#the job search is kicking my ass like usual but I have applied to a couple

[sergeantnarwhalwrites]

I'm realizing (thanks @vacantgodling) I haven't made like a full spell out thing on everyone's tattoos (except for the chat I was having with vacant) XD I'm gonna attempt to rectify that.

[t0wnspersonb]

Rest (Bakugo Katsuki x Reader)

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 2,515

Warning: SMUT, LANGUAGE

I’m literally in love with Bakugo Katsuki. I’ve had this idea in my head for a while and I might make this a small series, I love me some domesticated shit and I hope you guys do too. This is the first smut I’ve ever written so please keep that in mind as you’re reading lmao. I hope you enjoy it!

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

Bakugo sighed deeply as he dropped his duffle bag to the ground with a soft thud. His red eyes burned with exhaustion, his body felt incredibly heavy tonight after his shift. 

It wasn’t that he disliked being a top pro-hero, far from it. 

In fact, if someone were to ask him if he hated or loved being a hero he would scoff at them and blast their ass.

Of course he loved his job.

Becoming a pro-hero was his dream, the ultimate goal in his life. The amount of hours, blood, sweat, and tears he had put into his training was not for nothing.

Of course he fucking loved his job.

But sometimes. 

Sometimes he wouldn’t mind being able to rest.

Like now.

Now, all he wanted to do was eat and sleep.

Bakugo flipped the light on in the kitchen, taking notice of the just washed dishes in the dish rack and the scent of cleanser lingering in the air.

Y/n must’ve cleaned up before she went to work. He thought briefly before opening up the fridge to see what was available to eat. 

His expression softened once he laid his eyes on the plate of food wrapped up with a note on top.

Missing you a lot today, don’t overwork yourself.-Y/n

After reheating his dinner he sat down at the table, sighing deeply once more now that he was finally off of his feet.

It had been a long couple of days. A couple of weeks of nonstop back-to-back hero work. Which meant that Bakugo was rarely home, either arriving far too late into the night, or leaving far too early in the morning. There were only small traces that he had actually been there, a coffee cup left in the sink, the bathroom being damp still from a shower.

It was weeks like this one that were incredibly taxing on Bakugo, and that was because he never got to see you. 

His wife. 

It also didn’t help that your work schedule at the hospital was just as busy. Almost seemingly as the exact opposite of his.

He figured you had another night shift tonight as he headed to the bedroom.

But he froze at the doorway.

The tightness in his body melted completely as he gazed at your sleeping figure. 

You were curled up under the blankets, fast asleep, and completely unaware of the tall man staring at you.

Bakugo couldn’t move fast enough.

All he could think about was curling up against you tonight, holding you close, and burying his face into your hair.

He had missed you too much.

He stripped down to his underwear and moved to slide under the blankets, his expression further softening as he noticed that you were wearing one of his t-shirts.

Carefully coming up behind you, he moved to wrap one of his arms around your waist. He pulled you in close, tucking you into his chest easily.

But you were roused awake from the sudden movement.

“Katsu?” you mumbled softly, eyes still heavy with sleep but you shifted your body so that you were facing the warm solid man now next to you.

“Go back to sleep.” he grumbled, both of you settling down against one another. He peered down at you with a gentle expression.

He had never seen anything more beautiful. 

“How was it today?” you hummed softly, slinging your right arm around his broad shoulder, your leg kicking up to wrap around his waist. 

Bakugo wrapped his fingers around your thigh, tugging you closer. His hand was big and warm, the roughness of his palms and fingers felt perfect against your soft skin. 

A touch you were desperately craving the past couple of weeks. 

“Dumbass Deku got overrun with the villains we were chasing down, I had go and save his stupid ass.” he grumbled, moving his hand up to slide into your shirt, his fingers tracing patterns into your back.

“Hmm.” you sighed softly, nuzzling your nose against his collarbone, inhaling that familiar burnt caramel scent.

Both of you were quiet for a moment, enjoying each other’s company. It was clear that both of you were exhausted, but neither of you had gone to sleep just yet.

There was a hum in the air.

A familiar one.

You looked up at the man that you’ve known your entire life. His eyes were closed, but you knew that he wasn’t asleep.

Your gaze started at the top of his head. His spiky hair was more disheveled than usual, but you knew that it was incredibly soft and perfect beneath your fingers.

Moving your eyes further down you took in his perfectly arched eyebrows and long lashes, but beneath that you noticed the dark circles framing his lower lids. 

Frowning softly at your husband’s apparent lack of sleep you continued your search against his face. 

His nose was perfect, and just below it, those soft full lips.

Your stomach flipped pleasantly. A familiar feeling bubbling in your lower stomach.

He was fucking beautiful.

And that was just his face. You knew that his body was just as perfect, if not better.

It was as if Bakugo Katsuki was sculpted from the gods themselves. 

How you were married to such a beautiful man, you didn’t know. It was then that you started to be more aware of those muscular arms that were wrapped around you. Those strong, thick fingers gripping your upper thigh tightly.

Your heart rate picked up, and you shifted slightly, attempting to get closer to him.

“Stop staring at me, shitty woman.” he grumbled, cracking one eye open to peer down at you. “It’s fucking creepy.”

Now you remember how you ended up with this beautiful man. His shit fucking personality. 

I guess it’s true when they say you can’t have it all, you thought dryly. Of course your husband couldn’t be a gorgeous man without having some kind of flaw. 

It was actually a wonder how you guys had been together so long. 

Childhood friends turned lovers.

You had been by his side since birth it felt like. 

Considering your mother and his mother were good friends, it was bound to happen that you two would be as well. 

You were the complete opposite of Bakugo. 

Kind. Sweet. Gentle. 

You weren’t in the hero course when you had gone to U.A., rather you had gotten into the support course.

Which wasn’t a problem for you. You didn’t want to become a hero. Rather, being able to help behind the scenes and being able to support those that wanted to be on the front lines, protecting and saving people, like your husband.

“Don’t be mean Katsu, I haven’t seen your grumpy face in weeks. Can’t a wife just look at her husband?” You grumbled pinching and pulling his cheeks.

He huffed angrily, grabbing your wrist and attempting to pull your fingers away from his face. “Let go, that fucking hurts.” he growled. “Stupid woman, you think I want to come home and be pestered like this?”

You snorted, an amused expression on your face as you ignored Bakugo’s increasing insults and attempts at stopping you from pulling his cheeks, increasing the pressure of your fingers on his face.

“You little shit.” he growled. He gripped your wrist tightly and shifted one of his legs to be between your thighs and moved, heaving you onto your back. Your wrists were pinned on either side of your head, Bakugo above you.

Oh fuck.

The position you were in caused your heart rate to pick up once again. Your eyes flickered down his body, appreciating the bulging muscles and the way his boxers now hung lower on his hips. 

The smirk on his face wasn’t helping the situation either. 

“Like what you see?” he sneered.

You rolled your eyes and moved your leg, shifting it up so that you could press your knee carefully against his crotch.

You could feel his growing bulge. You felt the rising blush in your face and looked away from him, going to move your leg down from its current position. But Bakugo was too fast for you, he grabbed your leg and hitched it over his hip and settled himself between your legs. Pressing himself to your center.

You couldn’t help the whimper that escaped your lips. 

“Why are you getting all shy now?” he teased, rolling his hips against yours. 

“Sh-Shut up.” you gasped, lips parting in arousal. “You haven’t even kissed me yet Katsu.”

He chuckled slightly, and released his grip on your wrists, allowing you to slither your arms around his neck, sliding your fingers into the back of hair. He leaned closer down to your face, one his hands grabbing at your jaw, the other one propping himself up to keep most of his weight off of you.

And then he was kissing you. His lips hot and urgent against yours, his tongue already poking through your lips, eager to taste the inside of your mouth.

You moaned softly, arching your body into his as your grip in his hair tightened. 

Bakugo growled against your mouth, grinding into your core harshly.

All thoughts of sleep are now gone. All Bakugo could think about was you, and how much he wanted to be inside of you. It had been far too long since the last time he'd had you, and now, he wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“Fuck, what do you want?” he growled, pulling away from you and seeing your swollen lips. Your eyes were wide and bright, full of want and need. 

His stomach churned pleasantly.

Before you could answer him his fingers were already where you wanted them the most. He rubbed at your clit in harsh controlled circles, his red eyes dark and filled with need as he gazed at your moaning flushed face.

“K - ah - Katsu. Please,” you whimpered, gripping his hair tightly between your fists. Your hips moving along with his fingers.

“Please what? What do you want?” he sneered, applying more pressure before he pushed your panties to the side, his middle finger sliding against your wet slit, but not fully penetrating you.

You felt tears gathering at the corner of your eyes, it had been too long. All you wanted was him to fuck you already. 

“You. I want you please.” you moaned out, bucking your hips up, urging him to enter you already. “Please Katsu, I missed you so much.”

Fuck. 

He missed you too. He was tired of the foreplay already, he needed to be inside you. 

Snarling loudly he all but ripped the clothes off your body before removing his boxers. His member stood tall and gorgeously thick against his stomach.

Your mouth watered at the sight, you wanted it in your mouth.

“Later.” he growled, noticing the look on your face. “I want to fuck you already.”

He spread your legs apart, gazing at you hungrily before taking his cock and rubbing it against your glistening slit, and then he rammed into you.

You cried out loudly as Bakugo set a brutal pace. Hard and fast, and incredibly deep inside your pussy.

It had been too long, your body needing time to adjust to his intrusion, your walls stretching to fit his thickness.

But he wouldn’t let you. Bakugo gave in to his desire and set a pace that had you gasping to keep up. 

Fuck did it feel good though.

The familiar pressure building up within yourself, ready to snap at any minute.

Bakugo was snarling above you, lost in the pleasure of your warm, wet walls gripping him tighter and tighter. He knew you were almost at your limit, he was too. 

He knew he wasn’t going to last long, it had been too long since the last time he was inside of you, but he needed you to cum first.

His grip was bruising on your hips; his mouth sucking and biting at every inch of skin that was within his reach. You knew you were going to have marks in the morning, but you didn’t care. 

His cock rubbed into the deepest parts of you, leaving you breathless and shaking. He always made you feel so full. 

“You gonna cum on my cock princess?” he growled, reaching down and rubbing your clit again. 

Your back arched, your head thrashing against the pillows as your pleasure began to build further up. “Katsu - ngh - I’m close.” you whimpered out.

He smirked, pulling out of your pussy before slamming himself back in.

And that was it.

You came hard, crying out and trembling beneath him, your wetness gushing out and staining the sheets below.

He snarled loudly, jackhammering his hips into yours as he chased his release before groaning lowly in his throat and spilling himself inside of you.

His hips finally stilled, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against yours softly before trailing delicate kisses against the bites he had left scattered across your throat and collar bone. 

He stayed buried deep inside of you as he continued to soothe your battered body.

Bakugo knew that he was never gentle when you guys made love. He knew that his pace was always rough and harsh, but the aftercare was a different story.

After the intense fucking he always gave you, it was important for him to take care of you tenderly. He carefully pulled his softened cock out of you, hushing you softly as you whimpered from the loss.

He watched as his cum seeped out of you, smirking slightly to himself before he pressed a gentle kiss to your hip and got up to the bathroom to get a warm wet cloth to clean you and himself up.

When he came back you were already on the verge of falling asleep again. He sat near your legs, pressing a soft kiss to your knee as he cleaned up the mess he made between your legs.

You hissed softly, your lower body sore and sensitive. He hushed you once more as he finished cleaning up, tossing the cloth somewhere behind him, he’d take of that in the morning.

Starting at your hips he trailed his soft lips up your body, pressing the sweetest kisses into your skin, gazing at you with gentle eyes.

The aftercare was his favorite part.

You were so fucking beautiful like this, completely drained after all the pleasure that he had given you. Your skin littered with his marks, your lips red and swollen from his intense kisses, your hair a ruffled mess around your head after moving it back and forth so much. 

He pulled the blankets over your bodies as he settled next to you, wrapping his arms around your body tightly.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head, your eyes closing automatically, sleep ready to take you under.

“I love you Katsu.” you breathed softly, pressing your face into his chest. “So much.”

“Go to sleep.” he grumbled tenderly, placing another kiss to the crown of your head. “I got you."

[mortytheestallion]

Dame un Beso

Mi Javier Peña x Reader; 18+; Word Count: 1.2k

This is my first time writing Javier Pena and smut! Please be kind and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Mi Javier Peña x Reader; 18+

This is my first time writing Javier Pena and smut! Please be kind and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Warnings!: Reader Insert, smut, unprotected sex, female/male

The brothel was painted in a soft blue hue, and it was as loud as always. A nervous shiver crawled its way down your spine as one of the other girls applied a coat of bright red lipstick to your lips. She smiled in satisfaction and motioned for you to pop your lips so it could dry properly.

You were nervous, it was your first time being in a brothel much less working in one. Your friend Maria had introduced you and pulled a few strings to get you the job. Of course you were grateful, it would pay your bills and help you earn much more than your waitressing job, but you did that out of love. 

“Just remember to breathe and smile,” she said, rubbing your back slowly, “the men know if you don’t enjoy it and I promise you they will tip better if you pretend to.”

You grimaced slightly, trying to place a smile on your face. It was hard on the streets of Columbia with no friends, no family, and no money. You just had to keep the goal in mind, survive.

To say Javier had a shit day was an understatement. Sometimes he wondered if he and Steve were the only competent ones in the agency. The search for Escobar was becoming increasingly difficult, not that it would ever be easy in the first place. But, damn if it wasn’t kicking his ass. 

He lit a cigarette as he got in the car, the only constant in his life. He could've let out a groan at how good the nicotine felt in his system. He needed a stronger release, however, and as though subconsciously he found himself outside of one of  Medellín‘s finest. He let out a small sigh, giving his forehead a slight rub. 

“Senor,” the women at the desk greeted him with a smile, “¿Cómo puedo ayudarte esta noche?” How can I help you tonight? 

“Mi habitual,” my usual, Javier had come into the brothel enough times that most of the girls, at least the good ones, knew his name. The one at the front desk was sweet, but Javier didn’t want to deal with the bullshit tonight, just to get in and get out.

“¿Estás seguro?” Are you sure? She raised an eyebrow, “acabamos de tener una cosa bastante joven? Es su primera noche.” We just got a pretty young thing, it 's her first night.

Javier thought he was gonna choke on his cigarette. A million thoughts raced through his head, and he felt his cock twitch in his pants. He could feel bad about it later.

“Si,” Yes. He breathed heavily with lust, as the lady behind the counter moved to take him to the room.

Laying on the bed you smoothed your hair over once more, settling to play with the edge of your robe instead. Most men didn’t like to bother with clothes, Maria had told you, so instead she lent you the robe. 

A knock on the door stilled you, a heavy swallow making its way down your throat and settling a lump in your chest. It opened and one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen walked in.

He had wavy brown hair and beautiful golden skin gleaming with sweat from the hot Columbian air. 

“Senor,” you stood up from the bed, suddenly feeling a little better, “Quieres una bebida?” Would you like a drink?

“No,” Javier croaked out. He was mentally kicking himself, he had been with plenty of women, why was he suddenly acting like a virgin teenager. 

You approached him slowly, and it seemed as though both of you suddenly didn’t know what to do. You ran a hand along his chest, reaching up to whisper in his ear. 

“Puedes besarme si quieres.” You can kiss me if you want.

That was all it took to snap Javier out of his trance as his lips were on yours, it was desperate , all teeth and tongue, but at the same time it didn’t feel like enough. He began to kiss his way along your jaw, surely leaving marks as he made his way down your neck.

“Should we move this to the bed?” Your voice was breathy with want, and you had accidentally reverted to English, without even knowing if he could understand you.

And yet he had. His hands found their way into your hair and he turned you around and you were face down on the bed. Anticipation rips through your body as his hands trail up your thighs, gathering the edges of your robe as he goes. 

You can feel the warmth pooling in your core, and the thong you have on doesn’t provide much of a barrier to the cool air. He whistles lowly, a small groan making his way out of his throat at the sight before him.

You had to be one of the prettiest girls he’s every seen, fuck, in Columbia. He can feel his cock strained against his pants at the sight before him. You’re practically dripping and all he wants is to slam into you, but you’re turning your neck to face him with those pretty eyes and shame grips him a bit.

He shakes his head a bit before pushing the fabric aside and dragging a digit against your slit earning a moan from you. You’re tight and hot, Javier bites his lip thinking about the way he’s gonna split you in half. 

You push back against his fingers earning a slap on your ass for him. It stings and you cry out, but it quickly turns into pleasure as he soothes his hand over it. 

“Estas lista para mi, pretty girl?,” Are you ready for me, pretty girl? 

You feel yourself clench around his fingers at the nickname and the sound of a zipper cuts through the quiet room before you feel him dragging himself along your slit. 

The moan he lets out drops a wave of arousal, hot and blinding, as he pushes into your soaking entrance, and you bite your lip at the delightful intrusion. Javier curses as he fills you up, hot and tight, almost too big in your tight hole.

Before you know it he chooses an unforgiving pace, fast and hard. You struggle to continue to arch back into him as your climax begins to nip at your body.

“Senor,” you moan out only to be met with a sharp slap on your ass, “Javier,” he corrects you.

You can’t even utter a response as his cock pulses inside you, strong thrusts pushing you deeper into the bed, and with the grip he holds on your hips you’re sure it’ll bruise. You continue to moan and writhe as he continues to wreck you as your climax begins to reach its peak.

“P-please I’m gonna come,” you can’t help how pathetic you sound, but the pleasure shields you, “Come pretty girl,” Javier praises.

His own orgasm isn’t far behind him as your cunt spasms around his cock, so tight he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to pull out. He follows your leave with a few more thrusts before he’s coming undone. 

You feel his hot cum paint the back of your thighs as his plants kisses on your exposed shoulder.

He cleans you up with a towel the brothel provided, slowly trailing his hand up your back before turning you back over.

“Look at me,” he grips your jaw in one hand, “ you don’t work here anymore.”

[girlmaster132]

(Yan)Childe x Reader: Remember Me?

This is like my first in this app please bare with me lmao.

Rated: Mature Words: 3.1k Warning: Kidnapping, Name Calling, Bullying.

Second-Person POV:

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You wince as you pick up the burnt food on the ground. You accidentally poured in too much oil and you threw the fish away. This was a simple Grilled-Tiger Fish yet you can't even do it. How clumsy are you? You picked up the failed meal and threw it in the trash. You sigh as you shook your head and went to the table to eat one of the fruits on the table.

    You moved to the window and opened it. The sun shined bright, the sounds of people enticing customers to their stalls can be heard up to your house. Liyue Harbor is such a calm and relaxing place. Well, as long as you don't evade tax that is.

    It's been years since you've lived in Liyue, in contrast to most people here who have a specialty in cooking. You only ever bought food here. You took a bite into the apple and got ready for the day.

    You leave your house and walk down the stairs. Opening the door you're met with the friendly people of Liyue.

    "Goodmorning Y/N off to work?" You turn around and see Ganyu walking towards you.

    "Yes Ms. Ganyu, it's the last day before a week's break. I decided to get there earlier so I can get all my work done. I hate going on the weekends. Also, it's rare to see you out of your workplace, what brings you here?" You say. Ganyu giggles and pats you on the back.

    "Well, I have some important business to do. Don't waste time and off to work you go! Can't miss any seconds, time is gold!"

    You smile at Ganyu and continue your stroll to the outskirts of Liyue. You pass children playing with their kites, tag, and some even roleplayed as the Millelith. The vendors yell as they advertise their product in any way they can. You reached the bridge and continued your way to the statue of the seven.

    You bow down to the statue of Rex Lapis. He was such a different god from the previous one you had. Reaching the building of your office, you fixed your clothing and walked proudly. Opening the door and walking, Something felt off. There would usually be people welcoming you inside. The room should have open lights and a warm temperature. Instead, the building was dark, and it's eerily quiet. You sharply inhale.

    "Guys? Where are you?" You shouted as you searched each room you pass through. Was it a holiday and you accidentally went to work? But Ganyu would've told you earlier.

    The moment you arrived at the secluded area, you felt a hand with a handkerchief pressed over your mouth. You look back and attempt to punch them. Your heart beats rapidly and you squirm. More men appear and one of them punches you hard in the stomach. You fall to your knees as they hold you down and suffocate you. Black spots forming in your eyes as the world around you is rapidly fading quickly.

    "Is this one of the people on the list?"

    "Yeah, he's the last one." The man says.

    You try to struggle one last time as you close your eyes and drift to sleep. You squirm, punch, do anything. You struggle.

    And struggle, and struggle.

    And for the last time, you—

...

Struggle.

    You were being held down by Alek. He has always done this to you for as long as you can remember. Your face smeared across the snowy floor. It was cold and freezing, why is your life like this?

    "Y/N! I thought you wanted to be in the military!" He laughed, "Is it because your father is so poor he'd sacrifice you anytime to get money!"

    You sob and try to push yourself up, but Alek steps at your back. Leo, your other tormentor kicks you in the face, "How about your mom? Is she selling herself again to earn money? What a whore!"

    "My... Mom's not a whore..." You whimpered as the two boys made fun of you more. Blood trickles down your nose, you have a black eye and a broken self-esteem.

    "Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. He aimed his arrow and shot it right beside you threatening the two other kids. Your eyes light up and you see your best friend Ajax. He slides down the snow hill and directs the bow at the two boys. "Let him go! Or I will shoot."

    The two boys stare at Ajax. "And who might you be? We haven't met you before."

    "Someone that will kick your ass and make you fear my name." The two looked at each other and laughed. They glance back at you and Leo picks you up. Ajax glare would be enough to kill these two. Without warning rushes at them. He raises his fist and punches Alek right in the nose. Leo drops you roughly into the ground and before he could do anything, Ajax swings his bow at him and uppercuts him in the jaw.

    Your eyes light up as you watch Ajax beating them up a bit too hard. He strikes them with his bow without mercy. "Don't you fucking dare, return to this village. You got me!"

    "Ajax..." You call out, he stops and faces you. "I think they had enough." He shoves Leo into a tree and approaches you. The two boys ran away with fear. He crouches and touches your face.

    "Ajax, thanks for saving me again." You breathe out. He hugs you and lifts you. "Hey! This is embarrassing!" You hide your face and he bursts out laughing.

    "You can barely even stand, don't get shy of a friend helping you out." He carries you and runs you back to his place. The wind was a gentle breeze you blush slightly as he passes through the village. He sits you on the porch and opens the door.

    "Wait, is anyone home? I might disturb them,"

    "Nonsense!" He pulls you into a room and opens the lights. "Stay here, I'll get something for that black eye and a broken nose." He rushes into a room. You hum and wait, he returns with an entire medkit.

    "You don't have to, that's a waste of supplies. I thought you were just going to give me a cold compress—"

    "Here have some of this, your nose is bleeding," He ignores your complaints and brings you a cloth. "Now for that eye," He takes out a cold compress and gives it to your other hand. You apply it to your eye as you wipe your face off the blood. He happily sits beside you.

    "I wish I can be like you, strong, powerful, and brave. Do you ever wish to be part of the military?"

    "Nah, I don't think I'll ever join the military soon. I like to fight but you're more fit for that."

    "You're just wasting your time, thanks for being my sparring partner and the person that always saves me but..." You trail off.

    "But what?"

    "I'm someone you can leave behind. I'm the one getting prepared to become a soldier but I can't even fight those two. You don't even get training yet you're better than me. I bet you're just doing this because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

    "Y/N don't think about that!" Ajax smiles, "I enjoy your company! Even if you win or lose as long as you learn with me I am fine with that!" your face heats up and you look down at the floor.

    "That's sweet of you to say..." You whisper.

    Silence.

    His demeanor changes, "Y/N I've always wanted to tell you something, I've—"

    The door opens, "Y/N I knew you'd be here. Your father is calling you, he orders you to go home now," He walks towards you, "Yeesh, what happened to you kid?"

    "Oh just Alek and Leo doing their thing again... Your son saved me again sir! He's such a nice friend," You compliment. "I'm sorry I used some of your medical supplies."

    "It's okay boy, I don't mind. No hurry, your father needs you."

    "See you Ajax and thank you so much for helping me!" You bow down and run outside, waving goodbye.

...

You walk through the snow and trees. You arrive home and see a carriage and a ton of boxes everywhere. "What's this all about?"

    "We're leaving, pack your things before afternoon." You stand there in shock. Leaving? To where?

    "W-what! Father, why do we have to leave again? Where are we even going? Aren't we fine? You say if I trained and got in the military we'd be safe. W-why?" You stuttered. Looking at your father who's hastily fixing the bags. He grabs your shoulders.

    "Liyue, we have the biggest chance of surviving there. We can't pay off our debt anymore, they'd kill us!" He yells at your face, making you shake in fear.

    "B-but where's mom? And Ajax— I still haven't said my goodbyes to him." He grabs your hand and pulls you roughly.

    "Your mom won't be returning any time soon, we have to hurry. And as for Ajax, I told him about the two of us leaving for Liyue. You're not good enough, look at you. Whenever you get back here you get beaten up by such a useless piece of shit. There's no time so get your goddamn stuff and let's leave this hell hole!" He pushes you and his words echoed through your mind. You wipe a tear threatening to fall down your face.

    You pack all your clothes and whatever you can hoard in a box. You throw it in the carriage and your father commands you to get in. You are sad, at the sudden change.

    "Hey! Wait up!" Ajax shouts. You see him out of breath, his eyes full of worry.

    "It's best if you don't follow us..." You say. Your eyelids get heavy and hide your face. You look back once more to see Ajax chasing you with full speed. Your father grunts and whips the horse to go faster. You watch as he fails to match the speed.

    "Wait, Y/N! Don't leave me please!"

    And that was the last you've heard of your best friend.

...

The room is silent and uncanny. You squirm around and freedom has no avail. Your eyes are covered and your hands are tied. You start to panic and hyperventilate.

    "Looks like the last one woke up," you hear a voice.

    "Are these the hostages?"

    "Yes, we're just waiting for the boss to return," says the other. Footsteps were circling the room. You feel like you're about to vomit. Your insides churn at the fact that you're kidnapped by other people in the room.

    "This one seems to be eager for a beating!" The agent jokes. The blindfold tightly wrapped around your face stops you from absorbing info about the matter. Your hair gets roughly pulled and you gasp. They laugh at your attempt to escape from them. You hear the door creak open.

    "Well hello there, you did a great job you two, now would you mind if you avoid touching the hostages?"

    "Yes sir!" And with that, the two men drop you down. The newcomer arrives and clears his throat.

    "All of you calm down. We're waiting for your greedy scum of a boss to pick you up from here in about an hour. There are 6 people in here, If he arrives early and pays, we'll set you free. If he doesn't," You hear him chuckle. "Every 10 minutes wasted I will pick one of you and make sure none of you get out of here without a broken bone or two. So hopefully he responds and gives the money he owes us. Just hope this boss of yours is kind."

    Time ticks the sounds of your co-workers begging for freedom gets hushed by threats and punches.

    10 minutes had passed.

    "Looks like one of you is lucky," You hear a loud slap and a person groan. You witness your co-worker get beaten up. You flinch every time he begs for mercy. You hid in the corner of the room, hoping to dear god your boss would arrive now. You didn't even know nor want to do anything about this debt they were talking about. With one last punch, you hear a thud, ending one's suffering.

    You try to calm yourself down but you can't stop it. You huff and puff loudly, sweating bullets, stomach-churning, dying from the anticipation. All of these give all the attention to you.

    Another 10 minutes passed, it didn't even feel like it. Time was ticking too fast you've lost all hope of getting out of here.

    "Sheesh, that old geezer really does not care about you folks does he? Now, who should the lucky winner be?" His steps got louder and you know he's going to hurt you. He grabs your hair and pulls your blindfold and throws it. He raises his fist ready to strike. "Now you little-"

    "Ajax? Is that you?" You asked, blinking to clear the light. He's taller and has a Fatui mask on his face. He still looks as handsome as you remember. He halts and stammers.

    "H-how do you know about that? Are you one of Liyue's spies? Or are you an eavesdropper that knows too much?" He studies you before saying, "Keep an eye on the other 5, I have to deal with this one." You gulp as he harshly tugs your arm. He drags you into the room beside and throws you into the wall. Your heart sinks, whatever happened to your best friend? You feel the tears swell up in your eyes as sadness overtakes you.

    "A-ajax don't you remember me?"

    "As far as I can remember, I don't know anyone that's part of an organization that borrowed money from us. I only know your boss, and his subordinates are going to get a good beating if he doesn't arrive with the money."

    You stare at his eyes, it's devoid of the sparkling light of hope and kindness. It's empty and dark, soulless and heartless. You gulp and a tear escapes out of your eye.

    "I'm a coward..."

    "Save the tears and sad story for later. I'll get back to you after your boss returns." He rolls his eyes and scoffs. He stands up and he quickly walks to the door.

    "I'M A COWARD THAT LEFT THE MILITARY AND YOU ALONE!" You shout as you reach your hand up to him. "I was never fit to become a soldier! And I made you suffer!" You sat down and tears streamed down your face.

    Childe stops walking and looks back at you. His eyes widened and his mouth agape.

    "Y/N? How're you— alive? My father told me you were taken away and you... died...."

    "W-what? My father said that he informed you about the two of us leaving Snezhnaya to hide in Liyue. We couldn't pay off our debt, and mom never returned the same day you rescued me from those two asshats."

    His eyes softened like every memory of you two together came crashing to him. A small smile appeared on his face as he approached you slowly. Each step he takes, you take one back.

    "I'm sorry I- just hurt me..." His hand reaches for your face and he looks directly into your eyes. He leans in and you feel his soft lips touch with yours. The moment was bliss, you close your eyes and hold onto him. You breathe in sharply as he pulls out. He wipes away your tears and lets out a laugh.

    "I can't believe you're alive Y/N. I missed you, and you aren't a coward," he says. Your stomach somersaults and you hug him. "Now, let's get to it." You look up to him and then A sudden sharp pain surges and paralyzes you. A knife digs into your abdomen. You widen your eyes and more tears stream down your face.

    "A-Ajax?" You whimper and your body numbs. Your legs weaken and Childe catches you. He chuckles as he runs his hand through your hair. You cough out blood and he whispers into your ear.

     "Shh... it will be okay. Y/N just relax, you'll be fine with me. Just sleep, we'll talk in a bit."

...

You flutter your eyes. Everything was so blurry, your body is ready to fall apart from exhaustion. The pain of your best friend betraying you loomed and haunted your thoughts. You sluggishly move and the pain shoots through your stomach. You wince and attempt to cover it. You realize something is attached to your wrists. You move your hand and hear the clanks of chains. You dart in that direction and see that both of them were chained in the wall. The room is pitch black.

    Your heart races and you panic. You struggle but your efforts are futile. Something heavy was weighing you down. You look down to your feet to see chains shackled on your ankles.

    Your breathing gets erratic, and adrenaline rushes through you. The sounds of footsteps came near and you waited for the danger. The door loudly opens and you see Childe enter.

    "You're finally awake! Took you long enough, I know you don't like to keep friends waiting," He exclaims while crouching down to your level.

    "Where am I? Ajax why the fuck am I chained?"

    "You'll never be able to leave me anymore. We're going to be together just like before! Aren't you excited! We have so much to catch up to, after you left I thought you died! So I chased after you and fell to the abyss—"

    "Abyss?! Is that why you've cracked your head and went mad!" His grin widens and he giggles.

    "You've always been funny Y/N I've loved your jokes. The abyss was such a fun place. I always thought that if you weren't in this world anymore, you'd be there! But foolish little ol' me remembered you are an angel, they don't fall into the abyss. They fly up into the sky," He rambles with a twisted smile on his face. You raise your brow, scared for dear life.

    "This isn't right Ajax! Y-you fell into the abyss?! What happened to you! Why are you doing this to me? Let me go!" You yell. His face drops and he laughs maniacally. He comes closer and rubs your shoulders. His hand runs down to your chest. He licks his lips and stares at your eyes, piercing through your soul.

    "We're going to have some fun."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Author's Note: I swear to God idk what I just wrote ;-;

If you enjoy whatever the hell I wrote you can follow me on WP too! 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/264619512-genshin-impact-oneshots-x-readers-x-characters

[suganovakawa]

i have been holding this idea to myself for an entire MONTH AHAHA but here we are , i’m a big gorl now and i really wanted to share the angst — along with finally starting a blog on tumblr . so yeah ! i’m new , pls be kind to me , i have food 👉🏼👈🏼 i hope you enjoy my first story !

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem! reader

GENRE : angst , romance

TRIGGERS : bits of cursing here n there , ig ?

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

[ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎 .

the beginning of a storm ; why was tooru at seijoh so late ?

word count : 1.9k .

saudade masterlist.

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀"tooru? i've tried calling you for almost an hour now... what are you still doing here?" the janitor had allowed you an entrance inside seijoh, your light jacket pressed against your body as you scuffled through the gym doors, your tongue clicking as you eyed a certain brunette captain serving his god-knows-how-many time of deadly top-spin serves.

⠀his eyes darted in your direction the moment your voice filled the echoey gym walls, your concerned tone ringing back and forth as his brown irises glared at you through narrow eyelids. a nervous lump grew in your throat, your stomach understanding the regret in the decision you made. oikawa was in one of his moods again; you should've known better than to barge in during his serving practice.

⠀still, even with your boyfriend acting the way he was - without saying a single word - there was no use in just leaving aoba johsai as quickly as you arrived. you came to check on tooru, and that was exactly what you were going to do. "it's late, tooru. we still have school tomorrow! you need your rest, please give yourself a break, it'll do more harm than good for you."

⠀"you say that every time, y/n." oikawa rolled his eyes as he bent down to grab a nearby volleyball rolling at his feet, palming it in his right hand and pointing it at the net. his focus was intent - you knew exactly what he was doing. for the past couple of weeks, the captain focused his practice on serving, locking in and applying all of his power to one spot on the court only. it was a feat not many could accomplish, but tooru was scarily coming close to mastering such a challenge. it required extra practice, of course, but certainly not to this extent.

⠀"as your girlfriend and as the manager of the aoba johsai volleyball team, i'm worried about you, you know?" taking a deep, brave breath, you stepped further into the gym, your footsteps creating more echoes for the two of you to listen to as you approached the sweat-covered third year, who had paused his serving practice to watch you come to him. his lips were pursed - and not in a way that sent your heart aflutter. oikawa hated when you disturbed him and tried talking him out of practicing; he'd give any reason and excuse to avoid it.

⠀"just one more serve, alright? then you can drag me out, whatever. i don't really want to listen to your self-health lectures right now." his free hand rested on his hips, the volleyball now resting between his waist and underneath his arm, interrupting you as your mouth opened to say something more. you had grown accustomed to tooru's mood swings as time went on; he didn't mean much by it, and you understood his position. his passion towards the sport was what originally captivated you towards the captain in the first place. you weren't exactly part of his fanclub, per se, but you sure as hell were close enough as a member. the only difference between you and the other girls was that you were lucky enough to snag the job as the volleyball club manager.

⠀"one serve, tooru." your arms crossed as you bit back his nasty glare with one of your own. most of the time, it worked. "push your luck and i'll call iwaizumi here to drag you out of the gym himself." you and hajime were always a tag team whenever it came to putting an iron fist down on tooru, though the stubborn male usually only listened to iwa, since he was the one who packed a nasty punch. oikawa did listen to you occasionally, just not as much as you would've liked.

⠀he rolled his eyes and turned away from you in place of a reply, holding the ball out in front of him. he was silent, and so were you. this was his routine for practice, all of his dirty talk could wait for the matches. you moved to his sports bag, sighing to yourself as you saw his cellphone plopped on top of his club jacket like a cherry on top. he must've had his ringer off, which would explain why he didn't pick up any of your calls. crossing your arms lightly over your chest, you watched with intent eyes as your boyfriend tossed his ball into the air, his gaze directly focused on nothing else but the flying object. he began his standard approach, your breath held as the gym exploded with the sound of his palm coming in contact with the volleyball. your eyes could hardly follow its path; you blinked once, and the ball was already bouncing against the wall.

⠀"damn, another fluke." you were about to compliment tooru's killer serve before you listened to him reprimand himself - you could tell this wasn't the first time he scolded himself for a mistake only he could identify. you noticed him walking to grab another ball, but you ran out to him, kicking his targeted ball out of reach before looking up at him and pressing a finger to his chest lightly.

⠀"enough, tooru. you promised me only one more serve. you've done that already, pack up so we can leave already. you have tomorrow to continue."

⠀"what the hell, y/n? i was just going to-"

⠀you knew him way too well to believe his next lie. "don't even try and say you were going to start picking up volleyballs. i see that look in your eyes, as clear as a cloudless day. you were intent on serving again, tooru; you can't lie to me. you-"

⠀"could you just stop already? who are you, my mother?" he clenched his jaw as he swatted your finger away from his chest, storming away from you as he bent down to pick up another ball, just right behind the boundary line. "i know you care, y/n. you make that very clear. but i can take care of myself, okay? just go home."

⠀"tooru-"

⠀"go, y/n."

⠀oh hell no you weren't.

⠀not without him leaving too.

⠀you turned the corner and pretended to leave seijoh, your face faking its exasperation. leaning against the wall right outside of the gym doors, you reached into your front pocket, your phone warm in your hand. unlocking the screen and searching through your contacts, you tapped the call button for the one person that had the ability to drag oikawa out of the gymnasium.

⠀"hello?"

⠀"iwa! thank goodness you answered."

⠀"it's so late, y/n. do you need help burying a body or something?"

⠀"i wish. i hope this isn't too much to ask, but could you please come to seijoh? tooru refuses to stop practicing, and he won't listen to me."

⠀"god, again?" a sigh could be heard from the other line. "yeah, i'll be right there. open the door for me, will you?"

⠀"thank you so much, iwa. i'll be at the door."

⠀you hung up the call, your eyes gazing at the doors as you waited for your friend to appear. you bit down on the side of your cheek and listened to every sound of contact tooru made with every serve. nothing could get him out of his moods - at least, not anything verbal. you'd need physical force to actually get him to step out of the gym doors. hence, why you needed hajime here.

⠀you heard a knock at the door a few minutes later, and you just about sprinted, a gracious smile stretched upon your lips as you allowed iwaizumi into the school. he looked like he rolled out of bed, his mouth in his natrual scowl. when his eyes laid upon you, his glare softened when he looked at your smile. "alright, where is he?"

⠀"in the gym, where he always is."

⠀"allow me." rolling up his own sleeves, the spiky-haired ace marched through the gym doors with you in line behind him, peering over him to look at oikawa's face the moment he was in the setter's line of vision.

⠀"oh, it's iwa. i'm not surprised, y/n is too stubborn to listen to me."

⠀"you're one to talk, shittykawa. don't you know what time it is?" taking out his phone and shaking it to make a point, he wasted no time in walking towards the brunette. you were nervous; usually oikawa would falter at the sight of hajime alone, but tonight seemed to be different. instead of giving in, he merely gave his new company a dirty glare. "go home already. it's late, we have school tomorrow, and the playoffs are soon. you're just going to tire yourself out, and i'll beat your ass if we don't face the other teams at our best." he then chuckled. "i've pulled you out of here myself multiple times, don't think i won't do it again."

⠀oikawa turned his icy stare at you, before glancing back at hajime with a bored yawn. "fine, fine," he retorted, throwing his calloused hands up in mock surrender, "you win, y/n. happy? i'm leaving the gym now, so don't be any more pushy than you have been tonight. it's giving me a headache."

⠀those words hurt more than you thought they would, tooru antagonizing the fact that you were only trying to care for him. your eyes rested at your feet, letting your hair rest in front of your face as you listened to tooru's volleyball shoes walk across the gym. you could hear iwa's as well; the two of them were picking up the volleyballs around the court, but your legs were in no position to help, not with how fragile they felt.

⠀you looked up on time to see oikawa slinging his bag over his shoulder, his nasty little glare plastered all over his face as he began to walk out of the gym. "goodnight," was the only thing he muttered as he brushed against your shoulder with his own on his way out. your head whirled around as you watched your boyfriend walk away without another word. you didn't have it in you to reply.

⠀"are you sure you two are in a relationship?" you jumped at iwa's voice, just noticing him standing beside you. "he didn't even bother asking to drive you home. some boyfriend he is."

⠀"ah, don't be like that, iwa." you forced yourself to laugh at the situation in a desperate attempt to make light of it, but the effort was futile, and utterly pathetic. "tooru's a good boyfriend! he just gets in his moods sometimes, but it happens to the best of us. nothing i can't handle. after a good night's rest, i'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time."

⠀"i hope you're right." he turned to face you, peering down at you before placing both of his hands in his pockets. "do you need a ride home? i know you live close by, but it's gotten colder now, and we can't have our manager catching a cold on us."

⠀this time a real laugh left your system, shrugging your shoulders as you looked to the outside, before back at hajime. he looked pretty serious, despite looking fatigued. "are you sure, iwa? i don't want to bother you with it."

⠀"nonsense." he shook his head. "since your boyfriend couldn't do his job in taking care of you, i'll just drive you home tonight. okay?"

⠀your heart dropped at his words.

⠀your boyfriend couldn't do his job in taking care of you.

⠀"... yeah, okay."

a / n : JFJSJFJFJF i wrote just a wee bit much , usually i’ll aim for around 1k , maybe a lil less on lazy days . anywho ! ty for reading , i hope you enjoyed part one 🥺

[secretpajamas]

Undercover– a Marcus Pike fic

pairing: Agent Marcus Pike x female reader

genre: smut/humor/coworkers-to-lovers

rating: explicit

words: 3.7k

a/n: you don’t need to have seen The Mentalist to read this fic (but I do recommend watching Pedro’s episodes, he’s SO perfect in this role)! All you need to know is that Marcus Pike is an FBI agent working for the Art Theft department. Scroll down to the end to “content” if you want to know specific smut content before reading :)

–

So far, the operation had been a bust; you had hoped to catch the reclusive money-laundering gallery owner at the fundraiser event tonight, but he hadn’t shown. After conceding defeat, you and Agent Pike slipped into one of the roped-off side rooms in the museum to discuss a way forward.

You felt incredibly uncomfortable in your attire for the night: a silky slip of a dress that showed far more skin than you were accustomed to showing. But this was a “trendy” look, supposedly, and you were masquerading as art critics at this stupid event. Your FBI-issued handgun was concealed in a hidden panel in your purse and you hated not having it on your hip in your trusty uniform holster. You hated everything about this outfit. The fact that you had to youtube “how to apply an adhesive bra” just to wear this godforsaken dress tonight—

“You alright?” Pike asked, looking at you with a furrowed brow. You realized your face was scrunched up in a scowl, thinking about your goddamned flimsy bra, which had thankfully stayed on the whole night so far.

“Yeah,” you said, “just yearning for my uniform right now.”

“Tell me about it,” Pike said, gesturing to his outfit. “I’m wearing skinny jeans.”

It was decidedly not his style. You usually saw him in business casual or his FBI uniform. When you met on the weekends for coffee, he’d wear a leather jacket—and as far as you could tell, that was as adventurous as he got when it came to fashion. Skinny jeans? Not Marcus Pike, not in a million years. (But he did have nice legs, you had to admit.)

“So, our friend hasn’t shown,” you said, changing the subject to more pressing matters.

“I had a feeling,” Pike muttered. “Back to the drawing board, I guess.”

“Well, it was worth a shot,” you said with a sigh. “Let’s call it a night.”

Suddenly, Pike tensed, his face paling. You took a breath, about to ask him what was wrong, when he whispered harshly:

“Someone’s coming.”

You jumped when you heard it: footsteps sounding from the hallway where you came in. You whipped your head around, looking for another way out, but the only other exit was a door that read ‘EMERGENCY EXIT – ALARM WILL SOUND’.

Shit.

“I’m sorry about this,” Pike said in a rush, bracketing himself around you, effectively pinning you to the nearby wall, in between two paintings. “Just play along.”

“Sorry for wha—”

Then he kissed you.

Marcus Pike kissed you.

You froze. What the fuck was he doing? How was this supposed to help? What was this—

Your train of thought was interrupted by his thigh wedging its way between your legs, sending a jolt of pleasure up your spine and making a filthy noise tumble from your throat, unbidden.

“Good,” he whispered, mouthing kisses along your neck. “Louder.”

You moaned again at his words, not really understanding why. Just play along, he had said. Whatever the hell that meant.

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out. “This section is CLOSED!”

Pike jumped away from you. You snapped to attention, head whipping around to see a familiar face: one of the lackeys of the corrupt museum owner stood some distance away, a blinding flashlight trained on you. You’d seen this man on surveillance footage in your briefing this week. He was the muscle. Usually the very armed muscle. Shit.

“S-sorry,” Pike said, his voice suddenly meek, that of a geeky art critic and not a federal agent. He raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, making a big fuss of the movement, while the other hand subtly reached behind him, hovering near where his gun was covertly tucked in the back of his belt. “My girlfriend and I—”

“Section’s closed!” He barked, gesturing with his flashlight. “Get a room.”

You felt your stomach drop back into place. He just thinks we’re horny artists. Thank god.

“Sorry, sir,” Pike said, taking you by the hand and making a swift exit.

–

You didn’t speak a word to each other as you scurried out of the gallery and into the side street where Pike had parked. He rummaged in his jacket pocket for his keyfob and frantically pressed at it until his car’s headlights flashed up ahead. Once you were inside, you put your head in your hands and let out a huge breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Holy shit,” you rasped.

Pike didn’t respond, just methodically put on his seatbelt, started the car, and drove away. At the next red light, Pike reached over and buckled you in. You were so out of it that you had forgot.

“Thanks,” you said, voice a little more steady than it was previously.

“I’m sorry about what happened back there,” he said, eyes on the road.

“Uh, me too? I thought we were done for,” you said. You thought you were going to get shot, but you didn’t dare say it.

Pike shook his head. “I mean, I’m sorry I kissed you. It wasn’t right.”

“What are you apologizing for? You saved our asses.”

“By assaulting you? Yeah, great job I did,” he said.

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, you didn’t assault me, Pike. It was... surprising, but I wasn’t upset.” Quite the opposite, actually.

Pike gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly—you could hear the fake leather squeak against his hands. “Nevertheless, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” You sighed. “Seriously, I’m okay. Stop getting in your head.”

He didn’t seem totally convinced, but he didn’t protest any further. You sat in silence for the rest of the car ride.

–

“This is you,” Pike said when he turned onto your street, gesturing with his head towards your apartment building. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was in a considerably nicer neighborhood than your first DC apartment, that’s for sure.

“Indeed it is,” you confirmed.

Pike parked his car and turned off the ignition. He still looked like a kicked puppy—god, he wasn’t still worried about the kiss, was he?

Fuck it. You’d been working with the man for nearly two years now, and at this point, you considered him a good friend. You never felt judged when you confided in him.  Why not just be honest?

“I liked it,” you said, oddly calm.

Pike’s face scrunched up. “Huh?”

“The kiss,” you said, and now your heartbeat was starting to ratchet up. “I liked it.”

His eyes widened. “Oh,” he said, voice soft.

“Yeah,” you replied. “You can... do it for real, if you want.”

Pike looked at you silently, his gaze flickering from your eyes to your mouth.

The adrenaline from earlier in the night must have been fueling your courage, because you soldiered on. “Do you want to come in?”

–

Pike followed you wordlessly to your apartment, the tension so heavy in the air you thought you might suffocate. With shaking fingers, you managed to unlock the door and flick on the lights.

As soon as the door closed behind Pike, he held you by the waist and kissed you soundly.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he said when he pulled away.

“We kissed like, an hour ago—”

“A real kiss,” he specified, bringing one hand to cup your cheek. He brushed his thumb along your lower lip like it was something precious. He kissed you again, just a soft press of lips, ever the gentleman. You thought about his thigh between your legs earlier that night and god, you wanted that again. You kissed him back, firm and insistent, curling your fingers in his hair.

When you gave his hair a gentle tug, his whole body seemed to shiver, and his kiss became more daring—his tongue in your mouth, his hands inching down, down, stopping just shy of your ass.

Suddenly, he pulled away from the kiss. “I should go,” he said—but the tone of his voice made you doubt that he wanted to leave.

“What’s the matter?” You asked.

“I’m moving too fast,” he said with a wistful smile.

“I’m the one who invited you in, Pike,” you said.

“Fair point,” he said. He let his hand rest on your waist again, his fingers stroking the silky material of your dress. “It’s just—I haven’t done this in a while. Not with someone I... care about.”

Oh. You knew what this was about. Teresa, the woman he was with just before he moved to DC. They were supposed to get married, but she left him for another man. You didn’t know much beyond that, but he had told you enough—that he felt he moved too fast and scared her away.

“If you want to stop now, I get it,” you said. “But I’m here to tell you I’m not going anywhere. I’ve waited two years, I can wait some more.”

You didn’t realize the weight of your words until after they left your mouth. Shit. He wasn’t supposed to know you’d had doe-eyes for him since the day you joined the Art Theft squad. You looked down at the floor, anywhere but his face right now.

“Two years?” He asked softly.

“Yeah,” you whispered.

“But—what about that guy you dated from Quantico?”

“He was a nice distraction,” you said.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked.

You didn’t respond for a moment. Slowly, you looked back up from the floor to his face. His features were kind and reassuring. You took a deep breath. “Well, I’m saying it now,” you said.

He smiled. “Let’s make up for lost time, then,” he said, snaking his arm around your waist and pulling you in for another kiss.

–

After kissing you breathless, you lead him by the hand to your bedroom. He went with you eagerly, and when you sat on the edge of your bed, he followed suit.

You pushed at the lapels of his tweed jacket, getting it off his arms and onto the floor. He reached behind you, searching for your dress zipper. He found it, grinning triumphantly for a moment before pulling the zipper down. The dress fell off your shoulders, revealing—

Oh god, that fucking adhesive bra.

“I’m sorry,” Pike said, sounding utterly baffled, “What is this thing?”

You laughed. “You’re asking me? I had to consult the internet just to put the damn thing on.”

“How is it on?”

“Adhesive,” you said.

“Do you just... rip it off? Like a bandaid?” Pike said.

“I guess?” You replied, picking at it with your fingernail. A corner of it peeled off without much force. Damn, it was flimsy.

You peeled it off the rest of the way and chucked it across the room. “Good riddance.”

Pike laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Here I was thinking skinny jeans were a pain,” he said.

“To be fair, those do look a little tight,” you said.

“They are. My dick hurts.” He winced, reaching down to adjust himself. “Too much information?”

You rolled your eyes. “My tits are out, Marcus, I think you’re good.”

At the mention of them, Pike was suddenly gazing at your breasts—as if he hadn’t realized he was allowed to look. He tentatively reached out and cupped one, stroking at it gently with his thumb. You sighed, arching your back. He ran his hand from your breast to your arm, where the strap of your dress had fallen. He dragged the strap down, and with a little wiggling from you, managed to get your dress on the floor, leaving you only in your underwear.

“You have way too many clothes on,” you said, working at the buttons of his shirt. He nodded, helping you get it unbuttoned the rest of the way before shrugging it off. Pike then reached for his jeans, sighing in relief as he popped the button of his fly and dragged the zipper down.

“These fucking jeans,” he grumbled, wriggling his hips back and forth as he peeled the denim off his legs. When he finally got them off, they took his socks with them. He kicked the heap of clothing into the corner, landing somewhere near your dress and that flimsy piece of foam masquerading as a woman’s foundational garment.

Now it was your turn to stare. From the plane of his chest, to his soft belly, to his straining hard-on in his gray boxer-briefs—he was beautiful, and you didn’t know what you wanted to touch first. The outline of his cock was the most tempting, though, and you slowly ran a hand up his thigh, stopping just short of where he was hard and aching.

“Please,” he said in a hushed tone, hitching his hips up just a little. You brushed your hand over his bulge, feather-light at first. Then you pressed a little more firmly, slowly dragging your palm against him. He groaned, hands gripping the bedcovers tightly.

Feeling bold, you got off the bed, kneeling in front of him. You tugged at the waistband of his boxers and he lifted his hips, letting you pull them down and off.

You delighted in the sight of his thick cock jutting up against his belly, the tip pink and glistening. God, you wanted him. You leaned forward and licked a hot stripe from root to tip, and the noise he made was so exquisite you could cry. Taking a light hold with your hand, you guided him into your mouth.

“Ah, fuck!” His hips jerked up off the bed, but you quickly held them down. You took him in as far as you could, and he moaned again—louder, more desperate. You found a rhythm, bobbing your head and hollowing your cheeks, your hand wrapped around what your mouth couldn’t reach. Pike offered a tentative hand to stroke your hair with reverence, his hips trembling with the effort not to move too roughly.

After a particularly sly maneuver with your tongue, Pike tensed and stilled your head with a gentle touch.

“If you don’t stop now,” he said between ragged breaths of air, “this’ll be over before it even starts.”

You pulled off of him slowly, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. “Sorry,” you said, your voice light and teasing.

“Don’t be,” he replied. “Fuck, that was good.”

You couldn’t help but feel a burst of pride at the praise from him.

Pike patted the bed next to him. “Get up here so I can return the favor.”

You crawled up the bed, heart hammering and head dizzy with excitement. He motioned for you to lie back and you did so, taking a deep breath to try and still your racing pulse.

Pike propped himself up on his elbows and slowly kissed a path down your thigh. Your cunt throbbed in anticipation and you bucked your hips up, desperately seeking sensation. He smiled at your eagerness and held your hip down with one hand. With the other, he pushed the sodden gusset of your panties to the side and slowly slid a thick finger inside of you.

You let out a needy sound, clenching around him as he added a second finger. You were so wet that the movement of his fingers made loud, slick noises that were absolutely obscene.

Pike kissed your thigh again. “Gorgeous,” he murmured against your skin. He then pulled his fingers out of you and you whined at the loss.

“Need to get these off,” Pike explained, hooking his fingers into the elastic of your underwear and pulling them down and off.

Pike’s face was between your thighs, now, and you sobbed at the first touch of his tongue to your clit. He slid his fingers back inside your cunt and the jolt of pleasure was like a lightning strike.

“Please,” you begged, not sure what you were asking, but needing it all the same, “please.”

You moaned loudly as he lapped at you ever-so-slowly with the flat of his tongue in time to the rhythm of his fingers. His unoccupied hand moved from your hip to your hand, lacing your fingers together. You squeezed his hand tightly as you found yourself already dancing dangerously close to the edge.

You started to grind your cunt against his tongue, needing the pressure just so, and he eagerly let you use his mouth for your pleasure. He alternated between licking and sucking on your clit, and you were so fucking close that you could hardly stand it.

Pike pulled his mouth off you for a moment. You whined and tilted your hips up, trying to chase his tongue.

“Close?” He asked, keeping the rhythm of his fingers firm and steady inside of you.

You didn’t trust your mouth to form words, so you nodded vigorously. He got back to work, faster this time, relentless, and the heat in your belly coiled tighter and tighter until you were coming so hard you saw stars. Your thighs clamped like a vise around his head but he didn’t seem to care in the slightest, working you through your orgasm with his tongue and fingers.

You clenched around him through every aftershock. He pressed a final little kiss on your thigh before pulling his fingers out and wiping them on the sheets.

Gazing into his warm brown eyes, breathing with him in tandem, it took you a minute to realize something.

“Oh, fuck,” you said. “Condom.”

You wondered if you still had any in your bathroom cabinet from when you were still with your ex, but it had been a long time since you’d broken up. Shit.

Pike snapped to attention. “Yeah, um,” he started, hopping off the bed to retrieve his jacket, “think I have one in my wallet.”

He rummaged around in his jacket pocket, retrieving his wallet and rifling through it.

“Gotcha,” he proclaimed. He turned the foil packet around in his hands, looking for the expiration date. “And it’s still good.”

“Hallelujah,” you remarked, throwing your head back in relief. “Get over here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Pike said, making his way back to you. He knelt on the bed as he ripped open the wrapper and rolled on the condom.

Settling between your legs, he took himself in hand and rubbed at your swollen cunt before easing himself inside. You gasped at the feeling of him fully seated inside you, the delicious stretch of it achingly perfect. After a moment, he ground his hips into yours, moving out barely an inch before rocking back in. You scratched at the expanse of his back and shoulders, hitching up your hips, urging him to move.

“You’re beautiful like this,” he whispered, fucking you slow and deep. You made keening little noises with every thrust, unable to help it. You felt so full.

Pike began to move faster, now, his kisses swallowing up your sobbing cries. The sweet ache in your belly was building up again, and the moment you thought you would tumble over the edge, he slowed his pace. You groaned in frustration, gyrating your hips, needing him to fuck you, damnit, but it felt too fucking good to complain.

When Pike slipped out of you, though, you definitely wanted to complain. However, all that came out was a petulant huff. He just chuckled and urged you to lie on your side. Slotting behind you, he guided himself back inside of you before wrapping his arms around you, holding you close to his chest. The new angle was heaven and you writhed in his arms, feeling him absolutely everywhere.

He snaked a hand down to rub your clit while he fucked you, faster now. You cried out and grasped at his arms for something to ground you, something to keep you connected to reality, because this felt so fucking good it very well could have been a dream.

“I’m—P-Pike—Marcus, I’m gonna—” You found yourself babbling, barely coherent.

“I’ve got you,” he said, the low rumble of his voice warm in your ear as he worked at your swollen little clit. That was it; you were shaking apart, trembling as he fucked you through your orgasm. The muscles of your cunt fluttered around him, every nerve in your body on fire.

Pike’s movements were becoming more erratic. Every thrust was harder than the last, and he moved his hand to grasp at your hip as he rutted into you frantically. You squeezed down on his cock, wanting to push him over the edge.

“Fuck, fuck!” He lasted a few more desperate thrusts before he was coming, too, biting into the skin of your shoulder and holding you tightly to him.

You both stayed there for a while, breathing heavily, all fucked-out and blissful. You nestled closer into him and he hummed into your shoulder.

“Be right back,” Pike mumbled, holding himself at the base and easing his cock out of you. You sighed at the feeling of emptiness—part of you wished he could just stay there all night.

As you stretched out on your bed, he shuffled off into your bathroom. You heard the tap run for a moment before he returned, condom off—presumably in the trash—and a damp washcloth in hand.

The press of the cool washcloth felt good on your hot and throbbing cunt; he then wiped down your thighs, where an embarrassing amount of your slick had dribbled down.

“Thank you,” you murmured as you looked up at him. He kissed your cheek.

It was bugging you, and you couldn’t help but ask. “You tied the condom off and threw it out, right?”

Pike raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” He said. “What, did Quantico not tie them off first?”

“Worse,” you grumbled, “he flushed them.”

Pike snorted. “That’s a new one on me.”

“Had to call a goddamn plumber,” you continued.

“Please tell me at least the sex was good.”

“It was awful,” you groaned. “You should have kissed me sooner.”

“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll make up for it.”

“You better, Agent Pike,” you teased before giving him a peck on the lips.

He was having none of that; he pulled you in for a proper kiss. “I will,” he said, “I promise.”

–

a/n: well, it turns out I’m eternally a sucker for the undercover-as-a-couple trope.

original prompt from @lannister-slings-and-arrows​! Thank you my dear :)

And in case you’re curious: Marcus Pike gets called Agent Pike way more often than he gets called Marcus in the show, so that’s what I went with here. And FYI, Quantico is the county in Virginia where the FBI training academy is. Just a fun little detail.

content: surprise kiss (“fakeout makeout”), oral sex (m and f), missionary, cuddle-fucking (spoon-fucking? side-fucking? whatever you’d like to call it lol)

[particularemu]

Photographic | A Hwang Hyunjin Fic

Word Count: 7898

Type: Smut

Warnings: Not really anything. 

Author’s Note: Why is this so fucking long? OOF. 

This took me a whole-ass month to finish. I hope y’all like this shy Jinnie smut. 

Ding!

“Damnit!” You cursed as your phone alarm went off, signaling that your model would be here in around 30 minutes — that is, if he wasn’t early. 

Please please please, don’t be the guy who feels the need to show up super early to everything! 

The room was already heated to a warm temperature. The gods had blessed you with an overly prepared studio — complete with a pair of shorts and a thin T-shirt for you to change into because 75 degrees Fahrenheit is just not a good temperature for a photographer to work well in, dressed in a hoodie and heavy ass sweatpants. 

Why in the hell did you decide to dress like a homeless person during the biggest shoot of your life? The world may never know. 

You quickly threw off your heavy clothes and changed into your shorts and T-shirt, frantically rubbing your cucumber scented deodorant under your armpits to hide the fact that you didn’t make it to the shower yesterday. After tossing your clothes into the nearest closet and spritzing yourself with perfume for good measure, you decided you were at least presentable. 

How embarrassing would it be to have your beautiful model turn up his nose at your smell?

Very! 

Unfortunately, you learned that from experience. You couldn’t help but cringe at the memory of that jerk, scrunching up his nose before turning and walking out of the studio claiming that you were nasty. 

Well he had a point. It wasn’t your fault your shower was broken for two weeks. There wasn’t enough perfume and deodorant to cover the fact that you hadn’t showered in ages. 

Now that’s a scenario you’d rather not re-live. 

You ran through the checklist in your head. Earlier that morning, you went to the store and picked up some refreshments. There was a cracker tray with ham and turkey, a water jug in the refreshment area, and you managed to get some fruits and veggies. 

Fuck! You had to plate the fruit and veggies. 

You pulled out a crystal plate — one your mother gave you after you bought your studio — and arranged some grapes, cut celery, carrots, and orange slices in a pretty pattern, hoping it’ll help you look as professional as you’re supposed to be. 

Who knew a super professional photographer wouldn’t have their shit together?

You always wanted your models to feel super comfortable during the shoot, so you always provided a little refreshment area, fully equipped with a luxury looking couch that you found for $100 at a little antique store, water, food, and a soft robe you’d have specially made for them. 

Speaking of which… Where’s Hyunjin’s robe?

You frantically searched around your studio, hoping it would randomly appear in the closet. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. You searched every closet, room, and piece of furniture, only to find it hung in the dressing room — you know… where it was supposed to be. 

Fucking hell you were a mess. 

Ding Dong! 

Your heart started beating a mile a minute when you heard the doorbell. It’s not that you were nervous for the shoot. No you’ve been doing this far too long to be nervous over seeing a naked man. You just felt under-prepared. 

Okay, now’s not the time to panic. We have to take this step by step. First step: let the model into the studio. 

The morning was so hectic, you were hoping you had everything in place for the shoot. The last thing you wanted to do was make the poor boy uneasy before his first nude photoshoot.

You opened the door, smiling when you saw the beautiful man across the threshold. 

“Hello, I’m Hwang Hyunjin.” He bowed to you, a bright smile on his face. “I’m excited to be working with you.” 

You couldn’t help but stare at the boy in wonder. He truly was beautiful — not that you didn’t know that! After all, you did look at his file which included some bare faced headshots. 

You couldn’t help but admire how well he dressed. The boy was clad in black skinny jeans, a red button up shirt, and a leather jacket. He had a green scarf wrapped around his neck, nose pressing into the soft material to protect him from the cold. 

Wait… It definitely isn’t normal to stare at someone while they stand in the snow. He stood awkwardly for a bit before shooting you a dazzling smile, bringing you back to earth in time to realize how weird you were acting. 

“I’m sorry, please come in!” You stepped to the side, gesturing for him to come inside. 

The tall boy stepped into the studio, eyes widening as he scanned the impressive building. He wasn’t used to working with photographers with such big budgets. Hyunjin was still pretty new in the modeling business, so he mainly worked with photographers trying to get their start with photos in public parks and in the streets. His worst experience was modeling for a beginner photographer who forced him to model in the mud for 4 hours without a break. 

Hyunjin cringed as he remembered that shoot. It was one he’d rather not have on his resume. 

“Wow. It’s nice and warm in here.” Hyunjin pulled the scarf down from his nose, slipping his jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack by the door. 

“Yes! It’s nice compared to the freezing cold outside. Let me know if you need the temperature changed at all during the shoot. I want to make sure you’re comfortable.” You smiled at him, gesturing towards a table. “I have a few things I need to go over with you before we start.” 

Hyunjin nodded and sat in a chair at the end of the table. He couldn’t help but wonder what you had planned for this shoot. Sure, he had a vague idea of what he’d be doing, but he wasn’t sure if you planned for a sensual, sexy shoot, or perhaps something else. The only information he got when he applied for the job was that he’d be doing a nude shoot with the best photographer in the city — well… in his opinion. 

“So, from what I recall, you applied for this photoshoot, so you know exactly what the details are, but just in case you are uncomfortable with anything, I’d like to go over the details again.” You slid a packet across the table, showing him a few paragraphs. 

“Basically, I want to project the message that men don’t have to be buff and masculine all the time. I want to show a softer, more vulnerable side of men.” 

Hyunjin nodded, eyes focused on you as you explained the details for him. He couldn’t help but admire you as you spoke so passionately about your work. It was clear photography was the path you were meant to be on. Hyunjin had to admire that — he still wasn’t quite sure if modeling was the career he wanted to stick with. After all… his looks would only last so many years. What happens when he gets older? When his looks fade? Then he’d be nothing. 

Hyunjin mentally kicked himself. He should be listening to you, not focusing on his adult angst. 

You explained the details of the shoot as you mentally devoured the boy in your mind. The way he fiddled with his fingers as his brown eyes shifted to look at the paperwork made your heart pang against your chest. He makes the most simple tasks look so beautiful. 

You couldn’t help but feel extremely attracted to the guy. How could you not? He was young, beautiful, respectful, and he appeared to have a great personality. 

Yep… you were head over heels for the boy and he’s only been in your studio for all of five minutes. 

“I’m going to need you to sign these forms. I know the company gave you some to sign, but I need to protect my own ass. All these are saying is that you consent to being nude and you consent to me taking your pictures. I’m not going to have you sign the release forms until after we take pictures. Then you can decide whether or not you want them released to the public.” You explained. “I’ll give you a few minutes to look the forms over.” 

Wait, he didn’t have to sign the release form? Hyunjin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’s only been in this business a couple years, but he’s never heard of photographers skipping the release forms until after the shoot. What would happen if the models refused to sign? Then the whole shoot would be for nothing. 

This was a breath of fresh air, considering the fact that new models usually don’t have a say in anything. 

“Do you have many models refuse to sign the release form?” Hyunjin questioned, eyes skimming the text of the forms in front of him. 

“Believe it or not, I’ve had a couple refuse to sign them. When we get newbies, sometimes they look at the pictures and they feel like they shouldn’t have gone through with a nude shoot, and I don’t know… I just don’t want anyone to feel like they’re roped in to having their naked body circulating around the internet.” You picked up your phone, hoping some random Instagram scrolling would distract you from your nerves. 

Hyunjin pulled a pen out of the pencil cup and signed the forms. “That’s nice of you. Most photographers wouldn’t care that much.” 

“Well consent is key.” You smiled at him. “I know what it’s like to have that taken away so I don’t want anyone to go through that.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened at your words. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Oh nothing like that!” You waved your hands in front of you, instantly regretting your choice of words. “No, I had my pictures stolen once.” You laughed nervously. “A partner I was working with took all the credit. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“It still must have sucked.” Hyunjin smiled. “Kudos to you for keeping a cool head.” 

“Oh I didn’t at the time.” You chuckled. “I was so upset because I was so new. Those landscape pictures were going to help me make it in the big leagues.” You sighed as you remembered the events that unfolded. “But, I managed to make it big with nude photographs, so I guess it all worked out in the end.” 

Hyunjin smiled and signed the space on the last page before putting the pen back in the cup. “All the forms are signed.” 

“Perfect. Let’s get you over here in the makeup chair, and I’ll do your makeup for the shoot.” You pointed over to a light-up beauty mirror, the countertop filled with makeup products you planned to use on Hyunjin. 

“You do your own makeup?” Hyunjin was a bit surprised. Usually photographers hired makeup artists for the models. 

“When it’s simple stuff I do it myself.” You chuckled as Hyunjin sat in the chair. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you look like Pennywise.” 

Hyunjin laughed. “I didn’t think you’d do bad. I’m just surprised.” 

You smiled and started putting some light makeup on Hyunjin. You skipped the foundation, hoping to keep the mole under his right eye visible. Besides, his skin was perfect enough that he didn’t need foundation. Hyunjin’s eyes closed as you applied some natural looking eyeshadow, enhancing his beautiful brown eyes. Last but not least, you applied a lip stain to the inner part of his plump lips, blending it out so his lips looked freshly kissed. 

Hyunjin opened his eyes, smiling at the natural look you put on him. As much as he loved getting fully glammed out for certain photoshoots, he felt more like himself when his skin was left bare.

You stepped back, admiring your work before telling Hyunjin, “I’m ready when you are. I have a robe in the dressing room over there.” You gestured towards the small room. “You can wear that between shots if you’d like, or you can go au natural. I don’t really care. I’ve seen lots of naked people.” 

You couldn’t help but cringe at your choice of words. Yep, that’s definitely what you want to tell a guy you’re into. Tell him you’ve seen a ton of naked people. That’ll help him fall in love with you. 

“Y’know. Because I take pictures of naked people. Not because I’m a slut.” 

Nice cover. 

Hyunjin laughed at your awkwardness and headed to the dressing room, closing the velvet curtain so he could undress in privacy. He couldn’t help but gawk at the dressing room you provided. The room was pretty big, complete with a fancy looking chair, a rack with hangers, and a soft looking robe with his name embroidered into the fabric. 

Hyunjin ran his thumb over the red letters, feeling his heart beat in his chest. He had to admit, he was really nervous for this shoot. Of course he knew that he’d be naked for this photoshoot and he wasn’t exactly insecure about his body, but his admiration for you was making him a bit nervous. 

Truth is — he liked you way too much. Your strong and daring personality sent his heart fluttering in his chest. Being naked in front of you seemed daunting. 

But he had to go through with it. Hyunjin unbuckled his belt, sliding the smooth leather out of his belt buckles before hanging it neatly on the clothes rack. He quickly stepped out of his pants and boxers. Hyunjin pulled his shirt over his head, hanging everything up neatly so nothing would wrinkle, leaving him bare before the mirror. 

He glanced at his body in the mirror, suddenly wondering if you’d think he was good enough. Sure you had the opportunity to look at his face, but his digitals included a shirt. Maybe he wasn’t muscular enough for you? Would you find him sexy the way he was?

Hyunjin shook his head, a light blush coating his cheeks. What does it matter if you find him sexy? This was a WORKING relationship, not a romantic one. It’s not like he’s trying to seduce you at a bar, he’s posing naked for you so you could take photos of him. 

Hyunjin grabbed the robe off the hanger, sliding it over his shoulders before deciding that — no, he probably didn’t need to wear that thing. After all, he’d just be getting naked in front of you. 

But would it be weird to walk out naked? Knock it off! She’s probably seen several naked people who were confident in their naked-ness. He just needed to walk out there, and own his body. Maybe then you’ll find him sexy?

While Hyunjin was undressing, you found yourself in a deep mental argument with yourself. 

Why on earth was this boy making you so nervous? 

Sure he’s beautiful, but you’ve seen lots of beautiful people before. You’ve never been this attracted to the other beautiful people, but oh no… 

No! You can’t do that. You’re about to do a nude photoshoot with the poor thing, you can’t be romantically interested in the beautiful boy. 

It was completely clear that Hyunjin wasn’t 100% comfortable doing this nude photoshoot, so you can’t freak him out even more by telling him he’s the most beautiful human being to walk this earth. He’d probably think you were a freak! 

“Um… I’m done.” Hyunjin’s soft voice shook you out of your thoughts. 

Dear God.

Hyunjin was beautiful with clothes on, but without… UGH.

Hyunjin had such flawless milky skin. You could see little beauty marks down his body, making you want nothing more than to trace your fingers along each and every mark.  He wasn’t super muscular, but he wasn’t a beanpole either. 

Hyunjin was the definition of beautiful. 

“I uh… figured I’d wear this between shots, since we’re starting I didn’t really feel the need to put it on.” Hyunjin’s cheeks flushed a bit, giving away his nerves and sending your emotions into overdrive. 

If you haven’t fallen for the boy already, you certainly have now. 

“That’s fine!” You couldn’t help but stare at Hyunjin’s body, admiring everything from subtle dips in his abdomen to his perfectly rounded shoulders. 

Not only was his skin beautiful, you had an excellent view of… other things. The boy was completely hairless below the neck. He must have gotten waxed or something before the shoot. You couldn’t help but glance down, noticing that his dick was quite an impressive size when it wasn’t erect. Your mind wandered, wondering what it’d look like when it was standing tall. 

Quit staring! You’re freaking out the poor boy. 

You grabbed your camera, hoping the cold metal in your hands would distract you from your growing attraction to Hyunjin. 

“Okay, I’m going to have you lay on the bed.” You pointed to the mattress sitting near a window in your studio. “Lay on your back and bend your left leg at the knee.”

Hyunjin did as you asked, positioning himself on the soft blankets. “Like this?” 

You stood back, admiring the boy’s positioning for a minute. It was a good first try, but you needed him to relax. Hyunjin’s limbs were so stiff, he just looked uncomfortable as he rested upon the blankets. You had to find a way to get him to relax. 

“You look a bit stiff. Try to relax.” You spoke softly, hoping your low voice would calm him a bit. You dimmed the lights so you would achieve a darker set of photos to compliment his milky skin. 

Hyunjin took a deep breath, hoping to calm his body enough to get decent pictures for you. He tried to think about calming things — the sounds of the ocean, his bed at home, your hands running along his body as he rocked into you. 

Wait what? 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened as if it were possible for you to hear what he was thinking. God he needed to get you out of his head, otherwise he could be sporting an erection soon. Think about anything but you… Okay, night walks, K-Dramas, your lips against his.

Fuck. 

Hyunjin was in trouble. 

“Hey, I told you to relax not stiffen up even more.” You giggled.

Hyunjin laughed a bit before his body relaxed slightly. That’ll be good enough for now. You figured he’d loosen up the more you got into the shoot. 

“Perfect. Now bring your right hand to your forehead.” You brought the heel of your hand to the edge of your right brow, showing him how you’d like his hand to be positioned. 

How on earth did you make that look so elegant? For a second, Hyunjin questioned how he was even a model. He put his hand awkwardly on his forehead, wondering how you made that look so effortless and natural. “Like this?” 

“Not quite.” You pursed your lips as you tried to think of a different way to explain it to him. “Bend all of your fingers, except your index finger. That one should be most of the way up.” 

Hyunjin’s brows creased as he tried to comprehend what you were saying. “I’m sorry I don’t understand.” His face reddened with embarrassment. 

“Can I touch you?” Perhaps this would be easier if you could just position the boy. 

Fuck. If you started touching him, who knows what would happen. He was really hoping his dick would behave. Although it made him nervous, Hyunjin nodded anyway. He wanted to help you take good pictures. 

You smiled and placed his hand the way you preferred, making sure to angle his long fingers so they looked more elegant. Once you got his hands in place, you tilted his chin with your index finger, smiling when his bright eyes met yours. 

After checking his position in the camera, you decided that he looked perfect. “Okay, that looks better.” You whispered before positioning your body next to the bed. “Are you ready to start?” 

Hyunjin nodded, looking forward to seeing you at work. 

You snapped various pictures of Hyunjin as he adjusted his position ever-so-slightly to give you his best angles. The boy sure knew how to model. 

Hyunjin still looked a bit stiff though. You figured making small talk might help the boy feel more comfortable in the studio. 

“So, how long have you been in the modeling industry?” You asked, snapping a couple more pictures as his gaze shifted to you. 

“About 2 years now. I started when I turned 18, but I’ve never done anything like this.” Hyunjin’s eyes shifted away from the camera, cheeks flushing slightly. 

That’d be a perfect shot! 

Snap! 

“That’s cool. What made you want to take this job?” You couldn’t help but wonder. He clearly wasn’t comfortable being nude in front of the camera, but he still seemed excited about the shoot. 

“I’ve always admired your work.” He blushed a bit. “When I first got into modeling, I wanted to do a photoshoot with you, but my company told me you only did nude shoots.” 

When he first started, Hyunjin thought he’d never do nude photoshoots, but then he stumbled upon your portfolio. You managed to make the human body look so elegant, so beautiful, without making the photos look like nude selfies you’d send to your long distance girlfriend. 

After witnessing your talent and seeing a job open up, he just had to take it. 

“That’s a lie.” You scoffed. “I don’t just take pictures of naked men.” 

Hyunjin giggled a bit at your outburst. “What do you enjoy taking pictures of?”

You lowered the camera, thinking about it for a bit. “I enjoy taking pictures of people. I think the human body is beautiful. I guess that’s how I got roped into doing nude photoshoots. But it’s not all I do.” 

You paused the conversation, telling him to adjust his position. “Turn and face me.” 

Hyunjin did as you asked, turning his body to the side, brown eyes wondering what you’d have him do next. His hair fell in his face just right, staying out of his face enough to showcase the mole under his right eye, the look of wonder on his face nearly making you swoon.

Fuck he’s beautiful. 

In that very moment, Hyunjin captured exactly what you wanted. His innocent eyes looked soft and gentle. He looked like the ultimate boyfriend material. 

“What do I —” 

“Don’t fucking move or I will end you.” You snapped. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh, face burying in the blankets as he tried to compose himself. He turned his head to the side with a bright smile and —

SNAP! 

That was the money shot. You wanted that shit framed in your bedroom. Or maybe not your bedroom. That would give you too much masturbation material. 

Speaking of…

Hyunjin’s mere existence was turning you on, his naked body sending your emotions into overdrive as you tried to decipher what exactly you loved about the boy. Hyunjin’s cute little head tilt helped you realize that — wow, everything about Hyunjin turned you on. He was so cute and innocent and soft and that made you want to devour him. 

Perhaps a quick bathroom session would take your mind off him long enough to finish the shoot? Or maybe...

No — you can’t ask the models to fuck you. 

Unfortunately, your sex drive was at an all time high. It’s been a while since you’ve been dicked down. 

You mentally kicked yourself. You are a photographer. Take the damn pictures. 

Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to get a few sexier pictures of Hyunjin. “Ok, I need more intensity in your eyes.” You directed, looking forward to seeing what Hyunjin had to offer. 

The boy closed his eyes, holding them shut for a couple seconds. You were a bit worried you offended him until he opened his eyes and JESUS. The sexy gleam in his eyes made you want to toss the camera on the table, strip down, and fuck him right there.

You snapped a few pictures of Hyunjin, shifting around the bed as his eyes followed the lens. “Go ahead and move your body.” You directed. “I want to see what’s comfortable for you.” 

Hyunjin blushed a bit. He had never done anything like this before, so he wasn’t familiar with typical poses men should do during nude photoshoots. He opted for simple poses, laying on the bed, shooting sensual glances at the lens as you snapped pictures. He adjusted his position a few times, giving you various poses. Hyunjin played with his hands, positioning them across his body so it appeared as though he was feeling himself up. 

Your cheeks flushed as you watched the boy adjust his positioning. Damn he was good at this. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” You smirked, snapping another picture. 

Hyunjin chuckled before asking “Is this okay?” 

“It’s more than okay.” You replied, snapping a few more pictures. “These are turning out great.” 

Yes! Hyunjin mentally high-fived himself. You seemed impressed with his work, and he was excited to see what the photos looked like when you were done. 

You snapped a few more excellent shots of Hyunjin before deciding to change the lighting to be a bit more sensual — as if that was going to help your problem. 

You couldn’t help but notice your damp underwear, your arousal becoming more and more difficult to hide the longer you stared at Hyunjin’s body. 

“Why don’t you take a break. I have to switch the lighting a bit.” You gestured towards the refreshments. “Feel free to wear your robe, so you don’t have to flash your goods around me 24/7. There’s also a plate with veggies and grapes and there’s a water jug…” You trailed off, feeling nervous, as if Hyunjin could tell what was going on in your panties. “But you have eyes, so you probably didn’t need me to rant about what’s there.” 

Hyunjin laughed and slipped the robe over his shoulders. “Flash my goods?”

“Yeah. You look good, therefore, your nakedness equals your goods.” Your face flushed. 

Why did you have to shoot your mouth?

Hyunjin chuckled and pulled the robe closed, tying the fabric together with the belt. As comfortable as he felt being nude under your gaze, being covered up was a nice break from having his dick out in front of you. 

Hyunjin headed over to the refreshments, eyes scanning the various fruits and vegetables before he opted to snack on grapes. 

“So.” Hyunjin popped a grape in his mouth, “What got you into photography?”

“I took a photography class in high school and I guess it just stuck. I used to take a ton of pictures of the kids playing sports. I volunteered to take pictures at every school event.” you smiled, unscrewing the bulbs in your lights and setting them on the table. 

“That’s nice.” Hyunjin chuckled. “I wonder what it’s like being on the other end.” 

Hyunjin always wanted to try photography, but he never invested in a camera. Sure he used his phone camera to take selfies, but he’s always wanted to try taking photos of another person. He wanted to capture the human body the way you did. 

“It’s amazing. Do you want to try?” You gestured towards your camera, trying to convince him to test it out. 

Hyunjin waved his hands in front of him. “Oh no! I don’t want to break it.” The last thing he wanted to do was break his favorite photographer’s camera. 

“If you break it, I have 2 others in the cupboard charging.” You chuckled. “Come on, why don’t you give it a shot?” You thrust the camera into Hyunjin’s hands, giggling when he held onto it for dear life. 

“You don’t have to worry so much.” You smiled softly. 

“I don’t want to break it. This must be hundreds of dollars.” His knuckles were white as he clung to the camera, as if loosening his grip would cause the camera to disintegrate in his hands. 

You couldn't help but laugh at the number he threw out. “Try thousands.” 

Yep. That camera with the lens cost you a whopping 7 grand. But the camera took beautiful pictures which made the cost absolutely worth it. 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened even more, if that was possible. He was holding one whole paycheck in his hands. Still… he was holding an incredible piece of equipment and he felt like he had to try it out. 

Hyunjin glanced around, hoping to find a pretty flower to take a picture of, but he couldn’t figure out what to photograph. “What do I take a picture of? The studio?” He chuckled.

You paused what you were doing, turning around to shoot him a smile. “Take a picture of me.” You giggled when he flushed bright red, brown eyes avoiding your gaze as his brain processed what you were saying. 

“I wouldn’t do you justice.” He whispered, just loud enough for you to hear. 

It was your turn to flush red. Was that his way of calling you pretty? That’s kind of sweet. 

“I don’t know how to pose you or anything.” Hyunjin smiled nervously. 

Oh the poor thing. He didn’t realize that you knew how to pose yourself. You were a photographer after all. “Aww. Sweetheart. It’s okay I can take care of that myself.” 

Suddenly an idea popped into your head. If you were going to get laid today, you had to be creative. So why not have Hyunjin take some Boudoir shots of you? It was the perfect chance to seduce him with your curves! 

You reached over your head, pulling your T-shirt off, showing off the lacy bra hidden beneath the thin fabric. Hyunjin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched you unbutton your shorts, pulling the denim down your legs to show the matching pair of panties. 

“What are you doing?” Hyunjin stuttered, cheeks flushing red when his eyes raked over your body. 

“Well.” You paused, wiggling your hips a bit as you stepped out of your shorts. “I figured, it’s only fair for you to take a few Boudoir shots of me, since I’ve seen you naked.” 

Hyunjin’s tongue darted over his lower lip as his eyes ran over the dip of your hips. He longed to hold your hips in his hands while doing unspeakable things to you. But no — now’s not the time to be thinking of such things. He’s got a photoshoot to finish. 

“You don’t have to. I don’t mind taking pictures of you… clothed…” He trailed off. 

“It’s fine. I want to.” You draped yourself sensually over the bed, making sure to point your toes so you looked more elegant. “Now point and shoot.” 

Hyunjin swallowed, before finding a spot beside the bed. How did you get such good pictures of other people? It was obvious that you didn’t just “point and shoot.” You played around with angles. 

Hyunjin moved to the side of the bed, resting beside your head and angling the camera down to the foot of the bed. He captured a beautiful shot of your body — one that captured each and every curve you had to offer. 

You smiled at him and shifted your body to look more innocent, widening your eyes as you looked into the lens. 

Hyunjin snapped a few more pictures, before he noticed the blood rushing straight to his groin. Oh no… He was far too turned on to continue the photoshoot. 

Panic bubbled in Hyunjin’s chest as he tried to think of ways to get rid of the raging boner underneath the robe. Sure, he could try and think of things like basketball or the news, but that wouldn’t get rid of his problem when his eyes were fixed on your breasts like a teenager hyped up on hormones. 

No — he had to jerk this one out. 

Hyunjin sat the camera on the table before attempting to scurry off to the bathroom. 

“Do you want help with that?” Your voice stopped him in his tracks. Truth is, you noticed the raging boner underneath the robe long before he did. 

What? Hyunjin looked down, cheeks turning bright red when he saw that the outline of his dick was very visible underneath the robe. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll excuse myself.” Hyunjin’s voice shook as he turned to leave. 

“Wait.” You called after him. 

Hyunjin turned to look at you, guilt and shame evident in his eyes as he attempted to cover himself. 

“I think it’s hot that you’re turned on my looking at me.” You confessed, stepping closer to the boy. “And if you’re okay with it, I’d love to be with you tonight.” 

You normally wouldn’t have had the courage to say such things to a man, but you had a feeling about this one. You had this feeling that you and Hyunjin could be something special, but first, you’d have to put yourself out there. 

Hyunjin’s cheeks flushed a darker shade of red. It felt like his head was spinning. Your confession made his heart bang against his ribcage so hard, he thought it would burst through. He wondered if you could hear his heart as it echoed in his ears. 

He didn’t know why, but this felt right. “I’d like that too.” He confessed. 

“Can I kiss you?” you asked, hoping he’d say yes. 

“You can do more than kiss me.” His voice switched from being incredibly sweet and innocent, to being deep and sensual.

FUCK. 

Okay — you weren’t expecting that. 

You simply nodded before walking up to him, tentative hands running along his chest before sliding up to wrap around his neck.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked. “We have only known each other for a couple hours.” 

He was right. It felt like you’ve known each other far longer. But it was clear he wanted this as much as you did. 

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” Your arms tightened around his neck, sighing happily when his hands rested on your hips. 

“Let me know if you want to stop.” 

As if?

You nodded before saying “Fuck me.” 

Hyunjin moved forward, instantly taking control as he closed the distance between you, one hand moving to caress your cheek while the other rested on your hip. His soft lips pressed gently against yours and oh — his lips felt just as good as you imagined they would. 

Your hands slid down his chest, parting the fabric of his robe so you could feel more of his velvety smooth skin against your fingertips. You wanted to feel him pressed against you, so bad that your body naturally rocked closer to his. 

Hyunjin ran his tongue along your bottom lip, humming in approval when you easily parted your lips for him to slip his tongue into your mouth. His tongue ran along yours coaxing a moan from you. 

Your soft moans sent the blood rushing to Hyunjin’s cock, making him want to tear your lingerie off and slide into you. But no — he’d wait to do that. He was going to take his time with you and appreciate every dip and curve your body had to offer. 

Hyunjin’s hands ran along your back before his fingertips danced around the clasp of your bra. He parted from your lips, pressing soft kisses down your jawline as his fingers unclipped the garment. The flimsy fabric fell off your body easily, making you moan as Hyunjin tossed your bra in a random direction. 

“Since I’ve been naked this whole time, I think it’s fair that you undress first.” Hyunjin’s velvety voice mixed with the playful gleam in his eye sent a wave of arousal through you, panties becoming wetter the more your eyes rested upon his heated gaze. 

“I won’t complain as long as you hurry up when I’m done.” You giggled as you slowly pulled your underwear down your legs, smiling when Hyunjin’s tongue ran along his lower lip, biting the soft flesh gently.

He was eye-fucking you, and that was exactly where you wanted him. 

Hyunjin closed his eyes, leaning his head back for a second before turning his gaze to your naked body. “Can I touch you?” He asked softly.  

That’s funny. As if he hadn’t been touching you this whole time. 

“Of course.” You smiled, bending your index finger in a ‘come hither’ motion. 

Hyunjin closed the distance between you two, instantly falling to his knees before pulling your left knee over his shoulder. He pulled your body closer to his, the need to taste you on his tongue taking over his senses. 

“Let me…” He trailed off as he panted, hot breath ghosting over your thigh. “I want to make you feel good.” 

Wow. It’s not every day your dream boy practically begs to eat you out. How could you say no to that?

You nodded and shifted your body so you were closer to his face, giving him an excellent view of your soaked folds. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but lick his lips as he stared upon your glistening core. He wanted to know what you tasted like, but first… he wanted to have some fun with you. 

Hyunjin’s lips pressed feathery kisses along your thighs, tongue darting out every now and again to taste your skin. He noticed the way your hips shifted closer to his face when he sucked a spot on your thigh, turning the skin purple before he moved on to dance around where you wanted him to touch most. 

“Hyunjin please.” you moaned, shifting your hips closer to his face once more. 

And like that, his tongue was buried in your folds, instantly making your knees go weak. You moaned loudly, fighting to stay standing as the boy slurped loudly, moaning at the taste of you on his tongue. 

Your hands darted to his ebony locks, fingers tightening in his hair when he sucked your clit between his teeth, nibbling on the bud gently. The overwhelming pleasure would have sent you falling to the ground if it weren’t for Hyunjin’s hands keeping you steady. 

“Fuck Hyunjin.” You moaned. “It’s so good.” One of your hands shifted to caress his cheek. “You’re so good.” You cried out as his eyes met yours, tongue rolling around your clit once more.

“I’m gonna cum.” You moaned loudly, legs shaking as standing became too difficult for you to do. 

Hyunjin separated from your core with a pop. He quickly thrust your other knee over his shoulder, hands supporting your back as he lowered you onto the hardwood floor. 

You gasped — partially because of the cold floor against your heated skin, partially because Hyunjin dove back into your folds, enclosing his lips around your clit and sucking harshly. It didn’t take long for Hyunjin to make you cum, the constant attention to your clit giving you the biggest orgasm you’ve had in your life. Your toes curled, back arching off the cold wooden floor as you hit your high, the overwhelming pleasure making your thighs shake around his head. 

Your chest rose and fell with each breath as you panted on the ground. Your brows creased when you saw the robe still covering his perfect body. “I believe I told you to take that off.” 

Hyunjin laughed, a bright smile taking over his features. “So bossy.” He slid the robe off his shoulders leaving his body bare to your eyes. 

He looked just as beautiful as before, but even more so with a hard cock. Your mouth watered at the sight. You wanted — no needed — to have him in your mouth. You crawled over to him, gently taking his cock into your hands, pulling the foreskin as you pumped his length a couple times. 

Hyunjin threw his head back, moaning at the much-needed friction. Although he was enjoying the feeling of you jacking him off, he really wanted to be inside you. “Please.” Hyunjin moaned, “I want to be inside you.” 

“And you will be. But right now I want to suck your dick.” You silenced him by taking his cock as far down your throat as you could, tucking your thumb under your fingers to suppress your gag reflex. 

The boy let out a loud, strangled moan as you sucked more of his length down your throat, nose almost pressing into his pubic bone. Damn that was hot. He’s never had a girl take him that far before. The feeling of your throat closing around him nearly made him cum instantly. 

You were convinced there was nothing hotter than hearing Hyunjin’s moans while you deepthroat his cock. His quiet gasps and soft “oh my god” made you want to suck him dry. You pulled back, jerking him off a bit before sucking the tip back into your mouth. 

Hyunjin bit his lip, a loud moan echoing through the room as you ran your tongue along the underside, tracing each vein with every pass of your tongue. 

“Please.” He moaned. “Please let me.” 

You pulled away, having way too much fun teasing the poor boy. “Let you what?” Your hand pumped him a couple more times making his body twitch. 

“Let me fuck you.” He moaned at your touch. “I want to be inside you.” 

“Why?” You questioned. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you think I’m bad at sucking dick.” 

“That’s not it at all.” He quickly reassured you. “I just really want to be inside you.” He paused. “Please.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle at his neediness. “Ok, but let’s go to the bed so we aren’t fucking on the floor like animals.” 

Hyunjin laughed and lifted you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist, lips quickly connecting with yours as he walked the two of you over to the bed in the studio. 

You broke the kiss mumbling a quick, “fuck that was hot,” before connecting your lips once more. 

At that very moment, Hyunjin couldn’t help himself. He quickly slid into you, a low groan rumbling in his chest as your walls tightened around him. “You feel so good.” His head nuzzled into your neck, the intimate position making your heart flutter as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

Hyunjin set a slow pace, lips pressing against yours softly so he could make the moment last. You looked into his eyes at the same time he looked into yours and — oh this was starting to look like one of those romance movies. The way his hips rocked against yours, the way one of his hands caressed your cheek — you were positive that you were in love with him. 

How could you be in love with a man you just met?

You couldn’t seem to find the answer as Hyunjin rocked his hips faster, dragging his lower body against yours so he would rub against your clit. You couldn’t help the moans escaping your lips, his name at the tip of your tongue as if your mind was purely filled with Hyunjin. 

That wasn’t far from the truth. You waited so long to have him inside you and here you are, body pressed against his, tongue sliding against his as he thrusted deeper, pushing you closer and closer to the edge. 

“I’m close.” you moaned, hands wrapping around his lower back. 

“Me too.” Hyunjin grunted, eyes squeezing shut as he moved faster, hips stuttering as he tried to bring you closer to your high. He tried so hard to hold out — to get you to cum with him, but he couldn’t chance releasing inside you without knowing whether or not you were on the pill. 

Hyunjin quickly pulled out, deep moans escaping his lips as he stroked himself through his orgasm. He came on your stomach, exhaustion hitting him almost immediately as he came down from his high. 

You hummed in approval, stroking his thigh as he basked in the afterglow, though you were a bit disappointed in your now-fading orgasm. Oh well, at least you got to cum with his amazing tongue. 

Hyunjin noticed your fading orgasm, and he was quick to act, adjusting his position so he could devour your folds. His fingers drove into your core, curling upward so he would hit your g-spot with each thrust. The surprising pleasure almost immediately made you cum, hands fisting the sheets, looking for something to help bring you down to earth. 

One last suck and you were gone, crying out his name and a string of curse words as you came for the second time that night. 

Hyunjin licked his lips as he sat up, admiring your still-panting frame. God you looked beautiful like this — eyes drifting shut as exhaustion hit you, chest rising and falling with each breath, his cum coating your stomach — you looked divine. 

Speaking of cum…

Hyunjin stood up and walked over to the refreshment area, grabbing a handful of paper towels before heading back to the bed. He wiped the cum off your stomach, giggling when you twitched at his touch. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” You panted, curling up under the blankets. 

“Of course I did.” Hyunjin smiled. He never wanted to leave a girl hanging. Especially you. 

“Are you going to stay the night?” You asked, hoping he’d say yes. 

Although you wanted to fuck the boy, you also wanted the soft cuddle time that you assumed would come after. You wanted to hold him close until you both drifted off to sleep. You wanted to take him to breakfast in the morning and go on dates and kiss him daily and — oh shit… you wanted a relationship with him. 

Your heart dropped as you waited for an answer. You shouldn’t have done this. Now you’re overly attached to the boy and you’ll have to deal with the rejection that comes after, what was supposed to be, a one-night stand. 

“That depends.” Hyunjin answered, pausing a second as he pretended to think it through. 

Of course he was planning to stay the night. He just had the best sex he’s ever had in his life. He wasn’t planning on letting you go. “Will you still love me in the morning?”

“Who said I love you now?” You flushed, smacking his arm lightly. 

“Alright then I’ll go.” Hyunjin sat up and swung his feet off the edge of the bed, rubbing his tired eyes. Perhaps this really was just a fling to you?

You panicked, seeing your potential relationship being washed down the drain at your own stupidity. “No please don’t go.” You embraced him from behind. “I will. I want to get to know you better. I want to take you out and kiss you every morning and do couple shit. Just don’t leave me.” You tightened your arms around his torso. “I promise I’ll love you in the morning. As long as you’ll still love me?”

You instantly regretted your words as Hyunjin’s body went stiff. Maybe he was kidding? Perhaps it was a figure of speech? Maybe he didn’t feel the same. 

“Nevermind.” You laid back in bed, turning your back to the boy as you tried to stop the frantic beating of your heart and the painful fear of rejection in your head. 

You felt Hyunjin’s arms wrap around you before feeling him pull your body flush against his. 

“Of course I’ll love you in the morning.” 

[katehillromancewritingandmore]

Physical Therapy (From Country Whispers)

Isabel is willing to relieve more than Jim's back pain, but her price isn't what he expects.

*Physical Therapy is from the Country Whispers short story and poetry collection.

Physical Therapy

If you've been a city dweller all your life, living in the country will probably surprise you. Even if you’ve vacationed there, it's not the same as day-to-day living.

For Jim the real difference between the two set in when he hurt his back in a car accident.

The injury wasn’t life threatening, but painful enough to make his job difficult. Sure, he sat behind a desk—selling insurance wasn’t exactly hard labor—but being positioned at a computer keyboard for hours aggravated the injury enough to warrant physical therapy.

He’d been to therapy before, but in the city it had been in a hospital or a modern medical building. Here in rural New England, the nearest PT facility was a thirty-minute drive to a refinished colonial home. The first floor contained the office and therapy rooms. A wooden staircase led to a second floor blocked by a door that always remained closed during Jim’s appointments. No sound came from the second floor, so Jim guessed it was used for storage.

His therapist, Isabel, was an attractive woman in her mid-forties. She had a pleasant Brazilian accent, and during sessions she kept him entertained with stories about her family. Her sister—a botanist—still lived in South America. She had developed the massage oil Isabel used on her patients from a rare species of plant she’d studied for most of her life. Not only did the oil smell fantastic, but it actually lessened Jim’s back pain, acting like an anesthetic for several hours after his therapeutic massage.

“Too bad you can’t sell this stuff,” Jim said one evening during his session. Isabel’s strong hands kneaded his lower back

while the scent of massage oil lingered on the air. “It feels great.”

“It’s very difficult to make,” she said. “And one has to be careful not to use too much. A slight numbing effect is one thing, but you’ve heard the phrase ‘too much of a good thing,’ have you not?”

Jim gave a low grunt of pleasure, closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage.

Finally, Isabel’s hands left him and she said, “Time is up.”

“Too bad.” He smiled and stretched, the pain almost gone.

Isabel chuckled. “You’d better get home to your family.”

“I don’t have a family, so believe me I’m in no rush. It’s just another night of reality TV, beer, and takeout.”

“You should go out for that beer, Jim. It’s not good to always be alone.”

“I’m that kind of guy. A lone wolf.” He grinned. “Unless you feel like going for a drink? No. Forget I said that. You wouldn’t want—”

“I would very much like to have a drink with you.”

This surprised him, and he raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Just let me close up. You’re my last patient today. Stay here and relax. I’ll be down soon.”

Jim sat on the table, his heart thumping and his groin aching in a way he hadn’t felt in too long.

He watched Isabel saunter off, her sexy ass swaying. She walked out of the therapy room and disappeared up a stairway that was visible through the open door.

After a moment, he lay back on the table and closed his eyes.

He must have dozed for a short time because the next thing he knew Isabel was gently shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and smiled.

“Wow. You look amazing.”

Her long hair, usually worn in a bun, hung loose and wavy down her back. The tight red dress and spike-heeled sandals were a huge improvement over the scrubs and sneakers she wore during therapy sessions. Isabel wasn’t young, but she was as sexy as hell. Of course Jim wasn’t young either, and most women probably wouldn’t apply the word “sexy” to a balding insurance salesman with a few extra pounds around the middle.

Maybe he should have questioned Isabel agreeing to go out with him, but all he could think about was his good luck.

“Let’s go, Jim,” she said in her husky voice with its flavorful accent.

“My car or yours?”

“Yours. A friend gave me a ride to work today.”

They drove twenty minutes or so to the nearest pub where they shared an intimate table. Isabel had a healthy appetite, and Jim liked that. Nothing sucked more than taking a woman out to eat and having her order a dry salad.

After the meal, they nursed a couple of drinks, and then they left. He held open his car door for her and said, “I don’t even know where to drop you off. Where do you live?”

“Take me back to the therapy building.”

“You live there?”

“It’s a surprise. Do you like surprises, Jim?”

“Sure. Who doesn’t?”

Isabel smiled, her teeth glistening against her full lips. “Exactly so.”

Back at the therapy house, they walked to the room near the stairs. She switched on the light, grasped Jim’s hands, and tugged him toward the massage table.

“I know this is unprofessional of me, but I’ve been wanting to do this ever since you first came here,” Isabel said breathlessly, her lips inches from his. “Lie on the table.”

Damn, Jim thought, this is better than winning the fuckin’ lottery.

Groaning a bit, he lay down. The effects of the therapy had worn off and his back hurt again, but it would take some truly fierce pain to keep him from being with Isabel tonight.

Her brow furrowed in sympathy. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s not bad.”

“I have just the thing. Be right back.” She removed her sandals and hurried upstairs.

Jim waited, his cock already semi erect and his entire body on fire. He loosened the top buttons of his shirt and stared at the ceiling.

A moment later Isabel returned with the massage oil.

“Take off your clothes and turn over,” she said.

He did as she ordered, fumbling with his belt.

“Want help?” she purred and stepped between his legs. She opened the belt and button, and then she unzipped his fly.

He kicked off his trousers and reached for her. He tried to kiss her mouth, but she turned her head and he nuzzled her neck instead.

“Lie down, Jim. The oil will help.”

“I bet it will.” He stretched out on his stomach.

She poured a lot of oil onto his back, and he shivered.

“Cold?” she whispered. “It’ll warm up soon.”

She was right. Her smooth hands caressed him from neck to calves. The oil alleviated any lingering back pain. She used it more freely than ever before, and soon his entire body numbed.

“Hey, Isabel, aren’t you using an awful lot? I can’t feel—” She rubbed her fingertips over his lips and they numbed as well.

“It’s all right. Relax. You won’t feel any pain.” She smiled.

Jim panicked, his heart pounding. He tried to move, but couldn’t. Even his throat and tongue felt numb. His cry of horror sounded like nothing more than a faint, stifled groan.

Then green leaves fluttered over his eyes. More leaves covered the table—leaves of green and red. Blood dripped onto the smooth massage table.

Jim’s strength faded along with his life.

* * *

Isabel placed Jim’s clothes in his car and left it parked in the driveway outside the therapy house.

Her plant—a gift from her sister—had destroyed the rest of the evidence. It ate through bones as well as flesh.

It didn't take long for her to clean the therapy room. By morning it was ready for Isabel’s early clients.

No doubt the authorities would search the house after she called them to let them know about Jim’s abandoned car. They would never suspect the beautiful and innocent-looking plant had eaten a man.

The plant was her sister’s creation—the result of a lifetime of work and study.

Isabel was proud of her sister and always ready to help her experiments in any way she could.

End

Country Whispers on Amazon

[fluffyvillain]

The Bond

Chapter: 4/?

Summary: Henry and Mila meet again after two years

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: A little swearing, like two words

"And what did you do after that?" Doctor Leitmann adjusted his glasses.

"I invited some friends over and I drank, a lot." Mila was completely honest as that was the deal between the two of them.

"Mhm, you see, it's not uncommon for people to swap one addiction with another and, let's face it, craving for a soulmate is sort of an addiction. Not rarely do people substitute this addiction with a different one, the one that allows them not to feel."

"I don't plan on doing that, but I have to admit that it did make me forget, even for only a few hours."

"Alright. Now, can you, please, tell me how you felt after you had left Henry at the restaurant."

Mila put both of her legs on the chair where she was sitting, hugging her shins, leaning chin on her knees. "Disappointed. Sad. Hollow. Piqued. Broken. Angry."

"Were you angry because of the way he treated you or because you didn't bond?"

"Because of the way he acted, the fact he doesn't feel the same about me makes me devastated."

"That's good, some people get angry at their soulmate because they don't feel the same way, but that is not something they chose, just like you didn't choose to feel this way for him, that is destiny. Now I'm going to ask you to do something you probably won't like, but you need it in order to begin your healing."

"Please, do."

"I need to contact Henry one more time, just to make sure. Ask him to meet you, try to explain that he got the wrong picture of you."

"Is that really necessary?" Mila felt like throwing up just thinking about it.

"I'm afraid it is, if you don't do this, you will always live with a grain of doubt."

"Well, my pride is already bruised, so what is there left to lose?"

"We will talk again last week, like we agreed. Until then, I want you to practice all the breathing techniques I showed you and everything else."

"I will, thank you."

"You have my number, if get into crises, feel free to call me at any hour."

"Thank you. Goodbye, doctor."

Mila decided to rip off the band aid right away.

 Dear Henry,

 Can we meet again? I wasn't lying about what I said. Please.

 Mila

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

10 DAYS LATER

 "So, what are your impressions after first week as a CEO?" James asked Mila.

"It's okay, a little bit stressful, but i like the position so far. And it's not like I could even make a mistake when gramps has been checking up on me the whole time."

Robert put down his glass on a table. "That's absolutely not true."

"Really, gramps? Out of 5 business days, you visited me only 4 times and you missed the 5th one only because you had a meeting outside of town." Mila raised an eyebrow at her grandfather.

"Can you blame me for wanting to help you?" Mila's eyebrow shot up even higher. "Okay, I just have to make sure that you have everything under control before I retire."

"Dad, we all know that you are never going to retire. Or you will, for a month or two." Rose joined the conversation.

"I second that." James supported his wife.

"We agree too," twins exclaimed in unison and once again their family was creeped out by the fact that they often said the exact same thing at the exact same time.

"Anyhow, I invited you here for a reason. So, you all know how I've always talked about finding my other half..." three silent nods followed, and two eye rolls - which were followed by their mother's death glare. "Well, that's not happening. I mean, it did happen, I met him, but we didn't bond. He simply doesn't feel it." Everyone kept silent, staring at her, except for uncle Blake, his eyes were fixated on the table. "I seeked professional help and I was advised to share this with my family, not to keep it inside. I've tried contacting him again, but he ignored me, so, definitely, that's it. I didn't even know that that could happen, but it can and it did happen to me." She took a deep, shaky breath.

"Cuz," Stephan grabbed Mila's hand and she expected words of support coming from him, "do you want us to kick his ass? We can do that much."

"I highly doubt that would be possible."

"Do you really think we can't do that, that we aren't strong enough? Who is that guy?" Mike supported his brother.

"Your favourite Superman."

"Christopher Reeve? He's a little dead I'm afraid."

"Okay, your second favourite."

"Cavill?"

"That's the one."

"Okay, maybe we cannot fight him, but he just dropped to the bottom of my list."

"Thanks, Mike, it means a lot to me."

"That's not fair." Everyone turned to Rose. "It's just not. Why would that happen, why to you?"

"Auntie, I will be fine, it will not be easy, but I will truly be fine. Don't you know me? I have my job to keep me busy, I will do different stuff to keep me occupied, like Sudoku, crosswords, playing video games, reading. I won't sink." Mila wasn't saying this just so Rose would calm down, she was sure she could do it, because she had to.

Robert walked over to his granddaughter speechlessly, he kissed her forehead before he excused himself to go to the bathroom, only Blake noticed a single tear rolling down his cheek, but he chose not to mention it even to his wife.

Rose insisted on staying with Mila overnight, but Mila refused. She needed to be alone, she needed to figure this out on her own. After she had bid them goodbye, she did the dishes, really focusing on what she was doing and it took her three times longer than necessary. Dishwasher wasn't even an option in her recent past or future, she used everything, every possible chore to get her mind of the way Henry felt.

Nights were the worst, she didn't know it at this moment, but it would take her months to be able to fall asleep without much trouble. Tonight wasn't an exception either, so Mila threw a blanket over her back, sitting in front of a glass wall of her living room, watching clouds get rid of excess energy, shooting up lightnings.

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

2 YEARS LATER

 Waking up 2 hours before having to go to work was difficult at first, but Mila got used to it now. Doing morning yoga and meditation became a forced habit of hers, she did it so much that she got trained to block Henry's feelings within minutes, but not this morning. She almost never got the feeling of sadness and pain coming from him and even if she did, it was for a very short time. This morning those feelings wouldn't go away, it took her a lot to tone them down to a point she only felt them in traces.

The same thing happened the next day and the day after the next one. On the third day, she could barely eat her lunch, so she retreated to her office and decided to do something she hasn't done since a few days after she had met Henry. She put his name in Google search engine and pressed enter.

  Henry Cavill breks up with a long time girlfriend as she finds her soulmate

Elaine Svensson finds her soulmate, dumps Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill is back on the dating market

 Those were the first three results. Oh, that's what's going on. No wonder he's been feeling this way. Now that she knew what was going on, she though it would be easier for her to block it. Knowing how much love he felt, it wasn't a surprise he felt that way.

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

2 WEEKS LATER

 After finishing her yoga session, Mila made herself a cup of tea. She got her phone off a charger to check her social networks, but she was surprised to see that she got a an e-mail on her personal address last nigh. She opened it and stared at it for quite some time, it was an e-mail she should've received 2 years ago.

 I was wrong, you are not just some crazy fan.

I did some research about you, I asked around, I know who you are.

We need to meet, does tomorrow work for you? I'll come to your hotel.

 Henry

 She wasn't sure whether she wanted to answer at first, but she wasn't like him, even if her response was negative, she wanted to do it. She just wasn't sure what to write, so she opted for a short one.

 FUCK YOU!

 No, that's a little harsh, it would be rude for you to write it.

 SCREW YOU! GO TO HELL!!!

 She pressed backspace until everything was deleted. Breathe, Mila. She knew exactly what was going on, he wanted her to be his rebound. Otherwise, she would feel the change in his feelings. He knew her love would be unconditional, that she would never leave him, but she wasn't anyone's second choice, not even his. She deserved better.

 Dear Mr. Cavill,

 Thank you for your e-mail.

Unfortunately, tomorrow doesn't work for me. As a matter of fact, any day after tomorrow doesn't work for me either.

 Best regards and good luck in your future endeavors,

Mila Radcliffe

 She did 15 more minutes of meditation again and then continued her day as usually, like nothing happened. Today was the day her company organized annual blood donating day. Her grandfather started it after her mother had been in a need of blood while in the hospital, even though it didn't do much for her in the end, Robert realized the importance of blood donating. He saw it as an homage to her daughter and Mila continued his legacy.

When she was done with daily reports, she joined her coworkers in a conference room where blood donating was held. She was among the last ones, she greeted her colleagues first: "Hello everyone, you are doing an amazing thing, thank you." Then she greeted the medical staff before she filled in a standard form, they checked her hemoglobin level and then she proceeded to a quick doctor's check up. "Is everything alright, doctor?"

"It is, thank you for doing this again."

"Pleasure is all mine." Mila feed access to her biceps.

"Okay, let's check your blood pressure now." Doctor wrapped and inflatable cuff around her arm, she waited for a few seconds. "You are good to go. I just have one more question. I see in the system that you are a bone marrow donor to, have you ever donated?"

"Unfortunately, no. Nobody ever matched with me."

"Chances are 1:430, but even if you never get matched, just applying is a very noble thing. Well, that's all from me, you know the procedure."

It took less than 5 minutes for Mila to finish up the blood drawl, she thanked everyone again and left the conference room. The ones who donated blood didn't have to go back to work, especially if their job involved using physical strength, hers didn't and she was used to donating blood.

She rolled down her sleeve and continued to her office. Path leading there went through the hotel lobby, so she smiled and nodded at the front desk staff and tried to hurry in order not to disturb guests and visitors sitting there, but soon she stopped in her track when she heard someone calling her once and she knew exactly who he was.

"Mila," Henry approached her, confident steps, deep voice, arm firmly outstretched towards her.

If they were alone, she would've never accepted his hand, but she didn't want to make a scandal. She shook his hand for a second and she instantly started resenting herself for feeling the same electrical current coming through her like when she touched him the first time. "I think I made it clear that I didn't want to see you," she tried to be quiet enough so nobody else could her.

"Can we go somewhere more private, please?" Henry didn't pay much attention to her when they met, but now that he looked at her, she was beautiful. She was significantly shorter than him even on heels, he usually dated tall girls, but women's height wasn't something that was of utmost importance for him. Her large blue eyes had something worm in them even though her voice was ice cold. Since this was his best option, he could make it work, it wouldn't be so difficult. Maybe one day he would come to love her, now that Elaine would never be his again.

Mila looked him straight in the eye, his eyes looked tired and dark circles around his eyes gave out the fact that he didn't sleep in God knows how long. "Only because I don't need any kind of scandal here, let alone one caused by me. You can follow me to my office."

Henry followed silently, taking his time to analyze her appearance further. Her long dark brown curls bounced in the rhythm of her footsteps, she was on a skinnier side, but her ass didn't look skinny at all.

Mila pressed her ID card against a card reader and a door opened. "Please, go ahead," she held the door for him. They passed a few offices until they reached hers. When they entered, she gestured for him to have a seat on the opposite side of her desk, across from her chair. "Okay, go ahead. What do you want?"

"I need to apologize for my previous behavior first. I couldn't even grasp what you felt in that moment when you met me. You know, Elaine left me, about two weeks ago, we were out in a club and it was over in minutes. The person I though was the love of my life left me in about 15 minutes for her soulmate, after all the years we spent together, after I moved here for her. All of that didn't matter. That's when I saw how powerful that force is. I wish I could feel the same for you."

Mila looked at his blue eyes at first, noticing a little brown patch in one. In order to focus on what he was saying, she focused on a pile of papers in front of her. He sounded hurt and a part of him wanted to help him, to console him, but the part who wanted to kill him for even thinking about her as a consolation price won. "How stupid do you think I am? No, you don't. You wish your soulmate was Elaine and now that you can't have her anymore, you came to pick up your second prize. You miscalculated a bit, I learned to live without you and I'd rather be alone my whole life than feel like a silver medal you won, when all you've ever wanted was to win gold."

"That's not..."

"Let me stop you right there, I don't want you to waste your time anymore, nor do I want to waste mine." Mila stood up, she was the one who offered her hand now first.

Henry took it and shook it gently, he really thought that she would agree, he needed her to. He wanted to belong somewhere. "If you ever change your mind, you know how to find me."

"I won't and, please, if you ever run into me, just pretend that you didn't see me and that you don't know me, it will make things easier for me. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work, you know your way out." She set back on the chair and gestured towards the door. "Goodbye, Mr. Cavill."

"Goodbye, Mila."

She waited until she heard a vague click of the second door before she threw a paper clip at the door, all of her pens followed. She slammed a drawer shut and then kicked a garbage can, feeling completely helpless. Then she lay on the floor in a fetal position, hoping the pain would go away and that her tears would dry soon.

[rosierossette]

Tempting - Ch. 2

Chapter 2 of my Tempting Loki series - 

Work Summary: Working as a Temp for Tony Stark you only expected your life to revolve around sending emails and important papers for Tony Stark. However, all that changed when Loki came to live with the Avengers. Two years later, they still don’t trust Loki and need someone to constantly watch over him and keep him from causing Mischief. Given the magical ability to control Loki with your words, your journey begins as you try to carefully tread the line between keeping Loki safe and keeping others from harm. But trying to control Loki has more problems than you’re ready for, and soon you discover why he’s the God of Mischief, and how much he’s willing to sacrifice for his freedom. 

Warnings: None for this chapter. 

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 

A/N: I finally wrote a summary of this! 

I also just now realized that when I move my story from my docs to Tumblr it automatically gets rid of all the italics that I have...so I tried to go through this chapter and fix those for you. Sorry if that caused any issue with reading the first chapter!

Once again, enjoy the story! Let me know what you think! 

You jolted awake the next morning to the sound of loud clanging. You quickly threw on your pink top and skirt and raced to find out what all the noise was. The sounds were coming from the kitchen and when you finally arrived you were greeted to the sight of filthy, blood-covered Avengers making themselves breakfast. Or at least Sam making himself breakfast while everyone else looked ready to drop dead. Sam was searching through the cupboard to find yet another pan to add to his growing pile of pans on the stove. 

That explains the noise then. 

You didn’t know who to address first and just chose to talk and see who would actually respond. “You guys don’t look like hell at all.” 

You snickered as Natasha stuck her tongue out at you, only to wince, rubbing her fingers on her temple. There were random quiet hellos, and even some waving, but no one made a move to greet you. You didn’t blame them in the slightest. 

“Hey (L/N).” Stark came over and plopped a hand on your shoulder. “Everything went well?” His voice was shallow, and chunks of his armor were missing. When he caught you assessing the damage he waved you off. “I’m fine (Y/N).” 

You had a hard time believing that, but you just shrugged and said, “Everything was good yesterday. I sent out those emails you wanted, got those research papers out.” You counted each item off on your fingers. Even if he did look like he just brutally lost a fight he was your boss. You weren’t about to let him down just because he was out. Did you mention you really enjoyed this job?

“Good, good work.” Stark sent you an awkward thumbs up. “But I mean, how was, you know?” He made two horns on his head, lifting an eyebrow as he did. At your confused expression, he sighed “Reindeer games, (L/N). Reindeer games.”

You cringed inwardly. 

How much should you actually tell him? The words came out before you could stop them. “Everything went well. No complaints from me.” Alright, I guess we’re going with that.

Stark stared at you for a moment before shrugging and wandering off. You waved goodbye to all of the avengers as they finally went off to crash. When Sam had finally finished making himself food, he left with a full plate. You shook your head, chuckling at his antics. Of course, Sam would be the one to eat while the other Avengers just wanted to sleep. 

Quickly making yourself cereal, you thought over all the things you needed to get done today. New clothes were a top priority, makeup was a must, and your hair could use a wash. You didn’t want to think about how bad you must look right now. 

When you finished you cleaned up, wiping up the mess of pans and some red splatters on the tile you were afraid might have been blood from one of the Avengers. You tried not to think too hard about that. 

As you finish up a sudden and completely unnatural shiver ran down your spine. You shook your head and shoulders to ward off the feeling, but it stayed with you until you heard, If you’re awake, come and let me out now, a bitter voice rasped into your head. 

You jumped, smacking yourself in the head for forgetting about the temperamental God you had locked up. You ran to his room to let him out. “I’m so sorry Loki, the Avengers came back this morning, and I completely spaced-” As soon as you opened the door you were interrupted by Loki. 

“I don’t need to hear your excuses!” He barked. “Remove your order so I may leave!” His fists were curled, his brow tensed. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood for talking. 

You knew when it wasn’t the time to start a fight, muttering quickly, “I release you from my spell.” You moved aside before Loki could shove you out of his way. As he walked, muttering about your stupidity, you released a heavy sigh.

It was always hard to tell with Loki if you were going to need to defend yourself. Even if you did need to defend yourself, there wasn’t much you could do to stop him. You did have the lucky ability to control him, but you were afraid of what would happen if you used it to defend yourself too often. 

What if he managed to find a way to release himself? 

You shivered slightly. You didn’t want to know. 

Remembering your desperate need for new clothes, you ran to the bedroom you borrowed, grabbed any extra items of yours laying around, and quickly ran out of the tower. You said goodbye to the front desk workers. The man at the door was cute, which added fuel to the fire of you berating yourself. 

When you left the tower you were reminded of the fact you were wearing the same clothes as yesterday, making you cringe. At least they didn't smell too bad. It was unfortunate that you had to walk around in yesterday’s clothes, but since you decided to save it until later, that was your own doing, and you silently beat yourself up for not doing it the night before. 

I’m just suffering the consequences of my choices. It was your own fault you had makeup smudged across your face. Something you immediately regretted not cleaning as you walked down the street, even more, aware of your face than you usually were.  You pulled the jacket you wore tighter around you. It was mid-September, and already the air was beginning to freeze. You were not looking forward to leaving your warm apartment when it started snowing in a few months, but the things you did for a paycheck. 

Finally, you managed to make it back home. When you opened the door to the small studio apartment, you breathed a sigh of relief. 

You hadn’t realized how stressed you were, but staying at the Tower with one angry God caused you way more stress than you needed. You walked over to your room, kicked off your cute heels, shrugged out of your clothes, and jumped into the shower. The warm water cascading down your body.

As you turned to let the water soak your hair, you thought about Loki and how much you were sick of his up and down attitude. 

You weren’t exactly sure what time you went to bed last night, but he hadn’t been stuck in his room for more than nine hours. The anger with which he spoke to you made you snarl as you begin violently washing your hair. There was absolutely no reason for him to treat you the way he had. You were just doing your job; it wasn’t like you got off on controlling him. 

The thought of Loki having to obey any and all commands you gave, brought steamy images to your mind before you shook your head. You were not going down that road. 

As you got dressed you couldn’t help but wonder why he reacted the way he did. Your mind wandered over how he must’ve been raised. Did he grow up in a happy home? Was he raised with love, or was he raised with no real freedom to call his own? Your mind was crawling with all the different reasons for his reactions to anything you did. Then you remembered hearing how Loki was under mind control when he attacked New York. 

Maybe that’s why he hates being locked up, a voice whispered in your mind. He lost the ability to make his own decisions before, imagine losing it again. 

You couldn’t imagine. Your parents had been a bit overbearing, but they still allowed you to make your own decisions. 

It wasn’t like you had that freedom stolen from you at any point in your life. 

You stared at your reflection in your large mirror and made the decision then and there... Even if Loki was being a major ass, you wouldn’t just take away his ability to choose. 

You’d save that for when talking didn’t work. 

You’ll probably end up using it a lot in that case. You might as well try anyways. You applied a bit of makeup before moving to your clothes. You stared at the closet ahead of you. Your mind wasn’t completely there to actually help you get clothes, you were still worried about Loki. Finally shaking yourself out of it, you grabbed a couple of things before throwing them on quickly. 

You admired your outfit in the mirror. The cute cream peplum top and red skirt with the cream heels you wore made the fashionista side of you happy. You nodded at your reflection in the mirror, satisfied with the image before you. You quickly grabbed your red coat dress and headed out the door. 

Luckily for you, Stark had sent you a text saying that he didn’t have very much for you to work on today, so you could return to the tower whenever you wanted. You didn’t realize how much you missed your small cubical until that moment. 

Wow. Loki must really suck as a companion if I miss that tiny space. 

Outside was just as cold as it was when you walked home, so you hurried on your way back to the Tower. You managed to find a taxi waiting for you and immediately gave the directions. You watched the cars of the city fly by as you waited to arrive. Well, fly by as much as they could in the busy traffic of New York.

 You loved this part of your morning routine. When you could just sit back and watch the city go by, pretending you were a tourist and this was your first time in this city. It filled your head with memories from when it really was your first time in New York. The tall buildings had nearly overwhelmed you. You hadn’t realized how big they actually were, and when you saw the Statue of Liberty, you nearly cried. 

You loved this city.

When you finally arrived you walked into the front lobby, unbuttoning your coat in preparation for the blast of heat that would hit you when you entered the toasty lobby. You waved towards the man at the door. He blushed slightly and waved back. Walking towards the elevators you pressed the button and waited for the elevator to appear. 

“Your desired floor?” Friday’s voice inquired as the doors opened.

“My office please, Friday.” You smiled as you stepped into the open doors.  The bell dinged as the doors closed and took you towards your destination. 

“The Office Floor,” Friday’s voice rang through the air. “Miss (Y/N) has arrived Stark.” 

As the elevator doors opened, you heard, “Thank you, Friday.” Stark stood in front of you. “Long time no see, (L/N).”

“Didn’t you just get back from a mission?” You pointed out. “Shouldn’t you be resting? Or rebuilding your suit?” You raised a brow as Stark waved away your concern. 

“I’m a tough guy. And my suit is just fine thanks.” Stark corrected and that was your cue to drop the conversation. “I actually need to have a chat with you, if you’re not too busy?” 

You smiled. “I always have time to talk to my boss.” You followed Stark as he led you towards his office on this floor. You waved at your coworkers as you passed, avoiding eye contact with several angry S.H.I.E.L.D workers as they stomped by. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D was in a mood as well. 

Good to know. 

When you finally entered Stark’s office, he closed the door behind you and walked to sit behind his desk. He motioned for you to take a seat. “I’m sorry about putting you in charge of watching Loki, I know he can be a real pain in the ass.” He actually did look sorry.

You hid your surprise. “He wasn’t too bad, just cranky.” 

Stark laughed, his eyes twinkling. “I’m sure. I don’t know when he’s not cranky.” He pulled out a pile of papers from his drawer. “Well, I brought you here to ask you something-” he played with a pen anxiously. “-I was hoping you’d be willing to move into the Tower.” At your stunned face, he quickly went on. “We still need someone to watch Loki, and since you did such a great job yesterday, I thought it might be easier for you if you lived here.” He handed you the pile of paperwork. “I’d have all your things moved here, I’ll cover any cost from leaving your apartment early, anything you need.” 

“You don’t have to do all that Stark-” 

Stark interrupted you, “I want to, (L/N). Watching Loki isn’t exactly an easy job, and paying for any apartment fees is just a small way of me repaying you for being so willing.” He handed you a pen. “Look over the papers, I have to go talk to another office worker, but if you could let me know your decision before the end of the day that would be great.” Stark stood. “And if you don’t want to do it, don’t sweat it, I’ll give you your old job back, and pay you twice the amount I promised for watching Loki. And don’t worry about that little command spell, we’ll get that figured out as well.” He rose, gave you a handshake and left the room, leaving you flabbergasted. 

Your head swam. What were you supposed to do with this? You’d absolutely love to live in the Tower. Even if you were getting paid a lot to work for Stark, you were still a temp, and your apartment wasn’t exactly cheap. Then there was actually being in charge of Loki. You just knew he’d have some complaints about this arraignment. 

You scanned through the papers in front of you. Your eyes bulging when you saw how much Stark was going to pay you for this. Not only that, but he was offering to hire you full time, watching Loki when the Avengers were out, and being Stark’s research secretary at other times. If it wasn’t for the Loki part, you’d have jumped all over this opportunity. You still weren’t sure if Loki would want you to continue to be the one to watch him. 

An idea formed in your head. Asking Loki would be the perfect place to start. Maybe if you gave him the option to actually choose, he wouldn’t be so mad at this situation. You hoped anyway.

You speed-walked back towards the elevator, asking Friday to take you to the Avenger’s floor. When the bell rang and the doors opened, you practically ran out, heading towards Loki’s room. You knocked on his closed door. No reply. “Loki if you’re in there, let me in. I need to talk to you.” 

No response. 

You racked your brain trying to figure out where else he would be. Then you remembered the Library and quickly headed in that direction. You made a mental note to check out the library when you didn’t have to deal with a potentially angry God. Hopefully, that trip would be a bit more enjoyable than you were afraid this trip was going to be. 

When you walked in you stared at Loki as he was reading. He was lounging in a golden chair, which softly reflected the light in the room. His feet were propped up on the hardwood table, his long legs stretched luxuriously in front of him. His black glossy boots crossed at the ankle. 

“Loki, can we talk?” 

Now that you were here, you were weary. You didn’t want to have another fight, but you also knew you couldn’t make this decision by yourself. You had to stick with your guns, even if your guns were tiny and non-existant compared to his defined ones. 

“What?” Loki fumed. He mumbled something about you always interrupting him when he was enjoying himself. 

“I can’t talk to you if you won’t look at me Loki.” You waited while he quickly shut his book. When he finally stared up at you, you began. “Stark offered me a job watching you full time. I’ll mostly be in charge when the Avengers leave, so most of the time you won’t even see me-” 

“And you felt the need to gloat about this because?” Loki stood, all anger and power. “Have you forgotten who I am, you worthless mortal?” The room filled with his energy, and you felt yourself go stone cold. You were paralyzed. Whether through his magic or due to your fear you weren’t sure. “I could kill you where you stand, and there is nothing you could do about it.” He stepped closer. “I’ve lived far longer than you know, girl.” His voice was a harsh whisper, “I’ve seen things you’ve only dreamed of.” He reached for your arms, his fingers curling around your biceps. “And for you to think you can control me!?” His humorless laugh filled your ears, “you’re sorely mistaken.”

Pain shot through your arms as he squeezed bringing back your ability to speak. 

“Don’t touch me Loki.” When he let go, his anger at you using the spell on him again almost made you lose your nerve, but you kept going. 

“I came here to give you a choice as to whether I worked with you anymore.” You watched as confusion flickered across Loki’s face until his well-made mask once again covered his countenance. “I didn’t want to take that choice away from you.” Your voice nearly cracked. Whether from fear or anger you weren’t sure. 

“You overestimate my ability to care.” He sat down on the couch. “Either way some mortal is going to end up giving me orders. Why should I care which mortal? You’re all the same.” He eyed you up and down. “I’d prefer one that was at least pleasing to the eye, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.” He picked up his book, flipped to the page he was on and continued reading. 

“Right.” You huffed out of the library. “Guess I’ll make the decision then.” You tried very hard not to be offended. What a jackass. Some God he was. He didn’t have to be so rude about everything. At least you had tried to give him an option. It wasn’t your fault he chose to take offense.

That went the exact opposite way I wanted it to go. 

You stopped and leaned against a wall, rubbing your cold hand on your forehead. The pounding in your head made thinking difficult, but eventually, you were able to come to a decision. 

Heading back towards Stark’s office, when you arrived you knocked, and he called for you to enter. “(L/N), you decided already?” Stark looked taken aback, then his face turned to a mixture of worry and hope. “Have a seat.” 

“If you would give me a pen, I’ll go ahead and sign these papers.” You gestured to the pile of papers you had left on his desk. “I’ll gladly accept the job.” 

You smiled as Stark practically jumped out of his seat. He handed you a pen, and you began signing. 

If I just go ahead and do this, then no other person has to deal with Loki. That was your mantra as you signed the papers. I’m doing this so no one else has to. When you finished signing you were determined. Loki may not like it, but you knew it was for the best. 

Besides, your brain argued, you get to have power over a pompous God with a bad attitude. What else could you want? 

[saikagerights]

A New Possession- Entry #11

THIS JOURNAL LIVES!

After nearly 3 weeks, I finally have a new entry just for you! And it's a juicy one. I kind of went all over the place with this one, but on the bright side, it's over 1k words. Perfect for my comeback.

Work has been kicking my ass lately, and so has my inspiration from the Newlyweds one shot. Unfortunately for this fic, there may be another time where I switch gears to work on something else, so it's not as if I don't want to continue this fic, it's just that other ideas overtake this one.

But do not fear, because I plan on prioritizing this fic in the near future. Thanks for the support as always

LONG LIVE THE JOURNAL!

Also available on AO3

February 14

It’s Valentine’s day.

I find myself kilometers away from the village on another search assignment from the Rokudaime. Lately the highest ranked missions available are to lead search groups for the ranks that were discovered missing after the war’s end.

There were multiple scenarios to describe these cases. There were some that went rogue like the shinobi that were amassed by Gengo in the land of Silence, but that was a small minority of the ones that disappeared. Many of these search groups had discovered that the supposedly “rogue” targets had simply wandered away from the village without notice as some sort of backwards resignation just to conceal themselves in smaller villages outside of Konoha.

Regardless of the intent, it was our responsibility to return them to the village for interrogation out of suspicion for not following standard resignation protocol.

Although I disagree with their actions, I do understand their motive. Many shinobi had resigned as soon as they could. Both the young and inexperienced, as well as the old and hardened had reached their threshold of tolerance for combat.

Resignations are still very common 2 years later, as more and more realize the sudden decline in available work due to the  truth that is peace. While I’ve also seen a decrease in my work load, I couldn’t ever see myself being anything other than a shinobi; It’s the only thing I know… I don’t know if I could even adjust to doing something different.

It’s not that I find any specific enjoyment in my work. Work is work, but I can’t help but find a specific fulfillment when I complete a task. I guess that’s just a result of my training. Naruto is usually quite enthusiastic when a job has been “well done” but I mostly assume that’s because he is working towards a higher position. Shikamaru’s demeanor suggests indifference,however he has revealed to me that his main determination lies in supporting Naruto’s rise to the level of Hokage.

In contrast, Sakura and Ino have only found more work after peace fell upon Konoha. It could arguably be the most important work of all; Healing and revitalizing the village.

Meanwhile, here I am leading search missions rather than the assassination missions I was executing less than 2 years prior.

The Choujuu Giga itself was a very essential tool that was best utilized for communication and reconnaissance, but all ROOT agents were highly skilled in assasination. As long as the target was disposed of in an efficient manner, it was enough to fulfill the will of Danzo-sama. And while Konoha’s will of fire has engulfed his will, Danzo-sama’s influence still leaves its remnants in the village’s deep underground networks and we are still far from finished in uprooting that.

For some reason however, the Rokudaime has placed me in charge of this mission instead of allowing me to chase a new lead. And I’m missing Valentine’s day on top of that.

I find Valentine’s day to be a strange, yet rather enjoyable holiday. The idea of girls giving me chocolates is a strange concept to me, but getting gifts from friends isn’t inherently a bad thing, right?

However, there have been occurrences that now require me to be extra vigilant when celebrating.

Sakura has always been incredibly um… generous? She never fails to hand deliver her own chocolates to Naruto and I every year since becoming teammates. And while I am flattered by the gesture, I can only accept the gift with a smile and a thank you before swiftly tossing them out.

Despite her good intentions, she has had quite the history of poisoning me and Naruto with her generosity. One year, I expressed my concerns, and what I received in return was a quick dose of lethal retribution for my honesty

“I cannot accept this. The last time you offered something like this I ended up ill for days.”

I was expecting some kind of rage to come from Sakura, but instead she seemed calm and collected as she slowly stepped towards me. I turned my head to see Naruto back away, his hands raised in surrender.

“Sakura-chan…”

“Naruto, I need your support on thi-”

My plea was cut off by a punch. In my attempt to dodge, a powerful strike landed onto my trachea, completely cutting off my ability to breathe. It was immensely painful, my hands clutching my neck with strained wheezing breaths and dry coughs. Sakura swiftly yanked me by the collar to apply her healing hands to my throat.

“Geez, stop moving around so much and next time I won’t accidentally hit something vital.”

Naruto didn’t laugh for once, but he also never backed me up on my statement. Probably because he didn’t want to get punched. And despite Sakura’s numerous apologies over the incident,I’ve humbly accepted the gift with a thank you to avoid a repeat.

I don’t fear for my life every Valentine’s day, however. Ino had given me a much different gift for three years now. She had even been kind enough to ask me what I preferred.

“I do this for my boys every year.”

I remember that she didn’t meet my eyes when she said that.

“Shikamaru is a weirdo who likes white chocolate,and while Choji would eat anything I gave him, he prefers his chocolate with nuts…”

She trailed off, perhaps realizing the awkwardness of the situation. I know for certain I hardly had anything to say to respond to that.

“But I wanted to know what you like…”

I responded in the only way I knew how at the time, with utter honesty

“I don’t like the taste of chocolate. It’s too sweet for me.”

I was too used to the bland and flavorless meals and food pills to have a sense of taste like anyone else of the group. Naruto has set out to “broaden my flavor horizons” by taking me out to various eating establishments around the village with the rest of the guys. I was delightfully surprised how little ramen had fit into his plans, but I know that the others probably have some say in where we go. I have yet to have a bad experience with these outings, but I still prefer tofu above all else and tend to stray away from sweets.

But my statement never would deter Ino.

“There is such a thing as bittersweet chocolate…”

She said this more to herself, but determination set into her eyes as I could now clearly see the fire in them

You’d be willing to try that if I gave it to you, right?”

At the time, it seemed like she had disregarded what I said, but soon after, I realized that she was actually trying to include me in the tradition. I had no other choice but to accept this condition.

And nearly 3 years later I still look forward to her figuratively “sweet” gesture. Looking back on it reminds me that she can be pretty cute when she’s embarrassed like that. But I think it’s the sheer force of her will that makes her truly beautiful…

I don’t know if I’m using those descriptors well, but I have decided to use them in the manner I did.

Upon more thought and observation, I’ve concluded that I am able to find points of attraction in women, or at least in Ino I can.

When I look into her bright eyes, all I am reminded of is how they were the only things I could focus on when I drew her. Or how her immense kindness had shone through them when she saved my life. Not to mention the sheer determination that flows through her when up against a daunting task. I guess that’s in her blood as an interrogator, but it seems like it is all hers to take control of.

The same could be said about her smile.

I’ve analyzed many smiles over the past few years, tirelessly trying to find what gives them life and meaning so I could someday replicate them, but all I can muster is a poor imitation. In Ino’s smile, I can see so much emotion emanating from it, outlined by cherry red lips. And I like that.

I like that quite a bit, actually.

I should probably stop thinking about this while I’m on a mission. My team is already trying to get my attention about a new lead.

I guess now I have something to look forward to when I get home.

Bittersweet chocolate coming from a beautiful girl.

_________________________________________________________

God I'm getting really sappy with my writing. Newlyweds was full of it, but now that energy is seeping into this fic. It might not be a bad thing though.

I also found enjoyment in writing Sai getting throat punched

I mentioned work kicking my ass, but next week I will be away visiting my sister out of state. I am kind of worried about the second wave of Rona slamming the country, but I gotta be as careful as I can while traveling. I hope to get some writing done while I'm away.

Anyway, comments and critiques are always appreciated. See you next time!

-Saikage

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 9

Can you believe we’re almost all the way through January? One more day left and we’ll be a full month into 2020. How’s it feel gang? We all doing okay?

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse​

Master List here or search Ikesen AFK tag

Warnings: None

Happy Reading, T~

Level 9

You were here, it was nine, and you were starting to get annoyed. Had you been played? Were you about to be ambushed? Jumped? Hacked? As your mind raced nearly a thousand pop up windows flooded your chat screen as you were thrown into a brand new group chat, this one titled “Team Azuchi.” Interesting. 

4myLord → Seriously, though, how do you not know where they are? You just met her last night. This is horribly rude.

OneEyedDrag0n → Nope, see? I remembered her username! She’s in the group chat! @WildCyt0m3try you are in the group chat right. /;3;/ Please tell me you’re in the group chat!

Present, though, I’m not super sure where you are? You said 9 sharp but never specified where... ← WildCyt0m3try

Betrayal_is_real04  → He’s as helpful as ever I see. 

Your answer was equally unhelpful… ( - . - )  ← WildCyt0m3try

D3vilK1ng  → I like her @OneEyedDrag0n, she’s got spunk. 

OneEyedDrag0n  → Right! Almost beat me in that tournament too! 

EdoPorcupine5661 → Oh? No surprise there. 

OneEyedDrag0n → Hey! I resent that statement 

Betrayal_is_real04 → You resent most of his statements. 

EdoPorcupine5661 → Is everyone here now? Except for @WildCyt0m3try? 

4myLord → No. We’re missing @B00kOfLife7. You can find us near the South gate @WildCyt0m3try. 

Thx! I see you now! ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Does it matter? Can we start without him? He’s probably reading and forgot we were supposed to meet. 

4myLord → We cannot!

B00kOfLife7 → We cannot what? 

EdoPorcupine5661 → Nevermind… 

D3vilK1ing → Glad you could join us, shall we head out now that everyone’s gathered?

In a matter of moments, your screen warped, and your character and her new teammates were whisked off towards the southern dessert. Excitement bubbled up inside of you, this was your chance to shine. Sure, you barely knew these people, but if they fought anything like OneEyedDrag0n had, you didn’t want to look incompetent. Fortunately, the battle conditions were a perfect way to showcase your stats. 

The dessert terrain made it nearly impossible for anyone on foot to move, and cavalry or armored units had almost no chance at advancing more than a single space at a time. You, on the other hand, were a flier, meaning terrain that diminished that particular stat didn’t apply to you. Giving you the range to quickly traverse the battlefield and assist your allies. Which is precisely what you planned to do. 

Everyone had spawned in one of two groups; truly, the game seemed to be out to get you. Both of the warlocks had been pushed together in the back corner of the map with the sniper. Everyone else in your party was in the top corner with you. Meaning all of your long-range fighters were too far away to provide any sort of backup to the poor guy on a horse and your swords.

So...this is unfortunate ← WildCyt0m3try

OneEyedDrag0n → We’ve honestly gotten worse, this ain't too bad 

You’ve got to be kidding ← WildCyt0m3try

4myLord → We wish. We’ll have time for that story later. @B00kOfLife got a plan yet? 

B00kOfLife → @D3vilK1ng and @Betrayal_is_real04, please proceed towards the center of the field to become the central targets. 

B00kOfLife → @EdoPorcupine5661 and I will cover the exit point down here to the south so bandits cannot escape. 

B00kOfLife → @OneEyedDrag0n, please do your best to cover @4myLord since he doesn’t have a large range of movement. Fend off enemies as you make your way toward the center of the field. 

B00kOfLife → @WildCyt0m3try, please make quick work of the chests around the field then chase down any enemies that attempt to flee. You are quite capable of fending them off on your own, I presume?

Everything but archers, though, I’m usually good with dodging, and I’ve got plenty of herbs on standby jic. ← WildCyt0m3try

B00kOfLife ← Wonderful. Message if something should go wrong. Good luck. 

With the plan out, the chat went silent. This was nothing like your other team, no microphones were used for in battle communication, not a single word was typed unless something was direly wrong. You had been provided exactly 3 chest keys to do your job, but you knew that at least three of these bandits had keys of their own, so you shouldn’t have to dip into your stock unless someone called you for backup. 

Just as OneEyedDrag0n had stated last night, everyone here was a capable fighter. The plan was being executed beautifully, and you marveled at how the CPU’s seemed to go down one after the other. It was like the computer wasn’t even paying attention to the stats anymore. Why would you go after an enemy that you only had a 16% chance of doing 4 damage to when they had a 98% chance of doing 36 damage twice? It didn’t make any sense. You'd take what you were given, though. 

In half an hour, all of the chests were successfully looted, the enemy had been routed, and EdoPorcupine5661 was named the MVP. You’d never seen that before, granted you hadn’t been playing that long, but it was rare for a bowed unit to take accolades like that. Being a ranged unit seemed to have its perks on terrane like this, you supposed. Prize money was divided, and the weapons and armor were awarded based on participation and usability. It didn’t make much sense to give something to someone who couldn’t make use of it. After thanking them for letting you play with them, you were about to log off and head to bed when you got a private message. 

EdoPorcupine5661 → OneEyedDrag0n said you were in the market for a bow. 

I am. Not sure where I’d find one this late in my game, though, sort of hard to reclass and start over.  ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → You fought well, and you aren’t completely annoying, so here, it was part of my loot today. 

Are you sure? That’s a really nice bow! ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → It is, which is why you’d be stupid not to take it. I’ve already got one. So here. 

Thanks! UwU You’re the best! Now I’ve just got to get the skill up so I can use it! ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → If you’re free tomorrow at 5, I can meet you for some quick tips. Don’t need you shooting yours or anyone else’s eye out. 

Is that what happened to OneEyedDrag0n? Training accident lol? ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → No. It wasn’t an accident.

Omfg, you didn’t xD ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → I didn’t, but it’s always fun to imagine. 

So 5 tomorrow? ← WildCyt0m3try I should be down for that as long as I get off work on time. ← WildCyt0m3try   Are you going to give me any hints about where to meet you, or is that part of this team’s quirks? ← WildCyt0m3try Make the newbie guess where you’re meeting? ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → You know, I was going to tell you, but I’m not feeling quite as generous anymore. 

Noooo! Please! I don’t like wandering around like a lost CPU! Someone tried to buy stuff from me today, you know! ← WildCyt0m3try That’s how idle I looked waiting for you goons lol ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Maybe you should evaluate the face your character is making? It’s not my fault you look like someone who sells cheap spears. 

I would not sell cheap spears! Only the highest quality merchandise is sold here! ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever you say. 

I’m glad you’ve come to your senses and decided to agree with me.  ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Sure, we’ll go with that. 

Okay, well, thanks for the bow. I’ll see you tomorrow around 5. I’ve decided I actually need to get some sleep tonight! Work has been a H A U L lately. ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → You don’t need to explain yourself to me. Just go to bed, weirdo. 

Roger that, weirdo. ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → That wasn’t a compliment. 

Sure it was. Laters~ ← WildCyt0m3try

You smiled as you shut down the console and powered off your television, that had been fun. It was so different from your other team's dynamic, but it added something different to the experience beyond solo playing. Besides, you had totally just scored a kick-ass bow, and a training date tomorrow. You couldn’t wait; if you kept going at this pace, you were sure it’d be enough to push your team to the winning slot next tournament! Real-life prize money here you came!

[nullominous-q]

This is not a warning.

I’m going to share a story with you. One, that I’m sure I don’t want to. Don’t really have a say in the matter here, something is bearing down on me. Making me sit down here in my room, making my fingers fly across the keyboard. I haven’t paused once since starting, which is odd for me.

It’s like I can barely control myself anymore, like I’m a puppet on strings. And I’m not sure I want to try and struggle, because I’m sure whatever is in control, wouldn’t be too happy with me. But strangely enough, I don’t feel like it’d hurt me.

It needs me. That’s for certain.

But what scares me, is how much it doesn’t need my family, my friends. So, here’s my story.

My life up until this week had always been normal, boring even. I’ve got two older sisters, my dad. My oldest sister, Len lives with her girlfriend and her parents. But Willow, dad and I all live in the same single floor house we’ve had for at least twelve years.

My family supports one another, but dad has always pushed us to be as independent as possible. He always calls the world a “dog eat dog” kinda place, and he’s right of course. But sometimes, his resolve to make us independent was a pain.

Like he did with my sisters when they went off to college, dad paid for only half of my tuition, and left the rest to me. He’d also end up taking care of my textbooks, but either way. I spent most summers writing countless essays for scholarship money, doing one-shot commissions, anything to get the cash.

But in the end, the most surefire way of getting money, was always getting a job. So I also spent time flooding open jobs with my resume. And that’s what eventually led to me being here, typing up something I don’t want to. Typing up something I’d rather just forget and consign to oblivion.

I got a call from one of the countless jobs I’d applied for, saying they were impressed by my many hours of community service and prior work in a TV station, and wanted to conduct an interview in person at their own station.

I, eager to start a job, and it being already two weeks into the summer, agreed. The interview would take place the following Tuesday, and after asking my dad, he smiled proudly at the news, but couldn’t drive me there due to work.

The tv station was nearly two hours away by train, but I was feeling exceptionally lazy before the day of the interview had even arrived. So I asked Willow, and ran into the same response. And then I asked Len, and she was free to take me. Or would have been, had her girlfriend not needed the car they shared to attend a funeral.

Running low on patience and people with working or available vehicles, I was starting to wonder if it was really worth the trouble of bothering anyone else about it. But just as I was about to resign myself to a crowded, uncomfortable two hour train ride, I got a text from a friend.

Steven, nice, funny, prankster, had a painfully obvious crush on me, licensed driver…

I debated in my head for a while on my own capacity for cruelty, before shaking my head. I wasn’t being cruel, nor had I ever been. I knew Steven had a crush on me, but I never led him on. I even mentioned a few times out loud how I really wasn’t ever getting into a relationship with anyone. Romantically, sexually, I’d never had any desire for any of that stuff and seriously doubted that I ever would. The only thing that sustained the guy’s crush at this point, was his own stubbornness. And that was not on me.

Plus, if he said no, that’d be the end of it. I wouldn’t try to tempt him or make any promises. I was asking him for a favor, that was it.

And in the end I didn’t even need to do that. After exchanging pleasantries and being asked “what’s going on?”, I told him of my plight and he immediately offered his help. I asked him if he was really sure about it, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his willingness.

He was sure.

He was always sure when it came to me, and frankly, I hated it.

I just hoped someday soon he’d realize how hopeless a relationship between us was, and he’d quit being such a yes-man for me. I felt like I’d done as much as possible, short of screaming “I’m aromantic and don’t like you like that!” in his face. And well, I may not have loved him like that, but he was a good friend. I trusted him, he was always there for me even before he liked me… I didn’t want to fuck that up.

It was only a few days before I was throwing my backpack into the backseat of Steven’s car. Inside the bag was only a few things, a change of clothes for when my interview was done, my tablet, phone charger, and an assortment of other such things.

Steven gave me a two fingered salute as I joined him in the front and strapped in, “Looking sharp Morgan!” He fished his phone out of his pocket and buckled it into the holder on the dash. “You already texted me the address right?”

I nodded with a smile, “Yep. How’s college treating you? Or should I say, how are you treating college?”

Steven opened the address on his phone and grinned, “Wonderfully, and wonderfully. How dare you suggest any different?”

“Because you’re full of shit,” I shot back with a chuckle as I watched him start up the car.

“I’m filled to the brim with sweetness and charm. I am delightful, all my professors say so,” he shifted out of neutral and pulled away from the curb.

I looked forward and nodded slowly, “Uh huh, name one. I’ll email them to make sure.”

“Aw, you will?”

“Drive Steven.”

We spent most of the drive talking over the radio music we weren’t really listening to, catching up on anything we hadn’t covered in our last text conversation. It was nice, something I truly missed about being back home. The serenity of the drive almost distracted me from Steven’s occasional long stares, almost.

Maybe there was no way to settle this infatuation he had for me, peacefully at this point. Not to say that Steven was a violent guy! No way, he’d always been a pacifist, it wasn’t in his nature to hurt people. One time he broke down bawling all because he’d tripped and accidentally headbutted a guy in high school.

But sometimes I had to wonder if anyone else had been in my exact position, and gotten out of it with their friendship intact. Maybe the friendship falling apart was just something that happened when there were unreciprocated feelings. I hoped not.

Anyways, at this point, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I got to my interview on time, got out on time, and then I changed out of my formal clothes in a McDonald’s. Steven and I ate, and by the time we were back in the car, it was near 6pm.

I was tired, but not dead tired. And somehow, I think Steven knew it, because he suggested we go to an arcade for an hour or two. As a “reward for always working so hard”, as he put it. It took a bit of nagging, but he eventually convinced me.

I wasn’t tired enough to refuse gaming, but I was tired in a different way. The stress of finding my own tuition money and job alone was starting to wear me down, as Steven so tactfully implied in our game of skeeball. As he dubbed me “cash zombie” after my tenth loss, searching the land for money to devour.

Props to him, it fit how I felt to a T. However, the new nickname inspired me to challenge him to pool. Which I promptly kicked his ass in.

I was having fun until he walked up to me and asked me to show him how to hold the pool stick, with a smirk I gladly showed him. It wasn’t until I glanced up that I realized it wasn’t my technique he was observing.

I stood and then said I wanted to go home. He seemed taken aback but didn’t protest. With the tickets won from all the skeeball, he bought himself a little grumpy dog charm, and bought me a light up pen.

I accepted it with a smile, trying to shake off the deep discomfort that rested heavily in my chest. I was starting to remember why I ended up not going to my first choice college.

We hit the road at 8pm. Steven and I talked for a bit before he realized my eyes were drooping. With a soft laugh, he said I could go to sleep if I wanted to.

I gladly did…

And then woke up only minutes later, for some reason I still don’t understand. But I woke up, and it was dark out. The radio in the car played softly, I watched absently as the dark road was illuminated by Steven’s headlights and nothing else.

I looked over to Steven, his eyes were on the road, a small smile on his face as he hummed to the music. God I never understood how he could smile so much.

He glanced at me, “Couldn’t sleep? Sorry, the radio’s probably too loud.” Without waiting for me to say anything he reached for the volume and turned it lower. It was nearly inaudible now, I sighed.

“The music was fine Steven. Dunno why I woke up really…” I trailed off as I looked out into the near black of night.

“Bad dream maybe?”

“Those usually don’t wake you up a few minutes into sleeping right?”

“I dunno. All I know is that when you’re asleep, your brain doesn’t give a shit if you’ve been asleep for 12 hours or 1, it can still make you have a dream that feels like an entire day has gone by.”

“Yeah those are weird ones,” I muttered to myself, “Well, doesn’t matter. Even if I did have a nightmare I don’t remember it. I was asleep and then I wasn’t.”

We lapsed into silence. I listened to the calm breaths of my friend, the radio’s quiet  voices, I watched small reflectors pass us by, making sure the car kept on the road in the darkness.

Steven sighed, “Don’t even know what song they’re playing anymore, mind if I turn the radio back up?”

“I already said the radio was fine as it was,” I muttered in response, unable to keep a little annoyance from slipping into my voice.

With a soft laugh Steven reached for the volume and turned the knob. A voice could now clearly be heard. “There we…” Steven started but then trailed off as the voice continued speaking.

I looked over to the radio and blinked as I listened to what was coming out from it. “You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute. You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute,” I recognized the voice as the woman that usually did commercial breaks and announced what song was up next. I listened to the station often, so I knew it was definitely her.

Steven and I exchanged a few unsure glances, and I felt a confused smile pull at my face, I saw the same almost appear on Steven’s face as well. But then she said it again. “You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute. You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute. You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute. You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute.”

She continued the monotonous chant in a hollow voice, and the longer Steven and I just sat there listening, the more tightly my chest clenched in discomfort. I opened my mouth and swallowed to try and get rid of the dry feeling that had settled in my throat, “Wh…why isn’t her crew stopping her…”

Steven let out a soft laugh that sounded forced in every way, his voice was tinged in fear, “Maybe it’s uh…a prank? Hell of a good one I’d say!”

Meanwhile the chant had begun to make me antsy, I glanced around us, we were alone on the road and there were still no streetlights in sight. “You’re deaf. You’re blind. You’re mute,” what the hell did it mean?

I looked back at the radio to see Steven reaching out to hit something, maybe the change station button, the power button, but his hand just hovered in midair shaking ever so slightly, like he was scared to interrupt the incessant chant.

I quickly raised a hand to grab his wrist, “H-hold up.” There was something off about the woman’s voice. I placed my fingers on the volume, and looked at Steven. He was trying to keep his eyes on the road, but his eyes kept going from me to the radio. I frowned and took both of my hands away, “Stop the car.”

Steven gave me a look that was somehow both relieved and wary, but slowed us to a halt and put the emergency lights on. I nodded to him, “Thanks. I…I just want to check something.” Steeling myself, I reached for the volume again, and turned it up ever so slightly.

After a moment of not hearing any change, I turned it up again, more this time. The car was now filled with the woman’s chanting, making it louder hadn’t helped my nerves, but it did help me pick out one more disturbing aspect.

“Is…is that her crew?” I looked to see if Steven heard it too. There was an overlap, like they were all around the microphone chanting, but one or more of them couldn’t say it at the exact same pacing. Judging by Steven’s expression, he heard exactly what I had. His face was pale, his hands were clenching and unclenching in his lap.

He gave me a nervous smile, “Uh, h-hey Morgan, c-c-can we switch stations now? This prank has uh, outlived itself.”

I felt my head move to nod numbly before I could really think about it. As opposed to before, Steven’s hand jumped to hit the change station button.

Music.

There was normal, calming music. Well, as calming as country could be, but opposed to the chanting? It was a nice change of atmosphere. The relief in the car was palpable, Steven sighed and I sunk into my seat. I laughed a bit, “Holy shit!”

Steven chuckled nervously, obviously not understanding why I was so tickled. And to be honest, I wasn’t. It felt more like a reflex to counter how unnerving the situation had been. “Yeah they uh, they got us good. Weird though, it’s the beginning of summer, not Halloween, not April Fools. Why would they…”, Steven started before shaking his head with a huff.

He was rattled, and I understood, I was too. It had only been two minutes or so, but being out on country roads in near complete dark, and hearing a whole radio station chanting for seemingly no reason, was just downright creepy.

Steven took a deep breath before smiling over at me, “Well that does give me a hell of an idea for a party prank, so I’ll consider this a learning experience!” He put his hands back on the wheel and turned his emergency lights off.

The music cut out to static, I looked at the radio in confusion. And went cold when a different chorus of voices began to chant. “Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth.”

I just stared as the words continued to resound through the car, and in an attempt to make sense of the situation, I went for my phone.

“Wh-what are you doing calling the cops?” Steven asked me in a voice tinged with fear.

I wasn’t, “I’m finding out if there’s a blog post or something about this, maybe it’s a secret event or something. Like, you scan across all the stations working together to uh, y’know figure out a secret message first and get a free cruise or some shit. I don’t know! Something!” I was grasping at straws but it was all I had.

Steven just nodded and seemed to jump onboard with my theory, “I-I’ll check the other stations.” He hit the next station button while my browser took forever to load up Google.

It was only silent for a moment before the car was filled with voices again, different voices, but the same chant as before. “Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth. Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth. Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth.”

There hadn’t even been any music. Steven hit the next button, no change and my browser still hadn’t loaded up. Same chant, different voices.

“Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth. Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth. Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth.”

He hit next again, and my browser quit loading giving me the timeout page. As the exact same chant surfaced from the silence again, I let out a shuddering breath and hit the reload button and silently begged for it to work.

Even if this was some sort of elaborate, fucked up prank, there’d be no way that so many stations would be saying the same message.

“Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth.”

Steven with a frustrated growl hit the steering wheel, “This is so fucked up! What the hell are they thinking! It-i-it…! It’s not even funny anymore, it stopped being funny like six stations ago!”

I took a deep breath and looked to Steven as the voices kept on, his eyes were wide, fixed to the radio as the voices kept on and on. His breathing was quick and shallow, he was panicking. I understood, I felt the same way. In fact the only thing keeping me from joining him in his panic, was how worried I was for him.

He was the one behind the wheel, he couldn’t be shaken like this, it was a bad idea to let him spiral.

“Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth. Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth.”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! FUCKING STOP!” Steven shouted at the radio. I knew I needed to intervene, this was driving us both mad, but someone had to take control of the situation. I threw my unresponsive phone down.

Taking one of Steven’s hands brought his attention away from the radio and to me, his eyes were tearing up and he was breathing far too erratically, I could see his chest spasming. It hurt to see him like this even though I could feel tears just behind my eyes as well.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and hopefully calm him as well, “Steven, watch me. Do what I do.” I took a deep breath for five seconds, held it for seven seconds, released it for ten, and repeated. It took Steven a bit to catch on, his eyes kept darting to the radio and the speakers around him, but I kept reminding him to keep his eyes on me, and block out the radio.

I could have turned it off, but that would have distracted Steven and just sent him further into his panic. A part of me just thought if we learned to push it out of our minds when we could hear it, we’d be better off than just sitting in silence.

It was hard with the chanting, but having a reason to appear calm made it easier to pretend like it was easy. Steven seemed to buy that the chanting didn’t bother me anymore, and was able to breathe with me and stop his tears. After a while, I didn’t need to hold Steven’s hand anymore, he didn’t need to watch my breathing. He numbly turned in his seat, and sunk back into it.

I sighed in relief, I was still freaked out by all of the shit happening on the radio, but I felt better since we had managed calmed down.

“Hear the words, perceive their worth, speak their truth,” the chant kept going. You’d think the people’s voices would get tired after going for so long, didn’t sound like it.

I sighed, “I’m turning this shit off.”

Steven mumbled in response still focusing on staying calm, “Be my fucking guest.”

I hit the power button without hesitation.

And there was silence.

After the silence continued for a while, I ran my hands over my face. I didn’t even notice I’d been left sweating from all that.

I looked over at Steven, “A…are you alright? Stupid question, I know but…”

He just shook his head tiredly, closing his eyes and covering his face. “That was…so uncool…so fucked. Like…” he put his hands down into his lap, “That was without a doubt, the most fucked up thing I have ever gone through Morgan.”

I nodded in agreement, “Ditto.”

I didn’t even know what to do, and I doubted Steven did either. He needed to focus on calming down, though his breathing had slowed to a normal pace, he was too shaken to drive and I didn’t know how to drive. And despite everything that had just happened, the silence was hardly comforting.

There were no crickets, cicadas, there wasn’t anything besides the low humming of the car and our own breathing. It was a quiet that was suffocating.

Desperate to fill the silence and figure out what to do next I started searching for my phone that I’d thrown earlier. “I’ll uh, see if I can get a signal. Maybe someone can tow us to a gas station or something… Just to…be near people y’know? Maybe someone else there will be as freaked out as us,” I suggested with a pathetic attempt at a laugh.

Steven gave a weak smile that disappeared as soon as it had appeared, and nodded without a word.

After some blind searching I bent down to reach under my seat, and grabbed my phone.

“Are you afraid?”

I came up from my hunched over position to look at Steven, “Uh, well I…” I stopped as I took in his expression.

Steven looked horrified and his shaking had come back full force, his wide eyes were glued on the radio. What had happened?

“Steven, did you hear something? What’s wrong?” I asked reaching for his shoulder.

“You’re afraid.”

My heart seized in my chest and began beating far too loudly in my ears as my body broke into a cold sweat.

There was a voice coming from the radio.

I turned my head over slowly, and saw the display that usually showed the station number, just said “Hi”. I had…I had turned it off, and yet…

“Steven and Morgan, how are you doing this evening?”

“No no nono no!” Steven whimpered before I could even register what had just been said, “How? How the fuck! Who the fuck are you!” Tears were coming to his eyes again as he clung at the back of his head.

The voice on the radio was new, different from all the stations we’d changed through, and in fact sounded much too young to be someone that worked anywhere, let alone a radio station. A little girl, was speaking through the radio, and she somehow knew our goddamn names.

I shook my head dismissing every other thought besides finding out the answers to the questions that had been gnawing away at me, “I…I turned this fucking thing off! How are you…? How are you even speaking through this!” I checked the status of the power button just to be sure, the radio was definitely off.

There was silence before a strange sound broke through the speakers of the car, it took me a bit to realize the girl was giggling. “Please, a stranger talking to you through a powered-off car radio? Not the strangest thing that’s happened to you tonight. All that chanting, scary stuff.”

“This is scary stuff too you little shit!” Steven burst out. I placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. It was already prevalent in my mind, but I somehow already knew that all of this couldn’t be the work of any little girl. Her voice was too calm, and carried much intelligence with it. I just didn’t like the idea of insulting her recklessly.

“Why are you doing this? Who are you? And…and how are you connecting to our radio?” I tried keeping my voice level but I could feel myself trembling.

“I need a mouthpiece. Angel. And this is the only way I can speak to you. Let’s leave it at that.”

I shook my head, not because I wasn’t retaining what she was trying to say, but because everything she said sounded like the ramblings of a psychopath. “A-uhm…a mouthpiece? You mean us?”

“Yes.”

“If radios are the only thing you can…talk through, just use that! Why do you need to-to fucking terrify a couple of college kids and make them think they’re going crazy, when you can just use fucking radios?!” I argued my voice cracking in stress and anger.

“It was fun.”

I stared at the display still displaying the word “Hi” and blinked hard in disbelief, “Fun? Us being scared out of our wits was fun for you?”

“Immensely. I admire your ability to take control of difficult situations Morgan, not many have your tact.”

“You’re fucking insane!” Steven spat out, “A-and you can only speak through radios? Then wh-what the fuck was that with the radio hosts, a-and their crew! You controlled them! Made them say shit!”

I looked over to him, he was panicking less, but getting more angry. He had someone to actually answer his questions, maybe that gave him some semblance of comfort.

There was silence for a moment, and then the girl spoke again. “I did no such thing,” but the voice that came from the radio had changed. Altered and distorted. “I just listened to them, and copied,” Steven’s voice clearly resounded through the car radio.

Steven’s panic was back, and I was starting to feel the urge to get out of the car and run. She continued on, Steven’s voice shifting and distorting back to the thing’s original voice.

“I speak through radios, and just like a radio’s frequency, I can be altered. But my power only stretches so far. I have no ability to touch…computers. More specifically, I cannot touch the internet how you two can. That is why I need a mouthpiece.”

I shook my head, this was crazy, “And…and if we say no?”

“I will embrace you,” the sound of the doors around us locking was startling and final.

Steven and I glanced at each other before checking our doors and trying to unlock them with no success. It was like the locks were bolted in place. Steven unbuckled his seatbelt to slide into the backseat and try the back doors while I too, unbuckled and instead, started kicking at the window on the driver’s side of the car.

“Now now, before you two try getting out. Maybe you should check to see where you’re safer?”

That gave me pause and I almost ignored the voice before remembering, if this girl, thing wasn’t lying, it wanted us alive to be its mouthpiece. So maybe, it’d be best to take a look around the car.

I didn’t need to look very far or very hard, to find what made the voice say what it did. “Steven…Steven stop!” I yelled back at him as he had also started kicking the windows. And when he leaned forward to see what was there, I pointed down the road.

Right over the dip in the road ahead, stood something. The headlights of the car just barely reached its legs but illuminated just enough of the thing to make me feel all at once, much safer in the car.

Glinting in the headlights, thin metal legs, seemingly made out of wire stood supporting the body of a humanoid monster. A white dress, tattered and worn covered the thing’s torso, and perhaps its arms too, but it was impossible to tell. The arms made out of the same material as the legs, hung by its sides, and the long hands reached near the ground. Upon closer inspection, what I thought at first to be wire, may have actually been…needles. The thing’s body was made out of fucking needles, I could see it clearly. They connected impossibly to one another, twisting around each other to form the thing’s limbs. Two red, perfectly circular lights seemingly floated in the darkness above its body, they glowed dimly.

A girl, made of needles, watched us like cowering animals in a trap.

I brought my legs up to my mouth and tried not to cry, just hoping it would stay where it was and not come any closer. “I…i-is that…you?”

“Yes. Would you like me to embrace you?” the voice wasn’t teasing or threatening. It asked like it was expecting us to say yes, then I thought if this was only the hundredth time this thing had attacked someone like this. If someone in our position had been so scared they just wanted it over with, and actually said yes.

I shook my head, “N-no…no! I-I just-!” A sob ripped its way out of my throat, “Pl-please let us go!” I blinked and heard myself scream as I saw that the monster on the road was closer than before, like in the short second my eyes weren’t on it, it had teleported a few feet forwards.

Whimpering I backed up to try and sit in the backseat, Steven put his hand on my shoulder to help me. Once I was huddled in the back with him, I tried not to cry lest I need to blink, allowing this demon on the road ahead of us to come any closer.

“Pl-please, A-Angel right? You want us to be mouthpieces for you right? We can do that! Th-there’s no need for this!” Steven shouted into the tense air of the car.

I watched as the thing on the road, tilted its head in a jittering clockwork-like movement, and teleported closer. I screamed and backed into Steven more, he held my hand and I could feel him shaking. There wasn’t any trick to keep it from coming closer, even if we somehow escaped the car in time, it would just hunt us down.

Now the monster was completely bathing in the headlights of the car, I could see its face. Pitch black and completely featureless, completely contour-less, flat with the red lights just embedded into what must have passed as the thing’s skin. And what framed the face, was pure white hair. Chopped short in the back, and two long lengths of hair that hung down on both sides, it even had bangs, not that they covered its “eyes” in any way.

“I need a mouthpiece,” the thing’s voice chimed like a reminder through the car.

“A” she had said, “a mouthpiece”. I looked to Steven, my fear was gone, but it was replaced with horror.

“It…it only wants one of us,” I felt myself talking and Steven looked at me in confusion. His face turned shocked and horrified.

“She…she can’t mean…” he muttered before looking back to the monster standing in the road. The monster trying to make us throw one another to the wolf that it was.

It was only twenty feet away now, every time Angel would need to remind us of what it wanted, five feet between us and it would disappear as it came closer.

Steven looked at me, “You have to do it. Morgan please, you…you just have to!”

I just shook my head, this was bullshit, I knew I was being childish, thinking there was any way we’d both be getting out of this alive. But there was no way I could do that to Steven!

He gave a frustrated sigh and took me by the shoulders, “Morgan listen to me, I could never live with myself if you died here and–”

“You think I could?” I screamed, “You’re my best friend you idiot!”

With a quick glance, we both noted that the monster was barely ten feet away from us, its long needle fingers twitching erratically as it stood.

“I need a mouthpiece.”

At that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore, Steven was willing to die for me, but I wasn’t willing to let him.

“Steven will be your mouthpiece! He’ll do it! I-I’m a dunce when it comes to the internet! E-embrace me!”

A window shattered, and all at once, I regretted everything I’d just said. Even if I hadn’t said a word, it would have likely turned out the same way.

Steven, in a desperate attempt to throw off my self sacrifice, turned and with two kicks,  finished kicking out the window. It shattered, and he dragged himself out. I grabbed at his hand to stop him, but he just pulled away.

It was the last I saw of him, his back running out into the darkness, and being impaled through his stomach by Angel as it appeared in front of him. The five long needle fingers poked through him like tissue paper, and closed before pulling back, ripping out everything in its grasp. I heard a choked and pained scream, only I’m not sure which one of us it came from.

Steven’s body fell, I screamed in despair. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. My eyes were glued to his twitching form on the ground before Angel stepped on top of it, her needle feet making more gashes on his back and head. My gaze traveled upwards to meet its eyes, round red solid orbs that pierced my soul and made me fall silent.

A crackling noise resonated through the car, “Looks like you win…lose? Either way, you’re alive. He was quite the brave fool.” The red orbs slimmed at an angle, as if it was smiling. “This will be a wonderful story.”

I shuddered and blinked away my tears, and Angel was gone.

The cold night air blew on my face, drying my tears as more fell, Steven’s body no longer twitched, dark blood leaked out from under him, staining his yellow shirt. I could see him, all of him with his insides strewn around his torso. My vision swam.

I felt my body move like lead towards the open window, towards Steven, but my arms didn’t carry me very far. They gave out and I felt the wind get knocked out of me as my torso hit the seat, I wasn’t breathing evenly, I was still sobbing and scared. It felt like something vaguely reminiscent of two hands were pressing down on me, forcing what air I had inside, out.

All I could see before I passed out was the back of the driver’s seat in front of me becoming blurry and dark.

The next days became a blur of high emotions and questions, none of which I knew how to deal with. I was sat in a hospital bed for three days, not to take care of my physical injuries, which were no worse than a few scrapes from broken glass, but to assess my mental state.

Everyone was convinced I had emotional trauma and truly couldn’t remember what had happened on the road that night, apparently I never could get past the arcade without suddenly being unable to speak. I’d start crying as I just stared off into space until someone snapped me out of it, which would throw me into an all too unpleasant panic attack. People learned to stop trying that, and would instead wait for me to eventually notice they were still there.

It was the strangest thing though, I always remembered telling them everything. I guess I wanted to tell them, but my body wouldn’t cooperate, and it was on the very day I was about to be released from the hospital, that I figured out why.

The police had once again tried to get what they could out of me without upsetting me. My dad had finally had enough, nearly chasing them from my room calling them vultures and the like. In my mind, I had been in the middle of telling my story as best I could. I was recalling the very moment I had seen Angel, its red solid orbs of light that stared into Steven and I, its needle-like limbs capable of piercing flesh and bone, the pitch black skin of its face and pure white of its hair. As I watched the police get rushed out, it became apparent that I had stopped speaking quite a while ago.

I blinked away the tears that I hadn’t noticed welling in my eyes and gave a frustrated and pitiful groan. When the door to my hospital door opened, I turned to ask whoever had entered for some water.

Then I stopped.

I found myself looking at a little girl dressed in black, she had to be no older than twelve. She stared at me with a blank gaze that made me feel like shifting to sit up so I could place more space between us. I forced a polite smile on my face, “Hey. What are you doing here sweetheart?”

The girl blinked a few times and looked around the room curiously, I figured her parents must’ve given her some freedom with her hair, considering the long blades of black hair framing her face didn’t match the cropped hair nearer to the back of her head. It looked nice on her.

But still, something about her made my skin crawl. I forced the feeling down, “My name is Morgan, what’s your name?”

The girl began making her way over to the foot of my bed which gave me a better look at her appearance. She reminded me of some international students that had gone to my high school once, she was definitely Asian, but I wouldn’t try and place any specific nationality on her. Though unlike any of the classmates I’d had, her eyes that just peered from behind her bangs were a startling sky blue. She mumbled something indecipherable, her voice was soft and low so I had to strain my ears to hear her.

I shook my head a bit, “Sorry sweetie, I didn’t hear you.”

“Angel.”

It took a moment, only one moment for my mind to register three things.

The fact that a familiar voice was speaking, and not from the girl’s mouth, no. Her mouth hadn’t even moved to speak.

The familiar and foreboding voice had come from behind me, out of the bedside phone speaker.

The girl had just called herself Angel.

This girl, wasn’t actually a girl, it was the fucking demon from the road. I wanted to scream, but all I could do was stare at the human-shaped demon in front of me and fight off the rising bile. Flashes of Steven’s intestines strewn about outside of his body ran through my mind as those sky blue eyes pierced my very mind. I swallowed, hoping to make my throat feel less like sandpaper to no avail.

“What do you want?” I found myself asking, half hoping that it was there to kill me.

The demon moved just a step closer and laid a hand over one of my covered legs, I flinched violently but it didn’t seem to care. Crackling came from the bedside phone once again, “You’ll get to work soon.”

I felt my eyes well with tears and weakly shook my head, “Just end this…please.”

It tilted its head, a confused expression forming on its face. “Embrace you?”

I hesitated before my body moved of its own accord and gave a tired nod, I just wanted this to be over. “Please,” I whispered looking for any sign of mercy in the unsettling sky blue eyes across from me.

The confusion melted and was replaced with something dark, “I will embrace them.” Its body nodded towards a picture frame by my bed, with me and my family smiling on a beach. I felt my stomach knot in fear.

“No. No, no don’t!” I shouted reaching for its hand.

My father burst into the room with concern etched on his face, “Morgan?”

I just stared at him, wide eyed and crying before looking to the foot of my bed. Angel was gone. There was no evidence of the demon ever having set foot in the room, yet where its hand had grabbed my leg felt uncomfortably warm like the weight was still there.

I breathed in shakily before looking to my father, knowing what needed to be done. I gave a weak smile, “I had a nightmare. I’ll feel better when I get home, and get to work.”

The warmth on my leg faded, and with that warmth, something else was taken.

I knew then, that Angel and I, had come to an understanding. My father was confused and assured me that it would be fine if I took time to relax and take care of myself, I just sat there, unresponsive.

I haven’t seen Angel since, and I know that’s a good thing. My family is still worried about me, and I’m sure they’re going to keep worrying. After all I haven’t spoken a word since the hospital room, and not because I don’t want to. They try to speak to me and all I can do is stare at them. I’m sure they think it’s trauma, again. Perhaps it would be best if they continue to believe that.

But I understand now. Angel is like a parasite, yet it needed my permission to use me, invade my mind, tell me what to write. Its hold on me is strong, heavy and overbearing, keeping me rooted here, keeping me isolated, keeping me mute with no other way to talk besides using the words you’re reading now. That’s why it robbed me of my ability to talk about Steven until now, and then even my voice.

I can hear it sometimes when I cry into my pillow at night, “A trapped mind will simply prance when given freedom.” It’s like letting it use me, let it into my head too.

Just be aware, this is not a survival guide, a warning, anything of the sort. If you meet Angel, you’re either dead, or you’re like me. That’s what it wants. More people hearing its voice, more people writing about it. I can’t escape, I won’t ever be able to as long as I love my family. And now that you’ve read my story, Angel has reached out. My words, acting as its fucking conduits to reach you on the other side of the screen. Hopefully you didn’t think about it too hard, hopefully my story didn’t strike a chord with you, hopefully you kept your mind walled off and distant. But this is out of my hands now, I just have to keep on living, waiting for it to tell me what story I’ll write next.

A thought just occurred to me.

I might be writing with you soon. Hope not.

- Morgan

[purplesurveys]

785

When was the last time you changed your opinion on somebody? A few days ago I found out that someone I probably know (but is anonymous) filed a complaint towards another person that I also know for acting indecently towards the complainant. I always knew that person had a...vibe, but I just didn’t know it was going to be the worst vibe possible. I never want to see them ever again because I might actually kick them. When did you last change your opinion on a situation? I haven’t changed my opinions in a while... literally what I can only remember is listening to a few Billie Eilish songs and accepting that she has some okay music lmaoooo, and this was a few months ago. Why did you last visit the doctor? My left eye was acting up so I wanted to have it checked before the lockdown that we all knew was going to happen. What was the last thing that made you feel proud and why? Finishing my thesis. Because duh, I actually did it? Do you like salt? Sure, it makes a lot of food more delicious.

Do you feel uncomfortable when people you hardly know confide in you? Honestly yes. I pride myself on being a good listener, but it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with listening to everyone. I prefer keeping that opportunity to my close friends. I suppose it’s flattering when people I’m not close to see me as trustworthy, but if I had it my way I wish they went to another person instead. Have you ever regretted what you said in drunken conversation once sober? Sometimes. Is there anything coming up which you're dreading? I’m a little afraid of the period following graduation because it’ll be the first time in 18 years that I’m not in school, and it’ll be such a crazy transition. Let’s hope it doesn’t eat me alive. Anything you're looking forward to? Also the period after graduation, because yay adult life and independence and no more exams and stuff. Idk, lots of mixed feelings about it obviously. Do you ever do tedious tasks just to keep your mind occupied? Yes. It actually really helps and I like having things to do when there’s conflict or tension going on in my personal life. Have you ever lived with somebody with truly repulsive habits? Nah, I don’t think that about my family. Repulsive traits sure, but not habits. Do you tend to say things because they're appropriate not because you mean them?  Sometimes, and it’s usually to be polite and/or nice. It costs nothing to tell someone you like someone’s dress or makeup or shirt, and you can even help make their day. What was the last thing to perplex you? Probably some stupid, nonsensical thing Duterte said in one of his addresses. What was the last thing to fascinate you? I rewatched Beyoncé’s Homecoming on Netflix and everything about it fascinated me, as always. I will neverrrr get tired of watching her concerts; she always puts so much love and effort and soul into each show. What was the last thing to annoy you? I don’t feel like getting into it. When did you last work your socks off fruitlessly? A few months ago, in the earlier stages of making our thesis. Andrew and I would often bust our asses into the night, tweaking and researching and editing, and submit our work feeling proud of it only for it to be thrown back at us with a million comments and corrections in bloody red ink. I feel like we got a record number of sermons and unaccepted drafts compared to other students, so it just made me detached from my thesis altogether and in the end I mostly finished it for the sake of finishing it. I’m proud of finishing it of course, but I’m no longer passionate about it like I used to be, and I doubt I’ll ever bring it up in future conversations unless someone asks. When did your hard work last pay off? Today, in the final stages of our thesis. I really wish I loved it more, though. What is a word you hate? Grind makes me uncomfortable lol Do you have a favourite childrens book? Sure. If yes, what is it? Corduroy. I would go to the school library to read it almost everyday; I never got tired of it. I also really liked Tikki Tikki Tembo because his whole name was so fun to pronounce haha. When did you last feel a need to be alone? Last week when it rained and it was cold for the first time in months. The weather made me feel ~some type of way~ and I stayed in my room all day. I wasn’t sad, I really just wanted to savor the weather by myself. When did you last "need" to be around people? Right now. I’ve increasingly been feeling this way by the day.

Have you ever been in a job where you didn't fit in with your co-workers? Not a job, but this was me during my experience applying for a local chapter of an international youth org called AIESEC. I really thought I could fake my way in and I was adamant at first because I like what the org does and besides, AIESEC looks really good on a resumé; but it’s one of the rare times that even faking it didn’t cut it for me. I was miserable and no one talked to me every time I hung out in their lounge, and their org culture was so different from what I’m used to with my home org. I didn’t last long and I ghosted the application process after a month. What do you do to "expand" your mind? For me that’s always best achieved by trying out new things, so I make it a point to have brand-new experiences every time I can. When did you last REALLY want to go out but couldn't for whatever reason? LOL. March to present. Do you need a wee right now? I do not. Is there a certain noise/sound which scares you? Yeah, loud ‘DUN’ sounds that come with jumpscares, the Windows XP shutdown sound is also weirdly scary to me, and people yelling when they’re drunk. The last one particularly reminds me of fights at home. When did you last eat sweeties? Idk what you mean by sweeties, but the last time I had anything sweet was this afternoon when my dad made churros with a chocolate dip. Do you have a favourite micro-organism? No lol What was the last thing to upset you? The recent news about a wrestler, Shad Gaspard, who was reported missing after he got swept out to sea while at the beach with his family. He told rescuers to save his kid first, but they were never able to find him after. They tried to look for him for several hours but eventually, they called the search off and now he’s presumed to have died. It’s very sad and heavy and a lot to take in. He was one of my favorites growing up because he was in a hilarioussssss tag team with another guy, JTG, and both of them were always so entertaining. It sucks, and 2020 continues to suck. What was the last thing to make you happy? Like I said, I watched Homecoming earlier. Beyoncé always puts me in a better mood, so there’s that. Have you ever eaten chocolate for breakfast? Just hot chocolate. I’ve never eaten like a chocolate bar or anything similar. Do you like balloons? They’re admittedly fun, but I know they can also be harmful to the environment so I don’t buy or use them if it’s even remotely unnecessary to. Out of the people you know, whose birthday is next? Laurice. Does that person have any plans to celebrate their birthday? I’m sure their family has something planned out inside their house, but obviously they can’t celebrate by going out for now. Do you enjoy swimming? Yes. When will you next go to the beach? I have no clue. When at the beach do you like to swim in the sea? Ugh man. Awful timing for these questions... yeah I guess. But I don’t want to think about that now. If you have pet fish do you bother to name them? When I was a kid I did name each of my goldfish. Do you like adventure games like Monkey Island and Diskworld? No. Did you ever read the Terry Pratchet "Disk World" books? I did not. If yes to the question above, what are they like? Have you had to change a nappy lately? Nope, no babies around here. Would you like a holiday about now? Not really. It’s not like I can celebrate it or go for a vacation. What's stopping you from going on holiday right now?  So tired of saying it every time. If you know you know. Do you keep your eggs in the fridge? Yes, we do. Have you ever owned chickens? Nope. Super common to just see chickens running about the highway once you reach the province though hahaha. Do you like classical music? Some. I sometimes like listening to classical playlists when I study, but not always. When did you last listen to music? An hour ago. Have you ever seen "Canibal the Musical"? I haven’t. Are your breasts sore? Nopes.

[artificialqueens]

Enough (Branjie)- athena2

A/N: FINALE SPOILERS. 

Vanessa comforts Brooke after the finale. I just really needed to write this after the finale. Also, please note that this fic is not negative or disrespectful towards Yvie in any way. I do like Brooke more, but I like and respect Yvie and she deserved to win. I’m just a small bi who wants some Branjie hurt/comfort.

*

Vanessa really wants to talk to him. It’s been less than a week since the finale aired and between the shows, the travel, and her sickness, she hasn’t had a moment yet to talk to him privately, without all them nosy hoes overhearing.

It’s her first performance after her cold, and she’s still not in perfect health yet, so no one says anything when she ducks out early, going to wait for Brooke in his dressing room. She’s positive Brooke will worry and tell her she should go to bed, but she wants to talk to him right now, while the cold meds are kicking and she still has the energy. Brooke finally arrives, breathless and in drag, and she tells him to lock the door.

Just like she predicted, Brooke immediately runs over to where she’s sitting on the couch, spewing out question after question about how she’s feeling.

“I’m fine. Could a sick person twerk my ass like I just did? I don’t think so,” she waves off his concern. “Those cold meds are some good shit, Brooke,” she informs him, and they both laugh. Brooke plops down beside her on the couch, and Vanessa takes her chance. “I wanted to see how you were doing, actually. We haven’t really had time to talk, just the two of us, you know?”

“What do you mean? I’m fine,” he says, confused.

She sighs. “I mean with…you know. The finale. You doin’ okay?”

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then, she watches him start to apply the mask and hide his feelings. “Oh. I’m fine. Really.”

He does look fine, and if she didn’t know him better, she would believe the lie. His jaw and shoulders are firmly set, and his face betrays nothing. But he always looks fine. His face is always blank, composed to project cool confidence and hide all the emotions swirling around inside him, emotions he had such a hard time expressing. Then she gets a better look at his hands. They are clenched so tightly they’ve gone pure white, muscles and tendons standing out, and they’re shaking.  

She pauses, trying to think of what to say. He might not want to talk about this right now, but judging from how badly his hands are shaking, he’s definitely not fine. But she needs to be careful for Brooke to let his guard down and let her in. She has to be calm, be gentle, take the strides toward him and then let him take the baby steps toward her.

“You know you don’t have to do that with me,” she tells him quietly.

“Do what?” he asks.

“Pretend you’re fine when you’re not. Put up your walls and hide. You can let me in. You don’t have to hide with me. Not ever.”

“I kn–I’m sorry,” he whispers and looks away from her, lapsing into silence.

So that’s it then? I hand him an engraved invitation to tell me his problems and I get an apology for– what, exactly? Hiding his feelings? And then nothing? Can’t he ever just say what he’s feeling?

She’s contemplating whether she should say something else when his shoulders heave.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats, only this time it’s painful and thick, and she realizes he’s sobbing. Sobbing in a way she has never seen, more vulnerable and emotional than he has ever let himself be. Oh shit.

She takes one of his hands and rubs her thumb over it, trying to soothe out some of his tension. She struggles to figure out what she should do as his body trembles with sobs. She’s seen him anxious and stressed, sure, but never like this. Never this broken, without his usual grace and poise, not even his blank mask in place. Eventually she does what she would want: she wraps her arms around him, pulls his head down to rest on her shoulder, and holds him while he lets it all out.

She whispers calming words to him and rubs his back while he cries. Finally, the tears slow enough for Brooke to talk in a hoarse, heavy voice.

“I’m okay with everything. I really am. I’m not mad or anything, and I’ve been completely fine, honestly. I just…I really wanted it. But I wasn’t enough. I’m never enough,” he chokes out, removing his head from Vanessa’s shoulder to face her, but not meeting her eyes.

“Don’t say that. You are enough,” she tells him. She really wants him to just look her in the eyes, but that had always been hard for him in normal circumstances and is probably impossible now with how upset he is.

“I’m not. I thought I did everything I could, but I should have done more. It wasn’t enough. I failed. And now it’s just… I’m kind of afraid of what’s gonna happen after the tour. Like, what if no one cares about me anymore because I didn’t win? And I know I had a really good shot at winning and I didn’t and now everyone’s gonna think I’m a failure, and I let so many people down and I just–what if I don’t matter anymore? What if I–”

“Baby, stop. It’s okay. Just breathe,” she cuts him off soothingly. Brooke is beginning to hyperventilate now, breathe coming in shallow gasps, and she knows she has to do something before he gets worse. She’s helped him through a panic attack before and she has no desire to see him suffer like that again. She rubs his back again and plows on, hoping her voice will calm him.

“How many times do I have to tell you, hoe? Stop being so hard on yourself! You should have seen yourself up there. Bitch, that shoe reveal? I gagged. I still don’t know how you pulled that off. That was some straight-up magician shit. Ariel lost her damn mind. You had Miss Scarlet pissing herself the whole time. You were amazing, and more than enough.” She sees him start to breathe slower and searches for the right words to get him fully calm. “Brooke, people love you. I love you. No one thinks you’re a failure. You made it all the way to the end, and you didn’t let anyone down, okay? You did such a great job, week after week, and people know that. Whether or not you have the crown, you’re still a winner in my book.”

It does the trick. His breathing is back to normal and his hands are relaxed, though a little sweaty. She can see his mind starting to slow, the self-doubt and anxiety dissolving as he focuses on her instead of the voices in his head.

“Thank you. Vanessa, you…you always know what to say. I’m sorry for dumping all this on you. You’re sick, I shouldn’t be making you deal with my problems,” he sniffs, wiping the remaining tears away.

“Stop that,” she orders. “I’m barely even sick anymore. I asked you how you were doing because I wanted to know. Don’t feel guilty for having emotions and telling me about them, okay? And enough with the apologies, Mary.”

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly and blushes. Vanessa’s lost count, but she thinks that makes four I’m sorry’s in barely ten minutes, and she’s pretty sure that’s a new record.

He’s quiet for a few seconds, and then he smiles. “You know what, I am a winner. I got you out of all this, and whatever ends up happening between us, I got to be in a relationship with you and be your friend, and that makes me a winner, baby. You’re a better prize than anything.”

“You corny-ass Canadian,” she says, trying to ignore the tears starting to spring in her eyes. She thinks of the I love you she had slipped in while she comforted him, and how much she meant it. She thinks of joy he gives her, the sweetness of such a strong, confident person trusting her enough to share his feelings and break down in front of her. She thinks of the beauty of watching him dance, expressing himself in a way he can’t with words, of his strong arms around her in bed, even his nasty-ass feet brushing against her. He could be enough. He is enough.

She stretches up from her position on the couch to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead. “You are enough, baby,” she whispers, and she has never meant it more.

[hunnywrites]

Arcade Dreams: Chapter Fourteen

Summary: There’s a new girl working at the Palace Arcade and Hawkins’ Family Video. Billy can’t stand her, and the feeling is mutual. No matter what everyone else seems to think.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: Alright so it turns out writing about Billy having feelings other than angst is pretty tough. But you know, we’re finally making progress on the romance front. Enjoy!

Teddi ended up chickening out over calling about the apartment. It had been about a week or so since Hopper had come into the video store, and the idea of living off on her own was still constantly on her mind. If only she could just make herself call. Instead she could only trace the phone number that she had written on the back of one of her notebooks. She hadn’t brought it up with Billy either. He would’ve been supportive of the idea, Teddi knew he would. She didn’t have any siblings to worry about like he did. No strings tying her to her family. And she could already practically hear him joking about her apartment being the new party spot. Like she’d let that happen. But there was this part of her that worried that he might think the whole thing was stupid. That he might tell her she was running from her problems or being a baby. So for now she would keep it to herself. 

Now Teddi was in the library during her free period, mindlessly tracing that same phone number as she chewed on her lip. Initially she’d decided to use her free period to finish up on some homework before she had to go to work, but her mind was much, much too busy to focus on any math homework she had. In fact, she was so spaced out that she didn’t even notice that someone was walking up behind her. 

“What’s that?” Teddi jumped at the sound of Steve’s voice. 

She held a hand to her chest, glaring up at him as he pulled the seat across from her out and plopped down. “It’s nothing.” she said a little too quickly. 

Steve raised an eyebrow. “...That definitely doesn’t sound suspicious,” he grinned. “Come on, Ted. It’s me, Steve, you can tell me. You got a boyfriend you’re keeping a secret or something?” 

Teddi rolled her eyes. “Nothing so scandalous,” she joked. She supposed there was no real harm in telling Steve. He was a much more impartial party compared to Billy. “...You know that apartment building you told me about at the New Year’s party? The one out by the steel mill? I’ve kinda been thinking of moving there. Like getting out on my own and all.” she eyed Steve nervously while she waited for his reaction.

“Pfft, I sure wish I could move out,” was all he said. “My old man’s constantly down my neck about what I’m gonna do after school. Like I’m supposed to have any idea.” he scoffed. 

Teddi let out a small breath of relief and smiled. “You don’t have any colleges lined up?”

“Uh, well I was trying to pick out a few to apply to...but then I couldn’t really decide on any...and then I kinda missed all the deadlines to apply,” he nodded, flashing a sheepish grin. “What about you? I mean, you’ve gotta have schools trying to kick down your door, right?”

College. That was another subject that Teddi wanted to avoid. She’d been busting her ass working two jobs and making sure her grades were nothing short of amazing so that she could make sure to get into a good school...but there wasn’t really anything she dreaded more. And she was completely aware that it didn’t make a lick of sense. “Well, actually I got into NYU which was like...my dream school...but I don’t really know if I’m gonna go if I’m completely honest.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot upwards and he grinned. “Wait, what? Teddi, that’s amazing! Why wouldn’t you want to go there? I’m pretty sure Johnathan Byers would kill you just to take your place.” 

Teddi let out a snort before shrugging. “I don’t know...I know it sounds dumb. Trust me. I’ve just been wondering lately if I actually want to go to college or if I’m just doing it because it’s what people our age are supposed to do, you know? Or if it’s just like an excuse for me to get out on my own. And I feel like I finally have actual friends here now and I’m up and leaving. It kinda bums me out.” there was also the added fact that she had absolutely no idea what she would major in. She didn’t like admitting to people that her life wasn’t as put together as they might think. 

Steve shot Teddi a knowing look before leaning forwards. “Please tell me this isn’t about Billy Hargrove.”

Teddi scoffed, sinking down in her seat. “Oh please, Steve.” sure Billy was part of it. Of course he was part of it. Teddi was as close with Billy as she was with Steve, maybe even more so now. Which was ironic since they had been sort of mortal enemies, but it wasn’t solely about him. 

“What’s the deal with him anyways? You can’t honestly be falling for this whole ‘nice guy’ act he’s been pulling lately, can you?” Teddi could definitely understand Steve’s skepticism. After all, he was the guy that Billy had beaten unconscious just four months ago. At the same time though Teddi had a hard time imagining that the Billy she knew now could ever do something like that. 

“Look, I know that he’s not exactly Mr. Rogers,” Teddi said. Steve let out a snort. “But he’s really a lot different now. It’s like a 180...well, maybe more like a 150. We’re not completely there yet. I think if you two can get over your weird alpha male thing you have going you could probably even be friends,” Steve only shot her a disbelieving look. “If I can be friends with him then so can you. You’re friends with Johnathan Byers now, aren’t you?” 

Steve held up his hands. “Yeah, yeah. Look, I’ll take your word for it. I mean I don’t think me and him are gonna be hanging out any time soon...I just want you to be careful. If Billy really is trying to not be such a shit head then great. But just...keep an eye out.”

Teddi would be lying if she said she didn’t have her own reservations about Billy’s behavior. There was this tiny part of her that wondered if maybe it was all some sort of an act. Like Billy might be pretending to be a genuinely nice guy to get in her pants. But she always brushed it off. She wanted to have more faith in him than that. And she definitely wasn’t going to voice her paranoia out loud. “Yes, mother hen.” was all she said instead, grinning at Steve. 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Cute. Really cute. Hey, do you have the notes from history?” 

“You mean you didn’t take any?” Teddi asked with a smile as she started to search through her backpack for her notes. 

“...Oh, totally. I just wanted to compare them with mine.”

Teddi let out a snort. “Uh-huh...shit. I don’t have my binder. I think I left it in my gym locker. I’ll be right back, okay?” Steve threw her a thumbs up before Teddi rushed out of the library.

---

Billy usually liked to spend his free period in the gym. It always got quiet after gym class ended, and maybe aside from a few girls that liked to sit on the bleachers while he practiced his free throws no one really bothered him. Teddi had asked if he wanted to join her in the library while she finished up some homework. He’d said that he’d rather chew off his own foot than voluntarily step foot in the school library. 

There was also the fact that there was something that was bothering her and she actually seemed to think she could hide it from him. Teddi was somewhat of a shitty liar. Or at least he was really good at seeing through it when she lied. He wasn’t really sure which it was. Probably the latter. The bigger issue was that he had asked if there was something going on and she kept lying. So he had dropped the issue. But he also definitely didn’t want to sit around for a whole hour while she dodged his questions and acted like everything was perfect and told him to stop being so pouty. 

“Billy!” someone called just as he gracefully tossed the basketball into the basket. Billy turned, trying his very hardest not to roll his eyes when he spotted Cheryl leaning up against the bleachers. The small group of girls sitting a few feet away didn’t bother to hide the dirty looks they were shooting in her direction. 

He had been trying to avoid her for the last week or so. Teddi had been right; Cheryl Burns made him downright miserable. But ignoring a girl like Cheryl was proving to be pretty difficult. She didn’t really like to take no for an answer. Which he found pretty annoying. Just two days ago he had turned her down for a night out at the drive in, and yet there she was wagging those long, red nails at him beckoning him over like it had never happened. 

Billy let out a soft huff and jogged over to her, nodding once at her. He wasn’t going to try and charm her like he did with every other girl he spoke to. It would just give her the wrong idea. Cheryl bit her bottom lip, smiling up at him as she batted her eyelashes at him. “You busy?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her hands rested just barely at his sides.

Billy looked at her and back out to the basketball court. “...What does it look like to you, Cheryl?” 

She playfully rolled her eyes. “I need to talk to you for a sec.” she reached out and took one of Billy’s hands in hers and pulled him towards her.

He pulled away. “Can we do this some other time? Like I said, I’m busy.” 

Cheryl definitely wasn’t the sort of girl that got turned down often. Billy wouldn’t really be surprised to find out he was the first to do so. There was a moment where the sweet, seductive look Cheryl was giving him turned into one of annoyance and he hoped that it meant she would throw a fit and stomp out of the gym and leave him alone. 

He wasn’t so lucky. “And I said that I need to talk to you.” she nearly spat through her teeth. 

Billy rolled his eyes. “Fine. Talk.”

The seductive smile was back just as fast as it had disappeared. Cheryl happily took his hand in hers once again and pulled him out of the gym and into the hall. Whatever it was that she had to say, she clearly didn’t want to do it in front of an audience. She lead him two doors down to the girl’s locker room. Cheryl did a quick scan of the room to make sure they were alone before she spun around, giving Billy a soft shove against a row of one of the lockers and kissing him roughly.

Billy’s hands instinctively went to Cheryl’s waist before his conscience (which he was annoyed to realize seemed to sound a lot like Teddi’s voice) told him to stop. His hands moved to Cheryl’s shoulders and he pushed her away gently. He smirked down at her, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you said you wanted to talk?” 

Cheryl blinked up at him innocently, or as innocently as a girl like Cheryl could manage, and ran her hands down his bare chest before resting on his stomach. “Did I say that?” she all but giggled. Billy supposed he should have seen this coming. It was definitely a trick he would try to pull. He knew that he needed to get out before he did something he’d regret later. He was pissed at Cheryl. He didn’t even like Cheryl. So why was he sticking around? Christ, he thought, don’t pull on that thread. 

“Cheryl, if you want someone to fool around with how ‘bout you go find that moron Brian Jean?” he asked with an expectant look. After Christmas break ended Billy had offered to kick the shit out Brian for ditching Teddi to hook up with Cheryl at David’s party. Teddi had practically forbidden him, but that didn’t mean Billy wasn’t allowed to fuck with him. And he definitely hadn’t missed the pleased look on Teddi’s face a few days earlier when Billy “accidentally” happened to brush his keys down the entire side of Brian’s shitty little Chevette.  

Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Are you honestly still mad about that? That was forever ago, Billy. I didn’t even think you’d care,” Yeah, that’s the problem, he thought with a scoff. Cheryl hands snaked around his neck, pulling him down closer to her. “Come on, Billy, let me make it up to you.” she purred. Billy liked to think of himself as a strong guy. That he wasn’t swayed easily no matter what the situation was. But as annoying as he found Cheryl Burns, there was something about her that seemed to short circuit his brain. The shorter, more simple answer was that it was probably because she looked like the girls in his Playboys.

Everything after that was sort of a blur. He wasn’t sure how long he had been there with Cheryl. The bell hadn’t rung yet. That was really all he was able to discern. Billy had turned the pair of them around, pushing Cheryl’s back up against the lockers. His hands had a firm grip on her ass while her hands were tangled in his hair, her long tails scratching gently at his scalp. He hadn’t really thought much of the situation until he heard the locker room door open and a very familiar voice say “Oh, jeez. Sorry. Jeez. Uh I just…my locker…”

Billy spun around. Teddi was standing by the door with a hand over her eyes. He felt his stomach drop. Cheryl scoffed. “Can we help you?” she asked, glaring daggers at Teddi. 

“I, uh, gotta get something out of my locker is all...and then go and die from embarrassment.” she muttered. Teddi rushed passed Billy and Cheryl and disappeared for a moment. Billy heard her locker open and close before Teddi nearly bolted out of the room. He quickly followed after her, ignoring Cheryl’s protests. 

“Teddi! Teddi, can you fucking slow down?” he called, jogging to catch up with her quick strides. He grabbed her arm to stop her and spun her around to face him. She refused to make eye contact with him. He wanted to say something. His brain was screaming at him to say something to her. But he couldn’t seem to get anything out. “...I’m sorry.” was all he could manage.

Teddi still wouldn’t look him in the eyes. “Sorry?” she still sounded surprised to hear him use that word. “What’s there for you sorry about?”

“I mean…” he turned and gestured back towards the locker room awkwardly. “What just happened. Cheryl said she wanted to talk and then all the sudden-” all the sudden what? He asked himself. Teddi caught you fooling around with the same girl you said you were gonna stop fooling around with? Idiot. 

“You really don’t have to apologize. Really. I just needed some history notes. I’ll see you around, okay?” Billy didn’t think he’d ever seen Teddi so frazzled before. Everything about her at that moment was so unlike the Teddi he knew. He was a little surprised she didn’t give him an earful about how he needs to stop seeing Cheryl and leading her on. Now it just seemed like she would rather be anywhere that wasn’t near him. His jaw set firmly. “Don’t do that.” he didn’t let go of her arm.

“Don’t do what?” she asked with a loud sigh.

“Don’t act like nothing happened. Where’s the lecture?” he asked, leaning down so his eyes would meet hers. “You don’t have anything to say to me? No matters of the flesh comments?” he hated how angry he sounded. He was angry with himself, not Teddi. 

“Billy…” Teddi’s eyes were pleading. He felt bad all over again. He dropped her arm quickly as if it had burned him. “...I’ll see you later.” she muttered. All he could really do now was helplessly watch as Teddi nearly ran down the hall and away from him and the locker room. 

“God, what is taking you so long?” Billy’s hands clenched into fists at the sound of Cheryl’s voice. He whirled around to see her poking her head out of the locker room. “Are you coming back in here or what?” 

“Fuck off, Cheryl.” he spat, stomping past her and back to the gym. This whole being nice thing was definitely stressing him out more than he expected it to. He actually felt embarrassed. Embarrassed that he had been caught doing something so completely stupid. Embarrassed that he cared so much about how upset Teddi seemed by the whole thing. And it was definitely embarrassing to admit to himself that he knew why he cared so much. It wasn’t a secret that he was into Teddi. He definitely hit on her enough. But it was a little more than that. 

He couldn’t even say the words in his mind. That he liked Teddi. Something like that seemed so pathetic to say out loud. Not to mention it would get him nowhere. Teddi had turned him down enough times to know he didn’t stand a chance with her. Still, the feeling he’d gotten when he saw that she’d walked in on him and Cheryl was that same feeling he’d had when he’d walked into the Palace Arcade before New Year’s and saw Teddi talking to Steve. 

It made that familiar anger bubble inside of him, but in a different way. He was angry at himself. He felt pathetic. Practically pining over some girl. Maybe that was part of why he kept Cheryl hanging on. She was a way to momentarily forget about any sort of feelings he might have. Which was also pretty pathetic. 

There was also the option of just saying something. To stop acting like such a little bitch about it. Yeah, he thought with a scoff, I think I’d rather let Max hit me in the dick with that bat than do that. He shoved the gym door open and grabbed his bag before heading back to the locker room for a shower. At the very least they’d have to talk about this. He completely dreaded the idea. He was sure Teddi was dreading it too. But this whole ignoring each other any time shit got tough thing was getting old. 

But he underestimated Teddi. When she didn’t want to talk to someone, she meant it. He hadn’t seen even a glimpse of her for the rest of the day. He’d even skipped out on his last period early to catch her in the parking lot. When he got there her van was already gone. When he dropped Max off at the arcade he asked Keith if she was around, and he’d said she was off on her break. Billy still wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or covering for her. 

He felt a little panicked then. Like finally he had gone and really fucked up. Maybe now Teddi wouldn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Maybe he had gone and chased off the one friend he had in Hawkins. To say he was angry with himself was an understatement. He thought about calling, but quickly brushed the idea aside. He’d give her her space. She’d come to him when she was ready to talk. The only problem now was trying not to go absolutely insane while he waited for that to happen.