#these were test recordings to see if they looked decent

[sinsofsinister]

the pitt - abandoned area

[mymoodwriting]

15.8k, yandere, manipulation, gangs, drugs, guns, needles, sedatives, car accident, alcohol, kidnapping, knives, pills, smut, non-con, dub-con, knife play, aphrodisiac, BDSM, sex toys, fingering, dry humping, gang bang, double penetration, restraints, supernatural power (@starillusion13)

“Welcome to Wingz Express, how may I help you?”

You pulled down your hood as you walked into the shop. The gentleman behind the counter was quite handsome, and more focused on the white cat in its arms. When he looked up at you he offered a smile, standing up.

“What can I do for you?”

“Uh… hi… I was wondering… how much could you give me for this necklace?”

You pulled your fist out of your pocket, holding it out and opening your hand to reveal a small gold necklace. The gentleman asked for your permission to take it and then proceeded to do so. He examined it for a moment up against the light and then handed it back to you, checking under the counter display case for something.

“So, tell me, why’s a pretty thing like you selling something so pretty.”

“I just need the money…”

“What for?”

“Nothing bad!” You quickly remarked. “Just for school… I need new books for the semester and… I don’t really have any other options.”

“I see.”

The gentleman got out a scale, turning it on and testing it out with a few other jewelry pieces. As he did that the door opened, a bell ringing to signify there was someone new entering the shop. You looked over to see another guy with a cap walk in, and before the shop worker could say their greeting he spoke.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Hyunjae.”

“Oh, what do we have here?”

This Hyunjae gave you a smile before going behind the counter with the other, looking around for the item in question. Although you still had it.

“May I?”

The other held his hand out to you, and you handed over the necklace. He put it on the scale and noted down its weight. From there Hyunjae grabbed it and began examining it.

“So, how much are you looking to get?” The worker asked.

“Juyeon-”

“I’m not talking to you right now, Hyunjae.” Juyeon cleared his throat and smiled at you. “How much do you need?”

“Uh… if I could get a few hundred… that would be fine… although I don’t think the necklace is worth that much…”

“Well you’re in luck.” Juyeon grabbed the necklace, holding it up. “The craftsman ship on this is quite unique, the weight is decent, and it seems to be 14k, so I can give you about six hundred dollars.”

“Six… six hundred?”

“Too little?”

“I… no… if that’s what it’s worth… I had no idea…”

“Whoever gave this to you must have really cared for you.”

“I guess… it’s the only thing I have from my birth parents… before they passed away…”

“Oh, something with this much sentimental value… are you sure you want to-”

“I need the money for school… it’s okay…”

“If you say so.”

Juyeon grabbed a sheet of paper and pen, sliding it over to you. He asked for you to fill out your personal information, as they needed physical records of all transactions. He stepped away for a moment to get the money, counting it in front of you so you’d have no doubts. As he handed it over to you he kept his grip on it, confusing you. He reached into his jacket pocket and held out a business card for you, which you hesitantly took.

“What’s this?”

“If you need money, it might be better to get a job. We also run a delivery service and are always looking for new people.” Juyeon let go of the money. “Just a thought.”

“Thank you…”

You politely bowed your head and made your way out of the shop. Juyeon watched you every step of the way until you were out of sight. When he looked back he was met with Hyunjae’s death glare.

“What?”

“Six hundred dollars? Seriously? How much is that necklace actually worth?”

“About a hundred.”

“Juyeon!”

“What!”

“Sangyeon is going to kill you.”

“He can try.” Juyeon looked down at the paperwork. “Let me know when she calls.”

“You mean if she calls.”

“When.” Juyeon corrected. “She’ll call.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Cause I’m gonna make her mine.”

❤ 

You went to the shop early in the morning the day before classes started. You made it back to your dorm, ignoring the boxes you needed to unpack and just collapsing onto the bed. You were grateful you had gotten some money, hoping it’d be enough for books. Your stomach growled and you could only whine. You had two meal passes per day, and you’d rather save those for lunch and dinner. For a moment you thought to spend some of the money you had on breakfast, but you quickly shot the idea down reminding yourself you had to save every penny. After some more lounging around you heard your roommate come in, reminding you that you needed to unpack and get ready for the semester.

After the first week you had all necessary materials, and a few bucks left over. You kinda wanted to treat yourself, but you knew you shouldn’t be spending so recklessly. You’d spend your time in the library, working on assignments, or in your dorm. Even though you wanted to go out, even when classmates invited you, the only option you had was to stay in your dorm. It sucked, but you were used to it by now. Especially the morning hunger pains. Which were way worse after pulling an all nighter. 

You laid in bed the next morning, telling yourself you had to get up. You went about your morning routine, getting your things and when you put your phone in your pocket found a business card. For a moment you questioned it, but seeing the name on it reminded you where you had gotten in. The shop worker told you it would be best to get a job, and that they were hiring. You weren’t sure if you’d be able to do it though, considering you’ve seen a lot of delivery workers dropping off big heavy boxes. Not to mention the fact your schedule was all over the place. 

Then again you could do late evenings but you’d sacrifice sleep in the process. You groaned as you debated this, unsure what to do. In your current situation you were just getting by, staying at a constant with no real movement upwards. You were okay, but you could be better. Some money in your pocket would probably make you feel less anxious. Since you still had time before your morning class you decided to call on your way over, hoping to get some information and go from there. 

“Hello, Wingz Express, how may I help you?”

“Hi… I was calling to ask about your open positions.”

“Open positions?”

“Yes. One of your employees from the shop gave me a card, I believe his name was Juyeon. He told me you were hiring.”

“Ah, yes. So, what do you want to know?”

“Well, I was curious about the pay? Does it depend on the department or-”

“Thirty.”

“…” You stopped in your tracks. “Thirty… what?”

“All the work is basically the same, so I’d be paying you thirty an hour.”

“Thirty… an hour?”

“Is that not enough?”

“No! I mean, that’s great. Although, I’m a uni student so I could only really work late in the evening.”

“That’s fine. A delivery service is available 24/7 so that’s no problem. When can you start?”

“… just like that? No interview or background check.”

“It’s a delivery job, don’t need much, just you.”

“Oh… okay then…”

“You think you could come by later today? I know where I could put you.”

“Yeah, yeah I can do that. Does seven sound good?”

“Works for me. Can I get your name?”

“Y/n.”

“I’m Sangyeon, the owner. I’ll text you the address for the warehouse and when you come over ask for me.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“I’ll see you later.”

When the call ended you found yourself staring at your phone. You easily got a job, and it paid very well. For a moment your heart fluttered with joy but then you thought about it. If it paid this much, and they were hiring, there had to be something wrong with the job. That killed your mood a bit but you told yourself it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. Besides, they were expecting you now so it would be rude not to show up. You put it all to the side for now focusing on your classes. You had an early lunch before catching a bus and heading to the warehouse. It seemed pretty empty, so you began to worry you were in the wrong place, but you saw some trucks with the Wingz Express stamp on it in the loading dock, giving you some reassurance.

You then saw a few people walking inside the building. You called out to them, but they didn’t seem to hear you so you followed them inside. It looked how you’d imagine a delivery service would have their warehouse stocked, rows and rows of items going up to the ceiling. Still, you didn’t see many workers around. You were starting to think this place was fairly new, it would explain why the pay was so high, they needed people. You cautiously walked around, looking for another employee, but it wouldn’t be long before you were called out.

“Ya! Stop right there!”

You turned around to see these two gentlemen walking over to you, concern on their faces. You merely offered a smile, trying not to be nervous.

“Hello.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m the new hire.”

“New hire? Seriously?”

“Uh, yes. I spoke with the owner on the phone and he-”

“Sure you did. Look, you seem nice, so why don’t we escort you out.”

“What?”

“We have no problem dragging you out if necessary.”

“But-”

“Guys!” A third voice boomed. “What is going on?”

“This girl says she works here. That she spoke with you on the phone.”

“I did speak with someone.”

You looked back to see who you believed to be Sangyeon approach. He came up to you with a smile and held his hand out to you.

“You must be y/n, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person, I’m Sangyeon.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“I’m glad you found the place, now let’s go to the office and get all the paperwork sorted.”

“Wait, why didn’t you tell us that-”

“It’s fine. Just get back to work you two.”

You followed Sangyeon to the office at the back of the warehouse. He brought out some papers for you to fill out, getting you a hat and vest as well. Afterwards he showed you around the warehouse, telling you about the company. They had been around for a while and as you suspected, only recently set up a location in this area. They pretty much delivered everything to anyone, so their services were sought after.

“I don’t expect heavy manual labor from you, so I’ll be partnering you up with Younghoon.”

You went over to the docks, Sangyeon introducing you to your new partner. He was happy to meet you, giving you a big smile as he shook your hand.

“Welcome to the team.”

“Thanks.”

“I expect you to take good care of her.” Sangyeon commented. “And show her the ropes.”

“Of course.”

“Alright, be safe, and let me know if anything happens. See you both later.”

Younghoon closed up the truck and playfully offered you the keys, but said you didn’t know where to go yet. You also mentioned you didn’t know how to drive which he assured you wasn’t an issue as no one really did deliveries alone.

“So, what’s up with you?”

“Huh?”

“Sorry, I worded that weirdly. Tell me about yourself. What do you do with your time, why the job?”

“Oh… well I’m a university student, and I need the money for my expenses… and to pay back my loans someday.”

“Your parents won’t help out?”

“I don’t have any…”

“Oh, my bad.”

“It’s alright. I was in foster care and did grow up in a nice home, it’s just… different…”

“You still live with your foster parents?”

“No, no, I live on campus in the dormitories. It feels more like my home that way.”

“Look at you, miss independent.”

You giggled. “I try.”

“Well, getting a job is a good step.”

“Thanks.”

You arrived at an apartment complex, going with Younghoon to get the delivery items. You had multiple deliveries in the building, and it would go faster with two people. Younghoon pulled out a small cart, handing you these paper bags with numbers on them. He got another cart and did the same, the two of you taking one and making your way inside the building. He gave you a list, and certain floors to attend to, as well as a walkie to keep in touch with, telling you the numbers on the bags corresponded with apartment numbers. You just had to place the bag in front of the right door and take a picture of it, followed by ringing the doorbell and moving onto the next. Pretty simple.

You did this with a few other apartment complexes, returning to the warehouse in the early hours of the morning. To your surprise you could hear music and cheering coming from inside. Younghoon seemed to know exactly what was going on and had you follow him. You saw a bunch of boys gathered around two others in forklifts, they were gonna race. Sangyeon noticed the two of you and came over. Younghoon told him everything had gone well and all deliveries were made. He was happy to hear, asking you how you felt with the work. It was good, and you were glad to help.

“You should stick around for the race.”

“I don’t think I should.”

“It’ll be fun. You can place your bet too.”

“I don’t really have money to bet…”

“Then how about this.” Younghoon suggested. “You bet an hours pay, and if you win, your paycheck gets doubled. You should have some fun with us too.”

“Uh…”

“It’s not much to lose.”

“Sure. I’ll play.”

If you were gonna keep this job, you should make an effort to get along with your coworkers. You joined in the crowd, going over to the front, and being told who the racers were. One was a gentleman by the name of Sunwoo, and the other Chanhee. You didn’t have much to go by so this was truly a gamble for you. In the end you put your money on Chanhee, and then the race began. The gentleman from the shop, Hyunjae, went up to start the race, doing a count down and dropping the flag. It was easy to get caught up in the energy as you watch the two go around the warehouse, and you were overjoyed when Chanhee crossed the finish line first. You screamed in joy and jumped into Younghoon’s arms. He spun you around until you came back to your senses and apologized.

“Congrats to you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s okay, you were excited.”

“Y/n.” Sangyeon called. “Let’s get you your money, follow me.”

You went with Sangyeon to the office. He gave you a check for your first shift, and your earnings from the bet in cash. You kept yourself together as best you could, but it was hard to hide your joy.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then.”

You returned to your dorm, tired but satisfied. A bit of a burden had been lifted off your shoulders. You cleaned up and went to bed. Even though you wouldn’t get much sleep you had the peace of mind that everything would be alright. In the morning you even treated yourself to a yummy breakfast before class. You went about your day with a slight skip in your step, and happily returned to the warehouse in the evening. While you made your way to the office you heard a honk and one of the forklifts came over to your side. You recognized the driver.

“Hello, I don’t think we got to properly meet last night.”

“Hi, I’m y/n, a new hire.”

“I’m Chanhee, your lucky charm.” He chuckled. “You made the right choice last night.”

“Thanks for winning.”

“It’s all skill. We should hang out sometime outside of work.”

“If I have the time.”

“Then keep me in your thoughts.”

“Y/n!” You heard Younghoon call. “You ready?”

“Coming! I’ll see you around, Chanhee.”

“Don’t be a stranger.”

Chanhee went off and you went over to Younghoon, going off to work. For the next few days it was the same routine. You went to the same places, and did the same job. Since it was late in the evening going into the morning, you rarely ran into people, although it did happen on occasion. These people usually just said hello, and moved on, but on one occasion things were different. Someone approached you, asking about their order. You were happy to help, and asked for their apartment number. You didn’t have anything on your list, so you used your walkie to call Younghoon and ask him about the situation. He had no record of such an order either.

“Sorry, we don’t seem to have your order. Perhaps you could-”

“Just give me one of the ones you have.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. These are for other people. And-”

“Whatever.”

The person just grabbed a random bag off your cart, and you quickly reached out to grab it as well. You were trying to explain this wasn’t for them, but the other party was not letting go. Eventually the struggle caused the bag to rip, multiple items falling to the floor, and a white powder exploding onto you. The other person immediately dropped the bag and ran, causing you to collapse to the floor. You were upset and as you got up Younghoon came to your side, helping you to your feet.

“Are you okay?”

“I guess. Sorry, one of the orders-”

“It’s fine.” Younghoon tried to dust you off. “There’s a small vacuum in the back of the van, why don’t you go get it and I’ll do some cleaning here.”

“Of course.”

You went down to the van and retrieved the vacuum returning to Younghoon as he got off the phone. He thanked you and got to work cleaning up, telling you they liked to operate like ghosts, not leaving a trace behind. He also told you not to worry about the order that was damaged, Sangyeon was already taking care of it. You continued with the deliveries together, although after a while you began to feel dizzy. You thought you were fine but your legs suddenly gave out. Younghoon was quick to catch you, holding you in his arms.

“Y/n? Y/n, can you hear me?”

You felt strange, as if you were floating on water. Younghoon’s voice sounded so distant, but you were trying to listen. All you could give him was a smile before your body gave out and everything faded to black.

❤ 

Your head was throbbing as you regained consciousness. It took a moment to register where you were, but as you sat up you could see that you were in the office back at the warehouse. You were relieved to be somewhere familiar, although you were alone. Besides the headache you felt fine, and when you checked the time you saw that your shift had ended half an hour ago. You felt terrible for what had happened, but at least it wasn’t bad enough that you needed to be taken to the hospital. It was getting late and you needed to return to your dorm, but you also wanted to check in with Sangyeon to apologize.

You grabbed your things and stepped out of the office, looking around the warehouse. The place was eerily quiet, yet you called out to see if anyone was there. As far as you knew the warehouse never really closed, so someone had to be around. While wandering around you noticed just how many boxes were stacked in the warehouse. You had never really looked into the type of things Wingz Express delivered, and after today’s incident you were quite curious. The boxes were labeled according to what they had, but you noticed the boxes higher up didn’t have a label at all. 

“You should be careful.”

You jumped when you heard a voice, looking over to see Chanhee up on some boxes looking down at you. If he had been there this whole time then he surely had heard you calling for someone, but just ignored you until now. He chuckled and apologized for startling you, hoping down.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, sorry for what happened.”

“It wasn’t your fault, you were just doing your job.”

“Yeah… so what is it that you guys deliver? What have I been delivering?”

“No idea, big boss Sangyeon takes care of all that. We deliver anything and everything, so who knows, not really our business.”

“I see. I should get going.”

“Right, you have class in the morning. I’ll show you out.”

“I was actually looking for Sangyeon.”

“He’s busy with something, but I’ll let him know you’re alright.”

“Okay, thanks.”

You made it back to your dorm in one piece, feeling a mix of exhaustion and annoyance. People just had to be so dumb and you were sure you’d get a pay cut for passing out on the job. For now though you just needed to sleep and worry about your classes. In the morning you still felt tired, but you had to get on with your day. Although as you were on your way to class you got a call from Sangyeon.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright. I do need to apologize for last night.”

“There’s no need. All that matters is that you’re alright. If you need anything, you let me know.”

“I will, thank you.”

“Since I have you on the line, could I ask something of you?”

“What is it?”

“I know you don’t usually work weekends, but if you ever have the time you’re always welcome to come by. I could use the help in the mornings and I’d pay you extra too. Which reminds me, I am paying you for your full hours for yesterday.”

“Oh you don’t-”

“I insist. You got hurt on the job and I need to take care of you. I know it’s early so I’ll let you go, but if you can come in this weekend please let me know.”

“Yeah, yeah I will, thanks Sangyeon.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too.”

❤ 

The weekends were normally your days off. You’d use them to catch up on assignments, or sleep, and maybe treat yourself since you had money to spend. Although you didn’t really have friends to hang out with. At least if you went into work you wouldn’t be alone, and you’d get some more money. So you decided to make your way over to the warehouse, greeted by happy faces.

“I’m glad you could spare the time.” Sangyeon commented.

“No problem. So, where’s Younghoon?”

“You won’t be with him today. I’m gonna have you help Kevin out. Nothing too crazy.”

“Sure. That sounds like fun.”

“I’ll take you to him.”

You followed Sangyeon through the warehouse, going back over to the loading docks. He brought you over to Kevin and introduced you.

“Pleasure to be working with you.”

“Same here.”

“Take care of her.” Sangyeon mentioned.

“I got it, boss.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if anything happens.”

“Will do.” Kevin playfully saluted. “So, I know you’re used to working the evening shift, but I promise the day shift isn’t too bad.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“Truck’s already loaded so let’s go.”

You made small talk with Kevin on the drive, and the job was fairly similar. You were dropping off boxes to apartment buildings or stores. If there was no one to receive it then you set it down, take a picture, and send a message, just like before. The only real difference was politely greeting people around you. The uniform was simple too, which meant it was easy for people to recognize you.

“Y/n?”

“Hm?”

While heading back to the truck you were stopped by a group of girls, recognizing them from one of your classes. You weren’t exactly friends, but you knew each other to be more than strangers.

“What are you doing?”

“Just… working… I need some extra money so I thought I’d pick up a few shifts.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Huh?”

“Y/n.”

You looked back just as Kevin approached you, seeming out of breath. He placed an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close.

“This was our last stop, so we can go.” Kevin smiled and looked over at the girls. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse us.”

“What’s your name?”

“Sorry, I’m not that easy.”

Kevin pulled you along back to the truck. The other girls followed you for a bit, but Kevin didn’t pay them any attention. As you were on the road heading back to the warehouse your phone started pinning. The girls had your number from previous projects and were asking you about Kevin. Before you could even attempt to answer them Kevin snatched your phone.

“Ya.”

“I thought you were keeping me company.”

“Right, sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Kevin said. “Thanks for today, you were a big help.”

“No problem.”

“You got any plans for later?”

“No, not really. Why?”

“We’re having a party tonight down at our favorite spot. You should come.”

“You mean a club?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t really have an outfit for that.”

“Just wear something nice. You should come. Have a few drinks and relax, I’m sure uni must be stressful.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Would love to see you, consider it a work get together. You’d be able to meet everyone.”

“Uh… sure… there’s no harm.”

“Awesome. I’ll text you the details.”

Like you said, you didn’t have an outfit for the club scene, but found something nice. You were a bit nervous, but to your surprise the bouncer let you in without issue. As you stepped inside you could feel the music shaking everything. The lights were low and people were dancing and drinking in every direction. You glanced down at your phone, sending Kevin a message that you were here. While walking around you wound up running into your classmates from before.

“Y/n? Surprised to see you here, it’s not really your scene.”

“I… I know… it’s a work thing…”

“Oh, then maybe we can join you.”

“I’m not sure if you could.”

Despite the crowd you managed to see a familiar face, Chanhee, excusing yourself and trying to follow after them. You called their name, but you can’t hear much besides the music. Although you stopped when you came across two bouncers, realizing Chanhee had gone into a VIP section.

“Hello, I’m here with my friends and I saw one of them just went through here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know we were doing VIP tonight.”

Your classmates had followed you and come up from behind, trying to sweet talk the bouncers. You weren’t exactly with them, but if they could help you get in then maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. Although you noticed another familiar face and called out to them.

“Kevin!”

“Y/n, glad you could make it.”

Kevin came over and told the bouncers to let you in, although your classmates weren’t allowed. They started pleading with you, but you weren’t sure what to say.

“Are these your friends y/n?” Kevin asked. “And be honest.”

“Uh… well… not really… we’re just classmates.”

“I see, well, ladies, I’m afraid VIP is invite only, have a nice night.”

Kevin wrapped an arm around your shoulder and led you deeper into the VIP section. You were brought over to a private area, seeing many more familiar faces. You got a simple drink from the bar there, mingling with your coworkers and meeting new people. Although some were definitely old faces.

“Y/n! Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you.”

“Juyeon?”

“Yeah, how’ve you been? How’s the job?”

“It’s good, and the money has been a great help.”

“See, told ya it would work out.”

“Thanks again for the introduction.”

“My pleasure.”

You danced the night away, having a few drinks too. Not enough to be drunk, but you were a bit tipsy. Come morning things were winding down, and you definitely needed rest. Some of the boys offered you a ride back to the dorm, which you gladly accepted. They didn’t all drink as some were the designated drivers of the night. You cozied up in the back of a car, squished between Sunwoo and Eric, while Hyunjae took the passenger seat and Jacob sat behind the wheel. The drive was smooth, Eric having his face pressed against the glass while you leaned against his shoulder. You were half asleep and couldn’t really make out the voices around you.

“She’s so cute…” Hyunjae mumbled, looking at you through the rearview mirror. “Can we keep her? I know tonight-”

“You already know the answer to that.” Jacob interrupted. “We can’t just keep an innocent person around.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The peaceful ride was suddenly interrupted as you were sent spinning, another vehicle crashing into yours. The car came to a stop when it crashed against the side of the building. All the windows were smashed and you had cuts from broken glass. You groaned as you looked around, seeing that the others were conscious too. Sunwoo was in your field of vision, talking to you, but you couldn’t really hear anything. Next thing you knew the door behind him was yanked open and he was dragged out. Then someone reached in and pulled you out of the wreck. You were laid on the ground, vaguely making out Haknyeon before passing out.

❤ 

You expected to wake up in the hospital, or maybe even in an ambulance. Instead you found yourself in the office back at the warehouse. You felt a few aches around your body, and your cuts stung, but you were fine overall. You slowly sat up, Juyeon and Sangyeon both there to tell you to take it easy.

“What… what happened?”

“Minor car accident.” Juyeon explained. “No one was seriously injured.”

“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

“We’re fine.” Sangyeon assured. “But if you feel like-”

“No, no, I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear. Apologies though, we were supposed to take you back to the dorm, but we needed to make sure you were alright first.”

“I understand, thanks.”

“Why don’t you rest for a bit and then we’ll take you home.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Juyeon got up and got you a glass of water. You thanked him and laid down, feeling like a good nap would do you well as you still felt kinda dizzy and tipsy. Juyeon gave you a blanket and tucked you in on the couch, saying he’d come by later to get you and take you back to your dorm. You thanked him and closed your eyes, getting some sleep. You were out for a while before you opened your eyes again, feeling more clear headed. You found yourself alone in the office, figuring you might as well go look for Juyeon or one of the others. You found your things and headed into the warehouse.

You called out to the guys, but got no answer. Before you could try again you heard some noises and followed them. You saw the boys gathered around, laughing and smiling. You were about to make your presence known when you saw Chanhee hold up a gun and cock it. Your eyes went wide, seeing he wasn’t the only one with a weapon. You took a closer look at what the boys were doing. Besides weapons you saw needles, jewelry, and other types of contraband. It was clear you needed to leave on your own, and quietly. You took a step back and wound up knocking something over and making noise. You cursed under your breath, intending to run off only to bump into Kevin. He had an amused smile on his face, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Look who’s awake.”

“Ha… hi…”

“We were just gonna go get you.”

“Right… I would like to go back to-”

“What’s this?”

The others had come to see what the noise was, finding you with Kevin. You offered the boys a smile, but it was hard to act normal when you saw some of them holding guns.

“Hey… I… I was looking for someone… I need to get back to the dorm…”

“Juyeon.” Sangyeon sighed. “You were supposed to give her a laced glass of water.”

“I swear I thought I did.”

“Well clearly you didn’t.”

“Wa… what do you mean…” You nervously laughed. “I’m fine, and I’d really like to go-”

“I guess we get to keep her after all, Hyunjae.” Jacob commented. “Lucky us.”

“Yes!”

“Huh?”

“Grab her.”

Since Kevin was the closest to you he immediately grabbed your arm which caused you to act. You tried to run and free yourself from his grasp but his grip was tight. Then Younghoon came over and grabbed your other arm, the two of them keeping you from escaping.

“What are you doing! Let go!”

“We can’t do that.” Younghoon said. “Sorry.”

“What about the mission tonight?” Sunwoo asked. “Are we going to postpone?”

“No, it will proceed as intended.” Sangyeon stated. “Those bastards aren’t gonna get away with a stunt like that. And we also need to send a message.”

“Then what do we do about y/n?”

“We’ll keep her here until we get back. Put her in the cage for now.”

“What is that!?” You screamed. “Please, just… just let me go! I won’t tell anyone anything! I swear!”

“We should have made her drink more.” Chanhee said. “Things wouldn’t have gotten so complicated.”

“Probably. Now let’s move.”

You tried to argue some more but the boys just dragged you along effortlessly. You were taken further into the warehouse, coming over to the sortation area. You weren’t sure what this cage was, but you were a bit relieved when you saw it. In order to transport packages around there was this cage on wheels to make sure they were safe. Usually it was stacked high with packages but this time you would be put inside. It was hard to fight back as they locked you in. You expected them to use some sort of lock but instead you watched in disbelief as Kevin bent the metal together. He gave you a smirk and a wink.

“We’ll be back later. So stay put.”

You couldn’t resist the urge to try and break yourself free but the door wouldn’t budge at all. Your mind was still processing what had happened, but the proof was right in front of you. There was no way someone was physically strong enough to bend metal the way Kevin just did, but you were living in that reality. You screamed at them to let you out, but none listened and just walked away, leaving you trapped and completely alone. You kept trying to free yourself for a while, but eventually you exhausted yourself. You collapsed and sat in the cage, contemplating your next move.

These guys were something else, and you didn’t know them at all. Now you were their prisoner, and you were certain they wouldn’t easily let you go. Since it was quiet and you were settling down from everything that had happened, exhaustion was catching up to you. Without really meaning to you wound up falling asleep. You didn’t know for how long you were out, but you woke to the rattling of the cage. You jumped awake and quickly scrambled against a corner, seeing Chanhee grabbing onto the cage and giggling.

“You look good in there.”

“Let me out!”

“Sure, but no running away, okay?”

“Whatever.”

Chanhee bent the metal back, allowing for the doors to be opened. You didn’t bother thinking about his insane feat of strength, but you were certainly surprised to see him holding his hand out to you. Reluctantly you took it, finally being able to stretch properly. You didn’t see anyone else around, so this was your chance. You offered Chanhee a smile before shoving him away from you and running in the opposite direction. Unfortunately you didn’t make it far as you crashed into Haknyeon, who you swear wasn’t there a second ago, and fell to the floor. You glanced back to see that Chanhee was still standing by the cage. Your shove really hadn’t thrown him off balance at all.

“What did I say?” Chanhee teased. “No running away. It’s pointless either way.”

“Please just let me go…” 

“We’re going home now, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Haknyeon helped you to your feet, distracting you as Chanhee came up from behind and jammed a needle into your neck, emptying out its contents into you. Your eyes went wide, and Haknyeon held you still. Once the needle was removed you began to feel a bit dizzy, your legs losing strength. You could vaguely make out the smile on Haknyeon’s face as he lifted you up into his arms, carrying you bridal style. You tried to speak, to stay awake, but it wasn’t long before the darkness swallowed you.

“Let’s go home.”

❤ 

When you regained consciousness you felt a bit sore, but as soon as you had your head on straight your focus was on figuring out what happened and where you were. Unfortunately you couldn’t see much as your surroundings were pitch black. Not to mention your hands and legs were tied together, leaving you with a limited ability to move. So you carefully began to wiggle around, bumping into some boxes. Despite being close to the object, you couldn’t actually see it unless you got really close. Although this didn’t help you much as you had no means of freeing yourself.

A moment later you shake as the ground beneath you begins to move, and you hear the loud roar of a trailer. You were in the back of a truck and being moved to some unknown location. You tried to move around, screaming for help, but you eventually exhausted yourself, deciding to just wait and see what happened next. Since you had no concept of time in that darkness you had no idea for how long you were in there. There wasn’t even a point in trying to remember what turns were made. Eventually you came to a stop and heard the engine turn off. You were left to wonder if you had reached your final destination or if this was just a quick stop.

You heard the sounds of something unlatching, and then you were blinded by a bright light. You lifted up your arms to shield your eyes, taking a moment to adjust. As you suspected you were in the back of a trailer, and there were a bunch of boxes and other pieces of furniture around you. Being able to see it all now, this seemed like a moving truck. You heard voices and saw some of the boys climbing into the truck and grabbing boxes. Although before you could say something Jacob came up to you and tied a gag around your mouth. You began to squirm, but you were powerless in your restraints.

He got you up, getting help from Kevin as they moved you towards the end of the trailer, intending to unload you like the rest of the cargo onboard. You remained restrained as you got out of the trailer, being left with Younghoon for a moment. When you tried to get the gag off he grabbed the rope that bound your hands together, using that as a means to keep you leashed. You looked around, noticing the huge house. They had brought you to their place. All around you could see trees and a long driveway leading out to what you assumed was the main road. As far as you knew this place was in the middle of nowhere.

Younghoon suddenly pulled on your ropes, and the next thing you knew he had you over his shoulder. You squirmed and hit his back, but he seemed completely unphased. You weren’t super light, but even then he was carrying you so effortlessly. You were taken into the house, the others giving you smiles but not saying anything to you. Given the truck and all the items, you thought they were moving in, but upon entering the house you could see it was clearly lived in. This was their home. You were set down on the couch, Younghoon pulling out a knife and setting you free. He reached up and took your gag off as well.

“Welcome home.”

“What the hell is wrong with you guys…”

Younghoon chuckled. “Nothing, why?”

“You-”

“Here.” Juyeon came over with a case. “Before you do anything else.”

Younghoon took the case from the other, opening it up and revealing what looked to be a small dog collar. You immediately thought that was going around your neck, but Younghoon grabbed your leg, taking your shoe off and slipping the collar onto your leg. When you tried to pull away he just held on tighter, really unbothered by your actions. He tightened it around your ankle, and then you heard something click. You noticed a green light emitting from the device, realizing it was some sort of ankle brace, and he just placed you under house arrest.

“What the hell!”

“Don’t want you running off now.” Juyeon smiled. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you or anything.”

“I’m a prisoner in this house!?”

“You don’t have to think of it that way. This place is yours, and that’s just a precaution.”

“I want to go home!”

“We are home.”

“This place isn’t home.”

“I suppose you just have to give it a chance.”

“Fuck you!”

You got up and stormed off, just walking in any direction just to get away from them. No one tried to stop you, probably since you weren’t actually walking towards the door but further into the house. That wasn’t your intention, but at least none of them followed you. After walking a bit you went into the first open door you found. You closed the door behind you, leaning against it and taking a breath. This whole situation was insane, but they were acting so normal, or as normal as kidnapping someone could be. Now you were who knows where in a foreign house with no escape in sight.

You slid down to the floor, feeling defeated. You didn’t even understand how you wound up in this situation. You were just working for their stupid company and saw something you weren’t supposed to. Then again you were probably lucky to be alive. Most people who learn someone else’s secrets wind up dead, but this wasn’t exactly better either. You didn’t have your phone or any means to communicate with the world beyond this house. So in a sense you were dead to the world. You got up and found a window, staring out at the sky and then looking down at your foot with the ankle brace. 

You took a moment to further examine it, but you didn’t see any way to get it off. You really were trapped in this house. You sat back down on the floor, hugging your knees to your chest. You just wanted to go back to campus, go back to classes and be a normal person again. Your situation seemed hopeless, making you tear up, but you had to remind yourself this wasn’t the end. Surely there was a way out, and you were certain you could find it. If you gave up now, then you definitely wouldn’t get out. You took a moment to pull yourself together. This place was huge, but maybe you could find something to use to your advantage.

This would be a process, but you also didn’t intend to be friendly. For the following days you kept to yourself, not speaking to any of the boys, and avoiding them outside of meals. They tried to make conversation and engage with you, but when they saw you were unresponsive they left you alone. You didn’t expect them to just let you be, but you were still glad they did. You were allowed to explore the house as you pleased, discovering all kinds of things. They seemed to have huge collections of expensive and luxurious items. It made sense to have all these things as they did run a pawn shop and delivery service. They had access to so many things.

In that same vein, remembering the weapons, a handful of these items were probably stolen or acquired by illegal means. Seeing all these priceless items made you realize you were practically a living trophy in this house. Another prize they had won, or more accurately taken. It made you feel a bit sick, but you had yet to find something of use. Most doors around the house were open, so you could go where you pleased. Even the boys’ rooms were all open to you, but you already searched them. The room you had given was plain and empty. They told you that you could decorate it however you wanted, but you weren’t planning on setting roots here.

Only a handful of doors were locked and off limits, so you were extra curious about those. By now you had a good idea which rooms you couldn’t get into, so you’d always try to open them throughout the day, hoping to maybe catch one open. It took a bit, but you eventually got lucky. You quickly looked around to make sure you were alone, then slowly opened the door. You quietly listened, trying to figure out if anyone was inside, but it seemed to be your lucky day. You stepped in and didn’t even think to close the door as you realized what was in here. All types of weapons surrounded you. So many guns and blades hanging on the wall, a few things locked behind a cage, but this was what you had been looking for.

Surely something here could help you escape. Although before you could take another step you felt something cold against your neck. You were no longer alone. While you were distracted by your own thoughts someone noticed the open door and found you standing in one of their secret rooms. Of course it was only logical to assume you were an intruder and treat you as such. You swallowed nervously as you realized the object against your throat was a knife. You carefully looked over, seeing Eric gazing at you with a bright glint in his eyes and a cocky smirk. He only pressed the blade further against your flesh.

“Look what I have here. How did you get in here?”

“… the door was open…”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“… you… you think I picked the lock?”

“Hm, I suppose that’s true. So, what do you think?”

“… ah… about what?”

“This room. You must be terrified seeing all this, or perhaps excited. Although I’ll let you know right now, you’re out of luck.”

“I-”

“You better watch it.” Eric growled. “You wouldn’t want to get hurt.”

Eric chuckled and moved the knife away from your throat, although he merely had it ghost over your chest before moving it up to your face, dragging the dull end along your cheek.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”

“…”

“In fact, I really want to do the opposite.”

“… huh…?”

Before you could really process what Eric was talking about he leaned in close and pressed his lips to yours. You tried to move away, but he followed, and ultimately pinned you against a wall. The knife clattered to the floor and he pinned your arms to the wall as well. He only pulled away from you when he needed to catch his breath. A big smile adorned Eric’s face as he pressed his head against yours.

“I’ve been waiting to do that.”

“… why…”

“That’s your question?” Eric chuckled. “You are interesting, but don’t you think the answer is obvious.”

“… is it?”

“Why do you think we went through all the trouble to bring you here, hm?”

“Cause I saw too much…”

“You mean all of this? No, no, if we cared for that you’d be dead.”

“Then…”

“Is it really that hard? I guess I should show you.”

“Wat-”

Eric shoved you to the floor, and soon enough he was on top of you, kissing you once more. His hands were at your hips, one slipping under your shirt, making you shiver from the skin to skin contact. Soon enough his lips were against your throat, sucking and nibbling on the skin, starting to mark you up. You squirmed beneath his touch, your hands above your head, moving about when you felt something against your fingers. It was the blade Eric had dropped. You cautiously reached for it, getting a grip on the handle. Just as you were about to make a move Eric’s hand quickly pinned down your wrist, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

“Did you really think that would work?”

Eric placed a chaste kiss against your cheek, keeping your wrist pinned and reaching over with his other hand to take the blade from you. He remained on top of you, using his body weight to keep you pinned. He twirled the knife in his hands, looking down at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You know, we want to give you everything, and yet how have you acted? You’ve been avoiding us and giving us the silent treatment, and now you break into our little armory. I think it’s about time you’re punished for your actions.”

Before you could process Eric got off you and proceeded to flip you over, cuffing your hands behind your back. He got you to your feet, dragging you along, out of the room and down the hall. Soon enough you were in the living room, avoiding the gazes of the others who were around. Eric shoved you onto the couch and then the tip of the knife was under your chin.

“How do you think we should punish you?”

“What’s all this?” Sunwoo asked. “What punishment?”

“You know, for ignoring us, and breaking into the armory.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s cause for punishment. Not sure about the knife though.”

“Well, I need her to behave.”

“But there’s still no need for such things.”

Sangyeon entered the room, having gotten a message about the show going on in the house. Soon enough the others joined too and he could see how you tried to make yourself small. He didn’t want you to be afraid, or feel threatened by them, so seeing Eric playing around with a knife was very much not allowed. He went over to the younger boy and took the item from him, throwing it and embedding it in the wall.

“I wasn’t going to hurt her with it.”

“I don’t doubt that, but why don’t you play with something else.”

“Oh, what does the big boss have in mind?” Hyunjae asked. “I’d love to participate.”

“For starters, we have to set the mood. Jacob, you know what I mean.”

“I do indeed. I’ll be right back.”

“She also needs a party favor.”

“Why that?” Juyeon questioned. “Don’t you think that’s risky?”

“It’ll be more fun, for everyone.”

You had no idea what any of that meant, but you knew it couldn’t be good. There was no point even attempting to run off as everyone was in the room with you. A while later Jacob returned with a small case in hand, giving it to Sangyeon. The eldest opened it up, revealing a needle. You instinctively tried to move, unaware of what the contents the needle contained.

“We’re not gonna hurt you.” Sangyeon assured. “Hold her.”

Kevin and Changmin reached over to hold you still as Sangyeon emptied out the needle into your neck. You did your best to squirm, but there was nothing you could do.

“What is that! What did you give me!?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” Kevin teased. “Now the party favor, right?”

“Give her a moment.” Sangyeon said. “Then she can have it.”

“Have what? What are you guys talking about!”

“Just be patient.”

You cut yourself off before saying more as you began to feel different. Your face was beginning to burn, and you felt this heat overtaking you. Now it was obvious what they had given you, and it wasn’t hard to guess what came next. You couldn’t help but squirm in your restraints, starting to get annoyed by your own clothes, but unable to remove them. You felt rather pathetic too, giving in so easily to the drug, but it was really clouding your head and making everything fuzzy.

“Now for the next part.”

“I call dibs!” Chanhee volunteered. “Come here, baby.”

You were vaguely aware of Chanhee as he approached you, but you didn’t know what he was doing. That is until he leaned in to kiss you. At first you thought it was a normal kiss, his tongue forcing your lips to part, but then you felt something in your mouth, and before you knew it you had swallowed it. That got enough sense in you that you pulled away from Chanhee, immediately coughing and bending over, hoping to throw it back up, but that wasn’t an option. Chanhee placed a hand over your mouth, forcing you to sit back up.

“Don’t be wasteful.”

You were worried about what else they had added to the mix. Chanhee didn’t move his hand away until he was certain you wouldn’t be able to throw up the substance you had taken. You still coughed when you had a chance, but you knew it was far too late for that.

“What did you give me!”

“You’ll feel it in a moment.” Haknyeon giggled. “And you’ll like it.”

“… wa… what does that-”

You inhaled sharply as you felt this wave of energy surge through your body. There was the heat of arousal, but this was something else, something more. You were merely taking in the feeling when you snapped your arms free, having broken the chain of your restraints. You fell from the couch onto your hands and knees, shocked over what you had just done. You vaguely made out the sounds of laughter around you, looking up to see the boys with smiles on their faces. Your head was spinning, and you felt a hand on your shoulder which caused you to act. In the blink of an eye you had Changmin pinned beneath you.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“What… what is this… what did you give me?”

“Power.” Changmin chuckled. “At least now we won’t break you.”

The boy freed himself from your grasp and flipped your positions. He gave you a devilish grin before ripping your shirt open. Your hands immediately covered your chest and then you moved to shove Changmin off you. To your surprise you had the strength to do so, knocking him to the ground. He just laughed, not at all fazed by your actions. You stared at your hands again, seeing the remains of the handcuffs on your wrists. If you were really strong like them now, then this was your chance. Just as you were about to run, Younghoon came up from behind, wrapping his arms around you and holding you in a hug. You tried to break free, but he held you tightly, making you question your own strength and his.

“You may be strong,” Younghoon whispered. “But you don’t match us.”

Hyunjae stepped in front of you, his hands gliding over your bare chest. He stopped over your crotch area, his fingers undoing your shorts and a hand slipping into your pants. You squirmed back against Younghoon, but he held you still.

“You’re supposed to be drunk off love.” Hyunjae commented. “Shall I help?”

“Let go.”

“The surge of power probably overtook the aphrodisiac. I’ll fix that.”

You kept your squirming so Hyunjae opted to slide your shorts down, leaving you in your panties for a moment before having them torn off. You shivered from the sudden cold feeling, trying to close your legs but Hyunjae forced them open.

“Be a good girl now, or else you won’t get a treat.”

You couldn’t say anything as Hyunjae’s fingers ran up and down along your folds, making you hold back a moan. You weren’t knowledgeable in this area, and had little to no experience. There wasn’t much time, or interest in the matter, both from you and other parties. This was certainly going to be a first for many things. You still tried to move away, but the more Hyunjae played around with you the harder it was to think.

“… please…”

“Please what? I think you can still use words.”

“… please…”

“Are you a virgin baby? Don’t know what to ask for?”

“…”

“You are, aren’t you? Oh, don’t worry baby, we’re gonna take very good care of you.”

“I wanna do it! I wanna go first!” Chanhee volunteered. “Please, please, I wanna feel her so bad.”

“You guys can fight for it.” Sangyeon mentioned. “Winner takes all. I’ll keep the doll entertained.”

The boys agreed to Sangyeon’s proposal. The eldest took you into his arms, loving your dizzy little state. Your legs were trembling and you were whimpering over the lack of touch. Sangyeon pressed a kiss to your head.

“You good baby?”

“Hm…”

“We’ll play soon, just let the boys have their fun first.”

“We all still get a turn right?” Juyeon questioned. “Even if we don’t win.”

“I’m pretty sure she can keep up with all of us tonight.”

“Good.”

Sangyeon picked you up bridal style, following behind the others. You were subconsciously rubbing your legs together, trying to get back some friction. The moment of power you had was long gone from your mind, the heat engulfing every inch of your skin. It was getting a bit uncomfortable, but the little kisses Sangyeon pressed against your skin felt nice. In your haze all you could think about was them. Even if you had been brought here against your will they hadn’t been cruel to you in any way. They had given you space and let you roam around the house freely, but that was all about to change. You couldn’t fathom the consequences that would come tomorrow, nor did you care. You just wanted to be taken care of in every way possible tonight.

❤

You inhaled sharply as you regained consciousness, feeling a minor throb in your head. You groaned and pushed your head further into the pillow it was resting on, feeling a dull ache all over your body. Once you got yourself together you took in your surroundings. This wasn’t the room you had been given, but going by the decorations and mess, it certainly belonged to one of the boys. Your questions were answered as a hand draped over you and you saw Kevin laying next to you, still asleep or so you thought. He must have felt your gaze on him, or heard you whimpering.

“Morning…”

You didn’t answer, instead moving Kevin’s arm off you and getting out of bed. Although as soon as you stood up you felt dizzy and collapsed to the floor. You managed to catch yourself, getting your hands beneath you, but you winced from a sudden pain in your left hand. You looked down to see a butterfly tattoo on your wrist, one wing blue and the other orange, wrapped up as it was still fresh.

“What… what is this…”

“You might feel sick after your first time…” Kevin mumbled. “Bathroom’s on the left…”

“Huh?”

You weren’t exactly listening, more focused on the new ink you had, but as soon as Kevin mentioned it you felt an ache in your stomach and then you threw up. Kevin groaned when he heard the noise, mustering up the strength to get up. He came over to the other side of the bed, seeing you on your hands and knees.

“My poor baby, come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Kevin grabbed your arm and gently got you up to your feet, keeping you close as he helped you towards the bathroom. He sat you down on the toilet, getting a washcloth and holding it under warm water before using it to clean your mouth. You were out of it after throwing up, feeling unsteady and the headache had gotten worse. You probably figured this is what it felt like to be hungover since you never had alcohol before. Then again you hadn’t been drinking last night, something else entirely had happened.

“I know what will make you feel better.”

After cleaning you up and brushing your teeth Kevin helped you onto your feet again, leading you out of the room and towards the kitchen. The others were already up and gathering around for breakfast. A few didn’t hesitate to place a kiss on your cheek after greeting you. Kevin had you sit at the table, letting you put your head down.

“Rough morning?” Changmin questioned. “She doesn’t look so good.”

“She’s fine, but I’m gonna need to clean my room.” Kevin mentioned. 

“Yikes. Well, you choose to take her.”

“It’s whatever.”

You were vaguely aware of all the boys around you, feeling more tired than anything else. You had your arms on the table, and you looked over at the tattoo on your wrist. A part of you still thought you were just imagining things, but the throbbing ache from it told you it was very real.

“Here.” Jacob placed a glass on the table in front of you. “You’ll feel better once you drink this.”

“What is it…”

“Just drink it.”

Jacob helped you sit up, and he held the glass up to your lips. It looked a bit like a watered down blue sports drink, but you parted your lips when you felt the liquid against them, getting a sweet taste and having a few gulps.

“Good girl.”

Your headache certainly wasn’t as bad anymore, so you had no trouble sitting up. Two of the others were finishing setting the table, and the smell of eggs and rice filled the air. You were certainly hungry, but now that you could think straight there were other things on your mind.

“What happened last night…”

“You don’t remember, baby?” Sunwoo chuckled. “Did we fuck you that good.”

“… you… we… we did…”

“You were asking for it by the time we actually got started.” Eric commented. “You were so needy like a bitch in heat.”

“Shut up.” You felt your face burning. “I… I…”

“No need to be shy, baby, we had a good time.”

“I don’t remember…”

“It’ll come to you.” Hyunjae stated. “Just give it a minute. If not, well, I don’t mind jogging your memory.”

“Don’t…”

“Why? You certainly weren’t denying any of us last night.”

“I…”

As the conversation kept going you felt yourself getting nervous. The night must have been insane if you didn’t remember it, especially considering the fact you got a tattoo. You wanted to remember, you had to, because besides the obvious there was something else. You shut your eyes to focus, and when you suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder you jumped, falling out of your seat. That’s when you had a rush of images flash through your mind. Your whole body suddenly felt hot and you remembered what had caused all the aches and pains from last night.

Sangyeon held you close as the others fought for the chance to be your first. He had you on his lap straddling his thigh. He couldn’t help but bounce you up and down, hands on your hips guiding you as he had you gently grind on him as well. It wasn’t long before he had a tent in his pants, but he had enough self control to not act on his own urges. He wanted to make sure his boys still had their reward. You on the other hand were full of sugar, drooling a bit and feeling like cotton candy. You had your eyes shut and head thrown back as you let Sangyeon take control, keeping you so well balanced on the edge. You weren’t aware of the fight going on, more focused on yourself until you felt a kiss on your head.

When you opened your eyes you saw Haknyeon smiling down at you. For a moment you swore he had a busted lip and cut on his cheek but those seemed to fade away right before your eyes. He was out of breath but very happy to see you. He took you from Sangyeon, throwing you over his shoulder and smacking your ass before walking off with you. He took you to his room, tossing you onto the bed. Before you knew it he was on top of you, kissing you roughly and exploring your naked body. You didn’t really feel cold, the heat of arousal kept you warm and now you had Haknyeon to provide you with more warmth. 

He had his way with you for a good while, the feeling of his cock sending you spiraling into your first orgasm. You didn’t need much prep as Sangyeon had already got you feeling loose. Another orgasm or two later there were knocks at the door. The winner had gotten his prize so now it was time for the others to have their fun. Juyeon was the one to drag you out of bed, surprised you could still walk on your own. Despite already having a few orgasms you still had the strength and stamina to keep up, although you were more concerned with getting your next high.

You happily went with Juyeon, getting messy with him in his own room. He was excited to show you new things, wanting more than just vanilla sex. Although he wasn’t alone, having Changmin and Chanhee in his room waiting for you. There were hands all over your body, massaging your breasts and thighs as wet kisses were placed all over you. With all that attention you were getting lost in the feeling of pleasure. The only thing that took you out of it was when you felt someone penetrate your core. One after the other stretching you out and making you feel a joy you couldn’t describe. You don’t know how you managed to take on all three of them, but you made it through their endeavors.

The night was still young, and you weren’t done with them. While you lay among the boys, splayed out on the bed, finally getting a moment to rest you felt a hand caress your cheeks. You opened your eyes to Kevin coaxing you awake. He took your hand and pulled you out of the giant cuddle pile, asking if you were having fun. By then words were difficult, but the smile on your face spoke for itself. You two danced around the hall since you were starting to get uneasy on your feet. You were probably heading over to Kevin’s room, but your arm was suddenly grabbed and you were yanked into Hyunjae’s arms. He had started you off early that night, and it was about time he finished that up.

His fingers trailed along your sloppy center, feeling just what kind of mess you had between your legs and eager to add to it. Of course Kevin wasn’t just going to let him have you all to yourself, shoving the two into the nearest bedroom, getting out of his clothes in the process. Everyone’s kiss was unique, some gentle, some rough, some desperate and hungry for you. Hyunjae was the first one to add to the festivities, tying you up against the bed and limiting your movements. You were already feeling sore, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. While Hyunjae continued to play with your sloppy cunt Kevin was preparing something else.

You felt him trail his fingers along your lips, teasing you before pushing two digits into your mouth. Instinctively you knew to suck on them, letting your tongue swirl around. Kevin was quite proud to see you acting appropriately, and for that you deserved a reward. He pulled his fingers out with a loud pop, letting you whine for a bit before putting something much bigger against your lips. You opened your mouth without question, taking in his whole length inch by inch. Then you felt Hyunjae filling you up, getting stimulated from both ends. You let them take control, just floating on cloud nine as they got another handful of orgasms out of you, making your eyes roll to the back of your head multiple times.

Once you were finally wrapped up in Hyunjae’s arms you were really feeling sore in your legs and jaw. You did want to rest, but as you were dozing off a hand came down and pulled your head off the pillow. You were met with Eric’s piercing gaze, seeing a rather psychotic glint in his eyes. Of course you weren’t gonna get off easy, he still had to punish you for you breaking and entering. You probably should have explained to him at some point you found the door unlocked, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, nor would it matter to him. Despite Hyunjae’s protest Eric took you to his own room.

Although it wasn’t long before you were joined by another. Sunwoo had crawled into bed, pulling you into his arms and snuggling against you. He wanted to be soft and sweet but Eric had other plans. Took a bit of talking but he got Sunwoo on board. Next thing you knew you were on top of Sunwoo, barely able to make out his words of praise. His hands ran up and down along your chest, taking your breasts into his hands and massaging them ever so gently. You mewled at his touch, gently rocking your hips. You were exhausted, but your body still craved more friction. Eric placed his hands on your hips, guiding you down onto Sunwoo’s cock, making sure you took in everything.

He gave you a moment to revel in the feeling before bending you over. You didn’t know what he was planning until he pushed himself into you right alongside Sunwoo. The stretch was like nothing before, and you swear you saw white for a moment. You leaned back against Eric, giggling as he whispered dirty things in your ear. They gave you a moment to adjust and really feel them before they started moving. They tried to be gentle and slow at first but their own burgers got the better of them. You felt like they were tearing you apart, but in a good way. Your orgasms all blended together, and all you remembered was ending up sandwiched between them, still full with their cocks and cum while you all wound down from your high.

One moment you were in bed, the next you were in someone else’s arms. You could barely make out Sangyeon as he carried you bridal style, but the smile was obvious. You snuggled against him, not wanting to let go when he set you down. You felt hands on your body once more, and not just too. A hand grabbed your chin and you locked eyes with Jacob. He had such a content smile on his face, placing soft kisses all over you. The eldest of the bunch had been patiently waiting to finish you off. You were already at your limits but they pushed you past that, taking you in whatever way you saw fit. 

Younghoon had you bouncing up and down on him, making deeper bruises on your hips. Jacob was gentler and such a tease as he took you from behind while you stayed on top of Younghoon, letting the other watch the show. Sangyeon though, he dragged you out of bed and took you against the wall, surprising you with his strength and resolve. He didn’t let up, making sure you were still enjoying yourself even if you were so far gone. It wasn’t easy to close your legs, and you felt so full you swear your stomach was a bit bigger. You thought you’d finally get to sleep, but you weren’t going to be left alone just yet.

You could vaguely recall Sangyeon getting you into a bath with him, cleaning you up and making sure you were well cared for after such a night. Kevin had found the two of you and helped with getting you dressed. Everyone else was mostly out for the night. Kevin’s room was one that wasn’t used to so he offered to share his bed, happily taking you with so the two of you could sleep together. You didn’t hesitate to snuggle against him, still feeling sore but glad to finally wind down and rest. It was quite impressive you made it through such a night. You knew you’d probably be all kinds of bruised tomorrow, but that was a problem for later.

You couldn’t help the dopey smile on your face as you remembered all of this, all the things you had done the night prior. It was like nothing you had ever experienced before, and you didn’t even know if you’d get close to it ever again. Although you quickly had to tell yourself to get your act together. Even if you now remembered what you had done, you could look back and see what was bothering you. The boys had given you an aphrodisiac, but there was something else too. You sat up, lifting up your shirt and seeing that you had no bruise or marks of any kind. Your skin was untouched, but you knew that shouldn’t be the case. While you were lost in your own head Juyeon and Eric helped you get back in your seat.

“Are you okay, baby?” Eric asked. “Did you remember something?”

“Last night…”

“Oh, that’s good. Wouldn’t want to be the only one to remember how capable you are.”

“What did you give me?”

“Ah that, it was good, right?”

“What was it!?”

“Power.” Jacob stated. “True power.”

“It was a drug.”

“So is ibuprofen, your point?”

“What exactly did you give me?”

“I already told you. Power. Don’t you remember? You broke the handcuffs with ease, you kept up with all of us. Despite how rough some of them might have been, you don’t have a single bruise on your body.”

“…”

“It’s temporary.” Younghoon assured. “You’re back to normal now. Although, if you ever want more, you just have to ask. Only the first one is free.”

You needed a moment, you needed to be alone. Without saying anything you left the table, finding the nearest open room and locking yourself inside. You felt a bit sick, coming to terms with the fact they had given you some sort of unknown drug. Now you only had the lingering taste of that power high. You didn’t want to believe what they had told you, but you had felt, and moreover you had seen it too. That night at the warehouse, the incredible strength they displayed, it was all real and now you knew how. Whatever drug this was, they used it a lot. You had your suspicions about their business, especially once you saw all the weapons. If they were some kind of gang in the area, they certainly had their advantage to stay in power.

All this speculation just gave you more reason to want to leave. Even if they were good to you, the kind of life they lived wasn’t something you wanted to be a part of. After that night you continued to avoid them, not wanting to form any kind of lasting attachment. They certainly gave you space, but were a bit more willing to try for your attention, especially since they had no problem getting handsy with you now. From what you did get, they seemed to be so fun, but you couldn’t just drop the idea of escape. Your biggest problem was that ankle bracelet you had, but it seemed the solution was around the corner.

One day you overheard a few of the boys talking about a potential party at the house. Of course you came up as a subject since they weren’t sure they could trust you to behave. A party would be a great opportunity, so you had to make sure you were allowed to attend. In order for that to happen you had to engage with them and socialize, show them that you could behave. You really had to let your guard down and be friendly with them. You rejected any advances they made and they respected that, probably very happy that you were done giving them the cold shoulder. Eventually the party came up in conversation around you, so you offered to help with planning and set up. They happily agreed.

You made sure a lot of alcohol was purchased, and intended to get them drunk. This was going to be your night, but in order to do this you needed one key ingredient. You needed the ankle bracelet off, and fast, and the only real solution you saw was that drug. You had broken handcuffs with ease, so with that kind of power you’d break the ankle bracelet quickly and then get out before they even knew you were gone. The only problem was that you had to ask for it, and not get denied. You didn’t see why they would say no, but you also needed to make sure you didn’t arouse suspicion.

The day of the party you helped with setting up, popping open a bottle of vodka and taking a small sip before pouring shots for the others. They happily took the drink you offered, cheering to a night of fun. You needed to pick one of them and you figured your best bet would be Eric. You kept your eye on him and waited for your chance. People were starting to come to the house, so you figured things would be getting started soon. You found Eric and got him alone, coming up from behind and wrapping your arms around him in a hug. He was a bit startled at first, but happy to see you, placing a kiss on your head.

“Eric.”

“Hm?”

“I want tonight to be fun.”

“It will be.”

“But you know what would guarantee it?”

“What?”

“If I got to be strong like the rest of you…”

“Ah, you want a special party favor, huh?”

“It should last me all night right? How else am I gonna keep up with all of you?”

“Good point, but promise you’ll behave.”

“Pinky promise.”

“Good girl.”

Eric took your hand and led you to another room. It was another armory they had, and he told you to stay put as he got something out of a safe. He presented a pill to you, telling you to open your mouth. Your plan had been to take it later when you were ready to act, but Eric wasn’t going to let you leave without consuming it. As far as you knew, it lasted a few hours, so you should be okay either way, but you were gonna have to act the first chance you got. You gave Eric a smile and took the pill. After a moment you felt this spark of power run through your whole body. It made you dizzy for a second but Eric assured you the uneasiness would pass and you’d be your normal self, just better.

Soon enough the party began and things got wild fast. You made it a point not to drink, but you still hung around the boys, wanting to engage with them for a bit before disappearing. As the night was getting on, you started to iron out the finer details of your escape. When you had a chance you glanced outside, seeing all the cars parked around. You considered taking one, but you didn’t know how to drive. What you needed was to get your hands on a phone, figure out your location and call a cab. With everyone around drinking and having a good time, it shouldn’t be hard to sneak a phone, and money, off someone.

You kept in mind the time, keeping an eye out for someone vulnerable, and occasionally testing your strength to make sure you were still able to break free. You stuck around those that were drinking, getting friendly with someone and managing to snatch their phone. You cautiously snuck away to get some privacy, finding a bathroom. You managed to unlock the phone and checked the address. Thankfully you weren’t so far from civilization and called for a cab. You had about fifteen minutes to get out of this house, and the first thing you needed to do was get that ankle bracelet off.

You sat down on the floor and figured out a good grip, taking in a deep breath before pulling and breaking the bracelet in half. You thought maybe some noise would be made or something, but it was silent. Lucky was on your side. You tossed the broken thing in the trash and made your way out of the bathroom, needing to get outside. Part of the party was in the backyard, but it wasn’t a good idea to go around, so you had to exit through the front. The door itself might not be the best, but you could give it a shot. If not, you had no problem jumping out a window. Thankfully you got away from the house undetected, checking the phone and then leaving it by a car before heading to the main road.

When you saw the lights of the cab you were finally able to let out a breath. It brought such relief to be moving away from the house, free from your captivity. The cab took you back to the only place you could go, to your uni campus. You had been gone for a little over two weeks, but hopefully nothing had gotten messed up in your absence. You knocked on the door for your roommate to let you in, not bothering to answer them about your recent whereabouts. You were so happy to collapse into your bed, even if it wasn’t as comfortable, feeling like you could finally get some real sleep. 

Thankfully a good amount of your things had been in your dorm room, but you would need a new phone, and new cards. Come morning you got to emailing your professors with some basic excuse of being ill and asking for assignments to make up. Out of curiosity you tested your strength, but you were back to being a normal person. At least you had money, so you could afford a new ID card, and even though you could afford a new phone, that involved leaving campus. You knew the guys couldn’t just waltz onto school property, and they didn’t know where your dorm was, so this was the safest place for you. By now they sure knew you were gone and probably pissed, which meant you were in danger.

Your best bet for now was to wait, just let this all die down and maybe they would forget about you and move on. The bright side to not having a phone was that they had no means of reaching you. As for your classes, you still had your laptop and could email classmates and do assignments. It was kinda hard going back to your lectures as if nothing had happened. Of course you had a decent amount of work to catch up on, and your grades were gonna take a hit, but at least you were free. Even if that was true, you did have this uneasy feeling. You felt paranoid, like you were always being watched. You couldn’t sleep that easy anymore, and you felt quite irritable. Still you did your best to just focus on being a normal university student.

“Nice tattoo.”

You were taking notes in a class when someone had made the comment. At first you were confused, but then you remembered the butterfly tattoo on your wrist. You never asked about it, not remembering how you got it anyway. After that night of passion you were out cold, and they had probably done it then. It was the least of your worries and even now you had completely forgotten about it until someone brought it up. The tattoo wasn’t a bother, but it wasn’t your thing, nor did you want any sort of connection to them. You did a bit of research and made a call to set up an appointment with a tattoo artist to have your tattoo removed. It was risky to go out, but you wanted that thing gone.

You made sure to cover up and hide your face, constantly checking your surroundings to make sure you weren’t being followed. This little outing of yours was dangerous, but if it wall went down in one piece you could probably start to relax. Since you were out, you figured you could get a new phone too. After the tattoo removal of course. Thankfully you made it to the shop without issue, introducing yourself and being moved to the back. You were glad there weren’t any windows where you were seated, so you felt less worried about removing your jacket, hat and mask. The chair you were in was like a dentist chair, but it was quite cozy.

“Alright, I’m Hongjoong, I’ll be your artist today, although I believe you’re here for a tattoo removal.”

“Yeah, just a crazy night, and I made a mistake.”

“No worries. Can you show me where the tattoo is?”

“Sure.” You rolled up your sleeve. “It’s this.”

“Oh…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no, not at all. It’s pretty.”

“I want it gone.”

“Yeah, of course. I will need to strap down your arm though.”

“What!?”

“Removing a tattoo isn’t painless and considering it is on your wrist, I don’t want you moving too much during the process.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Alright then.”

“Good. Just give me a second.”

Hongjoong got up and disappeared for a moment, coming back and using a belt to strap down your arm. He made sure it wasn’t uncomfortable, and that it should allow him to work without issue. He got up once again, giving you a chance to collect yourself. Although when he returned he grabbed your other arm and strapped it down as well.

“What are you doing!?”

You tried to fight him, but your other arm was already restrained. Hongjoong didn’t answer you, he just made sure you couldn’t escape and then left you alone. You screamed at him, then started crying for help, hoping someone else would come, but there was no one. You continued your attempt of escape, but it got you nowhere. When you heard the door you started screaming again. You heard footsteps approaching, thinking you were finally gonna get some help but you immediately went silent when you saw who approached.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here.”

“I didn’t harm her.” Hongjoong commented.

“Good. I’m glad we’re still on the same page.” Sangyeon chuckled. “Care to explain yourself, baby?”

You didn’t want to meet Sangyeon’s gaze, but you could feel his eyes digging into you. He didn’t need a response from you. Instead he had the other boys gag you and then untie you, dragging you out of the shop. You wound up in the back of a car, sandwiched between Changmin and Younghoon, knowing very well their strength outmatched you, so there was no escaping them. Of course you wound up back at that house. You were dragged inside and taken down below, thrown into an empty room. You got the gag off yourself and tried to run for the door, only to get tossed back.

“What the hell were you thinking!” Sangyeon yelled. “Did you really think a stunt like that would work!?”

“I got out of this house, didn’t I?”

“Oh, aren’t you quite cocky for a dead girl walking.”

“What?”

“You’re doing much better than we thought.” Hyunjae mentioned. “We thought you’d be hospitalized by now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you forget again?” Eric questioned. “The night of the party you asked for power. I should have known better.”

“You were the easiest target.”

“You bitch!”

Eric wanted to get a hit, but he was held back by Juyeon and Sunwoo. You were putting on quite a brave act, but the truth was you were terrified. You had done well to avoid their grasp, but in the end they still caught you.

“What the fuck do you guys want with me! And what’s with this talk about death? Are you gonna kill me this time?”

“Oh no, none of that.” Jacob said. “But the truth is you are dying. Haven’t you felt it?”

“Felt what?”

“The withdrawal.”

“Huh?”

“What? You think taking drugs doesn’t have its consequences?”

“I…  what?”

Chanhee chuckled. “After using the drug you’re supposed to take something else to negate the side effects. Remember the little hangover cure we gave you the first time?”

“… why didn’t you tell me this!”

“Why would we? It’s a means of keeping you in line.”

“You-”

“It seems it hasn’t hit you that hard yet, but it’s only gonna get worse. Surely you’ve had trouble sleeping by now, maybe feeling irritable and jumpy? It’s the withdrawal.”

“…”

“You’re gonna start feeling really sick soon.” Juyeon mentioned. “And it’s possible to get to a point of no return. We wouldn’t want you dying, now would we?”

“Where is it! Where’s this cure of yours!”

“Do you seriously think we’re just gonna give it to you? After the stunt you pulled?”

“You’re the ones who knowingly put my life in danger!”

“You asked for it. You asked for all of it. A night of passion like never before, and a night of power. Don’t blame us.”

“Fine. What do you want?”

“Seriously?” Haknyeon questioned. “Is it not obvious?”

“Amuse me.”

“You, silly. We want you, and we’ll do anything to get you back.”

“So if you want your cure.” Kevin added. “No more running away.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Oh, you really wanna play with your life? We can always come back to this conversation when sunlight starts to hurt you.”

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“I… I’ll stay… but…”

“This isn’t a negotiation.” Sunwoo stated.

“I want to go back to school.”

“What?”

“I still want to be able to study and get my degree. You can drop me off and pick me. I won’t-”

“I said-”

“Sure.” Sangyeon interrupted. “Why not.”

“Sangyeon-”

“Hand it over.”

The others stared at Sangyeon with questioning looks, not really agreeing with his decision, but he wasn’t gonna hear anything else. Jacob came over and handed him a water 

bottle with a similar blue sports drink color. Sangyeon opened it up and handed it to you.

“Drink it. Every last drop.”

This was what they had given you last time, so you did trust it. You emptied out the water bottle, immediately feeling this tension leaving you body. Perhaps all your worries weren’t just in your head, but part of the side effects to this drug of theirs.

“Better?”

“Yes.”

“Now we can talk.”

“Wat-”

You were suddenly shoved up against the wall, hand around your throat. Sangyeon had you pinned, glaring daggers at you. It was hard to breathe, and you tried clawing at his arm but he didn’t budge at all.

“You know, the second you broke that ankle bracelet we knew, but our guests kept us distracted so you got very lucky. That won’t be happening again.”

“I… I’ll… I’ll come… back…”

Sangyeon chuckled. “It’s funny you think I’m actually letting you set foot outside this house again.”

“You… you-”

“I make the rules here. The thing is, you just don’t get it.”

Sangyeon grabbed your arm, holding up your wrist to show you the tattoo you had. He leaned forward to place a soft kiss on it.

“This right here, it’s how we found you. It’s our mark, it lets everyone know who you belong to. Our people are everywhere, so even if you did end up in the hospital, you’d wind up right back here where you belong with us. It doesn’t matter where you go, we will find you.”

Sangyeon dropped you to your hands and knees and you gasped for air. You coughed as you tried to steady your breathing, realizing everything else that had been said previously was a lie. There was no getting out of this place, not again. After a moment Sangyeon kneeled down and grabbed your chin.

“Baby, I want you, even if I have to hurt you.”

“… why…”

“Cause you came into our lives, and you’re too good to pass up.”

“… please…”

“Don’t lie to yourself. As if you truly want to leave and return to that boring life of yours. Stay. Let us take care of you and treat you the way you deserve.”

“…”

“You’ll come around. In the meantime.” Sangyeon pulled out a pill. “Take this.”

“I… you just…”

“An ankle bracelet won’t work with you, so might as well use different means. Go on now.”

There wasn’t much of a choice here. If you didn’t do it willingly you knew Sangyeon would force it down your throat. So you took the pill, feeling that spark once more.

“Good girl. You can keep up with us better this way, and now you know you won’t last long out there if you were to leave again. Which is not gonna happen, right?”

“No…”

“I need you to say it.”

“I won’t run away again…”

“Good. You won’t regret meeting us, I promise.”

“I do.”

“Watch it. You don’t want us to test your limits again, do you? Or maybe you do. I don’t mind having a brat in this house.”

“… sorry… I… I didn’t…”

“Much better, although we do need to carry out your punishment for running away. Last time was nothing compared to this, so I hope you’re ready. You won’t be sleeping tonight.”

[absurdthirst]

Kinktober 2023: October 7th

Day 7: Anonymous Sex, Nonconsensual, Somnophilia

Tim Rockford x F!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 1.8k

Warning: Sex clubs, offers of blowjobs, voyeurism, masturbation, anonymous sex, protected sex, riding, slight tit play

|| Kinktober List || MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

The case had sent him down a rabbit hole of sex, drugs, money and murder. Taking him to the seediest places in town and talking to some of the most disreputable types. Following lead after lead, casing any scrap of information down so he can put the criminal behind bars. 

The club had intrigued him. It scared him how much, although he had pretended to not be interested when scantily clad women jiggled their tits in front of him and asked him if he wanted a blow job. They weren’t hookers, he wasn’t going to bust them for solicitation. This was a sex club. 

Sitting hunched over his desk, Tim stubs out another cigarette and reaches for his pack. Last one. The smokey din of the office irritates his eyes, but he needs the nicotine. Or maybe he just needs to sleep. 

Not that he would get any. The case would be playing in his mind, over and over again, like a silent record on repeat as he subconsciously looks for any clue that he might have missed on first glance. It’s why he runs on stale coffee and bad bodega sandwiches. 

Lighting up the cool menthol cigarette, he takes a drag as he stares at the card propped up against his desk phone. He should have thrown it away, or refused it in the first place, but he had shoved it in his jacket pocket, telling himself he would never use it. It was a pass. A card for one visit without a membership. A test drive, as the owner had told him, the smirk on his face one that had made Tim shuffle uncomfortably. Like the guy could see through the detective’s professional exterior and  see what he had really wanted to do while he was asking routine questions. 

Sighing, he rolls his head, feeling his neck pop and lets out a quiet groan. The clock on the wall says that it’s too late to get anything decent to eat, and yet it was still too early for Tim to go pass out on his little bachelor apartment sofa. The bed was too big and lonely since Babs had left him. Or, more accurately, kicked him out. 

Flicking the ashes into the nearly overflowing tray, Tim puts the cigarette between his lips and picks up the card, looking at it carefully as if it were a clue itself. The shiny gold lettering is pretty, professional. Even if what is for wouldn’t be considered that in some circles. 

A test drive, a trial run in a sex club where the only thing that matters is that someone consent. Everything was apparently on the table if the other party was down. He had cleared his throat several times when he had walked by the glory hole stations, the prim suit and tie types on their knees with cocks in their mouths. Nothing wrong with it, especially since the best part of the club was that it was anonymous. No names, no faces. Everyone wears a mask. 

Jumping when the filter starts to burn his lips, Tim realizes he’s been staring at the card for so long the cigarette has completely burned down. Crushing it out and shaking his head as he licks his lips, the jolt to reality makes up his mind. Pushing away from his desk and standing straight, reaching for his jacket and tucking the card into his pants pocket. He’ll leave the badge and the gun in the car when he gets to the club. Tired of the idea of being alone, he wants to see what it’s like to experience it as a visitor, telling himself he might find another lead. 

****

It’s a nondescript building that looks even gloomier during the nighttime is now in front of him. The covered door mocking him and he heard the faintest sound of music. Wondering if they turn the music up to cover the moans and sometimes screams of the members. 

Once he’s inside, the card is taken away and he is shown to the locker room so he can strip down to nothing and put on the demi-mask that had been provided. Plenty of members brought their own, but there were plain black ones like the one provided. 

It’s jarring, slightly embarrassing to be naked except for a mask, but it’s also freeing. He can be whoever he wants tonight, do whatever he wants. Walking out of the room into the main area of the club, he can feel eyes on him. Assessing, perhaps speculating on who he is, or what he’s there for. 

****

You spot him from across the room. Lazily lounging as you rub your clit, watching the couple beside you as they pleasure each other with their mouths. Catching your attention as he adjusts his mask and then reaches down to adjust his hardening cock, only to remember that he wasn’t wearing any clothes to adjust. A newbie. 

You smirk as you pull your fingers away, sliding them into your mouth as you stand and your left hand slides along the woman’s hip and you tap it appreciatively as you move away and start to slowly walk up to the man as he looks out over the small weekday crowd. 

“Hey, handsome.” You watch as he turns towards you, apparently distracted as you walk up. Eyes widening behind the mask as he looks you up and down, shuffling his feet slightly and the fact that he is just as naked as you are means he can’t hide the way his cock twitches and bobs as he takes you in. “Me? Uh, I mean, hi.” 

Oh he’s sweet. You smirk slightly as you reach out and touch his arm. “Are you looking for something special or just taking it all in?” You ask, wondering what he thinks of this. He’s obviously here for the first time, and you want to guide him if you aren’t the person he would be interested in. 

“I don’t - I’ve never-” He shakes his head and gestures around. It’s endearing and you can see that he’s truly overwhelmed. 

“Do you want to fuck me?” You ask, giving him a simple question to answer, yes or no. 

“Yes.” His answer is rushed out, almost incredulous as if he couldn’t believe that you would even ask that question. 

“Perfect.” Your hand slides down to his and you take it to guide him towards the couches. “Do you want to be alone, or do you want others to watch?” 

HIs hand squeezes yours as he contemplates before he clears his throat. “Out here is good.” 

Leading him over to the black leather sofa, you urge him to sit down, moving to straddle him as he leans back. “So, is there anything that you really want?” You ask quietly. “Or do you just want to cum?” 

“I want you to cum too.” His hands are slightly unsure, light on your hips and he slides them up your back experimentally. “I - uh, regular sex I guess?” He gives a self deprecating laugh. “Do you - would you want to ride?” 

His cock is thick and gorgeous, laying trapped between his body and your cunt. The head of it mushroomed perfectly and you would love to suck it one day. “I would love to ride that cock, handsome.” You hum, leaning in to kiss his chin and then slowly work your way towards his mouth. Some have rules about not kissing and you don’t want to rush him if that’s not something that he would like. 

Instead of turning his head away, Tim turns into the kiss, desperate for the physical contact that he has been missing for such a long time. He doesn’t know your name, but it doesn’t matter right now when his lips are pressed against yours. 

When initial contact is broken, it never takes long to get to the sex. The bowls of condoms are on every table that isn’t occupied by a body. Always within read and you snag one even while the man’s tongue slips into your mouth to tear open. Doesn’t matter how handsome he is, you aren’t willing to risk your health. He groans when you take his cock, rolling the rubber down his length and pumping it a few times. 

You’re still kissing when you lift your hips, sliding his cock into position to sink down on it. Both of you moan as you take him deep into your body. Groaning when your ass touches his thighs and you circle your hips a few times experimentally. 

“Oh shit.” He pants, breaking off the kiss and starting to move his mouth down your neck and over your chest. 

He likes it, if the way that he’s twitching deep inside you is anything to go by. Both of you adjust to the feeling before you start to ride him. It’s slow to start, up and down and grinding down on him, squeezing him when you do. His hands start to become a little bolder. Racing over your spin and hips, squeezing your ass and then up to your breasts. 

That’s when you get a little quicker, bouncing on his cock. It’s such a good cock, you enjoy the way it stretches you out and fills you every time you fall onto it. Making you moan out wordlessly. It’s not like you have a name you can call out. 

“Oh fuck, it’s so- fuck, you’re so hot.” He starts to ramble right before he leans down and takes your nipple into his mouth. Making you whine since you love when attention is given to your tits. 

“So are you.” You pant out, enjoying how he is biting and sucking on your nipple, taking cues from your reactions and pulling away from things you don’t react as strongly as the other things you obviously like. “Fuck, I love your cock. It’s so thick.” 

He twitches inside you, groaning at the praise and he starts to rock his hips up to meet your thrusts. Both of you chase your pleasure with increasingly unbridled enthusiasm. 

You know people are watching, you enjoy the idea but your focus is on this stranger that is currently starting to rearrange your insides with every rough thrust up into you. Bracing his feet on the ground and using that leverage to make sure you feel every inch of him. 

“Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh fuck!” Your eyes blow wide behind the mask, body locking up in his arms as your cunt clenches down around him. Feeling the ultimate bliss as pleasure courses through you. Taking your breath away and making you collapse against his chest and press your lips to his. 

For him, apparently your orgasm triggers his own. Only thrusting into you, pulling your hips once more before he is groaning into your kiss. You feel the heat of the condom being filled inside you as he throbs deliciously against your wall while he rides out his orgasm. 

Catching your breath after a moment, you lean back and smile at him. “See you next time, handsome.” You hum, placing a soft kiss on his hips and lifting off his cock so you can make your way to the restroom to clean up. You have a feeling as you look over at your shoulder at his slumped, dazed posture, this man would be back. 

[all-seems-no-well]

"Testing...Hello? Can you hear me?..."

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

-Hello. AHEM... Regarding the past events of "Kalloway Kindergarten" , We have decided to hear from the victims 20 years later to get a better insight on what really happened. The following paragraphs will be from our latest interviews with each, separate person. - These will be repeated from what our subjects had said to the interviewers. - Sadly, some people hadn't come to the interview. So please bear with us on this unfortunate mishap. Thank you for listening, Thank you for your patience, and thank you for coming.

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

-Subject no. 1 (???)

"Subject number one was unable to make it today.

-Subject no. 2 (Lilith (Lily) Prescott.)

"Slow and painful it was. At least, that's how it felt for me. But I can't imagine the more brutal things my brother had to go through. He was missing for a while, and...Nobody knew where he went. Until that very day, I and...someone else, had found him...... Under the school. The principal was doing experiments on him. It was all so... horrific. Too horrific for a child to see... If I could go back in time and give my younger self a hug, I wouldn't think twice. As for my brother, I would've done the same, even at the time. I wish In that moment I could've told him how much I loved him, how much he meant to me... But now I can't..."

-Subject no. 3 (???)

"Subject number three was unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 4 (Jerome Kennedy.)

"Hearing about the awful stuff my dad did after he died, broke me as a kid. If I had known what he was doing before, I would've told someone before it got so bad... Sometimes I still blame myself for everything that happened. I know I shouldn't, but he was MY dad. I can't get over it."

-Subject no. 5 (Buggs V. Mallory.)

"Shit sucked. Those other kids were awful to me. And yeahhh, I may or may not have been awful to them back. But YOU would be a dick too if YOU were constantly bullied! Oh, right...that... Well, I wasn't really a part of the whole thing. All I know is one day our principal died, and then another day our other principal died. A lot of principals died that week, man. So uh. I don't know.

-Subject no. 6 (Cynthia (Cindy) Louelle.)

"Okay, well. Kindergarten was kinda blehh... y'know? I met some decent people there, I guess. But I also met the most rudest girl in the world! Ugh... But yeah, like, I didn't really care about the whole "principal experimenting on us" jig. It was kinda just stupid... and annoying.... And I honestly don't even recall half of the teachers there, sooo...."

-Subject no. 7 (Monty Hyde.)

"I lost a lot at that damn school. I mean seriously, they didn't think to fire the janitor after day two?! I lost my legs because of him! And now I've just been stuck with these unflattering girl legs. But y'know what? Kindergarten was pretty fun at times. Cause' I was a little shit, and all the teachers knew it. I was even smarter than the science teacher, which says a lot about how smart I am now as an adult! ....are you recording this? Yeah? Good. YOU HEAR THAT DR. DANNER?! I'M BETTER NOW. IM A SUCCESSFUL MILLIONAIRE, AND WHERE ARE YOU? PROBABLY IN A RETIREMENT HOME...... Uh- Thank you for having me here..."

-Subject no. 8 (Felix K. Huxley.)

"I say... Kindergarten was certainly quite the experience. Younger me would've said it was horrible, but now that I've matured I see just how dramatic I was being. Though, there were some things I did that....I'm not quite proud of.... But! That aside, the experience looking back at it was quite swell. If not for that place, I wouldn't have met my lovely Cynthia...or what's his face- uh- Monty!... He's helped me a lot with my business, and I tip my metaphorical and imaginary hat to him."

-Subject no 9. (Theodore (Ted) K. Huxley)

"I believe they should've had much better funding, and staff. Because that place was just...awful. The teachers obviously despised their jobs, and the bathrooms... Oh the bathrooms were foul...! And even thinking about Kindergarten brings back horrible memories of what my brothe- actually nevermind... But anyway, thinking about the pain and suffering those poor students before me must've gone through...it makes me sick to my stomach. They could've done so much better for the students and the school itself."

-Subject no. 10 (???)

"Subject number ten was unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 11 (???)

"Subject number eleven was also unable to make it today."

-Subject no. 12 (Ozzy Harrison.)

"I don't have any good memories of that place. Not one. I'm sorry, but I don't even wanna talk about it anymore..."

-Subject no. 13 (Madison Bonneau.)

"It was like one second I was at recess, and then another I was in some sci-fi looking lab! But me and my friends got saved by some randos, so all was well after that I think! But in all seriousness, that mean lady got what she deserved. I'm glad nobody has to put up with her ever again... oh, oh! And also there was a girl there when it happened...and her head freakin' exploded!! I couldn't sleep for days because of the sight!"

-Subject no. 14 (Alison (Alice) M. Claire.)

"I heard Madi from the other room... I am incredibly sorry about her... excitement? She's never been interviewed before, and quite frankly, neither have i- o-oh, yes...my apologies... The whole situation had really put a negative toll on my well-being. I was scared to go back to school, I had a hard time trusting people, and I was overall terrified of everyone and everything around me. It felt like a bunch of eyes had been laid upon my person, and hands were out to hurt me at any moment. I and my friends were kidnapped by the other school's principal, and to say it was traumatizing would be an understatement..."

-Subject no. 15 (Ronaldo (Ron) Duncan.)

"hey do you have any cheese? No? Okay.. Well anyway. What I remember is like.. kinda crazy. So bear with me. I was just on the playground, swinging on the swings, okay? And then suddenly IM KNOCKED OUT, LIKE BLAM! And then, I woke up in some bunker with a bunch of sciencey stuff in it. And I'm like floating around in this giant tube thingy, right? And then these kids come into the bunker and they're like "well save you!!" And then the evil principle lady turns me into a monster and I'm all like "blehghh" and my friends are also like "blehghh." BUT THEN the principal lady also turns into a giant, ugly monster!! And then the kids kill her like superheroes. True story."

-Subject no 16 and 18 (???)

"These two subjects were unable to come in today due to their own plans together."

-Subject no. 17 (Austin Scarrow)

"I don't actually CARE about the stuff that happened in kindergarten! That stuff was a long time ago, and it doesn't matter to me anymore..."

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

"By listening to our subject's stories, We hope you know how much this means to them, finally being able to speak up about their own experiences from the tragedy. These people are powerful, and strong, and we wish nothing but the best for them."

------

------

"...Jesus...these kids are gonna make me a killing. I've got to get in contact with those other subjects... If I don't, this whole jig is gonna go out of business..."

[vibratingskull]

The present

Thrawnxf!reader

You have a gift to celebrate the promotion of a certain Grand-Admiral, the perfect time to reflect on your first encounter.

You were smiling to yourself inside your allocated cabin. You finally got the perfect present for Thrawn, one that you were sure he didn’t have in his private collection.

You have been chasing this piece for several months since you've heard of it and now you had it in your hands. You were proud of yourself, these items are rare nowadays and sold for fortunes at auctions… The same occurred in the black market, but threats supported by a Vice-Admiral’s plaque ensured you a decent discount. With the help of a few friends in the Ministry of propaganda your gift had been authenticated and restored in record time. Now you possessed a real museum piece, a witness of past times.

Despite the both of you being in your ninth year within the Imperial Navy, Thrawn had become your superior. He made a huge impression on you when he arrived at the imperial academy with the cadet Eli Vento. An unprecedented case! An alien and a rookie from the Outer Rim, popping in during the last three months of the formation and walking off as Valedictorian, with a rank of Lieutenant and a personal aid.

A lot of the military students were more than happy to strangle him and his rookie pal. Many both enraged and amused at this grotesque situation, how on earth could this blue freak could lead the imperial formation? Some of them decided to test the waters and see how far they could get with harassment, needless to say some got burned at this petty game and Orbar paid for all the others.

You weren't sure what actually happened. Some claimed after his humiliation at the metallurgy lab he sent a group of his friends to ambush and frightened the duo, others said they planned to kill them all along. Everybody added their own spin to the story : it was a fistfight, then someone murmured they all had blasters, Eli would have been wounded by a blade, then he wasn't even here in the first place…The story was a mess.

The real mystery started when the three aggressors simply vanished from the imperial academy. Nobody knew what happened and everyone held Orbar responsible, although behind closed doors, there were sordid rumors: Thrawn would have shot them and simply disposed of the corpses. Even worse, maybe he kept the bodies in his room to feast on his enemies

Pure bullshit!

No need to be a genius to know that if someone came to die within an Imperial Military Academy the perpetrator would be punished in the most exemplary manner. Even Orbar with his high relationship network would endure a hard time, so an anthropophagic alien, alone and isolated…

But no, Thrawn was still free of his movements nevertheless, no odd and mysterious military task force came to dispose of him, so… Maker knows what happened to those boys!

Nobody actually believed those silly rumors, yet the thrill will always be more entertaining than the dull life in the army, and they still impacted the daily life of your friends, well future friends at that time, nonetheless.

Students were now removing themselves from his path, heads low and whispering behind his back, too intimidated by this strange being that seemed to disprove everything the Empire taught them about aliens. If Eli felt relieved and enjoyed his newfound peace, Thrawn still looked unbothered. In fact he always acts like that, whether he is despised or feared, as long nobody gets in his way he is imperturbable.

You talked about the rumors with Eli and his expression when you exposed the theories of your comrades was to die for! A mixture of surprise, shock and disbelief twisted his face in the most comedic way! You both still laugh about this conversation years later. He never revealed to you why or where the three thugs disappeared, even years later he just says it’s a mutual secret between him, Deenlark and Thrawn. Never mind that, you later discovered their students files in the database of Skystrike Academy during an official inspection shortly after your promotion to Commodore.

To this day, you were still fond of the way Eli talked about this "secret" between him and Thrawn. You were truly pleased by the turn of their relationship. Back when you were pushing yourself onto the duo, Eli just played cool to accomplish his duty of translator in the most peaceful way.Their dynamics took a hit when he learned his assignment under Thrawn's command instead of the supply officer position he wished. He terribly suffered off this situation, telling you he had the feeling Thrawn had robbed him of his life and choices. He was in the Academy because Thrawn asked for it and he was once again dragged to the other side of the galaxy because Thrawn suggested it. You sincerely believed it would end extremely bad between them. It wasn't the unique thing to poison their relation, Eli had the sentiment to be invisible next to him. From his alien nature to his military prowess, Thrawn tends to steal the spotlights, and Eli saw himself reduced into the role of puppet to the eyes of the others and they tried to utilize him as such… Fortunately, Eli is more intelligent than what they gave him credit for and he turned off the vultures.

It tooks several assignments for Eli to understand why Thrawn needed him at his side. If Thrawn had the brain, Eli had the guts! Thrawn is intelligent, yet all genius he can be, his tactics are solely based on his knowledge and understanding of the situation. One misinterpretation on his side and everything collapses, therefore, he tends to freeze in front of the unexpected and the vagaries. Put it simply, improvisation is not his forte. That's when Eli comes to the scene! Despite some alleged weakness in direct combat, Eli possesses an incredible survival instinct. He apprehends every situation with his tripes more than anything else, which confers him a significant advantage when hazard comes messed up and jeopardizes Thrawn's initial plans. His reactions are primal, instantaneous and effective. It has already saved you three several times and them both even more.

Time has passed since then, and you were proud of the man your friend has become. More assertive, even witty sometimes and a significant boost of self-confidence. His relation with Thrawn is now more balanced and fair than ever, and it shows during their missions together. Their trust in each other was heartwarming. They are an excellent team!

You missed Eli since his departures for a confidential mission near the Unknown Regions. Sent away by Thrawn, obviously.

Thrawn…

What a character. Since you knew each other, he always profoundly confused you in… every way possible.

To be honest at his first day at the Academy, he made you laugh or rather you laughed at him. He was completely out of place, in so many ways. Because of his alien nature, obviously, but above all he was undeniably an already well trained and competent soldier… Why did he have to go back to a school full of angry and spoiled gremlins in their twenties?

How old was he at that time anyway? You think he was already approaching his forties, you couldn't be one hundred percent sure. His stoic face hardly gave away his age, and years barely affected him. You didn't have the same chance.

Anyway, after the entertainment he provided you the first day he arrived, you didn't care about it for some time. The other students may have enjoyed the luxury of losing their time to bully someone; you did not. You've worked hard to gain access to this school; you were now working yourself to exhaustion to be the best at graduation. Much like Eli, you weren't from Coruscant nor from the borders of the Outer Rim either. You were the "provincial" one, from a planet too far to be a part of the core worlds and too close to be considered exotic…

You couldn't count on a network like some of your comrades to enter the academy. You were granted a scholarship after your results in the Global Exam. This also meant your place in the hierarchy of students was low, and you were a victim of bullying. At least until a certain incident that will give you your nickname and build your reputation within the Academy as well.

So yeah, at first you didn't want to involve yourself with the two. You already had enough to do with yourself, but harassment at the scale of a class will ineluctably cause troubles within said class. Troubles that interfere with your work, therefore with your chances of success, and you couldn't tolerate it.

You were well aware of your reputation among your comrades but weren't afraid to play with it to be left in peace. So you didn't hesitate to intervene when you finally had enough of this whole situation.

One day at the cafeteria, Jamwest Cosblo decided he wanted a "friendly conversation" with the duo and went straight to them. From your place in the line, you couldn't hear the subject of the conversation, yet from the smirk or Cosblo and the decomposed expression of Eli you guessed he tried to impose himself as the new apex predator of the students food-chain now that Orbar was out of the league. Thrawn, always unshakeable, never raised his voice, steady and calm although Cosblo didn’t seem to care and started to get noisy. Apparently, he wasn't going to be satisfied by a simple chit-chat, and you started wondering how Thrawn could handle it. He couldn't reiterate his feat as in the metallurgy lab and Cosblo doesn’t believe in the virtues of diplomacy, you knew this firsthand, plus in a cafeteria overcrowd by bored young adults a quarrel between their new favorite and the feared pet peeve could escalated into a fight…

Your friends, in the line to be served too, started to lose patience and pressed you to get back on track, but it was a unique chance!

If Thrawn and Eli weren't accepted, they were at least tolerated because of the threat they represented. Meaning apart from some resentful hotheads like Cosblo, the mere student wouldn’t dare threaten them again. Cosblo, however, wanted to prove his power and influence by taking down those who ridiculed the former leader and avenged the three thugs whose status were still unknown at that time. His credibility was at stake. He will only achieve his goal if he succeeds against the primary menace, the blue alien who came to ruin the established order among the students. If he makes it and takes the leadership, the harassment will start again, worse than before for the other students will feel entitled to join the party. But if he failed now in front of his potential court, the duo should be safe from future assaults, and you could concentrate yourself on your studies.

Nevertheless, to be effective the situation must be solved by a student, not by the duo himself, either way it will just be a useless victory and not a meaningful action.

While you were actually curious to know what tricks Thrawn would have used in this situation, you decided to take the matter in your own hands.

You signified to your friends to not wait for you and to find them a seat already while you calmly head towards the blondie loudmouth. As you approached the conversation started to get clearer, Cosblo had stopped trying to be quiet a long time ago and drawn attention to them.

“I don’t know what artifice you will use against me, but it's not a stupid plaque that will prevent me from putting you back in your place, blueface!"

Haaaaa… Cosblo and his way of mincing his words, so peculiar. It is your personal gift to him, from a year ago.

"Am I to understand that you are ready to assault a superior over an ego competition?" Thrawn asked calmly. Despite that he had risen from his seat, understanding that logic was useless with a guy like Cosblo. He will need to use another language.

"Those badges only hold the power that we give them, and you…"

Cosblo drew his hand to Thrawn's chest. Oh oh!

"... Have no power here!"

Before his hand could reach its target, you grabbed his wrist, stopping him halfway through. He turned over to confront the one who dared to stop him and nearly choked himself while seeing you.

"J.C…"

You could feel the venom and his unbelief dripping from his tone. As you weren't involved in any of this prior, he didn't expect to see you take action.

"I think that's enough, Cosblo."

"What? What do you care about? Go mind your own business!" He hissed.

"Believe it or not, this is my business."

He snatched his arm from your grasp and lowered his head to be eye-level to you. Something that pissed you off tremendously.

"Since when? If I recall you were pretty chill with us toying with them, why this sudden realisation? You want to play the hero? You want to buy yourself a clean and renewed conscience? Or maybe…"

He lowered his voice to manage his effect, you would have gladly ripped off his smug face but you were here to avoid a public combat. It will have to wait…

"... Maybe you're just sympathetic to them? Does it remind you of some bad memories that you need to cope? To fight against the baddies oppressors will make you feel better?"

He turned the crowd and announced dramatically.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, J.C the heroine we need but didn't deserve!"

Forget about the face, it's his tongue you will rip off. You waited some seconds for the crowd to stop cackling a bit and you seized his shoulder to force him to face you.

"Very clever, Cosblo. But I'm trying to save your head, here!"

He didn't respond, just waited for you to explain with a disdain stare on his face. You were testing his patience and even more, his power.

"Listen. I understand your concerns. Since these two appeared everything started to crumble on itself. But you can't continue what you are doing…"

Now you were the one talking with a low voice, as if you shared a secret with him. You quickly glanced several times at Thrawn's and Eli to see what they were doing. Eli was pushing away some curious cadets and Thrawn was sitting back on his seat yet fully concentrating on you both behind folded hands. His sight dissequated every mouvements, every voice inflexions… In his observation, his eyes lingered at your legs for a strangely long second before locking his eyes right into yours. You turned back your head immediately. You knew you were doing this primarily for yourself but now you actually believed you were saving Cosblo skin!

What sort of gaze was this? You could feel it burn the skin of your back while talking to Cosblo.

"He managed to erode Corbar's authority and get rid of his opponents without suffering consequences, neither from the Academy nor Corbar's family… You can't do that with a simple Lieutenant plaque, his support must come from far higher than what we are all used to!"

Cosblo remained silent but his frustration was evident now that he understood his prey out of reach, well beyond his power. However, he hated most to be scolded like a five year old by a fellow ensign in front of all your comrades. In his plans, he should have been adored and praised by said comrades right now, after administering a well deserved correction to the alien freak… Instead, he was standing like a stud while listening to you why he should retreat before the alien. He could clearly see the interest fading on the eyes of the crowd and was legitimately ready to leave it at that but you had to add something stupid.

"So don't be a moron and give up while everything can be forgotten."

"Don't give me any orders!"

He gripped you by the collar with such force you were lifted from the floor, so suddenly you didn't know how to react. His eyes were flashing and his words were even more chopped.

"I'm tired of your games (y/n)... You need to be reminded of your rightful place. I will also take this opportunity to avenge myself from what you did last year."

By instinct you reached a hand to your boot, but you suddenly fell to the ground. So hard the impact cut your breath. Raising your head you see Thrawn keeping Cosblo on the table by the skull, preventing him from moving.

"I am sorry for this rude action, but I can not tolerate violence between students, especially if it disturbs others."

You get up with difficulties, coughing to get your breath back. The former excited crowd was now mute and stunned, waiting for the next action. You could clearly see them questioning themself: should they intervene? Should they let you all in peace? You quickly realised some were looking behind you and you followed their gaze to see Corbar.

He was here the whole time?

He observed the scene quietly, contemplating the idea of getting back on the top, knowing the students will follow him.

But for what good?

Finally, he simply sat down again to finish his meal in calm, followed by Turuy and then all the students. Peace, it will be.

But not for you.

Turning back again to retrieve your group of friends, you just met crimson eyes fixed on you. You couldn't determine what emotion Thrawn had, yet you knew you're going to hate his next words.

"Cadets, follow me. I will bring you to commandant Deenlark, he will decide for a punishment adequat for your misbehaviour. Both of you."

You would rather be shot straight through the skull than facing Deenlark again. Maker, what have you done? Is this what you get for trying to help others? Cosblo didn’t act proud either, you peered toward Eli for support but he signaled you to play along with a reassuring smile. You complied before Thrawn takes a “rude action” against you to get you moving and followed with a low head, disheartened.

The four of you were heading towards the commandant’s office in complete silence, excluding some painful whines from Cosblo. His bump with the table has awakened an old pain in his jawbone. You would have felt sorry for him to have to deal with pain AND Deenlark but you were in this boat because of him. Everyone for themself!

You sighed and followed behind Thrawn. It was the first time you were this close to him, that you get the chance to inspect him in detail…

You estimated his height to be around 1m80, more than almost everyone here, with some rare exceptions. His posture was impeccable, how did he manage to be this straight all the time? His back must hurt a lot at the end of the day!

Let see… Despite the uniforme you could perceive broad shoulders, long and well developed muscles for his arms and back, his chest seemed toned and firm, and his legs looked strong enough to crush a bone. You guessed he was a type of guy who favored using an electrostaff or his bare fists than a blaster to fight. Cosblo was either suicidal or just stupid to think he had a chance against Thrawn in a one-o-one combat, at least the three thugs knew they needed to stick together to hold a chance.

"Thank you."

"Huh?" You were distracted from your observation by a voice on your left.

"Thank you." Repeated Eli with a slight smile. "For your intervention. You're the first one to have said something."

"Oh! Well, your welcome. After receiving my reward I will make sure to never cross the path of your friend again."

"Everything is gonna be fine. Thrawn has the situation under control."

"If by under control you mean he's about to get me expelled, then yes! He got everything under control." You responded, sarcastically.

"No need to be bitter. I don't think he will support such an idea. As I said you were the only one who takes our defense and-"

"And it wasn't uninterested. Don't give me virtues I don't possess…"

"Maybe you had an idea behind your head, at the end of the day you took your stand against the mass for something you deemed unfair. He will take this in account while presenting your case to the commandant."

So this is how it appeared from a third point of view? Damn, you just wanted peace to work toward your graduation.

You had to query:

"In this case, why am I also to be punished?"

"You did involve yourself in a troubling peace bond situation, after all. Knowing Thrawn as I do, you should take this as a chance to defend yourself, he surely wants you both to have the opportunity to explain the core of the problem instead of Deenlark hearing deformed and exaggerated rumors of the incident. I mean, I think that's what he got in his mind…"

"Well tha-! ... Wait, that oddly makes sense."

It was indeed your best chance to bring all this to an end and to defend your case instead of passively accepting your punishment.

While you were reflecting on this, your group just got to an elevator and followed the most awkward moment in complete silence.

Enough time for you to determine another thing : Thrawn is hot!

In the most literal way!

Now that you were locked with him in an enclosed space you could feel warmth waves impossible for a human organism coming from him. He was irradiating the place. How high is body temperature actually is, 45°C? More? Why would his species need such a high body temperature?

And how Eli could stand 8 hours with him every night? Their room must be an oven!

…

You definitely wanted to tell a joke to break this stifling silence, but you advised yourself you'd better not… Too awkward.

You just cleared your throat, as someone does when they don't know how to break silence.

Which is even more awkward.

…

Why is this stupid elevator take so long?!

…

Finally!

You stepped out of the elevator with relief. You saw Deenlark's office at the end of the corridor and wanted to throw yourself back in.

"You were more bold a moment ago… J.C?" Eli noted.

"(Y/N), J.C. is just my nickname here."

"What does it stand for?"

"Jaws crusher."

He stared at you with wide eyes.

"Pardon?"

You bring yourself closer to him with a lower voice.

"Did you notice Cosblo's way of talking?"

He nodded.

"Well, a year ago him and his friends preyed on a lot of other students. The day he came for me I was in the tech lab with an adjustable spanner, a huge one… Since this day, he minces every word and I got my nickname."

He seemed to process the information.

"I assume this is how you properly meet Deenlark."

"Yep, Cosblo tried to get me expelled, but I used a security camera to clear my name. It's hard to pretend to be assaulted when you're four against one and you throw the first fist." You sighed. "Deenlark was furious, clearly he both classified us as disruptive elements. I don't think he will go easy on us this time."

"We will discover it in a second." Thrawn interrupted.

Since when he was listening to the conversation? You were sure to speak with quiet voices.

———————————

Your trial was finished, and you were relieved beyond words. You thought your future was sealed, that you would be expelled and sent back to your family without succeeding .

But no.

Thrawn was indeed impartiale when he exposed the situation to the commandant and didn't try to sink either of you two. It was quite refreshing in comparison to other superiors. Deenlark, however, was actually displeased to see you all four at the same time. The type of combination he had hoped not to deal with. Ever. He first seemed furious to be disturb in his work, then he just looked tired while seeing who he had in front of him. On the bright side he wanted you all out of his office as quickly as possible, so the lecture didn't take too long.

You get to stay here and complete your formation. You still received a chore : to help clean up the auditorium of your class during a month and Cosblo inherited the Paramedic class, aka the one where the dissections took place, for three months. He was so livid he could faint right there in the middle of the hall, while you were overjoyed by the result.

"Cadet Vanto, please help our comrade to the infirmary. I am sure he would rather pass out on a mattress than the floor." Thrawn inquired.

"I'm on it."

Eli gripped Cosblo's arm around himself to support him and, more or less, dragged him to the medic block.

As you were ready to go the other direction, a voice stopped you on your track.

"Cadet (y/f/n), may I have a word with you?"

You were tempted to say no and run off, but you knew better than getting on the wrong side of the chiss now.

"Yes, Lieutenant Thrawn."

Hum, it rolled weirdly on your tongue.

"Not here, we will need a more private place."

You followed him diligently to a small classroom with a dull light, wandering about what he could have to say to you.

After closing the door, he stood straight and crossed his arms in his back, confident like he was in conquered land.

"You are surely wondering why I ask you for a discussion."

You cleared your throat.

"I didn't properly thank you for your assistance with Cosblo, sir. Thank you sir."

You didn't let anything appear but it was really uncomfortable for you to be alone with him. Isolated, you were taking the measure of his person, his presence. You were slowly taking conscience of his menace.

"There is no use for thanking me, for I was protecting Cosblo from you."

What did he just said? You were the one yanked off the floor by the shirt, not Cosblo!

You were to question what he meant when you noted his eyes kept wandering to your legs again before he locked them back with yours.

"This is what I wanted to talk about with you. Do not try your little trick, you will not be able to pull through with a simple chore if you are caught."

What, in all the creation, was he talking about?

"Try what? Helping you?" You hissed.

He slowly shaked his head with a thin smile.

"I thank you for your intervention, however you can cease your bluff. I know you carry a blade in your boot. This is highly forbidden, but I suppose survival habits dye hard. I can understand that."

Wait! When had he noticed? You've always been careful to hide it. You take a step backward.

"How did you-"

"You are not the only one who observes her peers, Cadet (y/f/n). In fact, I found your profile fairly interesting." His smile was now a satisfied grin.

There was no threat nor mockery behind it but you still hated it.

"I have done my research on you, I have gathered some fascinating results."

"You had no right to do that!" You fumed.

"I do have it when I suspect an individual to be potentially dangerous. For example, someone carrying a weapon inside the Academy." He pointed.

You started to observe your options to get out of here. You realised he purposely chose a tiny room for you to feel trapped and it was effective. He continued without ever raising his voice.

"I wouldn’t have imagined the Imperial Academy would accept the granddaughter of a famous Drug Lord. I am most impressed you have been able to hide it to everyone else."

It sounded like praise but the floor just opened under your feet.

You have worked so damn hard to get here, to distanced yourself from your heritage as you parents did. A military career was perfect to clean your name to the eyes of society, and you're gonna sink and lose all your efforts trying to help a perfect stranger. The one who's gonna drown you.

"So what? You're gonna spread it to the other? Blackmail me? Use it for favors?"

Your voice cracked yet your fists were clenched. You had too much to lose. He may be a better combattant than you, but you were the one with a knife.

You stared at each other in silence. You felt his eyes burning your skin again.

"I will do none of that, you may ease your mind." He spoke gently.

"And why not? If I am what you say, why would you deprive yourself of the price of my capture?"

"Because I know the Empire has its ways with the Drugs Lords. If you are permitted here it is because it benefits someone else in the higher spheres."

"But this is why you can't drop me, not why you won't. Am I wrong?"

"It is because I am curious to see how a profile such as yours will turn on in this system. I am quite interested about what you could become."

He didn't tell you everything. Typically him. You didn’t know at that time he would always answer all the questions without telling the core of the information you're searching, ever. Despite all that you knew he had an idea in mind.

"I think we are done for today. We will meet again, Cadet (y/f/n)." He stated while maintaining the door open for you, letting the light enter.

You rushed out and yelled.

"We are done, period!"

You sprinted to your cabin without looking back. You entered it with such speed you almost slammed into Faro, your roommate.

"Wow! Easy (y/n), what's going on?"

You took a second to catch up your breath before you responded.

"I'm just escaping from a sociopath. Nothing unusual, Karyn."

"And who was it? So I can have a polite conversation with them." She requested with a mischievous smile.

You giggled and flopped yourself onto your bed. You liked this girl, she was two years younger and your little sister here. You would never let anyone harm her.

"The blue one. Don't go near him, I'm having a hard time seeing through him…"

"You mean Thrawn? I've already talked with him."

The sky just fell on your head.

"WHAT?! WHY?!" You yelled.

"I don't know for sure. He approached me after the Academics Exams for Freshmans, not long ago, with my results. He asked about you too." She recalled.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing specific, don't worry. But I couldn't let a superior without an answer."

"No, of course not. Just… Be cautious around him, okay?"

"Yes, mom!"

You had enough emotions for now, you needed to rest a bit.

All the evening played back and forth in your mind. Why did he need to search through students files and results? What does he get out of it, you were all just mere children in front of him.

You were most concerned by his discovery of your past, few authorities in the Academy were aware of your roots, even Deenlark wasn’t in the secret. How did he access these datas?

Without realising it, you falled asleep, exhausted from this roller coaster of emotions.

The next day was not the brightest either.

You just realised, by defending Thrawn and Eli you were now sided with them, that you liked it or not. Your group of “friends” wasn’t as welcoming and they passed most of their times ignoring and avoiding you. Only one was gracious enough to tell you it in the eyes. They prefered to cut all ties now rather than be associated with you from now on.

Nice.

Absolutely perfect.

You really had lost everything.

At noon, you were resigned to staying alone when you saw the duo peacefully eating.

You thought about it for two seconds and retraced your steps. Fuck this, there is no reason you were the only one to pay for all of this, and you wanted to clarify things with blueface.

You slammed your tray on their table with a large smile.

“Hi, you two!”

Eli startled, caught off guard, and Thrawn… Well he just saw you coming.

“Maker, (y/n)! What is wrong with you?” The first one shouted.

“What do we owe the pleasure, cadet (y/f/n)?” The second added with his usual nonchalant voice.

“You owe it to yourself, smartass!”

Thrawn merely raised an eyebrow and Eli nearly spat out. You sat in front of them, with giant grin

“You were crystal clear yesterday, you have enough on me to ruin my life. Well I’m not afraid. We can be two to play this game. Starting today, you will have me on your back nights and days. I’d repay myself a hundredfold, you can count on this.”

“And what is it supposed to be, exactly? A threat? A promise? Or a challenge?” He asked calmly.

You were almost sure to see a hint of amusement in his eyes, but who could claim to know what amuse this man?

“Anything that suits you most, sweetheart.” You responded sarcastically.

Silence followed,your eyes locked again.

You both stayed still, him testing your resolution and you didn’t drop your sight from his.

It was a battle of wills .

You didn’t know why he was doing all of this, but you knew exactly what you had to defend.

None of you could have told how much time passed that way, fixed into each other's eyes.

His iris weren’t simply red as his eyeballs, they were incandescent. You could swear they emited a slight glow, like a flame. Fixed on you, his pupils widened slightly, as black holes that could swallow anything within reach. Your skin was set ablaze once more.

What grands designs could be drawn behind those rings of fire?

You wouldn't have said the situation was comfortable, although for anything in the world you would have severed this… connection.

All your senses were muffled, your hearing was stifled and anything outside his fire orbs were blurred in your vision.

At this instant, nothing outside you two existed.

You.

Him.

And the universe that seemed to expand beyond his eyes.

You could have stayed like this for eternity.

Time itself seemed suspended, to carry this instant forever.

Unfortunately, he severed the link. He straightened up his back and answered as nothing happened.

“Do as you wish.”

You were taken aback by the brutal return to reality.

“Wait a second you two! I have a say in this story.” Eli intervened.

“I believe you would appreciate the presence of another human, one that isn't trying to stab us in the back.” Thrawn retorted.

“No! You can’t take those decisions alone.”

While they were squabbling you realised your eyes were itchy. None of you had blinked during this moment. Maker, that hurted. Maybe this moment didn’t happen judging by his facility to break it, maybe you played all this in your head.

Your eyes still hurt nonetheless.

They finally agreed, or rather Thrawn found a way to impose his logic on Eli again.

“Do as you want, in three months it will be your sole problem anyway.”

Thrawn remained silent at this, you used this opportunity.

“While our cards are on the table, Karyn told me you approached her. If I found out you harmed her in any way, I will make you regret it. Am I clear?”

“You do not need to worry about her, I have no ill intent toward your friend.” He responded, cutting into a slice of rare meat.

—————————————————

To say your relationship with Thrawn didn’t start with the best intentions was an euphemism.You used your time at the Academy to tame each other. You first firmly disliked him before you could sincerely say you respected him, then appreciated him, then...

Thinking about it, you had your fair share of notable experiences with him : a dissection, a health class about spatial venereal diseases (you were sure this one was a hazing from the teachers), a wild Graduation Ball were he kinda got drunk, the only time you saw him snap, your long evenings of studying for the final exams, all the times you and Karyn had to cover his traces because he was wandering elsewhere than his assignations, your promotions to all four, ect…

Your life was way more agitated than what you had anticipated. All thanks to one, singular person.

A scratching noise called you back in the present. You realise you were fixing your gift without doing anything. The scratch persisted and you could hear an odd rumble following. You rose from your bed to see what was at your door, and found nothing.

Curious…

Another guttural sound made you look down.

“Hi Rosu! What are you doing here my baby?”

You immediately started to baby talk to the ysalamir at your feet. You took her in your arms and she curled up all against you with a purr of contentment.

“How do you keep escaping your nest? Your daddy must be terribly worried. You wouldn’t want your daddy to worry, right?”

Does yasalmiry understand Basic? You could swear Rosu pulls out her tongue at you on purpose. Checking your chrono, you see it is almost time for your last personal report to Thrawn before your departure.

“I will bring you back to him. Climb on my shoulders, sweetie.”

You put her around your neck while taking your package. She croaked with enthusiasm and pawed your shoulder.

“Of course I have your favorite biscuits sweetie, what kind of aunt would I be if I didn’t?”

You handed her a bite of biscuit that she devoured immediately.

She had almost eaten half of the box when you approached the office of the freshly appointed Grand Admiral. You saw Colonel Yularen and Governor Pryce exit the room, you were not aware of their presence on the ship…

The guards gaved you back your cylinder and let you enter without investigating the reason of your presence, being part of the inner circle of Thrawn could give some advantages on the Chimaera.

The door opening announces your arrival and the hint of a smile appears when he sees you. It is the first time you met him in his new white uniform. It looks superb on him, really pleasant.

Now, let’s keep it professional.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, I address you with my congratulations for your recent promotion." You made your heels boots resonate while you saluted him, putting the emphasis on his new title.

You like how it sounds.

"I thank you, Vice-Admiral (y/f/n)." He salutes back."I was wondering if you were coming to bless me with a visit before your departure."

"I was on my way to give you back a little rascal."

You kiss the forehead of Rosu before handing her back to him. He offers his arm for her to climb on with a relieved expression.

"There you are my beauty. You know it is not safe for you outside of my office."

She rubbed her head to his cheek to apologize, or to coax him, you will never know, it's a clever species. You let them cuddle to see her mate in their nest. Avaz was in the middle of a nap when he heard his partner croaks. He rose up to his feet and started to scratch the glass.

"Grand Admiral I think we have a couple to reunite."

You watch him manipulate and place back his ysalamir in the nest like she was the most fragile and delicate creature in the universe. There is so much delicacy in his mouvements and tenderness in his expression.

Who was the last person to treat you like that? Certainly not your last partners.

You observe how the two lizards cuddled to great one another, or rather you are observing him observing his dearest pets. It is rare to witness him lower his guard around others, even you. His genuine expression of caring and affection over his protégés never fails to melt your heart, you didn’t want to lose a crumb of it.

"What am I possibly doing for you to smile in such a way?"

Your smile widens.

"If I dared, Grand Admiral, you sound like a proud father." You whisper like a secret.

He chuckles while sitting at his desk, enjoining you to do the same.

"Now, Vice-Admiral (y/f/n), you firstly came for your report."

"Indeed." You quickly become formal and begin to share your findings. He listens to you respectfully behind his folded hands. "I have been observing Admiral Kassius Konstantine at your request since my affectation under his commandment almost a year and a half ago. The least I can say it's that he is driven by his ego and acts when it may be beneficial for his personal interest or his career. I still find his way of combat somewhat, how to say it… Merciful? He allows his enemies to flee for their life if he deems the game unworthy of his time. It has the merit to prevent useless loss of troops and assets, at least. "

"How can you affirm he intentionally let them retreat and not escape his grasp?"

"Because he still got results, his hunting count and victories are honorables. He is not the best, but he is efficient… When he wants to be."

"How every officer should be, however my requested presence here on Lothal tends to prove he is not enough. Anything else?"

"He comes from a politician family."

His eyelid twitches at this. One of the rare muscle reactions he is not able to control when he starts to get irritated. Imperceptible if you don't know him.

"What kind of politician family?"

"The kind to hate you, your strategics, your ways, your tactics. The kind who thinks anything as a price, everything is marketable from titles to lives. Especially lives for titles."

He let a silent sigh escape. He is anticipating some serious headaches.

"No need to be annoyed, his hunger for glory and success derives from an inferior complex. Surely he will prove himself to be a malleable spirit and a useful puppy once in your hands."

"Is it a pike of irony that I hear?" He point with an amused wry smile.

"I would never do such a thing, especially towards you Grand Admiral Thrawn." You bring a hand to your heart, pretending to be shocked."However, having another support in the political field such as him may be useful. Governor Pryce will not always be here and his family's influence outgrows hers on Coruscant. With all due respect Grand Admiral, you truly need someone to cover you up in the political domain. You might want to consider his potential."

"I am considering it."

He let himself slide in the bottom of his seat.

"If you need any other information, you can check this data card. I have gathered anything I could learn about him. From his day to day schedule to his favorite combat formation."

He took the card you handed him with an apparent satisfaction.

"Everyday I praise myself for not having you arrested when we were at the Imperial Academy. It would have been such a waste of your… Investigatory talents."

"Is it sarcasme that I hear?"

"I would not dare insult your skills, Vice-Admiral (y/f/n)." He politely replied.

As much as you appreciate him, his cockiness gives you the urges to rip off his smile sometimes. Other times, you would like to kiss it.

"I truly respect your abilities to always find what you are searching for, regardless of the object."

And still nothing on you and your life prior to the Academy, you thought to yourself. A real ghost.

"You are a valuable member of this team. I would not want your competences to rot or be wasted. So I will ask you to pursue your investigations on Konstantine and his crew, if you encounter someone with potential, let me know."

You have mixed feelings about this. You know it's his way to secure his position in the Empire. To infiltrate every layer down to their roots, with Eli as his diplomat and right hand, Commander Faro and Captain Pellaeon in the Navy, Governor Pryce in politics, Colonel Yularen in the ISB and finally you in the criminal underworld. He selects and places his pawns wisely to have ears and control in every layer of the State.

But the crew of Konstantine, your crew as well, is primarily composed of young recruits, some you have taken under your wing. You are not sure you want to expose a young person to a plan that you don't know the end.

"(y/n)?"

You raise your head with surprise. He rarely uses your name.

You came to understand through the years it was not usual in his culture and was rather reserved to related peoples. You first convinced yourself it signified nothing for him to call you by your name, that he was just getting comfortable around you as he was with Eli. Maybe human's customs had rubbed off on him after nine years. You first thought you were fooling yourself with illusions…

Nevertheless, you must now admit you were convinced he had other plans for you both.

You didn't get those ideas out of a hat. You had collected teeny details and "coincidences" during years that meant nothing separately, but drawn a different painting once assembled. Some dated back to your time in the Academy, things you saw as camaraderie or friendship.

He tends to be more talkative and open, relatively speaking, once his service is over.

His protection and your tiny privileges as his protégé that seem to grow gradually when you come back to him.

You know he felt a connection that day. He told you himself.

And you were utterly petrified by this idea.

What do you surely know about him? What you could swear was true in him?

Nothing.

Yet you were here, helping him although you were not officially under his command. Having his back and covering him everytime he did something deemed shady by other high-ranking officers. You know, deep down your mind, he is preparing something. He wasn't just exiled by his People like he pretended. He is serving a greater design that he doesn't talk to you about. Yet you follow every one of his commands, you advise him, berate him even, putting your career at risk by spying on his behalf. And for what?

To be with him. To stand at his side. To see his eyes shine with pride when your mutual efforts are rewarded by victory. To help write his legend and to be able to say "I was there" when you will tell these stories in the future.

What type of relation is this? Superior to subordinate? Two friends with different social status? A genius and his sidekick? A liar and his puppet? Or were you helping a parasite to suck up the Empire ressources?

You didn't know.

And he was still able to make you dance with his voice regardless.

"Yes sir, sorry sir. I will proceed as you ordered." You respond with a smile to cover your doubts.

"Very well. Any further questions?"

Oh yes, you have a question. A lot of questions.

Why did you send Eli to the Outer Rim? Why did he have to go alone? Why do you never talk to us? Do you actually trust any of us or is it a facade? Who are we to you? How does it happen that you still don't get how politics work here? How does it work where you come from? Where do you come from? Why have you never tried to contact your people in nine years? What is the truth behind your exil? Why do we know nothing about you? Do we matter so little to you?

Do

I

matter so little?

Will we ever talk about us?

Who are you really?

"None Sir. Everything is clear." You answer shortly.

"Perfect, therefore we are done here." He concludes with his usual composed voice. "You may go."

You both rise from your seats befo- Damn! You almost forgot.

"In fact Grand Admiral, I wanted to offer you something."

He raises an eyebrow, waiting for you to develop. You bend over to retrieve your fabric package and hand it over to him.

"This is a gift to celebrate your promotion and your nine years in the Navy."

His sight navigates between you and the package before taking it. You feel the tip of his fingers caress your hand for a split second. He weighs the gift with precaution while you remove your hand quickly, letting him evaluate the package in silence to prevent your cheeks from blushing as you both sit back.

You already have plenty of relationships, but somehow a light touch of him always lets you like you were striked by lightning. A simple gesture on his part could captivate you, a single word from his lips could command you.

Does he know how he affects you? You wonder. If he does, he hides it perfectly.

He inspects the pack from every angle, figuring out what was inside the fabric before he opens it. His movements slow down as he realizes what might be inside yet you can't fathom his expression.

He unwraps the cloth with great care, slowly discovering what you brought him.

He took several seconds to process what he had in front of him.

A book.

An ancient one on top of that.

It is an exceptionally rare item. The only ones he had ever seen were behind glass windows in museums or in private exhibitions by collectors.

He didn't think he would have the privilege to possess one himself.

He hesitates to manipulate it further, he does not want to damage this precious artefact, meanwhile his curiosity urges him to satisfy his hunger for knowledge and to dissect it right here and now.

Lost in his contemplation he stays silent, incredulous, letting you torturing yourself with questions.

You have imagined quite a few scenarios for this moment, but he didn't take this long to react in any of them.

Was this gift a good idea? You were not sure anymore.

Maybe it is too much for a promotion and a decade of friendship.

Wait…

It IS too much!

You have never seen anybody offering this just for a promotion! What were you thinking? Those get sold for millions of credits in auctions, even if you used your network in the crimeworld to get this one in a cheaper way, the risks you have taken and the value of the book you have chosen are just ridiculously high, downright indecent for the intentions you pretend to have.

If he tries to dig about it he might discover there is more than friendship and respect in your mind when you think of him…

"It is unexpected to say the least." He spoke.

Ouch.

"I am sorry you don't like it."

"Please do not misunderstand me."

He takes the book with careful precaution and starts leafing through it, his face cut with a thin smile.

"I appreciate your present, it is a most refined gift. But its value must have cost you a lot, did this occasion truly worth all the troubles? Or is there something you are not telling me?"

He brings his hand to his chin, a typical fashion of him when he investigates. You swallow quickly, regaining your composure by crossing your legs.

"I mean, I won't get the opportunity to celebrate a friend's promotion to Grand Admiral any time soon. I wanted to make it count with something that could hold on your esthete tastes."

He gazes into your eyes with his coy smile, without responding. His pupils widen, he is clearly enjoying the situation.

"Of course, I do apologize. I did not want to question your words, so many people come announcing their failure with offering to sweeter me."

You gesture your hand as if to say it's nothing.

He didn't buy your excuse and didn't bother to hide it from you. You're searching for a way to deviate the conversation.

"What an interesting material. It is not flimsi nor paper, right?" He asked, passing his hand on the edges of the page to feel all of it's asperities.

"It's vellum."

"Fascinating. What language might it be? I have never encountered it until now."

"Unfortunately, nobody knows."

He stops his investigations to gaze at you with a puzzled expression.

"This codex is unique. We know it under the name of "Voynich Manuscript" and is written date thanks to the Vellum that has been carbon-dated. The illustrations helped to cut it under sections, outside of that we can only speculate on the exact content of the text and it's real author."

You see him running his fingers on the hand-drawn figures, following the curves of a limb and exploring astronomical circles traced in a long-past age but still mesmerising today.

"It could give you some intellectual evenings trying to decode it and all its mysteries. It will resist you for sure, maybe you will be the one to unravel its secrets, maybe you will fail. I simply thought you would like to take a real challenge, but if your not up to it… "

He closed the book with precaution, grinning internally. After nine years he realises how far you have grown up, how you are now able to discern and manipulate the needs and the ego of your prey, himself included. He could take some time to admire his work on you.

He is proud of you.

"Thank you, Vice-Admiral. I will take great care of your present."

He rises from his seat to escort you to his door. You feel the ghost of his hand on your back, setting you ablaze.

"Please let me know if you discovered something about the book, I too am interested. Bye my babies!"

You wave at the ysalamiri in their nest, and like that you're gone to pack up and leave, without hearing his answer.

"You will be the first one to know, (y/n)..."

He let your name rolles on his tongue, as if he could taste it.

You just leave without greeting your superior, but he won't hold it against you. He deliberately tried to shake you,he could cut you some slack.

Whether he finds something or not, you just gave him the perfect pretext to call you on something else than work.

It would be a shame to selfishly keep this gem of history for himself when you can be two to enjoy it.

Far from all this ceremonial and protocol, on his own territory, he will have all the time that will please him to scrutinize you through this book.

Then, and only then, he will decide if he could take things further with you… Or no.

There are numerous things preventing him from doing so, some that he can't ignore and could have catastrophic consequences for both of you.

On the other hand, the sole hypothesis to be with you awakens a pain he wishes he could forget and simply ignored.

A characteristic pain in the chest and lungs.

He had already seen what happened to chiss who bypassed these symptoms.

He will need to act on that as well.

But for now he will indulge himself in your sole presence at his side and your endeavour to live up to his expectations.

It will be his unique fancy in this empire where all and everyone is a potential enemy.

His personal luxury.

@exoplorationn @bluechiss

[yandere-fics]

♡ Runa With An Idol Darling ♡

(5,048 words, this tops my record lmao.)

Idols in the city usually had a very short lifespan to their fame. They'd spend a year or two training, and then have at most two years of actually performing before at their first major concert a supernatural in the crowd would lock eyes with them and realize they were their soulmate. Of course there were those that managed to make it past that point and would be afforded a much longer career before retiring from the spotlight as soon as they'd made a decent chunk of money, not wanting to tempt fate any further because every second in the spotlight was a second a supernatural could find them, their plans of retirement usually didn't help though as you often heard they were snatched merely a month later when they were just going to buy groceries.

You'd been an idol from the time you turned 18 to now when you were currently 37, almost 20 years in the business and you were determined to go down in history as an idol who was so well loved that even as they got old, their concerts still sold out. The key was audience interaction, as long as you stayed on top of what was happening in your fandom forums, you could never lose, those fools who retired just didn't understand how important fans were, you couldn't be an idol for even a year if the fans didn't like you and you honestly enjoyed the interactions with the fans. The ones who were the most active on the forums even knew your username, "PurpleButterfly", a bit generic but when you debuted your costume had a purple butterfly embroidered on it so it made sense.

Of course this meant some fans would make their username based around yours but none was more active than one in particular going by "XxPurpleButterfly'sRuruxX", she even visited all your livestreams, an elf which was somewhat uncommon in the city so it made her stick out more to you. She even attended all your livestreams and occasionally you'd seen a photo of her that she'd post asking you if you thought she was pretty enough to ever find her soulmate before quickly deleting the photo out of embarrassment when she realized you weren't the only one on the forum who could see. You were sure she was definitely your number one fan which is why it saddened you that she was never able to attend any of your concerts.

What occurred was really your own fault, she had said for years she was much too shy and socially anxious to ever come to a concert but you just couldn't help but want her there and so on a livestream you'd decided she would be the fan who would be gifted front row tickets and backstage access for free, you'd even promised you would give her free merch while she was there and an hour where she got to ask you questions, really anything for the fans, especially for one of your biggest fans. You really shouldn't have had such an anything for the fans attitude, even if it hadn't been this one day that was going to get you in a lot of danger.

It was only after the concert had ended that the problem came though, you'd gone back to your dressing room to change into something more comfortable to meet your biggest fan in, though something still cute when your manage rushed in, a grim face on. Not good news but you assumed it wouldn't have had anything to do with the girl, she had been so well behaved at the concert, looking up at you as if in a trance, not even able to do the fan chants because of how stunned she was, a girl like that wouldn't cause issues for you.

"Y/N, there's a problem." She ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the wall after making sure your dressing room was locked. You perked up and nodded for her to continue. "The girl you invited to the concert is claiming you're her soulmate. They're running the tests now just to confirm she isn't lying to capture her favorite idol."

Your eye twitched just a little bit, you'd done a kindness for this loner but she had turned around and tried to end your career? You'd let the forums know about how severely disappointed this incident had made you later, for now you needed to deal with the pest. You took a deep breath in and out, you couldn't get mean, sure this was upsetting but you weren't supposed to be angry at the fans, you were supposed to care for them, even the most misguided ones.

"Well the tests will show up negative, I'm sure of it, beyond that she's just an elf, elves aren't the most vicious when it comes to their mates, even if she is mine we'll sweep this incident under the rug and the show will go on." You wiped off your performance make up and got to work on a more natural look. Performance makeup was meant to be seen from the crowds meaning it looked tacky and gaudy if they saw you up close so since you would likely have to go out there, you needed a much lighter look.

"It's not that simple. Look the management company has decided they want this next album to be your last, you've had a good run, it'll be your twenty year anniversary album, it's time to make room for new-" You swiveled around in your chair glaring at her.

"How fucking dare you, if you won't represent me anymore, I'll find someone who WILL. I'm not old yet, I will not be pushed out. Now if you excuse me, I have to go deal with this, but we will discuss your insubordination once this is resolved." Great, you'd been mean and angry twice today and both times were caused by this elf. You were really starting to dislike her.

She was in the backstage area with two guards blocking her from approaching you while she glared at them, you'd thought she was just a shy little elf but now you could really she she was a two faced bitch trying to end your career while acting as a fan, it felt easier to be mean to her now that you finally knew she wasn't a fan at all.

"My love! You're finally here! They kept telling me I had to wait to see you but-" "Stop talking. Why are you doing this? Are you trying to kill my career?" She let out a whimper as the guards finally released their barricade. She thought about running into your arms but you can see she was on the verge of tears eyes darting rapidly for a way out of this, so she wouldn't have to see you glaring at her anymore.

"No- I w-wouldn't- I wouldn't d-do that to you, love! I wouldn't do it! I just wouldn't!" She screamed her hands on her ears and the guards quickly restrained her before she could start throwing things. If you didn't like her before you definitely didn't now, next time you wouldn't be so friendly to such a weird person, you wouldn't find their behavior cute.

"Escort her out of here, I don't want to have to see her again. I will contact you IF the test tells me you're telling the truth but I don't want to see you until then." You were honestly very lucky, most got taken same day by their mates but since you were such a prominent figure you were allowed a test since some might want to lie and just claim you as their mate despite you not actually being theirs. It was the only reason you weren't going off with that lunatic right now. The problem would be gone soon though, the test would come back saying that she was lying, your career would go on. Except that didn't happen.

The test came back the next morning, she was telling the truth. Your manager had been there first thing in the morning with a coffee and cake in their hands.

"Put that garbage away, I'm too disgusted to eat right now." You would also prefer your manager not being in your apartment right now but you really hadn't been getting what you wanted as of late. You had to assume she wasn't just here to gloat about how your career was probably finished with this news, but if she didn't get to the point soon you were going to scream.

"This isn't for you, Miss Y/N, this is for the elf girl." You shot her a dirty look, this really wasn't the time for jokes, at least you hoped that was a joke, a really bad joke, there was no way you could bring yourself to see that stupid fucking elf today. "Just picture it, the elf who likely had a rough night, having to sleep without her mate by her side, but in reality her mate had just been planning a day long date for them all along and they bring a cake to her door as an apology."

"Ha ha, very funny, now quitting joking, be serious, there's no way I'm fucking doing that." Your agent sighed and set the box down on the counter, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"I was trying to be light hearted, look you don't have a choice, the agency is only willing to give you one more album if you do this, it'll be your album dedicated to your soulmate, they want a huge spectacle showing how in love with your mate you are, you won't be doing a concert for this one either but it'll be a longer album. It'll sell like crazy. Or you can choose not to do this, likely be dragged to your mate anyways and not be allowed the final album. We already found her apartment, what's it going to be?"

"I'll get my coat." You were getting that album no matter what, you were sure after the fans heard it was your final they'd beg for more and the agency would have no chose but to extend your career, this elf was not going to be the end of you, you were determined to perform until you were on your fucking death bed.

"Good choice. Look she's a bit of a freak, all sorts of nasty rumors, some of her neighbors think she's a serial killer but you're her mate so she's not harmful to you, we wouldn't do this if we assumed she would harm you, too much." You pretend to ignore that last part she said. Great you were tied to a fucking serial killer who might hurt you and your management was making you go along with it. You should have picked a better agency.

Her apartment wasn't that bad if you were being honest, sure it wasn't in an area you went often but she could still afford a decent place, it was the inside of her apartment that was a mess however, you saw inside as soon as she opened the door, only for a brief second though as she immediately came outside and slammed the door shut not wanting you to see it. It was clear she had destroyed nearly everything in it though except for a shelf where all of her merch for you laid.

"M-my love? Y-you came for me! Oh you came for me!" She tossed herself into your arms and you bit back a scowl in front of the camera's. Your most dedicated fans would know that you clearly were uncomfortable and even someone who had only pretended to be your fan could see you were not happy to be here. "G-get those camera's out of h-her face, you're making her uncomfortable!"

You weren't sure how she came to that conclusion but it was still good to get the fucking camera crew out of here, at least then you wouldn't have to control your expressions so much, still you knew your manager still had a wire on recording all of the noise so you still had to watch your words.

"L-look, I made them go away, it's o-okay my love." She frowns though, wondering why you were here now and why'd you been so mean to her the night before, was it those people's fault, if that was the cause she'd kill every single person who was backstage last night. You really didn't like the look on her face but you just had to push past it and deal with today.

"I was busy all night preparing a date for us today. Would you like to go get ready for it?" She was a complete ugly mess, her hair was everywhere, you really hoped you wouldn't be forced to kiss her today for a picture, you made a note to scrub yourself and throw these clothes out late now that she had touched you. Hopefully while she was in there she'd change into something less... repulsive than her over worn shirt from your Magical Kitty album tour, it was one of your least favorite outfits you'd been forced to wear so of course it was the creeps favorite. Much to your horror though she just stayed put and made no move to change. Great you were going to have to walk around looking well dressed up meanwhile your forced date could being bother to try to look presentable.

"N-no I'd just like to e-enjoy our d-date as much as possible. D-does your manager h-have to be h-here?" No your manager didn't technically have to be here, you could have been the one fitted with the mic but you forced your manager to do it to ensure she wouldn't leave you all alone with this freak. So yes she did have to be here, it was for your own safety and so you didn't say something mean to this person who could potentially cause you harm.

"She helped me plan everything, she has our passes for everything, don't worry you won't even notice she's there. Also silly me, I just realized, I don't know your name!" You smiled at her and took her hand, you had to keep her calm on this date or everything might blow up in your face, you needed her so you could have your album, you were going to use her to keep your career strong and steady, who knows, maybe you could confide in one of your true fans about how she's hurting your career and then they could kill her for you. Morbid thought but she really had it coming for fucking things up, something about her made you mean, you didn't like thinking such cruel thoughts.

"O-oh m-my name is R-runa... t-that makes sense. W-well where to first?" You had to look away from her so she would see your scowl, god you hated how it felt to have this leech clinging to your arm. Composure, you must regain your composure. You couldn't be mean to her, she was dangerous.

"Well you've never been to any concerts apart from the one last night so our Y/N here thought it would be a fantastic idea to put on the costumes from those tours and sing a couple songs for you! She felt so bad you'd been excluded." You scowled when she said that, Runa was scowling for completely different reasons however, you could only assume she was offended you'd been called "our", guess elves did still have a possessive streak in them, you kind of liked her slightly more that way but you still couldn't stand her.

"R-really? T-thank you m-my love!" It was revolting to think about being back in those outfits, let alone in front of this freak. You remembered how tiny the outfits had been back in the day, it had been hard to feel comfortable prancing around on stage with your ass out back then knowing there might be creeps in your audience even if the majority were your adoring fans but it made you feel sick to think about how Runa was going to get to see the tiny skirts up close and she might even try to touch, absolutely nasty.

"Of course, I wish all my fans could see every concert, it's sad when they can't." You lumped her in with the others, you really just wanted to let her know this wasn't special, you often put on the often of whatever concert you'd done the most recently just so sick and elderly fans would get to see it, you just didn't usually but on the older ones, still she wasn't special in the slightest, she should not feel special just because of this. You tried not to grumble too much as your manager led you to a studio they had cleared out in the building next door filled with all the costumes you had worn, including the one that was clearly Runa's favorite because she almost jumped for joy when she saw the cat ears from your Magical Kitty tours nearly 15 years ago.

"Alright I'll go get dressed." Runa whined as you yanked your arm away from her and walked towards the dressing room. You just had to think of this as a magazine shoot with a gross photographer, that's all this was, you wouldn't have to deal with her very often, you'd only deal with her enough for that album and then everything would be all good. "Hand me the first outfit."

"Well, you're our guest of honor, which outfit would you like to pick first?" Your manager asked Runa and you let out a big sigh, it was clear what the freak was going to chose why did she even bother asking, it was literally the stupid ass t-shirt she was wearing, you weren't even sure where the freak had found that shirt in the first place, that tour was 15 years ago and you were sure Runa was younger than you, sure it took forest elves a long time to grow but city elves aged quicker which was part of why they looked sickly when forest elves looked beautiful because they'd had enough to grow. She must have been a fan from a very young age or had found it used, the little freak.

"M-magical Kitty!" She seemed excited though something in her tone told you she was a bit fed up with your manager. At least you had that in common, the hatred of your manager, you could bond over that if you weren't planning on ditching her or having her killed pretty sure after this.

"I don't want to wear that." "Y/N, we talked about this, put it on." "Runa will you please pick something else?" You heard her huff outside the dressing room and moments later say the outfit being passed over the stall again.

"I-it's always been my dream to s-see that outfit in p-person. W-would you wear it f-for me?" It looked like you weren't getting out of it so you let out a huff and just put it on, excluding the stupid fake eat headband, there was just no way you could put it on.

"Miss Y/N, you're forgetting something." As soon as you opened the dressing room door the manager snatched it from you and popped it on your head which got her a brief glare from both you and Runa before Runa turned her head towards you in delight.

"W-wow, c-can you say the catch phrase from that t-tour please?" You sighed and glared at your manager. It was all her fault that this was happening. You honestly should have made sure the original costume got burned to a fucking crisp, this was nasty.

"I'm your little kitten idol, nya." You couldn't even remember what you'd been thinking at the time when you seriously thought a phrase like that was a genius thing to say, you wanted to strangle your past self, it was her fault you were here doing this. Runa could sense you weren't pleased about this either though cause she started to frown.

"Now now, Y/N, don't be like that, say it with more enthusiasm for the girl." Your smug bastard manager probably thought she was going to make a crap load of money from this recording. You hated her, trying to push you out of the industry but since making bank off of being your manager, you'd fire her after this and sell the clips to the highest bidder just to spite her.

"D-don't fucking talk to my love. G-get out of here!" She pulled a knife out from her pants pocket, your manager immediately scrambling back and looking to you to mediate the situation. "Get out! D-don't look at her!!"

"Fucking shit." You sat down on the couch trying to take a breather and just think about what had just occurred, well now you didn't have to fire your manager and she wouldn't be able to market the tapes to anyone because even if the end was edited out the clips hadn't gotten enough to be marketable. Hopefully failing to do this would tank her career at the company too.

"S-she's gone now m-my love, you c-can say it-" "What the fuck are you talking about?" She was still holding that stupid knife for some reason but you were pretty sure she had no backbone for you now at this point since she'd only threatened the manager over your lack of enthusiasm, and even if she did stab you, you honestly wouldn't care at this point, your career was unsalvageable. They weren't going to give you more years.

"You can say the thing, I k-know you were u-uncomfortable to say it in front of h-her- w-why are you laughing?" You hadn't even realized you'd begun to laugh, her saying that was just the funniest thing you'd heard ever, she thought the manager was the problem? You couldn't help but cackle at that thought, she was so fucking unaware that she was the problem the entire time. It was just so incredible someone could be so fucking dense.

"You fucking idiot, do you think I like you or something?" She whined as you stood up and walked towards her, the knife falling out of her hands and you picked it up off the floor. So cute that she brought this, was the loser planning on using it on you later, that was really too bad cause you were going to use it to punish the little freak for ruining everything.

"We're m-mates so you m-must l-love m-me right?" You laughed again, bringing the knife up to her cheek and lightly pressing. She did bleed really pretty for such a fucking freak. Perhaps how much you hated her was starting to make you a bit of a sadist. You'd ignore that revelation for the time being, perhaps you could revisit that later with someone you actually liked.

"Love you? How could I when you've destroyed everything I've ever worked for?" She took another step backwards as you continued to approach, tears streaming down her face as she gave a sniffle every few seconds.

"I-I don't u-understand..." Her back hit the wall and the knife cut deeper into her cheek. Freak was still blushing though, you bet the freak was probably wet too. Disgusting. You didn't think it was possible to hate someone this much and yet be sexually attracted to them at the same time.

"I spent years of my life devoting everything I had to being an idol and then you show up one day and suddenly the company tells me I can't perform anymore, I only get one last album, you ruined my 20th anniversary of being an idol so of course I despise you, every single part of you revolts me. I just wanted to be able to keep singing and dancing, you ruined it."

"Y-you could still perform f-for me! I-I'd l-love to w-watch you perform every s-single day o-or night! I-I'll even get costumes if you w-want." You laughed as you suddenly got an idea, if the freak thought it was so easy to just perform then you'd make her do it.

"No, I'm done performing, now you're going to perform for me." You walked away from her, walking to the costume box and finding a pair of dog ears, collar, and a mini skirt in there, the dog ears and cute pink collar had been a forgotten idea for a costume and the mini skirt had been so short even you hadn't been willing to put it on even at the beginning of your career. "Put these on." You turned back to her as she whined and tried to wipe the blood off her face, the wound starting to scab a bit.

"W-what?" "Don't 'w-what' me, put these on now bitch. Only these." She blushed and walked to the dressing room before you stopped her. "No, put these on where I can fucking see. Bitches don't get privacy."

"Y-yes my love." God you were right, the freak was wet, you'd cut her cheek open and she was wet about it, you had humiliated her and she was turned on, she was so nasty, but maybe you were too cause seeing this made you happier, you'd been tense all day but now you were getting some revenge on her for coming through and wrecking everything in your life. And you had to admit she looked... cute almost in just the leather mini skirt, a dog collar and ears. She'd look cuter panting on all fours like a proper bitch though. Well you had the power here, you could just make her.

"Down on your knees, like a proper bitch. If you do a good job maybe you'll get to hear me say it later." You sat down on the couch, this had to be properly savored. It looked like it hurt her to get down like that, she was clearly just a bit fragile but she was doing her best. "Present for me, I want to see how wet the bitch is."

God she was so gross, she turned around to show you her soaked hole but that was when you heard it, she just... she just let out a fucking bark. The freak just fucking barked for you. Disgusting, you wanted to hear more. You wondered what other things you could say to get her to bark for you, but also you wanted to see her slobber on you like a fucking dog, you'd give her what she clearly wanted but she had to act like a dog to get it.

"Runa." She turned around instantly, her tongue sticking out as she tried to maintain the dog act as best she could. "Do you want me?"

"Y-yes my l-love more than anything-" "Bitches don't speak, they bark." You threw a nearby vase at her causing her to whimper and flinch. It was her own fault, stupid bitch should have listened to you. She nodded and started to bark loudly, slowly approaching you as you removed your underwear and lifted the skirt on your outfit as well.

"Go ahead, you stupid mutt, maybe if you make the kitty happy enough, she'll go nya for you just like you wanted." She pounced onto the couch immediately positioned herself so her thigh was rubbing against you while she was rubbing herself all over your leg. God this was so fucking gross, you loved it so much.

"I-I love you." She let out a moan as you bit down on her ear hard, you'd heard elf ears were sensitive and so if they got hurt then they'd only hurt more, you guess the freak turned out to be a masochist. You were going to enjoy hurting her so much. You needed this, if you hurt this stupid freak then you wouldn't even be sad about your career anymore, and luckily the stupid bitch didn't seem to mind it with her stupid ideas of you being in love.

"Bitches don't speak. If you need to make noise, bark, like the stupid mutt that you are." She whimpered, her grinding on your leg getting faster, she was obviously getting close and you just let it happen, it would give you another thing to punish her for. She let out a loud howl as she came all over your leg panting and licking your face.

"Stupid bitch, I didn't get to cum, you're so selfish. Lay down, I'm getting what I want." She whined as you repositioned yourself into the 69 position but instead of beginning to eat her out, you grabbed the knife from the side of the couch and started to slash her thighs and really any part of her you could reach as you forced her to eat you out. "Wow you're really bad at this. I might fall asleep."

She let out a soft cry trying to go faster with her tongue on your clit, you were lying, truthfully you'd never been hornier than you were now but she didn't need to know that and even if you did cum she wouldn't know because you could hold back any sounds, it paid in be well versed in acting and keeping a straight face at all times.

"I know, maybe if you bark then I might actually feel something." You were joking but you didn't expect to actually feel and hear her bark against your cunt. Fucking idiot thought you were serious. Wow maybe she really was a stupid mutt, you thought elves were supposed to be smart. You sat up a bit, no longer cutting her legs. You may as well throw the dumb dog a bone and let her know you'd actually cum instead of just hiding it from her and acting like she wasn't affecting you in the slightest. "You're such a stupid doggy nya~ I can't believe I'm cumming on such a stupid mutt's tongue."

You could afford to be nice to your fan for a second, anything for the fans after all, especially after you'd just marked this one as yours.

[shadowfreak98]

❤ TF ONE STORY TIME! #2 ❤

So for this story time, I am going to share my thoughts and opinions BEFORE I ended up seeing the movie. These were my raw, unfiltered opinions before seeing the movie! First impressions and then expectations, all that jazz. Let's get into it!~

So I had prior knowledge of Transformers One around June, 2023... Just after the release of Rise of the Beasts, my brother had told me that our local theater was going to be showing TF One the following year, late 2024. I was... skeptical to say the least. I didn't really know how to feel about it, and I didn't really look into much on it.

December rolled around and he spilled more news about TF One being an animated feature, as well as having a cast of big name actors. This had my hopes lowered even further. Rumor had it that Optimus Prime was going to be played by Chris Hemsworth and NOT Peter Cullen, etc. etc. I have a track record of having a rather severe distaste of actors playing voice roles [COUGH COUGH... Chris Pratt... COUGH COUGH]... However, I am also willing to give it a chance despite my complaints. So, ultimately, this wound up getting shrugged off.

April 18th, 2024 - First trailer drops. I watched it... and I have to admit... I hated it. [Who thought "Start Me Up" by Rolling Stones was a good trailer song for this movie? Fire them. Every AD, and trailer tries this 80s Nostalgia Bait, and think it's clever. It's not. PLEASE STOP.] Immediately, I wrote it off as another generic kids' film that was going to leave me feeling empty as both a movie-goer and a Transformers fan. I didn't like the art style (at first!!), the music was a god-awful choice to try and hook me, and overall it didn't grab me one bit. I felt so let down after it... but not hopeless.

Despite all of this negativity and disappointment I had in it... I had this shred of hope deep inside me. I had this feeling like... something just wasn't adding up. That... maaaybe, by some miracle this movie was going to be decent at best. Call it blind optimism.

My brother, on the other hand, had zero faith in this film. He was certain that it was going to be a trash movie for children, and was adamant when I tried to show hope in it. So, we agreed to disagree until the movie came out...

TIME SKIP aaaall the way to September... I had skipped out on all the trailers to come after that awful first one. I had forgotten the movie even existed, until my brother came up to me the night of the test screening. He told me that he was gonna cave and go see it, then report back to me...

3 AM - My brother comes home from work... and he was BEGGING me to go an see it. A small part had me felt triumphant, as I had held out hope for the movie... and here my brother was imploring that I go an see it with him; insisting that I was going to LOVE IT.

The next Monday, we go and see it... and I fell in love with Transformers all over again. I blew it up my group chats, to my oldest internet buddies, EVERYONE I KNEW was going to know how much I love and adored this film! I watched it as many times as I could, despite my limitations. I have not been that passionate about a movie since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [a movie I went to see 7 times in the theater].

Though I couldn't go and see it as many times as Sonic 2, Transformers One beat it as one of [if not] my favorite movies of all time. [Sonic 3 has a hard contender now... We'll see what my verdict is when December rolls around.]

HAA... I am content now that I have finally shared my tidbits on this movie. I perhaps have one more story I could tell about it...? Not sure there is really enough talking points tho. It would mostly be me ranting and raving to my family about the movie, and driving them insane. Nothing too noteworthy.

BUT ANYWAY, I got some stuff to do. So I should be off to do that before my hands fall off from typing so much Ha.

Love y'all!~

[dumbkid4ever]

The Allmighty Orphan Lord K'uhul Ajaw

Ajaw modern hc! In which:

I introduce to you my take on what it would be like if Ajaw was a human in our modern world, which means there are no vision, no dragons and no gods.

Non-human au is here

- in terms of personality he's the same delusional, overconfident and rude Ajaw but more grounded, since his actions and words now have more consequences than "time out."

- he also has more sympathy, not by a lot, but if he sees someone go through something he did he'll stay silent as he will just be reminded of how it was for him. If it's something he hadn't experienced before though, he'll belittle and laugh at the person in pain

- is pretty well built in terms of muscles, but only on his upper body, his lower body is not trained at all, leg day is not a vocabulary in his book

- never goes anywhere without his sunglasses

- has a sort of obsession with knights and dragons, read a book about them as a kid and just never grew out of that hype

- very possessive and territorial about things he sees as his own

- orphan, doesn't have any memories of his parents, never made it out of the orphanage until he turned 18

- has naturally bright green hair and green eyes, with pupils that didn't look human, which was part of the reason no one wanted to adopt him, with the other reason being his thorny personality and the criminal records

- time out does exist in this universe as well, but rather than a present thing it's more of a past trauma from his childhood at the orphanage

- is the "allmighty supreme lord" of the orphanage, since he's the oldest and strongest. Other orphans praise him and and run errands for him in exchange for his protection so that the couple that runs the orphanage can't hurt them

- he appointed Kinich as the "grand marshal" and together they trained the kids that were past their adoption-prime so that they can fight for themselves, not just in the orphanage but outside as well. These "knights" were there to protect the other kids when the two weren't there. Now that Ajaw's out of the orphanage, it became the job of the first generation of knights, who have been promoted to "knight commanders", to teach their fellow orphans

- he and Kinich used to take the beating for the kids whenever any of the two adults, sometimes both of them, were feeling angry and needed an outlet. Ajaw always threw a few punches back out of spite because how dare they touch his subjects while Kinich just stayed put. As they grew older, Ajaw's punches also grew harder, until at some point he only needed to stand in front of the kids and the adults will back off

- when he was 16 Kinich was adopted by Mavuika, leaving him to care for the other orphans by himself

- Ajaw and Kinich have never been able to stand each other's guts but there's always been a mutual understanding due to the situation they share or used to share

- he was surprisingly in the student council as vice president, the other orphan kids at school spread good words about him and somehow convinced enough people to vote for him. To his credits, he actually did his job decently, all his duties were fulfilled, just not excellently

- he didn't study a lot but still got ok grades, he aced all the classes that mostly required memorization though due to his great memory

- now in college though he does realizes that he needs to actually study and put in effort, that's because he failed his first test. He's been studying like crazy ever since to soothe his ego that had been hurt by the failing grade and is not class topper

- politics science major, studies public relations and psychology as well because he wants to be a politician to rule over everyone

- his living costs mostly get covered by the scholarships he applied for

- a part of the money he gets goes into food for the kids at the orphanage

I did a lot of research on knights and their hierarchy, all for the sake of accuracy because ajaw would be accurate about this if he was a real fan. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and have a pleasant day.

P.S. @sleepycheesecakeowo here you go, hope it suits your taste :)

[clevereverest]

Fantasy AU Snippet

1,358 words • Finch & Original Character (his brother Dominic)

[ Hello! It’s been a bit since I’ve posted writing on Tumblr, so here’s something I had bouncing around for a long while and finally wrote down. This snippet would hopefully be added to my next big multichapter fic, which is a fantasy AU ;)

You get no context because spoilers and added mystery/intrigue. I hope you enjoy it! ]

A gentle knock on Finch’s bedroom door startled him, and he almost dropped the notebook he was flipping through. He’d been in the middle of searching his massive room again, trying to make it less foreign to him. It was time-consuming but he felt it was necessary to learn more about, well, himself — the version of himself from here, technically.

“Adrian?” The voice on the other side of the door called when Finch didn’t respond for a couple seconds. It was Dominic, and Finch considered whether he genuinely wanted to speak with his twin brother. Getting no response, Dominic added, “May I come in?” 

What harm could it do? “Sure,” Finch replied, then promptly stepped away from the bookshelf. He hoped it didn’t look too strange that he’d pulled off a decent stack onto his desk. 

The door opened and shut behind Dominic, who smiled at Finch upon entering. Finch still couldn’t get over how right his younger brother looked in this place, even in all his royal attire that didn’t suit Finch’s usual vision of Dominic. This was Prince Dominic after all, the teenage version of his brother whose home had always been this grand castle. They may have been identical, genetically and both wearing clothes for royalty, but Finch knew he didn’t fit in like his brother. This place wasn’t his home. 

“What are you doing?” Dominic asked, walking closer to peer curiously at Finch’s cluttered desk. Finch was starkly reminded of his unusual accent as well, and reminded himself to match it when talking again. “Oh, were you trying to get back into reading? Does that mean you’re feeling better?” Dominic’s hopeful expression was heartwarming. 

“Little by little,” Finch replied in the weird yet natural accent to the last question. “I wanted to look through the shelves and see what caught my eye.” 

Dominic nodded in understanding. He walked away to sit heavily on Finch’s oversized bed, leaning back on his hands as he looked at Finch. “Is your back bothering you as much as mine is bothering me, by chance?” 

Finch blinked at him, momentarily confused. “My back?” 

“I keep feeling bouts of spasms or shifting under my skin,” Dominic explained simply, like that wasn’t entirely cause for concern. “We are getting rather close to our birthday, so it makes sense that it’s coming soon, but it’s not the most pleasant feeling in the world.” He laughed a bit, apparently expecting Finch to do the same. He did, albeit slightly delayed. 

“Of course,” Finch agreed. “I’ve been feeling…” He knew he’d probably regret what he did next, but it needed to be tested. Carefully, he arched his back, and instantly felt a quick sensation of pinpricks on both sides of his spine, and he reactively winced. 

What the fuck is that? he thought, a flash of fear coursing through his veins, only for it to be replaced with a knowledge that he knew this. He understood what he’d felt, and it was natural. Inwardly, he shivered at the way his mind had yet again adjusted to accommodate for what the body he occupied already had knowledge of. 

“It still hurts at points — more so than before,” Finch reported to his patient brother, put off by the vague memories of the pinprick sensations in his back from earlier dates than Finch personally had record of. 

“At least our shirts aren’t annoying us yet,” Dominic quipped with another laugh, one that Finch easily joined. 

“We would just switch to the open-back ones then.” Finch had spoken without thinking. He didn’t even know those were a thing, but his princely counterpart clearly did. 

Dominic’s face screwed up. “I don’t want to wear those yet, especially not when my back is all red and irritated. Besides, we can wear the fancy ones during our party to properly show off our new wings.” 

There it was: wings. Finch had already learned that this version of himself was an avian. It was difficult to deny the beautiful, human-sized bird wings that both of his mothers had, but it hadn’t struck him as odd that he didn’t have wings of his own — until now. And it was just his luck that while stuck in this world, this body was currently undergoing landmark biological developments. Ones that Finch wasn’t equipped to deal with, although an innate assurance lurked constantly in the back of his mind. His other set of memories from Prince Adrian already accepted that avian wings were slowly growing in his back and were expected to emerge in about two weeks, not long before his sixteenth birthday. 

Unfortunately, his modern memories had no clue on how to cope. 

“Do you mind if we compare, Dom?” Finch said, willing his voice to sound casual and unafraid. He had to put on a good example for his twin, after all. 

No questions asked, Dominic agreed and stood up from the bed. He led the way to the full-length mirror by Finch’s huge walk-in closet, already going to take off his dark green shirt. Finch followed and did the same to remove his own pale purple shirt, getting the distinct impression that they’d done this before. 

The teens, once shirtless, spun around so their backs faced the mirror. They looked back over their shoulders, each of them grimacing minutely at twisting the muscles in their backs. Finch frowned in sympathy at the near matching sights. His and Dominic’s backs were covered in splotches of reddened skin, irritated and almost rash-like, despite nothing itching (Finch wasn’t sure he could handle that particular urge if it ever struck him, a latent worry about scratching at his back until he accidentally broke skin cropping up). Staring at his own body, Finch half-expected to glimpse something shifting around the affected skin. Thankfully, he did not, and Dominic’s voice drew his focus elsewhere. 

“Aren’t we quite the pair?” he tried to joke. It didn’t work very well. “Two avians finally getting our wings… our instincts are going to be —” Dominic just shook his head, seemingly unable to find the right word for what he wanted to say. 

“We won’t be alone,” Finch assured while bumping his brother’s shoulder. “We have each other and our moms to help when things get rough.” 

Humming thoughtfully, Dominic said, “Sleeping in a nest of blankets sounds rather nice.” Finch spared a glance back at his own bed, where, in his sleep, he’d unconsciously pulled together some of the covers into a small arch. Dominic continued. “But I hope that everything goes well — especially when our bird brains take control.” The term bird brain didn’t stir humor like Finch thought it would. 

Finch nodded as he tugged his shirt back on, distantly understanding. The best he could offer was general assurance. “Like I said, we have support from avians who have done this before. Mom and Mama will be with us every step of the way — you know that as well as I do.” 

Dominic redressed too. “Naturally,” he said airily in an abrupt change of emotion. A grin appeared on his face, a competitive glint to his brown eyes. “Now, would you care to join me for some archery practice, Adrian? Or are you too stuck in your reading?” 

For a handful of moments, Finch hesitated. On one hand, he could take the obvious bait and go be competitive with his twin to sufficiently pass the time (and he might run into Albert, Spot, or Race on the castle grounds, which he’d never object to). On the other hand, Finch could drop his act and request to return to the comforting solitude of his bedroom, reading through more notebooks and trying to learn more about Prince Adrian’s life. 

Technically, he’d learn more from spending time with Dominic too. 

“We will go to the range,” Finch declared, his words brightening Dominic’s grin, “and see who has better aim today. It’s often me, but perhaps you’ll perform well for once.” 

“You haven’t gone shooting since falling ill — don’t overestimate yourself when you lack in practice,” Dominic countered as they left Finch’s bedroom together, heading through the winding halls towards the royal knights’ archery range.

My AO3 Dashboard:

[pure-garbage]

Oil And Water! Brawls Of The Cook And The Swordsman

Zoro and Sanji were always at each other's throats, but lately it was getting to be too much for Lana to stand.

"Dinner is served! Nami, Robin, Lana!"

Sanji's voice rang out across the Merry, calling all hands... or at least, it should have been all hands. Crew members started assembling at the mess. Lana couldn't help but notice that Zoro's frown was even deeper than usual and his hands were shoved firmly in his pockets.

"Are you a cook or a damn rooster?!" he demanded of Sanji the minute he set eyes on him. "Who told you to interrupt my nap with your crowing?"

"Who said you had to wake up and bring your sour attitude to dinner?" Sanji snapped back. "If you're tired, crawl back into whatever hole you were napping in and get back to it, you lazy sack!"

Zoro grumbled back but took a seat regardless. The table was as rowdy as ever. Robin was the exception, still skimming through her book as Sanji served her. He heaped food on her plate and flattery into her ears, drawing even more of Zoro's ire.

"What a sap... pathetic..."

Lana caught a bit of Zoro's mumbling and sighed.

'I used to enjoy meals,' she thought dolefully.

"... and for you, Lana sweetest..."

Sanji made his way around to Lana. She afforded him a tight smile while Zoro's scowl grew ever deeper.

"Do enjoy," Sanji smirked with a parting wink.

"I don't see how she could enjoy anything at this table, seeing as it's all covered in drool from your shameless gawking!" Zoro growled.

"What was that?!" Sanji was quick to confront Zoro and the two were quite literally butting heads in the blink of an eye.

"What, you got fuzz in those big ears of yours? I need to repeat myself?!"

"You've got some nerve, you know that?!" Sanji fumed. "If anything's dampening the ladies' appetites, it's your nasty attitude!"

"My attitude?!"

"ENOUGH!"

Nami knocked their heads together, silencing them except for their continued complaints of pain. Lana, meanwhile, finished her food in what must have been record time for her.

"Alright, done! Thanks, good night!" she called on her way out.

Robin watched her flee with mild interest.

"Aw, she ate all her food before I could even ask if she would share her fish," Luffy mourned past a full mouth.

Robin looked on as Zoro huffed, turning his focus to his food. He even ignored Sanji's sly digs, not raising his eyes from his plate.

Robin had been nursing a theory for some time. Few things pleased her as much as forming a hypothesis that proved to be correct. The time had come, she felt, to test this one in the field.

"If you'll excuse me..."

"Sweet! If you're done, I'll take that!" Luffy delighted, reaching to grab her plate before she was clear of the table.

"Aw, Robin dear, is something the matter?" Sanji moped.

"Great work, fellas, you've managed to drive off all the decent company!" Nami fumed.

Robin left the liveliness behind, following Lana out into the open air of the night.

"Food not to your liking?" Robin asked playfully.

"Nah, the food's as good as ever," Lana sighed. "I just can't take any more of Zoro and Sanji's bickering!"

"They certainly have been locking horns more than usual."

"Ugh, right?! I was starting to wonder if I was imagining things."

"Not at all. Everyone's noticed by now."

"Morons. Why do men have to be such idiots?"

"It all comes down to motive. Once you know the cause, everything else starts to make sense."

"You say that like you know the cause," Lana observed with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it's only a theory," Robin teased.

"So? Spill it."

"If you insist... I'll start by saying that I've observed a pattern to the boys' tiffs. Surely you must have noticed that it's usually the swordsman starting the trouble?"

Lana thought it over, recalling a string of recent incidents.

"Come to think of it, yeah. I have noticed that."

"So the next natural assumption would be that our dear cook has been doing something to cause bad blood between them. Any thoughts as to what that could be?"

"Uh..."

Lana racked her brain, but nothing came to mind.

"You got me on that one. If Sanji's acting differently, I can't say how."

"No, Sanji's the same as ever. If my theory is correct, the only change has been in Zoro."

"Now I'm confused. I'm not half the detective you are, Robin," Lana sighed. "Please don't make me work too hard for these answers."

"It's simple, really. Sanji hasn't changed at all. He's as flirtatious and cloying as ever."

"Yeah, he doesn't know when to give it a rest," Lana agreed.

"He may not be capable of giving it a rest," Robin chuckled. "In any case, Sanji's behavior hasn't changed... but the way Zoro feels about it has."

Lana caught on suddenly, realizing what Robin was getting at. It felt like a light bulb going off over her head, illuminating the entire murky situation.

"Oh my god! You don't mean... Zoro's pissed off over Sanji's flirting because... Zoro's got some kind of crush, or something..."

Robin nodded along coaxingly.

"... on Sanji?!"

Robin blinked rapidly a few times, then stared her crewmate down, unable to comprehend how Lana could have reached such a ridiculous conclusion given the evidence presented to her.

"Of course, it all makes sense now!" Lana cried, her expression desolate. "Zoro can't stand to see Sanji flirting with the girls because he's consumed by jealousy... he wants Sanji all to himself!"

Lana looked so dejected Robin thought she might be on the verge of tears.

'I'd better correct her before she starts crying.'

"Well, you're half-right," Robin tsked. "Zoro does seem to have developed quite the little crush... but not on Sanji."

"W-what? Really? If not Sanji, then... who?"

"You mean to tell me you really don't have a clue?" Robin demanded, disbelief beginning to creep into her tone. 'She's nearly as dense as Zoro.'

"You don't mean..."

Robin's true assertion showed through in the suggestive expression she flashed. Lana's cheeks flushed as she received the message and turned her eyes away over the bow.

"Robin, look, I... I think I see where you're going with this, but... please don't."

"What do you mean?"

"A theory is one thing. Speculation never hurt anyone, I guess, but we all have to keep sailing these waters together. Theories are fine, but as far as the heart is concerned, there are some things best left unsaid. Me and Zoro... I like that we're friends now. I don't want to risk souring that."

"Hm. That's very wise, Lana... and very cowardly, don't you think?" Robin observed chidingly.

"Maybe."

"Aren't you curious about what could be if you two ever had the nerve to speak the unspoken?" Robin went on, hoping to sway her.

"Who wouldn't be?" Lana admitted. "But it's my gamble, right? My heart on the line. My swordsman that I stand to lose if things don't work out."

"Of course," Robin sighed. Theory confirmed, she was content to concede for the time being. She thought Lana was making a mistake, but that was something the lockbreaker was likely to discover in her own time. "I'll leave you alone with your thoughts if that's what you want."

"No, I... I'd actually love some company, if you're not busy," Lana ventured.

"Well, this book isn't going to read itself," Robin teased. "But it's not going anywhere either."

Lana's smile reappeared.

"Thanks, Robin. And... thanks for sharing your theory with me. I hope I didn't let you down too badly."

"Only a little, but you're right. It's your life, after all," Robin smiled back graciously.

The next morning at breakfast, Sanji greeted the women of the straw hat crew with his usual barrage of flirtations and as usual, Zoro was in no mood to listen.

"Keep up the crap and I'll shove it all back down your throat, you sorry excuse for a cook!" Zoro snarled.

"What was that?! You moss-headed lump of-"

"Hey Zoro!"

Lana's voice cut through the blossoming argument, drawing the attention of both men. She raised her mug, beckoning.

"I know you're not one for coffee, but give this a try?"

"Huh? Oh. Thanks, but no thanks," Zoro replied, walking away from Sanji to take a seat next to Lana. "I can't drink that stuff."

"Really? You hate the taste that much?" Lana wondered.

"It's not that, I just can't deal with the side effects," he explained.

"Side effects? What, like.. from the caffeine?"

"I guess. Whatever it is, I'm not a fan. I get the shakes and my heart starts pounding. There's a lot of sweat too."

"Sounds bad. Maybe you have a sensitivity or something. I used to know a kid back in the town I was from who was like that."

"Could be. Whatever it is, it's never pretty," Zoro sighed.

Sanji chose that moment to break in.

"As opposed to you, Lana sweetest, always and unfailingly pretty. Marmalade?"

"Grr..."

The sound Zoro made was the closest Lana had ever heard a human come to actually growling.

"I'm good, Sanji. Too sweet for this early in the morning. But... I'm sure Nami would love some," Lana grinned. Sanji swept away at once.

"Naaaami..."

Lana glanced back at Zoro, still seething even though Sanji's attentions had shifted to their navigator.

"Hey, Zoro..."

Lana leaned close and whispered something in his ear. He listened closely, eyes growing wide as she went on. A smirk spread over his face, culminating in a laugh that he held back with his palm.

Robin smiled too, even without knowing what had been said. Even if Lana was too shy to reveal her feelings to Zoro, Robin got the sense that it woudn't be long before they came to light anyway.

______________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[abyssal-ali]

Project #68 [Operation Concupiscence] - 2

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Ao3 Masterlist | Day 2: Mythical Creatures

Rating: M WC: 1.4k

TW: two minor characters in a relationship are accidentally drugged with a lust potion, but are immediately taken care of; Demon AU

Their research was finally over; it was time to put theory into practice.

Gathering a couple Year Seven volunteers to assist, Raven and Damian made their way to the Potions Lab to begin. 

~~~

Raven brushed past Damian in the Lab, reaching for the Powdered Pearl on the shelf behind him.

Sticking her arm out, she summoned the stool from across the room.

Warmth snuck into her space as Damian stepped toe-to-toe with her, intercepting the stool. Dropping his chin, he gave her a smug smile. “I’m happy to help my partner, Roth,” he tutted. “Please feel free to ask for help.”

Glaring up at him, she maturely stuck her tongue out. “I’d hate to take you away from your oh-so-important ingredients list.”

Damian wrapped her fingers around the blue jar labelled Powdered Pearl. “Oh, you’re more important, Roth.”

The words were teasing, but they still caused a warmth to spread throughout her body.

Thankful for the dim light in the corner, she brushed him away before he could see her flusteredness. “Thanks for the help, al Ghul.”

“Anytime,” he called after her cheerily.

~~~

Damian tilted his head, watching as Raven stirred the bubbling cauldron, staring at it with unusual intensity.

“Something wrong with Lust Potion #4, Roth?”

She glanced up briefly and shook her head.

“Just thinking about this exercise.”

“Tt.” Damian turned back to his scroll, where he was recording their potion making, but he kept looking up at her.

Finally he gave in, deciding to try something he’d been wondering about for a while. 

Turning on his incubus charm, he sauntered towards her, looking her up and down with a heavy-lidded gaze. 

Raven straightened and turned to him. 

“Roth, you look…decent.”

Raising an eyebrow at his strange greeting, she nodded, looking him up and down in return. “Not too bad today, yourself.”

He bracketed her with his arms, leaning over her to sniff the bubbling pink potion.

She slapped his chest, pushing him away from her. “Al Ghul, what are you doing? We’re not supposed to test the potions on ourselves!”

“Relax, Roth. I’m unaffected by things like this. The real question is, why are you?”

“What do you mean?” She quirked an eyebrow up at him, seemingly unaffected by his close proximity. He could smell her signature subtle smoky scent, the one that drove him crazy, mingled with the mint of her shampoo.

Damian met her violet eyes, holding her gaze wordlessly as he challenged her.

That tempting flush bloomed on her pale cheeks again, causing her to break eye contact and take a step away.

“I mean that!” he exclaimed. “Why are you resistant to my incubus charm?” Raven’s pretty mouth dropped. “You were using your charm on me? You can’t do that on Institute grounds!”

“Relax, Roth, it was simply to prove my point; I didn’t mean anything behind it. You didn’t even notice it, is what I was getting at!”

“Probably because the contempt I hold for you far outweighs your feeble attempts at seduction; really, it’s pathetic that you have to rely on your weak incubus charm and have stooped to seducing me just to get laid,” Raven spat, turning and striding quickly away.

“My charm is not weak; my mother is the strongest succubus of the Azraelines!” Damian called after her, unable to pass up defending his mother’s honour.

Pinching his nose with a sigh, he ignored the assistants’ investment in his drama and strode after her. “Roth, wait up!”

~~~

The next attempt at potions brewing went marginally better.

“Okay, next, we’ll add the dried hawthorn and brew the mixture for twenty minutes,” Damian read off the scroll, directing the pair of assistants to the bubbling cauldron.

Raven was chopping peppermint leaves behind him, keeping careful track of the multitude of colourful jars and bottles that held the ingredients for the required potions.

The pair of assistants were a star-crossed mage and demon, who jumped at the chance to spend more time together and also gain extra credits.

Raven found their lovey-dovey mush a little over-the-top, but they mostly kept the PDA to what she deemed acceptable levels, so she didn’t make dry remarks about their activities.

When the white smoke from the cauldron spread throughout the lab, she simply waved her hand and banished the fog. Once the air was clear, she noticed the couple dramatically making out against the brewing counter and nudged Damian.

He cleared his throat, but they didn’t respond.

“Guys…can you tone down the PDA over there?” Raven spoke up.

When there was still no response, Damian and Raven exchanged glances, slowly approaching the couple.

“Guys?” Raven’s shadows gripped the assistants by the shoulders and forcibly separated them. 

“Al Ghul, look at their eyes…they’re under something’s influence.”

Damian leaned into their faces, placing his fingers on their necks to ascertain their pulses.

“They’re under the lust potion’s influence. The smoke is particularly potent, but usually the vents are closed. With the storms today, they were shut and I forgot to open them when we began brewing this afternoon,” he realised with a sigh. “I’ll take them to the infirmary and make sure they’re kept separate.”

Raven nodded. “I’ll clean up here, then.” ~~~

Damian dropped off the students to the Institute nurse with a brief explanation of what happened, then returned to the Lab to help Raven.

She was wiping down the now-empty counter, her sleeves rolled up and her hood back as she warmed from the work.

Scuffing his shoe to alert her to his presence, he approached her. “Need anything else done?”

She glanced around the room, taking stock of everything.

“Just need the chairs over there put back, I think. They’re okay?” she asked after their assistants.

“Yeah, the nurse has them in hand. She said since you got rid of the smoke quickly, the effects should likely only last another hour or so.”

Raven nodded, dipping her cloth in the cleaning solution to rinse it out.

“You’re feeling alright?” He looked her over quickly as he returned the chairs to their proper places.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Were you okay?”

“Of course. Incubus biology, remember?”

“Just because incubi are impervious to lust magics doesn’t mean there won’t be any other side effects,” she huffed.

“So why are you unaffected, then?” he pressed, wanting answers to something that he’d been puzzling over for a while.

Raven flipped her hood over her head, rolling her sleeves down and hooking her fingers through the built-in half-gloves.

“Being around you for too long has killed any urges I may have had,” she intoned, heading for the door.

Damian stepped between her and her plan of escape, arms wide.

“Why won’t you ever say anything, Raven?”

“I say enough,” she retorted. “Move.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” He crossed his arms, leaning into her space. “Why are you resistant to any type of sexually appealing influences? You’re Amaimonite, not Azraeline.”

“Maybe I’m what the humans would term ‘asexual’,” al Ghul. Ever consider that?” she quirked her eyebrow up at him.

Damian blinked. “But. Logan. In Year Six.”

“And? Dating someone doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with them, just like sleeping with someone doesn’t mean I’m dating them. You should know that.”

“What are you implying?” he narrowed his eyes at her, bristling.

“I was simply saying that you are, as you pointed out earlier, an incubus, which literally feeds primarily off sexual energy once they mature. Plenty of incubi don’t date or enter into a relationship with the beings they feed off of. Therefore, you should be well acquainted with the ideology of casual relationships and the different dynamics of them.”

“Tt. Fine, then. Are you asexual?”

Raven snorted. “You’re awfully invested in my private life, al Ghul. Careful, I may think you have a crush on me if you keep this up. Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I am not asexual.”

“Then how are you deflecting any type of outside influences?” Damian asked, frustratedly running his hand through his hair.

“Why do you care so much?” she countered.

“I have my reasons,” he muttered, glancing at her shoes.

Raven considered him in silence until the approaching chatter of the next class broke through their bubble.

“I’ll meet you after the end of our patrols tonight in the Demon Common Room and we can talk then,” she suggested. “How does that sound?”

“Good.”

[roguemonsterfucker]

Hmm so there's this theory in the TheHunter community that you can trick the game into spawning more higher level animals.

Basically, they think that when the game goes to spawn in a new animal, after an animal has died, it looks at the average total score of the living animals and will try to balance it out. So if the score is leaning low, it'll balance it by spawning a high one.

So people say the best way to take advantage of this is to leave all the low level animals alone, start by culling out all the medium ones, and then finally take on the high level ones which then will be reliably replaced with high levels.

Some people say this theory is bull. That the spawning of animals is mostly random and the game doesn't look at what currently exists when making the choice of what to spawn.

My original thought about the flaws in this theory was: well, if you kill off all the medium animals, of course it will *look* like your game has a ton of high level ones. You've killed all the others!

So I set out to test this on crocodiles. There's a small population, compared to other species, and they spawn in limited areas and don't wander so it's perfect.

And what I've found is... interesting.

Using the Population Scanner, I can see a record of the crocs I killed and the crocs that spawn.

Now, just a day or so of playing this way certainly isn't enough to start making bold claims, but... Pretty reliably, the crocs that spawn are *not* the level of the crocs I killed.

I haven't done enough damage yet to be seeing results from messing with the average score, so this is something else, I think.

I killed 48 crocs in this session. (I killed 70 earlier but it didn't save that data). 42 crocs spawned to replace them.

Of my 48, all were level 5 and 6, except for one level 7 (not sure how that happened? I was trying just for 5s and 6s but oh well). So 47 level 5 and 6 crocs were killed.

of the 42 that spawned, only 18 were levels 5 and 6. 9 of them spawned in at a lower level than 5. 15 spawned in at a level higher than 6, including TWO that are diamond quality (which is decently rare, I think).

Also, even though the data from my 70 crocs earlier didn't save, I can tell you that I got the impression that this trend applied to them as well, but it's harder to say because I was killing higher level crocs in that session. ALSO it's important to note that not all 70 of those crocs spawned back in before I started the second session so it's possible some of the ones in the 42 were actually caused by the previous round of hunting.

So... I'm not quite sure what this all means. More testing is certainly needed. Like... what happens if I only kill high levels? What happens if I only kill low levels? What happens if I kill all levels equally? I may not be able to test all of those things on my map, though. We'll have to see because as it is, it's quite the undertaking to test one of these methods. And I can't test them all on the same map. I'll need to start with a clean slate.

There definitely seems to be something here, though. I'm just not sure what yet. And maybe it's just coincidence that most of them spawned in at either higher or lower levels than the ones killed. We won't know without further testing.

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Tide pools aren't for swimming [TBB x GN!Reader]

Warnings and Information: Second-person POV. No serious age rating. It's just sun, surf and seashells as far as the eye can see. Undescribed Reader with a codename. Coming from an ocean world, we're assuming Clones are excellent swimmers. Someone loses his trunks, though. Minor usage of Mando'a. Star Wars and real-world swearing. Not a relationship fic. Minor proofreading.

Word-count: 2,650

"If the Marshal Commander discovers you lot have blown off your reports, I'm not saving your shebs!" you warn the men as they tramp down the gangplank in a collective rush once they've all found something among the armor and fatigues that will do for swimwear in a pinch. They've gotten it in their heads that while you're all planetside and near a coastline, the whole team is going to the beach for the rest of the day. 

You turn to the only man who's not been carried out of the attack shuttle against his will, since Wrecker only has so many arms and hands. "Except for you, Echo. I trust you'll get your report done for Commander Cody in time, as always." 

Echo smirks, chest thrown forward with pride. "As always." he repeats. "Aren't you going to go with them, Vantage?" 

You bounce your shoulders, keying in the appropriate sequence to retract the steps and seal the hatch once you and the ARC trooper make your exit. "Oh, eventually," you say with a laugh. It's a small white-sand beach surrounded by cliffs. "They can't exactly get far, save for one direction." You made it clear to your squadmates from the jump that you did not wish to go swimming, and laid out your reasons in no uncertain terms. 

"Maker forbid one of you begins to drown, however, I will come to your rescue. But if one of you tries to get cute and throw me into the surf, I will give you a tongue-lashing that will leave your ears ringing until next Taungsday. Do I make myself clear?" 

"That'd put us at a real Disadvantage…" 

"Hunter, for kriff's sake-" You had warned him with an edge in your voice that suggested it would not be wise to test your sense of humor by making playful riffs on your alias. They were all smart enough to take the hint supplied by means of a jabbing elbow from the one with goggles and an ever-recording camera attached to them. "Yes, you made yourself clear, Vantage!" Hunter replied hurriedly. 

Maker, these boys behaved like a fraternity straight out of your academy, some days… You did not sign up for that program offered by the academic institution with the intention to be a karking glorified babysitter. Thankfully, they had the sense to perform their duty to the GAR with loyalty and a strong, if improvised, sense for getting the job done. 

They were troublemakers, no doubt about it. But galaxy and all her stars, they were your troublemakers. The Marshal Commander has gotten close to reassigning you a few times, but you've stood firm. 

"This is as far as I go!" you reply to Wrecker in yet another reminder that you are not wading up to your waist in frigid sea water just to see if the waves can bowl you over. "I'm not fond of swimming where I cannot confidently make out the bottom. You have fun out there, I'm staying here." You twist and grind your heels in the over-saturated sand in a stubborn display. You are not moving. The waves lapping over your ankles is truly as far as you will venture out into the briney deep. 

You've seen these men swim before and have the utmost confidence in their ability to navigate the surf. These waves are gentle in comparison to the towering walls of water they've seen from rain-spattered windows looking out of the stilted cloning facility. But it's been drilled into you since you were young that someone needs to watch the water at all times, to never leave someone swimming unattended. The beach offers a decent outcropping in one of the cliffs to serve as a guard tower, almost. 

"Pardon the play on your name, Vantage, but that outcropping would serve as a, well, excellent vantage point of the ocean." Tech explains a little timidly. "The rock shelf appears stable enough to support even Wrecker." 

"Hey!" 

Ignoring Wrecker's offended burst of dismay for a moment, you nod gratefully at Tech. "I wondered. Thank you. But I think I'll have to split my time with Crosshair since our sniper likes to feel tall." 

"Ahem…" Crosshair begins in a low, throaty tone, "might I remind you that I'm 1.93 meters tall, compared to Hunter's measly 1.8." 

Hunter scoffs, unphased. He's curiously shorter than all, or perhaps most, Clones, but he's never let on that the short jokes bother him in the time you've traveled with them. "Just for that, you're the one who gets to hold Wrecker's hand when he takes his turn on the outcrop." 

"HEY!!"

You pinch the bridge of your nose and plant a hand on one hip with a deep, wearied sigh. You can hear Echo chuckling further up the beach, saying you look exactly like a disappointed nat-born parent from a holodrama right about now from where he's sitting. You certainly believe him.

Off to northeast on this little beach a few hours later, Wrecker makes a discovery while he takes a break from the waves. The water is cold, so he's soaking up some sun to warm himself. You, on the other hand, are suffering from the opposite problem as it is currently the estimated temperature high of the day. You're half tempted to let Wrecker playfully throw you into the surf as the next wave comes rolling in for a little reprieve, like he's done for Hunter and Crosshair (and Tech, but only once when he got too close). 

But not tempted enough to voice that idea. Maybe you'll go back to the waterline and soak your feet in a moment. 

Wrecker makes a request for your attention. "Vantage, look!" You lift your craned neck to meet his eyes upon further beckoning bellows. "These little pits are filled with water, and you can see the bottom! You could come cool off in one of these!"  The sun directly overhead, Wrecker uses his large hands to shade his eyes and most of his face rather than amplify his voice so he can squint further up the beach with less discomfort. 

"What pits?" Crosshair demands, doing a worse job of masking his confusion than you. 

Wrecker points emphatically, spirit hardly dampered by the annoyance his brother levies his way. "These pit-things!" 

You decide to see what the fuss is about. Tech trekked back into the Havoc Marauder to relieve himself and no doubt send his report to Cody, so he can't get to the bottom of what Wrecker's discovered for the foreseeable future. While he's far from stupid, Wrecker has a minor form of aphasia as a result of the accident that gave him the scrawling scar and cybernetic eye on the left side of his head. In your time working with them, you find Wrecker has trouble finding the right words to express himself in moments of extreme excitement or exhaustion, on occasion. 

You skip across the sand, halfway through your question when you find a delightful surprise. "What's thes- Oh, tide pools!" you exclaim. "Hey, boys! Wrecker found some tide pools over here!" These are indeed shallow enough that you can see the silty surface of the bottom, but with one glance into the tidal pool, you can pinpoint at least three delicate forms of aquatic life. 

Admittedly, the only reason you know such a thing is in thanks to either a friend or a family member of yours, though you don't recall who off the top of your head. 

Once Tech's joined the ranks around the oceanic pocket, he's excitedly prattling on in his amazement. "Incredible, those are some beautiful sea star specimens!" Crosshair sarcastically remarks he's peeled more interesting things in similar colors from the bottom of his boots, but Tech pays him no mind. "Juveniles, no less! This stage of their life cycle is seldomly documented, so this is an incredible opportunity for scientific contribution." 

"Which means we shouldn't swim in these tide pools, Wrecker," you explain delicately; you hate to deflate his sense of excitement, "leaving them undisturbed will give our starry friends the best chance to develop into healthy, strong adults. Besides, there's a species of red sea urchin at the bottom, if you look right there, that you don't exactly want to get close enough to risk stepping on them. Take my word for it when I say it stings like a mother-kriffer. Not even good bacta can touch the pain, for the most part." 

You're given a very fascinated look by the bespectacled Clone of the rogue squadron, having surprised him with an instance of your "quiet intelligence". Tech looks like a gulping fish as he tries to find the right words to express his sentiment, and you can't help but laugh. "Tech, take your time to think of your words before one of your brothers mistakes you for a fish and throws you back in the waves again." 

He adjusts his goggles in the meantime. "I was unaware you - at least seem to - know so much about these things." It comes across like an insult, or a backhanded compliment, but you know better than that. These are your troublemakers when they're not in Commander Cody's capable hands. You've gotten to know them well, and you take no offense. You only offer a cheeky grin.

"Heh. Someone I know from back home knows their stuff. I've heard a lot about tide pools in my life." 

A look of understanding dawns on him. "I see. Well, yes, you are right, Vantage. Tempting as it is, it will be best not to swim in these tidal pools. Or, perhaps not this one. Maybe one of the others will have less developmentally fragile sealife." 

Luck is not in your favor on this fine afternoon, as it would happen. Most of these 'pocket-sized oceans' teem with young and larval lifeforms that call the ocean home. They seem to serve as saltwater nurseries. Tiny crabs. Delicate polyps. Even beautiful, silky jellyfish have made themselves home in some of the deepest pools (mercifully, these do not have the capacity for the excruciating sting of other species). 

"That's disgusting," you groan, shaking your head at one of the men clad in nothing but a pair of crudely-cut swim shorts that were fashioned from a spare pair of their casual fatigues, "peeing on your brother's leg like a kriffing massiff won't help a jellyfish sting! Where in the galaxy did you hear such a thing?" 

"Kamino." Crosshair tells you with a face that would put professional Sabacc players to shame. 

"Of course you did. That's on me, I should have remembered that you were all created on Kamino, a damn ocean world. Did someone tell you that as a cadet?" 

"You want an answer to that, Vantage?" 

You need to quit while you're ahead before you find yourself subjected to more potentially juvenile behavior. "Not particularly, no." You dust off your knees after kneeling over the edge of this particular tide pool, mentally wishing the little jellyfish good-bye. Wrecker's idea of taking a quick dip in a tidal pool hadn't been a bad one, but you weren't counting on Tech finding any 'vacant' enough for a dip to cool off by this point. "I'm gonna go sit in the shade for a bit. Echo, scoot over!" 

He scowls, playfully calling back that you need to find your own palm tree to plop under, while making room for you all the same. From here, you can watch Crosshair and Hunter wrestle and grapple with one another in the tide, and keep your eye on Wrecker as he tries to float on his back a little further out. Tech remains on the beach, babbling to himself as he inspects each of these tide pools in depth. 

"We're going to be hearing about sea stars for hours… aren't we?" Echo mutters, but there's a warm and gentle smile that contrasts the weariness of his tone, "Which is going to drive them nuts while they try to rush their reports to Commander Cody."

"Don't worry," you tell him, "I can keep him occupied in the cockpit while you make sure the other three get their reports sorted out." 

"Gotta say, having you on the team is a real advantage sometimes." 

There's commotion down in the water that interrupts your train of thought about asking Echo if he's making fun of your codename, and you fear the worst. Drowning is a silent affair, and two of his brothers are suddenly shouting Hunter's name with mild concern. You kept your eyes off the water for too long, you shouldn't have assumed that the three out in the water could keep an adequate eye on each other. You don't see the curled brown hair and the slip of crimson fabric that serves as a bandana among the three bronze-skinned figures who were playing in the surf.

Wrecker and Crosshair do not seem all that panicked, to your fear and your fury. "Where's Hunter?!" 

He surfaces soon after, but he curiously does not stand fully upright in the water. You soon know why when someone's swim trunks find themselves washed ashore with the next wave.

"Oh, there they are. Here, toss them out to me, Vantage!" Hunter does not seem the least bit embarrassed that he's gone from clad in nothing but a pair of swim trunks to clad in nothing at all after a particularly strong wave must have tugged them free from his hips. 

You staunchly refuse to touch the trunks, pointedly turning around to avoid getting an eyeful of anything below the belt as Hunter drags himself out of the waves. "Get them yourself, Hunter! Oh Maker, I'm going back to the Marauder. I've had enough." 

"Nice going, Hunter." Cross says, slugging his shoulder. "You scared Vantage away."

"I promise I tied them; not like I did that on purpose." You can almost hear the bounce of his shoulders in Hunter's voice as he brushes off the accusation. "C'mon, Van!" Wrecker calls to you from the water. "Don't leave!" He's stopped by both Cross and Hunter from exiting the ocean and chasing you up the beach, warning him that if you're not already in no mood for further oisk right now, you certainly will be if he tries to stop you while he's soaking wet with sea water.

"I'm going to the ship to get towels for everyone," you tell Echo as you trudge further up the beach, glancing at the chrono on your wrist. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. I'm gonna see if I can't convince Commander Cody to extend the deadline by another day…" 

Echo gives you an understanding bob of his head despite the expression of confusion. "How come?" 

"Oh, I don't know…" you sigh wistfully as you turn back and look at the water, where to your surprise, Tech has been roped into a game of water-chicken and is now perching himself on Crosshair's shoulders to wrestle with Hunter atop Wrecker's, "something tells me those reports won't get done tonight. They're having too much fun. You should too, Echo." 

He shrugs, looking uncertain. "Don't know that seawater would be good for my cybernetics. Sand is one thing, I have plenty of practice cleaning that out." You offer to ask the Marshal Commander for answers as you put in the request for an extension. You're certain he can get in touch with Captain Rex or General Skywalker to outsource an answer for you since you don't have their comm frequencies. "Thanks, Vantage. Still not gonna go swimming yourself, though?" 

Echo's given a smile and shrug. "Oh… I might change my mind and at least venture out a little further." You start making your way back to the heavily modified Omicron-class shuttle with a smirk tugging your lips into place to compliment your mischievous tone. "But no promises." 

[Masterlist] [Requests: OPEN]

[cap-ironman]

Cap/Iron Man Remix 2023 Masterlist and Creator Reveals

Here it is: the final masterlist and the creator reveals for Captain America/Iron Man Remix 2023! Below you'll find all 17 remixes created, with 6 written for Remix Exchange, 7 for Remix Relay, and 4 created for Remix Madness. If you haven't checked out the works during the reveal period, please take a look at all of the wonderful remixes and leave some love for all the creators!

Sweet CHAIN

1. Unintended Consequences by Neverever (616, T, 3600 words)

Tony is sent back in time to fix a time anomaly, but in fixing the anomaly, he ruins Steve's life.

2. Time Is Right (The Remix) by navaan (616, G, 2418 words)

A time agent needs help with fixing something - and for some reason he needs Tony Stark for the job.

3. Looking Up (the fixed fates remix) by Lets_call_me_Lily (Marvel Noir, T, 2109 words)

Tony Stark, adventurer extraordinaire, treasure hunting expert, beloved of thrill-seekers everywhere, finds himself grudgingly fixing up a zeppelin. Luckily he's got some decent company. Unluckily, that decent company's not gonna last long.

4. crash (landing into you remix) by wingheads (Marvel Noir, T, Art)

tony had a lot of fun working with steve even though he doesn't get along well with the brass. he didn't know the hurt would be just as much.

5. Crash Landing (The Mile High Club Remix) by wynnesome (616, E, 6219 words)

Steve wants to join the mile high club, so he and Tony take Tony's new jet prototype for a private test flight. An alien craft crashes their private party. Steve goes down -- and not in the sexy way. Tony smiles, the grin that lets him feel lazy and but also razor-edged at the same time. "Official test flight's tomorrow, but what if I said I'm in the mood for a joyride today?" Surprise colors Steve's face a deepening sunset pink. He licks his lips, shining them up. "You mean..." Some time back, he'd confided in Tony that the idea of "the mile high club" was probably silly, but still sounded sexy. "We will absolutely make that happen," Tony had told him, rock-solid certain. "Right time and place. That is a promise." "Unless you're not in the mood?" Tony's just toying. He knows the answer. Steve's posture hasn't changed, but it's telling in the way Steve's almost visibly thrumming now, and those sky-soft jeans are showing it in stretch lines that frame the hard truth happening behind Steve's button fly. "Yeah," Steve says. "I'm in the mood."

6. Waiting and hoping by hkandi (MCU, G, 2668 words)

Steve, Tony, and Natasha are flying back after a successful mission, and the two men take a step beyond dancing around feelings. But then aliens show up, and it all goes sideways, or does it?

7. Flying with Love (It's Always Aliens Remix) by Neverever (Avengers Assemble, T, 1380 words)

When Tony and Steve go flying and run into aliens, Steve has unpleasant memories. At least Tony is there for him.

REMIX EXCHANGE

★ Blame It on My Star Sign (The Blue Heart Remix) by ralsbecket (MCU/Fantastic Four (Movies 2004-2007), T, 6457 words)

Fending off Doombots whenever Victor von Dickhead felt the need to throw a wrench in their plans was never exactly his definition of a perfect date with Steve.

Remix of Heart of Blue by geekymoviemom

★ Careless Whisper [A Shortcut to Happiness Remix] by Missy_dee811 (Ultimates, T, 2418 words)

Seconds later, the driver pulled up. He double parked across the street and waited, unhurried. It was just Steve who was uneasy. And just as he turned to see if Tony and the owner were still chatting, he felt a hand glide up the small of his back. Feeling more than hearing Tony’s lips move as he spoke. “Come home with me, darling.”

Remix of A Shortcut to Happiness by Fluffypanda

★ The End Never Came by geekymoviemom (MCU, T, 4664 words)

As Steve keeps watch over Tony as he sleeps, he is informed that he has a message, one that Tony recorded when he was adrift in space, expecting to die.

Remix of Before The End by navaan

★ My Dream, Your Nightmare (Again in the Dark Remix) by navaan (616, E, 1414 words)

Tony wakes to an empty bed and remembers a time when he was betraying Steve, because the world was threatened to be destroyed by incursions.

Remix of Dreams and Nightmares by Missy_dee811

★ out of the mouth of babes (a childish remix) by Fluffypanda (MCU, T, 3745 words)

Tony doesn't know how to deal with a child-sized Steve that seems to think they're friends.

Remix of Kid Steve by Neverever

★ Unexpected Heat (Pole Dancing Man Making It Rain Remix) by Neverever (Marvel Adventures: Avengers, T, 1667 words)

Tony worries about Steve during their mission at a local strip club, but he finds he should have other concerns instead.

Remix of Make It Rain Emerald Bills for Me by ralsbecket

REMIX MADNESS

★ Reaching Inside An Armored Heart by MayBiTheWay (Avengers Assemble, G, 3881 words)

Realistically, asking Tony Stark out on a date was a big deal, Steve knew he needed to do some convincing, but not in a million years he’d think Tony’s answer would be this certain, this final. But he was not about to give up on this, on Tony. It's just that there have been more pressing things to deal with at first, like return of the Skull or MODOK...

Remix of An Armored Heart by ishipallthings

★ watching seabirds fly (Nightcap Remix) by ishipallthings (MCU, not rated, 1060 words)

A beach wedding had sounded romantic. (In which Steve and Tony sneak away for a moment by the beach on their wedding day, and deals are made).

Remix of Nightcap by Neverever

★ Your Mouth Gives Me Bad Ideas (Kidnapping Day Remix) by ishipallthings (MCU, T, 3445 words)

The first time Steve kisses Tony, it’s in the cockpit of the Quinjet, right in the middle of Tony insisting that no, I’m fine Rogers, I don’t need to go lie down, and someone needs to fly this contraption properly. He knows it’s a bad idea before it even happens—he kisses Tony anyway. (Or: 5 times Steve kissed Tony even though it was a terrible idea, and 1 time it wasn't a bad idea at all)

Remix of Kidnapping Day by navaan

★ Consequences Of Living With Tony Stark (Consequences Of Living With Steve Rogers Remix) by tinystark616 (MCU, M, 1162 words)

Living with Tony Stark is not at all how Steve thought it would be. It is, in fact, much better. The only problem is that Steve is in love with him, and decides to keep his feelings to himself, afraid of ruining their friendship. That is, until he catches Tony touching himself and moaning his name.

Remix of Consequences Of Living With Steve Rogers by MayBiTheWay

Don't forget to leave kudos and comments on the works you've enjoyed! You can either browse through the individual links above, or go through the Remix collections on AO3:

★ 2023 Captain America/Iron Man Remix Exchange

★ 2023 Captain America/Iron Man Relay Remix

★ 2023 Captain America/Iron Man Remix Madness

And with that, we've wrapped up Captain America/Iron Man Remix 2023! Thank you to all of our participants, and we hope everyone had fun!

Participants, feel free to share and crosspost your work! If you're posting your work onto Tumblr, please use the #capimremix tag among the first five tags of your post so we can spot it and reblog it to the community Tumblr.

[totowlff]

extra — boundaries

➝ so this is how eve felt after eating the forbidden fruit?

➝ word count: 4,4k

➝ warnings: mentions of smut

Toto had been staring at the bedroom ceiling for a while. The scent of Cassie’s shampoo filled his nostrils, the hints of coconut and something fresh — maybe lime? — was keeping him wide awake despite him feeling physically drained. The same thought repeated in his mind, tracing a well-worn groove.

"You couldn't have done that".

Completely naked and curled against his body, Cassie slept soundly and peacefully. Strands of her auburn hair hung in her face, and she looked so content that it almost looked like she was smiling. It seemed like she was getting her first decent night's sleep in days.

"You couldn't have done that".

When he decided to come to Cassie’s flat to check on her after not seeing her at the factory since he’d returned from the doubleheader, he couldn’t have ever imagined the turn this night would take. He had to see her. She hadn’t answered any of his calls for two weeks, and seemed to be avoiding him at work. And so, he found himself ringing the doorbell to her flat shortly after he’d left work for the evening.

Perhaps he should have come sooner, but at the same time, Toto didn't want to seem too controlling, like he was smothering her or desperate, even if that was the emotion he felt every time he heard her voicemail recording, asking him to leave a message that she would answer shortly.

When Cassie opened the door to her flat to let Toto in, he was a bit shocked. Her eyes were puffy, like she’d been crying. They were sunken and underlined with dark circles. Her nose was red, and her hair was messy. It was like she’d lost the usual spark she had. Seeing her like that made his stomach lurch, a strange sense of doom settling in his chest.

— What are you doing here?

— I came to see if you were still alive — Toto answered — Are you drinking?

— Yes.

— You shouldn't be drinking, Cassandra — he said, scolding. She should know better.

— Why not? — she asked, taking a defiant sip — It’s not like I’m pregnant or anything.

Her words landed like a punch. While he was in China, Toto was convinced that Cassie was pregnant. He wasn’t entirely optimistic about the process, after all, there was a considerable chance it wouldn't work out, from what he'd read. But there was something about Cassie's excitement that made him believe he had become a father-to-be after their last visit to the fertility clinic. The silence that followed in the following weeks should have given him pause, but Toto remained hopeful, believing that there was someone growing in Cassie's womb.

Then, he thought, he should have known something was wrong from the fact that Cassie seemed to be avoiding him. He knew she had a scheduled blood test while he was out of the country. When he’d called once, she answered her phone and hung up without saying a word. Toto should have known then that the results hadn't been what they'd hoped. However, there was a part of him that still wanted to believe that silence was just because she was busy, or because she wanted to surprise him. Not even his natural inclination toward cynicism overcame his hope that Cassie was pregnant.

He let himself into her flat, sitting down with her to discuss the reasons she hadn’t told him, or hadn’t tried to return any of his contact, why she’d been avoiding him. Toto had always tried to make himself available and present, participating in the process as much as possible, and at that moment, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was failing in that effort. When Toto tried to explain that he cared and that both she and the baby could depend on him, Cassie exploded.

— There is no child, Toto! There's no baby, there's no child, there's nothing! Nothing! Nothing! There is nothing because I failed. The process failed. Just another failure. I failed.

Seeing her collapse under the weight of her guilt and shame broke Toto's heart. He admired very few people the way he admired Cassie. He had admired her even long before they decided to take the step of trying to become parents together. She had a good sense of humor and an intelligence that never failed to impress him. However, getting closer to her as they went through the IVF process made Toto see Cassie in a brand new light. Toto discovered a woman full of willpower and courage, who was not afraid to face what many considered the greatest challenge that existed in life.

Seeing Cassie completely torn to pieces in front of him made him realize that she needed to know how he saw her. Toto hadn’t expected that, when he finished talking, after he promised that he would give her a child, Cassie would kiss him.

Her lips were warm and soft. Her mouth was inviting as her fingers grasped onto the collar of his shirt. With his hands on her face, Toto felt the path the tears had made down her cheeks, her pain turning into desire. He would do anything to protect her from any disappointment or sadness, even if he had to destroy himself in the process.

She parted her lips, inviting him to taste the wine that was on her tongue and Toto was about to do so when a flash of rationality hit him, making him pull away from her.

He couldn't do it. Not at that moment, like that.

— Please — she begged, her voice revealing something beyond simple carnal desire but some need that was deeper, more emotional.

— You're not okay right now — Toto said, talking to himself more than Cassie. In any other circumstance, he would have let himself get swept up in her passion, but now was not the time. She had been drinking, seemed like she hadn't slept well in days, hormones from the IVF treatments were likely still raging in her system, and she was clearly frustrated. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he’d taken advantage of her while she was so vulnerable.

— I need you — she whispered.

“I need you too, but not like this”, Toto thought, pulling her away from his face. After directing her to her room while he got her a Nurofen pill and a glass of water, he took a deep breath, wondering if he should stay at her flat, sleeping on the couch so he could keep an eye on her for the night.

However, when he stepped into her bedroom, it was obvious she had other plans.

She was completely naked, with a purposeful look on her face as she walked slowly towards him. Her body was just as he'd imagined it, with shapely legs, firm breasts, and skin dotted with freckles. He was also surprised to see a tattoo splashed across her ribcage. It was a design of what looked like a Grecian bust or statue of a woman with a serious face with sharp features, and an ancient-looking helmet on her head. It was designed to look like a sketch, surrounded by inky splotches in the shape of laurel leaves. He didn't know she had a tattoo, let alone such a large one. He was transfixed as his attention shifted from her chest to her eyes, which were dark with desire.

— Well — she said softly — I want you.

Part of Toto wanted to tell Cassie to get dressed and go to sleep. Part of him wanted to leave her flat and not come back until the next day, when she had sobered up, gotten some sleep, and was in a better frame of mind. Part of him wanted to move out of the gray area they were in as two people looking to co-parent as friends, and to raise their child in a romantic relationship. Part of him wanted to honor what he'd said to her, to the lawyer, and to himself in that office when they'd been drafting their parenting document.

There shouldn't be any chance of them having anything.

The possibility of him falling in love with Cassie should be nil.

He couldn't want her.

— Fuck, Cassandra — he growled, kissing her again.

“You couldn't have done that”, thought again, while flashes of their union invaded his mind. He remembered the pressure of Cassie's heels at the base of his spine, the sway of her breasts with each thrust, the way her nails dug into the skin of his shoulder blades as her eyes rolled back and her muscles quivered.

It wasn't like Toto hadn’t ever thought about what it would be like to have sex with Cassie. His contribution to the fertilization process had been the fruit of his fantasy about her. However, his imagination was something harmless, secret. He could live with the fantasy of having her gasping and writhing in pleasure underneath him, but he wasn’t sure he could live with having experienced the real thing, knowing that he shouldn’t have. It was like he’d tasted forbidden fruit.

But at that moment, with Cassie naked sleeping next to him, Toto was sure he had screwed up. It was a huge mistake, and the worst thing was realizing that there was no turning back. He would never be able to forget the feeling of being inside her, let alone the way Cassie had begged him to not pull out, the implication that she wanted him to get her pregnant. 

“I will, Cassie, but not like that”, Toto thought, as he felt her shift, curling up closer, seeking the warmth of his skin. Carefully sliding her head onto the pillow next to her, he tried to get up, reaching first for his underwear, then for the duvet that had been kicked aside. As he tucked the blanket around Cassie’s shoulders, she opened her eyes sleepily.

— What are you doing? — she asked, her voice husky.

— Just covering you up. You were cold.

A small, sleepy smile appeared on her lips.

— Thanks.

After tucking her in, Toto turned around, his eyes searching the room for the rest of his own clothes. However, if he expected Cassie to have fallen back asleep, he would have been wrong.

— What are you doing now? — he heard her ask from behind him.

— Looking for my clothes.

— Are you leaving? — she asked.

Toto took a deep breath.

— Well, I don’t want to impose — he answered. 

— You could never impose on me — Cassie said, immediately.

Finally, he turned around and took a long look at her. She was sitting up in bed now, the duvet gathered around her lap. Her hair was disheveled and her breasts were bare, dotted with red marks from where he’d sucked them into her skin. She didn’t bother moving to cover herself up, likely because she was tired, or because he’d already seen everything. 

— Cassandra, I think it’s best…

— It's late, Toto — she argued — And you're tired. You can't drive home like this.

He stared at her in silence.

— Please, stay — Cassie said softly, looking down at her lap — I don’t want to be alone.

Before his brain could process a response, his feet brought him back towards the bed, his body settling down on the mattress beside her. With a small smile, Cassie laid back down next to him, planting a kiss on his shoulder before settling her head on his chest where it was before, cuddling into the side of his body again. 

"You couldn't have done that", he thought again, as he felt his eyes grow heavy. Toto hadn't realized how tired he was feeling. With his eyelids closing, he allowed himself to drift off, one hand resting at the base of Cassie's spine.

Suddenly, a loud, metallic clang made Toto wake with a start. Jumping out of bed, he ran down the hall, his footsteps heavy against the wood. He went downstairs with his heart racing. It sounded like someone was trying to break in.

While Toto was expecting to find a burglar clad in black clothing climbing in through a window, he was faced with a completely different scene once he got downstairs. Standing in front of the kitchen island, a little girl in green pajamas and messy red hair was holding a mixing bowl, looking at the floor.

—  Uh oh! —  the girl said.

— We need to be more careful, my love, if we're not going to wake your — he heard Cassie say. Then she appeared from behind the counter, a cloth over her shoulder and a spoon in her hand. She smiled as she caught sight of Toto standing in the doorway — Well, I think we woke him up.

The girl, who couldn't have been more than four years old, grinned, and jumped off the stool she was standing on, running around the kitchen island and racing toward the doorway, stretching her arms up so that Toto would pick her up.

— Guten Morgen, Papa! — she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek once he’d lifted her.

— Guten Morgen — Toto replied, a little hesitantly.

— Mama und ich machten Pfannkuchen. Aber ich ließ den Löffel auf den Boden fallen — she explained, looking a little embarrassed — Verzeihung.

— Kein Problem, Liebling. Ich war sowieso schon wach.

Cassie approached them with a smile on her face.

— How about speaking in English to include me in the conversation?

— She was just telling me you were making pancakes and she dropped her spoon on the floor.

The girl nodded, her fingers playing with Toto's hair.

— What kind of pancakes are you making?

— I was planning on banana and strawberry, but someone reminded me that her Papi prefers them with hazelnut cream, so — Cassie smiled, slipping an arm around his back. Alternating his gaze between her and the little girl, Toto saw that the two looked very similar, with the same dark eyes and the same wavy red hair. However, he could still see something of himself in her face. She was a perfect blend of them.

— She knows me well — he said, a half smile on his face.

— Of course, she’s your daughter.

— Our daughter,  you mean — Toto replied, kissing the girl's cheek, his heart full of warmth and something that made him feel airy and light. 

Happiness.

— Well, since you are here, can you help me finish getting breakfast ready? — Cassie asked.

— Of course — he replied, smiling.

— There’s a pan and some batter next to the stove. Go ahead and make the pancakes whatever size you want them. In the meantime, I’ll make the coffee.

— Okay — Toto said, planting a kiss on Cassie’s forehead, before putting the little girl down on the floor and heading toward the frying pan that was waiting on the stove. And when he touched the handle of the pan, he felt a searing pain, as if he had been burned.

He woke with a start again.

Sunlight entered the bedroom timidly through the gap in the white curtain. Toto glanced around, his eyes bleary, trying to figure out why he wasn’t in his own room, and where he was. He caught sight of a bookshelf against a wall, his eyes landing on a picture of a red headed teenager in equestrian clothing with her hand on the reins of a dapple gray horse. It reminded him of what he’d been up to the night before.

Turning to the opposite side, his eyes found Cassie's face. She was still fast asleep beside him. Toto brushed away a strand of hair that was falling over her cheek. The movement made her sigh, shifting on the mattress. She looked peaceful and at ease.

Unlike him.

Getting up carefully so as not to disturb her, Toto decided to look for his clothes in the mess of Cassie's room. Then, with his shirt and pants in hand, he went into the bathroom to wash his face and get dressed, trying to figure out what he would say to Cassie when she woke up and saw him in her kitchen. He thought about leaving before she woke up, but treating her like a one-night stand was not the way to handle this predicament. 

Maybe he would simply tell her that it was a big mistake, that they shouldn’t have done what they’d done; not just because they agreed that it wouldn’t happen, but because he couldn't stop even knowing she wasn’t in a good place. Cassie was emotionally fragile, in one of the most difficult moments of her life. And he had slept with her.

However, at the same time that he condemned himself for that, Toto couldn't forget the way she had said that she wanted him, that she needed him. She hadn't said it once, but several times, without a hint of hesitation. She was so full of resolve that Toto didn’t have the heart to deny her, especially when he wanted her just as much.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he considered his options, but could only land on one conclusion.

— I need some coffee.

Toto was waiting for the water to heat up in the coffee maker in Cassie’s kitchen when he heard footsteps behind him. He sighed, bracing himself for Cassie's reaction to seeing him standing there. A few seconds later, he heard a chair being dragged behind him.

— Are you making tea? — Cassie asked.

— Coffee — Toto replied, an involuntary smile on his face — Would you like some?

— Yes — she replied softly.

He got another mug out of the cabinet.

— With milk?

— No. Just sugar. Thank you.

Awkward silence hung over the kitchen as Toto fussed with the mugs and the coffee pot. Then he turned, handing one to Cassie. She thanked him. As she took the first sip, Toto took a moment to look at her. Her red hair fell in waves, her eyes fixed on her drink. She was wearing a well-worn navy blue T-shirt with the University of Cambridge logo on the chest. The color seemed to highlight the light purple marks on her neck, just below the chain of the necklace she always wore.

Marks he'd made.

— Cassie, about last night…

— Sit down — she said, interrupting him.

— What?

— Sit down, Toto.

He complied, going around the kitchen island and taking the chair next to Cassie. After a few seconds of silence and another sip of her coffee, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Toto.

— Now, about yesterday…

— I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that to you — he snapped — I shouldn’t have taken advantage of your moment of weakness and just gone to bed with you. I should have gotten it into my head that you weren't okay and told myself not to give in, but I… Forgive me, Cassie.

— You don't have to apologize for anything — she said quietly.

— Why not, Cassie? You were clearly not well, you had been drinking...

— Toto — Cassie said sharply, interrupting him — What happened last night was something consented to between two fully aware adults. I won’t deny that the way I acted was influenced by some... Emotions, but the fact is that nothing that happened was forced or unwanted on my part. I’d had a little bit of wine, but my faculties were fully intact, I assure you.

He still didn't have the heart to look at her. He felt ashamed.

— Really, I mean it. You have nothing to apologize for. It's okay — she said, laying her hand over his. It felt warm and soft — It felt good. Very good indeed.

Toto looked up at her.

— You liked… It?

Cassie smiled.

— Yes. You are… You certainly know what you’re doing.

— I appreciate the endorsement of my, um, skills — he murmured, making her laugh.

— I have another question — Toto said — Just for the sake of my curiosity.

— Yes?

— I saw the tattoo you have, the one on your side. I guess it surprised me. You, uh… Never seemed like... I mean, not that it’s a bad thing, it's just… Well, given what you’ve said about your upbringing, I guess. You just have never seemed like the rebellious type.

Cassie set down her coffee, mid-sip, to laugh.

— What’s so funny?

— Nothing, I just wasn’t expecting you to ask about it.

She lifted up the hem of her t-shirt to expose the piece. It was over her ribs on her right side, stretching over her entire flank, from just below her armpit to the top of her hip. 

— I drew it myself, you know.  Not the tattoo, but the art for it.

Toto admired the way the lines looked messy and sketch-like, but it was all done in a very intentional way. He looked at the way there were swirls and globs of ink came together to shape the sharp expression on the woman’s face, and the laurel leaves surrounding the bust that looked like they had been inked and pressed directly on her skin.

— You did? What… Who is it?

Cassie lowered her shirt again. 

— It’s Athena. I know my mother picked my name just because it was a name from classical literature that she thought sounded nice, but I’ve always identified with the mythological Cassandra. She was said by some writers to have had auburn hair, and nobody ever believed in me, just like she was cursed to have her prophecies go unheeded. But, I got this because Cassandra put herself under the protection of Athena during the fall of Troy, and Athena killed Ajax in revenge for defiling her temple and attacking Cassandra, so, I figured… Maybe Athena would protect me too. 

— Oh…

It was strikingly profound to Toto, but he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. He knew Cassie was very smart, incredibly well-read, and studied the Classics in school, but it still struck him. Even after all of these years of knowing Cassie, he was still fascinated by her. Even despite how close they’d gotten in the past few months, it still felt like she had several layers that he wanted to peel away. He wouldn’t dig any deeper than she allowed him to. It may have been his imagination, but it seemed like maybe she wanted someone to see what was at the very core of her, and had just been waiting for someone she trusted enough to look for it.

— I decided to get it after the last time I spoke to my father, just after my sister’s wedding. We had a huge fight, because I’d just switched to the marketing course in University, and I turned down this man that my parents were trying to set me up with. Some… Other things happened that year, too. And then, I just decided I didn’t care what my parents thought any more, so I got a tattoo. 

She laughed. 

— It’s kind of an empty protest, because it’s not like they know.

Toto was silent. He was surprised. He thought they talked about a lot in the few years they’d had their regular talks over coffee in the factory canteen, but this was the first time he was hearing about it. 

— Do you not like it? — Cassie asked, tentatively.

— No, actually I… I really do. The artwork is gorgeous, I had no idea you had such talent. I mean, I knew you were creative, at least from the things you do at work. And I didn’t expect you to be the… Rebellious type.

Cassie laughed again.

— You should have seen me when I was in University. Maybe even before that. I wasn’t ever what one would call a wild child, but… I had my moments.

Both of them fell silent again, focused on their coffees. Birds were chirping outside Cassie's flat and the soft sound of early Saturday traffic indicated that Oxford was still waking up. However, there was still something nagging at Toto.

— Cassie…

— Yes?

— Yesterday you said that… There would be no way to try a new round of IVF, something to do with someone's inheritance. Can you explain what you meant?

She sighed.

— It’s just, I paid for the first round myself, with the money that was left to me when my maternal grandmother died a few years ago. She divided her inheritance with all her grandchildren and left a good amount for each one. However, with so many changes in the middle of the process, your costs that I didn’t factor in, the fees for the lawyer, the cost of your exams... Let's say my budget was blown.

— How much?

— A few hundred pounds.

— Cassie — he murmured.

— I know what you're going to say, Toto. That you have enough money to pay for everything and that I don't need to worry about it, but I don't want to… depend on anyone to make my dream come true.

— Who said that the dream is yours alone?

She blinked.

— Cassandra, I committed to getting into this with you because I also dream of having a child. But I want to live this experience fully, not just the happy moments or the things that are easy. Fatherhood has difficult, frustrating moments too. I want to experience those with you as well, all of it. 

Cassie sipped her coffee, staring at the counter.

— If you want to stop here, we can stop. We can no longer talk about children, or babies or anything like that. We can go back to being just friends and coworkers, as we were before. But if you want to continue, if you want to try again, I'll assume all the costs you incur, and we will continue to prepare for the day when we will have a positive test. But I need to know what you want.

She was silent for a few moments, her lips pursed. He silently asked God or whatever that was above them for her to say yes, for her to want to try again. Toto knew the process was physically and mentally taxing on her. The medications and hormones made her feel ill, and she once remarked that she felt like one of the broodmares in her father’s barn. Even still, she said that the idea of being a mother was worth the hassle. Toto wanted to be a father, and he didn’t want to share that experience with anyone other than Cassie.

— I want to try again — Cassie said quietly — do you?

— Yes, I do.

— Then… Let's try again.

— Okay. Let's try again — he said, a small smile on his face.

[dandelion-system]

AAAAAAAAAA

Okay so I’ve looked decently in depth at the criteria for a hEDS diagnosis now. I DEFINETLY have hypermobility, I’ve had serval doctors say that and the refuse to follow it us despite them also saying it’s likely the cause of my pain.

I don’t quite meet the score for the beighton test, but not because I’m not hypermobile. It’s just because I’m hypermobile in different areas. I meet the criteria when it asks the other questions, like ‘were you in the past’ ‘do you consider yourself double jointed’ ‘were you an unusually bendy child’

I fit criteria b of have widespread pain for over 3 months. I’ve had it over 3 years for gods sake, and it’s on my medical records. And I think I fit a few of the criteria for an and c, but I don’t know to what extent I need to fit them, and also, it’s never been looked at before.

I don’t know if it’s hereditary but I have a strong suspicion that my mum has it, as she has a history of hypermobility, dislocations and chronic pain. Also a history of all the other criteria.

I don’t think I’ve ever dislocated anything but I’m fairly sure I’ve subluxed my knees and shoulders before. Several times.

But the STUPID doctors won’t answer their phones, so I’m still waiting on a pots diagnosis while being in so much pain all I want to do every time I move is cry. I have no social life, and I keep trying to tell myself ‘it’ll get better if you go to the gym or go out more, you only hurt because of deconditioning’ but then I try and I can’t do anything for several days. Painkillers barely work, yoga and breathing techniques and herbal remedies don’t work, the only thing that has historically worked is barely doing anything at all. And you wanna know the weird thing?

I lost weight. I spent the summer at home, going out for a max of 4 hours a week spread over several days, ate normally, my only form of exercise was walking my dog short distances, hes a small breed), gentle weight exercises (only about 5kg on my arms. My legs were about 15, but they’ve always been stronger.) and swimming. I had minimal (but still present) pain, minimal (but still present) pots symptoms, and although it took ages to recover from, I managed a day trip. And I lost weight.

I think it’s because my digestion was normal that whole time. When I’m struggling my body either digests too slowly or too quickly, and then my eating habits suffer and so on. But now I’m back to normal uni life, and I’m having to say no every time people invite me to do things. For the first time in my life people are wanting to see me and do things with me! And I can’t go!

I’m losing the new hobby I picked up (ice skating) because of this. I’m losing the social life I’ve always wanted. I’m in so much pain I can barely function. And the doctors don’t care. They want to send me to a group to whine about it instead of diagnosing me and helping me. And my mum won’t go private until I get the pots diagnosis, which the doctors seem to be tang their sweet time doing.

Gddamnit, I just want to live a normal life. How hard would it be to help me do that?