreciate the bit of fancy.  I’d love to see a robin or wren perched on the edge of that cup and enjoying a snack.

I did play with a bit of clay this week as well and made a pair of earrings to celebrate the arrival  of February. I figured it was easier to make hugs and kisses than groundhogs.

And since the grandgirl’s birthday is coming up I made a little bo for her to store the crown jewels.  She loves nothing more than a tiara and to deck herself in glittery, shiny things.  The universe gave her the right Grancy for that.  I try not to give her things that don’t come with a storage container of its own.  Imagine a little girl with two sets of grandparents, some great-grandparents, and a collection of aunts and uncles who love to give her things.  It fills up a room and a house pretty quickly.  That’s why I try to provide storage with the gift.  I found one of those magnetic-close boxes (in pink!) for a couple of bucks. It’s about 8 inches by 11 inches, so perfect!

 I rummaged around in my odds and ends and found some black velvety fabric.  Probably left over from a long ago Halloween.  So I measured a piece of cardboard from the bajillion Amazon packages we get, and made sure it fit the  box.

I had some pillow stuffing, but you could use foam, batting, whatever you have handy.  I glued that down on the cardboard, wrapped the fabric around that and glued it in the back, then glued in the whole she-bang, and now we have a box for her crowns.

I’ll put some smaller boxes inside to hold her clip on earrings and some sparkly necklaces.  Every girl should have a treasure chest, right?   I feel like I need to swipe those inside walls with a hint of glitter.  Maybe not. So there you have it, I was alone for four days and didn’t waste a minute of it.  In my world anything is possible with paint and glue.  I didn’t share the painting that I worked on because it’s in progress - but I’m getting better at florals and I’ll be using some of those pretty frames I picked up at the auction.  I’m thinking of branching out and doing multi-media collages with my dead people.  Why limit them to cards? I’m sure some woman needs this on her wall.

Or maybe this in her office.

On canvas with a combination of paint, fabric, and some doodads - they’d make nice gifts for girlfriends.  Can you tell I’m trying to talk myself into it?  I’m going to give it a whirl.  Why not? And that, my friends, explains my absence for the last few days.  I’ve been knee deep in fun.  Well, my kind of fun.  I hope that you’re doing something that feeds your soul and takes you away from the crazy world from time to time.  We all need it.  My talents are meager but I still find joy in using them. Use up what the universe gave you - your singing voice, your athleticism, your musical talents, your green thumb, your baking skills, whatever it is!  Don’t waste your gift.  You don’t have to be the very best at it, you don’t have to make money from it, if you enjoy it - that’s enough.  Don’t turn pleasure into pressure. On that note, I’ll wrap up this rambling post. Sending out oodles of love and crossing my fingers that the groundhog sees his shadow tomorrow. I know, I know, everyone else is sick of winter.  I just want one blizzard and then I’ll shut up.  We woke up to a dusting of snow today and it was gone by noon. Not good enough.  Come on,  Punxsutawney Phil - throw me a bone!

Hear me out, even if it stays chilly we’re still gaining daylight, right? Win-win! Until tomorrow - stay safe, stay well.

Nancy  

[derpy-dogs-n-cats]

Donor 1.

Main Masterlist

JJK Masterlist

Part 1.5

Yandere! Satoru Gojo x Fem! Reader.

Warnings: Yandere themes, somewhat non-con, implied panty-stealing, implied male masturbation.

Summary: Gojo decides to make a few last minute changes in your artificial insemination.

W/C: 1.4k+

“Okay, thank you, you too, bye bye.” You bid farewell over the phone while the apartment door opens in the background before you hang up, letting out a noise of excitement. “What was that? I didn’t know humans could make that noise.” Your roommate jokes as he enters the kitchen area. “Gojo! I just got off the phone with the facility, someone just cancelled and they gave me their spot! I’m going in tomorrow!” You enthusiastically explain, unaware of the way his smile falters, replaced by a frown.

Tomorrow? That’s too early for him. He’s been too busy to make his move, and despite still being busy; he has to make the time now. “I’m finally gonna be a mom!” You add with the biggest smile he’s ever seen. “That’s amazing!” He quickly composes himself, burning with rage inside. “Though, to tell you the truth… you don’t need artificial insemination to have a kid of your own.” He comments.

“I know, but I don’t exactly have a volunteer, and knowing the dad of my kid sounds like a hassle.” You roll your eyes at the end. Of course it’d be a hassle, you hate relationships, it’s the whole reason why Gojo’s had to tone down his insistence on taking you out, at least he doesn’t have to worry about someone else stealing you away. “Well, if you need a volunteer, I’m right here.” He gives you a thumb up, pulling his blindfold up from the side to let you see him winking at you with a goofy smile.

“Come on now, that joke’s gotten old. You know I’d never do that.” Your voice turns serious, annoyed at him for repeating himself. He feels a sharp pain in his stomach with his rage boiling hotter, forced to maintain his front. “Relax, of course I know that. Anyway, I just dropped by for a quick shower before heading out again.” He moves towards the exit of the kitchen. “What’s it about this time?” You ask.

“Just the higher ups with the same problems, nothing to worry about.” He waves a hand dismissively as he heads to his room, locking the door behind him before unzipping his pants with a hand reaching into his drawer for a used pair of your underwear.

~.~

“Good evening, I’d like to speak to Dr. Tanaka.” Gojo stands at reception. “Do you have an appointment with him?” The receptionist asks. “No, but he’ll want to hear this.” Gojo assures. “I’m sorry but Dr. Tanaka is very strict in regards t- Hey! You can’t do that!” She shouts when Gojo snatches a paper that informs him of his whereabouts. “Don’t worry, it’ll be quick.” He tosses the paper behind him nonchalantly, walking through the halls of the facility you’re scheduled to go to the next day.

“Dr. Tanaka!” Gojo bursts through the door, seeing him sat at a desk with a patient, startling them. “It’s so good to see you again, I’m sorry to burst through but I have something very important to tell you.” He continues speaking. “What the hell are you talking about?! I don’t know you! Get out!” The doctor shouts at him, having stood up from his seat. “Don’t worry miss, this’ll only take a few minutes.” Gojo directs out the older patient.

“What are you doing?! Who the hell are you?!” The doctor continues to shout as he shuts the door. “Now that we’re alone,” He locks the door, dropping his smile. “Let’s get to the point.” He turns around. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are but-!” The doctor marches up to him before being interrupted. “Listen,” Gojo sternly states, completely dropping his facade, the rage and anger he’s been feeling since you gave him the news finally surfacing.

“This is what’s going to happen, tomorrow, a woman is going to come in for an artificial insemination, I don’t care what donor you had in line, you’re going to give her this one instead.” He explains, holding up a closed container filled to the brim with his cum. The doctor stares in fear at the anger Gojo emanates but manages to compose himself enough. “A- And why would I do that?” He cautiously asks.

“Because you’ll regret it if you don’t.” Gojo picks him up by his collar, staring him down for long enough until he feels him give in. Gojo releases him from his hold and hands him the container, plastering another smile on his face. “Now then, I’m glad we were able to get to an agreement, I’ll see you tomorrow doctor.” He slaps a wad of cash onto his hand, turning around to open the door. “Oh, and while you’re at it doctor, get a woman to do it.” He stands at the doorway.

“Wait, how will I know who to give this to?” The doctor asks. “You will.” Gojo looks behind him before leaving.

~.~

“It’s alright, you’re going to be fine.” Gojo assures you while holding your hands in his, seeing you take deep breaths in the waiting room of the facility. “I know, I just feel nervous all of the sudden.” You smile nervously, quickly followed by the call of your name. “Here!” You shoot up. “This way please.” The soft voice directs you with Gojo following behind with a comforting hand resting on your shoulder.

“Here.” You reach your stop, having the door opened for you as you give a small ‘thank you’. You walk in with Gojo behind you, shutting the door while giving the doctor a certain smile, causing him to swallow thickly at the memory of his threat. “Please excuse me.” The doctor stands as you and Gojo take a seat, quickly exiting the room. “Well that’s rude, why did he call us in if he wasn’t ready?” You complain, anxious to get the procedure started.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” He smiles to himself. You wait for a couple of minutes in silence before somebody finally returns to the room with a knock. “Good morning, I’ll be attending you today.” The woman’s voice says, introducing herself with her name. “I thought Dr. Tanaka was-” “There’s no need to worry about that.” She assures, closing the door. “Now, let’s get started.” She states and in just a matter of minutes, you’re laying flat wearing scrubs for hospital patients.

“Will it hurt?” You ask the doctor. “Not at all, it’s completely painless.” She answers while Gojo squeezes your hand in a reassuring manner. In just a few more seconds, you’ll be filled with him, just the thought alone makes his pants tighten. “Now, I’ll insert the tube.” She warns. “Okay.” You agree, expecting at least a little pain considering that the tube is meant to go through your cervix, but it never comes, after all, it is a small tube.

You only feel something reach your cervix but not much afterwards, not until you feel the liquid go in. The way your eyes widen in surprise informs Gojo of what’s happening and he’s forced to contain a moan at the look on your face. You make a small cringe expression with your face at the odd feeling but soon enough, it’s over. “All done, please remain in your horizontal position for at least 15 minutes to let the sperm work. I’ll be back in half an hour.” She explains, standing from her position and leaving.

“That’s it?” You ask after the door closes. “Well, I guess it really was a simple procedure.” Gojo comments. “How do you feel?” He looks over at you, trying to contain a smile that would only scare you. “Weird, it’s hard to explain…” You focus on the still unfamiliar sensation. “Are you sure it didn’t hurt?” He asks. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish I’d asked her if I can lower my legs.” You look at your raised legs. “You should leave them up just in case.” He suggests.

“Yeah… I can’t believe I’m gonna be a mom.”

~.~

You stare at the newborn in your weak arms with as much confusion as you can muster after the brutal hours of birth, still trying to catch your breath. As a pair of stronger arms find their way under your own shaky ones to offer aid, the newborn continues to stare at you with its bright blue eyes, pristine white lashes kissing its cheeks with every blink as it takes a gentle hold at the finger offered by its father, seeing him offering a bright smile.

[roguishcat]

Snippet Monday

❤️Thank you very much for tagging me @ghost-of-a-dream-girl, @busy-baker and @xxnashiraxx! ❤️

This is something I've started working on for the 300 followers celebration for @pursuitseternal - a Magistrate Astarion x Reader one-shot where Astarion was never turned! Such a brilliant idea, thank you so much!

So, basically this has all the events of BG3 but Astarion is an elf. And the one-shot takes place post-game. So far, I think I have a general idea of what I'm going to write, so hopefully this is something along the lines of what you would like it to be!

The afternoon sunlight brushed warmly against your cheek as you enjoyed a rare moment of peace. Instead of running around Baldur's Gate, fixing buildings, helping those in need, the Hero of the Gate for once decided to read a newspaper in a park. Something quite mundane for some, a rare luxury for you.

You were not slacking. But you have come to realise that in your bid to please everyone you would soon completely burn out. Which is why you didn’t feel a smidge of guilt when you found yourself going to Bloomridge park instead of the Upper City.

Not having to make any decisions and just simply be for an hour felt absolutely heavenly. Children played, the members of the book club gossiped, and couples whispered among themselves. This was exactly what you loved about this city. No matter how much havoc was wrought, Baldur's Gate healed rapidly and would soon be back to its former glory.

You cast your eyes over the articles in the newspaper. Nothing special, thank the gods. Just silly gossip and the like. You quickly looked through it and gave a happy sigh. No news was always good news in your books!

Yet, no matter how pleasant this little break was, you were well aware that your assistance was needed at ten odd locations today. It was time to get back to work.

Getting up, you looked at the newspaper in your hands and decided that perhaps someone would enjoy reading it. Afterall, there was hardly any reason for you to take the paper with you. And leaving it behind would probably save some poor student a copper. Thus assured that you were doing no harm, you folded the newspaper up neatly and set it down on the park bench for another to enjoy.

Just as you were about to walk away, you heard someone clear their throat loudly.

"What do you think you are doing?"

It was one of the Fists. You didn't recognise him. Perhaps it was a new recruit, seeing as otherwise he would have known who you were.

"Excuse me?"

"You are littering," he stated, pointing to the newspaper with an accusatory finger.

Ah, so a simple misunderstanding.

"I am not littering,” you smiled pleasantly, in spite of feeling that it was rather strange of the Fist to worry about something as inconsequential as litter out of all things. “Just thought someone else might enjoy reading the paper now that I'm done with it."

The Fist did not look impressed by your explanation. In fact, if anything he seemed even more set in his belief that a heinous crime was being committed in broad daylight.

"I am arresting you for littering in a public garden," he seemed to think about it for a moment. "And for arguing with a city guard."

"I've hardly said any-"

"Resisting arrest, are we?" he drawled, making your mouth tighten as you bit back a snarky retort.

"No, I will come with you willingly," you grumbled.

Perhaps if you played along for a bit, you could talk to someone of a higher rank. Saying anything to an overly eager guard who was obstinately sticking to his accusations would just attract onlookers.

"Good. The judge is waiting for your arrival."

"What? What do you mean judge?" you frowned. What business did any judge have looking into misdemeanours and especially something like littering?

"His Honor judge Ancunín is waiting for you. Don't dawdle. It's rude to keep him waiting."

Suddenly all of this made sense. You ground your teeth and followed the Fist. Of course it was Astarion! That ass!

"Oh, trust me. Him waiting for me will be the least of his worries once I see him."

He couldn’t just come by the tavern and talk to you like someone normal. No, he needed a show of power, especially with him being promoted to judge in high court! Because apparently this was how Astarion got his kicks nowadays. He needed for you to be near forcibly escorted to the courtroom and thrown at his feet. Preferably pleading for mercy and asking him if there was any way that you could make it up to him.

You scowled. The whole scenario just sounded like the plot of some cheap, third-rate smutty novel one would pick up at Sharess'. But if he thought that he you would cower before him, that elf had another thing coming!

No pressure tags: @clazberryk, @inkymoonbunny,

@preciouslittlebhaalbae, @lanafofana, @marlowethebard,

@honeybee-bard, @fangbangerghoul

[btsmutimagines]

contest. (M)

Word count: 3.5k

I swear I only come back with Jungkook fanfics even though he ain’t my bias

Prompt: While laying in bed, the two of them can't help but overhear their upstairs neighbors going at it rather loudly. Person A turns to Person B after a while, and asks, You wanna fuck louder than them to establish dominance?. (Got it from a prompt generator)

“Hello?”

You eagerly picked up the phone, hoping it was the real estate agent with good news. You and your boyfriend, Jungkook have been on the hunt for a place together.

The two of you split your time between his shared apartment and your parent’s place, both places not an option for either of you.

Ah, Y/N, I have some news for you.

“Let’s hear it.”

Unfortunately, someone placed a higher offer and we lost the bid

“Oh.”

I have few more listings that I have lined up for you next week, I’ll call you soon with clearer dates.

“Okay, thank you.” You said your goodbyes and sighed while you place your phone on your desk.

“You don’t look happy.” You looked up, seeing your coworker, Luna.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Assuming home hunting isn’t going the greatest?”

“Did you guess or were you eavesdropping?”

“I’m psychic.”

“Sure, and I’m the CEO.”

You rolled your eyes, it was definitely eavesdropping.

“Regardless, I’m sure you and that well-adjusted boyfriend of yours will figure something out.”

“Well adjusted…? Luna, you’ve met Jungkook before.”

“Yeah, he seemed pretty mature.”

You blinked a few times, your mind flashing back to the last viewing you went to. He almost sprayed you with water from the shower while fiddling with the showerhead, repeatedly bounced on the bed to test its “jiggle physics” and asked if you would be willing to fuck a balcony.

“Are you sure?”

“Cut him some slack. Wasn’t he the one who asked you to move in with him?”

“Are you forgetting he currently has roommates? I feel ashamed going there.”

“Why is that?”

You could feel your face growing hot and you avoid Luna’s eyes. It might have been once or twice when Jungkook was too adventurous in his exploration of exhibitionism and you weren’t exactly the greatest at being completely quiet.

It didn’t help that you caught one of them giving Jungkook a fist bump the next morning while you sipped on a cup of coffee.

“I see. Craving privacy, huh?”

“Let’s put it like that.”

“Either way, you’ll find something that you’ll both love. Speaking of love, I’d love if you could help me.”

“One of these days, you’re going to have to finish your work alone.”

“That day isn’t today, at least.”

She grinned at you as you rolled your eyes once again.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You got home, kicking off your heels before scooping them up to take upstairs. The aroma of your mother’s cooking filled the house as you climbed the stairs to your bedroom.

Quickly changing into a shirt and sweatpants, you walked downstairs to the kitchen.

“Ah, you’re home, honey? How was work?”

“Same as usual, helping Luna after finishing my own.”

“That girl is still lively as ever, isn’t she?”

“That’s one way to put it, Mom. How was your day?”

“My hibiscus plants are growing wonderfully, I’m so glad you found that thing to deal with those pesky beetles.”

“It was just a quick google search.”

“Even so, I don’t have to come to my plants being devoured.”

“That is true.” You kept talking with your mother, grabbing things for her to add to dinner before the two of you ate together. You drew yourself a bath, your aching muscles relaxing as the warm water touched them.

You sat for a while, allowing your thoughts to cultivate. Sure, you didn’t get the place the two of you put your first offer for, but this was the third place you’ve felt confident about getting to be met with the same conclusion.

Maybe you need to wait a bit longer…? You scoffed your own pessimism, you could hear your boyfriend’s optimistic comments like ‘we’ll find someplace else’ or ‘don’t worry about it’.

You washed up quickly, returning to your room and sitting on your bed in a towel, feeling lazy about putting your clothes back on. You grabbed your phone, calling Jungkook when you heard his ringtone. Near your window.

You walked over to see him on the tree near your window, you opened it quickly and he merely waved.

“You know, we have a front door that you could have just walked through.”

You helped him into your room, the dark-haired man cheekily grinning at you. You hadn’t expected to see him, willing to be satisfied with a call or text exchange. Getting to see his face always made your heart flutter, though you wouldn’t openly admit it to keep Jungkook’s head from inflating.

“Isn’t it more romantic to see your darling boyfriend climb his way to see you? Didn’t Romeo do this?”

“I don’t remember Juliet being in a towel for that scene.”

“Speaking of which, you should walk around a towel more often.”

“Of course, you would want that.”

“No need to mince words, babe. Besides, you’ve always liked how honest I am.”

“To a fault.”

“Really?”

He stood in front of you, his eyes clear with intent. You stared back, not wanting to give in to his unwavering gaze.

“You have a leaf in your hair.”

You picked it out, tossing the green leaf to the side as he caught your hand while retracting. He placed his arm around your waist, pulling you into a swift kiss.

He was well-tuned to your body, your immediate reaction to kiss him back without hesitation. The soft towel was barely any protection from his hands as he let go of your hand in favour of your ass. His other hand found your left cheek as the kiss passionately raged on.

“Didn’t even bother with panties either, huh.”

“Don’t get any ideas.”

“I’ve already thought of a few. Think you’d like to hear them.”

“Depends.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Jungkook.”

“Just play along with it.”

You closed your eyes, Jungkook grabbing your hand and placing something in them.

“Okay, open them.”

You did so, immediately shocked at what you saw. It was a silver key, charmed with a little house keychain and a heart.

“Is it for real? You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“Do this convince you?”

He reached into his jacket, handing you a folded piece of paper and you opened it to see the leasing agreement, just needing your signature next to his.

“W-we’re moving in together.”

“We’re moving in together.” He repeated back to you. You jumped into his arms, feeling a mixed bag of emotions.

“Now, how about we celebrate? Starting with you ditching this towel…”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You followed Jungkook in with another box, setting it on the floor next to the others and wiping sweat from your forehead.

“Ah, our Jungkookie is growing up so fast.”

“I’m not a kid, hyung.”

“You grew up too fast, moving with your girlfriend before me.”

“Hyung, you’re single.”

“I’m just a patient man, waiting for the one.”

“Yeah, sure. Can you help me with this box?” You watched the two men carry around other boxes while you unpacked a box with kitchen items.

You’re still in a bit of awe that you are really living in a nice little condo with Jungkook. A place to yourselves… You could cuddle up to him while watching a movie without Taehyung’s teasing. The two of you could cook dinner together, feeding each other bites of the finished product… No more sneaking around your parents or Taehyung…

“Babe?”

“Yes?”

“I want to show you something.”

He took your hand, pulling you along without an answer and stopping you before the bedroom.

“You know Taehyung is still here, right?”

“It hurts that you think I’m horny 24/7.”

“Are you saying you’re not?”

“It’s more like 16/7.”

“So when you’re asleep, you’re not?”

“Well, I had a dream a few nights ago… It was hard to get that out of my head recently… Wait, that’s not the point. Cover your eyes and I’ll guide you.”

“What is with you having to surprise me?”

“I have to keep things interesting, Y/N. Keep you on your toes.”

“Or send my anxiety through the roof.”

You mumbled, covering your eyes regardless. He had his hands on your hips as a means to guide you in before stopping you.

“Okay, uncover them!”

Jungkook and Taehyung were kneeling on the bed with a cake, Taehyung pulling a party popper with Jungkook doing Jazz hands

“Ta-da!”

“It’s your favourite too.”

“Days will never be dull with you, huh.”

“Of course. I want to have fun with you, forever.” He put frosting on your nose as he spoke, you returning the favour.

“Now, back to unpacking.”

“Can’t we do that tomorrow?”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You pulled out the ingredients you needed for dinner, placing them on the island as Jungkook struggled to tie his apron.

“Allow me.” You said, Jungkook letting you tie it up.

“Thank you.”

He turned around, planting a quick kiss on your cheek before looking to the island.

“Where do we start?”

“Mincing garlic and slicing the breast. Can you handle that?”

“Babe, I taught Chef Boyardee everything he knows.”

“You really set the bar pretty low.”

“You’re so cold, I’m not that bad.”

“Aw, you know I’m just teasing, Kookie.”

You leaned in to kiss his cheek, him turning his head to steal a kiss from you.

“Now, I feel better.”

He beamed at you as you cocked an eyebrow at him, cheeky as ever. You started boiling water for the pasta, watching Jungkook carefully chopping the garlic before slicing the breast with a different knife. You cooked the pasta between your silent watching.

“You’re not half bad.”

“Told you so!”

You rolled your eyes despite your grin, readying a hot pan for the bacon. Jungkook back hugged you as you cooked the bacon, his hands on top of yours as you flipped the slices.

“Didn’t think I need this much direction.”

“Can’t let my sous chef make any mistakes.”

“Oh, who decided I was sous chef?”

“As head chef, I’d say you’re usually under me. Sometimes on all fours.”

“Hm, that doesn’t sound much like cooking to me.”

“Maybe not but I do enjoy eating.”

“Is that so?”

“Let’s save it for dessert, babe.”

“If that’s what you want.”

You added the garlic, cooked the chicken, designating Jungkook to make the egg mixture before combining everything into the final dish.

“Kookie, here.”

You held a bite on a fork, him eagerly taking the bite and you tried to gauge his reaction as he quietly chewed.

“Delicious.”

You smiled, walking over to grab plates to serve each of you when Jungkook stopped you.

“Ah hah, you’re missing something.”

“What?”

“Read it and weep.” His hands gestured to the stitched letters on the apron and you sighed.

Kiss the cook, huh?

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

You went downstairs, picking up a package from a delivery person when you saw your upstairs neighbour at the mailboxes.

“Hi, Sowon!”

“Oh, Y/N! How are you? Getting used to the condo lifestyle?”

“It’s been great these past few weeks.”

“That’s good to hear! If you have any questions or concerns, just let me know. I’m just a floor away.”

“I will.”

The two of you kept chatting as you took the elevator back up, waving her off when you reached your floor and going back inside.

You placed the box on the counter, making a beeline for the couch and lying down comfortably to watch the episode of your favourite show. You missed a few episodes and what’s more perfect than spending your day off watching some TV?

You got up to make yourself a snack before truly setting down for your show. In the midst of a scene, you could hear shuffling around the room. Maybe she has company over? Whatever, the lead is confessing to his leading lady…

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“Loser does the winner’s chores for a week.” Jungkook offered. He finally managed to get his console back from Taehyung after weeks of ‘negotiations’. You’re surprised he hadn’t thought of changing where he kept the spare key.

Now, Jungkook was trying to win his way to doing fewer chores.

“A week? You’re that confident?” You teased.

“Two weeks.”

“Prepare to eat those words, baby boy.”

“Now, who’s the cocky one?” He handed you a controller and set the match up.

“Most kills wins.” You nodded, focusing your attention on the screen. Little did he know, you knew a few tricks to this game. Or all of them.

“How did you?”

“Been practicing a bit.”

“A bit? You didn’t cheat, did you?”

“Dude, just take your L.”

“But-”

“Unless you want a rematch if you want to be sure.”

He took the bait, the deficit between the two of you in kills continually growing until-

“I think that’s a new personal best, yay!” You smirked as Jungkook scowled at the screen.

“Fucking dumb ass NPCs…”

“Ah, baby, maybe you need some practice.”

“Practice?”

“Yeah, then maybe you’ll get better-”

“Let’s start now.”

He turned to you, his face not devoid of his previous frustration. Did you tease him too much?

“Jungkook-”

He was on top of you now, his lips pressed hard against yours. You couldn’t hold back the gasp as his fingers began to rub against your clothed clit.

You moaned as his lips pecked along your jaw down to your collarbone.

“This is what you wanted, huh? Want me to fuck my frustration out of you, hm?” You could feel his fingertips playing with the wet juices of your cunt, a finger teasing the entrance as he spoke.

“If that’s what you want to do with me." You breathed out, god that finger is going to drive you nuts.

“Is that so? You’re giving me free reign?”

“Of course not. I’m rewarding you with letting you eat me out. Maybe if you do a good enough job, I might be more generous.”

“You drive me insane.”

“Could say the same about you. Now, finish your chore.”

“Gladly.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

It was supposed to be a peaceful Sunday morning, both you and Jungkook having the day off and wanting to just snuggle on the couch. You know, a lazy day.

Instead, you had to listen to-

You like that?

Yes, please god, fuck me harder

Absolute sinners on the Lord’s day. Jesus didn’t die for this.

“Do they just fuck every hour on the clock?”

“Seems like it.”

“What a lucky bastard.”

“Jungkook.”

“What? I hate my days off when you have to go to work, watching you slip on those stockings. Your ass in that new pencil skirt you bought.”

“You were watching me last time.”

“Always do. It’s a perk.”

“I should start changing in the bathroom.”

“As long as I can join you.”

“You were way too comfortable with being openly horny.”

“Blame the people upstairs, at least they’re embracing their horniness.” You rolled your eyes, so what if they’re energized now, they have to get tired at some point?

Wrong.

You were dead wrong.

Lying in bed, you were now well acquainted with the sound of the bed creaks upstairs and you loudly sighed into your pillow.

How could two people just fuck like rabbits all fucking day?

“Say…you wanna fuck louder than them to establish dominance?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Trust me, it is. Let me prove it to you.”

It didn’t take long to find yourself naked, Jungkook’s lips wrapped around your nipple as his fingers recklessly pumped into you. You felt a bit embarrassed by how loud your moans sounded but Jungkook made sure you couldn’t contain yourself.

“So wet, babe. You like knowing that they could hear you, hm, let the whole building know how much you want to come.”

“J-Jungkook.”

“Louder.”

J-Jungkook! Fuck!” You cursed as he nibbled softly on your ear, his fingers moving in time with the soft bites and you couldn’t stop yourself from coming.

“Now, let me taste.”

“J-Jung-ahh!” You mewled, your hands in his hair as he took a long swipe of his tongue against your cunt.

Your extensive vocabulary was limited to Jungkook and a string of curses as he fervently ate you out. Two could play this game, though.

“Let me b-blow you.”

“I’d never thought you’d ask.”

“Don’t make me change my mind.”

“Still have some fight in you, huh?”

“You have no idea. Now…”

It’s just as you thought, stiff as a rock. You watched him slightly twitch when you palmed him through his boxers.

“Already this hard for me, huh? Did hearing me turn you on this much, hm?”

“C-caught me red-handed.”

“Mhm.” You licked your lips, peeling his boxers off and letting his cock spring free. He watched you as you slipped his cock between your breasts. You poured the lube he handed you, the cool liquid spilling on your chest.

“Oops.” You began, the slickness of the lube aiding you as you let his cock slide between your breasts. The dripping of his precum only further turned you on as his low grunts.

“Shit.”

“You have no self-control, do you? I’m surprised you lasted this long.”

“You won’t be saying that when you’re bouncing on my dick.”

“Oh? Confident, aren’t we?”

“Watch your tongue.” He thrust his hips upward, his cock pressing against your lips. You forego using your chest, allowing him to thrust into your mouth. You did love when he was rough with you, his competitive spirit never wavering.

“God, you make me want to fuck you until you are covered in my cum from head to toe.”

“Fuck you until you can only answer me with your pretty little sobs.”

God, he was so filthy and you fucking love it. You pulled away once he eased up, sitting up.

“Come here, baby.” He sat on the edge of the bed, you went over to him and he positioned you to face away from him. Easing your hips down, you felt every inch of him sink deeper into you as he held you. Your legs were like jello from just mere penetration and you weren’t ready when his hips buckled into yours.

“Fuck.”

You moaned as you leaned your head back on his shoulder. His cock was so thick, stretching you out with each bounce. He was right, your mind was too muddled to think of any other words to describe how he made you felt as you fucked.

He kissed your neck as you huffed out moans and whimpers, the slick sounds of sex perfectly orchestrated along with you. The bed shifting with each thrust, the groans he made directly by your ears.

His hands on your hips, moving your body for you, his hot breath on your skin and all you could do was grip the sheets while shamelessly whining his name played along.

“You’re so tight, baby.”

“Uh-huh, maybe it’s c-cause I want you to- ah stretch me out.”

“Fuck, you’d like… that, wouldn’t you?”

“I want you to, Kook- Fuck.” He thrusted into you with renewed vigour, clearly taking your words to heart.

You let him ravage you, sweat forming on your body as he kept pounding you. His little curses, the hard presses of his fingertips into your skin as he took you from behind after changing positions.

“Fuck, baby, I’m c-coming.” With a few thrusts, he pulled out and a spray of his cum landed on your back. You were a mess at this point, the two of you spending hours fucking at this point.

The two of you took a shower, you rejecting any attempt to start another round.

“What time is it?”

“Do you have work tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Then it doesn’t matter.”

“It does, Kook.”

“We can just sleep in anyways.”

“You mean me sleeping in because someone has chores to do. We’re out of groceries too.”

“Way to make my dick soft.”

“Good, now we can get some sleep.”

You woke up the next morning, waking up Jungkook and convincing him to drive to the grocery store. He grumbled, still willing to go with you.

“Ah, Y/N!” As Jungkook locked the door, you saw Sowon walking towards the two of you.

“Morning.”

“Who is she?”

“She’s our upstairs neighbour, Kook.”

“The two of you look lively! Especially with how loud the two of you were, I’m surprised you still have your voice!”

“I-I um…”

“We’ll try to keep it down.”

“Kook!”

“Haha, I don’t mind it much but I’ll be off.” She walked off, wanting to crawl back into the apartment and never appear in public again. You didn’t think she was listening to the two of you the whole time.

“Dominance asserted.”

[touyasdoll]

Bakugo+🚬+smut

Frustrated

NSFW, Minors DNI

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x reader

Genre: Smut

Warnings: smoking, exhibitionism, public sex, biting, unprotected sex

The cool breeze of the evening air hit you as you stepped outside, letting the employee entrance door of the agency swing shut behind you. You sucked in a breath of fresh air, wrinkling your nose at the smell of smoke permeating your nostrils.

Glancing over, you saw your patrol partner inhaling the cigarette that he held between his lips. He was hunched over, sitting on a bench with his elbows resting on top of his knees, looking about as approachable as he usually did.

"Didn't realize you were a smoker," you took a step closer, dipping a toe into the water to gage his mood, "Wouldn't have pegged you for the type."

He spared a glance in return, staring back down at the ground as he took another drag, "Something to take the edge off." He paused before scooting over on the bench and nodding to the seat beside him, "Sit, if you want."

"Oh, thanks," you offered a small smile, which went unnoticed as you smoothed your skirt and sat down beside him, "Would you mind if I bummed one off ya?"

He scoffed, shaking his head with a smirk, "And here I thought that you were judging me, Princess," he reached into his pocket, flicking his wrist to flip open the pack in your direction.

"You say that like I have room to judge," you scoffed back, picking a cigarette out and tucking it between your teeth as you held your hand out for a light.

The corners of his lips upturned in an amused grin as he held a single finger up and leaned in. You followed his lead, bringing your face closer to his as he pressed the pad of his finger to the end of the cigarette. You held his ruby red gaze as you hollowed your cheeks, breathing life into the rolled tobacco when his finger sparked against it.

It was hard to tell if it was the rush of nicotine, that you were so unaccustomed to, or the proximity of your face to his that had your head spinning. You broke first, eyes darting away as you leaned back, exhaling the smoke you'd held in your lungs.

He kept his eyes trained on you, watching the way your lips pursed together as the puff left them, letting his eyes wander lower, casting them over your torso, along the length of your short skirt, which fanned out over just enough of your thighs to be considered decent.

He whipped his head away, hoping to make the motion look casual as you turned your attention back to him, "What're you still doing here so late?"

"Put off a little too much paperwork last week, so I had to play catch up," he settled his elbows back on his knees. "I could ask you the same thing, you're hardly ever here past quittin' time."

You shrugged, exhaling decisively as you leaned back on your hand, crossing one leg over your knee, feeling your skirt fall a little higher on your thigh. He seemed to take notice, his eyes following the fabric and yours following his stare as you smiled to no one but yourself.

"Been feeling a little frustrated lately. A little, pent up, you know?" You tilted your head slightly to the side, exposing your neck as you arched your back, the motion exaggerating the way your chest heaved as you took another slow drag. “Trying to put some of that energy into work.”

He stole a glance at your chest, clearing his throat as he caught himself, trying to pass it off as a cough, a symptom of the white stick burning between his fingers, but you knew better. He rubbed his thigh, inhaling another puff as he sat up straighter.

"I getcha," he nodded, speaking as he held the smoke in his lungs, "What's got you fucked up?"

"If I'm being honest?" You tilted your head in thought, staring straight ahead, "I could really use a good fuck."

You had to focus to keep your poker face on as you watched his reaction from the corner of your eye. His eyebrows raised, head whipping towards you, trying to confirm if his ears had deceived him.

"You really down that bad? I find that hard to believe,” he chuckled, flicking away the stub of his worn cigarette. “Lookin’ the way you do, you could walk into any bar you wanted and find someone to take you home.”

“Maybe I could,” you ran a hand up your thigh, playing with the hem of you skirt, tugging it up just a bit higher, nearly enough for him to have a peek at what was beneath it. “But there’s this guy I’ve been trying to get at for a while now. Little dense though. Real shame he can’t see how hard I’ve been trying to fuck him.”

“Huh,” his eyes alight, moving from your bared thigh to meet your gaze, a playful smirk on his lips. “Guy sounds like a real asshole. What do you see in him?”

“Eh, he has his moments,” You smiled, tilting your head and turning your torso in his direction, “He is a bit of an asshole. Helps that he’s hot.”

“Well at least this dumb bastard’s got that goin’ for him.” He kicked a leg over the bench, straddling it as he faced you and smirked, “I’d be kicking myself if I were him.”

“Oh, would you?” You mirrored his actions, pressing your skirt against the bench as you kicked your leg over it, “what else might you do if you were him?”

“Well now, that really depends on you,” he shifts forward, weight resting on his hands, sitting just between your spread thighs, “what are you into, baby?”

“How ‘bout I show you? Mind holdin’ this for me?” You smile, keeping your eyes on him as you pull the cigarette from your mouth, blowing the smoke off to the side. Carefully, you place it between his lips, resting your hands on his shoulders as you stand and straddle him.

“Not at all,” it wiggles between his lips as he cups your ass, bringing your hips against his as he rocks forward, grinding his erection against your barely clothed pussy.

You moan, a soft, breathy noise into his ear as you catch the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging to tilt his head to the side. He echoes the noise as you kiss and suck at the skin of his neck.

“You sure you wanna do this here?” He pants, slipping a hand between your thighs and pressing two fingers against the soaked fabric.

“Yes,” you breathe, wrapping an arm around his neck as you trap the cigarette in his mouth between two fingers.

He sucks in, eyes locked with yours as you pull it from his lips and flick it away. His hand comes behind your head to pull you in, your mouth hovering just in front of his as he breathes the smoke out, brushing your lips together. You inhale it, hungry for anything he’s willing to give you, mewling as two fingers slip past your panties, sinking into your core slowly.

“This all for me?” He smirks, placing a chaste kiss on the corner of your lip, before kissing along your jaw as both of your arms wrap around him, your hips shifting to meet the gentle thrust of his fingers.

“Yes, Sir,” you moan, a little too loudly as his thumb circles your clit, and bury your face in his shoulder, “oh, fuck.”

“Tell me what you want, baby,” he picks up the pace, leaning back to watch your expressions. Your mouth falling open, your eyes rolling back as you groan. He smirks, eyes falling over the rest of your body, his cock twitches as the sight of you writhing on top of him. “Least I can do is give you that after makin’ you wait so goddamn long.”

“Fuck me,” it’s a whisper, a plea against his lips as you press your forehead to his.

He captures your lips in the first proper kiss that you share and it’s everything that he is; rough, fiery, and passionate. His lips vibrate against yours as he groans in anticipation, lifting the both of you off the bench enough to wriggle his pants down, his aching cock springing free.

You put your weight on your feet as he lines himself up with your entrance, panting impatiently in his ear while two fingers hook into your panties, pulling them aside. Steadying yourself on his shoulders, you let him guide your hips back on top of his, impaling yourself onto his thick cock.

He grunts, squeezing your ass with one hand as you roll your hips, biting your lip to suppress the strangled cry of pleasure in your throat. Another hand travels up your shirt, exploring your chest and pulling the front of your top up. He pulls the cup of your bra down, pinching your nipple between his fingers as his face settled between the valley of your breasts, littering them with kisses and kitten licks.

“Katsuki,” your head rolls back as you thrust your hips in tandem with him, moaning at the delirious amount of bliss you’ve found yourself drowning in.

Every part of you feels like it’s on fire. All thanks to the thrill of the moment, the heat of his hands on your body. The months of built-up sexual tension finally giving way to something even better than you’d fantasized.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful,” he’s breathless, kissing a trail between your breasts, beneath your chin, all the way to your lips as his hands seized your hips, “gonna look so pretty when you cream all over this cock. You’re close aren’t you, baby?”

He smirked as he tugged your bottom lip between his teeth, kissing you deeply when he relinquished it. His hand rested on your inner thigh, thumbing your clit. Your mouth dropped open, ushering moan and moan against the triumphant grin that he wore.

“Gonna cum, oh shit, I’m gonna cum,” you tucked yourself into the crook of his shoulder, biting down as you let go. Your walls spasmed around him, clenching tight enough to bid him to follow you off the cliff. He growled, his eyes falling shut as his feral noises met your breathless whines.

You kept your arms around him, one hand holding the back of his neck as you laid there against him, his arms encircling your waist. The pair of you sat there for a suspended moment, coming down from your highs together as your fingers continued exploring each other’s bodies. Gentle, soothing motions against overly sensitive skin in the afterglow of the act.

“How ya feelin’, sweetheart? Still frustrated?” You felt his lips curl into a proud smile as he kissed your cheek, making his way to your lips.

“Mm,” you kissed him slowly, resting your forehead against his as you both pulled away. “I might need another round, if you’re up for it.”

“You kiddin’ me?” He chuckled deviously, “Better prepare yourself, baby. I’m gonna ruin you if you let me take you home.” His hands trailed over your sides, dragging down your thighs as he squeezed, pulling a quiet groan from your lips as you smiled back.

“I think I can handle you,” you ran a hand down his chest, all the way down, letting your fingers ghost along his already semi-hard-again member, as you whispered with a smirk against his lips, “Dynamight.”

[songmingisthighs]

Hooked

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

ch. liii - sugar daddy

<< previous | masterlist | next >>

??? × reader, ateez × reader

A freshman hookup rekindled into something new. With an incentive, of course. But what would happen if your 'relationship' led you somewhere you never thought would happen to you ?

Dinner couldn't have gone better. Sure, Seonghwa's dad mostly ignored you, only throwing questions here and there to avoid Seonghwa's mom nagging at him. But he was mostly preoccupied with his phone. At one point, while his dad was so focused on his phone, Seonghwa leaned close to you and whisper 'one of the mistresses' to you, making you giggle.

"You know, (Y/N), I don't think I've ever seen Seonghwa smiled this wide when he's around us, you must be a pretty special lady," his mom said to you with a gentle smile.

You blushed in slight embarrassment at the compliment, "I sure hope so, ma'am, because I gotta say that he's very special to me too," you said as you look up to Seonghwa.

Hearing you said that made Seonghwa bit his bottom lip to prevent him from giggling out loud. So he opted to place a hand on your thigh and squeezed it gently, letting you know how he appreciated your words. Seeing this, his mom squealed and gushed about how adorable you both are and how glad she is that he found you.

Even after the topic was changed, Seonghwa didn't seem to lift his hand off of your thigh. He had actually moved to caress it gently with his fingers. You assumed it helped him be at ease so you didn't think much about it and let him be.

As dinner progressed to dessert, you found yourself having fun bonding with his mom and sometimes his dad when he wasn't glaring at his phone or when his mom directly addressed him. You realized that his parents are actually unlike most rich parents which then would explain why Seonghwa is who he is. Maybe minus the cheating father.

One other thing you realized is that Seonghwa's hand that was on your thigh had moved significantly higher, it was resting inside your skirt, just a bit past the hem, and that he was sitting closer than before. You felt your heartbeat quicken as his fingers drew shapes on your inner thigh, exhilarated yet worried and slightly embarrassed as his parents are directly across from you two.

"Honey, there's the Kims, we should go and say hi," his mom said, tapping his dad's arm and they immediately went over to the other table after excusing themselves for one second.

As quickly as they left, Seonghwa snapped his head to you in a panicked state, "quick, take off your panties!" he said in a hurried tone. You widened your eyes at him and stared at him as if he was crazy. But he kept urging you with a panicked voice, ultimately rendering you panicked as well. Nevertheless, you did as told and slyly slip your panties off and lift them with your legs to capture them but Seonghwa beat you to the punch as he took the panties and stashed them in his pockets. Just in time as his parents return to the table. Seonghwa sent you an inconspicuous wink and that was when you realized that he has a plan.

The first time he made a move was when you were taking a sip of your water. He let his finger roamed up and slip easily to your folds, almost making you choke.

"Oh gosh, dear, are you alright?" his mom asked you. You wanted to answer but you were still coughing slightly. Seonghwa took this as an opportunity. He used his perfect-boyfriend act when he pulled your hair out of your face and dab his napkin around your mouth, perfectly covering his other hand that managed to slip deep into your hole, almost making you choke again.

First strike.

His next move was when he was seemingly very much absorbed in a conversation about business with his parents, leaving you out of the conversation but still paying attention to you. Though his hand was still under your skirt, it remained stagnant and still.

But out of nowhere, as he talked about acquisition and mergers, his fingers pinched your clit rather harshly. You jolted up in surprise as your legs clamped shut, trapping Seonghwa's hand inside.

Again, his mom asked whether or not you were okay, and you tried your best to convinced her that you are despite Seonghwa's fingers' constant teasing. When Seonghwa turned around to look at you, you saw the smug smirk on his face and by God you never wanted to smack someone more.

Second strike.

The last strike was when you all were having dessert and Seonghwa pretended to have dropped his fork. You were on edge since he had taken his hand out for a while and the slick in your pussy had started to bother you.

He ducked down under the table just as you shifted the position of your legs. He saw his, literal, opening and slotted his face between your legs and licked a stripe up your pussy. Thank God for the table cloth or else you both would've been kicked out of the restaurant for sure.

You let out a sharp squeak which was thankfully held back a little because you had your mouth close.

Just as quickly as you reacted to him, Seonghwa also quickly returned to his position, playing the act of a perfect, doting boyfriend. "Baby, you okay? You don't look well," he made a fuss by pressing the back of his hand to your forehead and cheeks which were red because you've been blushing out of embarrassment and arousal.

"You know what, Seonghwa, sweetie, you should really take (Y/N) here home, take care of her, alright?" his mom said.

You smiled sheepishly at her and also to Seonghwa's dad, "I'm so sorry I had to cut things short," you told them. Seonghwa's mom laughed wholeheartedly at you as she waved her hands around, "it's no problem at all, darling. Besides, we're going to meet each other again soon, I'm going to make sure Seonghwa bring you to family dinner, okay?" she smiled warmly at you. Even his dad managed to look up at you and smiled genuinely.

After bidding your goodbyes to both of them, Seonghwa took your hand in his and immediately ran out to get his car from the valet. As you both waited, you grip on the lapel of his blazer and tugged him close to you, "how fucking dare you," you muttered lowly.

Seonghwa smirked and brushed his lips against the skin of your cheek, "can't help it baby, you looked so damn good and knowing I prettied you up made me... hungry," he growled. His lips moved to your ear to inconspicuously nibble on your earlobe, "who's your daddy?"

Your legs almost wobbled at that. If Seonghwa hadn't had his arm around you, you sure would've dropped to the ground and let him take you then and there.

But thankfully the car came right at that moment and to say you bolted yourself into the car.

Once Seonghwa got onto the driver's seat, he gripped onto your arm and stared at you intently, "you are not to touch yourself, you got me?" he stated. You stammered, you wanted to protest but he only stared at you, unmoving.

You jutted your lips and crossed your arms in protest, staring forward in disappointment. Much to your surprise, Seonghwa smacked your thigh hard enough to make it red, "I said, you got me?" he stressed each word, indicating that he needed verbal confirmation from you. "y-yes, I understand, I won't touch myself," you whimpered.

Satisfied, Seonghwa rubbed the reddened spot on your thigh and began driving.

Whilst Seonghwa was focused on driving, an idea popped into your head. A quite dangerous one at that. But you really wanted to get back at him for playing with you in front of his parents. You didn't know what made you decide on going forth, but you were sure your horniness had a large play.

Quickly getting yourself to work, you had somehow managed to unzip Seonghwa's pants and whip his hardening dick out. You licked your lips at the sight, your hand began stroking him as the other settled on his thigh in order to stabilize yourself.

Quickly getting yourself to work, you had somehow managed to unzip Seonghwa's pants and whip his hardening dick out. You licked your lips at the sight, your hand began stroking him as the other settled on his thigh in order to stabilize yourself.

"What are you-" Seonghwa's words were cut off with his own moan as you delved down to take his dick deep in your mouth. Hearing him moaned out only egged you to go on further.

You deepthroated Seonghwa as best as you could, sucking him whilst letting your hand play with his balls.

"B-baby, you ca-an't do this," he said through gritted teeth. You peered up only to see his eyes glued to the road, but his hands were gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles turned white. You took him out of your mouth to pump him in with your hand instead, you rested your head on his thighs and looked up to him with a pout on your face, "you said I couldn't play with myself, well I'm not! I'm playing with you, you and your pretty cock," you proceeded to lick along the vein of his dick.

Seonghwa groaned as his resolve started to wither away. Even whilst preoccupied with Seonghwa's dick, you could feel that he was speeding to go back.

With every suck or pump, Seonghwa's dick hardened and along with that, his need to cum. It was a gamble, sure, but you couldn't help yourself. It was a sudden automatic urge to tease Seonghwa. Maybe you could blame it on hanging out with Wooyoung too much.

You continued bobbing your head on Seonghwa's cock as quickly as you can. You started something and you wanted to make sure that you're going to finish. And by finish you meant him cumming down your throat.

Due to being so focused on Seonghwa's dick, you hadn't realized that you both had arrived at the frat. The car came to a full stop in front of the frat and was put in park.

Just as you were about to release Seonghwa from your mouth, Seonghwa held your neck and groaned, "you best keep your head there until I cum so deep down your throat that you'd choke," he ordered.

You happily obliged and returned to work him. Seonghwa's demand to make him cum only encourage you. You'd bob your head on him, fondle his balls, graze your teeth against his tip, and squeeze his dick. It proved to be very effective as Seonghwa threw his head back and began to thrust his own hips up to your mouth, wanting more.

His lips began calling out your name in moans. You could imagine his eyes screwed shut as he desperately chased his release.

It wasn't until two, three more deepthroating that he came in your mouth. You could feel his dick twitched in your mouth as his warm cum trickle down your throat. The feeling made you moan and the vibration of your voice shot up from his dick to his spine, making him shudder.

You managed to swallow all of him clean, not leaving a single drop out. After you detached yourself from his dick, you could feel that he was about to pull you in for a kiss. But you expertly evaded him and dart out of his car into the frat instead.

"Hey- wait!" Seonghwa called out, cursing and immediately shoving his dick back into the pants and lock the car to follow after you.

When you walked into the frat, you ran past San and Jongho who were on the couch, watching something on the tv. You ran straight to the staircase and aim for Seonghwa and Hongjoong's bedroom.

Maybe it was because you weren't exactly running away from him, or maybe he was really just that fast, but he caught up to you mid-step and heave you up onto his shoulder wordlessly. He sent a spank onto your ass, making you yelp loudly. The sound of your voice didn't break his focus as he immediately entered your room.

As soon as he put you down on the floor, he gripped onto your chin and kissed you roughly.

"Strip naked for me," he said against your lips before letting you go. The serious tone in his voice made you hurriedly tug all of your clothes off and simply shove them to the side somewhere.

When you finally looked up, you saw Seonghwa on your bed, naked with his cock in his hand. He motioned for you to come to him with one hand while his other one was sliding up and down his slick shaft. The sight was so arousing, you could've sworn your juice leaked out of you.

"Ride me," he ordered as soon as you arrived next to the bed. You immediately obliged, throwing a leg over him and immediately slip his dick inside your pussy. Both of you moaned loudly when you felt how he filled you up and he felt how warm you are.

"Fucking move baby, I need you so bad," Seonghwa moaned out. His hips rolled up against yours and immediately you took the hint. You anchored yourself on his chest and began thrusting yourself up and down his dick. You threw your head back at the feeling and let out a long moan.

Not wanting you to work by yourself, Seonghwa gripped your hips and began meeting your thrusts. The sudden powerful hit from his hips made your arms weak and you almost toppled over onto his body.

"H-Hwa, you feel so good," you moaned out, moving your hips faster on him. Seonghwa reached a hand up to your breast and began squeezing and playing with your nipple, adding to the pleasure even more. "You feel even better, baby," he said, tongue licking his bottom lip.

The sight of his tongue was enough to drove you almost mad. You leaned forward and crash your lips to his, locking you both in a desperate kiss all the while your hips move as quickly as it could, not minding the fact that you might be sore tomorrow. Tonight, you only thought about Seonghwa fucking you.

Both of you moved in tandem with each other. Seonghwa held you as close as he could, a hand wrapped around your waist and another grabbing onto your ass, squeezing the flesh hard. Meanwhile, you were busy exploring Seonghwa's mouth with your tongue, his own tongue would even fight you for dominance.

Maybe it was because Seonghwa had been teasing you all through dinner, but you felt yourself so close to the edge. Your pussy clenched on his dick, signalling him of your impending climax.

As if to tell you to cum, Seonghwa planted his feet on your bed and began thrusting at a pace much quicker than yours. Because you were on top of him, you could feel him thrusting deep in you, rubbing onto your sweet spot continuously until you froze and came on top of him. His lips prevented you from moaning too loud which was a shame but you couldn't really protest.

It took Seonghwa a couple more thrust into your clenching pussy before he completely emptied himself in you. Both of your cum mixing and trailing down your thighs onto his and even dropping onto the bed.

The once ferocious kiss changed to a romantic one as Seonghwa nibbled onto your bottom lip sweetly. You could feel him smile against your own lips.

"You did great, baby," he said, letting your body drop down fully on top of him. When he was about to slip out of you, you whined in protest and hugged him tightly like a koala. Seonghwa chuckled at your adorableness, he carded a hand through your hair sweetly and peck your forehead, "we gotta clean up, baby, you've got cum in you and everywhere else," he said.

You whined and buried your face onto the crook of his neck in protest, "do that tomorrow, I like having you inside me," you pouted. Though his instinct told him to remove you and clean up, he couldn't say no to you. He knew he has no power if it comes to anything concerning you.

So he defeatedly sighed and somehow covered both of your bodies with your blanket. He made sure that you were in a comfortable position before closing his own eyes to get some rest.

The last thing you heard was him telling you goodnight and then a soft peck landed on your forehead before you drifted off to dreamland.

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