#they have every right to ignore it entirely but they embrace it so bad sigh

[qprpbj]

imagine losing. i literally can’t <3

[johnnysuhbmarine]

Knowing a change of scenery was what your mental health needed, you transferred to where your brother, Mark, goes to college. The good news is, he’s not too cool for his younger sister, so he lets you join his friend group immediately. The bad news is, Haechan is in that friend group, and a brief encounter four years ago was enough for you to understand he does NOT like you. Even worse news, he’s a lot hotter than he was four years ago…

Chapter Sixteen: smol bear - six images, 1.9k words - heads up, this has about the same vibe as last chapter

As soon as you opened the door to Haechan, you were ready to fall into his embrace, already having worn yourself out from crying prior to his arrival.

However, what you’re met with is a pint of Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough extended out for you to take, and you flick your gaze up to Haechan in question. “You had enough time to run to the store in the past five minutes?” You ask with a laugh of disbelief, wiping away at the stray tears running down your face, his presence alone enough to start calming you down a bit.

Haechan uses his hand that's not holding the ice cream to scratch at the back of his neck in embarrassment. “No, I just- I keep a pint of it in my freezer in case you’re ever over and...want some, and I figured you’d probably uh- want some now.”

That was all it took before sobs immediately wrack your body again and Haechan just sighs, moving slightly to place down the pint of ice cream before coming back to wrap you in a bear hug. You can hardly think to be embarrassed about your tears staining his shirt, but you knew he would have been adamant that it didn’t matter in the slightest.

Slowly, he brings a hand up to run over the back of your head and through your hair. “What’s that silly brain of yours up to?” He whispers, and you shake your head against his chest.

“Currently? Telling me that I don’t deserve you,” you answer, rendering Haechan still for a moment.

“I can assure you, that’s a lie,” he responds seriously. You let out a heavy sigh against his body before speaking again, trying to ignore how your voice was cracking.

“I don’t like myself very much right now,” you sniffle in his hold, and Haechan is baffled that you couldn’t hear his heart breaking in his chest, though he figures he should be grateful for that. He takes care in maneuvering the two of you so that he could rest his forehead against yours for a moment, his thumb now gliding softly across your cheek.

“Don’t worry. I like you enough for the both of us tonight,” he says gently, and your grip around him tightens as you hide your head back in his chest to try and stifle more sobs. He runs a hand up and down your back in the meantime. “Thank you for texting me,” he continues, and you shake your head against his chest.

“I needed you,” you manage to say through a whimper, forcing Haechan to take a deep breath before tears could end up sliding down his face, as well.

“I’m always gonna be here,” he responds, and you knew he meant it with every fiber of his being - you could feel it.

When the two of you finally broke from the hug, Haechan immediately turned your attention to various board games and movies. Eventually, this led to the two of you laying down on top of your, much more comfortable, couch; with you almost entirely on top of Haechan as his arms wrapped around you loosely.

You were half-way through his comfort movie (the two of you already rewatched The Aristocats while playing board games) when he softly spoke up for the first time since it started.

“You can talk to me about it, you know? I told you your heavy feelings aren’t gonna scare me away, and just taking your mind off of it isn’t going to work forever.” His head is still turned to face the TV as he spoke, and you know it’s an attempt to make it feel more casual - less threatening of a topic.

You hold your breath for a moment before letting out a light sigh, giving in. “You’re not gonna get it, though. I feel like no one gets it. Sure, meeting you guys has been the biggest blessing and my mental health is honestly miles ahead of where it was…though that’s probably hard to believe given the situation. But- you guys always want to hang out with me, and my SM friends did, too, but I don’t get it. Half the time I just want to lay in bed and do nothing, and it’s like you guys know that and purposely don’t let me. I don’t know why you guys don’t let me. I don’t want to eat or see the sunlight all the time. I'm doing better but sometimes I just want to be here, and everyone acts as though it's the end of the world.”

Haechan takes a sharp inhale as his hands cease rubbing circles across your back and you’re terrified you messed up telling him all of that, figuring it paints you as ungrateful for your friends - a classification that he himself fell under, and now you’re worried you upset him. Though, moving your head up to look at him, you catch as he licks his lips in contemplation before pulling his gaze away from the TV and towards you, raising his eyebrows as he asks a question. “Do you step on flowers when you see them blooming?”

You look at him quizzically as you respond with a faint, confused ‘no.’ Haechan lets the softest of smiles cross his face as he shakes his head to emphasize your negative response, continuing to his point as he does so.

“We all try our best to take care of beautiful things, y/n. And even if you don’t see how your actions, or lack thereof, equate to you not taking care of yourself, think about the five year old who tramples over flowers without realizing any harm was done…but the rest of us know. The rest of us grieve. So, we’re all just trying our best to take care of you - before your mental health starts affecting your physical health and you have to stay in bed all day. I mean, I take you out to lunch all the time and I know you don’t want to eat, I know. But what you don’t know is that you eat a little bit more off your plate every single time. So, I never stop inviting you out, cause when I take care of you, you take care of yourself, too. The same thing when Jeno and Jaemin go exploring with you. It’s a huge part of why you’re miles ahead of where you were mentally. You’ve gotten stronger, you just don’t know it. So yeah, we like hanging out with you all the time - cause every time we do, we see you healing, and it gives us the chance to take care of you and fill all the gaps in between.”

If the two of you were breathing once he got done talking, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. The only sound breaking the silence was from the movie. You and Haechan seemed instead to be frozen in time. You watch as he takes a moment to study your figure, opening and closing his mouth a few times, apparently not satisfied with leaving off how he did.

He dodges eye contact now as he begins his next spiel, but his words come out slower, even more decided, than they previously were. “And if it’s the ‘beautiful’ part you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around…well, I’d tell you to think of art museums. Not everyone gets it, but there’s a reason for every piece that’s on display. Someone’s found it beautiful…even those weird modern art pieces that no one seems to get because they’re just red squares half the time. But you? If you feel like a red square painted on a canvas, just know that I get it - it was never even a question. I know you’re beautiful,” he says, moving a hand to gently tuck a piece of hair behind your ear so he could make unobstructed eye contact with you.

You don’t say anything back in reply. You can’t. Instead, you lay your head back on his chest to face the TV, squeezing your eyes shut, though it doesn’t do anything to stop the small shakes of your body with each soft sob that picked back up at his words. Haechan never said anything else, just holding you tightly to him as he resumed tracing shapes over your back until you fell asleep in his arms.

When you woke up the next morning in bed, what you weren’t expecting was to walk out to the living area and see Haechan standing in the kitchen.

At the sound of your footsteps, he turns to face you with a smile. “Hey, do you want coffee?” He asks casually, as if it were his own place and you were the guest.

You can’t stop the small laugh from leaving your system. “What are you doing here?” You ask playfully, and Haechan just shrugs as if nothing were off.

“Well, you fell asleep on me last night, so I carried you to bed and tucked you in and all that cause I figured your bed is more comfortable, but I didn’t want to just- leave you…in case you woke back up and needed me. So, I slept on the couch; unless you think that's weird!! In which case, I went home last night after getting you to bed, then came back here about ten minutes ago to make you coffee...and your friendly poltergeist roommate let me in.” He states plainly, and a fond smile paints its way across your lips as you stare at his figure, currently turned away from you as he resumed his task of making coffee.

“Thank you,” you reply seriously, and Haechan figures it was for the best that he wasn’t facing you anymore because just your 'thanks' had sent blush across his cheeks.

He shakes his head. “It’s nothing,” he answers, finally turning towards you again once the warmth in his cheeks dies down. “Do you wanna hang out today, too? Or are you about to kick me out of your kitchen?” He asks with a bashful smile and embarrassed laugh.

You shake your head and let your eyes roll playfully. “Well, you’re already here…we might as well hang out.”

Haechan lets a grin cross his face but he shakes his head at you. “Oh, no, I’m getting you out of here today; making you take a break from the confines of this place," he states with a lilt of seriousness.

You let out a sigh, though you knew arguing would be futile. “Well, I’m sorry to report that it’s a little early for lunch,” you joke, and Haechan rolls his eyes before answering with a cup of coffee extended out for you to take.

“I didn’t ask to go out for lunch, I asked to hang out. I’m ready for whatever it is you want to do, just let me know,” he says firmly, clinking your coffee mugs together in a mock 'cheers' before taking a sip through the stupid grin he currently bore on his face.

You roll your eyes in an attempt to negate the smile on your own lips. “Let me go get ready,” you say, but before you can take two steps back toward your bedroom, Haechan catches your wrist in his hand, forcing you to turn his way again in an instant.

“We have all day. Just stand in this kitchen and drink coffee with me for a bit first,” he pleads softly. That was all it took for you to move the mug up to your lips, laughing at the man in front of you who was now incredibly too invested in whether or not you liked your coffee.

[previous] -> [masterlist] -> [next]

a/n: sorry about this being posted slightly off schedule hours-wise…I was busy being thankful for my family (and I still don’t trust scheduled posts) but I’m also very thankful for all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the holiday season :))

a/n (x2): you guys would not BELIEVE how long it takes for them to get together after this...

Taglist: @fullsunstrawberry @choizzn @raevyng @dudekiss3r @yewshi @artsenthusiastk77 @injunnie-lemon @markeroolee @chan-yeoldelling @sunflowerhae @mystverse @urlovelily @luvandletter @jeonghansshitester @dinonuguaegi @untilthesunrises @clean-soap @andassortedkpop @dlin3 @roseangelxfuma @gomdoleemyson @simmsunshine @swanyvess @awktwurtle @t-102 @kukkurookkoo @haefelt

@hahaechans @ypoom151999 @goldenclosethobi

[samcarpentersgirlfriend]

ILLICIT AFFAIRS | BILLY LOOMIS X READER 𖤐₊˚.

summary: you know he’s in a relationship. you know that this is wrong. but somehow, you just can’t seem to stay away from billy loomis.

word count: 1.5k

warnings: angst, cheating, billy isn’t a great guy lol, reader is insecure, suggestive content, swearing, fem!reader

a/n: yes this is (admittedly a little loosely) based off of the taylor song… I never claimed I was 100% original!! idk what this is tbh but I haven’t posted in a while so <3

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹

He’s barely opened the door before his hand grabs yours, pulling you out of the rain and into his warm embrace. He doesn’t even complain about your sodden state, lips crashing into yours as he clumsily backs you against the wall.

“I’m glad you made it, baby.” Billy murmurs in between kisses, voice low with lust. “Fuck, I couldn’t wait any longer. See what you do to me?”

God, it makes it so much easier when he talks to you like that. When he talks like he breathes just for you, like you’d hung the stars and moon. It’s easier to pretend that way. 

It doesn’t take long. One moment, your legs are wrapped around Billy’s strong frame and the next, you’re laying beneath him on his bed, sighing as he works on your neck. The marks he leaves are purposeful, and they’ll no doubt be a pain to cover up tomorrow. You tell Billy exactly that, making sure to inject just the right amount of that teasing tone you know drives him crazy into your voice. 

“Good,” he says lowly, “Lets people know you’re spoken for. Can’t have anyone touching what’s mine.” He grinds down as if to emphasise his point, hips meeting yours in a way that sends a jolt of electric thrill through your bones. 

At least, you think that’s what it’s from; maybe it’s all simply down to his choice of words - mine. He knew what that did to you - what visceral effect it must have on you. Knew how much it meant to you to be wanted and desired and cherished by somebody like Billy Loomis. It was all you’d ever wanted. 

Except…

“Except I’m not.” Your voice barely comes out above a whisper. Billy comes to a halt, his lips moving from your collarbone as his brown eyes meet yours. He looks confused and vulnerable in a way that makes you sorry for even bringing it up, but you can’t ignore it. Not now. Not today. 

“You are. You know that you are. You mean everything to me, just-"

“Just not as much as Sidney, right?” Her name tastes like ash in your mouth. It always came back to Sidney Prescott - sweet, smart, stunning, Sidney. The girl who barely knew you yet always made an effort to smile at you in the hallway and compliment your outfits. The girl whose boyfriend you were sleeping with behind her back. 

From the moment he’d flashed you that charming smirk of his, you knew you were a goner for Billy Loomis. And you’d tried to fight it, you really had. He was bad news, all of your friends thought so, and most importantly, he had a girlfriend. Everybody knew him and Sidney were serious. And you were better than that, sleeping with a taken man. 

Except, as it turns out, you weren’t. Not really, anyway. He didn’t even have to try to get you in bed with him, but after the first time, you’d felt so goddamn guilty that you swore it would never happen again. 

Your resolve lasted an entire week. Billy was like a drug, alluring in every possible way and so entirely addictive. You couldn’t stay away from him even if you tried. And although the guilt never entirely disappeared, it sure as hell became easier to ignore when Billy whispered sweet nothings into your ear and made you feel like you’d had everything you’d been missing your entire life. 

“Sidney?” Billy laughs, a sound almost as beautiful as he is. “Sidney means nothing to me. I’m going to blow her off, and then we can really be together, do it right.”

As awful as it is, the thought of that seems completely compelling. You want to be Billy’s, utterly and solely, more than anything on this earth. Besides, anything would be better than passing him in the hallway and pretending you don’t know every fraction of him so completely intimately.  Pretending like he’s not the first and last thing you think of each day. Pretending that you don’t solely wear the single perfume that he complimented once.

So intimately that you know that, at this moment in time, you can’t believe a single word that flows from his mouth - no matter how desperately you want them to be true. 

“Billy,” you sigh, turning your head away from his pleading gaze. 

“Come on, sweetheart,” he replies rather impatiently. “You know it’s-"

“Complicated,” you finish miserably. “I just don’t get why it has to be!”

“Look, I can’t talk about this right now. Can’t we just…” 

He trails off, and his lips catch yours in a passionate kiss. It’s too easy to sink into it, to sit back and just let Billy take the lead and give you just what you want. It’s damn near impossible to pull back, but by some miracle, you manage to do so. 

“I’m just saying,” you protest. “If you can’t stand Sidney, if she’s truly as bad as you say she is, why can’t you just end things with her?” The sheer frustration that laces your tone is evident even to you. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this Billy, it’s driving me insane, I-"

“What, so you’re mad at me now?” Billy scoffs, tone completely accusatory. “Because you knew what you were getting into - you’re hardly innocent here, alright! I didn’t trick you into sleeping with me - last I checked, you're perfectly fine with our arrangement when it means you get to be the one under me! So why d’you even care, huh - in fact, why don’t you do us both a favour and keep the fuck out of my business?”

You reel back as if you’ve been slapped. Not because of what was said - you both know the words to be true, however deep down that is - but because of how much they hurt. You knew you were a horrible person, but you hoped that Billy saw you as more than that - you needed him to see you as more than that. And by the way he usually acted in your company when it was just the two of you, you thought that he did. When you were alone, he worshipped you. Fuck, the boy looked at you as if he was completely and utterly in awe of your mere presence. And he’d definitely never snapped at you like this. 

It’s one thing hating yourself for what you’re doing, but it’s another having the one person you love so deeply confirm all the ugly parts of your personality that you work so hard to keep hidden from the world. 

He can evidently read the hurt written all over your face, and Billy’s once irritated gaze softens. “Shit,” he breathes, and you can’t tell if he genuinely sounds remorseful or if you’re naively hearing what you want to believe. 

It’s easier to go with the latter option. 

You make a move to stand, but you feel a strong arm pulling you back down onto the bed below. “I’m so sorry,” Billy apologises, pushing a stray hair behind your ear. “I’m being an ass, I know that. I didn’t mean to take it out on you, baby.” With your arm still in his tight grasp, it would be difficult to stand up without outright pushing him away from you. But with each hushed word Billy speaks, you find yourself wanting to stay more and more. After all, he was right. You were already guilty, and your dignity was clearly long gone. What would be the use in leaving? It’s not like you could fall any further from grace. 

Your eyes flutter closed as Billy kisses all along your jaw, mumbling apologies under his breath as he does so. “I’ll fix everything, I swear. You’ve just gotta trust me,” he vows before his lips suddenly move beside your ear. His breath is hot as he murmurs, “you do trust me, right doll?” A small, pathetic whimper escapes from the back of your throat, and you find yourself nodding before you even decide to move. 

“That’s my girl.” The honey-sweet tone of his voice is enough to make you crumble, and your fingers desperately start to make work of undoing his belt. It doesn’t take long, what with your hands working practically on autopilot. Billy takes the hint, and he eagerly pulls your shirt over your head with ease, strong fingers unclasping your bra once he’s finished. 

You’re making a complete fool of yourself, a bitter voice whispers at the edge of your mind. He’s spelled it out for you, and yet you’re still here, letting him undress you like this. How pitiful. 

It’s not incorrect. Billy Loomis had undoubtedly made a mess of you. Ruined you. Before all of this - and God, how long ago that seemed now - you were good. You were headstrong and assertive, and you’d never been one to let people walk all over you. That girl was a far cry from the person you were now, and she’d undeniably despise the idiotic fool you’d become.  

You wouldn’t exactly blame her, either. You know that when you get home, you won’t even be able to face your own reflection. You never can. 

But you also know damn well that when Billy undoubtedly comes running back to you, because he does, every single time without fail, you’ll blindly follow him right back into his arms - and right back into his bed. 

It’s awful. You know that, no matter how much parts of you try to pretend otherwise. There’s no sugarcoating it, no justification for your actions that aren’t completely shallow and selfish. You just have to hope that one day, you’ll snap out of it. If Billy doesn’t choose you - accept you fully like the way you accepted him long ago - you like to think that one day, you’ll have the self-respect to leave and tell Sidney the truth. Hope she’d accept your shitty excuse of an apology. But as you lay here in this room right now, back arched and Billy in between your legs, you know that day won’t be any time soon.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

[freddie-77-ao3]

Snippets of the Travis Stoll fic because i need motivation:

“I’m mature because you left me to take care of an entire cabin of people when I was twelve.” Travis rubs his arms self-consciously. “I had to grow up. Kids would die if I didn’t.”

~~

Travis Stoll loses his virginity when he is twelve years to a sixteen year old daughter of Demeter on the grass behind the Ares cabin, and honestly, he wishes that their landmines had blown him up.

He is twelve years old and a counselor now, and Tammy is in charge of the camp store.

He's counselor now. The children shivering on the floor of cabin eleven, they're his responsibility.

But he doesn't have enough money for blankets and toiletries, and Tammy-- Tammy tells him that if he comes with her and does what she asks, she'll give both of them to him for free, so he does.

He goes with her.

He's twelve years old. He knows what rape is. Knows this isn't it, because he consented, right?

(Wrong.)

~~

Travis’ leg is bouncing up and down. It’s a bit rhythmatic, and calming, if anything could be considered calm.  He’s tense, and stiff, and the sound makes him wince every once in a while, when he forgets it’s his leg that’s tapping on the cool flooring, and not someone else’s winding footsteps. Malcolm would just pop! Into existance, scaring the shit out of Travis, but at least letting him know it wasn’t someone else, but… Travis doesn’t want Cecil, or Connor, -or anyone else really- to see him like this. 

Not now, when they’re all so scared- when he’s so scared. 

~~

“Come on,” Travis fake whines at one point in an attempt to forget everything, “Drop the illusion! Become your true self!” He pouts, as Malcolm continues to ignore him, typing something without looking, at a speed that most would probably consider fast.  “Your authentic identity! Drop all pretences in a society that worships fakeness! Embrace your realist inner spirit! Should I go on?”

Malcolm sighs, and while he rolls his eyes, he mutters, “You’ve been spending too much time in Cabin Ten.”

“Have not,” Travis scoffs.

“Have so,” but he shifts anyway, ceasing the- admittedly childish- argument (which was not cool, thank you very much, some of us have bad and annoying coping methods, Malcolm-), the short blond hair shifting to a slightly longer, curlier brown, and the grey eyes turning green. 

It didn’t change much, really- Malcolm was still incredibly short- seriously, 5’2?-  but Malcolm now had two bandages around his mouth and nose which were slightly wrinkled due to his mouth being shut. 

Travis assumed Connor put them on. Malcolm often didn’t bother with bandages, and Drew was more clinical in her approach. It didn’t matter, really, except it made Travis wonder if Malcolm was missing them. His friends. His friends Travis has taken from-

Malcolm nudges him, whispering, “Hey. You alright?”

Travis opens his mouth to respond, but the only thing to come out is a strangled sigh. 

~~

Travis is prone to wandering. He thinks it might be a Hermes kid thing, the reasoning spread somewhere in between the cabin being so incredibly small that you share bunks and sleep on the floor, and that if you ever have to go to the bathroom in the night, chances are the entire cabin knows about it because they either get stepped on, or move, or the fact that Hermes is the god of travel.

Travis doesn’t really like either explanation- he was selfish like that, wanting one thing to himself, just one thing, but, well. He was counselor, wasn’t he. Chiron always said, counselors have to share, counselors have to–

Why isn’t he allowed to be selfish?

~~

Travis started in on the waffle fries, drizzling them with syrup first. 

 “You know they’re called waffle fries,” Malcolm pointed out, looking slightly disgusted, “because of the shape, not because they’re actually made of waffles.”

“Don’t limit me.”

“It’s another cabin eleven thing, isn’t it?”

“Camp thing, really. Surprised you haven’t noticed yet- you’ve been here, what, two years now?”

“It’s not like I often go to the dining pavilion,” Malcolm retorted, and Travis gives a Cheshire Cat grin at the opening Malcolm has given him.

“So you admit you never eat? Cause you know what that sounds li-”

“I do not have an eating disorder, I simply prefer eating in the kitchen before everyone else.”

“So what problem did this come from- ooh, wait no, let me guess- it is because,” Travis waved his arms for dramatic affect, “you were having too many sensory overloads so you got permission to eat in the kitchens, come on, Mr. Pace, congratulate me!” Travis half bowed in his seat, but Malcolm didn’t seem to notice, staring at his own hands a moment too long. 

“Hey,” Travis tries. “You okay?”

[kpopimagi]

A Flower Under The Rain [Part 9]

Characters: Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Kang Gyuri (OC) Genre: Angst, Romance Au: Hanahaki!Au  Type: Series  Word count: 7,243

It all began with a cough and then, a subtle sting in her chest. Kang Gyuri cried, knowing that in a matter of months, she would be another figure in the death toll of the most dangerous and cruelest outbreak in human history.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8-1 | Part 8-2

Her phone kept buzzing, and at any other moment of her life, she would have been annoyed out of her mind but everything was different. Her phone and her heart felt so alive. Gyuri smiled at the animated emojis on her screen and wondered if Kyungsoo was smiling as well. It had been a week since the trip with him and his friends, who were her friends now. The idea alone was a completely new concept to her. Anna embraced her as an equal, and even if Gyuri wasn't sure if Minseok thought the same, they welcomed her in their group chat which was basically only the two of them mothering Kyungsoo and bickering about the smallest things. She didn't mind. It was amusing to witness and wait for the writer's dull text asking them to shut up for once.

They were planning on spending the weekend somewhere else when the screen went all black, and his name popped up, blinking in an incoming call. For a moment, Gyuri couldn't remember the sound of his voice or what it made her feel, and instantly regretting the excitement, with a hand on her chest, Gyuri answered the call.

"Hello…" Baekhyun said.

Gyuri said the same with the tiniest voice and feared the worst when she heard him sigh on the other side of the line. Although she was happy to hear his voice again, she also noticed the hesitation.

"Yah, Kang Gyuri," he finally snapped, and she almost smiled because she missed that about him, "I didn't want to call because I'm still angry at you, but it's almost my birthday."

All the giddiness and happiness Gyuri felt evaporated into thin air, and her stomach dropped to the floor. Letting out a silent curse, she jumped off the couch where she was watching a drama with her mother, and her entire body moved on its own accord in a burst of dread.

"You forgot!" He gasped over the phone.

"I did not." She lied, running to her room.

"Liar," Baekhyun said as a matter of fact, "You're still in your pajamas."

"How do you know?" She mumbled, in shock, and regretted it instantly.

The frustrating noises he made had her rolling her eyes. She smiled at his whining, looking around her desk for the monthly calendar. She searched every drawer and through every bookcase, but the floral calendar was nowhere to be found.

"You told me," He said after a while and with renewed interest, "No, you forced me to save this day for you."

"I know," Gyuri replied, giving up and collapsing on her bed.

"You said you would take me somewhere." He added, and she nodded even if he couldn't see her, "But you never called again to set the time or anything."

"I know, Baekhyun," Gyuri finally said when the sadness in his tone was impossible to ignore, "We have to be there at four so we can see each other there at..."

"At 1." He interrupted her, "I'll pick you up at 1, and we'll have lunch together. It's on me."

Defeated, Gyuri agreed, he ended the call, and she stayed there, frozen in disbelief that she could have forgotten about her plans. She had an excuse. On one of those bad days, she went on a cleaning rampage, removed all the floral items from her room, and threw away every calendar and journal she owned. Gyuri meant to have everything in the garbage but her mother, just as silent and stoic as she could be, picked everything up and religiously put them away into boxes.

Gyuri went downstairs and opened one of the boxes. The first thing she saw was the floral desk calendar. She flipped through the pages, and just as Baekhyun said, she had the date in a big circle and exclamation marks. He was right on the date.

"Did something happen?" Her mother asked, coming into the room. "Was it Baekhyun?"

Gyuri nodded, showing her the date on the calendar. The realization took over her expression. If her mother wanted to object to her plans, she kept it to herself.

"I completely forgot about it," Gyuri admitted. "How could I forget about something like this?"

"You've got more than enough to deal with lately." Her mother said, "Don't beat yourself over this."

"But I had been waiting for this day for months," Gyuri whined in frustration.

"What will you do?" Her mother wanted to know.

"Should I go?" Gyuri asked instead, knowing quite well that one more wrong move could be her last.

"Only if you feel ready to do so." Her mother finally said, and Gyuri didn't have to look at her to know she was holding her tears.

"But what am I going to do?" She asked, her eyes watering, "I threw the tickets away."

"I picked them up," her mother said, in the most focused tone she had, "and put them in one of these boxes."

"Really?" Gyuri asked, and a tear finally fell down her cheek.

"Don't worry," Her mother said with a proud smile, "If you want to go, we'll find those tickets in no time."

Gyuri couldn't understand why she felt so overwhelmed but ignoring the urge to bawl her eyes out, she followed her mother's instructions. They spent the next hour looking through all the storage boxes until they managed to find the tickets. Gyuri hugged her mother and ran upstairs to get ready.

However, getting ready to hang out with Baekhyun felt like a task Gyuri was not ready to tackle. She had no idea what to wear, not that it mattered because it wasn't a date. Going out with Baekhyun had never been a date, even if she kept dreaming it was. She didn't even like how she looked anymore. She looked off, not terribly sick yet, but she felt icky and disgusting as if Baekhyun's hand would stay stuck on her skin if he ever dared to touch her. Everything about herself just felt off. She kept going in and out of the shower, not feeling entirely clean and almost finishing an entire bottle of body cream. Her mother's nagging about running through a monthly supply of cream in less than a week finally made her stop and realize there was nothing she could do about her skin anymore.

Gyuri got herself ready in her everyday clothing, nothing fancy or special, just plain Gyuri. When she was ready and came down the stairs, she found her father coming into the house with a worried expression that made her halt. Her mother must've called him at work, afraid of their daughter not coming back home alive.

"I forgot about the exhibition." He said, pretending he hadn't rushed home, "At what time are you leaving?"

"He's picking me up at one," Gyuri replied, her eyes watering again.

"Good, we have some time left then." Her father said with a relieved sigh, "Honey, can you bring us some tea?"

Gyuri noticed her mother was crying in a corner, and with a small nod, she disappeared into the kitchen.

"You fought so hard to get those tickets, might as well use them, right?" He asked as he sat on the couch and patted the space next to him.

"Right!" Gyuri said, holding back the tears but still sitting next to her father and hugging him.

"It would be a shame for them to go to a waste." He added, embracing her in a tight hold that made everything inside Gyuri finally feel alright.

Her mother was back with three cups of tea, and before she could sit far from them, Gyuri reached for her hand. She sat next to her, and while holding her mother's hand and resting her head on her father's shoulder, Gyuri spent that time with her parents in silence as they waited for Baekhyun. When he arrived, Gyuri felt at peace. She had no more tears to shed, and still holding her mother's hand, she stood up.

"We'll be waiting for you here, pumpkin." Her father said before pressing a kiss on her forehead, "You know that, right?"

"I'll be back," Gyuri assured them even though she wasn't sure if she would survive to see them again.

Her mother gave her the tightest hug ever, and with a small smile, she finally let her go. Gyuri left the house, smiling at them, hoping it really wasn't the last time she would see them again. However, all that hope faded away when she turned around and saw Baekhyun coming out of his car, looking as handsome as ever, if not maybe even more than before. He was smiling as usual, and his fashion was just as simple as hers, but she had never found him any more attractive.

It was in vain to ignore the awkwardness. Baekhyun tried to hug her just like he usually did whenever it had been a long time since they saw each other, but her startled reaction made him back away, shocked. Gyuri smiled, trying to rub off the weird gesture and the mix of sudden pain and instant relief she felt all over her insides. She got into the car and took a deep breath.

There was just one other person she needed to talk to. She thought it was better to do it face to face at first, but then realized that she couldn't bear to see the pity in his eyes in her last moments. Saying goodbye through a text didn’t seem that much of a bad idea after all. She might not even make it out alive of that car for all she knew, so a text was all she had.

Kyungsoo… I’m going out with Baekhyun. And I think you might be right…

Wait

I won’t hold back.

Gyuri

No

Don't

Thank you.

Whatever the writer wanted to say was better to tell her himself because her phone started buzzing. His name appeared on the screen, and the time she hesitated to answer was enough to catch Baekhyun’s attention. He leaned closer to look at her phone as if he was just looking at a random video playing on the screen. Gyuri knew the action was more of a natural reaction, he did that a lot, but the moment he saw the name, he went rigid on the spot. Baekhyun backed away again, pretending he hadn't seen anything compromising.

Embarrassed, Gyuri ignored the call and diverted her attention from Baekhyun. However, the phone started buzzing again, and even though Gyuri would never ignore Kyungsoo, she knew it wasn’t a good idea to explain herself on the phone in her best friend’s presence. Baekhyun stayed quiet as he drove away and when he was about to say something, her phone started buzzing for the third time. Gyuri silenced the device and buried it deep into her purse.

“So this is what it feels like…” Baekhyun mumbled, or at least that was what she thought she heard.

“What you said?” Gyuri asked, still ignoring the buzzing phone.

"Will you finally tell me where we are going?" He asked instead.

Time seemed to stop when Gyuri looked at him with one hand on the steering wheel, looking as boyfriend-is as ever. She noticed that his hair was neatly done and was wearing accessories, and he only did that on special occasions. Gyuri couldn't help herself but smile when she saw the watch she gave him on his birthday many many years ago on his wrist. Suddenly, nothing else mattered when Baekhyun looked like he made a conscious effort on his looks to hang out with her. As if she wasn't at risk of getting engulfed by roots, Gyuri embraced the pleasure filling her chest. She had nothing else to lose anymore, and feeling rather playful, Gyuri refused to answer his question.

"It's a surprise." She said.

"I need to know so I can drive us there, you dummy," Baekhyun whined with a playful pout, making her heart skip a beat.

"Just don't leave the city," Gyuri said, ready to make the best out of that day.

“Alright then," He said, and after a while, he broke the heavy silence between them, "So how are you?”

Gyuri knew it wasn’t a simple pleasantry just by the tone in his voice. He wanted to know for real, and even if he was focused on the road ahead, his eyes were intense and searching for an answer. There was only one thing she could say. 

“Fine.” 

Baekhyun glanced at her, unconvinced by her reply but kept driving in silence. Gyuri realized that enjoying his company wholeheartedly wouldn't be as easy. At least not when she found herself so aware of his attention, of his eyes always looking at her so closely and him just generally gravitating towards her like there was no one else around them. At times, she had to reprimand herself for being so dumb. That had always been their dynamic. He was acting like he always did. Baekhyun had always felt comfortable around her, and he never failed to let her know that, and that was one of the many reasons she fell for him.

Gyuri had learned over the years to love whenever he observed her reaction to the food he ordered for her. She could feel her heart melting at the satisfied smile on his face when she let him know that the food was delicious. She loved that they could talk about nothing and everything and had to remind herself to look away several times. She caught herself admiring him as he attentively listened to everything she was telling him, and one time she had to stop herself from reaching out to touch his round cheeks. She couldn't really help herself but bite her lip when he just kept putting the best pieces of meat in her bowl. She loved his familiarity, the lack of judgment, and pretenses whenever he was with her. He didn't try to be anyone else but himself when they were together. 

Baekhyun was naturally caring, and now more than ever, she wished she could tell him everything. Gyuri tried, more than once, to let the words come out and let him know but failed every time. They came out of the restaurant, and as they settled in the car, Baekhyun looked at her expectantly. Her imagination went wild for a split second. Two different scenarios were playing in her mind. On one she confessed her feelings, and on the second one, which was wilder, she imagined him confessing his feelings, but of course, that wasn't it. He chuckled and prodded the answer out of her.

"Where to now?" He asked.

"Just go to Gwanghwamun." She mumbled, pushing every dumb fantasy aside.

With a smile on his face, Baekhyun started the engine and drove away. However, Gyuri looked out of the window to hide the embarrassment. She was just letting her hopes dominate her every thought when it was all further from the truth. Baekhyun didn't have those sorts of feelings for her. His familiarity wasn't anything other than a friendly inclination, and Gyuri felt stupid for thinking otherwise. She blinked the forming tears away along with all the idiotic feelings that had her reduced to such a lame wreck.

"No way…" Baekhyun mumbled.

It was halfway to their destination that it seemed to down on him. Gyuri could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he put the pieces together and smiled when he looked at her for confirmation, and with that, her sadness was forgotten.

"Are we going to the Museum of Modern Art?" He asked, holding tightly onto the steering wheel, "You're kidding me."

Too satisfied with herself, Gyuri pulled the tickets out of her purse and showed them to him. Baekhyun let out a dramatic gasp, and when they stopped at a red light, he grabbed one of the tickets and admired it with absolute fascination.

"How did you do it?" He asked, "They sold out in seconds."

"Because I'm that good," Gyuri said with a smug smile as she snatched the ticket off his hands, making Baekhyun cackle.

"Damn right you are," He said, fumbling with his phone, “and you know what? This moment deserves our fun song."

For a split second, everything was suddenly alright. Their favorite song blasted through the speakers as Baekhyun drove them through the city, singing out loud and looking at her with the brightest of smiles. Her heart swelled in delight, and it was impossible not to get back in time and remember one of their first interactions. Gyuri recalled the exchange as if it was yesterday. 

It was her first year at college, and although most of her lessons were kind of alright, she hated the shared lectures with other majors. People with different objectives and inclinations enclosed in the same space gave her a headache, and programming 101 was no exception. Her programming skills were already above the curriculum, but she had to take that lecture, and she dreaded the day the professor announced a teamwork assignment.

The entire lecture hall was filled with disgruntled noises and whines, and Gyuri would’ve joined if it wasn’t for her anxiousness. She would have to work with a stranger, and she felt her heart rate speeding. What if she had to work with a finance major student? The soon-to-be stock market programmers were obnoxious snubs, and the idea alone made her shutter.

“Kang Gyuri.” 

When the professor called her name, she flinched. Silence filled the hall, and Everyone looked at her, and she tapped her finger on the face of her watch at the rhythm of every dreadful second as she stood up from her seat. Half of the students’ names were on a bowl, written on paper, and she had to pick one. She would find the name of one annoying classmate to work with for the rest of the semester.

“Fingers crossed, and I get to be her partner.” A guy behind her said.

“She’s so stuck up, I'd hate to be her partner," someone else chuckled, "but I wouldn’t mind passing this lecture with a perfect grade.”

“You’re not that lucky, man.”

Ignoring the conversation, Gyuri walked down the stairs, still counting to mute out the whispers that raised with every step she took towards the front. However, either her muting tricks were ineffective, or people around her didn’t care if she could hear them because she could still hear them all.

“I bet she throws you under the bus if you don’t do your part…”

“Please, God, let me be her partner…”

“Poor bastard that gets partnered up with her…”

“She’s the best, man.”

“I saw the programming of her scholarship project, and it’s incredible…”

“Nah, I don’t need that kind of pressure in my life.”

Gyuri reached the desk and stared at the bowl. She reminded herself that at least she didn't have to handpick her partner, and could always blame her luck. She put her hand inside the bowl and grabbed the first piece of paper that touched her fingertips. She could hear silence taking over as everyone held their breath. Her heart skipped a beat as she unfolded the paper and read the name. She recognized it right away and never considered how awful art majors could be as assignment partners. The guy had a reputation, but all she could see him as was an annoying burden.

"Byun Baekhyun." She whispered to herself.

The collective reaction in the hall made her flinch again. Some whined while others cursed, and she even saw paper balls fly across the hall in protest. Ignoring the ruckus around him, the professor wrote down their names on a list and called the next student forward, leaving Gyuri alone to go back to her seat and deal with the disgruntled atmosphere of her classmates.

As she made her way back, she realized one thing: She was now the class's least favorite person. Girls hated her guts for pairing up with the most popular guy, and others who weren't smitten with his outgoing demeanor were miffed that they weren't paired up with the supposedly brilliant programmer. Either way, she hated her luck.

Byun Baekhyun was the type of person she avoided at all costs. People like him always forced her to talk and ended up mocking her if she didn't. Granted, she didn't even know the guy, so she would not dare to judge him. Maybe he wasn't like that at all, but it was difficult to know when she only knew him from what other people had to say about him. The guy was beyond handsome. She had heard the rumors of the first-year programmer that would give any idol a run for his money. Gyuri doubted he was as good-looking as all the female student body claimed. After all, most programmers were disheveled nerds, herself included.

"Good luck with that," a guy said with a chuckle.

It was the nagging that came after that caught Gyuri's attention. She was used to hearing those kinds of expressions, jokes, and rude remarks, but no one ever dared to stop the tirade once it started. Someone shutting someone else up was something she didn't hear that often, and Gyuri halted, looking at the source of that unusual exchange. One was obviously making fun of the other, and she froze at the contrast of their attitudes; her new teammate had an unamused expression plastered on his face. The other, who she recognized as quite a ladies' man, patted his back with a chuckle. She found the interaction strange.

They must have sensed her staring and when the guys looked back at her, she felt her blood rushing to her face. Gyuri had to give it to everyone she ever heard gossiping about Byun Baekhyun. They were right. He was indeed handsome. His face was small, his skin was pale, and his hair framed his features as if someone spent hours styling it for the cover of a fashion magazine. Then, against all expectations, Baekhyun smiled at her. It wasn't the brightest of smiles, but small and restrained like he was embarrassed about getting caught chiding his friend. Not that it mattered to her, and realizing that staring any longer would make her future interactions with him weirder, Gyuri went to her place and focused back on the class.

Once everyone was paired off, the professor went over the requirements of their final project and what they needed to accomplish. Gyuri wrote everything down, put her stuff away, and was about to bolt out of the hall at the end of the lecture when Baekhyun showed up right next to her.

“Should we have lunch together?” He asked, wriggling his hands in front of him in a nervous gesture that didn’t quite fit him. “You know, to talk about the project.”

Gyuri would’ve answered in some form, but once she noticed the attention of several classmates focused on them, she just couldn’t do it anymore. She didn’t even try. No sound would come out of her mouth even if she tried, so she nodded instead. Unable to handle the pressure of not even answering the guy apparently everyone wanted to be friends with, Gyuri left the hall as fast as she could and hid in the safety of the nearest bathroom stall until her next class.

Usually, it would only take a few minutes for her nerves to settle, but the expectation of meeting with Baekhyun had her on the edge for the rest of the day, and it got worse when she arrived on the third floor of the library. She enjoyed studying there, where the desks were among the bookcases and where people were generally required to maintain silence, Gyuri really liked that, but as soon as she stepped into her favorite section of the studying area, she halted and let out a sigh. 

Baekhyun was already there, scrolling through his phone and eating small sausages. He was sitting alone at a table, but when she looked around, she could see several girls staring at him, some others peeking from the top of their books, and some others blatantly walking by the table to have a better look at him. Gyuri found it interesting that he paid no attention to anyone. If he was aware of the subdued commotion around him, he was stellarly good at ignoring it. She wondered if by any chance, he was so used to it that he didn't care anymore and if that was the case, she instantly admired him for such composure. She could never do that, and letting out a sigh, Gyuri gathered every bit of her will and approached the table.

Without any idea of how to proceed to engage with one of the most popular people in the vicinity, Gyuri went for the safest option. She just placed her backpack on the table and sat down in complete silence, taking Baekhyun by surprise. He cursed under his breath, but as soon as he realized who startled him, his entire demeanor changed. Suddenly, he wasn’t as confident as he seemed to be.

"I've seen you usually sit here to study after lunch," he said after stumbling on his words to greet her.

Gyuri was going through her backpack when the observation made her stop. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the idea that someone like him would notice such an insignificant detail about her. She wanted to look at him and study his expression, but her anxiousness stopped her, so she just pulled her lecture notes out instead and started to work.

Baekhyun stayed quiet for the most part. He would ask something every once in a while and fidgeted in his seat, unsure if he could talk to her openly. She could see the struggle and discomfort and wished she could just tell him there was no need to be that formal with her, but she kept scribbling down what they needed to do. Suddenly, a phone buzzed on top of the table. It distracted Gyuri, and Baekhyun apologized before grabbing it. Not wanting to make their time any more uncomfortable than it was already, Gyuri brushed it off as nothing and kept working on a diagram, but a loud noise startled her.

Baekhyun gasped loudly, making Gyuri flinch, and in the rush to apologize, he choked on his own spit or maybe a piece of sausage. She couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, he started coughing. His face became increasingly crimson as he massaged his chest to open his airways. He not only interrupted her work, but disrupted the quiet atmosphere of the study hall, and drew an incredible amount of attention to himself.

“I’m sorry,” he said once Gyuri handed him a drink, and his cough finally subsided, “Why am I drooling so much?”

Gyuri couldn’t help herself. She chuckled at his helplessness as he mumbled apologies and nervously tried to put some order around him. Knowing that someone as popular as Byun Baekhyun could become flustered, as she did most of the time, gave her some measure of comfort.

“Aha!” He said, all the embarrassment was suddenly forgotten, “So you do smile.”

The roles reversed. Gyuri was the one feeling her face burning in embarrassment. Baekhyun observed her with a smile, but unlike her, he didn’t make fun of her bafflement. As if he could read her mortification, he changed the subject.

“Sorry, I just got excited,” he said, showing her his cellphone, “do you know Hideo Kojima?”

The name didn’t ring a bell, but the expectant glint in his eyes was astonishing. Whoever that man was, he was important, and her lack of response was enough for Baekhyun to know that she had no clue what he was talking about, and just as he did before, he gasped dramatically.

“You don’t know,” he whispered loudly, and Gyuri found it amusing that she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, “oh my friend, prepare yourself to get your mind blown.”

Gyuri had forgotten about the rush of emotions she felt that day when Baekhyun sat next to her, with his laptop in hand, and spent the next couple of hours sharing with her something he was so passionate about as if they were the closest of friends because after that day, they became just that, and she didn’t even know why. For some reason, he seemed to enjoy her company so much that he was always around, and now that she thought about it, that might have been the beginning of her downfall.

She looked at him, years later, just as excited and passionate about the same subject as he was that day, but now, she was part of that small portion of his life. Baekhyun was driving with a smile as he sang mindlessly along the beat, and pride swelled in her chest. She mentally patted herself on the back because just like he said, she managed to get tickets to one of the most awaited exhibitions of the year. If she wasn’t that close to Baekhyun, she wouldn’t even know the whole thing existed.

They arrived at the entrance where people stood in long lines, and neither of them realized their tickets had some sort of VIP benefits until a staff member led them to an exclusive area built outside the museum. They got their tickets scanned and bracelets placed on their wrists before a waiter welcomed them with drinks to a waiting hall set up and decorated thematically with props from Kojima’s games. Baekhyun couldn’t stop mumbling to himself just how amazing everything was as he took a sip of his drink and urged Gyuri to take some pictures of him sitting on a European armchair, which was from his favorite horror video game. She agreed wholeheartedly and snapped as many pictures as possible, even if he wasn’t posing anymore. She did it just for the delight of getting more pictures of him, and by the time they finished their drinks, a guide introduced himself and let them know it was time to enter the museum.

Gyuri and Baekhyun joined a small group of a dozen people and followed the guide to a dark room. Someone pulled a curtain down, letting the darkness and coldness engulf them all, and just then, they could hear the creepy ambiance music. Gyuri was sure she heard Baekhyun let out the tiniest excited squeal when she just shivered in apprehension. She was starting to feel the pressure on the center of her chest when she was suddenly enveloped in a warmth and scent she was so familiar with. Baekhyun had slipped an arm over her shoulders and drew her closer with so much affection she just stayed still, not knowing what to do.

“Thank you so much,” He whispered. "Best birthday present ever.

The tour began, the guide started with his welcome speech, and with a soft squeeze of her shoulder, Baekhyun let her go to follow the group into the first hall. Gyuri was left behind, downright stunned in her place and with her heart twisted in pain and pleasure, all rushing through her body. He didn’t even register that she wasn’t moving and reminding herself that the gesture meant absolutely nothing to Baekhyun like the way it meant to her, Gyuri took a deep breath and followed the group.

The exhibition was just as amazing as she imagined it would be. Halfway through the first room, she realized that whether or not she knew who Hideo Kojima was, she would have appreciated the show. The man was a genius, just like Baekhyun told her all those years ago and it didn’t surprise Gyuri that he was practically a goner the moment they crossed the dark and creepy entrance hall. She couldn’t blame him. The place was covered not just in video game artwork and concept designs, but also contained hundreds of items from Kojima’s own collection. There was so much stuff on every wall that Gyuri struggled to know where to look at first and wondered if Baekhyun had the same issue.

Looking around the hall, searching for the man that had the entirety of her wrapped so tightly around his little finger, she found him standing in the middle of the room, frozen in amazement. Gyuri walked around to join him, and the expression on his face was something she never wanted to forget. His eyes glimmered as he admired a white space suit set up behind a glass case. Very few times she’d see him so dumb-struck that even his mouth hung open in absolute wonder. Gyuri snapped a few pictures of him from a distance before following the tour guide toward the next hall. It was only then that Baekhyun joined her, whispering nothing but compliments about certain pieces as he looked through the pictures he just took with his phone. And the tour went on like that for the next couple of hours until they reached the final section which was a curated library.

Gyuri was immersed, flipping through the pages of Kojima’s private diary. She was utterly fascinated by the way the man expressed himself that she just knew Baekhyun would love to read it. She called him, but he was already heading for the exit, leaving her behind. Taken aback and wondering if he was truly leaving without her, she called him again. He glanced at her over his shoulder quick enough for Gyuri to notice that he was talking over the phone and his eyes flaring in anger. Whatever twisted his expression made her heart sink, and she found herself instantly worried. Something must have happened. That could be the only reason he would look so agitated, and Gyuri followed him toward the exit. She kept her distance, giving him privacy, but every time she saw him rolling his eyes in annoyance, she fought the impulse to get closer and do something. She kept telling herself that all she could really do was wait and be there for him.

“Is everything alright?” She asked as soon as he hung up.

“Yeah,” He hesitated, still looking at his phone as if it could come to life at any moment, “It was Mina. She’s just being unreasonable.”

Gyuri felt like the biggest idiot in the world. The immense love she felt for the guy was too blinding at times. It was so overpowering that it tricked her mind to wander off into her fantasies in which she was the most important person in his life. She wasn’t. He had a girlfriend. Baekhyun wasn’t hers, but she couldn’t let him notice her disappointment.

“I hope everything is alright.” She said just as a mere courtesy.

“She said we shouldn’t be friends anymore.” He said, finally looking at her.

The resignation in his eyes twisted the roots in her heart, and she had no idea what prevented her from losing control of her emotions. She felt the twist. The buzzing pain grew louder and sharper, and she knew she should’ve been terrified to feel it deepen its roots through her heart, but she wasn’t even scared. She also knew that the soundness of mind taking over her wouldn’t last that long.

“I should go back home.” She said, looking down at the round tips of her shoes.

“Gyuri, wait,” he stopped her, “I told you, she’s being unreasonable.”

“I don’t want to get you in trouble with her.”

Gyuri wasn’t looking at him when she said that, but she heard him let out the longest sigh. For the first time since she got diagnosed, she did not run away from him, although she wanted to. Gyuri knew she would be safe if she left, but an unbearable longing to be next to him made her stay.

“You’re not getting me in any trouble, so stop worrying about it and let’s go, I’ll take you home,” Baekhyun said with such a softer tone that Gyuri had to look at him. “I always take you home, remember?”

Gyuri recognized the intent behind his voice. She had fallen for it long ago and craved it when she was the most scared. Baekhyun always spoke to her like that when he wanted to reassure her that everything was alright. She had learned to identify the genuine care dripping in the deepness of his voice, and she let it take her away. She could never run away from him when he showed himself so worried about her so Gyuri followed him back to his car.

Despite his efforts to calm her down, the tension between them was heavy and uneasy. It was impossible to ignore the obvious crack in the wholeness of their friendship, and Gyuri started to regret not running away like she first intended to. She wouldn't be locked in the car with him and all that made him so incredibly alluring if she weren't so blinded by this twisted love.

"So, what are you up to?" Baekhyun finally asked.

"Nothing important," Gyuri lied, looking away, "Just work and such."

"What are you talking about?" He said, and even though he kept his eyes on the road, she knew the reproach in his voice, "You quit your job a few weeks ago."

Gyuri felt the chills running all over her body, and only a tiny sound came out of her mouth. Baekhyun didn’t push her further into giving him an explanation, but she almost wished he would. His silence was worse. She looked at him, expecting to find a scowl on his face, but he seemed just as calm.

"I ran into one of your colleagues." He said, his voice turning just slightly harsher but still trying to keep it soft, "You might remember her. Her name is Suyoun."

Of course, Gyuri remembered her. The girl was her direct subordinate, and she pretty much had to handle all the workload alone after Gyuri submitted her resignation. That was why she worked hard to leave everything as organized as possible. Poor Suyeon didn't deserve to deal with her mess alone. Also, she was the only one Gyuri talked to constantly, and she might have cried a little when she bid the girl goodbye at work.

"Imagine my surprise when she asked me if you were alright," Baekhyun added, and the sarcasm in his voice wasn't just simple sarcasm, it was full of something else, "apparently, you just requested your leave of absence and submitted your resignation letter out of the blue."

“I needed a change.” Gyuri lied.

“I’m calling bullshit.” He replied, “You are the only one in our entire generation that got into your first option job, and you like it so much you even excel at it.”

“I guess people change.”

"They sure do." He conceded although he didn’t sound at all convinced. "So, how are things with the accountant?" 

Gyuri was surprised that he dropped the subject so easily but couldn’t feel relief about it because she realized he didn't even bother to remember the writer's name. In a way, she wasn’t even surprised by such a passive-aggressive move. It was such a Baekhyun thing to do when he didn’t like someone. However, she couldn’t dwell on that when memories from the past weekend rushed to her head. Despite all the pain and craziness the curse hurled at her, most of what she remembered of that trip was pleasant.

"All good." She said, trying to push aside the memory of his presence in that bathroom and his intoxicating closeness.

"Are you sure?”, He asked, glancing at her, “Because you're blushing."

“I’m not blushing.” She mumbled, taking a deep breath.

Gyuri was blushing. She could feel her face burning at the memory of fingertips brushing over her skin, but she would never admit that to Baekhyun. Not like she could ever keep anything from him because the guy was just too perceptive. He gasped, looking at her, probably imagining the worst.

“What happened?” He asked.

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean with nothing? You wouldn’t be blushing like that if nothing happened,” Baekhyun argued back, pulling the car over to the front of her house.

“I’m not blushing.” She said through her teeth.

Sensing that Gyuri was about to lose her temper, Baekhyun killed the engine and called her with a condescending tone that was about to make her snap. Thankfully, they were right outside her house, and that was her way out of the situation. She was unbuckling her seatbelt when she felt him positioning himself to have a better look at her. Gyuri had seen that posture many times before whenever they spent hours talking in his car. Baekhyun would sit like that to talk and gossip with her about whatever came to their minds, but that day, for the first time, she would not let it happen. Gyuri opened the door and scrambled out of the car, leaving him shocked in his seat and looking at her as if she had just smacked him in the face.

“I’ll tell you some other day.” She said.

“Sure.” He replied. 

Even though he smiled at her, she knew Baekhyun did not fall for it. The gesture never reached his eyes, and the moment she closed the door, she saw, through the smoky tint of the window, how his entire expression and demeanor fell apart in disappointment. Gyuri couldn’t let the urge she felt shift her determination. Knocking at the window, she waved her hand and smiled as genuinely as it was physically possible until there was a smile on his face. It fascinated Gyuri how effective that was because Baekhyun waved back at her, now with a small yet genuine smile. He drove away, and she watched the car disappear around the corner, relieved to have survived. 

As if she was taunting fate with that thought, she found herself suddenly frozen in fright. She trembled as chills ran through her entire body and recognized everything about the sensation only because she had experienced it before. Gyuri had smelled that scent before. She turned around, standing right before her house, and the place that had always felt like the safest place on earth was suddenly darker, bigger, and scarier. 

Gyuri reached the door, desperately wanting to get in, and cursed under her breath because she was sure the smell definitely came from her house. She called for her parents and felt tears clouding her sight as her hands trembled so much she couldn’t even unlock the door. In her mind, perhaps that faulty perfume might disappear once she was inside. She tried again, and again but the door did not butch as if the building was actively keeping her out and exposed. The idea alone of staying out ripped every bit of strength off her legs, and she gasped for air when the door finally moved, and she collapsed into the strong embrace of her parent's arms. She closed her eyes shut, held unto them for dear life, and let them take her to safety. She could hear the panic in their voices as they tried to calm her down, but all she knew was that that smell wasn’t going away and that she wouldn’t survive the night if it didn’t. Little did she know that it was all the beginning of the end.

[adleryoung]

"Are you really he?" the Ixie asked after we rounded the dolmen. "Are you truly the legendary White Elf?"

"Yes," I admitted. "I am."

"Great-Great Grandpa!" she exclaimed as she pressed herself against my face in what I assumed was a familial embrace. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you! All of the stories about how handsome and dignified you are were true!"

"Mice to smee you too," I mumbled out of the side of my mouth.

"Angela told us to watch for the signs, and she was right - as usual!" the Ixie gushed as she let go and hovered in front of me.

"Angela?" I repeated. "Do you mean Angela Weakflit?"

"The Oldest Living Ixie," my great-great granddaughter confirmed with a nod. "She described most precisely the signs by which we would know that you had reawakened -"

"I've been awake the entire time!" I interrupted.

"Are you saying those bigfolk over there didn't rouse you from an enchanted slumber?"

"NO!" I exclaimed. "I've been stuck here for AGES, waiting for somebody who can help me to show up! Does this mean that you and your sisters could have come back here at any time?"

"Well, uh, not at first," the Ixie explained. "I've been told that the rabbits of Bunkirk used to keep a tight blockade around the forest."

"Are they still around?" I glowered.

"Yes, but they've relaxed their vigilance. The forest is widely considered to be haunted or cursed. Nobody goes in … until those two adventurers there. They entered, and then came out, and then came back with items. That's how we knew they must have made contact and were running errands for the White Elf. Gosh, I still can't believe I'm really talking to you!"

"So where have you all been?" I asked. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"In my grandmother's day, our base of operations was in Percysthorpe, and we had to avoid this area because of the rabbits. But recently we set up a major hive in what's left of Tulgeyside so we could keep an eye on these woods. Angela said the time was nigh."

"So you've basically been loafing around the countryside, eating sugar and listening to Angela Weakflit's ramblings for the last three generations," I surmised.

"Not at all," the Ixie contradicted. "There are stories from Great-Grandmother's time of Ixies being worthless layabouts, but Angela and Uncle Ash got us organised into a smooth-running intelligence and espionage operation. The Ominous Orse has hives in major cities on every continent. We know almost everything that goes on, and anything we don't know, we can find out."

"You didn't seem to know that I was awake and waiting for you all this time," I retorted bitterly.

"I'm sorry, sir," she replied sheepishly. "It's an embarrassing oversight."

"A competent spy network would have been extremely useful to me DECADES ago," I grumbled.

"Well I am honored to inform you that you have one now, sir," she declared with a crisp salute. "The Ixies of the Ominous Orse are yours to command! By the way, should you keep ignoring your visitors?"

I peeked around the dolmen to see what Venatrix and Barkingthwaite were doing.

"I love you more," Barkingthwaite murmured.

"On the contrary, Roger dear. I love you more."

"Pellia, my sweet, I love you ten times more."

"That may be so," Venatrix sighed, "but I love you A HUNDRED times more."

"They'll be fine for a while longer," I declared, turning back to the Ixie. "I have some important questions for you. First: Does the current generation of Ixies still have an addiction to sugar?"

"No, sir," she responded solemnly. "I've heard the tales about how sugar compromised the loyalties of my ancestors. An addiction is a weakness which enemies can exploit. We never touch refined sugar. Only natural nectar and sweet aphids, the proper nutrition which Fuma intended for us."

"Do you still have a problem with gambling?"

"Certainly not," she declared. "Gambling is a destructive vice, not to mention just a plain bad investment."

"I must say," I sighed, "that a relief."

"We only invest in worthwhile things."

"Like what?"

"We buy and trade in Penny Stocks!" she announced proudly.

[ghostsmybeloved]

Flowers

Mountain x Reader

Summary: The stoic Ghoul was never one for admitting things he felt. When you came into his life, his feelings wanted to see the surface.

Word count: 1.3k

Mountain was a quiet Ghoul, letting the others speak for him more often than not. It's not that he was shy, like Rain, he just enjoys the silence. So when he saw you for the first time at one of the Masses, he could feel a shyness creep up behind him. You were so pretty, your smile practically lighting up the whole room.

"Mountain," someone called out, cutting off the Ghoul's thoughts, "You're making flowers grow out of the floor."

Quickly looking down, Mountain saw tiny buttercups had made their way out of the stone bricks and up to his knee. The earth Ghoul's face felt hot as he pulled the flowers out gently, covering his face from Swiss and Dewdrop, who were snickering.

Cumulus smiled up at the Ghoul, "I saw you looking at one of the Siblings. Do you like them?"

"What? No! What gave you that idea?" Mountain exclaimed, looking away from the Ghoulette, "I don't even know them!"

"Good! Let's go meet them!"

Before Mountain could argue, Cumulus grabbed the bigger Ghoul's wrist and dragged him over to where you stood with Primo. She was careful to not damage the buttercups in his hand as the pair caught your attention, along with the Papa's.

"Ah, Cumulus! Mountain! È un piacere vederti!" Primo greeted the two Ghouls as you waved, "Have you met Y/N? They are going to be helping me out in the garden."

You quickly grabbed Mountain's free hand, shaking it with a huge smile, "Hello! You must be Mountain, right? Primo has told me so much about you!"

It's like Dewdrop had raised the temperature and was burning the earth Ghoul. He felt his face turn darker as you smiled at him, still shaking his hand. Satan, you made Mountain flustered beyond belief.

"Yes, I am him," Mountain replies, his face blank at he stares above you. He felt so bad, but his body wouldn't work the way he wanted it to.

Cumulus nudged Mountain before enveloping you in a hug, "Ignore him, he's flustered around pretty people and you are very pretty!"

Even though your hand was not in his anymore, Mountain couldn't stop the shaking motion until Primo put his hand on top of the Ghoul's. The Papa's gaze told Mountain to get it together, making him try to swallow his nerves.

"You'll be seeing a lot more of each other," Primo says, motioning to you and Mountain, "I hope you two grow into buoni amici."

Mountain swears Satan just reset his body. What did Primo say? He was going to see more of you?

"Say that again."

"We're going to be close friends!" You exclaimed, smiling widely at the Ghoul as you left Cumulus' embrace.

"Oh. Um. Here!" Mountain stuttered, shoving the buttercups in your hand, that has grown in his hand due to you.

Your smile never disappeared as you smelled the buttercups, sighing with content as you looked back up at the tall Ghoul. Your eyes spoke more than you did, Mountain could tell.

With his quietness, he's learned to read humans and their eyes. You didn't see him as a monster, not like the other Siblings of Sin did. You saw him as a gentle person, one delicate enough to make sure the buttercups weren't damaged.

Your gaze slowly made the room spin as Mountain kept hearing what Primo had said earlier. He was going to spend so much more time with you, he was going to get to know you. You were going to get to know him.

Even as Cumulus eventually dragged the earth Ghoul away, his heart wouldn't stop beating fast as he watched you wave goodbye. Your joy hadn't left your body the entire time and it made him light up with the same joy.

Months flew by, you and Mountain had started a routine together. He would meet you after breakfast, with a new flower in hand, to help you with the chores in the garden and would eat lunch with you. Every day was like that, you two grew closer as his shyness slowly left.

Today was another one of those mornings, as he held a tulip in his hands. Mountain couldn't help, but feel anxious every morning as he rocks back and forth on his feet.

Yet, as more time passed, the more anxious Mountain grew. You were never late, you always made sure to always show up, even if you were sick. The Ghoul couldn't help, but feel the pull towards your room as he sniffed around. Your scent lingered in the Ghoul Den, but it wasn't enough for you to be down there so Mountain rushed to your room. His mind couldn't help, but think the worst as he threw open your door.

"Mountain!" You screamed, quickly pushing something behind your back as you stared at the earth Ghoul.

Slowly, one by one, each of the three Ghoulettes peaked their heads around the corner to look at Mountain. He couldn't tell if their faces were shocked or excited. They all looked at each before slowly filing out, each of them giving Mountain a push further into the room. Cumulus was the last to leave, giving both you and Mountain a kiss on your cheeks.

"Good luck!"

Mountain looked at you, before looking at the rest of your room. He had never seen the inside of your room before, and in all honesty, it fitted who you were. Another thing he quickly noticed was your shelf of flowers, many of the flowers were pressed into a plastic film. They were all the flowers he had given you, with the buttercups he gave you the first day you met at the start of the shelf.

"Your room is beautiful."

As soon as Mountain said that, he saw your face light up and your heart start to beat faster. You looked away from him as he suddenly realized what he said. Quickly, his face lights up too and he can feel his heart beat to yours, desperately calling to the Ghoul to hold you.

"I'm sorry!" Mountain squeaks out, going to turn and leave your room when you grab his wrist.

"Wait, don't go!"

You quickly pull the earth Ghoul closer by the collar of his shirt, kissing him on his lips as you melt into him. Mountain's eyes were wide with shock as he slowly melts into the kiss, closing his eyes as the tulip falls out of his hand. With his new free hand, he cups your face as he deepens the kiss.

You were the first to pull away, a red tint on your face as you stared up at him with awe. Mountain swears to Satan that if he could capture this moment, he'd replay it every night he goes to sleep. You look like a god in his eyes, perfectly sculptured by Lucifer himself. The Ghoul has to stop himself from kissing you again as you picked up the tulip along with grabbing whatever was behind your back.

It was a makeshift flower, with a pedal from each flower he's given you. The smaller ones were on the inside as it grew bigger to the outside. It was beautiful to Mountain, seeing the delicacy you used to make it. You quickly gave it to him, looking down at the floor as you spoke up.

"I was going to give this to you and tell you my feelings, but I got side tracked with the Ghoulettes. Sorry…"

Mountain quickly pulled you in close, carefully to not ruin the two flowers as he put his nose against your head, "Don't ever apologize for this. I love you."

"I guess Primo was right, flowers are the way to your heart," you joked, wrapping your arms around the Ghoul as you took in his warmth.

"You already held my heart, you didn't need the flower, but I will cherish it for the rest of my life."

"Lucifer, I love you too."

Mountain needs more love 🥺! Hope you all enjoyed the story <3

[miyuwuki]

Hi! I really love your works and I'm wondering if I could request GOM headcanons with a reader who seems really extroverted in public; easy to talk to, friendly and always around to help. But is actually really emotionally closed off and just struggling alot with mental health, really quiet and unmotivated to do anything behind closed doors and one day they just see them crying. Sorry if this is too much... Please ignore this if it's too much on top of your matchups reqs! Take care of yourself and continue doing what u love! ><

when you’re happy on the outside but struggling on the inside

a/n: i love this request sm, pls enjoy my sweet anon╴im also not sure if this is what you expected, but i hope you enjoy anyway

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort

ft. gom + kagami taiga

PROLOGUE: he loves your bubbly personality, and loves seeing the way others get so happy the moment they land their eyes on you. you were so easy to talk to, and you were friends with everyone! who wouldn’t want to be? you constantly put others first and made sure everyone was living simply; until one day he catches that the only person you were making it hard for was yourself. 

-

KISE got off work early and decided to stop by your place to drop off some snacks that he was given from his shoot. but he didn’t want to impose in case he was being a disturbance, so he sent you a text beforehand to tell you that he was coming over. but an hour, two, three hours went by and you haven’t even read the message, making him suspicious because you should be at home. with a gulp, he speeds walk to your place and knocks on your door, finding it unlocked. he stepped in slowly and saw you on the couch, balling your eyes out╴your hair was shrivelled, your stuff was scattered on the floor, and he swore his feet didn’t move faster than it did to coddle you. “hey, hey,” he whispered, cradling your head. “i’m here, i’ve got you..” not bothering to hide your emotions, you cried into his shirt. kise didn’t want to probe you with any questions at that moment, but he should’ve known that the happiest people can also be the most broken╴and he promised you that he would be with you every step of the way. 

MIDORIMA doesn’t express his affection often, but he is very observant. he doesn’t miss the slight redness in your eyes when you decide to facetime him before you go to sleep. he doesn’t miss the way your posture is slightly slumped at school even when you have the brightest smile plastered on your face. he doesn’t miss the way you sigh before you both part ways and go home. and all his suspicions were confirmed when he was sent to hand a report to the principal’s office and heard whimpering from the woman’s washroom╴but from a voice that was very familiar to him. he didn’t want to assume it was you though, so he subtly waited outside until he saw you step out of the washroom. “shintaro?” you muttered, eyes widening at your boyfriend. he didn’t say a word; instead he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into him, embracing your entire body with his. “i’m not good at these things, but you know you can tell me anything, right? even if you don’t want to talk about it, just let me be with you, please? i’ll always be here for you.” 

AOMINE usually stays up late scrolling on whatever on his phone. clicking on the spotify app, he’s surprised to see you still awake as your status still says active on his friends' list. but his eyebrows furrowed when he sees you listening to a playlist named, “crying in the club! :’)” when he clicks on it, it’s just a whole bunch of sad songs, songs that even make his heart clench. so his thumb hovers over your contact name (which is “pretty babe”) and facetimes you. you pick up after a couple rings and sniffle before saying, “hello?” he sighs and props his phone against his bedside, “i know you’re crying.” he says, “what’s up?” you chuckle, “just a sad show,” you muttered, wiping your eyes. he sighed again and sat up, “you’re a bad liar, you know.” and it’s true because he knows you as if it’s the back of his hand. “can i really talk about it?” you asked, your lips quivering and a lump forming in your throat. unfortunately, showing him this side of you was one of your biggest fears because you did not want to burden anyone— especially aomine. he was carefree, strong, everything good in the book. but you knew you weren’t burdening him when he replies with, “i’m your loving, amazing boyfriend, pretty. you can count on me for anything.” 

MURASAKIBARA is usually a bit clueless, and a bit aloof. he loves seeing you jump around and hearing your laugh because it makes him upbeat, and honestly that was the primary aspect that drawn him to you. one night, you both planned a sleepover since it was the long weekend, but you just could not sleep. while your boyfriend was sleeping peacefully next to you, your thoughts surfaced again, tugging at your heart strings especially hard. you turned around so your back was facing him, and you let the tears fall. you tried to whimper as quietly as you could, causing you to shake and hiccup. you covered your ears, whispering “please stop, stop, stop..” but you jolted when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your torso, a nose snuggling into the nape of your neck. “y/n-cchi...” murasakibara uttered, “why are you crying?” you stayed silent, trying to formulate your thoughts into words, and trying not to sound stupid. “it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me right now, but i would like to know.” he kissed your nape. “and we can stay like this if you don’t want to show your face. please just get some sleep for now and i promise i’ll make you a yummy breakfast in the morning. let’s talk about it, ‘kay, y/n-cchi?” 

AKASHI knows everything, especially when it came to you. he knew you were struggling before you both even spoke, so when he speculated that things were getting bad again, he set up a whole self-care setting in the comfort of his home. at the dining table, there were all your favourite foods and desserts, and then in the bathroom, there was a warm milk bath with flowers and candles ready for you to soak in. in the bedroom was a fresh pair of his clothes (he knows you’re so comfortable in them) and it was perfect. so one day at school, he asks you to meet him at the entrance. you walk up to him with a smile and kiss his cheek. “what’s the occasion?” you ask. he holds your hand as if it’s the most precious thing in the world and just smiles at you back, leading you into the car. when you both arrive, you are surprised at his efforts, immediately tearing up when he explains what he’s done. “akashi.. i..” he cuts you off with a kiss. “i know you’re not doing the best right now, i just wanted you to know that i’m thinking of you.” he whispers. “give me your school stuff, i got it covered for now, and you can have whatever you like or take a bath╴clothes are ready in my room and if you’d like, we can nap. i care and love you so much, please never forget that, my love.”

KUROKO has always been stealthy. you never got used to it, as he constantly scares you most of the time (which he finds adorable to be honest). so you were startled when you were having another episode, and a hand that wasn’t yours was placed on your shoulder. “t-tetsuya? what are you doing here?” you stuttered, quickly wiping your eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. he frowned and kneeled down in front of you, taking both of your hands in his and stroking the back of your hands with his thumbs. “did i do something?” he whispered, kissing your knuckles after. you vigorously shook your head, “of course not! you were nothing but loving,” you replied. “i just, it’s hard╴life’s hard, tetsuya, and i don’t know what to do.” kuroko then hugged your torso, his head resting on your thighs and against your abdomen. “i’m so sorry you’re feeling like this, love.” he said. you felt the vibration of his voice against your tummy. “please know you can always talk to me. whatever you need, i’ll do. i will always do what you need me to do, okay? i hope you can trust me on that. let me make life easier for you.”

KAGAMI usually calls you on his break from practice to remind you to hydrate or to study for upcoming tests (most of the time, he just wants to hear your voice). but one particular phone call caught his attention; your voice was shaky as if you were cold. you sounded like you were forcing a smile, and he didn’t miss the small sniffles. it was weird, you couldn’t have been sick because you were fine earlier that day. out of concern, kagami requested to leave practice early to check up on you. he took the spare key from under the rug and allowed himself in, carefully making up his way to your room. he opened the door and saw a lump on your bed and heard sobbing from underneath. he rushed to your side, immediately finding your hand under the covers and squeezing it. “hey hey, shh, i’m here now, y/n, i’m here.” you peeked out, eyes widening. “taiga? what are you even doing here? don’t you have╴” he cut you off, “never mind that. are you okay? are you feeling okay?” you looked at him with glassy eyes, which broke his heart quite frankly, and it made him want to hold you; protect you from the world, from its people, and most of all from your thoughts. you were precious to him, and when you responded with a “no,” he never let you go that night. because he swore he’d protect you from anything and everything. 

*＊✿❀reblogs and likes are appreciated❀✿＊*

[monocaelia]

comforting you after a nightmare headcanons

nightmares aren't fun, but luckily you have someone there to protect you.

feat. albedo, diluc, childe, kaeya, xiao, zhongli

genre : hurt/comfort, fluff

note : hbd to me!! here's a gift from me to you with one of my favorite tropes, hehe <:

❀ albedo

albedo isn't one to dream much, let alone rest. he's always caught up in his own research and experiments that sleep isn't really needed if he wanted to be more productive in his research, despite the worried comments from sucrose and your lighthearted nags that he'll stay short forever.

though, that isn't to say that he's not interested. there are many times that albedo has caught you dozing off in his laboratory while waiting for him to be done with his experiments. he would be lying to himself if he didn't wonder what could possibly be playing in your mind to make you be smiling like that while unconscious.

this time, though, is an exception.

test tubes and flasks filled with various liquids and concoctions fill albedo's workspace as he examines each and every one before filling in his notebooks with descriptions and drawings of his work. there's a shuffle from his other desk and his eyes shift up to glance at you. albedo's gaze softens at the sight of his coat draped over your shoulders as they move to the rhythm of your breathing.

he wonders why you choose to stay at his laboratory so late and wait for him to finish his research rather than head home alone and sleep in your much more comfortable bed. albedo supposes you find comfort in his presence, an odd thing to be comforted by really.

however, the gentle smile quickly falls from his face the moment he hears the quiet whimpers and pleas. as quickly as he could, albedo moves to your side and gently shakes you awake. he isn't the least surprised when your eyes snap open and a gasp leaves your lips.

"...are you alright?" the question breaks you from your daze and you seem to relax when you realize you aren't dreaming anymore. though, the way your hands and shoulders shake doesn't escape the sharp eyes observing you.

"come on, i think i'm done with my research for now. we can head home if you'd like?" albedo smiles when you nod your head, but as he turns to pack up and prepare to leave his laboratory your hand shoots out to grasp his own.

albedo is surprised at first, but the shock melts into endearment as his hand pulls yours up to his lips. he presses a gentle kiss on your knuckles, reassuring you that he'll be right there for you. that you wouldn't be alone.

"nightmares, huh? ...i wonder if i can concoct something to help eradicate the chances of them appearing. oh, don't worry, i won't leave your side for the rest of the evening. promise."

❀ diluc

diluc isn't prone to nightmares, honestly he probably gets them quite often. or maybe even dreamless dreams if he's lucky. well, considering he sleeps at all. he's busy being the darknight hero of mondstatdt in the dead of night, so sleep doesn't come by often for the red haired vigilante.

even when he does get nightmares, there's not many people he can call to or rely on to help comfort him. he doesn't trust any of the knights, and he definitely doesn't trust kaeya to help at all. so comforting someone isn't something he knows how to do well.

but he tries his best to comfort you in any way, shape, or form if you ever needed him to.

the knocking against his door is quiet, nearly nonexistent if diluc was preoccupied with anything other than trying to sleep. he would have ignored it if it weren't for the quiet whisper of his name from a voice he recognized. sighing, he rises from his bed and heads over to his door, mentally preparing himself for whatever you're planning to throw over his head.

instead, diluc is met with your cheeky smile. you're definitely up to no good, but he hasn't quite figured out what you were going to do or say. before he could even question why you're standing outside his door in the dead of night, you interrupt him.

"wow diluc! fancy seeing you here, do you come here often?" he deadpans at you and nearly closes the door to go back to sleep. but he notices the way your fingers twiddle, a sign that you're nervous about something. his eyes flicker to your face, scanning anything that would give him clues on what's on your mind.

"what happened?" diluc's brows furrow in worry seeing the way your smile falls and the way your body begins to curl in on itself. he offers a hand for you to take, an invitation for you to be comforted by the stoic man in front of you. he lets a small smile grow on his lips when he sees you brighten up a tad at his invitation.

your hand is encased in his own, scarred and rough with callouses but comforting and warm at the same time.

"go back to sleep, it's already getting really late. if you need anything, though, i'll be right here until the dawn rises."

❀ childe

although sleep is necessary to maintain perfect health, childe finds it difficult to maintain a proper sleeping schedule due to his job as a fatui harbinger. when the tsaritsa calls, he needs to be there immediately to come to her aid and carry out her orders regardless of how inconvenient it was for him.

but, having many siblings, especially younger ones, has always prepared childe to comfort and protect anyone that he holds close to his heart. nobody, not even nightmares, can get close enough to harm the people he loves, not if he's alive to knock them down a peg.

which definitely includes you, someone who holds his entire world in the palm of your hands.

childe finds you awake at the dead of night after one of his shifts at the northland bank. which is surprising considering you're always asleep before he gets back home from work, always trying to stay up to welcome the harbinger home but always succumbing to the sweet embrace of slumber.

a mischievous grin grows on his lips as he plans to spook you, but as he nears your body, the shaking of your body and quiet sniffles reach his ears. immediately, childe's hand is on your shoulder and he frowns when you yelp and whip around to see him.

"o-oh, ajax, i didn't expect to see you home so soon. i was just getting ready for bed." a white lie. childe presses his lips into a thin line, his hand reaching out to catch a tear falling from your cheek. did...did he do this to you? was he being a bad partner for not putting aside more time for you?

as if reading his mind, you vehemently shake your head and grab onto childe's wrist. "no! no... it's not what you think i just had a really bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep. don't worry, you don't need to beat yourself up over this." he relaxes immediately at your comment, but he still feels bad for leaving you alone when you needed someone to comfort you.

childe leans over, cupping your face in his hands as he showers your face in featherlight kisses. your giggles fill the room and the habinger can't help but laugh as well, especially after pressing a wet, sloppy kiss on your lips. "how about i cook you a nice stew for tonight? it always helped teucer calm down when he was scared."

and you take him up on that offer. the rest of the evening is filled with light laughter from the both of you as childe moves around the kitchen and tells you stories of his childhood. the scene is comforting, peaceful, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

"how about we turn in for tonight? don't worry, nothing will harm you as long as your big, strong ajax is by your side!"

❀ kaeya

despite his title of being a "lazy" and "laid-back" captain of the calvary, kaeya isn't one to sleep too much. he has a regular sleeping schedule, though there are some nights where the memories of his past haunt him and he stays up reminiscing about how things were.

he's one to brood alone, not letting anyone see him vulnerable. but he likes to be relied on. there isn't a bone in his body that prevents him from helping anyone in need, even though the way he gets things done is quite... unconventional to everybody else's standards.

but when you call to him for help, he’s there in an instant.

the sound of rustling from beside kaeya stirs him from his slumber. he squints, his good eye focusing in the darkness of his room before landing on your curled up figure beside him. he figures you’re just shifting in your sleep and closes his eyes again, but you shift again and sigh. surely, you’re not sleeping at this point.

kaeya gently calls out your name, a warm smile on his face when he sees you startle from his voice. though, his smile melts away from his face when he sees your expression. it doesn’t help that you flinch slightly when his hand reaches over to brush against your cheek.

“sorry, i just…i’m still shaken from my dream and-“ your apologies are cut short when kaeya sends you a comforting smile and cups your jaw in his hand. he assures you that it’s fine.

“are you okay? how long have you been up?” it takes you a moment too long to come up with a lie that would put your lover at ease. when you come up with an answer, kaeya is already staring at you with his mismatched orbs, one of deep sapphire and the other a light, milky blue color. you can’t lie to him now.

so you tell the calvary captain about the dream you just had, not going too into details with what really shook you. and kaeya listens to everything you say, a hand firmly on your arm to remind him that you’re with him and not whatever occurred in your dreams.

he makes little comments here and there to lighten the mood, though he knows when to keep quiet so you can talk it through. when you finish talking the dream through, kaeya pinches your cheek, chiding you for dreaming of such things.

but he reassures you that you’re fine, and that he’s here to protect you should anything from your dreams come into reality. he jokes about letting you handle everything alone, but you know he wouldn’t despite how cheeky he is.

"don't let the bedbugs bite, [name]. haha, kidding. i'll be here to fight them off if you need me. i am a captain after all."

❀ xiao

xiao isn't unfamiliar with nightmares and dreams. don't forget, one of his duties under the reign of the yaksha's previous master was to devour the dreams of the innocent. it had gotten to the point where dreams were the only things he could stomach, despite detesting the intent behind it.

despite it all, though, xiao is still an adeptus who protects the mortals and the innocent of liyue. his sole job now, under his contract with rex lapis, is to protect even if it means throwing his life away. with a swift call of his name, he would be there to be the guardian of liyue and anyone residing in it.

and that includes you, the sole mortal that the young adeptus enjoys the company of.

a gasp tears through your throat as you sit up in your bed, sweat dripping down the side of your face. your eyes are blown wide open with the visions of your nightmare still clear in your mind. the rapid beating of your heart and panting are the only sounds heard in your otherwise quiet bedroom.

curses spill from your lips as you cradle your head in your hands, your knees pulled up to your chest to try and make yourself as small as you possibly could. but to no avail, no matter what you did to comfort yourself or make yourself forget the nightmare, the visions still flashed in your memories every time you closed your eyes.

you don't hear the rustling from your window, nor did you feel the presence of someone crouching from behind your curtains. it's only when he gently calls your name do you whip your head around, eyes coming face to face with golden eyes that gleam in the moonlight.

"xiao... sorry i didn't see you there," you stutter, quickly wiping your eyes and turning away so the young adeptus wouldn't see you crying. his eyes narrow at you, eyebrows furrowing as a frown settles on his face. "what are you-"

your hands are pulled away from your face and you're pulled closer to him. "you're crying." you try to deny xiao's observation and reassure him that you're fine, but a hand gently brushes against your cheek.

xiao doesn't say anything when the tears begin falling down your face again. he doesn't say anything when you jump into his arms and bury your face in his chest. you feel his arms firmly wrap themselves around you. he doesn't say a word, but his actions alone assure you that he would be there with you for the rest of the evening.

"sleep. should any more dreams come to haunt you during your rest, i'll be here to dispose of them."

❀ zhongli

as an archon, zhongli doesn't find much need for sleep. he's a god and no god needs sleep to be energized for the following day. it's not like it would do well for him anyways, seeing as he would much rather prefer strolling the lit up streets of liyue harbor in the late evening before returning to his home to drink tea and relax.

that's not to say he isn't familiar with dreams and how they can affect mortals. he knows full well the impact they can have, especially if they're dreams filled with horrible outcomes or stuff nobody would like to be reminded of.

so when you come to him to seek comfort after a horrible night, he's ready to welcome you into his embrace.

the gentle whisper of zhongli's name alerts him of your presence from the hallway in your shared home. the archon lifts his head to look at you, eyes made of molten gold meeting your shaking gaze. "what's wrong, dear?" you don't answer his question and instead shift your gaze to the ground.

zhongli tells you to "come here" in the gentlest voice he could muster, and you do. as soon as you sit beside your lover, his hand comfortingly holds your jaw and lifts your face so you can see him. there's nothing but endearment and love in his gaze. "you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

he hums in amusement seeing the way your body relaxes after that. there's a gentle tug on your arm, a signal for you to find comfort in zhongli's embrace, and you find yourself snug in between the archon's arms. you inhale deeply, zhongli's comforting scent filling your lungs.

his hands rake gently up and down your spine and hearing his heartbeat from where you rest on his chest calms you immensely. if it weren't for your nervous, rhythmic tapping against his arm, zhongli would have assumed you fell back asleep in his arms.

"would you like to hear about the play i've been attending to recently? the plot is quite interesting, i think you would enjoy it." he attempts to distract you for a while to calm your nerves after waking so abruptly, and it works, not to his surprise.

as he drones on and on about the plot that doesn't quite make sense to you in your dazed state, the archon notices the way your fingers have stilled and your breathing has evened out, much calmer and more regulated than before. zhongli smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

"it's starting to get late. you should try to rest again. don't worry, i'll be beside you should anything happen to you once more."

[loopy-froots]

Childhood Friends

Brahms Heelshire x afab!Reader

Author: @loopy-froots

Word Count: 3261 (WOW wtf…)

Slight request by @leahromanof : small age gap (Brahms is 26-28 and the reader is 20)

Summary: The Reader grew up very close to the Heelshire family, as their parents were business partners with them. However, after the fire incident, Brahms and the Reader took some space from each other. While the Reader knew Brahms was still alive, they didn’t know under the circumstances he was. When a sudden tragedy strikes their family, the Reader is left with no home. The Heelshire family offer their home with welcoming arms, but much has changed between all of them since they have last seen each other.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, swearing, slasher x reader, smut, virgin/unprotected sex (masc and fem), abusive parents (fem), insecurities (on both parts), slight age gap (6ish years?), a slight size kink (if you squint?), etc.

Author’s Note: I wasn’t too sure what to write for the age gap so I hope this is good enough!!! I also threw in a lot of personal needs I’ve been having, so I hope y’all don’t mind! Feel free to let me know your thoughts!!!

~~~

*2nd Person POV*

You couldn’t believe this was happening. You were finally going to see your beloved childhood friend, Brahms Heelshire, again after close to ten years of separation. You wished this was not under these circumstances, as you never intended to cause your family such turmoil.

“Y/n! Come in, why don’t you?” Mr. Heelshire exclaims as he opens his front door. He must have seen you walk up their driveway. You can see Mrs. Heelshire inside, but she shares a concerning expression. Trying to brush it off, you step inside and am greeted by the warmth of the house. It was a terribly chilly winter day, and the walk there exhausted you.

“Come, dear! Let me get you a cup of tea to warm you up! You look rather frozen!” Mrs. Heelshire snaps out of her funk and laughs al0ng with her husband. Their jovial attitude makes you feel rather welcomed and loved.

“I cannot thank you enough, Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire… I… I’m terribly sorry that this all happened… especially so suddenly…” You look down with embarrassment.

“Nonsense! We’re always happy to have you, Y/n! Our home is yours!” Mr. Heelshire smiles at you, but you get a somewhat urgent vibe from him. You’re not sure how to feel about it, but you figure since they’re being ever so kind you were in no position to question.

“Now, dear… why don’t you tell us exactly what happened… Perhaps we may help with your parents’ situation?” Mrs. Heelshire gently suggests, but you shake your head in disagreement.

“Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s possible… you see, I recently came out to my parents as non-binary… they’ve never been overly supportive of that kind of stuff, but I knew I couldn’t hide myself any longer…” You explain shamefully.

“Oh my… that is a rather difficult predicament, hm? However, we want you to know that we fully support you… in fact, our own Brahms considers himself genderfluid,” Mrs. Heelshire shares, which honestly makes you feel less alone.

“Really? I… I had no idea… Thank you, but speaking of which… where is Brahms…? Does he still live with you?” You wonder.

“Oh, um… yes… he does, but he’s grown to be rather… timid… so he doesn’t always come out when people are visiting…” Mr. Heelshire explains swiftly, and you try to understand. You don’t fully know what he’s been through, so who are you to judge his social anxieties?

“That’s alright. Well, I just hope he knows how excited I am to see him again…” You confess, causing a surprised reaction from the Heelshire couple.

“Really? Well, that’s certainly wonderful! I’m sure he'll become more open to meeting you after he gets used to you being in the house…” Mrs. Heelshire states with a gentle smile, and you nod your head in agreement.

With that, you are then taken on a tour of the house. You’re shown areas you can and cannot wander to, and you mentally note each location that’s off limits. You’d never want to make the Heelshires uncomfortable, despite how curious you were. They show you to your room, which you immediately recognize as Brahms’ childhood room.

“Oh wow! This looks exactly how I remembered it!” You giggle.

“I’m glad you’re fond of it still, as Brahms insisted you take his room for your own… comfort…” Mr. Heelshire shares, but something tells you he’s not entirely being honest. However, you ignore the feeling bubbling up in your stomach.

“Well, feel free to unpack your things dear. As we mentioned before, we are planning on going on a trip within the next few days. So it will be just you and Brahms for a while…” Mrs. Heelshire reminds you, and you shiver slightly for some reason.

“Oh, yes… Well, I hope the two of you enjoy it!” You politely respond.

~~~

“Goodbye, dear! And remember, follow the rules and you’ll get no trouble from our dear Brahms!” The Heelshires bid you farewell and leave in their cab. Closing the door, you sigh in relief.

“Alright, follow the rules… I can do that… it’s the least I can do since they were so kind as to let me stay for a while…” You motivate yourself.

“Y/n…” A sudden familiar, childlike voice echoes through the house. You looked around to see who it came from, but you saw no one. It had to be Brahms, right? Who else could it have been, but where was he?

“B-Brahms?” You sheepishly call out. You hear no answer and suddenly feel quite stupid. Maybe you just heard the shifting of the house or imagined someone was calling your name?

“Alright, focus… first things first, making some lunch… hopefully he’ll come down to eat with me…?” You hope. You could’ve sworn you heard another childish giggle somewhere, but you try to shake the skittish feeling building up. You quickly make whatever you feel like for lunch, desperate to finish so that you can call Brahms down to eat.

“Um, Brahms? I… lunch is done… if you want some?” You yell throughout the house, but you hear no answer. Finally feeling defeat, you turn back to the kitchen and notice that one of the plates of food has disappeared.

“How did he get to it without me noticing?” You ask out loud. Every instinct within you tells you that something was wrong, but you tried your best to give the man some time to adjust to the new living situation.

“Y/n…?” In the middle of eating, you hear a now more adult version of the voice you heard earlier. You drop your fork in surprise and frantically look around for the source. You then see a tall and scruffy looking man standing at the end of the dining room. He was holding the plate that is now empty, and you figure that must be Brahms. He was very odd looking, in all honesty. He wore a porcelain mask that resembles the type of little dollies you used to keep as a kid.

“Oh, um… h-hello, Brahms…?” You try to be friendly towards him, despite the creepy feeling you got from him already. However, him not answering causes the suspicion to form again.

“Um… did you enjoy the meal I made for you?” You try to spark a conversation, but Brahms nonverbally nods in response.

“That’s good! I’m… glad…” You smile awkwardly at him, but his masked face remains expressionless. You shift uncomfortably in your seat, and Brahms notices the tense state you’re in. He begins to step closer to you, and sets his plate on the table. Sweating profusely, you wonder what he’s doing. He steps closer and closer to you until he’s directly in front of you. While you sit, he towers over you. You’d never admit it, but he’s very intimidating. However, you try your best to be polite.

“Is… everything alright, Brahms?” You ask innocently. He just stares at you, though, never saying a word. When you were about to get up and try to walk away, he grabs your arm and pulls you into him.

“B-Brahms…?!” You exclaim as he squeezes you in his broad arms. He’s rather warm, but trembling. Your heart relaxes when you realize he only wanted a hug.

“Y/n… nice to see you again…” He finally peeps out. Your cheeks heat up, but you lean into the embrace. The two of you just hold onto each other for a few moments, enjoying each other’s presence.

“Good to see you, too! I was worried you were upset with me for coming back after such a long time…” You try to pull away and look him in the eyes, but his grip keeps you there.

“Mm, no… not upset… lonely…” He breathes into your ear, sending a chill down your back. He was… lonely? That makes you feel bad… really bad… how could you leave him like you did after the incident?! It wasn’t completely your fault, as you parents were the main reason you stayed away. They told you what a dangerous person Brahms was, and they forbid you from being influenced by him in any way.

Additionally, your parents never liked how fond the two of you seemed towards each other, despite the slight age difference you had. Brahms was only six years older, and to you it didn’t matter for terms of friendship. However, your parents saw the attraction Brahms had towards you right away. As children, it only developed into a little crush, but the older the two of you got the more obvious it became, to the adults at least. You seemed quite oblivious to his attempts to woo you, as you had just thought he was being friendly.

“I…I’m sorry, Brahms… I should’ve… I wish I’d have… I’m sorry…” Tear well in your eyes as you look down from his gaze. Your focus then shifts to the ever growing bulge in his pants that you hadn’t noticed before.

“It’s alright… happy you’re here now…” Brahms strokes your hair with his free hand, and he leans into you. You feel him stroke your neck with his nose, seemingly trying to get a reaction out of you. Completely frozen, you felt unsure of what to do. All of the sudden, your head’s ideas clicked and made you realize the years of yearning he’d been doing for you.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t still have feelings for the boy you grew up with. You always admired how protective he was of you. You never admitted your affection towards him, though, as you thought he might react negatively. To you, the age difference acted as a barrier, but to him, it seemed he didn’t mind in the slightest. All he’s ever known was his love for you, despite the age gap. However, is this still the same boy as before? You probably barely knew him anymore. Then why were you getting so flustered over this simple interaction?

“Brahms?” You look back into his eyes with a curious glint. What was he planning with you?

“Hm?” He nonchalantly answers.

“Are you…?” You start, but then feel too embarrassed to finish.

“Yes,” He agrees without needing you to explain. You feel him jerk his hips into your stomach softly, desperate to get some friction between the two of you. As intoxicating as he was being, you still felt unsure of your stance with him.

“I’m not sure I want to… I mean, this is so soon… don’t you think?” You try to reason mainly with yourself to try and stop this from happening. With that, Brahms stops and pulls away from you with a pout.

“No?” He questions with sweet eyes.

“I… yes…?” You try to stand your ground with yourself again, but it’s no use. Brahms’ heartfelt pleading turns you to putty in his hands.

“Please?” He begs. With that, you finally agree, and he’s onto you. Groping all up and down your sides, front, and back, he feels every inch of your body as if he’s desperate to find something in you.

“Brahms… wait…?” You stop him again, realizing you hadn’t seen his actual face yet. You politely ask him to remove his mask, but he visibly slumps.

“Why…? You… don’t want to see me…” Brahms insecurely explains, but you shake your head.

“I do! Please…?” You whine as he continues to feel up your back. Brahms hesitates slightly, then agrees. With that, he slowly removes the porcelain from himself. This leaves his bare, burnt, and uncertain face into your view. You’re unsure of what to say at first, as your feelings are conflicted. However, you quickly decide to go with what your heart felt.

“You’re so handsome, Brahms…” You confess with a sheepish smile. He doesn’t respond, though, almost as if he’s debating what to say as well.

“Mm!” You moan through a sudden kiss he placed on your lips, making Brahms smile to himself in the kiss. He loved the way you reacted to his touch. He quickly realized you were feeling the same towards him, and that gave him the confidence to continue. You rapidly grew a certain heat in your pelvic area, but the feeling was still unfamiliar to you. Only on the rare occasion did you allow yourself the pleasure, but you felt guilty for it every time.

“Slut… whore… useless daughter…” Your parents’ past words radiate in your head, and a panic washes over your body. Brahms senses your inner conflict again, and stops once more.

“Y/n…?” He gently asks to see if you’re alright. Tears well up in your eyes as the guilt of disappointing your parents consumes you.

“I’m sorry, I just… my mom and dad would be so upset… I just feel so… lost…” You admit, and Brahms wipes your cheeks with his calloused hands.

“Mm, screw them…” He chuckles darkly.

“But…” You try to argue, but he shushes you instead.

“They’ve never been good to you, Y/n…” Brahms shares, and it confuses you at first. They’ve always given you food, shelter, and anything else a child would need.

“But they… they mean well…” You try to reason it out, but he still disagrees.

“I’ve been watching, listening to how they treat you your whole life, Y/n… the way they scream at you, gaslight you, disappoint you… that’s not love… that’s abuse…” Brahms whispers with a broken heart for you. The pain of realization hits you, but you try to muffle your cries with your hands over your mouth.

“I’m so sorry… I know how hard it is… but I… I want to love you… really love you…” He kisses the top of your head sweetly. His words fill your heart with hope that you might not be miserable the rest of your life.

“Really…? I mean, I would love that… but I don’t want to force you into anything…” You self doubt yourself.

“Absolutely. I mean, hell… why do you think I was doing all of this?” Brahms wonders, and you suppose he’s right.

“Yeah, true… I’m sorry, I just feel bad… but thank you, I’d love to… y’know…?” You admit with a shy grin, which he immediately returns.

“Good,” He smirks and kisses you again. This time, the kiss was much more desperate for the sweet result. Brahms shows no mercy for you this time as he begins biting your lips. Your little gasps invoke a strong sense of pride within him. He was making you feel this way, and he alone would make you feel good.

“Hm,” His deep voice rumbles in his chest. Your eyes flutter open and shut, unsure of how to go about this situation. Squirming around awkwardly, you then feel Brahms grab your waist as he lifts you up and onto the table.

“Ah! Brahms...?!” You yelp in surprise.

“Take off your shirt, Y/n.” He demands, already sliding his hands underneath. You timidly follow his instructions, removing your shirt and bra from your body. Brahms looks down from your face and onto your breasts. He adored them, so he ran his hands over them as he gave each nipple a cheeky pinch.

“Oh, Brahms…” Your eyes close in bliss, but he snaps your attention back to his eyes.

“Look at me,” He suggests sternly.

“O-okay…” You do as he wishes and stare deep into his icy eyes. He’s tender and gentle, but he still makes you feel so small next to him.

“You’re so pretty, Y/n… I’ve always loved you…” Brahms brushes a stray lock of hair out of your face, giving him a better view at your beauty.

“I have loved you for the longest time, too, Brahms… I just never knew how to tell you…” You try your best to express your feelings, but your past experience with doing so has never been easy for you. Each emotion you shared ended in an argument with your parents.

“I’m so glad… please…” Brahms pleads, leaning his forehead against yours. He didn’t have to finish for you to understand what he wanted.

“C’mere…” Your sudden burst of trust hits the two of you like a train. Brahms roughly attacks your neck with his lips and teeth, nipping at all your sensitive areas. Exploring each and every inch, he scopes out which areas you like best.

“Mm, Y/n…” He whimpers, rubbing his needy cock against your body. You had neglected it for far too long, and you wanted to give it some love too.

Lowering your hand down to his member, you stroke him through his pants. Pre-cum leaks from his tip and soaks through his underwear slightly. His moans fill your ears with sweet misery. The lack of being inside of you was killing him, but he wanted to take things slow for you.

“Ah, Y/n…! Please! I’ll be a good boy!” He begs you to allow him entrance, and you agree. Instantaneously, he pulls his clothes off and prepares his painfully hard cock to slide into you.

“Oh! You feel… so tight…!” He didn’t tell you, but this was his first time as well. The first feeling of being inside of someone, especially when that someone is you, was the best feeling he’s ever felt. He couldn’t help himself but pump in and out of you. He tried his best to go slow, but his selfish excitement got the better of him. However, you were far from upset by this.

“Ah! D-don’t… stop…!” You plead with him, and he obliges. Slapping his body into yours in a rhythmic motion causes you to quickly feel that coil in your stomach tighten around him.

“F-fuck…! You’re gonna make me…!” As quickly as it started, your love making ended. The two of you came together simultaneously, and everything felt perfect to you. However, Brahms felt a wave of guilt.

“I… I’m sorry… I wish I had lasted longer… and I shouldn’t have pressured you into this…” He goes on and on about all the things he could’ve done better, but you then stop him with a chaste peck on his lips.

“You were perfect. Thank you,” You lovingly look into his eyes. He searches for any sort of regret, but when he finds none he settles into your arms.

~~~

MY REQUESTS FOR DRAWING AND WRITING ARE STILL OPEN!! FEEL FREE TO SEND AN ASK/MESSAGE WITH YOUR IDEA!!

[seriouslysnape]

Miscommunication

James Potter x Remus Lupin x Sirius Black x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Language.

Word Count: 1,349

A/N: Here is part 2!

“Oh, I’m well aware that you don’t appreciate me.”

“Fuck you, Sirius!” Your usually calm voice bellowed out in the boys’ dormitory.

“You better watch your fucking mouth.” Sirius pointed at you, his face red with anger and his eyes full of rage.

“Or what? Are you gonna ‘fuck the attitude out of me’?” You spat, so close to exploding that your entire body was trembling; “Sex doesn’t fix everything!”

Sirius looked horrified at your statement, but he was even more appalled at your sudden boldness towards him. You never talked back. To any of them. And if you ever had the urge to, Sirius was the last one you’d ever try it on. Something had really riled you up, but Sirius didn’t care what it was.

All he knew was that you were pissing him off.

“Since when do you tell me how we do things? Last time I checked, you’re not in control here, sweetheart.” He hissed, the endearment dripping with venom.

You were far past the point of backing down now. You were on a steady roll and you were determined to get it into his thick skull. No matter what it took. He was standing just in front of you, and half a step forward would have the two of you touching.

“You still have to listen to me, Sirius. You can’t just throw me around all the time.” You remarked, your voice rising even louder, despite your close vicinity.

“Oh, so now you’re telling me what to do? You’ve lost your fucking mind.” Sirius growled, matching your volume.

The door swung open, revealing James and Remus who looked as if they had ran there from clear across the castle.

“What is going on?” James heaved; “We can hear you two all the way from the common room.” 

Sirius laughed incredulously, turning away from you to face the two boys.

“Princess here has decided that she can get away with saying whatever she wants to me,” Sirius explained; “I was just telling her that’s not how we do things.”

Remus was the first to raise a brow. It was very peculiar for you to scream at any of them like this. From time to time, you’d get irritated or even a little fussy with your boys, but never full blown outraged like this. Sometimes you’d even catch an attitude on purpose with the hopes of getting what you want, but something was definitely wrong here. You were demanding attention, but not THAT kind of attention.

“Baby,” Remus began gently, approaching you with a soft demeanor; “What’s gotten you so upset?”

Sirius’ head whipped around at lightning speed, his voice thick with spite as he gruffed at Remus.

“Do not ‘baby’ her. She’s being a-”

“Pads!” James cut off Sirius before he said something he’d regret. 

“What? She’s being stubborn!” Sirius argued.

Soon enough, Sirius and James were on the other side of the room, talking at each other and trying to outargue the other. You weren’t even focused on Sirius anymore. You kept your eyes trained on Remus in hopes of settling yourself down. Remus had a calming effect on you that the other two didn’t have. 

“He’s just being so aggravating.” You said lowly, keeping your volume at a minimum.

“What do you mean, lovebug?” Remus questioned, stroking your cheek with his most cautious touch. He left a loving kiss to your lips that were strained with displeasure, hoping to bring you back to your more normal self.

“He just won’t listen to me,” You stressed; “I’ve had a really long day and all I wanted to do was just talk about it. But he can’t keep his dick in his pants long enough to even let me express myself.”

Remus looked over his shoulder to get a quick glance at James and Sirius, who were still quarreling away. There was no doubt that Sirius’ side of the story was very different from yours. Remus sighed heavily, because this wasn’t the first time this had happened. It hadn’t quite sparked this big of a reaction from you, but this bickering topic had been discussed before. 

Remus and James had told Sirius time and time again that his ignorance for your non-sexual needs was going to get him in trouble. More often than not, you let Sirius push you and you would just take it without fighting back. They knew it was only a matter of time before you snapped.

“Sirius doesn’t talk as well as James and I do. You know that.” Remus pointed out.

Sirius usually left the “emotional counseling” (as he called it) to James and Remus. Sirius’ ability to communicate verbally was less than perfect. Sirius figured that a bad day could be solved by a couple of orgasms. He didn’t understand that you weren’t going to always want to solve it that way. 

“But if you two can do it, then why can’t he?” You posed; “I love talking to you and James, but Sirius just doesn’t care.” 

“He does care, baby, just not always in the way you want him to. He just needs some practice.” Remus suggested.

Maybe you were being a little hard to get along with, but if Sirius was going to be a part of his relationship, then he had to at least try to embrace the other aspects of being committed. The other side of the room suddenly fell silent, pausing your and Remus’ conversation. Sirius was glaring at you, and it seemed that James wasn’t really getting through to him. The bubbling pot of anger had well boiled over in Sirius, the steaming liquid of wrath seeping through every bone and crevice of his being.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I sure as hell don’t appreciate it.” Sirius snarked, beginning to target you again.

“Oh, I’m well aware that you don’t appreciate me.” You fired off, pushing past Remus to meet Sirius halfway.

James and Remus were caught in the middle, watching the two of you fight from off to the side.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sirius riposted, his cheeks flushing red once more.

You scoffed in distaste, grabbing your things and preparing to make your exit.

“I mean that until you learn how to be a decent boyfriend and human being,” You scowled; “I don’t want to be around you.”

All three of the boys froze in place, stunned at your words. Sirius felt a rush of dread flood his veins and go straight to his head. He knew that you weren’t breaking up with him, but he couldn’t imagine his days without you. The thought of you being all over James and Remus without him was hard to take. All four of you were in a relationship together. None of you were used to you distancing yourself from one member.

“You’re not thinking this through, bunny.” Remus warned once he built the courage to speak.

“Moony’s right,” James added; “Let’s all sit down and talk about this, yeah?”

You shook your head angrily as you forcefully shoved your books and whatever else into your backpack. If Sirius wasn’t going to talk, then neither were you. You were shooting daggers into Sirius’ frame, making your unhappiness very obvious.

“Sirius won’t understand. There’s no point.” You huffed.

Despite Sirius’ growing sense of worry and desire to keep you around, his exasperation won out.

“The only thing I don’t understand is why you’re acting like such a bitch.” Sirius snapped, delivering the final blow.

James closed his eyes in frustration, Remus pinching the bridge of his nose. They knew that Sirius had just REALLY fucked up now. You only shook your head again, slinging your backpack over your shoulders.

“I’ll see you boys later.” You said to James and Remus, purposefully ignoring Sirius.

You bumped past Sirius and had slammed the door behind you before anything else could be said. The boys were standing there in complete, desolate quietness. James and Remus were staring Sirius down, which was enough to begin to simmer out his anger. James spoke first, his voice thick with annoyance and sarcasm.

“That went well.”

[suna-reversed]

HI CAN I REQUEST 58 61 AND 99 WITH SUKUNA🥺

Kitchen encounters with the King of Curses

SUKUNA X F!READER// fluff+ nsfw!!// 1.9k+

the 3 kitchen encounters that changed your relationship with Sukuna. 

#58 “Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.” 

 #61 “If you don’t change out of those shorts and into some pants I’ll have them around your ankles by lunch time.”

#99 “You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.” 

(Tags/Warnings- starts out with crack and fluff but MAJOR smut and filth at the end! Degradation, Oral (receiving), creampie, being bent over a table??)

A/N: you can either consider the reader to be in a poly relationship with both Yuji and Sukuna, or you can just take Yuji as your room-mate/friend. 

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“Oh my god stop it- what is wrong with you argh-”

“I will burn down this kitchen the next time you try to put such an atrocious thing near me again-”

You snorted in the corner, hands coming up to suppress your uncontrollable laughter. You never thought there would be a day you’d watch the mouth of your lover try to attack it’s own host (and your room-mate) after Yuji had promptly tried to pop in a piece of coffee jelly into the mouth on his palm. Noticing your presence, the curse spat a few bitter words at you too while Yuji pleaded for your help in the background,

“He said he was hungry!” Yuji exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“Well, I don’t think he did anything wrong then Sukuna, it’s not like you specified what you were hungry for...” You replied, tone laced with playfulness as you watched the mouth disappear from Yuji’s palm.

It was silent for a while, and you heard Yuji sigh with relief, but it was short-lived as the mouth once again reappeared on his neck, a smirk growing as it lowly said,

“Now that I think of it, I do know what I’m hungry for. You know, there wasn’t a single thing to eat in the kitchen until you walked in.”

The comment was enough to make heat crawl up your entire face, prompting Yuji to shoo away at the mouth with his hand (not a great idea because he did get bitten in the process). 

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“Where’s the milk?”

You yelped, almost dropping the said milk carton at the sudden intrusion of a deep voice that you didn’t think you would ever get used to. Turning around, you realised that it wasn’t just a mouth on some part of Yuji’s body that spoke, but the king of curses in flesh himself. Very much in flesh indeed as he walked around in just a pair of sweatpants. Concentrating hard on keeping your eyes above his chest, you asked,

“Must you get rid of the shirt every single time you shift?”

“Yes” he replied without missing a beat. You pretended to ignore the sharp-set pair of eyes that were darting down your bare legs.

“And why do you need milk ? I didn’t think you required food for sustenance...or even preferred it.”

“I need it to take a bath of course.”

You scrunched your eyebrows, head tilting in confusion as you contemplated if he was being serious.

He countered with a look of his own that made it seem like his request was the most obvious thing in the world.

“And perhaps..you can join me” He said while covering the distance between you both in two long strides

Your face flustered at his suggestive tone, a hand reaching down to tug at your over-sized shirt nervously. His eyes darkened as his eyes raked down your body once more. Your breath hitched in your throat as he placed a hand right beside your head on the kitchen shelf, leaning forward until you could feel his breath on your neck,

“If you don’t change out of those shorts and into some pants , I’ll have them around your ankles by lunch time.” he whispered.

You gasped, half intimidated- half excited as his other hand lightly trailed up your side. But then just as quickly, you felt the warmth of his bare skin leave as he took a few steps back away from you. Noticing the sudden emptiness in your hand, you snapped your head up, your eyes meeting a pair of mischievous ones , whose possessor now held the milk carton in one hand as he walked away whistling a tune you didn’t quite know.

---------nsfw below cut!----------

It would be an understatement to say that Yuji’s mission had been a train-wreck. The biggest flaw being that you, a civilian, not only got dragged into it, but were also gravely injured. The higher ups had only let him get away with it because despite being utterly beaten and ruined himself, he had still risked his life to make sure he carried you to safety. No one knew that it wasn’t actually Yuji, who had ended up succumbing to his injuries, but the malicious curse instead who had gently nosed at your hair, carrying you back home as he, in his words, “forbid you from leaving him alone in this ramshackled world.”

That was the last you had seen of him, Yuji being caught up in meetings with the higher ups as you stayed in the now protected apartment, still recovering. And now here you were, standing in the kitchen in a comfy pair of shorts and sweatshirt, waiting for your tea to heat up in the microwave.

“Well, well, what did I say about you not changing out of those shorts...” 

Your entire body stilled for a second at the voice that had become as familiar to you as the back of your hand. Turning around, your eyes met his, relieved that he was finally back. 

Sukuna seemed to be in a daze as you walked towards him, your arms encasing his torso as you buried your head into his chest. When you didn’t feel him embrace you back, you pulled away worriedly. You knew it wasn’t just the strain on Yuji’s body that made him seem tired, his eyes were sunken, almost hollowed out as he continued to stare into your face. Your hand reached up to caress his face as a way of asking if he was okay. That finally seemed to snap him back to reality as leaned further into your touch.

“Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.” He mumbled onto the skin of your palm, eyes moving up to meet yours.

Your heart swelled with joy at the raw tenderness in his words. Getting up on your tip-toes, you pressed your lips to his, hands moving to entangle in his hair. Small pecks turned into deep passionate kisses as your tongues clashed with each other. You lightly squealed as his arms wrapped around you, easily picking you up and putting you on the marble counter-top.

For once you were mad that he hadn’t ripped apart Yuji’s shirt as your hands slid under it to run your nails across his muscular abdomen. He got the message as he deftly pulled it over his head in one go, doing the same for your shirt and bra that were ripped off of you and discarded somewhere on the floor. Your shorts soon enough joining the pile.

Sukuna’s hands wandered and travelled all across the expanse of your body. Everywhere except for right where you wanted him. His mouth sucked hickeys onto the skin of your neck as his hands fondled your breasts, rolling around and pinching your sensitive nipples.

You cried out his name, a plea asking for more. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard and the curse decided that it won’t be the last time he does so. His lips trailed down your body, making sure to leave a trail of evidence behind, teeth coming into the mix to leave a bite-mark every now and then. Looking up at you from between your thighs, he had never had a better view. His mouth watered at the sight of your dripping heat as he pulled apart your legs. You were literally spread out like a feast on the table, a feast that was all for him to enjoy.

“Plea-please- need you to touch me.”

“Patience, my love.”

He ran a digit around your sensitive nub, another finger dipping down to add some lubrication to his perverse ministrations. You swore you saw stars as he finally leaned forward, pulling your thighs over his shoulders as his tongue rolled out to lick a broad stripe across your folds. The moans of your pleasure mixed in with the slurping sounds of him licking away at your juices only seemed to spur him on further as his lips suctioned around your swollen clit, making you buck your hips into his face. One of his hands slid up to knead one of your tits as he continued to devour you. You suddenly felt a wet sensation across your nipple, looking down to see the mouth on his palm nibbling at your bud. The mouth on his palm pulled your nipple into its mouth at the same time that Sukuna’s tongue latched around your clit, his teeth lightly grazing the hood making you scream out his name as your orgasm crashed through you.

Your chest was heaving, eyes still closed when he came up, teeth nibbling on the side of your jaw as his hand pushed away stray hair out of your face,

“You were so needy just a while ago. Already tired are we?” He asked in a playful mocking tone.

“Not in the-” You panted slightly, “...least bit.”

He looked up at you, hooded eyes filled with lust as he licked a stripe right across your jaw to your ear, before moving away, making you whine.

“So impatient...” He commented, clicking his tongue as he pulled you up, melding his lips with yours once more as your hands moved to explore the expanse of his broad shoulders.

“I want you bent over this counter. Now.” He growled out against your lips, barely moving back as you rushed to hop down and turn over, his hands already pushing your back down.

One of his hands reached to the front to rub your slick heat, the other pulling his thick member out of his briefs, a moan escaping your mouth as he lightly tapped it against the inside of your thigh.

“ah- fuck-” You moaned out loud as two of his fingers filled you up, but it wasn’t enough, “Sukuna- please- need you to inside me so bad” You choked on your words as you begged.

“Only since you asked so nicely.” was the response as the hand that was covered in your slick now moved up to wrap across your throat as Sukuna lined himself up with your folds. You threw your head back against his chest, gripping the edge of the table as he entered you.

“I’m not even halfway through and you’re already so stretched out...stuffed all full of my cock like the needy little slut you are huh?”

Your eyes rolled back at his filthy words, hips jutting out towards him more as he filled you completely. Both of you moaned in unison as he started to move, hands gripping onto your hips tight enough to leave bruises as he relentlessly thrusted into you. You groaned in both pain and pleasure as a harsh slap came down onto your ass, followed by an arm lifting one of your legs up. His cock brushed against that one sensitive spot inside your walls at the new angle, his thrusts getting deeper with each stroke as you came undone once again with a loud scream, his name like a plea on your lips. Sukuna found his own release soon enough, pulling out to spray the lower half of your back with his seed, making a mess everywhere.

You were in a post-sex daze as you felt yourself being lifted up and carried into the bathroom. Soon enough, you found yourself being lowered into a hot bath, another body joining you as arms wrapped around your figure, making you sigh and nuzzle into the familiar scent. You felt your eyes fall shut, a small smile still etched on your lips, unbeknown to the two pair of eyes on the curse’s face, filled with adoration, as they stared down at you. 

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The next morning, you sat on the same countertop you had been utterly ruined on top of last night, the eyes of your lover  (who had reluctantly carried you out from the comfort of your bed because you were hungry at 6 am and couldn’t walk by yourself) met yours as he pulled out the box of blueberries from the fridge.

“Maybe you’d like to give another chance to coffee jelly now-”

“I will kill you-”

“I’ll feed it to you if you want you kno-”

You were cut off by a pair of lips pressing against your own in a gentle kiss,

“I have something much more delicious right here already.”

[beewolfwrites]

Do you write requests? I mean... chishiya getting his hair washed by his s/o... and it's so intimate that he really struggles with his emotions... dunno if you'd write that, tots fine if you don't. Just saying... would be cute wouldn't it...

Hello! I'm always happy to write requests, though this is the first one I've ever had :)

I wasn't sure if this managed to get across enough emotion on Chishiya's end (because that boy is like an emotional breezeblock) but I hope you like it all the same!

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You were never worried whenever Chishiya left for a game. Well, that’s not entirely true. He was smart enough to wriggle his way through almost any situation, you knew that. Rationally and logically, Chishiya would survive. But there was always that tiny voice whispering, ‘What if’.

What if he ends up in a Spades game and isn’t athletic enough?

What if he’s ambushed by other players during a Hearts game?

What if there can only be one survivor, and by chance, it isn’t him?

Interestingly, ‘What if he gets so covered in blood, it forces him to finally wash his hair properly?’ never once crossed your mind.

Half-asleep, you heard the door to your shared room creak open as someone shuffled inside. At any other time it could have been an intruder, or even one of the militants, if not for the beam of light from the hall slicing through the darkness. Chishiya’s features were briefly illuminated, then he shut the door.

You dreamily watched his silhouette as he rummaged through the drawers, dragging them open one by one until the noise woke you up completely.

‘Chishiya?’

‘Go back to sleep.’ He shut another drawer.

By now, sleep was too far gone. Sitting up with a yawn, you switched on the bedside lamp, but when the yellow glow filled the room, it became horribly apparent why Chishiya was turning out all your clothes drawers.

His white hoodie, sweatpants, and even his skin were all spattered with blood. And within an instant, there was only one question pressing on your mind.

‘Is it yours?’

‘I told you to go back to sleep.’

The side-glance he gave you as he reached for a towel revealed that he wasn’t in the mood for this, probably because his favourite white hoodie was stained. But neither were you.

‘Is it yours?’

‘Does it look like it’s mine?’

Eyebrow raised, he turned to face you fully, letting the light accentuate every stain in his clothes. On closer inspection, no. It couldn’t possibly have been his. The speckled pattern of the blood suggested that it must’ve come from someone several feet away. Realising that he was unharmed, you instantly relaxed.

‘Was it those collars again?’

‘Yes, actually.’ He paused, smiling curiously. ‘But the players weren’t the ones wearing them.’

Ah. It was one of those games where one of the others hunted the players down. You’d survived them before, and their lives were almost always pitted against yours.

If Chishiya had any intention of telling you about his game, it certainly wasn’t right now, because he suddenly turned towards the bathroom, giving you a full view of the back of his head.

‘Wait!’ You threw back the covers, managing to catch him by the elbow just in the nick of time. ‘Wait a second.’

‘What is it now?’

You lifted up locks of his hair, inspecting the dry, tangled mess. Aside from a couple of specks at the front, he’d somehow managed to avoid getting blood in it. However, that didn’t mean the overall state of his hair wasn’t nasty as hell.

‘I thought I told you to brush it properly after you shower,’ you said, feeling the damaged stands between your fingertips. ‘And we have conditioner. Don’t you use it?’

He looked at you tiredly, as though he couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation. ‘Conditioner is waste of time and money,’ he said. ’Now go back to bed.’

He tried to shut the bathroom door between you, but there was no way you could let hair like that pass. The moment the door closed, you yanked it open again before he could lock it, catching him by surprise.

‘Nope. You’re not getting away that easily.’ You pushed your way into the bathroom. ‘There’s no money in this place, and no excuses.’

He leaned against the bathroom counter, watching impassively as you started to run a bath. ‘I don’t take baths.’

‘Well, you do now.’

Opening the bathroom cupboards, you pulled out some of the nicer hair products that you’d collected from abandoned salons in the city. Since the only currency in the Borderlands was human life, luxury hair products were free game.

You could feel Chishiya growing more and more irritated. ‘Pull the plug, or I’ll do it myself.’

Ignoring the comment, you pulled gently at his hoodie in a signal to remove it, only he shifted away from you and muttered that he wasn’t a child. Despite his small, reluctant comments, it was surprising how easily he’d given in. Perhaps he was simply too tired to argue, though you knew you’d get an earful about this tomorrow.

Once his bloodied clothes were in a pile on the floor, he uncomfortably climbed in the bath. Neither of you were particularly bothered by nudity, and it was hardly the first time you’d seen him like this. There was just something about baths that he hated, and seeing him sitting grumpily in the water, it was impossible to keep from smiling.

‘I’m sorry,’ you said. ‘If it’d been a shower, I would’ve had to get in too.’

‘And that’s a bad thing?’

‘Pff, stop trying to distract me,’ you snickered. ‘I’ve got so much work to do if I’m going to rescue this mess.’

Tilting his head back, you used your hand to pour water over his hair, taking your time to dampen it thoroughly before squeezing in shampoo. You had never been very good at massage, but you tried your best, rubbing the lather in to make sure every strand was coated, and every drop of blood washed away.

Chishiya didn’t seem to protest. It was a stroke of luck to catch him while he was too tired to put up a fight. You snuck a glance at his face while shampooing his hair, only to find his eyes closed, expression peaceful.

‘Chishiya?’

One eye cracked open. ‘I’m awake. Don’t get any ideas.’

Smirking, you started washing the suds away. ‘I guess my plan to attack you when you were sleeping has been foiled.’

‘What a coincidence,’ he mumbled. ‘I had the same plan earlier.’

Once the shampoo had melted into the bathwater, you pooled conditioner into the palm of your hand and started combing your fingers through his hair, coating the locks while gently easing out the tangles.The silence was comfortable, and neither of you spoke until Chishiya let out a small sigh.

‘I preferred what you were doing before.’

Your hands stilled in surprise. ‘You actually like this?’

‘I wasn’t convinced at first,’ he replied. ‘This is the first time someone’s washed my hair like this. I suppose it’s not too bad.’

Chishiya’s words opened up a lot of doors, and you couldn’t help but ask, ‘Didn’t your mother wash your hair for you? When you were small, I mean.’

‘Ah…’ He smiled wryly. ‘We had a nanny.’

Your hands slowed as you mulled over this new information. Chishiya had only vaguely told you about his parents. He barely spoke with his father, and his mother was no different. But that was all you really knew. Maybe he was raised entirely by staff.

‘Was the nanny nice?’

He hummed under his breath. ‘She was underpaid, and she let me know it.’

Did he mean to say, his nanny took her frustration out on him? The more he spoke, the more unsettled you felt learning about this. ‘She helped during bath times, right?’

‘She supervised.’

It wasn’t difficult to read between the lines. He must’ve been washing his own hair from the moment he was able to, and even then, it would’ve been impossible to remember what the experience was like before. No wonder he was terrible at looking after it now.

Bad habits die hard.

You leaned forward and wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulders, pressing your cheek against his damp skin. To your surprise, he leaned into the embrace. It was a small slip that he would never show anybody else, a fracture in his apathetic facade, and there were no words shared between the two of you. Just understanding.

That was, until the silence was ruined.

‘Hurry up. The faster you finish messing with my hair, the faster I can get out.’

Chishiya really didn’t like baths.

[chippedaxe]

can u do a part 2 if 'hate is a strong word' maybe with some nsfw

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Title: Hate Is A Strong Word P2

Warning(s): cursing, NSFW, arguing, fighting etc.., praising, degrading, maybe a bit of humiliation? Idk. , unprotected sex

Pronouns: They/them, afab

Synopsis: You and Karl end up arguing after you get jealous, resulting in sex between the two of you.

Pairing: c!Karl X Dom! Reader

Word count: 1.7k

Part 1: Hate is A Strong Word (sfw)

Note: unedited*

- If some words don't make sense or spelling is wrong than sorry, I'm too lazy to proof read and edit my fics.

- written in my notes app

╰──────────────────⋞╯

Karl put his hands up in defeat “I don’t understand why you’re so angry about this! I promise to you that nothing else happened!” Karl shouted “oh yeah? Then where’d you get that love bite from??” You pointed out a red mark on his neck “it’s a mosquito bite!” Karl argued back, you took a step towards him “oh? You’re calling Sapnap a mosquito now?”

“No! It really is just a mosquito bite! Please trust me on this!” Karl moved away from you “you know why I don’t like you seeing Sapnap!” You were on the verge of tears “holy shit- are you crying? Babe, I’m sorry I made you feel like this..” Karl approached you.

You got ready to fight and put your hands up “I’m not trying to hurt you, can I please just give you a hug? You’re not in the right headspace right now..” Karl reached his arms out to you. You lowered your defenses and looked away as you allowed Karl to embrace you.

“Why would you go out of your way to ignore my feelings? I told you to leave Sapnap alone for a reason!” You exclaimed “I know! I tried to avoid him but I couldn’t help running into him” Karl apologized “if I go to Las Nevada’s and talk with Slime boy- will he be able to truthfully tell me that nothing happened between you and Sapnap?” You started to cry.

“I wish you could just trust what I’m saying! Of course Sapnap and I did nothing!” Karl frowned “prove it! Kill him or something! Burn his house down!” You were hysterical “you know I can’t do that! Look- let me just make it up to you, do you want me to get you something to eat?” Karl caressed your cheek.

You slapped his hand away “if you want my forgiveness than you better listen good!” Karl’s ears perked up and he started listening right away “I’m gonna go to the kitchen and get a glass of water and when I come back I want you to be stripped naked on that fucking bed, alright?” You crossed your arms.

“W-what? Of course!” Karl’s cheeks heated up and he was quick to follow your instructions, struggling to pull off his clothes as you left the room. You walked down the stairs and slowly made your way to the kitchen, maybe you had just been overreacting but you wouldn’t let Karl know that he was right.

You grabbed a glass and poured yourself some water, sipping from it slowly while thinking about the whole situation. Sapnap was 100% trying to make you jealous so you knew you’d have to work harder to get him back!

You returned upstairs, opening the door and being met with Karl’s naked body spread on the bed. He opened his legs up shyly to you, revealing his hard erection he had gotten “oh baby.. look at you, you’re so gorgeous..” your lips pursed into a small smile.

“T-thank you Y/n..” Karl glanced away from you timidly, you walked over and crawled onto the bed. You began to slowly strip yourself of your clothes, pulling your blouse over your head and shimmying your pants to the floor.

Karl looked up at you, mesmerized by the way your body looked in the lighting “oh you’re so handsome..” Karl mouthed out to you quietly. Karl reached out to touch you but you slapped his hand away “no touching, this is supposed to be your punishment” you told him off for it.

You got between his legs and stared up at him intently, he looked down at you and puffed his cheeks out “well- are you gonna do anything?” He asked. “Not if my out keep being impatient, Karl!” You furrowed your eyebrows “okay okay- sorry darling..” he kept quiet and shut his mouth.

“Good boy, now stay still and keep your hips on the bed” you instructed him as you slowly leaned forward and licked a line up his shaft. He gasped and whines softly, covering his face up in embarrassment “you look so fucking pretty like this, why are you hiding from me?” You took his hands off his face.

His face was a pure red colour, sweat dripping down his forehead “I’m so embarrassed..” he mumbled. You brought your hand up and groped his balls for a moment, relishing in the way his body reacts to you “s-stop that feels weird!” Karl pleaded for a moment “do you really want me to stop?” You asked him again.

He kept quiet for a few seconds “n-no..” you smiled in delight and continued your actions. Karl bucked his hips up against your hand which resulted in you pinning his hips down “if you can’t stay still then I’m gonna have to tie you down- would you like that?” You threatened him “n-no please.. I can be good for you!” He gasped.

You nipped on the soft skin of his thighs, leaving a large bite on one of them. It started to bleed a bit so you just licked it up, Karl winced and closed his legs around your head “that feels weird!” He said out loud.

You rubbed and caressed his thighs gently “sorry baby..” you cooed, you got on top of him and straddled his lap. You grabbed the back of his head and brought him closer to you so you could have better access to his neck, kissing and sucking the light skin.

You tried not to give in to your thoughts but you couldn’t help but take a bite, ripping a loud moan from Karl’s mouth “ah!” He moaned. You pulled away and the both of you just stared at each other awkwardly for a moment “t-that felt good..” Karl admitted.

You went back to your work, marking up Karl and biting him whenever you felt like it. When you leaned back and admired him is when you saw how red his neck was now, you clenched your thighs together and gulped nervously as you realized you may have liked this more than you thought.

“P-please..” Karl begged “hm? Please what?” You asked “please ride me- or let me fuck you!” His hips rutted away against the air desperately “why should I give you anything you want? You were being so bad today!” You reminded him “please? I can be so good for you! I-if you let me touch you than I can prove it!” He pleaded.

You sighed and gave in to his demands, getting off him and laying down on the bed so he could touch you. Your skin was bare and the gust of cold air coming from the window every so often would make your nipples harden, you held onto a pillow gently as you felt Karl part your legs for you.

Karl licked his lips “this looks like the best meal I’ve ever seen in my entire life..” he commented as he stared at your wet folds, his fingers opening you up. Karl slid between your legs and stuck his tongue out, licking along your slit and moaning at the taste.

“Oh you taste so good.. how could I ever want to eat anything else?” Karl’s arms wrapped around your thighs to keep you glued against his face “a-ah! H-hey Karl, slow down!” You gasped, your hand grasping onto his hair which only encouraged him to go faster.

His tongue slid deep inside of you, exploring your fleshy wet cave. Your pussy clenched around him, your clit rubbing against his face as he worked hard to please you “I’m close..” you let Karl know. You released on Karl’s face and threw your head back, your legs shaking a bit as he continued to eat you out through your orgasm.

“Alright.. you earned it- come here big boy!” You invited him to fuck you, opening your legs wide enough so he could get buried deep in you. Karl quickly got to it, his cock sliding into your wet sheath and being surrounded by your warm walls.

Karl thrusted in and out with no pattern whatsoever, rutting into you harshly like an inexperienced teenage boy “y/n!” Karl moaned out your name as he started to go faster. Karl put his hand above your head to stabilize himself and keep him from falling over.

“P-please let me cum inside of you, please!” Karl begged “fuck- go ahead!” You arched your back and allowed Karl to cum inside of you. His load being shot deep inside of your vagina, coating your thick warm walls with his white semen.

Karl pulled out and flopped on the bed, panting heavily as he tried to rest “don’t go to sleep now! You still have a long day ahead of you, go get dressed you bum!” You sat up and encouraged him to get out of bed.

Karl groaned and got out of the bed, his legs shaking a bit as he stood up. He walked over to his dresser and began to get dressed, pulling his hoodie over his head and slipping on some pants. You felt lazy so you just threw a big shirt on and a pair of shorts, the two of you now dressed and ready to take on the world.

You finally got the idea to what your great genius plan to get Sapnap back was! You looked down at the ground and sighed, turning your head to face Karl and tell him what was on your mind.

“You know what, Karl baby? I want you to go see Sapnap right now and tell him how sorry I am for overreacting” you smirked. Karl had most likely thought you were turning a new leaf, being the bigger person when really you were just fulfilling your master plan.

Karl was littered with hickies and love bites all along his skin, you couldn’t miss them! Even his oversized hoodie couldn’t cover the marks up! Your plan was to expose his marks to Sapnap so he would finally see that Karl was yours and yours alone! Hopefully it’ll work.

[bcdwhcre]

Oml I've had this request idea for so long so I was wondering how you'd do it. How about some headcanons/little scenarios of Levi, Erwin, and Hanji getting caught making out with their fem so by someone else in the scouts? 😏 This has been in my head so LONG soooo I feel like you would portray it well

“Caught,” Levi x Erwin x Hange Headcanons

okay okaaaay cute idea🥺

Summary: getting caught making out with your s/o by another scout.

Warnings: implied smut with Erwin

Fem!Reader

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Levi:

He’s always been the type to be clingy and openly affectionate in private. He never really liked PDA or even being flirty with you in front of others. He liked to cherish you behind the closed doors and show you how much he loves you there.

It never bothered you, you were always professional when it came to your work so you agreed with him about not wanting to show too much of your relationship to the other Scouts.

One day Levi was more clingy than usual, he said it was only because he had a nightmare about losing you and it felt too real. The entire day when no one was looking, he would touch you in any way he could. Grabbing your hand, touching your lower back. He felt like he needed some slight touch of yours to be reminded you were still here.

Around the afternoon, he had forced you to stop your work and come to his office. It had bugged you but you couldn’t sit there and complain about Levi wanting to be around you for every second.

He was just a teddy bear, very hands on and loving so him having a dream about you no longer being here- it had crushed him in ways he couldn’t explain. He was deeply in love with you, he couldn’t handle losing you so the slight dream just fed into his insecurities and anxiety that he had to be around you.

As you stepped inside his office after knocking, his eyes lit up when he seen you and instantly stood up from his desk as you walked over. His arms embraced you in a tight hug, his lips kissing the side of your head and a sigh of relief slipped out of his mouth.

“Why did you call me here?” You mumbled, rubbing his back and he grunted under his breath, his eyes moving to look at you.

“Just missed you is all.” He barely said loud enough for you to hear, feeling embarassed for admitting that out loud. He felt dumb for bothering you and taking you away from your work to see him but he felt like he needed it desperately.

“Hm, because you missed me?” You teased, making him roll his eyes and his hands grabbed a hold of your cheeks firmly, staring into your eyes.

“Yes,” He quietly said, admiring you as his thumbs rubbed over your soft skin.

Time felt like it had frozen still just for a moment, his eyes burning into yours and another huff escaped his mouth as he tried to rid the insecurities he had replaying in his head.

You could tell how frustrated he really was, he hated to be deep into thought about everything- especially when it came to negative thoughts. You moved your hands to rest on his sides, gripping onto the material of his shirt and tugged him closer.

You wanted to take away his troubles, his thoughts and his anxiety. You wish you could easily take it from his hands and deal with it yourself, he deserved to be happy everyday.

As you felt his thumbs brush over your cheeks, you leaned up to press your lips on his. A gentle kiss but it definitely made him feel better, making all the stress slip off his shoulders and replaced with love and butterflies.

His hands stayed firmly on your cheeks, afraid of letting you go but also not wanting you to pull back from his lips. He just needed this a little longer. He had tilted his head, leaning more into your mouth as both of your lips moved in sync with one another.

Suddenly the door had opened up, Armin and Jean walking inside while calling for Levi before noticing the scene before them, making them freeze in the doorway and made the both of you break apart and glance back at the door.

All four of you stared at each other, the awkward tension and not really knowing what to say about what had just happened. Your relationship wasn’t a secret, no, but it wasn’t clear if everyone knew about it or not considering you two aren’t much of a pda type couple.

Armin and Jean’s eyes were wide, they had no clue about your relationship so walking in felt like they violated your privacy and saw something they weren’t supposed to see.

Levi grew frustrated, staring at the both of them and crossed his arms over his chest as he gave them a cold stare.

“You either speak on why you’re here or leave.” He simply said, causing the both of them to stumble on their words and Armin ended up just grabbing Jean and dragging him out of the office.

“We’re so sorry, we didn’t see anything. Ignore us.” Armin rushed out, grabbing the door and shut it, hearing them panic as they go down the hall,

“You scared the poor boys.” You glanced over at Levi, making him roll his eyes and meet your gaze.

“Maybe they should learn how to knock.”

.

.

Erwin:

Erwin is the type of person who likes to have everyone know you’re his but he’s also very professional in his work and making sure that his work and your relationship don’t intertwine and ruin one another.

He’s always kept his head screwed on and he always treated you more like a colleague while working and you always done the same to him. He cared a lot about his job, it was one of his favorite things along with you.

So, it didn’t bother you to have him focus on his work during the day and come home to cherish you ten times more. It was a good mixture to keep the relationship healthy and stable.

But one particular day, you found yourself a bit more needier and trying to go about your work as if nothing is wrong was bugging you. You couldn’t help but think of Erwin repeatedly, the other night replaying in your head of him touching you in all the right places.

It was really starting to annoy you, sure this has happened before but the other times it was easy to manage and ignore. This time it just was on the tip of your brain, repeating like a broken record and it was starting to make you go crazy as you keep catching yourself zoning out and daydreaming about it

You were stationed on the opposite side of the base, trying to concentrate on the plan for the expedition coming up and as you sat there trying to listen, it was getting more evident that you were dozing off into thought.

After a while there was a meeting that had to be held with most of the Scouts, mainly the higher ups, to discuss the next expedition but you were too lost in your train of thought to even realize what they were saying.

“Y/N.” Levi snapped his fingers in your face and your eyes shot up to meet his, the scary plain look on his face and you could automatically tell he was irritated.

Erwin had looked across the room, noticing you zoning out and he tried not to think too hard about it, you two were at work- not at home but he felt like there was something wrong, maybe you were upset or too in a depressing mood to work.

As the meeting went on, it had finished up and Erwin had asked for you to come to his office and at first you thought that he had caught on and it had actually excited you a bit but the both of your thoughts were far from similar.

Once you stepped inside, you turn to face him as he shut his door and you reached out to grab a hold of his hands. He had looked at you with concern and before he could ask you what’s going on, you had smashed your lips onto his.

He was a bit taken back but he couldn’t deny that he liked the sudden kiss from you and he wasn’t too phased since it was inside his office. Your hands had moved up to cup his cheeks and eventually sliding them back to tangle in his hair, both of your lips molded together.

Suddenly the door had creaked open and someone had grunted loud enough for the both of you to hear. Erwin had ripped away from you, both of your eyes moving to meet with Levi’s as he shot you both a disgusting look.

“Please, there’s a lock on the door for a reason.” He rolled his eyes, walking inside and slamming the papers on Erwin’s desk before returning to the door.

“My apologies.” Erwin spoke, making you hold back a laugh at how red his face was from embarrassment.

“Tch, save it. Just lock the fucking door.” Levi shut the door behind him and that’s when a laugh had slipped past your lips.

Erwin was completely flustered, his cheeks heated up and the look of fear knowing Levi had caught the both of you making out. You didn’t find it that much of a big deal, it was Erwin’s office after all- not his fault that Levi didn’t know how to knock.

“Whats so funny?” He raised his eyebrows in amusement at your small fit of giggles as you shook your head.

“It’s funny how flustered you are.”

“I’m not flustered.”

“Hun, your face is more red than a tomato.” You pointed out and he huffed out a breath, moving to sit down at his desk trying to rid of the thoughts of being walked in on.

“C’mon, it’s not that bad. We were just kissing.” You teased, leaning over his desk to place another kiss on his lips and he looked up at you, the small smile edging in his lips.

Erwin remained silent, his large hand reaching up and caressing one of your cheeks as his thumb brushed over you skin slowly. He released another breath, the sight of you instantly making his nerves calm down and the embarrassment slip away.

“Still humiliating.” He said sacrastically, a gentle chuckle leaving his lips and you rolled your eyes.

“Better get over that thought because I’m not finished with you yet.” You mumbled, grabbing a hold of his chin and he had looked at you surprised.

You couldn’t care less about Levi walking in, your main thoughts were still on your boyfriend and the previous thoughts you’ve been having all day and being seen making out wasnt going to stop you from getting what you wanted.

“Oh?” He simply said, collecting his thoughts and finally realizing what you had been talking about and it made him realize why you’ve been zoning out all day. It made sense.

“This time, lock the door.”

.

.

Hange:

Now, Hange never cared what anyone thought whether it was about her or her work so she wasn’t ashamed or phased in the slightest when she got into a relationship and she sure wasn’t embarrassed to show it off and to show you off.

But you, on the other hand, were the opposite. You were really shy and awkward when it came to opening up and you were always flustered when it came to the Scouts teasing you about your relationship.

You weren’t embarrassed or ashamed to be with her, you were more than in love with her but you weren’t used to this sort of attention, you’ll admit that she’s actually your first relationship so you were still getting used to it.

You worked under her, being apart of her team and helping her with a lot of research studies she was obsessed with, that was the main reason why you two gotten so close.

As you stood inside her little lab, sitting on a stool and reading over papers while she mumbled to herself about some theory she was testing out. You glanced over at her when her mumbling got louder. Hange is always unaware when she starts talking to herself when working, you thought it was cute.

All of a sudden a loud excited scream left her lips, almost startling you and she jumped up.

“I figured it out!” She laughed more to herself, completely forgetting you were in the room as she grabbed her pen and began to scribble down on her journal.

“Figured what out?” You spoke, your eyes turning back to the paper before you and her eyes shot towards you.

“Something about Eren’s titan form.” She couldn’t hold back the excitement running through her veins as the adrenaline was pumping through, making her more hyper than ever.

She went over to where you were, her arms wrapping around you from behind and she glanced over your shoulder to see what you were reading before sliding it away from your vision.

You turned your head, raising a eyebrow all while the butterflies swarmed your stomach when her grip around you tightened, her lips planting a gentle kiss on your cheek, making your cheeks grow red.

“What?” You asked, noticing how concentrated she was on you and you were almost convinced you had something on your face.

“Nothing nothing, I’m just happy is all.” Her voice was low, making a small smile come across your lips.

Hange couldn’t help the overwhelming amount of love she had for you. She was deeply in love, more than she can explain out loud and it was never her intention to fall for one of her cadets or anyone in the Scouts period.

But the day you came in after the training corps, set on being under her team and wanting to work with her little experiments and loving her theories just as much as she did- she suddenly fell right into that deep hole with you.

She always thought that she would only be in love with her work and her job. She never seen herself with anyone before you only because everyone thought she was crazy for being so obsessive over the Titans and wanting to learn their way of thinking and behavior.

But you, pushed her in the right direction and always gave her good advice and made her feel more confident in her work, even though she was pretty confident before but having you was like a big bonus.

You could tell she had gotten lost in her train of thought again, she always zoned out and thought about you and it was always cute to see. Soon she had snapped out of her, her attention back onto you and she leaned down to press her lips on yours.

It was a soft kiss, definitely meaningful to the both of you. Your hand moved up to cup her cheek to keep her in place, tilting your head and leaning more into her. The small make out session was starting to get heated pretty fast but it ended abruptly when the door had opened, both of your eyes shooting over to the door to see Eren.

“Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t- I wasn’t- I didn’t see anything.” He stuttered, quickly walking out and shutting the door behind him.

“Don’t worry about it, kid!” Hange shouted as Eren’s face turned bright red, quickly walking down the hallway and away from the room, trying to rid the scene he just witnessed.

She turned to look back at you, your face completely flustered and bright red again. The embarrassment lingered over your head like a rainy cloud and she couldn’t help but laugh at it.

“So humiliating.” You mumbled, shaking your head as you looked down to hide your face considering how hot your skin was.

She quickly grabbed your chin and tilted your head up to look at her, the small smirk on her face had made you almost melt beneath her fingertips. Her lips kissed your red cheek a few times, trying to hold back her laugh.

“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s his fault he barged in here.”

“I’m still embarrassed.”

“Don’t be!”

.

.

.

Anywhooooo, been a long few days. 🥺

• Main Masterlist •

• AOT Masterlist •

[shootybangbang]

The Upsides of Property Damage [Part 3/5]

Authored by @verai-marcel and @shootybangbang

[Ao3 link]

[Pairing]: Arthur Morgan/Reader

[Rating]: Mature

[Content Advisory]: light D/S undertones

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

———

“The fee for breaking my lease is the equivalent of three weeks’ paychecks, and is thus completely out of the question…”

… is the sentence you keep repeating to yourself over and over in your head as you browse new apartment listings. It’s been over a week since Morgan’s visit, and the initial shock of embarrassment still hasn’t worn off. I’m not seriously considering this, you tell yourself as you bookmark several listings. This is just… in case. Yeah.

In the meantime, you’ve decided to follow Switzerland’s example and embrace isolationism. Almost all tasks that need to be done outside the apartment (grocery shopping, fast food, social interaction) have been successfully outsourced to third parties (instacart, an embarrassing amount of doordash, zoom). All tasks save laundry, you consider glumly as you lay out your last clean clothes on your bed.

A cocktail dress. A wine-stained crop top. The most indecent pair of shorts you own. There is no choice here that will allow you to maintain your dignity.

***

When you spot Morgan in the laundry room, knelt in front of a broken washing machine, your first instinct is to turn tail and leave. He’s not seen you yet, absorbed as he is with mechanical surgery, so it’s still entirely possible to run downstairs and pretend that this never happened.

“Wait a second,” Morgan calls out. He doesn’t look up from his work. “Just gimme ten minutes and I’ll be done here.”

You glance doubtfully at the viscera of tubes and wires surrounding him from behind the drum of the machine. From your perspective, this looks like it’d take hours to reassemble. As you silently partake in the age-old tradition of “make terrible judgments on things I know nothing about”, Morgan turns his head. He glances at your cocktail dress, then stifles a laugh. “D’you always dress up fer laundry day?”

“Yeah.” You shoot him a withering glare. “Every laundry day I put on my Sunday best to fight other tenants for the privilege of washing my clothes.”

He gestures towards the remaining three machines. Each one rumbles industriously as it rinses your neighbors’ clothes with soapy water. Someone’s red thong is plastered against one of the tiny porthole windows like a miniature flag of conquest. “Doesn’t seem to have done you much good today.”

“Okay, look.” You pinch the bridge of your nose and squeeze your eyes shut. “I’m too tired to keep this stupid joke going. I ran out of clean clothes, alright? It was either this or booty shorts and a crop top. And I felt like being decent today.”

His eyes rest for a moment on the high-cut slit that runs along your skirt. Then he shrugs and turns his attention back to the laundry machine.

You silently stand in the doorway for a few awkward seconds, then clear your throat. “So, uh… is that thing dead?”

“I’m doin’ fine actually, but I appreciate the concern,” he deadpans. Then he sighs. “Ain’t as bad as it looks. Should have this thing up and runnin’ soon if I can get the motor to cooperate."

"Ah well." You set your laundry basket against the wall and sit next to it. “Tell you the truth, I don’t have much else to do right now."

Morgan doesn’t reply. Perhaps he’s ignoring you. Perhaps he’s concentrating on his actual job. Either way, you’re relieved. Every second spent in silence is a second spent not discussing your humiliating last encounter.

You pull out your phone and begin scrolling through your newsfeed. As you sift through a sea of Twitter notifications and ads, a book catches your eye. It’s the sequel to the erotica you’ve been reading. Defying Her Blue Collar Dom. The mechanic on the cover has the blond woman on his lap and is preparing to spank her. You immediately add it to your cart.

"Got a question for ya," Morgan says.

It is mathematically impossible for him to see your screen from his current vantage point. Your thumb automatically swipes the bookstore app shut anyway. “Go on,” you say.

“D’you smash mirrors for fun or something? Because we ain’t ever had a tenant have so much shit break in so short a time. Starting to think you might actually be cursed. That, or"—he pauses for emphasis—"maybe you’re breaking things on purpose."

"Why the hell would I do that? You think I enjoy living with broken appliances?"

“I dunno,” he says, shrugging. “Judgin’ from your readin’ material, you do seem to have a certain fondness for ‘blue collar doms’.”

Your face burns. “I already told you– that was my friend’s book.”

“Or maybe you just enjoy my company,” he teases.

“I thought your implication was that I specifically enjoy the attention of blue collar doms,” you reply drily.

Morgan straightens up and wipes the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “Like I said before,” he says. There is an insouciant little smile on his lips. “Maybe you just enjoy my company.”

The words you’d like to say are: What the fuck do you mean by that and also is that an invitation.

But the only part of that statement you’re able to force out is a weak, strangled “what”.

He pats the machine. “Should be working fine now,” he says. “See ya.”

***

“You seen what 502 was wearin’ today?”

As John and Arthur rest at their dilapidated desks, Micah leans against the wall and nurses a Mountain Dew, smirking in an attempt to get a rise out of him. Arthur says nothing, but ponders idly what sort of crunch the man’s nose might make if smashed in with a brick. It’s a train of thought he’s found himself indulging in frequently for the past month. Which, coincidentally, marks about the same time Micah had started talking about you.

Almost definitely a slut, had been his first assessment. Anyone who dresses like that probably gets it on the regular.

You’d been wearing a halter top and jeans.

Then he’d said something along the lines of, Another ticket? Anyone who submits this many is obviously trying to get fucked by the maintenance man.

You’d spent the duration of the ticket in question watching a documentary about snails.

Micah then followed up with, how much do you think she’d charge me for a blowjob?

Arthur had punched him for that one.

“Li’l flowery shorts and a red strip of cloth, tryin’ to pass that off as a tank top.” Micah hums now. “Oh, she’s definitely beggin’ for it.”

Arthur glances at the crowbar propped innocently against the wall. It leans there with its fellows: a long-handled hammer, an adjustable spanner, a tire iron– all excellent implements with which to break Micah’s kneecaps. Which is an act that, while undoubtedly very cathartic, would not at all be conducive to continued employment. He diverts the violent impulse instead to the computer’s F5 key, and mashes it repeatedly to refresh the ticket queue.

John, sitting with his feet on his desk, flips through a dated issue of Sports Illustrated. Without lifting his eyes from the page, he says, “If I were you, I’d shut up now, Bell.”

Micah ignores the warning. “Does she make eyes at you, Morgan?” he sneers. His own eyes gleam like those of a viper. “Yeah, I bet she does. I bet she stares you up and down every time she calls you over, then plays coy. Pretends like she don’t know what she’s doin’, when really all she is is a bitch in heat.”

Arthur mashes F5 even faster.

Taking his silence as a yes, Micah mimics surprise, then speaks to him with a layer of faux pity in his voice so thick that it’d drip to the floor in fat, greasy droplets were it corporeal. “Aw, don’t tell me. You thought you were special, didn’t you? Naw, that little whore puts herself out like a piece of meat for everyone. Half the goddamn building’s had her, including yours truly–”

At this, Arthur slams his hand against the table so hard that the pens scattered on its surface shiver as though frightened. He abruptly stands up, and the metal folding chair shrieks with displeasure as its legs skid over the cement floor.

“Tough guy, huh?” Micah jeers. “What you gonna do? You gonna hit me again?”

Break your skinny little rat neck, more like, Arthur thinks to himself.

It’s difficult to picture someone who turns fifty shades of scarlet at just the hint of flirtation, deigning to give Micah even a wayward glance. The accusation is obviously and blatantly false. And yet a hot wash of rage branches through his veins with all the wretched reflexivity of his old brutality. It’s all rising back to the surface now, the reassurance of violence, the vicious gleam of pleasure so familiar that even now it spurs bodily instinct. He curls his hand into a fist and shifts his weight to his left side, then—

“Arthur!” John barks.

The sharp call of his name yanks him back to reality like a tether around the neck of a feral animal.

Micah’s grin is nausea-inducing. “What’s the matter, Morgan? I thought you were gonna punch me again. You lost your nerve? Go on. Do it.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “That is, if you wanna get fired. And who’ll look after your precious 502 then?”

The gentle ping of an incoming ticket cuts through the tension. A white rectangle flashes across the grime-speckled computer screen.

APT 502:

broken cabinet. sorry :’(

“Eh, leave it for tomorrow,” John says. The wrinkled pages of the magazine rustle like autumn leaves as he returns to his studious perusal of 2018 football stats. “Anything that comes this late in the day can wait.”

“Nah,” Arthur says. He quickly powers off the computer monitor. “It’s nothin’ big. I’ll take care of it.”

Micah catches a glimpse of the ticket before the monitor’s screen blinks to black. “502 this late in the day?” He leers. “No, I think you should stay put, Morgan. I’ll take this one. Show her what a real man—”

Arthur’s body moves automatically, as if there exists no possible resolution to the situation at hand than the simplicity of force. He grabs Micah by his shirt collar and slams him hard against the office’s cold concrete wall. “You don’t look at her,” he snarls. “You don’t touch her. Ever.”

Micah lets out a high-pitched, nervous laugh. “Oh, you’re screwed now, Morgan. Fighting on the clock?”

“Fightin’?” At long last, John looks up from his magazine. He calmly surveys the scene in front of him, then looks Micah in the eye. “I don’t see any fightin’ worth reportin’ here.”

Noticeably shaken, Micah looks back at Arthur, who narrows his eyes and says in a low, dangerous voice, “Just one, Micah. All it’s gonna take from her is one complaint for me to come break both your arms so fucking badly that you’ll never be able to use them again. Do you understand?”

When Micah doesn’t immediately respond, Arthur slams the man against the wall a second time, and repeats the question with a quiet, cold-blooded ire that carries the same threat as a finger against the trigger of a gun. “I said, do you understand?”

Micah nods frantically. “Good,” Arthur says. His previously pleasant, easygoing demeanor slips back in place with the immediacy of a flipped switch. He lets him go. “I’m glad we had this talk.”

Micah scrambles away, then stumbles to his locker. “Why would I want to touch that whore of yours, anyway?” he says contemptuously, retrieving his bag. “Get herpes just from looking at her, probably.”

There’s absolutely no reason to respond to this. These are the last desperate flailings of a man who’s lost, and carries the weight of that defeat deeply. As he goes to the timeclock and punches out, Micah shoots Arthur one last glare. “Go ahead and take this one. You can be her personal bitch.”

The door slams shut, and Arthur heaves a long, irritated sigh. He waits until he hears Micah stomping down the stairs, then picks up his toolbox, furtively checks his reflection in the window glass, and leaves.