#the other tells him to shut up or ignores him which annoys him and prompts him to speak more

[mxtxfanatic]

Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao have the type of relationship that people think pre-resurrection wangxian have in mdzs.

[lemonlover1110]

𝐔𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬

Toji Fushiguro

Pairing: Toji Fushiguro x f!Reader

Summary: Toji won't tell you he loves you, even when it's so painfully obvious.

Warnings: MDNI, Fluff, Smut, Nipple Play, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Creampie, Slight Angst

*The prologue is here🥹

Discord +18 - Twitter - Ko-Fi

Toji has never felt more alive before. Toji’s known love before, but not like this. It isn’t sweet or comforting… Thrilling, yeah, he’d say it’s thrilling. He feels like a dumb teenager again, but he loves the feeling.

You’re sitting next to him in the car, singing along to the song on the radio as he drives you home. He has a hand on the wheel, the other caressing your thigh. It’s a little late, but your night is just getting started.

“Your singing is awful.” Toji tells you as he parks in front of your apartment complex. He turns down the song still, wanting to hear your voice better even when he claims it’s bad– That’s how he knows something is wrong with him. Toji would tell you to shut up if you were anybody else.

He turns off the car when the song is over, and you whine because he’s ruined your fun. You quickly get over it when he opens your car door, offering his hand, which you take to prompt yourself out of the vehicle. Your arm enlaces with his before you begin the short walk back to your place. 

“Your dad told me to make sure you get home safe, so no funny business.” Toji says, and you roll your eyes at him. He’s the one that breaks the rule first each and every time, it’s annoying to hear him say that even when he’s clearly joking.

“Step-dad.” You correct him, though you know it goes in one ear and out the other. He’ll make the same mistake over and over again. “Since when do you listen to him?”

“Since he promoted me.” Toji responds, which earns a chuckle from you. That’s fair enough. He lets go of your arm, choosing to rest his hand on your lower back until you’re finally at your door. 

“Alright, see ya.” You open the door and enter the place without even looking back at Toji. You’re shutting the door, but his hand stops it. His arm wraps around your waist and he brings you back to him.

“That’s not a proper goodbye.” He says, and there’s a smirk on your face. He’s not going to leave so easily, but you aren’t going to let him have his way so quickly. You’re convinced it’s the reason why Toji always comes back at your doorstep, seeking more. 

Since the very beginning, you both agreed that you didn’t want something that required commitment. It started off as something casual, but slowly your relationship has evolved. It’s come to the point where you call him your boyfriend to others– Though, when someone asks about your relationship status, you tell them you’re single. 

“No funny business, Mr. Fushiguro.” You remind him, and you feel his grip tighten. You can’t keep up the act for too long, quickly melting with his touch. He knows the effect he has on you, and you have to put up a fight at the very least to put off the illusion that you’re wrapped around his finger. 

“Since when do you listen to me?” He asks, and you hold your breath. You bite down your lip before slowly turning to look at him.

“You wanted me to take you more seriously this week, and I’m doing what you told me.” You’re fighting back on smiling right at his face. You’re right, you had a minor argument earlier in the week because you ‘treat everything he says as a joke’. He purses his lips together, thinking of his next words. “Do you have an issue with my attitude?”

Instead of answering, he chooses to pick you up from the floor, throwing you over his shoulder before walking inside. He shuts the door behind him and idles in your living room. Should he throw you on the couch or take you straight to the bedroom?

“Put me down, Toji!” You yell, hitting his back with your fist. It causes no pain or discomfort to him, so he’ll ignore you. On the contrary, your fist hurts from making contact with his back. “Toji! Put me down you big buffoon!”

He puts you down, per your request, gently laying you down on the couch. However, he gets on top of you so you really aren’t free. There’s a smirk on his face as he looks down at you, which slowly fades away as he looks into your eyes. His cheeks turn pink as he looks back and forth between your eyes and lips.

He’s in love, he really fucking is. Even at the mere thought of your presence, his heart feels like it's about to beat out of his chest. How can he not love you? You’re so fucking beautiful, and that’s the least impressive thing about you. You’re compassionate, intelligent, hilarious, respectful, responsible– The list goes on. You’re everything that he isn’t. 

“Toji, get off me if you aren’t going to do anything.” You stop the train of thought that goes through his head, and he proceeds to listen to you. You sit up on the couch, while he stands up, making himself welcome at your home and going to your kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.

“You want some tea?” He asks as if you were the guest in your own apartment. You sigh, standing up from the couch and following him to the kitchen. You stay quiet, and he takes that silence as a no to his question.

You sit on the counter, watching every move Toji makes, in complete silence. Toji appreciates your gaze on him… But he can’t help but feel as if something’s wrong. You’re completely quiet, there must be something wrong.

“What’s on your mind?” He speaks up, not being able to bear the silence for too long. Silence between you is usually a good sign, he enjoys your presence as simple as it can be but there’s something up with you tonight. You’re watching him as if you were trying to figure something out. You shake your head, as if you have nothing to say but he knows you do, “I know that pretty little look on your face, you’re thinking of something.”

“I want to introduce you to my family.” You tell him, and he freezes. He furrows his brows before chuckling.

“Your family already knows me.” He answers, though he knows exactly what you mean. He’ll play dumb, that’s what he does best. He hears the water boiling, and he turns his attention to that. He hopes that with his answer, you’ll drop the subject. He doesn’t want to flat out tell you that he wants to keep things a secret.

“Where’s my mug?” He asks, searching the cabinets for the mug that he usually drinks from. That’s how serious things are, he has his own coffee mug at your place. He spots it, behind a nice tea set, one that’s usually hidden away. 

“I want to introduce you as my boyfriend.” You continue your conversation as he prepares his tea. He’s more than capable of talking as he pours boiling water into the mug, but he’s not saying anything. Your words fall on deaf ears. “Toji, I know that you heard me.”

“It’s such a big step.” He responds, and you feel your heart drop. A sheepish smile comes to your lips, and you nod in response. You’re not one to argue much, and you definitely aren’t a woman who will beg. 

If he’s not ready, then he’s not ready. He knows that you won’t wait around for him forever. He lets out a low laugh before saying, “Plus, I wouldn’t want your dad to kill me.”

“That man won’t be the one to kill you if you keep calling him my dad.” You stick your tongue out at him, and he stops what he’s doing to walk over to you. He loves that you’re sitting on the counter, with little room to escape. His hands go on either side of you, a cocky smirk all over his face.

“You killing me? I’d pay to see that.” His face is inching closer to yours, stopping when he’s practically breathing on your face. His nose touches yours, and you feel your body get hot as your heart threatens to beat out of your body. Your hands go behind him, interlacing on the back of his neck. His voice is much lower when he speaks again, “My big girl hurting me, oh I’d kill for that.”

“Since when are you a masochist?” You ask, and you hear him chuckle. When it comes to you, he’s everything under the sun. He’s looking into your eyes, getting lost in your gaze within a matter of seconds. 

He really is in love, it’s fucking sick. 

“Since a pretty little thing threatened to hurt me.” His hands go to your thighs, thumbs tracing lazy circles on your skin. If he continues, he won’t stop until he’s satisfied– Not that you particularly mind either.

“Your tea is going to get cold.” You remind him that there’s something waiting for him. You’re just waiting your breath, knowing that Toji has long forgotten about it. The moment he put the mug down, the tea was wasted.

“Good. I always burn my tongue for being too impatient.” He steals a kiss from you, and when he pulls away, you bring his head back. His lips are overpowered by yours, your tongue making its way into his mouth, pressing against his own. It’s more passionate than the innocent kiss he had stolen from you. It’s hard for you to stop once he gives you a taste. 

“Toji…” You place your forehead on his when you pull away. You look into his lustful eyes, the urge of asking a question that you shouldn’t ask now, overtaking you. But you will, because in order to get what he wants, he’ll say anything you want to hear. “Do you love me, Toji?”

His hands cup your face and he presses his lips against yours. It’s just one kiss. Then two. You lose count, and you’re getting lost in his touch. You’re melting with his every move, and the desire to hear him say he loves you grows. You’re desperate to hear it, even if it isn’t true.

“Toji, answer my question.” You put your hand over his lips, stopping him from kissing you more. It’s to no avail since it takes no effort from him to remove your hand, and resume kissing you. You don’t stop him this time, instead, you allow yourself to indulge.

You accept the silence as a no, which you won’t take to heart. He doesn’t have to tell you that he loves you when he doesn’t. It’s unfair to him when you agreed in the very beginning that this is something casual. You put him on the spot in hopes that he’ll take what you have more seriously, but he isn’t going to because it isn’t what he signed up for… So why does Toji act so loving?

Your legs wrap around his waist as he picks you up before carrying you to your bedroom. He knows exactly where to go, not needing to look away from you for a single second. He continues to kiss you so needily, he’s searching for something that only you can provide. 

“I need you.” He slips in inbetween kisses, which nearly drives you insane. It’s not what you asked to hear, but you’ll take it. He gently lays you down on the bed, once again on top of you and leaving you without an escape route. He kisses you slowly, his lips slowly moving down your body.

Toji’s kisses come to a halt when your clothing gets in the way. He wants to curse at the fabric for covering you up and making his job slightly more difficult. He gets up from the bed and hurriedly takes off every article of clothing that denies him the lovely view of your body. He nearly wants to rip apart every piece but he won’t risk you getting mad at him for it.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Toji says, licking his lips before tracing back all the places he’s kissed, just this time he won’t be interrupted by anything. He’s going to fulfill himself to his heart’s content.

He kisses down to your breasts before focusing his tongue around your nipple. You feel a warm hand travel down your body, and getting caught between your thighs. You inadvertently get shy with him, even when this has become part of your weekly routine. He always manages to get past it, spreading your legs apart and stopping his mouth to tell you, “Now’s not the time to get shy, beautiful.”

His mouth wraps one of your nipples, sucking on it, as two fingers run through your slick folds. You’re already so wet for him, and he’d tease you for it but his mouth is too preoccupied to mutter a single word. Toji’s priority at this moment is making you feel good– As well as enjoying himself.

You’re softly moaning while Toji flicks his tongue, and his fingers rub your clit. He detaches his mouth from your nipple, his lips going up to messily kiss yours before going back to your breasts. His mouth wraps around your other nipple, beginning to suck as two of his fingers apply pressure to your entrance. 

“Toji–” His name rolls off your tongue when he pushes his fingers inside of you. It’s the sweetest melody for his ears, motivation to keep him going. Your voice is all he needs to hear. 

He doesn’t waste a single second in satisfying you, curving his fingers so they hit just the right spot. Your eyes are rolling to the back of your head, pleasure already consuming you. Your thoughts from earlier are long forgotten while he’s doing what he does best.

Your moaning gets louder as his thumb begins to play with your clit. It’s getting harder for you to contain yourself, since he’s stimulating you in every way possible. He’s moaning on your tit, the vibrations of his tongue nearly sending you over the edge. 

“You’re such a good girl, baby.” He praises you, finally detaching himself from your breasts. His eyes focus on your face and the look of bliss that’s written all over it– And he isn’t even close to being done. 

Toji takes his fingers out before the pressure that builds up in your lower abdomen can release. He’s usually not impatient, but his cock is throbbing in his pants and if he doesn’t deal with it soon, he’ll lose his mind. He almost feels bad for leaving you unsatisfied… Almost. The whine that leaves your lips makes a smirk appear on his face, making him comment, “Aw, you need me so badly?”

“Just hurry up.” You respond in complete annoyance. You’re clenching around nothing, needing him to fill you with pleasure. Just for tonight, he won’t tease you more. He just needs you so much, he can’t waste any more time.

Toji strips down from his clothes, spitting into his palm before taking his cock into his hand. He slowly strokes his cock as his eyes watch you… What position will he take you in tonight? Before he can even decide, your legs wrap around his torso. He’ll watch your face contort with pleasure to serve as another stupid reminder that he’s in love with everything you do. 

Toji’s cock runs through your folds, slowly inserting himself into you. A soft moan escapes his lips as he feels you around him, feeling too good. This is what he’s been waiting for all night; his definition of a proper goodbye from you.

When he bottoms out he gives you a moment to adjust, until you’re moving for him, a little too desperate to wait any longer. Toji’s hands hold on to your hips as he begins to move for you. Toji hates the feeling– He’s in ecstasy the moment he’s inside of you. He’s addicted to you like a drug, how is he supposed to ever move on?

“You feel so fucking good.” He says through gritted teeth, trying to contain himself. Although he sees that it’s not only him that’s struggling in keeping control. You’re arching your back, eyes rolling to the back of your head and lips parted as Toji hits every right spot.

“It’s too much, Toji!” You’re practically yelling, even when he isn’t doing much. He just does everything right even when he’s barely trying. It boosts his ego.

“You can take it, baby.” He answers as his hand goes down to play with your clit, adding even more to your pleasure. You’re completely putty with his touch. You’re absolutely nothing. It’s hard not to be when a simple touch of his makes you euphoric.

“Toji– Fuck!” You moan, and he fucks you with more vigor every time he hears his name. It fuels him. He wishes it was a sound he got to hear each and every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every second. 

“Keep saying my name, beautiful, it sounds so fucking hot.” He says and you chant his name as many times as he needs to hear it. Your mind is completely clouded, you’ll do his every request with the promise that he’ll satisfy you.

Maybe you should use the situation to your advantage– Hear what you want to hear, but you can’t. Toji’s completely dominated your mind and body.

You get louder as your orgasm nears, slowly taking over you. You’re clenching around him, getting him to moan your name because of the way you feel around him. Your hand is gripping the bed sheets, shutting your eyes as the pleasure of your body consumes you as a whole.

You feel Toji force your hand away from the bedsheet, forcing your fingers to intertwine with his. Your legs spasm as you reach your climax, a loud moan almost drowning out Toji’s words, “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

It doesn’t take too long for Toji to follow your lead, too worked up from the mere thought of being with you. Toji fills you up with his cum, not even bothering to make the effort of pulling out. He never does anyway, he’s not going to change tonight.

Toji pulls out, laying down beside you as you both pant to catch your breath. After this he’ll run you a bath and leave after a couple of kisses, it’s his usual routine. A routine he made to not get attached… A routine that’s gotten him nowhere.

You turn your head to look at him while he stares at the ceiling. The answer is no, but the question still weighs heavy on your chest. “Toji…”

“Hmm…?” He looks back at you, and there’s a spark in his eyes that’s unmistakable. You know that actions speak louder than words but you need to hear it.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” You respond, and a slight frown appears on his face.

“Why do you need to know?” He questions, and you feel your heart is about to beat out of your chest. You bite down your lip, wondering if you should drop it. Never ask him again, even if you know you’ll regret it in the near future.

“I–” A sigh leaves your lips. You can’t hide it from him, even if he doesn’t love you or care for you the way you care for him. “My parents want me to get married soon.”

He knows. He knows all about your situation, more than he’d like to know. Toji doesn’t say anything to comfort you, instead, he brings you close to him. He kisses the top of your head, instead of telling you all that he wants to say. He’s not going to tell you all that you want to hear.

“I’m not worth it.” He mutters. He doesn’t want you to ruin your future for him. Toji wants the best for you; after all, he is in love with you.

Even though it's different from the love he's experienced, he's still in love. No amount of arguing with himself will disprove it.

“What do you mean?” You ask him, hope in your eyes that he’ll say something more. You’d do anything to have him say just a little more. But he shakes his head, refusing to elaborate.

“I’ll run you a bath.” Toji changes the topic, standing up from the bed and walking to your bathroom.

He’ll continue the routine, knowing it’s one of the last times that he’ll get to do it.

[cranberryjuice-posts]

You could write a Clarisse la rue x fem! Jiu jitsu (or judo) fighter reader? You decide the rest of the story, but I would like it to involve a rival relationship between lovers, where Clarisse challenges the reader to fight alone, but it ends up becoming a kissing and making out session.

I love your writing by the way <3

- rivals -

Pairings - Clarisse La Rue x fem! Jiu jitsu! Reader

An - i finished this and I reread the prompt and I’m not sure if it meant for An already established relationship or not but I hope this is good 😭😭

An pt2 - FUCK YEAH I WROTE SOMETHING GOOD ASF‼️‼️

Clarisse La Rue.

Clarisse fucking La Rue.

The woman who always had some shit to say to you. Even when you were just minding your business and helping some new kids learn to fight she just had to tell you everything you were doing wrong.

And of course the one fucking time she was right she just had to have that same usual shit eating grin. What was her problem anyways?! Why couldn’t she just leave you alone why was she always up your ass.

——

You stepped into the arena tossing your duffel bag aside. Today Chiron had put you in charge of leading the wrestling and hand in hand combat class, your co-teacher was unknown but you figured it was probably Luke once again.

While tying your hair up you heard a strong voice speak “what are you doing”. Turning around you saw clarisse standing cross armed with her spear attached to her back. “Get lost I’m about to teach a class”

You gave her a sarcastic look “really? Because I’m about to teach the hand in hand combat class”

“No your not” Clarisse walked close, speaking like she knew it was true.

“Shut up clarisse, gods Your so fucking ignorant” you scoffed turning around once again to finish preparing, great Clarisse is your co-teacher. Whatever it was just for an hour anyways.

The arguing didn’t stop however, both your egos being hurt little by little with what was saying. It continued up until the kids arrived, Infact it didnt stop until a camper had luke show up to break up the argument.

He walked in, linked his arm with yours and dragged you to another section of the arena before dropping you down.

“Dude!” You complained, standing up eventually and dusting the orange dirt off of you.

“Can you teach the class or not cause your run time is currently being taken up with you and clarisse arguing.” He spoke with confidence and his usual charmful smirk.

“We’ll be fine.” You gave him a harsh look, mainly annoyed by the fact that you both were paired together. “Speaking of which why were we even paired together”

“Because Chiron wants you both to not only get along but with the fact your both the best with hand in hand combat you both got paired”

You just gave him a sarcastic smile. Mumbling ‘dick’ to him ask you walked away you quickly got to the wrestling mat. You clapped your hands getting everyone’s attention including clarisses. “Let’s start with stretches then we’ll move into pairs to do some basics”

“Or” Clarisse quickly interjected “we move into a death match where everyone wrestles one at a time until we have one standing”

“That’s stupid, start with basics so they can warm up” crossing your arms you were firm on your stance.

“That’s slow and boring and keeps the group longer than they need to be here” the argument was starting up once again. Wanting to just blow the whole thing off you thought of an idea.

“Fine. Me and you on the mat winner gets to choose how the class goes and looser just goes along with it” you offered which clarisse quickly accepted.

Shifting on the mat you both looked at one another ready to end the disagreement. As a kid shouted announcing the match to start both you and clarisse went at each other.

Grabbing her waist you slammed her to the ground only for her to break loose and try to pin you down in return. The match lasted for close to five minutes before you were ultimately decided the Victor.

Standing up breathless you noticed clarisse was not only embarrassed but also royally pissed off. “Go on! Go do uh.. go do the basics or whatever” you panted shooing the kids off.

“You ok?” You asked bending down offering your hand out only for clarisse to hit it away. “Fuck off I have better shit to do than this anyways” she scoffed standing up and walking away.

Whatever. She wanted to play the spoiled brat who’s who is hurt then fine, she can act like that for however long she pleases.

——

Sitting at the campfire you sat on the ground resting against your friends leg while drinking a soda. It was peaceful to say the least, everyone was singing, clarisse wasn’t around, and your mind was clear.

It was peaceful until clarisse came over and stood in front of you. “Me. You. Rematch in an hour” she practically demanded.

“Excuse me?” You chuckled confused by it all.

“You heard me in an hour me and you are gonna rematch in the arena.” She glared down at you.

At first you just rolled your eyes muttering an ‘ok’. Though once she didn’t move you realize she was being serious. “Fine! Damn well have a rematch or whatever”

“Don’t be late” finally leaving you scoffed again shit talking with your friends.

You stumbled into the arena, looking around you didn’t see clarisse anywhere. “Hello?! Damnit larue It’s fold and I’m freezing my clit off!” Yelling is what got the girls attention.

“Shut up oh my gods” she groaned “why are you so descriptive damn”

That cause you to giggle. “What is it a Crime for me to be descriptive”

“Yes.” She spoke quickly shutting down your good mood. Walking towards the wrestling mat that she finished setting out clarisse lifted her shirt to wipe off her sweat.

Shaking your head you let go of every thought that Clarisse was attractive out the window. She wasn’t. She was just some girl who had a problem with you.

You both took your stance ready to just get this over with. Partially on your end not hers.

The fight went as stated. She lunged at you, you blocked, she tried to pin you down, you broke free and so forth and so forth. It continued until some how you managed to find yourself on clarisses waist with her arms above her head and the gasp for air coming from you both.

It was silent. Sitting there under the night with only the faint fire torches lighting your view for some reason clarisse looked, oddly beautiful. Her curly hair and soft brown eyes framed her face perfectly. The small scar on her cheek which you knew was from her spear and the light pink lipgloss she wore sparkled.

Wait.. when did clarisse wear lipgloss. The same for her perfume it was way to feminine for her actually it smelt a lot like silenas signature scent, roses with vanilla. Before you thought about it you both were leaning into eachother.

The kiss was soft and slow. Hesitant but enjoyable. You let go of her hands and replaced you hold onto her face while she found herself on your waist.

The slow kiss soon turned more heated. She sat up helping shift the weight and give her more control. Predicable. Before she could slide her tongue into your mouth, you pushed her back down taking away her opportunity and giving it to you.

“Even making out you just have to be the best” she muttered into the kiss only fueling your anger. You just ignored her tangling your hands into her curls you broke the kiss only to repeat it instantly after.

What was supposed to be a regrettable make out soon turned into you both having yet another competition on who could be the best. After a certian point You pushed clarisse Away breathless.

Sitting back you just started to yell. “For the Gods clarisse you just can’t let anything be normal!”

“Me?! Your the one who’s perfect at everything! Know what I bet you kissing me was just another way to prove your just better” she stood up accusatory.

You Only followed suit equally pissed off. “What?! Are you insane! Clarisse what makes you think I’m better than you”

“Because!” She shouted. “Everyday you have to be better at everything! From wrestling to talking with others! To even fucking doing your hair and talking with other girls and it pisses me off because why do you even bother with them!”

You took a step back confused. “Wait… you jealous that I flirt with other girls? Why?” You asked tilting your head slightly.

“Yes! Fuck YN your so stupid” she rubbed her eyes in frustration before yelling it out. “Im in love with you damnit!”

Wow.

All sense flew out the window, grabbing clarisses Shirt you kissed her once again. This time you did it softer, gentler any word that could describe it. Neither of you tried to fight each other instead you worked together. Leaning into one another, hands tangling into each others hair, grasping each others bodies it was like you both were desperate.

Breaking away you softly panted against her lips. “I like you to.. a lot actually Your like really pretty” that just sealed the deal for you both, causing yet another makeout.

——

[luv4georgie]

ooohh a number 16 and 18 angst with lando omggg pls.

(your writing is so amazing )

the scientist.

Lando Norris x fem!reader

in which formula one star, Lando Norris, and “girlfriend”, Y/n L/n, go through some complications after Y/n finds a-few things out.

warnings: toxicasf!Lando, cheating, allusions to death, mental death, crying, a-lot of swearing, FLASHBACKS IN ITALICS

prompt list

prompts 16 and 18 for angst- “it was a dare” and “why am i always your last option?”

“tell me you love me, come back and haunt me.”

i was sad. not even sad. more than that. Lando had broken up with me. 2 years gone to waste. 2 years of me loving him. 2 years all a lie. nobody said it was easy, fair enough, but no-one ever said it would be so hard. i could never fall in love again. i just couldn’t. it hurt so much. it still does. every-time i think of it, it feels like a dagger goes through my heart. was it me? was i the problem? why was i so hard to love?

it was a Saturday night when Lando decided to confess. confess the biggest lie of my and maybe, just maybe, his life. “it was a lie.” Lando said. me, still laughing and oblivious to what was happening, responded. “what?” i said still laughing, not turning to face the ‘love of my life’ yet. “everything Y/n/n” i turned to face him, a smile still on my face which quickly dropped seeing his overly serious expression. he had tears in his eyes and looked like he was cowering. “what’s everything Lan?” i questioned again. tears fell from his eyes, then i knew it was bad. “our relationship. my love for you.”

then it happened my stomach did 100 flips, my heart beat 1000x faster. some odd taste popped up in my mouth and before i knew it i was running to my bathroom, throwing up. Lando hadn’t moved from where he was standing. he was crying, letting his head hang low. once i finished being sick. i washed my mouth out and slowly made my way to the living room which looked into my kitchen, where Lando was. on wobbly legs i walked up to him around 3 feet away from him. now i get it. now i get why he never wanted to move in with me. i get why he acted weird and always rejected my love around his stupid friends.

me and Lando was at the club with a few of his friends. he had cheated. i know he did. i didn’t leave though i stayed there. he didn’t bother touching me around his friends. he never has really. i watched Lando dance, grind and kiss on another girl. i was shocked but to drunk to care. i was upset nonetheless but just couldn’t wrap my head around it. i watched as he did the same with 3 other beautiful girls. that’s when i had enough. “Lando!” i shouted. i grabbed his wrist, told him he’s had a-lot of drinks and that he should slow down but he waved me off. offended i scoffed and ignored him. “a bit clingy, ay” i heard Max shout. “yeah, she’s always all over me it’s weird” Lando responded. my eyes widened and i shoved him out of my way and made my way to the the exit. “fucking move” some random man said. “shut up dumbass” i retorted.

“what did you just fucking say?” he said, pushing me really aggressively into another girl, one of the girls Lando was dancing with, who gave me the dirtiest look ever. i tried to say sorry but she slapped me. all i heard was one word getting chanted around ‘fight’. a circle formed around us both. i kept dodging her punches but still took a few. i didn’t hit her back. i didn’t want to. i couldn’t. suddenly i saw a familiar pair of arms wrap around the girls waist, who i found out to be called Chelsea. it was Lando. grabbing onto her waist and carrying her out of the exit. i scoffed again. tears pricked my eyes and i was so annoyed. i was that angry and pissed off i cried. i ran out of the exit and accidentally bumped into a wall-like chest. Lando. “where are you going?” he asked. i didn’t answer just wriggled out of his grasp and ran to the corner of some steps i saw earlier. he followed me. “why am i always your last option Lando? why? i’m your girlfriend, yet you help someone you met 10 minutes ago and comfort them. i don’t get it”. Lando being Lando told me i was overreacting, called an uber and took us both home.

“why are you fucking crying Lando?” i whispered. “you don’t get to fucking cry!” i shouted this time. tears stung my eyes and more fell from his. he dropped to his knees and cried pathetically. i just stared at him in disgust. “you’re fucking sick Lando” i said, my voice broken and wrecked. “sick. i can’t believe it. am i a joke? why am i so fucking hard to love?” i cried. “please baby, i’m sorry, it was a stupid dare and i laughed and did it” he begged. “you laughed at me? you fucking laughed at the idea of asking me to be your girlfriend. you knock me fucking sick Lando. fucking sick.” i cried and cried. he wouldn’t shut up, even after i told him to get out, he didn’t. he just kept saying sorry and please. i didn’t get it. am i that fucking hard to love. that’s when my life ended. everything inside of me died that night, even if i was physically there, i died.

-

AUTHORS NOTE: sorry this is really short, i’m literally just reflecting on my last relationship with this because most of this is a true story in my life but a-lot less worse, that ex hurt me in every-way possible and as we know Lando would never do something like that so please don’t say i have said he would. thank you. and thank you for all your support recently ❤️❤️

[ppnuggiex]

HII ur aesthetic is just so pretty and the way you write is so shekehsjjdkd fell in love when I read the first sentence, I'm not even joking😕

BUT ANYWAYY could I req diasomnia, heartslabyul, and/or octavinelle with a gn!reader who has a habit of squishing peoples cheeks whenever they hold eye contact 4 too long? /*flutters eyelashes cutely*/

THANKYOU PO IF YOY ACTUALLY DO THIS HOPE U DONT DROWN IN REQS OR SMTH HAVE A GREAT DAY MWAMWAA also i don't even know which characters are good with this kinda prompt so honestly im dependin on u 2 choose whoevee u want 🙇‍♀️ bye sissymars 🥺🥺🤭🤭🤗🤗

　　　　　　TWST x gn reader

　　　　『　malleus ,, sebek ,, riddle ,, cater ,, floyd ,, gender neutral reader    』

　　-> reader who squishes cheeks when ppl stare too much

　　— fluff ,, sfw ,, crack

　　— TYSM 😭♥️♥️ this made my day omg ,, so glad you like my writing ,, i kinda did a few from each dorm you asked for except for octavinelle bc character limit is 5 for me 😭💔 but youre more than welcome to request for others ! :D hope you enjoy this 🙏❤️

    - malleus

| • he usually doesnt mean to stare for too long ,, always knowing it was rude and how it feels to be stared at by others

| • though he was focused on talking about the gargoyles at the gates and hadnt tore his gaze away for a moment

| • he shut up immediately the moment you reached out and squished his cheeks ,, eyes wide in astonishment

| • how fearless you are ,, child of man

| • he does ask about it ,, wondering what the reason was for ,, and when he learns why he apologizes and promises not to do it again

    - sebek

| • bro was on another rant abt his master ,, how courageous and how kind he is for putting up with these stupid humans everyday

| • oh how he adored his master ,, how pure and wonderful he was

| • it got to the point he was shaking your shoulders and making direct ,, intense ,, eye contact

| • annoyed with how long he was staring ,, you reached up and squeezed his cheeks

| • he jumps back ,, so confused and offended

| • why would you do that !?? explain now human !!

| • he huffs and puffs about the reasoning ,, but listens and respects your boundaries

    - riddle

| • he was probably ranting about another reckless first year making a mess of the kitchen or some students ignoring the queen’s rules

| • he didnt mean to stare for too long ,, most likely already knowing about how you get about it

| • when you squish his cheeks ,, he may or may not have let out an embarrassing squeak

| • he’ll puff his cheeks and apologize ,, telling you not to talk abt the squeak to anyone

| • his face is so red by the end ,, embarrassed he let himself stare too long and let out a squeak

    - cater

| • knowing how observant he is ,, he’d know about it immediately when he sees you do it to ace and deuce

| • he’ll be quick to discard his eyes when he realizes hes been looking too long

| • though he sort of stared a little too long once ,, trying to take a selfie with you

| • when you squish his cheeks outta nowhere ,, he’ll jump back a little and almost drop his phone

| • he apologizes and says he was adoring you for the moment ,, before taking the selfie and moving on to focus on that

    - floyd

| • he probably stares on purpose when he gets ahold of this information

| • its only so you can squish his cheeks ,, hes a bit weird abt it ,, craving your touch and if staring at you long enough grants him that then he will gladly do so

| • but if you get rlly bothered by it than he will stop

| • this time he just happened to do it accidentally ,, trying to memorize your smile as much as he could while it was there

| • he didnt realize what he was doing until you squeezed his cheeks with a huff

| • he blinked a few times before giggling and pulling you into his lap ,, wrapping his arms around you

| • “ ahhh sorry shrimpy ~ i didnt mean to stare too much ,,” he purred before pressing a kiss to your head

[cultofdarkwood]

Hee! Saw your call for ficlet prompts. So how about, Leshycat with ‘Do flowers really taste that good?’

- you know who ;)

immediately needed to combine these two bcz Yesss.

Yarrow, yellow cat, they/them! yall feel free to steal the name yarrow btw, idc

-

Work in the fields began before sunrise, which meant the farmers had to be up before light. For Yarrow, it wasn't too major of an adjustment. They were used to farming back in their now destroyed village in Darkwood.

For their housemate though, it was an issue.

The Lamb had placed the cult's newest recruit in Yarrow's shared shelter. Before him, Yarrow had been living here all alone, enjoying both the space and the peace and quiet. Now, the blind bagworm he had for a roommate seemed to live to disrupt every part of Yarrow's life, and he despised waking up early. This morning seemed to be an exception.

The Lamb couldn't seem to get Leshy to hold down a job he wouldn't immediately fuck up, so Leshy didn't work. Since he didn't work, he had a lot of free time. And since he seemed to live to poke fun at Yarrow, it was more often than not that Leshy would show up halfway through the day to follow them around the fields while they worked. He lived to cause as much chaos as he could get away with without upsetting the Lamb, so most of the trouble he caused involved eating through the garden that Yarrow tended to instead of the cult's crucial crops.

This morning, Leshy was up before the sun. Yarrow sighed, and resigned themself to a long day.

"Good morning, Leshy," they said, mostly to be courteous. The bagworm grunted and said nothing. Yarrow sighed, placed their farmer's hat on their head, and headed out the door. Whether or not Leshy followed them was his choice.

Unfortunately, he did.

As Yarrow got to work with the other farmers in the field, Leshy plopped himself down in the flower garden, digging his hands in the dirt. They had learned to ignore his antics, knowing he just wanted to get a rise out of them, but as they watched him, they couldn't help but feel something was off.

"Hey, Leshy?" they spoke up, watching him shove a handful of flowers into his gaping mouth. He didn't pay them any attention. "Leshy, are you okay?"

The blind bagworm paused, another flower halfway to his mouth. He seemed bewildered by the question, though it was hard to tell with how covered his face was.

"I just ask because, you usually never wake up this early," Yarrow felt the sudden need to explain, their dirty paw coming up to absent-mindedly rub the back of their neck. "And you usually like to-"

"Shut up," Leshy muttered with none of his usual bite, before shoving the flower in his mouth.

Yarrow huffed. "Well, sorry for trying to care," they muttered back, but they couldn't bring themself to step away. Maybe it was just the morning air, but Leshy seemed upset.

"Do flowers really taste that good?" they found themself asking, watching him destroy the garden they put so much care into. Leshy paused again, and Yarrow felt the need to explain themself once more, stammering through their next words. "I mean, I just see you eating them all the time. I've never tried one myself, well, just raw like that I mean. I've had some of them in teas before, but that's definitely different than just-"

"They help me see," Leshy answered shortly, startling the yellow cat into silence. "Not like how I used to, not like real seeing. But... I can taste the colors they are. Feels like seeing, sometimes."

"Oh," Yarrow said. Awkwardly, they looked down, and began to anxiously pick through the fur of their hands. "That, uh... sounds like fun?"

"I wanted to see the sunrise this morning," Leshy grumbled, though it was more of a quiet mutter. He shoved another flower in his mouth, his voice so quiet that Yarrow had to strain to hear it. "Which is stupid."

"It's not stupid," Yarrow said, feeling a lot less annoyed about the way Leshy liked to destroy their flower garden. "I see it every morning, but I still look forward to it even though I've seen it a million times. It's about to start now."

Leshy grumbled wordlessly, gathering together red, orange, and some golden yellow flowers. Yarrow watched, knowing they probably should've been getting back to work, but unable to pull themself away.

"You should add pink in there," they suggested quietly. The branching antlers on the sides of Leshy's heads twitched, and the worm turned his head towards them as though looking at them. "The sunrises here, they always start with pink."

Leshy didn't say a word, but reached across the flower garden to grab a handful of pink flowers. Despite the fact that it was their garden he was destroying, Yarrow let themself be impressed by how well Leshy knew where everything was planted.

"It's starting," Yarrow said quietly, and Leshy gave a clicking chitter, a noise he usually made when he was annoyed. This time though, it sounded softer, almost nicer. They could almost let themself believe it was appreciative.

Leshy shoved the first of the flowers in his mouth as the sun crested the horizon.

[byeoltoyuki]

✧ Give it to me ✧ - part 1

↳ Pairing: Bangchan x Reader / Felix x Reader (kind of)

❧ Genre : gang au / romance / smut / strangers to lovers / fluff / some fake texts

❧ Words: 31k

Part 1 : +17k ⎢Part 2 : +13k

❧ Warnings : Violence / mention of death / guns / mention of drugs / mention of human trafficking / smut (in part 2)

❧ Summary: Everything in life has a cost. Even freedom. To be finally out of your father’s clutches you were ready for everything. Including making a deal with the Devil. 

❧ A/N: After rewritting this story twice, I'm finally done with it. Can't say it was easy and I can't thank enough my friends who had to deal with my mental breakdowns, all my complaining and frustration. Thank you to my baby koala for this lovely moodboard ❤️

It was supposed to be a prompt but somehow I got carried away.

Since tumblr didn't let me post the story in one part, I cut it. The 2nd part will come out shortly ❤️.

Hope you enjoy your reading!

▾▾▾

“Boss wants to see you.” Ren interrupted your peaceful, and only way of escape, reading time as he stepped inside your room without knocking.

You barely glanced at him. One, your book was way more interesting than whatever he had to say. Two, it was Ren, your bodyguard, and your probably only friend in this place, which meant he was completely used to your behavior and could definitely deal with it. Three, the mention of the ‘Boss’ who happened to be your father, was a good enough excuse for ignoring him.

And Ren expected nothing less from you. From the moment he was asked to bring you to your father’s office, he knew, he was sent to a bloody loud battle. “Can you please for once make it easy?”

You slammed the book shut, giving him your undivided attention, trying to look as sweet and innocent as possible. Which would have worked on anyone other than Ren. He had seen it all and saw through you. Not surprising (yet still incredibly annoying in your opinion) considering you had spent the last two years in his company. Two years in hell could be a very long time.

“You’d get bored if it was easy.” You commented and crawled to the edge of your bed; eyes locked on him.

Ren considered for a moment to just throw you over his shoulder and carry you to the office. It was so damn tempting. Instead, he sighed and pleaded. “Please.”

“Boring.” You huffed, disappointed. However, you quickly recovered from your disappointment as you spotted a bright red cut showing from under his shirt. You frowned and immediately got on your feet. “What’s this?” You pulled at his shirt too harshly, fingers brushing the cut – Ren winced and slapped your hand away.

“Nothing.” But it wasn’t nothing. If Ren could read you like a book, so could you. You had been around him long enough to pick up his habits, especially when he was lying. He was trying to look everywhere except at your face and he was clenching his fists.

Ren wanted you to drop the subject, he didn’t need you to be noisy about it and do something probably incredibly stupid that would attract attention on the two of you. But he knew a lost battle when he saw one.

And he was right. You reached for the edge of his shirt and lifted it without asking for his permission, knowing damn well he wouldn’t agree to it, knowing he would do anything to avoid troubling you. Your grip on his shirt tightened, knuckles turning white, as you saw the damage. His chest wasn’t covered in just cuts but also with bright purple bruises.

“Who?” You whispered, voice shaking in both anger and pain.

“I got into a fight with John.” Ren ended up admitting. He could have tried to lie his way out, but one glance at your face was enough to convince him that telling the truth was the better option.

You let go of his shirt and took a step back. Of course, it was John. Nobody in their right mind would mess with Ren, he was known for being a strong fighter and a cold killer. But John? John was your father’s right-hand and a real piece of shit. You had known him half of your life and hated it him from day one.

You counted to ten, breath in, breath out. Nope, still angry.

“This fucker! God, can he just die already? Nobody is going to mourn him.” You yelled in frustration. “Except maybe for my father.” You pointed an accusing finger at him. “Why the hell did you let him beat the crap out of you? I refuse to believe that you’re weaker than him.”

Ren was touched that you had such a high opinion of his skills. “I’m not. But John is Boss’s right-hand. I can’t mess with him without risking my position. Unless you want someone else as your bodyguard.”

You cringed at his suggestion. You didn’t want him to be your bodyguard to begin with, but with time you got used to him. But getting another one? Hell no.

“What does he want?” You changed the subject.

“No idea.” Ren shrugged.

▾▾▾

You never liked visiting your father’s office. You couldn’t explain why it bothered you so much, but it did. Maybe it had something to do with him doing his evil business from inside, or maybe whether he summoned you inside, he had bad news for you. Today was not an exception.

John was standing by your father’s desk, hands behind his back, his face wore a smug expression which caused your unease to grow only more. There was definitely some bad news for you.

Without fully realizing it, you glanced over your shoulder just to confirm that Ren was following you, his presence bringing a very needed comfort while facing your father. You fully ignored John and instead approached your father’s desk, trying not to show your annoyance (which would bring you even more problems). “You asked for me?”

“I did.” Your father confirmed without raising his head from the documents he was reading. “We’re attending a charity party tonight. I had your dress delivered to your room.”

The urge to complain was burning through you. Those parties had always been the bane of your existence; boring, filled with arrogant people; some were politician, some were just filthy rich, but some, like your father, were criminals who had no problem to blend in.

“I expect you to be on your best behavior.” Your father finally raised his head to look at you, his brows furrowed. He thought that he had you finally under control, especially after the little incident from last year, but something told him he should be careful. Especially tonight, when so much was on stake.

“Why?” You dared to ask. There had to be a reason he insisted on you being a good girl, one that would probably displease you, but you still wanted to hear it.

Your father approached you without a word but his eyes spoke louder than any word could. He didn’t hesitate, not even for a second – he slapped you. “Listen well, Y/N. Tonight, I’m going to introduce you to a very powerful man who’s also my new business partner. You will present yourself as the perfect daughter that you are. A pretty, polite, lady. If you don’t-“ He paused, choosing carefully his next words, “Let’s say that what happened last year would seem like a nice dream.”

▾▾▾

“What an asshole!” You screamed the moment you got back inside your room, Ren following you like your shadow. He didn’t need to be so close to you when you were stuck in your room, in fact, he had no business at all following you inside your room, but he was worried.

“I can’t believe he wants to parade me like a damn trophy.” You continued mumbling to yourself, fuming with rage.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time he would bring you to one of those parties just to show his beautiful little girl, but you could tell tonight would be different. You didn’t know in what way, but it couldn’t be anything good. Not when he threatened you so nicely. Not when out of all the threats he could have chosen, he chose to remind you of the consequences of your last attempt at escaping.

You grabbed a vase from the cupboard and threw it across the room.

“Y/N.” Ren grabbed your hands, stopping you in your fit of rage. “Look at me.”

You refused, shaking your head. The need to lash out, to scream was just so strong, you could barely hold back.  Even Ren’s presence was making you angry, his attempt at calming you made things so much worse. You tried to get rid of his grip, to put space between the two of you but it was of no use. Ren was much stronger; he didn’t even budge which only fueled your rage.

“Let me go. Right now.” You ordered; your voice filled with poison. A wrong word from him and he would feel the power of your rage.

But Ren being Ren kept his calm. He had been around you long enough to know, to understand how you worked. He saw what you could become when trapped. “Y/N.” He let go of your hands, only to cup your face and force you to look at him.

It was really unfair how big, how bright, how gentle, his eyes were. There was no resent, no anger in his eyes, no will to tell you what to do, only genuine worry and wish to help you. “Breath.”

Easy thing to say when your whole body was boiling with rage.

“Come on, pretty. Do it for me, please.”

You closed your eyes and concentrated on his voice, on this touch, his scent to ground you. His deep yet incredibly sweet voice.

“Yes, just like that.” He praised you while he stroked your cheek with his thumb, trying to help you to calm down. “You’re doing so well, pretty.”

Slowly, his gentle strokes along with his praises helped you to breath properly, your heartbeat slowed down, your blood no longer boiling. Resentment was the only thing left inside you and sadly, there was nothing to get rid of it.

“It’s red.” Ren commented, his thumb brushing lightly against the red mark on your face.

It didn’t hurt that much anymore. In fact, you forgot all about it because of your anger. “Nothing makeup can’t hide.”

“I still hate it.”

Of course, he did.

You were truly amazed how things had changed between you two in just two years. The first time your father had introduced you to the freckled man, you hated his guts instantly, no matter how pretty he looked with his long blond hair, pretty nose and pretty freckles.  

It wasn’t like he had done anything for you to hate him, but he was your father’s man and someone he trusted enough to deal with you. And you had been right to be wary of him. After all, he was the one who found you and brought you back after your last attempt at escaping. He was the one who, because you refused to come back, killed your friend without blinking an eye. You loathed him for that.

Now, you could wonder why you managed to get past that. You didn’t really know yourself. Maybe because he was forced to be your shadow. Maybe because whenever you got beaten up, he was the one taking care of your wounds and comforting you. Maybe because despite his loyalty to your father, he still showed you compassion and would even help you to go out more often than you were allowed. to 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ren asked

You watched him closely; his pretty lips that were too inviting for your liking. His pretty, shining eyes. His curls. Everything about Ren was pretty and tempting. For a moment, you forgot all about your rage and instead felt rather playful. Why the hell not. “Want to help me to get dressed?”

Ren rolled his eyes in response and gently pushed you from him. “Don’t start.” It wasn’t a first time he was warning you. But did you listen? Not really.

You laughed instead. “Too bad for you!”

You pulled your shirt over your head, unbothered with his presence. In fact, you made sure to stand close enough to him, just to see if he still had it in him to resist. You had to give it to him; Ren had a strong self-control, but for how long? It wasn’t the first time you undressed with him in the room; you loved seeing him clench his fists, frowning as you were testing his patience.

“Y/N.” Ren called for you, his voice getting incredibly deep and dangerous, sending shivers down your spine. “You can’t keep doing that.” But did it stop him from admiring you? Did it stop him from looking at your fully exposed, pretty breasts? Absolutely not. Unknowingly to him, he licked his lips.

“Says who?” You challenged him, your hands slowly reaching for the buttons of your shorts.

It was apparently the wrong thing to say and to do. In a matter of seconds, he had you pinned against the wall, one hand wrapped around your throat while the other was holding your wrists above your head. His body was pressed against yours, warm and firm. A knee right between your thighs – you had to bite back a moan.

If he was trying to look intimidating, he was doing a poor job. Did he expect you to cower before him just because you were pinned against a wall? What a joke. His proximity set your whole body on fire. You didn’t care at all about getting dressed, you wanted him to touch you, to feel those lovely lips on your skin.

“Stop doing that.” He growled. A growl that vibrated through you.

“Do what?” You tried to look innocent, pretending not to know what you were doing.

Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance and moved his face closer, patience running thin. “I’m still a man remember?” His lips mere inches from yours, so easily to reach for, so tempting.

“Are you?” You dared him, wishing nothing more than for him to lose his self-control and have some fun.

It was a bad idea. A very bad idea. You knew, he knew. And nobody gave a damn.

“Fuck.” Ren cursed, his lips crashing against yours. He completely let go of your hands, letting you wrap your arms around his neck, letting you press yourself harder against him as you kissed him back with just as much intensity, with just as much need and despair.

Ren didn’t hesitate. He lifted you from the floor. You wrapped your legs around his middle, your mouth devouring his. Gone was the sweet-looking man, replaced with a hungry beast who wanted nothing more than devour you whole. And he did.

▾▾▾

Just like you had expected it, the party was not your cup of tea. Fortunately for you, whatever your father had planned for you, he didn’t expect it to happen right from the beginning which left you some very deserved freedom. Ren had followed you to the party, like expected from him, but instead of staying by your side like he would usually do, he chose to watch you from afar, looking dashing in his suit with his hair pushed back. He stared back at you, his face blank, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking about.

You licked your lips as memories of him between your legs, feasting on you, mere hours ago, played in your mind.

“I must say,” Soojin started saying, her eyes also on Ren, “This man is hot.”

You looked at your friend with a smile. You had met Soojin at one of those parties. She was bored, you were bored and just like that you had bonded. It wasn’t that hard considering how bold Soojin was. She was a free spirit, a beautiful young woman, an excellent actress who had your father fooled. Or maybe she was just that charming. Your father accepted your friendship and even let you meet her outside of those boring parties. You admired her for this miracle.

“I know.” You hid your smile in your drink.

“You’re hot too by the way.”

You knew you were. Despite your hatred for your father, you couldn’t deny that he had great taste when it came to clothes. Especially those you had to wear. He had chosen a long, sleeveless, bright red dress that hugged all your curves perfectly. “When am I not?”

“True!” She laughed heartily. “But there must be a special occasion or?”

See, in addition to being extremely beautiful and charming, she was also incredibly perceptive and clever. “Apparently, I’m about to meet his new business partner. I’m not looking forward.”

Soojin nodded her head in understanding. “Probably another rich, arrogant, old man.”

‘Just like my father.’ You wanted to add but refrained. Your face however said it all.

Soojin patted your arm. There wasn’t much she could do to help you except being herself and try to distract you from bad thoughts. But even that wouldn’t last.

Soojin noticed your father walking towards you with a frown. “Get ready, the monster is approaching.”

To avoid an open argument, you chose to join your father before he could reach the two of you. You gave Soojin a reassuring smile before looking back at your father. It was time to play pretend. With him and the others.

“Remember what I told you.” He said the moment you joined his side, linking your arm with his.

How could you forget. You put on your prettiest smile and walked with him. Two men were waiting for you in the middle of the room. One around your father’s age, looking dangerous and just evil with the way he was looking at people. The younger man, however, looked simply out of place.

“Rick!” The older man called for your father; a big smile plastered on his face.

Your father walked faster to reach the man, clearly excited. You, on the other hand, was dreading this encounter.

“Hope you’re enjoying the party.” Your father shook his hand with the man, before turning to you. “Kang, this is my daughter, Y/N.”

Kang eyed you from head to toe, eyes lingering longer than acceptable on your chest. You fought the urge to roll your eyes, instead, you outstretched your hand for him to shake. “Pleasure to meet you.” Except it wasn’t a pleasure at all.

“I must say, you are a very lucky man. Your daughter is really beautiful.” Kang commented, satisfied with your presence. Then, he pointed at the younger man beside him. “This is Matt, my son.”

Matt nodded his head to acknowledge your presence but surprisingly that was it. You quirked your brow, curious about the turn of event. You thought he would be like his father, watching you like a prize to win, but instead he barely looked at you, his interest completely somewhere else. Curious, you followed his eyes, only to find him looking at Ren. And you recognized that look. Matt was interested in your bodyguard.

‘Oh boy.’

You took advantage of the fact that your father was too busy discussing about business with Kang, to get closer to Matt. You put your hand on his arm and enjoyed how tensed this simple touch got him. He was not enjoying it while you definitely were.

“He’s pretty, isn’t he?” You whispered to Matt, startling him in the process.

“Wha-what?” He quickly cleared his throat, just in case his father would look his way. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Can’t blame you. Ren is pretty.” You completely ignored his attempt at hiding his preferences. You leaned even closer. From outside it looked like the two of you were really getting along, when in reality, you were simply making things clear with him. “But he’s mine.”

He was not. But Matt didn’t need to know that.

“I think, Y/N will make a fine wife.” Kang’s comment brought your attention back on them.

You cringed at his words from inside. Of course, he would make a comment like that, it was expected but still, it disgusted you to no end. It was one thing dealing with your father and his view of the world, or his opinion about women but it was a whole different story dealing with his acolytes.

Your father laughed at his comment. “I’m looking for a good husband. It’s time for her to settle down.”

His words left you speechless. Since when had he been thinking about marriage? Worse yet, why was Kang looking at you like a potential bride? Then it dawned on you that the reason your father wanted so badly to introduce you to Kang wasn’t only to show his pretty daughter. No. He wanted to sell you off.

No. You couldn’t let that happen. Never.

With shaky hands, you looked at Kang and then at your father who with just one glance understood that you were about to go against his orders.

“If you’ll excuse me.” You turned your back on them and walked away as fast as you could, back to the safety of Soojin’s company.

There would be consequences for your disobedience, but right now you couldn’t care less.

“Bad luck?” Soojin handed you a shot of vodka, surprised they would even have it at the party – you emptied it in one go. “That bad huh.”

“Bunch of assholes.” You wanted to punch someone, to relieve your anger, sadly, Ren couldn’t save you from yourself this time, instead, you grabbed another shot and another.

“Are you going to be ok?” Soojin worried, realizing that your behavior would mean trouble for you.

You looked at her, pondering whether you should tell her the truth or not. Scratch that, it was Soojin, of course you could tell her. “I guess I deserve a slap at best.” Soojin winced. “Don’t worry.”

“Hard not to.”

You sighed in defeat and grabbed another shot. “Soojin.” You stared at your shot, your anger completely vanished, only to be replaced with sadness. “I need to find a way to escape and make sure he never finds me.”

“What are you planning to do?”

You wished you knew. You brought your shot to your lips – a shot you never get to finish as you found yourself staring at an unfamiliar face across the room. An extremely handsome face. Black hair, sharp jaw, strong nose, plump lips, pretty, dark eyes. He wore black trousers, black shirt with three undone buttons, rolled sleeves that revealed strong, veiny forearms (which happened to be one of your many weaknesses).

‘Well shit.’ Maybe your night wasn’t a waste of time after all. You stared at him, shamelessly, not minding for a second that he could catch you, in fact, you wanted him to look at you. Why not make this night a little bit more exciting?

It didn’t take him long to notice you and you had to admit that his piercing eyes sent shivers down your spine in both excitement and fear of what could come out of it. He stared at you with just as much intensity, interest and a hint of amusement. He brought his glass to his lips to hide the beginning of a really pretty smile.

“Who’s that?” You asked Soojin because despite hating those parties, she understood this world the best and she knew all the people in this room.

Soojin followed your gaze and paled at the sight of the man. “Oh hell no. Forget about it right now, Y/N.” She spoke quickly, clearly panicking at your sudden interest in the man. She knew, you were reckless, daring, always scheming which always got you in trouble and this time wouldn’t be different if she didn’t try to stop you. “He’s someone you don’t want to mess with. I heard that-“

Too late, you were already walking over.

▾▾▾

He watched your every move, your every step - it made you smile; you had his full attention. You could have walked straight to him and start a conversation but where would the fun be? You stopped by the table near him and his friend, pretending to look for the food and not for them, not for him. You could feel his eyes on you but it didn’t stop him from talking to his friend either.

“Damn, this looks yummy.” His friend commented while eying the food on the table, drooling on the spot.

“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.” You commented with a chuckle. You pointed at the food that indeed looked good. “Saw few people leaving and throwing their guts up after eating from this table.”

The man jumped, startled, from the table as if it had burned him. His shocked face was quite endearing, you had to admit. But of course, your attention was all on the mysterious man - he smirked, noticing how you couldn’t stop yourself from watching him.

“You should thank your savior, Jisung.”

And he did, without hesitation. Jisung took a step towards you and gently grabbed your hand. “Thank you, my lady.” And with that he planted a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“Y/N is fine.” You laughed at his behavior. You didn’t expect to be called a lady and even less have your hands kissed (on second thought, you were glad it was from someone as lovely as Jisung and not as disgusting as Kang); he didn’t look like an old fashion man. Never judge a book by its cover, you should know that better than anyone.

“Y/N. Lovely. I’m Jisung and the broody friend is Chris.” Feeling bold, he leaned closer to you. “He looks scary but he’s actually a teddy bear.”

Chris sighed at the description. He could always count on his friends to make fun of him in any possible situation and destroy his reputation and probably ruin his chances with any hot woman. He did his best looking menacing, making sure that boring, greedy people just wouldn’t strike up a conversation with him.

“Ok, that’s enough.” He grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled him away from you in case he would try to get even more touchy and daring. “Please ignore him.”

You waved your hand. “I think he’s cute.”

Chris snorted at that. “As cute as he can get.” He outstretched his hand for you to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, Y/N.”

Oh boy, you liked the sound of your name coming out of his mouth. Without hesitation, you shook his hand, smiling widely.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” Chris commented, still holding your hand. You could have pulled away any time, but it felt too nice for you to let go. “I would have remembered.”

You would have remembered him too. How could you not when he was looking so damn good? And more importantly, he felt different from the other people present in the room. You didn’t doubt he was part of this world, but he didn’t have this arrogant, rich aura around him.

“I hate attending these stupid parties.” You admitted and he finally let go of your hand. You almost whined at the loss. Almost.

“Ha!” Jisung scoffed loudly and nudged his friend. “He too hates these parties. I come for the food.”

Soojin would have loved this guy. Your smile softened at his remark. “I-“

“There you are, Y/N.” You got interrupted by Ren. He had his hand on your back, ready to pull you away from the two men. Whenever you were happy about it or not.  

Was it just an impression or the temperature in the room dropped by few degrees? Ren looked incredibly pissed; a vein popped out in his neck as he looked straight at Chris. If looks could kill both Chris and Jisung would be dead.

“You always have a bad timing.” Jisung commented, still smiling, but he didn’t sound that excited anymore.

You didn’t know what to think. They obviously knew each other which meant either Ren had worked for them at one point in his life or they had been enemies for a while. Did it mean they were your father’s enemy? You wondered.

You grabbed Ren’s arm, making sure that he wouldn’t do something stupid. He was always calm, composed, but right now he seemed ready to throw punches and you really didn’t want that.

“You chose the wrong side, Ren.” Chris finally said but his eyes moved to you, understanding dawned on him.

Ren rolled his eyes at his words. “Did I give you the impression that I care about your opinion?”

Before the situation could get out of hands you moved and stood right between Ren and Chris. You glanced at Chris, feeling sorry that you didn’t get a chance to spend more time with him and see where it could lead, before averting your eyes to Ren. “That’s enough. Let’s go?”

▾▾▾

The moment you got back home, you completely ignored Ren, not even sparing him a glance, still upset with how the night had unfolded. He let you leave without a word, knowing there was no point in talking, no point in fighting. He had done his job.

You sat on the floor by the window, watching the stars in silence. Except in your head, it was far from silent, thoughts running wild. You couldn’t stop thinking about Chris, about his interaction with Ren, his realization about who was your father.

“Where’s this wench?!” You heard your father yelling through the house – you winced and wrapped your arms around yourself, to give you strength or maybe in hope to protect yourself.

Just from his yelling alone, you knew he was furious. Best behavior? You forgot all about it and he was ready to make you pay for it. You wished there was something you could do to prevent him from coming to your room, but even if you tried, it would only make things worse for you.

“Dammit.” You cursed

“She’s sleeping.” You heard Ren’s voice right behind your door.

“Move.” Your father ordered but Ren did none of that. “Are you defying me right now?”

“Of course not, Boss.” But he was, you thought to yourself. He was trying to stop your father from getting his hands on you which made your heart ache. You made his life difficult and he still tried to defend you in his own twisted, sometimes, way. “But I think she had her share of emotions for the night.”

You didn’t think Ren could convince your father to spare you, but his words clearly caught his attention as you heard him ask, “What do you mean?”

“Christopher was at the party. She met him.” There was a dead silence, following Ren’s words. You couldn’t, obviously, see your father’s reaction, but whatever it was, Chris’s name made him pause.

“What did he say to her?” Your father finally asked, much calmer now, and yet, you swore there was something in his voice. Could it be panic? It couldn’t be.

“I’m not sure.” Ren admitted, “I don’t think she spent much time in his presence.”

“Good. I don’t need this bastard getting any closer to her.”

You heard him loud and clear. If your father hated Chris so much, then it was your chance to start planning. Maybe Chris was just as bad as your father, maybe he wasn’t, but you knew you needed a way out.

You grabbed your phone and texted Soojin, the only person you could really count on and someone who was really good at looking into someone’s life.

You stared at your phone and thought for a moment. Soojin had a point, even if it pained you to admit it. Even if you managed to get out and reach Chris, you had nothing to give him in exchange for his help. There was nothing you could give him to help him to get rid of your father.

But you soon realized that it wasn’t entirely true. It was still night and you were at your father’s place which meant you could sneak around and try to find valuable information. Was it risky? Hell yes. Did you have a choice? Not really.

With this goal on mind, you left the safety of your room and prayed to whoever wished to listen that you would not get caught.

▾▾▾

Your father’s office was too big for your liking. There were so many places to look through and not enough time. It was the middle of the night, but you couldn’t be hundred percent sure your father wouldn’t come to his office. He was after all a workaholic which meant you had to be quick.

You looked through his papers, trying to find information about his business and especially his illegal activities but there were none which didn’t make sense. Was your father that careful? That paranoid? Or was he just so good at hiding his dirty secrets?

There must be something. You refused to give up so easily. You looked through his drawers but still nothing. It was slowly driving you crazy. But then, when you thought all hope was lost, a frame caught your eyes. It was a picture of your mom and a very young you. You didn’t take your father for a sentimental, not after what he had done to your mom. The official story was she had filed for divorce and left. But you knew better.

You grabbed the frame and stilled for a moment. Your heart ached at the sight of your mom. Ever since her disappearance, you avoided looking at the pictures. Too scared of your feelings, of the pain that would follow. You missed her, so much. Living with both your father and your mom was hard, but mom’s presence had always made things bearable. Whenever your father got violent, she was always there to mend your wounds. She did her best with what she had and you always loved her for that.

“I miss you, mom.” You whispered, fingers trailing over the picture.

Just when you were about to put it back to its place, you felt something brushing your fingers on the back of the frame. “What-“ You turned it around only to find an usb-stick taped on the frame.

“I thought I heard you sneak out.” Ren’s voice startled you, giving you a heart attack.

“Bloody hell, Ren!!” You muffled your yell. “What are you doing here?”

Ren quirked a brow at you. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking this question? Are you out of your mind?”

You quickly hid the frame behind your back, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He did but chose not to comment. Instead, he stayed by the door, fists clenched.

The tension was thick between the two of you. You, still upset about his behavior earlier at the party. Him, upset with you sneaking around and looking for more trouble. He managed, by some miracle, to stop your father from punishing you, but should you be caught tonight, there was nothing he would be able to do to protect you. And it pained him, more than you could know.

“Whatever you’re planning. Don’t.”

Of course, he would say something like that. You kept your lips sealed in fear of revealing too much and risking your plan.

“You know there’s nothing you can do.”

But you could, he just hadn’t realized it yet.

“Y/N,” Ren took a step toward you but stilled. He shook his head and held back. “He will ask me to bring you back.” And here you had thought, he didn’t know about your plan. “And you know I will come for you. I always will.”

If only he could disregard his loyalty to your father, his words would have been so much more meaningful. Still, your treacherous heart fluttered at his voice.

“I really don’t want to hurt you.” He admitted, “Not again.”

With that, Ren left.

▾▾▾

Escaping your house was never the hardest part in your different plans. Sometimes, because it amused your father, sometimes because he didn’t care until he needed you. Today was no exception. You walked out of the house without trouble. No Ren on sight which did worry you for a moment but in the end, it was for the better. You couldn’t imagine yourself dealing with him right now, because he would know what you were up to.

Soojin didn’t disappoint you. Two days, it was the time it took her to gather all the information she could on Chris. About his business, about his life - it was impressive. He was a very powerful man without big scandals which, in your opinion, was remarkable. Soojin tried to dig as much as she could, wanting to find dirt on him and prove to you that getting involved with him was a very bad idea. She found nothing. Either the stories about him were just some baseless rumors or he was really good at concealing the truth. Honestly? You didn’t care. He was your only hope and you were willing to make a deal with the devil if it meant freedom.

That was how you found yourself walking straight to his company’s headquarters. You weren’t invited, had no meetings planned but you were a confident, strong woman who knew how to behave to get what you wanted.

For the past twenty-four hours, you went through different scenarios, wanting to be as ready as you could be once facing the different obstacles. However, once you got to the reception, you were met with a sight you had not counted on at all. Jisung was leaning against the counter, chatting happily with a pretty brunette, clearly flirting. The sight of the man brought a small smile on your face. Maybe you had all the chances to get what you wanted.

“Hey Jisung!” You called after him, walking slowly towards him.

“Y/N!” He almost squealed at the sight of you.

After spending so much time with fake people, you could tell when someone was pretending, Jisung, however, seemed genuinely happy seeing you.

He surprised you once more by hugging you tightly as if you had been friends for years. You wouldn’t have minded. “What are you doing here?”

“To see Chris.”

If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. Jisung looked over his shoulder, at the brunette and smiled. “I’ll take her to see the boss.”

“But-“ She was ready to protest. You couldn’t tell whether Jisung worked here or if they were just used to see him because he was Chris’s friend but clearly, he was going against the rules.

“It’s okay, don’t worry!” He reassured her by being a sunshine. He was really charming.

He showed you the way to the lift. Only when the doors were fully closed, he looked back at you. “He’s not expecting you, is he?”

“Of course not.” You smirked proudly

Jisung laughed loudly, clapping his hands in delight. “Oh you’re such a naughty little thing. I like you.”

▾▾▾

“Okay, so we might need to wait a little. I think he’s not done with the meeting.” Jisung said as he pointed at a huge wooden door that apparently led to Chris’s office.

The reasonable thing to do would be to listen to Jisung and wait patiently for your turn. But were you a patient woman? Sometimes, yes. Most of the time, no. And right now, you just couldn’t wait. You wanted to see the man and hopefully make a deal with him.

You glanced at Jisung, feeling almost sorry for him - he would get in trouble for bringing you here, you guessed. “Sorry, Jisung.”

“Sorry? For wha-“ He couldn’t finish his sentence as he saw you walking to the door. He realized too late what were your intentions. He palmed his face in despair, he was about to get his ass whooped, for sure.

You barged inside the office while your confidence hadn’t worn off. You eyed the room, noticing that there were at least ten people in the room, looking all positively shocked with your rude (according to them, you bet) interruption. You quickly disregarded their confused-angry-appalled look and averted your eyes to the man you were dying to see. He looked just as handsome as in your memory, if not better, wearing a suit. His aura was still as impressive, screaming power and strength.

A tiny part of you squirmed under his glare, but just a tiny part.

If Chris was surprised seeing you, he didn’t show it. He glanced over your shoulder, giving a stern glance at the poor Jisung (you really felt bad for involving him) before his eyes were back on you.

You stared at each other for a moment, ignoring the world surrounding you. You weren’t particularly fond of the attention but right now it seemed like a little to price to pay to have Chris’s eyes on you.

“Leave us.” Chris ordered, dismissing his people without even sparing a glance.

They all hurried to get out of the room as if sensing things could get out of control real quick. Was it because of your presence? Or was it also because of Jisung? You wondered.

“I tried to stop her!” You heard Jisung saying behind you, whining.

“I’ll deal with you later.” Chris replied with a roll of his eyes. “Leave us and don’t eavesdrop.”

Jisung muttered under his nose but did as he was told.

“He really tried.” You tried to defend him.

Chris, to your surprise, chuckled. “No, he didn’t.”

‘Thank god, he’s not angry.’ You told yourself, a tad relieved.

“Don’t get me wrong, Y/N, it’s a pleasure seeing you again so soon. But, what are you doing here?”

“Interrupting your meeting?” You played coy.

Chris ignored your attempt, seeing right through you. “Does your father know you’re here?”

You checked the time on your watch. “Well, by now, he might know I escaped. Again.”

Chris looked both impressed and pleased with your answer. Obviously, he knew nothing about you except for the fact that you were his enemy’s daughter.

“Why would you escape? He’s your family.” He asked, genuinely curious.

You scoffed. How could he say that? Didn’t he know what kind of man your father was? No, he was testing you.

“Please. You don’t strike me as a fool. I’m sure you know what kind of man, my father is. You know his worth.”

Chris stayed quiet for a moment, observing you. It was nerve wrecking. “Why are you here, Y/N?”

He tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for you to explain yourself.

It was now or never, you knew it, he knew it and yet no words left your mouth. It wasn’t like you to lose your composure but maybe your nerves were finally at their limits or maybe you were losing your shit because of importance of what you had to ask of him.

You dismissed your thoughts and your fear, you could do it. You walked towards him, hoping you looked confident and convincing enough. You sat on the edge of his desk and crossed your legs, getting comfortable.

Slowly, Chris’s gaze lowered to your exposed legs. Really, how could he resist when it was so nicely presented to him. After all, he was just a man. A powerful man, but still a man. You weren’t trying to seduce him, not yet, but if it helped your case then, why the hell not.

“I need your help.” You admitted. “I don’t know what’s kind of relationship you have with my father, but I believe you’re the only one who can help me to get free.”

Chris, from the moment you walked inside his office, guessed your visit had something to do with your father. In fact, he was convinced he was the one sending you as an offering, it would definitely be his style. A nice offering, he would admit; you were a pretty woman, with bright eyes, pretty plump lips and amazing curves that did not go unnoticed by Chris.

But this? This, he did not see it coming.

Chris stood up, towering over you easily. He put his hands on each side of your body, trapping you as he leaned closer. His proximity was overwhelming but you refused to budge. You let him study your face, looking for any signs of lies. He found none.

“You’re really serious about this.” It wasn’t a question but you nodded either way.

He let go of you and took a step back. “Let’s say I agree to help you. What makes you think you’ll be free? Do you expect me to help you out of good will?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m not a good man, Y/N.”

“Maybe you aren’t, but are you worse than my father?” You asked, genuinely curious. He could of course lie to you, but you had the impression that he was rather trying to paint a bad image of himself in order to make you fear him.

“Depends on whom you ask.”

You jumped from the desk and got closer to him. As you watched him, you came to realization that there was no way he could be worse than your father, just because he was trying to look like a villain.

“Let me ask you this, then.” You grabbed his hand and you had to resist the urge to look at it because hell it felt nice. Chris’s frown, on the other hand, deepened as he looked at your hand. “Let’s pretend for a second that I’m your girl and because I’m a brat, I decide to disobey you. Would you lock me up?”

“What?” His eyes snapped back to your face, clearly taken aback.

“You heard me.”

Chris should have been surprised with your words but sadly, he wasn’t. Your questions showed only what you went through and he expected nothing less from a man like your father. An insect who believed he could rule the world and treat people like shit.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

You let go of his hand took few steps back. “See, you’re already better than him.

Chris closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Give me time to think this over.”

You wished you could. You let go of his arm and smiled sadly. “Sadly, time is the only thing I don’t have.”

▾▾▾

Instead of sending you home, Chris asked Jisung to take you for a coffee. It gave you hope, maybe he wasn’t about to refuse to help you after all. You accepted without much protest and Jisung was too happy to oblige.

“Sorry for putting you into a bad position.” You apologized as Jisung put the cup of coffee before you.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Chris was happy with the interruption. He’s not fond of those meetings.” Jisung was way too nice which made you think that angering this man wouldn’t be easy. Not like you were planning to. “By the way, why are you here?”

You could have come up with a lie, easily, but something about Jisung made you trust him instantly. Maybe because he was so likable or maybe because Chris trusted him. Probably both. “I need his help to escape from my father.” 

Jisung chocked on his coffee, coughing strongly, hitting his chest to recover. Someone was not expecting this kind of answer from you.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you right away.” Jisung laughed, clapping his hands.

“I know, I’m charming like that.” You flipped your hair playfully. “I just hope he’ll accept.”

Jisung hummed, pondering on the question. He knew his friend well enough to guess that Chris would avoid useless conflicts if he could, however this time he wasn’t so sure. Chris wasn’t fond of your father, far from it even, there was a high possibility that he wouldn’t mind messing with him. Jisung would gladly help too.

“I don’t think he’ll say no. You’re offering him an opportunity to mess with your father. I bet he’s tempted.”

Whether Jisung was sincere or not, his words gave you hope. But not for long. Your attention went from Jisung to the man walking through the doors. You tensed, gasping in surprise. You thought you had more time before your father or his men would realize that you hadn’t left for shopping or for a walk. Worse yet, you expected to see Ren. But no, John was the one who walked through the door, his eyes finding you right away.

Your change of mood didn’t go unnoticed. “What’s wrong?”

He had his answer before you could even think about it. Without invitation, without even caring about checking his surroundings because he was just that arrogant and confident, John sat at your table, looking relaxed and unbothered, clearly Jisung’s presence meant nothing to him. Or maybe he didn’t look enough to recognize a threat when faced with one. His mistake.

“You’re getting sloppy, Y/N.” John commented, taping his fingers on the table. “You know why I’m here.”

To say that you were a tad worried would be an understatement. You had to think quickly, to find a way out without getting hurt and without bringing even more trouble to Jisung.

“Yeah.” You sighed, annoyed with the turn of the event. “And you know I won’t come with you.”

“And you know I’ll make you. You can either make it easy for both of us or-“

Jisung, bless the man, chuckled at the interaction. Apparently, John wasn’t the only unbothered one in the room. “And I think, you completely forgot where you are.”

Jisung’s whole demeanor changed from cheerful to dead cold - you shivered in response. What a whiplash. Here you thought he was a sweet and odd person by Chris’s side. You should have known better. He wasn’t just a friend. No, he was much more and you should have noticed it sooner.

John seemed to finally notice the man sitting beside him and for the first time you saw a glimpse of fear and recognition in his eyes.

‘Who’s getting sloppy huh.’ You thought, repressing a chuckle.

“You-“ John stuttered, recognizing the man by his side. He slid his hand in his jacket, trying to reach for his gun.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Because Jisung was much faster. He was half turned and was pointing his gun under the table.

John hesitated, eyes darting back and forth between you and Jisung. You had to admit that you were feeling particularly confident just because of the way Jisung behaved - seeing John squirming under his gaze was worth the risk.

“I would advise, you go back to your boss without causing any more trouble.”

“She has to come back with me.” John groaned. Obviously, he didn’t want to cause ruckus in the middle of a cafe and deal with Jisung, but coming back without you would make his life much more difficult.

“Nope.” Jisung pointed at you, “The pretty girl stays with me.”

What a flirt.

You blew him a kiss.

▾▾▾

It was extremely satisfying to watch John leave empty handed. You felt more relaxed and confident - you had made the right choice to come to Chris. Now, all you needed was for him to accept the deal.

Jisung brought you back to Chris’s office once sure John wouldn’t follow you and attempt anything reckless.

He didn’t.

“You’re out of your mind! Please stop thinking with your dick and think with your brain!” A loud and angry voice echoed from the half-opened door of Chris’s office.

Jisung stopped you right away by gently grabbing your arm and pulling you against his chest. He sighed, clearly recognizing the voice.

“You always have stupid ideas. She’s a brat. Worse yet, she’s his daughter! Why the hell would you bother with her?”

Jisung shook his head in disapproval before looking apologetically at you. “Sorry.”

You raised your hand to stop him from apologizing. He hadn’t done anything wrong and whoever was behind those words obviously knew nothing about you.

You winked playfully before storming inside like you owned the place, wanting to face the two men. Chris only quirked a brow at your presence while the other man’s frown only deepened at the sight of you. If looks could kill you would be dead. But instead of being intimidated (you definitely were), you chose to play it cool - you smiled sweetly at them.

“Y/N, this is Minho, a friend.” Chris introduced the angry man.

Just to spite him some more, you waved your hand cheerfully. “Hi, Minho.” Of course, he didn’t return the greeting but you didn’t mind. His opinion meant nothing to you.

Chris shook his head at your behavior, half amused half desperate. “Leave us, guys.”

“It’s a bad idea.” Minho muttered, not bothering hiding his displeasure.

“Come on.” Jisung almost pounced at Minho, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “They have to talk; we have no business in there.”

Minho had little choice but to follow Jisung judging by how strong his grip around him was. On his way out, Jisung winked at you, encouraging you. Yet, before leaving, he looked over his shoulder, at Chris. “Just so you know, they tried to get her back.” And with that he left the two of you alone, making sure to close the door behind them.

You realized that Jisung’s presence was comforting. Now, that you were standing alone with Chris, you were scared. Not of him, obviously, but about his decision. “So. What’s your answer?”

Chris watched you like a hawk for a moment which, despite your effort, unnerved you. He took slow steps towards you, hands in his pockets, looking as nonchalant as possible, stopping mere inches from you. You couldn’t ignore the warmth radiating from his body, his scent invading your senses – it would be so easy to get lost in him.

“I’ll take you to my place for the timing being.” He finally said

His answer should have made you happy, but it didn’t. “Another cage?”

Chris shook his head. “What you’re asking of me isn’t that easy. I need you to stay discrete for a while. Once Rick understands that I’m not giving you back, he’ll do something stupid.”

Sadly, you couldn’t refute it. You didn’t know to what extent your father would go in order to get you back and you didn’t really want to imagine it either.

“Maybe he’ll ask his dog to bring you back.”

“John? Already tried and failed thanks to Jisung.”

Chris shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, I wasn’t talking about John. Ren.”

You felt a flash of irritation at his words. Ren was someone you deeply cared for, even if he was your father’s man. Even if he had made the wrong choices. “Don’t talk about him like that.” For a short second you forgot you were supposed to be nice, to stay on his good side, but the moment he insulted your friend, you lost it.

Chris was half surprised with your sudden hostility. From what he saw at the party, the two of you were close but he didn’t imagine to this extent. “Is he your lover? Really?”

“He’s my friend.”

“Oh Y/N. I doubt it. But fine. I apologize for my poor choice of words.”

Scared your voice would betray your annoyance, you simply nodded your head. You couldn’t really pick a fight with Chris, not when you needed his help. Which reminded you; he still didn’t mention the price for his help.

“Chris, what do you want in exchange for your help?”

“I’ll come up with something.” Was all he said.

It should have terrified you. What if in the end he would ask something impossible to give? What if it was something that could make your life worse? Did you have any choice? Not really.

▾▾▾

Chris’s place was huge, not like you expected anything less from this man. Everything inside was either black or white which gave a rather classy atmosphere to the place. And the view – you would die to have such a view. Huge bay windows that led to a giant balcony, giving a perfect view on the town.

“Wah!” You squealed at the view, unable to refrain yourself from running to the window to admire the sight. It was dark outside but the city’s lights gave an almost eerie atmosphere that captivated you.

“Here,” Chris approached you, “You can have my t-shirt to sleep in. I’ll get you clothes and everything you need tomorrow.”

You glanced over your shoulder and smiled. “Thank you.” You weren’t only thanking him for the clothes. No, you were thanking him for everything he was doing for you. Technically, you were a stranger to him, he had no obligations towards you and yet, there you were.

Slowly, you returned your attention to the town. You wrapped your arms around yourself, comforting yourself. You were free. You did it.

“You’re ok?” Chris worried. You might be his enemy’s daughter, but you were also a human with deep wounds – he saw them, even if you tried to hide behind your smiles and confidence.

“Yeah. Feels weird to be free.” You admitted and chuckled at your silliness. “Well, almost free.” You turned, this time, to fully face him. In this dim light he looked even more handsome which shouldn’t be allowed. “Why did you really agree on helping me?”

Chris took another step towards you, hesitated before touching your cheek. His soft touch took you off guard but it was also comforting - you leaned into his touch, welcoming it.

“Let’s say, I have a soft spot for damsels in distress.”

Living with Chris promised to be an interesting experience.

▾▾▾

The very next day, just like Chris had promised, he had, everything you needed, delivered to you. You supposed he would be the one bringing it to you but no, half awake, you were met with a very loud, cheerful and now familiar voice.

“Special delivery!” Jisung yelled through the whole place just to make sure you would hear him and be aware of his presence.

Impossible to miss.

When you joined Jisung in the main room, he surprised you with tons of bags on the floor waiting for you. You halted, eyeing all the bags suspiciously. “Are these all for me?”

“Yep.” Jisung confirmed, “I picked everything myself!”

“Should I worry?” He looked way too excited and smug about it. Something was fishy. Had to.

“Probably.” He didn’t even try to deny, smirking. He plopped on the couch, acting as if this place was actually his (and maybe in a way it was seeing how close he and Chris were). “Check it.”

As you approached the bag, you kept your eyes on Jisung. “You look too excited for my liking. What did you do?”

Jisung gasped, feigning being hurt as he put his hand over his chest. “How can you doubt me like that?”

“Call it a hunch.”

Despite his smug expression, the first two bags were rather innocent; dresses, jeans, all kind of clothes. Too many clothes in your opinion. Another bag was filled with skincare and different brands of makeup – you glanced at Jisung wondering how he guessed what you needed and what you liked but he only shrugged in response. Either he had done some serious research on you or he was just good like that.

The fourth bag was the one that made you pause, pull the item from it and then groan. Red, lacy lingerie. Definitely your style, definitely sexy, but absolutely unnecessary. “What the hell, Jisung?”

“What? It’s hot!” He pointed at the lingerie, excited. “This will look good on you!”

“Yeah, but why the hell would I need it?”

“To seduce.”

“Who? You?”

Jisung actually laughed at that. “Me? Consider me already seduced.”

You shook your head, chuckling at his joke but really, you wouldn’t mind wearing this piece of clothes for Chris. You slapped yourself mentally for the thought. There was definitely something wrong with you.

“Hey Ji, thank you.”

▾▾▾

Despite spending most of your life in a rich household, it didn’t prevent you from developing some useful skills such as cooking. For some it was a sign you were a good wife-to-be, for others it was a waste of time. For you? It was a hobby you truly enjoyed.

There wasn’t much you could do to thank Chris for everything he was doing for you, but cooking a nice meal for the two of you seemed like a good plan. A part of you did it to thank him, but it was also a way for you to distract yourself from annoying thoughts. And boredom.

Music in your ears, a glass of wine in your hand, you danced and sang while cooking, wearing one of Chris’s shirts. You could have changed into your new clothes, but really, his clothes were just much more comfortable.

You were moving to the rhythm of the music, swinging your hips, bobbing your head– you hadn’t felt this good in years.  Completely in your own little world, you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings, you hadn’t noticed the moment Chris got back. Until it was too late.

The moment you turned around and saw him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking amazing, smiling at you – you froze. You took your headphones off your head and smiled sheepishly at him. “Hi?”

“You know, I can get used to that.” Chris admitted, clear fondness in his voice.

Even if Chris had accepted to help you and brought you to live with him, he had absolutely no clue how the cohabitation would work. He didn’t know you. But the sight of you, so comfortable, so relaxed and so lively – he found it endearing. You were nothing like your father and far from a brat.

Instead of feeling embarrassed, you felt even more at ease. There was something with Chris that made you feel safe, comforted, in fact, it felt like you were long lost friends, despite being strangers.

Chris eyed your outfit for a moment, eyes lingering longer than necessary on your exposed legs. “I thought Jisung brought you clothes.” He pushed himself from the wall and walked slowly towards you. Despite the pretty smile still on his face, there was a predatory glimpse in his eyes that caused your heart to flutter. The traitor.

“He did.” You answered as you watched him getting closer to you.

He stopped right before you. There was nowhere for you to run, to hide; you were half trapped between the counter and a smiling Chris. “And?”

“Your shirt is more comfortable.” You joked, “Moreover, trust me, you don’t want me wearing the clothes he brought.” That was a half lie. Yes, Jisung had brought you tons of sexy outfits that were useless since you would be staying at Chris’s place most of the time, but there were also normal, casual clothes.

Chris arched a brow, clearly amused with your explanation and not that surprised either knowing his friend. “Why?”

Feeling particularly bold tonight, you smirked and pushed him gently off your way. “Wouldn’t want you to fall in love with me.”

Chris burst into laughter; his laugh was like music to your ears. Maybe you were the one in danger after all.

“Want a glass of wine?”

“With pleasure.”

▾▾▾

Chris surprised you once more by leaving one morning a phone for you with a note.

“I figured you might need it. Add whoever you need, but be careful.”

There wasn’t much in it except for his, Jisung and Minho’s number. Just in case. You perfectly understood why he saved Jisung’s number – in a matter of days, this man had become your favorite person. Minho’s number, on the other hand, was not needed. You could have deleted his number right away, but reasoned yourself; Chris had added his number for a reason, you couldn’t get rid of it like that.

You plopped on the couch, legs under your butt, you stared at your phone. You wanted so badly to add Soojin’s number, number that you had memorized long ago, and talk to her. You wanted her to know that you had escaped and that you were safe, but you couldn’t do it. Not that you didn’t trust your friend, no; your father knew about your relationship with her which put her in danger and risked your freedom.

Ren’s face crossed your mind. His number too, you knew by heart. A tiny part of you worried for him. Did his father get rid of him because he had failed? Did John blamed him for not being able to get you back? There was no way for you to know without exposing yourself.

With a long and tired sigh, you threw your head back. You closed your eyes for a moment and thought about what you should do. There wasn’t much you could do despite having Chris’s whole place for you, you were getting bored.

Since there was nothing to do and your thoughts were getting too much for you, you grabbed your phone and decided to text Chris.

You sighed again, disappointed with his response. You understood perfectly that he was a busy man and he didn’t have time to always entertain you, but you couldn’t stop yourself from hoping he would spend some time with you.

‘Oh well.’

▾▾▾

The next morning, you were woken up by noises coming from the kitchen. it took you a moment to realize, in surprise, that you were back in your bed while you remembered clearly falling asleep on the couch while watching a movie. You stared at your blanket; did Chris carry you to your bed? This simple thought brought a tiny smile to your face.

Eagerly, you jumped out of your bed and walked out of your room. You followed the delicious smell of pancakes – your stomach grumbled in response.

You had to admit that it was a rather odd sight: Chris in the kitchen. Seeing this big, powerful and dangerous (according to rumors) man preparing breakfast, was both amusing and charming. Chris had prepared everything; pancakes, coffee, juice, fruits – it was everything you liked and everything you needed.

“Morning.” As you watched him setting the table, you thought about his remark when he saw you cooking. You had to agree, you could get used to it too.

“Good morning. Hope you like pancakes.”

“Love it.” And even if you didn’t, you would have said the same thing because he did it for you. How could you complain?

“Did you steal another of my shirt?” Chris watched you, sipping his coffee in peace.

“Me? No!” That was obviously a lie, as if Chris wouldn’t recognize his own clothes, but you felt in rather playful mood. He arched a brow at your blatant lie. “Fine! I did. So what? Sue me!”

Chris put his cup back on the table and got closer to you. Your eyes locked, he played with the edge of the shirt that was barely hiding your body since you were sitting.

“Or I can just take it off.” He suggested

You opened your mouth ready for another snarky remark but nothing came out of your mouth. He let go of the shirt, only to put his hands on your thighs. His hands felt warm against your skin, nevertheless you shivered.

“You’re a tempting little thing.” Chris admitted

“Look who’s talking.” Your voice came out shaky, betraying your state of mind. You wanted to blame your needs but really it was all because of Chris.

You sincerely thought Chris would kiss you, in fact, you prayed he would. Sadly for you, he pulled back, shook his head as if to convince himself that it was a bad idea. It was probably a bad idea but you found yourself not caring much about it.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

▾▾▾

▾▾▾

Despite your impressive (according to Chris) cooking skills, you were human which meant that from time to time you craved some junk food. Luckily for you, you had a new phone (bless Chris for that) which helped you to order some crispy chicken and fries.

You put everything on a plate and brought it to the couch where you had prepared your little nestle (which meant tons of pillows and a huge fluffy blanket that surprisingly you found in Chris’s room). You looked at your work proudly, satisfied with the outcome, before finally plopping on the couch.

For a moment, you scrolled through a very long selection of movies, trying to figure out what was your mood for the night. You glanced to the side, through the windows; it was already late and dark outside, rain pouring. You switched the light off, welcoming the darkness.

A good horror movie sounded perfect. You went for Conjuring 2; no matter how many times you had watched this movie, it still gave you the creeps and you loved it.

Completely immersed in the movie you didn’t notice Chris’s presence, not like it was the first time either. Except this time, the moment he switched the light on, you screamed, almost throwing the plate from your laps.

“Bloody hell!” You put your hand over your chest, your heart ready to jump out of it.

“Hi?” He said half sorry half trying to hold back his laugh.

“I think, I won’t survive living with you.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

You stuck your tongue in response. Yes, very adult of you.

Chris shook his head, smiling fondly at your antics. “Mind if I join you after a shower?”

“Sure. There’s some chicken left. Fries, not so much, sorry.”

“Chicken it is then.”

But by the time Chris came back you managed to prepare some additional dishes to satisfy his hunger. He came back wearing black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. His hair still completely wet, in fact some water was still dripping from his head to his neck, attracted your attention to the point you forgot all about the movie. Nobody should be allowed to look that good in sweatpants, but we were talking about Chris, he made everything look good on him.

You sighed to yourself and pulled the blanket closer to your face, wishing it could swallow you whole, wishing to hide the unbearable attraction. You didn’t know how long you could keep this up. The two of you kept flirting, there was no other way to describe your banter, your closeness.

Chris took his place beside you and the moment his eyes landed on the TV; he regretted his decision. He slowly turned his head to you, ready to give any valid or not excuse if it could save him from a horror movie.

“Why are you hiding?” He asked surprised that you would be hiding when you were the one to choose the movie. “Is it that scary?”

You lowered the blanket for a short moment, revealing only half of your face – you regretted it instantly. Nope, he still looked too good and you still wanted to grab his face and kiss him.

“I-No. I mean-“ You cursed yourself for sounding so unsure. You cleared your throat and removed the blanket from you. “It’s scary but no, I’m not hiding because of the movie.”

Chris tilted his head, curious. “No? Then why?”

There was no escape from the truth. You jumped from the couch and pointed an angry finger at him. “Because of you!” Still very adult of you. You cursed yourself for losing your composure whenever this man was around and so close to you.

“Me?”

“Yes you. You’re making things extremely difficult for me!” And hot, but you refrained from saying it.

Chris had to muffle his laugh but did a poor job at it which obviously made you only angrier.

“Are you laughing at me, right now?”

“Sorry.” He really couldn’t hold it as he burst into laughter.

You grabbed the closest pillow and hit him with it, once, twice, until Chris grabbed your arm and pulled you too hard – you fell right onto his laps. With a pretty smile on his face, he wrapped his arms tightly around you, not letting you any chance to escape from his grip. Not like you wanted anyway.

“I’m sorry, you’re just too cute.” He apologized, “As for me being a problem-“

You cut him right before he could finish his thought. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Wha-“ He stopped, cleared his throat and then looked more seriously (or not) at you. “Is it working?”

Just like that you completely relaxed in his arms and laughed. “Does it work? I’m that close to a mental breakdown because of you!”

▾▾▾

The day you asked Chris for help, you knew it wouldn’t be easy, not for him and not for you. Bringing down your father wouldn’t be that simple, no matter how powerful and resourceful Chris was. And yet, you hoped. But days turned into weeks and slowly you were losing your mind. Even when you lived with your father, you still could go out, meet with Soojin and have some fun, but living with Chris wasn’t all that thrilling.

Yes, you enjoyed the few moments you had together (you did more than enjoyed) but half of the time you were left alone in this huge flat and you were getting bored. Really bored. You needed fresh air, you needed to meet people. Even if it meant putting yourself in danger.

Against your better judgment, you decided enough was enough – you left the safety of Chris’s place.

There wasn’t a place you particularly wanted to visit, or something you wanted to do. No, just being outside, hearing the usually annoying noises of the city was enough to make you feel alive and free.

As you walked down the street, you let a sigh of pure satisfaction out. The weather was lovely; a vivid blue sky, a soft breeze, it was perfect. You could say it was one of those perfect days.

Your spirits brightened, nothing and nobody could stop you from enjoying your little trip in town, by yourself, with your father’s money. Obviously, you knew that spending his money would warn him about your whereabouts but it didn’t really matter considering he already knew you were involved with Chris. So, why not have some fun?

▾▾▾

You went from one store to another, buying yourself clothes you absolutely didn’t need, clothes that costed more than it should be allowed to. But did you care? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? Definitely.

Your moment of fun, however, was interrupted by a phone call you were waiting for. There was no way Chris would have left you alone at his place without thinking that one day or another you would be tired of waiting – he expected you to leave and he needed to make sure he could track you.

“Please tell me you’re not that dumb.” Came his voice, harsh and dark and filled with anger.

You bet anybody would cower in fear before him just at the sound of his voice. You? You were feeling a bit rebellious and daring. “Hello to you too, darling. I’m fine and you?”

“The fuck do you think you’re doing, Y/N?” Chris growled, unable to hold back.

“I’m doing some very deserved shopping, why?”

Chris chose not to answer to that, he was simmering with anger and a bit of worry (but he wouldn’t admit it out loud). “You’re not making it easy for me.”

“Do you want me to apologize for that?” You realized that to him, you probably sounded ungrateful and maybe like a brat.

“I want you to go back to my place.”

“I can’t. Not yet.”

“Y/N, please.”

“Listen, give me at least one more hour. I need it.” Compromising seemed like the best option. You weren’t ready to go back to his place yet and he clearly wouldn’t leave you alone.

“No. Get back.”

“No? Come on, Chris. Just one hour!”

Chris completely ignored your plea. “Where are you?”

Your irritation flared. How dare he be so unreasonable? Why couldn’t he understand your feelings? “None of your business.”

“Oh Y/N, you are my damn business. I agreed to help you and right now you’re making things extremely difficult.”

It appeared that both you and Chris had one (annoying) thing in common: you were both extremely stubborn. You didn’t know to what length he would go to get you back, but it also meant he didn’t know how unreasonable you could actually get.

“Tell me where you are, I’m sending Jisung.”

“Nope.” With that you hung up on him.

▾▾▾

If Chris would have accepted your terms, you would have complied. You would have gone back after one more hour outside. Instead, you found yourself walking some more, grabbing some snacks on your way before deciding that having an ice-coffee would be actually nice.

You waited for your order, watching as the pretty brunette prepared it for you.

“Here you go.” She handed you your drink with a smile.

You grabbed your drink, turned around, ready to leave – your face turned pale. When Chris told you he would send Jisung, you knew he would do it with or without your consent, whether you told him where you were or not. But apparently, since you weren’t playing by his rules, he decided that sending Minho, the man who seemed to hate your guts, was the most appropriated choice. The best punishment.

Your body went cold with dread as you stared at a very unpleased man. He had his hands in his pockets, looking almost relaxed but you swore his eyes were burning with anger and probably some hatred too.

Running away was tempting but would do you no good. There was a reason Chris had sent Minho – you bet he was good at what he did which meant you had no chance at escaping him. Trying to win him over with your natural charms would have been nice, but sadly Minho wanted nothing to do with you.

You decided that being yourself was the only thing you could do which probably would annoy him too. “Hello Minho. Why so grumpy?”

Minho considered for a moment that knocking you down would resolve all his problems, but sadly it would make Chris incredibly pissed too and dealing with a pissed Chris was not on his to-do list. “Why? Maybe, because I had to go looking for a spoiled little girl who decided to throw a tantrum?”

A vein popped out in your neck at the mention of ‘spoiled little girl’, he sure knew how to push your buttons, but you refused to show him how much his comment actually affected you. You refused to let him win. Rather than showing your true emotions, you simply took a sip of your drink, looking as unbothered as you could muster. “How rude. What a bitch.”

“You do realize that I’m getting you back?”

“No, you’re not.” He obviously was, you weren’t naïve to believe you could avoid him.

Minho tried to still his rage but you were making it hard. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Chris could take so much risks just for the sake of one woman. A woman who was their enemy. Minho just couldn’t accept that easily that you were so willing to give up on your life.

Sadly for him, it didn’t matter what he wanted or what he thought. He had a job. A damn hard job. There was no way he could bring you back home without a fight, without attracting any more unwanted attention on you two.

“I’m bringing you back whether you like it or not. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Choose.”

Daring, you took a step closer, looking straight into his eyes.

“Do your worst, pretty boy.” You smirked as you almost purred your words.

What a mistake. Big, big mistake.

You realized a little too late how serious Minho was about doing it the hard way. With a swift move, he had you thrown over his shoulder, making you shriek and drop your drink.

“Minho! Put me down!” You hit his back in hope he would drop you down but he didn’t budge. “Minho!”

“Shut up.” With that he slapped your ass for good measure which clearly did it work: you stopped talking and fighting.

Boy, you were in trouble.

▾▾▾

Minho was the worst company you could ever dream of. The moment he got you back to Chris’s place, he dropped you right on your bed, gave you a death glare, promising you a slow death if you dared to move, and left you alone. You regretted for a short moment not agreeing to Chris’s demand in the first place because clearly dealing with Jisung would have been more pleasant than dealing with a very grumpy and upset Minho.

But was Minho really the one you should be scared of? Probably not. You dreaded the moment you would have to face Chris. You weren’t completely scared but you didn’t want him to be upset with you, you wanted him to understand your point of view and how you felt.

After one hour of sulking in your room, your stomach grumbled, reminding you that despite all the excitement of this afternoon, you didn’t get yourself a proper meal. You left your room, convinced that Minho had left. Another mistake on your part.

The moment you got in the kitchen, you realized how little you knew about Minho. Yes, he was frowning and throwing daggers at you every single time. Yes, he looked like he would murder you in your sleep. And yet, despite being deeply annoyed with your attitude, you found him in the kitchen, cooking and looking like he fully belonged to the place. What an odd thing to witness, you told yourself.

Apparently, one of Minho’s talents was to have eyes behind his head. You did your best not to make any sound and yet he somehow knew you were lurking. “Done with sulking?”

“I- I wasn’t sulking!” You definitely were.

Minho ignored your blatant lie and glanced over his shoulder. “Take a seat. I bet you’re hungry.”

You were, a lot and you should be grateful that he cooked for you, but the need to fight him was just too strong. “Are you going to poison me?”

Minho actually paused. You were clearly joking but you weren’t far from the truth. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t waste my precious poison on you. Not yet at least.”

“Noted. Understood. Please, don’t kill me.”

He chuckled. “I’ll think about it.”

The end was nearing, it had to be. Here you were joking with Minho, the person who hated your guts and the person you wanted to avoid at all cost for the sake of your sanity. You expected him to be mean to you, to snap at you, but no, he took you completely off guard by being nice. There was definitely something wrong.

“Should I worry that you’re being nice to me?” You asked, unable to refrain yourself.

Minho didn’t answer right away. He put a plate with food before you and then sat across from you, eying you. “Let’s say that cooking is a way for me to calm down.” Minho contemplated the idea of being honest with you. His opinion of you didn’t change, but while cooking he pondered about your little escapade. He put himself in your shoes and realized that he would have lost his mind too if he had to stay alone for so long. “I understand why you left. I would have done the same.”

That was pleasantly unexpected. “Thank you, I guess.”

“However, you should worry about Chris. He doesn’t get angry easily but when he does,” Minho looked at you, feeling sorry which worried you a little. “Let’s say I don’t want to witness it.”

You rubbed your temples trying to sooth the beginning of a headache. Minho’s warning about Chris didn’t come out as a surprise, from the time you had spent together, you had an insight into his personality. Did it scare you? Not really, but it did worry you. You wanted to avoid a fight with him, if you could.

“I’ll be fine.”

▾▾▾

Minho left once he received a message from Chris. Instead of feeling relieved that Minho was finally leaving and Chris would soon be home, you found yourself wishing for Minho to stay, for moral support.

Just in case Chris was still in bad mood, you chose to wait in the safety of your room. Maybe if he didn’t see you waiting for him, you could avoid a fight. Maybe he would think you were sleeping.

You were wrong. The moment Chris got home; you heard his footsteps getting dangerously closer to your room. Clearly, you couldn’t avoid him in his own home. But you didn’t let yourself worry about it; you were strong enough to face him. You told yourself at least.

With a book in your hands, you laid in your bed, unbothered, from outside. Inside? You were screaming and shaking.

Chris didn’t knock, he didn’t bother which gave away his mood. He stood by the door, watching you too calm for his liking.

“Hello Y/N.” He finally said, voice awfully calm.

You glanced from your book, pretending that there was absolutely nothing wrong, and smiled. “Hi you. How was your day?”

Chris had to give it to you, you were really something. He knew you were fearless and strong and would not cower so easily before anyone, him included, but it didn’t mean your behavior didn’t piss him off. He swallowed down his frustration, he had to if he wanted to have a proper conversation with you.

“You know,” Chris started walking towards your bed, undoing his tie in the process. “I’m trying really hard right now not to snap at you.”

“Effort appreciated.” You closed your book, not that you were really reading it anyway, and stared back with just as much intensity. “You’re angry.”

Against better judgement, you crawled to the edge of the bed where he stood. You sat with your hands on your knees, waiting for him to vent, to say everything he thought about you, about how spoiled you are. But he said none of that.

“Are you ready to talk or are we going to fight?” You asked

You hoped you could avoid a fight, especially with him. Considering how stubborn the two of you were, you weren’t sure a fight would lead to anything good. Chris, apparently, thought the same thing as he let a tired and long sigh out. He pulled at his tie and took it completely off before sitting beside you on the bed.

“I don’t want to fight.” He admitted, “But I’m still pretty pissed at what you did.”

You could understand why he was pissed, in his shoes you would have been pissed too, but you still hoped he could understand your point of view too. You reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I really am. But I also need you to understand why I had to get out of this place.”

Chris squeezed your hand back and closed his eyes, trying to get his emotions under control. “I guess; I should apologize too. I didn’t realize how hard it was for you.”

“Let Jisung come with me next time.” You suggested. There was no way Chris would accept leaving you alone, exposed to danger, but if someone strong enough was with you, it was a different story. “Or Minho.”

Chris quirked a brow at the mention of Minho. He knew how you felt about the man and he definitely knew Minho’s opinion of you too. “Minho? Really?”

You chuckled at his surprise. Of course, he would. But after the little chat with Minho, you realized he wasn’t that bad – you could actually picture yourself getting along with him, given times. “I know. Shocking, right?”

“Yeah. I thought you hated him.”

“We had a chat and kind of bonded?”

Chris shook his head, amused with the outcome. “You being comfortable with Jisung is already alarming. But now Minho?”

“Oh come on, we’re not that bad!” Well, you could definitely see why you and Jisung being a team bothered Chris; the two of you were troublemakers and Jisung would choose your side without batting an eye.

“You and Minho? Terrifying.”

▾▾▾

For some reasons (you imagined it had everything to do with your little incident), Chris chose to work from home for the time being. A part of you was delighted, you didn’t feel so lonely anymore. On the other hand, Chris had been a tease. Not touching you was one thing, walking around shirtless was a whole other level of torture for you.

Just like today. He worked from the living room, once more shirtless, messy hair, looking like a damn meal that you wished you could devour. There was nothing you could do except stare at him from your seat, admiring his perfect, strong body. You watched as he would frown at the screen (and managing to look adorable while doing so), as he would rake his fingers through his hair in frustration.

With those thoughts came a realization.

‘Damn. I think it’s safe to say I like him.’ You thought

It wasn’t supposed to happen. Of course, it wasn’t a first for you, but considering the situation, you didn’t think it was appropriate. With a long sigh, you left your spot and went to the kitchen to get yourself a very much needed drink. Didn’t matter that it was only eleven in the morning.

Right before you could grab the bottle, you felt a warm presence behind your back. Chris reached for a bottle of water, half trapping you between his warm chest and the fridge. You gulped nervously, feeling his warm breath caress your nape. He nudged your neck with his nose, inhaling sharply.

“Did you use my shower gel?”

“No.” Yes. But really, you hadn’t done it on purpose; you were sleepy and grabbed without thinking and now you smelled like him which clearly was driving you crazy and had an effect on him too.

He clicked his tongue at your lie.

“Since you already smell like me, should I mark you?” He whispered as his lips brushed your ear.

This man was testing your patience and your self-control which surprisingly you still had. But not for long. All he had to do was put his lips on you and you would melt in his arms.

Chris pulled away the moment he got the bottle and went back to his business as if nothing had happened.

The little shit.

You took a deep breath, slapped your cheeks for good measure and then followed his steps. “Ok, that’s enough! Put a shirt on!”

Chris glanced at you and chuckled at your behavior. You tried to look as stern as possible with your hands crossed over your chest, frowning at him.

“Now, why would I do that?”

“For my sanity.”

Chris laughed at that. And did not put a shirt on.

▾▾▾

You got woken up in the middle of the night because it was getting particularly noisy which was odd. Last time you checked, there was only Chris and you, but you swore you heard other voices and rather familiar ones. You contemplated the idea of staying in bed, after all whatever was going on outside your room was none of your business. But could you really resist to your curiosity? Not really.

On tip toes you walked through the hall, following the yelling. It wasn’t hard to find the source; it came from Chris’s office. The door was half-opened but you hesitated. You weren’t sure how any of them would react to your presence, to you getting involved in their business. Even if you were Chris’s guest and someone who he swore to protect, you were still his enemy’s daughter.

“I’m going to fucking kill him!” Chris growled and banged his fist on the table.

Minho snorted, “Get in the line, dude.” Apparently, he too had grudges.

“Well look at that.” A sinister chuckle echoed right behind you. “What do we have here?”

Your blood froze in your vein as you felt a gun pointed right at your head. Whoever was standing behind you was clearly not taking it lightly to your eavesdropping. You gulped nervously and tried not to move, not to breath.

The man pushed the door with his feet and then forced you to get inside - all eyes on you. Nobody seemed surprised to see you walking inside. You smiled sheepishly at the men. “Hi Ji. Hi Minho.” Then you looked at Chris, silently apologizing. He only shook his head.

“I guess this is the infamous Y/N.” The man behind you finally dropped the gun and faced you. “You don’t look like Rick.”

You scoffed at his words. “Thank God! Have you seen his face?” You were indeed very lucky. You had inherited everything from your mom, your face, your body, your character. “I took after my mom.”

There was a moment of silence and you wondered what bothered them in your response. The man, however, cut short to your thoughts. He outstretched his hand for you to shake and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Changbin.”

Without his gun pointed at you, he looked way more charming. You shook his hand, delighted to meet another of Chris’s family member. Changbin looked quite different from Jisung or Minho, big strong muscles, eyes dark until he smiled, then it was all about mischief.

You chose to sit beside Jisung who without hesitation pulled your chair closer to him, choosing to ignore Chris’s displeased gaze.

“Why aren’t you wearing the pretty nightdress?” Jisung whispered to your ear, smiling wickedly at you.

It amazed you how easily Jisung could change the subject and forget about the current situation. You shook your head, amused. “You would have loved that, wouldn’t you?”

He playfully wiggled his brows in response.

“Can you guys stop and reconcentrate on our current problem?” Minho scolded the two of you, giving you the stinky eye.

“What happened?” You asked

It was unlikely they would actually share this information with you, but a girl could hope. There wasn’t much you could do anyway, but maybe you could give advices.

Chris took you by surprise by actually answering your question. “There was a fire, a criminal one, at one of the buildings I own. Five people died.”

You put a hand over your mouth to muffle a gasp.

“We checked the cameras and saw some suspicious men.” Jisung added. He took his phone out of his pocket and showed you one short video.

Your initial shock was replaced with confusion and a frown. The video was dark and you could barely see but Jisung zoomed on the image, showing one man in particular. One man you had seen a few times at your house. Incredulous, you looked at Chris. “My father is behind the fire?”

“Yes.” He didn’t try to deny it.

 “Please, tell me you’re planning to fight back.”

Chris didn’t answer but his eyes promised you your father would pay for it. Dearly.

▾▾▾

▾▾▾

Going to a club like any normal person was a foreign concept to you. Living the life you had, meant you didn’t get many chances to go clubbing, in fact it happened only once and you could barely remember the night. Tonight, however, was different.

The club was loud, crowded and yet with very chic vibe which made sense considering it was Chris’s.

Jisung brought you to Chris’s table who welcomed you with a set of shots, reminding you of your first meeting.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” You teased but accepted the challenge. You grabbed the first shot and emptied it in one go.

“I’m joining in.” Jisung was way too eager to get wasted.

Chris shook his head but didn’t try to stop his friend. He knew better than to try. “I’m not trying to get you drunk.” He then told you and took your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours. “I want you to enjoy the night. Drink to your heart, dance, do whatever you want. This place is safe.”

To say that your heart melted a little at his words would be an understatement. Your heart throbbed with joy, making you a little daring. You leaned closer to Chris and placed a kiss right in the corner of his lips. “Thank you.”

“I need something stronger if I have to deal with that.” Jisung groaned to himself.

▾▾▾

You did exactly what Chris had suggested. You drank more than you should have, you danced among the people on the dance floor, body buzzing with energy, feeling so alive, so free. It felt incredible as if your life had just begun.

With all the dancing, you completely lost track of time. You didn’t know for how long you had been dancing and you didn’t really care. You changed your dance partners a few times. Chris humored you by dancing for a moment with you but quickly gave up. Jisung had joined you too, just as relaxed and probably drunk as you.

Another handsome man joined Jisung, whispering to his ear as his eyes were locked on you. You quirked a brow and wondered if he was another of Chris’s close circle. If he was, it made you question whether Chris was hiring people based on their looks. How else could you explain that all of his friends were all that good looking?

Jisung outstretched his hand and you took it. He pulled you towards them with too much strength, making you stumble and fall right into his friend’s arms.

“Hi there.” He laughed and helped you to recover your composure. “I’m Hyunjin.”

Since you were that close to him, you took a moment to admire his face. Long brown hair, model-like face and that mole under his eye made him somehow even more captivating. “How come you’re that pretty.” Then you looked at Jisung, feeling incredibly offended. “How come all of you are that pretty?”

The two men laughed at your question but couldn’t deny they were pleased too.

“You fit just fine then.” Hyunjin smiled.

▾▾▾

You stumbled out of the bathroom, feeling that maybe it was finally time to find Chris and ask him to bring you home. You had drunk more than enough and your feet were killing you with all the dancing. Before you could do that, a man grabbed your hand and pulled you back to the dark hall.

“Hi Y/N.”

You blinked once, twice, your drunken brain slowly proceeding the sight before you.

Ren.

Ren was in the club. Ren had found you and cornered you. Once you fully realized he wasn’t just a hallucination, you sobered up right away.

“What are you doing here?” A tiny part of you was glad seeing him. You wondered what your father had done to him for letting you escape so easily; seeing him safe and sound brought relief. But being alone with him worried you.

“You know damn well why I’m here.” He snapped, raising his voice. Ren never lost his patience with you. He never rose his voice at you. And yet.

“I’m not going back.”

You pushed him with all your remaining strength to get him out of your way. He didn’t budge. At all. Instead, he pushed you against the wall and trapped you with his hands at each side of your head.

“Let’s be realistic Y/N.” He sounded cold, bringing the memory of one particular night, back to your mind. A memory you wished you could forget forever. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me from bringing you back.”

“And I believe you have overstayed your welcome.” Chris’s voice forced Ren to put space between the two of you. His hand flied to his gun just in case he needed it.

Chris’s eyes went back and forth between you and Ren, analyzing the situation, calculating.

“Leave.” Chris ordered, leaving no room for discussion.

Knowing Ren, you didn’t expect him to obey but he did. Maybe he realized there was nothing he could do with Chris around. Worse yet, he was joined by Hyunjin who looked just as pissed with Ren’s presence.

Ren spared you one last look before leaving, bumping into Hyunjin’s shoulder on purpose.

“Make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid.” Chris told Hyunjin.

“You have Jisung for that.”

“Hyunjin.”

“Fine! Fine!”

With Hyunjin gone, it left the two of you alone. All this time you had kept your mouth shut, simply because you were too stunned to speak. Chris pulled you into his arms and only when you felt him against you, you realized you were shaking.

“I shouldn’t have brought you here. I’m sorry.”

Despite your state, you managed to find your voice. “Don’t. I’m glad you did.”

▾▾▾

You thought you had seen Chris angry before. You were wrong.

That night, he came back from work pissed as hell, talking (not to say yelling) on the phone and completely ignoring your existence. You watched him from the coach, trying to figure out what was wrong and what you could do to make it better. But he didn’t give you any chance; he walked right to his office and slammed the door behind him.

It was a sight you weren’t used to and yet, instead of feeling intimidated, you were curious. You had no intention on eavesdropping but considering how loud he was talking on the phone, you heard him even with the door closed.

“I don’t give a fuck! Find him.” You heard Chris through the door, sounding even angrier than before, if possible.

It wasn’t your business, you told yourself but you worried. You grabbed your phone and hesitated. Asking Jisung would be the easiest, but would he have the answer? From what you gathered, despite being extremely close to Chris, the one who knew everything wasn’t him. Minho on the other hand was the real deal.

You lied.

Obviously.

Maybe you would come to regret it and remember way too late Minho’s attempt at warning you – but you couldn’t stop yourself from walking towards his door. It wasn’t hard to imagine how much Chris blamed himself for the loss but it wasn’t completely fair either. He was a good man, in your opinion, and he tried to do his best every time, whatever happened couldn’t be his fault, no matter what he thought.

By the time you got to the door, the yelling had stopped. You knocked, knowing all too well that there was no chance he would let you in. You bit on your lips and hesitated. Could you actually handle him right now? Maybe not but you couldn’t stop yourself. You took a deep breath and let yourself in.

Chris sat by his desk in the dark, the only source of light coming from outside illuminated his body. He looked both tensed and tired, his head resting between his hands.

“Chris?” You tried; your voice weaker than you intended.

You thought he didn’t hear you but the moment you took another step towards him, he snapped.

“Leave.” He ordered without even looking at you, in fear that if he saw you, he would say something he could potentially regret later.

Did you obey? Of course not.

“I’m not leaving.” You replied stubbornly.

Chris groaned in response. He didn’t want to see you or talk to you when he was so damn angry; he would look for any chance to start a fight if it meant he could get rid of all those feelings. But he didn’t want to fight with you, you didn’t deserve all the mean things he could say without meaning any of it. Despite better judgment, and because you were too stubborn, he finally looked your way. Even in the darkness, you could feel the intensity of his gaze. Your body knew that right now, the man before you was dangerous, but your heart knew better.

“Why can’t you listen for once?” He was quickly losing his patience. Any other day, he would have played along and let you have your way, tonight, however, he wished to be left alone, to deal with his guilt and rage.

Chris jumped out of his chair, so fast it fell on the floor with a loud noise, startling you. “Get the fuck out.”

You shook your head, refusing again.

“Y/N, I swear to god-“ He clenched his fist and inhaled sharply. He had little to no control left and you were making things impossibly hard.

You walked faster to get to him before he could say anything else. You stood inches from him. It pained you to see him this way, because despite his anger, you could feel his pain and regret.

“Don’t push me away.” You pleaded as you reached for him. You expected him to reject you but he didn’t. He let you put your hand on his shoulder and you gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze. “I know there’s nothing I can do to help you, but I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

You took the final steps between you two before finally wrapping your arms tightly around him and pulling him to you. To your surprise, Chris didn’t resist, instead, he fully buried his head in the crook of your neck, shaking in your arms.

Your heart melted at the sight. He was no longer the scary boss, but just a wounded man. You ran your fingers through his locks to sooth him. “I’m here for you, if you need me.”

Without fully realizing it, your words unsettled Chris. He wasn’t used to people confronting him whenever he was angry, whenever he just wanted to punch someone to relieve his pain and anger. But you? You showed him compassion and offered a shoulder to cry on if he needed – for that, he was grateful.

He pulled away from your arms only to get a good look at your face. Such a pretty face. He gently cupped your face, his thumb stroking your cheek lovingly, hoping to convey his feelings without needing to speak. He didn’t trust himself. Not yet. And you understood it. You simply closed your eyes and leaned into his touch, savoring the moment.

“You’re too good, Y/N.” He whispered, “I don’t deserve it.”

Your only response was to plant a kiss on the hand that was touching your face.

Chris observed your every move, your every breath, memorizing every inch of your face, every mole and the tiny scars that he had never noticed before. As you opened your eyes to look back at him, he inhaled sharply, completely bewitched by your beautiful eyes, drowning in them. You didn’t speak but the silence and your gaze spoke louder.

“Y/N.” He called for you without even fully realizing it. He wanted to kiss you. He wanted to keep you with him forever, even once you reached your common goal.

He pressed his forehead against yours and closed his eyes, savoring the moment, to think about what he should or shouldn’t do. But really, how could he resist you any more?

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered

Your reply came in the form of a gentle press of your lips against his. You didn’t hesitate, but seeing how this moment was intimate and fragile, you didn’t want to rush, you didn’t want to unleash all your feelings at once. And he understood.

Chris’s lips felt divine. Just like the kiss. It was slow and sweet and gentle and filled with unspoken promises.

[ollypopwrites]

So, I'll be having some minor surgery in a couple months. I thought it would be cool to have Gale worried for/doting on [reader or tav] before and after. idk if that's weird or whatever, but just the idea of Gale being comforting, concerned, and just loving as all get out would make me feel a lot more at ease with this whole ordeal. I hope this is an ok prompt to request, but I understand if it's uncomfy for reasons.

Oh, anon I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I hope I can give you even the smallest bit of comfort, and thank you for your request 💜 here is about 1k words of pure comfort and doting.

Books and Basalm [also readable on Ao3]

Tav x Gale [Gender-nooch Tav. No pronouns used for Tav and no descriptions of any physical features at all.]

CW/Tags: medical/hospital type situation (not detailed in any way). FLUFF. All comfort no hurt.

Despite having read everything he could get his hands on about the procedure, and asking the cleric so many questions Tav had to gently tell him to leave the poor man alone, Gale was not allowed in the room. He’d made his displeasure very known, but Tav had patted his hand in a clear signal to shut up. He physically had to bite his own tongue to prevent more nervous babbling.

“I think we ought to get started,” the cleric said to Tav with a smile. Despite his obvious disinterest in speaking any further with Gale, he at least kept his bedside manner for his patient.

“You’ll be here when it’s done?” Tav asked.

Gale knelt next to the bed, ignoring the crackling protest of his knees. “I’ll be on the other side of this door the entire time.” He pointed to the very one which he would be sure not to leave. “The Gods themselves couldn’t pull me away.”

Tav laughed a little at the dramatics and leaned into the gentle kiss he gave. After a few final kisses and another pressed atop Tav’s head for good measure, Gale pulled himself away. He stationed himself directly on the other side of the door, as he had promised. He was a logical man, he saw sense and reason before much else, but he was at his core quite prone to wild emotion despite his academic mind.

Leading up to that moment there was not much he didn’t do by Tav’s side. Even when they had been out on the road, while he never had much skill in healing magic, he had always been nearby enough to know what was going on. All he could manage this time was his assurance Tav had the best healers the city could offer and a tower over-prepared to accommodate the recovery.

It took hours. He didn’t notice irritated looks of the other healers walking through the halls when he began to pace back and forth, only stopping to lean his back against the wall and then have to move again once his mind took off. It was impossible to keep still for very long.

When he was finally allowed back in the room, Tav was still asleep thanks to a potion and the cleric was assuring him everything went fine. Once Tav woke up, they could make their way back to the comfort of the tower. While the cleric started giving instructions for recovery, Gale found himself cutting him off with his new extensive knowledge on the subject, watching the cleric grow annoyed at him again. Gale was used to people’s thinly veiled irritation at his volubility, but be it nerves or something else he couldn’t stop himself.

The cleric excused himself as soon as he possibly could, and Gale sat nearby, ready to be the first thing Tav saw after waking up. He mindlessly practiced somatic movements, he flipped through his spellbook distractedly and then mentally triple checked he had everything he needed to properly care for Tav back at the tower. To him, it felt like hours, but in reality it didn’t take too long for Tav to wake up from the sleep potion that had been administered for the procedure. Eyes blinking open, Tav groaned, and Gale jumped up to shush and soothe them.

“There you are, my love,” he said quietly. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” Tav groaned. “Sore.”

“Completely normal,” he pressed a kiss to Tav’s forehead, “we’ll get you home and with a cup of tea for the pain expeditiously.”

“It went alright?” Tav asked.

“The cleric has no concerns,” he smiled, “all that’s left to do is rest and recover.”

The cleric came in for a final check in, making sure Tav was alright to head back home. The waiting was the worst part, Gale was certain they need not put off leaving where Tav could rest well and with whatever could possibly be needed. It took some creativity on Gale’s part to get them both safely back to their bedroom in the tower with no added strain on Tav, but he managed it.

Tara sat perched expectantly on the bed, head tilted in quiet examination. “Welcome home,” she said, tail flicking back and forth behind her. “everything went well, I hope?”

“Besides the pain, I think I’m alright,” Tav smiled tiredly.

“Tea!” Gale said insistently. “I have tea that will be just the thing.”

Gale got Tav situated in the bed, with pillows arranged for maximum comfort and support. He opened the window for cool fresh ocean air to come in, and Gale only left Tav’s side to prepare some tea with basalm salts for the pain. While he was gone Tara had settled herself gently against Tav’s side, purring away.

When he came with the tea, water and a potion of rest, Tav could have laughed at his over preparedness.

As Tav reclined in the bed, sipping tea, he sat at the bedside in an armchair. “Gale?”

“Yes, my love, what do you need?”

Tav chuckled at his earnestness. “I’m bored.”

“Ah, well, we have a treasure trove of entertainments,” he replied, “what better to soothe the pains of ailment and the pangs of boredom than a book!” He eagerly added, “what will you choose? A stirring tale of heroics? A dissertation on the merits of illusory spellcraft? Or perhaps an anthropological study on the courts of the Feywild?”

Tav shrugged, “your choice, really, I was looking for an excuse to have you sit and read to me.”

“You hardly need an excuse for that,” Gale smiled.

He grabbed the book he was in the middle of on his bedside table, something light for reading before bed. Carefully, he nestled in beside Tav, sure not to disrupt his perfectly calibrated arrangement of pillows made for Tav’s ideal comfort. Under his watch, with tea to soothe and a book, Gale felt sure Tav would be okay.

Two pages into him reading, Tav had fallen asleep with the tea cup precariously resting in hand. Gale plucked it away, giving a gentle kiss upon Tav’s brow as he leaned over to set it aside.

Thank you so much for reading! 💜💜

[hughescluez]

hi!! can I request 21 & 24 from your prompt list with bordy? thank you!

hi there hun ! thank you for requesting <3

21. “we’re not just friends and you fucking know it.”

24. “don’t you dare walk away from this.”

word count: 987

you sigh softly, swirling the drink that is still in your solo cup. to put it lightly, the party was boring. normally, you can tolerate them because you always go along with thomas, but today was different.

thomas and you got into a small argument before heading over, so you both showed up to the party alone, which sparked a flood of questions and confusion from the other boys.

thomas was aware that you needed space after an argument, especially given the intensity of the one you two had just an hour prior to the party. he was aware that the least he could do was refrain from pissing you off further, but that didn't stop him from keeping an eye on you and watching your every move from a distance.

thomas rolls his eyes as brendan claps his back again, questioning him on why he hasn’t gone up to you yet.

“do you ever stop being annoying—or does it just run in your bloodstream?”

brendan scoffs at his best friends response, “i’ll stop being annoying once you learn how to be less adamant.”

thomas was well aware that brendan was right, but he would never give him the satisfaction of being right. as much as he wanted to reach out to you, he didn’t know if the moment was right. he wasn't sure if you wanted to speak with him at the moment so his feet stayed glued to the same spot.

“oh c’mon, just go talk to her instead of watching her like a hawk.”

he gives brendan a glare before nudging him off, returning his gaze back to you only to see that this time you were looking right back at him making his heart skip a beat. although, the moment was cut short as some frat cuts in to introduce himself.

you plaster on a fake smile as the boy introduces himself. you were not a fan of mingling around with strangers. as the conversation grows, you became more open and suddenly for a bit, you forgot that you were at a party.

thomas, on the other hand, was filled with rage, watching the interaction with hard eyes as he takes another swig out of his beer.

“who the fuck is y/n talking to?” matty asks as he joins the spot beside thomas as they both watch you laugh at another dumb joke he probably made.

“how the fuck am i supposed to know.”

“don’t you wanna— i don’t know maybe go talk to her now?”

“no.”

“i think you shou— “i said no.”

matty shakes his head, rolling his eyes at thomas’ ego that sometimes seems to shine out brighter than other days.

“well, shes leaving now so i gue—”

before matty could finish his sentence, thomas is already rushing over to where you were now standing with the so-called frats’ jacket draped around your shoulder.

“hey thomas?” you say but it comes out more as a question.

“who’s the guy?”

he completely dodged what you said as he shoots daggers at the boy standing just a couple of steps away from him.

“this is chad, chad this is thomas.”

you can see thomas snort at his name, as chad reaches out to shake his hand. he keeps his arms wrapped around himself, still keeping his gaze fixed on the boy.

chad coughs awkwardly as he clears his throat, “anyways, i think me and y/n are heading out so we’ll catch you later man.”

“no the fuck she’s not, she’s coming with me right now. let’s go y/n i need to talk to you.” he grabs the jacket off your shoulder, throwing it back at chad.

before you could protest; thomas is already grabbing your hand and pulling you away from the scene. you were annoyed, to say the least. he ignored you the whole party but now decides to make an appearance.

“what the fuck was that thomas?” you seethe as he shuts the door behind him.

“you’re asking me that question! what the fuck were you doing?”

“talking to someone that actually acknowledged me throughout the night unlike you so tell me thomas, who’s the bad guy here?”

he watches, as you angrily tuck your hair behind your ear; watching him with a glare waiting for him to respond to your question.

“i don’t want you talking to that guy ever again.”

that’s it? that’s all he had to say to your question. thomas was a man of very few words. you figured that out when you first became friends with him and you loved that about him but at the moment it was infuriating you.

“you know what— i’m not doing this right now.”

you turn around reaching for the door but thomas is quick to grab your hand, spinning you around to face him.

“don’t you dare walk away from this.”

you watch his eyes; trying to read his emotions but they were clouded with a mixture of stuff. you had never seen him like this.

“what else do you want me to do? i need answers thomas. you can’t just be my frie— “we are not just friends and you fucking know it.”

you feel your heart beginning to race as all of the emotions began rushing through your mind. he wasn’t wrong, for the first time the feelings that you’ve been keeping buried deep down inside of you began to pile out.

“and i know you feel it too— whatever i’m feeling i just need you to tell me that you do.”

you didn’t know that to say, so all you could do is just throw yourself in his arms and he’s quick to react as he pulls you close to him placing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“i do feel it thom, just as much.”

his jaw unclenches as he continues to hold you tighter, as your words bring him a sense of relief.

[tropicalfreckles]

Sharing a hc idea I had for a Lupin the Third x Ace Attorney crossover idea I had. So, the magatama vs Lupin's lying.

I can see while Lupin is figuring out things on his end (he could definitely escape any time he wanted even with Zenigata sitting in front of whatever set up cell he made the police department throw together for this trail Zenigata keeps calling bullshit lol, it's fake murder charges to Zenigata, Lupin had no reason to kill the 2 murder victims, one a shady loan shark that wouldn't really be a blip on Lupin's radar most of the time, the other was an innocent person who was paying back said loan shark), he's sitting there and answering questions for Phoenix in the meantime.

Going along with this attorney he read about doing wild cases (which prompted him into asking for Phoenix personally since he was going to just ignore whatever attorney they assigned him anyways, not that many were going to even take his case) and he was fairly entertained by some of them.

Phoenix tries to get Lupin to be honest with him on things since I'm sure Phoenix had to do his own research this time on this particular client he was going to turn away in the first place cause he as vaguely aware that Lupin the Third was an infamous international thief. Whatever reason, takes the case. But trying to pull things out of Lupin some times is a pain in the ass when the psyche locks come out.

Phoenix like tries to unlock each one with stuff he does know and stuff he has collected and half the time when he gets the last one it turns out Lupin was telling the truth the whole time so what was the POINT of that. How has this man so untrustworthy and good at lying? It's not like Phoenix hasn't gone up against skilled liars before.

He already is annoyed with the man because he never shuts up and some times his language is too vulgar for having Maya or Pearl in the room with them so he just has to keep changing the subject.

Pearl makes a comment his lying is almost supernatural.

[effervescentdragon]

Since you asked a prompt for JB, may I interest you with princess cake with WAG!Nico?

You know what? You may, actually. This is for @colors-of-feeling btw just for being wonderful ❤️

Jenson puffs out a breath as Nico settles next to him on the bed, poking him in the chest with his elbow. He ignores Jenson, more interested in whatever he's reading on his Ipad. Jenson turns on his side, lays his head on his hands and just looks at Nico.

He just bought new reading glasses. They were insanely expensive, hand-made from some wood that's currently going extinct in South America. They look a bit ridiculous to Jenson, but Nico always tells him he has no taste for finer things in life. Jenson always replies "I have a taste for you, don't I," and it never fails to make Nico smile just a little bit, in the corner of his mouth, like he can't help himself. He usually rolls his eyes at Jenson, too, but Jenson still counts it as a win.

"Hey babe, I was thinking about something."

Just like Jenson knew would happen, Nico rolls his eyes and looks away from the Ipad, frowning just a tiny bit.

"I told you not to call me babe," he says. Jenson smiles and ignores him.

"Since I'm driving Le Mans this year, you know that means I'm racing again." Nico doesn't acknowledge him, waiting for the punchline. "Well, that also means that technically," he drawls, moving closer to Nico, "you are my wag."

"What." There is no inflection in Nico's voice, and Jenson can't hold his chuckles in.

"Wag. You know, wives and -"

"I know what wag means," Nico interrupts, a frown now firmly on his face. "What the fuck, JB."

"I think it's cute," Jenson says, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing. "If you come to the race, you can support me and people will ask you about me, and what you're wearing, who you're wearing, and -"

"Shut up," Nico says. "I'm not your wag."

Jenson inclines his head in affectation of thinking. "Bah, then."

"What?" Nico's voice gets shrill when he's annoyed, or when he's being fucked, and it's one of Jenson's favourite sounds in the world, right up there with the V10 engine. "Ba - what?"

"Bah," Jenson says seriously. "Boyfriends and husbands."

They stare at each other for a moment, and it takes all of Jenson's self-control not to start laughing at the bewilderment on Nico's face. He blinks slowly, then turns off his Ipad, putting it on the night cupboard. He takes off his fancy new glasses, too, and puts them in the case carefully. Jenson raises himself on his elbows, and just in time, because Nico's favorite thing to do when he's baffled is to misdirect the conversation. Luckily for Jenson, it's usually misdirection by means of sex.

The kisses they share are familiar, and still they thrill Jenson to his core. Nico climbs into Jenson's lap, and Jenson loves that he's let his hair grow again. He's missed pulling on it properly for years now.

"You're an idiot," Nico mumbles into their kisses, making short work of ridding them both of their shirts. "Yeah," Jenson moans back, "but an idiot with the prettiest wag in any paddock."

"Shut up," Nico repeats, but Jenson sees the blush in his cheeks. Some things don't change, and after all these years, Jenson knows exactly which buttons to push, and how hard, to get the reaction he wants.

He smiles into the kiss. "The absolute prettiest," he repeats, and pulls Nico closer, and kisses him until they both forget what they were talking about, and why it even mattered.

[the-chosen-fanfiction]

Andrew | Soft Solicitude | Romantic

Dialogue prompt: “You’re hurt.”

Requested: Yes

After a deal goes wrong at market, you show up with a bloodied nose at Eden and Simon’s place. The latter fetches his brother immediately, who worries about your wellbeing.

Being the younger sister to the two unruly young men nicknamed Sons of Thunder had undoubtedly caused these traits to be partially carried over to you. Your brothers had been brazen and boisterous in their youth and this in turn did not cause you to back down when you had to speak your mind. 

Instead of protecting you at Salome’s behest, the boys often brought you along with them on their shenanigans. Despite the frowns you received from townsfolk here and there, you became a feared face among the youngsters when it came to playing knucklebones, participating in arm wrestling matches, and all other kinds of mischief a Jewish girl ought to not participate in.

But amongst these children gathered around was a boy who had taken a particular interest in you from a young age, especially whenever you took on his older brother, Simon. From a distance, Andrew always watched you with great wonder at how courageous and confident you were in your own ability. It was only a matter of time before it developed into a crush. 

Now, twenty-or-so years later, you had not changed much in that regard. Even though you came of age as did your rowdy brothers, you were still greatly respected in Capernaum by the ones who grew up with you. 

And somewhere along the way, much to Andrew’s delight, you developed a romantic relationship that eventually bloomed into an engagement that was soon to be sealed with a wedding.

Until then, the two of you kept working as hard as you could to earn a decent amount of money to start off your life with.

Part of that carefree, wild spirit always remained within you. So when doing business by selling your family’s catch and suspecting foul play by a potential customer, you are not afraid to tell them to not mess with you.

Which brings you here, with a bloodied nose, holding a dirty rag against it. The pouch of shekels the man had tossed your way ended up square against your face to the point it made you light-headed. When you managed to gather yourself, he was gone as were the fish you had put out for him. 

Sniffling, you fingered through the pouch to find them to add up to half the price you had asked for. Your mouth tasted of iron whilst you ignored a few worried glances being cast your way. Blood seeped past your fingers, the piece of linen you pushed to it drenched already. 

“Are you alright?” an old woman asks, giving you a concerned look. “Did something happen?”

You swallow thickly and squeeze your eyes shut. “Ah, I… Let me…I’m okay, just… Business is closed for now.” Gripping the edge of your table, you blink against the stars that speckle your vision. 

“Do you need me to escort you home?”

“No need, thank you, I’ll… Be fine!” You grab a second dirty rag and press it against your face before heading off to the nearest house where you are certain to find people to assist you further: Eden and Simon’s place, for you know that your father and brothers are still out on the water cleaning their nets and your mother is visiting an old friend on the other side of the village.

Your head spins yet you somehow find your way there, stumbling into the door and knocking loudly. “Eden? Are you home?”

As the door swings open, you nearly fall inside and catch yourself onto Simon, whose jaw falls agape. “(Y/n)! What’s going on, what’s happened?” He grabs your arm to steady you and leads you into the house, where Eden gasps upon seeing the red liquid run down your face. She dries her hands on her apron and rushes over to place you down on the floor with your back against the wall, tilting your face up. 

“What has happened to you?” Simon repeats, earning a semi-annoyed look from his wife.

“Don’t ask such things now, Si, don’t you see that she cannot reply right now? Why don’t you go fetch Andrew, I’ll see what I can do.”

The fisherman bolts off to get his brother without question whilst Eden clicks her tongue, tipping up your chin a little further. “Keep breathing,” she says, “Here, let me take that from you.”

“I’m such a m-mess, Eden, I’m-I’m so sorry,” you croak with a nasal voice, clogged with your injury, but she shakes her head and hands you one of her household rags.

“None of that, (Y/n), you can’t help it.”

“I just—”

“Don’t speak now, (Y/n), just wait until things are better. Talking will only make it worse.”

Even though you weren’t exactly certain if that was true, you listened regardless and closed your eyes to fight the drumming headache that hammered against the inside of your skull.

Running footsteps approached. Both brothers completely forgot about the mezuzah and barged in with slight panic on their features, your fiancé worse than Simon. Tilting your head, you gave Andrew a pitiful smile, blood on your teeth. 

“ Shalom , darling.”

“ You’re hurt .” he immediately breathes, crouching down next to you. He cups your face to see the extent of your nosebleed and searches your expression for any sign of intense pain. “What happened? Tell me, my heart.”

You hum and find his eyes, trying to carry over that you’re fine. “Ah… What can I say? A transaction went wrong. Some customer didn’t exactly like the price I requested so he tossed me half that money right into my face.”

Simon guffaws a sound of amusement. “You likely told him to sod off beforehand, yeah, to get him that agitated?”

Both Andrew and Eden glare at him, but you chuckle lightly. “Let’s just say that he didn’t exactly like the fact that a woman told him no.”

Andrew lets out a soft noise of worry and turns back to you, dark eyes glistening with anguish. “What an idiot.” he tuts, “Who does he think he is, huh? Such a coward too, injuring my love and then running off like nothing happened.”

The piece of cloth is soaking up blood less rapidly than before, but you need another to completely pull through.  “Just hold up her face like that.” Eden tells Andrew, who adjusts his grip on your face. His palm is warm and welcoming against your cheek and you let your eyes fall shut. 

Eden heads over to her husband to whisper something in his ear, at which he nods and leaves the house. “You can continue whatever you were doing, Eden,” Andrew says over his shoulder, “I’ve got her, no worries.” 

One of your hands, stained with dried blood, comes to rest on Andrew’s knee. “Thank you,” you weakly say, oddly exhausted in the aftermath now that the adrenaline dies down. “You’re so sweet to me, Andrew.”

“Of course,” he murmurs, “It’s the least I can do for you, my heart.” 

You smile and have a soft moment of eye-contact where the two of you just gaze at one another, Andrew switching hands after a while. His skin is pleasant, a few huffs of his breath landing against you every so often, and you wish for this moment to never end, no matter the fact that your nose feels swollen, making it hard to breathe. 

Removing the cloth at last, Andrew checks if there is still some bleeding going on. 

“There you go,” he whispers, smiling sweetly. “That’s a good girl.”

“You talking to my nose?” you murmur with humour in your voice.

“No, to you, for pulling through so bravely.”

You grin. “I’ve endured worse than a nosebleed, babe.”

He flushes at the nickname and hums. “Well, I’d rather see you’d get in less fights. Do you think you’d recognise that customer if you were to see him at market again?”

You shake your head. “It’s okay.” you say.

“It’s not, though.” Andrew tries. “Someone who assaults women who ask a fair price needs to be stopped at all costs.”

Opening your mouth to reply, the words die on your tongue as John and James rush into the house without announcing their arrival, deep frowns on their faces. 

“What’s going on sister? Who did that to you?” John queries.

Smiling a bit, you grab Andrew’s arm, non-verbally asking him to help you up. As you rise to your feet, holding onto your fiancé, you give him a grateful smile. “I’d have given you a kiss if it weren’t for my face being such a mess.” You tuck some curls behind his ear.

Andrew hums, “You know that I do not care about how bloody you look, love. Any kiss from you is wonderful no matter the circumstances.” 

“We’re right here, you know?” James intersects himself, “We can hear you. Now, you haven’t answered our question yet. Who hit you?”

Steady enough to stand on your own, you squeeze Andrew’s arm and give him a meaningful look before heading over to Eden, who holds out a wet rag for you to clean your face with. All eyes turned on you, you finally pivot with a fresher look, your confidence far from destroyed by this mishap.

In the doorframe, Simon and Zebedee appear, the latter out of breath. The moment he sees you, worry glitters behind his eyes. 

“What–”

“It turns out that you can take a girl out of the streets,” you muse, winking at your brothers before spinning towards Andrew, shrugging a bit matter-of-factly. “But you cannot take the streets out of a girl.” 

Your fiancé sighs but cannot fight the smile that tugs at his lip.

“Honestly,” he admits, “I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

[bloodyfeverdreams]

Day 19, 23- shidekobushi

19 was hard, so this is what came of it. It's not my strongest work, but it's still finished. That's all that matters^^

prompts- floral bouquet and stalking- Bakugou has a stalker, one who he sees as nothing more than an annoyance. but this wouldn't be a whump story if she was just an annoyance ;) mostly really this is slice of life with whump^^

AO3 link- https://archiveofourown.org/works/50331565

A hero needed to be constantly aware of their surroundings, able to tell the slightest difference between movements to make sure they’re not caught off guard, and Katsuki lived by that code. Even though he ignored all the stares he’d become more aware of after Kamino, and very much ignored how anxious that made him feel, he still noticed who was staring at him, assessing their threat status, or how annoying they were. The top of that list right now was this dumb little brunette from support, who hadn’t stopped staring at him for almost a month now. If he flicked his eyes over to her, glaring strongly, she always turned her head to the side, and it tightened the dread that had started building in his gut. There were two scenarios where someone would need to stare at him for so long, and one was particularly worse than the other. The first was simple, they were a threat to him, either challenging his authority or prowess, and he could deal with them easily. The second drove him up the wall. Ever since middle school, where the other kids had finally begun to notice the other gender, or the same gender depending on which way they swung, he’d been plagued by other people leaving chocolates on his desk, slipping little notes into his locker, or worst of all, actually talking to him with a nervous smile and hopeful eyes, asking him for coffee or to go on a walk.

He might take a little too much pleasure shutting them down sometimes, but watching as their faces collapsed when he bluntly turned them down was his consolation prize for being forced to deal with this shit in the first place. It was their own fault really, he’d made it very clear that he had no interest in romance, especially not the ‘traditional’ way. He always thought it was so stupid, leaving terrible chocolate or pieces of worthless paper with shitty drawings all over it. If he ever became interested in romance, (which he absolutely doubted but the old hag kept telling him she was the same way when she was his age but she found herself wanting it as she got older so he supposed it was technically possible) he would be the one doing the ‘wooing’ or whatever shit it was called. He wasn’t a coward, he’d just go up to the person and tell them and start dating them. He would never be approached by anyone and actually accept it.

Katsuki had hoped to dissuade her by loudly talking about how he didn’t date around her. His friends had asked him if he’d ever dated before coming to U.A., and he’d taken advantage of the opportunity. Ashido was the most perceptive in the class when it came to unnecessary emotions, calling the couples that would eventually get together with disturbing accuracy, so he’d thought that she’d asked because she also noticed the girl and was putting feelers out if he was interested. He’d tried to make it blatantly obvious that he wasn’t to get her to back off, but that just seemed to spur her on. Not even yelling at her to leave him alone worked, at least Deku listened to that.

When she started showing up at places he went, he started to get very uncomfortable. She would never actually engage with him, just be there, at arm’s length, constantly making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Dread mixed with anxiety that he refused to admit was anxiety, telling himself that it was just some stupid bitch who couldn’t read a fucking room. Deku had been similar, though he actually had been invited to the places he was going because the old hag had insisted on inviting Auntie Inko and inviting Auntie always meant Deku coming too. The damn nerd may have constantly stared and asked too many questions, but at least he wasn’t always at the edge of his perception, raising his hackles every goddamn time. His skin crawled every time he saw her, when he decided to get Lunch Rush’s food rather than make his own she was always there, when he went to the gym to spar or workout she was always there pretending to work out, when all of his classmates were outside enjoying the sun and he was studying away from them (but not too far away) she was always on another bench or behind a tree. This dumb extra was fucking insane, apparently, and eventually he went back to ignoring her, hoping that complete disinterest in her actions would work.

It hadn’t, much to his dismay.

“You know, dude, maybe we should just start inviting that girl to go with us places.” Kaminari said lightly, ignoring Katsuki’s glare. “We already know she’s gonna be there anyways, might as well give her an invitation.”

“I barely tolerate you fucks, invite her and I’ll stick your head to the top of the flagpole.” Katsuki growled, trying to suppress how uncomfortable that made him.

“But if we do, then she’ll see how much better boyfriend material I am.” Kaminari laughed, puffing up his nonexistent chest. “That’ll get her off your back.”

Tense muscles unwound just a little as Katsuki recognized that Kaminari was actually trying to help, just in the stupidest way possible. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised, he’d named the idiot Dunce Face for a reason, and not just because of his whey mode.

But the idea still made him pause. “Aren’t you literally always trying to get into Ears’ pants? And Mindfreak’s now too?”

Kaminari looked quickly over to where the two purples were… off purpling, he didn’t fucking know and he didn’t care. All he cared about was Dunce Face kept inviting more and more people to be in their little group that Katsuki couldn’t escape and it really pissed him the fuck off.

“I mean, yeah, but there’s always the ‘make em jealous’ route.” Kaminari said, once he realized his two purples were out of earshot.

“That literally never works, you’re just a fucking idiot.” Katsuki said, ignoring the fact that he was actually somehow giving relationship advice. God, what was his life now?

Kaminari sort of deflated with too much emotion for Katsuki to process all of them. “Well, I don’t know what else to do! I flirt with them, and they just make fun of me.”

“As they should.”

“Kacchan!” Kaminari huffed. “My point is, I’m running out of ideas here. A guy can only take so much friendly ribbing before he goes crazy!”

“Why are you asking me?” Katsuki in disbelief.

“Because I’ve already asked everyone else, and nothing’s working.” Kaminari whined.

“Maybe if you stop being such a huge idiot all the time, they might pay attention to you.” Katsuki scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Get better lines, I’m so fucking sick of the shitty ones you have. If you say another corny ass bullshit one-liner, I’m throwing you out the window.”

“Hey, my lines are awesome!” Kaminari said, getting another eye roll and scoff.

“Sure, if you’re five or in one of those god awful romance movies.”

Kaminari pouted. “I don’t know what that girl sees in you.”

Katsuki didn’t either.

“Girl?” Ah, hell, Ashido. Great, way to make this conversation worse. “Is there a girl? Oh my god, Bakugou do you like someone?”

“Fuck no.” Katsuki barked, making her pout.

“Nah, we’re talking about Kacchan’s stalker.” Kaminari said, saving him from another lecture about not yelling at people who ask stupid questions. “We don’t know what she sees in him.”

“Fuck you, I’m great.” Katsuki snapped. “If I did want to date someone, which I don’t, but if I did, I’d be the greatest fucking boyfriend ever. Your stupid pickup lines wouldn’t be good enough to lick the dirt off my boots.”

Kaminari cringed at his crudeness, but Ashido just stared at him with her too knowing eyes. “You know, Bakugou, if you keep that up, you’ll end up single for the rest of your life.”

“Good.” Katsuki snarled. “Romance is for the weak minded.”

“Mm, you say that now.” Ashido said, still staring at him. “I still swear by the end of second year, you’ll be with someone. I just know it.”

Katsuki blanched a little, deciding to never date anyone ever while he was here at U.A. just to spite her, even if the world turned upside down and he somehow actually wanted to. Kaminari laughed at his face, which Katsuki ended with a hard smack! to his arm.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“Sorry, Kacchan but you should’ve seen your face.” Kaminari said, rubbing his arm but still giggling a little. Bastard.

“I don’t date. At all.” Katsuki stated bluntly. “Least of all her. She’s a fucking creep.”

“If you’re uncomfortable around her, why don’t you just tell her to leave you alone, and that you’re not interested?” Mina asked.

Katsuki’s eye twitched. “I have. She won’t take the fucking hint.”

“Just tell someone, then.” Mina shrugged, as if it were that easy. “I’m sure one of the teachers would step in for stalking. Pretty sure it’s against the rules or something. Or we could do it, maybe she’ll listen to us.”

“I don’t need anyone to ‘step in’, I don’t need help.” Katsuki growled. “I can handle this on my own, without anyone meddling in my fucking business.”

Katsuki just needed her to just make her stupid public confession, so he could embarrass her in front of everyone to get her to stop. Humiliating her was becoming his last option to get her to fucking stop. He didn’t know if anything else would work since nothing else was.

Mina just shrugged at him again, and the conversation moved back to Kaminari’s pathetic attempts to get into their other friends’ pants, and Katsuki tried to forget about her for a while.

“Bakubro, stalker alert.” Kirishima murmured to him as they were at their lockers, the last bell having rung a few minutes ago.

Katsuki turned and the dumb bitch was actually walking towards him, her arms behind her back, like she was holding something. Finally.

“What, stalker?” Katsuki snapped as she finally came up to him.

“Um, it’s Seiko.” She said, and he internally facepalmed that she thought he had just mispronounced her name. Though, the fact that her parents named her ‘psycho’ seemed apt.

His throat was getting a little tight, and he wasn’t sure why. She wasn’t dangerous, just creepy. He should’ve been able to breathe just fine. His eye had twitched at her stupidity, but it was still going, and Katsuki was starting to get a little dizzy. What the hell?

“I’ve been admiring you from afar,” not too fucking far, “and I thought that maybe, since I know you like coffee,” she sounded like she knew some personal secret, and Katsuki rolled his eyes. Everyone knew he liked coffee. “a-and well. I thought that maybe you’d like to go out for a coffee with me this friday?”

Katsuki meant to yell at her, but his throat was now very tight, as if it was closing. Something was wrong, he just couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on.

Taking his silence as hesitant permission to keep going, she went on, “I-I brought you these! I overheard you saying you liked them the other day, so. Here.”

And then it made sense.

This dumb fucking bitch pulled out shidekobushi from behind her back, her hands jerky in her movements. She was right, he had mentioned them the other day, but not because he liked them.

He’d been telling his friends he was deathly allergic to them.

They’d been discussing taking a weekend trip somewhere, to blow off steam and just spend some quality time together, and he’d been forced to join the conversation. Mina had floated the idea of going to Tajimi, because this was the season the rare flower shidekobushi were in bloom, and Tajimi was one of the only places in Japan to see them.

“We’re not going there.” Katsuki had said authoritatively.

“Kacchan, just because you don’t really like flowers doesn’t mean it’s not a cool experience.” Mina had protested, frowning.

“We’re not going there.” Katsuki had repeated. “If you go there, I’m not going.”

“Come on, bro, the point is to do things as a group.” Kirishima had put his hand on Katsuki’s shoulder briefly. “Everyone goes, even if it’s not our first choice.”

“I’m not fucking going.” Katsuki had snapped. “I’ve been there before.”

“And we’ve all been to the maid cafe Denki dragged us to too, and that’s still an option.” Mina had insisted. “Besides, I’ve never been, and I want to go.”

“I can’t!” Katsuki had sighed angrily, rubbing his nose trying to deal with their annoying bullshit. His voice had gotten low, instinctively trying to protect himself from being overheard. Admitting this was already hard enough. “Last time I went, I ended up in the hospital.”

That had caught his friends’ attention. “Dude, why?”

“Because I got fucking taken out by fucking flowers.” Katsuki had whispered grumpily. He hated admitting any weakness, but he couldn’t play with his own life like that. He couldn’t be a hero if some stupid flower fucking killed him, no matter how much he hated it. Stupid bastards for pushing him all the time, they always made him admit things he didn’t want to. How fucking dare they learn his weaknesses? “I can’t be around them, they make me sick.”

Thankfully, Kirishima had had the good grace to also whisper because they all knew how hard this was for him, Kirishima especially. “Like allergic? Like how bad?”

“Bad.” Katsuki had said. “If you wanna go there, I’m not going. I don’t fuck around with that.”

They’d all agreed that that was off the table, and Katsuki had all but forgotten talking about it.

Until he had those exact flowers shoved in his face by a crazy stalker who’d only overheard part of the conversation.

Katsuki’s eyes went wide as his throat immediately closed, his hand coming to his throat as the world began to spin. He gasped for air like a fish out of water, the air never making it to his lungs as his throat closed completely. He stumbled backwards, feeling Kirishima catch him as his eyes unfocused as the room began to spin faster. Kirishima lowered them to the ground, Katsuki’s body jerking convulsively as he kept trying and failing to breathe.

Voices filtered in his head, and he lost track of them, black spots flashing across his eyes so fast he didn’t notice when his eyes rolled back in his head.

“I don’t understand! I heard him!”

“Get those flowers away from him! He’s allergic!”

“Does anyone have an epi-pen?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Someone get Recovery Girl!”

“He can’t breathe!”

The convulsions stopped, his eyes fluttered closed, and his attempts at getting air stopped. Darkness overtook him like a tsunami, not even giving him time to lament the fact that he’d just been killed by a fucking flower of all things, only giving him the slightest feeling of something sharp in his leg.

The first thing he became conscious of was breathing a full breath and then immediately choking on it, coughing as he wheezed awake. He got his eyes open, blinking heavily at the too strong light, but the world stayed in place instead of spinning and he could breathe again so he could thank the stars he hadn’t just been killed by a fucking flower. Stupid fucking immune system.

“Easy, Bakugou, take it easy.” It took a moment but his vision justified Aizawa into focus. “Recovery Girl will be here in a minute, just breathe.”

Honestly, breathing was still a little hard to do, but he shook his head anyway. “Can walk.”

“I know you can, I’m just not letting you.” Aizawa said. He opened his mouth in protest, but the hand he discovered was on his shoulder pressed down. “Epinephrine is taken best laid down, we need to make sure it’s still properly in your system, and right now what I say goes. You can yell at me later, problem child, after this is over.”

Katsuki decided he was definitely going to do that, this pissed him off. He was perfectly capable of walking to Recovery Girl’s office under his own power.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Aizawa said, distracting him from his anger. “I’m getting a lot of conflicting stories.”

“Crazy stalker bitch.” Katsuki panted, his eyes searching for her. But he found there wasn’t anyone else around him, they were all down the hall, Vlad King blocking off anyone from getting near him. Alright, maybe he won’t yell so much at Aizawa, that was clearly his doing. “Brought stupid fucking flowers as if I’d like that. ‘M allergic to them.”

“We noticed that.” Aizawa muttered. “Your friends say she’s been stalking you for about a month now, and that you repeatedly turned her down. Do you think it might have been intentional?”

Katsuki shook his head. He hated this bitch and hoped to never see her again, but he wouldn’t purposefully get someone in trouble for something they didn’t do. He had his own code of honor, even if other people didn’t understand it. “Don’t think so. Think she just misheard me. She never got close enough to hear shit properly, and she asked me out rather than say it was revenge, so I think she’s just fucking dumb.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” Aizawa asked. “She did shove them in your face from what I’ve heard.”

“I’m sure.” Katsuki nodded. “Not the first time someone’s shoved stuff at me because of this romance bullshit. First time it was flowers though. Usually it’s chocolate.”

“Alright, that’s good.” Aizawa said.  “And you didn’t come to anyone about having a stalker for a month… why?”

“She was just a girl with a stupid crush.” Katsuki said obviously. “She wasn’t a threat. Figured she’d ask me out eventually, and thought turning her down would get her to stop. Wasn’t supposed to be a big deal.”

“If there’s a next time, problem child, tell me anyway, I don’t care.” Aizawa said bluntly. “Stalkers can devolve very easily into dangerous situations, or they can do dumb things like get you flowers you’re allergic to and become threats in a matter of seconds.”

Katsuki pouted, didn’t nod but also didn’t refuse. Aizawa took that as acceptance.

“Get better students and I won’t have to deal with this.”

Aizawa glared at him. He glared back.

“Since it seems to be accidental,” Aizawa said. Katsuki declared the staring contest a draw. “I don’t think suspension or expulsion are necessary, just an apology and maybe a restriction order. Do you agree?”

“I don’t want that bitch anywhere near me.” Katsuki growled. “And she can stuff her apology up her ass, I don’t fucking need pathetic words.”

Aizawa just nodded at him. “I’ll have her write one anyway, you don’t have to read it.”

Katsuki just huffed.

“Alright, Recovery Girl is here.” Aizawa said, and Katsuki could hear the whir of a transport and crutch along with footsteps. “Be nice, problem child.”

Katsuki opened his mouth, and Aizawa just glared again. “Be nice.”

He was yelling at his bastard teacher again.

[yourbuerokrat2]

Gen fic: A trollface in the Continuum or a brief history of memes

@startrekwintergiftexchange​

Prompt:  Vulcans or trek aliens of your choice discovering memes.

Since the Qs are one of my favorite species (although I tend to ignore the Q Voyager episodes more often than not) I thought their reaction would be funny. 

Also Q gets to infodump about some quirks of his favorite species in the form of a collection of outdated and current memes and a brief history of them. 

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

“What is that?” a question every Q asked themselves and each other when they found their way in one of the least popular corners of the the Continuum and come across a room. A room that was not just a translation of what’s actually there in order for a lesser mind to understand, but an actual room. Or perhaps to be more precise, the door to a room. 

A light brown, quadratic door, which shared a strange resemblance to the doors found inside the USS Enterprise. 

It was Qs room, because apparently he had chosen to adapt a few things from the species he was supposed to judge. One of these things was privacy in a place where all Q were connected and there was just no need for it. 

Qs.... spouse/partner/main political ally/’mother’ of his child had once humored him and opened the door. The door had slowly been shut close afterwards with her not so much as entering the room and despite some curious inquiries she refused to speak of what was inside the room.

Junior on the other hand had just shrugged and went to go on some ‘self-exploration’ that was in most other species ‘normal’ for his current stage of ‘development’: 

Now these were already some unusual circumstances in a Continuum that used to be more or less static for the last millions of years. 

But the latest scandal and controversy regarding their strangest member was a poster hanging on the outside of the door.

“Well, it is obviously supposed to be a parody of a human face.”

“Do you think its a parody of his human”

“Nearly impossible, I have done a brief research on this guy. He doesn’t really ‘smile’ much least of all anywhere near like that.”

“Don’t tell me we are going to have to worry about you ...”

“Oh don’t worry. I barely understand what Q sees in these humans. Besides, he and I have had a ... conversation after he became aware of my research.”

“Well, what is this picture then?”

Behind the ongoing discussion, which more and more other Qs joined in, not really having anything better to do, a flash appeared. 

“It is called a ‘memes.”

Turning around they found the owner of the door and the room behind it. Smiling at them in a rather annoying way that showed how much he joined knowing and understand something they didn’t. 

Giving what a human would call a defeated sigh, one of the Qs asked “What is a meme?”

“I am glad that you asked. “  and with a snap of his fingers the Continuum took on the shape of a 19th centure english classroom. With nearly all of the present Qs as students sitting on small wooden chairs while the most infamous of them took on the robe of a teacher. Unfitting for the times however a powerpoint presentation was shown in front of the ‘class’.

One of the more serious and not at all pleased nor really curious Qs spoke up

“I swear Q, you are incredibly close to getting exiled. Again.”

“Shush. I am merely showing some of my research on Humanity I have conducted for the Trial. 

Authorized research, if I may add.”, Q said, looking at the Q who had dared to show a little bit too much interested in the Enterprise and Humanity. 

Going back into his role, Q went on.

“It all started with this.”

“Ah, I see.” one of the Qs wanting to show that they knew and understood everything from the start, talking to his neighbor. “This is one of their cave paintings.”

“Not really”, Q said. “It’s a bit later than their cave painting. This picture was used by American soldiers in one of their wars, the one call ‘World War 2′. At first just an inside joke on their military ships and vehicles it quickly became an inside joke wherever they went during this war. The british soldiers soon decided to do their own and came up with this

While the Australians had this

“I like their cave paintings more”, said another Q in the back.

“But it’s only when the humans had created what is known as the  internet, when it really starts to get weird.

One of the first things to spread across Earth through it was this.

“A virtually created infant?”

“Dancing, yes. And this was just the true beginning. The twenty-first century started it all, with what some scholars would call ‘the Experimental period’ from 2000-2004.

Memes from that area for example were:

“You now?”, one ofo the more serious yet curious Q said after a few seconds watching the video of a dancing and singing banana animation.

“Maybe it’s wrong of us to judge them? After all, they as a species seem... mentally unwell if not to say insane.”

“Shush” came from two other Qs who were actually entertained for the first time in more than three thousand years. 

“Then”, Q went on with a near dramatic ais of importance “came the Evolutionary Period from 2005-2011″

“Believe it or not, they origin from the same year of 2005

2006 however brought back old favorite pictures of humans. Cats, a species of which a few vulcans and even the android on board of the Enterprise seem to be fond of.

“There are numerous more examples like these. Just a picture of a feline with a text that is mostly supposed to be relateable to people who live with one.”

None of the other Q really understood the context or the precise meaning of these memes, but since none of the other Q asked they didn’t want to appear stupid by not understanding such seemingly simple concepts the pictures were reffering to

“In 2007 a particular song amongs various ‘meme songs’ is notable that would keep the status of a meme for years to come

“Q, we are just here to understand your pictures, not whatever it is human qualify as music.”

Grumbling about none of the Qs having any kind of appreciation for creativity and art, Q stopped the video and the song and went on with his presentation. 

“Then in 2008 a man named Carlos Ramirez posted a few comics on an internet communication board called 4chan, which would spark a variety of other meme comics called the Rage comics. 

I chose the trollface, because I found the expression quite humerous and fitting to a trickster.”

“So it represents someone who enjoy getting on other peoples nerves.”, said rather factually. 

Q chose to ignore that comment, instead, 

“Other pieces from this period include

The question of “what’s a monday?” went through the metaphorical head of many Qs. Yet, again, out of the discomfort of being thought of as stupipd, no one bothered asking. 

Feeling instantly better about their own intelligence, some Q even laughed. 

“Following the Evolutionary Period, came the Transitorial Period, which was really short only from 2012-2014″

“And Humans find these reminders of their own mortality.. funny?”

“Yes, quite a few do.”

“But ever since 2015 these things have exploded in variety. The basis of all of them, that something relatable to a lot of other humans is shared. Often in a way to make the other humans laugh or relate. For example, there are quite a few on a collective hatred for the day ‘Monday’, often shown, once again, through the picture of a cat. 

I am guessing that everyone now has somewhat of a understand of what a ‘meme’ is?”

A few nods and more than a few eyeroles were there.

Thinking that he has shared enough of human culture and has taken what fun he could get out of educating his fellow Q, Q snapped his fingers and everything was back to how it was before the lesson. 

Ignoring most of the others, who were already on their way to other places, Q went to the door, opened it and entered his room. 

[couldntbedamned]

So I created an OC who spoke to Sharon (in her head) during her "regulation" of Extremis in The Phoenix Protocol and after some discussion and prompting in one of my discord servers, came up with the rest of the group.

Sharon Carter | Agent 13 - Great niece of P. Carter

Bartholomew "Barty" Dugan - Grandson of Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan

Bailey Falsworth - Granddaugther of James Montgomery Falsworth

Martin Dernier - Great nephew of Jacques Dernier

Kai Morita - Grandson of Jim Morita

Antoine Triplett - Grandson of Gabe Jones

From an upcoming chapter:

Boss, there appears to be an unregistered guest in the Penthouse.

"Oh, does there?" Tony asked with an annoyed frown. "How the hell did Romanoff break in? She's bio-metrically locked out!" He sighed and glanced at Sharon. "Ready to face the music?"

"We might as well," she said. "It's not as if I can just stay shut away here forever."

They went up to the Penthouse, Tony forming a gauntlet and Sharon pulling a knife (How the hell did she get a knife? Tony wondered.) from somewhere on her person.

When they arrived, it wasn't Natasha - or any of the others - waiting for them at all.

"So, Share-Bear, how's life treating you as someone formerly on the run for committing treason? And by the way, Stark, that was a brilliant defense you argued. I almost shed a tear."

Bartholomew "Barty" Dugan was lounging on one of Tony's sofas, one long leg crossed over the other as if he were the one who owned the Tower. He wore his usual smirk and oh, she wanted to smack it off of his face. He had a smack-able face. He himself owned up to that fact.

Sharon rolled her eyes but Tony immediately switched from looking angry at the intrusion to looking delighted.

"Listen, Mr. Break-and-Enter, I'm going to ignore for a minute that you somehow found a way to bypass all of my security for the time being, because I have something much more pressing to ask." He retracted the gauntlet and turned to Sharon. "Share-Bear? That's your nickname?"

"No," she said firmly just as Barty said "Yes! Yes, it is and she loves it."

"Barty, I hate you," she said to him with a glare.

"She doesn't," Barty assured Tony, standing up and wrapping an arm around Sharon's shoulders. "She adores me, I promise you."

"Stark, listen to me. Do not call me that. Ever." She shrugged Barty's arm off. "What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be skulking around the Louvre or Tate Modern?"

"What? I can't visit one of my oldest friends after learning she'd been held captive by aliens?" Barty asked. His expression softened. "The others are worried sick and I'm currently the closest one here without a traditional 9-5ish type job. It's not like Kai can leave the students or Bailey leave the number-crunching to her colleagues."

"And just what is it you do, Mr. Barty, it it?" Tony asked.

"Oh, this and that," he said airily.

"And how exactly did you crack my security?" Tony asked. "I'm impressed."

Sharon snorted out a laugh. "Tony, meet Barty Dugan. When comes to bypassing security, he can run circles around Natasha Romanoff."

"It's a gift," Barty said modestly. "But seriously, Sharon, how are you?"

"Physically, never better," she answered. "All the rest? To be determined."

"And do you have anything to do with that?" Barty asked Stark.

"Which part?" Tony asked back with all the maturity of a toddler.

"Barty, he saved my life. Stand down, Iisus Hristos."

"Ah, now that was Share-Bear here swearing in another language, which is a great way to tell how annoyed she is," Barty explained to Tony, eyes glittering with mischief. "Latvian?" he asked Sharon.

"Romanian," she ground out.

"You should hear her go off in French; it's beautiful."

Tony wasn't sure what to make of the man. It was clear even through his teasing that he cared about Sharon deeply and given that Sharon hadn't stabbed him, she obviously felt the same. He'd have to have FRIDAY run a check on him. And see if he could figure out who "the others" were, given that he had two other names: Kai and Bailey, along with a general idea of their professions.

"I need to get back down to my labs before Dum-E decides to do some spring cleaning with acetone. Are you good up here?" he asked Sharon.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Barty won't hurt me; he knows I'll kick his ass up and down this room."

"From painful experience," Barty added with a sheepish grin.

"You had it coming," Sharon said.

"True," he admitted. "Then again, so did Martin and Kai, though I think Kai eventually grew out of it. Bailey and Tripp always seemed to know better."

"Go on, Tony," Sharon encouraged. "If I feel like I'm about to explode I'll let you know."

[myboipracticallyimagines]

Rescue - Six x Reader

Prompt: When you and your sister, Claire, get kidnapped, your only hope of rescue is Six. TW: Foul language, abuse, murder

Nights like these had always terrified you. As you lay under the pale moonlight that had crept into your room, your mind raced. All you could think about was Six possibly bleeding out all alone. Or being tortured for information. Or a million other things that all crept through your mind.

This was only Six's second mission away from the safehouse. Both he and Fitz preferred him to be at home, protecting you and Claire. You were the only family he had left, and he would do whatever it took to protect both of you.

For the past two nights, Six had been gone. An assortment of guards filled the house in his absence, with at least one in eyesight at all times. You felt a sliver of reassurance at the thought that there was a guard right outside your doorway. Soon, Six would be back and the rest of your worry would dissipate. You were all too aware at the many attempts at your lives that had already taken place.

In the early hours of the morning, when the sun had just begin to peak through your blinds, you heard movement in the hallway. "Six," you asked, immediately rising to your feet. When your door finally opened, you screamed. Standing before you was not Six, instead two buff men dressed in all black, both fully armed. At their feet lay your bodyguard in a pool of blood.

You ran to the window, trying to pry it open, but the men were faster. A gun was at your back, the cold silver pushing into the exposed skin above your pajamas. "Let's go, pretty," the man breathed into your ear. You dared not yell for your sister, in hopes they would somehow miss her.

"I have the little one," another man yelled from the doorway, erasing any hope you had left. "Good," your captor said. "Knock 'em out." Without another word, something sharp pricked your neck, and the world went dark.

You woke up in a strange bed, in a strange bedroom. Ignoring the pounding in your skull, you walked to the window. Well-landscaped greenery stretched as far as you could see. There wasn't even another building in sight. "Good morning, sunshine. I was wondering when you'd wake up," a voice rang across the room. You turned to find a man smirking at you. Despite pulling off a double kidnapping, he didn't look a bit fazed. "Who are you?" you ask, a tinge of worry evident in your voice. "Lloyd Hansen," he smiles. "Ever heard of me?" You shake your head, which only causes him to chuckle slightly. He closes the space between you, running the back of his hand down your cheek. "Let's just say I make people disappear." You clenched your jaw. "And my sister and I, we're part of those people?" Lloyd laughed again. "Oh, no, sweetie. You're a bargaining chip. You two are making the important people play right into my hand." "And why are you telling me this?" "Just so you know how unimportant you are, in the grand scheme of things. So you better do as you're told." Without another word, Lloyd left, slamming the door shut behind him.

Food was delivered thrice a day, with a guard setting down a silver platter and, without a word, leaving again. In those days, you clung to the only hope you had - Six. He had taken care of you before and you thought, you knew, he cared about you. He had to. You cared for him. You quickly shook the thought out of your head. You cared about him. But it was more than that, wasn't it? In the months he had spent with you, you had grown to care for him.

When the door opened next, Lloyd was on the other side, visibly annoyed. "Good morning, princess. Brought you a friend," he said, pushing in your uncle. "Fitz," you cried, running into his warm embrace. "Hurry this up, both of you," Lloyd said, tapping his foot impatiently. "I have to prove that both of you are alive before I can start beating the answers out of the old man." You stood protectively in front of your uncle. "You're not going to hurt him." Lloyd sighed before picking you up and carrying you across the room, barely acknowledging your kicking and screaming. Another guard took your uncle away, leaving you alone with Lloyd once more. He dropped you onto an armchair, caging you in with his strong arms. "I don't think you're in a position to tell me what I can and can't do." "I hate you," you seethed. "You're such a fucking brat." You stared up at the man and, without thinking, spit. Lloyd reacted immediately, slapping the backside of this hand across your face, his rings tearing into your skin. "That's the kind of shit that will get you killed, princess." The pain didn't stop until he was long gone.

No one came until the next day, when both your sister and uncle were shoved into your room. "What happened to you?" Fitz asked, gently inspecting your bruised skin. "Lloyd," you breathed, starting at his bandaged hand. "What happened to you?" "Lloyd." Thankfully, Claire was unharmed. You spent the next few hours wrapped in your family's embrace, holding onto the only comfort you had in days.

When gunshots rang through the air, Fitz instructed both of you to hide. With every noise, your heart stopped and you clutched Claire closer, covering her eyes and ears. Suddenly, the door opened. "Took you long enough," Fitz spoke, relief lacing his voice. You finally gained enough courage to look up. At the doorway stood Six - bloody and bruised - but Six all the same.

His eyes softened when they met yours, then he saw your cheek. "Shit. What happened to you?" he asked, immediately rushing to your side. His fingers brushes the outline of the bruise, causing you to grimace slightly. His hand fell away immediately. "Lloyd, but I'm okay. I just want to go home." "Get Claire," Six instructed Fitz, keeping one arm securely around you.

Six led the way through the castle halls, only releasing his grip on you to shoot guards he met along the way. You didn't realize Lloyd's full force until you made it to the walkway. He stood on a walkway diagonal to you, a multitude of armed men on either side. Six and Fitz picked them off, finally making it to the end of the walkway. "We need to jump," Six said, his eyes scanning each possible exit way. The water was at least forty feet down, and your breath caught in your throat. "Six," Fitz called, "Keep my girls safe." You looked down at your uncle, who had collapsed a few feet back. A pool of blood soaked through his shirt. You rushed to his side, Claire right behind. "Come on, Fitz, stand up. We're going home," you cried, pulling on his arm. "I love you so much," he cried, holding onto both you and your sister. "Stay with Six. He'll take care of you." He looked at Six once more. "Give me a grenade." "No," Six said. "We're not leaving you." He tried applying pressure to his chest, but Fitz pushed him off. Another round of bullets ripped through the walls, raining debris on us. "Please," Fitz cried. "Take care of them."

Six dropped something at Fitz's side, then pulled Claire off of him. "Stop," she screamed. "Six, please!" "Go with him," Fitz urged, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Stay with him." "I will," you cried, placing one last kiss on your uncle's cheek. "I love you." "I love you too, kid," he breathed.

You turned back to Six, who was fighting to keep his hold on Claire. "Jump!" he screamed. Without a second thought, you jumped into the water below. Six was at your side when you surfaced, sputtering out water. "I've got you, let's go." You used every ounce of energy you had left to push through the water, until the grenade went off. Claire let out another scream, but Six was able to grab onto her, pulling her towards the shore. You pushed through the tears as you clamored onto the safety of the boat. Claire clung to you as Six started up the vessel. "Shh, it'll be okay," you soothed, fighting back your own tears. "Six is gonna get us out of here."

You looked up at Six, who was staring into the distance. "Stay down," he whispered, running off. You did as you were told until the gunshots started. Without thinking twice, you rummaged through everything on the boat, hoping to find anything that would help you. Your hand settled on metal as you pulled out a flare gun. "Stay here," you instructed as you ran in the direction of the fight. Six lay on the ground, Lloyd standing over him. He didn't see you yet, so it was easy to land the shot to his back. His entire body crumpled as the flare burned a hole in his skin. He cried out, only disarmed for a second before running at you. With all his force, he knocked you to the ground, grabbing the flare before pulling you against him. "Six," you yelled, immediately drawing his attention. Lloyd's pace quickened, pulling you into the maze.

He pulled you through endless corners and you immediately lost your sense of direction. "Six!" you cried out again, hoping to give him a way to find you. Lloyd immediately stopped, shoving you backwards into the wall. His hand gripped your throat, slowly cutting off your air supply. "I'm done messing around, sweetheart. Either you can it or I blow your pretty little head in." You nodded, causing him to release his hold on you. "Good girl."

When you made it to the center of the maze, Lloyd stopped running. He instead stood behind the fountain, flare pressed squarely to your temple. Six emerged moments later, gun pointed directly at Lloyd. "It's time we end this, don't you think? Give me the gun and I'll give you your girl." Six's position didn't change. "If your strategy depends on me not killing a woman then you need a new strategy." He withdrew the flare from your head long enough to fire a shot into the maze, immediately pressing the hot metal back onto your temple.

This pain was unlike anything you'd ever felt before - white hot. A scream cut through your throat as you clawed at Lloyd, aching for the pain to go away. Six took not a moment longer to disarm his gun, immediately throwing it into the fountain before you. "Cute. I meant loaded." "No one throws a loaded gun, Lloyd."

Six begins circling towards you, causing Lloyd to circle the other direction, pulling you with him. "You know, I normally wouldn't stick around at this point in the night. But you've been a pebble in my shoe since the very beginning. I think I want to stick around for this one." Lloyd finally released his grip on you and you ran to Six, clinging onto him tightly. "Let me see your face," he whispered, pushing your hair behind your ear. He studied it gently before looking back at Lloyd.

With his arm still around you, he took a few steps to the right, circling the fountain once more. "You know what, Lloyd?" "What's that, sunshine?" "I might've let you live if you hadn't touched her." Lloyd's eyes darkened. "Take the shot." The bullets hit him before he could even flinch. "Let's go."

Claire was still on the boat, a woman now nestled beside her. "Let's get out of here," she panted. Six sat at the wheel, immediately hitting the gas. This time, nothing stopped you.

Part 2