#that time in college my leg muscles were SO fucked that I was EXTREMELY glad I had the accessible bathroom with the grab bars

[morhath]

I overdid it soooooooooo bad last night guys, I truly haven't felt THIS bad in THIS specific way since I went STRAIGHT from treatment for a minor medical emergency to a dance audition in college. the problem is that the DJ last night pulled heavily from the genre of music known as "songs I first heard in AMVs when I was like twelve" which is unfortunately a great way to make me go absolutely feral.

[captainmalewriter]

Stolen Jockstrap

Adam laid in bed with his nose firmly pressed against a white jockstrap he had stolen from the men’s locker room at the gym. The smell of sweat still lingered in the unwashed cloth. Adam’s audible sniffs filled the bedroom as he indulged in the scent. His hands pawed at his growing member in his sweatpants as he pushed the used jockstrap against his face. Having been raised to never touch what didn’t belong to him, Adam was extremely hesitant to steal the jockstrap from the locker room. But as Adam grew harder and more aroused with every sniff, he was very glad he snatched it. 

“God this smells sooo fucking good!” Adam moaned. While Adam was initially content with just sniffing the used jockstrap and rubbing one out, he got the sudden idea to put it on. Actually wearing the jockstrap never crossed Adam’s mind. While he was originally against the idea, Adam felt an inexplicable urge to put it on as he massaged his cock through his sweats. 

“I’ll just wear it for a little bit…” Adam whispered to himself as he slowly stripped down. His erect dick sprang up as he took off his pants and underwear. He then lifted his leg up and through the hole of the jockstrap. He did the same with the other leg, then pulled the strap up until the cloth cup rested on his groin.

“Damn… This feels so good!” The jockstrap felt cool against Adam’s smooth skin. Being as scrawny as he was, the jockstrap was unfortunately too big for him. It hung loosely over his junk, clearly a size or two too big for him. Wearing a stolen jockstrap was hot in theory, but an oversized strap only killed Adam’s boner once he tried it on. Plus, he was never going to be able to smell the original owner’s cock musk if he was wearing it. 

“Alright, that’s enough of that. Time to continue the real fun.” 

Adam’s hands reached for the elastic waistband sitting on his waist, ready to take it off. However, Adam found he couldn’t pull it down no matter how hard he tried. It was like the jockstrap itself was refusing to come off!

“Huh!? What’s going on? Get off me!!” Aw c’mon Adam, you can’t take me off now! It’s like you said, the real fun’s just getting started!

Adam jolted. He recognized that voice. It was the voice of the guy who owned the white jockstrap. Adam frantically looked around the room but there was no sign of him anywhere. He was completely alone in the room. Then, once a disturbing realization hit him, Adam peered down at the jockstrap. Without Adam’s command, his dick twitched underneath the fabric when he looked at it.

“No… Don’t tell me you’re in the jockstrap… You can’t be serious!!”

That’s right fucker! You stole my clothes, so I’m stealing your body! I think that’s only fair, right?

Adam felt a sudden sharp pain on the tip of his dick. It felt like something was trying to enter the slit of his dick. It was overwhelming. He tried curling up to protect himself. 

Uh uh uh! I don’t think so! Open up those legs for Daddy!!

Without his command, Adam’s legs swung back open. He laid with his arms and legs fully spread like a starfish. Once he was wide open, he felt the owner’s essence slide down the length of his erect member, causing his cock and balls to throb and swell as they grew to accommodate an unexpected guest. 

Alright, I’m in! Get ready Adam!! If you wanna wear my clothes, then you gotta look the part too! Here we goooo!!

Adam felt an otherworldly presence growing inside his body. It filled his fingers, his toes, even his face! Every inch of Adam’s body grew warmer as hair began growing all over his once smooth, thin body. His torso inflated with muscle mass until he had two heavy pecs covered in hair resting on his chest with abs to match too. Adam groaned in pain as his shoulders stretched outwards. He was panting like a dog as his shoulder muscles shifted and contracted until he had the rugged shoulder span of a college linebacker. 

His legs were no exception to the transformation either. Adam’s thighs became drenched in sweat as the spirit possessing him forced the muscles to grow rapidly. His flat ass filled in with mass until he had the nice, firm bubble butt of a man who never skipped leg day. The elastic waistband of the jockstrap strained to keep up with Adam’s transformation. It used to fit him too big, but now it fit justtt right as Adam’s legs became well-defined and toned with muscle. 

All the while Adam’s cock throbbed and pulsed against the jockstrap as blood rushed throughout Adam’s body. His 5 inch pecker grew and swelled under the spirit’s command, making his five incher a hefty 7.5 rod with girth and hair to boot. The warm, stretching sensations Adam was experiencing in his body was a pleasure unlike any he’s ever had. It left him practically begging for release from all the building tension in his body. Once his body transformation was finished, loads of warm spunk came flowing out of his dick and into the jockstrap.

“Ahhhhhh FUCK yeahhhh!!!” Adam, now under the control of the jockstrap’s original owner, let out a deep, bellowing moan that shook the walls of his bedroom. His new, hung cock was twitching as it finished pumping out loads. The new, musclebound Adam smirked as he looked down at his newly possessed body. 

“You like what you see, Adam?” the owner teased. He could still feel and hear Adam’s consciousness somewhere in the back of his mind. “Too bad you can’t enjoy these muscles with me. If only you didn’t steal my shit, then maybe you wouldn’t be trapped inside your own mind right now, such a shame! Oh well… I guess I’ll just have to have fun for you!”

“Adam” hopped off his bed and took a quick selfie before he went out for a night of fun and fucking as revenge against his thief, all while the original Adam was powerless to stop him.

[spideyspeaches]

Inconveniences ↬ p.p

AN: This is a reupload from my old account!

An entry for @geminiparkers’s 1k writing challenge!

Pairing- College!Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: mentions of sex :)

Wc: 1.7k

Masterlist || Taglist

1.

You didn’t understand what people saw in the Avengers. They were annoying and had no concept of personal space.

Or maybe those were just your thoughts. You’ve been living with them ever since quarantine started, finally able to convince your parents that you were capable of living alone, you were an avenger, after all. Well you weren’t really living alone, as the people in question along with your boyfriend, Spider-Man lived with you.

Never were you ever glad that May Parker, the angel, had allowed you two to stay together (without much embarrassment).

Back to the point where you got no privacy. For example:

“Peterrrr” you whined, elongating his name to get his attention. You had been horny all day long, craving some semblance of touch from your extremely sweet, hot, amazing, beautiful boyfriend.

He hummed, not even looking up from the laptop he was typing on. He was laying on his side, so you tried to shimmy yourself between the little space on the couch and him, only to grunt when he wouldn’t move.

So you tried something else, because fuck the Avengers you wanted a dick now.

“Petey petey pie,” you whispered, tracing his abs from under his t-shirt. You knew your trick would work, because you could feel them clench.

“Y/N, not here sweetheart.” He muttered, holding your hand while he continued to ignore you.

Pouting, you huffed and flopped back as much as you could.

“You promised you would be free tonight! Gah you’re such a nerd!” You whined, rolling your eyes when you saw Nat entered the living room.

At first she ignored you both, sipping at her milkshake and walking towards the kitchen.

“You chose me and not Harry remember? Thought you were into nerds not gonna lie.” He smirked, his voice low, the kind that had you clenching without a thought.

“And? Are you questioning my choices? Come on Petey you can do your homework later.” You said.

You climbed on top of him, your foot purposefully catching his dick. By now you were practically on his chest , tracing circles around his nipples.

Smirking, you continued to pepper his exposed neck with featherlight kisses, making sure to moan every now and then.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” He clenched his jaw, huffing to show that your kisses were not affecting him.

“Well you’re being a party pooper, so I’m having mine.” You muttered, voice muffled as you slid your hands inside his t-shirt, scratching your fingers against his chest.

Grunting, he gently pushed you off, sitting up with his laptop on his legs, “Y/N this is important."

Mouth open now, you puffed your cheeks, folding your hands on your chest.

"Can you believe this dude?!” You shouted, looking at Nat while pointing at your smirking boyfriend, “he chooses homework over sex!”

***

2.

Sipping at your drink, you smiled at the scene in front of you. It was almost half a year under quarantine, and Tony had finally agreed to host a party, albeit an internal one with only the Avengers, and May, now that she was out of duty from the hospital.

“How’re you feeling babe?” Peter appeared, wrapping his hands around your stomach, resting his nose on the crook of your neck.

Sighing, you leaned onto his head, enjoying the way he kissed your neck, caressing your waist with his thumbs.

“I’m good, things are getting normal again, if only the president caught the virus, this country would be a much better place.” You snorted, feeling your back vibrate as he laughed.

“You hate him so much don’t you?” He said.

“He’s hate worthy.” You shrugged, turning around to wrap your hands around his neck, playing with the baby hair on the nape.

Leaning forward, you hummed against his lips, crading your hands through his hair as he pushed you into his chest, fingers playing with the hem of your pants.

“Someone’s gonna walk in on us.” You mutter against his mouth, moaning as his tongue attacks your lips, parting them hungrily.

Swaying with the loud music, you whimpered when he touched your waist, his fingers hot and leaving shocks, your pussy throbbing and gut coiling with anticipation.

Panting desperately, you pulled at his shirt, fingers scrunching in the material as he lifted you up, planting on the counter top as you wrapped your legs around his waist, effectively straddling him. Feeling his muscles rippling under the shirt, gave a throaty moan, huffing due to the lack of oxygen.

Sweat was already coating your foreheads, creating highlights on his cheekbones and reflecting off the lens of his glasses-

“Peter did you see my- Oh! Oh am I disturbing you? Why don’t you use the bedroom though, I don’t think Tony would like if you do it in the kitchen-"

"May! Oh my god-"

”-It’s okay honey, you’re not a teenager anymore-“

Falling off the counter top, you bit your lip, playing with the hem of your shirt, not meeting May’s eyes. You look at your blushing boyfriend, embarrassed at being caught making out in between a party.

"May, just go, please-”

“Um, sorry I was just leaving anyway, you know, I got work to do. Yeah. You both continue.” She smirked, nodding at you and sending a sly wink at you.

Shaking your head, you looked at Peter, twiddling your hands together.

“Sooo, wanna make out?” You ask.

“Yeah. Sure"

***

3.

The dishes clinked together, the noise echoing in the empty kitchen. Peter moved with agility, hands cleaning the dishes as he passed it to you who were putting them on the rack.

You saw him take a deep breath, biting your lips and gulping. You knew what was coming next.

Peter had always been protective of you, as a friend or as a girlfriend. He protected everyone who he loved.

"I’m sorry-"

"Save it. Take your meds and go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He grunted, nearly smashing the plates as you raised your eyebrows.

“Well be careful of the plates, they’re fragile.” You joked, heart beating fast as you contemplate his reaction.

“How are you so chill about all this?! You know you were reckless, and yet you do decide to not acknowledge the fact that you almost died!” He slammed his fist, nearly breaking the plate with his hand, a small piece did break, piercing his skin.

You jumped at his sudden aggression, your own anger building.

“I’m a big girl now Peter, I can take care of myself, I don’t need you to look out for me everytime I go out!” You snarled, curling your fist, “and you’re one to talk you hypocrite! You’re always so reckless during patrols, how is me getting blasted by a bomb in a fireproof suit, reckless when you get hit by bullets on a daily basis?"

"I stopped listening after you said you got blasted by a bomb, you’re not enhanced Y/N, how am I supposed to-”, he said voice cracking, “I love you okay? I can’t - I can’t lose you okay?"

Your chest ached at his hurt voice. Peter had lost a lot in his short life, his parents, his uncle, almost lost Tony. And now you felt bad about making him feel that way.

"I’m sorry Petey.” You said, taking his cheek in one hand, holding his suds filled hand in another, “You’re hurt."

He chuckled, looking at his hand where the broken plate had pierced it. Tony wouldn’t mind one broken plate, he was a billionaire after all.

"Yeah.” He said, sniffing and putting it under the faucet to get off any remaining blood. You watched in fascination as the wound closed up, not even leaving a scar behind as if you were watching a time lapse.

Rolling your eyes, you grinned mischievously, poking his chest with you fingers and snorting as he giggled, pulling you closer-

“Bucky! Give me back my cookie now or I swear to god-"

"Ughhh you guys do this purposely don’t you?” You groaned, glaring at Bucky and Sam as they stop in their tracks, looking at each other and smirking.

“We neither confirm nor deny your accusations.” Bucky said, plopping the cookie in his mouth and walking out of the kitchen as you bang your forehead against the table.

Why can’t people just let you be intimate with your boyfriend for one second?

***

+1

“Are you sure no one’s gonna walk in, Spider-Man?” You hummed against his lips, moving in slow motions as he caresses your bum.

“If they do, I’ll take care of it.” He rasps, squeezing your bottom and fingering the hem of your shirt shorts.

You were sitting in Peter’s bedroom after a full day of teasing him, because you were horny and desperate. Softly kneading your fingers through his hair, you whined at the feel of his bulge against your crotch, a wet feeling already seeping through those shorts.

Rubbing your hips faster against his, you huff, tracing his biceps and squeezing them occasionally as he moved down with his lips, slipping off your tank top.

“Thought you had super speed.” You grunted, urging him to go faster as he unclasped your bra before looking at you with a smirk, his eyes shining with mirth and lust.

“You were a bad girl today, teasing me every opportunity you got, it’s only fair if I get to do the same.” He said before squeezing your one boob and sucking on the other, a wet pop noise leaving his mouth every time he sucked on it.

Spreading your legs further, you shimmy out of your shorts, lifting Peter’s shirt up to get him out of it before he stopped you.

“Oh no, you’re not-” he started before the door opened with a bang.

“Did you guys-” before Tony could see anything, Peter produced his web-shooters and shot at the door, locking it for at least another two hours.

A muffled, “at least use protection!” Was heard from outside the door. Your face was burning with embarrassment, looking at Peter with an innocently terrified look on your face. He could hear your heart racing, and it was making him like, really hard.

“Now, where to begin.” He whispered, chills shooting up your spine, goosebumps appearing on your skin and the wet feeling intensifying between your thighs.

“Let me at least undress you.” You plead, lifting his t-shirt and unbuttoning his jeans simultaneously.

“No, you were a brat today, and brats don’t get a taste without punishment.” He smirked, flipping you so you hit the backrest, holding your arms up and…webbing You up against the headboard, “today I’m doing all the work."

And you didn’t mind it really. Like, at all.

[fangirlovestuff]

A Perfect Tree - Jake Jensen x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!! sorry this is soooo incredibly late, this is for @donutloverxo​, @stargazingfangirl18​ and @navybrat817​‘s Hoelidays challenge and it’s new years eve... (happy new years btw!!) i hope you still enjoy this fluffy one, i’m really glad i got to write something for jake because i love him:)

Summary: You meet Jake when he comes into the coffe shop you work in to get himself a drink, and you’re immediately curious.

Prompts: Coffee Shop AU & Decorating the Christmas tree

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: a few curse words, maybe implied age gap but reader is in her early twenties and jake is in his late twenties, so not that extreme

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

You were a student, so working afternoons at a coffee shop was the most reasonable way to make the money you desperately needed to get you through college. Right now, it was a hot spring day, so there weren't any people in the shop, which gave you a great opportunity to have a little unplanned break to stare at your phone and turn your brain off for a few moments, something you rarely had time to do.

However, after a few minutes the bell above the door rang, announcing the arrival of a customer. You sighed internally, mourning your short-lived break before lifting your eyes to greet the customer.

All of your dismay faded once you got a good look at him, and only one thought remained – fuck. He's so cute.

His broad frame was making his way towards the counter, and he was looking at his phone as well, not lifting his eyes until he got just in front of you, and of fucking course he had the most stunning blue eyes you had ever seen. You swallowed heavily.

"Hello, what can I help you with?" you said in your best customer-service voice, letting out an internal sigh of relief that you didn't fumble over your words.

"Um, I'd like…" he said, his eyes scanning the menu he picked up from the counter, "an espresso please. Long." He lifted his eyes from the menu and maybe it was just you, but you thought you saw his eyes scan your face for a brief second. He smiled at you expectantly.

"Uh, sure thing. That'll be… five thirty. Anything else?"

"No, just the coffee," he smiled again.

"Alright. And your name please sir?"

"Jake."

"Okay then Jake," you smiled and lifted your eyes up to meet his gaze after you were done typing away the order, "you can just grab a seat, I'll call on you when it's ready."

"Perfect," he nodded, before sitting down at one of the further tables.

Once sat down, you could release the breath you didn't know you were holding. Get a grip, you thought at yourself before moving to make his order. But you couldn't resist sneaking a peek at Jake from the corner of your eye every few moments.

He was hunched slightly over the table, typing away on a laptop he somehow already managed to turn on. His gaze was focused, concentrated, which allowed you all the gaping time you wished. You noticed the way his taut muscles stretched with every movement of his arms, his tight t-shirt looking like it was about to rip apart. You noticed the way he licked his lips in concentration, the motion seemingly automatic. You noticed his brows furrowing as his eyes scan-

Shit, you nearly spilled his coffee!

You hastily righted the cup and came to the counter to hand it to him.

"A long espresso for Jake?" you called out with a slight smile.

His head shot up and he got up to get his coffee and pay. As he passed you the money, his hand grazed against yours. It was warm, and you thought he left it in place just a bit longer than he needed to, but maybe that was just wishful thinking.

"Thank you," he said, a sincere smile on his face. You just nodded at him, and before you could think of anything of value to say he was already walking back to his table, sitting down and sipping his hot coffee with caution.

He sat there for a little bit longer, typing on his computer and drinking. You thought he looked a little worn out, tired, but you were probably just projecting. You huffed out a breath and went back to work.

When he left, he just nodded your way with a smile and you nodded back, giving him a small wave as he left. Oh god, a wave? Really? God, you're pathetic.

That was the first time you met Jake. As time went by, he would often come into the coffee shop to work, or at least that's what he seemed to be doing on the computer. Sometimes he came in looking extra tired, and a few times even with a bandage or a scratch, but you never asked his why. After all, that was never your business.

You learned more things about him, in short conversations over the counter as he waited for his drink. You learned his last name was Jensen. He told you he was a technician, but something about the glint in his eye as he said that told you that wasn't probably the entire truth. Nevertheless, you never asked, not wanting to be rude or cross any boundaries.

Jake had the tendency to disappear sometimes. There were weeks he'd come in nearly every day, and then two weeks went but when he didn't show up at all. It raised your suspicion, but obviously you didn't do anything about it. Hell, you didn’t even know what you were suspecting him in.

One day, he came to the coffee shop earlier than he usually did, at an hour he was the only one in the shop besides… well, you.

He ordered his usual and sat down at his table. You turned your back on him to clean up the machine behind you when you heard him call your name.

"Is there a problem?" you asked, confused.

He got up and walked towards you, holding something in his hand.

"I'm afraid I have to return this napkin," he handed it to you with a smile.

You frowned, "What's wrong wi- oh," you smiled upon unfolding it. He wrote down his phone number, with a little 'xo' at the end. "Oh, now I see what's wrong with it. I'll go get you a new one," you said.

You grabbed a napkin and scribbled your number down on it. "Is this one better?" you asked with a smile, handing it to him.

"Much better," he smiled, his hand purposely hanging onto yours for longer than necessary when grabbing it. "Thank you," he winked and turned to leave.

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

You and Jake have been dating for almost a year now, and this was the first Christmas you were spending together.

"No, Jake- gimmie that!" you laughed as he kept the sparkling orbs high above his head and out of your reach.

"Not until you apologize," he tutted with a smile.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry I called you a grinch," you drew out. "I only did it because you were being one. Now can we please decorate the tree already?" you pouted.

"I wasn't being a grinch!" he insisted.

"See? That's exactly what a grinch would say!" you laughed, "You can't just turn off my Christmas music when I'm mid-jam session!"

"That's not called being a grinch, that's called being considerate of our neighbors," he smirked, but gave you the ornament he was holding anyways. You stuck your tongue out as you took it from his hands, hanging it on your Christmas tree.

Suddenly you smirked and started singing as loudly as you were before, "All I want for Christmas i-" but before you could hit the high note, Jake simply picked you up over his shoulder and started carrying you away.

"No wait," you said in between fits of laughter, "I'll stop I promise, just let me decorate the tree!"

"Alright," Jake chuckled and put you down. "But no more singing! You don't want to get on the naughty list," he smirked.

"Who said I didn't?" you smirked right back, and before he could reply you were already walking back towards the tree. Jake joined you and you both decorated in silence together, his getting to all the high places.

After a while, all that was missing was the star, and you walked back to enjoy your handiwork. "I think we did a pretty good job," you told Jake, who was getting the star out and handed it to you. With a smile, he gestured and you hopped on his back, wrapping your legs around his unfairly slim torso as you carefully put it on top of the tree.

"Perfect!" you exclaimed, bouncing up and down as he put you down again.

"Almost," Jake replied with a grin. "I have a surprise for you. Um… here, put these on," he gave you his glasses and you put them on, immediately blinking harshly.

"Jake, you are so blind!" you yelled as you rubbed your eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I just didn't want you to see the gift!" he yelled back excitedly.

"You could've just told me to close my eyes!" you giggled, as you did that anyways. Glasses with the wrong prescription were a nightmare.

"Well, I see you're doing it anyways," he said, his voice closer than you expected, as you felt him reach out and take the glasses off on your face. "Open your eyes."

You opened them, blinking a few times before registering what he was holding – a little coffee cup ornament, that said 'I love you' on the side. You pounced on Jake and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, whispering "I love you too, dork," into his neck as he held you.

When you backed away, you could see his face was stretched into a grin. "I take it you like it?"

"I love it," you pecked his lips sweetly before taking it from him and hanging it on the tree.

You stepped away, your back leaning against Jake's chest as he leaned his head on your shoulder. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas," you answered back with a smile, tilting your head back to meet his lips in a gentle kiss.

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

hope you liked it!! sorry it was so late, it’s been a rough month (and year lol). heppy new years, i hope you have a safe and wonderful new year!<3

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored​ @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds​ @wintersoldierslut​ @iceebabies​  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree​ @kaitcordx25 @bequeening​ @steve-barry-damon-logan​ @itscrazycherryblossomcollection​ @hollandxmarvel​ @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland @jazbot2000 @anobscurename @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @peggycarter-steverogers @evansphnx12

if you wanna join / be removed from a taglist, comment/message me! much love <3

[wonderlustlucas]

jack pot ; part 1 - hwang hyunjin

⇢ prompt You know it’s bad when you’re high as a kite and he’s still on your mind. ⇢ pairing hwang hyunjin x female reader, seo changbin x female reader for like 2 minutes ⇢ word count 7.5k ⇢ genre fluff, angst (not heavy, just in a slow burn kind of way), slight smut ⇢ warnings drug use!!! & lots of it (marijuana), grinding, implied smut ⇢ summary College is a matter of working hard and playing hard. It’s an opportunity to start fresh, to grow as an individual and to blossom with those you befriend. People come and people go, leaving their mark on your life and showing you all the parts of becoming an adult. Some, however, do more than leave their mark. Some take just as much as they give. Things become complicated once they take the entirety of your love because you outright offered it to them.—college!au ; stoner!au ; friends to lovers!au ⇢ a/n yo!!! disclaimer: this initially was going to just be a long one shot but i decided to split it up into 3 parts, so just to let u all know part 1 & 2 does not have a ton of hyunjin interaction, they’re more character/plot building. part 3 is when things will get spicy ♥︎ i hope u enjoy! if u rb make sure to let me know what u thought in the tags mwah also i finally switched from ___ to yn are u guys proud of me :)

prelude.

Sometimes you really, truly, honestly think you could go right ahead and kill Han Jisung.

You say it all the time. Sometimes it’s a simple, “I will literally kill you,” or when you are feeling extra spicy, “Sleep with one eye open tonight.” He, of course, laughs it off like you aren’t vibrating with the urge to kick his kneecaps in. You seriously have lost count of all the times he has brought you to the brink of insanity.

And honestly, you have watched enough murder documentaries on Netflix that you probably could do it, but, you know, spending the rest of your life in prison does not sound that appealing. Plus, there’s the ever-troubling detail that Han Jisung is the closest thing you have to a best friend. So, it sort of goes against your basic human morals to backstab—literally—the most important human in your life.

But he really makes you crazy. Why you agreed to share an apartment with him in the first place is a mystery, but the fact that you leased it again for junior year is what really makes you lose sleep at night. Because, while he may be your best friend, Jisung is the epitome of a little shit. If such a compound word was in the dictionary, it simply would say ‘Han Jisung.’ Somehow, though, it makes you love him even more. Maybe it’s true that ‘opposites attract,’ or, perhaps, maybe it’s because no matter how much embarrassment and general self-loathing he may have caused you in the past, it has benefitted you in the end.

For example, his constant teasing about your lack of friends eventually led to you befriending a group of girls you always admired from afar. His snarky comments concerning your nonexistent social life finally got to you and now you can proudly wear the title of one of the best beer pong players in your class. His presence in general has taught you to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, whether it’s against him, your parents, a toxic friend, hell, even a professor. Proving people wrong, especially Jisung, is your favorite pastime.

Sometimes, though, it’s not that easy.

There’s one area in your life where you have accepted defeat. One area in your life where Jisung has his most fun. One area, or, perhaps one person, where you simply cannot step beyond your comfort zone.

Hwang Hyunjin is your Achilles tendon and Jisung is the arrow. There are times, along with all the times you’ve considered strangling Jisung in his sleep, where you have sat and actually prayed to the gods to send someone else. Someone not nearly as perfect as Hyunjin and someone not nearly as unattainable. Alas, these prayers, hook-ups, Tinder dates, anything to get him off your mind has proved futile; because here you are three years later, stuck with this stupid, absolutely infuriating crush on the only boy who has ever owned your heart because you outright gave it to him.

one.

You are beginning to think the two bubbly junior girls who led the campus tour you attended last year lied about the dining hall.

Correction: they one hundred percent lied.

Because even though the newly renovated food court looks nice—unscratched linoleum floors, shiny marble countertops and all sorts of seating to choose from—there must be something fishy going on with the cooks. Literally. Just last week, an upperclassman had a breakdown when she forked into her tuna (why anyone would want college seafood is another story) to find a worm right there in the middle of it. You have found little shards of glass in the yogurt and bugs even at You-Cook, but that’s all a part of the college experience, right?

“Are you sure there’s no spiders or anything? Did you check?” Beside you, Maddie watches with furrowed brows as you spoon a hefty serving of scrambled eggs onto your plate. Chuckling, you move down to grab a few sausages and a chocolate chip muffin before they are gone for the rest of the day; Lord knows, you are only a month in and carbohydrates have quickly become your emotional support, just like everyone else. “Yes, I checked,” you assure her, hiding a laugh with your hand as she leans over to further scrutinize the eggs, “I didn’t see any arachnids.”

“Good,” she hums, satisfied with your answer, “can you grab a banana muffin for me? They’re usually at the bottom.”

Nodding, you turn back to the blessed muffin basket, pushing away blueberry, corn, double chocolate, all because Maddie has to be different and go for the macadamia nut banana.

“Are those the dinosaur socks they were selling on move-in day?” In front of you, someone asks, and your first instinct is to look down at your feet just to confirm. 8:30 calculus simply turns your brain to mush and remembering how you dressed for the day is near impossible. “Yes!” Laughing, you lift your leg to get a closer look at the cute green t-rexes on skates. “I was sold once I heard they were a dollar.”

Tearing your gaze away from said socks, you look up and suddenly feel as if you have bumped into an angel. Maybe there were spiders in the eggs, deadly poisonous spiders that crawled up the spoon while you weren’t paying attention and bit your hand and now you are dead and this is the angel leading you to the heavens. That, or this simply is the most beautiful human you have ever seen up close and your brain does not know how to process it. Well, maybe that’s a little extreme, but you definitely have never been so starstruck in your life.

The boy in front of you says something but you don’t hear it, senses and thoughts momentarily Off™ as you gawk at him. Aside from the deep undereye bags you all have claimed the past few weeks, this stranger is as close to perfect as you can get. Sure, Seungmin and his roommates are pretty cute—but what the fuck?

Something tells you that you have been silently staring at him, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open for far too long when his brows raise in a mix of confusion and expectation. Shit. What did he say? Synapses suddenly shooting like fireworks in your brain, you desperately try to remember his reply but instead, all you had focused on was the plumpness of his lips as he spoke and not the words themselves.

Clearing your throat, you blink once, twice, hoping you were hallucinating the whole time and the boy in front of you is not Hercules incarnate.

Lucky for you or him, you can’t tell, but he is still as attractive as he was two seconds ago. “Sorry, what?” You blurt, loud, too loud, flinching at the sound of your own voice. Instead of recognizing that you are totally off your rocker, he smiles, a soft, toothy smile that has your muscles turning to goo.

“I said I bought them, too,” cutest-boy-in-the-universe repeats, looking down and you follow his gaze, “my roommates were making fun of me, so I’m glad I finally found someone who bought them.” Alas, as he tugs at the fabric of his jeans to slightly lift the cuff you see that he, too, wears the same socks. You think you’re in love.

“Well, your roommates clearly have no taste,” you deadpan, shakily meeting his eyes once he looks back up. He laughs softly, eyes scrunching at the action and you positively swoon until silence settles over you and he takes the opportunity to regard you, gaze sweeping down your frame and up again. You hold your breath because, 1) holy shit, you would get on your knees for him right now and 2) you suddenly wish you were wearing more than the ‘just-woke-up-to-get-pegged-by-calc’ fit.

“I’m Hyunjin,” he finally says and you release all the air trapped in your lungs. “YN,” you return, grasping his outreached hand and thanking the heavens it is as sweaty as yours. “Well, it was nice to meet you, YN,” Hyunjin proceeds, releasing your hand and offering a gentle smile.

“You too, Mr. Sock Man,” you grin, rocking on your heels and realizing with a pang of disappointment that your breakfast has probably gone cold. Well, that’s okay, because right now you are totally content standing here in the middle of the dining hall, silently staring at this Hyunjin with a stupid smile plastered on your face. And the best part? He apparently is just fine doing that, too.

“YN!” Somewhere behind you, Maddie calls your name and it thrusts you head-first back into reality. “Did you find a banana muffin? I can’t find— oh. Who’s this?” Appearing beside you, visibly shocked having found you in a staring contest with a very tall, very cute boy. “Oh, uh,” you huff out a laugh, scrambling to get yourself together, “Hyunjin, this is Maddie, my roommate. Maddie, this is Hyunjin. We have the same socks.”

Brows shooting up at the puzzling introduction, Maddie bites back a laugh and looks back and forth between you and Hyunjin. “Well, you don’t hear that every day,” smiling to hide her confusion, she offers him a small wave with her hand full of muffin packs, “nice to meet you.”

Hyunjin smiles in return, gaze quickly returning to you. “I’ll be off, then. Gotta get the waffles while they’re still warm. I’ll see you around.”

And before you know it, he’s off toward the other end of the breakfast counter.

“Um, what the fuck?” Maddie whispers excitedly as you make your way toward your usual table, elbow repeatedly jabbing into your side. “I have no idea what just happened. I think I’m dreaming,” you sigh blissfully, relieved to find that Jisung and Seungmin were able to claim your favorite booth. “No, definitely not dreaming. He’s totally into you. You have to hang out.”

“What?” You sputter, nearly tripping over your own two feet. Then, lowering your voice as you near the two boys, “I – no, he isn’t. How can you tell? That was like, the cutest guy I’ve ever talked to, and you think he’s into me?”

“Who’s the cutest guy ever?” Jisung pipes up, eyes lighting up and you curse him and his fucking bat hearing.

“No one,” you grumble, smiling softly at Seungmin when he gets up so you don’t have to sit on the end, leaving Maddie to sit next to the other one. “Is it me?” Jisung grins with a flutter of his eyelashes. He’s convinced the only reason you dislike him is because you’ve actually fallen in love with him, but that’s far from the truth. You don’t even dislike him—he’s just one of the first guys you’ve met who meets your sarcasm with as much ferocity, and that is a hard pill to swallow.

“In your dreams, Han,” you sneer, gracing him with a dramatic eye roll before tearing open the bag of your muffin. Comfortable conversation quickly falls into place as you eat, complaints about your classes, Seungmin trying to convince you to join them at the first party they will be attending while Jisung mocks you for wanting to stay home, Maddie asking where Felix is and Seungmin explaining that he got so high last night he ended up staying up past four playing Overwatch and is currently sleeping past all his classes.

Then, in the midst of guzzling your apple juice, Jisung leans out of his seat to call down the aisle. “Hwang! Come pull a chair over!”

Curiosity peaked, you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand and crane your neck to see over Seungmin’s fat head for who this ‘Hwang’ could be until, like the universe is really trying to kill you, the Hyunjin you met not even ten minutes ago has reached your table. “Hey,” he grins brightly, dabbing up the two boys before he glances to you, mouth promptly falling open. Certain you mirror the same expression, you struggle to find your words as Jisung and Seungmin look between you in shared confusion. “First we share socks, now it’s these dumpheads?”

Ignoring the way they scowl, Hyunjin giggles shamelessly and grabs a chair from an adjacent table to sit at the head of your booth. “It would seem that way.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. You guys know each other?” Jisung scoffs in disbelief, pointedly looking at you as if you’ve gone and disproved everything he pegged of you. “We just met,” Hyunjin replies with a shy smile, sparing you a quick glance before cutting into his waffle. Jisung looks to you and you offer an affirmative nod.

“And how are you guys friends?” Maddie asks, sensing your panic. “He’s Changbin and Minho’s roommate,” Seungmin answers.

You choke on a mouthful of juice.

“Christ, you good?” Seungmin snickers, offering a few slaps to your back. With a muffled yes, you look to Hyunjin with pleading eyes. “Please don’t tell them I said they have no taste.”

He laughs, arching a brow at you. “No way. They’ll get a kick out of that.”

“Oh, Christ,” faking a cry, you bury your face into your palms, “so much for making friends.”

“It’s okay, YN,” Jisung soothes with faux sympathy, “no one wants to be your friend anyway.”

Scoffing, the table quickly falls silent when you look up with rage in your eyes. “I bet when someone asks your parents about you, they change the subject,” you spit, shooting daggers at him before stabbing your fork into an innocent chunk of egg. To your utmost surprise but total delight, the other three burst into a fit of laughter, leaving you smirking smugly and Jisung sulking.

“Anyway,” Maddie promptly changes the subject back to her chemistry professor who has started every class playing Britney Spears. Tucked away in your corner finishing the last of your sausage and stifling the urge to get up for more, it isn’t until Hyunjin begins to speak do you realize that you have been quietly watching him the entire time. You would blame the soft morning sunshine shining through the windows and illuminating the right side of his face for making him look so ethereal, but you know that isn’t the case; from short, messy black hair, silver hoop earrings, thick, defined brows, the soft curves of his nose and the pouty fullness of his lips, you are totally, completely mesmerized.

And then, the sole of a sneaker is slammed right into your shin. “OW!” You yelp, loud, and for a moment you forget the pain in favor of the embarrassment that comes with the number of heads that turn to look at you. “Sorry. Bit my tongue,” you lie, earning an unconvinced look from Maddie. “Go on,” you nod toward Hyunjin to continue whatever he was saying before directing a furious glare to Jisung, who fails to hide his triumphant smirk as he enthusiastically types on his phone.

Just as you have bent down to rub at your throbbing leg, your phone vibrates twice against the table.

han jisung [now] stop staring, ur lucky hwang is as dense as a rock or he would have left a long time ago bc of you

han jisung [now] so THAT’S the ‘cutest guy ever’ huh? so ur straight after all

Squeezing your hands into fists, you prepare to fire back a reply that will have him crying. But he has different plans.

“Oh, Hyunjin, did YN tell you she’s a dancer, too?” He exaggerates your previous mention of dancing and has the audacity to wink at you. Thanks, Mr. Match Maker.

“Really?” Hyunjin gasps excitedly, eyes lighting up and totally missing the flabbergasted what? that sputters from your lips.

“I – well, no,” you hiss, scowling at Jisung, “I used to do ballet when I was younger but that’s it. Why, though? Do you dance?”

“He’s here on a scholarship,” Seungmin explains, “and minors in creative writing.”

“Oh,” you squeak, glancing to Hyunjin who is all but smiling like a cherub, completely oblivious, “that’s amazing. You must have a crazy schedule.” Chewing the last of his waffle, he hums in agreement. “Yeah, it gets really stressful at times. But it’s worth it,” Hyunjin chuckles. Then fucking winks.

Unable to hold his gaze, you whip your head back around in a panic and reach for the mere sip left of your juice. “Speaking of crazy schedules,” he hums, slapping both Jisung and Seungmin on the shoulders, “I must head out. This was fun. I may start crashing the party more now.” Rising from his seat, Hyunjin swings his bag over a shoulder and grins brightly. Realizing it would be rude to not say goodbye, you force yourself to look back to him and offer a feeble wave.

“And YN, don’t bite your tongue when you eat, yeah?”

You’re going to pass out.

two.

Felix likes to think of you as his corrupted child when it comes to smoking weed.

A few weeks before you would all be returning home for winter break, he came knocking on your door with a proposition. “No one wants to smoke with me. Do you want to?”

This, for sure, was not what you were expecting on a cold Tuesday night in December. Despite the general curiosity and always wanting to ‘try it’ simply to feel like a teenager breaking the rules, you told him you never smoked before. “I know,” he said with a smile, “that’s why I’m asking.”

So, you agreed. Reaching for your hand, Felix snuck you out the window and led you halfway across campus to the junior parking lot, giving you ample opportunities to back out when he felt how badly you were shaking. “Whose car is this?” You laughed in disbelief when he unlocked a beaten-up Nissan near the outskirts of the lot.

“Kim Woojin. The junior?” He replied once you settled in the passenger seat next to him. “Oh.” You blinked, confused. “He lets you smoke in his car?”

“He gets me weed, too,” Felix giggled, reaching into the pockets of his sweatshirt and coming out with two tightly wrapped blunts, each about two inches long, “I’ll turn the heat on a little so we don’t freeze but we have to keep the windows open. I’m not going to have you hotbox for your first time.” You had no idea what that meant, but you agreed nonetheless.

With a brief lesson on what to do that truly made no sense until you tried it for yourself, Felix lit the blunt, took a few small hits to get it started, and then passed it to you. Holding it gingerly between your thumb and index finger, you brought the unlit end to your lips and sucked as he instructed ‘like a straw,’ breathing it into your lungs and ignoring the faint taste of smoke. Unsure of when to stop, it wasn’t until your throat felt as if it was on fire did you realize just how much you had inhaled.

“Shit,” you wheezed, coughing and choking and watching with wide eyes at the amount of cloudy white smoke that left your mouth and nostrils. Passing it back to Felix, you scrambled for the cold water bottle he brought along, downing half of it in one go to soothe the burn. “Good?” He asked, blowing out the window and turning back to you with eyes full of concern.

“Yeah,” you huffed, “give me a few, though.”

Humming in agreement, Felix connected his phone to the car’s Bluetooth and began playing what he calls his ‘getting high playlist,’ and before long, you fell in love with the feeling.

When break was over, you were dying to try it again. Felix was more than happy to be of service.

For all of March, it turned into a daily thing.

Now, you try to smoke only once a week for the sake of not dying, or something.

australian felix kjellberg❤️ [now] come hang at 201?

When the text notification pops up in the corner of your laptop screen amid your YouTube binge, your bones jitter with a mix of dread and excitement.

Dread, because that’s Hyunjin’s room. Excitement, because that’s Hyunjin’s room.

Maddie must hear your sigh. “What’s wrong?” She asks from her cozied position in bed, hand deep in a bag of popcorn.

“It’s Felix,” you start, “but he said to go to Hyunjin’s room.”

She blinks, unfazed. “And? I don’t see the problem here.”

“Well, I don’t know,” you count on your fingers, “first, I don’t know how to act around Hyunjin sober. Second, I don’t know how to act around Hyunjin high. Third, I am very touchy when high. Fourth, Hyunjin is always touchy.”

Maddie scoffs. “That’s a pretty lame argument, YN,” she laughs, “isn’t that what you want to happen?”

“Well,” she’s got a point, “yes, but it still makes me nervous. He makes me nervous.” Closing your laptop, you shimmy out of bed and debate changing out of your cotton shorts and tee shirt. Nah. You’ll probably end up going back to Felix’s and sleeping there. You put a sports bra and deodorant on and call it a day.

Maddie finds this hilarious. “You know what should make you nervous? The fact that you’re usually the only girl getting high with, what? Six guys? You know they all want to fuck you.”

“I try not to think about that, actually,” cringing, you try to erase Felix’s voice when he’s high as a kite or Changbin’s arms from your mind, “and you don’t know that. Sometimes Ryujin and Lia are there. Or, you know, you could always come. You don’t have to smoke, just come hang out. I know you want to give Minho a fat smooch.”

Her nose wrinkles in disgust. “I love you, and I appreciate the invite, but I don’t feel like babysitting a bunch of stoners, even if Minho is there.”

Laughing, all you can offer her is a shrug. “I don’t blame you,” grabbing your phone, wallet, and charger, you make your way over to her and bend over to press a goodnight kiss to her forehead, “if you need me, don’t. I’ll probably be dead.”

“Oh Lord,” Maddie cackles, watching you struggle to open the window, “don’t die. I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“I’ll try,” you grin, military saluting once you’ve managed to flop over the ledge. With one last wave, you close the window behind you and thank admissions for giving you a room on the first floor.

[9:34 PM] YN: omw now, gather your forces to help me in :)

Nights in 201 are always interesting. First, their room is on the second floor, so climbing through the window is an experience. Things would be a hell of a lot easier if you could just walk in and out of residence halls as you please, but with the officer at the front desk documenting who comes in and who goes out, there would be a knock at the door at midnight asking you to leave. Second: as Maddie said, 201 means the whole squad is showing up. And when the whole squad shows up, you’re bound to feel a mix of anxiety and desire deep within your bones no matter how hard set you are on Mr. Hwang. And third: you know you’re in for one fucked up night.

[9:42 PM] YN: hereee

Standing awkwardly behind their building, you try and calm the nerves that always come when you know you will be with Hyunjin. Considering how close the two of you have become over the past few months, one would think you would have gotten a grip on those pesky feelings.

Yet again, it’s kind of hard to do that when he looks and acts like that all the time.

When the window slides open, you are expecting Changbin to hang halfway out for you to grab on to with the rest of them holding onto his legs. Instead, a tall, metal ladder of sorts is pushed out until it lands with a thud! at your feet, granting you a perfect staircase into the room.

Well, you certainly don’t see that every day.

Blinking in confusion, you do not know whether to focus on the crowd of boys waving at you from above or this abomination of a stepstool that was practically thrown out a window for you. Accepting the chain of events as just another fever dream of an experience in 201, you shake your head and begin to ascend on shaky legs, graciously taking Jisung’s hand and clinging to both him and Seungmin as they help you into the room. “Thanks,” you huff, giving them both a hug in return to their chivalry. And they dare say it’s dead!

Behind you, Changbin and Hyunjin lift the ladder-stepstool mutation back into the room and it isn’t until they have folded it into a more compact piece and set it against the wall do you speak up.

“Did you… buy a ladder?”

“Yes!” Minho bellows, thrilled by your successful entrance. “Isn’t it great?” After pulling back from a hug, he keeps his hands on your shoulders just to shake you like a bobble-head.

“Yes,” you grunt once he’s released you, head swimming, “a lot easier than hauling both me and Changbin through the window, right?” Looking to said boy, you can’t help but melt into his side when he pulls you close. “No worries,” Changbin beams, rubbing your arm, “at least we have some funny memories now.” When he moves to flop onto his bed, you realize with a shudder that you are alone with Hyunjin.

Well, technically not alone since they are all right there, but alone in the sense that they are not paying attention to you nor him.

“Hey, YN. I missed you,” he singsongs, engulfing you in one of his monster bear hugs. Disregarding the heart palpitations they may cause, Hyunjin’s hugs are truly the best and you wish you would initiate them more if it didn’t seem like such a big deal in that smooth brain of yours. “I missed you, too,” you mutter into his chest, squeezing your arms around him as if to engrave this feeling into your mind forever. “We saw each other, like, five hours ago,” he reminds you, finally pulling back and taking your will to live with him. God, he has no idea.

“And? You’re the only one here who doesn’t make me suicidal,” you lie because, in reality, he actually does. Just in a different way. “Aw,” he coos, large hand squeezing your side and you think you could orgasm on command, “good thing we have tonight, then, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you squeak, finally remembering to breathe when he steps away to sit beside Seungmin on his bed. Suddenly, you are feeling incredibly grateful no one is next to Changbin because, well, 1) he is closer to Felix and 2), you need a distraction.

“Hello, Felix,” you greet the boy sunk deep in a bean bag chair, busy grinding leaves and packing them into the bowl of a bong. “How are you this fine evening, YN?” He asks once you have settled beside Changbin, brows knitting together when the older boy drapes his arm around your waist.

“Good. Tired, though. How ‘bout you?”

“You didn’t have to come if you’re tired! We all know you work your ass off, no one’s gonna judge if you chose to stay home and sleep,” Felix expresses, giving you a look that screams ‘mom.’

“No! I’m not that tired,” you assure him, reaching for his hand and squeezing for extra effect, “you know I wouldn’t miss this. You’ve made me a pothead.”

With a proud smile, he returns to his designated job and begins working on the second, smaller bong. “So,” stretching to set your things on the desk beside Changbin’s bed, you turn to him with a knowing smile, “how’s the album coming?”

“Great!” He beams, eyes lighting up at the topic. “Jisung is a great addition. Did I tell you we started meeting with someone else, too?”

“No, who?”

“He’s a sophomore, Bang Chan?” Somewhere behind you, Felix passes a bong to Jisung for the first hit. “Bang Chan? Holy shit, Binnie,” repeatedly punching his arm to express your excitement, “that’s amazing! I didn’t know he was into music production. Not that I’ve ever talked to him, but.”

“No, I get you,” he hums, giving your side a firm squeeze, “he’s really awesome making beats. I hope we’re successful.” Then, reaching past you, he takes the second bong and a lighter from Felix. When he resituates himself, he’s considerably closer than before. You don’t mind.

“Ladies first?” Changbin offers with a crooked grin, handing them to you. Then, on second thought, he holds onto the lighter to do the honors. “Sure. Thanks,” you laugh, glancing across the room to find everyone arguing over which color to set the lights to as they wait for their high. Bringing the tube to your lips, you offer a miniscule nod to him and then he is setting flame to the bowl. Sucking strong enough to generate bubbles, you unplug the bowl once he stops and breathe in as much as your lungs can handle in one go. Then, once you have exhaled, you quickly finish what’s left in the tube before passing it to Changbin with a pleased smile.

“That was a lot,” he points out once you have handed the bong back to him. “Hey, you’re the one who kept lighting it for thirty seconds. Mother would be proud,” you joke, reciprocating the same service and lighting the bowl until he glares at you beneath his bangs.

The best part about being high is the fact that you are constantly laughing. Things won’t even be that funny, but once someone starts laughing—you’re done for. You laugh so hard it hurts, and then once it’s all over, you realize it wasn’t funny at all. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like a squirrel?” Minho asks Jisung at some point. You absolutely loose it. It quite possibly is the funniest thing you have ever heard.

Pouting, Squirrel Boy leaves Minho alone on his bed to come crash beside you. “How are you, my tender oozing blossom?”

Squinting at him past the way your eyes burn, you make grabby hands and pull him close to wrap your arms around his teeny waist. Changbin grumbles in protest, but he’s too transfixed on the light’s soft in and out fade of different colors to say anything else. “Please, don’t ever call me that again,” you mumble into Jisung’s mop of brown hair.

“What?” He gasps, tilting to look up at you with puppy eyes. “You didn’t like it?”

“Nope,” smiling lazily, you rest your head atop his, “I love you, but I’m not ready for pet names yet.” His face morphs from a frown to one lit with excitement. “Holy shit, did you just say you love me? Do my eyes deceive me?”

“That would be your ‘ears,’ but yes,” you hum, brain simply not capable of denying it the way your sober self would. “More than Changbin?” Jisung whispers.

“Yes, but don’t tell him,” you return quietly, biting back a laugh.

“More than Hyunjin?” He counters. At this, you look up to find said boy sat with his legs to his chest across the room. Next to Seungmin, he looks like a giant; but a happy, pouty giant that keeps talking about how much he could go for a winter melon tea right now.

“Never.”

One and a half (half because it was just the rest of Minho’s terribly big hit that left tears streaming down his cheeks) and an unfinished game of Cards Against Humanity later, you find yourself in a blissful headspace. The song playing quietly through Felix’s speaker makes it feel like you are bouncing down stairs and then going up again, and the lights are oh so pretty, pink fading to red, yellow to green, blue to purple and so on. Things are fuzzy but crystal clear at the same time, the popcorn you’ve been shoveling into your mouth tastes heavenly, and your body feels like it is engulfed in a warm, comforting hug.

Or, that could just be Changbin.

Somewhere in between trying to get more comfortable and him yanking you to stay next to him when you attempted to get up and hug Seungmin for something sweet he said, you now find yourself on your back with a clinging Changbin on your side. You are so comfortable, but also insanely hot, and as you begin to slowly come down from your high as the hours tick by, you begin to realize it’s for another reason.

What started as an innocent hand on your side turned into his thumb rubbing meaningless patterns against your shirt, which then turned into his hand slipping beneath to splay against the warmth of your skin. Growing increasingly needy as the minutes go by, you turn to look at everyone around you. Jisung, who found himself returning to Minho, appears to be passed out with him on the far end of the room. Seungmin, curled up on the floor with a pillow and a heap of blankets. Felix, who finished off the rest of his weed, scrolls aimlessly on his phone still at the peak of his high.

And Hyunjin, who you assume has been fast asleep on his bed for a while now if the arm flung over his face tells you anything. For a moment, you feel sick with sadness. So close, but so far he lies, always a step out of reach. But you can’t deny how Changbin makes you feel—for right now, at least. And it would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity with someone else because the one you want is unattainable.

Right?

Changbin must sense the way your breathing increases, must feel the way your body reacts to the slightest of touches, yet he takes his time. He is soft in the way his hand travels up your arm, rough fingertips grazing over your collarbones before smoothing down over your chest and abdomen. It isn’t until you are about to burst at the seams does he give your ass a strong squeeze and urge your leg over his hips.

“Changbin,” you sigh, biting your lip to keep from whimpering when he begins pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses down the length of your throat. “Please touch me.”

He only makes a sound of agreement, savoring the way you squirm and grip onto his arm for dear life. When he offers an experimental roll of his hips to grind against you, you practically go feral. The last time you were touched in such a way was at a party in the beginning of the semester Jisung and co. physically forced you to go to, and Changbin has barely even touched you and it’s already better than the rushed sex you had that night.

“Wait,” he huffs, pausing his ministrations no matter how difficult it is to do so, “we can’t.”

“What?” You hiss, trying to keep your voice quiet, “why?”

“Because you’re high, and I’m high, and I’m not going to do anything unless you really want me to,” Changbin explains, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips when you frown in response. “But I do want you to,” you huff, chasing his mouth for another, “I trust you one hundred percent.”

“Are you sure, YN?” What about Hyunjin? is what he really means and you know he’s right. You should have never told Felix.

Trying to ignore the wetness of your underwear, you turn to lie on your back. “Whatever. Never mind,” you mumble, and when you glance back to him, you can’t help the way your heart soars with him still pressed closely to your side, blinking tiredly at you. But like he said, it’s not Hyunjin. “Just get some sleep, Binnie. Forget it happened,” smiling past the tears that threaten to spill, you ruffle his hair and press a softer kiss to his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” Changbin whispers, returning the affection with a kiss to your shoulder. In minutes, he is snoring softly beside you.

You can’t fall asleep to save your life.

Reaching for your phone to check the time, you grit your teeth once you realize it’s almost four and you definitely have been staring at the ceiling for more than an hour. For starters, you are freezing now; unlike these passed out hooligans, you are showing a lot more skin and not being under the blankets is not doing you well. And secondly, it’s hard to fall asleep when your thoughts are flying miles a minute.

Is this how it’s going to be, then? Whenever you see someone, will the little guy on your shoulder whisper in your ear that it’s not Hyunjin? Or will people deem you off limits because they know of your infatuation? People who know, at least—Changbin is the first, apparently.

Just need to get comfy, you decide, trying to ignore such thoughts and turning to lie on your stomach. Bless Felix for leaving the lights on, too—you may be coming down from your high, but the vibe is simply immaculate. Tucking a hand under your cheek and following the ropes of light on the ceiling and up the walls, you find this to be enough to calm your nerves. Enough to make your eyelids heavy. Finally.

Someone lets out a monster train snore. Seungmin, you think, biting your lip to keep from laughing. Or, it could be Hyunjin. The thought is so amusing you can’t help but squint at the boy across from you to better see his outline, hoping he will do it again just to confirm.

No, not Hyunjin.

Because he’s facing you, eyes open, a soft smile plastered on his face. Well, fuck.

No reason to panic, you console yourself, returning a gentle smile in the assumption he can even see you. And you stay like that for a while, simply watching one another for an infinite amount of time. It’s not much, but it means something, you think, lost in the way the contours and highlights of his face change with each color the lights fade to. Just as you remember the whole point of getting on your stomach was to fall asleep, Hyunjin moves. Reaching for his phone, you watch in confusion as he brings it close to his face and starts typing.

hwang hyunjin👁👄👁 [now] Come sleep w me?

You almost throw up in your mouth. You must be dreaming. Surely.

Blinking against the harsh light of your phone, you cannot help your smile as you reread the text.

[4:02 am] YN: wont that b a little sus for bin

[4:02 am] hwang hyunjin👁👄👁: If anyone asks just say he kept kicking u or something

You don’t need to be told twice. Now that he has turned onto his side facing the other direction, Changbin does not stir once you slowly move to sit up and stand, nor when you reach for the quilt crumbled at the foot of the bed to pull over him. It’s not much, but hopefully it will keep him from waking in a few hours freezing to death. Then, as you tiptoe your way over to Hyunjin’s bed, avoiding Felix now that he’s sprawled half way off the bean bag, you cannot tell if you are still shivering from the cold or if the fact you are going to be sleepingwith Hyunjin in one, tiny single bed is finally clicking in your brain. Like Maddie said, this is something you want, right?

As you draw closer, Hyunjin shifts to make room and lifts the covers for you to quietly slip beneath. “Thank you,” you whisper, pulling the blanket up to your chin and trying to ignore the feeling of being so close to him. “Of course. You looked real cold over there,” he smiles tiredly. Then, his arm cautiously curls around you to rest by your head, fingers swiping stray hairs away from your face.

“I was,” you admit. Eyes level to his lips, you strain to look him in the eyes to resist the temptation now that he’s pulled you so close. “Changbin fell asleep and I felt bad waking him.”

Hyunjin doesn’t reply. He seems momentarily lost in thought, brows slightly furrowed as he chews on the inside of his lip.

“Do you like him?” He finally asks, voice shaky with hesitation.

“What?” You sputter, shocked at such a presumption. Yet again…

“No, no I don’t. I mean—as a friend, yes, but, you know,” you trail off, squeezing your eyes shut. You desperately wish you were not having this conversation right now. “He was touching you, though. And it looked like you liked it,” Hyunjin whispers, thumb swiping against your cheekbone.

“I mean, well yeah, I did. But I’m not close enough to like him like that. It’s just a physical attraction,” realizing you are discussing what went down with Changbin to Hyunjin, you suddenly pull back and lean up on an elbow to get a better look at him, heat now spreading up your limbs like fire. “Were you watching us, Hwang?”

“Yes,” he admits, “it’s kind of hard not to.” Your heart stops beating.

“I – what?” You manage once you have remembered how to breathe. “I didn’t know you were awake, we wouldn’t have… what do you mean, ‘it’s kind of hard not to?’”

“You know what I mean, YN,” Hyunjin mutters, arm slipping around your waist and pulling you to lie down with him again, this time, your chest pressed to his. “I like looking at you. You’re very pretty.”

You definitely must still be high, because you are seriously having a hard time wrapping your mind around Hyunjin calling you pretty, as well as being so close, and somewhere deep in your mind wonders if he knows. If he knows how your heart is on the line here. Knows that with him moving closer, you are taking a huge risk.

When Hyunjin kisses you, you forget that this could be the worst mistake you’ve made in a long time. Wrapped around his fingers, you pray this is his way of saying he feels the same.

“YN!” You wake to Seungmin gently shaking your shoulder. “YN, wake up. Your phone has been vibrating for twenty minutes now. It’s Maddie.”

The wave of panic washing over you dispels the grogginess you feel from suddenly being yanked from sleep, as well as the recognition of where you are and who you’re with. Frantic, you sit up and nod in thanks to him before taking the call. “Hello?”

“Oh, thank God you answered,” Maddie cries, voice choked, “I’m sorry, I know you’re still out, but I just threw up and I feel so terrible and when I get up I feel so nauseous. Can you come home?”

“Shit, Maddie, don’t apologize,” you whisper, rushing to grab your things as Seungmin unfolds The Ladder as quietly as possible, “I’m leaving now. Don’t move, you don’t want it to get worse. I’ll be there as fast as I can, okay?”

“Okay,” she whimpers before hanging up.

“Thank you, Minnie,” pressing a kiss to his cheek, you begin to climb down. “Is everything okay?” He asks, watching as you go with a worried frown. “Yes, it’s fine. Just a little emergency, don’t worry,” praying no one is out and about watching as you climb from the back of their building, you rush back to help Maddie as fast as you can.

You stay back in your dorm with Maddie for the rest of the weekend, fetching her water and ginger ale and food she can handle, helping her to the restroom, and binging all sorts of shows and movies with her. Seungmin, Jisung, and Minho visit Sunday evening, joining you for a few hours to watch Pokémon. You think it’s just because Minho knew it would be a good opportunity to snuggle with Maddie.

You can’t help but feel disappointed when Hyunjin isn’t with them. You refrained from telling Maddie what happened in 201, too caught up wanting to make sure she was alright, and by now you are starting to feel as if it wasn’t even real. Maybe you made the whole night up in your marijuana-infused brain. And snuggled up with Jisung, you can’t help but wish it was this annoying shit you were falling in love with.

On Monday morning, Hyunjin doesn’t show up for breakfast. On Tuesday, you find out he has been hanging out with a girl he met at his favorite boba joint and apparently won’t shut up about. First, you run back to your dorm to cry to Maddie, having to explain all of Friday night to her. When she leaves for her lab, you call Felix for an emergency smoke session. When Maddie texts that she is going to be out late working on a project, you call Changbin to tell him that you really do want him to.

Like you said, it’s just a physical attraction, right?

⇢ part 2

[kenmascatears]

A Night Off

description: you and kenma haven’t spent much time together due to your busy schedules. as a result, when you get the night off you take full advantage of it

pairing: kenma x reader

genre/warnings: fluff, smut, thigh riding, overstimulation, orgasm denial, slight praise kink creampie, squirting, streamer! kenma

disclaimer: this is my first time writing a fanfic (or smut for that matter) so please bear with me while I figure this out!

word count: 2k

As you stumbled through the door after a long day at college you were surprised to hear silence coming from Kenma’s gaming room. Usually, at this hour Kenma was audibly filming content for Youtube, leaving you on your own for the rest of the night. 

After slipping off your shoes and coat, you started heading towards Kenma's gaming room, excited at the prospect of actually seeing your boyfriend this evening.

As you swung the door open, ignoring the sign stating “FILMING IN PROGRESS: KEEP OUT," Kenma turned to face you in surprise.

He had been sitting at his desk, engrossed in a game, but as you entered he turned around and quickly hit the mute button on discord. 

“______ What’re you doing home so early?” He asked, taking off his headphones and placing them on the desk.

You walked towards him, standing behind his chair and playing with his hair while replying. “My study group was canceled and I didn’t have anything else for the evening.” 

Kenma quickly typed a message into his chat that he would be right back, and turned his chair around to face you.

Slotting your legs between his and wrapping his arms around your waist he spoke softly. “I’m glad you’ve decided to take the night off. You’ve been working so hard these past few weeks”

Looking down at him you replied. “I just want it all to be over so I can spend more time with you. I missed you Kenma.”

Kenma smiled, pulling you closer to him. “Do you want to sit by me while I stream?”

Nodding excitedly at the question, Kenma let out a soft laugh.

“Okay I should be done in an hour or so, I’m filming content for a Youtube video with Kuro, Lev, Yaku, and Shoyo.”

Detaching himself from you, you watched him pull a spare chair from the corner and place it next to his. After beckoning you over, you went and sat next to him, smoothing your dress over your legs ready to watch him play.

It had turned out, watching Kenma play was extremely boring. Around 30 minutes into sitting by him you had coerced him into letting you sit on his lap on the premise of not moving and made yourself content playing with his hair, running your fingers through the soft strands. He smelled faintly of mango, from his conditioner and you relished in the familiarity of his smell. 

You hadn’t been this close to him in a few weeks, due to his streaming schedule and you being busy with school. Most nights Kenma would be streaming when you got home and immediately collapsed into bed, being fast asleep by the time he came to join you. 

In your position on his lap, you were at an angle facing the sofa on the other side of the room. The last time you had seen that sofa, Kenma was fucking you on it. Reminded of that memory, you realized you and Kenma hadn’t had sex in a few weeks, due to his streaming schedule and you being busy with school and your job.  As you thought back on that night, you involuntarily ground down on Kenma’s cock, causing him to flinch.

“Baby what’re you doing?” He whispers to you, hitting the mute button. “You’re dripping all over me.”

You look down and adjust yourself to see that he was right. Your essence had soaked through onto his sweatpants, leaving a wet spot. You whimper, the sight turning you on more than you already were.

“Kenma please,” you begged, “I really need you.”

Kenma gripped your hips and spoke firmly, “Since you’re such a needy girl, if you ride my thigh and don’t make any noise, I’ll let you have my cock when I’m finished, okay?”

You nodded, managing a “thank you” before Kenma unmuted himself and turned back to his game.

“Sorry guys,” he spoke into his mic, “______ came in and distracted me.”

Biting your lip, you stifle your moans as you move. The feeling of your panties rubbing against your folds, catching every so often against your clit sends shivers throughout your body. 

You rock back and forth, finding your rhythm, as Kenma continues to play his game, occasionally thrusting his thigh up for you. 

As you rut onto his thigh, movements becoming more and more fluid, feeling yourself getting closer to your orgasm, you begin to drip everywhere, your juices soaking a bigger stain into his sweats. Kenma suddenly leaned forward, causing his thigh to tense underneath you. The movement caused you to fall against his chest from your clit being directly stimulated, jolting into your high, with it fading as quickly as it came. Clinging to Kenma you let out a quiet moan, which didn’t go unnoticed by Kenma who swore and muted himself.

“What did I tell you kitten about making noise.” He asked you, game paused.

You whimpered, feeling ashamed, “‘M sorry Kenma, it was an accident”

He glared at you, not replying but you felt his cock hardening under your pussy.

Kenma then sighed, “Fuck this game.” he stated, and turned his mic back on.

“Hey guys, I gotta go, ______ needs me for something.” he said to his friends, before disconnecting from the audio on discord. 

As he said his goodbyes you begin to move your hips against his thighs again, still sensitive from your last orgasm but needing more. As you started up your movements again Kenma held your hips in an attempt to still you, mouthing the words “Stop” at you.

You pouted but obeyed, waiting for Kenma's attention.

The minute Kenma logged off and shut down his computer, his lips were on yours. You moaned into the kiss as Kenma thrusted up against you, his cock straining through his pants. 

“Kenma please,” you gasped as he pulled away, “I want your cock”

Kenma began kissing and sucking at your neck, leaving marks up and down it. Leaving a particularly deep mark on your sweet spot, you furiously rutted your hips into his, desperate for some release.

You reached down to palm his cock, pulling it out of his sweats. Ridiculously hard and weeping pre-cum, you began to jerk him off, using the pre-cum as a lubricant. 

Once you had swiped your finger along the underside, causing Kenma to lowly moan, he pulled you away. 

“Go to the sofa and strip.” He commanded, and you obeyed. Pulling your dress over your head and unhooking your bra, you laid down on the sofa.  Kenma followed, stripping off his clothes and pulling you down so one leg was on the floor and the other was on the sofa. Kneeling in front of your core, he slid your panties off.

“Look at how soaked you are,” He groaned, holding them up for you to see, “You did all of this.”

And he was right. Your underwear was soaked through, the wet spot extremely evident.

Kenma then traced a finger along your folds, deliberately ignoring your clit. Your juiced bubbled out, core clenching around nothing.

“Kenma,” you whined, “Kenma please”

“Use your words and tell me what you want pretty.” He said, circling your clit.

“I want your mouth Kenma.” Your back arched at his action, and your hips rutted towards him, needy for some stimulation.

Kenma leaned forwards and ran his tongue through your folds, enticing a moan from you. 

As your hands gripped his hair, forcing him to stay in his spot, Kenma circled his tongue around your clit and sucked.

You cried out, legs trying to close from the stimulation but Kenma pinned them open with his hands. 

It didn’t take much longer before you approached your high, back arching off the bed and hips rutting into his face. 

“Kenma ‘m close, ‘s so good.” You babbled, thrashing about as he worked you through your orgasm and into overstimulation.

“Fuck Kenma, wait-” you moaned, “‘S too much.” but Kenma kept going, slipping two fingers into you and setting a pace, curling his fingers against your sweet spot.

You cried out, as your peak approached quickly yet again. The intensity was almost too much for you to handle, but you didn’t want to pull away. 

Your muscles began to tighten up as you started to reach your second high, pleas and moans leaving your lips. 

Just as you were about to reach your peak, Kenma pulled away, fingers and mouth leaving you. 

You whined, your orgasm fading as your cunt clenched around nothing.

Kenma stood up from his kneeling position, cock on display. It was almost painfully erect and steadily leaking pre-cum.

“I couldn’t help it kitten, it’s better when you cum around my cock and I have to be inside you.”

Leaning over you, he aligned your hips together and slid in, the stretch making you mewl.

“Fuck kitten you’re so good, so tight and wet for me.” He moaned, thrusting into you.

Your back arched and you tightened around him at the praise, soundless gasps leaving your mouth as you held on to him, fingernails digging into his back. 

Kenma quickly set a rhythm, alternating between quick, hard thrusts and deep, slow ones.

Looking down at where your bodies connected he noticed you were creaming all over his cock, leaving a ring of creamy white slick at his base. The visual spurred him to go faster and deeper. His hips began to press against yours more fervently, wanting to hear you moan louder and louder, neighbors be damned. 

As you clung to him, whining and moaning and dripping all over his cock and balls, trying to meet his thrusts, Kenma wanted nothing more than to see you like this constantly. All fucked out, and all from his doing. 

And at that moment, all he wanted was to see you gush all over his cock.

“Can you cum for me, Kitten?” He asked, “You’re doing so well, dripping all over me.”

“Y-Yes Kenma.” You replied keening at the praise you replied.

Kenma reached down and began to circle your clit, jackhammering his hips into you. 

You clutched onto Kenma even tighter, beginning your ascent into an orgasm. 

“‘M close Kenma.” You whine, tossing your head back.

“Me too kitten,” he pants, “where do you want my cum?”

“Inside me Kenma,” you squeal, “I want you to fill me up”

Suddenly you came, your walls clamping up. You thrashed underneath him, screaming out his name, as your juices squirted out around his cock, soaking the sofa and his thighs. 

Feeling your walls locking up and your slick going everywhere sent Kenma over the edge, his hot cum pumping into you, as he moaned out your name, burying his face into your neck, kissing and sucking at your sweet spot while he worked his way through his orgasm.

You whimpered at the sensation of his cum filling you as Kenma slowly pulled out, watching his cum spill out of you and onto the sofa.

He then got up to pull on his boxers and get a wet cloth, returning to see you lying on the sofa, motionless and spent. Wiping you down, you winced from the sensitivity and soreness, flinching away from his touch.

“‘M sorry baby.” He muttered, gathering you in his arms and taking you to your shared bedroom. 

“‘S okay,” You hummed back, “I missed you Kenma. I don’t get to see you enough.”

“I know kitten,” he replied, pressing a kiss onto your forehead, “We’ll try to fix that okay?’

He laid you down on the bed, and followed suit, pulling the covers tightly around the two of you.

Slotting your head on his chest, Kenma wrapped an arm around you.

“I love you ______” he murmured, “Even if we don’t spend much time together I’ll always love you”

“I love you too Kenma.” you hummed back.

Wrapped up in his arms, satisfied, safe, and loved, you allowed yourself to drift off to sleep with Kenma following suit shortly after. 

[obxcunt]

Love bites || (4)

pairing: jj maybank x reader [eventually] || rafe cameron x reader [currently]

warnings: cursing, typos.

summary: it was supposed to be a good summer for you, the last one in the obx before going to college, the last one with your friends and family. Unfortunately, a sudden and mysterious death is about to completely change your life, pushing you directly into a brand new world and into a very sexy vampire’s arms.

A/N: thank you so much guys, comments, likes, notes and dms means so much to me i’m glad you are enjoying my story! Love you all.

part three || masterlist || part five

“I can't see you right now, Rafe.” You said, holding the phone. “I— I need to help my mom with something at home.” You lied, glancing at the blond vampire next to you.

“Are you okay?” Rafe asked, concerned by how distant you've been recently. “Is it because of me? Shit, Y/N. I’m sorry if my—”

“Relax, it has nothing to do with you, Rafe.” You cut off, closing your eyes as you sat down on the ground with your guest, head falling back in a sigh. “It's just— It's just complicated for me to be around anyone right now. I need to be alone, but i’ll text you tomorrow, alright?”

He sighed. “Okay, i’ll see you later.”

You both hang up at the same time, guilt still occupying your mind as you threw the phone away. You looked at the horizon, the view from your backyard always calming you down when you need it. The last time you were there: Rafe and you were sharing your first kiss after a party: the heated memory making you smirk. But today you were sitting next to a vampire, discovering a brand new world.

“I don't like lying to people, especially my friends.” You said, breaking the silence, the nature’s noises accompanying your words. “They're also in danger—”

“Trust me, they know way more than you think.” JJ said, looking at the grass, his black-painted fingers wandering through it.

You ignored his sentence, too busy looking at him, examining his normal appearance: tanned skin, muscles, bright blue eyes, nothing seemed different. You weren't expecting vampires to look this good.

“What happened to you?” He briefly glanced at you. “You look so—” You paused shrugging your shoulders. “Human.”

He chuckled. “Remember my birthday party at John B’s, last year?” You hummed, he had invited you for some reason, but you couldn’t make it. “When everyone left, i decided to go home. I don’t know why, but i really wanted to see my dad on my eighteenth birthday.” He paused, a sad smile appearing on his face. “He was really high and drunk, we fought about it.” Your lips parted, guessing his next words. “My dad beat me to death.”

“JJ...” Your voice cracked, tears emerging once again. You couldn’t believe it. Everyone knew his father’s reputation and bad habits, but this was something else. “I— I don’t even know what to say. I’m sorry, you deserved so much better.” The blond boy looked at you, giving you a tiny smile. He wanted to wipe away the sad expression you were wearing. “But, how did you—”

“It happened outside, he left my body there.” He said, sniffing and looking at the rings on his fingers, nervously playing with them. “Marcus found me, he smelled my blood from miles away.” He smirked. “He felt extremely sorry as soon as he saw me, he knew my father and quickly understood. He thought i deserved a second chance. So, he saved me.”

“Who’s Marcus?” You asked. “Wait, are you talking about the old drug dealer?” JJ nodded. “He’s a vampire?” You raised your brows. “Wow... I always thought he was strange.”

“Yeah...” JJ continued. “He turned me, right in time.” Your eyes widened, imagining the scene. “It wasn’t easy, especially the first week. Marcus teached me how to survive, to control myself and everything i needed to know.”

“But...” He looked back at you, smirking at your confused face: you looked adorable. It was both surprising and comforting how easy you were to talk to. You were surprised too, feeling strangely good and safe with him. “What about, Luke? He killed himself, right?” You asked, remembering the event from last year. “Was it because of— Or did you?”

“I didn’t kill him.” He cut off, you nodded a bit reassured. “He killed himself a few hours after killing me. He really left the house, drove to Barry’s and shot himself. The cops didn’t even question it, since he had a poor reputation. They looked for me, obviously. I wasn’t in a good shape, dealing with the whole turning thing. Marcus lied to them, by saying that i was sick and they believed it. I think they just wanted to close the case. I’ve been living at John B’s since then.”

“Right.” You nodded, chin resting on your knees as you held your legs against your chest, trying to memorize everything. “Your friends know about you, don’t they?” He laughed. “Of course they do.” You added, feeling stupid for asking. “And, wasn’t it a bit awkward at first?”

“The hardest part was definitely accepting my death and what happened to me. I disappeared for a few days, ignored their calls and texts before telling them everything. I had to learn how to behave in public first, which wasn’t easy for me. I’m still struggling sometimes.” He explained, sighing. “But, since Kiara is a witch—” You chuckled at the irony, you ignored so much things. “They took it pretty well. Pope asked a lot of questions though, he was a bit nervous around me but mostly intrigued.”

You smirked. “I do have many questions as well!” You said with excitement, sitting down properly. “Like, why aren’t you burning right now?” He chuckled, enjoying your reaction to his condition. “We’ve been outside for hours. Also, how do you feed? Do you have powers?”

He sighed, smiling. “Okay, let’s start with this.” He pointed at the ring on his finger. “See this one? Well, Kie made it for me. It protects me from the sun.” You nodded, looking at it attentively. “I don’t feed on humans, but on animals and sometimes we steal blood-bags from the nearest hospital.” He looked at your neck, licking his lips just to tease you. “But, you look delicious.” You rolled your eyes, smiling. “Let me guess, type O?” He teased again, laughing as you smacked his arm. “My favorite...”

“Fuck off, JJ.” He laughed.

“And, we are not in Twilight. I’m far from Edward Cullen, even though we both share the same strength and speed.” You looked at the intriguing boy. “I won’t read your mind. Unfortunately, it’s not on the list.” You smirked, narrowing your eyes at him. “That’s too bad, i’m sure your thoughts are very interesting.”

“What about—” You sighed. “The other one, the vampire who killed my friend.” JJ hummed. “Do you know him?”

“No, that's the problem.” He replied. “And it seems like he's not alone. We think they are from another state, just passing by.” You looked around the garden, wondering if they were around here. “Don't worry, they won't bother anyone during the day. They're not coming out, which means they probably don't know any witches. They're either old school vampires or newborns, who don't care about consequences. They took so much risk by killing Kelce.”

“The police department knows about it, right? They know it's not an animal.” JJ nodded, chuckling. “I knew something was wrong the other day.”

“Vampires used to be a massive problem around here, in the past.” He explained. “That's when the slayers came around and eradicated them. It's a family thing, only touching the sons.” You frowned, rethinking about your conversation with Ward. “We were safe for a while. We are a small group, not messing around and respecting the rules. But, Kelce’s death changed the game.”

“They called the slayers back and now, they're all looking for vampires to kill.” He nodded. “That's not good…”

“Yeah…” He laughed. “Especially since you're dating one of them.” You frowned, jaw dropping. “Ward Cameron comes from one of the most famous families of slayers of all time. Which means that his wonderful son is going to join them anytime soon.”

“Holy shit.” You said, laughing nervously and running a hand through your hair. “The other day, while we were throwing a party for Kelce at their place, i heard a weird conversation he was having on the phone with someone. He was saying a lot of things, but nothing really made sense to me, until now. He seemed really nervous.” JJ wasn't surprised. “Peterkin was also there, she was supposed to meet him.”

“They're obviously preparing something.”

“I’m not dating him, JJ.” You added, annoyed by his comment. “I don't know why you keep—” He chuckled, interrupting you.

“Alright, Y/N.” He said. “You might not be dating him, officially. However, you were still having sex with him that night.” He smirked at the sight of your heated cheeks. “I saw it, while searching for the other vampire. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Kelce. I still managed to save you though when you walked back to the—”

“Wait!” You snapped. “It was you, behind me?”

“Technically, we were both behind you. He was looking at you and clearly enjoying your fear, he wanted to mess with your head. I chased him away while you were calling 911. He wanted to kill you too.” You remained silent, in shock. “I saved your pretty ass two times already, Y/N.” He joked, the hidden compliment making you blush once again.

“So, you can’t read minds?” You asked, wanting to switch subjects. “Or see the future? I thought vampires had more powers.” JJ smiled, standing up and offering you a hand. “What are you doing?” You asked, accepting it and standing up in front of the blond boy.

“I can't read minds or see the future, but—” You looked at him in the eyes and pouted, his heart melting at the sight. “I can do some other things though...” You raised a brow, curious.

In one second: the blond boy disappeared. You turned around, searching for him everywhere. “JJ?” He screamed your name and you looked up, noticing him sitting down on the roof with a playful smirk on his face. “How did you—” He moved again, making you laugh.

You tried to turn around, feeling his presence behind you. “Don't move.” He murmured close to your ear, both hands resting on your hips. “We can sense your blood from miles away.” He murmured, caressing your forearm: making you shiver against his body. “We can also hear your heartbeat from miles away.” His hand slowly moved up to your shoulder. “Even your moans…” He smirked against your ear: a silent moan escaping your lips.

“Stop it!” You whined, turning around to face him and smack his chest while he laughed at you. “Idiot.” He stopped, calming down. “I’m sorry, for calling you crazy earlier.”

He scoffed. “You’re adorable, but you don’t need to apologize. It was a normal reaction.” You nodded, smirking. “Anyway.” He continued. “I need your help. I'm pretty sure Ward is preparing something.” You crossed your arms. “I need to get access to his office, where he’s hiding shit.”

You frowned. “Wait, what?” You both started walking back to the front porch. “But, you're a vampire, you're way more discreet than me.”

“Probably, it seems like you have clumsy tendencies.” You stopped walking, rolling your eyes. “But it's impossible for me to get access to his office, since i'm not allowed to enter their mansion.”

“What do you mean?” You asked, following him. “Are they putting way too much Holy Water on the door handles or something?”

He laughed, gently pushing you. “That's very funny.” You smiled, taking the few stairs leaning to the porch before sitting down on the bench. “Vampires can't enter houses without getting invited in first.”

“Oh.” You said. “What about Sarah Cameron? Aren't you guys friends? And i’m pretty sure you came to a party at their house last year.”

“Kiara doesn’t want her girlfriend to be involved in this for now. And, this was before my death. I don’t think Ward Cameron the slayer wants me on his property anymore.” He said, sitting down next to you. “But, since you’re close to Rafe—”

“Shut up...” You whined, rubbing your face, your reaction making him laugh. “Wait, is this why you don’t want me to invite you inside my house? So, you can’t get any access?” He nodded, looking at his black combat boots. “Why not? I don’t understand.”

“It’s for your own safety.” You sighed. “I’m not gonna hurt you, it’s not in my intentions but—” He paused, clearing his throat. “Anyway, Ward and Rafe can’t know about this, obviously.”

“I won’t say anything to anyone.” You promised. “But i don’t think Rafe knows about any of this, JJ.” You said, trying to rassure him. “Don’t worry.”

“Not yet.” He sighed. “Ward is gonna have to inform him, at some point. Rafe won’t become an actual slayer until he kills a vampire by himself, that’s a part of their ritual.” He explained, visibly worried. “I don’t want my new family and friends to die. We— We need to take care of those vampires before anyone else dies.”

Shit, you thought. You didn’t want to lie to anyone, especially your family and friends but you had to. You also didn’t want to use Rafe but you couldn’t help feeling bad for JJ, who didn’t deserved to suffer either. He already went through enough shit.

JJ didn’t want to force you, he wouldn’t. But there was something about you, something telling him that he could trust you. You both remained silent for a moment, until you had made up your mind.

“Okay, fine.” You said, making him look back at you with a smirk. “I’ll help you, if you promise to not hurt anyone, especially Rafe.” He opened his mouth, ready to object. “He’s still innocent, we might not need to fight. We could do this before he turns into a slayer, okay? He’s still my friend and—”

“Okay, we won’t do anything to your boyfriend.” He cut off, the nickname making you growl. “Unless he starts attacking us first.”

“Don’t call him my boyfriend, or you’ll have to find someone else.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “Alright, what do you need, JJ?” He smirked, knowing you were both about to jump in a risky and exciting adventure together.

A/N: If you guys have any questions regarding the fic, feel free to ask me, requests are open!

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tag-list: @prejudic3-deactivated20201112 @starkeyrafe @thestorysofargone @ifilwtmfc @callmeimpetuous @katiaw2 @your-local-candle-addict @iccyyyybitch @agirlwholovescoffee @hvrcruxes

[tumblr won’t let me tag some people, comment if you wanna be add]

[marvelousell]

The Agreement (Part 11.)

Pairing(s): frat boy!fwb!Tom x reader, frat boy!Harrison x reader

Summary: Tom is a typical frat boy, his love for partying, drinks and girls are bigger than his ego. Y/N is a whole different dimension, she keeps her circle small, and even though she knows her best friend Tom is a total douche, she can’t say no to the little deal that was sealed between the two of them.

Word count: 4.2k

A/N: Oh well I left so many questions unanswered 💀, but the end is near! I’m happy to know you all love this series and I appreciate every feedback, reaction and reblog it makes me extremely happy!!! Thanks to everyone for reading.💘

Warnings: SMUT 18+, swearing, mentions of alcohol, angst

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10.

Add yourself to my tag list

Masterlist

“W-We are going to be late.” You mumbled through the giggles that were echoing in Harrison’s ears.

“I couldn’t care less, you look so good love I can’t resist it.” He pressed kisses on your skin from the sensitive spot near your earlobe all the way down to your collarbone. The lovely sounds that were coming from you made him even more excited than he was already.

How could he not? You were dolled up for the birthday celebration that you both were invited to and Harrison had a hard time with his thoughts after he saw you in that stunning silky red dress. It was a total contrast from what you would usually wear and the novelty absolutely messed with his mind.

His hands gripped your legs, the soft skin underneath his fingertips was the most delicate feeling ever, he loved every inch of your body.

Time passed awfully fast. Your focus was strictly on the relationship and college, and with that you finally found your peace. At least some of it. The relationship was everything what you desired, everything that was missing in your love life from the very begging. Harrison was a patient, compassionate and caring person, his personality was a total difference from others. The endless love that he habitually showed to you not just through words but through simple actions meant the world for you.

It wasn’t about the physical things, it was about affection and long hugs when they were much needed. Harrison was the most supportive person, always encouraging you to do your best, believing in you when you didn’t and always confronting you how things will get better.

It was about the team work, along with the good comes the bad, and being a partner means embracing all of someone. You were aware of that, and all of it functioned perfectly. Your mind was finally in one place only.

That’s what you thought.

Harrison was feeling like a whole new person, you brought out the best in him. He wasn’t sure if it was your skin that made him go insane every time when it was on his, or your sun lightened prepossessing figure that would be attached to his in the morning. Everything about you was like an addiction, your big heart, bewitching smile, passion and special nature. It was like a dream, still felt like it.

Your bodies were made for each other, moving idyllically together. He found your body so arresting, like the most beautiful painted canvas. It was the way your figure writhed underneath his and how your walls would spasm around his length that wouldn’t let him be. Harrison lost count about how many times the images would linger through his mind. He couldn’t get enough.

“We eat here.” You laughed, gasping from the coldness of the kitchen counter that came in contact with your warm skin.

Harrison’s arms were exploring your body, lips locked with yours. You were in the mood, actually a lot recently. And even if it was a quickie it was full of love and passion.

“It didn’t stop us yesterday.” He smirked, the memory from the previous night making him eager.

“Please baby.” Your moans mixing with the sound of your heels falling onto the ground.

“You are so polite angel, always asking nicely.” He inhaled your scent, moving his palm into the direction of your heat.

Your sex life was magnificent, never lacking originality. It was euphoric, out of this world. Both of you knew your turn ons and offs, even if the sex would be unplanned, rough, Harrison always made sure he was showing the love, he never wanted the intimacy to be an obligation or something that needed to be done. Feelings and love were always involved.

He was so good to you. You wanted tonight to surprise him, but he forestalled you with his neediness.

“No panties?” The surprised look on his face when his fingers touched your bare core made you grin like a Cheshire cat.

You remained silent, biting your lip, waiting for him to make the next move.

“God, you’re my good one aren’t you?” He asked, rubbing the pulsing clit making you clench around nothing. The smirk on his face grew wider when he heard the small whine forming in your throat while your hand was gripping his neck.

“Are you going to promise me that tonight you will behave and not tease me.” He began, squatting down while his hands brought you near the edge of the counter.

“And when we come home I will reward you. Or not. Depends on you baby.” He placed a small kiss on your pussy, whines and grunts that meant please do something made him smile. Harrison wanted to taste you, you were glistening all because of him and that turned him on even more.

You believed that he would stop after his words but he continued, wrapping his lips around your clit sucking on it gently. Your mouth fell open, toes resting on his shoulder curled from the pleasure. You wanted him to continue, but the desire to taste him was bigger.

“Let me taste you baby.” You blurted out, lowering your head so you could see his eyes. Harrison was silent, mouth still on you, but the lust in his eyes said it all.

“Want to taste me sugar?” He asked once again, replacing his mouth with his thumb.

“Yes, please.” You pleaded, pressing your palms on his chest as he helped you to get off of the counter.

Harrison could hear his heartbeat in his ears when he felt your hands unbuckling his belt while your lips were sucking on his neck.

The sight of you in that dress, kneeling with your face near his crotch made his cock throb in his boxers. You were taking your time, playing with the band of the boxers taking them off leisurely.

“C’mon sweetness, I need you.” He moved his hands to your hair that was styled for tonight, making sure he didn’t mess it up.

Your open mouth went up his clothed length to tease him before you finally removed the white boxers. He was rock hard, the red tip aching and leaking with precum. It was the first time, Harrison never wanted to push you to do something unwillingly, and now that you wanted to wrap your little lips around him made the moment a thousand times better.

“Fuck.” He cursed when he felt your warm mouth around the tip, clenching your hair encouraging you to take more of him.

Your hand wrapped around the base, stroking him a few times before you spitted on his length. The sounds that were coming from you sent shivers down Harrison’s body. His eyes were closed, but after you moaned while taking half of him into your mouth he just needed to see your pretty face. And God did it made him go crazy.

Pink lips around his cock, head moving steadily, one hand on his base and the other one on your exposed thigh. You were enjoying yourself, whining as you bopped your head at a faster pace.

“Gonna take all of me?” He groaned, stroking your cheek softly.

“You are so good angel, you make me feel so good.” He praised, thrusting his hips forward.

His grunts and hands fisting your hair sent the heat down to your aching core. The whole situation made you wet, extremely wet. Your hand went under your dress, one finger spreading the wetness all around your entrance and higher. You needed a release as well, and the middle finger that was fumbling with your clit made you whimper. The vibrations and the feeling of his head hitting the back of your throat brought Harrison near the edge.

“Fucking hell, you like this angel? Playing with yourself while taking me like a good girl. You are amazing.” He hissed, looking at the mess that you made, but you still looked so beautiful. Your cheeks hallowing, eyes that were full of tears were fixed on his, looking at him innocently while you placed your hand on his thigh to keep your balance.

He was one lucky man.

“Are you going to cum with me angel? I know you’re close. Be a good girl for your boy and c-cum with me.” He fucked your mouth slowly, chasing his high cursing silently how good and warm your mouth felt.

The kitchen was filled with your grunts and gagging sounds. You could feel his thigh muscles clenching, he was close. Cock twitching in your mouth and throat after he could sense your orgasm, a strangled moan escaping from his mouth as he released his cum down your throat.

It was in the heat of the moment, Harrison didn’t want to do it only because he didn’t know if you were okay with it. However the concern was soon replaced with a huge smile after he saw you swallow everything he gave you, licking your fingers after it.

“Shit, you are not helping me here.” He grabbed your neck to pull you in for a kiss. He could taste both you and him on his tongue and it would sure make him hard again if he didn’t stop.

“You are incredible, thank you angel definitely will repay you later.” He kissed you once more before you left the kitchen.

“Mm sure, let’s get ready before we start something again.” You smiled against his lips, happy to have him by your side.

-

“I haven’t seen you two since forever!” Harry threw his hands in the air wrapping them around your shoulders, making both you and Harrison chuckle.

“Feeling the celebration already mate?” Harrison questioned, letting go off your waist to greet his friend.

“You two are late and I don’t want to know why but I’m so glad to see you.” Anna teased behind Harry’s back, smiling widely.

“Still kind of want to know the details.” Anna whispered while she hugged you laughing along with you.

“First to wish Mel a happy birthday and then I’m all yours.”

“Will find you soon love, is that fine?” You turned your attention to Harrison that just kissed you and told you to have fun.

“I would kill to have someone like him as my partner.” She started, while you marched through Harry’s house.

“He is astounding Ann. I love him.” Your gaze down on the floor.

“You two are both smitten.”

-

Tom was panicking. Palms sweating as he gripped the steering wheel. He was sitting in his car for the past ten minutes, unable to get up. Month or even more passed after he last saw you in your apartment, cutting every contact with you. Tom knew that the decision was stupid, that he should have talked to you and not be selfish, however he never felt like that and it just terrified him so he wasn’t thinking straight. The constant avoidance both from his side and yours was eating him alive, there was nothing more that he wanted but to admit what was going on in his mind and that he was sorry. He was sorry because he was late and not letting you enjoy the love you deserved with his best friend.

The black car that was parked next to his right was making his stomach turn upside down. It belonged to his best friend that he let down and the girl that was here since day one showering him with unconditional love that he was to blind to see because the reputation and countless gorgeous girls wrapped in his sheets occupied his mind.

It was a good feeling, the constant attention from every college girl and the admiration from the guys at the frat made him feel like he was something special. But it wasn’t what he needed.

Tom was afraid that he might break the present for Amelia because of the tight, nervous grip. He knew you came and there was no going back now. Entering a party was never hard for him, every time he would step inside a place everyone’s attention would turn to him, while he smiled broadly with his company. Now it felt strange, the feeling of everybody looking at his direction stiffened every muscle in his body. Tom thought that everyone knew what he had done, that you maybe told his brother, Anna or even worse Harrison. He already lost you and losing a best friend would make it harder. The thoughts were loud in his head and it was getting hard to focus, the crowd was small but for him it felt like there was a sea of people. His brown eyes searched desperately for the familiar figure that couldn’t leave his mind, haunting him every day.

“Look at you man.” The voice stopped his search, a hand squeezing his shoulder.

“Man didn’t see you since we were in the pub that night.” Harrison laughed, embracing him in a hug tapping his back.

“Good to see you too mate.” He greeted him back, relaxing now that he knew the truth wasn’t said after all. Tom was smiling, happy to see his true best friend next to him.

“Let that present there, grab a drink and come here with us you sure have some stories to tell am I right?” He smirked, probably talking about Gracie that wasn’t in the picture anymore.

Tom didn’t want to ask but he hoped that you came, wanting to see you finally.

-

“Why are you looking around so nervously? Are we searching for someone?” Amelia asked, looking at the people that were outside wishing her a happy birthday constantly.

“No. Just looking for Harrison.” Lies. As much as you were trying to push the feelings and thoughts about him deep down they came back to the surface. Everything seemed to go well, until today when the realization hit you that he would probably be here. With someone. You tried to stop the nervous tingle in your stomach that didn’t let you finish your drink, but it was too strong. You were red, like your dress, your legs wobbly from the anxiety. Even if he did show up he wouldn’t approach you. Still you had a small hope in you that maybe, just maybe you would sort it out. In a friendly way.

“He is with the boys don’t worry, have some fun. Let me get you a new drink this isn’t working for you I see.” Anna shook your shoulders, receiving a forced smile from you.

Little did you know that the boys were outside, but Harrison wasn’t with them.

Tom’s breath hitched in his throat, looking at you all alone near the white wall staring at the crowd. The dress wasn’t your style, but he still loved the change. Your new hairstyle suited you flawlessly. You looked like a whole new person, however he could see that it was still the old you here. Crossed legs, your fingers playing with each other nervously because being alone at a party freaked you out and it wasn’t your thing. You were chewing on your lip, something was definitely bothering you and it didn’t let you enjoy the evening. Tom knew you better than anyone, but still he didn’t know about the love that was growing for him inside of your heart since you were little.

He was now alone, debating if he should come and chat but many obstacles were on his mind stopping his actions. Just like that one night.

You still waited for anyone to come and stop your awkwardness. Harrison was nowhere in sight, Anna was taking so long with the drink and Amelia is probably having a chit chat with somebody. You were alone, scamming through the people hoping to see the curls and eyes that were flashing in front of your eyes every moment.

Both of you so close yet stubborn and blind.

You gave up, turning to the glass door, making your way inside to find someone. Tom exhaled, his mouth set in a hard line after he saw you disappear and his chance to make things better.

“You love her don’t you?” The female voice brought him out of his trance, heart pounding against his ribcage after he realized that he was caught.

“Sorry, what?”

“You were staring.” Anna stood next to him, watching her best friend collecting the guts to go talk to you. She never saw Tom struggle with girls and it was enough to connect the dots.

“Is it forbidden? We didn’t talk in a while.” Tom stated, afraid that he will spill all of his emotions to Ann.

“It’s okay Tom, we are friends just like me and Y/N. You can tell me everything.” She knew already, but she wanted to hear it from him.

“It’s, just.” Talking got harder, his lips dry.

“Complicated.”

“Everything about you is complicated.” Anna joked, she didn’t see him confused in a long time.

“What should I tell you. I guess you know it already.”

“I know. I just wanted to know what took you so long, and why now.”

The question that he didn’t have an answer to.

“I don’t know. She just woke something that no one could.” It was the truth, he had many women in his bed yet not a single one of them sparked something inside of him like you did. They tried to bring other guys with them to make Tom crawl back but that didn’t bother him.

“Oh Tom. Why didn’t you tell me.” Anna knew that someone is going to get heartbroken.

“Like you would be happy, you wouldn’t let me near her because of who I am. She is too good for me. And you were too.”

“That’s right. Still who am I to judge, you are my friend and I would help you. Always.”

“Thank you. I won’t do anything don’t worry I just want to talk.” Tom was honest, he loves you and Harrison and doing something that would affect your relationship wasn’t his plan.

“I’m going to get her.” Anna squeezed his shoulder letting him know that you two are going to sort things out.

-

The new drink you mixed, your favourite just didn’t feel the same. It was like the night at Harry’s house, you leaned on the counter with a drink in your hand.

Your eyes on the crowd and your stomach churned at the sight that was so familiar. Instead of Tom it was Harrison that was standing with a girl in the corner of Harry’s living room.

It was just a friend yeah?

“Shit Y/N.” Anna’s heels clicked on the floor looking at the brunette and the boy staring at her with big eyes.

“What?” You looked at her trying to find an answer on her face.

“I really don’t know how she came here.”

She? Who is she?

“Finally you two, too much wishes I’m done.” Amelia rushed inside, making herself a drink.

“Did you invite her?” Anna questioned pointing to the pair in front of us.

“Em? Yes I met her in my class she is new I thought she needed to get to know some people around.” Amelia was clueless, she didn’t even know that she was that Emily.

“I’m sorry Y/N she probably doesn’t know that he is taken I will fix it.”

“That’s Emily.”

Well now everything is messed up. What does she want now all of a sudden? Why was he talking to her, and clearly enjoying it? He couldn’t stop staring at her. And so couldn’t you.

“I’m sorry Y/N I needed to tell you.” Anna knew that nothing could make this situation better. It was normal to feel like this, Harrison would react the same way especially if it was a person you told him not to worry about.

“Just need some fresh air, I don’t want a scene.” Your voice small, face stern but full of emotions.

“I will fix this I-I didn’t know this. I’m sorry Y/N.” Amelia repeated feeling guilty.

“It’s not your fault, he can talk to whoever he wants.” Which was true, you didn’t want to freak out because of it although it was bothering you.

Tom saw everything, the three of you in the kitchen, Harrison and Emily in the corner and you leaving once again. If you weren’t here he would surely knock some sense into Harrison, for his own good. After all he was the one that was his shoulder to cry on and he didn’t deserve that again. Tom wasn’t doubting Harrison’s loyalty, however he didn’t believe Emily with her actions. Now it was Tom time to talk to you.

Tom knew where you will hide, the small place behind Harry’s house was your space when you felt the need to be alone.

And you were there just how he thought. Your elbows resting on your knees, fingers in hair while you exhaled loudly.

“You don’t need to worry about it.” He could see that you were shocked.

Your body froze, unable to turn around to face him. Tom was okay with your silence, he didn’t even think you would run into his embrace when he finally shows up, the silence was better than running away from him.

He sat down on the floor next to you, your eyes focused on the small pot with flowers on your left.

“I know you don’t want to talk to me after everything, but it was tough for me.” He began, trying to get at least a glance from you.

“I know I was acting like shit, ignoring you and hiding my feelings was something I shouldn’t have done. Especially after what we had. I don’t know about you but for me it was more than just sex. I really love you.” It was enough for him, hiding wasn’t the solution for your and his problems. Tom hid it before, during it and it didn’t bring any good. He went straight to the point.

“And I also know it’s late and I know that you think I was selfish and that I am now, maybe you think that I’m doing this so that I could have you for myself only, but I’m not. I’m just tired of keeping it to myself. I owe you an explanation.” Tom said softly, clenching his jaw from the nervousness.

You were still quiet, heart beating rapidly and palms sweating from his confession. Did he really say that? Or was it just an excuse for everything. You were forming a sentence trying to answer him, but words were stuck in your throat.

“And about Gracie t-that was just a show. I apologized to her, she is a great girl she really is just not for me. I’m so sorry Y/N , so sorry that I put you in this situation.” His shaky hand was on your knee, caressing it gently hoping you won’t push it away.

“You love me?” You choked out, turning your head towards him but with your eyes closed.

“I’m so sorry for not letting you know earlier, it was a strange feeling that was bugging me whenever we would be together, it terrified me.” He apologized once again.

“I know that you’re content now and I don’t want to ruin it, I came here to make things better. I want you in my life like before.” Tom moved his palm towards yours, testing the waters before grabbing it.

“Well I sure look content do I?” You joked, making him smile.

You just missed him.

“I saw them together, believe me I know Harrison he won’t do anything, he isn’t like that. Harrison is smitten, absolutely in love with you. Every evening when he would come with us out you were the only thing that he talked about.” Tom could see the corner of your mouth curving into a small smile after his words, and nothing could warm up his heart like you did.

“He loves you. Emily is in the past, he didn’t have that wide grin on his face with her like he has when he is with you. Don’t worry love anyone would kill to have you. Especially because you make those mean tacos, man did I miss them.” It was the truth, he would be the first one to kill. The sad face was replaced with a loud laugh and that was enough for Tom.

“I am sorry Tom.” You finally spoke, looking at his warm brown eyes that could always make you feel so nervous.

“For what? Don’t be silly, I need to apologize and I just want you to accept it. I miss you.”

“I am sorry that I didn’t have a proper conversation with you and that I just kicked you out that night it wasn’t a good move.” You brought his hand into yours, ghosting your thumb over his knuckles.

“We shouldn’t focus on the past let’s appreciate this moment and moments that will come.” Tom was staring at your eyes, red cheeks and those sweet lips that he missed like crazy.

You saw him staring, and your eyes were fixed on his face as well. You knew that kissing him would be a wrong move, and now that you started to sort things out you didn’t have the courage. He didn’t want it, you were sure or at least you thought that.

However Tom could sense that you wanted it just like he did. He promised himself after this he won’t do anything. Just this time.

“I really want to kiss you, at least for the last time. Please.” He whispered, the pad of his thumb running up and down your rosy cheek. The thought of him reading your mind and body language made you tremble.

“Do it.”

-

Tag List

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[mostlycompetentwriter]

Neverending Story

F/M Pairing: Y/N x Seo Changbin (Stray Kids)

Word Count: 11K

Genre: Married Life AU

Warnings: Smut and Language 

Summary: Y/N met her husband unexpectedly, and their subsequent relationship has been anything but predictable. But Changbin has always agreed to give Y/N whatever she wanted, but that is suddenly put to the test when Y/N takes things a step too far.

Note: The Holy Trinity of 3racha Married AUs is complete. @lordseochangbin​ I hope you don’t mind that I tagged you, but this is the fic inspired by that gifset from earlier this week.

Han Jisung had promised me a substantial raise, but after looking out over the podium to appraise the crowd of rich businessmen, I suddenly regretted ever agreeing to work for him in the first place. Because my boss was currently lying in his fancy upstate apartment dying of the flu while I was standing in his place with cue cards in hand to deliver an eloquent speech to a bunch of men who would probably laugh at my expense. But let’s also not forget to mention the fact that I’ve always been extremely introverted which meant that public speaking equated to sweat-drenched palms and the nervous sway to my gait as I rocked back and forth on my feet with hands behind my back.

 “Hello,” I spoke into the microphone, wincing when my voice echoed over the speakers. Apparently, the audio feedback in this ballroom was something out of the early 20th century before people had figured out how to work a sound system. “On behalf of Mr. Han,” I said, resisting the urge to lick away the last remnants of my cheap lipstick. “He would like to thank everyone for their support with his new summer project.”

A light smattering of applause, probably from those arrogant benefactors who liked to come into the office to kiss Jisung’s ass and compliment him on all of his successes. They didn’t mean a single word of the bullshit spewing from their mouths, especially the women who openly gaped at him right in front of my desk. “In regards to the company’s s-stocks,” I said, stuttering over the word while fumbling with my notecards. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this nervous, mind working a mile a minute as I tried to desperately compose myself.

And because everything was already progressing this poorly, I started to lose my grip on the stack of notecards aiding my speech, watching as they fell to the ground and spread completely out of order. I immediately dropped to my knees, hurriedly gathering the notecards back into my grasp before inwardly cursing Han Jisung for what had to be the hundredth time that evening. I managed to collect the notecards together on top of the podium before gazing out into the unamused collection of wealthy aristocrats. “I’m sure it had something to do with fourth-quarter profits,” I said while clearing my throat. “Thank you for coming.”

I rushed off the stage without another word, drenched in sweat and failure, determined to make it out of the building before someone else could comment on the unfortunate incident. It reminded me of a similar calamity involving my asshole of an ex-boyfriend who had left me high and dry at one of his seminars to apologize to the people who paid to see his lecture. Why were the men in my life always determined to embarrass me?

With rapid steps, I was nearly out the door before an unfamiliar hand wrapped itself around my wrist. I paused with a wince, turning around to look at the rather handsome gentleman who was waiting patiently behind me. “I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly, assuming he must have something to do with the event. I’m sure he was not pleased with my humiliating display, especially when tonight's proceedings had been touted as a professional gathering. “Mr. Han couldn’t make it tonight and I was trying to fill in for him. Please don’t let this reflect badly on the company.”

A smirk graced his sharp features. “Don’t apologize. I thought it was great.”

“Excuse me?”

“The speech was great,” the man continued, dark hair falling into his eyes like a curtain. He let go of my wrist before offering me a more professional greeting. “Seo Changbin.”

“Seo?” I repeated, searching my mind for any mention of that name. I dealt with a lot of rich men when it came to scouring the city for potential leads, sorting through dozens of profiles every day I walked into the office. Usually with a cup of coffee in hand because Jisung wouldn’t be able to function otherwise.

“I own a line of hotel chains,” Changbin nodded. “Does that sound more familiar?”

His tone was teasing. “I do remember now, Mr. Seo.”

“Ah, don’t call me that,” he insisted. “You don’t have to put on an act like the others.”

I smiled at his easy-going nature. “Well, I’m glad you were at least entertained by my speech.”

Changbin glanced up at the door behind me. “Were you leaving already?”

I followed his gaze, albeit more hesitantly now. “I was planning to.”

“Good,” Changbin said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he leaned in closer. “Mind if I join you?”

I was flushed for an entirely new reason now. “I would be honored.”

Han Jisung was the greatest employer in the world, and I would do everything in my power to serve as his PA in the future. Because I would owe Jisung a million heartfelt expressions of gratitude for asking me to deliver a speech in his absence. Leading me to one of the most gorgeous men I had ever met since the insanely attractive graduate student who served as a TA for my college writing seminar.

But it was hard to think about Jisung, or anything rational for that matter when my legs were practically bent at my chest, lungs devoid of oxygen while Seo Changbin proceeded to fuck me into the mattress. It was a really nice mattress too, compliments of the fancy hotel suite he had reserved for the weekend. I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that Changbin was a very wealthy man who had way too many muscles and a cock that stretched the sensitive walls of my pussy with every subsequent thrust deep inside to the point where it felt like he was spearing me against the bed. 

Not that I minded in the slightest as I ran my hands down the smooth contours of his back, moaning loudly against his shoulder. It was completely unfair for someone to look this good, and I had nearly lost my mind when he had crawled between my legs, fingers deftly undoing the buttons of his shirt to reveal an upper-body straight out of the Men’s Health magazine. Because fate had deemed me fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fuck someone who belonged in my erotic fantasies, dick heavy on my tongue as I blew him under the desk in his office. 

“Changbin,” I groaned, thighs trembling from their current position. 

“You’re cumming, aren’t you, Y/N?” he asked in a raspy voice thick with lust and an irresistible baritone.

“Yes,” I managed around a gasp because Changbin had started to thumb across my clit with practiced movements, intentions perfectly clear as he leaned back to watch the way my back arched towards the ceiling. It had been a long time since someone had made me cum like that and I was still high from the effects of my orgasm while Changbin chased his release with several more slow grinds in exaggerated succession before filling the condom with a grunt.

I was fighting for air, sweat dripping from my bangs as Changbin fell onto the bed next to me. “How long have you been working out?”

Changbin chuckled. “Since high school.”

“It really shows,” I said, twisting my head to the side because I couldn't get enough of his firm biceps.

Changbin reached across the bed, fingers sliding through his cum dripping from the folds of my labia. “I haven’t asked for your number yet, Y/N.”

My entire body lit with excitement at his words because there was a very obvious intention in such an innocent comment. It meant that Changbin wanted to see me again, and I would give absolutely anything to feel his cock sliding in and out at his own luxury. Of course, there would be a lot of things he would come to ask me for in the future and very rarely would I ever tell him no, especially once he slipped a gorgeous diamond ring onto my finger.

I would also come to learn that there are few things my husband cannot resist in this world and the opportunity to fuck me over the kitchen counter was definitely one of them. I rarely woke up early enough to cook breakfast, so on the rare chance that I managed to obey my alarm clock, I would trudge into the kitchen wearing nothing but one of Changbin’s college t-shirts to pull out a carton of eggs from the fridge. It was the least I could do for my husband since he was always the more romantic one in our relationship.

Lured by the smell of coffee and bacon, Changbin found me in the kitchen, twisting my shirt around my waist to push his cock deep inside. Bracing my elbows against the rough marble of the countertop, I did my best to spread my legs wide for him because nothing felt better in the morning than Changbin fucking me from behind, fingers digging bruises into the skin of my hip bones. “Where did this come from?” I gasped because Changbin had figured out how to roll his hips just right to grind my clit against the side of the worn surface. 

“When you walk around the apartment wearing nothing but a shirt,” Changbin said, growling at my ear. “I have to fuck you like the little slut you want to be.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?” I smirked, receiving a firm smack on my ass for my sarcastic question.

“Is that what you want?” Changbin asked, encouraged by my loud moans. 

“What if I showed up to your office dressed like this?”

“You better not,” he grumbled, hands sliding up my shirt to squeeze my breasts. “These are for my eyes only.”

“Greedy,” I moaned, pushing back against him because I was desperately chasing a good orgasm.

“It’s your fault,” Changbin said, picking up the pace once he started detecting the familiar signs of my impending release. But at this point in time, we knew everything about one another’s bodies. And Changbin always managed to hit even deeper, reaching further and further inside with every aggressive meeting of our hips, the lewd sounds mingling with our moans.

“I was feeling particularly horny this morning,” I replied, finally letting go after a strategic thrust that snapped the chord anchoring me to reality. Changbin followed soon after, grinding his cock as he rode out his own orgasm. And despite my oversensitivity, Changbin ignored my whines and shoved his cum back where it belonged. 

“Alright, Mrs. Seo,” he said, chuckling at the sluggish way I pulled myself back onto my feet, shirt falling back into place. “Will you shower with me before I go to work?”

“What about breakfast?”

“I guess I’ll just have you instead,” he said and I grimaced at the cheesy comment.

Jisung was always late in the mornings, but he could get away with it because nobody would criticize the CEO. But his status didn’t mean that Minho, Jisung’s closest advisor, was any less of a nuisance when he complained to anyone who would listen. Which was often me because my desk was located right next to Jisung’s office. “It’s like he doesn’t care,” Minho whined.

I nodded my head slowly, focused on responding to the emails flooding my inbox. “He’s got a lot on his mind.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Minho immediately opposed. “He’s just lazy! I get up every morning at the crack of dawn to come into the office. Why can’t he do the same?”

I glanced up wearily to reply because Minho was probably expecting me to agree with everything he was saying. Graciously, I was relieved of that unnecessary burden when I saw Seungmin walking in our direction. “Minnie!”

I waved him down desperately and he offered me a smile with his cell phone in hand. “Y/N,” he said, handing me the device from over the counter, blatantly ignoring a sour Minho. “My dog had her puppies.”

I immediately cooed at the sight of the tiny little Dalmations, squealing at the sight of their tiny ears. “Seungmin, they’re adorable!”

The younger boy grinned. “You know you’d be the first person on my list since I’m looking for new homes.”

“I don’t know, Seungmin,” I said, reluctantly returning his phone. “Changbin would be really mad if I brought home a dog.”

“Changbin? Mad at you?” Seungmin scoffed. “That’s impossible, Y/N.”

“Changbin gives you whatever you want,” Minho added as if unable to resist jumping into our conversation.

“But not this,” I said. “One time, I thought it might be nice to bring home a fish for the apartment, but when Changbin saw it on the coffee table, he complained for hours about how gross they were. If I even mention a dog, Changbin immediately changes the subject.”

“Well, I guess it never hurts to ask,” Seungmin said with a shrug. “But they really do need new homes. They’ll be old enough in a few weeks to leave their mother.”

“Don’t try to talk me into this,” I said, shooting him a glare. “You know I have a weak resolve.”

“What if you at least come over this afternoon to see them?” Seungmin asked as if blatantly ignoring my last demand.

“Can I come too?” Minho asked. “You know how boring it gets around here.”

“As long as you can at least pretend you might take one,” Seungmin said. “I’m sure your cats would be thrilled.”

“My cats are angels,” Minho said. “They would love a new friend.”

“To torment,” I said. “Won’t they get jealous when you give the puppy all of your attention?”

“My babies know how to share,” Minho replied. “They were taught well.”

“I’d hate to see you as a teacher,” Seungmin said, receiving a glare in response.

The conversation ended there, but the subject remained a heavy point of focus for the remainder of the day. I couldn’t stop thinking about the puppies, finding myself distracted during the most menial of tasks. I even managed to completely ignore Jisung’s greeting because I was so lost in my thoughts. Subsequently, my boss had stood at the front of my desk to snap his fingers in my line of vision. “Y/N?”

“Sorry, sir,” I apologized immediately, blushing because I knew I should be focused on my work.

And I knew that agreeing to visit Seungmin’s puppies would definitely be a horrible idea. The minute they looked at me with adorable button noses and innocent eyes, I would be breaking down and demanding to have one for myself. I knew this would happen, but I still tortured myself and drove with Seungmin back to his apartment, falling in love a dozen times over with each and every single puppy who subsequently chewed on my frayed sandals or plopped themselves right in the middle of my lap. “You’ve ruined me,” I told Seungmin because there was no way I wasn’t bringing home a puppy and that only meant trouble. 

Changbin absolutely hated the idea of pets and had repeatedly denied me every time we walked past a pet shelter or saw a dog during our walks through the park. I could never understand why he was so adamantly opposed, but I figured it had something to do with the fact that he was an obsessive clean freak who liked everything in his life to be controlled. Puppies were a factor one simply couldn’t plan for and they tended to possess destructive tendencies, especially when it came to the things they really believed were toys instead of expensive shoes.

“I’ll call you when you can pick one up,” Seungmin said, following me to the door of his apartment. 

“What am I doing?” I groaned loudly, pointing an accusing finger in Seungmin’s direction. “I’m holding you personally accountable.”

Seungmin offered me a grin. “Tell Changbin to call me.”

Eight weeks later, I chose a strategic day when I knew Changbin would be coming home late from work because of a board meeting. Subsequently, I snuck the small Dalmatian puppy upstairs into our apartment, holding tight to its wriggling body before she immediately made her presence known the moment I put her down on the floor. “Don’t pee there,” I said, ushering her away from the pricey carpet Changbin had bought for the foyer.

My plan was to hide her in the guest bathroom, praying that she would keep from barking too loudly when Changbin came home. “Changbin’s going to kill me,” I thought to myself while opening the door for the excited puppy who ran inside to smell the low hanging duvet with curiosity. 

Changbin rarely raised his voice around me, and I could only think of a few incidents where Changbin and I had truly fought. Most of the time, it was because of his mother who quite simply hated the idea of her son being with someone who didn’t come from money. There was also the issue of me working for Jisung because Changbin would prefer it if I stayed at home, but that definitely wasn’t happening. I stood my ground against him, making my case until he had reluctantly relented, muttering something about how he had enough money to take care of both of us.

However, in neither of those cases had I ever went behind Changbin’s back to do something that I knew he would hate. Of course, I had also never wanted something as bad as the adorable puppy who had stolen my heart the minute she first wagged her tail while I carefully stroked the soft fur of her ears. “Changbin will understand,” I said to the puppy who cocked her head to the side as she watched me. “For now you can stay in here until I think of a better way to introduce you.”

Bang Chan was one of those people who never acted like he had enough money to buy the entire city of New York. He was funny and laid back, laughing with everyone despite whether or not they were a big donor or just an employee. He was one of Changbin’s best friends and he always invited the two of us to his parties at his extravagant condo. As an invitation-only affair, Chan’s parties had become the envy of anyone who was denied the opportunity to attend. More often than not, the parties became a friendly get-together which meant that some of Changbin’s other friends would also be attending. But Hyunjin and Felix always drank way too much beer to be considered appropriate for what was deemed a “suit and tie only” event.

“You look gorgeous,” Changbin said as we waited outside the door. 

“Well, it’s hard not to look good in this dress,” I said because, despite my refusal, Changbin had insisted on buying it for me. Then again, I still wasn’t quite used to watching Changbin pull out his credit card for something that cost nearly half a million dollars. 

“Aren’t you glad I bought it?” Changbin asked, reaching over to finger the delicate lace outlining the dress’ neckline.

“I’ll be even more satisfied when you take it off later,” I said casually, smirking at his sharp inhale as the door suddenly opened to reveal Chan standing on the other side.

“You’re late!” he lightly chastised us, pulling Changbin inside by the hand with more force than necessary. I grinned at the affectionate display, removing my jacket for the server who waited next to the entryway adorned in an elegant suit. “How was the meeting?” Chan asked, making easy conversation as he led us to a nearby waiter holding a tray of flutes filled with champagne. 

“They liked the presentation,” Changbin replied, handing me a glass. “I think some of the new trustees favored the last approach.”

“Of course they do,” Chan nodded. “But you know that you can do whatever you want. It’s impossible to satisfy everyone.”

“I know,” Changbin said, curling an arm around my waist to keep me close to his side. Not that I minded considering the sea of unfamiliar faces who all swarmed to Changbin like he was a celebrity. I guess in their world he was, but it might be funny to tell them about how soft he got after I jerked him off under the sheets. 

You see, Chan was the general manager of Changbin’s largest hotel and he always did his best to ease the burden that Changbin took responsibility for as he oversaw dozens of hotels and thousands of employees. Felix and Hyunjin also helped where they could, not just as friends but as personal assistants to Changbin at the main office. And I happen to know from experience that nobody made a better cup of coffee than Hwang Hyunjin. 

Felix was also dating one of my best friends who I had introduced him to while Changbin and I were still dating, inviting a plus one for the grand opening of his very first hotel expansion. I was surprised when Felix demonstrated just how loving he could be because Changbin often told me horror stories of Felix’s more play boyish tendencies back when they went to college together. However, Felix had been nothing but polite and loving towards my friend since the moment the two first met over a few too many glasses of wine.

“Rina,” I smiled warmly, graciously accepting her invitation to talk outside on Chan’s balcony because the party was suffocating inside. 

“Let me see the pictures!” my friend squealed, practically jerking the cell phone from my grasp. “Cute!” Rina declared, scrolling through my camera roll. “And Changbin doesn’t know? I really do admire you.”

“Well, if you were any louder, he might find out,” I said, checking over my shoulder to ensure that Changbin was still in deep conversation with Felix. “I heard you visited Felix’s parents the other day.”

Rina groaned, handing me back my phone. “I’m pretty sure they hate me. I made the worst impression possible.”

“What did you do?” I asked, rolling my eyes because Rina had a tendency to go overboard.

“Well, for one thing, when his mother asked for help with the food, I may have accidentally started a small kitchen fire.”

“You know, it really doesn’t matter if the fire is small or not.”

“Yeah,” Rina agreed sheepishly.

“Does that mean things are okay with between you and Felix?” I took a sip of my wine, thinking my question innocent enough until I heard Rina let out a shaky breath. “What is it?”

Rina shook her head, leaning out over the balcony. “Felix is acting weird these days. He comes home late now and he doesn’t bother paying me much attention.”

“Felix?” I immediately questioned because I wanted to make sure we were talking about the same boy who bought every single bouquet of roses in the flower shop on Main Street for their anniversary.

Rina suddenly moved in closer, eyes carefully ensuring that no voices were potentially listening. “I think Felix is cheating on me.”

“Rina,” I gasped because the accusation was incredibly serious. “Why would you think that? After he just took you home to his parents?”

“I think he just did that because I kept insisting,” Rina huffed. “I’m serious here, Y/N. There’s something going on with him.”

I wracked my brain for any indication that Felix might have said something to offer justification for Rina’s claim. “But how can you be sure?”

“I can’t,” Rina said. “That’s why I’m going into the office tomorrow night.”

“The office?”

“He’s probably meeting her there.”

“Who?”

“Haven’t you been listening?” Rina hissed. “Felix comes home really late all of a sudden and he doesn’t talk to me about why?”

“That’s just how Felix is.”

“You don’t know him like I do,” Rina said, dismissing my comment. “I’m planning to follow him. See what he’s really doing.”

“Rina, this sounds like a horrible idea.”

“As bad as sneaking a dog into Changbin’s apartment?”

“They can’t even be compared,” I exclaimed. “And I plan to tell Changbin about the dog.”

“Good luck with that,” Rina sneered, fingers tapping the side of her wine glass. “Can you at least come with me tomorrow?”

“To spy on Felix?”

“As a precaution,” Rina said as if that improved the situation.

“Rina, you need to trust Felix. I don’t think he would do anything like this to hurt you.”

“Please, Y/N,” Rina said, reaching out for my hand. “Best friends are supposed to come before boys.”

“Don’t use that against me,” I said. “Besides, how do you expect us to just sneak into the office?”

“Leave that to me,” Rina said, patting my shoulder as if to show her appreciation. “Just tell your man that we’re going out for the night.”

“Fine, but you owe me big time.”

Nevertheless, why did it have to be so cold for our impromptu spy mission?

“Don’t say I never did anything nice for you,” I commented dryly, gazing out at Changbin’s office building from across the street. “We’re definitely going to get caught.”

“Not with that attitude,” Rina said. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose I have no choice,” I grumbled.

“Felix didn’t respond to my last message,” Rina said, already making her way out of the car. “But I saw that he was parked in the garage.”

“Changbin’s still here too,” I said with a shiver because I had been desperately hoping that my husband would leave on time for once. However, the moment he found out that I was going out with Rina, he called up Hyunjin and told him that tonight would make a great time to work on their new project. “At least he won’t accidentally wander into the guest bedroom and find Jane in the bathroom.”

“Wouldn’t that be hilarious though?” Rina giggled. “Changbin is going to throw a fit when he finds that dog.”

“He hasn’t noticed anything so far,” I said, although he came very close to suspicion in bed the other night when he realized that something that sounded a lot like barking was emanating through the walls.

“Y/N, you can’t hide that dog forever, but I need your full attention tonight,” Rina said, snapping her fingers while she pointed at the office near the top where Felix worked. “I have someone on the inside who’s gonna help us.”

I had a bad feeling about this mysterious insider that was only confirmed the moment Jeongin stepped outside to greet us at the front. “That figures,” I muttered because Jeongin practically idolized Rina who always showered him in affection. If Rina and Felix weren’t so obviously in love, Jeongin would be the first person to show up on Rina’s doorstep with a bouquet of flowers in hand.

“Changbin and Hyunjin are in a meeting,” Jeongin explained as he led us to the elevators. “Felix should still be in his office, but he mentioned something about leaving before I came downstairs.”

Jeongin was also Felix’s intern and I highly doubted that he would appreciate the younger’s blatant participation in Rina’s witch hunt. “Perfect,” Rina nodded. “Now tell Y/N about that woman that Felix keeps meeting with.”

Jeongin turned to me with a gasp. “I have no idea who she is, Y/N, but she’s showed up every day this week!”

“See!” Rina exclaimed, waving her hands around like she had suddenly solved the world’s greatest crisis.

“I don’t see anything,” I told her, stoically unmoved when we arrived at our designated floor. “Felix meets with a lot of people. I don’t know if you’re aware, but he kinda works for a pretty big business.”

“We’ll see about that,” Rina declared, heels loudly clicking against the floor as we followed our newly appointed Jeongin tour guide. He led us to one of the desks outside of Felix’s office, searching through some reports until he found what he was looking for, handing it to Rina. “This is the last spreadsheet for all the transactions from Felix’s company credit card.”

“They’re from the same restaurant,” Rina said, reading over the list with narrowed eyes. 

“Business meetings,” I said.

“Or, he’s treating this homewrecker to sushi and bad soju,” Rina said. “What else do you have, Jeongin?”

The younger boy obediently knelt down to open another drawer, but let out a little gasp when he jerked on Rina’s arm and forced the two of them on the floor. “Get down!” he hissed, but I reacted late to his sudden warning, realizing my mistake a moment too late when Changbin was already calling my name from somewhere to my right. 

“Distract him,” Rina whispered urgently, tugging on my jeans.

I rolled my eyes but tried to put on my best smile when Changbin stopped on the other side of Jeongin’s desk. “Y/N,” he said, clearly surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d visit you on my way home,” I lied smoothly, resisting the urge to kick out at Rina in her vulnerable position.

“Where’s Rina?” he asked, arms flexing enticingly in his tight-fit shirt.

“Probably at home,” I said, before trying on my best pout. “Are you not happy to see me?”

Changbin’s expression immediately softened. “Of course I am, Y/N,” he said. “I’m glad you came by. I’m leaving soon so we can ride home together.”

“Perfect,” I said, stepping away from the desk to eagerly lead Changbin further away from where my best friend was hiding. I also didn’t stop him when his strong arms encouraged me into the firm expanse of his chest, cologne heavy against his neck. 

“Do you need anything?” Changbin asked while calling for the elevator. 

I glanced over his shoulder at Jeongin who was trying to tell me something, but I quickly determined that he would be really bad at the whisper challenge. “I’m okay,” I said, clutching tightly to his arm as led me downstairs.

Seungmin and Minho were acceptable lunch buddies and despite their near-constant arguing, I still sat with them in the company’s cafeteria, enjoying whatever organic food they planned to serve that day. “How is the puppy, Y/N?” Seungmin asked over a mouthful of potatoes.

“She’s great,” I said, unable to resist a smile at the thought of my charming new friend.

“Does Changbin know?”

“Not yet,” I said, hesitantly poking at my salad. “But I have a plan to fix that tonight.”

“Is that so?” Minho butted in, studying me from across the table. “Maybe he could buy you a new apartment across the city.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said. “Because I plan to thoroughly convince him.”

“Sounds like an innuendo to me,” Minho said, reaching out for my hand. “Congratulations, Y/N, you’ve finally figured out the real purpose of marriage.”

“Manipulation,” Seungmin concluded.

“Stop it you two,” I groaned. “I’m not manipulating Changbin.”

“Seduction sounds like manipulation to me.”

“I’m merely encouraging him to change his mind,” I said, ignoring their unnecessary commentary.

“By dicking him down, I get it,” Minho nodded. “I’ve done the same things to my girlfriends.”

“No wonder you’re still single,” Seungmin said earning him a flick across his forehead. “Ow!”

“I’m sure Changbin has affection for animals somewhere deep down inside,” I continued. “He’ll be so much happier with a dog around the apartment.”

“Or he’ll be really furious,” Seungmin said. “I guess if you really need to return the puppy, I can always take her back.”  

“No,” I whined at the thought. “We’ve already bonded.”

“Well, if it comes down between your bond with man’s best friend and the man, which would you rather choose?” Minho asked.

I really hated them both sometimes.

There were three things that Seo Changbin truly loved: 1. His family 2. His wife and 3. His wife in lingerie. Which is exactly what he was going to get the moment he stepped inside that door. Because tonight, I needed to do everything in my power to appeal to him.

I nodded in satisfaction as I studied my appearance in the floor-length mirror in our bedroom, adjusting the thin fabric of my stockings as they ran up the expanse of my thighs, attached to the garter belt Changbin had bought me for my birthday. Once I was satisfied, I tugged on a silky black robe, loosely tying the belt around the middle. “Perfect,” I declared.

Next, I made sure that Changbin’s favorite food was ready, table set with our finest cutlery. I also pulled out his favorite wine, filling two glasses while keeping the bottle cool in a bucket of ice. Finally, I lit a few candles around the table and the perimeter of the dining room, trying for a romantic mood since Changbin was secretly a huge fun of those extravagances.

“Do it for Jane, Y/N,” I whispered to myself, flinching when I heard the sound of Changbin’s key in the lock.

My husband called out my name and I directed him to the dining room, pleased when his eyes immediately froze on my attire. “Y/N?”

“Binnie,” I grinned, taking a seat on the edge of the table, kicking out one of the chairs as an invitation. “I made your favorite.”

Changbin tugged at the tie messily wrapped around his collar, taking my hint and planting himself down next to me. One hand caressed my exposed leg through the fabric of my robe while he looked up at me with dark eyes. “What’s all this for?”

“For you, of course,” I smiled, reaching back to grab a strawberry, holding it up to his lips.

Changbin took the offered fruit, eyes never leaving mine. “Is there something you want, Y/N?”

Changbin knew me too well, but I kept up the act, sliding down the table and into his lap. My thighs were planted on either side of his body and Changbin delicately traced the lace lining of my stockings to the place where they disappeared beneath fabric. “Does there have to be a reason?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“No,” Changbin agreed, eager hands working the belt of my robe. “But there usually is.” He was silent for a moment as he drew the sleeves down my shoulders, leaving me completely on display for his eyes to leisurely explore. “You can tell me, honey.”

“I can?” I asked breathlessly, planting kisses across his forehead while his fingers dug into my ass to pull me even closer.

“Whatever you want,” Changbin agreed, hands smoothing across the skin of my stomach while he started to slowly grind his hips against mine. He was impossibly hard beneath the tight material of his fitted slacks, cock moving perfectly in time with the little moans he forced out of me. I was practically drooling at the thought of Changbin’s cock, stretching my lips across the head and tasting his precum. 

“Binnie,” I gasped, jittery fingers working apart the buttons on his shirt to reveal the smooth skin of his chest, groping my hands against his defined pectoral muscles.

“Yeah, baby?” he said, reaching up to taste my lips. “You want me to fuck you on the table?”

“Please,” I whimpered, holding onto his biceps to feel his impossible strength while he practically manhandled me into place, looming over my trembling body while his eyes made a luxury trip of exploring my exposed skin. I wrapped my legs around his waist to encourage him closer, wanting nothing more than to feel his cock...

“Did you hear that?”

I froze under him, detecting resistance from Changbin whose eyes were now devoid of lust as he lifted his head in concentration. It was then that I heard it, an alarmingly loud whine from Jane in the guest bedroom which was suddenly way too close to ignore. 

Changbin immediately stopped everything he was doing. “Please tell me you can hear it too?”

“Hear what?” I asked nervously, attempting to draw his attention back to me and it might have worked had Jane not decided to let out a series of playful barks and I suddenly regretted leaving her alone with a new toy.

“It’s something,” Changbin said, tone much darker as he ordered me to unwrap my legs from their vicelike grip around his waist. I obeyed hesitantly because my plan was falling apart at the seams and I had a bad feeling about what might happen next. 

Slowly, I followed him as he marched to the guest bedroom, opening the door like a man on a mission. And I doubt I’ll ever forget the way Jane immediately darted from the bathroom, sniffing Changbin’s shoes before waddling in my direction, plastic bone hanging from her mouth. “Y/N,” Changbin said, watching me as I picked up Jane off the floor. “Do you mind explaining to me why there’s a dog in the guest room?”

“It’s nothing bad,” I said, holding even tighter to Jane. “I may have adopted her-”

“What!” Changbin cut me off with a sharp interrogative. “How long has it been living here?”

“She,” I corrected him, “has been living here for a week or so...”

“A week!” Changbin exclaimed. “You’ve kept a dog hidden in here for a week?”

“Well, I didn’t plan on hiding her forever,” I said, fingers moving nervously through Jane’s soft fur.

“Get rid of it,” Changbin barked, looking every bit the intimidating CEO whose annual salary easily eclipsed my entire family net worth.

“Changbin,” I said softly. “Please don’t say that.”

“This is my house,” Changbin growled. “And I will not have it trashed by that thing.”

“I thought it was my house too?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

Changbin seemed taken aback, but he was not deterred for long. “Of course it is, but you know I don’t want any animals living here.”

“But she’s really clean,” I said. “And I’m training her every day!”

“I don’t care,” Changbin snapped. “I want to see it gone tomorrow morning, do you understand?”

“Changbin,” I whimpered, eyes clouding with the promise of tears. “You said you’d give me whatever I want.”

I know it sounds selfish, but I was growing increasingly desperate as it became more and more apparent that Changbin had already made up his mind. “I meant something like clothes, Y/N,” Changbin said. “Not a living pest.”

“She’s not a pest,” I insisted. “Jane is really sweet.”

“Oh great, you’ve named it,” Changbin grumbled, reaching for his cellphone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Animal control,” Changbin muttered and I immediately reacted.

“Don’t call them!” I exclaimed. “At least give her a better home than that horrible place.”

“Then find her one,” Changbin said. “You get one week before I handle it myself.”

“What an asshole,” I snarled. 

“I agree,” Rina nodded, offering Jane a few treats when my puppy clambered onto the sofa next to us. In spite of Changbin’s dismissal, I found a refugee for both myself and Jane in Rina’s shared apartment with Felix. “I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. Changbin can’t possibly be that averse to something so cute.”

“It’s not like I brought home a child,” I said, frowning at my phone screen when Changbin sent yet another text message. “I hope he knows I’m not coming home tonight. If he kicks Jane out, then I’m leaving too.”

“You can keep me company instead,” Rina said. “Felix never comes around anymore so it’s just like college again.”

“Except we have more than just ramen in the kitchen.”

“Not to mention this sweetie,” Rina added, lifting Jane into her arms. “Who needs a man around anyway?”

“At least your man is okay with Jane living here for a few days,” I said. “I guess I’ll have to ask Seungmin to take her back.”

“You shouldn’t have to, Y/N,” Rina sighed. “It’s unfortunate that Changbin hates the puppies. I’d even keep Jane for myself but I think she’d be much happier with someone who isn’t prone to forgetting to even feed herself.”

I snorted. “That would be better than the pound. Can you believe he tried to call animal control?”

“Seo Changbin?” Rina snickered. “Nothing he does surprises me. This is the same person who rented out an entire restaurant just to propose to you.”

“Don’t bring up our happy memories,” I complained. “I’m supposed to be mad at him right now.”

“Then be mad at him,” Rina shrugged. “Honestly speaking, if he can’t see how important this is to you, then he doesn’t deserve to call you his wife in the first place.”

“This isn’t a deal-breaker,” I said. “I just wish he would understand how I feel.”

“Analytical types like Changbin are incapable of empathy,” Rina said. “It’s a proven fact, Y/N. He’ll still think he’s right when the two of you are retired somewhere in a tropical paradise.”

“Ugh, he’s so stubborn.”

“Takes after his mother in that regard,” Rina said. “Remember at your wedding? She bawled her eyes out after giving that horrible speech where she basically implied that you were stealing away her only son.”

“She’s the mistress of Evil,” I nodded. “They share that characteristic. Both of them can be downright mean when they want to be.”

“I guess that’s why Changbin has been so successful,” Rina said. “Still doesn’t take away from the fact that he sometimes seems to forget you're his wife and not a stockholder.”

I let out a deep breath. “What about you and Felix?”

“Oh, he’s still distant and I’m half-way convinced that I’m being replaced by a supermodel with bigger tits.”

“I don’t think Felix would be that shallow.”

“I know,” Rina said, palming her breasts through her shirt. “They’re pretty big, right?”

“He doesn’t care about that,” I said. “And if I wasn’t so pissed at Changbin, I might ask him about this mystery girl.”

“We’ll have to go through the middle man,” she said, offering me a knowing look.

“Hwang Hyunjin,” we both agreed in perfect synchronization.

Luring Hyunjin out of the office building was as easy as promising a free lunch at his favorite restaurant. And when Hyunjin discovered that he would be meeting with both myself and Rina, he immediately jumped at the opportunity. Because Hwang Hyunjin was one of the most overdramatic people I knew and he never missed an opportunity to ensconce himself in everyone else's problems. “You know, Y/N,” he said through a sip of wine. “It would be nice if you at least pretended to like Changbin. He’s always intolerable at the office whenever the two of you fight.”

“I can’t even pretend to like him right now,” I said. “And, if you feel so inclined, you can pass on the message to him that I won’t be coming home tonight.”

“Oh, I can’t do that,” Hyunjin said, but it was impossible to miss the spark of mischief in his eyes. “Should I?”

“You can kick Changbin’s ass for all we care,” Rina said, already working through her third glass of chardonnay. 

“But, of course, that’s not the reason we invited you here,” I said, earning me a curious look in return.

“It’s about Felix,” Rina said through gritted teeth. “And don’t bother trying to cover for him, Hyunjin, because you’re a terrible liar.”

“What did he do wrong this time?” Hyunjin scoffed, seemingly indifferent as he took a bite of his organic salad.

“That blonde he keeps meeting in the office,” Rina said, always ready to get straight to the matter at hand. “Who the hell is she?”

Hyunjin visibly blanched, choking on his current mouthful while desperately trying to wash down the rest of his glass. “What?”

“The. Blonde,” Rina repeated. “I know everything, so don’t try to hide the truth from me.”

“If you knew everything, you wouldn’t be asking me,” Hyunjin pointed out.

“Just tell me who she is!” Rina exclaimed, loud enough to attract the attention of several tables.

Hyunjin wilted under their accusatory stares. “I can’t tell you.”

“Hwang Hyunjin,” Rina started, hands clasping the edge of the table. “Don’t you dare try to cover up your friend’s extracurricular affairs.”

“Felix isn’t cheating on you,” Hyunjin snapped. “I can’t believe you would even think that.”

“It’s not hard to,” Rina defended herself, “when everyone is walking on eggshells around me. I feel like I’m in the middle of something but I’m not even allowed to know what it is!”

“Rina,” Hyunjin tried again, tone visibly calmer. “Trust me on this. Felix isn’t cheating on you and everything will start to make a lot of sense.”

I studied my friend, but she seemed completely unmoved, expression fierce as she glared down at her untouched plate of food.

My mother’s house was located almost an hour away from where Changbin and I lived in the city. My visits were less frequent because of the combination of distance and my inability to leave work early because Jisung couldn’t handle the office without me. But, since I needed someone to take care of Jane, I knew my mother might be the best solution. She also didn’t hesitate when I asked to spend the night away from Changbin. However, my mother was prone to exceeding selfishness when it came to spending time with me.

In any case, it was the last time I would be able to get away with my nightly escapades because Rina had brought me an invitation that morning to join herself, Felix, and several of their friends for a getaway at the beach. I reluctantly agreed to come since Felix insisted that it was important and Rina demanded she has her “partner in crime” next to her side all weekend. But I would be expected to share a room with Changbin which meant we would either argue even more or ignore each other awkwardly at every available opportunity.

The last time Changbin and I went anywhere with Felix and Rina was back when Changbin first started the company. We ended up stuck inside our hotel because it rained endlessly for the entire week we visited the Florida Keys. On the plus side, I did manage to watch a lot of good movies at the theatre, including a horror classic that was made even better when Changbin decided to stick his hand up my skirt. I’m pretty sure the couple next to us knew exactly what we were doing, and it was worth it to watch their expressions when I accidentally moaned during an intense scene involving a ghost and a clueless teenager.

Nevertheless, I usually loved going on trips with Changbin because he always planned the best surprises. Too bad he had already ruined this one because of his, for lack of a better term, “assholish” tendencies. And poor Jane shouldn’t have to suffer along with everyone else just because my husband hated cute animals.

“Y/N,” my mother grinned brightly, encouraging me inside while I carried Jane in my arms. “Isn’t she adorable!”

“At least some people think so,” I grumbled, putting Jane on the floor so that she could make herself comfortable.

“I can’t believe Changbin told you to get rid of her.”

“Really?” I huffed, leaning against the wall. “You were the one that warned me he would be, and I quote, a pompous ass.”

“Well,” my mother grimaced, “I thought he might prove me wrong.”

“And I’ll be stuck in the same room with him all weekend,” I groaned. “Felix and Rina owe me big time.”

“Or,” my mother allowed, “maybe you should thank them. The trip is a good opportunity to put this argument to rest.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Honestly, Y/N, I know he was harsh, but you’re the one who went and got a dog behind his back. Plus, Jane can just stay here with me. It gives you a good excuse to visit more often.”

“You’re only saying that because you got a cute new puppy,” I muttered.

“Sweetheart,” my mother cooed, carefully guiding me to the counter. “I’ll always have your back, and I’d like to believe that I’m still the only person who can take care of you, but I think Changbin stole that title a long time ago.”

“He’s just infuriating sometimes,” I said.

My mother laughed. “All men are, Y/N, and you know you’ll have fights with Changbin. That’s what married couples do. The important thing is that the two of you can always come back together and forgive, even if the matter at hand is this cute.”

I grinned when my mother reached down to collect Jane into her arms. “I still don’t get how someone can hate a puppy.”

“Perhaps not hate,” my mother said. “But you should respect his opinion, even if you don’t agree with it.”

“He never asks me for anything,” I sighed. “I guess I made this into a bigger deal than it needed to be.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, you definitely get that from me,” my mother said. “Now, about you spending the night...”

“Yeah, I get it,” I grumbled. “I should go back home.”

“It’s not exactly mature of you to run away from him,” my mother pointed out as if I didn’t already feel guilty enough. “And it only makes it that much harder to fix things when you keep avoiding them.”

“Fine, I’ll go home,” I said, pulling out my phone to send Changbin a brief message. “You’re all wise and old now.”

My mother frowned. “Sweetheart, I don’t consider myself old.”

“Mom, the last time we went shopping, you had me come pick you up at the mall entrance because you didn’t feel like walking to the car.”

“Well, everyone has those days,” my mother said. “In any case, I should find somewhere for Jane to stay. Her mom is certainly welcome to come over any time.”

“Pretty sure her mom is Seungmin, but I appreciate the thought,” I said, lifting Jane from the ground to bring her closer. “You won’t forget about me, right?”

Jane considered with wide eyes before cautiously offering me a small lick on the cheek. “Yeah, I think we can make this work.”

Changbin’s car was already parked in his usual spot when I pulled into the complex. I was hoping he would stay at the office longer, but he probably left the moment he received my message. Straightening the hem of my skirt, I carefully entered the apartment, inwardly groaning when I could hear the sounds of the TV from the living room. I was still quiet when I shuffled across the carpet, but apparently, Changbin had been waiting on me. “Babe,” he murmured quietly as I passed by the couch.

Whispering a curse, I turned around to look at Changbin whose eyes were struggling to open as if he had been asleep when I came home. “Sorry,” I said in return, forcing my eyes to look away from his exposed chest, firm edges made softer under the light from the LED screen.

I made my way to our bedroom, deciding to pack as efficiently as possible because I was starting to get a headache which meant I wanted nothing more than to pass out on the bed. “Y/N,” Changbin spoke up softly, lingering by the door as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “How was your mother?”

“Fine,” I answered shortly, moving around our bedroom as quickly as possible because I was determined to avoid any sort of conversation with Changbin, cramming my t-shirts into the stupid designer suitcase he had bought for me. 

“Are you tired?” he asked, looking irresistible with his messy hair and puffy cheeks.

“Yeah,” I said, carefully zipping my suitcase closed. I brought it next to his at the side of our dresser.

Changbin took a few more steps into the room, pausing next to the bed while I changed clothes quickly. “Is it alright if I sleep with you tonight?”

I really wanted to tell him, no, but it was rather difficult to refuse him when he was being sweet. At least he obviously understood that he was wrong for screaming at me like I was one of his assistants instead of his wife. “You can,” I told him, already pulling back the sheets of the comforter.

And I didn’t even resist when he climbed in behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist because he liked to keep me close in bed. “Y/N,” he whispered in my ear, fingers curling with mine. “You can keep the dog when we get back.”

“Binnie,” I murmured, attempting to protest because I wasn’t expecting Changbin to give in so easily. He really does give me whatever I want.

“It’s alright,” Changbin said, tenderly squeezing my waist, breath warm against the back of my neck. “We can talk about it later.” The combination of his familiar presence and the lovely feel of his fingers pulling through my hair was enough to lure me into a much-needed sleep.

Early morning flights were a pain in the ass and I was no exception to the demonizing effects of insomnia, especially when I felt guilty because Changbin had agreed to let me keep Jane only after I avoided him for several days. We didn’t talk about it on the drive to the airport. In fact, we didn’t talk much at all as Changbin turned up the volume on the radio while he drove with tired eyes. It had probably been difficult for him to take the whole weekend off for Felix’s getaway trip, and I hadn’t bothered to ask him how he was feeling.

Felix and Rina were waiting for us at the security line when we arrived with a few minutes to spare. Apparently, Hyunjin and Chan were already at the loading gate since they had arrived much earlier than everyone else. “It’s been a while since we’ve gone out of town together,” Rina remarked as she pulled me away from Changbin, leaving him to talk quietly with Felix.

“Excluding the first beach disaster?”

“Definitely,” Rina agreed, tossing an arm around my shoulders. “I convinced Felix to switch tickets with you. Now, my best friend can sit next to me instead.”

I nodded in reply since I had actually been looking forward to an opportunity to talk with Changbin on the airplane. It was probably best for both of us if we talked about what happened. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was a rather stupid argument that definitely could have been avoided if I had been less inconsiderate of Changbin’s feelings. They might seem irrational, but they mattered and that’s all I could think about for the entirety of our flight to the island.

And if I thought I’d get a chance to talk to him when we landed, I was proven wrong. Because Felix enforced a tight schedule, barely allowing any of us to get settled in at the resort before he was already ordering us to change into something comfortable for the beach. The hotel itself was situated right on the shoreline, busy with fellow travelers looking to enjoy what was already becoming a gorgeous afternoon. And since Changbin happened to own the place, we were treated to the best care with a constant presence of wait staff who brought us drinks and food. “You get five stars, Changbin,” Rina remarked as she sat between Felix’s legs on his beach chair. “I see why everybody makes a big deal out of your expensive hotels now.”

“You’re welcome,” Changbin grumbled from where the two of us were situated on a comfortable beach towel. Changbin had long since dismissed his t-shirt, tentatively requesting that I apply a generous amount of sunscreen to his skin. And no matter how I felt towards Changbin, I would never turn down the opportunity to run my hands against the gorgeous muscles that supplied his well-built torso.

In the meantime, Hyunjin and Chan were arguing about whether or not the hotel in New York needed the same kind of luxury swimming pool that the six of us had spotted on our way outside. “If I knew they would be this loud, I would have left them behind,” Felix said, sunglasses resting on the brim of his nose.

“It’s Hyunjin, what did you expect?” Rina said, watching the two older boys bicker. 

I nodded vacantly, growing tried from the influence of the sun. “What’s this surprise all about, Felix?” Rina asked her boyfriend, eyebrow raised in question.

Changbin jumped from his spot in front of me and I was startled when I realized I had massaged over his nipples. “You’ll see,” Felix said, a proud smirk making him look just as mischievous as he had been when we first met.

I couldn’t see Rina’s reaction since her glasses obscured most of her face. “Are you really going to keep me waiting?”

“Just until tonight, love,” Felix said, reassuring her with a gentle kiss that had my heart aching in my chest for Changbin despite him being in such close proximity. 

I spent most of the early evening with Rina, wasting time shopping as we waited for our dinner reservations. “What do you think?” Rina asked, holding up a sundress that barely fell below her thighs.

“No,” I said, returning my attention to the magazine in front of me.

“Changbin has made you way too conservative,” she griped before disappearing back into the changing room. “But you seemed more relaxed around him today.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I think I owe him an apology.”

“What for?” Rina asked. “He’s the one who almost sent for animal control to handle an innocent puppy.”

“I never should have tried to hide Jane in the first place,” I said. “Changbin doesn’t ask for much and I should have respected his preference.”

“Wow, since when have you grown up?” Rina asked, re-emerging from the dressing room. “That’s awfully mature of you.”

“I love him,” I nodded. “And that means more to me than anything else in the world.”

“Including me?” Rina feigned hurt while dramatically falling against a nearby display of sneakers.

I rolled my eyes, checking the time on my phone. “We should probably meet the others.”

“Alright,” Rina grumbled. “But I’m afraid of what Felix might say at dinner.”

“What makes you think it’s a bad thing?” I asked.

“Where have you been, Y/N? Don’t you remember all the drama? Felix avoiding me? Coming home late? Does any of this ring a bell?”

“I thought you moved on from that.”

“Never,” Rina insisted while curling her arm through mine. “I’m still on high alert.”

“You know how Felix can get sometimes,” I said.

“Of course I do! But he’s never acted like this before,” Rina insisted. 

“Well, maybe you’ll get your answers tonight,” I said, leading her into the crowded seafood restaurant on the lower level of the hotel. 

It must have bee massively popular because guests were patiently waiting in large parties scrambled throughout the main lobby. Rina and I fought our way to the hostess, allowing her to check our reservation before graciously leading us further away from the rampant group of hungry customers who were all attempting to talk over one another. Instead, the hostess brought us to a private room, clearly the work of Seo Changbin, where the others were already seated.

“Finally!” Hyunjin exclaimed. “Felix wouldn’t let us order until you got here.”

Felix ignored his friend, pulling out a chair for Rina. I could tell he was visibly nervous which was certainly concerning because Felix was one of the most confident people I knew. He was the friend in Changbin’s board meetings who was never shy about speaking up. The one person you could always rely on to sweet talk an additional 5% off our coffee bill in the main lobby because he only had to smile at the poor cashier working the register.

I glanced over at Changbin who was busy scanning the menu in front of him. Changbin didn’t seem worried at all which was reassuring, although it definitely didn’t mean that Felix necessarily told Changbin what he was planning for tonight. And the longer I studied the younger boy fidgeting in his seat, the more curious I became. 

“You know, Chan,” Hyunjin said. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring that girl with you. Aren’t the two of you moving in together?”

I perked up at this new information. “Chan has a serious girlfriend?”

Chan and I had known each other for several years, but I was starting to conclude that the older man was planning to stay single for the rest of his life. Not that Chan didn’t make an elegant bachelor because the combination of his appealing good-looks, charming accent, and accumulating wealth was enough to cement his status. But then again, it might be nice to see Chan in a committed relationship because he would make the best father.

“It’s not that serious,” Chan said bashfully, ears tipped in red as he glanced around for the waitress.

“Whatever,” Hyunjin huffed, glancing between Felix and Rina with a barely concealed smirk. “You guys look great together.”

Felix glared at his friend. “You’re determined to spoil everything, aren’t you?”

“What does that mean?” Rina inquired, studying Felix curiously.

“Nothing,” Hyunjin said, immediately turning to me and Changbin. “Are the two of you still fighting?”

“Hyunjin,” I growled his name, determined once and for all that Hyunjin was intentionally trying to stir up more drama for his viewing pleasure.

“We’re alright,” Changbin said in a surprisingly gentle voice, one arm coming to rest across the back of my chair. “Here,” Changbin said, pulling my plate closer so that he could cut a few pieces of steak for me. “Your favorite.”

I blushed at his kindness, stuffing my mouth full of tender meant to avoid having to say anything in return. Thankfully, Felix was more than ready to interrupt our moment, abruptly standing up from his chair with a glass of wine in hand. “Everyone,” he said, immediately silencing our small party. “I have something to announce.”

I glanced over at Rina from the corner of my eyes, watching as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. A nervous habit she picked up from countless nights of writing 10,000-word essays for our history seminar. “Rina,” Felix said, addressing my friend. “We’ve been together for a while.”

Rina nodded, seemingly frozen in place. At least until Felix dropped down onto one knee next to her, pulling out a beautiful gold-encrusted wedding band with diamonds circling the outside. “Marry me.” 

My expression of shock likely mirrored Rina’s while Hyunjin clapped like a maniac from across the table. “Thank god! The secret is finally out!”

“Felix,” Rina finally managed, eyes growing cloudy with the promise of tears while she held out a shaky hand. Felix gently accepted her outstretched limb, sliding the ring into place on her finger. 

“I’ll consider that a yes.”

I immediately turned to Changbin who was watching the two of them with fond eyes. It was quite obvious that he also knew about the proposal and I admired my husband’s ability to help his friend make this weekend so special. Changbin met my gaze with a beautiful smile, reaching underneath the table to take my hand without hesitation.

It was late when the six of us finally left the restaurant, listening to Rina gush over her new ring while clinging to Felix’s side persistently. Changbin and I lingered at the back, shoulders brushing with every step while keeping our pinky fingers interlocked between us. “That woman!” Rina suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a familiar blonde standing behind the concierge counter.

“She’s the hotel’s general manager,” Felix explained, sending a wave in her direction.

“Oh,” Rina said dumbly and my friend was very rarely caught off-guard. I definitely couldn’t wait to offer her a well-deserved “I told you so” when we met for breakfast in the morning. However, for the time being, I wanted nothing more than to go back to the room with Changbin.

“I can’t thank her enough,” Felix continued. “She’s been very helpful when it came to planning all of this.”

“Really?”

“She deserves a raise, Changbin,” Felix said, nudging his friend as the six of us broke off into smaller groups as we returned to our assigned rooms.

“Congratulations, Rina,” I said to my friend, watching her join Felix in the suite across from ours.

I waited until we were truly alone before I closed the door quietly, turning around to find Changbin fiddling with the lock on his Rolex. “Let me,” I said quietly, gliding across the floor to handle the delicate switch with nimble fingers.

“Thanks,” Changbin said, dropping the watch on top of the nightstand.

“Changbin,” I spoke up hesitantly. “I’m sorry for ignoring you.”

My husband shrugged, broad shoulders tense against the fit of his shirt. “It’s alright, Y/N.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, reaching out for his wrist to turn him around. “You didn’t deserve that, especially over something that was my fault to begin with.”

Changbin sighed, tugging me closer against him. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

I pressed my forehead against the center of his chest. “You never ask me for much. In fact, you’re always the one who gives the most in our relationship. I should have respected your opinion. Instead, I went behind your back and I’ve felt guilty about it for the entire trip.”

“There’s no need for that,” Changbin insisted, fingers curling through my hair. “We’ve both made mistakes, but I can never stay mad at you for long.”

“I’ll let my mom have the dog,” I said, pressing my fingers against his plush lips before he could interrupt. “I’m serious. She’s much happier with Jane. Maybe, later on, we could try something smaller? Like a hamster!”

Changbin grimaced at the thought and I laughed at his expression. “Unless you just want me all to yourself.”

“That’s not it,” Changbin sighed. “I just don’t want that responsibility. Plus, I really don’t like the idea of a dog or cat in the apartment.”

“Well, I can always visit my mom when I want to see Jane,” I said, reaching up to fix the messy strands of his hair. “See? A compromise.”

Changbin smirked, leaning down for a kiss. “You make a better negotiator than I do. Maybe you should be in charge of the board.”

“I’ll let you handle things,” I said, running my hands along his stomach to the waistband of his jeans.

“I meant it when I said I would do anything to make you happy,” Changbin whispered against my hair. “Even if that means I have to fill the apartment with dogs.”

I grinned. “I like what we have now, Changbin.”

“That’s so cheesy,” he accused me, laughing when I whined in response. “I love you, Y/N,” he said.

“I love you too,” I said. “You’re basically just a giant puppy anyway.”

Changbin grunted as his hands gripped the back of my thighs. “Please don’t say that when I’ve already started making plans to fuck you until you’re screaming my name.”

I shivered at his seductive promise. “Oh yeah? I guess you’ll just have to prove it to me.”

[phykios]

honesty and promise me, part 2 [read on ao3] [co-written with @darkmagyk]

Goth isn’t really Annabeth’s scene—hasn’t been since she was twelve, hiding in her room and blasting Evanescence or Avril Lavigne so she didn’t have to spend quality time with her brothers, or even talk to her stepmother at all—but Percy had insisted. She could almost picture his pathetic, baby seal-eyed face as he wheedled and whined at her over text, until she eventually (not at all reluctantly) gave in.

She’s only known him for a few weeks. It’s a little embarrassing how quickly her willpower had crumbled.

Thalia, for whatever reason, had decidedly not been game, even when presented with a large, post-bartending hangover coffee as an opening salvo. “This is a bad idea,” she had said, glaring at the sun so intensely that, were it not for her thick, black sunglasses, she probably would have vaporized it.

“We don’t have to go.”

“No, the show will be great. Pluto’s Daughter is great,” she said between sips of her too-bitter-to-be-real black coffee. “You and Percy, is a bad idea.”

“Protective of your baby cousin?” Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow, her eyebrow ring awkwardly bumping up against her hair, sorely in need of a shave. She was thinking of getting a second ring. Her mother had once told her that they were the epitome of trash—but Thalia had two, and they looked so badass.

She scoffed. “He’s not the baby.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

Thalia narrowed her eyes, really considering Annabeth. Annabeth’s own eyes had been described more often than not as storm clouds, dark and heavy. If hers were storm clouds, then Thalia’s were lightning, electric blue, piercing, beautiful, and dangerous, with a temper to match. “Before you started seeing him,” she said, “I’d have said that you’d eat him alive.”

Annabeth smirked. “I have done no eating yet.”

“Ugh,” she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, now I’m going to be honest with you. He’s going to eat you alive—and your self-esteem is never going to be able to recover. Honestly, I shouldn’t even let you two within ten feet of each other.”

She scoffed, taking a long drink of her own coffee, black but with just enough sugar to make it bearable.

As if a ballerina would ever intimidate her. A fucking ballerina.

The conversation hadn’t exactly ended the way either of them wanted, but Annabeth was still going to keep fucking Percy for the time being, and Thalia was going to let herself be dragged to the damn concert.

The night of, the bar has a line, but Thalia alternately sweet-talks and intimidates the bouncer, and he lets them in. Having tended bar for any place that would take her and not put her on the payroll, Annabeth assumes that she just has dirt on everyone in the service industry in New York City, so they skip a lot of cover charges, and get a lot of free drinks.

It's fucking crowded inside, too, packed to the brim with sweaty bodies and heavy boots. Just another day in paradise.

Thalia glances at her phone. “They’re at the bar, up front?”

“They?”

Thalia doesn’t hear her, apparently, just wraps her mesh covered hand over Annabeth’s wrist and pulls her through the crush of people. Annabeth has her eyes peeled for Percy’s typical blue hoodie or orange muscle tees, thinking that they would stand out like a sore thumb in this place, but she can’t see a goddamned thing.

Now, punks aren’t exactly known for their radical use of color, but this was another thing entirely, a sea of black and lace and leather. Looking for his black hair is a waste of her time. “So many bad bottle jobs,” she murmurs.

Thalia pauses for a second, frowning at her. “What?”

“Everyone here has decided that they just had to dye their hair black. How original.”

She is silent for a moment, squinting, then looks away. “I see them, come on.”

Her blunt nails dig into Annabeth’s arm as she yanks her even harder.

There, at the end of the bar, a tall guy stands, dressed to the nines—the nines of this particular scene, anyway.

He looks kind of familiar: curly black hair in a sharp undercut that Annabeth definitely admires, extremely tight, black skinny jeans that leave nothing to the imagination and really went out of style with My Chemical Romance, a t-shirt with a skull on it (because goths, obviously), and a leather jacket, covered in patches. She spots the Italian flag, several for Pluto’s Daughter and a handful of other bands, a pride flag, a couple of music notes, and one that says, “Not gay as in happy, queer as in fuck you.”

“Annabeth,” says Thalia, “you remember Nico.”

Annabeth blinks. The last time she’d met Nico, he’d been wearing a three-piece suit that had cost as much as her rent. Now the hand she shakes has black fingernails and a skull ring, leading up to a face with eyes lined heavier than either Thalia’s or Annabeth’s, with a septum ring and a line of studs up one ear. “Hey.”

“Where’s our prima ballerina?” Thalia asks as Nico offers her a glass of something brown.

Thalia likes—and cannot often afford—expensive booze, which means that Nico must be paying. Unwilling to be caught in another embarrassing little social snafu, Annabeth tries really hard to remember what it is that he does. Hadn’t he sold his soul to some law firm or other?

“He went to consign himself to a slow and agonizing death,” says Nico.

“What?” Annabeth asks, glancing between the cousins.

Thalia rolls her eyes. “He means Percy went out for a smoke. Nico doesn’t approve.”

“It’s bad for you! This is not a controversial topic,” he says. “I don’t like that he does it, I don’t like that he got you to start, and I’m not going to like it when I go to both of your funerals. But I am going to tell you I told you so.” Then, seemingly as if to undermine his point, he throws back the rest of his own drink, holding up the empty glass to the bartender. “Another,” he calls, “Godfather, if you please.”

If drinks were on Nico tonight, maybe Annabeth could use the cover of the goth crowd to order a glass of red wine instead. It would certainly be a nice change of pace from the shit-ass beer she sucks down on the regular.

“There he is!” Thalia calls, bursting into applause. “The hell took you so long? Wardrobe malfunction?”

“Yeah,” she hears Percy’s voice. “Someone stole my best pair of tights.”

Turning, Annabeth is suddenly very glad she hadn’t yet ordered a drink, because then she would have dropped it, spilling it all over not only the dirty bar floor, but also her second favorite pair of boots.

It’s definitely Percy, but she never would have spotted him. Having gone to a dozen or so shows with her and Thalia so far, he had always dressed pretty consistently in baggy jeans and whatever stupid dance pun t-shirt Annabeth hadn’t pilfered already to wear to breakfast: very normal, and just a little bit out of place for the goth/punk scene.

Tonight, he is not dressed like that.

She can’t focus on everything all at once, so she starts with his too tight t-shirt, with the logo for Pluto’s Daughter splashed across it, like the artist had taken paint and hurled it at the fabric from a mile away. Ripped and sleeveless, she can see every single ridge and line of his biceps, his forearms, his shoulders, even a bit of his decolletage. His pants are black, per the unspoken dress code, and baggy, but he has belts wrapped up and down his legs, emphasizing the size of his muscular thighs and calves. And that isn’t even the worst part. Neither are the studs in his ears, or the black liner around his eyes.

The worst part is the blue lipstick painting his mouth, making his eyes pop, making his troublemaker smile look that much more depraved.

The worst part is how that blue lipstick will almost certainly be all over her thighs by the end of the night.

Thalia’s advice was never going to win out, but now it has no chance.

Despite being dressed up like the goth ballet prince of her dreams, the hero of an angsty, middle school novel Annabeth might have dreamed up instead of paying attention in class but had been too embarrassed to ever write it down, he smiles at her, cheery and bright as ever, kissing her so deeply her mouth must turn blue. In the corner of her eye, she sees Thalia and Nico exchange a capital-L look, one that Percy can’t see, because all of his attention is focused on her. She doesn’t know what that means, but she’s too far gone to ask.

Percy moves away, still close, still oriented around her, but she has to clasp her own hands together to keep herself from reaching out and pulling him back to her, biting her tongue, rubbing the ring along the inside of her teeth to keep from letting the word “please” escape her lips.

She doesn’t think she’s ever been so instantly taken with any guy—ever. Not even the almost one night stand her sophomore year was college, nineteen and fresh-faced and totally unprepared for the heartbreak that would follow. Last time, Luke had suggested wine to help her get over her mystery man, so that’s what she orders now, taking too big sips and ignoring the slight concern in Percy’s too pretty eyes.

It’s all packaging, she thinks, packaging designed to make the product more desirable. Basic marketing and design. She knows him, and she knows what he can do with his teeth and his tongue and his hand and his dick. She recognizes it, sees it coming, so she won’t be affected by it.

“I didn’t know you were coming, Nico,” she says, wrangling her thoughts together. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Never miss a show,” he says.

“Flew back from London just for it,” Thalia says, bumping him with her shoulder.

“I flew back because my business trip was over,” he corrects. “…But I did take the redeye so I’d be here on time.”

Percy beams at that, so hard she can actually feel it. “Anyone else joining us I should know about?” Annabeth asks.

It’s so weird to look at them all together—all dark hair, strong jaws, cheekbones carved from stone, sexy and just a little bit intimidating. “Any other cousins, maybe?”

Nico glances at Percy, suddenly apprehensive. “Actually, Percy,” he says, “I’m pretty sure I saw—”

“Perseus Jackson!” A whirlwind of blue-green silk assaults her senses as a woman sweeps over to them, headed straight for Percy, almost knocking Annabeth out of the way, wrapping him up in a hug and ignoring everyone else. “How’s my darling little brother?”

Percy awkwardly pats her on the back, shooting a grimace at the rest of them. “Uh, hey, Kym. I… didn’t know you’d be here.”

“It was a last minute thing, I had a free night for once in my life and was casting about for something to do, you know how much I hate not working, and I thought I’d come by and support our dear Hazel.”

Nico raises an eyebrow. “Since when have you been into goth rock?”

It’s not an unwarranted question. She looks wildly out of place here, in her sleek, silk dress and the scent of Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue coming off her like waves, in sharp contrast to the sea of ripped jeans and sewed up shirts that surround them.

Kym, again, ignores him. “Mojito, Perseus? I know it’s your favorite.”

Annabeth’s eyebrows shoot up past her hairline. Percy? Percy half-a-cider-no-thank-you-I-don’t-care-for-any-more Jackson likes to drink mojitos? “Ah—” He grimaces, trying to extract himself from her grip, “no, thank you—"

“Oh, you’re no fun anymore.”

“I just don’t like to—”

“Well it’s not like this place will have any rum worth drinking anyway,” she sniffs.

Thalia rolls her eyes.

“Here, take a selfie with me.” Her phone is already raised, thumb poised for action.

“Kym, come on—”

But she pulls Percy close, shoving his head against hers, mouth already pouting. Thalia sighs, turning back to the bar.

After a moment of refusal, Percy sighs too, giving into his fate, and mustering his best vogue for the camera. They make an odd pair, her with her perfect Instaglam and him with his blue lipstick and smudged liner, but with the two of them pressed together like this, it’s easy to tell that this Kym is another cousin. Same eyes, same brow, same inky black hair, she looks exactly like Percy, only whiter.

Satisfied with her selfie, it’s only then that she notices Annabeth staring at her. “And you are?”

Percy sighs, rubbing his eye. “Kym, this is Annabeth. Annabeth, this is my sister Kymopoleia.”

Kym does not reach out her hand. “And what do you do?”

Thalia, from nowhere, slings an arm over Annabeth’s shoulder, whisky in hand. “Nothing that would interest you, leech.”

“I’m an architect,” Annabeth offers.

“My friend studies at Bartlett, in London. Did you go there?” Kym asks.

“No,” Annabeth says, biting back an automatic retort about Bartlett’s global ranking in Forbes. Ninth in the world, not even top five.

Kym curls her lip a little, like she knew what Annabeth would have said anyway. “What have you designed? Anything I would know?”

“She designs community gardens and stages for festivals.” Thalia says.

“Oh, so not a real architect, then.”

“The Man doesn’t have to approve of something to make it real. No, her name isn’t on file in some state office. She’s an anarchist architect.” Thalia says. Annabeth bits back a line of her own retorts.

Kym sniffs again. “Thrilling.” Then she turns back to Percy, writing her off entirely. “Perseus, it was lovely to see you again—will you be coming to Santorini this year?”

“Depends on my rehearsal schedule.” The words sound very rehearsed. He’s said this exact phrase a lot.

“Well get that sorted out! You know how mother likes her itineraries.”

He nods, beleaguered. “As soon as I can, promise.”

“See that you do.” Then with a final kiss on Percy’s cheek, off she flounces, disappearing into the dirty, grungy crowd, leaving silence in her wake like the wreckage after a storm.

“Okay,” says Annabeth.

Percy sighs, turning to the bar to order his own drink.

“Sorry about that,” says Nico. “If I had known she was coming, I swear I would have told you.”

“You can’t just go around saying the word ‘cousin,’ Annabeth,” says Thalia, returning to her own space. “It’s like Beetlejuice. Say it three times and you summon one of Percy’s douchey relatives.”

“They’re your relatives, too.”

Thalia scoffs. “Barely.”

“Oh yeah?” asks Percy. “How’s Hercules?”

“Hopefully dead.”

“At least he doesn’t show up out of the blue in wildly incongruous places,” Nico points out.

Percy takes a pull of his drink, and Annabeth does not watch his neck as he swallows. “Yeah, what was up with that? Since when has Kym been into goth rock?”

“That’s what I said!”

“She’s planning something,” Thalia mutters, glaring angrily into her drink. “I don’t know what it is, but she’s planning something.”

“So, I’m guessing this isn’t usually her scene?” Annabeth asks.

“Art is her scene,” Thalia replies, gesturing widely, nearly smacking someone in the shoulder. “The whole of the New York art world.”

Looking back around to the half-lit bar full of badly dressed goths, she thinks maybe calling this the “art world” might be a little bit generous.

“She’s kind of like an art world barometer,” says Percy. “Wherever she goes, the critics follow—like little baby ducklings.”

“Too bad she’s a fucking snob about it.” Thalia tosses back the rest of her drink, slamming the glass down on the wood, signaling for another with a toss of her head.

“Shame she has such good taste,” Nico muses.

“She has such good taste!” Despite her bravado, Thalia is absolutely a tiny bit of a lightweight, the whisky already going to her head, slurring her speech just a little. “Whole fucking family’s so goddammed good at art.”

“Not the whole family,” says Percy, shaking his head. “Kym can’t make art, she just appreciates it, like Jason. And Triton can’t do either.”

Annabeth has never seen Thalia so much as draw a picture or pick a song at karaoke, but she had been left out of Percy’s little list. In all Annabeth’s years of knowing Thalia, she never even thought that it had bothered her. “I mean,” she says, “if you like art, you could—”

As one, Nico and Percy both shake their heads. Insistently. Violently.

Staring at her empty glass, Thalia doesn’t notice. Nico replaces hers with his half-finished one, and Thalia drinks without missing a beat. “What about you?” she turns to Annabeth, blue eyes wide. That’s another thing that the cousins all have in common; their eyes are a variety of colors, but they’re all the same wide, almond shape, made more pronounced with heavy, grungy liner. “Got any artistic cousins?”

“No,” she says, wondering how little she can get away with saying. “I only have one, and he’s not.”

Everyone stares at her.

She capitulates, just a little. “His partner is an artist,” she offers. “Alex is a sculptor.”

Percy looks at her, half-smile on his face. “What does your cousin do if he isn’t an artist?”

His question makes it sound like there are only two types of people in the world to him: artists and non-artists. Given that Annabeth had been sketching buildings since the time she had the dexterity to hold a crayon, it might be true. “He’s in med school,” she says, “fourth year, at Harvard.”

“Ew.” He wrinkles his nose.

“Okay, smartass,” she says, “you talk to your podiatrist like that?”

“You still fucking that med student?” Thalia asks Nico.

“Dating him, actually.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Dinner,” Nico says. “Sometimes lunch. This is going to shock you, but you can actually spend time with the people you sleep with, and even develop feelings for them.”

They glare at each other for a long moment, then, as one, turn and glare at Percy.

“No,” he says, “I am not getting in between this.”

Nico, somehow, glares even harder. “Come on, you’re—”

“I’m not talking about this,” Percy says, his face a hard mask, lips set firmly in a frown.

For the first time ever, it occurs to Annabeth that this ballet dancer could be scary if he wanted to be.

That is… so not a problem.

The cousins continue glaring at each other, the family telepathy practically brimming with unspoken pasts. A part of her really, really wants to hear where it’s going. She wants to know what Percy’s feelings are on romance, just to make sure that they are on the same page. Casual sex, fun nights, the occasional concert—that’s where they are now. If the arrangement is going to change, she’s going to need to know about it.

Then, the lights flicker, dimming. A roar takes over the crowd, and when Annabeth can see again, Pluto’s Daughter is onstage.

There’s no introduction, no greeting, the band diving right into their first number, an intense, high-octane whirlwind of drums and bass and screaming. Percy screams right alongside them, hands raised and jumping, Nico and Thalia close behind, every unintelligible lyric learned by heart. Even Annabeth can’t help but get swept up in it, her typical aloofness melting away into the crowd.

It really is a great show.

“That was amazing!” Annabeth is almost breathless at the end of it. Her throat feels raw, like sandpaper, her cheeks aching from smiling.

Percy hands her one of those little plastic cups of water, knocking his own back like a shot, wiping his mouth with his knuckles. “Aren’t they awesome?”

“I had no idea you were such a fan,” she says. “Your Spotify Wrapped must be a mess.”

“I like all music,” he replies, glib. “Even rap and country.”

“Oh, how well-rounded of you.”

“But Pluto’s Daughter is special,” he says. “You know the drummer is my cousin?”

“Very funny.”

“No, really,” says Percy. “Hazel is Nico’s half-sister.”

She blinks at him. “You have too many cousins.”

He just laughs, throwing his head back. “Tell that to our parents.”

Whatever else he might have said gets lost as a small bundle of leather and fishnet emerges from the crowd, launching herself at Percy. “You came!” cries the drummer for Pluto’s Daughter--Hazel. “Oh, I’m so happy you came!”

In stark, stark opposition to how he had been Kym, Percy swings his little cousin around in a big hug. He probably has close to a foot on her, even in her black platform boots, their broad smiles so uncharacteristic in such a dour crowd. Annabeth hadn’t been able to get a good look at her up on stage, but now she’s flush with adrenaline, her dark skin glistening with equal parts sweat and glitter, baby hairs escape from the artful crown of bantu knots, septum ring shining in the dim light of the bar.

“Of course I came,” says Percy, somehow still hugging her. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Ms. Hazel Levesque!” Thalia crows, well and truly wasted. “There’s my gal!” And she rushes over to join them, almost bowling them both over.

A truly affectionate Thalia is rare, like a four-leaf clover or snow on Christmas. It does happen on occasion, if she’s gotten enough sleep or enough to drink, but the moment is usually fleeting, meant to be treasured, kept close to the heart. Annabeth can count the number of times Thalia has been sweet to her on one hand--never cruel, or mean, but just… brusque. Sarcastic. And yeah, sometimes mean, but never in a demeaning way. Just in a Thalia way. It’s one of the many, many things she loves about her.

The only downside to affectionate Thalia right now is that it leaves her alone with Nico.

She doesn’t not like Nico, she just doesn’t really know him. He’s swaying a little, not dangerously so, just vibing to the noise and the booze he’s already had.

“Hey,” he says, lurching over to her. “Got a question for you.”

“Okay?”

“I was. Working on those permits. For your show.” He waves a hand. “Whatever. You know that stage set up for that show in the West Village last winter?"

The first time she had met Nico, Annabeth and Thalia had been helping out one of her friends with their outdoor theater, and had needed a little legal assistance with getting the venue all squared away, as they were technically trespassing on some private property. It was nice to flex her creative muscles, though. She didn’t always get the chance these days.

She nods. “Yeah?”

"Your New York State architect license was on the paperwork."

Annabeth's blood runs cold.

Swallowing away her anxiety, she takes another sip of her water, hoping he’s too buzzed to notice. "What, was I supposed to try and impress Kym with my license?"

Nico snorts. "God, no.” Taking another sip of his drink, he goes to hug his sister, and Annabeth quietly berates herself for not taking care of that sooner.

Yes, her license is still on file with the state, because it’s so much more convenient to leave it like that, rather than let it lapse and reapply every time she has to do something bigger than a birdbath in a tiny community garden, and being registered still means she has access to the network and can apply for certain grants and it always looks good on her portfolio and she didn’t think the two worlds would ever collide, especially not in a place where Thalia, of all people, would ever find out--

“So,” says Percy, sidling back over to her. “Working on anything good?”

She blinks, the spiral of her thoughts coming to a screeching halt. “Huh?”

“Any cool projects on the docket?”

Projects. Right. “Sorta in between projects right now,” she says, tapping her fingers against the bar. “I finished up that community garden a couple months ago, now I’m just… waiting for the next thing coming along.”

He nods. “I feel that. The precarity’s a bitch, isn’t it.”

“Totally. Almost makes you want to work a 9 to 5 just for job security, right?”

“Absolutely not,” he says. “Wouldn’t give up ballet for the world. I could never work in an office; sitting for so long might actually kill me.”

It might--even now he can’t help but move, shifting around on heel to toe and back again. Everything about him is about movement. Even an office where everyone was on their feet, like hers had been, wouldn’t have been enough for Percy Jackson, she thinks.

“What about you?” he asks. “How would you fair in an office?”  

“Been there, done that,” she says, before she can even think it through.

“Really?” She sees him scan her. Normally when he does that, he’s thinking of her without her clothes on, but now, she’s pretty sure he’s thinking of the ink that runs up and down her legs, and how that might all look forced into some sort of pencil skirt.

 "Once upon a time,” she says.

 “Was that before or after you decided to become an anarchist architect?”

Long after she decided to become an architect, but before anything about an anarchist crossed her mind, though her freshman Poli Sci professor, or maybe that sophomore philosophy TA, would probably argue that she isn’t actually an anarchist now. “Before,” she says. “I once tried to be very very different.” Tried and failed, oh so very spectacularly.

 “How so?”

She looks at him for a moment. There are layers of mystery that need to be upheld. But she can’t spill her life’s story to Percy after only a few weeks of knowing him, no matter how easy and disarming he may be. She isn’t that girl anymore, and she doesn’t want people to know she ever was. Especially not these people: Thalia, Percy, Nico, even Hazel, who she hasn’t properly met. She can see, standing here, how very genuine and clear they are about themselves. They probably have actual skeletons in their closets, real, agonizing pasts, so much worse than her own.

She doesn’t want them to know she had an honest to god debutante ball. Murder would be vastly preferable. But still, Percy’s eyes are so bright, even in the dark light. His smile is so non-judgmental.

“I used to dream about adding to the skyline,” she says, eventually, “designing something so cool and so fresh that even after I died, everyone would look up and they would know my name.” For a second she thinks he might actually understand. And then she remembers Kym, and his utter distaste for his own sister, whose friend had only managed to get into Bartlett. “But I realized that kind of ego wasn't going to do me any good. And office work wasn’t going to take me anywhere I wanted to go.”

That bruise to her ego still stings, on occasion. That, and the loss of the only thing she’d ever wanted as much as something permanent. They were separate dreams, really, but two years ago, in that little Upper East Side café, they had seemed like one and the same. Failing so spectacularly in one had felt like she might as well throw in the towel about the other.

Percy in blue lipstick, eye liner, and a very tight shirt makes her think it might have been the right choice.

Maybe.

Possibly.

Assuming she never got another call. Though after that award she and Leo got earlier this year…

No, she reminds herself. She shouldn’t dream big anymore. She wasn’t going to get there, and she had to be ok with that.

He smiles, lopsided, sympathetic. “I know what you mean. Like, after so many amazing dancers, you have to be crazy to think that you can add something to the canon, something that’s never been done before. But here we are.”

“Here we are indeed.” She clinks her glass against his, and they drink.

He finishes with a long gasp, licking his lips.

“Wanna go be somewhere else?” she asks.

“Damn right I do,” he says, grabbing her hand, lacing her fingers together with his.

An hour or so and a few orgasms each later, they lie side by side on Percy’s bed, soft and sweaty.

“So your sister is kind of… intense,” Annabeth says.

Percy snorts so hard, Annabeth can feel it vibrating into her. “Yeah. That’s a word for it.”

“What was it like, growing up with her?”

“Oh, I didn’t grow up with her. I grew up here with my mom; she grew up in Athens with our father.”

“In Athens? Cool.” She’d done a study abroad in Rome, but she’d never made it out to Athens like she had wanted. Too much Pantheon, not enough Parthenon. “Have you ever been?”

He screws up his face, thinking cutely. “A few times. They’re not… great memories, exactly. In retrospect, it’s nice that my dad wanted me to feel included, but bringing his mistress’ kid on the annual family vacation to Santorini probably wasn’t his brightest idea.”

Annabeth’s eyes shoot up to her hairline. “Wow.”

“Kym was actually always pretty cool about it,” he continues, thoughtfully. “She likes to pretend she’s this ice queen alpha bitch type, but she’s got a secret soft spot. And my dad’s wife eventually came around--she even sends me a birthday card each year. My half-brother, though.” Percy blows out a breath. “He’s always been a douchebag.”

Dropping a kiss to his bare shoulder, she squeezes him. There’s a story there, but she knows better than anyone about not wanting to talk about bad family relationships. Percy likes Kym, though, and that makes her safe territory. “Tell me more about Kym. You said she was some kind of art collector or something?”

“No, she’s not a collector.” Percy bites his lip, considering. “It’s kind of hard to explain. I guess you could say that she’s, like… a professional socialite?”

Annabeth sits up, squinting down at Percy. “Are you trying to tell me that your sister is a courtesan?”

He sputters, completely taken by surprise, choking on his inhale. After thirty seconds, Annabeth is afraid she’s going to have to try CPR, before Percy starts to calm down. “No,” he wheezes, coughing. “No, she’s not a courtesan.”

“So, what does a ‘professional socialite’ even do?”

“You know, she… socializes.” Percy waves a hand in front of him. “She goes to parties, meets people, facilitates meetings--she socializes.”

Annabeth frowns. “What does that even mean?”

“I literally don’t know how else to explain it to you.”

“What, is she a spy?”

He opens his mouth to argue, then pauses. “Not… technically.”

“Not technically?”

“Think more corporate, less political.”

Okay, now she’s even more confused. “Huh?”

Percy sighs. “My dad runs this big shipping company that does business all over the Mediterranean. Pretty much the whole family works for him in some way: Triton is some kind of assistant executive, and Kym and my step-mom do, you know, outreach or fundraising or whatever.”

She’s silent for a moment, collecting the information presented to her. “Is this some kind of mob thing?”

He grimaces. “Maybe we should change the subject.”

“Is your dad a mob boss, Percy?” Objectively, she knows that the mob is a terrible organization responsible for many different types of atrocities, but honestly, the idea is kind of exciting, Annabeth hooking up with the secret lovechild of a mob boss. It’s romantic and sexy in a film noir kind of way.

“No, he just--does some light smuggling. I think.”

“How does one engage in ‘light’ smuggling?”

“Okay, so his business is totally legitimate, but he may also smuggle art on the side. Or oil. Or both. I don’t know and I’ve been told never to ask.”

And she thought her family was weird. She tells him as much. “That’s wild.”

“Honestly? That’s not even the wildest thing about my family.”

She flops back down on the bed, already exhausted. “Percy, I don’t know how many more revelations about your mob family I can take.”

“They’re not part of the mob!” He laughs. “But,” he smirks, looming over her with a familiar desire, “I can neither confirm nor deny that I had to swear a blood oath to the family when I turned eighteen.”

Rolling her eyes, she still easily submits to the heady feeling of his lips on hers, tilting her head back as he travels down her neck. “Okay, I did not sign up for any Don Corleone bullshit.”

“But you’d make such a great mob wife. Though we would have to kill the rest of my immediate family.”

Annabeth giggles, only partly at the ticklish feeling of his lips between her breasts. “I’d help you kill your douchey half-brother any day.”

He glances up at her from her belly button, long lashes fluttering. “That is legitimately one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Full disclosure, Thalia has already called dibs.”

“That’s fair.” Then she pushes his head down further. “Now get to work, Godfather.”

[soobrat]

fraud || Soobin

𝕤𝕞𝕦𝕥 '𝕟 𝕗𝕝𝕦𝕗𝕗,

t o  s k i p  s t r 8  t o  t h e  s m u t  l o c a t e  t h i s  d i v i d e r:

★ 𝔹𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕪 ★:

female reader AGAIN (ELECTRIC 👏 CHAIR 👏)

kinda graphic (but romantic) smut

virgin!reader & Soobin

teensy choking moment

the tiniest bit of angst

“So when is this going to happen? Are you just going to keep avoiding him?” Yeji cocked her head to the side, directing a puzzled gaze towards you as you rubbed your temples. She waited another moment, breaking off another piece of her croissant before popping it into her mouth.

“He’s going to know you’re avoiding him and it’s going to ruin your relationship.” Her eyes lingered on you, awaiting your response. Jisu stayed quiet, just looking between the two of you. You inhaled deeply, very much aware of the two pairs of eyes boring into you at this circular table in Jisu’s apartment.

“It’s just complicated, I don’t wanna ruin our friendship. I think I’m fine with just keeping him company as a friend.” You avoided both of their eyes, stirring your frappuccino with your straw.

“You’re saying that now but it will drive you crazy eventually. Everyone goes through this, just put your dignity on the line and take the risk.” Jisu finally shrugged, looking down at her salad before taking a bite. Yeji looked around, confused.

“Am I the only one missing something?? Did we forget that we’re talking about ____ ____, ultimate seductress? The one who’s had dozens of guys lining up to see just how true the rumors are since NINTH GRADE (which is really weird and concerning looking back). All Soobin needs is one night with you and he’ll be in love.” Yeji exclaimed too enthusiastically for comfort.

You and Jisu look at each other. Maybe today’s the day Yeji will be in on your biggest secret? You were always a big talker. Some say it made you fun to hang out with, others say it made you a bad person and a liar. Either way, it made you feel better about yourself and got you a lot of friends. Especially after your biggest lie. When you discovered porn in ninth grade (admittedly very late), you knew exactly how to impress everyone. So from that day on, you were where people went for terrible advice. You were also the person guys kept coming to for sex but you always turned them down. You hoped they understood the reason was that you weren’t interested, which was half true. The other half was not wanting them to find out you were lying.

The rumor stuck, especially since you went to college in your hometown. It transferred which was mostly a curse. So far Jisu was the only person you’d told. Jisu AND Yeji were both your friends since middle school, but Yeji wasn’t good at keeping secrets. It’s not like you didn’t want to tell her, she was just too excitable.

“Yeji… that’s not how love works. Plus, the process of getting him to bed is also difficult.”

“Hello? You’re ___-”

“I don’t want Soobin to think he’s just a number on my body count, okay? If I do it, I want this to be special. Especially since it’s my first time-” You paused, eyes wide at Yeji, who was indifferent. Similarly to how Jisu was.

“I- m-my first time making love, that is. All I do is fuck men, you know?” You laughed nervously, trying to distract from your slip up.

Soobin’s hugs always ignited your senses. He does it every time he greets you and it makes you fall for him more each time.

“I haven’t hugged you in a while. Have you been avoiding me?” He was joking but he didn’t know it was true. You chuckled nervously, remaining in his embrace. He smelled so nice, it was intoxicating. That and being in his room for the first time excited you to no end.

“Of course not.” You say, finally pulling away. You smiled up at him and you felt the tension. He didn’t take his gaze off yours. You felt numb as you pressed your lips to his. Everything was moving so fast. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. And that’s when you realized, he was responding. Responding positively. You tilted your head backward, deepening the kiss. Your face felt hot. You were glad at this moment that you had experience in at least kissing.

You throw your arms around his neck, skin melting against his. You felt the urge to get as close to him as humanly possible. You felt his fingertips push underneath your top. You flinch at the cold skin making contact with your hot waist. He giggled at your reaction before pulling away.

“For someone so notoriously naughty, you’re extremely adorable.” The corner of Soobin’s mouth quirked up, his dimple flickering. He was staring into your eyes. You couldn’t take the tension, darting your eyes away from his. This action only strengthens his discovery.

“I’m glad I got to know you. Everyone knows you as this sex guru…” He placed his right hand on your shoulder, sliding it over your collarbone, and your breath hitched when it went over your throat. His thumb glided over the mid-line of your throat very slowly. It was as if he were aware of the positive effect his hand on your neck had on you. However, he kept his eyes trained on wherever his hand touched. His eyes flickered up towards your face every so often to gauge your reaction. These actions almost seemed like this was his first time being intimate, too. Like he was exploring unknown grounds. When his hand finally made it’s way up to your jaw, cradling your head in his hand, he continued,

“…but I can’t shake this image of you being this innocent, cuddly teddy bear.” He chuckled again. His words were so lovely and endearing, but his voice only made you titillated. You leaned into his hand, shutting your eyes.

“You’re not saying much, and something tells me this is going there… So listen up sex guru.” He brings his left hand up to the other side of your face. You open your eyes and look up him. He smiled at your doe-like stare.

“This’ll be my first time, so please take it easy… on me…” He kept trailing off, getting distracted by your eyes and your lips. Your eyes got wider, your observation was right. He’s a virgin just like you are. He was about to speak again but you cut him off.

“S-Soobin I… I just want you to know that I’m not doing this because I see you as just a body or a number. This means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me.” You blurted out, removing his hands from your face to hold them. He just returns them there, however, and eagerly latches his lips on yours. This kiss is more ravenous. Both of your hands raking all over each other. You felt your body ignite when Soobin took your bottom lip in between his teeth. He released it before looking into your eyes. He was like a different person. His pupils were dark and swimming in lust. He laced his fingers into your nape, lightly tugging on your hair. You couldn’t hold back the tiny moan from escaping your lips. He crashed his lips to yours once more, this time slipping his tongue into your mouth. Your wet muscles wrestled together. He tasted so damn good. Your face got even hotter, you really really wanted him. You wanted him so bad.

He walked the two of you backward until the back of your knees hit his bed. You fall from his embrace, behind hitting the mattress. You looked up at him from your sitting position. You clench your thighs tightly, excited by his tall frame towering over you. He tugged his shirt off before climbing over you. He kissed you once before pulling back and looking at your face. He does it a second, third, and fourth time. He then takes his knee and parts your legs. He leans closer ‘til your chests are flush and his leg is pressing right into your sweet spot. You buck up into it unconsciously, the sweet friction causing you to screw your eyes shut. You felt completely intoxicated at this point. You were blindly humping his leg, profanities and sinful noises falling from your lips. You gasped when Soobin wrapped his hand loosely around your throat.

“You’re driving me crazy… I’m so hard already…” He commented breathlessly. His words directed your attention to the bulge in his sweats. You clamped your legs around his thigh, you really wanted to feel it. So you told him.

“Say it louder.”

“Please… I want to feel it inside of me Soobin.”

You felt prideful after Soobin’s eyes fluttered shut. Your words were doing that to him. He untied the drawstring of his sweatpants before pushing his underwear and pants to the floor. You instinctively reached up and grasp it. Soobin threw his head back, earning you a sweet moan. His response egged you on. You tightened your grip, stroking languidly up and down his shaft. His breath started picking up and his face twisted in pleasure.

“That feels so good, but I wanna have you right now.” He leans back over and hooks his fingers under your bottoms. He exposed your bottom half and you unclenched your thighs. This was the first time you felt so sure you wanted someone. You didn’t take your eyes off of each other as he removed your bottoms and underwear. His eyes flickered, taking in your appearance.

“For over a year now I’ve been looking at you…” He stroked your cheek with his thumb,

“And you only get more beautiful. Give me permission to take you, please.” His voice was airy.

Your breath was caught in your throat. All you could do was nod. You inhaled sharply as his tip brushed against your saturated lips. You gripped onto his biceps, desperate for him to just take you already.

“Soobin please I want to feel you.” Your voice was barely audible.

“Then give me permission. I need to hear you say it.” Soobin looked serious as he stared into your eyes.

“I give you permission, please take all of me-”

Soobin was already thrusting forward before you could punctuate your sentence. You yelped out, as he’d missed with the first thrust. Once he was inside he was anxiously making sure you were okay.

“I’m okay, just please don’t stop.” You felt your eyes sting, tears welling. The stretch was pleasantly painful. You wrapped your legs around him, craving more. A strangled moan came from you as he pulled his hips back. His hard member gliding against your slick walls wasn’t anything short of euphoria.

Electricity shot up your legs and butterflies erupted in your abdomen. You didn’t know how to cope with the extensive amounts of pleasure you were receiving. Your moans were constant and guttural, eyes shut tightly as you raked Soobin’s back.

“A-am I hurting you?” He asked, eyes trained on you as he hummed with bliss.

“N-no! It feels so good. Please don’t stop.” You squirmed underneath him, hips bucking up towards him. He took your response as a sign to bury his head in your neck and thrust deeper. You whimpered, wondering just how much farther he could go. His rhythmic, whiny moans in your ear gave you goosebumps. You moved on hand up to his hair, curling a handful into your fist.

His thrusts were starting to build pressure in your abdomen. You felt your legs getting weaker around his hips, your moans growing in pitch and volume.

“Does that mean you’re close?” He sounded breathless and he was losing the rhythm in his thrusts. The words to respond with seemingly left your brain. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as your hips and legs twitched. Warm liquids covered Soobin’s member as your orgasm washed over you. You sang a few more high pitched moans as Soobin chased his high. He pulled out, releasing ribbons of white onto your stomach. You flinched as the hot liquid hit your skin. He threw his head back, milking himself dry.

“Sorry, we completely forgot about condoms. How irresponsible of you, sex guru.” Soobin chuckled before leaning forward onto your body. He rested his head in the nook of your neck again. The two of you laid there silently for a while, Soobin pecking your jaw and neck here and there. It felt like an eternity in the best of ways. You felt fuzzy and warm. With his chest against yours, it was almost as if your heartbeats were in sync. Then he finally spoke up.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?” He asked, head remaining where it sat. You hummed quizzically, not sure what he meant. He finally sat up a bit, looking down at you.

“Jisu is also best friends with my sister…” He trailed off again, this time distracted his finger tracing shapes on your shoulder.

“It must’ve slipped or Jisu really trusted my sister, a big mistake but whatever. I know you’re a virgin, ____.” He tore his attention away from his finger to look down at you with a sweet smile. You looked like a deer caught in headlights. You were a stuttering, flushed mess. He placed his index finger on your lips.

“That was a month ago. Since then word got around.”

You felt embarrassed. People knew you were a fraud this whole time? You must’ve looked like an idiot keeping up the act. Did Jisu know that people knew? You must’ve looked concerned because of what Soobin said next.

“Hey, I’m only telling you this because I want you to know that no one cares. No one thinks you’re dumb or a liar. Especially not me. I mean, I barely believed it when people told me in the first place but it makes no difference.” He cradled your face again with both his hands. You could tell this would be a habit of his that would be a favorite of yours.

“Without that rumor, you’re not any less interesting or worth getting to know. That’s not what makes you so amazing. It’s your true colors, your beautiful personality. All these people who adore you stick around for you, not some dumb rumor.”

You flip the two of your around and bury your head in his chest. You let out an exaggerated whine that was muffled by his skin.

“Those words, what you said… they mean so much to me. You’re too good of a person.” You plant kisses all over his bare chest. But you suddenly shot your head up.

“By why didn’t you let me know beforehand?? And you were mocking me weren’t you! I take back what I said about you being a good person!” You playfully smack his chest, causing him to snicker.

“I was planning on it! But I had too much fun teasing you, and things got intimate so fast.”

Thinking back, that made more sense why he was so communicative and careful. You smiled reminiscing of the scene that happened only moments prior.

“I’m glad you were my first, Soobin.”

His smile was warm as he leaned over to kiss your forehead.

“I’m glad you were mine too.”

……

“But Soobin… I’d love to stay here longer but there’s sticky semen on me and now you-”

[itsmarianstories]

They call me kitty🐾

[Jikook Social Media Au]

Part 30: Past >> Part 31: Ready

Jungkook is a bratty college student, who stumbles through life, trying to find his way. He is attractive and he knows it, so he is used to getting whoever he wants. Until a certain cute boy walks into his life with swaying hips and fluttering lashes, who seems completely unimpressed by Jungkook. However, being the stubborn boy that he is Jungkook refuses to give up just yet, not knowing that with that he has already become a figure in Jimins game of life.

(A/N: Hello! I’m gonna leave another warning here, Jimins backstory is not exactly rosy be prepared for mentioning of drug abuse, prostitution, implied murder... Also sorry for the amount of written parts I hope the Jikook fluff makes up for it ksksk)

_._._._._._._._._._. _._._._._._._._._._. _._._._._._._._._._. _ Jeongguk sighed as he stared out of the window. He couldn’t really see anything outside since it was already pitch black. All he could see were the raindrops that slid down the smooth surface of the glass. His room was dark as well, a nurse has checked on him not too long ago and told him to get more rest. 

He wasn’t in a critical situation but he’d still have to spend some time in the hospital because the the stab in his shoulder tore the muscle and damaged a tendon which meant that if he weren’t extremely careful the movement in his left arm may be irresistibly restricted. The doctors gave him one of these slope thingys to stabilize his arm but in some certain movements it still brought burning pain rushing through his shoulder. Fortunately, the stab in his leg wasn’t as bad and didn’t cause a lot of damage. It would hurt quite a while and leave an ugly scar but at least he didn’t have to be worried about permanent damage. Moreover, he also got himself a nice fever since he was exposed to the cold, humid atmosphere while his body was already in an extremely susceptible state. Well, he probably should be glad he didn’t get a lung infection. 

Jeongguk sighed again as a new song started playing over his headphones. Jin brought him some stuff that he may need while in the hospital, which Jeongguk was very grateful for. It was way more comfortable in his own clothes and with his favourite pillow. However, he still couldn't sleep. The doctor said it was normal after such a traumatic experience and that he probably should go to a therapist. But Jeongguk wasn’t scared or anxious actually. He was just mad, he was so angry. Ever since he arrived in the hospital and had time to think everything through there was this fire slowly simmering in his chest. He was mad at this Seungri guy and his men, he was mad at Jimin, he was even mad at Jin for not being there with him, although he knew how irrational that was. However, all that didn’t compare to the fury he felt towards himself, for not being able to defend himself, for not being able to do literally anything, for allowing those people to stamp all over him, for not being stronger. He swore to himself the moment he was out of this hospital room he’d-

“Bunny?” Someone touched his hand and Jeongguk jerked up, fist already clenched, ready for a punch. Jimin reacted quickly and caught his fist halfway in the air, forcing it down again. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you, you didn’t hear me knocking though.” Jimin explained and Jeongguk let out a long breath, his heart still racing in his chest. He pulled out the headphones and layed back down on the pillows as Jimin sat down on a chair next to the hospital bed. 

“How did you make it past the nurses? Visiting time is long over.” Jeongguk asked, although he already knew the answer.

“I have good connections to some doctors in here, remember? They owe me some favours.” Jimin said and shrugged off his pink, glittery bomber jacket. He was back to his soft and fluffy looks, the leather outfit from last night completely gone. His hair was growing kind of long and the pink was fading, only a hint of it left. He looked cute in his black leggins and the big sweater, however Jeongguk has long learned not to mistake Jimin for who he is. 

“How do you feel?” The older asked now and Jeonggukk shrugged with the one healthy shoulder.

“I’m alright.” He half-lied. He was feeling like shit actually but it was to be expected after what he went through. He was probably doing better than he should. Jimin reached out and pushed his bangs back, laying a hand on his forehead. Jeongguk sighed dreamily at the soothing feeling of Jimins cold hand on his sweaty skin. 

“Your fever hasn’t gone down yet.” He stated and wanted to pull his hand back but Jeongguk held him in place.

“Wait please. This feels nice.” He mumbled, not missing the small smile that crept on Jimins lips.

“Okay,” he whispered and as Jeongguk moved a bit to the side on his bed Jimin followed quickly, settling down next to him. The bed was small and they had to sit pressed together but neither of them minded. 

“Jimin,” Jeongguk mumbled. His eyes were now closed as he relished in the cooling feeling of Jimins hands on flushed cheeks. The older hummed. 

“Thanks for not sticking to your words.” He said and opened his eyes to see Jimin frown confused.

“What do you mean?” Jeongguk bit his lip and stared at the ceiling again. 

“You know, the ‘You can shoot him for all I care’ part.” He whispered, not really understanding why he was feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. Jimin sat up straight next to him to be able to look at Jeongguks face. His thumb brushed over the cut on Jeongguks cheek.

“Did you believe that?” Jimin asked and watched the youngers face closely. Jeongguk shrugged again, wincing as he accidentally moved his injured shoulder. Jimin leaned down and kissed his cheek.

“That was a bluff, bunny. I had to make them think they had nothing against me. If they had noticed how important you are to me, they would have used you as a hostage. You probably would have ended up quite worse. It was saver for you to stay in that room until everything was done.”  Jimin explained and cuddled up to him. Jeongguk had already learned over the past few weeks that Jimin is actually pretty clingy, once he gets used to someone. It’s adorable and so contrary to his cold hearted, merciless gang leader behaviour. 

“They could have shot me right there and then to get rid of me.” 

“Yeah, it was a risk but I know Seungri and your chances were better like that, rather than them dragging you out into the shooting area.” Jeongguk thought about his words for a while as another question formed in his mind. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to ask that, if Jimin would answer him or if he’d get mad but he thought he’d shoot his shot and see where it goes. 

“How good to you know him exactly?” Jimin tensed slightly but Jeongguk continued. “I mean as they were--- trying to get something out of me Seungri also talked about how you two have a long past and how he taught you everything and that you’d owe everything to him.” Jimin snorted at that, his fingers drawing patterns on Jeongguks belly. 

“Of course he’d say that.” Jimin mumbled before taking a deep breath and groaning. He rolled back on his back and now it was Jimins turn to stare at the ceiling. 

“Do you remember how you once asked me how I came to being a gang leader and all that stuff?” Jeongguk nodded, he has been wondering about that ever since he learned what Jimin is doing. The older sighed.

“Well, obviously some shit has to happen for someone to end up on a path like mine. For me, I sometimes think it was predestined but who knows. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really have a lot of regrets. I’m happy where I am now, but I sometimes wonder how my life would be if I had a normal office job or something. I don’t know,” Jimin chuckled.

“Anyways, I’m an orphan, I grew up in a really shitty orphanage where no one really cared about us children so it has always been ‘survival of the fittest’. The strong kids got the food, the comfy beds, the toys. So I learned to fight my way through life. It was pretty similar in school and once I became older and hit puberty I learned that people tended to underestimate me for my looks, so I used that to get what I wanted. I started using my body to get what I want, whether it was with teachers, other students, or whoever might have been of help for me. Obviously, rumours spread about it and that’s how I got to know Seungri. He was a senior of mine in high school and approached me one day asking if the rumours are true. He told me that I could make a business out of it to get more than just good grades or people to do my homework.” Jeongguk gulped. This was not at all what he had expected. Jimin shook his head slightly.

“I was young and naive. I thought I was the smartest shit and that I’d be in control so I agreed. I thought it were only Seungri and me. He got me the customers and made sure I’d stay save and I did the dirty work. I had no idea that he worked with a brothel and that I was falling deeper and deeper into this whole underground shit.” Jimin frowned. “We actually made quite a lot of money at first and I apparently became very popular in the scene, since I was so young. I had--- a lot of customers and started skipping class until I eventually dropped out of school. It was fine at first, I enjoyed what I was doing, I enjoyed the power I falsely believed I had. Especially when the first high class men came to me. I fucked the previous major, can you believe that?” Jimin chuckled again and ran a hand through his hair.

“One day one of my customers offered me a small pill and asked if I wanted to try. I agreed, not thinking much of it but it only accelerated my downfall. I never learned of the side effect of drugs, I just knew how amazing they made me feel and how much better the sex was so I tried all kinds of stuff that Seungri got for me. I got so used to it that I didn’t want to do it without being high. That’s when I found out that Seungri only used me, he said I owed him a lot of money for all the drugs he got for me and for his ‘work’ as my ‘manager’. He said I had to work more to pay him back and he stopped paying me, so I lost my flat and was forced to move into the brothel that Seungri worked with. That was probably my biggest mistake because it made me dependant. They gave me more and more customers, at one point I had about twenty-five to thirty customers a week. You can imagine, my body was not in the best condition.” Jimin said and turned his head to see Jeongguks wide eyes as he stared at the older in shock. Jimin chuckled again and softly brushed Jeongguks cheek with his knuckles.

“I’m gonna spare you the details but my condition became worse and worse and I tried to block out the pain with more drugs. I had my lowest when I almost overdosed and collapsed on the chest of no other but the police captain of the local police station, which was probably my rescue, because obviously he didn’t want to be connected to my death. He organized me being taken to a hospital.” Jimin smiled nostalgic. “He was a sweet man, he even visited me in the hospital and I confessed my situation to him in a very ugly breakdown. He promised to help me, if I promised to stay silent about him. Obviously, I agreed and that when I got to know one of my best men now. Namjoon, was a former officer that the captain ordered to help me. At first he just helped me getting out of that shit hole and getting away from Seungri but we became kind of friends and stayed in contact.” A grin spread on Jimins face as he kept talking.

“About a year later, I got to know Taehyung, he’s the one who blew up the bunker, do you remember?” Jeongguk nodded. “He used to be a normal dealer with high aspirations.” Jimin explained and shook his head amused. 

“He was also mistreated a lot so we made plans together to build our own empire, a better one, where we won’t have to fuck people up to make them loyal. That was uhm--- about five years ago, now I think. The most difficult part was to get loyal people, who didn’t see us as naive, stupid kids. I admit, it was a long, bloody way up. We had to be fierce, you know? There are probably about thirty different rookie gangs and constantly new ones or old ones falling apart. It’s very hard to actually make it. But we were stubborn and unafraid to do whatever it takes. We were probably also pretty lucky that we knew the right people and that others constantly underestimated us. Well, it doesn’t really matter now. The point is we made it. So I guess, Seungri did kind of start it all, by dragging me into this and making me ruthless.” Jimin shrugged. “But I don’t own this fucker shit.” Jeongguk just stared at Jimin for a while, his mind slowly processing Jimins story.

“What did you do to him?” Jeongguk asked eventually and Jimin scrutinized him closely for a while.

“Nothing yet, I’m keeping him in a cell in our base. Why?” Jeongguk scooped a little closer towards Jimin. They were facing each other, their noses almost touching, their breaths mingling. 

“When I was tied to that chair and Seungri was--- s-stabbing that knife into me I-” Jeongguk clenched his fist and took a deep breath. “I felt so helpless, so--- vulnerable. They could have done with me whatever they wanted and I had no chance to defend myself whatsoever.” Jimin stared deep into his eyes as he spoke and somehow Jeongguk felt that the other knew exactly what he was talking about. The older cupped his cheek again but his eyes never left Jeongguks. “I don’t ever want to feel like that again, never. Please, teach me how to fight back.” Jimin inhaled a sharp breath. 

“You said you don’t want to become a monster like that.” Jimin mumbled. Jeongguk moved his head a bit so their foreheads were pressed together.

“I had a lot of time to think about that while laying here and I realized that the kind people usually get taken advantage of. I’d rather be a monster than having everyone else stamp all over me.” Jimin made a deep sound in his throat, his hand moved from Jeongguks cheek to his neck where the grip tightened in his hair. 

“Why is this turning me on?” Jimin mumbled against Jeongguks lips. The younger snorted but returned the passionate kiss, allowing Jimin to take the lead and pushing him back into the mattress.

---

(A/N: Whoop, any questions?)

[the-st0ryofagirl]

Bye Bye Virginity

You came and marched right towards me, your blue eyes stormy, looked right into mine. You were on a mission, and I was the only way you could accomplish it. 7 years. I’ve waited 7 years to feel your lips on mine, and you didn’t just let me feel them, you made them yours. Your hands, all over me. Up my shirt, down my back, tangled in my hair. I wanted to slow down, it was all so fast, you work fast though, and I guess I didn’t mind too much.

I hadn’t done this with anyone in so long, but boy is muscle memory a thing. One second I was struggling to keep on my toes to keep making out with you, the next second we’re on the bed, you’re pulling me on top. We had places to be, but GOD I wanted you. And well, I’m kind of a little hoe when it comes to sucking dick, I kind of love it. So that’s what I did! On my roommate’s bed, sorry B...it was so exciting, and liberating! I hadn’t touched a guy in over a year, I was a little rusty, but I definitely still hold onto my record time of getting someone off in under 3 minutes...exciting stuff! 

After a great night of drinking and dancing and excessive socializing, I was ready to go home and sleep. I was having trouble reading you all night though. You’re quiet, except when you’re not. And you speak your mind, insightfully and not excessively. I’m usually really fucking good at reading people, but you’re so damn hard to read, I had no idea what was on your mind the whole entire night. Were you into me? Were you having fun? You kept saying you were having a good time, you kept saying that you loved the vibes of the people here, but I’m so insecure and I need constant reassurance all the time, I’m sorry ok? 

Well I guess I got all the reassurance I needed from you when we got back though. On the bus we cuddled and you made me feel you through your pants, you were so hard for me. I guess I didn’t know what to expect from you when we got back to my apartment. I thought we’d just sleep. Maybe make-out a little, cuddle, and then fall asleep. NOPE. Well, we cuddled and made out yeah...but, I also lost my virginity. I know, crazy right? And it was to someone I never thought I’d lose my virginity to...A FREAKING C. He’s so damn hot, so experienced too, it kind of threw me off sometimes. 

Anyways yeah, one minute we were making out on my bed and the second he’s on top of me, clothes are just flying off each other with such a need, it’s extremely hot. He’s on top of me and we’re kissing and all of a sudden he’s going down on me, and I mean full on licking me EVERYWHERE DOWN THERE. His tongue is all around and inside me, at first it felt strange and I was sort of embarrassed and then I kind of started getting into it. But I feel like as soon as he had found my clit it was over far too soon. He came back up to kiss and next thing I knew he was at my entrance pushing in...which totally freaked me the fuck out. Not only was it my first time but uhm, boy where is your condom?! So I called him out and he wanted to do pull out, and I know my momma had taught me better than that, so I told him to find a condom or it wasn't happening. It was kind of sweet actually, he didn’t have any because he’d left them in the car, meaning he didn’t expect to have sex either otherwise he would have brought them down...right? Anyways, I told him to go look in my roommate’s box where she kept her condoms and he slid it on and then positioned himself on top of me again. I was ready, I’ve been ready, but that doesn’t mean I still wasn’t nervous. I told him to go slow as I gripped his biceps when I felt him enter me, he told me it was okay, over and over again. His words were like a breathless caress, eventually matching his strokes. 

At first I just lay there, reminding him to go slow and his body seemed to naturally speed up. The pressure of him inside me did hurt, but it didn’t hurt as much as I thought, and I could feel the pain being relieved the more and more he entered me. Eventually I was meeting his strokes halfway by bringing my hips up. He pulled out, moaning and both of us breathing heavy, he turned me onto my stomach and pulled my ass up. I made sure to arch my back and nothing turned me on more than him sliding into me and saying “oh my god, you’re so wet” and sliding his hands down my hair, my back, on my ass as he slid in and out of me. I easily met his strokes once again. All too soon, he shifts and puts his legs on the outside of mine and brings mine together so I’m laying completely under him, ass still in the air he’s breathing harder now. “I’m gonna come”, and me being an anxious to a T tell him to pull out just in case. He did, no questions asked thankfully. 

Now I know I’m new to this, but I wanted to go again, that wasn’t nearly enough time for me to actually really enjoy it, I was just getting there. He’s definitely broken me in that’s for sure, but I was too shy to ask to go again..and I also didn’t want to make him feel embarrassed because I didn’t know what his refraction period was for him. After that it was kind of a blur, we put our clothes back on, went pee, and then tried to go to sleep, we even cuddled! After a couple minutes though he announced, pretty frustrated, that he was going to leave. I was pretty bummed, and it kind of made me feel pretty stupid, I thought perhaps I did something wrong, after all when we were cuddling he told me my knee was on his nuts... But he genuinely seemed upset and he kept saying that this was a constant problem fro him, not being able to sleep anywhere but his own bed, he didn’t say sorry, but he kept trying to explain himself to me and I understood. In fact it was sort of stressing me out how stressed out he was. He angrily threw his clothes in his bag and I offered to smoke with him so he could de-stress. 

He agreed and while he packed his joint we had really deep conversations. It made me realize how beautiful and complicated his mind was. He was observant, and he was aware that other people treated him differently because of how he looked and he didn't like it. We talked about his past experience in college and how badly he fucked up, how much his family meant to him, how much he’d matured over the years. I loved hearing him talk. I’m not very good at talking, I’m much better at writing my feelings out on paper. It takes me a lot longer to articulate what I want to say and he just spoke so freely and it made sense. Every time I tried to throw my 2 cents into the conversation I felt like what I was saying was stupid, and did not at all convey what I really wanted to say to him at all. But he didn’t seem to mind.

We walked to his car and smoked and talked some more, the night dragging on as we took more and more hits of his joint. Eventually, the joint ran out and he put the car in drive. At the stop sign where I was supposed to get off we said our goodbyes and he thanked me for such a great and amazing night. He said he had a lot of fun and he was really glad he came down. I smiled and nodded and just looked at him, my hand wavering close to the door handle, unsure of what to do next. He then leaned in closer to me as he stared into my eyes and I met him, halfway. The hottest and sweetest goodbye kiss I’ve ever received, let me tell you. 

Leaving, he yelled after me that he’d text me tomorrow and he then drove away into the night as I walked back to my apartment. 

--------

It’s been 4 days since I’ve seen him, he did end up texting me the following day, I felt super anxious to text him, but I’m super happy that he kept his word and he did text me in the morning. I sort of didn't expect him to, but he does surprise me often. I apologized for not being the most sexy being on earth and if I at all was weird at any time and he said “no no no it was amazing seriously ;)”. 

He makes me so nervous to talk to him, I haven’t stopped thinking about him and it makes me so mad because I’m probably the very last thing on his mind. He’s so damn out of my league, and it’s not just because he’s AC, an extremely hot sex god, but because I’m attracted to the way that he thinks. He’s so unpredictable, and he says such real things. He’s got such a beautiful mind and I find that so amazing. He doesn’t care about what other people think, he speaks for himself. Everyone here in SC has kind of the same way of acting, everyone is so predictable and the University has kind of formed us into one way of thinking instead of being individual thinkers.

It’s kind of funny because he said how much of a breath of fresh air you were able to get up here, but honestly, he was the breath of fresh air to me. 

I know better than to expect more from him. But I can’t help myself. He’s my first, and he is someone who I have had a little bit of history with, even if it was a long time ago, he knows who I am. I want to see him again, and we’ve made plans to do so in the future, which is exciting. But I just want someone to call mine, I have so much loving inside of me I’m so ready to just give it all to someone, to bear my heart and have it be accepted and even reciprocated. He’ll hurt me, I know that. But I don’t care. I’m so tired of caring. So damn tired. And I like him, I truly do. 

[tgfiction]

Just Pretending (story)

Just Pretending By Varian Milagro

In a long line of extremely lame birthdays this one had to be one of the lamest. It wasn’t the lamest, that award defiantly went to my eighth birthday when not one of my ‘friends’ showed up. This one did not hit that much of a low, but it was exceedingly lame. No one had even remembered it. Well, my mom had given me a quick ‘Happy Birthday’ in the morning before I left for school, but it was pretty perfunctory. My dad had left by the time I had gotten up, but I doubted he would have said anything if he had been there.

I didn’t get a happy birthday from my sister Jenny either. She was five years my senior and had moved away for college and then stayed away. We’d always been close growing up so I was surprised when I didn’t even get so much as a text from her today. She was probably busy with wedding plans so I gave her a pass. She was marrying a guy named Zack whom she’d met at college. He had a nice job out east and that’s where they planned to setup shop after their wedding in three weeks. The wedding was being held at the ocean a few hours from my home, so at least I’d get to see her a few more times before she went back east again.

No one at school said a thing, not even my best friend Seth Johnson. Seth and I were attending a local community college together and had been friends since a few months after my disastrous eighth birthday. Since then I didn’t need to worry about no one attending a birthday party of mine since Seth and I were fairly inseparable. I couldn’t believe that he forgot as well. Seth and I had so much in common we had a similar style of humor and usually had each other in stitches over one of our many inside jokes. We were both died in the wool nerds and shared a love of games, both board and video, comics, anime, movies and soccer.

I first started playing soccer when I was in grade school. Being a three letter man in school my father wanted me in a sport of some kind. He had entered me into baseball, football, basketball and even hockey. Soccer was the only one I was even fairly passable at. I was too small for football, too short for basketball. I never got the hang of skating and I couldn’t hit the damn ball with the damn bat. I didn’t do that much better at soccer, but my dad insisted I play at least one sport. At least with soccer I could quickly pass the ball to someone else before I made too much of a fool of myself. I began to really enjoy it, but I’d always wished I could play better. I wanted to be an asset to my team. I wanted the members of my team to see me heading to the field and actually be happy about it.

I had talked Seth into playing soccer a few years back. Unlike me he was a natural; he took to it like a fish to water. He had this ability to see the whole field and had a sixth sense on where someone was going to be. He probably could be playing for a college team, but he had an aversion to coaches.

So, we found ourselves playing for a local co-ed league. It wasn’t highly competitive and most people were there to make friends and get some exercise. It still didn’t stop some of the guys from riding me when I made an especially bad play. They probably would have asked that I not come back, but Seth had made it clear early on that we were a package. If I quit playing then so would he and he was the best player on the team. So, they suffered me mostly in silence, but it still bothered me a lot. I felt like such a disappointment to my teammates and my father.

I was better at school thankfully. I wasn’t the best student, but I could get A’s if I tried really hard. Seth and I were both working on two year degrees before making the big leap to a four year school. Seth wanted to get into Computer Science at the University of Washington. I was unsure what I wanted to do ultimately, but I knew I wanted a four year degree of some kind. So, right now I was just working on an Associates of Arts degree. We both had the same Calculus class and English. But I had Humanities where Seth had a programming class and Spanish where he had computer science.

Another thing Seth and I shared was our total lack of girlfriends. We’d just never had any luck in that department. It seemed like any girl we liked always had a boyfriend or wanted to be ‘friends’

Seth and I had just pulled up to the soccer field about 15 minutes before the night’s game. After a lame day of feeling sorry for myself I wasn’t sure I could take the groans when I made a bad play, but it was too late now. Seth had driven so I was stuck till the end of the game; might as well get some exercise.

“Hang on for a moment Keith,” Seth said. He reached into the back seat of his car and brought forth a small box. He opened it and inside was a cupcake with a single, rather ornate candle. “Happy birthday buddy. You didn’t really think I forgot, did you?”  

“The thought had crossed my mind,” I replied.

Seth handed the cup cake to me and grabbed a book of matches from the dashboard. “Okay, so make a wish and make it a good one, but you have to say it out loud. This is a real wishing candle and the wish won’t work unless you say it out loud.” Seth lit the candle.

“Real huh, Well, what I wish is that the team valued me, that they would be happy to see me when I show up, that I would make a real difference to the outcome of a game for once.” I blew out the candle.

“Wow, you could wish for anything and you want to be better at soccer? How about wishing for some money dude? Or a girlfriend at least; what a waste,” he chided.

We exited the car and grabbed out gear. As I sat on the car’s seat with the door open to change into my cleats I let out a groan as a terrible cramp hit my abdomen. It began to get worse. I cried out in pain as it moved from my middle and radiated throughout my body. I then had an intense Charlie horse in the muscles of my arms and legs. My hands and feet felt like they were being crushed. My face felt like I’d just got sucker punched.

“Are you all right Keith?” Seth said. He had come around the car and was standing next to me. He had a hand on my back. I was still doubled over.

It hit my crotch next; it was like getting kicked in the nuts. I thought I was going to vomit.

“Holy shit, what’s happening to you?” Seth said in a panicked voice. “Your hair, it’s growing. Jesus what’s going on?” Seth was no longer touching me and had stepped away from me.

Just as the pain began to subside from my face and extremities, I started to feel a tightness on my chest. My pecs were pushing against the material of my shirt. No it wasn’t my t-shirt; it was a garment under my t-shirt. When the cramps in my abdomen began to fade I opened my eyes to see a curtain of hair in front of my eyes. I looked up and pulled my hair away from my face to see a very bewildered Seth staring at me, mouth agape.

“My god, you’re a girl,” he said bewilderedly. “You just turned into a fucking girl right in front of me.” Seth seemed to gather his senses and stepped toward me and reached out a comforting hand, but stopped just shy of touching me. “Are you all right? Holy shit!”

I looked at Seth for a moment and then looked down at myself. My hair fell in front of my eyes again. I pulled back my hair and looked over my body. There was more to my chest. There were two distinct mounds where there had been nothing moments before; they looked a lot like breasts. My bare legs were much skinnier than before. My cleats were smaller. My hands were pretty small now as well.

“Keith, say something. Are you okay? Please talk to me,” pleaded Seth.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” I began. My voice was strange to my ears, much higher, much softer.

“That candle was supposed to grant you a wish, not turn you into a chick.”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said. I stood and noticed that I was a lot shorter than Seth now.

“Are you a girl everywhere?”

“I think so, but that is what I intend to find out.” I did not relish the idea of groping myself in front of Seth.

I headed toward the bathroom and nearly walked into the Men’s room. While I had not been able to fully ascertain my current state I figured, based on the weight on my chest and Seth’s reaction, the ladies room was the way to go.

The bathroom was empty, which was a blessing. I went straight to one of the ‘mirrors’. Being a public park restroom the mirror was brushed aluminum and not glass so it wasn’t the best. What I did see was a fairly attractive brunette with hair past her shoulders. I put a hand to my crotch and confirmed that I was indeed female. While I’d never touched a pussy before, I knew enough from the internet to know that I now possessed one. I reached up and felt my breasts and learned that they were currently confined by a sports bra. I started to peek, but then I heard female voices approaching and decided to finish my inspection later.

“Yes! It’s Kaylee!” Shouted Julie as she rounded the corner into the bathroom and took sight of me. She was with Lauren and they both were on my soccer team. “I’m going to tell the team we can play tonight.” Julie turned and sprinted out of the bathroom.

“I’m so happy to see you Kaylee,” said Lauren with a big smile on her face. “Ruth and Wendy couldn’t make it tonight. We thought that we were going to have to forfeit, but now that you’re here we can play.” Being a co-ed team we had to field at least five girls each game or we had to forfeit. We only had six girls total on the team and if two of them were out that week we weren’t allowed to play.

“Great. Glad I can help. I will see you out there.” As I left the restroom I remembered my wish; I’d wished to be valued by my team. My intention was to be a better soccer player like Seth, but apparently that is not what they valued most tonight. It’s pretty hard for a team to win a game when they aren’t even allowed on the field. I got my wish, but hardly the way I had expected.

I made it back to the car and Seth was back in sneakers. “Let’s get out of here. We can go to the store where I bought the candle and get you back into being a guy.”

“No, I want to play,” I replied.

“You can’t be serious,” he said.

“There are only four girls tonight. If we leave we’ll have to forfeit.”

“It’s only a game, Keith”

“I know, but the team is counting on me.” I grabbed my sports bag and started toward the field. “Oh, and apparently my name is Kaylee now.”

The rest of the team was just as happy to see me as Julie and Lauren had been. It felt pretty nice to be wanted for a change; I wished I could be male and get the same reception. We ended up winning the game by one goal, scored by Seth of course.

My soccer skills had not improved appreciably with the change to my gender; if anything I played worse than normal. I was so distracted by the shifting weight on my chest and running with my new shape was awkward, to say the least. My hair constantly flailing in front of my eyes was also very distracting. I found myself holding my hair with one hand while trying in vain to dribble the ball. After about 15 minutes of this Lauren ran up to me.

“Here, let me help.” She gathered up my hair and then slid a rubber band off her wrist and created a quick pony tail, very similar to her own. “I always keep a couple spares on me just in case,” she said, giving me a quick smile.

“Thanks,” I replied.

I found that the guys on the team were a lot nicer to me now. Instead of groaning when I screwed up a play they would say “Good try” or “Good effort”. When I did something halfway competent they cheered like I’d just scored a goal. I knew it was because I had boobs now, I was always much nicer to women than men, but I have to admit it still felt pretty nice.

After the game Seth and I headed to the car. “So, where the hell did you get that candle?” My higher voice was still strange to my ears.

“There was a new store in the mall, called ‘Spells R Us’. A guy in a bathrobe said it was guaranteed to grant one wish.” Seth unlocked the passenger car door and opened the door for me. “I’m sure he can fix this.”

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” I glared at Seth.

“What?” Seth looked puzzled.

“I don’t need you opening doors for me. I may be female now, but I’m still Keith inside. Please treat me like you always have. Got it?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Seth replied, sheepishly.

While changing back into my sneakers I found a purse on the floor of the passenger seat. In addition to some makeup items, my crappy cell phone, my house keys and a white cylindrical tube whose purpose I didn’t want to contemplate at the moment, I found my new driver’s license. The photo resembled the face I’d seen in the restroom mirror, the name was ‘Kaylee Anderson’, height 5’6” and gender a capital ‘F’. My birth date and address were still the same. I’d lost three inches along with my penis, which made me four inches shorter than Seth now.

We drove by the mall on the way home, but it was closed. We checked the hours and it would not open again until 11am tomorrow. Not knowing what else to do, Seth drove me home.

“We can go to the mall tomorrow after our English class. I’m sure the guy I bought the candle from can get you back to normal,” Seth said while we were parked outside of my house.

“You’d better hope so, otherwise I am going to kick your ass,” I replied as I grabbed my purse and sports bag. I opened the door, but then hesitated before leaving the car. “Can you come inside with me?”

“Sure, what’s up?” He asked.

“I’m suddenly really nervous. What if they don’t recognize me?”

“I think they will, everyone on the team seemed to know you as Kaylee now, your family probably will too.”

“But why do you know that I was Keith before?”

Seth furrowed his brow in thought. “I don’t know, maybe because I was there and saw it happen?” Seth shrugged. “Well, let’s go in and see what’s up. If it’s too weird you can stay at my place tonight.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said.

We left the car and headed into the house. We found my parents in the family room watching TV in their usual seats. My mom stood as soon as she noticed us.

“Hello, angel, have you had a happy birthday so far?” My mom asked as she walked over to us. My dad was following her. She gave me a quick hug and then turned to Seth. “How are you, Seth?”

“Fine, Mrs. Anderson,” Seth replied.

“Happy Birthday, pumpkin,” My dad said as he pulled me into a hug; my head barely made it to his shoulder now. I stood on tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I found the smell of his old spice and scratchy whiskers oddly comforting. I didn’t normally kiss my dad, so I wasn’t entirely sure why I did just now, but it felt right. It felt right being held by him too. My father had never been very affectionate with me before. Being held in his arms was a new experience I could get used to. My dad released me from the hug, but still had an arm around my shoulders. I leaned against him as he greeted Seth. “How have you been, Seth?”

“Good, Mr. Anderson,” replied Seth.

“How was the game, did you win?”

“Yes sir, we won by one goal.”

“Are you hungry, Kaylee, I can heat up some lasagna. Would you like some, Seth?” asked my mom.

“Seth scored the winning goal, Dad,” I said.

“Good job, son. You’re quite the Pele aren’t you?”

“I don’t know about that, sir,” Seth said to my dad. He turned to my mom. “I can’t stay Mrs. Anderson, but thank you anyway.” Seth turned to me. “I’ll pick you at 8am tomorrow, Kaylee.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, thanks for the ride.”

“Thank you for bringing Kaylee home safe, Seth,” My mom said. “So, are you up for some lasagna, Kaylee? You have to be hungry.”

“I am, but I want to shower first, okay?”

“Sure thing, after dinner your father and I have a little surprise for you,” My mom said.

I headed upstairs to my room. So far besides my dad hugging me, my family and house seemed fairly normal; I wondered how my room would look. The addition of a purse and sports bra suggested that my room probably now contained a whole host of feminine items. I paused at the door, took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. I dreaded seeing the results my wish had made to my sanctuary. I also dreaded undressing. Sure, I would finally get to see real live breasts and a pussy, but now that they were attached to my body I found the idea much less appealing.

I entered my room and found my fears were justified; it was a definite girl’s room now. I recognized my text books and laptop on a white desk in the corner of the room. My bed was still a double, but now it had a floral comforter and a large collection of stuffed animals on it. On the walls were some posters of soccer players, but instead of action shots, the players were posing without shirts. My Avengers movie poster was now a giant head shot of Chris Hemsworth, which appeared to be signed. The furniture in my room now appeared to be a set and complemented the yellow with white trim on the walls. The set consisted of the desk, a dresser, bookcase and a vanity which sported a large mirror. There was another larger standing mirror on the opposite wall.

I examined the contents of the bookcase and it still held all of my graphic novels and most of my sci-fi/fantasy novels, but I noticed a few paranormal romance books which hadn’t been there this morning. I hoped I wasn’t a Twihard now. Gone were my action figures and in their place were a whole set of bobble heads. It looked like I had complete sets of Walking Dead, Avengers and Game of Thrones.

Besides the posters my walls also now contained a bunch of pictures of my new self with my family and some with Seth. The room was extremely tidy; it looked like it had just been cleaned. I’m not sure when I’d last cleaned my former room. On the vanity sat a large collection of brushes, cosmetics and jewelry. Missing from the room, besides the normal mess, was my X-box and most of my comic book collection.

I stood in front of the standing mirror to get a better look at myself. Between the mirror made of actual glass and decent lighting I now had a much better look at my new face. I found I looked a lot like a cross between my older sister and my mom, both of whom were also brunettes. This was good news as both were pretty attractive women. My mom was in her early 50s, but could probably pass for a decade younger. Jenny had model looks. I‘d definitely taken after my dad in the looks department before and while good at sports, handsome was not his strong suit. One thing I didn’t inherit from my dad was stature, not as Keith or Kaylee. My dad towered over the rest of the family at 6’2”.

I lifted a diminutive hand to my face and felt my puffier lips, my dainty nose and prominent cheekbones. I was definitely pretty, not a knock out, but pretty. I would have given myself a solid seven if I had seen myself on the street yesterday. I could live with a seven. If I was going to be female for any length of time, I wanted to at least be somewhat good looking. I noticed that I was wearing makeup. Not a lot, but there was definite eye liner around my eyes. My nails were fairly short for a girl and without polish.

I looked down and figured it was time to check out my new rack. I pulled off my shirt, and then decided to go down to just underwear. I sat on the bed and removed my shoes and socks. I stood and removed my shorts and then looked at myself in the mirror. I turned from side to side and checked out my new figure. I was in pretty decent shape before and this translated to a nice tight feminine body. My waist was slim and my tush was pretty shapely, probably from all the soccer. I grabbed the bottom of my sports bra, closed my eyes and then pulled it over my head. First thing I noticed was the weight of my new breasts, without the support of the sports bra I could feel their full weight as gravity did its thing. I opened my eyes and just stared at my new breasts; they were really nice. They weren’t huge or even what I would have called large, but they fit my body really well. I turned to my side and gazed at them standing tall and jutting from my body; how I wished I’d seen this when I still had a cock. I lifted a hand and tentatively touched my left breast; it felt even more wonderful than it looked. The soft supple flesh of my breast yielded easily to my caress. My other hand went to my right breast and soon my nipples began to tingle and tighten. I looked down to see my hardened nipples standing tall in the center on my wide areolas. I would have continued, but was startled by a warm dampness in my panties; my reflection betrayed my embarrassment. I removed my hands and stepped away from the mirror.

The feeling between my legs quickly reminded me of my situation and the fact that my parents were waiting for me down stairs. I wrapped myself in a robe I found outside my closet door and headed to the hall bathroom. My new boobs swayed and bounced with each step I took. The bathroom had not been spared changes by my wish. The first thing that stood out was the shower curtain, which before had been a plain dark blue and was now covered in daisies. The counter was laden with lotions and creams; in the bath was a wide variety of shampoos and conditioners as well as a pink razor. I checked my legs and they could do with a shave. The hair was much softer and much lighter in color than it had been yesterday. Under the bathroom sink I found a bunch of feminine hygiene products. Seeing these only heighted my desire to have my cock back as soon as possible.

I tried to stick to business as much as possible while showering. I did wash my breasts, but did not linger. The feeling my new vagina had made earlier still stuck with me. If someone asked me yesterday what I would do if I’d been suddenly turned into a girl, I’d have answered that I would spend all day playing with my tits and pussy, but now that I actually had them I found I was too embarrassed, even a little fearful, to touch them. The sensation of my pussy getting wet was scarily feminine and so unlike my dick when it had gotten hard. I wasn’t ready to masturbate yet, nor even touch the thing. Hopefully it wasn’t something I would have to live with much longer. Seth and I would go to the store tomorrow afternoon and I would be a guy again. After the shower I wrapped my hair in a towel as best I could and dried myself off.

Once back in my bedroom I looked through my closet and found the boxes containing my comics and a lot of unfamiliar clothes. There were a couple dresses and skirts, but mostly jeans and leggings and tights in a wide array of colors. My shoe collection had increased exponentially. There were some boots, several different pairs of Vans and some sandals. The sandals had a small heel, but other than that the shoes looked pretty manageable. No towering high heels or anything. It looked like I tended to be feminine in my dress, but I wasn’t an all out girly-girl or some fashionista. I didn’t know what I would do about makeup tomorrow, but it looked like jeans, sneakers and a decent top and it would be business as usual as far as anyone else was concerned. I figured it would be best to try to stay in character as much as possible until I could change back. No sense arousing too much drama or weird questions.

I sat at my vanity and started working a comb through my wet hair. It fought me at first, but eventually it started to behave and look somewhat presentable. It was still fairly damp, but was at least under control. I found a pair of cotton panties and slid them up my legs. I skipped a regular bra and grabbed another sports bra. I wanted something simple tonight. I covered the bra with a t-shirt, pulled on a pair of purple sweats, slipped my feet into a pair of bunny slippers I’d found in the closet and headed downstairs to dinner.

After dinner, which consisted salad, lasagna and garlic bread while watching TV with my parents, my mom brought out a small cake with 19 candles lit and glowing brightly. They sang ‘Happy Birthday’ while I sat there slightly embarrassed.

“Make a wish, pumpkin,” my dad said.

“I think I’ve made one too many of those today,” I mumbled. I wished silently to be male again and blew out the candles. I stood still for a moment, in hopeful anticipation, but these were ordinary candles apparently.

“We have a present for you,” said my dad. He handed me a nicely wrapped rectangular box about six inches long that was strangely heavy for its size. “This is not only for your birthday, but also for getting such excellent grades last quarter. We are very proud of you.”

I tore at the wrapper to reveal a brand new iPhone. “Oh my god!” I squealed. “Thank you, Dad,” I threw my arms around him. I turned to my mom and hugged her too. “Thank you, Mom, this is so awesome.”

“We will pay the monthly charges as long as you keep your grades up,” said my mom.

“I will, count on that. This is so great; you’ve really made this a great birthday after all.” Besides being turned into a girl earlier in the evening I meant it. It hadn’t been that bad of a night, all things considered. My team actually wanted me around, my dad wasn’t afraid to hug me and now I had a brand new iPhone. Plus I could play with a pair of tits later tonight if I felt like it, not too shabby.

Instead of studying that night I spent a bunch of time setting up my iPhone and downloading a bunch of apps. I still went to bed early, knowing that I would have to tackle clothes and makeup in the morning. While I normally just slept in boxers, I decided to wear the sports bra as well; the less jiggling and bobbing while I slept the better.

In the morning I wasn’t sure where I was; my bedroom was still rather foreign to me. After a few moments it all came back to me and I arose and found a white bra and panty set in my dresser. The panties were fairly easy to don, but I struggled with the bra. I was close to giving up when I finally managed to get the back clasped together. I decided to skip makeup altogether, hopefully no one would make a big deal out of it. I knew girls who went without and no one seemed to care that much. I thought about asking my mom to help me, but at 19 I was probably too old to be asking how to put on makeup.

I found a Thor t-shirt in my dresser and added to this a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of Vans. As I brushed my hair I decided to put it in a pony tail. I found a bunch of scrunchies in one of the drawers in the vanity. I grabbed my purse; put my books and laptop in a book bag I found near my desk and checked myself in the mirror on the way out the door. I looked rather plain without jewelry or makeup, but the lower I registered on everyone’s radar today the better with me.

Seth showed up promptly at eight according to my new iPhone. “You look really nice today, Kaylee,” Seth said as I entered his car. “Or should I call you Keith?”

“You should probably call me Kaylee otherwise you might accidently call me Keith at the wrong time.” I thought for a moment. “Thank you for the compliment, but stop it. You never said I looked nice before, so don’t start doing it now.”

“Okay, but you didn’t fill out a Thor t-shirt like that before,” Seth said, smiling. He lost the smile when he saw my glare.

Classes took forever. When English finally ended I grabbed Seth by the arm and headed to the car. While my foray into femininity had not been as traumatic as I would have thought, I still wanted my old apparatus back as soon as possible. Within 30 minutes we were at the mall and headed to the ‘Spells R Us’ store. When we arrived at the Victoria’s secret and Starbucks, the place where Seth had said the store was located, it wasn’t there. It wasn’t like the store had just vacated there wasn’t a space between the two stores.

“Are you sure this is where it was located?” I asked.

“Definitely, I’d gone into the Starbucks right after buying the candle. I swear it was here two days ago, you have to believe me.”

“I believe you. I’ve seen enough magic in the last 24 hours to know that it’s real now. Let’s look around the mall and see if it just moved.”

We spent the next hour searching and re-searching the entire mall, but the store was not here. We looked at the mall directory and even asked at the Info counter. Well, Seth asked. I made him since this was mostly his fault.

“I’m so sorry, Kaylee, I don’t know what to do now,” Seth said, looking very apologetic.

“Nothing to do. Let’s grab some lunch and head back to our next class. Perhaps we’ll think of something on the way.”

We didn’t talk much during lunch or on the way back to school. I imagined that Seth was feeling guilty and I was too preoccupied with the fear that this change might now be permanent. My thoughts went back to the feminine hygiene products I’d found. If I stayed female I was eventually going to have a period and I had no clue what to do with some of the feminine hygiene products I’d spied. I did not have the slightest idea how I would clean my vagina and I didn’t really want to know. After our last class of the day Seth dropped me off at my house and said that he was going to do some research on the internet to see if he could learn anything about the store.

I exited the car and headed into the house. I was greeted by my mom as I approached the kitchen. “Hello, Kaylee, how was school?” She asked without turning from whatever had her busy. “Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich.”

“No, I’m not hungry,” I replied.

“Dinner will be around six, angel.”

“Great, I’m going to my room to study,” I said as I headed toward the stairs. My room felt a bit more familiar today and I really appreciated that it was clean. I would have to make sure I kept it that way. I hung my purse on the inside door knob of my door and then sat at my desk and began to study. I found myself wishing I’d spent a little less time playing with my new phone last night and put in some study time. I was taking a full load and each of my classes required quite a bit of work each night to keep up. I had my work cut out for me tonight. I had a couple hours before dinner which would not give me enough time to finish it all, but I should be able to take a big bite out of it.

After an hour or so I was interrupted by my phone ringing. I grabbed my phone from my purse; it was Seth. “Hey, Seth, what’s up? Have you started on calculus yet?” I asked.

“No, I’ve been searching online for info on that store,” he replied.

“Did you find anything?”

“Yes and no. I found all sorts of references to Spells R Us, but they were all fiction stories.”

“Fiction, what do you mean?”

“Made up stories online,” he said. “I read some of them and they all seem to be about guys turning into women.”

“Are you telling me that you bought the candle from a fictitious store? I don’t know how to process what you’re saying. Is the store real or not?” I asked.

“It’s real, I was there I talked to the wizard. It was just like in the stories he knew my name, he knew what I was looking for and he was wearing a flipping bathrobe.”

“So, where does that leave us? Did the stories tell you how to find it again?” I asked.

“Kind of, some of them mentioned that the store had a habit of disappearing. It does seem that it’s usually in malls though. I think we should start hitting all the malls. Start with the close ones and then keep looking until we find it.”

“I hope that works,” I replied.

“Hey, are we still on for the comic convention this weekend?”

“Crap, I totally forgot about that. I guess, wait … my costume…I have to check my costume.” I put the phone on speaker and laid it on my bed. I rushed over to my closet and dug through it looking for my Green Goblin costume. I passed the costume several times before I finally found it, looking for something green I had passed the black cat suit multiple times. It was the white wig that finally tipped me off.

“Shit. I can’t go in this,” I groaned.

“What is it, do you still have it?” Seth asked from the phone on my bed.

I pulled the costume out of the closet and looked at it closely and carried it with me and sat on the bed. “I’m not dressing in this; it would be way too embarrassing.”

“What’s wrong?” Seth asked.

“It’s a flipping Black Cat costume,” I replied.

“Well, that would go well with my Spidey costume,” Seth replied.

“You know what Black Cat’s costume looks like, it is skin tight, and shows lots of cleavage. No thank you.”

“Come one man. We’ve been planning this for most of the year. Don’t back out on me.”

“That’s really easy for you to say, you’re not the one who suddenly grew breasts last night. It’s bad enough that I have them hanging off my chest I don’t want to show them off to everyone.”

“Okay point taken, we don’t have to go in costume if you don’t want, but will you still go? Half the cast of Walking Dead is going to be there. Please say yes.”

“Yeah, I’ll still go,” I said.

There was a knock on my door which was halfway open. I looked up and there was my sister Jenny at door. “Hey, Kaylee,” she said.

“Oh my god! Jenny’s here, I got to go,” I told Seth.

“See you tomorrow,” Seth said.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said as she entered my room.

“Jenny! I’m so happy to see you.” I jumped up and rushed and gave her a hug. She was now a couple inches taller than me.

“Is everything all right?” She asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” I lied.

“Are you sure, I didn’t mean to eaves drop, but it sounded like there was a problem,” she said.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“It’s just this costume. It’s pretty revealing and I guess I’m not ready to wear it.”

“Mom said you’ve been looking forward to this convention for months. She said you and Seth even bought costumes that went together.”

“Yeah, I guess we did, but I changed my mind okay?” I was getting uncomfortable.

“You said something else to Seth. You said you grew breasts last night, what did you mean by that?” She asked.

I was at a loss for a reply. I’d always been pretty close to Jenny; she was the one I could talk to when I was annoyed with Seth or my parents. She never judged me and was always a good listener. I found myself very tempted to confide in her. I doubted she would believe me, but I was frightened of facing a future of makeup, bras and unfamiliar body parts without someone who had a clue about these things, someone who could guide me.

“I have something to tell you and you probably aren’t going to believe me,” I said as I closed the bedroom door.

“I’ll believe you, Kaylee, you’ve never been a liar,” she responded with a slight frown.

I sat on the bed “Well, first my name isn’t Kaylee, it’s Keith, and I’m your brother, not your sister. I turned into Kaylee Monday night.”

“Okay, you were right, I don’t believe you.”

“I didn’t think you would and I wouldn’t have told you, but we can’t find the store and now it looks like I might be stuck like this for who knows how long and I don’t know how to be a girl.”

“When I asked you what was wrong this was probably the last thing I expected you to say.” She sat on the bed next to me and put her hand on my leg. “What’s going on, Kaylee? Is it something with school or Mom and Dad?”

“No, it’s not school or our parents.” I looked up at her, beginning to feel frustrated. “I’m telling you the truth, Seth bought a birthday candle at a magic store and I made a stupid wish and then I changed into a girl and now everyone thinks I was always a girl. Seth is the only one who remembers who I used to be. We went back to the store, but it’s not there anymore. Seth thinks we might be able to find it at another mall, but I’m not so sure. I may be like this for a long time now and I don’t know how to be a girl; I don’t have any memory of being female before yesterday.”

“Are you saying you don’t remember that you’re my Maid of Honor?” Jenny looked pissed.

“I’m sorry, really I am. Please don’t be mad at me. Of course I’ll be your Maid of Honor, but I don’t know how; I don’t know anything about being a girl. I don’t know how to put on makeup, what to wear, how to shave my legs, what to do with my hair, what to do if I get a period. I can barely even put on a flipping bra.” My vision began to blur. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, I need help and Seth knows less about being a girl than I do. Please help me Jenny, you don’t have to believe me, but please say you’ll help me.” Warm tears streamed down my face.

“Oh, Kaylee, you poor thing, of course I’ll help you.” Jenny pulled me into a hug, my head resting on her chest. “I can help you with all those things, anything you need.”

I pulled back and looked at her. “So, you believe me?” I asked hopefully while wiping at my wet face.

“No, I don’t believe you were a boy, but I will play this game with you. I can help you with your makeup tomorrow and help you pick out some clothes. If you’re willing I’ll even help you with that costume as well. It’ll be fun. It’ll be like when you were in middle school.”

“Please don’t tell anyone what I told you, okay? I don’t want to freak out Mom or Dad.”

“Okay, I won’t; you have my word. It’ll be our secret.” She crossed her heart with her finger.

“Thank you so much, Jenny. You’re the best sister,” I said.

“You’re a pretty swell sister too, even if you want to believe you used to be my brother.” She ruffled my hair and gave me a smile. “After dinner why don’t we check out your costume and we can go through your clothes to see what you can wear tomorrow.”

“Okay, how long are you staying?” I asked.

“I’m staying here for the next few weeks. Zack had to stay and work so I’m staying in my old room until the wedding. I asked Mom not to tell you I was coming. I was supposed to be here yesterday and wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but then my flight got delayed.” She stood up. “Hey, I need to make a couple calls before dinner,” she said as she headed to the door; she stopped and turned toward me. “You look really great, Kaylee, I missed you a lot.”

“I missed you too.” We hugged again before Jenny left my room. I hung the costume up and got back to my studies.

After dinner I made my sister wait outside my bedroom while I tried on the costume, she wanted to help me, but dealing with my new female body was embarrassing enough alone. I wasn’t prepared to share the experience with anyone else even if she had ‘seen it all before’. I stripped to bra and panties and took a couple deep breaths. I reassured myself that if I didn’t feel comfortable after donning the costume I could just tell Jenny that I’d changed my mind and that she couldn’t see it after all.

The costume consisted of several different pieces; a long white wig, a black double diamond shaped eye mask, long black opera gloves, a shiny, black faux leather top with a plunging neck line trimmed in white fur, matching leggings and high heeled boots also with white trim. I struggled into the costume; it was very tight and hugged every inch of my body. I left the boots where I’d found them. After trying to get the wig to look right, and failing, I decided to call for my sister. She wore a shit eating grin as she entered my room.

“Stop smiling, this isn’t funny,” I said.

“Sorry, but you look so grown up in that costume. Nobody is going to think you were a boy wearing that getup,” she replied.

“You aren’t making this any easier.”

“You really look good in it; you have the figure and the boobs to pull it off.”

I looked at myself in the mirror. “I don’t think so, most of the women I’ve seen wearing the Black Cat costume have a lot more cleavage than this.”

“You’re doing just fine in the boob department, trust me. You just need the right bra and you’ll be giving every guy there a case of whiplash. Here I’ll show you.” Jenny reached around me, placed her hands on the sides of both my breasts and pushed in and up. “Something like that.”

At first I was horrified that my sister was copping a feel, but when I looked back at my reflection I could see her point. I now had the cleavage that would do the costume justice. “That does look better, but I don’t know if I want everyone staring at me.”

“You’ve been to a lot of these comic things before. Didn’t you ever wonder what it felt like to be the one that everyone was ogling over? The girl that made all the boys drool and all the girls jealous?” Jenny removed her hands. I was a bit disappointed when my breasts went back to looking normal.

“The girls in costume always do seem to get a lot more attention than the guys do at these things,” I admitted.

“Exactly, so it will be a good time to flaunt yourself a little. If you go back to being a boy it will be an experience you won’t get a chance at again and if not it will help build your confidence in your beauty.”

“I’m not sure I need confidence in beauty,” I said.

“Of course you do. Every woman does,” she replied.

“Perhaps, but I’ll have to do something else for shoes, I can’t walk in those boots,” I said motioning to the matching boots sitting just outside of my closet.

“Nonsense, I can have you walking fine in those in plenty of time. What are those, a three inch heel?” She asked. “Tomorrow night I will give you a couple lessons. It’s not as hard as it looks if you follow a few rules and do a little practice.”

“All right, you’ve mostly convinced me. I should get back to studying; I have a test coming up.” I pulled off the wig. “Thanks I feel a lot better now.”

“Anytime, Kaylee, but before you start studying let’s go through your closet and see what we have to work with.” Jenny walked over to my closet and rifled through the clothes. “You have a lot of cute blouses, is there a certain look you would like to go after?”

“I really don’t know,” I replied. “I guess I want to look like a normal college girl, but nothing revealing or too flashy. I want to blend in.”

“Hmm, the Kaylee I remember leaned toward the girl next door look, but with some flair. How does that sound?”

“Okay, how do we do that?” I asked.

“The pony tail works well or even hair down would look nice; you’ve got cute bangs. You got such great skin you could almost go without makeup, but a little eyeliner and some mascara will make your eyes standout.” Jenny pulled out a long baby blue sweater. “Add some skinny jeans to this and a pair of sandals and you’ll look adorable.” Jenny seemed to suddenly remember something. “I forgot something, I’ll be right back.” She handed me the sweater and left the room.

A minute later she was back holding a small box tied with a yellow ribbon. “Happy birthday! I’m sorry it’s late.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said. The box contained a small silver butterfly with wings made from tiny yellow gemstones and hanging from a delicate, silver chain. “Jenny this looks amazing and expensive.”

“I thought it would look nice on you.”

“It will, I’ll wear it tomorrow with the clothes you picked out.” I gave Jenny a hug. “Thank you for this and for your help. I feel so much better than I did before dinner.”

Jenny gave me a few other pointers on womanhood before I went back to studying. It took enough time that I wasn’t able to fully catch up on my studies, but at least now I wouldn’t totally stress out every time I had to pee.

Wednesday morning Jenny showed me the proper way to hook a bra. Baring my chest in front of her embarrassed me to no end, but she said that if she was going to teach me how to be a girl I’d better get over it quick. She also helped me with my makeup and hair and even picked out some bracelets and earrings which she thought went well with the butterfly necklace. I liked the result. The sweater fell to the top of my thighs and almost looked like a short dress. I’d seen girls at school wearing sweaters like this and I always appreciated the way it made them look; it was a vast improvement over yesterday.

Seth texted me a few minutes later letting me know he’d arrived. I hugged Jenny goodbye, grabbed my purse and book bag and headed outside. When I entered the car, Seth gave me an approving look, but did not say anything, not even a ‘Hello’.

“Oh go on and say it,” I said. After all the work Jenny and I’d done this morning I found I wanted to hear him say it.

“You look really nice, Kaylee,” Seth replied. “You looked nice yesterday, but you look really nice today.”

“Thank you, Jenny helped me.” I couldn’t help smiling. Seth’s comment made me feel pretty good, even better than I thought it would. “I told her about the wish and now she is going to help me with makeup and stuff.”

“You actually told her?” Seth asked, looking a little shocked. “Did she believe you?”

“No, but she’s going to help me anyway and she won’t tell anyone else, she’s also helping me with the costume, so I’m going to wear the Black Cat costume on Saturday.”

“Sweet,” Seth said as he pumped his arm in victory. “Well, hopefully we’ll find that store before Saturday, but if we don’t it’ll be awesome going as Black Cat and Spiderman.”

“Yeah, well my vote is for finding the store,” I replied.

Seth and I were back to talking like our normal selves. We joked around and had our normal arguments like whether the Hulk could take Thor or who was faster, the Flash or Superman. Conversationally it was like nothing had changed, we were still best friends. I did catch him looking at my breasts a few times, but if he’d suddenly grown a pair of tits I’d have checked him out as well. After school Seth and I drove by a couple malls that were nearby, but neither had the store we desired. We got back to my place just in time for dinner.

After dinner Jenny met me in my room and had me try on the Black Cat boots. “The trick to walking in heels is, first and foremost, walking with confidence," She began. "Trust yourself and don’t over think it. Start walking across the room and remember walk heel to toe.”

I stood and wobbled a little and tentatively walked across the room with my arms held out from my body for balance.

“Okay, not too bad. This time stand a little taller, head up, shoulders back. Bend the knees slightly too.”

I think I did a bit better this time, it did feel a little more natural this time. Judging from my sister’s face as I turned and headed back to her, I still needed more work.

“This time don’t look at your feet. Look ahead and keep your arms down if you can. Also, imagine there is a line on the ground and put each foot on the line as you walk so each foot lands just in front of the other. Also, you do not need to take big steps, take small ones at first and as you get more comfortable you can take longer strides.”

I tried to follow all of Jenny’s advice when I did the walk. When I turned this time she was smiling.

“Great job, now wear those whenever you're at home for the rest of the week and you’ll not only get more comfortable walking in them, but it’ll help break them in, something you’ll be thankful for on Saturday when you wear them all day. You should walk in them outside a little too; it will scuff the bottoms so they won’t be too slippery.”

“Thanks, Jenny,” I said.

“Oh, I have something else for you,” she said as she jumped off the bed and raced out of the room. When she returned she was holding a small Victoria’s Secret bag. “I picked this up for you.” She handed me the bag.

I opened the bag and pulled out a bra of a type I’d never seen before; it had the cups of a bra, but lacked straps and was made out of a rubbery material. I just stared at her.

“This is a silicon demi bra that adheres to your breasts and will give you the cleavage we are looking for,” she informed me.

I pulled her into a hug. “Thanks, you really didn’t have to.”

“It was nothing, now remember, practice, practice, practice.”

I wore the heels for the rest of the night and by the time I headed to bed I found it much easier to navigate in them.

The next two days were filled with school, studying, failed attempts at finding the Spells R Us store and walking around the house in my heels. On Thursday night Jenny gave me shaving lessons and pointers on feminine hygiene. When it came time for bed on Friday night I was nervous about the big day at the convention. Jenny said she would help me with my makeup and wig in the morning, she kept reassuring me that it would be fine once I got there. She even showed me some ‘sexy’ poses for pictures with Seth. I was hesitant at first, but she was relentless so I gave in tried them out in front of the mirror. It felt fun and exciting and scary at the same time. I wasn’t scared of someone thinking I was a hussy or a slut; I was scared that I liked it too much. I was still a guy on the inside and I didn’t want to lose that.

In the morning, after a shower, I donned the costume with the demi bra. True to her word Jenny applied my makeup and affixed the wig properly. I wasn’t sure how she managed to get all my normal hair hidden under the wig, but it involved half a box of hair pins. I checked my reflection in my bedroom’s mirror and could scarcely believe that the sexy vixen being reflected was actually me.

“Kaylee, Seth is here,” my mom called from down stairs.

“You can do this, Kaylee. Remember that it is okay to look good and everyone is going to love your outfit,” Jenny said. “I expect a full report when you get back.”

“Thanks for all your help,” I replied as I grabbed my purse. I slowly navigated my way down the stairs holding onto the stairway rail the whole way. My confidence in heels had grown considerably over the last few days and while going upstairs was a breeze, heading down stairs still made me a little nervous.

“Morning, Seth, I’m ready to go anytime,” I said.

Seth, in his Spiderman costume, turned and looked at me and his eyes went wide. “Wow! Kaylee you look amazing,” Seth gushed.

“Thanks you look great too, we should probably go now,” I replied as I felt my face grow hot in embarrassment.

“Not so fast, I want pictures,” my mom demanded.

A few minutes later we were finally in Seth’s car and he started up again.

“Wow, you are totally rocking that costume. Jesus I can’t believe how good you look. And those heels, when did you learn to walk in heels like that?” Seth asked, very excited.

“Listen, you’d better take it down a notch, I’m really uneasy about this and I don’t need you making a big deal about it,” I scolded. “Please remember that it’s me, Keith, in this body.”

“Sorry man, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he apologized. After a moment he continued. “You do look good though,” he said more casually.

“Jenny helped me out a lot. She showed me how to walk in these shoes and she did my makeup and also showed me how to make my breasts look bigger”

“You look like one of the professional booth babes, not a causal fan,” he said.

“Well, thank you. I am still trying to get used to looking like this. One thing you can do for me though is don’t leave me alone today, please. I’m very nervous and I don’t want to do it alone.”

“No, problem, I’ll stick by you all day. Thank you for doing this. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go through a change like you did. You’re handling it really well. I don’t know if I’d leave the house.”

“The thought had crossed my mind, but I’m not going to stop living my life just because I have different equipment,” I replied.

Seth started the car and we began our journey to the city’s convention center. Once we arrived my inner fanboy took over and I was too excited to be nervous. I’d brought my autograph book along and was giddy at the prospect of completing my collection of the Walking Dead cast. My Black Cat costume didn’t allow me to walk as fast as Seth, but he was a gentleman and stayed close to me just as he had promised. Most of the floor was smooth concrete and easy to navigate, but there were power cables running across the floor in some places and in others the dreaded stairs. When traversing an area that challenged my skill in heels, I would take a hold of Seth’s arm for balance. He didn’t seem to mind this in the least.

While standing in line for autographs I was startled when I was approached by another fan with a camera. “Can I get a picture of you?” he asked.

Jenny had warned me of this. “Sure,” I replied. I turned to the photographer, stood tall, put one hand on a cocked hip.

“Can I get one with Spiderman too?” He asked after taking a couple photos.

Seth stood next to me held out his wrist like he was shooting web. I struck an action pose; I turned slightly to the side, crouched slightly with my chest thrust and my hands in karate action mode.

“Thanks, you two make a great couple,” he said as he departed.

“Nice poses, you looked amazing doing that,” Seth whispered to me. “I always appreciated the girls who got into character when in costume.”

“Jenny gave me some tips last night,” I replied quietly. “You know, that was more fun than I thought it’d be.”

“Remind me to thank her when we get back,” Seth said.

The convention experience was much like all the others we'd attended over the years, a mixture of racing to an event just to stand in line, interspersed with geeking out at the celebrities in attendance, to drooling over all the geeky merchandise our college life budgets didn't allow us to buy. I caught others taking pictures of me while we were in line or walking to an event. Several others asked me to pose. I had one of them take pictures of Seth and me with my iPhone. I found the whole thing very flattering and all the attention a little intoxicating. People had taken pictures of Seth and me occasionally over the years at these things, but nothing even remotely approaching the amount today.

The day was almost ruined near the end of the day when some asshole grabbed my ass. We were standing in line for another autograph when I felt a large, strong hand grab my right butt cheek. I was so startled I shrieked and jumped forward and crashed into the person in front of me. I bounced off that person and almost fell over. Rude laughter came from behind me.

"Hey, be careful!" Said the person in front of me.

I whipped around and glared at the rather large man behind me. He looked to be in his late twenties and a gym regular. "Watch it asshole!" I growled.

"You’re real pretty when you're angry," he laughed. "How about some jumping jacks so I can watch your tits bounce," he said, leering at my cleavage.

I stepped back and covered my chest with my arms.

"You better back off, jerk!" Seth stepped in front of me protectively.

The guy had a couple inches and around 40 pounds of muscle on Seth. He stepped forward and bumped his muscled chest against Seth. "What are you going to do about it runt? Shoot me with silly string out of your web slingers? Get out of my face before I kick your ass."

"No, it's you who'd better leave. If you think I'm going to let you harass my friend and get away with it you have another thing coming." Seth looked deadly serious. I wouldn't have messed with him looking at me like that, but I'd never been as big as the guy he was standing up against.

"Plus he won’t be alone,” came a voice from behind us. “Beat it or we’ll all kick your ass,” Superman said. “And if we see you messing with any of the other girls here we won’t be so nice next time." He, Batman and the rest of the Justice League had come up behind us unnoticed.

The asshole, now severely outnumbered, turned and made a hasty retreat. We thanked our fellow conventioneers for their help.

When they’d left I found I was shaking a little bit. I slipped my arm through Seth's and leaned into him. "Thank you, Seth. That was really brave of you, that guy was big and really scary."

"I would have punched him,” Seth replied. “He really pissed me off. I don’t care if he kicked my ass I wasn't going to let him mess with you."

The rest of the convention was fairly uneventful. I'd gathered the rest of the autographs I'd needed, got pictures with all the celebrities I could and after a marathon twelve hours we were headed back home. On the way home we made plans for hitting some more malls on Sunday. After Seth dropped me off at home Jenny wanted me to tell her about the day. She gave me a knowing smile when I told her how the paparazzi made me feel. She was horrified when I told her about mister grabby hands, but this changed to admiration when I let her know how Seth handled it.

"Wow, sounds like Seth really likes you," she said when I had finished.

"Well, yeah we've been friends since grade school," I replied.

"That's not really what I meant."

"It’s not that way between us,” I assured her. “We're just friends."

"Okay," she said and let it drop.

I went upstairs and removed the makeup, wig, costume, heels and demi bra. I slipped into sweatpants, a cami with a shelf bra and my bunny slippers and headed back downstairs to watch TV with my family. After a couple hours I went to bed.

When Seth picked me up on Sunday it turned out that we were both wearing matching Walking Dead t-shirts we'd bought at the convention yesterday. Jenny had helped me accentuate my look though. I'd always marveled at how some girls could wear a t-shirt and jeans and make it look like fashion, whereas other girls looked like they were slumming. Jenny showed me that a bit of effort went into the former. She had me wear my hair down, but she arranged it so that it hung in a way that showed my ears upon which she placed some dangly earrings. She added eye shadow and lip gloss to the mascara and eyeliner. The result had me looking casual, but flirty too. She was having a lot of fun helping me get dressed and I liked our time together and the resulting look. While Jenny and I had been close growing up there was always a bit of a distance between us, one that was vanishing quickly with our new bonding over clothes and makeup.

The trip to the malls that day turned out to be a total bust. We had to drive hours to each one and then spend a lot of time searching the mall itself. We didn't trust information to tell us if a magical store was on the premises or not. Each failure weighed heavier on our moods, making us quite glum by the end of the day. It was quite the juxtaposition from just the day before. We arrived at Seth’s house just before 8pm to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones as we had every Sunday evening for the last seven weeks.

After the show, Seth drove me home. On the way he was strangely silent like something weighed on his mind. When we pulled up to my house Seth turned to me. "Kaylee, can I ask you for a weird favor?" Seth asked hesitantly.

He seemed nervous, which in turn made me a little nervous. I wondered what he could possibly want to ask me that would make him nervous. "That would depend on what the favor is," I replied.

"I was thinking, you know how we used to always say that girls only ever seemed to want to go out with guys who already had girlfriends?" He asked, getting a little bolder. "You know, how it seems like a guy gets no attention, but once he has a girl on his arm then suddenly all the girls want him."

"Yeah, I remember," I said, not liking where this was going. "Not that I ever had a girlfriend in the first place to test that theory."

"Well, I was wondering if you would pretend to be my girlfriend at school and soccer."

"Pretend how?" I asked without humor.

"Uh, I hadn't really thought about it that far. I guess hold hands."

I said nothing for about a minute. "I’ll think about it,” I said as I opened the car door. "I'll see you tomorrow at eight. Oh and thanks for driving today."

Once back in the house I grabbed Jenny and dragged her into my bedroom and closed the door.

"You are not going to believe what Seth just asked me,” I said.

"It can’t be good with that expression on your face,” she replied.

"He asked if I would be his pretend girlfriend." I explained our theory on women and the way they responded to a guy already involved.

"Well, I suppose there is a lot of truth to that theory,” she admitted. “What did you say?"

"I told him I would think about it," I replied. "What do you think? I mean I want to help Seth, but I'm not sure about this."

"Well, I think you should do it."

"Really?" I didn’t expect this answer from her.

"Sure, why not?” She asked. “All you'd need to do to pull it off is hold hands and the occasional quick kiss. If it gets weird you can tell him you don’t want to do it anymore. You should set some firm ground rules up front though. Let Seth know exactly how far you’re willing to take this charade," she instructed.

"Uh…okay," I replied.

Monday morning found me throwing my gym bag into the back of Seth's car at eight in the morning. We had a soccer game after school today.

"Okay, I'll do it," I said as soon as Seth started driving. “I'll pretend to be your girlfriend while at school or at soccer or if we are in public and someone from school is around, but there are a few rules. First, no touching below the waist; grab my ass and the deals off,” I stated. “Second, no touching my breasts; touch them not only is the deal off, but also I kick your ass."

"Fine, I totally agree to those terms," Seth replied looking like he had just swallowed the canary.

"I'm not finished. We can hold hands and we can kiss hello and kiss goodbye, preferably a peck, but more if we need to put on a bit of a show. But no tongue! Stick your tongue in my mouth and you'll draw back a stump, got it?"

"Thank you for doing this, Kaylee, I'll probably get a girlfriend within a week with your help."

"I hope you’re right," I replied.

As soon as we arrived at school and I’d gathered my purse and book bag I took a hold of Seth's hand and we walked to our first class holding each other's hands. We held hands throughout our first class, on our way to our second class and all the way up to lunch where Seth carried my lunch tray for me. After lunch and a study hour he walked me to my Humanities class. Seth had a computer science class this hour. When we arrived at my classroom he took me by the arms and gave me a big kiss.

"Goodbye, Kaylee, I'll see you in an hour," he said.

"Bye, Seth," I replied. As I watched Seth walk away I reflected on the day; so far it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Holding hands was actually kind of pleasant and having my tray carried for me made me feel special. The kiss wasn't that bad either. I’d been dreading actually kissing a guy, but it turned out to be okay. It was definitely different than kissing a girl, not that I had a lot of experience in that area, his lips were firm against mine and I had to tilt my head back, which made me feel small. He also smelled real nice. Pretending to be his girlfriend probably wouldn't be that hard to pull off.

As I entered the class one of the students, a pretty girl named Ashley, called me over. “Sit here, Kaylee,” she said as I approached her.

I hardly knew Ashley and only knew her name because I’d heard the teacher call her name many times in class. I wondered if I knew her better in this reality; I wondered if we were friends. “What’s up, Ashley,” I replied once I sat down next to her.

“So, are you and Seth an item now?” She asked.

“Yeah, we like each other.”

“It looked a little more than like and a lot more like like-like. I see you two together all the time laughing at each other’s jokes, I’ve wondered if it would ever become something more. I think it’s great; you two make a cute couple.”

“Thanks, he’s a real great guy,” I replied. I was happy to see that people were noticing, hopefully Seth’s plan would work quickly and we could stop pretending.

After school Seth and I decided to recheck some of the closer malls. If the store could disappear from mall, perhaps it could reappear there as well. At the mall near the school we held hands again, figuring that the likelihood of being spotted by a classmate was fairly high. At the mall further from town we dropped the pretense. Unsuccessful in our search we grabbed some fast food on our way out and headed to soccer. On the way I pulled my hair into a ponytail and added a couple hair pins to keep my hair out of my face while playing. Once at the field I grabbed my bag and headed into the restroom to change into my soccer outfit, cleats and a sports bra.

When I had finished I found Seth talking with a couple teammates near the field. I walked up behind him and slid my arms around his waist, when he turned toward me I stood on my tippy toes and gave him a kiss on the lips.

“Miss me?” I asked in my best lovey dovey voice.

“You know it, Kaylee.” He replied and gave me another quick peck.

“Okay, get a room you two,” hooted Gary, one of our teammates. A few others chuckled.

During halftime the girls on the team drilled me for information on Seth’s and my new relationship. They wanted details and they wanted them now. I finally decided to tell them that the incident at the convention was the turning point. In a way it was, it made me see Seth in a different light. While in actuality it did not make me get all hot and bothered and want to be his girl, it did make me respect him a lot more. It made me realize that I could depend on him in a whole new way. While I was a girl he was going to keep me safe and that felt really good.

It also turned out that Lauren was throwing a party on Friday night and invited the whole team to attend. It was a BYOB and while Seth and I could not legally buy or drink alcohol yet she said it was still okay if we came, but we had to promise not to drink just in case the party got raided. We agreed.

That night I told Jenny about my day pretending to be Seth’s girlfriend and about the party.

“Not so bad a task was it?” She asked with a smile.

“It was okay,” I replied, beginning to blush.

“Just okay? Why do I have this feeling that it was better than just okay?” She looked at me knowingly.

“Stop teasing me. I’m just doing it as a favor,” I said in a huff.

“All right I’ll stop,” she said. “We will have to get you something nice for the party. We can go shopping Thursday night after school.”

“I don’t have much money,” I replied.

“Don’t worry about that, we won’t be paying for it,” she said cryptically.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at school were pretty much like Monday, Seth and I playing boyfriend/girlfriend and searching malls afterwards. Seth did get a bit of good news on Tuesday night. He’d found an online newsgroup that catered to Spells R Us sightings. It was free to sign up, but required a site administrator to grant access. Seth received the administrator’s confirmation on Tuesday night and was able to search postings for any clue that might help us. While there were some posts with recent sightings they were all on the other side of the country. Seth created a post with his sighting and asked for any help in locating the store close to us.

Thursday night Jenny let me in on her plan to get money for shopping. She planned on double teaming our dad. Just after dinner, when he watching TV from his favorite chair, she pulled me aside. “Follow my lead,” she whispered. She walked up to the side of his chair and sat on one of the large cushioned arms. “Hi, Daddy, how are you tonight?” She made a head motion for me to join her.

“Oh no, what do you want now?” He asked with exasperation. ‘I am already shelling out a fortune for your wedding, what else could you possibly want?”

I sat down on the chair’s other arm and put an arm around my dad. “Hello, Daddy, I hope your evening is going well.”

“Not you too, this isn’t fair,” he cried.

“Girls, play nice now,” my mom laughed from the other side of the room.

“I want to take Kaylee shopping for some clothes; can you give us some money?” Jenny asked sweetly.

“Please, Daddy,” I echoed.

“Fine, how much do you want?” He asked.

“You are such a softy George,” my mom sighed.

An hour later we were at the local mall looking through clothes in one of the many shops that catered to young women’s clothing.

“Are you ready to go with a skirt?” Jenny asked while examining a rather tiny piece of cloth.

“No, not at all,” I replied.

“You do know that you’ll be wearing a dress at my wedding. You should probably get in a little practice before hand.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want my first experience to be at my first real party as a girl.”

“Okay, but we should have you practice wearing one next week. Oooh, how about this?” Jenny pulled out a pair of shiny, silver, metallic looking tights with a black design that looked Gaelic in origin.

“I don’t know, those look pretty bold,” I said.

“I’ll grab a top and you can try it on,” she said while handing me the tights. “I think this will look awesome.”

Jenny searched some more and settled on a black sleeveless blouse and a black jacket and bustled me to the changing room. I had to admit that it looked really good together. The jacket fell to just below my hips and the combination of the basic top and adventurous tights gave me what Jenny called a ‘Causal Party’ look. A term I think she made that up on the spot.

Jenny looked me up and down and had me turn around. She gave an approving nod. “I have a pair of heels that will go perfect with this,” she said. “We’re probably going to run over what Dad gave us, but I’ll take care of the rest.”

“You don’t have to do that, I can get something else,” I replied.

“Look at yourself in the mirror, do you want to get something else?” she asked.

I gazed at my reflection. “No,” I said quietly.

“Good, it’s settled then,” she said triumphantly. “When we get home I’ll paint your nails and you can practice on mine.”

I changed back into my regular clothes and found I was now really excited for tomorrow. I wondered what Seth was going say when he saw me wearing these tights. I hoped he liked them as much as I did.

On Friday I awoke after having my first dream as Kaylee, well the first dream I remembered anyway. I don’t remember many of my dreams, but this one was still vivid in my mind when I woke up. In the dream I was dressed as the Black Cat again and was walking through a mall when suddenly I was being chased. I could not see my pursuer, but I knew it was a he. I also knew that he was very large and wanted to hurt me…and worse. I fled as quickly as I could in my three inch heeled boots. The presence slowly gained ground on me, but I still couldn’t see it. Soon it loomed over me, and I recognized it as the man from the convention, the one who’d grabbed my butt, only he was much larger now and quite evil. He reached out a massive hand to take possession of me, when suddenly he was struck in the face with a white sticky substance.

“Hey ya big bully, you get off on picking on ladies do you, well let’s see how you do against little old me,” called Spiderman as he kicked the monster. A quick series of kicks, punches and a liberal does of webbing and my attacker was soon totally subdued.

“Thank you Spiderman, how can I ever thank you?” I cooed.

“Join me for some ice cream,” Spiderman replied. He swooped me up into his arms, shot some webbing onto the ceiling and we were soon swinging through the air to the ice cream shop.

We found a table in the shop and Spiderman bought us a single bowl of ice cream with two spoons. I was just about to take a bite when another Spiderman and Black Cat entered the shop. They sat down at the table with us and introduced themselves as Peter Parker and Felicia Hardy, the real Spiderman and Black Cat. I turned to my Spiderman and he pulled off his mask and revealed that it was actually Seth who was my rescuer. I was stunned; I stared at him in adoration.

“I heard how you took care of that thug today, you’ve got real good moves kid,” Peter said to Seth. “How’d you like to help me out by subbing for me from time to time? So, I can get a real vacation with Felicia here.”

“And I can show you some of my moves so you can sub for me at the same time,” the real Black Cat said to me.

I was just about to reply when the Mall’s burglar alarm began blaring throughout the mall.

“The malls under attack, come on, you two can help us defend it.” Peter shouted.

Just as we headed out of the ice cream shop to save the day I woke up. The mall alarm was my alarm clock in actuality. I decided right away to keep this dream to myself and not share it with Jenny or Seth. It was too embarrassing on several levels.

At school Seth commented on my metallic silver nails. I told him it was just more of Jenny’s lessons in femininity. We held hands throughout the day as we had all week. I caught myself checking out my nails throughout the day. They made my hands look really pretty.

Outside my Humanities class we kissed goodbye for several seconds. I’d noticed that our goodbye kisses had been getting a little longer each day. I’d considered saying something, but I found I actually liked kissing Seth. Plus, I think it made the other girls in the class a little jealous.

I sat by Ashley once I entered the class. We’d been sitting together every day since Monday. It was kind of nice talking to another girl my own age. “I like your nails, they look really nice,” Ashley said as soon as I sat.

“That top is too cute on you,” I replied. “How was your date with Bradley last night?”

Ashley launched into a very detailed recounting of her activities the prior night. She promised to finish after class when she was interrupted by our instructor starting class halfway through her tale.

After school I headed home to prepare for Lauren’s party. Even though I was wearing tights I decided to shave my legs. I liked how they felt without any hair, so soft and smooth. After my shower I applied moisturizer to my body. Once in my room Jenny took a curling iron to my hair. For a half hour she would curl and brush, curl and brush. The result was full, wavy, lustrous hair that cascaded over my shoulder to the tops of my breasts. I looked like a shampoo commercial.

With Jenny’s supervision I applied my own make up. She had me use liquid eyeliner this time and extend it past my eyes, giving me what she called a ‘winged’ look. Dark eye shadow, some blush and very red lipstick were next. The final look made my face as daring as the tights. Jenny’s shoes were a little loose so she had me put on some nude nylons which seemed to help a little. The nylons felt amazing on my legs.

My dad was not as thrilled when he saw me. He didn’t say anything. He looked like he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say, which was unusual for him. He looked at my face, then the tights and then the three inch, black, patent leather heels on my feet. Then he started back at the top and worked his way down again.

My mom eventually rescued him. She came up beside him and put her arm around his waist. “Our baby is all grown up George. Doesn’t she look pretty?” She asked looking at me with a wistful smile.

“Yes, you look very pretty Kaylee,” he said recovering himself. “And very grown up. I take it your sister dressed you tonight.”

“Jenny helped me. Why is something wrong?” I asked suddenly very self conscious.

“Nothing’s wrong Kaylee. You look beautiful. Your father is just having trouble adjusting to the fact that his little girl is a woman now; he’ll get used to it eventually.”

When Seth arrived a few minutes later wearing a nice dress shirt and casual slacks my mom had us pose for some pictures, which embarrassed both of us. Afterwards my dad asked him to join him in his study for a few moments. Once the door was closed I turned to Jenny and my mom.

“What is Dad doing with Seth?” I asked, puzzled.

“Don’t worry Kaylee; Dad is just giving him the ‘talk’. He used to do it to all the guys who took me out.”

A few minutes later Seth and my dad rejoined us.

“You ready Kaylee?” Seth asked.

I nodded and soon we were on our way. On the way to the party I asked Seth what my dad said to him.

“He asked me what I valued most and I told him it was my copy of issue 83 of Journey into Mystery,” Seth said.

“The one with the first appearance of Thor, right? That’s worth what, like five grand?” Seth had let me look at it once, but wouldn’t even let me hold it in its protective case.

“Probably more now. Well, your dad said that you are worth more to him than a thousand comics. That he valued you more than all of his possessions and all that he would ever acquire and for me to remember that tonight and treat you as such.”

“No pressure,” I laughed.

“Your dad really loves you Kaylee.”

“Clearly, not that he cared that much when I was a guy,” I said, feeling old resentment resurface. “I was just a disappointment to him then. I probably wasn’t even worth a mangled copy of Howard the Duck to him back then.”

“Come on, you know that’s not true,” Seth replied.

“You haven’t been around him Seth to see the way he treats me now. Before, all he did was ride me and remind me how crappy I was at sports, now he’s so ‘proud of me’ for my good grades. I got good grades as a guy too,” I said, my voice rising. “This year, as a girl, he gets me a 32 gig iPhone. You remember what I got last year as a guy?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “A fucking video game, Prototype 2 to be precise. To be fair I liked it at the time, I just didn’t know that if I’d had tits I’d have gotten a fucking iPhone.”

“You don’t know that Kaylee. You could’ve gotten the iPhone this year as a Keith as well,” Seth placated.

“Yeah right and I all I’d have to do as a guy is bat my eyes and he’d give me 200 bucks too I suppose. My dad was an asshole to me as a guy; now I walk on water. That’s one thing I’m not looking forward to returning to, not that we’re ever going to find that store.”

“We’ll find it Kaylee, it’s just a matter of time,” Seth replied.

“I don’t know anymore,” I said dejectedly. “I think I’m going to be a girl for the rest of my life.”

When we arrived I slipped my arm through Seth’s and held onto him while we walked up to Lauren’s house. It was a large house which she shared with a couple other people and it was a joint party that all the roomies were throwing. This made for a very large, very diverse group of people. It took a while of winding through the crowded rooms to finally find Lauren in the kitchen playing barkeep. She gave me a big hug once she saw me.

“Wow, Kaylee you look amazing!” She shouted, trying to be heard over the techno music blaring from the next room. “I’ve only ever seen you in your soccer gear before; you have a great style.” She turned to Seth. “You’d better hold on to her tight tonight Seth; otherwise one of these guys will try and snatch her away from you.” She told him. “You look nice too by the way. You two have fun, I’ll see you later.”

We wandered around the place and it was mostly people talking and drinking inside and people talking, drinking and smoking outside. We decided to stay inside and talk together, not that we could hear each other very well over the music. A couple teammates wandered by at various times and we exchanged pleasantries. After an hour people started dancing together in the center of the room. Seth asked me if I would like to dance, but I declined. I told him I needed to pee and would be back in a few minutes.

Unfortunately there was a massive line to the bathroom and comprised entirely of women. I suspected most of the guys had found a private place in the back yard to take a piss. I know I would have done the same thing a couple weeks ago when I was a guy. That was one thing that definitely sucked about being a girl; I really missed taking a piss standing.

Eventually it was my turn and I quickly did my business and then touched up my lips before making my way back into the throng of people to find Seth. At first I couldn’t find him; he wasn’t where I’d left him. Then I saw that he was actually in the middle of the room dancing with a tall, blonde girl I didn’t recognize. I didn’t know why, but I suddenly got very angry. My first impulse was to walk over to them, grab the girl by the hair and scream at her ‘Get your own guy, slut’, but then I remembered that this was the whole point of our little charade. I’d been pretending all week that I was Seth’s girlfriend so that this very thing would happen.

After a few minutes the song ended and they said something to each other and she went one way and Seth walked over to me.

“Enjoying yourself I see,” I said.

“Oh, her? She’s here with someone else, but he didn’t want to dance, so I said I would,” Seth explained. “He actually thanked me for offering to dance with her.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the center of the room. “I changed my mind, I want to dance now,” I said.

I didn’t really know how to dance, but I didn’t care at the moment. If Seth was going to dance with someone tonight it was going to be me. I was hesitant at first, but when I saw Seth smiling at me and bobbing to the beat I joined in and tried to forget about all the people around us. A couple songs later I really started to get into it. The beat was so persuasive; I could feel it pounding throughout my body. Another couple songs and I began to lose myself in the music. It became a part of me; I was the music and the music was me. There was only me, the music and Seth.

We took a break after many more songs to answer nature’s call and find some drinks to quench our thirst. When we began to dance again I noticed that a lot of the guys were watching us, well me really. As I swayed to the music, I remembered back to the few parties I’d attended in high school. I remembered seeing the pretty girls dance, their bodies undulating to the music. I loved watching them; it was hot, erotic and somewhat sexual. I realized that tonight I was one of those girls. All the guys were watching me that way. It turned me on.

Several hours later Seth dropped me off at home. We made plans for an all day road trip to a couple malls in a city in another part of the state. Once inside I headed upstairs and kicked Jenny’s shoes off my aching feet. Dancing had been fun, but doing it in heels did a number on the feet. I walked over to Jenny’s room, my nylon clad feet slick on the hardwood floors.

“Jenny, you awake?” I asked quietly from outside her door. When there was no response I headed back to my room to remove my makeup and get ready for bed.

When I awoke in the morning I discovered that Jenny wasn’t home. My mom informed me over breakfast that she had an early appointment with the florist and wouldn’t be back for a few hours. This meant that I’d be gone on my road trip by the time she returned. I found I was fairly disappointed. I yearned to tell her about my evening and how Seth’s dancing with the blonde had made me feel. I thought about calling her, but I figured she had enough on her plate without me adding to it. I went solo on my makeup for the first time and was pleased with the results.

Seth and I played trivia games during our four hour drive to our destination. We would name three actors from a movie and the other had to guess the title. We tried to pick the most obscure actor we could think of to screw with the other person. It was a lot of fun and we laughed a lot as usual. When we arrived, just before we exited the car, I did something that even surprised me. As soon as Seth unbuckled I slid over, grabbed his head and began kissing him. He was surprised at first, but soon got into it. We kissed for a couple minutes.

“What was that for?” He asked when we finally stopped.

“I don’t know, I just felt like kissing you,” I replied. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay.”

When we left the car I took hold of his hand like we’d been doing all week, but there was little chance of a classmate seeing us this far from home. Seth looked down at our hands and smiled, but said nothing.

As we walked through the mall I wondered what I was doing. When I agreed to be Seth’s pretend girlfriend I had set firm boundaries so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea and try to take things too far, but here I was breaking one of the rules myself. I looked down at my hand in his and told myself to let go. I told myself that it wasn’t too late, just let go of his hand and make up some excuse for the kiss in the car, but I didn’t let go. I didn’t want to. I thought back to last night, dancing with Seth and how much fun it had been. I thought about the convention when Seth had stood up for me, all the fun we’d had together on the four hour drive. I thought about the years we’d known each other and how much he’d always meant to me. I then thought of the girl he’d danced with last night and it occurred to me that I didn’t want to lose him to some blonde hussy.

“Want to catch a movie?” I asked when we passed the mall’s theater complex.

“Okay, what do you want to see?” he asked. He looked a little confused.

“I don’t know, let’s see what’s playing,” I replied.

It turned out that there was a movie starting in a few minutes, but it was a lame family comedy that normally we’d have avoided like the plague. I told Seth I wanted to see that movie. He shrugged and bought a couple tickets. Inside he bought a bucket of popcorn and a couple drinks. The movie had been out for a few weeks so the theater was deserted. I led Seth to the back row. As soon as we sat, I pulled up the arm rest between us, pulled Seth’s arm around me and snuggled up against him. He held me tightly while I laid my head on his shoulder. After a few moments I looked up at him; he looked back at me. I moved my head slightly toward his and he quickly closed the gap and we were kissing again. After a couple minutes Seth pulled away.

“What’s going on Kaylee?” Seth asked. “I’m not complaining, but what are we doing?”

“Don’t talk,” I whispered. I grabbed him behind the neck and pulled his lips back to mine.

We continued to kiss through the previews. Once the movie started I pulled away. “Hold me while we watch the movie, okay? I want to watch the movie holding onto each other.” My face felt hot and my panties damp.

Seth agreed and grabbed the popcorn and set it on his lap, I suspected to cover his excitement. We shared the popcorn while snuggled together and watched a pretty lame movie. It was one of the best movie going experiences I’d had up to that point.

We didn’t talk a lot during the drive to and search of the second mall. We held onto each other and enjoyed being together.

On the drive home we started up another trivia game to pass the time. We were laughing and joking again within 20 minutes of our four hour trip home. When we got to my house it was after 11pm; Seth walked me to my front door.

I took hold of both of Seth’s hands. “Seth, I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

He looked at me in shock and horror. “What do you mean?”

“Can I be your girlfriend for real?” I asked, looking at the ground.

Seth lifted my chin. “Nothing would make me happier, Kaylee.” He lowered his face to mine and began to kiss me.

After a couple moments I pulled back an inch. “You know that rule about no French kissing?” I asked. “That was a stupid rule.”

Seth leaned in and began kissing me again. After a second his tongue entered my mouth and our tongues danced with each other. A few minutes later I felt his hands slide down to my bottom. I pulled his hands up and broke the kiss.

“The other two rules are still in effect, mister.” I admonished lightly. “Good night Seth, call me tomorrow, Okay?” I stretched up and gave him another quick kiss before retreating into my house.

Jenny woke me early Sunday morning with coffee and a barrage of questions. “I’m sorry I missed you yesterday, I’ve been dying to know how the party went,” she began.

I told her about the party and dancing with Seth. I also told her about the blonde and how my blood boiled initially. I told her about the movie and how I’d asked Seth if we could be boyfriend and girlfriend for real.

“What’d he say?” She asked immediately.

“Yes,” I squealed, smiling from ear to ear.

Jenny gave me a big hug, almost spilling our coffee. “I thought this might happen and I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“So is that why you encouraged me to pretend to be Seth’s girlfriend?” I asked.

“We tend to become what we pretend to be,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Plus, you two have been friends for so long, it only seemed natural.”

“Well, thank you. I’m glad your plan worked, although I don’t know what I’m going to do if I find that store now. It’ll be pretty awkward being around Seth as a guy after we’ve French kissed.”

“So, you’re still sticking to that game?” She asked with a frown. “Don’t you think it’s time you dropped it Kaylee?”

I was at a loss for a moment. “You still don’t believe me?” I asked in a small voice.

“Hang on a moment.” She grabbed our empty coffee cups and headed out of the room. A few minutes later she returned with two full cups of coffee resting on four photo albums which she was carried horizontally. I jumped up and grabbed the coffee. Jenny sat on the bed and opened one of the albums. I wrapped myself in my robe and sat next to her. She started turning pages until she came to a page with a series of photos of a birthday party. It was a young girl’s party and by the decorations it looked like a Dora the Explorer themed party. I recognized my mom and dad in the photos and even my sister, who looked to be around twelve. I didn’t recognize the birthday girl, but I could guess that it was me. Counting the candles on the birthday cake it looked to be my seventh birthday.

“Does any of this look familiar?” Jenny asked while looking at the photos.

“No,” I replied. “I remember my seventh birthday, but it was SpongeBob, not Dora.”

She looked at me with a concerned expression. “Perhaps you have some weird kind of amnesia, we should probably tell Mom and Dad. A doctor might be able to help you.”

“A doctor can’t help me, not in the way you think. I know it’s crazy and you don’t have to believe me, but it really did happen. I might think I was just going crazy, but Seth remembers me as Keith too.”

“I don’t know what to think Kaylee,” she said looking confused. “I’ve never known you to lie, but here is physical proof, pictures of you growing up a girl.”

“I know. I don’t know what to say.” I paused a moment. “Can you tell me about my past? Can we go through these photos and tell me about growing up together? I want to know.”

“Sure thing Kaylee, it could be fun,” she said, looking at little sad.

We had fun though. We started back at my birth, being five at the time she still remembered seeing her baby sister for the first time. She said it was like Mom had brought her home her very own real live baby doll. This was something she had said back when I was Keith too. It probably explained why we were always so close.

Jenny regaled me with stories of my youth, while we browsed the photos in the albums. Some of the stories and photos were very similar to the past I remembered as Keith. There were pictures of a camping trip that looked like nothing had changed except my gender. There were other pictures of events that didn’t happen when I was Keith. After several hours and much more coffee my phone rang. It was Seth. I kicked Jenny out of my room as I answered it.

“Afternoon sweetie,” I said.

“Hey baby,” Seth replied.

I lay down on the bed with my feet in the air and played with my hair while we talked for the next thirty minutes.

“Oh, before I forget my mom wants you to come to family dinner tonight. We can watch Game of Thrones after,” Seth said.

“Umm, Sunday dinner? I thought that was for your family only. I’ve know you for how many years and she never invited me before.”

“Well, it’s for family and their dates.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Look, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. You can come after and we can still watch Game of Thrones like normal,” he said quickly.

“No, I’ll come to dinner. It just took me by surprise is all. So, your mom knows that I’m your girlfriend now?”

“Yeah, I didn’t say anything while we were pretending, but now that it’s real I told her. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine,” I replied.

“I’ll pick you up at five tonight,” he said. “See you then Kaylee.”

“Bye Seth.”

I told Jenny about dinner and she suggested I wear a dress. I didn’t think I was ready to wear a dress, but she said that if the dinner was as sacrosanct as I made it out to be, then a dress was in order. She found a dress in my closet that looked like I’d probably worn it to church for Easter. It was yellow, had short sleeves, a thick ribbon that tied around the waist, and fell to just below my knees.

She had me wear the dress and practice sitting and standing for the next twenty minutes. She found some flats she thought went well with the dress and then dragged me to the garage and had me practice getting in and out of the car.

At four I showered and dressed. Jenny had me go very lightly with the makeup so it looked like I wasn’t even wearing any. For jewelry I wore the butterfly necklace Jenny had given me and studs in the ears. Jenny put my hair in a loose pony tail and tied it with a yellow ribbon. I stayed in my room and stressed for the next twenty minutes until I got a text from Seth saying he’d arrived.

I raced downstairs and met him at the door.

“Bye everyone!” I yelled back to the inside of the house and then closed the front door.

I threw my arms around Seth and gave him a big kiss. After the kiss, Seth looked at my outfit. “Wow, a dress.”

“Am I over dressed?” I felt my face go red. “I can change real quick”

“No! You look great. You are so pretty, Kaylee. I’m so fucking lucky.”

“Oh good. You had me worried for a minute,” I said, relaxing a little. I smiled. “Yes, you are lucky.” I slid my arm through his. “And so am I.”

His mom gushed over me for many minutes when we arrived. I think she had wanted Seth to bring a girl to the family dinner for some time. Dinner was awkward and I didn’t eat much, not that I ate that much these days, my appetite had diminished dramatically along with my stature, but tonight I ate even less than normal. I was very nervous and had no appetite. I tried to eat enough to be what I hoped was polite; no one said anything so perhaps I was successful. I’d been to Seth’s house many times in the past, but this was different. Seth and I were now officially an item in his family’s eyes.

After dinner Seth and I retreated to his family room and played some X-Box. Now that I no longer had my own console this was the only place I could play. I wondered if it looked weird, me dressed up like Mary Poppins and splattering zombies with an AK-47.

“I don’t think I’ll have much time for mall searches this week,” I said after we’d been playing for a few minutes. “I need to help Jenny with wedding stuff, Maid of Honor duties you know.”

“I can search without you,” Seth offered.

“No, it’s all right. You don’t have to waste your time.”

“I don’t mind really, it’s all my fault anyway. I should’ve just bought you ‘Dead Island Riptide’ from Game Stop like I’d originally planned.”

“It’s all right Seth,” I replied. “It’s not your fault.”

We played for a few more minutes. “I hope you don’t hate me for saying this, but I’m kind of happy it happened.” Seth stopped playing the game and looked at me. “I liked you as Keith, you were my best friend, but I really like you as Kaylee. Perhaps it won’t be that bad if we don’t find that store.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it won’t be that bad.” I put down the game controller and kissed him.

Monday morning at school and soccer at night were much the same as they had been the previous week, but this time we weren’t putting on a show. This time the hand holding and kissing were expressions of our feelings for each other, which only seemed to grow. I also had a new nickname at soccer, ‘Dancing Queen’.

Tuesday night my mom and I helped Jenny decide on a seating chart for the wedding reception while we made placards. Later Jenny and I had a cram session on all of her bridesmaids whom I was supposed to know fairly well.

Wednesday night it was Seth’s turn to be my date at family dinner. Zack was in town and my mom went all out. I decided to not only wear a skirt, but I also went solo on the makeup and hair again. Seth appreciated it when I dressed up and I appreciated him appreciating me.

Apparently being a date at my family’s dinner didn’t affect Seth’s appetite as it had mine at his. He was on seconds before I was halfway done with my first, and only, plate. My mom took it as a compliment so it was all good. After dinner Seth joined Zack and my dad in the family room to watch the Mariner’s play against the Angels while Jenny and I helped our mom clean up. Once the table was clean we all played Apples to Apples for a while. It was nice doing things with Seth and my family. They accepted our new status readily and gladly.

That night as I prepared for bed it dawned on me that my one on one time with Jenny was probably at an end. The wedding was days away and with Zack here the chances of getting any quality time with her were very slim. Once the wedding was over she would be on her honeymoon and then back east again. We’d grown so close in these last couple weeks and I’d come to depend on her so much, not only the lessons in femininity, but also as my confidant. Jenny had even commented that ‘my game’ had brought us closer than we had ever been. I was going to miss her dearly.

Thursday was the big time for me. It was Jenny’s bachelorette party and apparently I’d planned it over a month ago. I winged it as best as I could. Everyone’s focus was firmly on Jenny, so that fact that I forgot a name or two and didn’t know the rules to half the games I’d planned were passed off as nerves and me stressing for my sister’s big day. I was accepted as one of the girls though and at the end of the night was the only one sober enough to drive. I ended up calling cabs for everyone but Jenny, whom I drove home myself. It was the first time driving in a long time and my first time as a girl; I didn’t do too badly, even in a skirt and wearing three inch heels.

On Friday I began packing as soon as I got home from school. Jenny’s wedding was at the coast and my dad had booked rooms for the entire wedding party and their significant others at the hotel where the wedding was being held. Since it was Memorial Day weekend he booked them for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. He reluctantly sprang for a room for Seth at a neighboring motel; the rooms at all the hotels were fully booked at this late date. It took a lot of repeating ‘Please Daddy’ and eyelash batting, but I got him to cave in the end.

Seth was picking me up in an hour and then we’d make the three hour drive to arrive just in time for the wedding rehearsal. Everyone else had left earlier in the day, but Seth and I both had couple tests that day. Teacher’s loved having tests on Fridays; it kept students from starting the weekend early I guess.

We made it just in time for the rehearsal. The wedding itself was being held in the hotel’s courtyard which faced the beach. We ran through the ceremony a couple times before heading inside for the rehearsal dinner, which was being catered by the hotel in one of their private rooms. I began to understand why my dad didn’t want to spend any more money; this thing must be costing him a fortune. I didn’t eat much again. This time it was because I was stressing over a speech I was giving in mere minutes. Jenny had decided that the Best Man would give a speech at the wedding reception, but she wanted her Maid of Honor to give a speech at the rehearsal dinner. Jenny had offered to write it for me, but I figured it was time to put all those lessons in my college English class to some practical use.

When it looked like everyone was done eating I stood and tapped a spoon on my water glass. “Everyone,” I said, trying to project as much as my frazzled nerves would allow. Apparently it wasn’t enough as everyone kept talking. I tried again, but they still kept talking. I felt embarrassed and pretty insignificant.

“Everyone!” My dad roared. “Kaylee has something to say so shut up.” The room went silent.

I was really embarrassed now. “Please fill your glasses,” I said meekly. “I’m going to give a speech followed by a toast.”

Several people grabbed wine bottles and began to fill their glasses. Seth grabbed my hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. Once the room settled down and most eyes were back on me I began. “As you all know we are here in preparation for Zack and Jenny’s big day tomorrow. My name is Kaylee Anderson and it is my privilege to be not only the Maid of Honor, but also the bride’s sister.” I found I meant it, I was happy to be her sister. “It hasn’t always been easy growing up in the shadow of someone so beautiful and intelligent and for some it might make them bitter, but Jenny has always been so gracious and caring that it has always been a blessing to me instead of a curse. I have looked up to her from the time I could lift my head and she has been a guiding light in my life. She’s always been there for me, always cared for me, always trusted me.” I looked directly at Jenny. “At times I’ve told her outlandish tales, ones she could scarcely believe, and whether she truly believed or not, she would always act as if she did, helping me in whatever ever silly way I might need. I’ve never doubted for a moment that she loves me. In my darkest moments she has been there for me, so it is my honor to be there for her brightest.” I looked at Zack. “I’m sorry I don’t know you that well yet Zack, but I look forward to getting to know you better as my brother-in-law. One thing I do know is that Jenny loves you more than she has ever loved anything else and that if you love her even half as much as she loves you then yours is a love for the ages.” I turned looked back at everyone. “Please raise your glasses to Zack and Jenny!”

“To Zack and Jenny!” echoed everyone in the room.

Jenny jumped up with tears in her eyes and grabbed me in a tight hug. “I believe you Kaylee,” she whispered in my ear. “I love you,” she said louder.

“I love you too,” I replied as I joined her in a good cry.

After dinner Seth helped me bring my bags up to my room. It was on one of the upper floors facing the beach and had a large balcony. My dad had really dropped some serious cash this weekend. I knew he made good money, but he must make a lot more than I realized. Afterwards we visited Seth’s room and I apologized that it wasn’t nicer. He told me not to be silly, that he was thrilled that my dad had paid for his stay. It was dark out and we decided to walk along the beach together. We walked silently hand in hand for nearly an hour. I began to get cold and said we should probably go in.

“Hang on, I’ve got an idea,” he said. He began gathering driftwood. Catching on, I joined him and soon we had a fairly decent pile. Seth ran down the beach to a group that had a fire already going strong. He ran back with a blazing stick looking like an Olympic torch bearer. He used the stick to light our pile and soon we had our own private bonfire. We lay on the beach next to the fire and made out for most of the night.

Seth walked me to my room and we kissed goodnight outside my door. When I entered the room I saw that it was well after midnight, which meant that I had at most six hours of sleep before I needed to meet Jenny and the rest of the bridesmaids for breakfast, after which it was off to our 8am salon appointment.

I couldn’t sleep at first, memories of my time on the beach with Seth and what I wanted him to do to me played through my mind. I had wanted him so bad; I had gotten so wet while we made out. I knew he wanted me too, I felt his erection against my leg several times while we kissed by the fire. I eventually got up and took a short shower; afterwards I felt refreshed and found I could finally sleep.

After a continental breakfast in the morning with the girls we piled into a couple cars and headed to the salon, where we’d have our hair, nails and makeup done for the wedding, then it would be back to the hotel to get dressed before the ceremony which started at three. The salon opened early just for us. I don’t know if this was a standard practice for large parties or if my dad had greased some palms. Based on the way they treated us, I suspected the later.

Over the last few weeks I’d been getting more and more comfortable with being female and all things that went with it, the extra attention to personal grooming, the clothes, the makeup, kissing a boy, but this was a whole new level. I was in the deep end of the estrogen pool today. I have to admit that all the pampering was really nice. I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to do anything with my hands what with the white tipped talons I now possessed. They looked real nice though. My hair was highlighted, curled and styled to within an inch of its life. Jenny had nothing on the ladies at this salon when it came to applying makeup. I barley recognized myself when they’d finished with me. I looked amazing and Jenny looked even better. It was her day and she was more beautiful than she’d ever been and that is saying something.

The entire time we were at the salon the girls all talked about their significant others. Since it was a wedding they all gushed about their men, Jenny had told me earlier that this wasn’t always the case. Quite often it was a non-stop bitch session about the guys in their lives when they got together, but today it was all about how great their guys were and how it was clear that Zack was the best of the bunch. I stayed an observer as much as possible, but eventually I was dragged into the fray.

“So Kaylee, you seem pretty serious about Seth,” said Cathy, one of the bridesmaids.

“Yeah, he’s all right,” I replied sheepishly

“Just all right?” she retorted. “Then that must have been a different Kaylee and Seth I saw all hot and heavy on the beach last night.” I felt my face go red.

“They started out just pretending,” Jenny told the group.

“Oh my god shut up Jenny!” I cried.

“Oh come on, I think it’s such a sweet story,” she replied. “Please let me tell them.”

“Fine, go ahead,” I told her. I wanted to crawl under one of the chairs.

“Well anyway, Seth and Kaylee have been friends since grade school, practically two peas in a pod, but always totally platonic. Well, recently they got the idea that since girls tend to gravitate to guys who are already taken they would pretend to be involved so that Seth would have a better chance with the girls. So, they started holding hands and would give each other quick little kisses at school so everyone would think they were dating. This went on for about a week, but then they realized they didn’t want to pretend anymore and started dating for real. Isn’t that so sweet?”

The other ladies all agreed with Jenny while I plotted a truly special revenge for my sister.

Once back at the hotel all of the bridesmaids put on their dresses, a task I found much more difficult with long fingernails, and then we began helping Jenny into hers. My dress, which matched all the other bridesmaids’ dresses, was a salmon colored, strapless, floor length gown. The shoes were silver sandals and looked to be three plus inches. We had just started helping Jenny into her wedding dress when I got a call from Seth. I ignored the first call, but when he immediately called again I knew it was important. I excused myself from the room as I took the call.

“This isn’t the best time, we are in the middle of dressing my sister,” I said.

“I found the store,” he replied.

“What?”

“The Spells R Us store, it’s at a mall not too far from here. I got an email from that newsgroup, so I raced over there and it’s there all right, but the wizard won’t sell me the candle. He says its one to a customer. He said he’d sell it to you though.”

“I can’t leave now; my sister is getting married in couple hours.”

“The store will be gone by then Kaylee; we have to go now. I’m on my way to the hotel right now. I should be there in five minutes. I’ll get you back in time for the wedding, I promise.” Seth said earnestly.

“Okay, I’ll meet you at the hotel entrance.”

I made my way back into the room and asked to speak to my sister in private. Jenny asked all the other women to step out for a couple minutes.

“What’s going on Kaylee?” She looked concerned. “That was Seth wasn’t it?”

“Yes, he says he found the store and it’s near here. He says it may not be there later and we should go now, but I don’t want to leave you.”

“Go,” she said simply. “But be back in time, please.”

“I will.” I gave her a hug. “Thank you,” I said and then hurried out of the room. I told the other women they could go back in as I made my way to the hotel’s entrance.

Seth was waiting for me and he sped the entire way to the mall. We rushed in and Seth led me to the elusive Spells R Us store. When we reached it he said I should go in by myself and that if I needed anything to just call. I made my way through shelves crammed with some truly bizarre merchandise whose function I didn’t even want to contemplate. Near the back I spotted a grandfatherly looking gentleman in a bathrobe.

“Hello Kaylee, I’ve been expecting you,” said the wizard. “Or should I call you Keith?”

“Expecting me? I’ve been searching for you for a couple weeks now, why did you make us drive all over the place?”

“I was there at the mall that first night. If you had come right away and skipped the soccer game you would have been able to change back that first night. Personally I think you made the right choice. You helped your team win and think of all you would have missed over the last several weeks if you changed back into Keith right away. You have come a long way in these last few weeks Kaylee. You started out not knowing anything about being female and now, well…you look like the belle of the ball and you move as graceful as a swan.”

“Have you…have you been watching me?” I asked.

“I like to keep an eye on those who partake in my magic,” he replied. “I have what you are looking for,” he said while handing me a small box. “This box contains a candle that will grant a single wish, but only you. Now you had better hurry, you don’t want to worry your sister unnecessarily on her big day.”

“That’s it?”

“Was there something else you needed?”

“No, I guess not, I thought there would be more fanfare or something.”

“I don’t like to show boat. I hope you wish wisely,” he said and turned and headed into the back room.

I opened the box and inside was a candle, not unlike the one I had wished upon just nineteen days ago. I made my way out of the store, walked up to Seth and looked at him for a few moments, not saying anything. I looked at the box in my hand for a moment and then back at Seth.

“Did you get it?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “Let’s get back; I don’t want to worry my sister unnecessarily.” I slipped my arm through Seth’s and let him lead me back to his car. I don’t remember much of the trip back; I was too lost in thought. I could be Keith again. I really didn’t think we’d ever find that store and in the meantime I’d given myself fully to being female. I could be a guy again. I’d really fallen hard for Seth in the last week; I think I loved him. I could have a cock again. I just wasn’t sure it was my cock I wanted now.

Once we arrived back at the hotel I gave Seth a kiss and hurried back into the hotel to help Jenny. By the time I returned Jenny was fully dressed. Once she saw me she gave me a look as if to ask ‘Well?’. I gave her a smile and a thumbs up. This only seemed to confuse her. I moved in close and pretended like I was straightening her veil.

“I was able to get what I needed,” I whispered in her ear.” I’ll tell you all about it later. Everything is good.” This seemed to placate her.

The next several hours had me too busy to worry about the decision that loomed before me. With help from the other bridesmaids we spent the remaining time before the ceremony calming Jenny’s nerves and letting her know how perfect the wedding was going to be. Someone should have talked to Mother Nature. While it didn’t rain, a minor miracle in the Pacific Northwest, we were graced with what felt like gale force winds.

As I walked up the isle holding on to the arm of the Best Man, it felt like I was being hit with a sand blaster. My skirt and hair whipped in the wind. I could see the other bridesmaids trying to keep their skirts down, protect their hair and hold their bouquets all at the same time. I hoped the pastor wasn’t one of those long winded types. Once in my place I found Seth in the crowd and gave him a small wave. Soon ‘Here Comes the Bride’ began to play and the most beautiful woman dressed all in white began walking up the isle with my dad. Even with the wind it was a beautiful ceremony. I cried along with the other bridesmaids during most of the ceremony and it wasn’t just because of the sand in our eyes.

After the ceremony it was a dash to the bathroom to repair our hair and makeup before the wedding photos. After a couple hundred photos I was finally able to rejoin Seth, who was dressed in a nice suit. It was the first time I’d seen him in a tie. He looked so handsome. He raved about how I looked, something he failed to do on our way to the mall, but since we had other things on our minds at the time I decided to forgive him.

During dinner and just after the Best Man’s rambling speech Zack stood up and said he had an announcement. “When I asked Jenny to marry me and she said yes, thus making me the happiest man on earth, she asked for one thing. She asked that we have the wedding here close to all of her friends and family. After that she said she would follow me to the ends of the earth.” He turned to Jenny. “Jenny, my love, I know how much you love me and I also know how much you love your family. A point driven fully home last night during Kaylee’s beautiful speech. While I know you would live a world away from them to be with me, I can no longer ask that of you. I’m happy to tell you that I have accepted your father’s offer to work at his firm. We can start looking for a house as soon as we return from our honeymoon.”

Jenny jumped up and showered Zack with kisses. I saw my mom kiss my dad and then punch him in the arm. I guess it was a surprise to her as well. My vision began to blur. My sister was going to live close by again; I was so happy.

After dinner and the cutting of the cake Seth joined the other eligible bachelors for the tossing of my sister’s garter. He didn’t catch it. While he can kick a ball much better than I, apparently I ‘m a much better catch having caught my sister’s bouquet.

Once all of the official wedding events were finished it was time for the band and dancing. The first dance was reserved for Jenny and Zack. After that it was a free-for-all. Seth and I lived on the dance floor that night. I kept my dance moves much more subdued than at Lauren’s party. We were occasionally broken apart by requests to dance with others. I danced with my dad, Zack, several uncles and even Jenny at one point. When Seth started dancing with my mom I stopped dancing with my uncle and found the wedding photographer and had him snap some shots of the two dancing together. While we’d promised Lauren that we wouldn’t drink at her party we made no such promises tonight. The champagne flowed freely that night and the bar was mostly unattended. While we didn’t get fall down drunk, we definitely got drunk. It was a glorious night.

After a several hours Seth and I slipped away and made our way up to my room. We kissed our way to the bed and resumed what we had started on the beach the previous night. I broke away after several minutes.

“Seth, no more rules. You can touch me anywhere,” I breathed.

His hands went immediately to my breasts. His touch was so urgent and so needy, he could barley control himself. This night had one destination and I was ready for it; I wanted nothing more than him at that moment, all of him. I reached down and began to stroke his manhood through his slacks. Suddenly he pulled away and then abruptly he stood up.

“We can’t do this Kaylee,” he said out of breath.

“Why not, don’t you want me?” I asked, panting.

“Kaylee you’ve got the candle now, you can be Keith again. We shouldn’t do this if you’re going to be a guy again.”

“I don’t care about that, I want to have sex as a girl, I want to have sex with you; don’t you want me?

“Yes, desperately, but not when we’re drunk; I don’t think we should do this when we’re drunk. I want to do it with you, but only when it is truly what you want to do and not because you’ve had too much champagne.”

“It’s not that, I swear. I really want you and it’s not the alcohol.” I stood up and walked over to him. “Seth, I wanted you last night. I wanted to do it on the beach last night and so did you.”

“I need to go,” he replied.

“Don’t leave me,” I cried. “We don’t have to do it, but please stay. Don’t leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry Kaylee, I want to stay, but if I do I won’t be able to hold back. I want you too much. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that he left the room.

I fell onto the bed and began to cry. A few minutes later I was interrupted by a phone call. It was Seth.

“Hey sweetie,” I said.

“Kaylee, please don’t use the candle tonight. I want to see you again before you do.”

“Okay,” I answered. “I promise.”

After I hung up I undressed and made my way to the bathroom. I drew a hot bath and soaked while thinking of Seth’s lips on mine and his hands on my breasts. My left hand eventually made its way to my breast and my right hand to my pussy. I hadn’t masturbated since becoming a girl; I’d barely gotten used to even touching my nether regions. I wasn’t going to stop tonight. I may have been denied pleasure from Seth, but I wasn’t going to deny myself. I pinched my nipple while my right hand began to work my clit. Holy god that thing was sensitive. I got myself worked up pretty quickly and soon was moaning aloud. I moved my left hand down and slipped my fingers easily into my eager pussy. I flicked my clit with my right hand, while fingers from my left went in and out, and my mouth called out Seth’s name. I hoped no one I knew was in the adjoining room, because they surely heard the resulting scream.

I awoke Sunday morning with cotton mouth and a headache and guessed I was experiencing my first hangover. I looked at the clock and jumped out of bed and nearly fell over as my brain flopped in my head and my breasts flopped on my naked body. I struggled to remember why I was naked. I never slept in the nude. I remembered Seth in my room and his too quick departure, I then recalled the episode in the tub and how it had carried over to the bed. Once I finally experienced my first orgasm I had found it hard to stop. It was a lot different than when I was a guy; back then it was usually one and done. Last night though, after my first orgasm, the horniness didn’t vanish immediately like when I was a guy. I had wanted to do it again…and again.

I thought about masturbating this morning, but the only thing I felt like doing at the moment was vomiting. I looked at the clock again and remembered why I had sprung out of bed. I was supposed to meet my family for breakfast thirty minutes ago. I looked for my phone and found it on the floor next to the bed buried under the bed’s comforter. I had a lot of missed calls from Jenny and my mom; they were going to be pissed. I texted Jenny and told her I would be down in about thirty minutes and headed to the bathroom to repair last night’s damage and hopefully get myself looking like I hadn’t been drinking all night.

They weren’t mad after all. They all looked like morning had come too early for them as well. I had called Seth on elevator ride to the restaurant and he was suffering from a hangover too. I had some more Maid of Honor things to do before we drove my sister and her new husband to the local airport. I invited Seth to accompany us to see them off and he readily agreed.

After Breakfast Jenny began opening presents with Zack. I took copious notes for all the thank you cards that Jenny would be sending out after her two week honeymoon in Venice. The trip was a present from Zack’s folks. I guess they were loaded too. After opening a couple hundred presents Jenny and I were finally able to get a few minutes alone together.

I pulled the box the wizard had given me yesterday from my purse and showed it to Jenny. She opened it and stared at the candle. “This is it?” She asked. “This will turn you back into a guy?”

“Well, the wizard said it was good for one wish, but only by me,” I replied.

“So, now you can be Keith again?” She asked.

“I don’t know if I can anymore,” I said. “Zack says that he decided to accept Daddy’s offer only after my speech.”

“So?”

“Don’t you get it? If I go back to being Keith I won’t have given that speech and you’ll be living on the east coast again.”

“You don’t know that,” she replied.

“I won’t be your Maid of Honor, hell I wasn’t even in the wedding party as Keith.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.” Jenny looked saddened. “You can’t worry about where I may or may not live Kaylee; you need to decide for you and not for anyone else, not even Seth.”

“He is the main reason I want to stay a girl, but there are other reasons too,” I said. “You have shown me how great being a girl can be. You’ve made it possible for me to envision a life as a woman.”

“I’m glad I could help Kaylee,” she said. “Please know that I will love you no matter what you decide.”

By the time we were seeing my sister off at the airport I was feeling much better physically. After a bunch of tearful farewells Seth drove me back to the hotel. He said he wanted to take me to dinner in an hour and left me so I could get ready. An hour later I was nearly finished with my makeup when Seth knocked on my door. I let him in and had him wait while I finished. I found my heels and leaned on Seth while I put them on. He was in a tie again. I could get used to seeing him dressed up.

He walked me down the boardwalk that ran along the town’s beach to a small restaurant, which had a beautiful view of the ocean. The restaurant was small, quaint and dark. Each table was lit by candle and had a very intimate feel. After we ordered Seth took my hand in his.

“Kaylee, I...umm…I…ahh,” he struggled.

“I have something I want to give you,” I interrupted.

I don’t think he was expecting that response. “What do you have for me?”

I reached into my purse and pulled out the box that held the candle. “I want you to have this,” I said as I handed him the box. “You keep it. I’m going to stay Kaylee and as long as you have the candle you’ll know that I’m staying that way.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I thought about it a lot and I like being a girl,” I replied. “I like being pretty, I like the way people treat me now and when I get married I want to be the beautiful bride like my sister.”

I could see tears in his eyes as leaned over and began kissing me. “I got you something for you too; I bought it last week. I didn’t think we’d ever find that store and it has been so amazing being with you as Kaylee. When we found the store I didn’t think I’d give it to you since you’d be Keith again soon. After last night I thought I would give it to you anyway but I wasn’t sure if I should, but now that you want to stay Kaylee…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, rounded box covered in black velvet. “I love you Kaylee and I want to be with you always.” He opened the box and inside was a rose colored ring with a heart in the center made of what looked like tiny diamonds. “This is a promise ring and with it I promise to be with you for as long as you’ll have me.”

Now it was my turn to cry. I found I was shaking a little as he slid it on the ring finger of my right hand. “It’s so beautiful Seth, I love you too.” We began kissing again.

I couldn’t eat after that. Throughout dinner I kept staring at my ring. I’d hold my right hand out, fingers stretched and marvel at how it sparkled in the candle light. As usual Seth’s appetite wasn’t daunted.

After dinner Seth walked me to my room and I invited him in. We were at each other the moment the door closed. We tore at each other’s clothes and couldn’t get undressed fast enough. Seth struggled with my bra strap briefly before I reached back and undid it for him. I suspected it wouldn’t be much longer before he was a master at removing my bra for me. As soon as I let my bra fall to the floor Seth was all over my breasts. He was ravenous and I was his sustenance. His tongue on my nipples had me squirming and seconds. We worked our way toward the bed and soon he was on top of me. I reached down and slid my hand inside his underwear and grasped his erection. Between the feelings of his mouth on my breasts and his rigid cock in my hand I nearly came on the spot, as it was my panties were drenched.

Once I began to stroke him, he lowered himself a little and pulled my panties off and then his own underwear. His hand went to my sopping sex and he slid his hand up and down along the outer lips and would come tantalizingly close to my clit only to miss it; I would have to show him where that was later. His fingers found my vagina and he slipped a finger in easily; it was soon joined by a second.

“I need you Seth,” I groaned.

He pulled away from me and for a brief moment I was afraid he was going to leave again. He went to his pants and pulled out a package of condoms. I was glad someone was thinking. I’d totally forgotten that I could actually get pregnant now. While a very sobering thought it barely made a dent in the fire that was raging in my loins. Seth’s hands were shaking and he was struggling to open the package. I slid up behind him and took the package from him.

“Let me do that for you,” I said as I took the package and from him and opened it easily. I removed the condom and slid it easily over his towering erection. I pulled him back on top of me and wrapped my legs around his waist while helping guide his cock into me. I couldn’t help but cry out a little when he first began to enter me. His cock was much thicker than his fingers. When he heard my involuntary shriek of pain he jerked back and was out of me again.

“Are you okay?” He asked in a panic. “Did I hurt you?”

“I’m okay Seth, it just took me by surprise,” I whispered. I took hold of his cock again and placed it at my opening. “Just go slow at first, okay.”

He began to push into me again. It still hurt, but I was ready for it this time so I moaned instead of shrieking. He pulled back a little and then pushed in a little deeper. The pain began to subside and was replaced by the most amazing feeling from deep inside my pussy that quickly began to radiate throughout my entire body. Soon he was fully inside me and I could feel his balls slap against me as he pistoned in and out of me. All too quickly he went rigid and was roaring in orgasmic pleasure. I really hoped I didn’t know anyone on the other side of this wall in addition to the room next to the bathroom.

I didn’t orgasm during our first love making session, but the cuddling afterwards was very nice. I did orgasm on our next go around and the one after that as well. Playing soccer regularly had given Seth an amazing amount of endurance and we did our best to work our way through his condom supply that night.

The next morning I found a new favorite pleasure, waking up in Seth’s arms. I stayed that way for twenty minutes or so. It was so nice listening to him sleep snuggled next to him. I eventually arose and ordered some breakfast from room service. Seth slept on. I must have worn the poor boy out I thought with a smile on my face. He’d worn me out too, but in a different way, one that was making it difficult to walk. I slipped on a robe in anticipation of the arrival of coffee and danish. I gave the bellhop a generous tip, which I hoped would buy his silence. I was not ready to deal with my parent’s knowledge that I was now sexually active. I poured myself some coffee and sat on the room’s balcony and listened to the ocean’s waves. I was so glad I’d decided to stay Kaylee.

Once Seth awoke he ate while I packed. After another round on the bed he left to pack up himself. An hour later he was back and helped me with my bags. Just before I closed the door I decided to take a picture of the bed. I wanted a souvenir. On the way home I took a picture of the promise ring on my right hand and emailed it to Jenny. I didn’t want to call and interrupt her honeymoon. I figured she would call me when she had the time. For the rest of the trip Seth and I tested our trivia knowledge in geek culture.

Once at my house I dashed upstairs before saying hello to my parents. I’d forgotten to take a shower at the hotel and I needed to clean myself before my mom or dad got a strong whiff of sex on me. Seth picked me up for our soccer game a few hours later. Once we arrived at the field the girls all fawned over my ring. I couldn’t wait to show it to Ashley at school tomorrow. After the game, which we won, I was standing with Seth talking to Lauren when she suddenly looked up and pointed at the sky; it was a shooting star.

“Oh, a shooting star, make a wish Kaylee,” she said.

“No, I already got my wish,” I replied and gave Seth a big squeeze.

The End

[seven-oomen]

The hug and the headcanons were much appreciated.  :D  (You say it started getting long like that’s a bad thing.  But then I am apparently the embodiment of that comment like you’re the drunk girl in the bathroom at the club post, so perhaps I am not the best judge.)  And I don’t know if you were trying to kill me with that new preview, or make me want to kill Chris, but either way, mission accomplished.  I swear, that boy.  He’s gonna give me gray hairs before this is over.  XD  *basks in the warm, fluffy goodness anyway*

Omg, Craft Dad Peter may be one of the best things I’ve ever heard of.  Chris and Noah never have to buy another scarf or pair of gloves, Peter makes them for them (and often for the rest of the pack, too, but his mates get the best) as a way of subtly staking claim.  Bonus points if he finds a way to spin his fur into the yarn (or finds someone to do it for him.)  And it’s all kinds of crafts, too, from a huge painting he does with Allison of the view of the Preserve from Makeout Lookout Point that goes above the mantle at the new house, to macaroni art and finger painting with his youngest kids.  

Also, I feel like one year, maybe after most have gone off to college and sneaking is a bit easier, Malia badgers her siblings and other dads into finding whatever old baby/toddler clothes they might still have and helping her make them into a patchwork quilt for Peter since he had to miss so much (if not all) of that time with them.  Chris and Noah also throw in a couple of their shirts from high school; faded flannel and ratty band gear intermixing with brightly colored superhero logos an well worn sports jerseys, corduroy, and denim and a little bit of lace, in all colors of the rainbow from jewel tones to pastels.  She even leaves some room to add stuff from the later kids, because she knows they’re going to want more.  

Needless to say, there are a lot of tears (like, a LOT), and it instantly becomes his favorite for curling up in front of the TV, or out on the porch to watch the sunset, or just wherever, in whatever form.  It goes over so well they end up making another one with stuff donated from everyone in the pack so that it ends up huge and always comes out for movie nights and puppy piles.  (Wow, that idea kinda got away from me, but I ain’t even mad.)

Loving the descent into nsfw and related ideas.  Always here for those three teasing the ever-loving shit out of each other, because that’s just the way they are.  I feel like Chris and Noah are much more successful at pulling stunts in public, because they’re much better at faking innocence and making it seem accidental.  Lbr, Peter is terrible at looking innocent, even when he is.  

They both get so low-key annoyed that Peter’s werewolf healing means they can’t really leave much in the way of lasting marks, whereas Chris ends up with bruises and stubble burn in the most inconvenient and awkward places, and Noah seems forever doomed to look like he got attacked by an extremely aggressive push broom from the neck down.  

Oh god, Peter and Chris would totally rig anything that needed repair around the house so that it would only finally break when Noah was off so they could see him up a ladder changing light bulbs in a snug, worn t-shirt, or reaching underneath a sink or cabinet.  They just lean back and enjoy the show with a nice chilled drink.  He gets them back by conveniently being on shift whenever one of the kids moves back for a while and needs furniture moved.  

All the Omegas in the pack get extensive training in proper self defense, which leads to Peter getting banned from the premises because his expressions and scent while watching Noah and Chris spar to demonstrate creeps everyone else right tf out.  

I feel like Chris probably does a lot of the cooking, between having lived on his own the most and debatably being home the most.  So sometimes when they have the house to themselves Peter and Noah try to get Chris to cook wearing only an apron (frilly or not is up to you).  (Actually, depending on what share of the chores he takes on my brain just screamed out of nowhere FRENCH MAID’S OUTFIT and now I can’t stop laughing, oh god, I just keep picturing these terrible porny roleplays where the police officer is just checking in because there have been reports of break-ins and he “just wants to make sure all entrances and exits are properly secured” and of course the maid just wants to be helpful and fetches the master of the house[is he wearing a smoking jacket and silk pajamas? 

 I think the answer is obviously yes] to assist their “routine search"  [oh god, please help, I’m wheezing.])  I’m pretty sure somebody gets fucked on the washing machine (and by somebody I obviously mean both of them.  They go through a LOT of cleaner in that house, lbh.)  

And poor Stiles just will NOT let the Incident, as he calls it, go.  Whenever he’s irritated with one of them he’ll send them some variation of the "right in front of my salad” meme to be an asshole.  

They very definitely make sure that all the bedrooms have nicely soundproofed walls, because there are things none of the kids want to hear (except maybe Erica or Lydia).  Totally here for pet names/sweet nothings/dirty talk/whatev in a variety of languages, especially French and Polish, obvs.  (cue Gomez mode - “Why Chris, that’s French…”)  

And I do love that drag queen headcanon so much, especially for this ‘verse.  The Stiles and Jax better be careful or their dads might just be forced to prove how much they can still rock that look if they want to (I may or may not have had a running list/idea in my head of which outfit from a Lady Gaga video each parent would wear if they were all dressing to theme for some reason [I don’t really remember why.  You might have noticed my mind goes off on weird, unexplained tangents when left unattended.])

Love all the family bonding stuff.  I feel like Peter would totally organize back-to-school shopping trips for all the pack kids so that they can all head back with all their necessary supplies and rockin’ new wardrobes.  Chris teaches them camping and outdoor survival.  Noah somehow ends up organizing sing-a-longs when they have bonfires while Chris is in charge of s'mores ingredients (neither tries to make Peter or Derek join in if they aren’t feeling it, and take turns to go and check in with cuddles and support throughout the evening.)  

I always liked to headcanon that Noah was a drummer, mainly I think because Dylan is, so people usually made Stiles one, so I figured he might have learned from his dad.  This was also because I loved the idea of Stiles having everybody over for a Rock Band party and having his dad sub in for him on the drums so he could grab some food, and everyone being utterly astounded at how well he could play (since the drums seem the closest controller to the actual instrument.)  

But the idea of him and Malia playing duets together is super adorable, particularly the idea of them playing Polish lullabies for the twins (or Ben, or other Argent-Hale child), or Chris singing French ones for the little ones (or the dads could team up Three Men and a Baby style, I’m here for all of it, really.) 

 And all the wolfy goodness!  Wolf Peter just straight up flopping across one or both of his mates while they try to read or watch TV because he needs attention right now and wants to cuddle.  Chris scratching all the right places.  Noah using a variant of the healing magic to loosen all of Peter’s tensed muscles as he pets along his back and sides.  Good stuff.  (Occasionally Ben or one of the younger wolves, if there are any, will shift and climb up next to them to nuzzle at his face or gnaw on his tail.  Usually by then he’s so relaxed he doesn’t even mind.)  Using him as a bonus cushion when curling up together.  World’s Biggest Teddy Bear.  

And Jackson would totally take advantage of his cuteness.  He got Peter’s ruthlessness and Chris’s puppy-eyes skills.  The younger kids keep finding ways to work him into their Halloween costumes because he can somehow convince people to give them more candy even though “dogs can’t have chocolate…"  He doesn’t mind helping his baby siblings, and enjoys the chance to prove just how good he is.  

Malia is totally the one who’d just nope out of the conversation, but I think she’d also be the one to (most) help Ben develop his shifted skills and really feel comfortable in both forms.  

Poor Derek, he’s just like "I am not a goddamn herding dog, corral your kids!”, but he’s not fooling anybody and loves the way the twins just stare at him mesmerized and gently petting at his soft fluffy fur.  He absolutely lets them climb on him and ride around until they get too big to do it (then they just hang off his arms or piggy back whenever he visits.)

And that last flash-forward headcanon is so cute.  I feel like the spot should be on a porch swing, but given how much time I spent on my grandparents’, I’m probably a bit biased .  There’s a wind chime made of broken guitar strings and spare car parts (with a base carved by Stiles) that hangs nearby, ringing gently in the breeze as they sway.  They curl up under one of Peter and Malia’s quilts, legs tangled together, backs pressed up against pillows set up against the arms for support.  Peter sits on the steps, leaning on the banister, or maybe gently sprawled in a nearby matching chair, enjoying the view of his family and the quiet peacefulness of the moment. *insert reaction shot of Ghost Rider going “yessss- YESSSSS-” here*

Anyway, I’m glad your day was stupidity free, and I hope your cat is feeling calmer and well comforted.  And hopefully the weather cleared up there like it did here, though also hopefully without leaving as much humidity behind as we got.  Ah well, pretty much standard for summer around here, so.

Oh man I definitely got carried away a bit and no, there’s nothing wrong with that but I also idk, I’m not used to talking about something I love I guess. Especially not so freely with someone who’s really genuinely interested in hearing it.

Also idk what it is, probably fatigue and dyslexia in my add brain, but I have enormous trouble concentrating right now. So, I decided I would answer this submission before bed instead of writing. Well technically I’m writing now too, there’s that. Anyway...

Where was I? I feel like I just had an entire conversation in my brain and it’s already gone.

Okay, okay, Imma try to do this.

Chris is just, he’s a very scarred boy who’s very insecure. Noah will help him though and I hope it feels in character but fluff is coming.

And I really don’t have the focus to answer all of these headcanons but I love them, they made smile and giggle and they got me through hell today and I just. I really wish I had the brain capacity today to answer all of them.. Because yes to everything!

Do you know how hard it is to ask someone about their wifi connections when you’re reading about French Maid outfits and bad cop outfits and body cavity searches??? Do YOU??? 

It’s very hard and I had to try so hard not to laugh while guiding one lady through her ‘my remote is not working’ emergency.

And the quilt thing killed me, YEEEESSS. Omg I love your headcanons so much.

I also can’t stop picturing Peter as Gomez and Chris & Noah as Morticia. Also, Jackson is Wednesday and Stiles is Pugsley. I don’t make the rules.

Ughhh omg Idea for a pack run where they all go camping in the woods and Peter initiates a pack run, the first for Ben and Jackson. And they’re all wolfing out and Peter, with his red eyes, just howls up and everyone just howls with him. But Ben can’t keep up and just start hiccuping (This is what I  imagine Ben would look like anyway and it’s the cutest thing) and cuddles up to Chris because it’s all a bit much. 

So Peter comes over and gently nuzzles the cub until Ben’s wagging his tail again and being all playful. And that initiates a pack play session where Ben ‘takes down’ Peter and the other wolves just nip and bark around them playfully while Chris, Noah, Allison, and Stiles watch them with their cameras out and smiles on their faces.

The pack then takes off for a run and return ten minutes later all tuckered out, Ben’s held up by the scruff of his neck by Peter. Jackson is practically asleep on his paws and Malia is yawning by the time they get back. So they curl up with their respective twins and mates. Malia is curled around Stiles and Allison protectively curls around Jackson’s huge wolf form. Ben’s curled up in Chris’s lap, Chris and Noah are huddled together and Peter’s just curled around the three of them. Derek curls up with both sets of twins to keep them safe.

Full moons are extremely lively for this family.

And Derek is such a sucker for the pups in the pack. He keeps complaining and bitching, but honestly, he loves kids, he loves babies and he’s such a sucker for them. Ben, the twins, and the new baby just can do no wrong for him. He’ll keep corralling them and cuddling them when he gets the chance.

God, I love these threads so much, but I think I already said that. lol

Anyway, that’s what my brain has right now, but honestly, I love all of these. Every single one is precious.

[weglitterystrangercollector-blog]

A Hoarder and His Friend Finn: This Is Their Story The shrill wail of my alarm clock echoes and beats against the walls before my hand flies out from the fleece blankets, smacking hard until my fingers are lucky enough to find the OFF button.  My eyes are still closed when my breath comes out in deep sighs of exhaustion and annoyance. I look around my dorm in unfortunate familiarity, the reality of stacks on stacks of coffee mugs littering my side of the room explains how most of my nights are being spent, and I chuckle in spite of myself, knowing if I were to ever mysteriously disappear, a private investigator would entirely find his answers in my cramped, “Buried Alive” kind of college dorm room. My roommate shifts in his bed, but the snores don’t decrease in any sort of volume. If I wasn’t already used to the loud, exasperatingly irritating Alroy Murphy I would have assumed he was choking or suffocating on something in his sleep, I also would have debated saving his life, at least for the desperate satisfaction of waking up in complete silence. “Al!” I say throwing my pillow at his obviously vibrant red hair sticking out from the bed sheets. He doesn’t even flinch.

The snores are louder now, and I can’t help but thinks he’s subconsciously aware of how unbearable it is for me to sleep in the same room as him. I fling my sheets off my bare legs and my feet quickly hit the hardwood floor, they carry me passed Al’s collection of meditation crystals, yoga mats, a concerningly weird number of wooden clocks and other little trinkets that contribute to most of my friends thinking I live with an extreme hoarder. “you got to get the man some help, or just make some profit off exposing him to a sort of addictions show!” Gale, my good friend would spout in laughter when Al wasn’t in the room.

“Sush, I’m not the cleanest either trust me,” I laugh pointing towards my dirty dishes and gym shorts that hang off the side of my dresser.

I sigh, thinking back on how my friends mess with Al, rearranging his stuff in every which way and occasionally pocketing something they think could be worth a few dollars. It’s not that I hated Al, I just found him flashy and his meditation sessions sometimes made me uncomfortable. Alas, me and Al surprisingly did share one thing in common, and that’s irresponsibility. When I applied to college, I applied right on the deadline, no time to spare. So instead of getting a room all to myself, Al and I were graciously granted the gift of each others company, and at least he was excited about it, even though he knew the feeling wasn’t mutual. My phone dinged, the screen seemingly bright in the dimly lit resident shared bathroom, it pulled me out of my thoughts as I spit out the mouth wash and watched it whirl around the sink, disappearing down the drain. I look towards the light and read the text I just received: “going to the party tonight?” it read, from Gale.

“I am, not much to do,” I type quickly, wiping my mouth a couple times with my shirt sleeve.

“starts at 10!” She texts me one more time before I turn my phone off, watching the screen as it fades to black. I walk sluggishly back into my dorm room to get changed. Throwing a hoody on over my tee shirt, my short hair gets ruffled and messy when my head comes out through the hood. I swipe my keys up from my desk, looking back one more time at Al sleeping peacefully as his alarm blares “Come Together” by the Beatles practically right beside his face. I shut the door, shaking my head in shock. That guy is a heavy sleeper.                                                              *****                                                Alroy’s Point of View

Let your muscles relax…. You are in control of your own mind…. This feeling of relaxation is yours, it’s in your grasp…. Let your body *KNOCK* guide *KNOCK* *KNOCK* My eyes spring open, narrowing them in annoyance at my door.

“Finn’s not home!” I yell, uncrossing my legs and turning off one of my favourites from the guided mediation set Granddad got me for Christmas. Love that man. “Yeah that’s pretty clear!” Peter, one of Finn’s friends shot back with sarcasm, muffled by the wooden door separating us. I get up with a huff, making my way to the door and turning the knob. “why are you knocking then?” I ask when our faces meet, my head tilting slightly upward, Peter being a little on the tall side, me on the other hand, not so lucky. As our eyes meet, Peter rolls his, opening the door wider and inviting himself in.

“are you busy right now?” He asked, frowning at my wooden clock collection, picking up a small, hand painted one and eyeing it, as if he were a clockologist, attempting to decipher what clock class it’s in on the clock kingdom.

“I guess not, I mean-““great, then can you come with me to the party? Finn’s plastered, the mans gonna need a ride home.” He cuts me off, putting the clock down and looking at me expectantly. I shift my eyes uncomfortable, Peter can be a pretty intimidating guy. I clear my throat,

“sure.”                                                               *****                                                   Finn’s Point of View

“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” My friends cheered, I smiled sloppily, shotgunning another beer. “Woah!” “annnnnd that’s! How its done ladies and gentlemen…” I high fived Gale but I didn’t hear the *smack* sound, my hand also never reached hers. I lost my balance, and although Gale tried to pull me up, she wasn’t strong enough. “Woah…” My friends all muttered before my face hit the ground.                                                           *****

                                                Alroy’s Point of View

“so… How’d you and Finn become friends?” I asked awkwardly, genuinely curious, although I could tell Peter was annoyed I’d broken the not so comfortable silence. He looked over at me as I drove, I was glad I had an excuse not to make eye contact. “I don’t know… why you have all this shit in your van?” He answered with another question, pointing towards the back, where I kept some of my antiques… Some more clocks. “I don’t know,” I chuckled mimicking him “why do we keep answering questions in more questions?” I turned my head to look over, see if I made him laugh or anything, his face was turned to the window and he ignored me for the rest of the drive.                                  ��                        ***** A couple wrong turns later, and a lack of directional skill from Peter, we made it to the party house. When I looked up at the brown window sills, and long walkway I knew exactly who’s house we were at. They were notorious for parties because they rented out the house with nine other students, probably because unless you were Tom Cruise, there’s no way any one person could afford living in it, no matter how much money they’ve inherited. I turned to Peter after parking my van in the driveway. “should I get him?” I wondered out loud hoping he’d say no. “I’ll get him,” He said, hand already on the door handle, I thanked the universe for granting me one spell of luck, even if it’s wasted on a situation like this. Peter got out of the car quickly, almost as if he was embarrassed to be seen coming out of my camper van, I could understand where he was coming from, but nevertheless I was doing him a favour. I waited for what seemed like forever, watching students I recognized from lectures and others I didn’t. They walked out from the house stumbling or laughing, or both. When I caught a glimpse of who I’d been waiting for, Finn was smiling while leaning on Peters shoulder. I rolled down the window and called to Peter, telling him to put Finn in the back.   Before I could say bye, Peter slammed the door and sauntered back into the party. I checked the time, the car clock flashing 1:52am, taking the van out of park and turning around, I drove off.                                                          ***** It had been a good ten minutes before I heard the clink and clank of Finn touching something in the back of the van. “hey, what you up to back there?” I ask softly, I was smarter then to think nothing would be broken after driving a drunk Finn home, I was concerned about which one of my things were the unluckiest.

“nothing...” he drawled, but the clinking didn’t stop. “I really like this pot thing, do you like, boil tea in here?” I turned briefly to see him looking around, as if in search for the nonexistent stove.

“that’s one of my nice ones, don’t break-“Finn drops the pot “it” I sigh and turn around, watching the road. As I drove, Finn mumbled things every now and again, I thought it was just drunk babbling before I took a glance into the rear-view mirror. My eyes widened in shock, I could see another figure there, sitting with him on the floor of the van

“what in the world!” I shouted but before I could process anything, a squirrel had sprinted into the road, getting caught in my headlights. If I hadn’t known of my lack of talent, I would have thought myself to be some type of multitasking god, I swerved the car in time missing the squirrel, but with the roads narrow and the absence of light that would be in the midnight hours, I made a little bit too much of a right angle. I panicked, knuckles turning white on the steering wheel until the road ahead is replaced with a big birch tree, and a branch shatters glass, shoving its way into the window shield.                                                             ***** My head is pounding when I come to, stubby fingernails picking at the small gash on the right side of my forehead.

“jesus..” I muttered, trying to remember what had happened.

“That was a close one...” someone said from beside me, my eyes squinted, before opening all the way, slowly turning my head towards the passenger seat. “who the hell are you?” I ask, pausing “and where’s Finn?” I ask, “what the fucks going on!” I ask “relax kid, I’m the guy that’s been living in that shitty lamp your friend has been messing around with.” When my vision focused on the person, all I could look at were their blindingly bright blue eyes, I was more than confused and was pretty certain I was either in the afterlife, or had entered complete nirvana, it crossed my mind I would have to somehow contact Granddad and tell him his Christmas gifts are amazing if the latter really was the case. “yeah Al, don’t even, like, worry” hiccup “this guy, he’s pretty chill,” Finn’s voice can be heard from the back of the van and I crane my injured neck to narrow my eyes at him. A wasted Finn would definitely not be here if I were in complete and blissful peace. I make to get up, but the blue-eyed man stops me with his hand. “alright, before you move let me explain a few things.” He says this like it’s been rehearsed, like he’s said it before, and times before that too. “shouldn’t we get outta the car? What if it blows up-“before I can even take another breath after my sentence Finn and I are sitting outside of the car in lawn chairs, the blue eyed man sits in some kind of Lazy Boy recliner, it looks like real leather too. “what the f-“ I’m in shock, where are the chairs coming from? Why aren’t we in the van? Who the hell is this guy? I turn to Finn, seeing him smiling lopsidedly, he doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. “My names Ebony, when you picked up that lamp from “Vintage, Hipster Thrifted Finds” I thought for sure you were gunna drop it in the parking lot, but you didn’t.” He sighs, pausing for a minute, a glass of water materializing in his hands. He takes a sip. “So, you didn’t, shockingly. But now, after a few years, this guy,” he points to Finn exaggeratedly and Finn smiles proudly “Has freed me!”  Ebony snaps his fingers and we’re standing in the middle of a baseball field, thousands of people cheering on the teams they’re rooting for, in the next second, we’re back at the unfortunate sight of my busted van, and I’m still just as confused as before. “That was for the sound effects” Ebony shrugs, turning on the massage machine built into his reclining chair. “alright let me get this straight, you’re like some sort of magical being?” I say my eyebrows still resting just below my hairline, I can’t believe that I’m even considering the impossible, but at this point, meeting a genie would probably be the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and if I’m dead, my brain’s obviously experiencing the effects of DMT and I should enjoy it while it lasts. “well yes I’m magical I guess, but usually people call me a Jinn, or, a genie.” He shrugs, acting like its no big deal, his shoulders reaching long brown hair when they lift slightly. I stare on but eventually the tension falls from my face “that’s sick.” I say and Finn nods melodramatically in agreement.                                                           ***** “c’mon Finn, the obvious first wish would be to get some money man,” I say walking around and towards Finn, still slumped in a lawn chair.

“Yeah, but that’s exactly what he wants us to do,” Finn conspires, but I can’t bring myself to take him seriously since most of his words are rushed and slurred.

After going through the acceptance stage that any normal human being would after their thrifted lamp broke, and a magic genie appeared out of thin air, we later came to learn the rules and oaths a genie swears by.

“number one,” Ebony says in a serious tone, eyes flickering between mine and Finn’s “a genie can only grant three wishes and you can’t wish for more wishes.” “oh come on” Finn whines, getting nothing but a glare in return from Ebony. “Rigged” Finn shouts, but quickly slumps back into his lawn chair.

“number two,” Ebony continues, ignoring Finn and getting up from his chair, when he stands, the chair disappears like smoke when it’s carried into the wind. “no world peace bullshit, I’ve been living in a lamp for thousands of years, that stuffs so boring,” he walks around us, his blue eyes never wavering from our stares, “world peace isn’t boring,” I challenge, knowing well I shouldn’t test my luck, arguing against the rules and beliefs of genieisum, “I think world peace would actually be one of the most fulfilling wishes of all time.” I nod to myself, as if I’m agreeing with what had been said, although it came from my own mouth. “yeah yeah whatever, don’t try me pal, I’m the one with the powers.”

And so, it goes, we listened to Ebony share his two most prized “Laws of a Genie” he claims to live and die by (even though its clear he’s immortal) and now Finn and I have spent a good twenty minutes arguing beside the road, trying to think of a good first wish.

“if he wants us to wish for money fine! Then we’re all happy.” I counter, knowing Finn is not in the right state to make any sort of rational decision, especially one involving magic and the mythological. “Ok,” a pause, “ok. So, If we do wish for like, wish for some money,” Finn talks slowly, leaning his head on his hand, elbow resting on the chair’s arm. “What are we gunna do with it?”

I look at the genie in exasperation and he rolls his eyes, snapping his fingers quickly, four trash bags full of money immediately catch my eye beside the van. “ok now we’re getting somewhere.” I say with excitement, smiling. After a beat, I turn to Finn to see him staring off into space. “one wish down, two wishes to go!” Ebony shouts, catching Finn’s attention.

“I want to, be, in like a show, but only for twenty minutes or something.” He squints, I could practically see the gears turning in his head. “like Seinfeld, I wanna be Jerry Seinfeld at least ones in my life.” He says this with clarity, like it’s on everyone’s bucket list. Ebony’s eyes flicker to me in question, I shrug. “ok, Seinfeld, have fun,” Ebony snaps his fingers again and we’re in Manhattan, Monk’s Café, sitting across from each other in a dark brown booth, exactly like the show.

“I can’t tell if this was a complete waste of a wish, or the best experience I’ll ever have,” I whisper yell to Finn who’s holding his mouth, stifling laughter, sat beside us are George and Elaine. They have a conversation amongst each other almost identical to that of the episode, when Jerry’s lines come, Finn’s mouth moves as if it has its own mind, and a voice that is definitely not Finn’s and completely Jerry’s comes out followed by queued laughter, I jump when I hear it, looking around in surprise. Finn and I’s eyes meet, and we stare at each other in shock, laugher bubbling up from how absurd this whole situation is. “dude. Say something, screw up the lines!” I say, George and Elaine don’t even hear me, I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t get to be a character. As George goes on a monologue about how his plans are to now do the opposite of anything he regularly would, explaining, he’s screwed up his life by trying to do all the right things, I turn to Finn, encouraging him to say something out of Jerry’s character. He sits there, thinking, while his mouth moves, Jerry’s original lines spouting out. Before he can say anything and change the original script, everyone turns at the same time to gape at me, “By the way, who’s this guy?” George asks frowning. My eyebrows raise, before I can respond, we are zapped back to reality and Ebony looks at us unimpressed.  

“man, we should have asked for thirty minutes,” Finn sighs, stumbling back towards his lawn chair, I nod. “that was six minutes, you guys were about to tear a hole in time and space, destroying reality as it is and everything that exists at this moment would no longer be the same.” Ebony looks at me and rolls his eyes. “what! You never said any of that when we wished for it,” I shouted in vexation. “Yeah,” Ebony says, dumbfoundedly, “I’m a genie, I’m pretty sure we’re known for deception,” Finn sighs, leaning off his chair and sitting on the grass. “whatever, that was still amazing.” “ok, one, final wish.” Ebony says with fake dramatics “make it count!”                                                          ***** “you blinked!” hollered Finn “we weren’t-““you blinked,” Finn cut Ebony off, dragging the “u” in “you” like any drunken person would with impaired speech. Ebony turned to me, eyebrows raised and crossed at the same time, the facial expression of complete and utter confusion, one I am very familiar with. “I’m staring at you,” he turns back to Finn, slowly annunciating his words, “because we’ve been standing out here for twenty minutes and both of you haven’t wished for anything since that waste of a wish on Seinfeld,” he sighs “Seinfeld is actually one of the greatest sitcoms of all time in my opinion,” I say, fist bumping Finn’s fist that has been hanging loosely off his arm rest. “yeah sure, and ‘That 70s Show’ was filmed in the seventies,” Ebony says sarcastically, “It wasn’t?” I ask, He sighs, closing his eyes tightly.                                                        ***** I turn to Finn and really look closely at his face, he is completely out of it and not at all aware that my eyes were scanning over his features, vision going in and out of focus like a camera lens not quite sure what the central object is. Then, an idea came to me. “ok, final wish,” I started, immediately catching Ebony’s attention, “I wish I could ask Finn anything and he would have to soberly and brutally be honest with me.”  The genie looks at me and then at Finn, “Okay,” he says simply and snaps his fingers.                                                        *****                                          Finn’s Point of View

The colours on Al’s van are pretty, it’s mainly a blue that’s not quite blue, or, a green that’s not quite green. I settle with breen, and I can’t seem to blink my eyes when I focus too hard on it. I hear the snap of the genie’s fingers and it echoes against my skull, as if we were all standing at the bottom of a well, and in that well, we were attending some kind of underground poetry slam, one where snapping wasn’t opted out for jazz hands yet, I remember how angry Al was about that. I see Al’s face in front of me now, blocking my view of the van, when I concentrate on his face, I notice his eyes are breen too.

“Hey Finn , mind if I ask you a few questions?” he asks this softly, insecurity and embarrassment laced in his voice. I want to say of course, or why not, or why wouldn’t I let you “sure,” I say.  

“Okay.”

And he’s quiet for a long time, my eyes attempt to waver above his head, catching a glimpse of the van when, “why do you hate me so much?” and its almost too low to hear, it takes a hold of my intoxicated brain, swimming around in my temporal lobe, before sobering me up a little too quickly.

“I don’t,” I say, frowning “I know I’m not the best roommate, but I never hated you.” His eyes are looking anywhere except my own and I can tell he’s trying to believe me. “then why’d you act like it,” he pauses, “like, the only time I hang around with you is when you need a ride somewhere,” I look down in shame at this, because I know its true. “I’m sorry,” is all I can say, literally, I tried to say, ‘of course not’ or ‘I would never’ but it got stuck in my throat like a piece of chip when it goes down sideways.

“alright, this is really touching, but you have some company,” the genie, Ebony, says with his arms crossed, uncrossing them only to point towards the police car driving down what once was a deserted back road. He puts his sirens on briefly, and I would argue, pointlessly, only to roll up beside us slowly.  

“and on that note, its been fun guys,” Ebony laughs before disappearing into the darkness, as if we were hallucinating him the whole time. The cop opens his door, grabbing a flashlight before slamming it and turning the light in the direction of our faces. I stand from my chair, squinting, and Al raises from his crouched position, we try and act natural but the branch halfway through the van’s windshield gave us away.

“you guys alright? Seems like you got into an accident,” he says, but its not really a question, its more of a ‘Law and Order’ line the cop gives you when they know you’ve been up to something. “no, no, officer, I mean yes we’ve been in an accident but, but-“Al’s voice fades out when we watch the cop point his flashlight into the trash bags. “shit.”

                                                      Epilogue

“So that’s how you became friends,” I chuckle at that, I was hanging around with Gale and Peter, Al was off somewhere, probably at an antique shop.

“yes, I thought you would quit asking, I told you all this when my mom bailed me out last month,” after the whole genie, money, van situation, it was tough explaining anything to anybody. Al and I however, stayed close, bonding over our shared experience and horrible wishing skills. Although I tried, my detailed reciting of the past events was to no avail, because as we all sat crossed legged on the floor of my dorm room, I could tell by Peter’s face he didn’t believe my story. *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

“hang on,” I say before getting up to get the door, when they think I’m out of ear shot, I catch the bed creak and then, “Man, you try acid once,”

The End.