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anchanted-one · 2 years ago

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Book of Storms Legend of Vajra

Chapter 6: Romance and Passion

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/108912195

Four months later, Kalikori Village

Vajra walked behind the line of Twi’leks, watching as they practiced firing in ranks. They fired at targets made of clay and straw, to commands given by Scout Chief Morint.

They were hitting their targets more regularly now, with the most accurate among them hitting them in one of the painted spots which represented vital spots.

“They’re getting pretty good,” Kira approved. She was back on Tython for a spell, and thought it would be amusing to see how well the Kalikori weapons training was going on. She coughed loudly.

“They’ve come a long way,” Vajra agreed. “But I wish they got here faster. They’re only just starting to hit vital spots.”

“What matters is that they learn muscle memory. They need to be able to remember what to do even if they’re scared out of their wits. That’s the point of these drills after all. And don’t forget, the Flesh Raiders are much bigger than those targets.” She coughed again.

“True. Are you coming down with something?”

“Probably something caught in my throat,” she waved away his concern and just went on. “When I heard Master Satele say that you were in charge of their defence, I got a little worried. But I really needn’t have. Between you and the veterans the village already had, you were able to train a decent militia. And build a really nice wall.” She nodded at the new fortifications. “I hear you even helped them fashion a few turrets.”

“Yeah, that was fun. The first gunner got all excited and almost set fire to the village.”

“How’d you handle that one?”

“Insisted on a lower power setting first. Get used to one percent before moving on to five. Then raised it until they could use up to sixty percent without incident. Checked it myself before each person got behind the gun. Most of them understood after the first near-mishap, but there was always one joker or cocky bastard who thought they could ignore the rule. The Matriarch banned such people from going near the guns. And gave them cleaning duties.”

“I see. Good! Safety first, am I right?”

“Yeah. Which is why you won’t be allowed near the guns either.”

“Whaaaaat? Come on! I was looking forward to some turret bronco!”

“Sorry. You’re secretly evil!”

Kira slapped his back while roaring with laughter. “You know me so well!”

“Excut—I mean, excuse me, Master Vajra!” Vajra turned to see Ranna approaching. She was blushing furiously about something. Probably her slipped tongue.

“Ranna, nice to see you. This is Kira, one of my friends from the Temple.”

“I’m secretly evil,” Kira winked at her. “Don’t tell anyone. M-hm! You’re a pretty little girl, aren’t you!”

“I—thank you,” Ranna blushed again.

“And you don’t have to call me ‘Master’. I’m just a student. And I’m even younger than you are, remember?” It was just a few months, but still. She was already fifteen.

“I can’t do that,” she said earnestly. “You’ve done so much for us, and I’ll always lo—show you the respect you deserve for it.” She looked mortified.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’ve made some ghoulash… I mean goulash. Would you like to share my lunch? Your friend can come too, of course!”

“Oh, I can’t! I gotta return to Coruscant later today. I’m here to collect something for my Master. Was curious what this little scallywag was up to while I was gone, which was why I came to see the village defences.”

“That’s a shame,” she said, biting back obvious relief. “Maybe next time?”

“Yeah, that sounds really nice,” Kira coughed. “Next time.”

“I’ll be happy to join you, Ranna. Will your mother be joining us? Will Nora?”

“N-no. It’ll just be the two of us. Since your friend can’t make it.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Really?” She beamed at him. “We can eat in half an hour.” She raced off in the direction of her hut.

“That girl… has an eye on a prize,” Kira whispered, her voice hoarse from the coughing fit. “And she’s a prize herself! Good going! I knew you’d do something like this when I had my back turned!”

“She’s just appreciative. Modesty aside, I did help these people. Most of them invite me to lunch or supper most days. And I’ve always found a lot of people fascinated by my looks. The third eye and extra arms.”

“That skin like a dusken, starry sky. There really is a lot to keep looking at!”

Vajra chuckled nervously.

“Besides. That girl addressed the Council once, the day before we met. She’s quite articulate. Yet here she was, stumbling over her words, shaking so hard it looked like she was a living earthquake. She has a crush on you. A deep one. You being a hero might have just made it all the more desperate. I mean, she can’t be the only girl who likes you, right?”

“I don’t know many girls,” he replied. “Especially not my age. Most of them were evacuated soon after the attack on the training grounds. And the Kalikori have only one person my age. Oh, and no one on Uphrades ever looked at me in that way.”

“Well, it is weird till you’re twenty or so. After that, everyone’s fair game. I predict you’ll be getting a lot more attention once you’re old enough.”

“Do you get much attention? I’m sure you do. You’re funny, kind, beautiful… and only secretly evil.”

“Say it louder, I need the ego boost. Oh, wait! We don’t want Ranna thinking I’m a rival. Oh, damn.” Her comm had started beeping insistently. “Kira here.”

“I’m calling from the archives,” a protocol droid said. “We have the information you requested.”

“I see. Guess I’m on my way back to the Temple then.” She sighed. “Fun’s over, I guess. I’d ask if you wanted to grab lunch before I left, but you’ve got other… engagements.”

Vajra sighed. “You’re incorrigible!”

“Glad you know what that means now!” she rubbed his hair. “You know, I think you’ve grown a bit taller.”

“I’m a growing boy.”

“Yes, you are. Emphasis on ‘boy’.” She coughed again, quite hard. “Don’t grow up too fast, please. And please call. I get so bored on Coruscant. It’s cold there. Crowded. Everyone’s so caught up in themselves. Bye boy.”

Vajra watched the redhead leave, wishing she could stay longer. Wishing he’d had the courage to agree that Ranna liked him. And that he liked her. He really needed advice on this kind of thing. Especially since he was a Jedi.

Not long after she left, the sentry began striking the bell furiously. “Flesh Raiders! Flesh Raiders incoming!”

Everyone began to panic, including the militia. Even Morint looked frightened out of his wits, so Vajra decided to step up. “All hands form ranks!” he roared. “To the walls! Defend your families! Let’s show them what you’ve learned!”

The Twi’leks still looked frightened, but the training kicked in. They formed up and marched to the perimeter wall they had constructed. It was a makeshift fortification, a palisade that would not hold back a proper force, but the Khrayii had no armour, and few munitions. Most now fought with bows and arrows, or stone axes and spears, as the bulk of their weapons were confiscated.

The sharpened stakes at the base would be particularly effective.

The Twi’leks had an overwhelming advantage this day.

Several minutes later, the Khrayii entered into view. They were chanting something, Vajra could not make out what it was, but it was definitely the same words coming out of all their mouths. Their steps were in tune with the words. A marching song, perhaps.

When they entered firing range, Vajra shouted. “First rank; take aim!” He counted to three. “Fire!”

The first rank was made up of people with the longest ranged rifles. Not snipers, as that took special training. Besides, those hadn’t been part of the Khrayii’s arsenal. They could hit targets at seven hundred metres when used by a veteran soldier. Having seen the Twi’leks in action, Vajra assumed an optimal range of three hundred. His assumption wasn’t too far off. Many shots hit targets, and the entire first line of Khrayii crumpled.

“Nicely done!” he called. “Take aim again… fire!”

Another volley, another rank of invaders dropped. Some were outright killed, but most were simply injured. Vajra heard their shrieks of pain. It sent chills down his spine, but he did not feel his guilt return. Good. Hopefully, he’d retain his composure even when he was himself doing the fighting. He considered charging the attackers himself, but he wasn’t sure Morint was over his shock yet. “Fire!”

There was a third volley, and another round of fallen Khrayii. Vajra frowned. The weapons he’d given the Twi’leks were not automatic, nor even semi-automatic. They also had a strong recoil, which meant the Twi’leks tired quickly if they didn’t pace themselves. The Khrayii, of course, were strong enough to withstand the recoil for longer periods. Even the lack of an auto function suited them. They would not accidentally spray each other with sustained volleys. Whether by design or by happenstance, these weapons suited them.

“Fire!”

The enemy entered a hundred metre range after the sixth volley.

“Second rank and turrets!” he called, and the villagers with blaster pistols stepped up. “Take aim!” He waited till they were at fifty. “Fire at will! Third rank, attack when you see the whites of their eyes! Keep them from scaling the walls!”

The Khrayii had one advantage; numbers. They were almost two thousand strong, which meant that the third rank, comprised of the largest and strongest Twi’leks wielding the few confiscated assault cannons, were left with plenty of work.

Eventually, the Khrayii had removed the stakes despite their best efforts, and then made ready to assault the walls themselves with their axes and mallets.

Vajra could not allow that. “Morint, take command!” he called, then leapt down onto the closest attackers. The first two didn’t’ have time to react before he slew them. The third raised his meaty hands defensively—Vajra could tell males from females now—but they didn’t stop a Lightsaber. The others raised axes and vibroblades and charged at their new threat, but they posed little danger to Vajra. Instead, his problem was the sheer length of the wall he had to protect.

He had to repeatedly dash over distances of a hundred metres to get from one group to the next, and while he could do this in seconds, it was still time wasted. The Khrayii were able to get in several good swings at different sections of wall, and one even collapsed. Luckily, Vajra didn’t hear any shouts of pain or dismay; the Twi’leks had avoided the danger.

Another minute passed, and the remaining Khrayii turned and fled.

“It’s over!” Morint shouted. “We’ve won!”

The Twi’leks cheered enthusiastically, their jubilant warcries and taunts cutting across the nearby trees.

When he returned behind the wall, Vajra was pleased with what he found. Not a single Twi’lek had been killed, though some had been injured. Bows were still a deadly weapon if the wielder got close enough. However, it looked like no one was critically injured, which was something.

The villagers cheered again, calling his name like it was a warcry.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see— “Master Orgus!”

“Indeed, it’s me. What’s this, you didn’t Sense my approach?”

“My mistake,” Vajra apologized, angry with himself. “It won’t happen again.” He had been far too focussed on the attacking enemy to see the overall picture. Such lapses in attention could get you killed.

“I arrived in time for that final assault, but I wasn’t needed at all. You led these villagers well.”

“All that work paid off. But we need to repair the defences. And work out a better way. The Khrayii would have gotten through if I wasn’t here. Or if they had a Force wielder in their midst.”

“Yes, the Twi’leks need more training. But now they know it can be done. They also know that their enemy isn’t done with them. I expect them to be a lot more enthusiastic about their training from now on!”

“Hopefully that makes the difference.”

“And speaking of training, you should join in next time. Learn to wield a blaster yourself.”

“What? But Master, I thought Jedi didn’t approve them?”

“Yes. They are a lot more random and clumsier than a Lightsaber, we like to say. And yet, you did struggle a little at the end. Distance is a difficult obstacle to overcome. If you could have taken out some of the Khrayii from range, they wouldn’t have been able to focus on the walls at all. War is dangerous, and deadly. Sometimes, you need every tool in your arsenal to win. Sometimes you need to use all four of your arms, instead of your preferred single saber style. And sometimes, you will need blasters. Take it from me.”

“I—Yes, Master.”

“Good. Now let’s help the wounded. And those repairs. After all this, I have a task for you.”

Vajra thought forlornly about lunch with Ranna. He’d have to apologize as he got to work. Perhaps he could make it up to her later.

A few days later, Ruins of Keleth

Vajra was tired. He’d spent the past three days wandering these ruins, looking for that suspected Khrayii shrine. While the city still held some allure, he had grown weary of constantly avoiding or fighting droid patrols.

Was there a factory somewhere, which still produced these droids? A warehouse perhaps, which allowed the streets to still be so thick with droids despite the many he’d cut down?

He sighed. He was tired. He needed another breather. And after this, perhaps he needed to head back. His supplies had almost run out. Besides, he really wanted to finish repairing T7. It had taken longer than he’d expected due to his many, many obligations.

But the droid was patient. It even had a sense of humour, joking about having needed a vacation anyway. He was starting to grow nearly as fond of that Astromech as he was Jasme or Kira.

And speaking of Kira, he also wanted to look in on their vivacious redhead, who had had her departure delayed by unexpectedly falling ill. He’d seen her once, the previous day. She’d been coughing so hard she’d spit out blood. The Em Dees had diagnosed her with a water-borne virus, and recommended a lot of rest and hot soup.

Bed rest bored the poor girl terribly. She had almost had tears in her eyes when she begged Vajra to come again. So, he intended to. Right after this rest stop.

Vajra found a suitable building to slip into. It had all four of its walls intact, and there were no signs of any other residents, sentient or otherwise. He sat against a dark corner and stretched his legs.

He gasped in relief as he relaxed his aching feet. He pulled out his last water bottle and consumed a good quarter of a litre before stowing it back in his pack. The ground was hard but still smooth. He thought he could get really cosy if he had a mind.

Minutes ticked by, and eventually he heard voices.

“Come on, come on, where is it again?” said a high-pitched woman’s voice.

“Right here, my dove,” a man said. “Come on, we need to celebrate!”

“We do indeed! I need a good celebration!”

Two figures stumbled into the building, kissing fiercely. They pulled off each other’s robes so fiercely it looked like they were trying to rip them to shreds. Vajra simply sat for a moment and stared, his mouth hanging low.

He was brought back when the girl’s breast was exposed, and the male—a Zabrak—cupped her nipple inside his mouth.

Vajra was deeply embarrassed. He’d walked in on couples making out a few times, back on Uphrades. But this was the first time here on Tython.

A part of him he hadn’t known existed wanted to stay and watch, but his better sense easily prevailed. He did not want to interrupt the couple—or worse, get caught peeping. He tried to get up as stealthily as possible, but his aching muscles betrayed him. There was a slight sound, and the girl heard.

“WHAT THE FRICK!?” she squealed, pushing her lover off and covering her modesty. “WHO’S THERE?”

“I’m sorry,” Vajra sighed. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“BUT YOU DID, YOU FREAKING MORON!” the girl cried. “HOW LONG WERE YOU JUST SITTING THERE?!”

“About thirty minutes. I was resting here.”

“Moracen, there’s no way he got in after us,” the Zabrak tried to calm her. “And we don’t have a monopoly on this structure. It’s our fault for not checking first.”

“WHO CARES ABOUT THAT!?” she shrieked. “HE’S SEEN US! SEEN US! DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”

The Zabrak looked apprehensive.

“Look, Padawans do this all the time. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Of course, you won’t!” the girl breathed menacingly. “If even a soul finds out, we’ll know it was you, and then you’ll be sorry!”

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone.”

“I don’t believe you,” she seethed. “Listen up, you snotty-nosed brat. Despite what the Masters teach us, we are stronger from our love. From our passion! We have just conquered a mighty obstacle because of this passion, and have found our beliefs vindicated. But if you squeal, we’ll be kicked out of the Jedi. Or worse, separated. I can’t have either, you hear me?”

“I said I won’t tell anyone!”

“And I said I don’t believe you.” The girl brandished her Lightsaber. A yellow blade sprang forth, its tip almost extending into where Vajra’s chin should have been. Thankfully, his instincts responded instantly, even though his mind froze from disbelief. And adrenaline turned his fatigue into yesterday’s news. Was he about to fight for his life with his fellow Padawans?

He rolled out of her path and ignited his own Lightsaber, and held it in a high guard. “We’re resorting to threats now, are we?” he hissed. “I’m no helpless child. And although I can ignore love, I cannot ignore this! Stand down!”

“Or what?” the girl growled. “You’re crazy if you think you can take us, with our newfound power!”

Vajra scanned her through the Force. Despite her fierce words, he found at least three Fractures in the Force which marked the flaws in her defence. He could take her easily if he wanted. But did he want it? He feared he’d have his choice made for him in a few seconds, but thankfully the male had a cooler head.

“MORACEN!” he screamed, and slapped the Lightsaber out of her hand and tackled her to the ground. “Do you realize what you were doing? Were you seriously about to attempt to murder a fellow Padawan?”

“But he’s seen us!” she screamed, struggling mightily.

“So what? Do you have any idea how many of us do this? It’s not uncommon, you know! It’s certainly not a crime! But attempted murder?”

That made her stop dead for a second. “What was I thinking?”

“You weren’t,” Vajra growled. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t report your attack!”

“Well, we retrieved this crystal from the war droid we destroyed,” the Zabrak said hopefully. “It’s a Lightsaber crystal—”

“So it’s bribery now?”

“Well… Look, I know we messed up. But we promise, we’ll seek help. I’ll help Moracen get through this. We won’t attack anyone outside a battle again, we swear.”

Vajra glared at him for a second before putting away his blade. “Fine,” he sighed. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

“We won’t. Thank you.”

Vajra exited the building, mind on full alert. What had happened? That girl had just tried to kill him over such a small thing! What was wrong with her? Had she lost her mind?

Jasme’s voice echoed in his head. “‘Through passion, I gain strength; through strength power.” It was a part of the Sith code. The Sith code. And yet the girl clearly talked about passion and power like she had stumbled upon some grand secret! Was this what the Dark Side was? If so, he might be making a grave mistake by keeping his promise.

Several minutes of walking later, he happened upon a pair of Jedi Knights. “There sure are a lot of people in these ruins today,” he said to himself.

“Good day there, Vajra,” the aged human said. “We are trying to find our Padawans. We suspect they are too deep into an illicit affair. We were hoping to catch them in the act.”

“My Padawan is a Zabrak named Spanios,” the Weequay said. “Master Silvarte’s is a human named Spanios.”

“I haven’t seen anyone,” Vajra lied.

“Is everything alright, Padawan? You looked distressed.”

Vajra hesitated. “I’m sorry, Masters. I have a lot on my mind. There’s a Khrayii base around here somewhere, and I haven’t been able to find it despite searching for three days.”

“I see,” the Weequay said. “Tread carefully, Padawan. All our efforts seemed to have thinned the droids’ numbers, but it’s still unsafe around here. Never let your guard down, no matter how frustrated you are.”

“Of course, Master. Thank you for your warning.”

“You are welcome, Padawan. Have a safe journey!”

“You too, Masters.” Vajra left them behind, wondering again if he was a fool to keep such a major red flag secret. “I’m trusting you, Spanios, Moracen. Please don’t let me down.”

“Look who it is, it’s Vajra!” Kira felt her spirits rise. “I thought you’d forgotten about me—hey are you alright? You look like something the cat dragged in.”

“Tired,” Vajra groaned. “It’s been a long few days.”

“Ohhh, you poor baby. Want to have that bed?” she pointed at the bed beside her. “It’s free! We can keep each other company!”

Vajra hesitated, but decided to take her up on her offer. He’d remembered to wash before coming here, after all. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to drop in more,” he apologized.

“I’ll get over it. I hear how busy you’ve been. Running all over the hills, the Kalikori village, Keleth, and the Archives… it’s no wonder you’re exhausted. Besides, Jasme’s been keeping me company.”

“Force bless Jasme,” Vajra said fervently.

“Yep. Jasme is love, Jasme is life. Even Kana doesn’t mind talking to her.”

“Think she’ll drop in again soon?”

“I’m hoping. The three of us can have a nice, hot meal together!”

“Are you still on the soups?”

“Yep. It’s not so bad. Better than Rootleaf stew. Oh hey there, Jasme! So glad you could join us!”

Vajra turned to beam at the young woman walking in.

“Oh no! You’re not sick too, are you?”

“Nah, just tired.”

“Hmmm.” She approached him and touched his forehead and cheek, then looked into his eyes. “You’ve been losing weight, little brother. I hope you’re not pushing yourself too hard.”

“Not speaking for the usual routine, but the past few days have been tiring.”

“Yeah I heard. Scouring Keleth for a base that might not even be there? How much of the city do you still have left to check?”

“Not much. I’m heading into Upper Keleth next.”

“Don’t know why the Khrayii would set up there,” Jasme remarked “It’s where the droid forces are thickest. And it’s even farther away from both, the Kalikori and the Temple.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Vajra said thoughtfully. “It’s a safe place to train their Force users.”

“Holy fucking crap,” Kira croaked. “What next, Flesh Raiders with Lightsabers?”

“I certainly hope not. The only place they’d get Lightsabers is from corpses.”

“Unless Bengel Morr decides to give them Lightsabers too,” Jasme reminded him. “That man must have gone crazy after what he saw. I can’t really blame him.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Vajra blurted out. “Guys. I need to talk about something.”

“Shoot!” Kira said. She rolled onto her side to get him in her direct sights.

“When I entered a building for a rest, I saw something…” Vajra began. He described his troubling encounter in great detail. “Is love wrong?” he finished.

“Why you asking?” Kira asked. “Finally willing to admit there’s something between yourself and Ranna?”

Vajra felt self-conscious, but decided to respond honestly. “Yes, that’s part of it.”

For a second, Kira looked a cross between touched and stunned. “Wooow! That’s my boy!” she crowed. “Our little Raudra is growing up. Say, didn’t I hear that Raudra practice polygamy?”

“You did,” Jasme nodded. “It’s a necessity given their horribly skewed gender ratio.”

“Doesn’t mean I plan on it.”

“Now, about these Padawans…” Jasme interrupted Kira’s witty retort. “I don’t think love is wrong. There have been many Jedi who have known love. Even had families. Nomi Sunrider for instance. Bastila and Revan, Master Satele’s ancestors.” She looked like she wanted to add a few names to that list, but held back. “They were all splendid Jedi. And despite their love, they never forgot their duty as Jedi. I’m sure you can be one such too.”

“While I do agree with Jasme, there’s this silly thing called ‘passion’. It’s different from love. It causes people to do stupid, stupid things. Moracen, for example, was willing to hurt you. That’s Sith mentality.”

“Like Rudra said, ‘Do not ever forget your soul,’ and Moracen definitely did.” Jasme agreed. “She’s wrong. I’ll keep an eye on her for you. If it goes wrong, I’ll let you know. Just remember, it’s not your fault for staying quiet. Tattling on your fellow Padawans is a tricky thing to do.”

“Especially since you seem to be falling for someone’s charms yourself,” Kira murmured.

“How are you feeling?” Jasme asked.

“Good question, how’d it feel watching those two paw each other?”

“I mean, how are you feeling about almost coming to blows with a fellow Padawan?” Jasme looked crossly at Kira.

“Yeah. I could have beaten her without killing.”

“What about her attempted murder?”

“That… yeah, that disturbed me a little. But I’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad. Always remember that my door is open for you.”

“Isn’t it open for everyone?” Kira asked.

“Especially for Vajra. And you too, I suppose.”

“Awww, thanks! I love you too, Jasme!”

“So, do you have a story for us today?” Vajra asked jovially.

Jasme gave Kira a pained look. “Kira here only likes raunchy stories.”

“What?!”

“I think they’re appropriate at the moment,” Kira asserted.

“Fine,” Jasme sighed. “Steamy erotica it is.”

“What have I gotten myself into,” Vajra groaned.

“Chin up, kid!” Kira said brightly. “You’re about to take your first steps into a whole new world…”

Master Orgus dropped in for a debrief as Vajra continued working on T7. They chatted for a bit, before Vajra asked a question which he later realized had greater repercussions on his life than he’d expected.

“Master, can there be love without passion?”

“What brought this on?”

“Just something I read about Revan and Bastila Shan.”

“Remind me to give you a reward for keeping up with studies in the archive on top of everything else.”

“I just sneak in a few extra pieces for side-reading. It helps when I want a break from the real studies, but don’t want to break my momentum.”

“Not a bad idea,” Master Orgus nodded. “So if you’d read about Bastila and Revan, you’d know that they successfully managed something the Jedi say is extremely difficult.”

“They fell in love, but stayed loyal to the Jedi Code.”

“Even better; Revan actually used their love to bring Bastila back to the Light when she was tortured into following Darth Malak. They served as good Jedi for the next three years, after which Revan disappeared from the face of the Galaxy… and the dark times returned.”

“Times resolved by Raya Kol.”

“Indeed. Another brilliant Jedi who ignored despair and chaos, and shone all the brighter. Are you looking for heroes to worship?”

“Yes. They have important lessons to share. Such as the difference between love and passion.”

Master Orgus laughed heartily. “Keep in mind that falling in love is akin to playing with fire for Jedi.”

“Fire gives warmth and light though,” Vajra countered, knowing just how cheeky he was sounding. He realized he was just that comfortable around his Master now. “If love is fire, we need to learn how to use it as a tool, even accept it, rather than fear it.”

His Master had another hearty laugh. “Someone’s turning into quite the orator!”

“I’m learning from the best! Jasme that is.”

“Please stop, I’ll run out of breath! Where will you get your answers from if that happens?”

“Good point.”

Master Orgus wiped his eyes. “As you’ve seen, it is indeed possible. But what is love, and what is passion? We need to be clear on that first. I’m often reminded of the last of Rudra’s edicts. ‘Never forget your soul,’ was it? ‘Even if grief or anger or pain make it feel slippery in your hands, always hold to yourself. Never forget your pride and honor as my children. Never let the storm within take you.’”

“Tarsten got a pretty good translation of that edict,” Vajra remarked. “I remember it from my childhood, but struggle to do better.”

“He really was a diamond in the rough. Did you know he’s married a Raudra? Had a few daughters with her too. Interesting man. Anyway, that’s what passion is, as I see it. Getting swept up in the moment. In your emotions. Giving in to the temptations of immersing oneself completely in the material world. And to a Jedi, it can be a danger. Because passion brings its own rewards. Seductive rewards.”

“The Dark Side.”

“Indeed. Like that edict says, it’s a slippery slope. Once you reach for it, you only become more susceptible to doing so again. But that’s not always true. There were Sith and Dark Jedi who turned to the Light and never relapsed. Your own people seem to have kept their soul after tapping into the Dark Side. Clearly, it’s merely difficult to ignore the call of the Dark, not impossible.”

“So, all Sith are governed by their passions? Are there any who just… use them when they need to, but set them aside to have ordinary lives? Are there any reasonable Sith?”

“Not that I’ve ever seen. But then, I’ve only ever met Sith on the front lines. The ones who always seem deranged and homicidal.”

“Have you met Malgus? Angral?”

“I’ve met both of them. Brutal men they were, full of hatred and rage.”

“Do you think you can defeat them?”

“Not anymore. I’ve grown too old and slow. Especially for Malgus. He’s only grown more powerful since the Sack.”

“Do you think I can take him?”

“Barring surprises, or dirty tactics… yes. You are already a better swordsman than both combined. And you have a knack for avoiding Force attacks. But never forget that a forecast is not an accurate prediction. Anything can go wrong on the battlefield. Especially when your opponent uses the Force… and has decades’ of experience. As to reasonable Sith… I wonder…” He rubbed his jaw for a moment. “We actually have former Sith Lords among us.”

“Really?”

“Especially this one man named Sajar. He was once a member of the Dark Council.”

“No way! And he turned?”

“Yes, he did. He might have more insight into your question… though it’s rare that he sets foot on Tython. He prefers to stay on the outer rim, away from people who might remember him for what he once was. If ever he comes here, he’s the man to talk to.”

“I’ll be happy to.”

“Thinking about it for a moment, it does sound like such Sith would exist. But they simply wouldn’t rise very far, given colleagues like Malgus and Angral.”

“I hope they do, Master.”

“So do I, Padawan. So do I.”

“Have you ever fallen in love before, Master?”

“I have,” the human admitted. “Although it was more puppy love, or crushes, than true love. I did love Bengel as a son though. He was my whole world. Losing him was…” he shuddered. He looked like he might cry, so Vajra walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Master.”

“Thank you.”

“Still, taking me on must have been a hard decision.”

“Not at all! In fact, it was the easiest decision I ever made.”

“Really?”

“I saw you, and simply knew. What I had to do. I saw you there, looking so broken despite scoring such a resounding one-man victory, and realized that you needed help that I was well qualified to give. We’re a little alike, you and I. I will always be proud of that decision. And of you.”

Vajra was touched. “Thank you, Master.”

“Now I assume we’re done with your question? Alright then. I’ll leave you to it. Remember to sleep before you head out again.”

Vajra nodded. “I’m so sorry for how slow the progress has been, little buddy. But we’re almost done. Just a few more weeks. And… there! Your new optic sensor is in place!”

T7 chirped happily.

#star wars #swtor #swtor fanfic #swtor fanfiction #swtorhub #fanfic #fanfiction #jedi knight #hero of tython #kira carsen #Bela Kiwiiks #orgus din #satele shan

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writteninscarlet · 10 months ago

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Reese seemed determined, which was good. Determination was needed to get through this. Not the only thing of coursed but certainly something that would stop them from changing, at least. Wanda was still hesitant, but Reese wasn’t a little girl. And she’d been helping Mr Knight long enough to know what she was getting into here.

All the same, she’d remember to tell them about this. Reese might be fine now, she might be fine after. But sometimes things came back to bite you. This wasn’t something Wanda wanted to hide from Marc. Just in case.

She gave a nod, a hand going up and idly twisting a lock of auburn hair around a finger as she thought - before realising her action and dropping her hand. “Thank you, Reese. Really. With you by our side, we’ll be able to get closer.” The vampire scent may mask their own, or if caught prior they could perhaps play things off. Considering her plan to destroy the nest, Wanda didn’t want to use a spell to track them down.

“Once there, Kate and I will head inside. I’m not sure how quickly it’ll take to gather them all in one place—“ if that would even be possible. It depended on the building. “You’ll need to be outside for the spell. I can control it, but if things go wrong it’ll be dangerous for you.” A ‘sun’ spell of sorts. She was no priest, no priestess. No blessed water for her. And there was the chance there would be too many to individually fight - no point taking senseless risks.

She watched Reese move - feeding, probably a smart plan - then turned back to Kate. She scrunched up her nose at the thought of how many vampires may be but gave a nod. Doable. Not fun, by any stretch. But doable.

“Twenty. Maybe thirty. There’s not only the ones they’ve turned in town, but whatever number they came with. Considering how quickly people have disappeared, I don’t think it was one sole vampire behind this,” she mused, thinking it over before shaking her head this time. One vampire wasn’t enough. There had to have been a little handful. “Not to mention they’ve brought other vampires into their nest - like they tried to do with Reese.”

It was worrying what the bigger picture might be. Go to a bigger town when the numbers were large enough? Or take over this town? Their own Jerusalem’s Lot.

She sighed, glanced towards Reese then back at Kate. “Exactly. Doing it in daylight might be safer in some ways, but without knowing their plan it’s good to get this over with. I don’t want any more missing people.” And if their plan was to move on, Kate destroying a few might send them fleeing.

They had their weapons and a semblance of a plan. It would have to do.

“You ready Reese?” A pause, “Does Marc know you’re here?” Just in case, again. She would get Reese through this, with as little pain and fighting as possible. She WAS good, and capable. And strong enough to be doing this. But she didn’t have to. Shouldn’t have to. She’d get Reese through the night, though maybe it would mean spending the day at the Emporium. Back home tomorrow… a little visit to the Mission maybe… time for that later.

A sigh and she glanced at Kate, slight smile curling up her lips. No, she didn’t want this for Reese, but adrenaline was building within her. Sometimes you needed a good fight. “Let’s head out, huh? I’m all set. Let’s go.”

@midnightxmission @onlyaphcse

Life was pretty predictable to Reese. It always seemed to be throwing her the same curveball - VAMPIRES.

Had there always been this many around? Where the fuck had they come from? Reese had watched Buffy. Actually, a few of them in her building had watched it - sometimes stepping into the place felt like being warped back to the 90’s. Or so she imagined. She’d not seen Twilight (but that seemed to get everything wrong anyways), or any of the other crap out there. Maybe she ought to. Did a horror movie marathon count as study? …but on second thoughts, the prospect of watching vampires get killed continuously didn’t fill her with warm butterflies.

But then nothing really made her feel warm these days.

She liked being at the Midnight Mission. It was a good… purpose? Nah, maybe that wasn’t the word she ought to be using. It was good though. Made her feel better. She liked Mr. K. Weird guy, but decent enough. Good to her. They could understand each other and maybe that’s all you needed. She liked him. All of them. She liked Soldier, too. He was growing on her. Pain in the butt but who wasn’t? And Tigra? Whew. INTENSE. But pretty freaking awesome, too. Vampirism hadn’t given her a lot of good things, and she wasn’t going to waste her undead life wishing on something that couldn’t happen. But at least she was making a life for herself.

And she liked Wanda, too. She was mysterious. There was always an air of unpredictability around her. Nice and caring, but a sharp edge. Helpful. Kind. It was why she’d accepted the offer to come and visit the Emporium. That, and, who could refuse the offer of visiting an actual magic shop? She’d come to like her quite a bit.

So coming to her for help had been easy. Actually, it had been the only thing she could do. “They can WANT me, but it’s not happening. I’m not getting suckered into this.” She was firm and resolute in her words. Adamant. But Reese could admit to herself she was worried. She trusted Wanda, and she sort of knew who the other mutant was - Kitty Pryde (or was it something else these days?). The X-Men might get overshadowed now and then but they were still heroes. Reese knew they could handle this but— but there was no Mr. Knight at her back to assist this time. It was scary.

But she could do this. Reese wouldn’t stand by and let others be turned like she was. It was only a little thing she could do. But she could do it and so would do it to the best of her abilities.

Even if she was scared and this was a bit daunting and freaking hell she’d see the Scarlet Witch in action. Seriously, why the hell was someone like HER hanging around the Mission?

“I know where they are. I can— I still have their scent. And they told me in not so many words. I’m confident.” And if they’d moved? Reese could track them.

She glanced over at Kate as Wanda poser her question, then moved away. Let them talk. She wasn’t going to be fighting - not as much as them. Just enough to get the two of them inside the nest and stop some from escaping. Unless they were like her. Good. Needing a second chance. But from what she had heard? There was no one left to save.

As they discussed that, Reese grabbed a ‘to go’ bag for herself - a little blood bag. She probably shouldn’t think of them as go bags. There could be bloodshed tonight. She didn’t want to be HUNGRY.

#ᗢ ⋆˖⁺‧₊�� once and always a witch ; ic #onlyaphcse #midnightxmission

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ladynestaarcheron · 3 years ago

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You Made Her Like That - Part Two

ao3 - part one

back by popular demand! enjoy!

---

Nesta’s body wakes before she is entirely conscious. Her eyes flutter open, then shut when they hit a red glare. It takes her a minute to realize what it is; Cassian's Siphon in the sun.

Day has broken. Some hours ago, judging by the warmth in the air, too strong for dawn.

His hand rubs her forearm gently. She opens her eyes again, angling her neck so she is looking at the ground. He squeezes her arm; he knows she is awake.

It takes more effort than it should to pick herself up. For a moment it seems as though her palms cannot support her, so he holds her waist, helping her sit up. She keeps her eyes focused on the ground, the whole of last night fresh in her mind. Her mouth is still numb.

"Drink this," Cassian says, holding a skin in her line of sight. "It'll help."

She takes it gingerly, drinking slowly, without tilting her head so she doesn't have to look at him. He's right; the water rids the numbness from her throat and--shit. Her hand goes to her neck, massaging it slightly, as though that'll ease the soreness, or maybe help her swallow.

“You need to eat,” he says. “Would you like something now, or do you prefer to wait until we get back to the House? It’ll be two hours to fly.”

There’s a hollowness in her stomach that won’t be cured by any food he can offer her here, and she can’t stand to spend another second in this wilderness. “House,” she says, voice coming out a raspy croak. It hurts to speak, after all her crying and screaming the night before. She’d like a mug of tea, but making one here would involve scouring for leaves and then building a fire…no, the sooner they return, the better.

“All right. We’ll go right now.”

He helps her stand, leaving her only the water skin as he rolls up the mats and packs up their things. He slips the bag over his shoulder easily, not even wincing at the weight of it as he holds out his arms to lift her.

It’s easy to get lost in her mind on the flight back. Echoes of last night ringing in her ears, visions of all she had recalled flashing under her eyelids. But she keeps coming back to one question: what happens now?

He doesn’t attempt to make conversation, but it’s a different sort of silence than they’ve had these past few days. Not better, but different. She’s not in pain so much as she is numb, feeling a detached sort of curiosity about her own life, about herself. It’s not until the mountains of Velaris come into view and the House of Wind, the most magnificent part of the red stone, that she feels anything that day. Her heart leaps in her chest, as though eager to break out and greet the House. She had it missed it so much; hadn’t even realized it until she sees it now.

And it missed her too, she can tell, as Cassian lands neatly on the veranda and sets her down. The glass doors fling open and a warm breeze hits her, inviting her inside.

“You can go to your room—sleep or bathe—or whatever you’d prefer, Nesta,” Cassian says. "Just make sure you eat, please."

Turning to face him slowly, Nesta looks up into his face for the first time today. There’s no teasing on his face, no laughter in his eyes. But he’s beyond serious. He’s devastated.

She doesn’t know what to say, but she’s spared from finding anything when someone launches at her in a streak of deep blue robes. “You’re back!” Gwyn cries, clutching her tightly. Her face is split in a wide grin as she pulls back to behold Nesta, but her teal eyes dim slightly as she registers what she sees.

She regains her composure quickly, before Nesta can decipher the look. “We missed you so much,” she says, hands on Nesta’s shoulders. “The House told me you were back the very moment you came in, and I ran up. But I have to go back, I promised Emerie I would send word as soon as I saw you. You’re coming in, aren’t you?”

Nesta blinks. Gwyn had missed her? Gwyn had spoken to Emerie about how much she missed her?

She swallows, reddening slightly as Gwyn widens her eyes a little and raises her eyebrows. “Yes,” she says. “I’m going to bathe.” She must reek, after days hiking and sweating without a proper bath. The knowledge of this only makes Nesta flush deeper, but Gwyn doesn’t seem to mind.

“Of course,” she says quickly. “Take your time. Don’t let me bother you. I’ll just send a letter to Emerie and come see you when you’re up for it.” She swoops in to give Nesta two kisses, one on each cheek, and, shooting a mysterious look at Cassian, flounces away.

Cassian takes a step closer to Nesta, touching his hand to hers for a fraction of a second. “You can go inside now, Nesta,” he says.

Her eyes dart up to his again. She turns back towards the House, nodding at it and not at him, as she walks inside.

---

Cassian calls to Rhys' mind the whole flight back to Velaris, waiting impatiently for him to check in. When he does, twenty miles or so away from the city, he tells him to summon everyone to the manor, to wait for him to arrive.

The message is short and unfeeling. He can't stomach talking to his brother, not like this. When Nesta's pain is so raw and has only been exacerbated by his own actions. Now she sits quietly in his arms, eyes open but unseeing everything around her. He had once dreamed of flying over the whole Court like this with her--indeed, taking a camping trip through the most beautiful places in their land, showing her sights he knows she'd love. He'd imagined showing her the west, the Rasic Waterfalls, and what she might look like standing underneath one. Or the Illyrian Mountains, at his favorite cliffside hideaway that opens to the sky, with the most breathtaking views at night. Maybe even Starfall at the House, dancing with her as her golden hair glows in the magic of it all.

But those are stupid, selfish dreams. Nesta would look small under the Falls, her ribs protruding, her breasts and hips undersized, because she still doesn't eat the way she should. She'd never want to see the cliffside, probably, because she's terrified of heights, terrified one of them will drop her. And he could laugh at his visions of celebrating Starfall with her at the House; she'll never want her love of the thing to be associated with the fear and pain he and his family--her family--have caused her.

But Cassian doesn't think he'll ever laugh again. He had wept last night, and it was all he could do not to be sick. She'd been drowning in pain and he hadn't even known. Acted like he was doing everything he could when he was only making it worse, and wasn't even aware of how bad it was. You think I'm a whore. And what Amren and Mor had said to her...

They're all waiting for him in Feyre's preferred living room when he arrives. Elain leaps up from her spot on the couch. "Well?" she says nervously, wringing her hands.

Cassian frowns slightly. He doesn't want to snap at her, Elain always seems too delicate for a response of that sort, but what does she expect him to say? Really, what do any of them expect him to say?

"Is Nesta all right?" Feyre asks, hand on her belly. Rhys' lips tug upwards as he looks down at her. Charmed, no doubt, by how generous his mate is with her sister. Caring for her wellbeing even though she...what? What was it that Nesta was supposed to have done that was so evil? Nothing no one else has done before; hardly anything unforgivable. And she had been right, he knows, for telling Feyre about the risks. It makes him sick now, to think about hiding it from her. What if she had wanted to terminate, and now it's too late, she's too attached?

But he can't wonder about that now. It seems a betrayal of Nesta to think about anything else. For far too long, he had thought only of himself, and now he can only think of her, to make up for it.

Cassian swallows, his mouth bitter and dry. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink in far too long, actually, for the distance he had flown. But he'll deal with that later.

"We fucked up." The words come out of their own accord, and only when he hears them does he realize how true they are, and repeats himself. "We fucked up so, so bad."

Elain speaks first, breaking the silence. "What do you mean?"

Cassian clenches his fists. He doesn't want to look at her. I died for her! Nesta screams in his mind. And it still wasn't enough!

"I'll show you," he says, looking at Rhys. It's a cop out, sharing his memories instead of using his words, but he can't do it. He can't repeat Nesta's pain. He won't do it justice. But if they watch her, if they see what they have done to her...they'll know.

Cassian closes his eyes, swallowing, as he lowers his mental shields. He braces himself, but he knows he'll never be prepared for seeing Nesta breaking down before him.

---

The House tugs Nesta's clothes off as she enters the bathroom, heating her surroundings with magic so she doesn't have to face the cold bare. Indeed, even as the filthy things disappear into nothing, she doesn't feel exposed. She is not alone, she is with the House.

Hot water comes out of a few different spouts of the walls and ceiling in her bath, steam fogging up the mirror behind her. Pulling pins out of her hair and letting them fall where they do, Nesta walks into the bath. She inhales slightly when the water hits her, bringing her hands up to her face so she can watch her fingertips turn pink and finally feel warm.

She sinks down to the floor of the massive tub, the water draining around her, running gray and brown with dirt. A floral scent overpowers the muck as the House spills soap out of one of the faucets. Watching the water turn pink with bubbles, she picks up a bath sponge to scrub at herself, at the layers of sweat and grot that has embedded deep into her skin after the days-long trek. When she can no longer feel the grime coating her body, she tilts her head back and lets the House spill shampoo onto her hair, scrubbing just as hard there as she did the rest of her. Then conditioner, until her hair is free of its knots and snarls.

Nesta sits there for a while longer. The water shuts off as she rises, and the House brings her a robe. Its magic ties it around her; she does not move.

She does not know if she summons the strength to walk herself to her bed, only that when she gets there, her hair is dry. A cup of tea waits for her on the nightstand. Lemon. Nesta picks it up and drinks it slowly, not putting it down until she finishes. When she does, she pulls at the tie around her waist and lets the robe fall to the floor and, bare only to the House, crawls into bed.

---

Cassian keeps his eyes closed for a minute or so after the vision ends. Only a gentle nudge from Rhys has him raising his shields and surveying the room.

Elain has found herself a seat on the couch again, head on her knees, body wracked with silent sobs. No one offers her any consolation. Rhys lifts a hand to put it on Feyre's shoulder, but she raises her arm before he can touch her, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Azriel frowns at nothing, almost as though he is trying to solve a puzzle, but Cassian notices the faint pulse of the vein in his forehead.

Amren looks up from the ground, stare like ice, at Mor. "Why would you tell her that she belongs in the Court of Nightmares?"

"Oh, like telling her she should die in the Prison is any better," Mor snaps.

"You don't even talk to her."

"That's what makes you worse. You were friends--" Mor cuts herself off, but it is too late, and Elain gives voice to her sobs.

It doesn't make Cassian feel vindicated to watch Elain cry, but it is right. He had cried last night, too. He can feel his throat constrict now, but he doesn't have any time to waste on that. Azriel beats him to it.

"I don't think any of us are in any position to blame others," he says, cool. "It would be counterproductive anyway."

"Did you do this?" Feyre says softly.

Cassian meets Mor's eyes.

"What, darling?"

"Did you know...you told me this...did you know this would...only hurt her?"

"Of course not," Rhys says immediately. "If I had known I never would have suggested it. The library has helped hundreds of females before Nesta. I thought--"

"Then why couldn't she have just stayed in the library?" Feyre interrupts. "Like all those others? Why did you say she needed to train, too?"

"Don't shift the guilt off yourself, girl," Amren says, before Rhys can reply. "You agreed to it."

"Shut up, Amren."

"No," Feyre says. "She's right." A tear slips down her cheek. "I did agree to it."

"None of us knew this would happen." Rhys hesitates. "And I hate to say it...of course Nesta doesn't deserve any of it, but when you and Elain kept going to her, and she kept shutting you out--"

"Shut up!" Elain cries, strangled and hysterical. "You don't--you didn't--you never even thanked her! She helped with the queens and I was too scared to talk to them and you didn't--why did I let you--why did I--?"

Elain starts sobbing again, and this time Feyre extends a hand to her, but she leaps up, running out of the room. No one goes after her. Feyre would be the only person who would, of this bunch, but she doesn't move.

It's as though Cassian has been hollowed out entirely. What good would it do to shout at them now? Or pick a fight with Azriel because he's jealous that he's never hurt Nesta? None of it will help her. There's nothing among them that will help her.

"I think," Cassian says, and they all look to him, "that we should leave her in the House."

"What do you mean?" Feyre says. "She should...I should talk to her--"

"No." The time for that has gone. They've missed their chance. "She should stay in the House. She should be in the library."

"I agree," Azriel says. "She should be in the library. But it should be her decision. It's every other female's decision."

Feyre looks for a moment as though she wants to argue, but relents. "When will we talk to her?"

"I don't think any of you will for a while," Azriel says, standing. "I'll let her know she'll be stopping training. And talk to Clotho."

"But what will you tell Nesta? Will you tell her I'm s--"

"No," Azriel interrupts. "I won't. Not from any of you."

You don't care about me, you don't care what happens to me--

She can't think that's true. Cassian can't let her think that's true.

But it's what's right. She's entitled to her own decision on whether or not she wants to be with them, even if he'll never move on from the pain of her choosing to leave him forever.

"All right," Feyre says, keeping her voice even as tears continue to stream down her face. Rhys rises when she does, but she steps out of his grasp. "I'd like a moment with you," she says, quiet.

Rhys pales at her words, following her out of the room, and normally Cassian would care. Truly. But now, he can't be bothered.

Azriel doesn't say goodbye as he disappears. Cassian doesn't look at Mor or Amren as he walks out. He keeps his back to the House as he flies to Illyria, distantly wondering if he'll ever feel at home in Velaris again.

---

Nesta wakes, however many hours later, starving. She can't remember the last time she's felt this hungry. Hungry is good, though, she's come to learn. It means she has an appetite.

Slipping on a dressing gown, she makes her way to the dining room. Azriel is there, setting up a chess board.

"Hi," he says. "Play?"

"Sure," she says, sitting beside him. She moves her first pawn, then he does, without hesitating.

"Eat," he says, gesturing to the food the House has served. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Nesta moves another piece, taking her first bite of food. She hadn't realized how little she'd eaten these past few days until now. Thinking about that makes her realize how thirsty she is. The House pours her a large glass of water.

"What?" she says, when Azriel doesn't continue.

He plays. "We're going to step back for now."

Nesta waits for him to elaborate, but he doesn't. "Who?"

"All of us."

Ah, us. Of course. The family, immortalized on Feyre's walls, excluding her. "Step back from..."

"You."

Nesta gaze drops along with her heart. This is what she hates most about herself. That it still hurts. "Then what's this chess game?"

"You've misunderstood me," Azriel says, making her look up. "I mean we'll stay away for as long as you want. So no more training, no more...you'll stay at the library."

"The library?"

"You can stay here. If you like. But you'll join the priestesses in whatever it is you'd prefer. Talk to Clotho."

What is going on? "I don't understand," she says finally. "I thought..."

"You can write when you want," he says. "To anyone. We'll wait. But you don't have to do it before you're ready. I can leave now. If you'd like."

"Finish the game," Nesta says. Then, "You'll just 'step away'?"

"You're not in a place where you can understand this right now so I'm not going to explain it. Your move."

"Excuse me?" Nesta's voice nearly shakes, but the hardness in Azriel's eyes doesn't diminish. "What do you have to be angry about?"

"You see, Nesta?" he says, taking her rook. "You don't even realize it's not you I'm mad at."

Nesta looks down at the board. She spoons more of her meal--what is this, lunch, dinner? Breakfast, technically, but what time is it?--and thinks of what to respond. Who is he mad at? Cassian?

"Space will be good," he says, gruffer than she's ever heard him. "You'll see."

"What about...Feyre?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? What if she dies?"

"She won't. And that wouldn't be your fault."

"How do you know?" she demands, unsure of which statement she's addressing. "When was the decision made, by the way?"

As usual, Azriel's eyes betray no emotion. "When Cassian came back and showed us what you've been going through."

Nesta flushes. She could swear the room tilts. "He showed--what does--what are you--?"

Now his eyes soften. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's not easy to know that I didn't..." he trails off. Stands. "I was right. Space will be good. You need it."

"So you're going now? And you're not coming back?"

He nods once. "Not till you write."

"What if I fall down the stairs and crack my skull open or something?"

Why does she say that?

"Or what if Feyre's on her deathbed?" she adds, which is more macabre in its realisticness but less mortifying to say.

"We'll send word if the pregnancy takes a turn for the worse, of course," Azriel says. "But you needn't worry about that. And like I said, you'll be with the priestesses. If you need us, and prefer to send word through them, you can do that."

"So you're all just keeping me here, then. That's it."

Azriel stands. "You've been hurt," he says bluntly. "Like the others. It's only right for you to heal."

The red doesn't fade from Nesta's cheeks.

"I know you won't write before you're ready," he says, making his last play and taking her queen. "But make sure you don't wait too long after. We'll be waiting."

That's his goodbye. He doesn't wait for Nesta to respond.

---

That evening, Azriel finds him in his home in Illyria.

"I told her she can write to us when she wants to talk," he says. Casual, almost. Cassian doesn't answer. "Feyre's left the manor. And Elain. To the townhouse."

That'll destroy Rhys, Cassian bets. Away from Feyre. And there's still the matter of her pregnancy. At least she has a hand in fighting it. Has it really been less than a week since he thought the worst thing in the world was Feyre knowing about the risk?

The sun trudges through the sky over and over, like a dying bug falling through amber, and there are days, weeks, months. Cassian does not talk to Rhys beyond what is necessary for the military. He does not see Mor at all. Doesn't visit Feyre and Elain at the townhouse--he isn't invited, anyway, he's sure--and the bouquet he sends on Solstice is signed only with his name.

Nesta doesn't write.

---

hope i did it justice! there'll be a part three:) would love to know what you think!

#nessian #acosf au #nesta archeron #okay that's enough tags if people want to find it they know where to look

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spaceman-earthgirl · 3 years ago

Text

Supercorp 2021 Day 17: Alien

Some supercorp and Esme for those who asked!

Fic link. Series link.

“Darling, I think that’s all you need,” Lena says, startling Kara as hands wind around her waist, a chin resting over her shoulder.

Kara leans back into the touch, just for a moment, enjoying the soft press and warmth of the body behind her. She smiles, despite the nerves swirling in her stomach as she surveys the games in front of her.

“Are you sure? I don’t want her to get bored.”

Kara feels a kiss pressed to her shoulder and then Lena is spinning her, bringing her face to face with her girlfriend. “You have a pile of games, colouring and painting set up, enough pillows and blankets to build a fort that covers this whole apartment and ingredients to bake more cookies than even you can eat. I don’t think Esme is going to get bored.”

Kara sighs. “I know, I just want her to like me.”

“You’ve met her before, we both know she adores you.”

“What if she just likes Supergirl, and not Kara?” Kara asks, her real insecurities coming out under Lena’s soft gaze.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that either, everyone loves you, and I’ve seen you with her, you’re a natural with kids.”

Despite Kara’s nerves, she can’t help but believe Lena’s sure gaze, her words strong and certain.

“Okay.” Kara lets out a long breath. “It’ll be fine, right?”

Lena smiles. “Of course, it will be. Are you sure you don’t want me to go? So you can spend some time alone with your niece?”

Kara shakes her head as she tangles her fingers with Lena’s. “No, I want you here. Besides, you’re ‘Aunt Lena,’ she’s your niece too.”

“You know that’s not accurate, right?”

Kara shrugs. “Fine, maybe not technically yet but I plan on marrying you eventually so she will be one day.”

Lena grins, and it’s only when she hears the accompanying loud beat of Lena’s heart, does Kara realise her words. They’ve been dating two weeks, or fifteen days, to be more specific. It’s fifteen days since Lena asked her to dinner and it took until they were having dessert for Kara to realise that they were on a date. Not that that would’ve changed her answer, she’s just glad she realised before Lena kissed her, or that would’ve been an even bigger surprise.

“You plan on marrying me?” Lena teases, but Kara can tell, she wants it one day too.

“Maybe,” Kara says, but she’s smiling too, the ‘maybe’ an obvious ‘yes.’

“Good,” Lena grins before she tilts forward, soft lips pressing against her own. She’ll never get tired of this feeling, of how right it feels to be able to kiss Lena now.

“They’re here,” Kara says, pulling away when she hears the sound of the elevator and suddenly all that anxiety is back.

“Breathe,” Lena says, pressing one last quick kiss to Kara’s mouth before Lena is spinning her by the shoulders again and giving her a little shove towards the door, just as there’s a knock on it.

Esme’s smile is hesitant as she steps inside the apartment, her eyes landing on Kara. Lena hangs back as Kara greets her sister and Kelly, before Kara turns towards the little girl.

“Hi,” Kara smiles.

“Hello,” Esme greets, stuffed toy tucked under her arm, wearing a pair of adorable overalls that Kara loves.

“Thanks for doing this,” Alex says, drawing Kara’s attention back to them. “We hopefully won’t be too long.” Alex and Kelly have a meeting about Esme’s adoption, Kara offering to look after the young alien while they’re busy.

“Take as long as you like,” Kara says, turning back to Esme. “We’re going to have heaps of fun while Alex and Kelly go and do boring adult stuff, right?” Not that what they’re doing isn’t important, but she wants Esme to have fun while they’re gone.

Esme’s smile grows as she nods.

Alex and Kelly leave with a “call us if you need anything” and Kara is suddenly nervous again.

Kara crouches down, and then ends up sitting cross-legged on the floor as it brings her eye level with the 5-year-old. “Before we decide what we’re going to do today, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

Kara nods, turning to Lena who’s still hanging back and she gives her a nod too. Lena pulls a device from her pocket and clicks the button, a red glow taking over the room.

“Can you feel that?” Kara asks, turning back to Esme as her own body starts to feel heavier as her powers vanish.

Esme nods. “Your powers are gone?”

“Yes. Do you remember I told you I get my powers for the yellow sun here on Earth?” Esme nods again. “Well, on Krypton, we had a red sun, so I didn’t have powers on my planet. Lena has set up these lights so they’re like the red sun, so that when you’re here, you can relax and not worry about having my powers. I want you to be comfortable while you’re here and not worry about having my powers until you can figure out how to control your own.”

All of the apprehension that was on Esme’s face when she walked in is gone. “Thank you.”

“Of course, kiddo,” Kara smiles. “So, what do you want to do today? We could do some painting or colouring? I have some fun board games we could play or we could build a blanket fort? Have you ever built one of them before?” Esme shakes her head. “Or we could bake some cookies or watch a movie too?”

Esme looks overwhelmed by the options for a moment before she quietly asks, “can we bake some cookies?”

Kara grins. “Yes, excellent choice. Though, we have to ask Aunt Lena first, because she’s going to have to help us.” Kara can’t be trusted to bake alone, last time she nearly burnt down the kitchen and the time before she ate all the cookie dough before she could bake anything.

Hopeful eyes turn to Lena. “Can we bake some cookies, please?” Esme asks, and Kara can see the attention throws Lena for a moment before she smiles.

“Of course, we can, sweetie.”

Esme beams and Kara falls a little bit more in love, both with her niece and the woman across the room.

“Do you want me to lift you onto the counter so you can help mix the ingredients together?” Kara asks once they’ve set up the kitchen, ingredients spread out before them.

Esme nods excitedly, all fear gone, looking totally relaxed now and Kara is glad, that’s all she wants, is for Esme to feel loved and accepted and know that they’re her family now, no matter what.

Kara bends down to pick up Esme, hands under her arms, but when she lifts, she pretends the young girl is too heavy.

“Phew,” Kara breathes. “Without my powers, I’m not strong enough to lift you anymore.” She tries again, earning giggles from Esme as the girl stands on her toes, trying to make herself easier to lift.

“Lena,” Kara says with a fake sigh. “You’re going to have to help me, she’s too heavy.”

Lena gives her an affectionate eye roll but without hesitation, steps forward and lifts Esme onto the counter, smiling at the little girl. “You’re Aunt Kara is silly, isn’t she? But we love her anyway.” Lena stage whispers, Esme laughing again.

Kara wants to be offended by the comment, but she can’t be, not when Esme looks so happy and Lena is smiling so softly at her.

Once the cookies are in the oven, Esme asks if they could do some painting and Kara’s heart melts when Esme takes her hand as they cross the room.

By the time Alex and Kelly return, Esme has flour and chocolate stains on her overalls, paint all over her hands, but Kara isn’t sorry at all when Esme gives her a big hug before she leaves and asks if they can build a fort next time she visits.

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #esme #supercorp fanfic #supercorptober2021

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xpeachesncream · 4 years ago

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how many drinks? | one shot (jjk)

summary: the question is - how many drinks would it take for you to sleep with your bestfriend?

pairing: jjk x reader

genre: (18+) college au, dance group au, bestfriends/bestfriends with some benefits au | fluff, smut, sprinkle of angst

words: ~12.2k

warnings: cussing, mature language/implied sexual content, kind of crack-y, dancer!jk to fulfill my needs, unprotected sex, sprinkle of dirty talk, fingering, sprinkle of a handjob, slight biting, nails digging into skin, oc almost gets taken advantage of/forced into doing things she doesn’t wanna do, rough handling, song kang is in this too because i’m also a hooch for him but he’s an ass here, alcohol consumption, intoxication, mentions of blunts/smoking, house parties, cuddling, kissing/makeout sessions, straddling, breast/nipple play, hickeys, fucking on the edge of the bed, multiple orgasms, fingering, licking/neck kisses, oral (f. receiving)

note: one shot title is taken from miguel's song ‘how many drinks’ + a couple of things--

both hoseok and jimin’s piece mentioned below are inspired by real-life pieces my old dance mentor has choreographed and taught. this is the inspiration behind hoseok’s couple piece; this is the inspiration for jimin’s piece

i’m a hooch for all three of them in this video

enjoy imagining koo and oc dancing part of their couples piece like this 🥺

"Y/N." You picked up Jungkook's call as you sat at your desk in your dorm room. You had been finishing up your bio homework until the interruption came blaring through on your headphones.

"Yes?"

"Can I nap in your room?"

"The fuck I look like? A hotel?" You snorted.

"Yeah, a 5 star at that with how good you take care of me." He tries to butter you up, causing you to roll your eyes.

"You're lucky I like you."

"Yesssssssss!" You hear him faintly exclaim on the other line. "Be there in a sec."

"You know my doors are always unlocked." Which, it was true. So many of your friends had decided to live off campus that you and your other bestfriend [and beloved suitemate] were probably the only few left on campus. And that meant people were constantly in your room, hanging out or using both of your rooms, [with permission] or the couches in the shared living room space of your suite as a place to nap. College, amirite? Why the fuck would you lose your parking spot to go back to your apartment when you have friends who lived right on campus? You weren't just good for smuggling free food from the cafeteria to your broke ass, struggling off-campus friends.

Sooner or later, you're greeted by a fluffy, black-haired Jungkook, looking like his shit must have air-dried with how wavy and voluminous it was. He swings your door open so aggressively that you jump a bit in your seat, swinging off your headphones like you weren't even expecting him. You watch as he flings himself onto your neatly made bed like he hasn't felt a bed in years.

"Ugh, yes." He moans as he belly flops onto your bed and stays in that position.

"When's your next class, you little baby?"

"In like an hour or so, I don't know." He says sleepily. "Wake me up, please?"

"Sure." You realize it's Wednesday, and he definitely has Ecology lab later at 3:00PM. You figured you'd wake him up by 2:30 just to give him enough time to groggily walk his ass back over to the science building.

You and Jungkook weren't really close before college. It was moreso that you knew of each other since high school because of mutual friends. You'd see him at parties and he'd see you, but it was never more than the casual hi and bye and small talk. Maybe the occasional comments on facebook pages and the likes on pictures on instagram. But foreel, other than that, that's as real as your friendship got for awhile. You didn't mind it though, you were good with your set of friends and he was good with his. A lot of your friends attended the same university as you two and then your groups intertwined even more.

But, it wasn't until the past couple of months or so where you both unexpectedly got really close - simply just by talking more and being around each other more. You both had similar interests and Jungkook wasn't the most vocal in his group, but with you, he seemed to talk endlessly. He loved comics and he loved raving to you about Marvel and DC superheroes. He loved to draw, and he'd draw you things every now and then - his most recent being you as a scientist superhero saving the world from overgrown malaria-infected mosquito monsters. It was the cutest thing you had ever seen, and you tacked it against your cork board near your desk. Then, small things like that turned to bringing you food or boba, being stuck at the hip where he'd only go to a certain place on campus if you were there; texting each other inside jokes and funny ass tweets all day turned to facetime sleepover calls and then late hangouts eventually turned to actual sleepovers in your bed, where he'd drape his arm around while you both slept but it never escalated into anything more than that in bed. Although he did fucking hate your medium-sized Olaf plushie that took shelter on your bed - he'd always hike it across the room and talk about how annoying he is and how he's always taking his spot. You never understood it, really.

And then soon, it turned to small displays of affection behind closed doors, where Jungkook would hold you close. Hold your hand if you two were in the room watching a show, or movie. Small kisses exchanged. Big kisses exchanged, making out sessions. But, that was literally it. Nothing else. No sex. No pressure. Lots of unspoken feelings, obviously, but you weren't gonna be the one to bring that up. Because you were comfortable, and if anything, you didn't wanna ruin what you guys already had going.

Like, is this a friends with benefits thing? Maybe? Maybe not? It was hard to label it because it's not like you both determined so, it kind of just fell together that way. And there was really no pressure to fuck every single time you got affectionate. It was cute, sweet. And no one really knew it was like that behind doors - possibly your suitemate Kass and her boyfriend, Jimin, but that's only because you shared the dorm suite with her. Jimin was also one of Jungkook's roommates and his really good friend, so whenever they had slept over on the same night, it was pure and utter chaos. But honestly, if Kass and Jimin hadn't been around you two much, they most certainly wouldn't have the idea.

Whatever it was, it was a comfortable closeness that you both experienced and appreciated. However, the both of you were afraid of discussing what this really was, afraid it'll ruin the dynamic. The atmosphere. Having to come to terms of what it might, or might not be. Neither of you can fully admit that you like the other. Although, it got hard. People did lightly tease you two because you both always looked for each other and were stuck by the hip out on campus.

Oh, well. Bottom line is that you liked your relationship where it was at, but it doesn't mean you haven't thought about the what if's. Jungkook was insanely attractive, and it's no lie that girls swarmed him left and right on campus, but he didn't give a shit [either he didn't give a shit or he was dumb as hell?]. Okay, rewind — to be fair, he would have a fling or two, flirt once or twice. He'd tell you so and so was cute and that they've hung out or texted, but that's it. He just wasn't necessarily looking for anything cause he too enjoyed where he was at with everything.

It doesn't take long before Sleeping Beauty is snoring face down on your bed, looking like Patrick Star with the way he's sprawled out. But, you continue to do your work until it was time to wake him. You gently shake him, his puppy eyes looking back at you after being face down all nap.

"Class time."

"No." He groans. "Can't I just stay here with you?"

"No, dude. Get to class." You chuckle. "You already skipped last week."

"Yeah, but this is a new week Y/N."

"Jungkook." You almost say in a scolding manner.

"Fiiiiiiine." He whines as he shoots up and hops off from your bed. "Are you going to our party on Friday?"

"I said I'd think about it right?"

"Yeah, like on Monday. It's Wednesday."

"And I'm still thinking about it." You snort, making him pout.

"Just come for a little bit."

"Why? You know parties aren't my thing and you'll be too drunk anyways. I'll end up wanting to go right the fuck back home as soon as I step outside."

"I'd like to be drunk and have you there. It'll be more fun!" He pouts as he holds your hand and swings it back and forth.

"I mean, to be completely honest, I'll probably end up going because of Kass anyways."

"Because of Kass." He rolls his eyes. "Oooookay. Not because of you, Jungkook, no." He says sarcastically, brows furrowed.

"Ew. You're such a fucking whiner. Leave." You laugh, throwing an empty water bottle at him.

"I'm kidding." He chuckles. "Wanna grab dinner with me after practice?"

"Sure. If you pay." He groans

"Fine. I'll see you later." He puckers up his lips to blow you a kiss, which you automatically reject by giving him a look before turning your attention back to your homework. You were hoping he'd offer to go to In-n-Out because you were craving that #2 with animal fries and a neapolitan shake, plus there was a Target in the same plaza that you wanted to drag him to for new pens and clearance sale shopping. And you wouldn't even warn him about it. He would tag along, no question.

Hoseok stands in front of the mirrors in the studio, pacing back and forth as your dance group learned a couple of 8-counts from this new piece he had been brewing up. Apparently, it was supposed to be a couples piece but he wasn't sure if he was going to keep it that way. He watched to see if this would be better as a group, or if he should stick to his original plans.

Your college dance group was a small group formed by people with pure, genuine interest and love for modern hip hop choreography. Hoseok was the dance lead, with Jimin being the back up lead. The group came together, taught each other pieces, taught workshops for those interested on campus and performed at the various talent shows and productions the school had throughout the year. It was just your group's way of showcasing your talents, something you all purely enjoyed, and it was nice to see the love and support given by the audiences.

"Okay, run that from the top one more time please. We'll take break after, swear." Hoseok chuckles and gives Jimin the cue to start the song back at the starting point. Jungkook makes a funny face at you as he huffs and puffs, trying to catch his breath from the last time you went through the counts.

"Ew." You giggle, slightly pushing him aside. Miguel's How Many Drinks begins to blast through the studio speakers, Jungkook doing his best to sing along and match his tone all while focusing on his steps. Once you're done going through the counts, the music continues to play, Jungkook twirling over to you just to sing—

"Cause I ain't leavin' aloneeee, I feel like I could be honest, babe." He spins to your other side. "We both know that we're grown, that's why I wanna knooooow - how many drinks will it take you to leave with meeeeEEeeeE?"

"You can give me all the drinks in the world and I swear I still wouldn't." You snort, making him frown and click his teeth.

"Too bad that's not really how you act when I ask to sleep over, though." Silence as you stick your tongue out at him. Cause, yeah. You really do tell him to sleep over without hesitation. You loved his company, you can’t lie. "Yeah, fraudulent as hell. I never taught you that." He jokes.

"Shut up, Jungkook—"

"Okay!" Hoseok says, clapping his hands. "This'll be a couple piece. I honestly think it'll work better that way, just like I envisioned it. I'll work with the couple to clean this up before the performance, but to whoever isn't casted for this, Jimin still has a piece to teach the rest of you, so don't feel discouraged!" Hoseok chuckles a bit, giving the rest of the group a small smile. "So with that being said - Y/N, Jungkook, I want you two to do this piece."

"Ouuuuuuuu." Jimin teases you from the sidelines, causing you to put up your middle finger.

"We won’t let you down, cap." Jungkook swings his arm around you.

"I'll teach you the rest of the piece next practice so we can start polishing it up and making it clean before the talent show."

"Sounds good with me." You flatly say, even though 100%, you're pretty excited for many reasons. One, you had been wanting to do a solo or couples piece for awhile, and two, your partner was Jungkook. Your best friend, your ride or die, the dude you've spent so much time with and gave your affection to behind closed doors. It made you giddy just thinking about it, even if you'd blatantly lie to his face later on when he'd tease you. And Jungkook felt the same. You missed the way he subtly bit on his bottom lip when you were named his partner, just so he wouldn't smile too big in front of you.

After practice, you egg him on enough to agree to take you to In-N-Out, without hinting at the plan you had drafted out in your head earlier. The plan that says you're gonna drag his ass to Target afterwards and he had no choice but to come along.

"Y/N, you liar." He groans. "You said you weren't gonna go to Target." He pouts as you follows behind you anyway.

"Kook, I literally just need to get one thing."

"What's the one thing that you couldn't get on your own time?"

"I don't know, I'll have to find out when we get in there." You giggled, causing him to groan again. "Plus, we're here already. Killing two birds with one stone."

"Ah shit, I suppose I can get some bottles for the party."

"Yeah, make yourself useful Jungkook."

"Yeah, make yourself useful Jungkook, aheh." He mocks your tone and does that really weird and ugly ass laugh that dudes always do when they try to mock girls, however, you ignore it because you've just stepped into Target and bitch, this was Disneyland to you. Heaven. Paradise.

"Hm, what are we drinking on Friday?" He says his text outloud as he follows you around the dollar section where you begin to pick up really unnecessary items that you're probably just gonna store away in or around your desk somewhere.

"Should be holy water because you all need it."

"Mmm, I don't know, I don't think they have that but we can check." He responds ever so seriously, causing you to chuckle.

"How many people are you expecting?"

"Honestly, I don't even know. We said we'd keep it to close friends only. I don't really have any friends, so that's all on them."

"Ah, makes sense as to how the entire class was invited." You fire back sarcastically. "Your upstairs neighbors are really gonna have a blast."

"They're invited too."

"You guys are so dumb." He laughs when you hit him against the chest. After walking a bit, the two of you head towards the alcohol aisle, Jungkook grabbing what his arms will allow him to grab since alcohol is a little cheaper here than other grocery stores. "Isn't there a limit as to how much alcohol you can buy?"

"I don't see anything anywhere." He hauls about 4 big bottles back to the cashiers. "Besides, I'm giving them business compared to Safeway and those other grocery stores."

"Grab the coupon at least, genuis. It could save you some money." You take off the coupons from the three bottles.

He looks down at the coupon attached to the 4th bottle. "Sign up today and get 2% cash back on every bottle you buy." He snorts after reading the coupon outloud. "More like sign up today and get 2% cash back turnt." He looks at you. "This doesn't sound like a coupon, miss. Where's the ‘get 5 dollars off’ bullshit?"

"2% cash back turnt? Really?" You furrow your brows at him and hand the coupons to the cashier. "Here. God, maybe you shouldn't be hosting parties with your roommates."

"Maybe not." He holds his bags, even grabbing onto yours as you both walk out to his car. He turns up the radio, the both of you singing along to the songs coming through. When he pulls up to the lot of Edgehill Village, he parks in someone else's marked spot only because it's technically next to your door and he doesn't anticipate to stay long. But honestly, that never goes as planned. He grabs your bag from the trunk, silently following behind you as you unlock your door to an empty suite - just as you expected. Kass was most likely at Jungkook’s, spending the night with Jimin, and you'd be alone for the night. It didn't matter to you though, the peace and quiet was always nice.

"You sure you're gonna be okay here alone?" You nod.

"Yup. It's kind of nice actually." You lean forward onto your bed since it's raised a little higher than usual with bed risers, and open up your laptop. Jungkook sets your Target bag down and wraps his arms around you from behind, planting a kiss on your cheek and on your jawline.

"You sure you don't want me to sleep over? Cuddles sound nice."

"It sounds like you want to."

"Only if you want me to." He nuzzles his head against your neck, waiting for your response.

"Kook, please." You chuckle. "If you wanna sleepover, then go ahead."

"Yesssss! I do."

"Well you need to find parking, or else the person that owns that parking spot will be highly upset."

"You got it, captain. Pull up a movie!" He says, dashing out of your room to move his car. He's most likely going to come back in another 5 minutes, being that the only free parking at this time of night is probably on the other end in the gym's lot, or somewhere on the streets [if he got lucky].

And so that 5 minutes sure does go by before Jungkook is breathing heavily when he walks into your room, duffle bag swung over his shoulder with a big, dorky ass smile on his face.

"I'm back!"

"I see." You snort, still going through the movies.

"Hey, let's run through what Hobi taught us first."

"Ugh, I'm so tired though."

"Cooooome on, just once." He pulls you by the hand, his body pressed against yours as his his other arm wraps around your waist. "Please." His puppy dog eyes look down at you, causing you to push him away because fucking hell, that shit makes you weak. Makes the pussy throb just a lil, you know? Christ.

"Only if you watch 10 Things I Hate About You."

"Sure, I don't mind." He pulls up the song on your laptop. The both of you face the mirror in front of you, careful not to hit each other since you had such limited space to fully move around. Running through it once was a full blown lie, being that you both are doing it for almost 5-6 times before you're laughing at how out of breath you already are. You're so out of it and winded by the last time around that you accidentally hit Jungkook in the face, causing him to whine and stumble off to the side.

"Oh shit!" You laugh. "I'm so sorry, Kookie!" You run over to cup his face. "Are you okay? You good?"

"Shit, Y/N. You have a heavy hand." He keeps his hand against his cheek.

"I'm sorry." You lean in to plant a kiss on his cheek, but Jungkook being Jungkook, he looks to the side to have his lips meet yours instead. He picks you up in one swift motion, your legs wrapped around his torso as he sits you on your bed, your hands still cupping his face. And honestly, you really wanted him. You've always wanted him since this whole thing started. God, he was attractive to you - every little thing about Jungkook was a fucking weakness, but you weren't gonna let up first. Not tonight. The scar on his cheek, his soft, fluffy hair, his toned body, his muscular ass arms, the way he held onto you when you both slept, the way he kissed you.

Lord, he was truly going to be the death of you.

Before the kiss could get any deeper, you smile into it and back away, keeping your gaze on the small, dazed smile Jungkook has on his face.

"Can we watch now?" You ask, subtly biting onto your bottom lip.

"Yeah, good idea."

"Actually, after all that, I need to shower first."

"Can I join?" His eyes light up.

"Sit your ass down. You can go after." You laugh as you hop off the bed, grabbing your pajamas for a quick shower. You literally take 10 minutes, walking back into your room with wet hair and an oversized shirt and shorts underneath. Although you had been completely comfortable with Jungkook, the both of you have never really seen each other fully naked like that. Whenever he slept over, you were both always fully clothed. You've seen him hop out of the shower and come in shirtless, but that's probably about it. You start to brush your teeth as he rummages through his emergency duffle bag full of shit that he holds in the trunk of his car, grabbing a fresh pair of clothes to change into after his shower. You already know his ass is gonna use your shampoo for everything because he loves the smell of it and always talks about how good your hair smells.

While waiting for him, you slip yourself under your covers and pull the laptop closer to you, scrolling through your phone aimlessly to see what's new on instagram. Which, is absolutely nothing, so you let out a dissatisfied sigh.

"Ready!" He comes in, tossing his towel aside and shutting off the lights to crawl into your bed with you.

"You smell just like me." You chuckle.

"It's great, isn't it?"

"Your hair isn't bothering you?" You run your hand through his incredibly wet hair as he shakes his head.

"No, I'll be good."

"Okay." He wraps his arm around you to pull you onto his body, the movie already off to a start. As the movie goes on, you find yourself getting sleep as both of your bodies sink deeper into the sheets, Jungkook still not letting you go. The laptop rests on his belly, while your head is on his chest, his heartbeat the one thing putting you to sleep pretty quickly. He's comfortable, just as you are. He's warm, you're warm. He's content, you're content. You drift off to sleep while he continues to watch, knowing your bodies will be pressed tightly against each other in the morning.

"Kook there's so many fucking people here. The cops are gonna come and shut this down quick." Jungkook shrugs.

"Oh well, wasn't my idea." He snorts. "Shot?!" He hands you a shot that you take with ease, feeling like you aren't drunk enough for all this shit and all these people. "Atta girl."

"Yuck, though." You slightly make a sour face as you feel the warmth trickle down your throat and into your stomach.

"Heeeey, whyyyyy do you look so FaMiliaR?" This girl asks Jungkook in a weird, flirty tone, where every other consonant goes up and down. She's obviously really fucking drunk and out of her mind because for one, she definitely goes to the same school as you two, and she has definitely been in class with Jungkook before.

"Oh uh, my name's Justin Bieber. I used to sing from time to time." He says nonchalantly with you furrowing your forehead at him because what kind of response did he just give her?! What did he just tell her? You're so embarrassed that you slowly turn on your heel and walk out of the kitchen as you hear him sing One Less Lonely Girl hella out of tune, with the girl completely smitten over his drunk ass.

"Where's Jungkookie?" Kass asks as she sits on Jimin's lap.

"Over there, pretending to be Justin Bieber apparently."

"Oh, nice. You don't come across that often." Jimin says sarcastically. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, stay here tonight, with Kookie." Kass wiggles her eyebrows, her cheek resting on top of Jimin's head. "It's not like that's anything new."

"Um, I'd rather much be back in the dorm."

"That cold, lonely place? When you could be here, in such a pretty apartment with such a pretty boy?" You shake your head at her.

"Unbelievable." You mutter. Suddenly, an incredibly tall man walks into the apartment, reaching about 6'1 and almost hitting the ceiling with his tall ass. You've never seen him before, but he walks in with Hoseok and Namjoon and for whatever reason, you can't peel your eyes off of him. "Woah, who's that?"

"Who's what?" Jungkook finally comes to your side after being Justin Bieber for a good minute or so, his eyes following yours. Who was he and why were you looking at him so intensely?

"That's Kang! You've never met him?" Jimin says, doing a slight nod to greet him as he passes by. Kang and his fine self looks up at you, a small smirk creeping up at the corner of his lips as he continues through to the kitchen behind Hoseok and Namjoon. "He's a transfer and on the basketball team."

"He's fiiiiine." You and Kass swoon over him a bit, Jungkook giving you a look.

"He's alriiiight. I've seen better."

"Shut up, no one asked you." You lightly punch him on the side, making him lightly groan while Jimin and Kass laugh. The rest of the party, you suddenly have a goal to find out more about Kang and see what he's about because you and Jungkook weren't official. You both didn't really know what this was, but one thing you knew for sure was that it wasn't anything exclusive. You wouldn't bring it up, so wouldn't Jungkook - so was this really something all that meaningful?

Whatever, you didn't wanna keep going in circles about it.

Jungkook fucking hates it though, and he's honestly really jealous that you're suddenly trying to be all cute and woo the new, tall, handsome [but he's not really that fucking handsome to Jungkook for christ's sake] basketball player. Jungkook almost wants to mock his every move and how suavé he is, almost looking like a try hard with the way he's leaning against the wall and talking to you.

Wait— he's talking to you?! You were literally right next to him 2 seconds ago.

"What the fuck?" He squints, trying to make sure he's actually looking at you.

"You're so full of shit." Jimin laughs.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you just admit that you like her and stop being childish about it?"

"I don't like her. She's just my bestfriend."

"Um, okay?" Jimin snorts. "When you sleep at her place every chance you get and vice versa? When she has a ton of your shirts and hoodies in her own fucking closet? When you always get so affectionate with her in the dorm? Sure, you don't like her."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do, you've done it in front of me and Kass before but you both tried playing it off. I don't understand you two."

"Well, I don't like her. She obviously doesn't either with the way she's trying to be all up on him." Jungkook glares at you, his teeth biting the rim of the cup harshly as he brings it to his lips to take a sip.

"Whatever, I'm just saying dude. Probably better to be straight up about it than not."

"Kaaaaaaay." Jungkook responds sarcastically, trying to play off how butthurt he was right now. Cause yeah, he did fucking like you. He was just scared to admit it though because of reasons like this - the fact that you possibly didn't like him back killed him. The fact that you could possibly be using him to feel wanted, needed. It made his stomach turn.

He just really liked you, and god, did he want to be the one in your bed tonight. Whether or not that ended up in sex, whatever. He just wanted to be the one to touch you, be on you.

Meanwhile, Kang was attractive as hell and ouwee, were you feeling him tonight. You were, you really were - except, you could literally feel the holes Jungkook was burning through you from across the room. You'd occasionally glance over due to how distracting it was, Jungkook literally have no shame with eyeing you, almost glaring at you, from across the apartment.

"Is it too forward if I ask for your number already?" Kang licks his lips, his teeth lightly piercing his bottom lip as he looks down at you.

"No." You smirk at him, taking his phone to put your number in.

"We should kick it soon. I'd love to hang out with you and get to know you better."

"Yeah, just let me know when." You blush, until you're suddenly pulled out of your daze by a loud 'ahem,' the loudest throat-clearing you have ever heard in your life. You turn to see Jungkook making his way back over to the shots, knowing damn well he's calling you over. "See you around?" Kang winks before he tips his cup to you and gives you a single nod.

"Sure thing, cutiepie." You bite onto your bottom lip, making your way over to Jungkook at the shot station, instantly pinching his arm.

"What the fuck?"

"Nobody was calling you over." Jungkook smirks.

"Shut the fuck up, yes you were. I know that was you clearing your throat like that."

"I'm sorry, does it bother you?" He blinks cutely, tilting his head to the side. "Besides, why come over here when you're too busy with your man?"

"Are you jealous?"

"Why in the hell would I be jealous, Y/N? Do you." The words sting you, even though part of you still wants to believe that Jungkook may actually like you. All you can do is sigh and brush it off, placing your cup down in front of him as he pours himself another shot. "You sure?"

"Just give me the damn shot." You say, making it your 7th.

And the 7th turns into 8, 8 turns into 9, 9 turns into 10. And at 10, you're pretty fucking drunk even as the party is starting to die down by the time it's close to 2am. All 10 were a good combination of shots and mixed drinks.

10 drinks.

10 drinks is what it took for you to lay in Jungkook's bed at the end of the night, hands tangled in his fluffy hair as your makeout session intensifies by the minute - all due to this sexual tension, frustration, whatever the hell it was brewing between you two after all this time. The both of you are drunk as hell, and it's pretty evident with the way you can still taste the alcohol on his tongue, both sloppily touching up on each other, kisses getting wetter, clothes coming off like there's no tomorrow.

"Wait, are you sure?" Jungkook says, about to unhook your bra.

"Jungkook, god, just fuck me." You plead drunkily, the room spinning around you. He continues to unhook your bra, tossing it across the room where your other clothes lay, peppering kisses along your neck before licking up a stripe to meet your lips again. He hooks his fingers across the band of your panties, tugging them down and letting them get lost within his sheets. You take this as leverage to tug his boxer briefs down, already stroking his hardened member the moment you come into contact with it. The sad thing is that you both are so fucking drunk, you can't even appreciate the fact that you both are naked in front of each other for the first time ever.

You can't even come to terms with the fact that you both are about to fuck each other and cross that boundary completely.

But, hell, what do you care? You were drunk. You got a cute guy's number. You're getting dick at the end of the night.

"Oh shit, Y/N." He moans into your mouth as he feels you stroking him. "Need to feel you." He quickly runs his finger down your fold, slipping in two digits to pump them in and out, quickly prepping you for his dick.

"Hnnng--Kook." You bite onto your bottom lip as your eyes shut close momentarily, your head digging deeper into the pillow the more he tries to stretch you out. "Want you inside of me."

"I got you." He says. You almost whine at the loss of contact until you feel his tip poking at your entrance. He slowly continues to slip himself inside of you, Kook letting out a small groan while your mouth was left open, a soundless moan releasing before you hiss and take in all of him. He fills you up so well, so completely. He was so big that you felt full, bloated, with him being inside of you the way he was.

"Ohhhhhgod." You whimper as he starts to steady his pace, the lewd noises of his cock slipping in and out of your wet pussy filling his room - god forbid if Jimin or their other roommate Yoongi heard this right now. It would be nothing short of pornographic.

"You're so wet. Is that all for me?" He says, causing your eyes to roll to the back of your head as he begins to aggressively thrust into you.

"Y-yes." You whine.

"Say it again."

"All for you, Kook."

"I fucking thought so." He drunkily responds as one hand grips onto your hips tightly, the other in your hair as he digs his head back into the crook of your neck, his tongue messily licking near your jaw before he nibbles onto your earlobe.

"Hmmmmgggh, Jungkook. Fuck." You moan as you start to work your hips upward into his, your clit rubbing against his pelvis, causing the pleasure to pool quickly within the pit of your stomach. It causes goosebumps to pierce through the surface of your skin, your hands gripping tighter on his hair. "You're-you're gonna make me cum. Faster." You plead. He does just so, hammering into you, the sound of his hips slamming into yours bouncing off of the walls.

"Ahhh—Y/N." He groans.

"Just like that, just like that, just like that!" You repeat, your clit feeling incredibly stimulated by the way it rubs against his skin while he fucks into you. "Oh shit! Jungkook!" You moan loudly, biting his shoulder as you feel yourself trembling hard in his grip, your orgasm taking over your entire body.

"Shit, shit, shit—Y/N, Shiiiit." He says into your neck, followed by more curses and groans as you feel him coat your walls warmly. He stays inside of you until the both of you come back down to normalcy, your breathing becoming more regulated. He slowly slips himself out, plopping next to you on the bed, but doesn't welcome you into his arms.

The night goes on, the both of you sleeping on your own sides of Jungkook's bed, not really saying a word to each other. Because the both of you, although still pretty drunk, are more aware by the time it's over and it's become so clear how fucked up this got.

You were hurt. Completely hurt. Because you didn't expect Jungkook to just fucking ghost you after that night. You wanted to talk about it, maybe come to the conclusion that you two should just distance yourselves from each other to figure this out, even if it would hurt you a lot to do so.

No.

That morning, Jimin and Kass had to take you back to campus because Jungkook had darted out of his room, nowhere to be seen until later that night. The next week or so, there were no texts, no calls. No visiting your dorm, no asking to sleepover.

Nothing.

Just radio silence, white noise, if you will.

The one thing he could come up with was a stupid response to your text when you finally caved and asked what you did wrong mid-week.

Something along the lines of 'what do you want me to say, Y/N? do you want me to force myself to feel a certain way?'

Followed by a 'i'm sorry, fuck. that came out really wrong' even though you thought it came out perfectly fine. You understood loud and clear.

Even though this wasn't really an exclusive thing, or even a 'thing' if we wanna be straight up, you still couldn't help but feel like Jungkook had just dumped your ass with no explanation and you were still waiting for that explanation to come, whether it would or not. And because of this, you started to see Kang, hangout with him more often. He even took you out on a dinner date and you really enjoyed his company. He seemed genuine, caring, supportive - even if a lot of the basketball boys were the complete opposite. He was different, you liked to think.

And so you stand in front of the mirrors in the dance studio, you and Jungkook awkwardly running through the piece with Hoseok watching, confused as to why all of a sudden the two of you have this weird tension going on. It hasn't entirely ruined the couple piece, but it hasn't brought it together, either. The both of you could barely look at each other, barely get into the movements, the emotions behind the motions. Hoseok had to correct a few things, his 'pah pah pah's' echoing in the room constantly with how many times you and Jungkook had to be set straight for your sloppy steps today.

"Okay, I'm not saying it's bad, cause it's not. But can you both please act like you at least like each other or something? What's going on with you two? You aren't normally like this." Hoseok says, coming down to a crouch in front of the mirrors.

"Nothing, we'll do better. Don't worry." You brush off the entire question with your quick response. Jungkook looks at you, his hands on his hips, lightly frowning at how much you're distancing yourself even though he knows its entirely his fault for running from his feelings and not being honest with you.

"Okay, let's do it from the top." The music starts, you getting into the piece without making any eye contact with Jungkook. Even the steps that cause you to be close and near Jungkook, you look anywhere but his eyes, and your touch is light, trying your hardest not to let any feelings pass through the motion. Hoseok is a little more pleased this time around, but it still doesn't sit right with him, so he lets you two take a break while he heads to the other studio to check on Jimin and the rest of the group.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Jungkook, you don't get to ask me that." He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, not sure if he should continue on or not.

"Y/N—"

"Save it, and let's just get this over with, okay? I don't wanna be here just as much as you." Your words cut him deep because dear, you have gotten him completely misunderstood and yet, he still can't speak. He still can't talk about his feelings. He still can't save this even though he wants to, even though he loathes seeing you the way you are with Kang.

"I never said—"

"Kay, ready? Let's run this full out and make it a good one so we can call it for today." Hoseok says, clapping his hands to hype you two up somehow. The music starts and you're finally able to get into the steps. The emotions. And god, it's only because you're so hurt by your own bestfriend. You're hurt that he fucked you so good, and then dipped. You're hurt that he couldn't even face you the day after. You're hurt that after all this time, he made it seem like you still didn't matter enough - at least enough for an explanation, for some kind of reasoning, conversation, behind what just went down between the both of you. Between what has been going down between the both of you.

Besides the stupid ass responses he gave you through text.

You get so into your feelings that you don't even realize you're tearing up by the time the piece is over, and Jungkook catches it even though you face away from him as soon as the music cuts out.

"Nice, okay! That was so much better! Let's pick it up next session, yeah? We'll keep cleaning it up. Thanks guys!" Hoseok says. You immediately head towards the wall, grabbing your things to avoid any confrontation from Jungkook, but he grabs your arm as soon as you slip through the door.

"Y/N, wait. Stop."

"Let me go." You yank your arm from his grip.

"Why are you crying?" He stops in front of you, his hands placed on your arms to prevent you from moving any further.

"I'm not." You blatantly lie while you aggressively wipe away the stragglers coming down.

"Really? Just gonna lie like that?"

"Why do you care? You haven't said shit to me all week." You snap back, and Jungkook is taken aback from the tone in your voice. You remove his hands from your arms, and take one last look at him before shaking your head and walking off.

Next mistake? He doesn't come after you.

This was a waste of fucking time. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn't let you hurt like this.

You let out a deep sigh before clutching onto your things and walking back to your dorm. The walk from the gym/fitness center was damn near on the other end of campus compared to your dorm. It would be a good 10 minute walk if you really took your time. A good 10 minutes to ponder on your thoughts.

Yes, you liked Jungkook. You really liked him. Having sex with him solidified those feelings even more. How could you not have feelings for your bestfriend after all the moments you've shared? Was it your fault for assuming that? Was it your fault for walking through that door when it seemed to be completely open for you?

"Sup." Kang comes out of nowhere, pulling you out of your thoughts. He swings his arm around your shoulder, gently pulling you closer to his body. "Just got out of practice?"

"Sure did." You give him a toothless smile. Yes, he was attractive as hell. He always will be. But, even with the time you spent together, the date he took you on, he still couldn't make you feel the way Jungkook has been able to make you feel.

"How was it?"

"Um, it was alright. Nothing new really, just cleaning up the piece before the show. You're going right?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He smiles down at you. "Listen, I don't know if you've heard, but there's another party tonight."

"A party? It's Wednesday." You snort.

"Yeah, I mean, one of the boys on the Lacrosse team is throwing it at his family house because his parents will be gone. Wanna come? I'll pick you up. We don't have to stay for long." You looked at your watch.

"What time is it at?"

"Like 9ish?" Enough time for you to shower and get a quick dinner in your belly. Why the hell not? You were caught up for the week. You didn't have any pressing assignments that were due asap.

"Sure. I'll come."

"Cool. See you later then?" He says, about to part ways with you. You simply give him a nod before walking deeper into Edgehill village. You hoped you wouldn't regret this tonight, and you really hoped he meant it when he said you two didn't have to stay for long. You drag yourself into your room, seeing Kass' door wide open, revealing her packing up her duffle bag.

"Hey, where are you headed during the middle of the week?"

"My two classes got cancelled for tomorrow so me and Jiminie are heading out for a mini getaway for our anniversary." You cross your arms and smile. "He's just gonna catch up on shit when we get back I guess." She laughs.

"That sounds cute. I hope you have loads of fun this weekend, babe."

"What are you gonna do?" Kass and Jimin were obviously aware of everything happening between you and Jungkook being that they had to be the ones to take you home. They never pressed on it though, knowing you both were still pretty upset about how things were playing out. They figured you two would eventually work it out, but until then, they would just sit back and keep their mouths shut. You two were being completely stubborn, but it wasn't their relationship to fix.

"Well, there's this party Kang wants to take me to tonight."

"The Lacrosse party? Messy." She laughs. "Be careful, but also have fun, yeah? I still don’t know if I trust him.”

"Yeah I know."

"Tell me how it goes!"

"I will." You wave her off as you head into your room and shut the door. You figured you would just grab dinner on campus to avoid spending more money than you should; after all, dinner seemed to be pretty bomb tonight. You didn't mind going alone, sometimes Namjoon would join you, asking for you to bring him a plate of food while he does the hard job of sneaking inside the cafeteria through the back door. He usually waits for you at a free table and ends up staying there to have dinner with you, updating you on how life has been, how school has been. Sometimes Hoseok would join you, too. Either way, you didn't mind if no one joined. It was nice to have dinner by yourself from time to time.

You get there on time to be able to grab some food, eat quietly and head out before the cafeteria gets way too busy for your liking. You slip into the shower and throw on a mini skirt, a crop top and a denim jacket, lightly fluffing your hair in the mirror and adding a dab of lip gloss to your lips before Kang is calling you to tell you he's outside your dorm. He's wearing something similar to your color palette, however, you don't make much out of it since this also wasn't really an exclusive thing and you sure as hell weren't going around telling people you and Kang had a thing going on.

To him, you two might be a thing. You've definitely overheard people talking about you two in passing.

To you though, you two definitely weren't. And it was a big fuck you to Jungkook for that.

The house is packed from end to end already, and you're surprised being that it has barely hit 10 minutes since the party was expected to take off. Kang is having to park down the hill, allowing you to hop onto his back for a quick piggy back ride up until you reach the front of the house. There's people already fucked up out on the lawn [you figured they fucked themselves over during their pre-game session cause that shit really happens from time to time], either laying there drunkily or yacking on a free patch of grass.

Gross.

Messy, indeed.

Some people are posted, smoking blunts and offering it to people who were passing by. You and Kang both pass up on it, the idea of not knowing where it has been not sitting right with you. You both head straight to the bottles, taking shots and downing mixed drinks to chase it with so that you can catch up with majority of the crowd. Kang has his arm around your shoulder throughout the night, keeping you close to him, even when he's getting pretty drunk. You realize he's a little more handsy than usual, a little more touchy than you expected him to be. It doesn't bother you for a minute, until he really tries to hike up your skirt while you sit on his lap. You gently shoo his hand away, playing it off while he nuzzles his head against your neck.

"Let's go upstairs, babe." He says, the pet name sounding incredibly off coming from him. Maybe you were drunk, maybe you really just weren't in the mood. It just didn't sound cute, if that even makes sense?

"Okay." You respond stupidly, not wanting to cause a scene at a lacrosse party. You intertwine your fingers with his as he leads the way up the stairs, eyeing the doors as they come into view. He leans forward towards each door, making sure it's clear before opening it. You assume he finally finds one that he's satisfied with when you catch the small smirk that grows at the corner of his lips when he turns the door knob and brings you inside. He pulls you into a deep, rough kiss, one that doesn't even allow you to breathe and process what the fuck is even going on. You can't get into it for the life of you, no matter how hard you try to back away. "Wait, wait."

"What's wrong, baby? Isn't this what you wanted?" He says, kissing down your neck as he drops his jacket to the floor. He gently pushes you onto the bed, his hands traveling up your skirt as you lay there trying to push him off.

"Wait, stop." He doesn't listen. He continues until his hands are literally hooking onto your panties, his finger swiping down your clothed folds. You try fighting him off, but he's way stronger than you. He continues to be aggressive, forcefully trying to shove your panties down until you muster up all the energy you have to finally push him off of you completely. "Stop!"

"What the fuck? I thought you wanted this?"

"Who the hell said that?"

"Are you serious? The way that you're dressed and the way that you look at me. The way you approached me at your friend's party - isn't it all because of this? Because you wanted me? Why are you backing out now?"

"Jesus, get over yourself." You stand, fixing your skirt back down. He furrows his brows at you before his hand grips your arm tightly, shoving you against the wall.

"The fuck, you can't just leave without giving me anything. I brought you here to this party."

"Let me go! You're fucking sick. No one even told you I wanted this to go down. I don't know who you think you are, but you need to get yourself together and stop assuming every pussy is yours to take." He attempts to pin you, his hand holding up both of your hands against the wall while the other tries to pull up your skirt. Someone accidentally opens the door, distracting him and giving you leverage to shove him off and get the fuck away. You dart down the steps, fixing your skirt as you head outside and away from the house.

Fuck, you're far from campus. And Kass and Jimin aren't around.

God.

You groan and run your hand through your hair as you continue to walk down the hill and into the neighborhood to get as far away as possible from that house and that gross ass dude. He was literally just like the rest of the basketball team. You've heard stories and they weren't nice. Looks like he was trained well already, and that shit was sad. What a waste. A beautiful human being with such a nasty, sick mindset. You hoped other girls hadn't fallen for his shit.

Ugh, it sends shivers down your spine. Bad shivers.

"Hello? Y/N?"

"Kook, can you come pick me up please?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Where are you?"

"I'll drop my location. Please hurry." You say, looking back to make sure your coast was clear. You drop the pin into your text thread with Jungkook and sit on the curb until his arrival. It's getting pretty chilly out, and the denim jacket you're wearing fails to provide you with the warmth you're looking for. Sooner or later, Jungkook is pulling up, damn near hopping out before he can shift the gear into park.

"You okay? What happened?" He says, opening the door for you before rushing over to the driver's seat.

"Nothing, can we just go back to your place?" He nods silently, and doesn't press any further after hearing your tone. He watches from his peripherals how you fiddle with your fingers and constantly reach to pull your skirt down even though he doesn't think there's any other way you could pull it down even more. He watches as he parks the car on the curb in front of his apartment how you simply undo your seatbelt and hop out to walk straight into his apartment. He watches as you welcome yourself into his closet and pick out some clothes for you to change in.

You were hurt, and his blood boils thinking about who could've done this and what they could have possibly done.

I mean, no. He knows who did this, but the question was what exactly did he try?

He hears the shower turn on, then quickly get turned off after a good 5 minutes. You had stepped in for a quick body shower, using Jungkook's bodywash just to rid yourself of feeling gross. Feeling gross from being shoulder to shoulder all night long, people breathing down your neck. Kang touching you inappropriately. You slip into Jungkook's clothes, his scent wrapping around you entirely. When you head back into the room, Jungkook has his headset back on as he faces his computer, logging back onto his game of League of Legends. You silently toss your dirty clothes to the side of his room, making a mental note to grab it tomorrow morning and toss it straight into the laundry.

Straight into a fire, perhaps. But you loved those clothes so much, it was unfortunate it'd have such a horrible memory to go with it.

Jungkook slowly removes his headset again and removes himself from his game before he heads over and sits on the edge of his bed. You simply look at him, pursing your lips tightly together to prevent yourself from crying.

But he can tell.

"What happened Y/N?" The question triggers you, making you cry into your hands as he sits there, dumbfounded and worried at how he can fix this and make you feel better. "Look, you don't have to tell me all the details but please tell me how I can help. At least tell me if I need to beat Kang's ass." He says, pulling you into his arms.

"He tried to fucking take advantage of me." You mumble as you remove your face from your hands.

"He did what?" He manages to ask even though he has a hard time swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. He already assumed you had placed him in the same category as Kang even though he never intended to take advantage of you. He really took that night as something special [even drunk], and he never meant to make you feel like you were a used object. Not like Kang.

"He-he," You sniffed. "He tried to force me into having sex with him. He took me upstairs at that lacrosse guy's party or whoever the hell it even was, and he started to aggressively kiss me. And then he tried to force my panties down and touch me there, and—"

"Okay, please don't go on or else I'll literally go over there and tear his ass apart right now. I promise you." He says sternly, his jaw clenching tightly. "God, fuck. I'm so sorry Y/N. I can't apologize on his behalf but fuck, you didn't deserve that." He uses his sweater to wipe your tears.

"I don't even know why I'm crying, this shit isn't even worth it." You groaned. "It's just overwhelming to process, I guess."

"That's okay." He says, letting out a sigh as he brushes his hand through your hair and continues to wipe the stragglers falling from your eyes. "Anything I can get you right now?"

"No, I'm probably just gonna go to bed." He nods. "Thank you for picking me up."

"Of course. You know I'll always be there." He says. You slip yourself into his sheets, watching as he makes his way back to his desk. But fuck, the only thing you needed right now was him. You didn't want this distance anymore, and you just wanted to be comforted in true Jungkook fashion.

"Wait."

"Hm?" He hums as he has a hand placed on the head of his chair while he turns to you.

"Can you just lay with me?"

"Yeah." He says, shutting off his computer before making his way over to you in the dark. You feel him slip in next to you, his arm snaking around your shoulders so he can pull you close and onto his chest. "Better?"

"Yeah." You say, shutting your eyes as you listen to his heart beat.

"Y/N."

"Yeah?"

"I never meant to take advantage of you, or make you feel like I used you that one night." Silence. "It was dumb of me, but I just— I had trouble coming to terms with my feelings. I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same way, but I thought fuck it, at least you would know, right?"

"What are you talking about, Kook?" You ask, close to a whisper.

"I'm saying that I really fucking like you, Y/N. No, that's not right." He curses himself. "I-I uh, I'm in love with you. And I don't know if I messed this up already with the way I acted, god I hope not, but you at least deserve to know that I truly do value you and that you mean alot to me. That night, even though we were pretty plastered, it meant a lot to me. It was more than just sex and I'm sure you felt that too." He waits for your response as his fingers rake through your hair. "Please say something, anything."

"I feel the same way, Jungkook. You're an idiot for running off, but I couldn't even stay mad at you. You just know how to hit my soft spots and I can never say no to it. Can never turn my back on it." He presses a kiss against the top of your head.

"Fuck, I'm really glad to hear that cause I don't know what I would have done besides cry if you rejected me." You playfully hit his chest.

"You're annoying." You jokingly say as you chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I never wanted to hurt you."

"It's okay." You look up to press your lips against his before laying back down.

"And Kang better be fucking glad you're pressed against my body right now because I'm still looking to beat his ass."

"He's not even worth it." Is the last thing you say before you find yourself drifting into a deep sleep, in the comfort of Jungkook's arms.

"You two feeling okay? Nervous?" You and Jungkook shake your heads. "Good, you guys got this. You've been looking amazing during practice, the audience will love you two, no doubt. Just remember to show emotions through expressions and hit every beat sharply." Hoseok nods in unison with the both of you.

"Got it, thanks Hobi." You smile at him toothlessly. You and Jungkook patiently waited for your turn backstage, the talent show already off to a wild and fun start. So many students came by to showcase their talents - from beatboxing, open mic, freestyling [like Yoongi did], dancing, singing, you name it. It was always a fun time at the talent show, and it was always nice to see people getting love for the shit they loved to do.

"You're up next." Hoseok says. "I'll be in the front row. Kick ass and have fun!" He says as he rushes off towards the opposite end to head back out to his seat in the theater.

"Ready?" Jungkook holds out his hand for you to take.

"I think so." You playfully respond as the backstage crew is rushing out the previous talent and rushing you two in to take your places on stage. The lights pick up as soon as the music starts, Kang's big ass head already in full view for you. He's definitely not smiling, no, he has a look of pure disgust because he simply couldn't get what he wanted from you.

And boy, who's fault was that? Not yours, no sir. It was his fault for thinking he had it like that.

But anyways, you're feeling the music, you're feeling the piece because you're dancing with your bestfriend and there wasn't this grey area anymore. It was easier to get into the motions, to get into the feeling, especially when things felt right between the two of you.

And God, what else is more attractive than Jeon Jungkook hitting his 8 counts so smoothly, with just enough umph to make it pop but make it pop cleanly.

Yo, please. I beg. Send some help. You could literally melt on stage.

The moments where Jungkook has to be close to you, where he has to touch you - you let him, and you touch him with meaning. You don't stray away this time because you have no reason to. The crowd is cheering, lots of 'ou's' and 'aw's' erupting from various places in the theater.

"Pretty lady." Jungkook whispers in your ear as the move requires his hands to be placed on your hips for a quick moment. You hear him slightly singing along to the song as he parts from you, causing you to blush.

Sooner or later, the couple piece is over and the song is transitioning to Jimin's piece, you and Jungkook rushing off the stage so the next group can take their positions. Jimin wanted to test his limits, creating a piece a little different than his usual taste - Chris Brown's Came to Do begins blaring through the theater speakers. You immediately jump into Jungkook's arms once you both reach backstage, the both of you immensely happy and pumped that you got through the piece without messing up one step or beat. It went so smoothly that Hoseok was standing in the front row, clapping and cheering in typical Hoseok fashion. You intertwine your fingers with his, slipping through the side door to catch Jimin's piece on stage. You and Jungkook are cheering them on, always impressed by the shit your friends can come up with. You both loved dancing, but you couldn't even imagine coming up with your own pieces to teach people.

That night after the show, everyone heads to a nearby restaurant for dinner with everyone. You all take up almost an entire section of the restaurant, splitting two long tables to accommodate the entire group with doubled the waitresses to take your orders. You settle for water, splitting an abnormally huge and filled deep dish pizza with Jimin, Kass and Jungkook. It was a good day, a good night, everyone at the table happily eating and chatting it up over dinner. You turn down any drinks because to be honest, drinks lowkey make you queasy just from the thought of how much you drank at Jungkook's apartment, plus the added bonus of that party Kang took you to. Jungkook declines as well, knowing he has to drive you back safely.

Jimin and Kass head back to the apartment because Yoongi says he's gonna hang out with Joon And Hoseok for a bit, and they warn you and Jungkook that things may get loud so the both of you decide to really stick to the plan of bringing you back to the dorm. Jungkook does his usual routine of dropping you off first before finding parking around campus. You hop in the shower and come out in Jungkook's oversized crewneck that he left in your closet, forgoing the shorts because you certainly thing that at this point, he'd love to see you in his sweater and panties.

And he does. He smiles as he pulls you close, his hands traveling up your sweater, only to find out that you literally don't have shit on besides some cute little boyshorts. He feels himself hardening in his pants quick because he's incredibly attracted to you and everything about you, always has been, always will be.

"You did amazing tonight." He says, gently kissing your forehead.

"You did too, partner." He gives you a slightly shocked look.

"Is that all I am to you? Your dance partner?"

"Yeah, why? Were you expecting more?" You joke as you smile up at him.

"Yeah, I was."

"Oh?" He gently swoops you up into his arms, your legs wrapped tightly around his torso as he sits you on the bed, his hands resting on your thighs while you continued to hold him around the neck. "Care to tell me what you were expecting?"

"Well, you know, my best friend—" He presses a kiss against your lips, thumbs gently rubbing circles against your hips. "My girlfriend."

"Hm, say that again?" Your fingers are gently playing with the ends of his hair, your lips barely grazing his.

"My girlfriend." He says closed to a whisper, kissing you softly. The kiss deepens quick, Jungkook's tongue lining your bottom lip as his way of asking for permission to take it further. You gladly take it and let him in, your tongues instantly fighting for dominance. Your fingers travel up his hair, tugging ever so slightly just to let him know you want more. That you need more.

And he gets that.

His fingers hook onto the band of your boyshorts, tugging them down and letting them fall down your legs and onto the floor. He breaks the kiss momentarily, his brown, puppy dog eyes looking straight into yours.

"Hey." He says, brushing the hair out of your face.

"Hm?"

"I know I said the last time was special, and it was. It is." He corrects himself. "But, I wanna do right by you this time around. So, is it okay if I keep going? Are you comfortable?" He asks properly, since the two of you are both sober and perfectly coherent, aware of your surroundings and the fact that you'll be seeing each other fully naked in a few minutes.

"Yes." You respond. "Yes, I want you to keep going. I want you. This." He simply nods, bringing his lips back onto yours. His hands climb up your sweater and gently gives your breasts a good squeeze, earning a small moan from the both of you. His other hand begins to travel down to your pussy, two long fingers slowly probing your entrance and causing your breathing to hitch.

"You okay?" He asks lowly. You nod, biting onto your bottom lip as you tilt your head back and rest on your hands, no longer able to keep up with the kiss due to all the pleasure starting to pile up deep in your core. Jungkook starts of slow, his head now buried into the crook of your neck as he works his digits upward, tickling at the right spot.

"Ohhhh, Kook." You mewl as his tongue swipes across the surface of your neck, biting gently beneath your jaw. He begins to pick up the pace, the sounds of him finger fucking you filling up the room entirely.

"Fuck, you're so wet baby." He groans into your neck.

"I'm gonna cum." You whine, teeth almost piercing through your bottom lip in between your whimpers.

"Need to taste you." He removes his fingers and sinks down in between your thighs, gripping onto them and pulling you just a teensy bit more off the edge of the bed so he can get a good angle. The sight of his eyes looking up at you in between your legs is to die for, and the sight alone is enough to make you cum. But, you hold on, you ride out for a little longer - feeling Jungkook's tongue swipe in and out of your folds before he's sucking endlessly on your clit.

"Ahhh, fuck, wait, Jungkook!" He slightly smiles while eating you out, signaling that he's not stopping even if you beg him to. "Hnnng—shit!" You moan loudly as you feel yourself toppling over the edge, your body shaking in Jungkook's grip. You twitch every time he continues to suck gently on your sensitive nub, letting you ride out the rest of your high. He comes back up to your lips, the taste of your own cum lingering on it as you kiss him deeply.

"You taste so good." He says, back to twirling your nipples in between his fingers.

"Wanna feel you." You fiddle with his jeans, undoing his belt and sliding the rest down as much as you could. Jungkook gets out of his shirt and tosses it aside before helping get the sweater above your head. His eyes glow at the sight of your bare body in front of him, wanting to do nothing but please you and please you well.

"God, you're so perfect." He places kisses down your collarbone, to the surface of your breasts before quickly swirling his tongue around your perked buds. You moan as you tug down onto his boxer briefs, immediately stroking his hardened member while he tended to you. Jungkook was a fucking beauty himself - his soft hair, his perfectly toned body, his long 'thick in all the right places' dick.

"Please." You plead. "I want you inside of me." You whimper, causing Jungkook's breathing to hitch when you slightly tighten your grip at the base of his shaft. He gently pushes your hand aside to take over, lining himself up at your entrance. He inserts the tip, watching your eyes roll to the back of the head as he slowly sinks into you.

"Mmmmmgod." He moans. "So tight for me, baby. So fucking wet and tight." He repeats, close to a growl. Your moaning begins to pick up, matching the pace of his thrusting. You're still on the edge of the bed, Jungkook keeping you steady by gripping your thighs tightly. He marvels at the sight of your titties bouncing up and down with every thrust, hissing and shutting his eyes momentarily to keep himself grounded and to prevent himself from coming too quickly. Cause god, he can literally blow any second now.

"Jungggggkooook, yessssss!" You moan loudly, whining even at this point with how good he feels fucking into you at such a fast pace. You're feeling slightly sore already from him hammering into you, but nonetheless, it builds more pleasure for you and you want nothing but to reach your high again. "I-I'm coming!" Jungkook moans in unison with you when he feels your walls pulsating against his cock.

"Such a good girl for me." He says, slowing his pace. The creamy sounds of Jungkook's cock slipping inside and out is music to the both of your ears. He finally gains the courage to remove himself, sitting next to your spot on the edge of the bed and pulling you onto his lap. You swing a leg over, your hands resting on the nape of his neck while you sink yourself lower onto his length. Your mouth opens to let out a moan, but the best you can do is let out a hiss. It feels too fucking good that you can't even process it thoroughly. Jungkook pushes your lips down onto his by grabbing your neck, his other hand guiding the movement of your hips as you roll into him.

"Mmmggg—Jungkook." You whimper in between kisses. "You feel so fucking good, god. You're gonna make me cum again."

"Yeah, cum for me. Cum all over me. It's yours." He grunts, his hands guiding you to work him faster. Your movements are getting sloppier, and you feel your wetness starting to coat his pelvis. He doesn't give a fuck though, and neither do you. This shit feels too good for you to worry about the mess you're making on him.

"Cum with me please." He moans at the sound of you whispering into his ear.

"Faster, baby." He says, almost making you cry at how awfully close you are to unraveling. You tug onto his hair, your head buried deep into his neck as you try and suck onto the surface, trying to find an outlet, some kind of release, until you let go. You suck harshly as you coat his cock with your cum, leaving a purple mark right at the base of his neck. You continue to ride out your high, rolling your hips sloppily as Jungkook finally lets himself go, his moan bouncing off of your walls as his seed fills you up warmly.

You stay in your position, slowly raising your head to cup his cheeks and kiss him deeply once more.

"Fuck, I love you." He says slightly pulling away.

"I love you too." You giggle.

"Didn't actually need any drinks to do this now, did we?" Jungkook jokes, softly pinching your hip.

"Shut up."

"Damn, you both couldn't even at least try to be quiet?!" Jimin yells from outside the door.

2K notes · View notes

alolanrain · 2 years ago

Note

While there wasn’t much interaction with it/him, Ash’s first legendary encounter in his life was technically Ho-Oh. Yes. I know he time traveled to the very distant past to save Arceus. But at that point he had already been in Sinnoh for a little while. On his own timeline, Ho-oh marks the official day where he’s destined to do big things involving the Legendaries. I am willing to bet the rainbow pokemon would have some beef with Arceus for letting Ash die.

Something that makes me wonder though is what if Ash stayed in Kanto after the Indigo Conference? Would his other traveling companions become their region’s chosen one like their game counterparts? The world needed to be saved either way, but it was convenient to have a really experienced chosen one I guess.

The last part is really interesting; the world needed to be saved either way, but it was convenient to have a really experienced chosen one. It really puts into perspective about the pros and cons about having Ash as the main chosen one compared to having one per region.

One of the many pros about just keeping Ash as the chosen one would be the fact that he’s done this before. Ash understands the importance of a strong team both physically and mentally as it’ll serve him greatly near the end of each journey as usually there’s an End of The World event. Maybe that’s also why he chooses to have a different team, obviously besides Pikachu, each round because their native to that region. Bringing just one team over and over throughout each region would get repetitive and boring but also it a note to think about the continuing stress and also the repetitive trauma.

This is also one of the cons about having the same chosen one over and over again, it doesn’t show it in the anime obviously but it’s still interesting to think about it in this light. The repetitive stress and trauma for both Ash and Pikachu would be and is extensive. They’ve seen things that no one else would ever experience in their life. Like riding on the back of Lugia during an active battle with other Legendaries or personally being handed a Z-Ring by Tapu Koko. Two Legendaries, mostly in Tapu Koko’s case, are known to be very aloof and not one for human interaction. Yes in Lugia’s case is quite different but I’m not going into that right now.

You would think that all that and even then some would absolutely wreck Ash emotionally, let alone physically but that’s not part of this conversation either, but the other pro’s and con’s for having different chosen ones are absolutely valid too.

A pro for having different chosen ones would set them up almost or very closely like their game counterparts, this is just assuming the other chosen’s would be Ash’s traveling partners, where they’d slowly interact with the bad guys each season and slowly build up to the crescendo where their in the thick of the Ned of The World event. Once that’s over and their at the end, it’s done. They stay in their region and they either peacefully interact with said Legendaries or they never see them again. Their experience with trauma ends there, obviously dealing with it all afterwards of course but again that’s a slightly different topic.

A con would be the big “if” of what would happen if they failed. Having the same chosen one over and over again has the upper hand of having experience and having at least the base knowledge of what to do in these kinds of situations. The outcome of failing rises greatly with each new chosen because no one knows if they’ll survive till the end. That doesn’t even begin to fact in what would happen if there is no chosen one to face the mother of all disasters at the end let alone trying to find yet another chosen.

It’s just so interesting to think about.

#ash ketchum #ho oh #Arceus #chosen one

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nsheetee · 4 years ago

Text

One Foot in the Golden Life

Pairing: rich kid!renjun x caddie!reader Genre: rich kid AU, university au, romance, slight angst, mature content Length: 9.7k Summary: this is the story of a boy who is constantly pushed down by his father, a girl who just wants to not live paycheck to paycheck, and how they met on a golf course. Warnings/Details: includes mentions of other NCT members, female reader, swearing, inaccurate depiction of golf, acts of sexual harassment towards the reader, mature content (unprotected sex, coming inside, oral [female receiving])

a/n: a big thank you to @insomni-writing for beta reading this ♡ also, if you are a minor, please beware that there is mature content in this fic!

You thought it would be the perfect opportunity to work at the most well-known country club in the state, but really the only thing your job brought you was perpetual cold to your hands and feet, and entangled your simple life with one of the youngest and richest bachelors at your university.

The only place on top of Mt. Carla is the Augusta Country Club, and it is a sight to see by the regular people who gaze up at it from the city below, like mortals looking up into the Gods’ chamber. The first time you went up the mountain for your job interview at the club, you got lost and were almost late. Thankfully, you didn’t crash your car on the winding roads, and got the job as well.

The Augusta Country Club is equipped with the largest and most expensive golf course in the region, but also has Michilin approved restaurants and the finest saunas and gym equipment any CEO could ask for. Those are usually the type of people that have club memberships: CEO’s, congress men and women, top-notch lawyers, and maybe the odd business owner that made it big enough to afford the price tag.

When you took up the job as a caddie, you had an idea of what you were getting yourself into. You’ve only been working for a month, but there are already a few regular golf players that prefer you as their caddie, which in your book is a success considering the type of high profile people that come to relax here.

However, today is different.

You can sense it when Kara and Mina, your coworkers who have been working here for a year longer than you, walk towards you and your friend, Lia, before your shift today. Mina has a small stack of info cards in her hands and they both hold smug smiles on their faces. The info cards have everything a caddie needs to know about who they’ll be working for that shift, and by the looks of it, today’s game will have a good match up.

“I’m going to be Mr. Huang’s son’s caddie. Don’t even fight me on this, you know I’ll win.” Kara states boldly as the two girls stop in front of you, snatching an info card out of Mina’s hand when she holds them up like she’s playing a card game, flashing the photos and names on the cards at you.

“I call dibs on Mr. Lee’s son.” Mina hums, not even bothering to keep up the act that they just want to be good caddies. “You two can have the old men.” She smiles tightly, shoving the other two info cards into Lia’s grasp and turning on her heel to walk away with Kara.

Considering you don’t even know what they’re talking about, you have no right to be mad at them. There is more confusion clouding your mind than anger at their rudeness. However, Lia does not share the same sentiment.

“I’ll shove these info cards up their-” Lia fumes, her volume rising as the sentence went on, and you quickly pulled her out of ear shot, around a corner by the bathrooms. “-stuck up two faced asses!”

“Lia…” You mutter, her wording making you shake your head at how unstable her temper is, “They’ve been working here for a lot longer than we have, just let them have those clients. Either way, what’s it to you?”

“What’s it to me? ___, they’re talking about Lee Jeno and Huang Renjun. I know I told you about them before.” Lia states like she expects you to have those two names tattooed on the front lobe of your brain already.

“I think I remember them…. They go to our University, right?” You try to regurgitate your friend’s rambles from months ago out of your head.

“Yeah, business department.” She sighs dreamily, as if the business department is the sexiest thing on campus. “This might be our only chance to shoot our shot.” You can’t help but grimace a bit.

“It can be your chance to shoot your shot. Leave me out of this.” You randomly grab an info card out of Lia’s hands, turning it around to see Mr. Huang Lijun’s photo staring back at you. You send Lia one last look, walking around her to go change in the dressing rooms.

“Aw, you’re no fun.” You hear her whine, her footsteps echo through the hallway as she comes up behind you. She almost knocks you into the wall from how forcefully she grabs onto your arm and swings it back and forth like you’re two little kids on your way to the playground.

“Maybe we can shoot our shot at the old men?” You and Lia stop walking, turning to face each other for a moment of silence. You blink at each other as if you’re both considering it, before erupting into laughter at the ridiculous thought and continue walking down the hallway.

You and Lia constantly joke around about finding rich sugar daddies at work to pay for your college tuition, but both of you know you’ll never actually commit to the idea fully. Neither of you will admit it, but you both know you don’t have the guts to do something like that.

By the time you, Lia, and your other coworkers change into uniform and gather your supplies for the Lee vs. Huang game, it’s already 10am. The air is crisp and cool, the signs of fall creep along your skin and taint the deep green trees in light oranges and yellows.

Despite the chill, you and your coworkers still wear skirts, long sleeve v-necks, and puffy vests; the only thing keeping your feet warm is a pair of short white socks and tennis shoes. You don’t mind the chill knowing that once the game starts you’ll be moving around enough to get warm. You stop thinking about your cold toes as soon as the door of the country club opens and the Lees and Huangs walk out.

The first time you lay eyes on Huang Renjun, you think your heart might stop.

You know it’s him because he walks close to his father as they make their way to where you’re standing by the golf carts. He has obviously dyed blonde color, his dark roots proof of that; it’s neatly gelled back in an effortless way with the light wind blowing a few of the locks gently as if an angel is personally moving them for him. His white jacket and black pants are slim and look like they cost more than all of your college textbooks this semester. He walks with his head high, his pretty, pink lips set in a straight line, and his almond eyes gentle.

Okay, so... maybe you understand the hype now.

“Good evening, ladies.” Mr. Lee announces, looking at you and your coworkers. You all politely introduce yourself and state who you’ll be caddying for.

Huang Lijun isn’t as tall as his son, but he looks to be more lively than Renjun, even at his age. He has a permanent smile on his lips and you can feel a friendly demeanor radiating from him when you approach.

“Good Morning, sir. Let me take those off of your hands.” You politely grab the bag of clubs from him, feeling shy as his gaze doesn’t leave your face the entire time.

“You’re new here, right? I feel like I would remember you if I saw you before.” You’re surprised when he suddenly pinches your cheek, and he laughs at your shocked face. An unsettled feeling plants itself at the bottom of your stomach at the unwarranted touch.

“I’ve only been working here for a month, sir.”

“I think I’ll be coming around here more often, then.” He winks at you and turns to go sit in the front seat of the golf cart. You can’t help but let the feeling at the bottom of your stomach grow at how the older man looks at you. You definitely misjudged his “friendly” demeanor. Your eyes can’t help but glance at Renjun, who’s standing a few feet away from the whole interaction. He gives you a blank stare before turning and following his father.

In the past few weeks, you had gotten many lustful smiles and lewd gazes at your bare legs, but also many dollars in tips just in one morning by letting those smiles and gazes happen. The need to make ends meet justifies it all, and the cash you earn at the end of every shift only fuels this need.

The ride from the club’s main building to the first hole is short, so you quickly recompose yourself. You still have a job to do— a job you’re being paid lots of money for. You believe in your strong will to put up with whatever antics Mr. Huang pulls for the next few hours. Upon arrival at the first hole, you pull the bag of golf clubs out of the cart and follow in Mr. Huang’s quick footsteps, suddenly feeling sweaty from the exercise you’re getting by carrying these heavy clubs. When your group reaches the first hole, you set the bag down on the ground and press your hand over your face, but Mr. Huang’s voice startles you.

“Woah, there.” You jump and face him. “Those clubs cost more than my car, and unlike my car, they don’t deserve to be on the ground, darling.”

“Yes, sir. I apologize.” You smile shyly and pick up the clubs from the ground, your shoulders already straining to keep them up. ‘They weigh as much as a car,’ you huff.

This is going to be a long game.

“You kids can clean the carts today,” Mina suddenly throws a keychain at Lia’s face, she barely catches it before it hits her, “I have plans.”

“Me, too.” Kara quickly says, following after Mina as they both walk away. The game ended right at lunchtime (the Lees won) and now you and your coworkers are back at the club. It’s supposed to be everyone’s job to clean the golf carts after they’ve been used, but it looks like today it’ll just be you and Lia… Maybe.

“___, please. I’m going to be late to the cafe, my boss there is already mad at me.” Lia turns to you and begs with her hands clasped in front of her chest, eyes pleading and feet bouncing. You sigh; you’re hungry and your muscles are sore, and all you want to do is go home as quickly as you can. Still, you roll your eyes and take the golf cart keys from her, making her face crack open into a smile as she hugs you quickly.

“I’ll bring you coffee on Monday!” She screams at you as she practically runs away, leaving you with two golf carts to clean. You sluggishly begin, crawling into the cart the Huangs were sitting in when you find a small notebook laying on one of the seats. Picking it up to examine it, you find out it’s your university’s yearly planner, a book that everyone gets at the beginning of every academic year. Along the binder reads “Huang Renjun” and your eyes widen, immediately looking up to glance at the direction that Renjun walked off to a while ago.

Your legs move quickly through the corridors of the club, moving past changing rooms, saunas, and bathrooms, the planner tightly clutched in your hand. Your head is on a swivel and your lower lip is stuck between your teeth, until you hear a door open and slam shut behind you, making you turn your head to catch Renjun walking out of a changing room.

“Mr. Huang!” You call out.. Renjun freezes at the name, spinning on his heel to see you walking towards him.

“Sorry to disturb you, but you left your planner on the golf cart.” You hold it out for him, but he doesn’t take it.

“How do you know it’s a planner? Did you look through it?” You blink at him, stunned, and then glance down at the notebook. You’re surprised by the sudden questions and at the same time annoyed that Renjun accused you of snooping through his things so quickly. The image you had of him earlier, graceful, classy, and attractive, slips out of your mind as he stares down at you. However, this is the first time he’s directly talking to you, and you can’t help the spark that ignites in your belly from the roughness in his voice. It’s higher-pitched, but unpolished and jagged as he speaks with you.

“No. I go to the same University. I have the same one.” You explain. Renjun’s stare turns into shock.

“Really? Which department?”

“Fine Arts. I study Studio Art.” At first you think that you’re seeing things, but after blinking, you can guarantee that Renjun has jealousy painted on his face. It’s so sour that he looks away, trying to preoccupy his hands by fiddling with his bag. “So, are you going to take this, or…?”

“Yeah,” The bitterness drips from his tone, but you have a feeling it’s not directed at you, “Thank you for returning it.” He finally accepts it and turns to his bag, taking out his wallet. The cards inside look thick and heavy; memberships to places you’ll never step foot in and credit cards with limits you could never even imagine. Your pride tells you that you don’t need anything he could give you, so you silently turn around and walk away.

Renjun shuffles through some crisp 10’s and 20’s, but when he looks up to give you the tip, you’re already down the hallway and halfway out the door. You have golf carts to clean.

The next time you see Renjun is a week after the last game. The chilly weather remains, along with the useless uniform you have to wear, but this time around you’re not Mr. Huang’s caddie, you’re Renjun’s.

Kara walks next to you with Mr. Huang’s heavy golf clubs, her lips straight and head turned away from you to show her annoyance at how the caddie match up situation went this week. You’re sure to get an earful about this for at least the next few days, but you kind of like this revenge that fate dealt Kara. Either way, it’s not like there’s anything you can do about the match up. Renjun requested you to be his caddie this week, and you weren’t going to risk your bosses being angry with you by denying the request.

“Driver.” Renjun’s voice pulls you into the game. You pull out the correct golf club and put it into his awaiting hand, your fingertips brushing with his. “Aren’t you cold?” The words shock you, considering they’re the first words Renjun spoke to you today other than commands for golf clubs.

“I-I’m fine, Mr. Huang.” You respond promptly.

“Don’t call me that.” His tone is icy, and he quickly realizes how unnecessary it is to bite at you like that, “Just call me Renjun.” His father walks back from his shot, looking very smug. Renjun’s face is calm as he trades spots with his father and prepares for his first swing of the day, correcting his posture and loosening his limbs.

You remember the first time you saw him, how elegant and poised he looked. Your cold hands break into a sweat as your chest heats up from the quick beating of your heart. Renjun has only been icy and accusing towards you so far, yet you still feel warm while thinking about him. There has to be something wrong with you.

“Doesn’t my son look like he knows what he’s doing?” Mr. Huang asks from beside you, a small, unnerving smile on his lips.

“Yes, sir.” You reply back with your own, more innocent, smile.

“I taught him everything he knows about golf…. And women.” Mr. Huang leans into you, turning his chest to face you so that his breath is hitting your cheek. You can’t help but swallow to relieve your dry and cold throat, keeping your eyes forward as Renjun swings his club back and forth a bit in preparation.

“Yes, sir.” The only thought on your mind is to stop this man from stepping closer.

“Is that the only thing you can say?”

Renjun swings his arm back, breathing in as he keeps his eyes on the small white ball and his hopes in the green before him. Mr. Huang’s right hand is warm on your waist, but you would give anything to freeze right now.

A sharp crack ripples through the air as Renjun hits the golf ball and sends it flying into the golf course. His eyes are not where the ball lands, but instead on where his father touches you.

Renjun’s mom died when he was not even three days old.

He never got to meet her— to lay on her chest and hold her finger with his whole hand. He’ll never know what advice she would’ve given him when he got his first girlfriend, and he’ll never know how she would’ve reacted to him crashing his first car when he was 17. He only knows that his mom would’ve been there for him through all of that, unlike his father, who was not.

Renjun has had “mothers” through his life; three, to be exact. The first was when he was 5 years old, and she quickly asked for a divorce after Renjun’s dad went on a three month business trip and she didn’t hear from him the whole time. The second “mother” was a bit more mature than the first and with a lot more time on her hands. She wanted to shape 9 year old Renjun into a perfect student, which was something Renjun’s father appreciated, but still divorced her for “being too strong-headed.” Renjun only met his third mother twice when he was 13: once at the wedding and the second time at her funeral. He didn’t ask any questions, he wasn’t very interested in the first place.

These were the type of people Renjun spent his life around, but they really weren’t his mothers. The only similarity he had with those women was his father, and he treated them as poorly as he treated Renjun. That’s why when Renjun looks at you, cowering away from the very man who is his only link to family, he feels sick.

When is his dad going to stop being a fucking predator? How young does he want his next conquest to be? Will Renjun’s next mom be the same age as him? Something swirls in the pit of his stomach when he watches his father and it takes a moment for him to figure out what it is: jealousy. He’s not sure why he’s feeling jealous over someone he just met last week, but the feeling engulfs his whole chest and it burns him to his spot.

Renjun doesn’t even notice that he swung his golf club or that the golf ball went somewhere far into the green, probably an overshot. He only sees you, afraid of the man touching you but not stepping away. Why aren’t you stepping away?

“Nice job, Renjun.” His best friend, Jeno, claps a hand on his back as he steps up, hitting Renjun back into reality and forcing him to walk towards you. As Renjun approaches, his father slyly takes his hand away, and Renjun notices how you let out a relieved sigh. Giving you back his driver, Renjun strategically stands between you and his father, pretending to watch Jeno swing.

“Good job… Renjun.” You whisper, unsure about calling him by his first name so informally.

“Thank you.” Renjun sends a side glance to his father to see the displeased look on his face. “How was that, Dad?” Renjun hopes that maybe he can remind his father of why he’s here (to win against the Lees this week, not to feel up a girl 30 years younger than him) but in this moment, his father is acting like a 5 year old in the middle of a silent tantrum, not a 50 year old who runs the most successful construction company in the country.

“I’ve taught you better than that.” Renjun is sure they’re not talking about golf anymore, the authoritative tone in his father’s voice sends a lightning bolt of surprise and slight fear down Renjun’s back. He hates how he gets scared, he hates how his father can control him. The fury churns in the pit of his stomach as he accepts his father’s words with a bow of his head.

One day, Renjun swears he won’t submit anymore.

After the game ended with the Lees winning once again, you, Lia, and your other coworkers convene at the golf carts after the clients leave to change inside the club.

“You ladies know the drill.” Kara throws both sets of golf cart keys at you before walking off with Mina. You push Lia towards the entrance of the building before she even has a chance to turn around and open her mouth.

“You should get to the cafe before your boss throws another fit.” Lia turns back to face you, her jaw slightly slack and her eyes shining.

“You’re seriously the best. I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a few extra shots in my coffee on Monday.” Lia laughs at that, grabbing your face between her two small, manicured hands and kissing you on each cheek before hopping off inside. You can’t help but be amused at her antics, turning to the golf carts in front of you to start cleaning.

“They make you clean the carts by yourself?” The voice startles you, not because you weren’t expecting it but because it’s Renjun’s. You turn your head over your shoulder, he’s standing just a few feet away still in his golfing gear from earlier.

“Uh, not usually, no. But my coworkers haven’t been happy with me lately.” You explain, fully turning to him and crossing your arms over your chest to tuck your cold hands into your sides.

“The ones who have been working here for a while?” You nod as an answer, and Renjun nods back in understanding, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. “They’ve been trying to get with me and my best friend for a while...” Renjun trails off when he sees your eyebrows raise at the comment, “... But that’s not what I came here to talk about.”

“Oh? What are you here for?” The conversation has gotten too informal for a worker and their client to be having, but you kind of like talking to Renjun in this casual setting.

“I realized that the past few times we’ve talked I’ve been such a dick.” He laughs lightly as he remembers, “I wanted to apologize for that. I wasn’t in a good mood last week and this morning, and I ended up pushing it on you.”

Renjun feels lots of emotions when it comes to you, despite only having this one proper conversation with you. He feels envy towards you for being able to study something that he desperately wants to. He feels guilt when he remembers how quickly he made you into a thief when you were only trying to return his belongings, and he feels so many other secondary and tertiary emotions in between. His head is full when he looks at you. He finally feels like he’s thinking about something, not just doing the same day to day motions in a constant cycle of ‘when will this end?’

“You’re apologizing?” You ask, stunned when he nods his head in confirmation. Sincere apologies are important to you. You believe there are not enough of them in this world anymore, and his gentle almond eyes are too wholehearted and warm for you in this cold weather. Your heart feels full looking at him, and you curse at yourself in your head for being swayed like this.

“I also have a question… You mentioned you’re majoring in Studio Art and I was wondering if, maybe, you could let me into one of the studios after a class this week? I’ve been needing a quiet place to work since my house has been busy lately.” One of the hands that was in Renjun’s pocket moves to matte down his sideburns while he glances at his shoes. “Was that too forward? Sorry, I just know that you can’t get into a studio without a passcode and you’re the only person I know who’s in Studio Art.” Renjun explains after you stare for a while, blinking at him.

“You’re an artist?” You finally ask, Renjun giving you a weak ‘yeah’ in response. A part of you wants to say no, that it’ll be weird to do something like this for him when you’ve only known him for less than 2 weeks and up until this point, you’ve only been in a worker-client relationship. However, you’re curious about what he’s like outside of this setting, especially what he’s like when his father has no possibility of appearing, since that seems to be the factor that turns his mood up or down.

“Sure. Come by studio 3 after 6pm on Wednesday and I’ll let you in, but... I heard Mr. Lee already scheduled a game for next weekend?” Renjun nods, “Then in return, you can win that game. It’s embarrassing always being on the losing team.” You smile playfully at the end to let him know you’re only joking.

“Deal.” Renjun sends a smile back of the same caliber, holding out a hand to shake with yours. If you thought you were affected by Renjun’s nice presence, his hand in yours sends you into another realm. His touch is warm from staying indoors and from keeping his hands in his pockets, and they contrast to your cold skin. He sucks in a breath through his teeth when your hands connect, turning your hand in his grip to look at your knuckles. “Are you sure you’re not cold? Your hands are freezing.”

“I’ll be okay. I just don’t have any good gloves to wear while working.” He huffs, small traces of white smoke leaves his mouth as he digs through his pockets.

“Wear these.” He replaces his hand in yours with a pair of his own gloves, “Your hands are precious, they shouldn’t be freezing.” Before Renjun can get embarrassed by his own words, he shoves his hands back into his pockets and turns on his heel, walking away, “I’ll see you on Wednesday!”

A knock on the studio doors shakes you away from staring at your painting, making you turn to look at who it is. Renjun peaks through the small window and waves when you make eye contact. You get up to open the door, almost forgetting that today is the day you agreed to let Renjun into your studio.

… Okay, that’s a lie. You definitely remembered that you’re supposed to meet Renjun, but you keep trying to convince yourself that you’re not excited about seeing him outside of that stuffy country club.

“Hey, sorry if I startled you.” Is the first thing he says when you open the door. He’s dressed in slacks, a dress shirt with a sweater over it, and a long coat over that. His nose and cheeks are slightly red from the rough wind outside and his supplies are clutched to his chest.

“Oh, you’re fine. I was just deep in thought.” Something about the studio makes both of you speak in hushed tones. No one else is here, but you feel the need to maintain the peace and quiet the room naturally holds. You and Renjun make your way to where you’re set up, he puts his things down on an easel to your left and takes off his coat, watching you from his peripheral vision.

Those uniforms they make you wear at work are just for show, Renjun knows that well, but that doesn’t stop him from appreciating you in the tight vest and little skirt. However right now, he likes your laid back look consisting of loose jeans and a layered shirt, he thinks it matches you.

“I was going to leave when you got here, but I think I’ll just finish this and head out.” You comment, aimlessly waving at your project.

“Please, stay as long as you need to. This is your studio, I don’t want to kick you out.” He laughs and licks his bottom lip. It’s breathtaking how innocent and nice his smile looks on his face. His eyes scrunch together to form laugh lines and his cheeks rise, he truly looks pretty when he smiles. You think this is the first time you’ve seen him like this.

You mumble back with a mixture of words that probably didn’t make sense and turn back to your work, leaving the room to continue with its peacefulness and quiet. However, Renjun’s presence next to you is too big to ignore. There are so many things you want to know about him and you have no excuse as to why you’re so curious.

“How about a game while we work?” You suggest.

“Sure… How about 20 questions?” It’s like he read your mind, so you smile and nod at his idea.

“You can go first.” You suggest.

“Okay, uh… Why do you work at a golf course if you’re majoring in Studio Art? Shouldn’t you be working at a, I don’t know, museum?” The question catches you off guard and Renjun notices how you stop painting, your brush and your hand floating in the air as you think, “Oh, sorry, is that too personal?”

“No, no… It’s just, normally, the first question people ask in a game of 20 questions is something like ‘what’s your favorite color’ or ‘what’s your sign’.” Renjun lets out a choked and embarrassed laugh, ducking his head down to look away from you. You can tell he’s about to change his question, so you quickly go back to painting and speak before he can.

“I did apply to work at several museums. I didn’t get any jobs, so I had to look elsewhere and Augusta was hiring. I know it’s not very fitting, but it makes good money and rich people know my name, even if it’s for just a few hours.” Renjun nods at your answer as if he could ever understand the idea of being poor, but the insight into your decision brings a fact to light that Renjun wasn’t 100% aware of before: you’re not like him, you need money.

“Don’t you hate the way people look at you there?” The words tumble out of Renjun’s lips faster than he can process the weight they carry. He turns to face you with guilt pooling in his eyes and his mouth opening and closing to find some words to correct the situation.

“No, I don’t like it.” You surprise him with your quick response, “But people like you don’t understand what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, to have to worry about how to pay the bills every month for years on end, always on your toes about money. I bet you think I’m cheap and—”

“No.” Renjun cuts you off promptly before you can continue, “Don’t make me into a jerk. I’m not like that. But the fact that that is the first thing you thought of worries me.” Your eyes widen at that, prompting him to elaborate. “Doesn’t that mean that’s how you think of yourself? Maybe not on the outside, but subconsciously. Sure, I won’t ever be able to understand how you live, but I wish you would not look at yourself as cheap and think of yourself as… beautiful.” Renjun lets the last words linger on his tongue, saying it quietly as if to not startle you.

You stare at him, your paintbrush resting in your hand and your back slouched as you watch him watch you. This is not the type of conversation you thought you’d be having with Renjun tonight, but you have to admit he makes a point. Eventually, you turn to your painting and stare at it some more, making Renjun turn and continue his own work.

“Ah, I asked two questions in a row.” He suddenly breaks the tense atmosphere, making you sigh as you remember you’re just playing a game, “You can ask two questions.”

He allows and relaxes when he sees you go back to painting.

“If you like to draw, why are you a business major?” Now it’s Renjun’s turn to freeze. Maybe if he did ask what your favorite color was he wouldn’t have had to endure this question from you, but he feels like he should answer it since it’s of equal weight to the one he asked you.

“It wasn’t my choice. I will most likely take my father’s place in his company and I need to at least know the basics before that happens.” You nod slowly. He looks so calm when he’s focused on drawing, but it’s not the same calm that you see on his face when he’s playing golf. You turn away before you get caught staring.

“Is that why your mood always changes when your dad is around?”

“Is it that obvious…” He trails off and you nod, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud, but… It’s like everytime I’m around him, or at his office, or at home, my mind goes blank. I don’t feel like talking or thinking at all.” As he speaks, he sets down his utensils and turns to you, making continuous eye contact as he explains. You find yourself feeling comfortable at how easily he’s talking to you about such a deep subject.

“It sounds like… you’re angry.” You turned to face him now too, your paintbrush settled onto your canvas and your full attention on him, “My dad is like that. He gets so angry sometimes that he’s calm. No yelling or fighting, just silence. That’s how I know I messed up when he gets like that.” You nod, remembering all the times he’s been calmly mad at you.

“I don’t know… It’s confusing to me.” He straightens his back and stares at your foot as it moves around aimlessly. “What do I do?” He asks into the air, as if his pencil would suddenly start talking to him like a therapist.

“Just do what makes you happy.” Renjun’s glance over at you makes a smile pull at your lips, “I know it’s easier said than done. But you already know what it is that’ll make you happy, and that’s half of the battle. Why bottle it up?”

Renjun doesn’t know how he’ll ever get the courage to tell his father these things, but the way you’re looking at him as if he can do anything, he starts to feel tingles of confidence trickle into him.

“Oh, and why did you pick me to be your caddie this past weekend?”

“Well…” Renjun plays with his pencil. What is he supposed to say? He doesn’t want you to carry around his father’s heavy golf clubs? He doesn’t like the way his father touches you and gets jealous over it for some unknown reason? Yeah, he’s not going to say.

“Just because… I wanted you next to me.” The way he says it makes it sound so simple and true, but your heart drops to your stomach and springs back up going at 100 miles per hour. You can barely stop your hand from shaking as you pick up your brush, and it’s almost like you can’t see in front of you from the thrill of his words.

“Hey,” Renjun suddenly drops his pencil and turns to you, looking a bit confused and slightly upset, “Didn’t you ask three questions?”

“We’re letting the Lees win again today.” Renjun is in the middle of pulling up the zipper of his jacket when his father drops the news. Renjun’s footsteps stutter slightly at his father’s words and he stops walking next to the older man.

“Again?” He asks as he already thinks up an apology to tell you later when he loses.

“Yes, I need Mr. Lee to be happy when I bring up the new contract to him later in the sauna.” Renjun sighs and continues to walk next to his father. It’s the next weekend, and the third Lee vs. Huang game is starting in just a few minutes.

Renjun won’t lie, purposefully losing to his best friend and his dad every week is not the greatest stroke to Renjun’s ego, especially since Jeno won’t let it down around his other friends.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Lijun swivels on his heel to look at his son, “Have you been requesting for ___ to be your caddie?”

The questions stuns Renjun, making it hard to answer so his father takes it as a yes.

“Well stop it. Dad wants to have some fun.” He claps a hand on Renjun’s back and smiles. In the past, Renjun would’ve just rolled his eyes and let his father do whatever he wants, but this time his blood boils. He feels true anger when his father struts away with the intentions of doing whatever he wants to someone Renjun cares about. He can barely move his feet after the old man, his mind cloudy as everyone makes it to the golf carts.

“Let’s have a good game today, Mr. Huang, don’t make it too easy to beat you.” Mr. Lee jokes around and the two old men laugh as they settle into their own golf carts. Renjun walks up to his cart and you wave to him, the white gloves he gave you last week snugly on your hands. Renjun thinks his anger is what spurs him into doing what he does next.

He steps close to you, leaning into your ear and wrapping his hand around your covered ones with his thumb rubbing on your exposed wrist, “Keep these on for me, babe. I don’t want you to be cold.”

The amount of jaws that drops after Renjun’s words makes him bite down his smirk and slide into the front seat of the golf cart, pretending to not see the daggers his father is throwing at him with his eyes.

Your heart beats so quickly and loudly you’re sure Kara can hear it next to you if she wasn’t busy huffing about what Renjun just did. Sitting in the back seat of the golf cart, you watch the back of Renjun’s head on the way to the first hole. What got into Renjun? Why did he all of a sudden call you ‘babe’ and get so close? Not that you’re opposed to it, you’re just shocked.

The game begins once you reach the first hole, and the Huang’s put up a good fight throughout the entire game, keeping the Lees on their toes and the score sheet even. Everytime Renjun comes back from a shot, you smile at him and tell him good job, which earns you a pat on the back from him that warms you up from the inside out.

Renjun can tell his father is getting more and more annoyed with him; how Renjun is keeping you as far from his father as he possibly can, the gentle touches on your waist that you welcome wholeheartedly compared to the ones Mr. Huang would lay on you before. He likes how angry his father gets, especially knowing that he can’t do anything about it right now. Not to mention, you seem to be enjoying Renjun’s attention, which just adds to his confidence.

Now, your group arrives at the last hole of the game. The Lees step up and swing, setting their total score to 357. All Renjun and his father have to do is move the ball around a bit more to get their score to be higher and the Lees will win the game. Mr. Huang is up first, acting clumsy so that the ball doesn’t make it into the hole and brings the game to Renjun.

As he sets up his posture, his hands suddenly go stiff. This shot is so easy to make, he has made this exact hole several times. He breathes in and out deeply, deciding on if he should throw the game like his father said he should, or give his one last ‘fuck you’ to his Dad.

He glances at you and makes eye contact; you nod your head and smile a bit as if to say ‘go ahead, we all know you can do this.’ Renjun then grips his golf club and swings it back to effortlessly hit the golf ball, rolling it along the green and perfectly into the hole.

You and the other caddies clap for the perfectly executed shot and Jeno and his father come up to Renjun to shake hands. They don’t look upset, instead they look pretty happy for Renjun. However, Renjun’s father is deathly silent, not even congratulating Renjun on his win. Renjun wasn’t expecting a whole ceremony for him, but it does feel nice to put his father down a peg or two today, and that’s the thought that fills Renjun’s head as everyone rides back to the country club.

While getting out of the golf cart, Renjun attempts to turn back to you but is promptly pulled away by the back of his jacket by his father. Renjun yelps and pulls away, but that doesn’t stop Lijun from grabbing onto his son’s arm instead and pulling him inside.

“What was that? I specifically told you to lose the game and you did the exact opposite. How am I supposed to talk to Mr. Lee now?” Renjun’s father fumes, his low voice belting out into the corridor and making some of the passing staff turn their heads.

“That’s not my problem.” Renjun shrugs and his father stops shaking, stepping closer to his son.

“Excuse me?” He asks with menace dripping from his tongue.

“I said, that’s not my problem.” Renjun is fired up. He doesn’t see a way out of this now, no way his behavior is being excused, so might as well go all in.

“You did it for that caddie, ___, right?” His father squints his eyes and turns his head slightly. When Renjun doesn’t answer, Lijun laughs in his face, “It looks like I’m right.”

“What?” Renjun asks dumbly.

“It’s okay. You’re just a boy and you can make some mistakes over a girl, we’ve all been there once or twice.” Lijun fixes Renjun’s jacket and pats his shoulder, his angry disposition turning passive. “Besides, you can’t do much for that girl anyway. Is a ball in a hole really all she deserves?”

“I won the game because I could. I won it because that’s what I wanted.” Renjun states, his blood beginning to boil once again when his father says he doesn’t deserve you. What is he thinking? Does he actually think he has a chance with you? He can keep dreaming.

“We can’t always do whatever we want. There are consequences we have to face for doing whatever we want. Are you ready to face the consequences?” At the question, Renjun is reminded about the words you told him Wednesday night.

‘Just do what makes you happy,’ Those simple words are so hard to turn into reality. Renjun wants to be happy so bad. He wants to be away from this man and he wants to be closer to you. The consequences? Sure, he’ll deal with it all if it means he can stop living in the personal hell his father set up for him. Renjun pushes his father away a bit and steps out of the trap his father pushed him into, making Lijun’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Renjun says and turns around, walking back towards the exit of the building.

“Hey, where are you going?” His father shouts after him.

“To do the thing that I want to do the most.” He yells back and walks around the corner, out of sight from his father. Renjun practically runs through the hallways to get back outside and run to you, but you surprise him by greeting him by the saunas. He stops in his steps and you smile as you walk up to him.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that you did really well today. I know I said I wanted you to win last week, but I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” You laugh.

“Thanks.” Renjun simply says, afraid of what else could come out if he keeps talking.

“Oh, I also want to give you these back.” You dig out Renjun’s gloves from your pocket, holding them out. This is it. This is the moment Renjun will start to do whatever makes him happy, whatever he wants.

And what he wants right now is you.

He quickly takes the gloves and then tightly grips the wrist of your outstretched hand, leading you down the hallway and around some corner. He hears you exclaim a small ‘woah’ but you let him guide you into a sauna, the door closing tightly behind both of you.

There’s no one else in the room, just the stuffy steam that floats in the small space between you two. Renjun has a tight grip on the gloves you gave back to him and his other hand runs through his hair and messes up the perfect form it held.

“Tell me to stop.” He demands, looking straight into your eyes.

“What?”

“Tell me to stop right now.” He takes a step forward, his eyes full to the brim with lust and his hands shaking with how much he’s holding himself together. You’ve barely been in the room for a minute, but your clothes are already sticking to you from the intense heat.

“I don’t understand,” You reply back as he keeps moving toward you. You take small steps back in return, “I don’t know what I’m stopping you from.” Half of you is playing dumb right now; you know what Renjun wants from you just by the look in his eyes. The other half just wants to hear him say it himself

“I’ll fuck you the way you deserve. Right here, right now.” Renjun’s voice is too angelic to say such nasty words, but he growls them out like he’s a tainted angel. You’re pressed against the wooden wall of the sauna now, Renjun just a step away. You lean into him slightly and rip the gloves out of his hand to throw them to the side.

“Do it.”

It’s all the permission Renjun needs to feverishly connect his lips to yours.

The action is so sudden, you don’t remember how Renjun got close to you so quickly. Despite his forcefulness before, his lips melt into you like chocolate melting over a fire, so hot and delicious that you just want more. His hands hold the sides of your face, pushing back your hair and his body pushing you back into the wall.

He sucks on your bottom lip, softly biting afterwards and making you let out a whimper, and then a moan when his thigh pushes between your legs and further presses you against the wall. Amidst the kissing, you find the zipper of his expensive jacket, unzip it, and pull the piece of clothing off. Afterwards, you pull his shirt off and break the kiss while you’re at it.

“I’ve been thinking about you in this skirt since….” Renjun hums at the thought, his hand sliding up your bare thighs and under your skirt, then he grips your ass and brings your core down onto his thigh, the friction enough to have you letting out a strangled moan.

“Since the day I first saw you.” He finally whispers and connects your lips once again. His hand on your ass doesn’t move, his other hand is placed on your waist as he helps you ride the rough material of his pants. Renjun can only watch your reactions; the way your head lolls back into the wall and your eyes screw shut, holding onto Renjun’s shoulders tight enough he’s sure there will be marks afterwards.

“Fuck— Renjun, don’t stop, please.” He’s mesmerized, absolutely addicted to how you look and sound right now, and it’s all because of him. The thought spurs him along, he removes your jacket and you blindly help him in removing your top and bra. You must look like a mess right now, especially since you’re coming close to your climax just by Renjun’s touch and his thigh. Not to mention the sweat dripping down both of you, a glistening sheen coating your skin that makes Renjun let out a low growl before he leans down and takes one of your nipples in his mouth.

He sucks and swirls his tongue, and you can’t help but moan his name again, digging your fingers into his blonde hair and tugging. Renjun moves from your chest downward, not letting an inch of your stomach and hips go past him without a kiss and a nibble, leaving you breathing heavily. He makes his way down to his knees and folds your skirt up, glancing at you from his position.

“You don’t wear anything under here except your panties?” You nod, your head stuttering as Renjun applies pressure with his thumb over your slick hole, a wet spot already there to greet him.

“You’re so fucking dirty, baby.” He groans and leans in to swipe his tongue over your center making you shake as a response. He slides your underwear down and throws it somewhere to the side, catching the sigh of your arousal dripping down your thigh. His intense stare makes you shake him, embarrassment crawling over you at how he’s not reacting.

“Are you shy?” You whine, not really answering his question. “You don’t need to be. You’re beautiful.” The softness from his voice contradicts his more dominating tone from before, but you don’t have time to think about it before he dives in. You sigh in content when the pressure in between your hips caused by Renjun turns into pure pleasure. His tongue laps at your essence and his lips suck on your clit, you can tell he’s trying to find what exactly will make you tick.

When Renjun slides a finger into your hole unexpectedly, you jump and whimper a bit but the feeling of him sliding in and out along with his tongue circling and sucking on your clit makes a knot form in the pit of your stomach, tightening up your muscles and making your eyes roll back.

“Right there. Oh my god, right there…” You keep repeating, praying that Renjun treats you good and let’s you come. He adds another finger and you gasp, starting to move your hips in rhythm to his hand, holding onto his shoulders for more stability. He glances up at you, watching your eyes screw shut and your tits bounce as you use his hand to get yourself off. Renjun hums against you, and you can almost feel the ecstasy of coming undone, until Renjun pulls away. You groan, feeling like crying when your orgasm fades.

“Hey..” You whine, pouting when Renjun stands back up and licks your juices off of his lips. He has some on his chin and you bring your hand up to wipe it away, Renjun stopping your hand and kissing the wetness away, then kissing up your arm and to your shoulder, up your neck and to your ear. He tugs at your earlobe, licking the skin under it and biting some more, his hands sliding up your waist at playing with your nipples, pinching a little to get whimpers out of you and making your hips buck up, ready to continue where Renjun left you at.

That’s when you feel the hardness in his pants; it must be painful. That’s why you understand his next words, whispered into the shell of your ear between kisses: “You’re not coming until I’m in you, got it?”

You nod quickly, attaching your hands to Renjun’s zipper and button, undoing them and sliding down his pants.

“But, you’re gonna need to do something for me…” He says, helping you pull down his boxers, watching his angry, red length swing out. You gasp, feeling a bit bad that you just left Renjun like this to eat you out, but you’re sure you can make up to him now.

“What is it? I’ll do it.” Your hands run over Renjun’s sweaty shoulders, moving away some longer hair in the back of his head that’s sticking against his neck.

“You’re gonna have to yell my name. I need you to let everyone know who’s doing this to you— who’s making you feel good, okay?” Your breath gets caught in your throat as the words tumble out of his lips. He tilts his voice higher at the end of every phrase to make him sound innocent, but you’re not fooled.

“There’s people outside…” You mumble back, sending a glance at the door. You know there are several staff and customers walking along the hallways outside. What will they think if they hear you screaming Renjun’s name? Not to talk about what will happen to your job.

Those thoughts melt away when Renjun’s dick slides between your folds slowly, making you turn your gaze back to him and hold on tight as he lubricates himself over your wetness, holding onto your hips so that you don’t move and take anymore than what he’s giving you.

“That’s exactly why I want you to scream. Can you do that for me?” He asks and you nod frantically, doing almost anything to get his dick inside you. You’re not sure what��s going to happen once you step out of this room, but at least you know Renjun is going to give you the best fuck you’ve had in a while, and you know it’ll be worth it for what’s to come after all this.

“Finally…” You moan when Renjun’s length disappears into you inch by inch, going slow as to not hurt you. He sucks in a breath through his teeth as he bottoms out, picking up your thigh to hang it over his hip and wrapping his other arm around your waist to keep you close. You hold onto him, adjusting as he kisses your lips sweetly and carefully, and waits to move his throbbing cock through your velvety walls.

“Go, Renjun, move….” You whisper, and he looks at you confused.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.” He asks, cocking his head.

“Please, move.” You say louder, but he shakes his head and purses his lips as if he still can’t understand.

“I said, fuck me, Renjun. Please, can you fuck me already?” You all but scream out, your voice almost cracking at how whiny you sound. No doubt, if someone passed by outside they would’ve heard you. The thought makes you tense up, but it feels so good to be able to yell out what you want.

“Your wish, baby.” Renjun mutters before he starts rocking into you. You both groan at the sensation, Renjun’s hips speeding up as he gains more momentum. His lips don’t leave yours, kissing you into oblivion while his dick stuffs you. He has you against the wall, his hips powering away and you don’t dare to disturb him, realizing he’s burning all of his anger away as well.

“Yes, Renjun, fuck me just like that…'' You moan loudly to spur him on, now not really caring about who’s outside or who hears you, just wanting Renjun to know you love how rough he’s going. He presses you higher up the wall and pulls your legs apart more, hitting a new angle that literally makes you scream out, tears mixing with the sweat on your face as he relentlessly pumps into you.

There are so many things going on at the same time. Your hard nipples and soft breasts rubbing against Renjun’s chest, making goosebumps rise on his arms. Your hot and sweaty bodies are basically sliding against each other. The clapping of his hips against yours no doubt attracts attention from outside along with your screams and Renjun’s grunts continuously get louder as you both get closer to the climax.

“I’m gonna come… Renjun, come in me…” You’re already fucked out, the words barely leaving your lips coherently, but Renjun understands and moves his finger down to find your clit, circling his thumb fast and steady, just like everything else he’s doing.

“C’mon come on my cock, babe. Let it out, I wanna hear it.” And just like that, you unwind and scream his name as your orgasm washes over and takes control, making you claw onto any part of Renjun that you can reach. Renjun feels your walls deliciously convulse around him and with a few more sloppy thrusts, he comes into you and fills you up, staying wrapped up in you as you both calm down.

Renjun presses small kisses wherever he feels like as your breathing settles down, his softness and the caring way he rubs at your sides and hips where he was holding so hard that you’re sure to have bruises makes you smile hazily.

“___… I don’t regret any of this.” He whispers into your skin, leaning back to look at you properly. “Do you?”

“No.” You answer truthfully, making his eyes shine and you both smile dumbly, your sticking bodies relaxing. The happy moment doesn’t last long before there’s a knock on the door to the sauna. You and Renjun stiffen up as you glance at the door, waiting for whoever it is to announce themselves.

“Renjun? Son?” Your heart drops to your stomach and you cover your mouth at the voice of Renjun’s father on the other side of the door, but when you turn to Renjun, he doesn’t seem bothered. He sends a smile at you and moves some hair from your face before answering.

“Occupied, go somewhere else. We’re busy.”

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joonie-beanie · 4 years ago

Text

The OM! Boys + first kisses (which you initiate!)

Masterlist

I didn’t explicitly mention it being the first kiss in each scenario, but please assume that it is! 🥰

Lucifer:

Your feelings for the Avatar of Pride are undeniable. In fact, recently, they’ve become very hard to keep in check.

He’s already on your mind when you walk past his study, and see him hunched over his desk--working hard, like always (and that worries you a bit). Your heart is so full of love for him, and it aches whenever you think of his long, exhausting days.

Even if it’s cheesy, you want to be a pick-me-up to him during those busy times.

“Shouldn’t you take a break?” you quip, silently making your way inside. Lucifer blinks, and his gaze softens when it falls on you.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he sighs, but doesn’t set his pen down. He frowns at the stack of papers in front of him, not paying you any mind as you slowly scoot your way around the side of the desk--stepping up behind him.

You watch him as he works, eyes trailing from his gloved hands, up his arms, and across his strong jaw line.

Lucifer never fails to enchant you. Even just being here, so close to him, has your heart racing.

...you want to kiss him.

“Y/N--”

And the minute Lucifer turns his head ever so slightly, moving to look at you, you do just that.

Without giving yourself much time to think on it, you reach your hands forward and cradle his face--closing your eyes as you press your lips against his own.

You feel Lucifer still in surprise, and you’re quick to try and pull back--but then a grin is spreading on his lips, and his gloved hand is curling against the back of your neck.

He kisses you for a few more moments, goosebumps rising on your skin. Then, he finally releases you--only allowing you a few inches to breathe as his thumb soothes through your hair.

“I’m a bit upset you didn’t allow me the chance to kiss you first,” he says with a bit of a frown, but soon laughs. “However, as long as I get to keep kissing you, I certainly won’t complain.”

Mammon:

Despite your affections for the Avatar of Greed, they never seem to be enough.

Tonight, he’s pouting because you’d spent your afternoon with Asmo--having a shopping day together--and not him.

“I mean, ya could’ve invited me,” he says, pointedly ignoring you as he rolls onto his side and occupies himself on his DDD. You sigh.

“Mammon, Asmo wanted it to be just the two of us. I assumed you would be okay for just a few hours without me at your side.”

Somehow, he manages to pout even harder.

“I’m supposed’ta be your first...why are ya spending so much time with those guys?”

Your gaze softens as you regard him. He should know by now that he’s got a special place in your heart, and yet, that’s still not enough for him.

No, he’s the Avatar of Greed. He’ll only continue to crave more, right?

“Mammon.”

He grunts, not turning to face you. “What?”

“Mammon, look at me, please.”

You speak quietly, tenderly--letting any annoyance disappear from your tone. Then, finally, Mammon gives in, and rolls onto his back.

“What? Are you ready to apolo--mmph!”

He literally goes stiff as a board when you lean in and capture his lips. Your cheeks are hot--you’re embarrassed despite your sudden burst of confidence.

“There--,” you say, sitting back after a few seconds. “Is that enough to make it up to you?”

Mammon blinks at you, face getting redder by the second. Then, his gaze is darting away, brain catching up to what has just occurred. However, it’s clear that he’s far from unhappy.

“Uhhh...well, maybe if you give me a few more, I’ll think about forgiving you.”

Levi:

It’s a spur of the moment type thing.

You’re hanging out with Levi, watching him play a video game, when things start to go wrong. He hops to his feet, cursing up a storm as he attempts to regain his footing in the match he’s suddenly now losing.

You decide to stay calm, to not worry, because surely Levi will calm down in a moment--but when his power starts to seep, an aura growing around him--you know you have to do something.

After all, he can’t summon Lotan again.

“Levi, hey! Why don’t we calm down!” you try, smiling at him. You shift yourself into his field of vision, hoping to distract him from the game that’s only continuing to go south.

“There’s a special reward for beating this level!” he hisses, his amber eyes ghosting right over you. “I have to win!”

“You can try again once you’ve calmed down!” you argue, taking a step forward, with your hands held in front of you. Your fingers skim the fabric of his jacket, and you look up at him, but he’s too immersed to realize exactly how close you are. (After all, if he did, he would definitely be scrambling backwards right now).

“No, I--”

You sigh at his adamance, fingers curling into his shirt. You had been hoping your first kiss with him would at least be a little more romantic, but here goes nothing!

Gathering all of your courage, you press up and connect your lips with his. It takes him a few seconds to register what’s going on, but you feel the controller in his hands slowly drop. And then, he’s jolting back--arm raising to cover his tomato colored face.

“Y-Y-You!! You kissed me!”

“I’m sorry!” you immediately say, feeling hot as well. “You wouldn’t listen to what I was saying, and I didn’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself, or your games, or your brothers, so!” You take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself, but it doesn’t work well.

“Listen...I’m sorry if you didn’t like it, I just--”

“W-Well...I never said that...,” he mumbles, interrupting you. His gaze darts between your face, and the wall nearby. “But I didn’t really...feel...it the first time, so...m-maybe we should do it again…”

Satan:

Satan is a pretty good cook, so you tend to hang around him when it’s his night to make dinner.

It's not uncommon that you try to steal bites whenever he’s not looking.

Today, however, he warns you just a second too late that he’s making spicy curry (like, really spicy curry), so you should steer clear of any taste-testing.

Of course, a beat later he turns and sees you over the stove with the wooden spoon shoved into your mouth.

Even before you start to sweat, and tears form in your eyes, Satan is at fridge--pulling out the carton of milk and pouring you a big glass.

As you down the soothing liquid, Satan stays by your side--unable to help it when he chuckles. You send him a glare, letting him know you don’t appreciate him laughing at your pain, and he lifts a hand to pat your hair.

“Oi, Oi~ It’s your fault for not listening to me.”

He breaks into another fit of giggles, moving past you to return to the stove. Your eyes follow after him, heart beating surprisingly fast at the sound of his laughter, and the slightest bit of physical contact with him.

Setting the glass on the counter--your mouth now successfully not about to burst into flames--you steel yourself and make your way towards him.

Without warning, once at his side, you reach forward and grab two handfuls of his sweater vest. Satan’s eyes widen in surprise as you drag him into the impromptu kiss, but it doesn’t take him long to reciprocate.

With little thought, he matches the firmness of your lips--his cheeks dusted pink when he pulls back to smile at you.

“What was that for?”

“Just felt like it,” you mumble, glancing away. Your eyes fall to the bubbling pot of curry. “...will you make a separate batch that won’t kill me?”

He hums. “Maybe for the price of another kiss.”

Asmo:

Although Asmodeus teases you all the time about how much he wants to kiss you, and to shower you in even more intimate forms of affection--he never acts on them.

Sure, he’s the Avatar of Lust, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t understand boundaries.

He loves you a lot, and doesn’t want to mess your relationship up by moving too quickly, and for that, you really appreciate him.

However...while his consideration is appreciated, you’re starting to go stir crazy at the fact that he won’t make the first move.

So, you decide to take it upon yourself.

You spend hours--days, even--building up your courage. And today, your courage meter is finally full.

Asmo and you already have plans to hang out, so it’s not strange when you knock at his door. It is out of character, however, when he pulls the door open to greet you, and you immediately lurch forward--wrapping your arms around him as your lips connect.

Even if it’s unexpected, Asmo is reciprocating without missing a beat. He hugs you tightly, kissing you back until you’re gently pushing him away--in need of some air.

“Oh, I loved that,” he says dreamily, taking a step back into his room. “You should do that more often!! I love seeing this confident side of you! It’s such a turn on!”

You cup your hot cheeks, stepping inside after him--still in shock that you’d actually kissed him.

“I don’t know, Asmo, it took me a while to work up to that.”

He giggles a little at your statement, and you blink when he reaches forward and grabs a strand of your hair--tugging you forward. His eyes sparkle.

“Well...even if you don’t have the courage to initiate right now, since the ice is broken…,” he gaze falls to your lips. “Is it okay if I kiss you instead? I promise it’ll be enjoyable~ After all, I’m good at this stuff.”

Beel:

Most of the time, you’re alright with giving Beel your food. You love him to the moon and back, and seeing him eating his favorite dishes with that happy look on his face makes your heart soar.

Today, however, you’d purposely stashed your desert to the side--intent on eating it yourself, for once, considering it was a limited time flavor from Madam Screams.

You’d hoped that putting it out of sight, and quite literally stashing in behind all the food in the fridge, would help keep it from the Avatar of Gluttony--but food never gets past him.

You’re in the middle of finishing up your turn on dish duty when you hear the fridge pop open. Immediately you’re whipping your head around--gasping in shock when you see Beel sticking his head into the appliance, sniffing around with a hungry look on his face.

“Beel no!” you abandon the dishes and rush over to him, trying to stop him from devouring your dessert in one bite. However, your efforts are futile, and soon your precious sweets are gone. The only remaining hint of them is the dusting of sugar on Beelzebub’s lips, and in a moment of foolish bravery, you grab him by the collar of his jacket and tug him down.

Your lips connect, and you can taste the dessert on him--sweet, and rich--everything you’d been hoping for.

After a few seconds, you pull back for air, and find Beel staring at you with surprise written all over him. You feel your face begin to heat up--realization at what you’d just done hitting you--but before you can think to apologize, or run, Beel is dragging you back in.

His palms cup your cheeks--his lips meeting yours once more.

“I’m sorry for eating your dessert,” he mumbles, regret in his tone. “I’ll buy you another one. But.. until then, I want to keep tasting you.”

Belphie:

You’re struggling to fall asleep when Belphie stops by your room, and asks if you want to go for a walk with him. The offer sounds heavenly, so you say yes.

It’s a simple thing--walking side by side with the Avatar of Sloth, through the uncrowded streets of the Devildom--but it still makes you feel...smitten.

Over the last few weeks, your feelings for Belphie have only grown larger, and larger. And now, even simple gestures like this--that don’t have any special meaning--cause your mind to wander.

Seriously, he’s not even talking, but your gaze is zeroed in on his mouth. On his soft lips, which are parted ever so slightly as he sighs--his eyes trailing around the familiar scenery.

“Hey,” he speaks, turning to face you. He smiles, and the expression has your heart jumping into your throat.

Without thinking--acting solely on a split second of courage--you step towards him.

“Do you wanna get some--,” his voice cuts off abruptly as you press your lips to his. He makes a quiet sound of shock, and you can only imagine that he’s staring at you like you’re crazy. (Luckily, you can’t confirm if he is since your eyes are squeezed shut).

After a few seconds, you decide to pull back--feeling a little dejected since Belphie hasn’t made a move of his own. Then, just as you peel your eyelashes back open, Belphegor is grabbing you by your waist--dragging you against him as he captures your lips.

His kisses are much hotter than yours, and you whine at him, gently knocking your fist against his chest when you notice that the two of you are starting to draw looks from some nearby demons.

“What?” he asks cheekily, his grip loosening enough to allow you some room for air. “You’re the one that suddenly kissed me in the middle of the street. First kiss, too. How daring.”

Your face flushes, eyes darting away. “Y-Yeah, well…”

“Well,” he continues, reaching down to grab your hand. He intertwined his fingers with yours, tugging you farther down the street. “I say we get somewhere more private, and then continue.”

Diavolo:

It just...sort of...happens.

Diavolo invites you to have tea in his office during your free period, and things go so well, that for a moment, you have a lapse in sanity and actually forget that the goddamn Prince of Hell isn’t your boyfriend.

You’ve had feelings for him for a while, and sometimes--when he’s in front of you, looking so handsome, and being so charming--it’s easy to lose yourself in those feelings.

So when your tea time wraps up, and Diavolo escorts you to the door of his office, maybe you--without thinking--press to your tiptoes and plant a kiss right against his lips.

“Thank you for tea, I--,” your words die off as a sense of dread washes over you. You raise a hand to your lips, realizing what you’ve done. “Oh my god--”

Your eyes flit to Diavolo’s face, and you can tell that he’s at a loss for word--his golden eyes wide with surprise.

Oh god, why are you like this??

Freaking out, you hurriedly reach for the door handle. “Lord Diavolo, I am so sorry. I wasn’t thinking, I--”

But before you can run into the hall and away from your current nightmare, Diavolo is grabbing your wrist and tugging you back into the room.

“No, no! No need to be sorry,” he beams, his free hand lifting to brush a few stray hairs from your face. “I was just caught off guard, that’s all.”

You flush, looking away and mumbling. “But I kissed you out of the blue like that…”

“True,” he chuckles, gaze tender as he regards you. “I was surprised, that’s for sure.” He leans down and looks you in the eyes--your faces just inches apart.

“So, next time, maybe don’t jump at me. Simply asking me for a kiss will work just fine.”

Barbatos:

You’re helping Barbatos out in the kitchen of the Demon Lord’s Castle when the urge to kiss him suddenly overwhelms you.

Because honestly--how dare he look so kind, and handsome all the damn time. In everything that he does, he always manages to hold the same poise, and grace, and it drives you mad.

Even now, as he stands over the stove--watching dinner cook, with an apron tied around his waist--the energy he exudes draws you in, and makes you fall all over again.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you slowly make your way around the kitchen island, and step up to his side.

Sensing your presence, he turns to face you with a gentle smile.

“Dinner is almost finished,” he says. “Thank you for your help. If you want, you can head to the dining room where the others are.”

You nod, but your feet don’t move. Barbatos blinks, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly.

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

Taking a deep breath, you gather all of your courage, and then reach forward. Barbatos pauses as your fingers brush against his cheeks--his eyes going wide when he feels your lips press against his--warm, and soft.

“I…,” you stutter when you finally pull back. “I just...I want to do that, so…”

Barbatos chuckles at your darkening face, his gloved hand moving to cup your cheek.

“It’s quite alright. I’m flattered to know that you wanted to kiss me.”

His thumb soothes over your hot skin, and he smiles a bit wider.

“If you ever feel like doing it again, then please, by all means, you have my permission.”

“Same to you,” you mumble, causing him to laugh a little more. Leaning in, he presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Duly noted.”

Solomon:

You choose to blame your actions on the atmosphere of the party, and the fact that the sorcerer is looking fine as ever--dressed in a dark button down shirt, with the first few buttons undone.

He’d dragged you to The Fall with him, wanting a companion for the night, and you’d agreed.

Now, it’s been hours since your arrival, and the entire time, Solomon has kept you close to his side--fingers curling around your waist when you accidentally begin to stray too far.

The contact has butterflies fluttering around inside your tummy, but you try your best to ignore the sensation--the way being so close to Solomon is making you feel.

Your feelings boil over, however, when Solomon makes a point of defending you from a pushy demon.

Following the encounter, he drags you to a more private area of the club to create some much needed space.

“Jeez, I know you’re a human, but that was pretty rude,” he mumbles, eyes straying to the dance floor as he adjusts his shirt cuffs. But your gaze is solely locked on him, a frenzy of different emotions running through you in response to him, and his actions.

In the end, though, you can only think of one thing to do. One thing you really want to do.

Solomon makes a quiet sound of shock when you suddenly press up--pushing your lips against his for a few long beats. And when you inch back for air, you find Solomon grinning at you, looking quite satisfied.

“Oh? Giving a kiss to your prince charming? I like this type of payment.”

You scoff and push against his chest, but he’s already grasping your waist--keeping you near.

“I want that kiss back.”

“No refunds,” he laughs, his forehead knocking against yours, and the look in his eyes makes your melt a little. Then, he’s the one initiating kisses, and you swear your heart is beating in time with the bass of the club music.

Simeon:

With a school dance right around the corner, the angel had kindly offered to help you learn how to...well...dance. Properly dance. Not club dancing, or anything of the like.

No, from what you had heard, the RAD school dances were much more formal than the dances you had experienced in school back in the human world, so you’d been searching for a dance teacher.

Simeon had been more than happy to offer his services.

“Look at you!” he says with a gentle laugh--your hand on his shoulder, and his fingers curled around your waist. There’s music playing from your DDD, abandoned on his dresser as the two of you waltz around his room.

“You’re really getting the hang of it!”

You smile as you glance at his bright face, heart fluttering against your ribs as you’re once again reminded of how pretty he is, and how close the two of you are at the moment.

Seriously, as much as you appreciate him for offering to teach you, you’re pretty sure you’ve already staved off half a dozen heart attacks during your lessons.

And today, as heart attack number seven looms, you reach your breaking point.

As the song comes to a close, you step forward--breaking your rhythm--and kiss him. You can feel his body still--his brain catching up with reality.

Just as you begin to pull away, Simeon is closing the gap--hugging you tightly as he reciprocates your affections.

“You won’t kiss the others like this when you’re dancing with them, will you?” he whispers with a smile, making you laugh. “Our first kiss should be special, I think.”

“Kisses while dancing will be reserved for you,” you reassure him, giggling more when he pulls back and pouts at you.

“All kisses should be reserved for me.”

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ragingbookdragon · 4 years ago

Text

I'm Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 2

Batfamily x Batsis Story!

Word Count: 2.7K Warnings: Explicit Language and Angst!

Author's Note: It's amazing how much one can write when they've got a story to tell, eh? Enjoy! -Thorne

Set Three Years After PT. 1:

Life for her revolved around work in the A.M. and community college in the P.M. If she wasn’t brewing cappuccinos and baking apple turnovers, she was writing research papers and taking physics exams. It was hectic and it was hard, much harder than anything she’d done, but it was her life, and she was going to make the best of it. The money she’d taken from her savings account had only lasted her long enough to get a decent one bedroom one bathroom apartment in a small complex and the rest went towards tuition. The coffee shop two blocks from her building had fortunately been looking for a new hire when she arrived, and she took the chance where it was, not going to look the gift horse in its mouth.

The life she lived now was a complete 180 from her old one. Back then, she didn’t have to work (though she did at a high-end department store in the mall—her father got her the job but at least she had one) and there wasn’t anything she couldn’t get with a swipe of a credit card. Now she was on a budget that consisted of five and ten tips and the last time she actually bought a new pair of shoes over a hundred dollars had been last year when she needed them for an interview, and even then, it cost her a limb.

Everything was so different, but she didn’t want to go back, preferring to be on her own and away from Gotham. From the newspapers and media, her family had convinced the world that she’d taken a few years to go overseas and spend time in Europe. A mental reprieve, they’d called it. Partially true if she was honest, but she wasn’t going to open her mouth about it lest they learned where she was. She didn’t go through all that trouble to be found within three years.

“Melisandre.”

Maybe I should move again?

“Melisandre?”

Moving would take a long time but it would be effective.

“Melisandre!”

Someone grabbed her arm over the counter, and she jerked with a start, eyes widening as she finally realized someone was standing in front of her.

“Barry?” she asked, and he smiled.

“Finally,” he snorted. “I’ve been calling your name for like ten minutes now.”

She felt a flush creep along her cheeks, and she smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I was thinking about something. Usual?” she murmured, marking a disposable coffee cup with a marker.

Barry nodded with understanding and handed her a credit card. “I hear you. How’s studying going for that physics exam?” His blue eyes darted to the science book she had sprawled over the counter.

“It’s going,” she muttered and turned, starting to mix together his latte. “I still can’t get the thermodynamic laws down. They’re a bit confusing.”

“Yeah, it’ll take a while. You know if you need my help, all you gotta do is ask, right?”

Shrugging, she glanced at him as she poured. “You’re a busy man, Barry. I can’t have you trying to help me while trying to solve cases too.”

Barry chuckled and accepted the freshly poured latte. “I’m an excellent multitasker, Melisandre. Besides, you don’t have to worry about it messing with my work.” She opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. “Seriously, shoot me an email about whatever questions you’ve got, and I’ll take a look at ‘em, okay?”

Her eyes narrowed warily, and she inquired, “You’re sure it won’t interfere? I’d hate for you to get in trouble for working on non-work-related things.”

“I promise, Melisandre,” he smiled and accepted a bag of apple turnovers too. He couldn’t help but pull one out and bite into it, letting out a delighted noise. “God, what do you put in these things? They’re phenomenal.”

She giggled and winked as he handed her a twenty. “A baker never reveals her secret, but if you really want to know, I use a little vanilla extract.”

Barry shook his head with a chuckle and started making his way to the door. “See you later, Melisandre!”

Waving at him, she called, “Bye Barry! Take care!”

Just as he opened the door, he stopped and spun around, suddenly asking, “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?”

Blinking, she glanced at the physics book then back to him. “Well, I was going to be studying for the exam…why?”

“My nephew is in town and I wanted to introduce him to you. I’ve already mentioned you a bunch of times and he wants to meet you.”

Her face pinched. “Barry Allen, what did you tell that poor boy?”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “That there’s a lonely college student who has no friends but has the greatest baking abilities in the world.”

“I cannot believe you told him I had no friends! Why!”

“You don’t.”

“Well, yeah! But still! You don’t just tell someone that! It makes me seem like there’s something wrong with me!”

Barry waved a hand. “Relax. Wally’s the least jerky person you’ll meet.” He smiled. “You’ll like him.”

She frowned. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, Barry.”

“Why not?”

“Well, he’s here to see you and your wife, not come meet the person who feeds your apple turnover addiction.”

The blonde’s cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson and he spluttered, “It is not an addiction!” he spun around and marched through the door. “I’ll send him over tomorrow! Bye!”

And he left before she could even say a word.

***

It had to be hieroglyphics. It was either that or some ancient cuneiform he’d recently taken up interest in, because there was no way whatever he’d written on the paper was English.

She cocked her head to the side, muttering, “Jesus Christ, Barry, did you write this on a caffeine bender? Your writing is like chicken scratch.” She tipped her head to the other side trying to decipher it when someone leaned over her shoulder.

“Which problem do you need help on?” they asked, and she pointed to the sheet.

“I have no idea what that says.” She turned and saw a red-haired stranger. “If you think you can, be my guest.”

He took it and read over it a moment, green eyes scanning over the page then he said, “Let’s see, he wrote first, ‘The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a system at absolute zero is a well-defined constant. This is because a system at zero temperature exists in its ground state, so that its entropy is determined only by the degeneracy of the ground state.’”

Pausing, he scanned it again and added, “Then he marked a note beside it and wrote, ‘In simplistic terms, if an object reaches the absolute zero temp. of (0 K = -273.15C = -459.67°F), its atoms will stop moving. In other words, at absolute zero, the entropy of a perfectly crystalline substance is zero.’”

Glancing at her, he smiled. “Make sense now?”

She huffed and nodded, taking the sheet back. “Yeah, thanks. I don’t even know how you managed to get all that from his writing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, Barry’s handwriting is deplorable.”

Her eyes went wide, and she immediately questioned, “How did you?”

Sticking a hand out, he greeted, “Wally West. I’m Barry’s nephew.”

Shaking his hand, she couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t believe he actually told you to come up here and meet me.” A smile came across her lips. “I’m Melisandre Hale.”

“That’s a pretty name, Melisandre.”

“Thank you,” she grinned and waved him to one of the bar-stools on the adjacent side of the counter. “Have a seat and I’ll get you something to eat and drink.” As she slid behind the counter, she inquired, “Anything specific?”

Wally stared at the bored, offhandedly mentioning, “Barry said something about apple turnovers that could make you cry with joy, so I’ve gotta have one of those.” His evergreen eyes met hers. “Maybe two if I’m being honest.”

She grunted, but a grin crossed her lips, nevertheless. “Barry exaggerates a lot, Wally. They’re good, but they’re not mind-blowingly good.”

“Then I guess that leaves me to be the judge,” he countered with a smirk. “What should I drink?”

She thought for a moment then offered, “Have any judgments about drinking before five o’clock?”

He let out a startled laugh and shook his head. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

With a grin, she turned and started working her magic and a moment later, she was sliding a plate with two iced apple turnovers over along with a clear steaming mug of dark coffee with cream on top. She leaned her hip on the counter and watched him pick up one of the apple turnovers and take a bite.

Immediately his eyes went wide, and he exclaimed, “Holy shit.” He gaped at her. “This is delicious, Melisandre!”

Despite herself, her cheeks warmed, and she gave him an easy smile. “Thanks, Wally.” She nodded to the crystal mug. “Try the Irish coffee.”

He did so and tossed his head back, letting out an exaggerated groan that had her laughing until her stomach hurt. Wally was on his second turnover and he looked at her.

“You’ve gotta open up a bakery or something, Melisandre. Your pastries are awesome.”

She huffed and took the plate from him as he finished the last bite. “Let me get through college first and then I’ll wonder how to rack up enough to open a shop.”

“What are you studying?”

Pausing, she tossed a quick glance at him. “There’s no specification right now. I’m just doing general studies to get all the basics out of the way.” She put the dish in the sink and started rinsing it. “I’m at the four-C right now.” His brows pulled together, and she added, “Central City Community College.”

He snapped his fingers. “Right! It’s been a while since I went to the four-C.”

Her eyes found his and she curiously asked, “Did you go there?”

“Yeah, a few years back.”

“You don’t look that much older than I am. How old are you, Wally?”

He sipped his coffee and set it down as he replied, “I turned twenty-eight a month ago.”

“Happy belated birthday,” she smiled, and he gave her one in return.

“Thanks. How about you?”

“I turned twenty-one a few months ago.”

“Hmm, happy belated birthday to you as well.” He grinned, quipping, “How’s it feel to finally be able to legally do all the things you were doing before you turned twenty-one?”

She shot him a look. “Shame on you, Wally West, for assuming I was doing illegal things.” He chuckled and she shrugged. “But to answer your question, it feels great, so thanks.”

Wally snorted at that. “My best friend and I got absolutely hammered on our twenty-firsts and swore to never drink hard liquor again after we woke up in the bathroom in our underwear after passing out on the floor.”

A shudder passed over her at her own memory of waking up beside the toilet after her birthday celebration with a bottle of white rum. She cocked a hand up with her water bottle in it. “Here, here,” she toasted and took a sip as Wally raised his coffee and drank too.

She glanced at him. “Are you in school, or are you done?”

“I finished a while ago. I work out of a tower with a group of friends in Manhattan.”

For a moment, her eyes drifted to the simple pair of jeans and graphic shirt he was wearing. She lived in the upper area of Gotham and she knew what uptown Manhattan was like, and it wasn’t jeans and t-shirts.

Evidently, he did too because he scowled, “I have suits and ties, thank you very much.”

She snorted and took the empty mug from him. “I didn’t say anything, Wally.”

“You made a face.”

“Is a face a ground to be hostile?” she grinned. “I was just wondering what type of business in Manhattan ran on flash t-shirts and skinny jeans.” She eyed him. “Tech?”

He shrugged. “It’s…a bit of everything if I’m being honest.” It sounded like he didn’t exactly want to say, and she let it be, rinsing out his cup before setting it to dry.

A buzz sounded and she felt for her phone when he said, “That’s mine.” Wally pulled his phone out, read the message, and stood up. “I’ve gotta go, Melisandre.”

She nodded and took the twenty-dollar bill he handed her, waving her off when she tried to hand back the change. As he started towards the door, she called, “Wally?”

He turned on his heel and waited and she felt foolish for saying it, but she admitted with warmth in her cheeks, “It’s been a while since I had any semblance of a friend…so thanks for this afternoon.”

Wally gave her a pearly white grin. “Barry said you’d say something like that,” he chuckled as she scowled and he added sincerely, “Can never have too many friends, Melisandre…and I hope you’ll become a great one of mine. So far, you already are.”

She smiled, “Same here, Wally.” The bell signaled his exit and she let out a heavy sigh as her heart warmed in her chest at the feeling of a newfound friendship.

***

She was dead on her feet when she finally got through her front door and into her living room, practically collapsing onto the couch. Though it wasn’t far from the truth as she flopped down and toed off her shoes, heaving a long and winded sigh as she stared at the dark ceiling. She wanted to turn on the lamp on the table beside her, but she didn’t want to move. Hell, she barely wanted to get up and take a shower, so she didn’t go to bed sweaty.

Just a moment. She thought. Just a moment to close my eyes and I’ll get up and go shower.

Of course, the second the shut them, she was opening them to her phone telling her it was two A.M. She groaned and picked herself off the couch to shuffle into her bedroom, and when she got there, she peeled off the clothes from her body and let them fall, not caring about the hamper just a foot away. She’d do it tomorrow after class.

The shower was quick, and she crawled into bed a few minutes later, glancing out the window at the stars that were still in the night sky. Even if she tried to avoid thinking about it, she couldn’t, and her mind drifted to when she was a young girl and would stare out the window in her bedroom back in Gotham, watching the spotlight come alive and paint the silhouette of the bat symbol against the night sky.

She missed them. She missed them a lot. Missed eating meals at a full table and the laughter in the manor. Hell, she even missed being ignored, because at least then she could see familiar faces every day. Now, it was wake up, go to work, go to class, then come home. And the process repeated every morning. She was alone in a city where she didn’t know anyone except for one forensic scientist and his wife, going to a college that didn’t even have her real identity. She’d not even said the name “(Y/N) Wayne” out loud for fear that someone with super hearing would hear her and tell her father, instead going by “Melisandre Hale”, a twenty-one-year-old born and raised Central City citizen going to community college. It pained her to admit, that with her decision to grant herself the freedom she desired, it came with a heavy price, and that was the loneliness. And it was worse compared to what it was like back then.

Sighing, she rolled over and pulled the covers up over her head, hoping that when she shut her eyes, she’d stop thinking about what she left behind. Unfortunately, the universe and her mind were never kind, and as she drifted to sleep, she saw the pained faces of her family.

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