#that’s openly press released about and on unleashed of all things

[rowanthestrange]

Oh Monday (Mundy) comes after Sunday.

Badumtish.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

We all bow to Frankie "Fingering King" Morales. TELL US MORE YOU MINX.

I wrote so much more than I intended to and also I’ve rarely written Frankie so if this is bad I’m sorry

Warnings: ...Fingering (obvs), overstimulation

Rating: Explicit - 18+ Only

- The first thing that you notice about Frankie is his fingers.

- Well, you don’t mean to—you find yourself in the parking lot at work, and your car engine is stubbornly refusing to turn over. - You slouch back in your seat, direct your eyes toward the ceiling, and are ready to unleash your cursing to any god that you can name. - And then you hear a knock on the hood of the car. - Your eyes drop to the source of the knock—two curled knuckles. And then they lift to the person doing the knocking. - Frankie Morales is one of your coworkers—has been for a few months now. 

- You haven’t spoken to the guy much, but you’ve noticed him—his soft, fleeting smiles, and his attentive, bright, doe-like eyes. - He gives you a small smile, and knocks on the hood again. - You reach down, taking the key out of the ignition and pressing the button to release the hood. - You undo your seatbelt, sliding out of the car and stepping out to stand beside Frankie. He’s got his phone in hand, using its flashlight to look around. - “Thanks,” You mumble. - “Sure,” He murmurs; his eyes are set intently on his work. - And Frankie has been on the quieter side around you, but he is focused at work, just as he’s focused now.

- You watch him openly, offering to hold his phone so that he can use both hands. Your eyes dart between his hands, and his handsome profile. - You nearly miss him saying, “Try it now?” a few minutes later. - You nod, passing him his phone back and rounding to get into your car. You suddenly note how warm your face is. You’ve become heated at the sight of Frankie Morales’ diligent hands. - You put the key in the ignition, turn it—and the engine turns over. - You smile as Frankie shuts the hood, coming back into view. - He rounds to your window so that you don’t have to get back out. - “I really appreciate your help,” You smile. - “Sure,” He shrugs, as if it’s no big deal—And maybe it isn’t to him. - You find yourself blurting, “Can I have your number?”

- You don’t even tack on, in case I break down or something. - Frankie’s brows raise in surprise, but he nods. He fumbles sweetly with your phone. - You eye where his fingers are curled around the device. - “Can I take you for a drink sometime?” You ask, “As—As thanks.” - Frankie nods again, passing you your phone back. - “I’d like that,” He smiles. - You drive home with a grin on your face, and the sight of Frankie’s diligent fingers at work on your mind. - When the two of you make eye contact the next day at work, you share bashful smiles. - You meet Frankie for a drink that weekend. - He’s a little slow to open up, keeps his hat on when the two of you are at the bar, shading his sweet eyes. - But as the night goes on, he begins to relax, just a touch. - It’s not all at once, and you’re not trying to pry anything out of him, anyway. - Now and again, your eyes will stray to his hands, to where he’s fiddling with the label on his beer bottle. - You think you’re being subtle about it. - You’re not. - When you and Frankie say goodnight— - When he goes out on a limb, when he kisses you— - He cups your face with both hands and draws you in. - You focus in on the feeling—the press of his lips, the tender hold of his calloused fingers. - He slips one hand down to curl around the side of your neck, and he feels you lean into the palm of the other. - He notices that—he can’t help but notice that. - As the two of you see one another more, he becomes a damnable tease about it. - He drums his fingers on tables, steering wheels, countertops—your hand, your thigh, your shoulder. - He’ll swipe up a bit of leftover sauce from his plate and suck it off of his thumb. - And then he’ll grin at you. - Because he knows. - The first time he fingers you— - The first time he gets you spread out for him and sinks two of his fingers into the slick clutch of your cunt— - The way you whimper against his lips makes his cock twitch in his pants. - Your own fingers scrabble at his shoulders as you press down against his fingers. - The two of you are sprawled out on his couch. Your dress is hardly undone—the top of your dress is tugged down to expose your breasts; the bottom half is shoved up around your hips; your underwear is hanging down around your ankle. - Frankie twists his fingers as he eases them back out. You shudder softly against his lips, squeezing your eyes shut. - “Yeah?” He murmurs. - “Uh-huh,” You breathe, nodding, “More—Please.” - Frankie licks his lips as he watches you, groans as you roll your hips down against his hand. - He eases his fingers back in, grinding his palm against your clit. - You gasp weakly hips hitching against his touch. - “Fu—uck,” You whimper. - “That’s it,” Frankie murmurs against your lips, curling his fingers and picking his pace up, “Goddamn—C’mon.” - He dips his tongue into your mouth, groaning as you suck on it. - He draws his head away, resting his forehead against yours. - “C’mon,” He urges. - Between the sensations—the twisting fingers, the impact against your clit, and the wet, rhythmic slapping of his palm against your pussy, you don’t stand a chance. - You cum crying his name out, squeezing down around his fingers as your hips jolt off of the couch, your heart pounding in your chest. - Frankie groans against your jaw, mouthing at the hinge. - The two of you go still as you catch your breath. - There’s a moment before you feel Frankie curl his fingers, teasing you again. - “Fr—Frankie—” Your eyes are wide as you look at him. - “You’ve got another one for me.” He murmurs, grinning wickedly, eyes dark with want. - "C’mon, baby.”

[aiiwa]

FRESHMAN YEAR — IWAIZUMI HAJIME.

— iwaizumi hajime.

⤷ genre: college au - fluff / smut

⤷ warnings: cursing, mature content and themes, smut, oral (receiving and giving), unprotected sex

⤷ word count: 6.2k

— a/n: this was an anon request for a reader trying to sneak off away from iwa the morning after and he ain’t having none of that 😈

i had no intention of this being so long, but iwa just gets me going aight!!

freshman year of college had given you many things.

an unrivalled expertise in procrastination - avoiding the overwhelming influx of assignments from your professors was second-nature at this point; party now, cry later, right? carpe fucking diem, no? either way, it had also given you a liver which begged for a glass of water, a drop even, anything but the wretched burn of vodka and the copious amounts of iced lattes at three in the morning. and deities forbid your mother ever finding out her daughter lived off of spicy instant ramen that somehow was always on sale at the campus convenience store. you even considered the discounted prices stemmed from the store owners taking pity on you each time you stood before them counting loose change.

yet freshman year of college had also given you a best friend in the form of matsukawa issei. and hanamaki takahiro, since they were a package deal of course. but mattsun had been presented to you on a silver platter.

butt ass naked, just like the day he was brought into this world.

arriving on campus a week before the start of the first semester, the last thing you expected to see was a hunched over figure, bare ass mooning right in front of you, banging on the fragile door of your dorm. shaking out of your stupor, you had all but cussed him out in the corridor, earning more unnecessary attention from other nosy students, before you dragged him by his arm into your room. in the flurry of your attempted rescue, he’d dropped the hand that was holding whatever sliver of dignity he had left. you had even failed to realise how this strange boy was almost a foot taller than you, and rather being eye-to-eye, it was rather eye-to-waist - and you had made the mistake of glancing lower.

“yeah lil’ big mattsun is a looker, right?” you prayed everyday to forget his first words to you. the prayers had yet to be answered, though your initial reaction had made it somewhat alright to think back on.

you had screamed bloody murder, sending mattsun into a frenzied panic, his own screams harmonising yours. then you had cried, furiously rubbing at your eyes, and sobbing about how your eyes would never be the same again. when he had reached out to comfort you, that’s when you turned on him, jumping upwards to swat at his bony shoulders. after he tumbled over your rug, the two of you halted, eyeing each other before laughing like maniacs.

he left your dorm that day, running off in your pink fluffy robe with plans to meet up later for dinner. when he introduced you to the pink-haired makki - the reason behind mattsun’s nudity at your door, though the specifics were lost - the three of you hit it off like a bunch of crazies.

most days were spent between your dorm and their shared apartment; stress eating over forgotten assignments, binging shitty reality tv shows - the bachelor was just hitting different this season - and pre-gaming a bit too hard before nights out.

it had confused you at first on how, as much as you were over at their apartment, you had yet to meet their other roommate. makki had told you he was a close friend from back home in miyagi, the serious type who spent most of his time training, studying or working; and it was mattsun who had said he was a total mom, “he’s our mommy,” were his exact words, adding to the list of things you wish you could forget.

it was probably around two months into the semester, when you’d finally met their elusive third roommate.

that night mattsun, makki and you were in a rare state of focus, working diligently on your own respective papers, when they’d nominated you to heat up some frozen pizza to snack on. which is how you found yourself, grumbling, bent at the waist to place the pizza in the oven; ignorant to the jingling of keys, and heavyset footsteps entering the kitchen.

“well this is something new to come home to.”

you jolted at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, whacking the side of your skull on the edge of the counter in a haste to stand up to your full height. you cursed loudly, hand pressed against the throbbing pain in your head as you turned to glare at the culprit. though that was cut short, alongside your breathing, by the sexiest man alive you had ever laid your eyes on, entering your personal space.

he towered over you, not in the same way as mattsun or makki, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in brawn. your eyes greedily traced his body; the steel gray gym shirt clung to him like a second skin, eight slight dips outlining his abs and his wide chest. broad shoulders blocked your view from everything irrelevant behind him, and you watched, almost in slow motion, as his biceps flexed under the tight confines of his shirt sleeves, to reach out and place his much larger hand over yours. you felt every fibre in your being going into overdrive under his unexpected touch, and all he was doing was checking over the swelled up island on your forehead.

“are you alright, y/n?” your ovaries were quaking at the deep rasp of his voice- and wait, he knows your name? “you are y/n, right?” he asked, reading the confusion on your face. you nodded absentmindedly, raising your gaze to meet his own.

you groaned inwardly - who gave this man the right to a sexy body and to look this fucking good? taking in the handsome features of his face; wild crop of dark chocolate hair, smooth tanned skin, highlighting the sharp cut of his jaw, and the attractive straight of his nose. his lips were pouty, eyes slanted under shaped brows, olive hues peeking past his long dark lashes to stare at you.

he moved his hand away from the top of yours, the added warmth missed already; and took your lack of reply as a sign to introduce himself and apologise.

“i’m mattsun and makki’s roommate, iwaizumi hajime. sorry for scaring you.”

you were ready to drag mattsun and makki to hell and back for hiding this fine man- no, greek fucking god, from you all this time. in an attempt to compose yourself and avoid anymore embarrassment, you smiled, dopily, releasing an airy laugh while waving off the apology.

“i’m l/n y/n.”

amusement shifted over his features, a smirk painting over his lips as his eyes creased on the sides. you had to hold on tightly to the reigns forbidding you from openly swooning.

“i know.” he chucked lowly.

you had never wanted the ground to swallow you whole as much as then. the heat you could feel radiating off your cheeks was a clear sign of how embarrassed you were, making a complete fool of yourself in front of the man you were borderline prepared to request to be your future baby daddy. so when mattsun strolled in, casually greeting iwa and poking at the bump on your forehead, you hadn’t been more grateful for your best friend.

too bad it wasn’t enough to avoid the wrath you unleashed on him and makki later on; a series of kicks to their sides, and their own personal hell of listening to how badly you wanted to be split open on his dick.

thinking you had scared away the gorgeous iwaizumi, you were ready to be avoided at all costs. yet surprisingly, after that night, he was suddenly everywhere.

he joined in on your hangouts with the boys. group study sessions where you usually did more foolery than studying? iwa was there to knock all of you into gear. late night fast food runs to satisfy your cravings? iwa was driving, kicking mattsun and makki to the back of his jeep when they’d try to steal your designated seat next to him. and the parties he used to avoid? there he was stuck in the chaos of it all, holding your drink and glaring at anyone who dared to approach the two of you.

of course, iwa’s sudden involvement in your life hadn’t gone unnoticed by mattsun and makki - the two of you becoming their favourite victims to tease. and when his threats and your fists were no longer able to get them off your backs, iwa had taken to spending time with you, without them.

you liked to call them not-dates, even though it was just to parry the feelings rapidly developing for him.

going to the coffee shop you two often frequented so he could buy your favourite drink while you ranted about your shitty group presentation, was a not-date. taking him to the drive-in godzilla screenings every friday for five weeks, because you knew they were his favourite movies, was a not-date. him making you dinner every other night because your mom found out about your insane intake of instant ramen and blasted you during a video call while he was over, was a not-date.

as expected after months of this going on, your two best friends constantly called you out for your not-dates being actual dates. even one of your classmates took to informing you each time your ‘body builder boyfriend’ was waiting outside for you. but ignorance was bliss, and you were sure iwa didn’t feel that way towards you. at least that was until the day you had met oikawa tooru.

you noticed that iwa had been more than a bit apprehensive, as each day passed bringing his best friend’s return to japan closer and closer, though he wouldn’t explain why. yet it seemed it was over nothing, since you and oikawa got along great, even if he did comment every other second on you and iwa’s closeness. meeting the pretty setter had been like placing the missing puzzle piece in the dynamic with your favourite boys.

after a loud lunch with the four boys, oikawa had pulled you in for a tight hug as iwa was about to drop you off to your afternoon class for that day.

“iwa-chan talks about you all the time, y/n-chan, but he’s a dum-dum so forgive him for being slow, alright!” he had whispered in your ear, before pulling away with a mischievous glint in his mocha coloured eyes. “iwa-chan you sly dog! keeping y/n all to yourself, hmm? maybe i should just take her back with me to argentina- wait, iwa-chan, i’m sorry! don’t chase me! gah!”

after that, you started to accept the fact that maybe what was once simply physical attraction, had turned into a deep affection for iwaizumi. the only issue was that, like oikawa said, iwa was a dum-dum, and he didn’t mention anything from what oikawa said that day or his extreme reaction to oikawa’s teasing. hell, you didn’t even know if he even realised that the way he treated you, which was very much a stark contrast to how he treated others, was him subconsciously wooing you.

so the not-dates continued, and you inevitably fell deeper and deeper for sweet, oblivious iwa.

the semesters flew by, it was finally the end of freshman year; exams completed, life instantly renewed, and you were ready to attend the shit show of an end-of-year finisher tonight. the plans were for you to drive over to the boys’ apartment, pre-game like never before, and then head off to the party. so you were surprised when your phone pinged with a string of messages from the group chat.

stepping out of the elevator, the click clack of your laced-up stilettos echoed in the tiled corridor, as you made your way towards the boys’ apartment. the better part of you was suspicious of mattsun and makki’s sudden change of plans; though it was shot to the back of your mind as you raised a manicured hand to tap against their door.

shifting around a bit, you didn’t have to wait long before the door was yanked open.

“y/n.” iwa greeted you with a lopsided grin.

you couldn’t prevent the gasp that escaped your glossy lips at the sight of him.

an arm was held above his head, bicep flexing as his hand rested on top of the door frame, the other scratching the back of his thick neck. the rich scent of his cinnamon cologne, mixed with the musk of his aftershave wafted around you; as your eyes followed the droplet from his damp hair, sliding down the side of his jaw on to his bare shoulders. now, shirt-wearing iwa was incredible, with his collection of monotone coloured shirts that always seemed a size too small; but shirtless iwa? had you frothing at the mouth.

you dared your eyes to move lower, skirting over the delicious sight of his bare chest, and willing yourself to commit every stretch of him to memory. the taut muscles of his stomach tightened as you drank them in, the deep v indents cut around his hips, and your eyes followed over the fuzzy trail of dark hair that disappeared underneath the waistband of his jeans that sat dangerously low.

and while your mouth ran dry, you couldn’t say the same thing about the situation between your legs; pressing your thighs together to alleviate some of the pressure.

“iwa, uh...the boys...said to come over, change of plans.” was all you were able to choke out. physically you were standing before him, but mentally you were writhing under him.

“i know, they left a while ago.” he replied, the corner of his pretty mouth tugged upwards. “i’m almost ready to go, come inside.”

he already took up the entire space of the door frame, and when he only moved a bit to the side, you were forced to slip through the tiniest of gaps; shivering as your shoulder grazed against his own. standing in the middle of the hallway, you heard the soft click of the door closing, before iwa turned to face you.

you could feel the intoxicating heat radiating off his body spread across your own. the two of your were so close in each other’s space, chest to chest, and even in heels, you still only reached just under his jaw. when you glanced up to look at him, you swore you had caught his olive eyes lingering on the exposed skin of your breasts, before they moved to meet yours.

something different swirled in the depths of iwa’s eyes, something you had never witnessed before. something kin to a wolf staring at its lamb; a hunger so strong, so...fuck...

“you look beautiful, y/n.”

the compliment strikes you in surprise, feeling the flush rise up in your face, and the fluttering in your stomach. you could feel the pounding of your heart beat, drumming in your ears; watching his adam’s apple bob slowly, as he moved his hand to brush away the hair covering your neck. naturally you leaned into his touch.

“iwa…?” you whispered out to him in slight confusion.

“this dress on you...driving me crazy,” he starts, before cutting himself off with a groan. “sorry, y/n, i-i think i overstepped.” he tries to move his hand away from your neck, but you wrap your fingers around his wrist.

oikawa’s voice ran through your mind in a fleeting memory- ‘...forgive him for being slow, alright!’

“are you drunk, iwa?”

“what? no...i haven’t...i’m sober.”

“that’s good then.”

“y/n? good for what?”

“it’s good because then you can show me.” your fingers reach out to flitter over the ridges of his stomach. “won’t you show me how my dress drives you crazy, iwa?”

the surge of courage coursing through your veins, to be able to call him out like you had wanted to for months and seasons, was all it took for iwa to lose the composure he always kept up around you.

without hesitation, the big hand on your neck tugs you right into him; tits pushed together against his chest, as he dips his head to press his lips against yours.

the kiss is far from simple; there’s no room for it, months of pining won’t allow sweet and slow. your hand slides over his broad shoulder, to pull at the dark tufts at the nape of his neck; mouth slanting over his, tongues brushing against each other sensually. you explore his mouth, tasting him, while his hands squeeze over the curves of your body, eliciting a moan once he grabs at the fullness of your ass. you push up against him further, the hard tent in his pants straining against your belly.

“more, iwa, please...need more.” you pant against his lips.

“i got you baby, don’t worry.” he kisses you again, slower, with just as much passion. bending at the knees, and hiking the end of your dress up under your ass, he grabs at the silky underside of your thighs to lift you up into him - ankles locked at the bottom of his spine. he’s carrying you like nothing, and the amusing thought of his arms not only being for show flies through your head before you’re gasping.

the feeling of being pulled flush against him, the damp heat of your clothed pussy grinding against his bare stomach, has you keening for more. he groans loudly at the feeling of your slick coating his skin, and you jostle about as he begins walking through the hallway and towards his bedroom. as your sucking gently on his tongue, he carries you into his room, kicking the door closed behind him.

once his knees hit the edge of his mattress, he gently lowers you to lay down before him on your back. he hovers over you, the lewd swirling of your tongues has your head spinning before he moves from your mouth to latch onto your neck.

“ah, iwa- fuck,” you moan as his teeth grazed your sweet spot. he rolls his hips into you, spreading your legs to accommodate him more, while tugging at the ribbons of your heels. “what about...the party?”

sitting up from you, he grips your legs, sliding you right into him. through heavy lidded eyes, you watch as he takes in your disheveled appearance, a smirk taking over his features.

“fuck the party.” his large palms work the straps of your dress down, exposing your perfect tits; he groans at the sight, leaning down to take a pebbled nipple into his hot mouth. “this night is for me and you, baby.”

you weren’t necessarily a morning person, so living in the dorms, had been a relatively easy decision to make. you had a room to yourself, away from trees allowing a nice view of the campus grounds, and subsequently circumventing the annoying chirping of nested birds. you even added blackout curtains to block out the morning sun.

so when you were woken up by the itching burn of the sunrise on your stomach and your ears ringing with incessant twittering, you groaned loudly.

burying your face deeper into the fluffy pillow under your head, you were squirming under the heavy weight resting over half your body; irritation growing with your inability to get comfortable. peeking an eye open, blinking away the sleep clouding your vision, you took in the sight of a sleeping iwaizumi snuggled between the valley of your breasts. as you became more aware of your body and its surroundings, you felt the panic settling in.

as if he could sense your consciousness, the arm wrapped around your waist gave you a squeeze as he mumbled incoherently. “mmm, baby...y/n...feels good…” his hand slid down the side of your thigh, goosebumps following his fingertips, before it rested on your inner thigh; and he was drifting back to sleep.

you had to shove your fist against your mouth to stop yourself from screaming.

part of you was in denial that last night had actually happened. you, l/n y/n, had spent the night with the iwaizumi hajime - man of your literal dreams, who you had fallen so deeply for. and you had spent it having sex.

raw. nasty. passionate. earth-shattering. sex.

“fuck.” you whispered to yourself. “how could i be so stupid?” you were cursing yourself internally, certain you had fucked up everything you had built in your friendship with iwa - there was honestly no coming back from what transpired between you two.

and with your fight-or-flight response triggered, there was only one thing for you to do right now - get the fuck out of there.

maneuvering your body from underneath iwa’s big arm, without waking him up was a feat in itself. doing so with the way your muscles ached with each motion was on another level. sliding one foot after the other out from under his charcoal bed sheets, you pushed yourself up to sit.

looking behind you at iwa’s sleeping figure, you felt yourself swooning. half lying on his side, with his cotton sheets draped over his waist, you couldn’t help but admire him. his mouth was slightly open, his big arms cuddling the pillow you were laying on, and the smooth skin of his tanned back were tainted with red, angry marks. gulping audibly, your eyes dragged down to the prominent outline of his half-hard cock.

pushing himself up by his forearms, the desperation swimming in his eyes was begging for your touch. you grazed your teeth across his chest, biting at his hardened nipples teasingly, before moving further down from his lap while your tongue drew circles around the dips of his taut abdomen.

“y/n, don’t tease me.”

you smirked at his order, sucking on his skin and pressing wet kisses on his hip bones, before leaning back. he watched you eagerly as your dainty fingers tugged at his belt buckle clumsily, lifting himself up he could slip out of his jeans.

“can’t wait to have your cock in my mouth.” you cooed, eyes starstruck at the tent in his boxer briefs, wet patch dampening at its peak. hooking your finger under the waistband, you hastily yanked the briefs down to free him, his hard cock slapping against his stomach. “fuck you’re so big, haji.”

he was easily the biggest you’ve seen, ever had the chance of pleasuring - so thick, so long, and so fucking beautiful.

you didn’t bother to dwell on the taste of his name on your lips, when you were too busy tasting the essence leaking from his angry, swollen tip. you could barely wrap your hands around the base of his cock, as you pressed a sweet kiss on the head, pre cum coating your lips, before taking it in your hot mouth, suckling gently.

the groan he releases is animalistic, and his hips buck upwards to shove his cock deeper in your mouth. pressing your hand at his navel to keep him steady, you continue sucking harshly, almost painfully, before lowering your head down. his cock slides down your throat, inch by inch, as tears prick at your eyes and you can feel your drool drop on the thumb massaging his balls. he blocked your airways, but fuck breathing when the look on his face when you take all of him in your mouth like a good girl is so, so perfect.

steadily bobbing your head, you feel every inch of him down your throat; tongue swirling around his length, and he twitches every time you trace the thick vein on the underside of his cock. you suck faster and harder as iwa reaches a hand out to feel around your throat.

“fuck, baby, i can feel me in your throat. so fucking good, just like that.” he hisses out, choking up when you begin to hum. “mmm fuck- ah, shit! gonna cum baby! fuck!”

yanking away your hand you hadn’t realised was brushing around your neck as the vision of him disappeared from your thoughts, you stood up, a bit unsteady on your feet at first. you could still taste him, as you ran your tongue over the hood of your mouth.

knowing you were getting distracted, you shook your head gently, pushing your hair away from your face. you needed your clothes, so glancing around, taking note of the strips of clothing scrambled in his room - your eyes caught the baby pink of your lace panties hanging from his bedside lamp.

one second you were swallowing his cock down your throat, and the next he had torn the rest of your dress off and had you laid out in front of him.

iwa made fast work in manhandling you the way he wanted. stretching his legs straight beside you, he pulled you right into him; you gasped as he lifted you up by your waist, practically folding you with the underside of your thighs tucked under the bulk of his arms, knees by your shoulders, and your lower back pressed right against his heaving chest. he was hunched over you, wrapping you fully in his embrace, while you were spread out right in his face.

“you soaked right through your pretty panties, baby.” leaning down, he presses his nose right into your clothed heat, making you squirm, as he breathes you in. “fuck, you smell so sweet, i wanna eat you up real good.”

“i-iwa.” you whined, staring at him through heavy-lidded eyes as you pressed the side of your face into the mattress.

“no, no baby. when we’re like this…” he starts, reaching a hand to tear the thin, and expensive, material right off of you. before you have a chance to complain, his hot breath blows on your drooling pussy, tight hole clenching around nothing in anticipation. “...you’ll say my name.”

“h-hajime, please, haji.” you beg, feeling embarrassed at how exposed you were. he could see everything, do anything to you as he pleased, and you would just let him. so when he presses his heavy tongue flat against your slit, licking all the way up to your throbbing clit; you can’t help but dig your finger nails into his toned calves beside you. “ah- yes! mmm...haji, oh-!”

sucking on your clit, he digs his fingers into your thighs, deeper and deeper in response to your whiny moans for more. he hums against you, mumbling about how sweet you taste, how much he can’t get enough of your flavour, and you can feel him getting hard again - grinding against your back. he slides his tongue between your folds, slurping you up so good, that it’s no surprise you’re teetered over the edge.

“haji! oh, oh fuck! ah yes!” the waves of you cumming hits hard as your pussy gushes all over the lower half of his face. “daddy! s-so good, f-fuck!”

still up in the clouds from your high, calling him daddy flies over your head, but isn’t missed by iwa. you watch, dazed, as he moves away from your pussy, a lewd string of silver connects his mouth to you, his chin glistening with your juices. reaching around your trembling thighs, his thumbs spread your lips so he can get an ever better view of your sopping cunt.

“i knew you’d be my good baby and say my name.” he grins, before leaning back down to you and delving his tongue right in your pussy, tongue-fucking you slowly and massaging your slick walls, his nose nudging your sensitive clit. “now come again in daddy’s mouth.”

heat pooled between your legs as you stretched, ignoring the iwa-sized hand prints painted purple across your thighs, while you thought about him and the magic his mouth performed. waddling to his side table - you examined the remnants of your panties; the pretty pink lace was all but shredded, and you hopelessly threw the material in the trash.

“fucking hell, iwa.” the glare you aimed his way, softened drastically as you took in his sleeping figure. sighing, you turn and spot what may be your dress halfway under his bed.

shuffling over, you crouch, the burn in your thighs making itself even more known and forcing your eyes to shut in a grimace.

the way iwa’s cock filled your little cunt felt while you rode him was incredible. nothing could ever compare to the way he was ruining you from the inside out, and you were sure nothing would ever come close. his big hands palmed your ass while you were bouncing up and down on his length, your belly jutting out every time he was sheathed inside you, your thighs tremored each time they slapped against his.

“fuck, daddy! feels...mmm…wanna cum, please!” your tongue was lolling out of your mouth, as fucked yourself on his cock, digging crescent moon shapes into his shoulder blades. one of his hands remained firmly on your ass, while fingers of the other reached around to pinch your clit.

with a scream you came undone, creaming all over his still-hard cock, and collapsing forward onto his sweaty chest. you whimpered, while he continued to fuck up into your used pussy. despite the tears threatening to fall down your flushed cheeks; you mewled for more.

“shh, baby,” iwa hummed into your neck, you could feel his grin against your skin, peppering kisses as you leaned into him. “daddy’s gonna make you feel even better.”

his thick arms wrapped almost painfully in a death grip around your exhausted body, as he locked his legs and angled himself into your pussy; fucking deep inside you, and hitting your cervix with each stroke. you came again, harder, legs quivering as your insides spasmed; this time joined by his orgasm, as the mixture of his cum was stuffed inside you.

your eyes shot open, breathing slightly laboured. it hadn’t even been a day, only mere hours, and the way iwa had taken over your mind was slowly driving you insane. dropping to your knees, you reached out to grab at your dress, having to slide the top half of your body under the bed.

that sound of iwa’s big hand slapping your ass while he pounded into you from behind, rung in your ears, but the sting and the pleasure was all your fucked out brain could comprehend. he was absolutely relentless with his too-big cock, tearing into you.

on all fours, you arched your back more to accommodate him. each thrust had him bottoming out in your already leaking pussy.

“fuck baby, just like that, mmm- push back into me.”

everything just felt too fucking good. the harsh pace of his strokes had you blabbering, moaning about how good he felt into the mattress.

“don’t stop! oh fuck, please don’t stop haji!”

but you felt his pace begin to slow just as you were about to climax, and when you tried to move back on him his grip on your waist tightened. with ease, he flipped you on your back, almost skewering you on his cock still inside you. hooking the backs of your knees over his elbows as he leaned over you, his full weight folding your body underneath him, as he wove his fingers with yours into the mattress above your head.

“look at my fat cock sliding into that sweet cunt, baby.” iwa grunts. his arms strained, holding his weight up from crushing you, as he teased your sloppy hole. “fuck, you take me so good, baby.”

you whimpered, looking at the connection between the two of you. with a roll of his hips, you watched as his cock slid into your silky walls, the lewd sound of you squelching with every stroke had you arching up, wanting him deeper in your tummy as you gushed around him.

unlike before when his thrusts were rough, filled with raw feral passion; it was now slow, sensual and so fucking sexy. and when you met his gaze, as he continued to grind into you, gripping your fingers tightly between his; it felt as though he was trying to tell you something.

that intense emotion swirling deep in his olive gaze was searing, burning through you from the inside out. everything unsaid between the two of you. but soon enough your orgasm hit you harder than ever, pleasure electric under your heated skin.

“haji, haji, haji- oh, fuck yes!” you chanted his name like a prayer.

“y/n, baby, fuck i love you-“ he moans out, strokes becoming sloppy. “wanted this...for so long- shit, i’m cumming baby!”

snatching your dress from under the bed, you sat on your knees at the foot of his bed, thinking over everything you just wanted to ignore for the time being. you almost wish you could forget he had told you he loved you. how could you possible believe those three words while he was at the pinnacle of his pleasure?

suddenly the shrill ringtone of iwa’s phone blasted next to him. scrambling to your feet, you snatched the phone; fingers mashing the screen to cut off the sound before he woke up.

“what?” you hissed, holding the phone to your ear as you glanced at iwa. you thanked whichever gods were watching over you that he was still fast asleep.

“oho? y/n-chan? is that you~?” nevermind, the gods were out for you.

“tooru?”

“the one and only!” you winced at the smug teasing in his tone. “i was hoping to speak to iwa-chan, but i heard he was a naughty boy last night!”

“uh...what?”

“as in i literally heard him, and you, last night when i came back to the apartment!” oikawa recalls in a sing-song voice, rambling on about how he was here to surprise the two of you. “i always knew our dear iwa-chan had a daddy kink!”

placing the phone between your ear and your shoulder, you attempted to fit your dress over you, while oikawa continued on his spiel of how it took way too fucking long for the two of you to do something about the sexual tension. you had no chance to even peep a word in.

“damn baby, now this view i could definitely get used to.”

you almost shrieked, bumping into iwa’s naked body, and tripping over the dress  dropped around your ankles. you had no idea he’d woken up, sneaking right up behind you in all his naked fucking glory; forcing you to try your hardest not to eye his cock standing at full attention.

“is that iwa-chan?!” oikawa all but screams into the phone. iwa raises a questioning brow, hearing his best friend on the other line. “tell him to be good and wrap it up! no glove, no love!”

you had no business feeling embarrassed at the brat king’s words, while iwa snatched his phone away from you.

“too late for that, shittykawa.” oikawa’s screeches are the last thing you hear before iwa ends the call.

you almost dare to chuckle at the thought of oikawa’s reaction; but falter under iwa’s stare. it’s the same look he gives mattsun or makki when they’re in trouble, but it’s mixed in with the same scorching look from last night, and you shift on your feet nervously, wrapping your arms across your chest.

“going somewhere?” iwa gruffs out, the raspiness of his morning voice had you tugging your bottom lip between your teeth.

“um, home…?” the uncertainty was clear in your voice, especially as he scowled when you mentioned leaving. “iwa, i-”

“oh so it’s iwa now?” he cuts you off, taking a step closer into your space. “i liked it when you called me haji, though daddy follows closely after that.”

you gasp when a thick arm snakes around your waist, pulling you up against him. his other hand caresses your cheek so sweetly, before he grabs your jaw to tilt your face up to his, taking your lips with his own. the kiss is gentle, soft lips moving against your own as his tongue brushes yours sweetly. you’ve fully melted in his hold, eyes still closed when he breaks the kiss.

“i meant what i said last night, y/n.” he whispers against your mouth. “i love you.” your eyes shoot open, and you can feel your heart trying to beat itself out of your chest.

“i-i love you too.” you murmur back, and the smile he gives you has you ready to combust right before him. after all this time, a party had been the reason you finally admitted your feelings for him.

“now come back to bed.” you squeal as he lifts you up and over his shoulder, the grip he takes on your inner thigh is ticklish making you squirm about. “i’m gonna cuddle you back to sleep, and then when we wake up i’m gonna take you out on a date, okay baby?”

you giggle as he tosses you back on his fluffy mattress, dropping himself right on top of you and nuzzling his face into the dip between your neck and shoulder. running your hands softly over the muscled panes of his back, one reaches out to thread your fingers in the tufts of dark hair at his nape.

“okay, haji.”

freshman year had given you a lot of things, but iwaizumi hajime was the best thing yet. you couldn’t wait to see what sophomore year had in store for you.

© 2020 AIIWA. please do not copy, modify or repost my work.

[zutarasecrettunnel]

OK I did it I updated my Zutara Week chapter fic. This idea was inspired by the Day 6 prompt for this year, "Spirits".

Story summary:

The war is over for everyone but Katara, who keeps seeing the scarred face of the boy who sacrificed himself for her and for the world everywhere she looks. When she finds out why she is experiencing these so-called hallucinations, she may be led right into a trap centuries in the making.

Here's chapter 2 of Your Face, I See. 

You can also read it on AO3.

Teardrops marked her path like breadcrumbs as she made her way through the empty streets of the Fire Nation capitol. She raced toward the palace, desperate to believe that what propelled her was just another hallucination, albeit much more terrifying this time. She wasn't even sure the voice that sounded so much like Yue had been real. Why had she talked about Tui and La? Why had her visions of Zuko intensified? Why could she now hear his voice? She was convinced that her mind was lost, reduced to ash by the flames of Sozin's comet.

Katara threw open one of the grand, heavy doors of the palace. Her feet pounded into the lacquered wood floor, aching with each impact. Her breath was frayed, lungs inflating jaggedly as she struggled to take in the breaths needed to recover from her long, swift escape. Her passage through the daunting royal halls was blighted by tears and dim torchlight. She wiped at her eyes pointlessly as she pressed on.

The many-legged monstrosity had not followed her. She ran from her fear, her grief, and her doubt. She ran aimlessly, toward nothing in particular. She ran straight into something solid but soft.

"Master Katara?"

At first she didn't want to hear another voice, but when it's owner registered in her mind, she turned her chin upward to meet the surprised gaze of Fire Lord Iroh. His face was gaunt but kind, his half-illuminated expression full of concern. She blinked slowly, finally able to gain some clarity in her blurred vision. This was the first time she had seen this man since the joyless coronation ceremony held shortly after the end of the Hundred Years War. He had used the duties of the crown to avoid the younger war heroes almost completely, only holding audience with Aang and even then infrequently. The reluctant ruler had lost his lust for life with the loss of his nephew. He operated only in duty now.

He gazed at her, confused at her sudden appearance in a misplaced palace hallway. At her silence, he tried again.

"Master Katara? What are you doing in this part of the palace, especially so late at night?" His tone was doleful and flat, but not accusatory. He sounded tired, and uncharacteristically old.

She tried to maintain the facade she had so carefully cultivated over the recent months. She tried to reinforce the levies of her fears and sadness. With the sound of Iroh's broken spirit, the waterbender was overcome. Her emotion spilled over the dams she had built like a tidal wave.

She launched herself at the man's midsection, burying her face in the silk of his robes. She soaked them with all of her pent up mourning, all of the anguish, consternation and madness. Iroh stood for a moment, unmoving, before finally pulling the crying girl into an empathetic embrace. She sobbed, openly and fiercely, the sounds eventually trying to form words that were finally ready to come out.

"I can't stop seeing him."

Iroh resisted the urge to pull away from the soggy girl at her admission, instead placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. He waited a moment before calmly asking the question he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to.

"Can't stop seeing who?" It was at that point he felt her tug, removing herself from the sleeve of his robe to look directly at him.

"Zuko."

Iroh took a small step back, regret clear in his features. The suspicion had been present in his mind since the girl spoke her first sopping words to him in the darkness, but to hear it caused his latent guilt to come roaring back to life like a tigerdillo. At the same time, the tidal wave of emotion in Katara had begun to recede. She couldn't continue to meet the old man's forlorn gaze. Her wind-tangled hair fell around her shoulders as she studied the floor.

"He's been haunting me ever since. . ." she paused, sniffling hard, before continuing quietly. "About a week after he. . .after he died."

The aged Fire Lord pondered for a moment. Silence hung between the two figures huddled in the opulence of the royal chambers like the fine tapestries on the wall. Iroh was slow in his words as he responded, returning to the sagely demeanor that had defined his character prior to the end of the war.

"Grief. . .does many things to people," he started, stroking his beard. "It can often feel like a negative spirit hanging over you, or a curse. You most of all were connected to the. . ." the older man lost his words at this point, but regained them after a moment, "the loss we all suffered. You were there. You were. . ."

Katara didn't lift her head or move from the spot as Iroh found himself unable to finish his statement. "In any case, I'm sure you wi-"

The water tribe peasant demonstrated her knowledge of and respect for Fire Nation customs as she pointedly interrupted it's ruler.

"I only see his face, always just staring at me. But tonight he called my name, asking me to help him. Begging me. But this time there was a monster and-" the words tumbled out of her as she faced Iroh again, only coming to a halt when he grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What kind of monster?!" His whisper was a shout in disguise.

"I-it crawled. It had so many legs, like a giant centipede. But it had his face," Katara felt her eyes stinging again as she recounted the features of the miscreation that had poached the scarred visage of the fire prince. "I don't know," she shook her head, hands on either ear, "I didn't look at it too long. I ran straight back here."

The already feeble posture of the lament-laden Fire Lord continued to cave. It was as if Iroh had lost his footing on the thick wood of the palace hall.

He uttered one syllable, his eyes unfocused. "Koh."

Katara let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding on to.

"Who-what is Koh?" she hurled her question more forcefully than she meant to. The possibility that she may not just be going insane had slipped from her weeks ago.

Iroh turned from her, waiting before speaking. "The face stealer, a nefarious spirit," he replied. The wizened old firebender muttered to himself quietly while Katara attempted to process what had already been said.

"A face...stealer?" the information settled into the young girl like a stone in a lake. "You mean it. . .he. . .Zuko. . ."

The waterbender quieted, a different kind of storm brewing inside of her. Her voice was a low rumble when it came from her next.

"Do you mean to tell me that this. . .Koh. . .stole Zuko's face in the spirit world and has been haunting me with it ever since?"

Iroh placed a palm on the crimson painted wall of the palace hallway, steadying himself on this renewed grief.

"It would appear so," he replied softly, sadly.

"So how do we save him?" Again her inquiry was hushed, a murmur of hope too scared to make itself known.

"We don't."

The Fire Lord's voice was a scratch in the darkness as he uttered the short response, as if the words themselves burned in his throat like his element uncontrolled.

The growing thunder in Katara rumbled louder.

"What do you mean 'we don't'?"

"Master Katara," Iroh began, "this spirit is dangerous."

She stared intently at the older man, her lips a thin quivering line of a response not yet ready to be released. In its stead, the tired ruler continued.

"When I was a younger man, after I lost Lu Ten, I entered the spirit world to find him, to bring him back. It took many months of study, and in trying to find my way in, I also found knowledge of Koh the face stealer, a spirit who can take your face if you show any hint of emotion in his presence," he explained, "If you go after him, it will only be to give him your face, too. I do not know of a way to defeat him."

Katara stood firm. The sadness that had hovered over her like a stormcloud for months finally snapped, and the waterbender unleashed the full power of the anger that now coursed through her like the lightning that had been its origin.

"Dangerous? I've been haunted by this spirit for months. I've been seeing Zuko's face everywhere, and I thought it was just guilt, just sadness, just me going crazy because he died saving me. He died saving me and for what?" she cried, her emphatic syllables echoing through the chamber. "For me to do nothing? For me to be afraid? Even if I can't bring him back, I can't leave his spirit like that. He risked it all, his country, his future. . ."

Her words slowed as the tempest within her drained itself. Her voice broke and quieted again as she finished her thought.

"I can at least risk my face. I can at least. . ." She felt her own fingers lightly touching her left cheek as she trailed off.

Her companion waited, ensuring the storm had passed before issuing his decree.

"I forbid it."

The assertion was strong, an uncharacteristic order more suited to the Dragon of the West than the grief-stricken old man he had become.

"You will lose yourself in this doomed quest. Do not try to go after Koh, Master Katara," he softened, adding one final thought to his order. "I will have the fire sages and the healers work to find you a remedy for this influence. You shouldn't see him again."

Tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes as she refused to allow them to look up at the man in front of her.

"I will go to them in the morning, Fire Lord Iroh," she responded weakly, "now I am tired. May I please be excused to my chambers?" He bid her the leave she requested, but not before placing both hands on her shoulders in a gesture of comfort to the wounded girl.

"I promise you will have peace, my dear," he said calmly, his own pain present in his tone, "the sages have access to vast libraries of spiritual knowledge that will be used to heal you of this affliction. "

He barely heard her mutter a thank you before she bowed and quickly made her way down the grand hallway.

[coffeestainsandcashmere]

Hey, I'd like to say that I'm very glad you've brought your Hermione x Draco x Theo to tumblr. Your ficlets are brilliant! As a prompt, what do you make of Hermione and Theo jumping to Draco's defence when he's on the receiving end of verbal abuse in Diagon Alley??

Thank you so much!! Here’s a longer one for you. I hope you enjoy it!

Featuring the trio on a shopping trip to Diagon Alley, and a cameo from Harry and Ginny too because I love the platonic friendship between them, and I want everyone to be friends in the end...

Obvious warnings for verbal abuse directed at Draco (and Hermione to a certain extent).

___

“I need to pop into Flourish and Blotts before we go for drinks. Harry and Ginny won’t mind if we’re a bit late…” Hermione said almost apologetically, but Draco just chuckled and bowed his head, ushering her in front of him with a courtly wave of his pale hand. It might have looked obsequious to anyone else, but the self-deprecating humour in his eyes made her heart clench.  

Stepping close to him as she passed, Hermione pressed her palms to his chest and surprised him with a kiss to his still-smiling lips. If the flush in his cheeks was anything to go by, he hadn’t been expecting the gesture.  

Before either of them had the chance to do anything else, however, someone spat and hissed at them from behind Hermione. “Death Eater scum,” the middle aged man sneered. “We don’t want the likes of you here, polluting Diagon Alley!  And you, Miss Granger, should be ashamed of yourself - consorting with Death Eaters…”

Hermione saw red.  

Theo didn’t draw his wand, but immediately put himself between Hermione and the wizard while Draco stood perfectly still behind them, jaw clenched, the recent flush evaporating to leave glacially white skin.  

“How dare you!” she shrilled at the man while Theo’s dark blue eyes fixed him to the spot. The usually bookish, scholarly young man now had a poise and readiness to him that spoke of a master of spellcrafting. A flick of his wrist could have had untold consequences for the offending man, and his furious, ashen face showed it. His height - towering over Draco, Hermione, and the vile little man at nearly six foot four - may have contributed too.  

“Draco Malfoy has been commended by the Minister for Magic himself, for his bravery at the end of the war in not betraying Harry Potter when it would have been the easiest thing in the world to speak his name. How dare you make such assumptions! And where were you anyway? Where were you while children fought against Voldemort? And won!”  

“Hermione,” Theo murmured warily, turning to face her slightly. His fingers curled around his wand, out of sight but ready in his pocket.

Nostrils flared, Hermione drew a deep breath and fell silent, though her eyes never left the wizard standing nearby. He looked suddenly a little sweaty around the temples.  

Theo turned back to him and said in a low, dangerous voice, “I suggest you leave now, and keep comments like that to yourself from now on, hmm? Better yet, open your fucking mind, ok?” And when the wizard seemed rooted to the spot by the ferocity of the reaction his words had elicited, Theo raised one eyebrow and jutted his chin at him, and the man finally scuttled off, coming to his senses in a rush.  

Almost shaking with rage, Hermione turned back to look at Draco. The young man stood statue-still, watching the two of them with an inscrutable expression on his pinched face.  

“Draco?” Theo murmured, leaving Hermione’s side and crossing to him, cupping his face with an elegant hand. He kissed him gently on the lips and Draco’s eyelids fluttered, lashes glinting like silver leaf.  

“Let’s go,” he rasped, turning away and breaking the contact. 

As Draco walked off alone up the cobbled street, Hermione and Theo exchanged a wordless look, linked hands, and followed after him. Their stay in Flourish and Blotts was not long, the jubilant atmosphere now somewhat crushed, and in fact they arrived at The Leaky Cauldron a little earlier than planned. There was no sign of the others yet either, so once they were ensconced with their drinks in a private corner near the back of the ancient warren of a pub, Hermione placed her hand on Draco’s solid, slender thigh and squeezed. “Are you alright?”

His head snapped up and he met her gaze with glistening, moon-bright eyes. “Am I alright?” he asked in a breathless, incredulous whisper. “Hermione, are you?”  

She frowned, visibly taken aback by the question. “I’m not the one who was just openly called a Death Eater, Draco,” she growled through clenched teeth.  

To her surprise, Draco’s expression melted at that, his shoulders dropped, and his whole body grew soft and tender. He reached falteringly for her cheek and brushed the knuckles of his left hand reverently over her flushed skin. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed.  

“Draco?”  

His lips tugged upwards into a tiny, private smile, and the warmth returned to his silver eyes. He dropped his hand back to his lap. “I’m fine. It’s hardly the worst I’ve ever been called. I’m just sorry you got tarred with the same brush.”  

When that only deepened the scowl on her face, he sighed.  

“Hermione, that’s… What happened today is not going to be an uncommon occurrence if you stay with us. Theo’s… more of a grey area for them, what with his relative anonymity. Despite his father’s… associations… he’s much less well known. You’re —” he shrugged expressively in her direction, “— Hermione Granger. Everyone in the wizarding world knows your face.”

“Then they’d better get used to seeing it next to yours,” she said, eyes blazing. She snatched up Draco’s hand and set her other one palm-up on the table for Theo to slide his into. Connected like that, she felt that familiar thrum of magic run between them, free and easy as a water droplet down a pane of glass. “Both of you. We just… work together, Draco; we fit. And I’m not going to back down or bow out just because people think they know everything about you just from one moment in your life, Draco.”

He swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly, and looked at Theo, finding the same quiet passion roiling in his sapphire eyes. Theo nodded slowly. “Get used to it, Draco. Our Gryffindor lioness is terribly protective of us too, you know?”

A wry smile twisted Draco’s full lips up into a lopsided grin. “A lioness with a snake beneath each paw, huh?”

“You’d better believe it,” she said, breaking their handholds to lean over and take a gulp of his whisky.  

“Starting the drinks without us?” came a familiar, amused voice from behind her, and she made a noise of surprise behind the mouthful of firewhisky.

She set Draco’s tumbler down, amber liquid sloshing around, and looked over her shoulder to see Ginny and Harry standing there hand in hand, both smiling.

Harry’s trained gaze - as both auror and friend - took in the vivid sheen to her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, and the tension in her shoulders, and he tilted his head. “Everything alright?” he asked in a quiet voice as she stood to greet him.  

She nodded. “Yeah. Thanks,” she said, and threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him so hard he coughed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I exist as well, you know?” Ginny snorted as Hermione finally released the young woman’s fiancé. The laughter in Ginny’s voice chased away the last of Hermione’s lingering ire and sadness, and she flung herself with equal fervour at her too.  

When they parted, Hermione slid in beside Theo this time, who nodded at the others. “Ginny, Harry, lovely to see you,” he said warmly.  

“Likewise,” Harry grinned. “Though I’d have thought that Hermione would have loaded you both up with books like pack mules after a visit to Diagon Alley… Where are they all?”

“We didn’t stay long in Flourish and Blotts this time,” she said carefully. “Plus, I’ve got my bag anyway…” she said, with special emphasis.  

“Ah,” he said. “I’ll forget I saw that then, Hermione,” the auror chuckled.

Ginny, still standing, looked at Malfoy and unleashed a deadly grin at him; all teeth. “Ferret,” she said without bite.  

“Weasel,” he returned fondly as she slid into the seat beside him. “Good to see you. Congratulations on making the team,” he added.

Ginny blushed and Hermione looked at her. “You made chaser?”

“First chaser now,” she said, freckles obliterated by the rising colour.  

“Ginny, that’s fantastic!” Hermione practically shrieked. Theo even put his finger comically in his ear and she thwacked him on the arm for it. “Shut up, you,” she snorted affectionately at him and he flashed her his trademark, dimpled grin. “That’s amazing news. Let us get you a drink to celebrate!”  

As the banter flitted between the five of them, the wizard’s comments from the Alley were slowly forgotten. The laughter returned to Draco’s silver eyes as he watched Hermione gesticulating with her hands over her gin and tonic, and he smiled when he caught Theo shifting the drink a little further towards him for safety. A lump formed in his throat that no amount of whisky would ever wash down.  

Much later that night, as he lay with Hermione’s head pillowed on his chest, her curls all over the pillow beside them, and with Theo tucked up on his side next to him, snoring softly, a few wayward twists of his hair tickling Draco’s forehead, Draco stroked his fingers through Hermione’s hair and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.  

She shifted, the movement a sleepy question in itself, and he sighed, leaving another kiss there amid her wild hair before whispering, “I love you, Granger.”

“I love you too, Malfoy,” she mumbled.  

The arm slung across his chest tightened momentarily, but it did nothing to still the swirling cloud of silver butterflies that fluttered around inside his ribcage at her words. Those words would never get old or tired, no matter how long he lived or how old and tired he got.  

With one final kiss each to Theo and Hermione, Draco finally let himself drift off to sleep.

___

If you enjoyed, please reblog and share! I’m new to the fandom on here and appreciate all the help I can get!

___

writing masterlist | Ao3

[damnit-samnit]

Attachment - Chapter 15 Preview

Look for this tomorrow, my loves. I’ll try to get it out around 9-10pm EST but NEVER take my word when it comes to times because I suck.

---

“Oh come one,” you said, rubbing your face. “Don’t get all self-righteous on me.”

“Self-righteous!” Yume rolled her eyes. “I’m worried. This guy he just… he doesn’t seem right.”

“You don’t even know him!”

“Exactly! I’ve been your friend for how many years? This is the first guy you ever dated that you haven’t brought around!”

You had a snappy retort lined up but at the word ‘date’ you lost your thunder.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it dating…” you muttered and Yume gestured wildly at you.

“Red flag!”

You scoffed, tossing a couch pillow at her. “Get out of here with your red flags.”

“There’s something off about the whole situation you’re in.” She was reaching for her phone, her brows furrowed. “You don’t bring ��the man’ around, you’re letting him give you all these marks, he’s breaking stuff in your house, he keeps calling you. All I’m seeing is red flags. How long have you been seeing him?”

Yume threw up air quotes as she spoke the last two words that made you flinch.

Truth or lie? Truth or lie?

“A couple weeks,” you said, splitting the difference.

She pointed at you. “You’re lying.”

“Fine, don’t believe me.” You were bristling up, appalled she didn’t believe your half-lie. The television show had clearly been forgotten. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

“When did you get so…” Yume paused, screwing her face up as she searched for the proper word. “Antagonistic?”

“Antagonistic!?” You snorted. “I got antagonistic the moment you started up with your holier-than-thou attitude! Last time I checked, I’m an adult capable of making my own decisions. I’m not an idiot and I don’t need you coming around hounding me about things you don’t even know about!”

“I’m your best friend!” Yume said, voice rising slightly as passion was interjected into your conversation. “It hurts that you don’t want to share this with me! What, do you think I’m going to judge you or something?”

“You clearly are judging me!” Your voice was also getting higher and louder, matching hers. “Literally, rewind the clock back fifteen seconds!”

“Honey, you’re confusing--”

“Now you’re getting condescending!”

“-- concern with judgment!”

“Yum, come on, I think I can handle myself--”

“Humor me. Please, humor me for like five minutes. I just want to ask you some questions about your relationship--”

“Stop. This is--”

“-- Please. I’m begging you. If our friendship means anything to you, just answer these questions. Please.”

The levity in her voice made the argument in you die. Her hands were pressed together, face twisted into a pleading frown. You inhaled deeply and loudly, before closing your eyes.

“What kind of questions?”

“Simple ones to make sure you’re okay. Just answer them truthfully. Yes or no. You don’t need to give details.”

She was tapping away on her phone and you reached for your water bottle, uneasily shifting your gaze between her and the television. A new episode of had already begun to autoplay -- you had no idea what was happening.

“Ready?” she asked and you could only shrug in response. “Now, these are questions about him, okay? First one -- does he admit to his mistakes? Does he accept responsibility for his behavior?”

No.

Well, sometimes. He seemed… apologetic enough with the whole lab incident. That’s admitting a mistake, right?

“Yes,” you lied, gripping your water bottle tighter, trying to keep the same apathetic face.

Yume pursed her lips but continued.

“Does he accept your word? Give you the benefit of the doubt?”

I mean, there was the whole hero fucker comment. But you told him you only had eyes for him. He trusts you…

Right?

“Yes…” you answered, though there was some uncertainty in your tone. Catching yourself, you nodded firmly at Yume, an attempt to make it seem as if the wording of the question had tripped you up, not what it was asking.

“Does he ask, not expect? Is he willing to comprise? Does he accept change?”

… Yes? Well, no. But also yes.

Mostly no.

“Yes,” you said after a tight swallow. “We haven’t been seeing each other for very long, so it’s hard to answer these types of questions--”

“Does he refuse to intimidate or manipulate? Does he respect physical space and express himself non-violently?”

That’s a hard no.

“Yes,” you responded. Yume lowered her phone, looking at you tiredly. You flared up. “Yes! Listen, if you’re not going to believe me--”

“Does he communicate openly and truthfully?”

Maybe? Well, he refused to tell you his name…

“Most of the time, yes.”

She didn’t like that answer. Her frown grew in size.

“Last question -- does he value your opinions? Does he listen non-judgmentally? Is he understanding?”

Is he understanding? You had to keep yourself from releasing a sharp laugh. No, you wouldn’t call All Might particularly understanding.

“Yes!” you answered. “Yes, yes, yes! What is this? What are you trying to get at?”

“Basic questions to determine if your relationship is healthy.” She turned her phone toward you so you could see the chart she had been reading from. “Any ‘no’ is a red flag.”

You were rubbing your face again, mussing your eyebrows as your hands traveled over your eyes. There was a pinching inside your skull -- you weren’t sure if it was a headache brewing or the side-effect of the adrenaline from your disagreement.

“You always do this,” you snapped, glaring at her when you removed your palms from your eyes. “You always come in and make me feel like shit about my life.”

Yume looked dumbstruck, caught off-guard by the venom in your voice.

“I never want to make you feel like bad--!”

“That’s bullshit.” You could feel anger and nerves pricking the back of your neck, making your hands shake and heart pound. “I get it Yume. Honestly, I do. You’re the golden child. The one who has her life together.”

“I think we’re getting off topic here,” Yume said, holding up her hands to try and settle you down. “I just want you to be happy and safe!”

But you couldn’t. She had opened the Pandora’s Box of your emotions and all your stress over the past couple of weeks manifested itself into anger.

Anger at her.

“I’m the fuck-up of the group.” Your lip was curling slightly as your hold on your water tightened. “The girl who got fired from her first good job. Who went and worked at her shitty lab with her night shifts while everyone else went on to live their perfect lives. You always have to swoop in to save me, don’t ya Yum? First in school, now in the real world.”

An awkwardness was settling over the room. You were ready to unleash while Yume was more taken aback. She had only seen you get mad a few times over minor stuff. This… this was something more.

“Hey--”

“You’re not my mother. I don’t need you to coddle me. Rescue me. I didn’t need the Odaiba Lab job. I was doing just fine on my own.”

You felt drained -- you didn’t have the personality or motivation to go after your best friend.

A tense silence blanketed your living room, neither one of you wanting to break.

A minute passed. Then two.

You didn’t like it. You weren’t one to snap out in anger.

You were so stressed.

“I was doing fine,” you reiterated, but it was less toward Yume. How many personal storms had you weathered? How many times did you think your life was on the brink of capsizing, only for the clouds to break and the rain to stop? “I’ve always been fine. I always made it work.”

A beeping started going off from the kitchen. Yume eyes flickered in the direction it was coming from before falling back on you.

It was okay.

It always ended up okay.

“I don’t know what I have with him,” you grumbled, ignoring the loud and repetitive sound in the background. You had fixated on a pillow. You were talking at the pillow. “He’s not the best person in the world. He has his issues. And it might not be healthy. But I like him. And I think…” You shrugged at the pillow. “I think I can handle him.”

“But long-term?” You heard a sigh. “I… I don’t want you to cling to someone because you don’t want to be alone.”

Don’t want to be alone.

“What are these, the best years of our lives?” She continued with a wry smile you didn’t see. “Don’t waste time on someone who doesn’t deserve you. You’re worth more than that. That’s all I’m going to say.”

You still wouldn’t look up, the beeping was continuing and Yume cleared her throat.

“I know you can handle yourself,” she added and you flinched, already regretting your outburst. “I only step in because I want you to be at your best. I want you to be happy. I’d offer to stop but… I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”

You cracked a smile at that. 

At least she was being honest.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“The potatoes are done,” you mumbled, standing. “I’ll get ‘em.”

[moodring89]

[Taegi] Espresso Marmalade Ch.3

Pairing: Taehyung / Yoongi (ft. side Jikook) Rated: M / NC-17 Genre: BDSM!AU Tags: Dom!Yoongi, Sub!Tae, Shibari, Master/Slave, Canes, Impact Play       Summary: Jeongguk was more eager to get inside the club, taking long strides to the set of black steel doors. It was the younger’s idea to bring Taehyung to Void. Seoul’s first fetish house, an upscale BDSM parlor that was legally permitted and licensed. Or the one where Tae’s a meek virgin who catches the eye of Void’s most popular dom. Previous chapters: 01 , 02,

*Problem with the layout? Read on ao3 here.

Chapter Three: the Boy Who Lies It was a thirty minute drive to Void, giving Taehyung ample time to self-reflect on his anger, except he wasn’t going to do that. There was no pressing down on the brakes once he’d abandoned Jeongguk, dead set on breaking something precious of Jimin’s, a wrist, his pretty face, anything to placate the rage he felt then. He kept thinking back on that boy, Woozi – continuously, continuously, and continuously. How the audience took him in with some sort of cruel, refined amusement; how Taehyung himself had watched as he was punished, haunted by the fact that he’d liked it. Then he imagined Jeongguk in Woozi’s stead, being tortured in an open room because of his indiscretion. Honestly, he felt more like an overbearing parent than a friend at the moment. Taehyung was always an old soul, too judgmental at times and prone to being annoyingly willful. He wasn’t thinking of how this might hurt Jeongguk, how it might jeopardize whatever bullshit relationship he had with Jimin. It wasn’t real, anyway, right? Taehyung had seen it firsthand, existing in the red, angry lines across Jeongguk’s back. Love wasn’t supposed to be so fucking violent. It was one o’clock in the morning when Taehyung pulled up outside the club. Denizens were pouring in and out the doors. It was a busy night, apparently. He killed the ignition and stepped out into the cold air. He’d been in such a rush to leave the dormitory that he forgot to grab his coat. It hardly mattered with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the anger mixing with raw, nervous energy – warming him through. Taehyung was a storm; one that was ready to be unleashed. Just fucking watch him go. He threw open the doors to Void as if he owned the place. Taehyung was so focused on his current objective that he didn’t question a single, goddamn thing. No – the gentleman wearing a leather dog hood with mittens leashed by a fucking space demon, that – that was all well and dandy. The reception area was swarming with new patrons to one side and the regular check-ins on the other. Luckily, all Taehyung had to do was flash his ID due to his past visit being logged, and he was allowed entry. “Oh, gorgeous,” the woman behind the desk said – it was the same receptionist he’d met on his first night at Void. Tonight she wore a nametag that read, ‘Claire’. She leaned over the desk, her large, full set of breasts spilling over her forearms. “I knew you’d come back for more trouble.” Truer words… “It was hard to stay away,” Taehyung said, lying as easy as breathing when there was partial truth to it. “Can you tell me whether or not a specific scene professional is here right now?” She raised an inquisitive brow, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her pointed nose, “For an appointment or a show?” ‘For an ugly confrontation and an ass beating,’ Taehyung mused quietly to himself. “It’s about a question I have in regards to using a scarf as binding material for an over-arm tie. Do you know if Jimin is still around this evening?” “You drove here just for an inquiry?” Claire teased, tucking a hand beneath her chin, as though that was the most adorable thing to have happened, ever. In any case, she could tell that he was serious. “Jimin finished with his last appointment not too long ago.” The receptionist found it a little bit odd that Taehyung showed up within the same hour that his friend had left. “However, his shift doesn’t end for another twenty minutes. You can usually find him in the lounge area.” Taehyung said nothing else, wordlessly headed for the corridor that would bring him to the main room. Reflecting what he’d seen from outside alone, the club was packed, maybe even more so than it had been last week, except this time he didn’t have anyone with him. He was alone, a small fish swimming in an ocean of sharks. It didn’t matter to him that he was gaining looks, heads turning as he walked by. Then he remembered the unspoken dress code and realized that he was once again, sticking out like a sore thumb. Oh, goddamn it. He was wearing a baggy pair of black pants and one of his night shirts. The collar of it was beyond stretched out, exposing the pretty contours of his collarbones, the white fabric falling off one shoulder. He reached for his scarf and was coming up empty, cursing low when he realized that he’d left it in the car. Fuck it. He could deal with being openly stared at for a short while, his venture too important to abandon for a wardrobe malfunction. This wasn’t going to take long, anyway. All he had to do now was find his target. The lounge was more chaotic at this late hour, scenes unfolding like the first time Taehyung had attended, except they weren’t being performed on stages, but on ground level, and by the guests themselves while being supervised. It might be hopeless to find Jimin at this point, the room considerably less orderly, which meant it was more intimidating for Taehyung. He did a slow turn, taking in all that was around him – fighting not to get distracted while on the lookout for silver hair. The bar was completely full, all stools occupied, save for the black button tufted booths. The area was dimmed, the only light coming from small string lamps that illuminated the center of each table, leaving all else shrouded in darkness. Just when Taehyung was about ready to give in to despair, seated at the furthest booth, was Jimin. He was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt with his hair mostly concealed beneath it, wrapping his spit slickened lips around a glass of water. Alone. How opportunistic…Taehyung was a force that couldn’t be stopped at that point as he pushed his way through the crowd that separated them. All he could think about were the bruises, all deep and prominent across Jeongguk’s body. How glossy eyed and sad the younger had looked while he defended the asshole. Jimin sensed the boy’s presence before he saw him. Violence was a good way to end the night, he supposed, as he calmly placed his water down and out of the way. He knew that in about five seconds that he was going to be placed on top of the table. It was Jeongguk’s ‘bestie’ – the kid who’d already caused him enough grief. Taehyung was headed straight for him with the elder allowing it to happen. Jimin kept his arms at his sides when he was abruptly dragged up to his feet by Taehyung’s large hands twisting in the front of his shirt. The table rattled as he was roughly shoved into it. Taehyung was gorgeous, even while furious. Jimin could understand Yoongi a bit more from this angle, could see the appeal in every line of his devastating features, and he could feel the strength in the intensity of his trembling form. It incited Jimin’s own bout of anger – however, unlike Taehyung, he was able to manage it, “Taehyung-ssi, right? Do you not know how to hold a normal conversation?” “Normal conversations are meant for normal people, not for assholes like you. I’m so sick of hearing how much you care for Jeongguk, when you hurt him on whim. You hurt him because of me,” Taehyung said, voice oddly calm despite how clearly pissed off he was, pressing all of his weight into Jimin. “Wow, you really understand nothing, do you? You’re very wrong and I didn’t hurt him, because of you…although, you certainly didn’t help the case.” Jimin was tired of situations such as these. They happened so often in the form of ex-lovers, concerned family members, friends storming in like they were saviors. Ignorance at its finest, people so quick to judge, growing up with a set of beliefs, protected by their rose-colored glasses. They were sad, deluded people. “I gave Jeongguk exactly what he asked for and you’d know that if you cared enough to listen to him. Truth is, you’ve been a bad influence on my submissive, Taehyung-ssi.” Taehyung wondered what that meant, giving Jeongguk ‘exactly what he asked for’. It was unfathomable that Jeongguk thought this was love. Taehyung leaned in towards the elder, as if closeness served as some sort of dial for anger that he kept steadily cranking up, growing harsh, “Don’t talk about him like he’s some fucking pet of yours, because he isn’t. He’s my best friend, he’s a whole person, and you’re just a piece of shit looking for reasons to inflict pain on others.” “Oh, but Jeongguk is my pet,” Jimin murmured softly, bringing his face a mere inch away from Taehyung’s, invading what little that was left of his personal space as a subtle way of pushing back. “What are you going to do once he moves in with me? Picket outside my loft? He has a ways to go with his training, but it’s inevitable. So long as he wants me, I’m not letting him go. And I also think you owe it to yourself to admit that all of this makes you jealous.” Taehyung’s cheeks flushed at the accusation, actually livid. “It’s not like that with Guk.” “Not all jealousy has to be of the romantic sort,” Jimin said, as he slowly moved his hand to the fist still curled in his shirt, trying to gently coax Taehyung’s fingers open to release him. The boy didn’t budge. “Jeongguk has found himself. He knows what he wants, what he likes, but who are you? What is it that you want, Taehyung-ssi?” “What I want is to hurt you for what you did by breaking each of your fingers, so that you can never touch him again,” Taehyung managed to get out in one shaky, overwhelming breath. He felt himself slipping into that part of himself that he couldn’t control. His weakness was impulse, forever and always. One hand released Jimin in favor of reeling his arm back, imitating the elder’s sweet politeness, “I want to leave my own mark, ‘Jimin-ssi’.” Jimin could tell that the Taehyung’s fit of rage would not be easily settled or assuaged with neither words, nor logic. Right now Taehyung felt justified in raising his fist – Jimin knew that he couldn’t be stopped, at least not without using force. He didn’t need an upset submissive, especially now. Jimin looked him dead in the eye, “That’s an awful lot of greed for one boy. Luckily for you, I like to indulge. Go ahead.” What the hell was his problem? ‘Whatever,’ he thought, ‘open invitation or not, it’s still gonna feel good and right.’ Just as Taehyung came down to strike Jimin, an arm abruptly hooked around his own, preventing him from going any further. The monitor from the other night, Namjoon, had to use most of his strength to pull the boy off of him. Jimin released his white knuckled grip from the table, having been prepared for Taehyung to hit him, “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.” Namjoon gave a healthy roll of his eyes, “Excuse me for having not yet mastered the art of teleportation. And you –” The monitor hadn’t been expecting to catch Taehyung’s fist square in the jaw, staggering back a couple steps. Fuck. Namjoon grunted at the discomfort, but was ready to defend himself, blocking Taehyung’s next swing, before delivering his own. He could hear the howls of laughter coming from his earpiece, Wonshik was rolling, “Ah, man! That was great…Good thing we got it all on film. I thought you were faster than that, hyung-nim, but nope. You suck and there’s comfort to be had there. Anyways, face recognition pulled up a one Kim Taehyung. He’s brand-spankin’ new.” “Not anymore he’s not,” Namjoon said, as he stared down at Taehyung, ignoring the ache in his lower jaw. The boy was sitting up on his elbows, watching the monitor from his spot on the floor where the blow had sent him. Taehyung’s lip was busted open, broad chest rising and falling, still worked up and seething mad. Namjoon didn’t like it – not one fucking bit, as he decided to put an end to it, “Kim Taehyung, I sentence you–” “Wait,” Jimin said, gently placing a hand on Namjoon’s forearm, stopping him before he could make Taehyung’s removal official. Once it was done, there would be no way of reversing it. “Before you do your song and dance, you should know that…” There was only one sure way of overriding a monitor’s power, “…this boy has a master.” It wasn’t the truth, but it was close enough. It might even help the little brat, Yoongi and Taehyung both. ‘Breathe, Jimin,’ Yoongi said, tearing his eyes away from the corridor that Taehyung and his little bunny friend had practically ran to make an escape down. The younger remained silent in the aftermath of Jeongguk’s outright display of disobedience. It’d felt like a slap in the face. He stared holes into the Persian carpet, searching for an explanation as to what had just transpired, since it made no sense at all.   ‘Jeongguk has never…’ Jimin murmured softly, voice barely above a whisper. It wasn’t like him to get angry over such things. A dom had to always remain in control, especially of their own emotions. Right now, he was being woefully transparent. ‘He would never behave this way. Who the hell was that kid he was with, this ‘Taehyung’?’ Yoongi was amazed over the fact that Jimin had gone so long without a submissive being a huge fucking brat. He threw out the obvious as a friendly reminder, ‘When a sub acts out, it’s rarely unintentional. They want to see what they can get away with, how far they can push you, since that’s when a dom is most expressive. You should give your bunny what he so desperately wants from you…’ ‘Jeongguk is in love with me. So, he’d want a great deal more than what I’m capable of giving to him,’ Jimin said, unsure of why it hadn’t felt wrong to expose something so intimate to Yoongi. The elder was a seasoned professional, one who’d probably been in the same situation multiple times before. Maybe that was it. ‘I’ve known for a few weeks now, but it’s starting to get intense.’ ‘He’s young and also new to the community.’ Yoongi shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, tired, and freezing in a perfectly warm room. He shrugged with a show of nonchalance, ‘Of course he’s in love with you. Wait–he wasn’t a virgin, was he?’ Jimin was almost offended by the question. He shook his head, much to the elder’s relief, ‘Come now, I’m not that stupid. The only thing with that is, he never enjoyed his past sexual experiences, and he always topped. I guess I’m his first in a different way.’ ‘Christ. Be careful, especially if you don’t plan on reciprocating his feelings. Although, if you ever decide to go there with him I wouldn’t judge you for it, and I’d personally knock the teeth out of anyone who did,’ Yoongi said honestly, having personally been faced with that battle. If Jimin denied how he felt right now, he’d call him a fucking liar. It was obvious that he was taken with his rope bunny. ‘I now fully understand why you stopped taking submissives into your care.’ Jimin hadn’t meant to say that, the regret already settling into a frown on his face. He enjoyed taking care of someone. Jimin also loved being needed by others. He looked over at Yoongi, taking in the hint of amusement there, a faded look of fondness that was usually lost on him. ‘Unless you were rethinking your retirement?’ ‘Taehyung is a boy who’s lost…’ It wasn’t that simple, it hardly ever was. Taehyung was absolutely stunning, a burning flame, the sun personified. After only two seconds of meeting, Yoongi could tell that he was fucking complicated. ‘…he’s a boy who lies to himself.’ Jimin raised a brow, wondering if he should be concerned, or intrigued. ‘It doesn’t sound like you’re all that put off by it.’ ‘That’s probably because I’m not.’ Yoongi peered over at Jimin seriously, taking in his look of surprise. ‘Should Taehyung return, I’ll make him mine.’ “Oh, the fuck I do,” Taehyung spat out venomously, as he started pulling himself up to his feet. He paused to glare at the two hands being extended to help him, Jimin and Namjoon’s both, “Are you kidding me? Look, I don’t know why this duck-looking motherfucker is lying to you, but I belong to no one.” “Such brave talk, but I think we’ve had enough of the heroics for one evening, don’t you?” Jimin was practically glowing with amusement, almost pitying the boy for his next move. He turned towards Namjoon, “Let Sugar know that his little pet is out here causing a scene.” Taehyung felt his blood run cold at the mention of Yoongi’s scene name. There was no way that could be allowed to happen. The implication alone was laughable, that he belonged to – to his professor? He pressed his tongue to the gash at the center of his bottom lip, tasting the thick rivulets of blood there, thinking of a way out of it. Hell, he would’ve contemplated more violence, if not for the odds being stacked so high against him. “I’ll just leave.” “This is odd behavior for a pet,” Namjoon said, ignoring Taehyung’s declaration to raise a skeptical brow at Jimin. “It's also common knowledge that Sugar doesn’t take submissives anymore, and he hasn’t for quite some time.” “This one here is his saving grace,” Jimin insisted, the lie absent in his words, fully believing in his own statement. Call it good intuition. Taehyung had potential, especially if Yoongi was able to see it already. The elder had always been so perceptive, so very good at reading others, knowing exactly what they wanted, what they craved. “Sugar’s exceptional boy…” “Well that’s – that’s fucking cute, but…” Taehyung laughed, without the amusement, taking dangerous strides closer towards the shibari expert. Namjoon was there, pressing a firm hand to the boy’s chest as Jimin lowered his gaze to Taehyung’s mouth, watching his lips form around words – words he’d heard so many times before, it was almost comical, “I’m nobody’s bitch.” It was that particular line that was often disproved, almost like a sentence in of itself. Yoongi was right, Taehyung was fucking lost. From between them, Namjoon gave a heavy sigh. It was obvious to him that Jimin was protecting the kid, but why? He brought the slim, plastic microphone to his mouth, sensing that the situation wasn’t going to deescalate anytime soon. “What’s Sugar’s twenty?” No one seemed to be listening to Taehyung, especially when, “I said I’d leave on my own, so long as duck tales doesn’t say anymore bullshit on my way out.” He really didn’t want to deal with Yoongi right now. The thought of it was enough to set off his anxiety, already too embarrassed about his obvious loss, having accomplished nothing by showing up at Void tonight. He was quick to add, “There’s no need to get that fucking guy here.” “Yeah, especially since ‘that fucking guy’ saw everything,” said the voice from the crowd that had steadily formed around them. Taehyung felt as the dread washed over him, all too familiar with the low, humorless tone of its owner. The younger turned to find Yoongi standing there among dozens, vividly severe in a black fitted blazer and matching slacks. A red silk was tied under his arms and under the lapels of his jacket, coming to settle around his slender waist. The colors were vibrant in contrast to his fair skin, rendering Taehyung into silence. Fuck. “Scratch that, Wonshik,” Namjoon said, dismissing the monitor’s search. He instantly removed his hand from Taehyung out of respect for Yoongi. It was an unexpected outcome to say the least, but it was no longer any of Namjoon’s business, “I take it that you’ll see to his punishment then?” “Most certainly,” Yoongi promised, playing the role to its fullest, as he stepped beside Taehyung. He eyed the split in his bottom lip, tsking with disappointment, “We should get that cleaned up, but first I want you to apologize to Jimin.” Taehyung scoffed at the prospect of doing such a thing, he was so disgusted. “What? No…” Yoongi nodded more to himself, than to anyone else – tacking on Taehyung’s rude behavior onto the growing list of things that would need to be worked on. It was useless when the boy didn’t even understand the point of the apology, didn’t fully realize the offense. Yoongi knew this and yet, he was still hopeful that manners were residing somewhere within that beautiful foundation, but oh well. “My sincerest apologies for Taehyung,” Yoongi said, apologizing on his behalf. He was being careful with his wording, since Taehyung really wasn’t under contract as his submissive, going along with the lie that Jimin started. If Namjoon learned of this, he would end this little exchange, and have Taehyung thrown out. “There was a misunderstanding and he acted impulsively. It won’t happen again.”     “Misunderstanding, my ass,” Taehyung bit out through clenched teeth, when Yoongi sharply turned to regard him, dark eyes daring the boy to open up his mouth again. For whatever reason, certainly not because of the chill he felt running up his spine, Taehyung didn’t make another remark after that, remaining quiet. Jimin was endlessly amused by the whole display, as he smiled crookedly, “Thank you and yes, please see to it that it doesn’t.” The final glance he shot Taehyung was practically oozing with conceit – feeling victorious and not above being petty about it. Jimin turned his back on them, before grabbing for his drink, and leaving for the evening. Namjoon was doing his best to clear up the crowd, encouraging the lingering onlookers to go back to playing, before he too disappeared. Taehyung missed him already.   The elder’s presence wasn’t something that could easily be ignored, especially when Yoongi began to shamelessly roam his eyes across his body, like that’s what he was there for – not much different from a work of art in need of being picked apart for deep interpretation. Taehyung once again reached for the scarf that wasn’t there, forgetting that he didn’t have it with him, making it impossible to hide himself from the open scrutiny. “Follow me,” Yoongi said, voice clipped and glacial, leaving no room for argument. It took a moment for Taehyung’s legs to start moving in an attempt to keep up with Yoongi’s brisk pace, watching how he effortlessly weaved through the swarm of people. He was being led down the corridor, pushing away the anxiety he felt from making so many turns, focusing more on the fact that it was new territory for him. Void was much like the large factory that Taehyung had initially perceived it to be, giving off a clinical atmosphere with rows upon rows of doors, and immaculate marbled tiles. Where the fuck did they stick the Enchanted Forest? Yoongi came to a stop in front of a set of red double doors, pushing them open. It was everything you would expect to see when visiting the school nurse, minus the nurse. Taehyung shuddered to imagine what they would’ve been like, to be greeted by a man or woman dressed from head to toe in latex, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves. “No nurse?” Taehyung asked, unclear on whether or not that was the case. “A majority of scene professionals opt to undergo some form of medical training,” Yoongi said, patting the leather examine table. “Take a seat.”   Taehyung quietly declined by keeping still, “Because what you’re doing is dangerous.” Here and now could work as an educational moment, Yoongi decided, as he walked over towards the cabinets to get what he needed in order to clean Taehyung’s cut. “Everything Jimin did out there was with Jeongguk in mind. For instance, when he told the monitor that you were mine, he was ensuring that Void can still be a place that Jeongguk brings you. It’s a big part of his life, is it not?” Oh, hell, no. Taehyung was not about to allow Yoongi to undo this ugly, confusing web. Not so easily. He shook his head in disbelief, “That’s bullshit…” Yoongi set the tray of supplies down on the table where Taehyung’s ass should have been seated, tamping down his annoyance. “He didn’t lift a finger to you. That was out of respect for Jeongguk.” “Jeongguk’s back looked like a fucking Jackson Pollock painting, except the artist only used shades of red,” Taehyung argued, wondering why Yoongi couldn’t understand him, not even a little bit. “And it was my fault–” “Your friend has been breaking the rules of their contract,” Yoongi said, tersely, as he walked towards the refrigerator behind Taehyung. The boy was on edge the second he neared, eyes following Yoongi’s every move. The energy in the room was high and charged with tension, watching as he removed an ice cube from the freezer, before handing it to him. “One after another. Jeongguk was punished because he wanted to be.” Taehyung pressed the cube to his cut, wincing at the discomfort. The wound was pulsating beneath the pressure. “Why would he want that…?” “People either come here to give pain or to receive it, sometimes even both.” The younger was reminded of Hoseok, when he’d referred to himself as a switch. Yoongi once again patted the table top and was relieved when Taehyung slowly, but surely made his way over to it. Opening a new bottle of ointment, he squeezed a decent-sized dollop onto a cotton swab. Yoongi tried to simplify it as best he could, “Pain can be physical and mental – pleasure or medicine. When it’s controlled, you can understand the benefits, can’t you.” The question was rhetorical and even if it wasn’t, Taehyung wouldn’t have known how to properly answer it anyway – not wanting to agree with Yoongi. He slid himself onto the table, gripping at the leather with one hand, as the other continued running the ice along his swollen lip. The new information was swirling around Taehyung’s stubborn mind, trying to sink in and make sense. He didn’t want to feel another moment of guilt over Jeongguk, and the elder was providing him with enough reason not to feel it, sensing that the comfort was necessary, but also unwanted, which was just too fucking bad. Yoongi’s eyes fell to where Taehyung’s shirt was hanging open, expression visibly darkening as he took in the smooth definition of the younger’s exposed collarbones, “Where is our favorite purple scarf?” “I forgot it in the car,” he answered innocuously, the ice melting between his now cold, numb fingers. What was this soft moment? Taehyung stared back at Yoongi, trying not to dwell on how pale his skin looked against his dark black hair – how much prettier, yet deadlier he looked then, “After tonight, I’m not coming back to Void. It really isn’t for me anyway.” “Oh, really?” Yoongi asked, feigning curiosity when he could’ve easily written the predictable lines flowing from Taehyung’s pretty little mouth. “Which part of it ‘isn’t’ for you?” Right, the reasons that Taehyung seemed to suddenly have in bulk were, “The orders I would have to follow, the pain that could be inflicted, and the punishments. I guess all of it?” The silence that followed was intensely unsettling, Yoongi staring his feline eyes into his own, as though seeking every corner of Taehyung’s mind for the truth. That first night at Void had revealed the boy to him completely – what with his dick hard and straining against his jeans, thick lashes wet with tears of awe as he watched Woozi being degraded, and punished. Yoongi had seen that look before, had recognized it in countless others. Envy was common in an establishment like Void. He approached Taehyung with the swab between his fingers, unable to maintain their polite conversation, when he began haltingly, “I don’t like being lied to, Taehyung. It’s one of those absolutes with me and I won’t tolerate it.” Taehyung was quick to deny it, “But I’m not lying.” It was a pitch too high, perhaps a little too fast. All in all, it was the same outcome, a fucking lie. It was always too easy for Yoongi to decipher when he was being lied to, which was the main reason why he couldn’t stand it. The small, white lies were the worst in his opinion, because they were needless. From a young age, no one could tell him a lie, at least not successfully – not even his own mother. Not even on days where he would prefer being told a lie over the truth. Yoongi admonished the boy for the continuous dishonesty, something cold and feral marring his usually calm features, “You just did it again.” “Believe whatever the fuck you want, it’s not like you can do anything about it,” Taehyung said, the words slipping past his lips before he even had the chance to consider them.   “Oh, sure, I can,” Yoongi said, taking on a sweet lilt to his usually rough voice. “I’ll remember it.” Taehyung snorted, more out of nervousness, than anything else, “For what? My term paper?” “We aren’t to discuss school while we’re here, Taehyung,” Yoongi chided softly, before he started leaning in, intent on lowering Taehyung’s hand away from his mouth, so that the ice wasn’t in the way of the swab. The moment their skin made contact, Taehyung reacted on impulse, slapping the other’s hand away. He’d used enough force to send the ice cube, as well as the swab to the floor. The ice broke immediately upon contact, the glimmering shards sliding across the floor. Yoongi slowly wet his pouty lips, growing more enticed to further test the boy, as he brought his hand up again. Long, delicate fingers were an inch away from skimming the top of Taehyung’s cheekbone – the skin there soft and flushed with a rosy color, when he was met with another slap. It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room then, leaving Taehyung gasping for air, his chest rising and falling heavily. Yoongi stepped in closer to him, tilting his head when Taehyung’s wide, innocent eyes left his own, and it was like being shut out from the sun. Again, he went to caress the side of Taehyung’s face and was automatically swatted away, more angrily and heated than the previous time. The last of Yoongi’s patience snapped, instinct burning up throughout his toes to his fingertips, when he brought his other hand to the front of Taehyung’s throat. It was light pressure, holding him rather than grabbing – just tight enough to get his point across. That this is exactly what Taehyung wanted, but was too stubborn, and ridden by fear to admit. “Our meeting again was either fate or cruelty, but this is, well,” Yoongi mused, lips curling slightly, as he used his grip as leverage to pull the younger off the table, and onto his feet. Even while Taehyung stood at full height and was practically towering over the elder, it was clear who was in control. “This is like a dream,” he murmured, irrevocably drawn to the boy, despite all the cold, garish places inside him that said not to bother. Yoongi was no match for the sun, but he wanted to contest it, “And to think that I was gonna leave you be, angel – but then you showed up dressed like you’re homeless, incurring violence.” Yoongi really shouldn’t have been proud of that. There was nothing impressive or admirable about it, and yet. “You’re full of surprises, Kim Taehyung.”   Taehyung felt as his heart began to race, urging his brain to function long enough to tell Yoongi to stop – to push him away, but his body chose to ignore him, reacting to the fear as though it was something pleasant. Taehyung hated himself for it – hated the fact that his cock was eagerly stirring in response to the thrill of Yoongi’s dominance. He sent a silent prayer to whatever Gods were listening that the elder was too distracted with baiting him to notice it. He closed his fingers into the sleeve of Yoongi’s blazer, deciding to hang on for what was to come. And it was happening so slowly, the precious space between them dwindling by the second – Yoongi’s firm hold around his neck bringing him down, until their faces were so close they were nearly touching. It was just when Taehyung thought he was about to be kissed that the elder purposefully stopped himself short, a wicked smirk tugging at his pink, kittenish lips, “Will you let me taste you?”  

The question alone was enough to paralyze him. Taehyung had been privy to a couple ‘first’ kisses in his lifetime. When he was seven, he knew that the kiss he received from the girl at school was different from the ones his parents would give him. When Taehyung was fifteen, he knew that the kiss he received from the neighbor’s daughter was different from the girl at school. He was now being presented with his first adult kiss, a proper kiss from the same gender, a kiss that scared him shitless. He swallowed thickly, the slightest action obvious to the elder, despite his schooled look of indifference. Yoongi’s grip tightened a fraction, causing his breath to hitch. Taehyung found himself nodding, even though he knew that it wasn’t enough. Yoongi was still waiting. Taehyung closed his eyes just to escape the humiliation, releasing a sharp gasp, “Yes…” “You remembered to use your words for me without having to be asked,” Yoongi husked, voice going lower the closer he was to claiming Taehyung’s lips, “…you’re such a good boy.” The first brush of contact elicited a deep, embarrassing whine from the younger – the sound of it like a punch to the gut, leaving Yoongi hungry and desperate. He slid his other hand around Taehyung’s waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other, greedily needing more without even having his fill yet.     Taehyung whimpered when he felt the elder’s teeth scrape over the broken swell of his bottom lip, where everything felt far too sharp and tender, trapped in a prison of long fingers, and a skilled mouth. The insistent press of Yoongi’s tongue was hot and sinful against Taehyung’s numbed flesh, the ice having left him tingling with sensations steadily returning. He parted his lips, moaning softly when Yoongi delved his tongue in, deepening the kiss. Fifteen was a lifetime ago for Taehyung, unable to remember how to kiss. He was too overly self-aware and clumsy, even as he melted into the warmth of Yoongi’s mouth – he was stilted at first, before his tongue shyly teased back. The response served as a small act of willingness on Taehyung’s part, a green light that had Yoongi chasing after more, more, more. He steered them towards the nearest wall without breaking contact, pinning the boy to its surface. There were questionable things – filthy, unforgivable things that Yoongi wanted to do, say, and promise to him, but he hadn’t done this in a long, long time. There were rules that Yoongi had to abide by as a dom, especially if he wanted Taehyung to become his submissive. It was rare that the elder acted on whim. He never took what he wanted without thinking twice. He never kissed as though he was starved for it, yet there he was with Taehyung as his only form of sustenance. Taehyung, who was helplessly drowning in him, fingers trembling in his jacket, holding onto him like he was a lifeline. It was maddening – Yoongi’s teeth dragging from his top to bottom lip, tasting the blood, knowing that it would be smudged on their skin. Taehyung stopped himself from leaning forward when the elder pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. Not like he would get very far with the hand that was still wrapped around his neck, Yoongi’s thumb running circles over his pulse. “You know what you remind me of?” Yoongi asked, voice all breathy and affected from their kiss. There was a mingled mess of saliva and blood against his pink, pouty lips. It was difficult for Taehyung to look away from it, as he raised hesitant fingers to wipe it from Yoongi’s porcelain skin. His wrist was abruptly caught midway, Yoongi’s charcoal eyes taking in the mirrored smear of crimson across Taehyung’s lips, “A baby tiger, unaware of how strong and fearless it’ll be once it’s fully grown.” Taehyung was sufficiently dead by everything that came out of Yoongi’s mouth. Prepare his death certificate, he was ready to sign. “That’s very poetic of you…are you sure it wasn’t the eyes and orange hair?” Yoongi moved past the sarcasm, leaning so that his words skimmed across the younger’s lips, “I want to put an end to those lies of yours, Taehyung.” A hand slid down the front of Taehyung’s chest, his stomach sinking beneath Yoongi’s touch as he held in his breath. “The ones you keeping telling yourself that you didn’t want this, or me. Not the orders, the pain, or the punishments…” “Please…” Taehyung whispered, less than a second away from Yoongi palming over the thick outline of his hard cock, where he’d be able to confirm just how desperate he was for it. A switch inside him flipped. “I can’t, I can’t! I’m sorry.” Just like the cube had shattered, so did he – Taehyung was fragmented, pieces of himself wanting to give in and allow Yoongi to continue, but then the rest of him was terrified. He’d spent so long protecting himself from the shame of indulging in literally anything. It was his grandmother’s life insurance that was paying for his tuition and instead of studying; he was here, doing this… Yoongi recognized the panic, slowly detaching himself with a step backwards, as to not crowd him. It was obvious that Taehyung was still reeling, as he wiped his mouth with a trembling hand. “This,” he said with a start, a finger gesturing between himself and Yoongi. “…can’t ever happen again.” The elder doesn’t say anything to his statement, the tension climbing. He allowed Taehyung to get as far as two steps, before his hand shot out to grab at his wrist. The boy turned so easily for him, willingly parting his mouth against Yoongi’s with a sigh, as a set of cruel lips sucked on his tongue, seeming to follow a rhythm that had Taehyung’s hips rocking forward to seek more friction. If Taehyung was a tiger, then the blood housed within his veins was roaring. He felt dizzied by the rush of arousal, overly sensitive to every little thing. “Mmm…” Yoongi hummed against his mouth, before once again leaning back to stare into the depths of Taehyung’s eyes. Slowly, the elder raked his teeth along his bottom lip as though he were savoring the taste, “Of course, Taehyung. This can’t ever happen again.” Oh, oh… Using Taehyung’s words against him. Taehyung laughed at the underlying spite, roughly pulling himself free from Yoongi’s grasp. “It’s funny how you told me not to mention school here, when class is still in session, professor.” This fucking guy. With Yoongi, everything was a point to be made or a lesson to be learned. Well, fuck that and fuck him. “You’re a fucking asshole,” Taehyung muttered bitterly, before he shoved the doors open, momentarily contented with leaving Yoongi far behind. He followed the corridor, unable to hear people talking as they passed him. It was like the world was on mute with no words or music to fill in his surroundings with life. The receptionist was already leaned forward, ready to flirt with him as per usual, but he couldn’t hear a single thing. He hadn’t even slowed down, until the winter air hit his skin, reminding him that he was underdressed for the inclement weather. He unlocked the car and sat there with the key in the ignition. The scarf lied there on the passenger seat, looking plenty guilty. He brought the knitted fabric around his neck. Taehyung spared a glance into the rearview mirror, revealing the deep flush of his skin, and his cut shimmering wetly. The lesson to be learned is that Taehyung was a liar. A liar and a coward, because he wanted… He wanted Min Yoongi. --------------------------------------------------------------

Jeongguk was in bed with the lights off, save for the laptop pressed to his stomach. He was hiding in his game – PUBG, grabbing a frying pan during his loot in an abandoned house. It would protect his ass from gunfire, barely, but why not? He found gasoline for the car he stole along the way. He usually hated playing by himself, but he didn’t want the company right now, to which Hoseok wasn’t taking the hint, continuing to message him throughout his match. He was too angry and worried about Taehyung. He’d even left his phone behind, which was extremely unlike his hyung.   An hour ago Jimin had been kind enough to confirm what Jeongguk already suspected, sending him a Snap of Taehyung and Yoongi with a caption that read, ‘You two have much to discuss’. Well, no shit.       It was ten minutes later that the door was busted open with Taehyung’s hip colliding with the wood, cursing the damn thing on his way in. He quietly placed their keys down on top of his desk, trying to be covert. It was a long, horrible night. He couldn’t wait to get inside the shower to rinse it all off. Still considerably dark in the room, Jeongguk managed to close out of the Steam app undetected, before he reached over and turned their bedside lamp on. The sudden flicker of light startled Taehyung, “Shit!” “Where were you?” “Oh, my god, Guk,” he gasped, placing a hand against his chest, willing his racing heart to calm the fuck down, and listen to him for once. “I thought you were sleeping.” “Hyung, you left me. You went on and on about socks in some weird, psychopathic fit and then you left me,” Jeongguk said, throwing the sheets off and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I wondered if you were headed out to a department store to buy them for me in bulk. That you would come back here and bury me under a vat of fuzzy assortments.” Taehyung shook his head, because really, “You know I have no money, even if the purchase would totally be worth it. You know, we should have a sock day. That’s not a bad idea.” Jeongguk was officially done with the socks. “I know that you went to Void.” Ah, fuck, Taehyung thought. How did he find out? Duck tales, whoo-ooh!   “Yes, alright, I went to Void and did something stupid,” Taehyung started, unsure of how to proceed without pissing Jeongguk off. Did such avenues exist? “You’re not going to be happy with me, but before you go bat-shit, I need you to hear me out first. I attacked…” Jesus, this was going to sound ridiculous. He tried again, “I attacked…Jimin.” Jeongguk was on his feet then, approaching him at a pace that Taehyung wasn’t at all comfortable with. He was a Jason not a Michael Myers aka he wasn’t above running – dear god. Very carefully, Jeongguk asked him, “You did what now? Taehyung, what the fuck?” “I know that he cares for you in some fucked up way that I clearly don’t understand…yet? Look – I’ve been really close-minded lately. You opened this door, showed me what you were into, and I didn’t even really try to understand it. All I did was judge you, Guk…” “Yeah, you did, but no surprise there. You always fucking do,” Jeongguk said, brows furrowing angrily. Truthfully, he was more disturbed that after an ‘attack’ all Jimin did was send him a photo. He just noticed the gash on Taehyung’s bottom lip, wondering if Jimin had been the one to give it to him. Taehyung felt like a broken record, unable to believe anyone else except Jeongguk. “I still don’t understand, okay? Fuck. I’m trying here. Just tell me that those marks weren’t because of something I did?”   “The marks…?” It dawned on him then, connecting two and two together, which would explain his friend’s absurd bout of recklessness, and sock mania. “Tae – Christ, no, they’re not…they’re because of me. I did things to get myself into trouble. Is that what tonight was all about? Wow…” Taehyung blinked, “Why would you want to get into trouble on purpose?” “I like being good for him, but I wanted to see what it would be like if I was bad for once? You and Hoseok hyung already know how well I can do as a brat,” Jeongguk laughed, slightly embarrassed to be confessing this much, even if they were as close as brothers. “And I liked it, by the way. It was freeing, almost? Jimin is always so gentle with me, always praising me, and making me feel all beautiful, and delicate, like I’m made of glass or something. I just wanted him to be rough with me, well – rougher than usual.” Taehyung sighed, disappointed with himself for acting so irrationally, “Well, I didn’t realize and I’m sorry. I should have let you talk earlier. I felt like such shit for leaving you.” “Yeah, that entire sock rant had me questioning the state of your sanity. Anyways, apology accepted, can we please get back to the part where you attacked Jimin?” “Right, okay, uhm do you want the theatrical version of me riding on horseback to storm the castle or, do you want me to get straight to the…” Jeongguk’s glare was enough of a hint. “I shoved him into a table and just as I was seconds away from hitting him, a monitor showed up. I was so pissed off about being stopped, that I clocked the guy. He turned and caught me right in the mouth. It was a trade.” Taehyung felt bitter, watching as Jeongguk breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry. No harm befell your master, it was just me. He was more than fine, actually, quacking out his jokes, and waddling off on his webbies.” Jeongguk paused, “Did you just – wait, are you referring to Jimin as a duck?” Taehyung shrugged, “If the shoe fits. I mean, everyone gets to be an animal of some sort, right? You’re a bunny, he’s a duck, and I’m a tiger, apparently.” “Yoongi called you a tiger?” Jeongguk asked, curiously. It both surprised and concerned him that out of all doms Taehyung could have attracted, that it was Yoongi who’d been interested in him. There were rumors, stories that had been carried through the grapevine. Aside from that, it was a Yoongi didn’t train submissives anymore. He smiled when Taehyung shyly nodded in response, his skin flushing suddenly. “If Yoongi were an animal, what would he be? You’ve already thought of it, haven’t you?” Being an art history major, Taehyung often found himself comparing people and situations to famous works of art. Lately, he had no problem with gaining access to his mental gallery. The moment he’d watched Yoongi step onto the stage at Void, he knew that he was a Cuthbert Edmund Swan piece, crossing a river at night, and every other panther piece before or after it. Yoongi was as good as midnight, a cat in the wild, as graceful as he was cunning, and predatory. “No,” Taehyung said, lying some more – lying to himself, and to his friends now. “If the typical asshole counted as an animal, then, maybe?” “That kinda works, actually, and Tae,” Jeongguk said, tone growing serious. “Be careful around Yoongi, alright?” “There is no ‘around’ Yoongi, other than at my classes, and believe me, I don’t want to spend more time with him than I have to.” Wow, Taehyung was getting good at this, this whole – denial thing. “Hypothetically though, if I wanted to be near him, what would I have to be careful of?” “For starters, Yoongi doesn’t take subs anymore and even if he did, most doms don’t like to train, uhm…” Jeongguk trailed off, trying to think of a delicate way to put it. Taehyung lowered his head the longer the last syllable dragged on for. “…virgins. Doms don’t like to train virgins.”   “Oh,” Taehyung said, having been disconnected from his friends once or twice due to that topic. Hoseok had a damn field day with it. If what Jeongguk said was true, then Taehyung really had nothing to worry about with Yoongi. Not now or ever, probably, since he was borderline celibate. Then why was he slightly disappointed by that news? “Good to know.” Jeongguk picked up the pillow that had fallen off his bed in his haste earlier. “Also, I got around to seeing Hobi’s photos, and you were right. They’re shit. I hyped him up though, so there’s a high possibility that we might be receiving more tomorrow.” “Oh, goody,” Taehyung said, giving a roll of his eyes. Jeongguk walked up beside him then, large hands gently grabbing at his face, inspecting his wound. “It’ll be better by tomorrow, hyung.” Yeah, maybe. --------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday was always an off day for Taehyung. Actually, any day when he didn’t have class was an odd, confusing day. It was worse when no one was trying to strong arm him into last minute plans. Taehyung had his notes open, eyes skimming over the details of Yoongi’s last lecture. Reading over the words, he swore that he could hear the professor’s voice – hearing his voice, Taehyung could vividly see him. Soon it wasn’t the dorm anymore, but it the medical room at Void. It was difficult when Taehyung could still taste him on his tongue – could still feel him on skin, like a ghost wound. He pressed his fingers to his cut, contemplative. Yoongi wouldn’t want him once he knew that he was a virgin. Taehyung eyed his phone. There was a lot he didn’t understand, within himself, and in general. His text tone went off – this was his reason to grab for his old, shitty Android. The KKT chat was being spammed with photos from Hoseok. He would happily ignore them for now, as he instead clicked into his mail inbox. Firing up his laptop would take too long and wouldn’t be worth it overall. He found the email with Professor Min’s number in it. He really shouldn’t be doing this, even if the email made it sound mandatory. Taehyung knew he had a choice. He could deny the professor, until his dying breath – avoid giving away his number, and never have to speak with him outside of a school setting, ever the fuck again. ‘This can’t ever happen again…’ echoed off the walls of his mind. It was as cruel as Yoongi’s last kiss. If there was one thing he'd learned from Jeongguk's situation, it was to be a fucking brat. He went to add a new number, typing in ‘Prof. M’ as the contact name. To: Prof. M ------------------- It’s Kim Taehyung. You know, the student you want to fuck :D Jeongguk told me some terrific news last night that pertains to our situation. Apparently doms don’t train virgins. So sorry to shatter your dreams of one day owning me. Guess it’ll be someone else’s job :/   Sat. 05, 02:10pm It was less than a minute later that Sent went to Read.

[bewitchingbooktours]

Dragon(e) Baby Gone by Robert Gainey #DetectiveFantasy #Dragons #Fantasy

Dragon(e) Baby Gone

Reports from the Department of Intangible Assets 

Book One

Robert Gainey

Genre: Detective Fantasy

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Date of Publication:  June 28, 2021

ISBN:978-1-5092-3658-9 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-5092-3659-6 Digital

ASIN: B095GNZJCN

Number of pages: 254

Word Count: 69,377

Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Tagline: Overworked. Underfunded. Outgunned. Sometimes the greater good needs a little help from a lesser evil. 

Book Description: 

“Dragon is hard to overcome, yet one shall try.”

 – Nowe Ateny, Polish Encyclopedia, 1745

Diane Morris is part of the thin line separating a happy, mundane world from all of the horrors of the anomalous. Her federal agency is underfunded, understaffed, and misunderstood, and she’d rather transfer to the boring safety of Logistics than remain a field agent. 

When a troupe of international thieves make off with a pair of dragon eggs, Diane has no choice but to ally with a demon against the forces looking to leave her city a smoldering crater. 

Facing down rogue wizards, fiery elementals, and crazed gunmen, it’s a race against time to get the precious cargo back before the dragon wakes up and unleashes hell. 

Amazon

Excerpt

I guess there’s always been a Department of Intangible Assets, in some way or another, since humanity first banded together against the dark. Ancient orders of knights, sects of religions, monasteries and their like had been the first real organizations determined to hold off the things that bled into our world from other realities. Great and epic individuals did a lot of work in the past, though more often than not mere pawns as one ultra-powerful being played against another. Gilgamesh. Solomon. Miyamoto Musashi for a while even worked as a kind of Japanese defender against the supernatural. Things must have been easier back then. If somebody had a problem with a corpse rising from the ground and eating people, or with creatures slinking out of the mountains and taking children, they could talk openly about it, and people would fit it neatly into whatever cultural narrative they had. No press releases concerning carbon monoxide leaks, no awkward local police trying to stutter their way through an ogre rampage by blaming gang violence and drugs. If you were a 17th Century farmer in the Tajima Province of Japan and tengu started picking off your village one by one, Musashi would come by one day, cut down all those dark spirits, and then leave. You’d replant your fields, mourn your losses, and tell warning stories about warding off evil. And, probably, pay him whatever he wanted.

Modern times gave way to a general idea that reason and logic were enough to stop something from dragging you into the sewers and wearing your skin to protect itself from daylight. It’s easy to see why: it doesn’t happen to a lot of people, therefore it must not happen. I see it all the time, people who say things like “I’ve never seen a ghost, so they must not exist.” Oh yeah? Because if spirits did exist, they’d all be tripping over their ghost dicks to haunt you? Do you understand the preternatural forces that conspire, the circumstances that line up, to create any kind of ghost? Let alone one that shows up in your room at night and moans about revenge or betrayal or rattles some chains and teaches you a valuable lesson about being selfish?

“Well, there’s no such thing as Bigfoot. All those pictures are super blurry and grainy,” they say, their voices nasally and snobby, like all the knowledge of the world is pumped directly into their tiny brains through their tiny phones. I don’t care to get into whether or not any of the literally thousands of kinds of entities that flit in and out of forests would like to be called “Bigfoot,” but just because you haven’t left your couch in twenty years doesn’t mean there’s not something out there you don’t understand. Go stand out in a remote Colorado forest one night.

Turn off your phone, open your eyes and ears, and wait. When you feel those eyes watching, and when you know, deep in that primitive monkey brain, way, way down inside, that there’s more than just the animals you have names for sharing that clearing with you, then you can call me to tell me that there’s no such thing as Bigfoot.

That is, if you live to turn your phone back on again.

About the Author:

Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RNGainey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertngainey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.gainey

Blog: https://robertgainey.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28564584-robert-gainey

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[thezodiaczone]

March Forecast for Aries

No rest for the weary? March comes in like a lion and doesn’t stop roaring… even when you want to retreat to your den. Just like in January, there are a rare TWO full moons this month, which fall on the first and last day. Your ruler, activator Mars, is in Sagittarius until March 17, igniting your ninth house of grand possibilities and expansion. So much to see, so little time! Opportunities to travel, launch an indie business and try new things will pop up everywhere.

But not so fast, Aries! With the Sun in Pisces and your twelfth house of rest, closure and emotional processing until March 20, you’ll need to pace yourself. ‘Tis the season for feeling and healing. But that kind of contemplation won’t be easy with so much going on. The second you kick off your Chelsea boots or put cheek to pillow, you’ll get a raging case of FOMO. You might actually be (dare we say it?) grateful for the news that two planets—Mercury and Jupiter—will slow down into retrograde motion this month. Retrogrades give us time to reflect, introspect and integrate all the newness. You could certainly use that space!

So, let’s begin at the beginning, with the March 1 full moon in Virgo and your sixth house of health, organization and systems. You’ve been processing a LOT of changes thanks to the eclipses on January 31 and February 15. These turbo-charged lunar events reshuffled so many things in your world that you’re probably still catching your breath! The clarifying full moon could help you begin to make sense of it all.

With the full moon in wellness-minded Virgo, you may get a surge of motivation to start exercising and eating a little more healthfully. Take inventory and see where you can be most effective. The sixth house rules supportive people, and you might add a savvy service provider to Team Aries. Bid the slackers adieu and bring on the high performers! With the full moon in this well-meaning sector of your chart, you can be tempted to “save the day” for a friend or jump in to resuscitate a floundering work project. Careful, Ram! In the codependent fog of Pisces season, your hero’s mission might turn out to be a fool’s errand. Direct people to helpful resources instead of volunteering your own time and energy.

The first planet to turn retrograde is the ruler of expansion, honesty and growth, Jupiter, which will reverse through Scorpio and your intimate eighth house from March 8 to July 10. Jupiter’s backspin can pull the emergency brake on everything from a budding joint business venture to a simmering attraction to a complex emotional bond. An all-consuming project or relationship could use some breathing room. Have you developed a case of tunnel vision? Step back to analyze it all objectively.

Retrogrades can bring back the past, and with Jupiter in sizzling Scorpio, an old sexual dalliance may reheat. Should you dare to go there? Not without a LOT of honest talk upfront. Before you strip down, prepare to get “emotionally naked” first, Aries. A back-burnered financial or business venture could also pop up, especially one that’s associated with investing or real estate.

Jupiter is traveling through Scorpio from October 10, 2017, until November 8, 2018, drawing even the most fiercely independent Aries into the depths of emotional, financial or sexual bonding. If you’ve been unusually “off the grid” this year, it may be because you’re finding inspiration in quiet times of privacy and soul-searching. Jupiter’s magnifying lens can unveil childhood wounds and heavier emotions that need to be processed. Over the next four months, some Aries will benefit from working with a therapist or healer to put old baggage to bed. Scorpio and the eighth house rule secrets, which includes any shady business or unresolved conflict. If you’ve wronged someone, unintentionally or not, truth-teller Jupiter will sound the call to make things right. The Sun’s activating trine (90-degree angle) to Jupiter on March 13 could be a catalyst for some openhearted confessions and healing talks.

Prepare to be yanked out of the emotional swamp and planted firmly back on earth from March 17 onward, when your ruler, red-hot Mars, zooms into Capricorn and your structured, success-driven tenth house until May 16. Your career could heat up overnight, and since Mars only visits here every two years, you’ll want to take full advantage! Even better? Mars will make two trips through this ambitious realm in 2018, which can hoist you into a leadership role. But it might come with some added pressure, as the cosmic expeditor brings intense demands and short turnaround times. (If you choose the right projects, the payoff can be huge!)

Your life-force energy returns with a vengeance on March 20, when the Sun enters Aries for a month, kicking off your solar return and birthday season. But before you skydive into the great unknown without a parachute, back up your data to the cloud. From March 22 to April 15, communicator Mercury will be retrograde in Aries. With the planet of technology, travel and interpersonal relations gone rogue in YOUR sign, even your wisest, wittiest words could be misunderstood. Prepare to explain yourself, and perhaps issue a few apologies for things you didn’t say… just because Mercury rolls like that! As eager as you are to crow some news from the rooftops, hold off on the press releases until mid-April. This time might be best spent behind the scenes, polishing up your solo act.

While you’re at it, lean on other people! The month ends with a March 31 full moon in Libra and your partnership house. This “blue” moon (which means it’s the second full moon this month) illuminates which of your relationships are worthy of orchestra seats and which ones might need to get shuffled back to the nosebleed section. A nascent business or romantic connection—perhaps one sparked by the Leo lunar eclipse on January 31—could have its day of reckoning. Are you ready to make things official? The full moon could seal the deal or bring an air-clearing talk that restores harmony to an important bond.

Love & Romance

Don’t be fooled by March’s gentle, flowy start. The cosmos are slowly but surely turning up the heat on your love life, and by the end of the month, you’ll be at a full-on, roiling boil! With amorous Venus in Pisces and your dreamy twelfth house until March 6, there may be more action between your ears than between your sheets. But that’s okay—even the horns-first Ram needs some downtime, especially after the rollicking adventures you may have gotten up to on March 1, when Venus canoodled with Jupiter in your sexy eighth house.

On March 6, the vixen love goddess commences her annual parade through Aries and your first house of self. You’ll be awake, tingling with kinetic energy and ready to let the world know what it’s missing. With your tanks full of romantic rocket fuel, you’ll be feeling frisky, doubly so thanks to a turbo boost from passionate Mars in Sagittarius until March 17. And when both love planets are in fired-up fire signs, there’s no telling what you might get up to.

But it’s not four weeks of crazy “can’t believe we did that there” moments. Gatekeeper Saturn in conservative Capricorn steps on Venus’ brakes on March 13, sounding a “consider the consequences” warning. Even if your heart (and other organs) are all aflutter, have you stopped to consider whether you want the same things for the long haul? If you’re willing to settle for a hot-but-short-lived fling, all well and good. But if you’re being honest and realize you’d like more, it’s best to avoid heartache NOW.

On March 17, the red planet joins Saturn in future-oriented Capricorn until May 16, pulling you between the opposite poles of spontaneity and seriousness. Mars adds pressure, and you might feel compelled to figure it all out NOW. And since this is your career corner, professional stress could cut into your feel-good times. What might help: patience!

And for the grand finale: A Libra full moon in your partnership zone on March 31 can bring all your efforts and initiatives of the preceding four weeks to a glorious apex. So hang in there, Ram. The best IS yet to come!

Key Dates

March 13: Venus-Saturn Square Couples may have reason to believe your visions of the future aren’t in sync. Today’s not the day to discuss it—just do some thinking about what you want. Give things a couple days to settle down before you have “the talk.” You’ll have more perspective if you wait. Single? Stop trying so hard to find someone and treat yourself the way your ideal partner should.

Money & Career

Unleash those wild ideas, Ram—and don’t worry about the “how” until later this month. With activator Mars in Sagittarius and your visionary ninth house until March 17, channel your inner Nelson Mandela, who said, “It’s only impossible until it’s done.” If anyone knows how to leave skeptics in the dust, it’s you, Aries—and not for nothing, your competitive side gets an extra thrill from proving ’em wrong. Keep those starry-eyed dreams on the front burner now. Network, take a quickie class to brush up your skills, let the world be privy to your passions. With assertive Mars in outspoken Sagittarius, sharing openly and from the heart connects you with your tribe.

One huge day for action arrives on March 11, when Mars forms a fast-acting trine to innovator Uranus, which happens to be in Aries. Your trailblazing and trendsetting ideas could earn you major “influencer” cred. With both of these go-getter planets in impatient fire signs, you’re not taking no for an answer. Be careful not to bulldoze, but DO stay on your quest to break through any barriers.

Take breaks to turn inward between your world-domination moves. With the Sun in Pisces and your imaginative twelfth house until March 20, your creative right brain is getting a workout for the first three weeks of the month. Slow down long enough to channel the muse and hear what she—and your gut—is saying. With Mars burning the candle at both ends, you’ll stay balanced with meditation, creative work and (most important) ample sleep. While you might think of pillow time as wasted working hours, your subconscious is actually on fire now. Dreams could be vivid, symbolic and rich with important guidance. Aries, you might just accomplish more with your eyes shut this month!

Another reason to pace yourself, even while staying on the fast track? Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, turns retrograde from March 10 to July 8, putting the magnifying glass on your financial plans. Jupiter is in Scorpio and will reverse through your eighth house of shared assets, investments and joint ventures. If you’ve merged your moolah with anyone—in love, business, as roommates or through debt—this is an important time to make sure everything is flowing smoothly. Are your investments paying off? Do you need a better system for repaying borrowed funds? Are the power dynamics feeling balanced in all of your working relationships? Wherever money has gotten funny, honest Jupiter wants you to stop, clarify and evaluate. A real estate venture could resurface, or possibly slow down due to a temporary speed bump.

Luckily, you’ll have plenty of energy—and opportunities—to take charge of your destiny, Aries. From March 17 to May 16, energizer Mars will soar through Capricorn and your tenth house of leadership, ambition and professional success. This biannual visit is the first of TWO Mars trips through your career zone in 2018 (the red planet will return again from August 12 to 27). Wow! Get ready to feel the heat AND the pressure, as fortune favors your bold sign.

It’s exciting, but also hectic, so be prepared and ramp up your self-care. There could be long hours, short deadlines and demands that push you to the brink. Be sure to pick a worthwhile target for your energy, since you’ll be pouring a lot into every endeavor. How will this move you closer to your big goals? What will be the return on investment? With stern and cautious Saturn also in Capricorn all month, proper planning and foresight will be a must.

Key Dates

March 2: Mercury-Jupiter Trine Seeking kindred spirits? They’re out in droves today. And with your twin gifts of gab and vision, your networking efforts could lead you directly to your tribe. Got something to write? Do it today! Your message could reach people on a deep level.

Love Days: 27, 31 Money Days: 20, 11 Luck Days: 19, 9 Off Days: 1, 6, 17

[wwwnewunificationchurchcom]

(via Bernie Sanders' Hail Mary - Part II: the Impeachment of William Barr and The Salvation of The Republic: the Advent of the Kingdom of God)

Republicans aren’t merely refusing to bow to reality, or humoring Trump’s refusal to come to terms with a loss, or any number of euphemisms we keep hearing. Let’s not sugarcoat this: Republicans such as Loeffler tacitly support Trump’s efforts to steal the election outright.We know this because of the nature of the “recourse” Trump is taking right now: He is urging Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to persuade GOP state legislators to hold a special session to appoint pro-Trump electors to the electoral college, in direct defiance of the state’s popular vote outcome.To fake-justify this, 

Trump has employed the lie that the state’s vote count, which has been officially certified and put President-elect Joe Biden ahead by around 12,000 votes, was not legitimate. 

But again and again, the “evidence” for this has turned out to be utter nonsense.At the debate, this tactic, and not just Trump’s rhetorical refusal to accept the results, is what Loeffler was asked to comment upon. Reporter Greg Bluestein pressed Loeffler on whether she supports Trump’s demand that Kemp “call a special session to seek to overturn those results.”“The president has every right to every legal recourse,” Loeffler replied.At another point, when Loeffler was asked whether Trump was “wrong” to attack Kemp for refusing to facilitate this scheme, she generally sided with Trump and repeated her canned language about him exercising his “legal recourse.”★This is not Trump’s ‘legal recourse’★But this effort is not “legal.” It’s extralegal. Kemp, a Republican, has released a statement clarifying that under state law, the legislature can only “direct an alternative method for choosing presidential electors if the election was not able to be held” on Election Day.Kemp noted that the legislature already decided back in the 1960s that the electors are chosen by the state’s popular vote and added that under the law, a special session to appoint different electors is “not an option.”In other words, 

Trump is calling on the state legislature to go outside of state law to subvert the state’s popular vote and decree him the winner. This is what Loeffler described as an effort by Trump to exercise all “legal recourse.”More broadly, how many Republican elected officials have openly and explicitly condemned this particular tactic, which Trump and his co-conspirators tried to employ in numerous other states as well?A few have. 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has blasted efforts to get legislatures to go rogue as “unprecedented” and “inconsistent” with democracy. 

But, while it’s good that a handful of GOP state legislators rebuffed these efforts, what’s distressingly unavoidable is how rare this sort of thing is from elected Republicans.Yes, it’s possible that if Trump’s efforts to get one or more state legislatures to overturn the results had come closer to succeeding, maybe more Republicans would have objected at that point. But why should we assume this? Until Republicans actually do condemn this tactic en masse, we should instead assume that they would have been fine with it succeeding.

★Trump wants to remain in power illegitimately★

Much of the debate about Trump’s efforts seems strangely divorced from the unvarnished reality of what it is he’s actually attempting to do. There’s been a loud argument over whether the extended legal losses and all around clownish incompetence of Trump’s team render it absurd to call this an attempt at a “coup.”But as Zeynep Tufekci points out, the debate over semantics and over the Trump team’s failures must not overshadow the core overriding fact of this current situation, which is that Trump is attempting to invalidate an election in order to stay in power illegitimately:

"The technical term for attempting to stay in power illegitimately — such as after losing an election — is self-coup or autocoup — sometimes autogolpe. … 

The U.S. president is trying to steal the election, and, crucially, his party either tacitly approves or is pretending not to see it."Indeed, it’s arguably worse than this. In addition to tacitly approving, Loeffler and other Republicans are actively and instrumentally working to exploit the passions Trump has unleashed to their advantage, to mobilize the GOP base in Georgia. 

They fear the base will be demobilized unless Trump, or at least the opportunity to avenge this fictional injustice done to him, is felt in some sense to be on the ballot.Loeffler is standing up for Trump’s alleged “right” to overturn the will of her own state’s voters — the same ones she is purportedly seeking to represent in the Senate. 

She is essentially defending what Trump is doing as a legitimate tactic.Though the state’s Republican lean makes it more likely than not that a majority of Georgia voters will disagree on this, and may even reward Loeffler’s corrupt support for Trump’s efforts ��� which itself has all sorts of unsettling future implications — that should be seen as disqualifying.Greg Sargent writes The Plum Line blog. He joined The Post in 2010, after stints at Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and the New York Observer. 

[cressasdbfanfics]

And Then There Were Five? Chapter 2

Paring: Goku and Chichi

Words: 2,425

Summary: Ox King’s reaction to the exciting Son Family news.

A/N: Thanks to the fabulous @jadefyre for the beta read!!!!

Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12543438/2/And-Then-There-Were-Five

Archive of Our Own: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11284710/chapters/28604792

Chapter 2:

Two Buns in the Oven

Our doorbell rang the next morning in the midst of the sizzling sounds of our breakfast.

Chichi rushed to answer it after wiping her hands on her apron. "Papa! Come in! Breakfast is almost ready."

He grinned at me as Chichi went back into the kitchen to tend to the food. "Hey, Goku!"

I smiled back. "Mornin', Ox King!"

"Grandpa!" was Goten's delighted cry as he ran down the stares and nearly bulldozed the giant man to the floor – leaving him staggering to regain his balance.

Ox King chuckled. "Hey, Goten!"

Gohan came down next, smiling at him. "Good morning, Grandpa!"

"Good morning, Gohan! Mmm! I smell cinnamon buns!"

Chichi giggled and flashed me a nervous smile before announcing, "Breakfast is ready!"

The boys and Ox King took their seats while I helped Chichi carry the food to the table, making sure she didn't lift some of the heavier serving platters.

Her stomach growled and she glanced at me with wide eyes as she passed me with a pitcher of fresh orange juice. I glanced at Ox King, who hadn't seemed to notice – or at least didn't say anything about it.

She had made it clear that under no circumstances were we to spill the beans to Ox King until we were all seated. But her stomach didn't get the memo, unleashing another growl as we carried the last few dishes to the table and took our seats. With the two of us being at separate ends of the kitchen, she couldn't just blame it on me.

Ox King pointed out with a chuckle, "A growling stomach is usually Goku's role, Chichi. Made yourself hungry cooking all this, did you?"

She nodded with a nervous chuckle, a light flush on her cheeks. "I suppose I did."

My stomach growled a response of its own and Ox King laughed as Chichi announced we could dig in. So we did.

I grinned at Chichi as she reached for her third helpings of scrambled eggs and sausage. Used to their mother's newfound appetite, neither of the boys batted an eye.

But Ox King certainly did. He was openly gaping at her. "The last time I saw you eat like this, you were pregnant with Goten."

Chichi and I exchanged quick, knowing smiles.

And then he put it together – grinning from ear to ear. "YOU'RE PREGNANT!?"

Mirroring his wide smile, she nodded.

In his hurry to get to Chichi, his chair flew backwards and he nearly upended the table – prevented only by me steadying it. He scooped her up and pulled her in for a big – but gentle – bear hug and kissed her cheek.

One arm still around Chichi, his massive hand landed on my shoulder and I was dragged out of my chair and squeezed against him, too.

"Congratulations to you both! Grandbaby number three for me to spoil. This is wonderful news!" He finally set us on our feet and turned to the boys. "So you're going to be a big brother, Goten! What do you think of that? Are you excited?"

Goten grinned and nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh! I just hope the tw–"

Gohan lunged for Goten – his chair scraping against the floor – and clamped a hand over his brother's mouth.

I blew out a silent breath.

Ox King raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but we were saved by the ding of the oven timer – signaling the other half of our announcement was ready. I used that momentary distraction to nod once at Gohan and his lightning quick Saiyan reflexes as Chichi ran to answer it.

She returned with a baking pan with two frosted steaming hot cinnamon buns each nearly as big as my head. She put the pan down in front of her father and waited quietly.

Catching her eye, I winked at her while Ox King's attention was on the two giant cinnamon buns in front of him.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and grinned up at her. "These smell delicious, Chichi! I hope you made enough for everyone!"

Chichi nodded and bit her lip. The boys and I exchanged looks – Goten's face an apologetic wince.

I smiled at him and winked as Ox King picked up his fork.

And then promptly dropped it – leaving his hand frozen in the air – and stuttered, "Wuh-wait just a minute… T-t-two!? Chichi… you just took two buns out of the oven. Are you telling me you're having…?"

Chichi giggled and finished his question with, "Twins? Yes, Papa. Isn't it wonderful?"

His jaw hit the floor. And then he was on his feet, sweeping her up into another big hug.

He set her on her feet and grabbed her hands, smiling at her with tears in his eyes. "Twins! Oh, how wonderful! You're going to get the big family you've always wanted, Chichi!"

Chichi giggled – a little teary eyed herself – and sighed. "Yeah… we are."

Ox King released her and she went to grab the rest of the huge, freshly baked cinnamon buns. She separated them onto plates when she returned and passed them around before sitting down next to me.

The way her dark eyes glistened when she smiled up at me made me lean down and kiss her before I was even aware of what I was doing. When it was over, I couldn't tear my gaze from hers if I tried.

"Mmm! This is super yummy!"

Chichi twitched and turned her attention to Goten obliviously inhaling his cinnamon bun across the table, her smile a little bit shy.

I still couldn't stop staring at her with my elbow propped on the table and my face settling into my palm.

Chichi giggled, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Your cinnamon bun is going to get cold, silly."

I looked down at it. "Oh…Right."

I ate it, but it never had my full attention.

"Chichi?" I asked.

She paused wiping down the countertop long enough to glance at me where I sat at the table.

"Now that Ox knows, think we can tell everyone else now?"

She wrung the rag over the kitchen sink and draped it over the faucet before turning to me with an agreeable smile on her pretty face. "Of course! Bulma is hosting a get-together in a couple of weeks, isn't she? Why not tell everyone then?"

I grinned. "That sounds great!"

A couple of hours later, lunch was ready. She ate just as much as she had at breakfast – which was three times her usual. Gohan left to go hang out with Videl again and I took Goten out of the house for an hour so she could clean in peace.

When we returned, she had succeeded in knocking herself out just like she had the day she told me she was pregnant. Only, she didn't make it to the couch. She was slumped over – and drooling on – the still damp kitchen table she had apparently just wiped down.

Goten skipped into the house and I waved frantically and pointed at Chichi before pressing a finger to my lips.

He looked absolutely panic stricken. But she only snorted cutely in her sleep.

He clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggle and I had to do the same.

Crossing my fingers I wasn't about to wake the sleeping dragon, I scooped her up with one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. In one smooth motion I tugged her against me and lifted her out of the chair. She mumbled in her sleep and sighed before nuzzling into me.

I blew out a breath and Goten looked just as relieved as I was.

I carried her to the couch and got her situated while Goten grabbed a throw pillow and slipped it under her head. I carefully pulled the blanket over her and she snored again as she rolled over.

I caught Goten's eye and twitched my head toward the front door.

Once safely outside, Goten cast a concerned look toward the house. "She's been napping a lot. She's okay… right?"

I ruffled his hair and smiled. "She's just fine, Goten. She'll be resting a lot more from now on." I let my expression darken just a little bit, raising an eyebrow in warning. "If you value your life, don't ever tell your mother she snores."

He burst out laughing and so did I – remembering that little problem was going to get a lot louder.

Two weeks went by in much the same pattern. She ate and slept. And slept and ate. She did a lot more of both than I remembered her doing while she was pregnant with Gohan – but I'd never tell her that. I wanted to stay alive. Must have been something to do with having two babies in there instead of one.

She rolled over in her sleep, still snoring lightly and I chuckled.

Happy to let her sleep in, I slid out of bed and pulled on my usual gi – it was the easiest to reach, still piled on the chair next to our bed where I left it. I closed the bedroom door behind me – wincing is it creaked – and floated down the steps. She hated it when the boys and I used our powers in the house but she didn't have to know. It was a safer option than risking the creaking floorboards waking her up.

The house was quiet but the boys weren't in their rooms. Expanding my senses, I found them about a mile from the house in the direction of our giant apple tree and flew out to them.

Gohan smiled from his seat on a branch. "Good morning, Dad!"

"Mornin', son."

Goten floated over to me and stuck an apple in my face. "Hi, Dad! Gohan and I picked some apples! Want one?"

I chuckled and took it. "Sure, Goten. Thanks."

Gohan looked in the direction of the house, mildly concerned. "Man, it's half past nine. Mom is really sleeping in."

I nodded as I took a bite out of the huge apple. "She sure is." I smiled as I sensed her low but stable ki. "But she's just fine. We're all going to have to pitch in extra around here from now on. Especially after the babies are born."

They glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.

"But we can handle it, can't we?"

"Yep!" was Goten's happy reply while Gohan just nodded again with a grin on his face.

"Good!" My stomach rumbled and heat spread on my cheeks. "The only thing is… we're gonna need more than just apples for breakfast. What do you boys say we go fishing for breakfast and–"

"GOOOOKUUUU!"

My heart jumped into my throat as I locked onto her somewhat unstable energy and placed myself right in front of her. I grabbed her shoulders. "Chichi! What's–"

She jammed a finger into my chest. "Why didn't you wake me up!? It's nearly ten in the morning! And there's work to do! We have to be at Bulma's in only a few hours!" She pointed angrily to the clock on the wall, a vein pulsating on her forehead. "I should have been awake–"

But then her flushed cheeks turned green and a hand flew to her mouth.

"Uh-oh," I mumbled as she spun around and sprinted upstairs to the bathroom – taking the steps a couple at a time.

When I caught up to her, she was bent over the toilet, hurling whatever little bit of food she had nibbled on when she woke up. I got on my knees behind her and held her hair as the front door banged open below us.

"Mom!? Dad!?" called Gohan.

Oh. The boys.

"Your mother's fi–"

Chichi dry-heaved one last time and sagged against the cool porcelain of the tub next to her. She seemed done for the time being so I reached for the hand towel on the counter and gave it to her. She wiped her face as she caught her breath.

"Your mother's okay, boys."

"You sure, Dad? It sounds like she's super sick," called Goten from the foot of the stairs.

"She's fine, Goten. Pregnant women just… throw up sometimes. Something to do with those har… her–"

Chichi sighed and murmured, "Hormones, Goku."

I nodded. "Yeah. Those."

She pulled herself up with a hand on the counter and I steadied her at her elbows.

She patted one of my hands and turned to face me. "I'm fine now, Goku. I need to go get dressed." She frowned up at me, her hands on her hips. "We have a lot of work to do after you let me sleep in so late."

I rubbed the back of my neck and smiled nervously. "Heh… sorry, Babe. You just… looked like you needed it."

Her eyes narrowed further but then her frown melted away into a small smile and she shook her head as she brushed past me and headed to our room.

I smiled after her. "Just… let the boys and I take care of breakfast for you, Chichi."

She froze in our doorway and whirled on the spot with a full-blown glare on her pretty face – her energy spiking in warning. "You three stay out of my kitchen," she commanded – slicing her hand through the air for emphasis.

I automatically held my hands up as I slid a foot backwards. "B-but we don't need the kitchen. I'm just going to take the boys fishing and we're going to cook the fish over fire pits in the yard."

She sighed – the flare up dying away as her ki settled. "Okay. Thank you, Sweetheart. I'll make a few quick side dishes to go with the fish after I get dressed."

With that, she stepped into our room and closed the door behind her.

I headed downstairs. "Let's go fishing, boys."

Goten jumped up and down once. "Yay!"

Not too long after that, two giant fish from our nearby river were cleaned and roasted. I'd have to catch a lot more than that to feed a family with four hungry half Saiyan children. I smiled at the thought – and because I was happy to see Chichi able to eat. She really put it away. Must have been making up for being sick that morning. It was cute to see her eat like us for a change.

[royal-writer]

Essul

Sleep is for the weak

Yet another mass of time traveling aus- much information redacted becuz I'm forgetful so this may be edited.

If the group somehow was traveling through Miamoorgyate, all cloaked in disguises and Sul manages to spot a little tot and spots the scales on her face and the style of her hair and the color of her eyes and is like "???...! That's Essie" in his head. And while watching, he realizes there's a woman holding this kid's hand as they walk. Essatha turns as Sul stops, watching as he impulsively moves forward. Essie reaches out to him and grabs his arm and reminds him firmly that they can't be messing with the past. And of course Sul understands this, but he reminds Essie, "We have an opportunity to save your mom." and he's confused. And with teary eyes, knowing they can't interfere, Essie just whispers "I know" as she watches her mom walking down the street, half bent over to hold smol her's hand.

In addition to the above: imagine Sul sneaking away from wherever the group is camping or staying nearby in the night and finding Essie's mom. And although she's frightened, demanding to know who he is and why he's following her, he offers his hands to her and heals her illness as she quizzically takes his offer. All he says is "Consider it a gift" and departs.

Option 1 for the above: Sul returns to the group. Everyone's in a panic. They turn to him, saying "Essatha just disappeared!" He's shocked. They're all frantically searching for her, explaining she literally just vanished before their eyes. Slowly, some of the  group members start questioning who they were looking for as their memories of Essie begin to fade. Sul's last thoughts before her memory vanishes being one of hoping that doing this helped her somehow.

Opt 1 Bad Addition: Becuz Sul changed history, Sul is cursed as being the only one to remember Essie as the other group members forget. So when they finally return to their time, he goes out on a personal quest to find her. Oh by the way- in this case he finds out she was either murdered as well as her mom, kidnapped, or likewise, raised eventually by less than good individuals. Just- something bad. To make him feel bad. Doing a good deed doesn't always pay off. Or straight up Evil Essie due to circumstances in her life being different; scarred and missing an eye cliche.

Opt2: Just as Sul is about to heal Essie's mom, Essie shows up and fucking knocks into him so hard she startles him into nearly falling over. Essie's mom, panicked at this, flees. Essie then convinces Sul to follow her, despite his displeasure. He apologizes for upsetting her, and she's busy holding together her tattered mixed feelings as they leave town. Unfortunately, Essie's mom followed them, because there was something /familiar/ about that woman. So while Sul and Essie stop for Essie to scold him, her mom carrying a sleeping tot Essie in her mom comes up upon them. Essie panics and tells her to go, but Hepsiba her mum refuses. She hands Sul toddler Essie and tells him to hold her child as she walks over to Essie. Essie's openly sobbing now as her mom reaches out, gently cupping her face as she tears up now, and says, "I recognized those eyes. You're the most divine beauty I have ever laid eyes on." and then they're both hugging and Sul just- has a sleeping toddler in his arms. Cue eventually Essie and Hepsiba being done hugging and talking a bit to turn and see that toddler Essie has awoken and is now pulling on Sul's nostils, horns, climbing on him, lifting up his lip to poke at his canine teeth and he just mumbles to Essie's mum "You have a very curious child" while Adult Essie just flushes bright red. Haha awkward.

AU where the group fucks up trying to defeat an evil villain before he rises to power and mistakenly unleash a creature that tears through Sul's childhood home. They all just stare with shock staring at a child Sul crying, burned, his parents dead and house destroyed. The demigod of time they're with has to cut their Current Sul literally out of time so he doesn't just disappear then and there. Cue a lengthy press for time, trying to save Their Sul from vanishing while trying to change this new event from becoming the future. As they time jump, they have to deal with a slowly fading Sul. Slowly forgetting things, waking up with weird nightmares or visions of places he's never seen.

Opt1: While Sul and Essie are sleeping peacefully in bed, Essie wakes up to find Sul not waking up. She goes to fetch the others, and they realize none of them can wake him. The time traveler tries and he opens his eyes, but starts talking to someone they can't see. He can't seem to hear or see any of them. They're confused by the conversation as he speaks aloud, because they can only hear him. At one point he gasps in pain, blood seeping through his shirt from an unknown wound. Then another wound appears. They try healing him but it's not working for some reason. When Sul is released from his strange spell, he quickly tells everyone where to find the bad guy, and dies. They go to find the bad guy then, only to discover the bad guy's right-hand man is the Sulhadur from this universe, who is evil and convinced that helping this bad guy will save the world of all future suffering. He believes even if this event causes chaos and death, in the long run, it'll better the world so no one has to go through a horrible life of death, destruction, and bad shit.

With the above option, there's a thousand spin offs on if the group fights him, doesn't fight him, fights just the bad guy and knocks out this Evil Sul, whatever. It is agreed upon Essie would purposefully go Defensive solely upon this Sul and not fight him. She just finds she can't do it. She can't look at her Sul's face, even twisted in an evil hateful snarl, and think of hurting him.

It is revealed that Their Sul and Evil Sul were unable to co-exist in the same universe, and were trying to 'merge'. Therefore all of Sul's odd memories, his nightmares, etc were him being placed in the other Sul's body/head. Likewise, Evil Sul was sometimes very briefly within him. It was very disorientating for them both. Unfortunately, Evil Sul figured out what was happening after consoling his master and friends, so he was technically using this to his advantage to steal information from the group as they zeroed in on the bad guy group.

The group manages to win the day and end the bad guy's corruption. They're sent back to their original time, no problems, everyone's normal. If Sul is there or not depends on the au; there's a version where the demigod saved his soul and brought him back, there's one where he could not be brought back like the others and is now 'dead' or 'missing' from their world as through he didn't exist, and there's an au where he was 'reborn' from a younger version of himself.

In the 'reborn' variant, the group eventually goes to find Young Sul. They're all older than him by a number of years (he's probably in his late teens/early twenties- before becoming a paladin). He eventually quests as per usual to become a paladin, and funnily enough, the fates seem to align and bring him back into their lives at a bar years later.

Opt 2: Sul doesn't die, and when they get to the big bad, it's a Bad Fight because Their Sul is not as strong as Bad Sul, who started training younger in life and is a cheating, maniacal asshole. Least talked about au but there's a lot of bloodshed.

Opt 3: Their Sul dies, but the group does not beat the bad guys. They fail their objective, and are forced to remain in this new 'universe' they created- or at least, for now. They somehow managed to KO Evil Sul, and take him with them. Essie is Shook. This asswipe fucks with Essie's feelings too during the fight being like *smug face* "What's the matter you can't hurt me? You won't? Becuz I look like ur boyfran?"

Essie makes a Big Mistake being a heartbroken, selfish moron and wonders if she can 'fix' Evil Sul to be like Her Sul. She is stupid. We pity her.

The group accidently leaves her in charge of Evil Sul, who tricks her with her feelings acting like he can be like Their Sul. Sadly when Essie frees him of his bindings and whatever else, he continues playing her. Gently touching her face, acting sweet and genuine with warm eyes. Then it's Murder Time, and as Essie looks in his eyes and realizes this is not her Sweet Sul with soft eyes but Evil Boy and unreedemable as he gets snarky, he straight up slaughters her as the group is awakened by the sound of screaming.

On the plus side I guess, she somehow manages to end up in the same heaven as Their Sul and he flicks her in the head and tells her she just made a stupid move. Which is agreeable.

I'm forgetting a version in there I know I am. >:I Will think on it.

[the1rei]

Bloomin' Ross pt63

Corona has a strange visitor.

<<< First Post  <<Prev Post - Next Post >>

Guarding Corona's bridge was a boring affair most days, traffic into the city was hardly ever contested, it would take a truly suspicious acting person for the guards to even consider stopping them and it was rare that anything came of it.  It was much worse on days like today where the traffic slowed to a trickle such that if you were lucky, there would be at least one person on the bridge, today wasn't a lucky day.  

Francis yawned openly in his boredom; his younger partner gave him a look of disapproval, he was young and eager and the Captain and done his usual thorough job of instilling him with an abundant sense of duty and perfection.  It would take some time, but eventually, he would learn that it was better to relax and there was no harm in yawning when you were bored.  

Suddenly both guards were shocked to alertness as a large gout of flame exploded to life on the bridge about fifty feet from the gate.  From the flames stepped what they could only call a devil.  Nearly seven feet tall with rust-colored skin and a jutting crown of ridge-like horns, the handsome, muscular man strode forward clothed in deep red robes and draped in lengthy scrolls filled with strange symbols.  The shock of the sudden appearance froze the two guards, but as the devil stepped away from the flames and they died down behind him, Francis found his wits.  Lowering his spear to point at the red-skinned man, his rookie partner doing the same a moment later, Francis called out, "Halt!  State your business in Corona!"  

"Io, Penna sanguinante della casa del contratto eterno, ambasciatore di underworld al regno in riva al mare, sono venuti qui per affari personali." The being spoke without pausing in his steady pace forward.  His words were like the very personification of despair, and as they reached the guards' ears, all fierceness and defiance was replaced by utter sadness.  Their spears clattered to the ground, and they dropped to their knees wracked with sobs and tears poured from their eyes and their noses dripped clear mucus.  The being continued past them without pause.  

As he made his way into Corona's streets, there was a cacophony of gasps and even the occasional scream as all eyes fell on the being.  Parents scooped up children, even children that weren't their own, and rushed them inside homes for safety.  The being seemed to take no notice of any of it making his way down the street as if there was nothing unusual about his appearance or people's reactions at all.  

----

Cass first noticed the buzz around the castle when the servants were all chatting in hushed whispers about something, that was an event to which she rarely paid attention.  Cass had lived the castle most of her life and long since become disinterested in whatever gossip the servants had become obsessed with moment to moment.  However, when she noticed all the guards rushing to gather in the war room she finally did become concerned.  

"Dad, what's going on?"  Cass caught her father just where she hoped to find him rushing between his office and the war room he was armed and looked worried almost panicked.  

"Cassandra, go make sure the princess is safe."  The Captain curtly answered as he brushed past his daughter.  

Cass, however, wouldn't let him go so easily and snatched his arm to stop him.  "Rapunzel is fine dad.  She locked herself in her room after 'inspiration' hit her.  She won't come out for hours trust me, so what's going on?"  

The Captain pulled his arm free, "It's nothing for you to worry about Cassandra, just go and make sure the Princess is safe.  I'll explain later."  The Captain's words would have sounded harsh to most, but Cass could see past his tone, that he wasn't angry, he was scared and if he wouldn't tell her why she would find out another way.  

"I'm just glad we are not going out there,"  Pete said though whatever else he was about to say was cut off and a pair of hands shot out of a shadow and grabbed both guards by the front of their armor.  

So shocked by the sudden accostment they didn't have a chance to resist before they were thrown up against the wall and Cassandra was growling up at them.  "What's going on?"  

"T-the Captain said we shouldn't-" Stan started, but Cassandra silenced him with a glare.  Pete quickly blurted out, "A devil is wandering through Corona, he took out the guards at the gate with a few words.  You dad is taking a group of guards to drive him out of the city; we're staying here to help guard the castle."  

As he spoke, Cass' face turned from glaring to fearful, as soon as Pete finished she released both of them and ran for the castle entrance.  But stopped and changed direction heading for her room, she couldn't fight anything in her stupid handmaiden dress, and she needed her sword.

----

The being had stopped in the middle of the street; he stood stiff arms folded as if waiting for something.  Behind him a carriage with a long train of energetic young horses came to a stop, the front pair quivered anxiously staring at the being's back.  The door of the coach flew open as a noblewoman half stepped out and turned to speak at the driver, "Why have we stopped, get this thing moving or you'll be finding a new job!"  

The driver was frantically shaking his head at the woman when the being turned his head around to look back at the noblewoman.  She quivered as his eyes narrowed in a glare and a lower growl rose up from his throat.  A streak of white ran down the noblewoman's hair when the being glared at her and she couldn't even manage a shriek as she fell back into the safety of her coach.  

"I'm sorry there sonny, I know it takes me too long to cross."  The being turned back to look down on the bent frame of the old man in front of him who had momentarily paused his shaky steps heavily leaning on his cane.  The old man looked up at the being with milky eyes that must have seen little more than a blur.  

"Not at all elder, you have the right of way after all."  The being spoke, his voice was deep and smooth.  The old man smiled up at him and continued his trek across the street, the corner of the being's mouth turning up ever so slightly and briefly to return the smile.  

Finally, when the old man was on the other side of the street, the being started forward again.  He only made it a few steps before a force of more than twenty guards rushed out of the streets towards him the Captain leading the group.  They stopped about fifteen feet in front of the being weapons drawn as the Captain shouted, "Leave Corona at once!"  

"No," Was the being simple reply followed by a snap of his black-nailed fingers.  There was a burst of flames over him from which emerged a massive red dragon.  It must have been forty feet tall glaring down at the guards with molten eyes.  It unleashed a deafening roar followed by a gout of flames twice as long as its body.  

There was a clattering as half the guards lost their nerve and dropped their weapons as they ran from the monster.  The Captain's eyes went to the surrounding building ready to assign guards to rescue people from the burning buildings, but there wasn't a single flame among them.  "It's just an illusion attack!"  

The Captain gave a fierce battle cry and charged at the being, the dragon standing over him faded away, but his enemy simply pointed a finger at him and uttered a few words.  Suddenly the Captain stopped in his tracks unable to move.

The captain had still spurred his men forward and they all charged.  The being's finger moved to a new target, but this time the words were followed by a jet of flame that struck a guard's sword and turned the metal molten.  It burst, causing the blade to fall to the ground and guard ripped his glove off trying to escape the burning of the molten steel.  

One guard swung at the being who calmly stepped out of the way of the blade then stepped back in and bringing his finger to his lips shh'ed the guard.  Suddenly the world fell silent, he couldn't hear the world around him, or even his own voice, panic, and despair filled the guard who dropped to the ground clutching his ears.  

A particularly scrawny guard charged at the being and stabbed at him with a spear.  The being grabbed the spear and yanked the guard to him with one hand with the other shot forward and grabbed his face dark energy flowing around it.  The being said a few more strange words and released the scrawny guard who fell to the ground too weak to hold himself up.  

With a touch the being caused another guard to vanish without a trace, but the other pressed forward to attack.  The being sighed and folded his arms as the four remaining guard surround and charged at him from all sides.  The scrolls draped across the being suddenly came to life, unrolling and lashing out wrapping around the guards' heads.  The guards clawed at the pages but there would not be torn, and it was only when the clawing stopped, and they were on their last breath that the scroll would release the guard and drop them unconscious to the ground.  

When seven guards lay scattered around him, one Captain frozen in magic, one cowering fearfully and one simply gone, the being started forward again calmly striding as if nothing had happened.  

"The presences of the devil dog brought this upon us."  The one remaining guard muttered shaking, his mustache partially regrown.  

When he finally dared to look up, there was the being standing in front of him.  A rust-colored hand seized the guard throat and hoisted him up off the ground.  "What was that about a devil dog?"  

The guard tried to speak, but the grip on his throat was choking him so he could only sputter incoherently.  The being brought a finger to his lips and again shh'ed the guard.  "Your words will only get in the way; I'll just go to the source directly."  The being whispered and reached up to touch the guard forehead dark magic dancing on his fingers.  

[spiteweaver]

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No.

This couldn’t be happening. No matter how real it felt, the thrum of magic in the air, the heat of sunlight on his skin, the hammering of his heart inside his chest, it couldn’t be happening. It was a terrible dream, and he would wake up from it soon, to his beautiful mate, smiling and reassuring him that all was well.

No.

No, no, no, no--

“Banrai!”

“No!”

“Banrai, stop! There’s nothing you can do for him now!”

“Let go of me!”

Banrai shifted in a flash of light, and Solaire, small even in his draconic form, could do nothing to stop him. The Ridgeback charged forward with reckless abandon, spines flared, head lowered.

Abaddon appeared before him, all glistening thistle scales and bristling obsidian fur. They collided. Abaddon held firm, his feet shifting only slightly under Banrai’s ferocious thrashing. “Do you want to die?!” he bellowed. “Do you want Dreamweaver to come home to a dead husband?!”

“Do I want them to come home to a dead son?!” Banrai replied. “That’s my son--our son! That’s our boy in there! Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same for Junior! Let me go! Please, Abaddon!”

“I won’t!”

“Then you’re killing him!”

“If I let you go, I’ll be killing you as well!”

They clashed. Claws raked skin and scale. Teeth tore into thick hide. Dark blood spattered the ground. “Pull them apart!” someone cried. “For Lightweaver’s sake, pull them apart!”

Banrai went down, his fall shaking the earth beneath him. Abaddon’s foot rested upon his neck. They were both battered, missing great chunks of flesh and armor, but Abaddon more so. “You need to think rationally,” he said. “Banrai, you cannot endanger yourself. Your clan needs you. That’s what it means to be a leader.”

“What would you know?” Banrai spat. “You were a warlord. You were a coward. Your people hated you.”

Abaddon didn’t flinch. If the remark cut him deeply, it didn’t show on his face. He pressed his foot down more firmly. “You need not remind me,” he said, “I was there. Still, I learned a thing or two, both from my own mistakes and from your mate. They would never forgive me if I let you go in there.”

“I’ll never forgive you if you don’t!”

“So be it. I would rather you be alive and bitter than dead.”

A shadow passed by overhead. Abaddon glanced upward, and caught a glimpse of orchid against the pure blue of the sky. “Dreamweaver has returned,” he informed. “Don’t let them see you like this.”

Abaddon removed his foot. Slowly, his stomach churning, Banrai pulled his immense body upright. The two shared a look, fierce and charged with a maelstrom of emotions, before Banrai’s eyes softened and filled with tears. Abaddon said nothing, only pressed his cheek against his old friend’s in quiet solidarity.

Dreamweaver alighted before them. Neither was proficient at reading auras, but they could feel the panic in Dreamweaver’s, so palpable and raw was it. “What happened?” they asked. “Banrai, Abaddon--you’re both in shambles.”

“It’s nothing,” Abaddon assured. “Dreamweaver, Phantasos is inside.”

Dreamweaver stumbled, and Banrai rushed forward to support them. They fell limply against his side, heaving enormous, labored breaths as they tried to collect themself. “My--my boy--my boy is in--you let him go--you--”

“No one ‘let him,’” Abaddon said. “He went before we could stop him.”

“It’s my fault,” Banrai murmured. He nudged his mate’s neck gently, pleadingly. “It’s my fault, Dreamy. I should have been watching him. I knew he wanted to act, but I was so concerned with Crucis and the village that I--I took my eyes off of him. I should have never.”

Their gazes met. Banrai cringed. There was sorrow unlike any he had ever witnessed in his mate’s eyes. Dreamweaver reached for him, cupping his cheeks with their clawed hands. “At least,” they said, “you are safe.”

Then they were inconsolable.

“I can go in after him,” Holloway offered.

“You barely made it out the first time,” Solaire said.

“We...” Banrai clenched his jaw. “We won’t ask that of you again, Holloway. You’ve already risked your life once.”

“It’s Phantasos,” Holloway said. “He’s worth risking my life a second time.”

“I’ll go,” Dreamweaver sobbed, “please, let me go after him.”

“Absolutely not,” Abaddon said. “You are the Lightweaver’s most trusted acolyte. The Arcane element is rising over yours--and you are more in-tune with it than any of us. Even being this near to an unchecked piece of the Seat could have severe consequences.”

“However, something must be done,” Solaire conceded. “We cannot let the celestine spread any further.”

“Junior and I rounded up the Arcanites we could find,” Abaddon said. “He’s certain they can contain it, at least until Lutia can come sort it out--but getting Phantasos out is another matter entirely.”

“Why did he go in?” Holloway clucked his tongue. “Foolish boy, what does he think he’s going to do?”

“He thinks he can dispel it, I suppose,” Banrai replied. “He thinks--”

“Gods, I did this!” Dreamweaver wailed. “He thinks he’s me, is what he thinks! I have to go after him!”

“You--will--die,” Abaddon repeated. “Did I not make that clear enough for you?”

“I’m the oldest, most powerful being in this godsforsaken land!” Dreamweaver argued. “If anyone can get him out, it’s me!”

“It’s not about age and power,” Abaddon insisted, “it’s about elemental alignments! I’m no magic-worker, but even I know that! Just because you’re a damned demigod doesn’t mean you’re invincible!”

“Then who is going to save my son?!”

“Quiet.” Solaire held up a hand. “Did you lads hear that? Sounded like thunder.”

“Now there’s a storm on the way too?” Holloway groaned. “The gods of this realm are cruel, aren’t they?”

“I said it sounded like thunder,” Solaire said, “not that it was. I think--I think it came from--”

Suddenly, all around them, there was a horrible cacophony. The colony seemed to shriek in anguish as great chunks of it fell to the earth, shattering and dissipating into fine dust. Holloway gathered his wits and scrambled forward, guiding what he could of it into his jar. The crystal pulsed once, twice, thrice...

Everything went silent.

...

Light.

Warm, and golden, and full.

It bathed Observatory Hill in a chaste glow, brighter than the sun and yet somehow as soft as a candle’s flame. Dreamweaver’s magic responded to it, their eyes glowing, their hair unfurling around them as they shifted forms, mapping out distant stars and galaxies without names.

“It’s him,” they breathed. “It’s Phantasos.”

As the group watched, awe-struck with mouths agape, the pink celestine encasing the observatory turned pale yellow, the color of Dreamweaver’s magic, pulsed one final time, and shattered.

“What’s happened?” Solaire asked. “I’m blind, you know?”

“Get back!” Holloway called. “Everyone get back!”

A cloud of glittering gold shrouded the hill, forcing onlookers down to its base. Dreamweaver had to be pulled away, their shrieks ringing in their people’s ears, “He’s alive! Let me go to him, he’s alive!”

Even as the dust settled, they were screaming their son’s name.

In the silence that followed, they received a weak, wavering response.

“Dede?”

Phantasos appeared at the crest of the hill. His eyes were a swirl of nebulae and comets, his hands still glowing white hot with the power he had unleashed. Finally, Abaddon released Dreamweaver, and they raced forward, tripping, crawling at some points, in their desperation to reach their son. When they did, they hugged him to them fiercely and wept openly into his shoulder.

“You’re alive,” they croaked. “You’re alive.”

“I’m sorry, dede,” Phantasos said. “I didn’t mean to worry you, but--but you were away, and Lutia wasn’t here, and Crucis was wrapped up in crystal, and I couldn’t let the village--”

“I’m going to kill you,” Dreamweaver whispered.

“I know, dede.”

“Phantasos...” The young heir flinched at the sound of his father’s voice, and, timidly, met his gaze. Banrai did not scold him. Instead, he pressed his massive forehead to his son’s and wept as Dreamweaver did. “I’m also going to kill you,” he said.

“I know, da.”

“How did he...?” Holloway pointed to the observatory, now pristine as it once had been, though covered in a thin dusting of crystal remnants. “How...?” Then he pointed to Phantasos, mouth still hanging open. “What--in what world is he capable of--this shouldn’t be--how did he do that?!”

“He’s his parents’ son,” Abaddon said simply. “Looks like we all underestimated him.”

“Jolly good!” Solaire exclaimed. “Jolly good, boy! Fine show, I’m sorry I couldn’t bear witness to it!”

“Honestly, I...” Phantasos stared down at his own hands. “I don’t know how I did it. I don’t even know what I did. I just--I just did it.”

“That’s magic for you,” Abaddon said. “Arcanites have got it down to a science, but most of us--well, we just do whatever feels right, and it tends to work out well enough.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Dreamweaver pleaded. “I think we’ve all had enough magic for one day. Oh, my baby boy...”

“I’m all right, dede,” Phantasos said. “I feel fine. I feel really good, actually.”

“You’re going straight to Aphaster lands,” Dreamweaver informed, “and getting a thorough check-up! I won’t be able to rest until I know you’re healthy and completely in-tact!”

“Oh good.” Phantasos grinned. “I can see the Seat.”

Dreamweaver started to yell at him, call him reckless and foolish and stupid--but they were so relieved that they could see his smug little face once more that they could manage nothing but a tearful smile of their own.

[happy-meo]

Masquerade III: The Rules of the Game – Part 5 (Jungkook x Reader x another BTS member)

One must know the rules of the game, in order to come and play.

!! If you haven’t, please read the first two sagas in this series: MASQUERADE & Masquerade II !! [There will be spoilers if you read this story first.]

Summary: With Club Masquerade’s original hosts “graduating” one at a time, it’s up to the newcomers to pick up the slack and keep the customers happy. And who better to take the reins than the notorious Red Mask’s prodigy, Jeon Jungkook. But things become a bit difficult when you come into the picture, with your desire to do research on the rules of love and dating through your experience with your host. Will Jungkook be able to satisfy your curiosities… or will someone else?

Jungkook x Reader x BTS member [Read on to find out who >:P] (ft. Jimin & Hoseok) CEO au, Host au, Cop!Kook au Fluff & Smut

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 (Finale)

A/N: Hey everyone ~ this one’s long again so I put another “Keep Reading” link so let me know if it isn’t working ^^ This is straight up SIN (You have been warned)...I’m sorry...Enjoy ~ and stay hydrated LOL.

          To say something had stirred inside of you after having sex with Namjoon would be somewhat of an understatement. Rather than "stirred" it seemed that it had been unleashed... unlocked.

           There was a gnawing need inside of you. Like that one time hadn't been enough. Like you were intoxicated and obsessed with chasing after the high, the pleasure, the satisfaction that you had felt in that moment. But what worried you was that you knew that moments and feelings hardly ever replicated themselves to the same degree, and to expect the same feeling would be setting yourself up for disappointment. Yet you still hoped; you still searched.

           Every time you met with Namjoon, it would end up with clothes strewn on the floor; your limbs tangled around each other, like both of your bodies knew no other place other than each other's.

           When your frustration was so great, you turned to Jungkook, who more than happily consented to your advances. He was well aware of your feelings for Namjoon and of your great thirst and search for physical intimacy. Most of the time, you and Jungkook would meet at the Club, neither of you daring enough to initiate anything at work, not sure whether it was something that crossed the other's thought, and certainly not wanting to cross that line.

           Until one day, your growing heat got the better of you.

           As far as logical went, you always thought your mind was in full control of your body, but it seemed that those many years of tight reign had dissolved with a single taste of worldly pleasures. And you couldn't think of any reason to deny yourself, especially if all the parties involved were on the same page and in the loop with everyone's desires and circumstances.

           And so, seated side-by-side with both of your backs to your co-workers, you and Jungkook were brainstorming some ideas for improvements in marketing and advertising, which you had to pitch to Mr. Jung and Mr. Park by the end of the week. You crossed your legs in an attempt to dissipate the throbbing of your center as flashes of heated nights with Namjoon and with Jungkook separately seeped in. Licking your lips, your eyes flickered over to Jungkook's concentrated expression and pursed lips. You silently argued with yourself about the consequences of being caught in the workplace and possibly pushing Jungkook too much out of his comfort zone, especially when he wasn't Nochu. But before your mind could register it, your hand began travelling down to Jungkook's muscular thigh.

           He stilled immediately.

           "Y/N."

           "Hm?" You hummed as you slid over his crotch and applied pressure.

           He shifted and you spotted him licking his lips at the sensation.

           "What do you think you're doing?" he whispered dangerously.

           "I'm working. What're you doing?" You grinned.

           He glared at you, but you thumbed his hardening length and you heard a breathy sigh leave the back of his throat.

           "Being quite distracted." he huffed.

           "Well, you can just tell me to stop...if you want." You batted your eyelashes as you continued to palm him through his slacks. Leaning near his ear, you whispered. "Or do you think you can keep quiet?"

           Something changed in Jungkook's eyes and he grabbed your wrist roughly, hissing. "Rooftop. Now."

           Your lips curled up as he hurriedly left the cubicle, a thick aura between you two. You waited a minute or two before following him, making your way to the rooftop. Once you arrived, your body was flung against the wall and all oxygen was cut off by Jungkook's needy lips, to which you happily reciprocated.

           "I can't-" Jungkook panted in between the clashing of tongue and teeth. "believe you-- you tried--to--"

           "Shut up." You hushed and bit his bottom lip.

           You knew you two had a limited amount of time until someone found it suspicious that you both suddenly disappeared from your cubicle. Talking was taking away from precious time, and Jungkook knew exactly what you meant because soon, he was sinking his teeth into your neck. Shamelessly, you felt a growl emerge from your mouth. At that, you spotted Jungkook smirking before he leaned to whisper.

           "Guess someone likes getting bitten." he taunted.

           But you had no time to argue before he pressed his hardness against your soaking core. It ached with need, but you were still too proud to loosen your grip on the string of your dignity to beg for him. You knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't hold out much longer either, but you had to do something to egg him on. So, you hooked your leg around his, which hiked your skirt up high enough so that friction was possible between your center and his bulge.

           "Shit." he gripped your ass tightly as he sucked on your collar. "You want me that bad?"

           You grinded into him again and this time, he pressed against you too, which sent a jolt of insane pleasure throughout your entire body. Jungkook chuckled and rubbed himself against you again. Your head tilted back as you sighed, your body relieved that it was finally getting what it had been craving.

           "How dare you try to touch me so openly?" he stared at you with lidded eyes. "I should punish you."

           Your heart flipped over at his comment and he smirked, probably noticing how you perked up a little.

           "You're a lot kinkier than I thought." he hummed. "We should experiment more."

           "What do you propose?" You raised an eyebrow.

           "Silence." he challenged. "You think you're up for it?"

           "Silence. As in not making a noise?"

           "Mhm."

           "Okay...not too bad. No one's here anyway."

           Jungkook snorted and picked your other leg up so that your life was entrusted to his grip and the wall behind you. "Who said we were going to stay here?"

           You blinked.

           "Hold on, princess." he grinned and you flung your arms around his neck as he started moving.

           Teasingly, he bucked into you once and you dipped your head against his shoulder, biting your lip to keep silence.

           He laughed, "Oho, you're totally going to lose."

           You glared at him, but he didn't see it because he had stepped back into the stairwell leading up to the rooftop. Gently, he lay you down on the ground. How he could see in the darkness, you had no idea. You wondered if he had developed heightened senses from all the training he did at Club Masquerade. But your panties were soon ripped from you, the cold air stimulating more than you thought it would. You were so needy that air was even turning you on; you had certainly lost your mental strings.

           You couldn't see anything in the darkness of the stairwell, save the slight silhouette of Jungkook's figure. You reached down impatiently, ready to touch yourself if he was going to make you wait any longer, but his hand swatted yours away. Before you could protest, you felt something slimy and long slide along your center. You arched your back and you bit your lip together tightly to prevent yourself from making a noise. It was insanely difficulty because Jungkook was lapping at your juices hurriedly and with a purpose. He tickled your clit then traced your folds before pushing inside you with his tongue. Having no other way to communicate, you grabbed hold of his hair and yanked his face up then pressed your mouth against his to release the groans and moans that were bubbling inside you. It was weird tasting yourself, but the thought was soon washed away by Jungkook's skillful kissing.

           He gently broke the kiss and you felt him line his cock at your entrance. Your throat clenched as you waited for him to enter you, excitedly, eagerly, with bated breath. And slowly, he pushed through your tight walls. Both of you were suppressing your sighs of pleasure as he filled you up to the brim. You clawed at anything of him you could reach, wanting to release your emotion in some other way since any sort of noise would surely echo and reverberate in the stairwell. He connected your mouths again and he made small bucking movements into you, trying to be as quiet as possible. Though the movements were small, he knew exactly where he was hitting repeatedly--your g-spot.

           Your head reeled, and it felt like the place was spinning at the intensity of the pleasure you were feeling. You wished that you could scream or yell out, tell Jungkook to keep doing exactly what he was doing, but also tell him to hit harder and faster. However, you were under his mercy in the silence, although your body did try to match his motions. But your skins slapping against each other surrounded you two and you both stilled, praying that no one was passing by and heard the strange noise.

           After a few seconds passed, Jungkook dug his nails into your hips, a quiet demand to stay still, and you felt your body surge with new giddiness. But those butterflies turned into jolts of pleasure as Jungkook began drilling into you as silently as possible. Both of you exchanged panting into each other's mouths, replenishing oxygen by circulating it between each other. Then he covered your mouth as he parted from you to lift your hips to get a different angle inside you. His hand did nothing to muffle the moan that left your lips and at the point, neither of you cared anymore.

           Jungkook quickened his pace, and he became sloppier, letting his skin clash against yours loudly a few times. You were also panting and groaning openly, knowing you were nearing your climax. Then finally, Jungkook pulled out of you and pushed all the way in roughly, causing you to intensely orgasm. He followed you after a few more pumps and you two just lay there groggily.

           "For the record, you lost." Jungkook chuckled and kissed your cheek. "And I came prepared."

           "Hm?" You lifted your head up to find him pulling out a handkerchief once he slipped back into his pants.

           "For all your cleaning needs." he kneeled and offered you the cloth cheekily.

           You chuckled and rolled your eyes. "A gentleman would clean me."

           "Well, I'm no gentleman." Jungkook shrugged. "You're the loser so you clean up."

           You snorted. "Well as far as consequences of losing go, this isn't bad."

           "You going commando?"

           You could hear Jungkook's grin in his tone.

           "I have an extra pair in my purse. Wanna grab it for me?" You requested.

           "Um no. I'm not touching your panties." Jungkook refused.

           "You clearly touched more than my panties." You snarked. "Just grab my purse and bring it to the bathroom. If anyone asks, just tell them I had a feminine problem."

           Jungkook sighed. "Okay, but you're buying me something one of these days."

           "I buy your time almost every other day!" You argued.

           "Yeah, but that's your fault you can't keep it in your pants." he jeered.

           "Well, you're one to talk."

           "I never denied the fact." he shrugged.

           "This is something people that are dating do, so you don't need a reward. It's out of the goodness of your loving heart." You patted his cheek teasingly.

           "Ugh. Dating sucks." Jungkook grumbled as he marched down the steps.

           When he arrived at his cubicle, he was greeted by none other than Park Jimin, spinning himself around in Jungkook's chair with his legs crossed. Upon seeing Jungkook appear, a knowing grin crept on his face.

           "My two attractive interns disappeared for a few minutes. One which I know is quite gifted at seducing women...I wonder where they ran off too." he smirked.

           Jungkook averted his eyes. "We took a break."

           "At the rooftop?"

           "Bathroom." Jungkook replied in a low volume as he kneeled down to grab your purse, hoping Jimin wouldn't hear the uncertainty in his response.    

           "Jungkook, you know it's not nice to go through a woman's purse." Jimin raised an eyebrow questioningly.

           "Y/N asked me to get it for her since she's having ...feminine problems."

           Jimin's face immediately changed to one of understanding.

           "Ooo yeah. That sucks. Guess you two really couldn't do anything...unless that's what you're into." Jimin winked and patted Jungkook on the back. "Not that I oppose work romance and beyond at all. I'm all for you and Y/N fornicating."

           "Oh my gosh. Please don't use that word." Jungkook groaned.

           Jimin cackled at the younger's clear embarrassment. "Well go give Y/N her feminine products and I learned it's best not to irritate them during this time. Bleeding profusely from one's vagina uncontrollably is terrible indeed. Oh also, tell Y/N that she's cleared for being off for the rest of this week and next week cause of school. You'll have to pick up her slack of course."

           Jungkook's eyes widened as Jimin, humming happily to himself, walked away. He scurried to the bathroom and knocked on the door that was occupied.

           "It's me." he called.

           You poked your head out and smiled, grabbing your bag from him. "Thanks."

           "I'm surprised you carry extra underwear." Jungkook mentioned.

           "Well, you never know what may happen." You shrugged. "I like being prepared. I always have a change of clothes in the back of my car too...and snacks."

           Jungkook looked at you amused. "So you're always ready for a natural disaster to hit?"

           "I wouldn't go THAT far...although, that's a good idea..."

           Jungkook rolled his eyes and pushed the door, shoving you back inside the bathroom. He hesitated, debating on whether to leave or to just say something about Mr. Park's message.

           "Are you really not going to be here for the rest of the week and some of next?"

           "Yeah. I have some classes to attend." You responded. "Mandatory stuff."

           "Ah..."

           "Why?" You came out of the bathroom, grinning. "Don't tell me you're going to miss me?"

           Jungkook scoffed. "Please. I'm just thinking about all the work I'm going to have to do!"

           "You'll be fine, Officer Jeon." You patted his shoulder comfortingly.

           "Who's going to save me from people's advances?" Jungkook frowned.

           "Well you can just run like you usually do?" You jeered.

           "Give me a strategy or something!"

           "Mmm say you're seeing someone?"

           "What if they ask details?"

           "You can say me. I don't mind."

           Jungkook blinked, surprised. "What?"

           "Well we are seeing each other right? It wouldn't be a complete lie."

           He chuckled at your nonchalant attitude. "Don't be surprised if we're engaged and married by the time you come back to work."

           You snorted. "Wow, I didn't know you were that into me."

           Jungkook nudged you, "Oh please."

           You shoved him back, but he didn't budge and you ended up bouncing off of him instead. He cackled at your weakness, while you huffed.

           A few days later, Jungkook raced out of his current room excitedly and hurried to the Receptionist's desk where you were waiting.

           "Hey!" he greeted.

           "Hey." You grinned then glanced at clock. "You weren't supposed to be done until..."

           "She finished early...well I finished her quickly, you know." he shrugged smugly. "No big deal. Putting down a session?"

           "Whoa, calm down there Nochu." the Receptionist snorted. "You're panting. I'm surprised you got your pants on."

           Nochu smirked. "Who said I had to take my pants off to finish her quickly?"

           You rolled your eyes.

           "What brings you here?" Nochu glanced at you. "Missed me that much?"

           "I was just in the area with someone, so I decided to pay a visit. I didn't think you'd be on your phone while at work."

           "Forgot to turn off the ringer." Nochu lifted his phone out of his pocket. "Good thing the song was sensual so it helped spur her on more."

           "Oh please." you waved your hands. "I don't want to know more. I just wanted to say hi and leave. I didn't want to disturb."

           Nochu sat on the Receptionist's desk and popped a mint into his mouth arrogantly, cocking up his eyebrow. "I have time to spare for you if you want."

            "How's work been?" You questioned, unaware of the Receptionist watching you two with intrigue.

           "Same old. Stressful. So I let it out here." he shrugged as he moved the mint around on his tongue. He turned and pointed towards the Receptionist to recite. "Rule #3: Put the baggage into your package."

           "What?" You questioned.

           "It means 'Don't let personal feelings seep into work, but let your aggression do the work.'"

           "It's cause once upon a time Red Mask accidentally said someone else's name during a session...he let his personal feelings seep in, and it was a pretty crazy fiasco. Luckily, one of our masks specializes in dealing with those that are heartbroken and such so it eased up."

           "Red mask?" You tilted your head.

           "Oh he's Mr--"

           The Receptionist's hand flew over Nochu's mouth to quiet him down.

           "It's confidential for now." she chuckled. "All masks and customers have to maintain utmost secrecy to hide their identities. I mean, I'm guessing you two are one of the only exceptions."

           You and Jungkook glanced at each other.

           "Well, she figured it out. I just go through my day not expecting a customer to recognize me." Jungkook mentioned.

           "Well the voice modulation chips should really help that." the Receptionist pointed to his collar. "It's pretty cool."

           "Yeah, I was playing around with it and it even has accents." Jungkook giggled.

           "What?? Show me!" You beamed excitedly.

           "Hold on. It's actually genius. The Club's CEO created it apparently." Jungkook took out his phone. "The chip is paired to my phone so let me see..."

           "No time, Nochu! Your customer looks like she wants Round 2!" The Receptionist pointed at the monitor. "Go, go, go!"

           "Next time." Nochu smiled weakly.

           You nodded as he hurried off behind the curtains, back to the room he had come from. When you pulled your eyes away from Jungkook's disappearing figure, you noticed the Receptionist studying you intently before averting her eyes, trying not to be obvious.

           "Has Mon been in lately?" You asked.

           Her lips curled up. "You know, he asked me the same question about you when he came in."

           You blushed. "Did he?"

           "Yeah. He said to tell you that 'he'll see you soon'." she grinned.

           You smiled warmly.

           "You must be quite special, Y/N."

           "Hm?"

           "Mon hardly stays around for this long." the Receptionist hummed. "But I have a feeling he's extending his stay for you."

           You shook your head. "Oh no...I'm sure he has other business to attend to."

           "I've known him for a few years." she giggled. "He takes an interest in many, but he only invests in a few...in business and in women. Trust me. I think you've captured more than his interest."

           You shyly allowed the compliment to get to your head, lifting your hopes ever so slightly.

           Finally, it was the last day of your mandatory week of classes. You would've been excited, had it not been for that fact that you had a straight 6 hours of class with only two 15 minute breaks in between. You yawned as you stepped out of your classroom. Although, it wasn't sun set yet, you felt like it was already time to go to bed.

           But you were soon woken up when you spotted a commotion in front of the building.

           "What's going on?" You asked one of your classmates.

           "Apparently there's a really hott cop just standing around waiting for someone, and everyone's taking pictures and throwing him their numbers." she answered. "Someone texted me a picture and it's going viral. He's UNBELIEVABLY good looking. I'm about to go get arrested and put in a cell as long as he's there to look at."

           Your eyes widened; your brain finally piecing the information together. It couldn't be.

           "You wanna see the picture?" your classmate asked.

           "Um actually, I'll take a look at the real person myself." You mumbled.

           "Good idea! He's right at the entrance, but who knows if we can get close enough to get a good view."

           "Oh, I think we'll be able to." You muttered under your breath, heart racing excitingly.

           Was he really? Did he really?

           Your feet flew down the steps of the building and you were soon standing behind the crowd.

           "Do you think we'll be able to get in?" your classmate questioned.

           You scanned the location and smirked. "Why go through when you can go around?"

           Jungkook wasn't standing in front of your university because he missed you. No, he had just been in the area patrolling, and his shift ended when your class did coincidentally. He figured it'd be nice of him to take you home or to celebrate your last day of class ever. That was it. He was being a good friend.

           He exhaled and leaned against his vehicle, scrolling through his phone, well aware of the crowd in front of him. Cameras and crowds didn't faze him anymore, considering he had grown up surrounded by it every day of his life. He wondered if you would be happy to see him or if you would be bothered by the disturbance. Suddenly, your picture popped up on his screen and he fumbled to answer the call, clearly flustered.

           You giggled as you watched him pick up, highly aware of the puzzled expression on your friend's face at your confidence. You had crossed the street so that you were on the other side of him, away from the crowd with a good view of Jungkook leaning against his police car.

           "Hey." Jungkook greeted.

           "So I heard there was a hott cop disturbing the peace at my university."

           "Oh?" Jungkook smirked. "I'm flattered you'd immediately think of me as a reference for 'hott cop'."

           "So what would a certain CEO cop be doing in front of my building?" You grinned as you crossed your arms, watching him scan the crowd for you.

           "The certain CEO cop was patrolling nearby and figured it'd be date-ish of him to come pick a certain someone up from class."

           "Oh? How nice of this CEO cop."

           "Well, it is a cop's job to ensure the safety of the citizens." Jungkook grinned.

           "Your 12 o'clock." You smiled and he soon turned around, locking eyes with you. He hung up and gestured for you to come over suavely with his head. The university students fussing over him squealed excitedly that he finally moved from his spot.

           "Oh my gosh. He's looking this way, Y/N." Your classmate cooed; clearly not putting two and two together. "You think I should say hi? How do I look?"

           You chuckled as you checked the road for any passing cars. "Um, you can try I guess."

           "Where are you going?" she questioned.

           You grinned and hurried over to Jungkook brightly. You were never one for statuses, gossip, and the social hierarchy, but you certainly saw the appeal of being the center of attention for once. You also weren't one to really dwell on feelings about things that were absent, too focused and attentive to the matters in your present. But seeing Jungkook's lopsided grin for the first time in a full week, made you realize that you somewhat kind of missed his presence.

           Your feet scurried over to the other side of the road, until you were finally able to launch yourself into his body; wrapping your arms around his neck, knowing full well that he easily could lift up your weight with one arm, which he did.

           His bunny smile emerged as he looked up at your face brightly.

           "Is this an assault and battery, Miss?" he bantered.

           You laughed, "No, but it might turn into public indecency."

           His orbs darkened as he grinned. "I think I'll have to arrest you for such a transgression."

           "Try me." You whispered as you leaned down to close the distance between your faces.

           Jungkook captured your lips with his eagerly, and you could hear the clicks of phones and murmurs of either discontent or envy surrounding you two.

           "What are you really doing here?" You whispered as you wiped your lip balm away from his lips.

           "I heard girls liked it when their boyfriend shows up at their school or work to surprise them. It makes them look cooler to others." Jungkook replied cheekily.

           You rolled your eyes as he put you down. "What else did you hear girls liked?"

           He smirked as he tugged you forward again, leaning down to audibly state, "You're mine tonight."

           The crowd squealed and shrieked at the comment, making Jungkook puff up his chest smugly. You would be lying if this whole event didn't have your heart fluttering incessantly. You rummaged through your mind to come back with a cheeky response to mask its true effect on you. But you couldn't think of any.

           Jungkook chuckled as he grabbed hold of your hand and led you to the passenger side of his car. He opened the door for you before hurrying into the driver's seat. Melting into the seat, he exhaled. You chuckled and grabbed his hand warmly; proud that he had done all that in front of a crowd. He smiled at you understandably.

           You glanced around again at your fellow classmates pressing against the car to get a last glimpse at Jungkook.

           "Maybe one more kiss to just stick it to them, you think?"

           He laughed, but obliged, cupping your face and locking lips with you.

           Another lesson learned: showing off your hott date was insanely rewarding, and not to mention, a confidence booster.

           You smirked at the girls in your class who had always taunted you that you would be forever alone-- that if you didn't change, no guy would ever look at you twice. Now here you were, unchanged, with someone they found extremely attractive. You couldn't help but want to gloat that you certainly didn't need to change for anyone. This should shut them up from spreading falsehoods and lies to other people.

           "Y/N!" they knocked on the window. "Who's that??!"

           Jungkook seemed to have assessed the situation because he grabbed your hand tightly and confirmed.

           "We're dating."

           Your eyes widened a little at hearing the statement come from his mouth with a serious tone. It had always been thrown around in jest between you two, but the way he said it now made your heart race. You glanced at him as he started the car grinning widely, extremely proud of himself. Wanting to do something for him in return, you suggested.

           "How about your place tonight, Jungkook?"

           Luckily, he was slowing down for a stoplight or else you two might've gotten into an accident, with the way Jungkook pressed down on the brakes at your words. His eyes widened and he looked at you, as if doubting what he had heard.

           You stared back at him, amused.

           "M-my place?" he stammered.

           "Why, you have a hoard of hott girls waiting for you at home?" You smirked.

           "No." he huffed. "I just...I...well..."

           "Is it dirty?"

           "No, definitely not." he snorted. "Just...are you sure?"

           "Yeah." You laughed. "If you're worried about us sleeping together, then news flash-- we've pretty much broke that iceberg."

           Jungkook chuckled. "Yeah... I don't know. It's just that I've never brought a girl to my place."

           "Well if it's a 'sacred' place then--"

           "No, it's fine." he laughed. "I just wasn't expecting it."

           You grinned. "Am I appealing yet?"

           Playfully, he felt around as he continued driving, covering your face with his one hand. You swatted his hand away while giggling, and his hand travelled further down until it was resting on one of your boobs.

           "Jungkook..." You shook your head and glanced at him blankly.

           "What?" he grinned innocently as he focused his eyes on the road.

           You tried to push his hand away but it stayed latched on, giving your boob a light, teasing squeeze.

           "I can't believe I'm sitting in your police car with your hand on my boob." You sighed. "How did my life turn out this way?"

           He giggled.

           You must've been more exhausted than you thought because you were soon sound asleep in the car. You didn't realize you had fallen asleep, until you were woken up by a trail of kisses being pressed against your neck. You gasped awake to find Jungkook, still in his police uniform, hovering above you in an unfamiliar room, which you could only assume was his bedroom.

           "Wow, I passed out." You chuckled.

           "Yeah, I was talking to you and got snores as a reply." he grinned.

           You stretched. "Gosh, taking classes for 6 hours every day sucks."

           "Imagine working for more than that every day." Jungkook hummed, tracing lines against your skin curiously.

           "Hey, you were the one that took on three jobs. You chose your life."

           His lips curled up. "For the most part, yes."

           You remembered that working as an intern was due to his parent's coaxing rather than his choice. "Will you really not go into business?"

           He shook his head. "It's not my cup of tea. Although working with you hasn't been so bad."

           "I'm honored."

           "So I was thinking," Jungkook leaned down to continue working at your neck. "that we try something new...since you're already so, so tired."

           You sighed into his kisses and his subtle touches as he traced his fingers down your arm.

           "Sure, why not."

           At your consent, your arms were suddenly raised up and your wrists locked up to the bed posts. You felt the wind get knocked out of you as the situation dawned on you.

           "Be careful what you wish for." he hummed cheekily.

           You remembered your statement earlier at the university.

           "And what am I being arrested for, Officer?" You smirked, tugging at the handcuffs to find that they were truly locked.

           Jungkook opened his mouth.

           "And don't you dare say for stealing your heart or something cheesy like that. That's a turn off."

           Jungkook snorted. "I would never."

           You smirked. "Then what do I owe the pleasure of being handcuffed?"

           "For public indecency." Jungkook began unbuttoning your shirt. "For flashing an officer."

           He ripped your blouse open and the cold air mixed with the anticipation of what Jungkook was about to do to you made you shiver.

           "For engaging in open 'lewdness or lascivious behavior'." he whispered as cupped your core and began rubbing slow circles there. "Disturbing my peace."

           You moaned as your toes curled at the sensation. The fabric of your jeans creating much needed friction as your arousal was building up. You bucked into his hand and he clicked his tongue.

           "Should I handcuff your legs too?" he hummed as he unbuttoned your pants. "I want you to just relax after a long day, so I'll be doing all the work."

           "You should probably undress me first then handcuff me..." You stated.

           Jungkook stared at you then realized you were right.

           "Right..." he coughed as he unlocked your hands.

           "Do I make you nervous?" You sat up grinning. "This isn't your first time with these, right?"

           "No." he chuckled as he helped pull off your blouse. "Red Mask made sure that these were my specialty."

           "Specialty?" You asked.

           "Aggressors try to have their trademark specialty. Red Mask's was a blindfold. Mine are handcuffs."

           "Red Mask has a sense of humor." You chuckled.

           "But most women don't complain or correct me once I handcuff them." Jungkook exhaled as he successfully discarded your blouse. "Turn."

           You spun around so your back was to him. He bit your earlobe then peppered your neck and shoulders with deep, sensual kisses as he unclipped your bra. Immediately, his hands came around the front and slipped underneath the lingerie to massage your breasts. You sighed with pleasure as you chucked your bra to who knows where in his room. Then you leaned your back against his chest, letting his large hands work your sensitive buds.

           As you felt yourself getting more aroused by his hands alone, he pushed you down so that you were on all fours. He rubbed his hard bulge against your ass while he unzipped your jeans.

           "You sure you wanna try handcuffs today?" you exhaled, quite liking the position you were in.

           "Oh yes." he growled. "We're trying it today. I think it'll be quite hott to have you be submissive and begging for me."

           At that comment, you pressed your ass against his clothed cock in retaliation and he hissed as he pulled down your jeans slightly then flipped you onto your back once again. Roughly, he bit your lower lip before struggling to get your legs out of your pants.

           "I hate tight jeans." he sulked.

           "On you or on me?"

           "Well on you if I'm trying to take them off." he shook his head as he threw your jeans behind him. "There should be emergency zippers on the side or something."

           You cracked up loudly. "Emergency zippers? In case I need to run away and leave my pants behind??"

           He blushed. "Shut up."

           But the image caused you to have a laughing fit, which didn't dissipate until Jungkook spread your legs apart and dipped his tongue against your thinly clothed folds. Your laughter soon turned into a shameful moan.

           "You won't be laughing once I get done with you."

           "Oh, I sure hope not." You exhaled.

           Then in one swift motion, your panties were pulled off of you. You took the chance to sit up and kiss him needily, knowing your freedom was going to be taken from you in mere seconds. Your hands roamed his body and you rubbed his clothed cock.

           He groaned and pushed you back down on the bed roughly, leaving you breathless. And in no time, your arms and legs were handcuffed to the bed posts so that you were vulnerable and open for him. You had no control of anything, a new sensation for you. It was exhilarating, as it was nerve-wrecking.

           He kneeled down by the foot of his bed, staring at your glistening entrance. You watched him lick his lips and you wanted so much for him to just devour you right then and there. But you knew. Jungkook wanted to play around, wanted to tease you, wanted to fuck you out so good that you would probably pass back out.

           "Relax." he hummed as he gently slid his hands across your thighs, his hungry stare never leaving your body. "You had a long week, so let me take care of you."

           You swallowed dryly as he came over to kiss you passionately. His lips alone ignited your body and you felt yourself dripping onto his bed. You were throbbing at this point; riled up with this new situation and novel sensation.

           Teasingly, he moved his lips away so that you had to crane up to keep contact, but the handcuffs were holding you back. You hissed irritatedly, but he latched himself onto your collarbone to suck a black and blue there instead.

           "Heard you have off the rest of the week." he whispered.

           "Mhm." You hummed.

           "Good." he smirked onto your skin before taking your nipple into his mouth.

           "Oh my god." You moaned as you arched your back to push yourself up deeper into his mouth.

           He swirled his tongue against your sensitive bud while he rolled the other between his thumb and index finger.

           "Jungkook." You sighed.

           "Begging for me already, huh?"

           "Shut up." You grunted.

           "I'll have you screaming my name, bae." he chuckled as he licked a strip up your stomach, causing you to inhale sharply. He was touching you everywhere, except for where you needed him most. You couldn't even take control and do what you wanted to him either. It was agonizing.

           "One finger first." he smirked as he swiped his finger up your slick core.

           You threw your head back at the slow pace he was stroking you. The burning sensation in your lower region intensifying with each move he did. Then he stared at you as he sucked on his finger, taking your juices in, but still leaving you fairly untouched. You needed him so bad.

           Then he stuck his middle finger inside your hole unexpectedly, and you gasped at the sudden entrance. He dipped his finger in and out at a steady pace, while his thumb began rubbing your clit. You clenched your fists and tugged, wishing you could push deeper into his hand. This sensation was driving you insane, and you knew he was enjoying seeing you completely in his care, with his eyes glued to your face and a smirk painted on his face.

           Then he added a second finger inside you.

           "Jungkook." you breathed as you continued to wriggle in the handcuffs.

           "Yes?" he hummed. "What do you want me to do?"

           "Faster."

           He snorted and slowed down his pace, swirling his finger around inside you before pulling out slightly. Your head was reeling, and your hips were moving up and down shamefully, searching for the solution to your growing problem.

           "Scream for me." he whispered as he laid on his stomach in front of your entrance; his fingers still working you expertly.

           "I don't think so." you breathed.

           "I don't think you have a choice." He stated before dipping his tongue in to lap at the spaces of your dripping core where his fingers weren't stimulating.    

           "OH MY GOD!" You panted as he continued to splay kitten licks around your core, all while his fingers were drilling leisurely in and out of you, his thumb doing small circular motions on your sensitive nub.

           "Good." he hummed and he increased his speed up slightly as a reward.

           You were whining needily as your lower region was tightening. You didn't want to finish so quickly, but Jungkook was making it so hard.

            "Jungkook please."

           You were so exposed and wrecked. Your legs being cuffed as well; you were splayed open for him fully.

           "Please what?" he questioned sternly. "Your body is mine tonight."

           You groaned at his tone. He hurried the pace of his fingers while he kissed around your hips and thighs, giving little love bites here and there to add more sensation.

           You heard the chains rattling as you squirmed, feeling yourself about to burst and orgasm.

           "Just let go, baby." he ordered. "It's not over when you cum."

           Your heart thumped against your chest at his statement, and he soon replaced his thumb on your clit with his tongue. That added slickness and quick flicks made you finally reach your edge. He fingered you through your high, kissing your stomach as your breathing evened out.

           "You look so hott right now. All wrecked for me. Wanting me, needing me." Jungkook let his hands roam against the curves of your waist, his eyes staring down at you hungrily.

           "I bet you need me as much as I need you." You challenged.

           "Possibly." Jungkook smirked as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

           You licked your lips as watched him, pulling at the handcuffs, hoping they would break the bed post so you could rip Jungkook's clothes off instead of just passively observing him strip. He slid off the bed and dropped his pants so that now both of you were fully naked.

           You were well aware that you had created a mess of his sheets and that your spread-out center was on full display from where he was standing, but those factors only served to turn you on more. He licked your sensitive core again, causing you to twitch at the overstimulation. Then, he climbed up to twist his tongue around yours. You both moaned into the kiss.

           You wanted so much to wrap your arms and pull him closer, but you couldn't. It was frustrating, but it was also exciting, not knowing what he was going to do to you next.

           "You want me inside you, don't you?" he nibbled at your ear.

           You nodded.

           "Open your mouth." he demanded.

           "What?"

           "Now."

           The intense look in his eye made you obey, and for some reason, you were feeling butterflies. He propped your head up with pillows and straddled you, lining his cock with your mouth.

           Shit.

           You lunged your head forward to taste him, but his finger on your forehead prevented you from doing so.

           "I didn't say to move." he scolded.

           You gulped. This was Nochu in his element, and it was terrifyingly attractive.

            "Open your mouth." he repeated, and you obeyed.

           He rested his tip on your tongue.

           "Suck." he commanded.

           You rounded your lips and sucked on him.

           "Add some tongue to it."

           You obliged, enjoying the way he threw his head back when you did. He pushed further into your mouth.

           "Hollow out your mouth. Don't do anything." he ordered, and he began bucking into you slowly.

           It took all of your self-control not to move your tongue, letting him use your mouth to get off. But he hit the back of your throat and you gagged, causing him to pull back.

           "Sorry." he blushed.

           You shook your head to signal that you were fine.

           "Tongue out." he stated, so you stuck your tongue and he pushed his cock near it. "Lick it as much as you would like."

           And as if you had been starving, you swirled your tongue around what you could of his length, wanting him to be as much of panting mess as you were right now.

           "Oh gosh. Your tongue feels so good." he sighed, making you more eager to please him.

           After a few seconds, he slid away from your face, which had you glance at him expectantly. He smirked, seeing your anticipation when he lined his cock in front of your center. It was already throbbing with need once again. He dipped himself into your entrance teasingly then back out multiple times, making you groan frustratedly.

           "Just fuck me, goddammit Jungkook!" you yelled.

           He stopped his teasing and climbed over to slam his headboard with his hands, causing you to flinch. His face hovered yours dangerously and you were nervous, unsure of whether he was angry or not.

           "That was hott." he chuckled before kissing you intensely. "I like it when you curse."

           You moaned into his mouth as you tried to grind up into him.

           "You don't listen too well, huh." his eyes darkened. "Don't move unless I tell you to."

           "I need you." You whined.

           "I know." he whispered as he tilted your chin up to kiss your jaw line. "But I'm in control, and you're in handcuffs."

           You gasped when he bit into your neck. You would give anything in that moment to run your hair through his dark brown locks and down his muscular arms.

           "Bet you want to touch me right now, huh?" he smirked as he slid his hands up your arms and gripped your wrists.

           "Will you release me?" You asked.

           "No way in hell." he chuckled as he grinded against your body, making you arch back at the sensation of his skin grazing yours.

           Your core was screaming for attention and your head was pounding with desire and need. Your heart leapt excitedly when Jungkook finally lined his cock, which was dripping with pre-cum and intensely hardened, in front of your entrance. Then in one swift, merciless motion, he pushed into you and you yelled loudly, your senses all on overdrive from the sharp, unexpected jolt of pain and pleasure.

           You heaved as he began slamming his entire length into you, not giving you time to adjust, but your previous orgasm had helped stretch you out before. However, his cock filled you up far beyond the size of his two fingers, so you felt yourself climbing back up to your climax. He was finally giving you what you needed, and without the condom in the way, the sensation of his dick inside you felt so much better.

           "Oh my god Jungkook." You whined, not sure where and how these words and sounds were coming out of you.

           "Fuck." he hissed as he continued to pushing into you, sweat dripping down his face as well.

           He rolled his hips around to stimulate your entire core, and you instinctively tugged at the handcuffs, trying to be free so you could latch onto him. You felt your wrists sting, knowing you had been pulling at it far too hard and too frequently to come out unscathed, but you didn't quite care.

           "Jungkook. Take these damn things off." You commanded.

           "Nope." he breathed as he quickened his pace.

           "Please." You begged.

           He locked lips with you to shut you up, and it only served to strengthen your need to have your hands and legs freed. Your toes curled and you felt yourself reaching your high, but you tried to control yourself to slow down the process. However, Jungkook had other plans because he began thumbing your nipples, and your entire body was on fire. From head to toe, he was stimulating you and it felt so insanely good, you were seeing white and your mind was reeling.

           Then he stopped and pulled out.

           "What the fuckkk." You whined.

           He grinned as he pulled open his drawer to grab a condom.

           "Not about to have a baby here." he waved the wrapper.

           "Please just take these off. I need to touch you." You pleaded, not recognizing your own voice anymore.

           Jungkook finished rolling the condom over himself and ghosted over your lips. "But your begging turns me on."

           Then he picked up right where he left off, pushing his entire length into you, ramming your g-spot continuously while playing with your nipples. You continued to wriggle and writhe. Your hands and legs wanting to tangle around him, wanting to pushing him in deeper, needing him closer. He wrapped his arm around your waist and propped your back up, pulling you flush against him, and began bucking into you at a new angle.

           "Oh fuckin' hell." You cried before he smashed his lips sloppily against yours again, both of you fighting for dominance with your tongue and teeth.

           Then your heart jumped as his hands roamed up, unlocking the handcuffs from the bedpost. Instantaneously, you wrapped your arms around his neck and reciprocated his speed and motion so that the entire room was filled with the slapping sound of your skins colliding. Your nails clawed down his back, causing him to hiss.

           "My legs too." You whispered.

           He exhaled and pulled out of you to oblige, his need probably also preventing him from thinking straight at the moment. As soon as your limbs were free, you pushed him down on the bed and sat on his cock.

           "Ah fuck." he groaned as you began eagerly bouncing up and down.

           He sat up and ordered. "Legs around me."

           "What?" You exhaled.

           "Just do it."

           You fixed your position so your legs were around his waist, him still inside. He lifted you up easily, with no hands; you koala-ing him sufficient enough. When he felt you were both stable, he began fucking you while he was standing. And in no time, he was riding you through your orgasm.

           "Put me down." You stated.

           "What?" he looked at you worriedly, since he still hadn't released himself.

           You bit your lip and stared at him. "I want you to cum in my mouth."

           His eyes widened in surprise as he laid you on the bed and pulled out, standing at the edge of the bed and scratching his head over what you had just said. Without giving him time to think anymore, you pulled off the condom and replaced it with your mouth. Jungkook groaned and held onto the bed posts for support as his body twitched; your mouth closing in on him, sending him to his edge immediately. You let his warm liquid fill your mouth, and when you were sure he was looking, you swallowed. He threw his head back.

           "Damn that was sexy." he covered his face in disbelief.

           You smirked. "You weren't so bad yourself."

           "Oh? You were practically begging for me." he taunted.

           You blushed and huffed. Then you felt his gentle fingers graze your wrists, where there was very light bruising.

           "I might've gotten carried away--"

           "No." You interrupted eagerly. "I liked it."

           He stared at you and smiled warmly. "Then good."

           You grinned and lifted your wrists up. "You think you can take them off now?"

           "Yeah." Jungkook chuckled as he unlocked your wrists and ankles. "I'll start your bath. Go relax."

           You felt a wave of exhaustion and soreness crash down on you, so you simply nodded. Jungkook scurried around his room.

           "Don't ask me why I have fruity shampoo and stuff..." he mumbled.

           You chuckled, "Why do you have fruity shampoo and stuff?"

           "I just told you not to ask!" he bellowed from his bathroom, the water running.

           "Well, I'm going to ask when I get in anyway so just tell me." You argued groggily.

           "I just like the smell, okay." he protested.

           "But guy's shampoo smells good too."

           "Some are a bit strong for me." Jungkook came into view with his face scrunched. "The water's warming up. Let me get you towels and clothes."

           You sleepily watched him shuffle around his room nude, admiring the view. He was humming some song as he rummaged through his closet.

           You grinned. "Don't guys think it's sexy when girls wear their oversized clothes?"

           "Most do I guess..."

           "And what about you?"

           "I don't like giving my clothes away." he responded. "I might never get them back once I lend it to you."

           You snorted. "Oh please."

           "No, they're quite comfy. Trust me." he pulled out a white sweater and gray sweatpants. "It gets cold at night so you can throw these on. I'll do your laundry when you're taking a bath."

           "Laundry?"

           "Yeah." he blinked as he threw a white t-shirt with the clothes he was lending you. "Why?"

           "But it's late at night?"

           "It's never too late for laundry." he stated.

           "Let me guess...it's cause of the smell." You pointed out.

           He blushed and put a towel over the clothes, handing it to you. "Bath should be ready. Take your time."

           "Thanks." You grinned.

           "Mhm." he hummed as he walked around to grab your discarded clothes off the floor.

           Chuckling, you slapped his ass on your way to the bathroom, and you were rewarded with the horrified, flustered expression you loved seeing on him before you shut the door.

           After you showered, you immediately curled up into his new, fantastic smelling sheets, and passed out. You only vaguely remembered the bed dipping beside you and warmth surrounding you as he enveloped his arms around you to pull you to his chest. But you knew you enjoyed the feeling, and that you smiled and snuggled in closer to him.

           Hours later, when you both were deep in sleep, his phone began obnoxiously ringing. You both gasped and sat up, wondering what the noise was about.

           "Shit." he cursed and grabbed his phone from his nightstand. "Hello?"

           His voice was a bit raspy and you kinda liked it.

           "Alright, I'll be right in. Yeah. Okay."

           You stared at his silhouette in the darkness and saw him ruffle his hair.

           "Sorry about that." he apologized.

           You shook your head. "Everything okay?"

           "Yeah, there was huge car accident in the area so they called the unit in." he frowned.

           "You're leaving?"

           "For a bit." he hummed.

           "Does this happen often?"

           "Mm not often enough to be irritating, but it happens occasionally."

           "That sucks."

           "Yeah it does." he snorted.

           "5 minutes." You grabbed his sleeve.

           "What?"

           "You're warm." You wrapped your arms around him. "Just lay with me for 5 minutes then you can go."

           Jungkook chuckled and turned so that your face was buried into his chest. His body was radiating heat, and it was heavenly in the coldness of the night. In no time, you fell back asleep, unaware that he slipped out from your clutches soon after you did.

           When you woke up, the sun was blaring through the blinds, telling you that it was close to noon already. You got up and shuffled around, only to find that Jungkook hadn't returned yet. Frowning, you looked in his fridge and found that it only consisted of the two gallons of milk you had seen him purchase, meat, and a carton of eggs. Searching through his pantry, you found a wide array of ramen and snacks.

           You snorted. "I guess ramen it is."

           In the midst of your cooking, you heard the doorknob wiggling and soon, Jungkook's sigh filled the apartment.

           "Hey." he greeted, exhaustedly.

           "That took a while." you worried.

           "I know. They kept pointing fingers and arguing about who was going to pay for the damages, and it was a whole big headache of a fiasco." he disappeared for a bit then suddenly you heard panting and the pitter patter of little steps.

           You turned to find an adorable small dog, running up to greet you.

           "That's my dog, Gureum. I put him away last night so he wouldn't disturb us." Jungkook grinned. "So he's a bit hyper. He doesn't bite or anything."

           You brightened and knelt down, letting Gureum lick your face as a greeting. "Don't worry. I love animals!"

           "That's a relief. I would've had to kick you out." he teased.

           You glanced at Jungkook amused then turned back to your pot. "Ramen's almost ready, so go change."

           Jungkook wrapped his arms around your waist and peeked over your shoulder. "Wow, looks good. I hope it's edible."

           You glared up at him. "My cooking skills are better than yours. You have like nothing inside your fridge."

           "Eh. I hardly eat at home." he shrugged as he rested his chin on your head. "Since I work so much."

           "Go change." You nudged. "You smell."

           "No, you smell." he retaliated half-heartedly, and you rolled your eyes.

           When Jungkook returned, you were giving Gureum his breakfast and he smiled at the scene.

           "Sleep well?" he stated, surprising you that he had come out already.

           "Yeah." you stood up. "Super well. It felt nice to sleep in."

           Jungkook walked up to you and lifted your sleeve up to examine your wrists. The bruising was faint, but still there. You watched him frown as he caressed your skin.

           You laughed, "Why do you look so upset?"

           "I don't know. It looks painful."

           You shook your head. "Not at all. It reminds me of last night and it kind of turns me on."

           He raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Seriously?"

           "Yeah." You chuckled. "So stop worrying and let's eat."

           He smiled and did so.

           "So how did you end up in Club Masquerade anyway?" you hummed as you both slurped down breakfast. "Like how did you know you'd be some hott sex machine with a mask on when you're normally so terrified of interaction with women?"

           He snorted. "Well, I've had girlfriends before and friends that are girls, but I always felt awkward. I was chatting with one of my friends about my dilemma, and then he told me about Club Masquerade a few times. I found it interesting-- the whole concept. It appealed to me. One day, my friend told me they were hiring and to just walk in to grab an application. So I mustered up the courage, hoping it would make me feel more at ease with being intimate with women, and Red Mask hired me on the spot."

           "Seems like Red Mask is somewhat of your role model." You pointed out.

           "Yeah, he's smooth in real life and when he was in the Club. He has no trouble charming women."

           "Sounds dangerous. Not my type." You snorted.

           "You're with me though?"

           You giggled, "I mean, there are different ways to charm girls I guess. I just don't trust the types who seem like they say the same things to every girl."

           "That's cause you like to do things people don't expect you to do." Jungkook pointed out.

           You stared at him, "Do I?"

           "I think so. But you're learning that there are some expected things that you actually wanted to do, but had denied yourself for awhile because it was 'mainstream'." he chuckled. "That's the vibe I get from you at least."

           "Hmm never thought much about it. I thought everyone did the opposite of what's being demanded when being pressured to do one thing." You pointed your chopsticks at Jungkook. "Example one. Mr. CEO Cop."

           "Hey, I'm not rebelling just to rebel. I actually like my job and prefer it to a business-y one!"

           "Then I'll argue that I like not doing things that everyone wants me to." You hummed.

           Jungkook shook his head. "Not that it matters to me. It's your life." Then he yawned. "I need a nap."

           "Should I sleep with you?"

           Jungkook side-eyed you. "Like the innocent way or..."

           "The innocent way." You rolled your eyes. "I'm still exhausted from last night."

           Jungkook grinned proudly.

           "Oh wipe that smirk off." You huffed.

           "You liked handcuffs ~" he sang teasingly. "Y/N likes handcuffs ~"

           You felt yourself warm, but you couldn't deny it. Instead, you grabbed Jungkook's hand and felt him flinch at the sudden contact.

           "Let's go sleep!" You grinned. "For science."

           He blushed and let you lead him to his bed. It was certainly different cuddling in the daylight. He was getting nervous so he slipped his hand out of yours, but you grabbed it again insistently.

           "Don't stop holding my hand." You scolded.

           "But it's getting sweaty cause I'm nervous." he admitted.

           "I don't care." You shrugged as you pulled him into bed. "If someone really likes you, they just like holding your hand and they don't think about much else."

           Jungkook frowned, but you squeezed his hand tighter.

           "It doesn't bother me." You repeated and he relaxed.

           "Now it's your turn." You grinned.

           "What?" he blinked as you shimmied up so that you were at eye level with him on the bed.

           You wrapped your arms around his head and pulled him into your chest. "I'll help you fall back asleep."

           Jungkook smiled and shut his eyes as you began stroking his hair gently.

           "Jungkook."

           "Hm?"

           "How many rules did Red Mask give you?"

           "13." Jungkook answered lowly, drifting to sleep.

           "What's number 1?"

           "Well the unofficial #1 is to stay away from the Receptionist."

           "Why?"

           "She's taken."

           "I wonder if Mr. Park knows his girlfriend works at such a place."

           Jungkook chuckled, "I'm sure he does."

           "I'd feel conscious if I were him that my girlfriend was staring at other guys having sex every day." You frowned.

           "Oh, he's totally not bothered at all. He's quite confident about himself."

           "Mr. Park does have that air about him."

           You carded your hands through Jungkook's locks, feeling how soft the strands were. Your body warmed as you felt his breath fanning across your neck and chest. You had never really just lain in bed with another person before, so it was a new experience for you. And you found that you quite liked it last night when Jungkook cuddled you.

           "What's the official rule #1?" You questioned.

           But your only reply was the light snoring coming from Jungkook; he was fast asleep. Gureum soon joined you two at the foot of the bed. You smiled to yourself and closed your eyes. Eh, you could use a nap too.

           The next week rolled around, and you were more than excited to get back to work. You enjoyed school thoroughly, but nothing beat having a purpose and being a part of something bigger. But your mood was spoiled when on your morning commute, someone slammed into the back of your car at a red stoplight.

           At first, your mind blanked out at the impact and the next thing you knew, the owner of the car behind you was knocking against your window angrily. You were miffed. How was HE angry when he had been the one to hit you? So you stepped out of your car to confront him.

           "You need to pay for my car expenses!" he argued right off the bat.

           "Excuse me?" You scoffed. "I believe you were at fault here. I stopped at the red light."

           "You were speeding like you were going to keep going. You should be slowing down on yellow." he reasoned. "Do you even know who I am? This car is expensive and you need to take responsibility for these damages!"

           "Why do I need to take responsibility?" You bellowed. "You were at fault! You should've been a good distance away. You were clearly tailgating. You were the one that caused damage!"

           "I'm going to take this to court and sue you if you don't pay me for the damage to my car! And my hospital bills! My neck was injured in the whiplash!"

           "You look fine to me! Are you kidding me?" You scoffed. "I'm calling the police."

           "Fine, do that. Do you know who I am? You're going to lose this battle." he scoffed. "Kids these days think they're all high and mighty."

           You glared at the man as you called Jungkook.

           "Hey. Heading to work?"

           "So... I got into an accident."

           "What?? Are you okay? I'm heading to work right now. Where are you?"

           "The road before the turn into the street of the cafe." You stated. "There's this obnoxious guy who hit my car at a red light and is telling me that I need to pay up."

           "I'll be right there. Sit in your car and don't talk to him. Take down his license plate just in case he leaves. Some guys do that and try to use it as a way to earn money."

           "Okay. Hurry." You frowned as you hung up. But the man was growing impatient.

           "Listen here, Miss. I don't have all day. So give me your information right now or else--" the man grabbed your collar, but it was soon ripped off of your body.

           "I do believe it's inappropriate to touch a lady."

           Your grin widened as you stared up at the familiar tall, lean man.

           "Namjoon!"

           "I was on my way to get some coffee, and I stepped out to check out what was causing the traffic." he smiled. "Glad I did."

           You blushed.

           The man pulled his arm out of Namjoon's grip. "This girl damaged my car!"

           "Well, first, let's pull over to the side so we don't cause more traffic than we already have." Namjoon reasoned.

           The two of you agreed and repositioned your cars to the side of the road. You hurriedly took a picture of the license plate before getting back out to meet with Namjoon and the man.

           "Listen girlie, I'm a very important business man, and I am telling you, if you take me to court, you'll lose with my influence. So you should save yourself the embarrassment and pay me."

           "How much would it be?"

           The man took out a calculator and showed you the calculations. Your eyes widened.

           "That is ridiculous! No one has that kind of money!"

           "You should've thought twice before stopping so suddenly."

           "It wasn't sudden! You shouldn't have been tailgating me!"

           "Excuse me, but may I ask for your name?" Namjoon interjected.

           The guy scoffed and flashed his license. "I'm well-known, so I don't want to say my name out loud."

           "Ah..." Namjoon smiled amiably as he took his own wallet out. "Of course, but you see..."

           He showed the man one of his IDs. "I'm also pretty well-known in the field."

           The man's face turned white and he gawked at Namjoon in surprise.

           "Oh my gosh... I'm...I'm sorry I--"

           Namjoon held up a hand to stop him. "This friend here is very dear to me, so if you insist on pressing charges and using your wealth and power to take from someone working hard to earn money on her own instead of relying on her parent's funds, just to gain more money for your own selfish desires, then I'll be more than happy to match your enthusiasm."

           The man stammered and shook his head. "N-n-no...that's not necessary at all. It was clearly my fault! I should've, I should've maintained a good distance!"

           "That's right." Namjoon smirked and patted the man's shoulders.

           "What in the world--?" You started, but soon, you were interrupted by flashing lights parking behind the three cars. All three of you turned as Jungkook stepped out of his car, smugly chewing gum and attaching his badge on his button up.

           "So what's the problem here?" he raised an eyebrow as he noticed Namjoon's presence. "Mr. Kim. Nice seeing that you're at the scene of the crime."

           Namjoon chuckled. "Coincidence and blessed fate drew me here. What do I owe the pleasure Mr. Jeon?"

           "She called me." Jungkook grinned cheekily.

           "That was before you came." You blurted. "You know, since it's important that the police handle it."

           Namjoon smiled and nodded. Jungkook rolled his eyes and took out his notepad.

           "It clearly looks like it was the second car's fault for being too close to the front car. If a good distance had been maintained, you would've been able to stop without hitting her car."

           "Y-yes. I'm sorry. I'll pay for the damage to the back of your car." The man grabbed your hands and immediately, Jungkook pried them off of you.

           "Let's not touch the victim, sir." he stepped in front of you. "Please give me your information for the records. The police should be arriving soon to work out the fine and damages."

           You smiled and Jungkook winked at you briefly before turning his attention back to the man. Then you glanced at Namjoon who seemed to be watching you intently. Blushing, you walked over to him shyly.

           "Thank you for that. I wasn't sure what to do."

           "Money and power are so corrupt nowadays." he sighed. "That's why it's nice to have authority so you can put a stop to it."

           You nodded. "Those without high status seem quite defenseless, huh?"

           Namjoon grinned and caressed your cheek. "Well now you have me, so you'll never be defenseless again."

           Your lips curled up happily. "What ID did you show him anyway?"

           "Oh." Namjoon chuckled. "I'm a big shareholder in the company he was gloating about. Big enough to overturn the power of authority."

           You blinked. "What??!"

           "Do you think I've just been traveling for fun?" he winked.

           You stared up at him in awe. Namjoon was absolutely amazing.

           "Y/N." Jungkook called, snapping you from your admiration. "Give me your license and info again."

           "I thought you had it from the last time you gave me a stupid ticket." You rolled your eyes as you handed him your license.

           "Get over it already!" he huffed. "Mind the speed limit!"

           "I was!"

           "Don't argue with a police officer."

           "You're not even on duty right now!"

           "Badge is on." Jungkook tapped his chest. "Duty is on."

           You exhaled.

           "You're not hurt though right?" Jungkook patted your head and felt your arms up and down playfully.

           Namjoon coughed and the two of you stepped away from each other awkwardly.

           "Just a normal procedure, Mr. Kim." Jungkook grinned. "Thanks for your license, Y/N."

           A police car arrived and the two of them chatted with Jungkook.

           "You two seem close." Namjoon mentioned.

           You glanced up, praying that it was jealousy talking. "Well, we're co-workers so we see each other every day."

           Namjoon nodded. "You should probably call the actual police next time though instead of a personal call. It might look bad on both of you."

           You nodded, "Makes sense. I don't want it to seem like he's getting me out of things since we know each other."

           "Yo Y/N." Jungkook stepped in front of you two. "I asked the guys to take care of your car for you while you're at work. Then when we get off, I'll drive you to the station so they can tell you the details of this accident and stuff."

           "Oh, perfect. I don't want to be late on my first day back." You beamed.

           "Yeah, I'll give you a ride there since we're going to the same place." he beckoned.

           You smiled and turned to Namjoon. "I don't want you to be late to your business either. Thanks so much again for helping me."

           "I didn't do much." Namjoon waved his hand.

           "You did a lot. I might've been a victim of the corrupt wealthy." You bowed gratefully.

           Namjoon glanced at Jungkook, who was staring up the sky awkwardly, waiting for you. "I doubt that. You've surrounded yourself with good people who won't let that happen, Y/N."

           "Really?" You blinked.

           Namjoon chuckled and ruffled your hair. "Have a good day at work."

           "Thank you." You grinned and began walking towards Jungkook.

           "Oh Y/N." Namjoon called.

           "Hm?" You turned and you were met with Namjoon's lips on yours. Immediately, your breath got caught in your throat.

           "Keep this weekend free." he announced. "I'm taking you on a trip."

           You nodded slowly, unable to comprehend the fact that Namjoon had kissed you out of the blue and asked you to spend the weekend away from him. Your brain short circuited.

           "Alright, come on, Y/N. Make your suave exit." Jungkook threw an arm around your shoulder, making eye contact with Namjoon as he guided you towards his car.

           Namjoon bowed slightly in gratitude towards Jungkook, which the younger did in return. But while their actions were respectful and calm, their gazes were intensely and curiously studying each other.

           Not that you noticed the change in atmosphere between the two at all.  

PART 6 

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/9/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday 9thJanuary 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

RETURN TO SERVICE -  All public service vehicles (PSVs) are expected back on the road today after a day of protest action which left hundreds of adults and schoolchildren stranded. The newly-formed Public Service Vehicle Workers’ Association (PSVWA), which was behind the strike action for the second time in six days, will finally meet with the Transport Authority at the Constitution River Terminal today at 10 a.m. The announcement was made by public relations officer of the PSVWA, Fabian Wharton, after the group met at the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) headquarters, Dalkeith Road for more than seven hours. “The reason we took so long to decide what we are going to do next is because there is general feeling among the membership of ‘here we go again. They are not going to meet us’. That is the general belief. “[But] we have been given the assurance that the meeting is definitely on, so we will attend that meeting and establish protocol going forward,” Wharton said. Their apprehension came after a scheduled meeting on Monday with the Transport Authority was called off. It was among the agreed terms after operators staged a similar action last Wednesday. The action, however, was not supported by the Association of Public Transport Operators or the Alliance Owners of Public Transport, and this led to the formation of PSVWA. (MWN)

TALKS ON – The operators of privately owned public service vehicles will be back on the country’s roads tomorrow, following what leaders are claiming as a successful island-wide work stoppage, unleashed at the start of the new school term. After marathon talks at the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) Dalkieth, St Michael headquarters, where workers gathered after refusing to work during the day, spokesperson for the new group representing workers, Fabian Daddy Fabian Wharton revealed the group would release its hold on the country’s fragile public transport system. Wharton told media that PSV operators would again return to the bargaining table with officials from the Barbados Transport Authority at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning. The development followed a failed attempt at dialogue between the two bodies over a growing list of grievances outlined by the operators on Monday. At around eight Tuesday evening, officials from the new body received information from ‘a source’, which, according to them, provided the necessary assurance that a meeting would take place. “We’ll resume normal duties tomorrow because we have been guaranteed and we have confidence in the person that told us that we will have the meeting tomorrow,” he said. “So from the time I heard that, I gained a little more confidence that the process would follow through tomorrow as planned,” said Wharton. It appears however that Wharton’s confidence was not shared by dozens of his colleagues. During the over six-hour meeting, loud shouting was heard coming from the NUPW’s auditorium and many left the meeting frustrated as the embattled operators remained divided on their next move. Wharton revealed that after being given the run around by Transport Authority officials earlier this week, many frustrated PSV operators were losing trust in the system, but decided as a body that they would try again. The operators also outlined numerous grievances, which urgently needed to be addressed, as Wharton stressed that PSV operators wanted nothing more than to be a part of the consultation process and no longer wanted to be viewed as “a pack of wild dogs”. “We are trying to be better. Do you think we like being beaten up on all the time? Do you believe when guys were in here they were happy to hear the things that were being said about them on the radio and on the call-in programs?” he asked. Operators again made it clear that they had no problem with uniforms and were making every effort to wear the grey and yellow shirts, blacks pants and enclosed shoes previously agreed upon. The biggest issue for them however is over the price of up to $70 per shirt and the fact that they were being forced to purchase them from a particular supplier. Other pressing issues surround the day-to-day PSV operations including a “five-minute rule” requiring operators to spend only a brief time at the Constitution River Terminal’s boarding point, forcing them to hit the road even if their vehicles were empty. The operators also took issue with the “three-strike rule” which they charged is poorly defined and implemented in addition to poor overall communication by regulators and blatant disrespect by law enforcers. While he admitted that over the years, PSV operators had contributed significantly to the challenges they now face, Wharton stressed that the operators were ready to turn the page. “We want to change decades of madness, decades of bad behavior which to some extent has become acceptable and ingrained in Barbadian society and culture,” he said, while admitting the process would take time. “We just want to be involved and consulted on the things that affect us. We just want to be able to have our voices heard. We just want to be a part of the process going forward, because for too long the operators and the drivers and conductors have been ignored,” he said. (BT)

ROAD CHAOS REIGNS –It was chaos on the streets for the first day of the new school term as hundreds of Public Service Vehicles’ (PSV) operators staged the second work stoppage in less than a week. The move followed over twelve hours of uncertainty about whether PSV operators would attempt to force a response from authorities over myriad concerns, by striking in circumstances where the government-run Transport Board was simply in no position to service the general public. For many frustrated commuters, the strike was merely an unnecessary inconvenience. In Speightstown, they vented openly. “I feel really bad about it, because I might not get to work at all today if I don’t get the transportation to take me to work,” said Eugene Hinds who at minutes past eight was still stranded in Speightstown, although she was scheduled to start work at eight o’clock. “ZRs are coming down [to Speightstown from the northern part of the country … they’re bringing you here, but it makes no sense, because you’re still not seeing any transport board buses, you aren’t seeing anything,” she said. Hinds advised the aggrieved PSV operators to go back to work, if not for the sake of the stranded passengers, at least for the benefit of themselves and their families. “If it’s the law that they have to wear the uniform, then they should wear them. I don’t see anything against wearing the uniform. Wear them, because all of them have to get a little money to support their kids and their families,” said Hinds. “ I think it is stupid, I think these men should strike for the rest of the year…they had grievances for years. If they want to strike, strike for the rest of the year,” said another woman sarcastically. “I called [work] already and said that I can’t get to work and if I don’t get to work, it’s not a problem,” she said. Among those stranded on the country’s roads were several school children. Some, who appeared to be using the strike as an excuse to ditch the first day of school, were rushed onto buses by adults believed to be truant officers at various points. Charad Sobers, an 18-year-old student of Frederick Smith Secondary School told Barbados TODAY the situation was not affecting him. “There is public transportation through the Transport Board bus. If the PSVs want to strike, it’s up to them. It ain’t really affecting me. If a bus is full, I’m not getting into it. That’s just me,” said Sobers, who predicted that he would make it to school on time despite the strike. Since then, there were conflicting reports about the next step operators would take to ensure their concerns were adequately addressed by authorities. PSV workers’ leaders denied reports that a voice note circulating on social media instructing workers to strike around 3 o’clock Tuesday afternoon came from them. However, it was reportedly in the early hours of Tuesday morning that workers were given the go-ahead to strike. Meanwhile, chairman of the Transport Board Gregory Nicholls said the company was only able to get sixty-three buses on the road, which would serve primary and secondary school students as a matter of priority. He noted that the Transport Board was placed under immense pressure as a result of the strike, but was doing all it could to mitigate the impact if the action by PSV operators continued throughout the week.  (BT)

BWA TANKS COLLAPSING - SOME OF THE Barbados Water Authority (BWA) community tanks are mysteriously collapsing, putting people in water-scarce areas at risk of shortages. So far, tanks have collapsed in Pot House, St John and Ginger Works, St Joseph. Last month, the BWA installed 36 of those 1 000-gallon tanks. A reliable source said some of the tanks donated by corporate Barbados might not be fit for commercial use. Those tanks were urgently installed after Innotech Aquaserve Limited had removed others as a result of the BWA defaulting on the lease payment on its headquarters at the Pine, St Michael. The BWA had been renting more than 100 tanks from Innotech, each with a capacity of 2 000 gallons, to service water-scarce areas in St John, St Joseph and St Andrew. (MWN)

BUSTED TANKS – Some of the newly installed community water tanks donated by corporate Barbados to the state-owned Barbados Water Authority (BWA) seem to be falling apart. At least two of the tanks, installed in December 2018, have collapsed, leaving residents in Ginger Works, St Joseph, and Pot House, St John, shocked and wondering what will happen when no water is running from their taps. When Barbados TODAY visited the two locations today, residents who did not want to be identified, said the tanks exploded and collapsed last week. However, the tank installed by Innotech was still standing and residents said the unit at Pot House was recently filled by workers from the (BWA). “That is the new one that fall. The old tank still standing up there with the white bands around it. I never see a tank do like that yet. It inflated like a balloon and burst. It fall down like a balloon, I can’t understand. I come by my window and say geez on, look the tank fall down,” an elderly resident at Ginger Works said. A younger resident said that he was happy water was running from the taps, and indicated that he hoped it would not go anywhere anytime soon. “If the water stop running now, them got to send the truck because the big tank ain’t got in no water. I don’t even know what happen to it, maybe it ain’t strong enough for out here,” the young man said. Meanwhile, another elderly woman at Pot House said she was asleep one night when a loud explosion woke her. She said when she looked through her window, she saw that the tank had fallen and the cover was nowhere close to it. “I stand in my bed and I hear this thing explode. I say to myself, ‘what is that there so.’ When I get up the Sunday morning I see the tank explode and the cover up the road,” the Pot House resident said. Residents from both areas said that they saw workers from the BWA inspecting and taking pictures of the fallen tanks. Late last year in the midst of a national argument over the cost and maintenance of the water tanks leased to the BWA by local firm Innotech in a $52 000-a month arrangement signed by the last Government, the tanks were removed by the leasing company. This led to individuals and private sector businesses donating water tanks to BWA. Efforts to reach BWA’s General Manager, Keithroy Halliday, proved futile, as he is said to be on holiday. When contacted, BWA’s General Manager Leodean Worrell said she was unable to speak about the matter at the time and asked  Barbados TODAY to send her a WhatsApp message outlining the questions. This was done at 1.20 p.m. Late last night the Barbados Water Authority issued a statement indicating it had removed the collapsed tanks and investigations were being conducted.  “A full assessment of the damage is being carried out as there is evidence of vandalism to both tanks. In the process, there was also approximately nine hundred and fifty gallons of water lost per tank. The Authority notes that both of these tanks were next to two Innotech tanks which were not damaged. The Authority will be engaging the services of the Royal Barbados Police Force to investigate the matter. The BWA is determined to have these tanks replaced by close of business tomorrow Wednesday, so that our valued customers who rely on them will not be without access to the water for a prolonged period,” the statement said. However, a credible source last night scoffed at the BWA’s suggestion of vandalism, noting that there had been similar issues with the locally-made 1000-gallon water tanks before and that Innotech had brought in the sturdier 2000-gallon water tanks from Trinidad and Tobago as a result. The source said one merely had to look at the two different water tanks with the “naked eye” and one could easily discern the difference in their quality. (BT)

BNTCL EMBARKING ON MAJOR REPAIR PROGRAMME – The Barbados National Terminal Company Ltd (BNTCL), in association with its project consultants, will be holding a series of Town Hall meetings to discuss proposed traffic changes and inform residents about the impending repairs to its pipeline. The company will be embarking on a major repair programme for its Oistins to Terminal and Woodbourne to Terminal pipelines. These repairs are likely to cause some disruption to residents of the Pegwell Boggs, Charnocks, Church Hill and surrounding districts and to motorists using the roads in these areas. This maintenance work on the pipeline is necessary, following an inspection of the line done, adhering to the standard of the USA Pipe Safety Improvement Act. The primary goal of this repair project is to optimize the remaining life of the pipelines in the safest and most reliable manner. There may be some areas that need physical reparative work on the pipelines which may require excavation that could result in the inconvenience of delays in traffic in the affected areas, some temporary road closures and/or traffic diversions. The BNTCL has undertaken this work in order to proactively maintain the highest industry standards and the integrity of the existing infrastructure. It is expected that this work will commence in mid to late February and will continue for a period of five months. To ensure that the public is informed about this project, BNTCL officials along with Project Consultants, Torque EPM Inc will meet residents in the affected areas and interested persons, to discuss the project. Meetings will take place on Thursday January 10th from 7 p.m to 8.30 p.m. at the Christ Church Parish Community Centre; on Friday 11th  January from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. at the Pegwell Community Church and on Saturday January 12th from 9 am to 10.30 am at the Charnocks Pentecostal Church.   (BT)

EDUCATOR OUTLINES PLANS FOR CHANGE – A regional educator says some in the profession must let go of entrenched but useless methodologies that are paralysing educational systems. Speaking at an Eastern Caribbean Joint Board of Teacher Education annual meeting yesterday, director of the School of Education, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Professor Joel Warrican, said some of those included: Common Entrance examinations; a stratified secondary school system that led to the marginalisation of students allocated to “bad” schools and labelled accordingly; the secondary education exit examinations where more than half of the students writing CSEC examinations could not obtain passing grades in five subjects, including English and mathematics; teachers teaching in areas for which they were not adequately qualified; and no mechanisms that ensured teachers pursued professional development after completing initial teacher education programmes (for example, licensing based on updated qualifications). “We are [so] accustomed to going with the flow, that we seem to think there is nothing we can do to halt the slide down a road. . . . We, the intellectuals, the thinkers the technocrats, must put aside those shackles and make the decisions that can propel the region forward. “Some of those decisions will be hard because they may shatter the status quo, but . . . . let us have the courage to make those decisions,” Warrican told attendees in the Shell Conference Suite at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.  (MWN)

BAS BOSS WANTS AN INCREASE IN CROP PRODUCTION FOR 2019 – Chief Executive Officer of Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul believes that the agricultural sector can be integral to the curbing of Barbados’ large food import bill if the country grows its own food and agricultural land is preserved. “The only way you can assist with the food import bill is if you seek to grow more food. Because truthfully if you take something as simple as sweet potatoes when you have a lot of them around you find that the price goes down to a dollar or two dollars a pound,” Paul told Barbados TODAY, adding that farmers would need to grow their crops more consistently. “The whole thing about agricultural commodities is to try to improve the yield you get per acre. The other thing you have to do is grow more consistently so you do not have a situation where you have shortages within the industry,” he said. The former Member of Parliament for St Michael North said that one of the major grievances of the agricultural sector was the way in which agricultural land is being utilized for non-agricultural business. “One of the big things that we do have a concern about is that too much agricultural land is being taken out of production at the moment. It is one of the big challenges that we face in this country that is also causing us from contributing to lowering the prices we are seeing for food,” Paul said, adding that the sector is facing a lot of hypocrisies with the changes in land use. “The main problem that we have is the hypocrisy that occurs around the transfer of land from agricultural uses to non-agricultural uses. They are too many instances in this country today where people speculate on the land they buy as agricultural land but soon after they leave it and then they proceed to have it sub-divided. “We have a situation in this country today that there are areas which people have bought that are basically just laying there. Look at town! Town has a lot of new buildings that are not fully occupied yet we have applications from people who have an interest in construction to come and build in greenfield areas and areas which were previously agricultural land,” Paul said. “We need to review the whole process and make it more difficult for persons to transfer these lands out of agriculture into other purposes. We should preserve the agricultural land for food and make it less attractive for persons. These are some of the issues that we have to deal with but once we have better access to land we will see an increase in agricultural production,” he said noting that increasing agricultural production was the BAS’ goal for 2019. (BT)

RESIDENTS COMPLAIN ABOUT PIG FARM – Tempers continue to rise in Applewhaites, St George over the stench from a pig farm in the area. And Member of Parliament for St George North, Gline Clarke, is hoping that a remedy can soon be found to deal with the offensive odour allegedly emanating from the property. Last November Clarke had spoken to the matter and noted that it needed to be remedied. “We need to see that the Government moves swiftly on these things. That is if there are problems you go through the legal process but move on them with haste. There are a lot of problems across my constituency with people doing . . . things,” Clarke said, adding it was incumbent on the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to do something about it. Anita Yarde, a newlywed female, said that she has been unable to invite anyone to her marital home due to the odour emanating from the pig farm. “We still getting the smell from the pig farm. It is really awful. I cannot open my house, I cannot invite anyone at me. No one wants to come down through here with the smell. I am right below the pig farm. I does feel so awful because my family does not want to come out here because you cannot open the house. Even at nights, I have to put up a towel to keep the scent out of the house,” Yarde told Barbados TODAY, adding that persons visiting the area have started to name it. “People have started to rename out here Mount Stinkeroo’ because out here smell so stink. Sometimes when I leave home to go work after 5 a.m. I can smell it. We cannot live like this! I am asthmatic, and I have sinuses real bad. A couple weeks ago I was on vacation. I had to go to the doctor and then get medication because the smell had my lungs actually blocked and it is real awful,” she said, adding that she would like to see the pig farm closed. “I would like to see it closed because we cannot go on with this. At the end of the day, it means that we have to go to the doctor and then pay money for medication. Sometimes even if you go and buy over-the-counter medication it does not work,” Yarde said. Another resident Allison Murray-Browne questioned how Town and Country Planning could permit the operation of a pig farm on tenantry land. “Tell me how on earth Town and Country Planning could give them permission to build an entire pig farm in front of a residential area on residential land,” Murray-Browne told Barbados TODAY, adding that she cannot open her home to get fresh air. “In such a small neighborhood [we are dealing] with two pig pens – talk about flies! I cannot open my windows to get a little air. It is overbearing and the Government is not doing anything about it. If it was in a high society area someone would have done something about it,” she said. Speaking to Barbados TODAY owner of DL Prestige Farms, Gregory Forde, said what was being alleged about his pig farm was untrue, and added that his business was registered. This was subsequently verified at Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office as having been registered and incorporated on September 20, 2017. Pressed to comment on suggestions that he had no permission from Town and Country Planning for the farm and that its presence was making the residents in the community ill, Forde responded: “When I am ready, I will give you full details.” (BT)

PATIENT QUESTIONS TREATMENT – A Stage Four cancer patient is allegedly being denied her right to choose whether or not she should take chemotherapy to help combat her illness. The patient who was recently discharged from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after spending ten weeks there told Barbados TODAY: “I had fluid removed from my lungs during my hospital stay, and after two procedures, the doctors examined me and found no traces of cancer, yet the hospital was still insisting that I take chemotherapy treatment.” The 50-year-old, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in 2017, said the doctors did not explain clearly to her why she still had to have the treatment despite showing no signs of cancer, and she was concerned about some of the practices she saw at the island’s primary healthcare institution. “I noticed that Stage 4 patients who got chemo on the ward, both men and women, died within a day or two of receiving it, and 28 patients died during the ten weeks I was on Ward C12 (the cancer specialty ward).” She also claimed that some patients were forced to take medication. She added that when the fluid was removed from her lungs, the procedure caused her body to swell up and she could not move, and according to her, other patients experienced a similar thing. She said her illness was presently in remission, which she attributed in part to much prayer and assuming a vegan diet since her initial diagnosis. “I am not experiencing any pain, there is no longer any fluid on my lungs, and there does not seem to be anything wrong with my liver either, so I do not understand why they seem to be forcing me to take the chemotherapy.”  In response to the patient’s concerns, President of the Barbados Cancer Society, Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson, acknowledged that patients had the right to choose their treatment and doctors should not pressure them to do otherwise. Nevertheless, it was a common practice to administer chemotherapy to Stage 4 cancer patients as a precautionary measure. “Even if it looks like the symptoms are all gone, chemotherapy is recommended because in case further cancerous cells are detected, it can stave off further infestation and “buy the patient more time”. Pain management and other elements are also included at this stage to make it easier for the patient to cope with the ravages of the illness. And generally speaking, doctors all around the world carry out this practice based on research findings over the years.” She, however, recommended that the mother of two sons in their early twenties discuss the matter further with the doctors, either alone or in the presence of her children, in an effort to outline the best way to proceed under the circumstances. The other charity which looks out for the interests of cancer patients in Barbados, Cancer Support Services, declined comment on the matter. When Barbados TODAY approached the QEH on this matter, it issued the statement: “Patients do have the right to choose the treatments best suited for them and the chemotherapeutic treatments prescribed are within acceptable international best practices, and are recommended based on a number of factors including the individual’s diagnosis, life expectancy with and without treatments, and client preference. “Based on an analysis of these factors, the oncologist will recommend a course of treatment and discuss it with the individual, following which the patient is allowed to determine his or her treatment regime or in some cases, decline the treatment.” Regarding the incidents the patient said she noticed during her stay, the hospital added that the “medical staff of the Clara Brathwaite Centre of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine is unaware of any complaints made by patients or relatives of patients. Beyond that, the QEH has a Clinical Risk Management Unit responsible for the mediation of complaints made by patients, relatives and caregivers, and staff of this unit is available to assist individuals with any problems which may arise, including talking to staff members on behalf of the patient or complainant.”  (BT)

EVALUATION REQUESTED FOR MOTHER – A mother of one was remanded to the Psychiatric Hospital today after the magistrate determined that she needed to be evaluated. Rachel Catherine Bynoe, 27, of Forde’s Road, Clapham, St Michael, was sent to the mental institution by Magistrate Douglas Frederick when she appeared disoriented while standing in the dock of the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Boyce, a custodian, had earlier pleaded not guilty to lawfully entering the premises of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on January 8, 2019, and conducting herself in an annoying manner. However, her errant behaviour and her continued rambling caught the attention of the magistrate. Frederick eventually decided to have her hospitalized, stating that she “was not making sense”. At that point, the accused told the magistrate, “You gine make me lose my job and who gine look after my child?” She is scheduled to return to court on Friday, January 11. (BT)

DENIS THE MENANCE – A fraud accused’s application for bail rested on the fact that he had an exemplary court appearance record. However, that was not enough for Denis Rodney Beckles to secure his freedom after he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on 11 fraud charges. The 51-year-old artist of #37 Golden Rock, Pinelands, St Michael, was remanded to HMP Dodds until February 5 by Magistrate Douglas Frederick, who agreed with prosecutor police constable Kevin Forde’s objections to bail. Forde argued that Beckles should be remanded due to the seriousness of the offences, the fact that he had similar antecedents and a propensity to reoffend. In his brief bail application, the accused told the magistrate he had never missed a court date and was not a flight risk. “I don’t miss my court date,” Beckles emphatically stated. “That is not the issue because you have a lot of forgery charges here,” the magistrate replied. Frederick then asked Beckles if he had ever read the book Animal Farm before telling him, “while all matters are serious, some are more serious than others”. Beckles was charged with, but not required to plead to trying to defraud CIBC First Caribbean International Bank by uttering a forged $9,200 cheque payable to himself on December 4, 2018. He is also charged with dishonestly obtaining $9,200 from CIBC First Caribbean International Bank using a forged cheque payable to himself. Beckles was charged that on December 5, 2018, he: intended to defraud Scotiabank by uttering a forged $78,000 cheque payable to himself and drawn on the account of Dr Jerry Emtage; endeavoured to obtain from Scotiabank $78,000 using a forged cheque payable to himself and drawn on the account of Dr Jerry Emtage; endeavoured to obtain from CIBC First Caribbean International Bank $8500 with a forged cheque payable to himself and drawn on the account of Dr Jerry Emtage; presented a forged cheque for $8,500 to CIBC First Caribbean International Bank payable to himself; On December 31, 2018, it is alleged that he tried to get $4,700 from Scotiabank using a forged cheque payable to Jerry Green, drawn on the account of IGT Global Service Limited and that with intent to defraud the same bank he uttered a forged cheque for $4,700 payable to Jerry Green. He is also charged with dishonestly obtaining from Scotiabank on that date, $4,400 cash using a forged cheque payable to Denis Small and that with intent to defraud the same bank he uttered a forged cheque for $4,400 payable to Denis Small. In his lone 2019 charge Beckles is accused that on January 3, not being at his home he had with him one Barbados identification card, a Barbados driver’s licence, a birth certificate, a Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation Multichoice tv tax invoice, all bearing the name Carl Roger Blackman, for use in the course of criminal deception.  (BT)

NEW ORLEANS RESIDENTS GET BAIL – Three young persons accused of assaulting and using indecent language towards two police officers were granted bail today. Hairdressers Shanika Kamesha Maycock, 28, and 35-year-old Kire Ramona Murray along with Lamar Germaine Greaves, 30, all of 7th Avenue New Orleans, St Michael, will reappear in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on June 3, 2019. Maycock was released by Magistrate Douglas Frederick on $2,000 bail after she pleaded not guilty to obstructing, resisting and assaulting police constable Rommel Downes on January 7, 2019. Murray was also granted bail in an identical amount after she denied obstructing police constable Jason Phillips, assaulting and resisting Downes, as well as using insulting language, “You is a bare c***, ya big, red, b****** s***. I would barely spit in your face” towards Downes. Greaves also pleaded not guilty to assaulting and resisting Phillips. However, he admitted to using insulting language towards Phillips by saying, “Officer you like you is a f****** idiot. You can’t search me.” He was released on $2,500 bail. (BT)

JAMAICA: TWENTY MURDERS IN FIRST WEEK OF 2019 – Prime Minister Andrew Holness this afternoon disclosed that the island has recorded 20 murders as of yesterday, noting that 11 of them were committed in Kingston and St Andrew, where a state of emergency ended last night. Holness made the disclosure during a statement in the House of Representatives this afternoon on the expiration of the SOEs across some sections of the island. He said the figure is in comparison to 45 recorded murders up to this time last year. “With the resources at our disposal; we will continue to focus on containing the gangs; maintaining presence as best as possible in order to reassure the public using all the powers available under the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) Act to ensure the maximum level of security possible for our citizens. “We have been doing so by using curfews and other methods at our disposal,” the prime minister said. The SOE ended in the St Catherine North Police Division last Wednesday, while it expired last night in sections of Kingston Western and St Andrew South Divisions. The police immediately imposed curfews at the end of the anti-crime measure. Meanwhile, the SOE will end in St James on January 31. (BT)

RAMDIN SLAMS BATTING – Captain Denesh Ramdin has branded his side’s batting in both innings as “unacceptable” after Trinidad and Tobago Red Force crashed to a 245-run defeat to Leeward Islands Hurricanes on Monday. Set 342 to win at the Brian Lara Stadium, Red Force began the final day on 26 without loss, but capitulated for a paltry 96 all out, 15 minutes into an extended first session. They looked in decent shape at 72 for two but lost eight wickets for just 24 runs. “Our bowlers fought hard on that wicket but losing six wickets in a morning session [on Sunday] was unacceptable. Then (on Monday) losing all ten wickets for under 100 runs, as a professional unit, is not acceptable,” Ramdin lamented. “Guys have to take more ownership, especially some of the senior guys. Look at (Jeremy) Solozano; he batted really well. It’s for guys to get starts.” Solozano top-scored in the Red Force first innings with 80, but was one of five wickets which fell for 59 runs on Sunday’s third day as the innings folded for 252, handing Hurricanes a crucial lead of 173 on first innings. The left-hander top-scored again in the second innings with 42. He was one five batsmen to fall with the score on 78, leaving Red Force with no way back at 78 for nine. Solozano, 23, came in for praise from both Ramdin and head coach Kelvin Williams. “[He’s] batting well. Hopefully he’ll grow from strength to strength,” said the former West Indies Test skipper. “He’s applying himself so [I hope] the other batters give him that support. I think he could get a couple more centuries.” Williams added: “Solozano showed us how to do it, in both innings. The rest of batsmen need to take a page out of his book and do what he’s doing.” The defeat was Red Force’s second straight in the Regional Four-Day Championship after they went down to Windward Islands Volcanoes by 76 runs in the second round before the Christmas break. Ramdin, in his first match after returning from Windies duty, urged his batsmen to spend time at the crease. “It’s all about [application] of yourselves in the middle – giving ourselves time,” he pointed out. “Nobody is batting two sessions or anything like that. Getting out in one session and the other team is getting four sessions and not giving our bowlers rest is not doing ourselves justice.” Red Force travel to Kingston later this week to take on Jamaica Scorpions in their fourth round match at Sabina Park. They are fifth in the six-team standings on 10.2 points, only above Scorpions, who are bottom on 9.8.   (MWN)

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