#thinking about one group i ran into in particular. not gonna go into detail but that shit was vile

[corfisers]

was reading through some transandrophobia posts and seeing so many complaints about how trans community online is predominantly transfem and trans dudes don't feel welcome is fucking wild. i'm not even particularly social but i still ran into so many groups that are either exclusively trans guys or tend to ignore any fem people in them, as well as weird cliques formed around some trans dude who happens to draw/make mods/etc and is therefore put on a pedestal despite having questionable beliefs (for which a trans woman in his place most likely would be ostracized)

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Reader being spared by an Alternate and straight up letting them stay in your home, perhaps?

"...oh who am I kidding? It's pointless..nobody's gonna pick up..."

Holding the phone with one slightly trembling hand, you strongly considered dialing the number for the police department, hoping someone could come and get rid of the Alternate hanging around your house.

Yet you couldn't bring yourself to do it.

Of course, you knew that stupid "THINK" principle broadcasted throughout Mandela County was a lie. All of it was. It didn't stop the casualties from drastically rising. Nor did it stop the population from falling as people either moved out, died, or went missing.

As of right now, you were in none of those groups, and you prayed that by the end of tonight you'll be able to keep it that way.

Instead you chose to stick it out and protect your home, refusing to let some demonic presence ruin the life and memories you've built here.

You've seen sci-fi films on how mankind rallied together to combat the alien threat and save the world growing up, but sadly...that's all it ever was: fiction.

What was happening in Mandela County right now was reality. Nobody was coming to help...and the "plan" to combat this threat was only made-up to stop the public from freaking out.

All you could do was learn how to survive on your own.

So that's exactly what you were doing, as you put the phone down and checked your computer. It was hooked up to the few hidden cameras around your house, which you've installed long before the invasion ever began.

However, you started wondering if these devices that once gave you peace of mind could possibly be the death of you....considering Alternates can tap into electronics and torment their victims that way.

Rather than shut them off, though, you realized that this one in particular didn't seem...all-that-concerned with hunting you down at the moment.

If anything, it seemed almost confused. As if it stumbled into the wrong house.

As you observed the creature's movements, you saw it walking around the living room, gazing at photo frames featuring yourself and your family.

Despite the video's shitty quality, you could see it was in a purely black form--a shadowy figure with white eyes that never blinked. But the fact that its neck remained very elongated was the most unnerving detail.

Aside from that, it didn't seem to be aware of your cameras, which meant you hid them exceptionally well.

However a minute later, the Alternate suddenly began shuffling down the hallway that led directly to your room, causing panic to seize your body. You got chills as you watched it blend in with the darkness, essentially becoming one with it.

You held your breath and quickly killed the program, shutting off the computer before sneaking over to your bed. There, you hid under the covers and hoped that it didn't realize you were home.

You'd pray for protection, but...the officials advised not to turn to prayers, as the Alternates were known to wage heavy psychological warfare against folks with religious connections.

Then again you weren't sure who to trust anymore..

Regardless, this internal debate didn't last long as you heard light knocking on the door, nearly jumping out of your skin upon hearing a voice that was--and yet wasn't--your own coming from the other side.

"Nobody's gonna pick uppppp....."

Your blood ran cold.

'Fuck, fuck...it heard me..it knows I'm here...'

Every part of you was trembling as you laid there, wishing you didn't have to deal with this all on your own.

About an hour passed before you heard the knock again, as well as light scratching sounds against the closed door. You didn't realize you almost fell asleep...considering how exhausted you were.

Didn't help matters when you noticed it was 2 AM.

'Damn, I'm in for a long night...' Throwing the covers off, you sat up and glared at the door as the knob began to clatter and shake, sighing in annoyance.

How long was it going to keep playing this game?

If it wanted to kill you so badly, why didn't it just get it over with? Did it have some other plan for you?

You'd snap at it to leave you alone, but...that's probably a bad decision that'll drop your chances of survival to zero.

Maybe it's best that you don't acknowledge it.

After a few minutes, it stopped jiggling the doorknob around, although you tensed upon hearing some sort of sad groaning noise coming from the creature.

'The hell? It sounds like a kicked puppy-'

Wait...

Why were you thinking that?

It's only mimicking what a human in pain or sadness would sound like. There's no way in hell you were falling for that bullshit.

But it apparently thought otherwise as it continued whining; and you grew more and more irritated, wishing it would just shut up and go away already.

It continued for about five minutes straight, before falling silent.

And then...ten minutes passed without another sound coming from it, leading you to suspect that it finally gave up.

For a moment, you smiled in relief, thinking it was all over--

Until your computer screen somehow flickered to life and showed you the Alternate itself, looking just as it did on the cameras....wearing the same clothes you had on right now.

Your eyes widened in horror, heart sinking into the pit of your stomach.

"What the-?"

It began typing, words appearing on the bottom of the screen. Despite every part of you screaming to ignore it, you were drawn to the computer, slowly getting up out of bed and walking over to it so you could see the message more clearly:

BE NOT AFRAID

Then the screen switched off.

And you heard a hushed whisper over your shoulder.

"Sorry...it was the only way I could reassure you..."

Gasping lightly, you spun around and finally saw the Alternate face-to-face, with its neck straining to gaze down at you, white eyes staring into your very soul.

Yep..your chances of surviving this were basically in the negative.

But rather than immediately shriek in terror and brace for death, you stood in silent bewilderment, realizing that it actually spoke in its own voice, rather than yours. And it didn't sound malevolent at all despite its threatening form.

Not to mention, it...told you not to be afraid of it. Why is that?

'Well..guess there's no use in ignoring it now..'

"R-Reassure me...of what?" You hesitantly asked, palms sweating as you clasped your hands together.

Its gaze seemed to soften as it spoke something that changed your whole perception of it:

"I don't follow the flock."

It simply didn't have that drive in it.

Seeing your confusion, the Alternate elaborated, explaining that it had a "change of heart" shortly after its creation.

For reasons unknown even to itself, it refused to kill or masquerade as any human victim like the rest of its kin.

Because of this, it felt deeply flawed and became scared, afraid of what its maker would think as "he never made mistakes". So it searched for a place to hide, realized this was your home, and....ultimately chose to spare you, refusing to follow "his" doctrine.

In exchange for refuge, it promised you protection from the other Alternates should they intrude, allowing you to live your life (or at least as safely as you could in this county) and shelter you from symptoms of MAD.

While you were hesitant at first, you wanted to believe this Alternate was being genuine with you.

So you allowed it to stay under your roof under two conditions: No sabotaging your tech except in emergencies, and no mimicking any of your friends or family members. If either rule was broken, you'll report them immediately.

As for its mimicry, beyond whatever clothes you wore on any given day..it didn't try to copy your appearance or voice it all. It admitted to liking your taste in fashion, asking you more about it.

Surprisingly, it complied with them both right away, becoming your "guardian" of sorts ever since and keeping their word.

Somehow you've found yourself being able to sleep better at night, seeing the shadow in the corner of the room as more of a comforting presence than a threatening one.

It's not like you can just say "no" to a demonic shapeshifter. That's just plain rude.

In the end, you found the most unlikely friend in this hellhole that was Mandela County:

A pacifist Alternate.

Ironic as it was, you're just relieved somebody out there heard your silent prayers.

[theoddcatlady]

My sister came back from the dead

When I was young, there was a serial killer in my town.

For three summer straight, he killed people. Young, old, female, male, it didn’t matter to him. You just had to be alone long enough for him to snatch you up like some kinda boogeyman. Hell, it didn’t even have to be at night. Mrs. Gibbs ran out for groceries with her husband, he stepped back inside for a minute to grab something they forgot, and came back out to their baby crying in the car and a dropped bag of groceries next to the car.

They found her three days later, her ribs all cut open and splayed out so anyone and everyone could see her guts.  

It was a nasty time, I’ll tell you that. I was only a kid. Like, maybe five when it started, eight when it all ended. I only found out the nastier details when I got curious and asked enough questions to people willing to answer. Not many people were, that was for sure.

Where I grew up was a pretty small town, so you’d think we’d find the murderer faster. But nah. Our neighbors couldn’t be killers. During the summer people did their damn best to never be alone. People who lived by themselves would move back in with their parents, friends would all group up. It’s hard never being alone though, ya know? There’s always moments when you just need to step out for a breather or you need some private time. And that’s when he got ya.  

That last summer when the killer lurked was hot as hell. You’d be able to fry eggs on the sidewalk. I got a sunburn so bad I had to stay in bed for a whole day, the box fan blowing only slightly cooler air on my dried up face. There was at least two incidents when elderly people croaked from heat stroke. And of course that killer was back. Heatwave didn’t stop him from killing my sister.

I don’t remember Jill all that well. There was about a ten year age gap between us, so we were never close. My parents had her real young and she grew up to be stubborn. And like most teenagers, she felt untouchable. Immortal. That particular summer was bad, probably because she’d broke up with her boyfriend when he went off to college and met a fellow college gal.  

So one night she blew off my parents when they told her to stay home and instead went to a party. Next morning is when they realized Jill never came home.

It took two weeks to find her. I made myself find out the details, you’ll figure out why later. She’d been fucked up real bad, he’d kept her alive as he cut her to pieces. First her fingers and toes, then her hands and feet, and up until she had no limbs. Then he cut up her face, cut out her tongue. And to wrap it all up her gutted her while she was still alive.

She suffered. But this time the killer made a mistake. Cuz someone saw him leave with Jill.

Frank Stokes. He was nearing his midthirties but spent most of his time with highschoolers or young adults. But mostly people thought he was harmless. Real quiet, real shrimp of a guy. But you know, there was a few rumors of his wild teenage years, how he stole his neighbor’s cats and dissected them. It was brushed off as youthful curiosity and charges were never pressed, probably because said neighbor died from a sudden stroke. Who knows, maybe it wasn’t a stroke, maybe Frank stuck some rat poison in her coffee. No one could answer that but Frank himself.

My town suffered far too long because of Frank though. My parents, my dad in particular, wasn’t gonna wait for the cops to fix this. So he gathered a mob and they went to go get Frank. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, death for death.

They broke into Frank’s house and found a collection of human body parts. His souvenirs, I guess. People talked about how they found all sorts of fucked up stuff, I don’t know how much is true of course, since it all ranges from sacrificial altars to a taxidermied human being. They chased Frank out and into the nearby corn fields.  

This is the part where it does get a little more fuzzy. Like it wasn’t fuzzy already. Retellings of the story vary, some people say they actually caught Frank and gave him what he deserved, beating him into the dirt as he cried and pleaded for mercy. Some other tales say they only cornered him. And another one says they actually started to hang him on the nearby oak tree before this next twist happened.

This is the one part of the story that does line up though. The part of the story where Frank said he could bring all his victims back.  

Yeah, you’re not misreading that. While bawling his eyes out, Frank promised to return their loved ones to them if they only let him live.

Such a stupid idea. I mean, he killed a little under twenty people. And when you’re dead you’re dead. There’s no coming back from dead, especially when some have been dead for years by that point. I don’t know how he convinced them that yes, by tomorrow morning all of his victims would start coming back, but he did. My dad came back and got Jill’s room ready, the bickering between him and my mom actually woke me up.

I remember peering through my sister’s bedroom door and watching my dad make up Jill’s bed. But Jill was gone, my parents told me that Jill was dead. Jill was never coming home. But my dad even turned her radio on to her favorite station.  

My mom ended up storming out, tears in her eyes. I think she was pissed dad didn’t end up killing Frank. I mean, I don’t blame her, if I’d really understood what was going on back then I would’ve been pissed too. That bastard took away my sister, and sure we weren’t close but she was still my sister.

Next morning though I was watching cartoons when I heard a knock at the door. Not really thinking as I was still waking up I stumbled to the door and opened it up.

There was Jill, wearing the same outfit she’d been buried in, standing out on the front steps. She smiled at me.

“Hey, idiot, mom and dad moved the hide a key. Thanks for letting me in.”

Numb, I just nodded and moved aside for her to walk in. She mouthed thank you as she tip toed inside. She sighed with relief as I shut the door. “God, it’s already getting hot. Mom? Dad? I’m home!”

My mom ran into the living room and promptly dropped into a faint. My dad ran in after her and fell to his knees, pale and shaking. I don’t think he really believed Frank was going to follow through with his promise. But Jill was here, back and perfectly fine. Or so it looked.

For the first days, everyone was just shocked to see the friends and family they’d buried come back to them. Even if they’d been dead for years and years, they came back looking as alive as you or me. They had no memories of actually dying, which is probably for the best considering how Frank made them suffer. But they did know they’d been dead.  

It’s sad to say that Jill and I really only bonded after she came back from the dead. I guess dying shifted things back into perspective. She went from hell child to perfect angel. She did her chores, never broke her curfew, and spent time with me. We went to the park, the ice cream parlor, hell, we even had a day at the zoo. During all this time she kept telling me how much she loved me, how she was sorry she always pushed me away or treated me like an obnoxious lil shit before. She was just frustrated and took it out on her family.

We all took the miracle at face value. Don’t be mad about it, we were just so damn glad to have our family back. No one noticed how Frank just slipped out of town one night. People only realized he was gone after he didn’t show up for work three days in a row. But now he was someone else’s problem, people reasoned. All the people he’d murdered were back, so why even bother anymore, right?

But come on, I’m sure if you’re reading this you know that bringing people back is always a fucking mistake. When you’re dead, you’re dead, and that’s that. You don’t get a do over, at least, not in the body you started out in. I dunno about reincarnation and shit like that, but I do know that all those people coming back was a big fucking mistake.

It was just little things at first. Dead animals, roadkill turning up with no blood in it. Dry as a bone, those bodies. Then a funeral home was raided the night before Ms. McCarthy’s funeral, she’d been drunk dry too. Not only that, Mr. Quinn, the funeral director had been attacked. He’d lost so much blood that they thought he was a goner. But he managed to pull through, when he did he had the strangest story to tell.

He’d just been getting things finished up for the night when it happened. A small group of people barged on in, and before he could ask what they wanted the leader grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Most of the group ran to the casket, dragging Ms. McCarthy’s body out and started cutting her open with knives. They looked disappointed at the minimal amounts of blood as she’d been embalmed but all Quinn could do was watch as they sucked away at the wounds they made.  

Then one of the leaders cut open Quinn’s wrist and screamed with triumph as they began to suck away at the wound. He tried to get away but more and more of them pinned him down and made cuts all over his body. They only left after they’d drunk their fill from him and Ms. McCarthy.

If there’d been no body there that night, I imagine Mr. Quinn wouldn’t have survived to tell the tale.  

Jill wasn’t doing well though. Although she’d been strong and healthy at first, she’d gotten pale and started wasting away. She wasn’t sleeping at night, and when she did sleep, she woke up screaming. I think she remembered what happened to her. But she wouldn’t tell us if she did.  

It all came to a head when someone heard screaming from the Gibbs residence. Course, 911 was called, and when the police got there the eldest daughter stumbled out, her shirt covered in blood and cradling her bleeding youngest sibling. She just pointed inside before she collapsed.

Inside was Mrs. Charity Gibbs, sucking on her dead husband’s neck while two of the other resurrected drank from other wounds on his body.  

They managed to escape, after killing a cop and taking his body with them. I think they found it later in the ditch, drunk dry of blood and all shriveled up.  

Lots of people died as the resurrected made their escape. All of them got out too, ran off into the woods and just disappeared. Turns out a couple of them actually had help from their living relatives and friends, bring them animals and people to drink from.  

Every one of them left. Except Jill.

Jill called me to her room. My parents were out, don’t remember why. But I went into Jill’s room, probably one of the only times I did. She never liked me in her room.

She looked terrible. White as a sheet, her face all shrunken, she’d probably lost like twenty pounds in the matter of a few weeks. She took my hand in hers and squeezed as tightly as she could. “Can you stay with me?” She asked, her voice raspy and dry.

“Why?”  

“Because I’m gonna die again. And this time, I don’t-” She coughed and spattered blood all over my face, “I don’t wanna do it alone. I know it’s selfish. It’s gonna be bad… and I could’ve… I could’ve stopped it, but I didn’t want to hurt anybody. Please stay. Please?”

I stayed. I sat at the foot of her bed and stayed. Her fingers gripped tighter and tighter until they went lax… and rolled onto the bedspread.  

Her palms followed shortly after, plopping on down in my hand. I ended up dropping it and it rolled away on the floor. It took a bit longer for her arms to come off at the shoulder, each muscle and tendon snapping like a rubber until it hung on by a few shriveled threads. She cried as her head fell to rest on my lap, her tongue falling from her lap and onto my shoe.  

She fell all to pieces in a matter of an hour.  

My parents came home to find me on the bed, rearranging my sister’s body parts to look like she was just resting. I don’t remember that, but frankly I blocked it all out after she ended up dying for the second time. I was admitted into the hospital, I didn’t speak for weeks.  

But I recovered, you know. I bet that bastard Frank would’ve loved to see the havoc he caused. No one thought about looking for him after they got their loved ones back, and after their loved ones turned on them we had our hands full. Gotta admit, a clever move on his part, to give him enough time to get out of our lives.  

Frank’s gone. And he stayed gone. I just hope he isn’t causing problems somewhere else.

[duochromium]

hi who are your favourite touhou characters and why im mostly curious about the why

amazing question! the following list is in no particular order. wriggle does happen to be my favorite but it’s not by a huge margin or anything

first up we got wriggle herself. i’m gonna be honest the way i interpret her bears absolutely no resemblance to her canon character, but i think that the fandom has generally kind of adopted an interpretation of her that’s nothing like her in canon so i excuse it if everyone else does it.

why i like her? really cool design obviously the cape is really sick. what actually draws me to her though is mostly the fact that she’s a member of team 9. she’s basically just “kind of silly bug woman who’s really weird about bugs” which creates a lot of really funny relationships with other characters. i tend to write her as more of the “average person” of the group which also makes her relationship with mystia that write about a lot really fun because it’s just these two pranksters that are background characters from a story perspective and a life perspective (i mean they really are just random youkai). basically everything involving her is just… really casual, and fuzzy. she just doesn’t have a whole lot going on

also i get to write her being autistic about bugs which is really fun.

another one of my favorite characters is remilia, who i’ve only really had an excuse to write once. i go into way more detail about this in microsm chapter 6 but basically i just really love her contrasts. i like writing her as both childish and mature, both fearsome and welcoming, both powerful and vulnerable. it’s clear she does care very dearly for those in the mansion and i just love giving her a soft side where she does want the best for everyone, even if she looks evil. oh she eats people? god forbid women do anything

also because she’s a vampire who owns a badass huge western mansion. that’s so cool

in addition we have reimu, who i honestly just find to be a really nuanced character. i love writing her getting really existential about her life and getting worried about shit. i kind of project onto her sometimes but we’re not here to discuss that. she has a very interesting personality, fluctuating between stern or sad or determined or funny depending on even the slightest factors. being the main character she’s had the most actual stuff happen to her, she has the most story and has the most relationships with other characters. there’s really anything you can do with her, and if you can get her personality right then you can even make a good story out of her going on a walk. case in point: residual by me

the next ones i don’t really like for such complex reasons i’m not gonna lie

ran, who is probably my #2, is just a really nice character. it’s fun to write her being all motherly to chen, it’s fun to write her being a calculator for yukari, it’s fun to write about her being gay obviously, and i really like her character design. she’s just nice and i would definitely be friends with her if that were possible. i’m aroace but whatever the equivalent of a waifu is for aroaces? she’s that to me. i don’t wanna fuck her i just am obsessed with her non-romantically

lightning round:

i like sakuya because her time ability is really cool and it’s fun to write about this woman working herself to death. also bonus points because i love the sdm

aunn because she’s a really fucking funny dog

mystia because she’s a team 9 member too except she also does cooking and is in a band and i get to write her being gay with wriggle

kyouko because she’s really loud and also has a job at the temple and is also in a band

youmu because i like to imagine she has a huge inner conflict. read: any of my youmu x ran works

seija because she has so much potential to be a really interesting character, arguably even more than Reimu. i just haven’t wrote her because i still can’t get her character down

the entire palace of earth spirits because their family dynamic is absolutely hilarious and actually they’re all really funny characters even on their own

cirno because come on man it’s cirno

anyways that’s all the ones i’m obsessed with. i love all 2hus though

[lmelodie]

This is just an idea that i had, that i couldn't stop thinking about. This WHOLE THING was basically just getting it on paper: What if powerswap? What if Crystal Springs powerswap? With a hint of clone shenanigans.

I didn’t think too hard about plot or anything, i just had an idea and I RAN with it. So if you don’t know who my own character is (Killian) or who Dani’s character is (Jacqueline) this will be whole bunch of nonsense.

And I did put off quality control for these most basic of preliminary drawings just so I can get a general idea of what they look like. When I say i cranked this whole thing OUT i meant it!

Enjoy!

Honestly, walking through the door he didn't know what to expect. The Boogeyman wasn't even halfway through the doorway, when the one who opened it for him ran off back into the house.

“Hey! You four need to go outside to do that!” a familiar voice distanced as he entered.

What greeted him on the inside of the home, took the top spot of the weirdest things he’s seen. When he got a very concerning very vague emergency message from Jack, he thought it was just another scheme that got out of hand. Or he needed to reach something on a very high shelf. Either way he figured this time was gonna be like all those other times. He’ll humor him in whatever situation he's in and maybe even get a good laugh out of it.

This particular scene, admittedly, had the potential to be humorous. But now isn't really the time.

Quietly closing the door behind him, the dingy spirit saw a struggle take place between six different people in the house. Jack and Jaqueline were easy to point out. Jack was hovering on the outskirts of the magical scuffle trying to gauge if and when he can help diffuse the situation. Jacqueline was working with a very warm looking individual. And was corralling the cartoonish looking dust cloud of magic blasts toward an open door. Holding open the door to the backyard was a very familiar looking heat sprite also surveying the chaos.

As he got closer he could now see that the center of the disarray that was being motioned out of the house were the twins, Fino and Fiera. Along with another pair of white haired kids of the same age. Both parties were hurling magical attacks of ice and fire at each other. Snowballs went flying, flamethrower-like spouts of fire were summoned.

Everybody was shouting over each other as they tried to avoid the missed and dogged attacks. Until eventually, the two young women of the group managed to usher the fight outside. A greatly appreciated hush fell over the group as they gathered themselves.

“Sooooo, is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?” Killian asked.

Without a word, two sets of identical faces came to look at him.

There was nothing unusual looking about Jack and Jacqueline, but the two other fire sprites in the room were the spitting image of the siblings.

The Jack lookalike sported basically the same suit but just in the opposite color scheme of reds and oranges. Anywhere where they're would've been frost on the clothing, was instead replaced by dark singe marks and cracking details. And if he weren't mistaken, the edges of the jacket lapel were lightly burning with small flames. The most noticeable difference however, was the presence of fire for hair, instead of the usual icicles.

Noticing it now with this weird doppelgänger, Killian took note of just how similar Jack and Blaise looked.

Jaqueline also got the same treatment. With the regular icy version he knows, also came with a fiery lookalike. Her hair, while contained with a ponytail, was also just a pile of flames on her head. Where the icicles usually are on Jacqueline's dress, was now a layer of lava rock. It was cracked and fissured to show the actual streams of molten magma underneath.

None of them however answered his question. Probably too stumped on where to even start.

Killian sat in silence for a beat before speaking, “...Well. This seems more like a family issue than anything else. I think I should go.”

“No! Don't, this is still an emergency,” Iced Jack remarked.

“Then tell me what this is all about,” Killian widely motioned to the two heat sprites. “And what that whole fight was about just now. What was that?”

“That first part is a long story,” Iced Jaqueline voiced, “But that whole scuffle just now was the two sets of twins going at each other.”

Burned Jack across the way piped up, “They saw each other and immediately decided that they had to see who could beat who in a fight”

“Fair enough. Now someones gotta tell me what's going on with the matching set,” Killian said, taking a few steps forward.

Before either Jacqueline could launch into their story, the two Jacks shared a look with each other from across the room. First a wide eyed look of gesture, then a confirming glance before they both turned their eyes onto the shadow spirit. Each having the exact same thought, with the same exact evil smiles

They both swiftly saddled up on either side of Killian. The red head's face fell as he realized what they were thinking.

“Doesn't matter how this happened really. We're just glad you're here now.  We desperately need another opinion on this,” Burned Jack hinted as he took one of Killian’s arms in his own.

Iced Jack copied the action on the other side, “We need another pair of eyes, you could say”

“And what better pair of eyes.”

“Jack!” Both Jacquelines exclaimed.

“What?” The two Jacks said in unison.

“Please try and stay focused for a single second before we both simultaneously barf,” Iced Jacqueline remarked.

The Boogeyman was honestly very grateful for the intervention. He was cornered on both sides with two Jacks and was just a little too flustered to think clearly about the situation. And the red flush on his face clearly gave it away.

‘I think I might be getting thermal shock,’ he thought to himself.

“Jacqueline, can-could you please pick your brothers up off the floor?” Killian asked.

Both Jacks looked at each other in confusion, “The floor?”

In a series of quick motions, Killian pulled both his arms free from the two sprites. Both of which felt a pair of shadow hands coming up from the floor and grabbing their ankles. Killian took a few steps back from the pair, the hands pulled their feet away in opposite directions and they both landed face first into the floor in front of him.

Both of the Jacquelines tried their best to not to laugh, as Killian regained composure. In a burst of black and red magic, kills teleported to the other side of the room where the girls were sitting.

“I'm just gonna stand all the way over there. Not because I don't love you,” Gesturing to Iced Jack, “but because I can't trust you,” gesturing to Burned Jack.

“It's true, you're not very trustworthy,” Ice Jack chimed in.

“What do you mean? I'm you, blizzard brain. The only difference is that I got cooler powers.”

“You want to test that theory?”

The Jacks continued to argue as the ice/fire/shadow trio tried to ignore them.

“They've been like this the whole time,” Burned Jacqueline commented, “It's been one or the other all day. Either they get caught up in a pissing contest or they get along too well with themselves.

Both of the Jacks continued to bicker in the background.

“Hey!” Killian shouts grabbing both their attention, “Can you not start fighting yourself.”

…..

“Yet. Just wait until I get some popcorn first,” Killian starts making his way through the kitchen for the bit.

“Killian!” Iced Jacqueline reprimands.

“What! It was a joke! Mostly….”

Without waiting for anything else, Iced Jaqueline quickly launches into their story to try and get Killian up to speed.

Everyone sat down at the island or leaned against the counter to listen to the tale. Apparently, her and Jack have been tasked with tracking down and capturing a piece of fractured time. A bunch of wibbly wobbly timey wimey nonsense from Father Time's realm that went haywire. And upon chasing it through multiple different timelines, a big struggle ensued in the Burned timeline. And in the struggle the Iced duo accidentally dragged the Fire sprite Frost kids into their original timeline: here and now.

“Does that make any sense? Time stuff was never really my forte,” Iced Jacqueline explained.

“No no. I think I get it. So you guys just need to go back to your original timeline then?”

“Yes,” Burned Jacqueline responded “Blaise and Winter, the ones in this universe, left to go see father time and see what can be done. Both about us and the fractured timepiece.”

“We decided to stay here and try brainstorming another plan ourselves,” Burned Jack said, igniting and extinguishing a small flame on the tip of his finger.

Killian sat on this thought for a moment, “I think you guys should stay,” he said motioning toward the warm front.

“What?” asked Iced Jack

“Not permanently. I'm just thinking that you all could put your collective brains together to try and pin down that fractured piece of time. Four heads are gonna be better than two if you’re all working together. And with fire magic at your disposal that isn't being controlled by two twelve hundred year olds, I think you guys got this in the bag.”

The four sprites, after a beat, quietly agreed with overlapping voices.

“So all four of us, we go out and find that fractured piece of time, so that everything can be fixed. And so you guys can get back to your proper timeline?” Iced Jack confirmed.

“Ah i’m just seeing one problem though,” Iced Jacqueline expressed, “We don't know when mom and dad are coming back. They haven’t been gone for too long, but who knows when they'll be coming back here.”

Burned Jack finished the sentiment, “Ohh, I see. I get where you're coming from. If all four of us are out tracking this thing down, what are we gonna do with the twins?”

The rest of the group's faces fell in thought. They hadn't thought about that.

“Do we just bring them along with us?” asked Iced Jack.

“No way! That thing is super dangerous. And I'm not gonna share blame for another one of your terrible ideas,” Iced Jacqueline iterated.

“They melted a frozen volcano! I think they can handle themselves.”

“Do I have to remind you who froze that volcano in the first place!”

“Do you have any better ideas of what to do with them?”

Killian broke up the sibling squabbling, “I do”

The cold front paused their bickering to listen to The Boogeyman's suggestion.

“I'll stay here with the twins. Just until either Blaise or Winter show up again, so that you guys can go and do what you need to do.”

“Are you sure, Killian?” Burned Jacqueline asked, “There's twice as many of them than before.”

“I'm sure. I've entertained them before, what's another set added to the mix?” Killian responded with a little bit of a cocky tambor.

“I say let him go for it,” Iced Jack stood up straight away from the counter, “If nothing else to see how close he is to going insane by the end of this.”

“Your encouragement for my downfall is what's gonna keep me going,” Killian responded with a smile.

“Only if you really want to Kills, You don't have to do it, “ Iced Jacqueline voiced.

“I do want to. You guys need to go out there and fix the bigger problem at hand.”

With an exchange of approving looks all around, everybody was in agreement.

“Alright then, it's settled,” Burned Jack confirmed, “Now we should probably hea-”

He was cut off by a loud crash coming from outside. It felt as though a large force of impact hit the side of the house, causing a very small tremor for the occupants inside.

With mounting concern, the group of five quickly escaped through the backdoor and into the yard to where they left the two sets of twins. Of which the white haired duo, clad in blue were both crouching on the ground with their arms over their ducked heads.

The fiery pair both lay flat on the ground opposite from their counterparts, their flames in their heads dancing high and glowing bright. They gathered themselves to see the rest of the group watching on in concern.

The side of the house just above the icy twins heads, was scorched in a large black circle.

Iced Fiera excitedly called out to her counterpart, “Was that a combo move!?”

“I didn't even know we could do that!” Embering Fino exclaimed.

“Did you guys see what just happened!?” Fiery Fiera called out the others looking out onto the yard.

To say it was a wreck would be the understatement of the century. To add to the giant burn mark on the side of the house, the whole yard was slushed and semi frozen over. Where there weren't open patches of soggy grass and mud, there were snowdrifts and half formed snowballs scattered on the ground. Ice ramps and little flame monsters dotted the area as well.

“We just pulled off the ultimate team up power move!” Fiera shouted, “That was so sick! Did you see it, it looked like a burning star! It looked like a giant fireball straight from the volcano!”

“Do you think we can do something like that?” Iced Fiera asked her equally chilly twin.

As the two sets of twins started planning their next attack on each other, the group of adults watching them quickly turned their eyes to Killian in pity.

The man himself could do nothing but stare at the carnage caused by the four kids.

“Welp. Have fun with that Kills,” Burned Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder before returning back inside. Followed suit by everyone else, before they took their leave from Frost manor.

Ok so he may have been a little too over confident when he said he could handle it. But mark his words, if nothing else he is gonna prove Jack wrong!

[lokivangelist]

OC-tober, Days 3 and 4

Writing stuff to keep me sane.

OC-tober, Day 3: The Guide

Arelan watched the group at the table below him. The group that had no idea he was there. It was late enough in the tavern that most had cleared out, offering them what they felt was enough privacy to unroll their maps and discuss their plans. None of them bothered to glance upward, into the thick shadows that hid the rafters. Then again, he hadn’t given them any reason to.

Little flock of quail, he thought, almost pitying, toying with a single arrow shaft between his fingers as he watched them. None of them had any idea how exposed they really were.

“I”m just saying,” one of them was currently growling, pointing at the map laid out across the table, “the quickest path anywhere is a straight line. There’s no border patrol. No barriers. Why can’t we just walk on in?”

That one was large. Armored. Carried an enormous weapon on his back. Probably used to solving his problems with brute force.

When all you have is an axe, every problem looks like a tree, Arelan thought.

Another one wearing robes and carrying a staff and looking slightly more capable of subtlety put a hand on the first one’s shoulder, offering a reassuring pat.

“It’s not always as easy as that,” she said. “Barriers aren’t always visible. Nor are guards. We shouldn’t announce our entrance so brazenly.”

“Who are we gonna offend?” the first one grunted. “A bunch of trees?”

“We’re gonna offend someone before we leave, that’s for sure,” said a third. The smallest. Carrying a bandolier of knives and a habit of pocketing the tavern’s best silver. “There’s treasure in there, and it’s going to be ours. One way or another.” That one grinned and rubbed their hands together.

The robed one rolled her eyes.

“While I’m sure you’re correct, this is the biggest job we’ve had to date,” she said, grasping for patience. “It would be best for all of us if we don’t screw this up massively and right away?”

Before the others could retort, Arelan shot an arrow down into the map, striking precisely the spot they were arguing over. Curses flew and weapons were drawn as the three of them jerked back, attention finally drawn into the rafters. Probably wondering exactly how long he’d been there eavesdropping.

The mage cast a light to illuminate the shadows. All they saw revealed was a half-masked face, and two sharp, focused eyes that made no effort to hide the truth: that shot didn’t have to miss.

“None of you have been to the Feywild before, have you,” he said in a low voice. It wasn’t really a question, and he didn’t wait for an answer. “You won’t last a day. But I can show you where you want to go. For a price.”

That, at least, made them stop. And think.

OC-tober, Day 4: The Grump

Samael Lightbringer lay on the cool grass of the forest floor, one hand pillowed behind his head. The other brought a cigarette to and from his lips as he idly smoked, listening to the distant sounds of Myrdin and Miss Ebra attempting to bathe in the river. He had less than zero desire to join them in that particular endeavor, and – judging by the loud exclamations they made about how cold the water was – it seemed the right call.

He watched the sky instead. Watched the clouds drifting. Watched the last few leaves cling to mostly bare branches in the gentle wind. Watched that same wind carry away his smoke as he exhaled, taking in the minute details of it all.

It was getting into autumn in this part of the world. The trees ran rampant and wild in their colors. The breeze had a cold crispness to its edge that hinted the approach of winter not far behind. The forest surrounding them seemed calm. Content, for the most part. Busying itself and its occupants with all the preparations that need be made for the cold months.

This time of year always made him think about falling.

Why was it the nature of things to only ever fall?

Everything on the Material Plane fell. Stars from space. Rain from clouds. Leaves from trees. Living things fell to become grass and dirt when they died. Any given civilization eventually collapsed on a long enough timeline to make way for the next.

Souls could fall, too. Angels became mortals. Mortals became devils. Even gods couldn’t forever stand against the inevitable march of time.

You never heard about it the other way around.

Oh, for certain, a few individuals tried. Every Sundering or so, a mortal got it into their head to ascend to godhood. Some runaway lich or overly ambitious wizard. But how often did they succeed? And even if they did, were they still the same as the rest of the gods born naturally from raw, utter creation?

Sam didn’t think so. They would always be...somehow...lesser.

Because that was the nature of things.

Things could only fall.

Just like it was his habit to fall into these contemplations until Myrdin and Ebra’s antics eventually spilled over the riverbank and dragged him into it.

Some things were just inherently and forever true.

[catboyebooks]

naegi apologizes for being late, says he meant to show up sooner but he couldn't enter the simulation thanks to the virus. junko is like ooooh how convenient that you were able to show up at this exact moment!!! which even naegi realizes means she purposefully delayed his arrival till now, but he brushes that off and says it doesn't matter, he's here to rescue them. junko seems very enthusiastic about her old nemesis (i guess) being here, makes a big deal about how The Hero has arrived, and also acts insanely turned on whenever he talks, which i guess i'm not in a position to judge okay i got that out of my system and i'm not going to say anything else weird about voice acting i prommy. sorry.

it's briefly established that naegi is taking a pretty big risk by being here, as now that he's in the VR program he's as much under junko's control as everyone else here is. of course, naegi felt like he had to do this anyway. he explains to them that junko's lying about their dead friends coming back to life, and lays out her actual plan. essentially, since graduating was supposed to cause their irl memories/personalities to be overwritten with those of their VR avatars, and since the simulation wasn't set up to account for anyone dying, junko plans to overwrite the dead people's brains with her own personality. naegi adds that unfortunately any avatars that were deleted can't be recovered, which seems like bad news until one remembers that we already have proof the dead people weren't deleted (komaeda's the sole exception, he never reappeared when the simulation was glitching after chapter 5, but everybody else did). that's me pointing that out, though, the group hasn't thought of this.

junko downplays and acts like this isn't a big issue. she says she didn't lie, just omitted some details, and besides she thinks she can pretend to be all the dead people fairly convincingly so what's the problem? (obviously uh, no one wants that, but i also wanna point out that we already know from her attempt at portraying naegi earlier that her acting skills could use some work.) kuzuryuu in particular objects to this and she tells him she could pretend to be a version of peko that he'd like more, which of course does not go over well. then she announces that her grand plan is to use her initial batch of junko clones to turn more people into copies of herself and eventually create a "despair utopia" where everybody is a clone of her. or at least has her personality, i guess she doesn't really clarify how far she plans to go with it. hinata asks why not just kill them all then (she could use all their bodies if she did, right?) and naegi points out she can't because of the school trip rules. when junko usurped usami's moderator role, she was able to add her own rules, but couldn't change the existing ones, and one of the rules already in place stated that the "class teacher" can't directly interfere with the "students." hence — and this part junko herself confirms — she essentially ran the killing game to stall for time while she worked on her plan to copy her personality to their bodies. the killing game itself was never important to her and she wasn't truly invested in whatever the outcome would be. as she puts it, their lives are chump change to her.

when asked about her motivations, naegi says all junko's ever wanted to do is infect other people with despair and junko's like wow so true you get me fr! she confirms that she has no motivations beyond wanting to fill everybody with despair. i'm gonna talk about this more later, we'll move on for now. junko also confirms she's the one who got the reserve course to kill themselves and says they did it because they loved her. it's clearly a memory she cherishes. when everyone is horrified she's all, aww, you don't gotta act so shocked about it, you guys are acting like your parents, friends, and lovers all died at once! oh sorry that was really insensitive of me you guys definitely don't have any close relationships like that anymore :(

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Alright, @lavose asked, so allow me to elaborate, here goes.

First a little context: At my school what they call a “focus” in Rainbow High, we called a “specialty”, so I’ll probably use the two more or less interchangeably. I personally started out as a video arts specialty and then switched to theater arts from junior year on. There was no such thing as a double-focus at my high school.

For my privacy, I’m not gonna give any details like name or location of the school I went to.

Also, I’m ignoring the stuff in the show that obviously wasn’t meant to be realistic, like the multiple elaborate scavenger hunts, and artistic feats that defy the laws of physics.

With that out of the way, I’m gonna start first with what they got right.

(Continued below the cut ‘cause I have a lot to say)

1) The student aesthetics.

I know the reason is because it’s based on a series of fashion dolls, but actually the wide variety of unique and specific fashions the students of all focuses wear is definitely accurate to arts high school. Not only with their clothes, either. At my school, more students had dyed hair than didn’t (mine was, and still is, bright red), so the wild hair colors and makeup designs are very accurate to a real arts high school.

Usually you’d notice it most the first couple of weeks to months before the burnout started to set in and people didn’t have the energy to put more effort into their appearance than jeans and a hoodie, but there were always a handful of kids that were really dedicated to upholding their aesthetic throughout the year. You also start to notice a lot less makeup and a lot more roots showing by the end of first quarter. However Rainbow High is a boarding school, so the students there packed only their best and favorite clothes when they went to live at the dorms and were probably regretting the amount of effort they inadvertently forced themselves to put in by the end of first quarter lmao.

2) The waitlist

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the waitlist was huge at my school. There was usually only about three or four students across all the specialties that were able to transfer in after the school year started because someone moved unexpectedly or had to drop out, or just decided they didn’t want to go anymore. I don’t think it was ever because of an expulsion though, not while I was attending, at least.

I was never on the wait list (mostly because video didn’t get as many applicants as other specialties), but my older sister went to the same school as me, as a digital arts specialty, and she was initially waitlisted, although she got off the waitlist before the school year started and was thrilled. She ran all around the house, absolutely giddy, when she got the letter saying her enrollment went through. She was normal about it by the time the school year started, but the handful of waitlisted students who got in after the school years started were always just super happy to be there.

However, I still don’t really get how a set-design student being expelled resulted in a fashion design student being bumped up from the waitlist, since the vacancy would have been in the set-design class and not just in that particular fashion show project group, but whatever.

3) Student art displayed all over the place

My school had murals, painted picnic benches, all the pillars were painted, chalk drawing on the sidewalks when the visual fine arts students did their chalk art unit, student-made posters hung all over the place. It was a very colorful place.

Whenever a students art was featured in a magazine, showcase, newspaper, community performance, &c., there was something about it up on the billboards. The school love to take credit for our success by showing it off, even if it had nothing to do with the school lol, but it was cool to see how many students were doing cool stuff.

4) Students working in the halls during class

I don’t think any of the arts classes even used hall passes, certainly neither of the ones I was in did. In video, if you wanted to leave the classroom, whether it was for a project or not, all you had to do was check out a camera and go. In theater, as long as you had a script in hand and were muttering to yourself you wouldn’t get in trouble. None of the teachers would stop you if they saw that you were carrying art supplies—camera, sketchbook, script, drawing tablet, what-have-you.

We took advantage of this regularly. Oftentimes we were actually out of the classroom to work on projects, but just as often we were ditching, and having a camera and tripod made us immune to consequences.

5) The pressure

A lot of the time, arts high school was fun and chill, but when crunch time came, the pressure was ON. For visual arts students, it was approaching deadlines. For performing arts students, it was tech week. But no matter your specialty, you were not exempt from the pressure of having to complete and polish a massive artistic project.

6) The football team hasn’t been good in 20 years

I don’t think I have to explain this one. Art students suck as sports. When they were talking about the school’s team not winning a game in 20 years I genuinely laughed so hard I teared up, that’s so accurate and so fucking funny. I don’t know why we even had sports teams.

Section 2–things that weren’t at my school, but that I can totally accept as differing school managerial styles and the fact that Rainbow High is a private school that obviously has a vastly higher budget than the arts high school I went to.

1) Integration between focuses

There wasn’t a lot of mixing specialties at my school. It wasn’t unheard of; for example, when I was in video, we did a joint project with the dance specialty where we filmed dance music videos to teach us to properly edit video with complex motion and rhythm. And in theater, we had the digital arts students design all our posters (although it was an optional extra-credit assignment for the digital arts kids).

At Rainbow High, the students have projects that integrate all of the focuses, having them contribute their specialties toward that project which is actually really cool, and doing that by dividing the students into dedicated groups with which they will do all their integrated projects throughout the year is a good way to do it.

2) Fashion design, accessory design, set-design, and cosmetology focuses.

If there had been a fashion design specialty at my sister would not have applied for digital art lmao. Because of the aforementioned “not as much funding as Rainbow High” thing, the school I went to didn’t have as many different specialties as RH has focuses. And none of them were explicitly fashion related. Set-design was enfolded within the theater specialty as was costume design, which is kind a like fashion design.

Personally, I don’t see why fashion and accessory design are separate focuses in RH (like I said, theater arts was also costume design and set design, and it was stage-lighting and sound design. Also, video arts was script-writing, set lighting, and sound-mixing, in addition to video editing and special effects. Photography also taught staging, and digital arts was also photo-editing and animation. I don’t really know about the other specialties, but I’m sure they taught beyond their individual scope). I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, however, considering it’s a show based on a line of fashion dolls.

3) Students actually caring about school publications

I don’t think there has ever been a high school where the students have two shits about what was printed in the school paper. I’m willing to ignore that because the RH school magazine is apparently circulated outside of just the school, and notably to RH alumni, many of whom are purportedly wildly successful in their respective artistic fields, so I guess I can understand how a student might be excited to get a feature. With the “no photographing student work” rule, being featured in the school magazine may be the only way for them to be considered for third-party opportunities. (But I’ll get to that later)

4) Double-focusing

I mentioned this earlier on, but my school didn’t do double-focusing. If a student wanted to take on another specialty, they would have to quit the one they were currently in. RH is much better funded and managed, though, so it makes sense that they would give their students the option to do that if they felt up to the challenge.

Now for section three—Things they got wrong

This is where it gets sort of critical, so if you only want to read me singing RH’s praises, read no further.

1) They apparently don’t know the distinction between categories of art.

In the very beginning they say that it’s specifically a “visual arts” high school, but there’s a music focus and a theater focus even though those are performing arts??? And Fashion design, which seems to be their main draw, is a textile art???

It hasn’t been mentioned to the point where I’ve watched in the show, but the doll I have is apparently a creative writing focus, even though that’s also not a visual art, it’s a literary art. But she’s technically Shadow High so maybe it’s different. (Side note, my school also didn’t offer a creative writing specialty, but if it had, that’s the one I would have applied for from the get-go, that’s part of why I wanted that particular doll so much—that, and she has safety-pin hair clips, which is just too cute)

2) Their use of the term “mixed media”

The thing about that is… mixed media is not a type of art. It is a method by which you can do any kind of art.

For example, a live-action video that incorporates still images, animated VFX, and background music is mixed media. A painting that uses a mix of watercolors and acrylic paints is mixed media. Literally every musical is mixed media because it combines both acting, dancing, and music/song.

In fact, students learning how to use various mixed-media techniques within their own specialty was like, one of the biggest parts of what we did in arts school. So I was very confused when RH referred to having a mixed media specialty because??? Almost everything these students do is mixed media?????

Close as I can tell, what RH absurdly calls the “mixed media” focus is what we called the “visual fine arts” specialty, or VFA for short. VFA refers to painting, drawing, sculpture—basically visual fine arts refers to everything people traditionally think of when someone says “art” and doesn’t specify what kind. It’s also commonly referred to as “traditional art”.

3) General education classes

An arts-oriented high school is still a high school, and it’s still required to teach gen ed classes. RH probably left them out because they didn’t think math and history were interesting or relevant to the story, which I get, but they still gotta do PE.

The thing about gen Ed classes at an arts high school, though, is that they have arts integration. In my school it was only the humanities classes that did this, and math and science was boring and dumb. But history, English, and foreign languages all had arts integration. They would use visual aids, mixed media presentations and lectures, and many of the assignments including all the major projects and finals had an artistic element.

For example, we read Hamlet in my English class senior year and one of the music kids created an 8-minute score to represent Hamlet’s slow decent into madness for his final project in that unit. I did a dramatic reading of one of Hamlet’s monologues. One of the VFA kids did a series of story-board style illustrations of a scene. Another one did a single, movie-poster style drawing featuring all the major characters.

So yeah, I see why the omitted the gen ed classes from the RH show, but I need you to know that they are still a thing in arts high schools, they’re just better than what you had :P

4) “a bad rehearsal means a bad show”

The worse the last rehearsal goes, the better the first show goes??? Everyone knows that. I don’t know what they were on about when the teacher said this line. It was disproven immediately because their show went amazing.

5) “Everything I make at Rainbow High is student work, and photographing student work is against the rules” —character who later gets expelled for breaking that rule.

This just straight up doesn’t make any sense, logically or logistically. It’s completely ridiculous. And I am going to explain why in great detail. Starting with:

A) You’re telling me a “visual arts high school” doesn’t have a photography focus??? Because unlike fashion design, photography actually is a visual art, and if there is a photography focus then you absolutely cannot enforce a “no photographing student work” rule without completely stymieing that whole department. But maybe that’s why there’s no photography focus, which brings me to:

B) There is a video focus! You’re telling me Violet going around live-streaming 24/7 doesn’t count for some reason??? Even if she doesn’t film during class there’s no way in hell she’s not catching student work in the background of her shots in the hallways. I can think of like six occasions when she should have been expelled for “photographing student work” and I’ve only seen like six episodes so far.

C) The school magazine not only took a bunch of photos of student work, but also published them in a more-or-less publicly available format. What, that doesn’t count??? Bella got expelled over this, but it’s just fine for the school magazine to do??

D) The whole purpose of high school is to encourage students to succeed in the future and preventing them from sharing their work with third parties to get things like internships completely defeats the purpose of that. Like, I mentioned before about the billboards that always bragged about students getting featured in showcases, and landing rolls in community theater productions, right? That’s the kind of good press a school like Rainbow High would not only want, but need if it wants to maintain its prestige.

You don’t keep your enrollment up based solely on what your alumni do, you want to show that your students are achieving things even before they graduate. I knew a music student who, at seventeen, composed professional scores for an indie film studio. One of my friends in VFA was recently featured in a corporate sponsored showcase and made a good chunk of prize money from it. One of my video classmates had a successful YouTube channel with something like 100k followers by sophomore year, and he was featured in the school paper for it (not that anyone reads the school paper).

Basically like 10-20% of assignments (depending on the specialty), were specifically to create entries for art contests, or submissions for relevant internship opportunities. (My theater class won gold for a one-act we performed at a competitive theater festival).

It doesn’t make any sense for a high school to forbid photographing student work and in doing so prevent students from getting opportunities like that.

E) The rule is transparently based on the doll designers experiences working with exploitative capitalist toy companies, and the rocky origin of MGA (the company that makes Rainbow High dolls), and not based on any realistic high school experience.

If you didn’t know, MGA’s first doll line was Bratz, and the original creator of Bratz worked for Mattel before quitting to start his own company. When Bratz got popular, however, Mattel tried to sue him for the rights, claiming that he’d started designing Bratz while he was working for Mattel, and according to his contract, all ideas that he worked on as an employee of their company, even in his off hours, belonged to them.

There was a huge, messy court case. His original argument was that he worked on Bratz off the clock, but Mattel was having none of that and insisted that his work was theirs and him marketing and selling it without their say-so was illegal. Mattel initially won, if I recall correctly, and completely shut down the Bratz doll line out of spite.

But there was an appeal after he found proof that he had pitched the idea to Mattel before quitting to start his own company, and they had completely refused it, saying it didn’t match their brand or something and told him to stop working on it, after which he quit. Bratz dolls are now back on shelves, and MGA has also started to produce new doll lines, like Rainbow High, Shadow High, and LOL OMG dolls. (I’m recounting this all from memory so take it with a grain of salt, because I probably got some details wrong, and I can’t remember the guy’s name, either)

Finally, section four—nitpicky complaints.

This section is, arguably, overly critical, so if you don’t want to read your favorite show getting bashed, read no further.

1) Jade’s dress in the fashion show

I know I said I would disregard the artistic feats that defy the laws of physics but Jade’s skirt in that fashion show was NOT made of lightning, fuck you. Not only is that impossible but she would be so electrocuted.

No. Just. No.

2) They’re not graded on laundry

It was just one line, but one girl said they’re not graded on laundry and like… why not???

Especially fashion students. They could absolutely be graded on their ability to properly launder a variety of fabrics and garments without damaging them?? That’s like a major element of the job??

3) Violet is not an artist.

This one sounds really harsh, and I fully acknowledge that, but I stand by it. As a former video arts student, fuck RH, Violet is not an artist.

Filming everything you do and altering almost nothing in editing is NOT video art.

She’s never shown doing significant editing, adding music or special effects, or even doing anything remotely creative with her filmmaking at all. She doesn’t do stage lighting except for the single ring light on her selfie stick, she only uses one type of framing, which I shouldn’t have to tell you is absolutely pitiful from a filmmaking perspective, and she doesn’t even really use any cinematic techniques like camera movement, shot distances, or focus.

She just films. She doesn’t even demonstrate the slightest comprehension of how to film in landscape instead of portrait. Especially compared to the impressive feats her friends did to get into RH, she’s nothing.

If anything what she does is performance art, but tbh I don’t personally think what Violet does qualifies as a creative focus at all. She’s not doing anything creative, original, or even noteworthy and, in my opinion, she’s not an artist.

She’s an insufferable tiktokker taking advantage of her friends’ good will and kind natures. Shes obviously manipulative toward Sunny in particular, and she has no respect at all for her friends’ boundaries.

Recently got into Rainbow High for some reason and let me tell you, watching the show as someone who actually went to an arts-oriented high school in real life is fucking Wild.

[moxfirefly]

Our third spooktober/kinktober installment brings our favorite purple banded lad into the mix of it. Let’s put the quiet ninja skills to an interesting use.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0NJM6ZBiDoWSiYQAUaGRsg?si=XYk0iqg1SL-ThGgyjXk-Tw&dl_branch=1

TW: consensual vouyerism, predator/prey? Slight verbal degradation, NS*W themes, you get the gist of it

Rated Explicit (18+ only)

New York was a buzz on any other day but today was special.

It was Halloween after all.

Tonight was special, the festive ambience, the pulsing of the noises around you and the small personal detail that at exactly 11pm, a game would commence between you and a certain terrapin.

Details had been discussed, rules and boundaries as per usual because Donnie was nothing if not proficient in details. He could’ve made a detailed contract if given the opportunity.

A group of kids ran passed you screaming in delight, the girls in the group shrieking at they were frightened. Many horror movie characters went up and down the streets, the parade had finished not too long ago and now it was the time to hit up bars and clubs. None of those were in your itinerary of course, as your phone marked 10:50pm you had to get ready to make it to the starting check point.

There was a particular subway station you had to get to just as eleven hit. From there on it would be a straight shot to your apartment building and once there up to the rooftop.

But half the fun would be to somewhat disobey those orders. You grinned to yourself, hands in the pockets of your jacket as you quickened your pace to the subway entrance. It was 11:02 when got there, groups of people in random costumes came and went. With a deep breath you started your chosen route.

It was almost immediate, like a chill down your spine that wasn’t simply the windy weathers fault. You knew you were going off route, you turned several times with your eyes to the tall building in curiosity that you might see something. Naturally that wouldn’t be the case of course, it never was that simple.

Not with how skilled he is.

Your pace quickened once more, you felt like you were power walking and no amount of that could put run him obviously but there was something in those winds.

Up one of the busiest streets is where your phone buzzed and when you pulled it out you were greeted with UNKNOWN in its bold letters. You held your breath with a smile and answered.

“You think you’re cute?” Came his voice and it took so much of your resolve to not laugh nervously.

Looking up you tried to catch him, he had to be somewhere maybe not visible to the untrained eye but-

“You’re not gonna find me, you know?” That made you swallow but a stubborn idea came to mind.

You lifted your hand that held your phone, wanted to make sure he saw wherever he was perched when you hit the END button. Changing route again you cut through an alley and kept making the trek towards your building. Past one of your frequented coffee shops your phone started to ring again. Picking it up you grinned, he was panting, probably making a new route as well to catch up or place more distance.

Maybe you were ahead of him?

“Aren’t you proud, you think I didn’t expect this behavior from you?” There was a grunt and the sound of him landing somewhere.

“Yeah? Well where’s the fun if I don’t trick you once in a while? Oh and guess what? Im gonna piss you off even more in about ten seconds” You looked at the screen, your cheeks hurt from how hard you were grinning.

“Y/n, you better not do what I think you’re going to” Getting Don to use a stern voice wasn’t often and right about now? It twisted your insides in the most delicious of ways.

You turned off your phone.

‘Cant track me now huh tech boy?’

You ran up the street you were and took a shortcut that should deliver you to the building you intended to go to.

Which wouldn’t be exactly the one that housed your apartment. Once there you’d call him and tell him where exactly to go and enjoy the victory, even if obtained in the most dishonorable fashion.

The chosen building was a favorite of his and you, the rooftop was spacious and long ago you and Don had gotten keys to access the fire escape entrance. Unlocking the gate with said key you jogged towards the middle with a triumphant clap. Just as you reached for your phone in a spin your eyes landed on him.

On Donatello.

Hands stuffed in his pockets and an amused gleam in his eyes.

You were frozen on the spot, finger hovering over the power button. The fish out of water look must’ve been precious to him but he made no move to hop down from the ledge. A hand exited his pocket with a cellphone in it, the red dot on the screen blinking in what felt like the same pace of your heart.

“But… but my phone was off” Your eyes remained wide, throat dry.

Donnie squatted, hands playing with the phone as he watched you try to make heads or tails of this.

“You’re a damn brat, you honestly thought I wouldn’t expect this? That you’d veer off and try to cheat your way to victory?” He hopped down, an almost bored aura to his stride as he approached you.

Wow your boyfriend could be… menacing.

“So I got a little creative, just like you did” His fingers found your necklace, thumb and forefinger playing with the pendant that hung from it. A small yank and the tiniest of mechanism came off of it. You blinked several times, mouth parting to speak but words simply escaped you. “It really pays to be a genius, guess I got to trick my silly little doll” That very hand found the back of your neck, a possessive grip landing there. He didn’t shove you, just simply operated you towards the ledge of the roof where he had been second before.

Donnie bent down towards the shell of your ear, voice just above a whisper. “Don’t you ever, and I do mean, ever…” He nosed the spot behind your ear, the outline of his smile against it made you shiver. “Disobey me again” All you could do was nod slowly at his chastising.

Then you felt a strong forearm wrap around your chest and pull you against him.

“Color?” He whispered softly.

“Fucking green” You offered in an excited huff. This was making every hair in your body stand up. There was a pleasant pin prick sensation coursing through your limbs. Donnie made an approving sound, a soft caress across your chest to satisfy more himself.

Back to the game.

Back to the persona.

“Get on your knees”

You swallowed, too loud for you.

“Like, here?” The question felt immediately dumb and Donnie didn’t waste his time in chuckling.

He turned you around to face him, cupped your face and traced your bottom lip. “Yes you silly little doll…” His strong hands landed on your shoulders as he dipped down to press a soft chaste kiss to your lips.

“How else am I going to fuck your throat?” The mock innocence was the cherry on top, and you’d be a damn liar if you said your knees didn’t wobble as you took to your knees before him. “Been thinking about this while I chased you around half of Manhattan, that when I won, I’d shove myself so deep down this tiny precious throat of yours, you’d never forget what happens to silly brats” He moved a few strand of hair from your face in the most gentle way he knew.

Your hands trembled towards the button of his pants, his knuckles ran down your cheek and soon enough enough you found his thumb inside your mouth. It was instinct to close your lips around the digit, give him a preview of thing to come. Those pretty brown eyes searched for any hesitation, any need for this to stop or take a break but your muffled ‘green’ around his digit reassured him he was still on the right track of things.

He felt the palm of your hand run the outline of his hardening cock, stopping at the head to tease him through the fabric of his underwear. Donnie played with a few strands of your hair, watched his thumb leave your wanting lips.

“Go ahead, show me how good you’re at this” His eyelids fluttered just enough when you pulled him out, both hands wrapping around the base to pump him. As your lips found the head of cock and began to tease him, Donnie took the chance to grab a fistful of your locks, he gentle pulled to test your reaction.

The pace was slow, your lips teasing him to full hardness as you savored him. Your mouth pushed passed the head, feeling the texture and moisture of his precum.

One little moan, one yank of your hair and half of him was inside. You choked but tried to regain your composure as he gave shallow little thrusts into your mouth. Each gag, each attempt to try and keep your gaze on him, all of it music to ears, art to his eyes. “Wish your mouth could take me the way your pussy does” He bit his bottom lip and thrusted a little harder, watching how your eyes water with yet another choke. He yanked you away from his stuff cock, a spit line connecting it to your shiny lips.

He allowed a few seconds of recovery before he yanked you back and fucked your mouth with a couple more quick hits. With half of his cock in your mouth, the tip just a tad past the point of your skills he stayed the faintest of moments, tapping your cheek with a smirk before pulling out. You took in greedy huffs of air and licked your swollen lips, the small tear tracks stained your cheeks.

“You’re so beautiful, a pain in the ass but the most beautiful one ever” Donnie spoke as he took himself in hand began to stroke himself. You felt a tired smile grace your lips, bitting your lip before opening your mouth. Oh that gutted him, made him stroke faster.

Your hands caressed his thighs, kneading the muscle and keep the salacious display of your parted lips for him. “Just-fuck-just like that, always dreamt of you like this, such a good doll, my little doll” His fist quickened, right around himself with every intention of spilling. The stutter of his hips was the tell tale sign, his palm flying to cover your eyes the next and the hot spurts of cum that landed against your tongue and chin the final. It was a shame he didn’t let you see him cum undone but judging from the size of his release he didn’t want you getting it in your eyes.

When he uncovered your gaze you took the moment to lick your lips clean just as his pumps settled into lazy stroking.

“Fuck, that was so good” You huffed out in laugh, fingers loving caressing his thighs again. Donnie chuckled, the final pumps to his spent dick sending a pleasant shudder. “You did so friggin good babe” You praised, even as ached for him.

But this was Donnie, he wouldn’t leave you hanging too long.

As he wiped a thumb across your soiled face, and plucked it into his mouth, his eyes said at all.

“I’m not through with you” He sucked the digit clean, brown eyes shinning with excitement still

“Take your pants off” Was all that demanding tone of his said.

And you wordlessly did as told.

You obeyed.

[onceupon]

London Boy - Part 4: Just friends

summary: You wake up to find Rafe Cameron in your bed. Even though nothing happened, you’re still left trying to make sense of it all.

pairing: Rafe x reader (slowburn)

warnings: swearing, drinking

word count: 5k

a/n: thank you so much to all of you who have been reading along <333 sorry in advance if you want this to progress faster haha, it simply must be this slow, sorry I don't make the rules (even tho I do lol). Not canon Rafe!! 

masterlist

Your eyes slowly flutter open as the early morning rays wake you up. You didn’t even remember falling asleep. As you slowly gain consciousness you’re startled by the weight of Rafe’s arm draped across your body. What the hell? When did that happen? He spent the night in your bed?

Your mind races at a million miles an hour as you slowly slip out from under his hold. You were careful not to wake him up, not wanting to face any awkwardness. You throw on fresh clothes and grab your backpack, desperate to make your escape. You had wanted to get to school early today to work on some homework anyways, never before so eager to trade in the comfort of your bed for the library. 

After a quick pit stop to pick up a coffee and a croissant, you swing the heavy wooden doors open. You liked campus at this hour, the morning light still soft, the air crisp, and the atmosphere silent. As you scan your eyes for a spot to sit, you notice the unmistakable sight of fluffy brown hair hunched over a table. 

“Liam?” your whisper. “What the hell are doing here?”

That classic cheeky grin spreads across his face as he looks up to find you standing in front of him. “I go here, Y/n. Forget already?”

You roll your eyes, “I just didn’t know you were the studious type.”

“Not gonna lie to you babe, I’m not. But Rogers is already all the way up my ass over this class, and I’m not letting that prick hold me back a year.” 

You pull out the chair across from him and go to sit down, spreading your books out on the table. 

“Who said you could sit with?” he asks, and you shoot him a look. You’re not in the mood. “Geez alright, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed… you good Y/n?” he slows, taking in your disheveled appearance. You hadn’t so much as brushed your hair. 

“Can you promise not to tell anyone,” you stare dead into his eyes. 

“On my life,” he extends his pinky, and you accept. 

“Rafe… slept over last night…”

“Oh shit!” he exclaims, and your eyes widen at his echoing voice. 

“Not like that,” you hiss, not wanting to draw anymore attention to the two of you. “Nothing happened… like he just came over to watch a show and then we talked for a while and just accidentally… fell asleep. I panicked when I woke up and realized he was still in my bed so I ran out of there as fast as I could and now…. well now I’m here.” You nervously chug your coffee, heart racing. 

“So he hung out with you all night and didn’t make a move?”

You nod, nervously awaiting his analysis as you take a bite of your croissant. 

“Damn, boy must really like you,” he muses. 

“What? Definitely not,” you scoff. 

“Y/n, let me tell you a little something about guys. If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what. The fact that he’s coming over your room to watch a show and hanging out with you until he physically can’t stay awake - I mean I can’t make it any more obvious to you.”

“I don’t know I just don’t think so… You don’t know Rafe like that, he’s a total player back home. He can pull any girl he wants, so if he liked me like that he would’ve done something by now. This is probably how he is with all his friends and I’m just reading too much into it. I’m sure Lily Colts will be in his bed soon enough,” you mumble. That last part stings in particular, you had already thought it, but saying it out loud made you feel… icky. 

“I may not know Rafe like that, but I know guys like him. I am guys like him. He likes you Y/n. So what if he pulls a lot of chicks, he doesn’t actually care about them. But he cares about you, probably can’t even understand why, and now it’s like bam Uno reverse. He can’t pull the cards he normally does, and now you’ve got him confused and he doesn’t know what to do. Man’s down bad. Give him time though, he’ll come around,” he explains to you calmly, stealing your coffee cup from you and taking a sip. 

“Honestly can I just start paying you to figure my life out for me. You make everything seem so simple.”

“Because it is simple. You insist on complicating it. But I know how you could pay me,” he adds with a wink and you shoot him a glare. You know he’s just joking (partially), he loves pushing your buttons. 

“Well whatever. I’ll believe it when I see it,” you resign on the Rafe matter. You wanted to believe what Liam was saying but it didn’t quite make sense to you. You were only going to drive yourself crazy trying to read between lines that you weren’t sure existed. Rafe was just used to situations like this with girls. To him last night was probably no big deal. It was to you though. You would never let ‘just a friend’ stay over like that, with his arm around you no less. But Rafe didn’t need to know that, you decide. 

—-

You manage to avoid Rafe all day, not having any classes with him on Friday’s. As soon as your last class is over, you sprint home, relieved when you’re the first back at the flat and can quickly slip into your room undetected. You set down your bag and sit on the edge of your bed. Your hand slowly runs over your comforter, still ruffled from where Rafe had been laying the night before. The indent of his head is still on your pillow; you can almost smell the scent of him lingering in your room and hear the sound of his soft whispers. You wonder what his first thoughts were when he woke up in your bed alone - was he confused? Embarrassed? He probably thought nothing of it at all. You can just picture him casually getting up with a stretch, like it’s the start of any typical day.

You slip into the shower and let the water wash over your body. It’s warm and soothing, and it’s reminding you of Rafe laying next to you, of his arm wrapped around you. God if there was only a way to shut your brain off once in a while. As much as you tried to suppress it, there had been a tiny part of you that was happy to have woken up in his embrace, giddy like a school girl with a crush. You’d always wondered how a moment like that would feel, or how a moment like that with him would feel. You had conveniently failed to mention the “arm” detail to Liam, maybe because in the back of your mind you knew it would only help prove his theory right.  

When you make your way back to your room, your phone buzzes and the Royal Fam 🇬🇧🇺🇸 group chat appears. 

Olivia: who wants to go out tonight 😈

Topper: me and Rafe have to be up early tmrw for soccer - rain check on this one ladies 

Olivia: :( 

Olivia: girls night out??

Millie: you know I’m there!

You’re a little bummed that Rafe won’t be there tonight. But a girls night sounds like just what you need to get him off your mind. 

Y/n: I’m in :)

Not even a few minutes later Olivia and Millie are barging into your room, causing you to let out a startled yelp. 

“My god, heard of knocking,” you exhale with your hand coming to your chest. Your statement falls on death ears. 

“Which jeans with this top,” Olivia asks, holding the clothing items against her body. 

“Should I curl or straighten my hair with this,” Millie follows, holding her outfit up. 

“Uhh,” your mind scrambles, “those jeans Liv. And straight, Mills,” you reply, shocked by your own decidedness. “But now you guys have to help me, I have no clue what to wear.”

“Say less,” Olivia flashes a smile. 

Within minutes they tear through your closet, picking out your outfit. Things were always much more clear with a fresh set of eyes. The three of you discuss the night’s logistics before making your way to the kitchen - couldn’t go drinking on an empty stomach. Rafe and Topper are already there, and you try your best to act natural even though your stomach ties itself in a knot the moment you catch a glimpse of his face. You haven’t seen him since you ran out this morning. 

“Uh hey I’m gonna run to Sainsbury’s real quick, I wanna get a chaser, anyone need anything,” you ask, avoiding eye contact with Rafe. Your nerves get the best of you and in terms of fight or flight, you were ready to flee. 

“Hey wait I’ll come with you. Gotta pick something up for dinner,” Rafe stands grabbing his jacket, and before you can interject, he’s leading the way down the hall and out your shared flat. 

“So what are you chasing tonight?” 

“What?” you ask startled, his question pulling you back to reality. Your mind had been running in a loop, trying to read him and the thoughts in his head. You wished now more than ever that you knew what Rafe was like behind closed doors back home, so you could somehow make sense of it all.

He chuckles at you, lost in your own world. “You said you needed a chaser?” Those intimidating blue eyes have found their way to yours again and you hastily look away, focusing in front of you instead. 

“Oh yeah- uh just for the vodka,” you laugh nervously. 

“Basic,” he mocks. You scoff in surprise and lightly hit him on the chest as the laughter leaves your lips. He’s sporting a shit-eating grin, having successfully egged you on. 

“You’re funny if you think I’m gonna do shots of whiskey before going to a club.”

“Well you do owe me one…” he says.

“Oh so he remembers?” you reply, amused.

“Of course,” he states so calm and so sure. Your head swirls at that, his cool confidence making you melt. The automatic doors slide open in front of you, fluorescent lights stealing your attention from the boy you were finding dangerously more attractive by the second.

“I thought we’re supposed to take it together? But someone’s being lame and not coming out tonight,” you say sarcastically, playing it as cool as you can manage. Rafe’s confidence seemed to come naturally, but you were more of a fake-it-till-you-make-it kind of gal.

“Hey you know I have soccer,” he defends. The Kook Prince was not one to turn down a party without cause.

“Excuses excuses,” you shake your head.

“Actually, speaking of soccer, you uh- you and the girls should come tomorrow. If you’re not doing anything. Or not too hungover I should say. Game’s at 12.”

“Can’t make any promises Cameron, but we’ll see,” you smile, earning a satisfied smile from him in return. 

You make your way to the frozen food aisle, Rafe explaining to you how they call a soccer field a football pitch here, as you laugh at him grabbing 5 frozen pizzas (dinner solved for the next week, of course). You ask him which chaser you should pick. He points out a cola, so naturally you decide to get blackberry seltzer water, Rafe twisting his face in disgust (who would voluntarily drink that tv static). You always felt so nervous at first, to be in Rafe’s presence, but all it ever took was a few minutes for you to completely relax around him. He was intimidating, yet inviting. Mysterious, yet open. He was somehow the cause of your anxious nerves and yet the source of your comfort. The fear of facing Rafe after running out this morning had paralyzed your thoughts all day, and now you could hardly remember why. He hadn’t mentioned it at all, as if nothing happened. His normalcy confirmed for you that him sleeping over was in fact no big deal, and you almost want to laugh at yourself for how much you had worked it up in your head. You two were just friends, and perhaps Rafe was used to being… a friendlier friend than what you were used to. But that was okay, you could learn to be friendlier too.

—-

Rafe and Topper had decided to accompany you guys in the kitchen as you pregamed. They slowly sipped beers as you, Millie, and Olivia pounded back shots, laughing at the way you guys got progressively drunker and progressively louder before finally heading out. And much to your surprise, the boys were still seated in the same spot hours later, when the three of you stumble back into the flat, McDonalds in hand.

“Oh look who’s still up,” Olivia slurs, taking a bite of her cheeseburger. 

“We can’t go out, we have soccer,” Millie mocks, almost falling to the floor as she trips over her heel, Topper and Rafe not making any effort to hide their clear amusement. 

“Fun night huh?” Topper quirks his brow. 

“The funnest,” Millie holds her head high, sinking down against the wall until she’s sat on the floor. You had made a beeline for the dining room table, silently admiring your chicken nuggets. In that moment, they were the best thing you had ever tasted. 

“I want Jake,” Olivia pouts, and before anyone can say a word she’s turned on her heel, burger in hand, off to crawl into her boyfriend’s bed. 

“Alright you drunk, let’s get you to bed,” Topper laughs, scooping an incoherent Millie up to her feet by her elbows. 

“M’not drunk,” Millie protests, even though she’s leaning her full body weight against Topper who sarcastically nods at her, escorting her down the hallway. Rafe sits on the couch, silently playing with the cards in his hand again, not the least bit uncomfortable with sharing your company in silence. 

“I’m mad at you,” you say matter of factly, taking a bite of a french fry. At this point, the alcohol is doing the talking. 

“Mad at me?” Rafe stops shuffling the cards and raises his head to look at you, intrigued. 

“Yeah because you didn’t come to the club,” you furrow your brows, chucking a fry at him. He catches it instantly, laughing to himself with a shake of his head. 

“Don’t worry I saw all your guys’ snaps, I feel like I was practically there.”

“That’s not the same,” you frown, throwing another fry which he catches yet again.

“I’ll try to be there next time,” he laughs.

“That’s better I guess,” you grumble, eating another chicken nugget. The room grows quiet, Rafe training his attention back to the cards.

“When are we watching the next episode Cameron,” you break the silence, chucking another fry. He barely has to look up to catch your latest throw, shaking his head with a chuckle. He puts the cards down and makes his way over to the dining table, standing right above you now. 

“Come on, time for you to go to bed,” he beckons you toward him with his arm, to which you only furrow your brows in indignation.

“I’m not done with my food,” you protest.

“Now you are,” he says, grabbing your last fry and finishing it with one bite. “Now c’mon.” You reluctantly grab onto his extended arm to help you get up. You walk down the hall together and he opens your door for you, letting you in as he leans against the frame. You immediately fall back and collapse on to your bed with a gasp, you didn’t remember it feeling so soft when you were sober. 

“Goodnight L/n,” Rafe laughs, staring down at you. 

“Goodnight Rafe,” you mumble, seconds away from passing out. He smiles to himself at the sight of you still in the outfit and shoes you had been out in, bent in surely the most uncomfortable position possible, legs half way off the bed, yet somehow already asleep. He’s about to head back to his room, but he hesitates, turning back to you with a sigh. As slowly and quietly as he can, he pulls your shoes off for you, lifts your legs onto the bed, and covers you in your blanket. And just as quick, he slips out of your room and back into his.

—-

You wake up the next morning, letting out a groan when you realize you’re still in the outfit you had worn clubbing. Your head dully aches and your throat is desert dry so you force yourself up and to the kitchen. When you see the aftermath of McDonald’s containers on the table, vague memories start flooding your brain in horror. You couldn’t have… could you? Did you actually throw french fries at him? You close your eyes and slowly run your hand over your face in realization. Great, you think to yourself, Rafe probably thinks you’re an annoying idiot. Good grief.

You hear the door of the flat opening and Olivia appears in the kitchen, holding a plate of breakfast sandwiches, your mouth watering at the sight.

“Thank the lovely lads in apartment 4E,” she laughs, placing them on the table. “Oh god, we went hard last night didn’t we,” she says, taking in the sight of the flat.

“A little too hard…” you remark.

“No such thing, darling! Now eat up and get dressed, we’ve got a match to catch,” she declares before disappearing down the hall where you can hear muffled groans of Millie being reluctantly dragged out of her bed. You sigh and sink down into a chair, grabbing a sandwich and taking a bite. Heaven. You make a mental note to thank Jake for his chef skills. You had completely forgotten that you and the girls were supposed to go watch Rafe and Topper’s match today. Your worries about having to face Rafe yesterday had been quick to melt away, but today they were back with a new vengeance.

—-

“Okay no one wander off when we get there. Y/n, fair warning, these games get… rowdy,” Millie says, as the three of you walk toward the field, arms linked.

“Things get pretty crazy at Kildare too,” you laugh, “so yeah, don’t fucking let me out of your sight.”

The three of you shake off your fits of laughter as you stumble toward the stands, finding a spot amongst the already packed crowd. You’re finally able to take in your surroundings, glancing at the field ahead. The opposing team is warming up on the pitch, clad in red. Westheath’s team is off to the side, the boys stretching and getting ready in their white uniforms. The dirty blonde immediately catches your eye. He’s jumping and jogging in place, headphones in as though he’s tuning out the physical noise around him, and probably the mental noise too. You wonder if he’s listening to one of the songs he showed you the other night. 

He pauses his jogging to stretch out his arms, his eyes glazing over the stands, when suddenly they lock with yours. Your cheeks flush pink, embarrassed at having been caught staring, but his face just pulls into a wide grin and he gives you a wave. You wave back, and he does a quick hand motion that everyone does at Kildare games back home. You laugh and do the responding gesture, as he smiles cheekily at you before a teammate comes up to him, pulling his focus away. The exchange was brief, but oddly intimate. There was a whole field and a couple dozen people between you, and yet you two were the only witnesses to the interaction. You smile to yourself, relief in the fact that maybe getting a french fry chucked at him wasn’t enough to make him hate you after all. You wonder briefly if Rafe spends half as much time overanalyzing things the way you do. Liam was right, you do insist on overcomplicating things. 

“Hey, earth to Y/n!” Olivia laughs, waving her hand in front of your face. “The game is starting!”

—

The final score flashes on the screen: 4-2, a win for Westheath. The students are going nuts, rushing the field. Olivia and Millie lead the way, pushing through the crowd until you guys reach Rafe and Topper.

“Let’s go boys!!” Olivia yells, jumping up and down with the sea of bodies and beer around you. Rafe and Topper react with equal enthusiasm, pulling each of you in for a hug. You and Rafe are the last to hug, him pulling you in brief but close against his large sweaty body, arms wrapped around you. You don’t even mind the stickiness of the hug, feeling deja vu at the warm feeling of being in his embrace again; a feeling that is foreign yet familiar, one you hadn’t felt before. 

“Did you guys see Rafe’s goal in the second half!?” Topper asks, clapping his friend on the back.

“Of course we did, super star!” Millie cheers, giving Rafe a high five as he humbly shakes his head and laughs at his friends. The mental image of his goal was burned in your head, one that your mind would certainly play for you involuntarily over the next coming days. 

“Alright we gotta go do some stuff with the team, but everyone’s going to Central Bar later. See you guys there?” Rafe asks.

“You got it,” Olivia replies, and they jog off with quick waves, you meeting those blue eyes in silent acknowledgement once again. It was that gaze that always made the rest of the world seem to disappear while his eyes met yours, making your heart skip a beat. He’s just a friend, you remind yourself. Just a tall, attractive, soccer-playing friend…

—

“Y/n! Liv! We’re doing a round!” Jake calls you and Olivia over to where him and Liam are already at the bar, four shot glasses ordered and lined up.

“On three! One, two-“ Liam chants, as the four of you down the alcohol. Central Bar had been buzzing with what felt like half of Westheath’s student body all day. After the game, you and the girls had gone back to your flat to nap and eat, before meeting up with Jake, Liam, and the rest of their boys to head to the bar. Rafe and Topper were already pretty buzzed when you guys got there, playing a round of table tennis with you before the rest of the soccer team and their other friends pulled their attention away. You couldn’t help the way your whole body tensed when Rafe greeted Lily with a tight hug, humbling you with the confirmation that Rafe’s actions toward you weren’t anything special. You resolved yourself to a night of drinking and dancing your worries away with Liv and Liam instead.

“Alright, round of table tennis? You two against me and Y/n?” Liam challenges.

“Please, I saw Y/n playing before, you guys have nothing on us,” Olivia flashes an evil smile, her competitive side coming out.

“Oh it’s on Liv,” you laugh, as your foursome stakes your claim at the pong table. While Olivia and Jake gather the balls and paddles, you notice Liam grimacing off into the distance. You follow his line of sight, landing on Topper and Millie drunkenly dancing together across the bar, a bit too close for comfort.

“What is she doing with that geezer,” he mumbles.

“Liam! Jealousy is unbecoming of you,” you gasp in mock disbelief.

“I’m not jealous,” he scoffs, and you quickly realize that he actually is, even though you had just been joking. Your jaw falls slack as you put two and two together. Liam and Millie were always by each other’s side, at school, at the pub, when you were all watching a movie at his apartment a few nights ago. He would tease her relentlessly and his own words rang in your ears If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what. 

“Shut up! Shut up!,” you whisper yell, hand coming to your mouth. “I should have realized this whole time… of course you like Millie! Everything you’ve been telling me you think exists between me and Rafe has actually been about her! She’s your Uno reverse card!” You’re shocking even yourself at these revelations.

“No no no, you can’t use my own words of wisdom against me, that’s not how this works Y/n. So what, maybe I slightly give a shit about Millie? Who cares. Her and I both know that’s never gonna happen. I still stand by everything I said about you and Rafe so don’t think your getting off so easy on that.”

“Then tell me why you’re staring at Millie while Rafe hasn’t so much as glanced my way since the minute Lily Colts got here, hmm?”

“Oh Y/n, Y/n Y/n Y/n,” Liam tuts, shaking his head laughing as he turns to the game your group of four is about to begin. You don’t have the energy to argue with Liam over the matter right now, oblivious to the fact that Rafe had indeed been glancing your way, several times. In fact, he was glancing at you right now, as Liam reached his arm over yours to help you actually hold the paddle the right way. You just hadn’t been glancing back to notice, scared of what you may or may not see between him and Lily if you did. 

—

The night dies down and it’s time for the pilgrimage back to your building. You’re walking with Millie when Liam quickly falls in step with you two. You give him a knowing smirk, to which he responds with a glare behind Millie’s back, but you let the two banter as you fall behind, now walking alone. You stare ahead, eyes mindlessly settling on Lily walking in between Callum and Henry at the front of the pack. You don’t notice the pair of legs that begin moving in pace next to your own. 

“Tonight, by the way,” Rafe’s voice startles you as you jump next to him. He chuckles at the confusion written all over your face. “You asked last night when we’re watching the next episode. And my answer is tonight, L/n,” he states.

“Haven’t you been up since like the crack of dawn? Aren’t you tired?” you ask incredulously.

“Too tired for Game of Thrones? Never,” he scoffs, Liam’s words ringing in your ear. If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what.

“Well then tonight it is,” you smile. “Sorry about the french fries last night by the way,” you say meekly, looking down at the sidewalk in front of you, cheeks burning.

“Seriously L/n, talk about a horrible throw. Room for improvement,” he jokes with a comforting smile, saving you from yourself.

“Good game by the way,” you add, grateful for the way he was letting you off. 

“Thanks,” he looks at you, shoving his hands in his pocket. You turn to look at him too, and after a few moments laughter is taking you both apart. Nothing funny was said. Neither of you knew why you were laughing. And yet it felt natural, not an ounce of awkwardness in the air.

As your whole group walks into the building, people begin to peel off, splitting towards staircases and off elevator stops. 

“I’m fucking beat,” yawns Topper, as you and all your flatmates file into your hall. 

“I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight,” Millie yawns in agreement. One by one everyone files off into their rooms. You open your door, backing into yours, Rafe across the hall from you backing into his. Laughter tugs at both your faces once again, as you let your doors close. You manage to change into your sweats and brush your teeth before you hear the light rap on your door. Rafe enters, in a t-shirt and gray sweatpants, your weakness. But you feel comfortable being alone with him now. The Rafe jitters had finally began to subside. 

“Alright L/n, episode 4, you ready for this?” he asks, plopping down in his spot next to you. 

“Oh I’m very ready,” you reply, sitting up to reach for your laptop which was resting by your feet. As you lean back, you find yourself in Rafe’s arm. He had extended it out before you sat back, effortlessly catching you against him. His hand rests casually on your arm, and you gulp, pressing play. You pray he can’t feel the way your heartbeat quickens and your body flushes. So much for those jitters being gone. 

The episode plays, you and Rafe making comments here and there before your chatter eventually dies down, leaving just the sound of the show to fill the room. You can feel Rafe’s body lean further and further down, becoming heavier and breathing slower. You very slowly turn to check, and sure enough he’s fast asleep. You sigh, and shut your laptop, careful not to stir him. You could easily shake him awake, tell him to go to his bed, but for some reason you don’t. You don’t mind him here. In fact, you almost prefer it, his body heat keeping you warm. He had already slept over once before and it clearly hadn’t been a big deal, so what was the harm in letting it happen again? You’re just friends after all, you remind yourself, not sure who you’re trying to convince. And so, the two friends fall asleep in the same bed again. 

---

🏷: @hopebaker​ @pogueslandia​ @mardema​

[arlert-angel]

love fast, die young ☪

♡ jean x fem!reader

❥ you know that at any moment your life could be cut short as a scout, and the last thing you want is to die a virgin, so why not ask your best friend that you’re in love with for some help?

❥ wc: 5.8k

❥ cw: near death experience (reader), virgin!reader and virigin!jean, cannonverse but no plot, loss of virginity, slight size kink, cream pie, aftercare, fluff

❥ note: i was invested in the story of this one lol, it's a lot more romantic than i initially intended. they’re aged up, but the cannonverse details don’t make sense for the plot, so let’s pretend it does yay.

Arriving back from expeditions was always an exhausting feat within itself, sometimes more so than the actual expedition. 

Commanding officers had to count their losses, healers had to tend to the wounded, and everyone who was good enough to stand had to report their kills and assists. Of course that was the immediate tasks that needed to take place, but then came the grief. Friends looked for one another, many people cried, and names could be heard shouted all around as everyone arrived at headquarters. 

You weren't that different, but you were silent as you scanned the crowd looking for your tall best friend. You knew he was with the best of the best in Levi's squad, so you weren't too worried. However, you also knew the previous best had been wiped out before the new group came. 

Anything could happen which made you all the more anxious. 

You and Jean were not on the same squad. You first were offered a position on the Levi squad with the rest of your friends, but then Hange handed picked you to help them with their experiments, claiming they needed your mind to work with them. Hange is very likeable and now one of your closest friends, and at the time it seemed impossible to say no to them.

Hange's and Levi's squad tended to work together a lot and definitely trained together, so you didn't miss your friends too much. It was only when expeditions approached and new formations were made, when you had to be separated from the rest of your 104th pals. 

You never complained about the separation. It wouldn't last forever, maybe a couple days at most, and then you return to laughing and working with the rest of your friends. You had no complaints until this particular expedition.

You had a close call.

In fact, so close, you might as well have kissed Death on the lips while you were so close to the afterlife. 

The mission was going according to plan. It was a simple scouting mission in the mountains that were, for the most part, titan free. Your squad was on the left flank of the formation, near the edge of the mountains. The cliff sides surrounding you guys held a beautiful, yet slightly scary view. The drop had to be at least 300 feet.

You should've known something bad was going to happen as soon as Hange called out, "Hey, Y/N, check it out!" But you weren't thinking that hard, for the day had been so peaceful. 

The path you all had taken was so close to the cliffs that the squad was riding single file for safety. There was enough room to pass one another, but you had to do so very carefully. 

You rode ahead, passing Moblit. You sent him a questioning look as went by, but he only shrugged, not knowing what Hange was raving over. When you slid off your horse and next to Hange you saw what they did.

A very large cave.

"Should we go inside?" Hange looked at you, clearly excited, but it was an awful idea.

"No!" You tried to sound stern, knowing how they needed a firm rejection or they'd always get what they wanted, "Do you see the size of the thing? This looks like a comfy home for a 10 meter titan, maybe even 15 meter class if they hunched over."

"Do you think they'd crawl around in there?!" Their eyes widened and the familiar look that you've seen so many times on their face appeared. It was their usual expression they had when you conducted experiments with them. You swore to yourself how you fed their curiosity on accident.

"What's going on?" Moblit now arrived, wondering what the hold up was about.

"They want to go inside that death trap," You pointed at the ominous cavern in front of you all. 

"You cannot be serious!" Moblit exclaimed in surprise, the volume echoing down the stone and dirt walls. Moblit continued his rant, stating the obvious, but you tuned their debate out. You just stared into what looked like an abyss. 

There was no movement, no noise, not even the breeze seemed to reach here.

But for some reason you had a gut feeling. A gut feeling that saved all of your lives.

"Move!" You shoved Hange into Moblit which effectively knocked them both to the side of the cave and used your ODM gear to swing yourself to the opposite side. 

The large hand reached out as you tried to get out of the way, but because you helped the others you weren't quick enough.

Luckily, the titan's grasp only managed to get tangled in your ODM wire and couldn’t quite reach your actual body. 

Unluckily, the titan was managing to drag you like a ragdoll and if you didn't do anything quickly you would be engulfed in the darkness where it was hidden, and then probably engulfed in it’s stomach. 

You had to think quick on your feet and so you drew your blades and slashed the wire on your gear all together. You could've attempted to slash at it's hands, but that was no guarantee. The wire was sliced with a clean snip.

Now you were free, you stumbled back at the loss of momentum. You took one two many steps back, and that last step didn't hit the gravely earth that the others had. 

Your foot didn't hit anything at all. 

You were about to fall off a cliff. 

Ironic to escape death one way only to quite literally fall into its clutches another way. 

But, you didn't fall. 

Your eyes were squeezed shut in absolute terror, and when you opened them at the lack of free fall, you saw Hange.

They had managed to save you by the front of your shirt, yanking you back on solid ground. Moblit had been keeping the titan at bay, and continued to do so as you and everyone else turned their horses carefully around. 

Thanks were shared by yourself, Hange, and Moblit at the different lucky saves. They praised your quick thinking and response. None of you actually saw the titan coming. You just knew. You seemed to recognize the familiar feeling of dread from the presence of a titan that wanted to eat you. Even if you couldn’t see it. 

Hange continuously apologized on the way back, but it wasn’t really their fault. It’s not like you actually entered the cave like they wanted. And it was probably a good thing you guys stopped when you did. If the group rode past the cave something worse might have happened.  

After that close call you wanted nothing more to find your best friend and have his familiar comfort.

"Y/N? Whatcha still doing out here?" You spun around quickly and saw Connie. 

“Oh, hey! I’m just looking for Jean, have you seen him?” You didn’t want to panic, but it was weird to see Connie without Jean. 

“Yeah! Mikasa killed this titan that had snuck up right above us and it’s blood got all over Jean it was so funny he screamed like a girl. But yeah, he went to the showers immediately,” Connie explained laughing at the memory. You laughed along and wished you could see it yourself.

“That’s funny, I should probably shower too, this mission felt particularly long,” You grumbled more to yourself than Connie, but he picked up on your off tone.

“Did something happen?” He asked genuinely concerned. You might’ve been closest to Jean, but Connie and Sasha were also very close to you. The four you always had the most fun together, and got in the most trouble. 

“Kind of, a titan snuck up on us too, but we were near the cliffs so there wasn’t all lot of room to work with. I almost fell, but on the bright side I overcame my fear of heights,” You laughed, but it was more anxious than joyful.

“Oh shit, that’s awful!” Connie’s eyes widened in horror, “I'll tell Jean to come find you when I see him.”

“What why?”

“You were looking for him right? He’d definitely want to know that you’re okay after that. He worries a lot, you know? It’s always: I hope Y/N okay, where’s Hange’s squad again, I wish Y/N was here, Y/N would love this view. Someone has to tell him to shut up at least once every expedition.” Connie actually did an okay Jean impression as he ranted to you, but you didn’t comment on it. 

You were too surprised. You didn’t know Jean worried about you. He never once came to you with any fears about expeditions. He always asked you what happened, but that’s just a normal conversation. It wasn’t too strange for someone’s best friend to think about them when apart. What was strange was the happy feeling you got knowing that Jean couldn’t shut up about you. A weird fluttery feeling danced in your stomach and you felt almost giddy.  

Connie noticed your lack of response and noticeably paled. 

“Fuck, wait, I didn’t tell you that! Jean’s gonna kill me, Y/N please don’t tell him I told you!” He grabbed onto you, begging. He shook you enough that it got you out of your confusing thoughts.

“Um, okay? I don't see what the big deal is. I think about Jean on expeditions too, that’s not weird right?” You smiled reassuringly and Connie’s whole body sagged in relief.

“Not at all! Have a nice shower!” Connie ran away, actually ran, trying to separate himself from that conversation. He thanked the Walls that you couldn’t read between the lines. 

After that odd conversation you got a change of clothes and towel, and then headed towards the showers. You passed Sasha and Mikasa on the way in and they both gave you pleasant greetings, all parties glad to see each other alive and well.

You tried not to overthink, but the hot shower gave you all the time to do so.

Your thoughts jumped from almost dying, to Jean, to these overwhelming feelings you seemed to harbor.

You knew you loved Jean. You both even told each other sometimes. Your mind never wandered further than viewing Jean as your best friend only because you didn’t think that’s what he’d want. 

When you first met Jean you had a small crush on him, admiring him from afar until Marco introduced the two of you. Once you grew closer and noticed his infatuation with Mikasa your feelings sizzled out in a bitter simmer. Your bitterness didn’t last long though, you were happy you had someone to rely on no matter what. After Marco passed, Jean was your crutch and vise versa. Romance would only make things confusing and besides you didn’t have any experience in the matter. 

But now as you think more and more about him you wondered if those feelings ever went away. You thought about his laugh and stupid tone he gets when he tries to act cocky. You thought about his eyes and how pretty they look in the sunlight. You thought about his ability to read your mind without you having to tell him something’s wrong. He was your person. 

You came to the conclusion that there definitely was something more than platonic there, but there was no certainty he felt the same. He would’ve said something by now. When he liked Mikasa he was so obvious, openly talking about her to everyone. You would’ve known something by now if it were the case, right? You knew he didn’t like Mikasa now, he told you explicitly for some reason, stating you needed to know. He also didn’t talk about liking anybody new. 

Sighing in frustration, you turned off the shower, now squeaky clean. What was supposed to be a relaxing shower just stressed you out because of your stupid brain’s overthinking. 

And it didn’t stop. As you dropped your messy uniform in the laundry, it reminded you of the day.   

Today proved that any moment could be your last. Being in the scouts has always been dangerous, and you knew you were a disposable soldier. You didn’t mind it much, but now you realized how little you had experienced. You had never been drunk, your only kiss was with Marco in a game of truth or dare, and you were a virgin. 

You didn’t want to die a virgin.

You thought of Jean. You wanted to be with him at least once before you died. You didn’t want to die without knowing how it felt to have everything with Jean. Your love for him definitely wasn’t platonic. You didn’t want to die without him knowing.

Your mind made up, you walked the halls with a little more determination than usual. You wandered around for only a couple minutes before running into Eren.

“Horseface is looking for you,” He pointed around the corner. You gave a quick thanks before quickly going in that direction only to collide with the person you were searching for.

“Y/N!” Jean surprised you by pulling you in a tight hug. As he pulled away he took note of the blush that was now on your cheeks, but didn’t comment. He also didn’t let you go completely, leaving his hands on your shoulders. Unable to help himself.

“Hey, I was looking for you,” You smiled genuinely, only slightly nervous now. Even with the giddiness he gave you, he still managed to calm you down.

“Me too, Connie said something happened with your squad, so I asked Hange about it and they told me everything,” His eyebrows were pulled into a worried furrow, “I wish you were in our squad.”

“Me too, but I like being with Hange too,” You stated honestly, “But it’s alright, everything worked out in the end.” 

“Yeah, but you almost fell off a cliff! Y/N if I lost you I’d…” He cleared his throat before shaking himself out of his thoughts, “I’m just glad you’re okay. You said you were looking for me, what for?”

“Oh! Um…” You looked around and saw Eren eavesdropping blatantly with a knowing look, causing you to quickly turn back around, “Can I talk to you in my room about something?” You shift your weight from side to side, visibly jittery. 

“Sure?” Jean was confused and noted you looked more flustered than before, but he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong like he usually could. 

You walked side by side, passing Eren along the way who gave you both a smug wave. When Jean wasn’t looking you turned around and gave him the finger. The walk was silent and your hands brushed each other softly.

Once you were behind closed doors you felt yourself relax a little more. It was just Jean, you hyped yourself up. Even if he did reject you the worst thing that could happen is him make a stupid joke out of everything, but you doubt he would. You knew he at least respected you.

“So, what’s so serious that you needed to be away from nosy Yeager?” So he did see that ass listening, you thought. 

“Well… You know about my close call today… It got me thinking,” You started safely.

“You can think? Like, there’s a brain in there?” Jean acted surprised and grabbed your head teasingly.

“Shut up,” You laughed and slapped his hands away before adding, “It’s serious.”

“Okay,” He took a seat on your bed comfortably, an action that was not unusual, you hung out in each other’s room all the time. He gave you his full attention, no longer joking around.

“I thought about how at any moment we can die, that sounds morbid, but it’s true. And then I thought about all the stuff I haven’t done and all the things I haven’t said,” You explained further, still not getting to the point. 

“So, you want to make a bucket list?” Jean tilted his head, trying to follow, “That’d be fun.”

“No,” You rolled your eyes lovingly, “I, more specifically, thought about all the stuff we haven’t done together.” 

“Oh, you want to make a bucket list together!” Jean perked up.

“Jean stop trying to guess and let me explain,” You laughed and he complied, pretending to zip his lips shut.

“Jean,” You approached the man, invading his personal space, “I don’t want to die a virgin, do you?”

“No…” Jean blushed at the sudden topic change, wondering why on earth you were bringing that up right now.

“And…  I love you, and I know you'd treat me right,” You cupped his cheeks in your hands. You were standing in between his legs now, him leaning back on his hands looking up at you. He was tall, so he didn’t have to tilt his neck that much. 

“I love you too, what are you going on about?” His face was drawn in clear confusion, a cute expression, if he wasn’t being so frustrating. 

“No, Jean,” You leaned impossibly close, your face right in front of his, “I’m in love with you.” 

Then you boldly straddled him before you planted your lips on him.

You were shy, unsure if he would reciprocate the kiss, and it seemed like he wasn’t.  You panicked instantly. Your heart was pounding and you pulled away. You were terrified you screwed everything up. You looked at him and he seemed to be frozen.

“Jean?” You worriedly looked at your catatonic friend whose eyes were wide in shock, “I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry! Please don’t hate me!” You began to try to climb off him, but his hands shot to your hips, holding you in place.

“Y/N, you’re in love with me?” He still seemed to be stunned, or maybe he didn’t believe you, but he held your gaze with serious eyes. 

“Yes,” You made sure to keep eye contact despite the heat that rose to your cheeks, to make sure he knew you were dead serious. 

“Good,” One of his hands left your hips to your cheek. He guided your mouth back to his.

He was kissing you. He was actually kissing you. It was slow and sweet at first. He stroked your cheek lovingly and your lips slowly moved in sync. It was when you repositioned yourself on his lap, accidently grinding into him, when the kisses started to become more feverish. He groaned into your mouth and the hand left your face and found it’s new home on your ass. He squeezed it harshly, making you gasp. He took the opportunity to introduce his tongue to yours. He surprised you when he sucked on your tongue, making a small whimper escape you. 

Jean pulled away, taking in your flustered state with blown pupils of his own. Both of your lips were swollen and you both needed to catch your breath. 

“I love you too, you know?” Jean pushed some of your hair out of your face with a soft smile, “I figured you didn’t feel the same and wanted to just be friends, so I didn’t say anything.”

“I thought the same, or that you might still like Mikasa,” You admitted shyly, looking down where your bodies met.

“Hey,” He tilted your chin so you held eye contact again, “That was a stupid crush when I was kid, and I told you that ended a long time ago, didn't I? I’m in love with you.”

“We were so stupid keeping it to ourselves,” You laughed and Jean openly admired you in what looked like awe. His gaze made you feel bashful, almost wanting to hide your face with your hands.

“We were, I could have been kissing you so much sooner,” Jean mumbled, already leaning back to you. This time when your lips met your tongues danced together immediately. You knew Jean also didn't have much experience, but with the way he kissed it seemed like he did. 

"Did you mean what you said?" Jean pulled away only for a moment to ask before returning right back to your lips. 

You pulled away, trying to decipher what he was referring to. "Wha–" Your breath hitched when you felt Jean kiss your pulse on your neck. He began sucking on a particular spot that made you moan, surprising both of you. 

"You're so beautiful," He commented then explained, "Did you mean what you said about that virgin stuff?" He seemed shy all of sudden, his hands were sliding from your hips to your thighs, almost like he was trying to soothe himself.

"I meant every word," You said honestly, "I want to experience all of you."

"God," Jean seemed to like that statement, "I don't know what I'm doing, so just know I'm learning as I go. Just tell me what you like and don't like."

"Of course," You gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm not worried, I trust you."

"Good," He said again before spinning you around and lightly throwing you on your bed. He hovered over you, not putting much, if any weight on you. He resumed the make out session, but this time letting his hands wander.

He first tugged at your shirt, which you helped him quickly pull over your head. You hadn't worn a bra, assuming your plans for this evening were eating then just passing out. 

Jean seemed to drink your body in, just staring in lust and awe. 

"You can touch me," You tried to sound reassuring, but it sounded more like a beg. 

Jean took your breasts in his large hands and just felt you. You almost laughed at how mesmerized he looked, but that was when he latched his mouth on your nipple. That action seemed to send a current of electricity straight to the heat in between your legs. You arched your back and let out a surprised moan which made Jean quickly pull away. 

"Did I hurt you?" He looked scared.

"No, it feels good," You murmured as you unconsciously rolled your hips wanting friction.

"Oh, that's good," He shot you a grin before throwing his own shirt to the side. He went back to kissing your chest, this time his hand tweaked the nipple he wasn't sucking on, causing even more pleasure. You bit your lip only letting out whimpers, a little embarrassed of moaning so loudly again. 

"J-Jean," You stuttered out, gripping his broad shoulders.

"Hmm?" He hummed, he had been having fun leaving purple marks across your tits.

"I-I need…" You didn't finish.

"What do you need, princess?" He asked genuinely, but his deep tone sent shivers down your spine.

"More, I don't know," You admitted.

"Okay, don't worry," He gave you a peck, "I'll take care of you."

He began taking off your pants, helping you get them off your ankles. He stood to take off his own pants as you admired him. His body was so toned from the life of being a soldier. As you took him all in your eyes landed on the bulge that was very prominent in his briefs and for the first time you felt nerves about having sex with him. 

"Jean, how the hell is that supposed to fit in me?" You didn't even see it out of it's cage, you couldn't imagine that monster in action. 

"It has to fit right? People have sex all the time," Jean looked down at his own dick before looking at your panties with a frown, "I'll make sure to stretch you out with my fingers to help."

"What do you mean?" You blushed as Jean returned his body on top of you, giving you warmth again. This time putting a little more weight than last time. You could feel his restrained cock against you this time. 

"You know, fingering, you've done it to yourself before right?" Jean asked curiously. 

"I've tried, but I couldn't reach any particular spots that made me feel good, so I mostly just got off with my clit," You explained, a little embarrassed. 

"Well, I have long fingers," Jean began to slip off your last item of clothing. You gulped nervously, you now were exposed completely to him.

"So pretty, and you're wet," He groaned and looked back up to you, "Open your mouth."

You almost asked why, but you didn't want to kill the mood, so you complied. Jean slid two fingers into your mouth and you got the message. You wrapped your lips around his fingers and hollowed your cheeks, sucking on them. 

"Fuck," He sighed out and you felt him twitch against you. 

He pulled his fingers out and moved them back between your legs. He first slowly thrusted one finger inside you, to get you used to the unfamiliar feeling. The stretch wasn't too painful, and he was definitely right. His fingers were longer. 

He moved the one finger in and out of you slowly at first, picking up the pace as he continued. When he felt you relax completely he added a second finger. This time the stretch was a little more, making you tense.

"You're so tight," Jean was watching your pussy in wonder and slid his body down, so his face was near it. 

"What are you– Oh my God," Jean's lips sucked on your clit softly, then continuously kitten licked it, all while maintaining his finger thrusts.

"You taste good," Jean said it so casually, you'd think he was talking about the weather. He removed his fingers for a moment to get a better taste. He kissed you directly on your cunt before penetrating you with his tongue. He moaned against you, sending vibrations into you. You tried to unconsciously escape the pleasure, your thighs attempting to close, but Jean's large hands held you down. 

He returned his fingers inside you and this time adding a third. It stung more than before, but Jean's mouth on your clit made you forget all about the uncomfortableness. He began curling his fingers inside you reaching a spot that instantly had a knot forming in your stomach. Your hands shot around you, one gripping the sheets and the other in Jean's hair. 

He latched onto clit again and you gave up on trying to quiet your moans, embarrassment be damned, it felt too good.

"Jean," You moaned his name, which only made him moan back in return, "I-I'm going to…" You whined a little, not quite there yet, but right on the edge.

"You're going to cum?" Jean asked, not even completely pulled away from your clit to do so, "Go ahead and cum on my fingers, baby." He quickened his strokes and returned to your clit. It was just enough to send you over.

You grinded into his hand and cried out. Jean moaned too as if he was being pleasured just at the sight of you or maybe it was because of the sensation of your tight pussy clamping around his fingers. He couldn't help himself and licked up some of your release, making you jump. 

He moved back up to you with a content smile, "Did that feel good?" 

"Yeah," You smiled back through half lidded eyes, still buzzing from the pleasure.

He gave you a deep kiss and you could taste yourself on him. Tasting your own saccharine flavor was strangely erotic. 

Jean pulled away, "Is it alright if I take my cock out?" He asked beforehand just in case you changed your mind. 

"Yeah, of course, I want to see the monster that's going to destroy me," You joked and earned yourself a cocky smirk.

Jean took off the only clothing that was separating the two of you. You glanced down and saw his size more visibly now. You were right to be intimidated before, he was huge. Jean seemed to take note of your apprehensive expression so he returned to giving you some kisses in order to soothe you. 

“We’ll take it slow and if it’s too much just tell me,” Jean assured you which helped calm you down. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” Your eyes met as he began to rub the head up and down between your folds, collecting its wetness. He rubbed it over your clit and back down, making you feel particularly tingly. When he started pushing the head inside you had to remind yourself to not tense up, but it was hard. He was stretching a lot more than his fingers did. His cock added an unfamiliar pressure inside you that his fingers didn’t.

“God, that’s just the head and you're already squeezing me,” Jean threw his head back trying to regain composure. It was also his first time and he did not want to embarrass himself by finishing quickly. Also the gentlemen inside him wanted to feel you cum around him first.

He slowly continued to push further in as you grabbed his arms to brace yourself. When he finally bottomed out you swore you could see the bulge on your tummy. He kept still and waited for you to give him the go ahead even though he had the incredible urge to just thrust forward.

“You alright?” Jean's voice was more strained than usual.

“Yeah, why the fuck you gotta be so big, Jean,” Which only made Jean smile and give an apology kiss. You took a few more moments getting used to the stretch when the pleasure overtook the pain. You felt the veins on his cock inside you. You felt so full, but so good. You grinded into him trying to feel more and Jean noticed.

“I’m going to start moving now,” Jean warned and began pulling back before snapping his hips forward. You both cried out how he filled you up, your walls fluttering around him.

The pace was unrushed and steady to begin with. He withdrew his cock only to plunge it back into you, hitting you deep, in a repetitive matter. You felt the pleasure everywhere, all the way in your toes. 

You started meeting his thrusts, moving your hips in order to do so. Jean hitched your leg higher which only made you feel him deeper, hitting a sweet spot that caused you to gasp.

“You can go faster,” You said breathlessly, “Please, Jean, it feels so good.”

“Fuck,” Jean moaned back, his slow deep thrusts turned into a quick pounding. He continuously hit that new spot every time. Your whimpers turned into uncontrollable moans. Not wanting to make too much noise you buried yourself into the crook of his neck, sucking and biting his skin. 

You briefly looked down where your bodies met and saw him pumping out of you, your slick covering his cock and your thighs. The sight made your eyes roll back into your head.

“Please,” You moaned into Jean who brought his hand to your chin, forcing you to look at him.

“Please, what? What do you want, princess?” He grunted a bit after, not once did he lose his pace.

“I want… Ah… Please, I don’t know,” You felt like you could cry, you were right on the edge. You didn’t know what you needed, but you felt too good to try to figure it out. You figured he was close too by the way he was twitching inside your pussy and his thrusts became a little more desperate. 

“Open,” Jean brought his fingers back to your mouth, groaning at the sensation. He kept them there for a few more moments than necessary, just enjoying the way you looked with your pretty lips wrapped around him. 

Then he brought them between your legs and began rubbing your clit at the same pace he was thrusting into you.

“J-Jean, I’m gonna cum,” You grabbed his wrist, almost overwhelmed by the feeling. 

You cried out his name as your pussy milked him, triggering his own release. He groaned your name as he came. You felt the warmth of him spill deep inside you and it made your pussy tremble all the more. He gave a few final thrusts before slumping on top of you.

“Look at me while you cum, princess, come on, cum on my cock,” He encouraged you. You held eye contact for as long as you could, but when that coil in your tummy snapped you had to squeeze your eyes shut in absolute bliss.

“We definitely should’ve done that sooner,” He mumbled into your hair, making you giggle.

“Definitely,” You echoed back.

He slid out of you after that, making both of your bodies shudder at the loss of connection. You pussy still trying to pulse around something.

“I just showered,” You commented with a frown, looking at the mess between your legs. 

“I’ll go get a towel?” Jean offered, and you gave him a nod. He redressed quickly, kissed you deeply, then stated he would be back soon.

You threw your shirt back on while you waited. You felt so sleepy after that. Even though you wanted to feel clean, you wished you cuddled with Jean some more, already missing him.

After a couple more minutes the silence was broken.

 “I knew it!” You heard Eren’s familiar voice shout from outside your door and you sat up confused.

“Shut the fuck up before I hit you!” You heard Jean’s voice shout back and then a few more quieter exchanges that you couldn’t make out from the two men. Then your door opened fast, Jean slipping quickly inside, locking it behind him. In one hand he had a warm towel and in the other he had a new set of sheets. 

“What happened?” You pointed at the door and Jean scowled.

“Apparently those assholes bet on when we’d finally hook up,” Jean explained before cleaning you up. You blushed as he took care of you. Despite what just took place you still felt embarrassed. Jean noticed and just pecked your cheeks.

“That’s kind of funny, we should’ve placed our own bets,” You hummed and stood shakily, grabbing a new pair of underwear as Jean changed your sheets for you. 

“I can’t believe Eren won,” Jean frowned, but when your arms wrapped around him from behind he couldn’t help but smile.

“Will you stay with me? I kind of want to nap,” You mumbled into his back.

“Of course,” You both returned to your bed this time with more innocent intentions.

Jean laid on his back and you threw your arm around his chest and your leg over his, snuggling up into his side.

“I don’t want to die,” You murmured sleepily.

“You won’t,” Jean stated firmly.

“How do you know?” You looked up at him.

“Because we both have something to live for,” He met your gaze softly, before kissing your head again.

You told each other you loved another once again before you both fell asleep. It was a sleep where neither of you had the common nightmare about your untimely deaths. 

Instead it was a sleep where you both dreamt of the future you now could have with one another.

[2jaeh]

INSUFFERABLE l  KIM DOYOUNG 

GENRE: mature theme, slight smut

WARNINGS: choking, dom themes, cursing

asshole! Doyoung , enemies to ???

Words : 4k 

You’re put in a group project with the most annoying pretentious jerk your law class had to offer. Immediately Doyoung tries to boss you around but you being you, you weren’t taking his shit...soon enough he finds out he can dominate you after all...in a very different way. 

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

“Theres no fucking way...no fucking way” you groaned looking at your group project list, eyes narrowing on possibly the worst people within your course year. Slumping in your seat you half smiled at the girl who approached you, one of your fellow members from project hell. 

“Heyyy y/n I think we're in a group together” she grinned and took a seat next to you, flipping her red hair over her shoulder and checked herself out in her mirror covered cellphone. 

Dami was probably the most narcissistic person you'd ever met and being in law, it was definitely a common trait around here. Dami sat up and began tapping you on your shoulder frantically “He’s in our group! Kim Doyoung is in our group” the two of you watched as the dark haired man conversed with the lecturer, casually turning back to look at the table where you guys sat, in annoyance. 

“That guy is such a prick” a guy who slid in the desk behind you, Seungmin said and Dami nodded in agreeance as you all continued to watch him. 

“Ive never really spoken to him before” you cocked your head, “What’s so annoying about him?” 

This time another group member joined in, a quieter girl who normally sat in the back Jisoo, cleared her throat, “He is really bossy and only likes to do things his own way.”

‘Well he is about to meet his worst nightmare’ you thought knowing nothing pissed you off more than someone telling you what to do. 

The muffled conversations around you began to soften as you felt someone stand over you and drop a file on your desk. Looking up, you locked eyes with the one and only Kim Doyoung, dressed in his usual black slacks, black turtleneck and clear rimmed spectacles. He raised his eyebrow at you as if you were supposed to guess what he wanted.

“What ?” you challenged him, folding your arms across your chest and returned an eyebrow raise. 

Doyoung sighed in annoyance, his long slender fingers moved across the file and opened it swiftly, “I want you to do roll call” he said coldly. 

A lump formed in your throat. You felt like you were being talked down to, it was something that infuriated the hell out of you. He wasn't older than you, nor was he getting better grades than you but somehow he had a superiority complex. Dami quickly nudged you and you rolled your eyes, “Seungmin ?”

“Here!” 

“Jisoo ?” you placed a tick as you called out each name. 

“Dami, Jangjun…?” you looked around and noticed that the usually loud comedic relief in your classroom was nowhere to be seen. 

“I think Jangjun is late, i’ll text him” Seungmin sighed and pulled out his phone. You turned back to the roll call sheet and pursed your lips, “Kim Doyoung ?” 

Doyoung just looked down at you, sucking in his bottom lip and raised that damn eyebrow at you again. 

“You need to say ‘here’ do you not know how roll call works ?” you tested him and he rolled his eyes and sighed, “here.” 

You smiled to yourself, completely satisfied with pissing him off when your internal celebration was interrupted by an out of breath Jangjun, who threw his bag on the floor and took a seat on Dami’s desk. Doyoung looked at him disgustingly, and even though you too were obviously annoyed by Jangjun’s tardiness, was that reaction really necessary ?

“Be on time” Doyoung sneered and grabbed the roll call file making his way back to the lecturer. 

“Fuck Kim Doyoung is in this group ?” Jangjun groaned, sharing the sentiments of the entire meeting. You couldnt believe these were the people you had to work with for the week. It's like you could almost feel an outburst waiting to happen, whether it be from you or Kim Doyoung. 

Doyoung returned and took out his phone, not really looking at any of you as he spoke, “we should make a group chat to update each other on work”

The group hastily shared each other's details and Doyoung created the chat and pinned a set of three rules. 

The first was the group was strictly to be used for the project, no small talk or any other messages that weren't related to the project. The second rule was that no one talks about the group content in private chats as it will cause confusion among members. Lastly you weren't allowed to message after 9pm unless it was an emergency, a very serious emergency. 

“Dang is this the military ?” Jangjun snickered as Seungmin and Dami tried their best to hide their laughs. It was typical of people like Dami and Jangjun to not take anything seriously. Their families were well off and they were just studying just for a piece of paper you call a degree. Doyoung couldn't even hide his annoyance, not like he ever did but he seemed particularly pissed off today. 

“Look, just follow the rules and all of you get a free pass and then we never have to speak to each other again” Doyoung spat and made his way to the exit leaving the rest of you in utter shock. 

———

The first two days were utter hell as Doyoung tried to take control of almost every aspect of the project and frankly you didn't even mind because his business proposal was flawless, it was just the way he spoke to all of you that drove you insane. 

“Dami its not fucking rocket science all you need to do is make a clientele spreadsheet with the mock list the professor gave us” Doyoung didnt even lift his head from his laptop, unaware of the impact his words had on her. 

Dami pushed away from the desk and her eyes began to well up and before you knew it she was running out of the library, with Jisoo and Seungmin following quickly out of concern. 

“Nice move asshole” you rolled your eyes, continuing to work on your laptop. 

Doyoung peered up and pushed his spectacles up, “what was that?” 

“I said nice move asshole, do you intend to talk to your future clients like that?” He initiated a different kind of anger from you but you managed to keep your cool. Doyoung shrugged as if what he had said to Dami had not carried any weight and continued typing away. 

A few minutes of the members disappearance quickly turned to an hour and Doyoung’s nonchalance about the whole ordeal really ticked you off to the point of slamming your laptop closed and pushed back from the desk. 

Doyoung quirked his eyebrow at you, “Is something wrong ?” 

“Is something wrong” you mimicked him, “Jangjun hasn't come in today because you sent him on multiple errands, and you just made Dami cry over something so ridiculous”

Doyoung sat back in his seat and rubbed his temples, “They're all freeloaders, you and I are the only ones doing work, why do you care so much about them?” 

“Basic human fucking decency maybe?” you groaned and ran your fingers through your hair, “listen im not like them, i'm not gonna take shit from you”

“Sure”

“Youre a fucking asshole Kim Doyoung.” 

—-

You lay in bed and replayed that scene with Doyoung in your head multiple times. He was so unbothered by your antics nor did he care about anyone's feelings within the group. He was cold, heartless all he thought about was himself. His cold expression was practically engraved in your head, spending all these hours with him was really not your favourite pastime. 

Group 7 gc 7:00pm

KDY: I posted a schedule for tomorrow we will be working in pairs on the highlighted sections. 

You took a look at his document and groaned when you saw your name placed next to his. There was no way, no way in hell you want to work with him one on one. Not caring about breaking his rule, you pulled up a private chat with him and began expressing your concerns. 

y/n  x  KDY : 7:10pm 

Y/N: Hi, there's no fucking way in hell am I working with you. Change It. 

KDY: I said no private chats and no, I'm not changing it. 

Y/N: Wouldn't it be better for us to split and have the others actually DO work for once ?

KDY: I barely gave them room for error, we're going to be the most anyway and besides, I'd prefer someone who can handle...my personality. 

Y/N: …..so you agree..you are an asshole ?

KDY: I give people a reality check that's all..

Y/N: whatever makes you sleep at night...can I atleast choose our work venue because If I were stuck in a library again with you I might kill you. 

KDY: haha..

KDY: sure. 

Y/N: mango drop cafe, 10am. 

KDY: cool, see you then. 

‘Haha’. You had no idea why that text in particular riled you up. Did he find all of this amusing ? Was he making everyone's life a living hell because he enjoyed it ? You stared at his messages and somehow ended up on his profile picture. He was leaning against a railing dressed in all black with his hooded eyes concentrated on the camera lense, Your realization of how attractive he was came from the fact that you stared at the picture for a good 20 minutes. You wondered who took the picture, a girlfriend maybe ? You shook your head. He seemed too uptight to be getting laid. You sighed, closing your phone and awaited yet another day with the insufferable gorgeous man that was Kim Doyoung. 

You arrived quite early at the cafe but of course Doyoung was here before you, already typing away at his laptop, in his usual attire. You greeted the barista and placed an order for a chilled cafe latte before making your way over to him. 

“Hey” you said simply and took a seat opposite him in the booth. Doyoung’s ears perked up at the sound of your voice and made room for your books on the table.

“You're here early” 

“You're already picking a fight with me?” you said casually setting up your workspace. 

Doyoung chuckled under his breath and shook his head, “I just didn't expect you this early y/n it's not that serious.” 

You ignored his words and got straight to work, not in the mood to play his little game. You felt Doyoung look at you a few times. You weren't sure if it were to check if youre doing the right thing or he was just looking at you. 

“Well i'm done with my part” you stretched your arms above your head and yawned. 

“Yeah I'm pretty much done too, Do you want another cup of coffee ?” Doyoung offered pointing to your empty cup. You were taken back by his softer demeanor but quickly nodded, “uh yeah sure.” 

Doyoung returned carrying a tray of two fresh cups of coffee and a slice of cheesecake. Setting everything down he handed you the extra fork and placed the cheesecake in the middle of the table to make it easier to share. 

“H-how much do I owe you ?” You fumbled in your bag for your wallet. 

“It's okay, it's my treat” Doyoung replied, placing a piece of cheesecake in his mouth and slowly licking the fork clean. You gulped as his tongue darted out carefully licking the cream from the metal, not leaving any residue behind. You had no idea what the hell was going on but you felt hot, almost claustrophobic. 

“You're okay?” Doyoung asked innocently, unaware of what he was doing to you. 

“Why are you being...nice?” You questioned, knitting your eyebrows together as the man continued to act as if this was his usual behavior. 

Doyoung pursed his lips and placed the fork on the plate, “You want me to be mean to you?”

“No I just don't get-”

“I apologized to Dami and she told me she only overreacted because the guy she likes, Seungmin was there” Doyoung explained and removed his spectacles, “she was embarrassed to ask anyone for help, I paired them up for today.”

“Wait wha-”

“Also Jangjun works at the campus radio” Doyoung continued, “I had only found out the day we all met, I gave him tasks that will allow him more flexibility, that way he doesn't have to join group sessions often.” 

You blinked, unable to form any words in order to reply to Doyoung. Especially after he chuckled at your speechlessness, knowing you didn't bother getting his side of the story at first. 

“You were right y/n I dont have to be an asshole all the time, I just like to get my work done” He shrugged. You kept eye contact with him but somehow it felt as if he were still toying with you, waiting on your next reaction. He seemed like he played this game often, making sure he always had the upper hand. Doyoung seemed relaxed as he stared at you, taking another scoop of the cheesecake and slowly ran his tongue over his lips after his bite. What the fuck was he doing ? 

“Y/N ?” you heard a familiar voice come from the entrance of the cafe. Your attention diverted from Doyoung to the blonde haired boy who began approaching your table. 

“Jungwoo ? oh my God what are you doing here ?” You stood up and pulled him into a tight hug and pecked his cheek. Doyoung shifted awkwardly in his seat as he watched your exchange with the stranger. 

“I got off early from class about to go to Subway, are you still doing that group project thing?” Jungwoo looked over at your table and half smiled at Doyoung who tried to distract himself with his phone. 

“Uh yeah but i'm all done here I think, wanna hang out ?” you hooked arms with Jungwoo as he nodded enthusiastically. You turned around and scratched the back of your head, 

“So...uh”

“Were all done you can go, I have somewhere to be anyway” Doyoung smiled as you slowly began packing up your things. 

“Alright, see you tomorrow I guess” you bid your goodbye and headed out for lunch with Jungwoo. 

—-

You had just finished up your skincare routine and caught up with a few instagram posts when you noticed Doyoung had followed you. Sitting up in bed you scrolled through his feed curiously. Every post was aesthetically pleasing and he looked absolutely hot in every single one of them. He had to have a girlfriend right ? No guy posts pictures this good without women flooding his DMs. 

There was no harm in doing the same since he was in your class, you decided to return the follow and close the app. Suddenly your phone vibrated with a new message in your chats. 

Y/N X KDY  10:30pm

KDY: hey 

Y/N: aren't you breaking two of your rules right now ?

KDY: haha 

KDY: I didn't realize what time it was…

Y/N: ….anyways..is this about work at least ?

KDY: kinda… you left one of your books at the cafe. I have it with me. 

Y/N: oh… thank you.

KDY: no prob...oh I hope its not a problem I added you on ig

Y/N: no its okay we are friends I guess

KDY: haha I thought I was the insufferable asshole..

Y/N: you are...but not all the time. Look im sorry for saying shitty things about you. 

KDY: its all good. 

KDY: …….

Y/N: ..whats up?

You twirled your fingers as you watched the three dots from Doyoung pop up and disappear over and over again. What was taking him so long ? 

KDY: that guy….that you met at the cafe..is he your boyfriend ?

Y/N: Jungwoo ? no way we've been friends since high school.

KDY: oh..

Y/N:....why would you even ask that ?

KDY: curious. 

Y/N: curious about who I'm dating ??

KDY: A little. 

You frowned at your phone and noticed Doyoung had changed his profile picture to a selfie. The picture was..something alright. You bit down on your lip as you enlarged the picture, which showed a wet haired Doyoung with his head resting in his palm and his long index finger was placed between his plump lips. 

“Fuck y/n get yourself together” you gave yourself a pep talk before opening his chat back up again. 

Y/N X KDY  10.54PM

Y/N: fine if you can ask a question can I ask one..

KDY: go ahead 

Y/N: who do you keep thirst trapping for ?

KDY: ….haha thirst trapping ? 

Y/N: Yeah who do keep posting these hot pics for huh

KDY: …..

KDY: You think i'm hot ?

Fuck. Why did you word it that way. You groaned immediately regretting sending that message but something in you was so curious about him you decided to just risk it, what was the worst that could happen ? 

Y/N: well yeah, I mean I'm sure everyone thinks you're attractive, you seem to know it too. 

KDY: wow. 

KDY: I think you're hot too. 

What the hell was going on. You felt your face heat up and you placed your pillow in between your legs as you turned on your side. 

KDY: I was almost disappointed when I thought Jungwoo was your boyfriend, he's way too passive. 

Y/N: ...and what makes you think you know what kind of man I need ?

KDY: hmmm

KDY: first of, with that fucking attitude of yours..A dominate one. 

You swallowed hard as you felt a tingle in your stomach, squeezing your thighs together on the pillow to create more friction. 

Y/N: I could say the same for you. 

KDY: You may think youre dominate in many aspects...but when it comes to fucking..im the one in charge. 

God you hated how hot that sounded. He had you in the palm of his hand through text. You were a mess and he wasn't even the room to fuel it. You wanted him so fucking bad it was insane. 

Y/N: running your mouth doesn't equate to doing it you know...

KDY:.....

KDY: then would you like me to show you ?

Everything happened so damn fast. One minute you two were texting the next minute you were sharing your apartment location and Doyoung was on his way over. You scrambled to put on sexier underwear and do your hair, still in shock by the fact that Doyoung was on his way over to bang you. 

You jumped when you heard the doorbell and realized it was him. Opening the door you were greeted to a very different look of Doyoung. His hair was messy and reached his eyes. Instead of his usual black academic attire he wore a loose white vest that showed off his toned chest and arms, along with a pair of grey sweatpants. 

“Hi” Doyoung smirked, his eyes were dark as he scanned your figure. 

“Hi” you responded, leaning against the wall in the hallway and looked up at him. Doyoung slowly approached you, like a lion circling its prey. His slender fingers danced lightly along your body, drawing a line from your waist until he found your throat and wrapped his cold fingers around it. He bit down on his lip as he studied how perfectly his hand looked around it and squeezed gently, smirking after hearing a soft moan emit from you. 

“I want you to do as I say, any back chat from you will get you punished you got that ?” he brought his lips down to your neck and exhaled. 

You nodded in response but that wasn't good enough for Doyoung. You felt his squeeze on your throat once more and he used his hips to pin you against the wall, “use your words” he gritted his teeth. 

“Yes sir” you replied obediently, and felt him smile against your neck. 

“Good girl, and if i'm too rough let me know so I can stop okay ?” he replied, his voice changed and it was much sweeter and genuine than before. He placed a soft kiss on your cheek when you nodded and led you to the bed. 

Doyoung lay you on the bed, already stripping off his shirt and ordered you to undress yourself and rid him off his sweatpants. You bit down on your lip taking notice of how aroused he was when you palmed his member. 

Doyoung watched you through hooded eyes as you discarded his sweatpants and boxers. He softly patted your head and grabbed a tuft of your hair in order to make you look up at him. 

“Spit” he ordered, and held out his hand and you did as you were told. You watched as he lathered himself with it, moaning as he stroked himself. He was so damn sexy, biting down on lip and slowly pleased himself as you watched. 

“Do you want this inside you sweetheart ?” he cooed and placed a finger under chin. 

You nodded quickly, “Yes please” 

“What do you want me to do baby ?” He purred and hovered over you as you lay on the bed, breathing heavily as his fingers moved against your warm skin, tracing your curves, ghosting over your heat and returning back to your lips to insert a digit inside. 

Doyoung watched diligently as you sucked on his finger like the good girl he knew you were. He finally pulled his finger out and with one swift movement entered with his member before you could even respond to his question. You moaned as he quickly slammed his hips into yours, wasting no time in gaining a rhythm as you marked his back with scratch marks feeling as though you were on a high. 

Doyoung fucked you like a pro, wasting no time to switch positions and had you on all fours, slapping your ass before slamming into you again, that pretentious smirk forming on his face as he heard your whimpers asking him for more. 

“Are you ready to cum sweetheart ?” he asked, pulling you up as his strokes became slower and tugged on your ear with his teeth. 

“Y-yes yes i'm ready” you panted.

“What's the magic word ?” he growled as he grabbed your throat and slowed down his pace as you were nearing your climax. 

“Fuck youre so annoying PLEASE, please let me cum Doyoung fuck” 

Doyoung chuckled and picked up his pace until you finally climaxed and he followed shortly after, collapsing in the bed next to you. 

“You have such an attitude God” he rolled his eyes playfully, bringing the blanket over your bodies and grinned when you moved in to cuddle him. 

“I guess you will have to fix that some time” you yawned and wrapped your arm around his waist, “but I have to admit, maybe I do enjoy the insufferable Kim Doyoung bossing me around once in a while.”

[stellocchia]

Dsmp prompt!

The forest:

It’s a foreboding atmosphere. Sysophys, the fallen angel, has been mentioned and foreshadowed a good few times throughout the story. He’s been build up, and travellers warn not to cross him.

Two travel companions, Phil and Techno decide to take a shortcut through the woods. As they walk along the forest path, they look over their shoulders and hurry their steps.

But they come into an open clearing, and lo and behold, the angel stands there.

He kindly greets them hello, as they stand still in reverie.

They knew the warnings and now they are paying the price…

Then this little, clearly mortal, kid peeks out behind the angel’s back and is like “Wil, that guy has pink hair, Wil!”

Wilbur ruffles the kid’s hair and smiles at them, cold eyes above a pleasant smile.

“I hope you don’t bring trouble,” he warns.

(Was inspired by this artwork:)

The link to the artwork doesn't work for me :(

Also, this prompt is so cool and it deserves a full fic, but I'll do my best to write something for it!

---

Myth had been passed down for generations about the Cursed Forest. Details changed in the story from family to family, but the core of it stayed the same: the fallen angel Sysophys resided there and whoever entered was never seen again.

Now, what happened to those who ventured in varied from the classic to the downright horrifying. Some didn't bother with the detail, leaving it at "they disappear" or "they die". Some got quite a bit more specific.

Some said that those who entered were made into the trees of the forest and that the angel took great glee in cutting them down when they still weren't fully turned. That rumor in particular was the one that put Phil most on edge.

It was also the reason why he was inclined on declining the job he and Techno had been given.

A group of hunters had disappeared into the forest a week earlier, and the partner of one of them had called him. He initially declined, but then Techno got a peek at the vast amounts of gold they were offering and he stopped thinking straight.

Phil was certain that his friend was regretting it now, but he was always far too stubborn to go back on it now.

They'd come to the agreement that if they couldn't find the hunters within the week they'd leave the forest and still get their payment, so at least there was that.

The first couple of days passed relatively calmly. Techno had mentioned that it felt like the trees had eyes and were observing them, but Phil just chucked it up to Techno's usual paranoia.

They persevered walking deeper and deeper into the forest when, on the third day, they arrived at a clearing.

A bright creature was sitting there. Wings of pure gold were surrounding it, they were cracked and shattered, but the pieces were still floating there in place.

As the creature turned around they were faced with far too many eyes, all of them a warm brown that hardened as soon as it saw the intruders.

Phil grabbed Techno's arm tightly, not being able to do anything else when faced with something so clearly supernatural. Techno's hand shot to the hilt of his sword on reflex, but he didn't dare pull it out.

"What are you doing in my-" the creature interrupted itself, eyes suddenly focused in on a little blond boy that had stumbled into the clearing. The boy ran up to the angel and shoved a piece of paper on his face "Look look Wilbur! I drew us! I'm the tall handsome one, and you're the stick figure!".

Phil's first instinct was to tell the boy to run and get out of there before the angel turned him into a tree. But he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

The creature's eyes softened and it delicately picked up the boy's drawing. "That looks really good Tommy, you're getting better at this". It's voice wasn't booming anymore instead it sounded surprisingly normal, human even.

The boy nodded and grinned brightly. He seemed to notice Phil and Techno then and his eyes brightened even more. "Oh! Are they friends? Are they gonna stay over?".

Sysophys sighed and looked back at them "If they behave".

Phil nodded frantically. "Yeah, we're not looking for problems mate, I promise".

"Good. We wouldn't want to make some of the rumors you humans fabricated true now, would we?"

[maliby]

Ride ~ jjk (m)

↬ Pairing: Jungkook x Fem. Reader ↬ Story Genre: stripper!au, SMUT, PWP ↬ Warnings: explicit language, explicit sex scenes ↬ Word count: 5.2K   ↬ Summary: It all started with Jungkook inviting you for his new performance tonight. It all ended with you and Jungkook fucking like rabbits in the back room.

A/N: THIS is what Jeon Jungkook makes me do. I was in the middle of writing a new chapter for When the Night Comes and I just could stop my urges to destroy him in that fucking outfit. Anyways....hope all my fellow hoes enjoy <3

P.S.- If you want that extra umph in the strip scene, please listen to the song “Usher - Trading Places”, I promise you it’s double worth it ;)

You looked at the text message Jungkook had sent you as you were on your Uber to ‘The G Spot’. A wicked grin spread on your face as you felt your excitement grow with the thought of his performance.

You first met Jungkook when you were out drowning your sorrows in vodka. Your boyfriend of five years had dumped you because you spent too much time at your new job and you ended up spending the night in Jungkook’s bed. 

That night he told you he was a male performer of some sorts that went by the stage name ‘Rider’ at the famous ‘G Spot’ club. He’d do some sexy performances on stage (most of the time they were themed) but, some times, he’d also work as a gigolo. Clients would pay to take him to one of the back rooms and, if he was interested in the client and/or the money they were offering, he’d have sex with them. Since then, you’d become a pretty regular customer of the club and Jungkook.

“We’re here miss,” the Uber driver mentioned, interrupting your thoughts.

“Thank you.” You left the car and looked up at the big purple neon sign saying ‘The G Spot’. You took out your purse to retrieve your membership card and walked right in, immediately showing it to the bouncer that then confirmed your identity.

“Y/N!” The familiar voice of the owner Maria greeted you as soon as you entered. “Rider mentioned you’d be popping by,” she smirked.

“Hi, honey!” You gave her a quick hug and followed her to the bar, watching her start working on your usual vodka cranberry. “Sugar told me he had a very special performance and wanted me to watch.”

“And you couldn’t miss it,” she teased as she slid you the glass with your drink.

“Well, you’ve seen him,” you took a sip and hummed, signalling that you liked the taste of the drink.

“Oh, believe me, if I wasn’t his boss I’d definitely give him something to ride if you know what I mean,” you choked at her confession, sharing a good laugh with her.

“Right sweety, you better go sit, the show’s about to start.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to lose my spot. When is he coming on?”

“First Black Magic is gonna take the stage and Rider will be right after him,” Maria told you as she cleaned the balcony of the bar. 

The news came as a surprise to you. Usually, Jungkook would close the show since he was one of, if not the best, performers in the club. The news was especially weird since he said he had a new routine and normally when that happened he would always close the show.

“He’s second?!” The look of surprise on your face probably came as no surprise to Maria. In fact, you were sure it didn’t due to her expression of understanding.

“Yeah, I don’t know why either. He begged me to be second and usually, I’m really particular about the show but since it was him I accepted. That and V Jay and RoMeo have a special number prepared for tonight, so I let them be last.”

“Weird…” You both stood in silence for a few seconds before you remembered you had to go get your seat before someone else did. “Well, I’m gonna take a sit.” You pointed to the chairs and booths and gave her a small smile.

“Go, go, honey. Enjoy the show!” She waved you goodbye before she turned to get a customer’s order.

You sat down right at the front - as Jungkook had instructed - and waited for a few minutes while you sipped on your drink. 

About ten minutes later the show started. You had watched Black Magic perform before and even though he wasn’t as good as the other guys (seeing that he was quite new to this) he still managed to get you all hot and bothered.

Tonight he was doing his ‘Anaconda’ performance. He walked in dressed as a zookeeper with a fake anaconda on his shoulders and once his Anaconda remix commenced playing he started to slide the fake snake all over his body. Then he began to undress, revealing his delicious oily chocolate abs and climbed off the stage making his way to you. He put the fake snake around your neck and pulled you towards him so your face was right in his abs.

“Lick,” he ordered in a low raspy voice, getting you all hot and bothered.

You obliged. 

You licked him from the hem of his shorts up to his pecks, the crowd around you going wild. He tasted coconutty, and you were pretty sure he had spread coconut oil on his body before the show.

After making the rounds to a few more girls Black Magic went back on stage and that’s when he took his shorts off, standing in just his g-string and showing off the outline of the ‘Anaconda’ between his legs.

Soon, he started humping everything on stage, simulating sex in such an erotic way that had all the people in the audience in a complete trance.

He was good. You had to give him that, but he was not Rider. Rider could completely destroy you just with his eyes. Just those feral looks he gave were more than enough to make you hump the fucking chair.

You completely spaced out thinking about Rider and when you came back to it everyone was clapping, making you realize that Black Magic had finished his performance. When your eyes focused on the performer he was already leaving the stage, taking his money and clothes with him.

You called for the waiter and pointed to your empty glass, signalling him that you’d like another vodka cranberry - you needed to feel the buzz of the alcohol if you ever were planning on surviving Rider’s performance tonight.

The drink came and you immediately drank half of it, feeling the build-up of anticipation. You didn’t know why but you were starting to get nervous, your leg bouncing up and down. You decided you’d go check Instagram as you waited, but as soon as you opened the app the lights turned down and focused on one spot on the curtains.

“Ladies and gentleman, are you ready to have the ride of your life?” You chuckled at the announcer’s silly pun. The audience around you rilled up, already deciphering from his pun who was coming up next. Rider sure was a fan favourite. 

“Then I want to hear you scream loud and clear for Rideeeeer!”

The crowd went wild, but not as wild as your beating heart. Something about this performance was telling you you were about to be in for a crazy ride and when the song “Trading Places” by Usher started playing you knew you were absolutely right.

When Rider opened up the curtain and came onto the stage your jaw dropped. He was wearing a loose leopard print shirt that had a ‘v-cut’ so low you could see part of his defined chest and abs. On top of that, he was wearing a loose flowy red robe with black details that matched the colour of his pants, the latter ones though, being so tight you could see every little detail of his meaty thighs. His hair was loosely sleeked back, a stray piece of hair dangling right in front of his killer eyes. 

“Fuck,” you muttered as you took in the view.

Rider was handsome, there was never any doubt in that, but this fucking outfit? You were damn sure every single pussy in this place was wet just by staring at him.

Hey, I know what you’ used to We gon’ do something different tonight

Rider started walking to the centre of the stage as if he was a tiger ready to pounce. The lethal look on his eyes made you think of all the times he looked at you like that, like he was about to fucking devour you - which he did.

Now we gonna do this thing a lil' different tonight You gon' come over and pick me up in your ride

He spread his legs almost in a squat position, emphasizing his thick thighs, and ran his hand from his chest all the way down to his crotch. He grabbed his crotch and looked straight at the audience, making a ‘come here’ sign with his other hand - the crowd went wild. 

After this, he gave a little twirl and slid half of his dark red robe off (letting it stay in the middle of his arms) and started body rolling. Your throat got dry, making you swallow your own saliva.

Nobody body rolled like him. He was so fluid and sharp at the same time. The combination of his sinful body movements and his facial expressions being the added bonus. You could swear he could make anyone want him - you sure did.

Then everything stopped for you. He looked you right in the eyes and, at that same instant, you felt a wave of arousal slid past your folds and straight to your panties.

He smirked.

He knew the power he had over you. He knew he had you wrapped around his finger and all he had to do was to say when and where.

Then, he started to seductively walk towards the stairs - he was coming down to the audience.

He kept looking straight at you as he made his way down the stairs and you felt your heartbeat rise - he was coming in your direction.

You started to smile like an idiot until he walked right past you and went to the table right next to yours. The group of five friends on a bachelorette party went ecstatic (as you would) while you on the other hand felt nothing but annoyance. He was toying with you. Teasing was Rider’s favourite game, a game which he would often play with you and it drove you absolutely mad.

He made his way to the bride and practically straddled her, taking in her hands and making her feel his defined abs as he body rolled.

I'm always on the top tonight I'm on the bottom Cause we trading places When I can’t take no more, tell me you ain't stopping 'Cause we trading places

You shouldn’t be jealous, this was his job and you two had by no means a serious relationship but you hated the way he was toying with you. You also hated that your jealousy was exactly what he wanted.

Fucking Jeon Jungkook.

The bride’s screams got even louder as Rider got off of her and spread her legs. He supported himself on the chair’s arms and started to simulate sex with her, thrusting his hips towards her crotch.

Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it, Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it, Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it.

Then, Rider got off from her and turned around, looking straight at you. Your heart jumped once more. He made his way towards you and this time he stopped right in front of you with a devious smile on his face. He straddled you, just like he did the girl before you and grabbed your hand, only this time he pulled his leopard shirt from underneath his pants and placed your hand on his bare skin.

You had felt up his abs a million times before, but the action never failed to make you all hot and bothered. His abs were a perfect six-pack, like a chocolate bar ready to be eaten up. You remember all the times you played with his abs as he has your fingers running up through each of his individual muscles. 

One, two, three, four, five and six.

He then runs your hand lower so you could palm his hard cock. 

You knew the dancers would pump up their dicks backstage so it would look extra big on stage and cause a better reaction, but by the way he was looking at you and biting his lip you couldn’t help but feel like he was horny because of you, and not some pump.

Then, he let’s go of your hand and rips his shirt wide open, now exposing all of his glossy defined muscles.

“Fuck.”

He removed his red robe and gave it a little twirl so the garment would become like a long scarf. He then softly ran the robe from your belly, straight between your cleavage and up your neck. The tingling sensation was so soft and arousing that you instantly felt your nipples perk up and the ache between your legs grow bigger, making you rub yourself on the chair.

He threw the robe onto the stage and got even closer to you, his covered crotch just centimetres away. Then, out of nowhere, and as a contrast to the soft movement of the robe, he grabs you by your hair and sharply hip thrusts to the sound of the music towards your mouth, simulating oral sex.

Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it, Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it, Gon' get it, get it get it, get it get it,

When you feel like you are ready to risk it all and suck him right there in front of everyone he lets go of your hair and turns around to go back on the stage. You let go of the breath you now realized were holding. This man was truly testing all your limits.

He got to stage and discarded his ruined leopard print shirt, now only having the form-fitting red pants on. He turns to the audience and mouths the line from the song: “Where you want me?”

The guitar starts playing and Usher starts moaning, and that’s when it all goes to shit. Rider does his signature move where he does a handstand and slowly comes down in a wave and starts fucking the floor.

Oh oh Oh oh You baby Give it to me baby Oh oh Oh oh

You cross your legs and can’t help but squeeze tight to alleviate the ache in your dripping core. The crowd was going wild, the screams getting louder but to you, it felt like you couldn’t even hear them; it felt like only you and Rider were there, and that he was showing off just for you.

The way in which his thrusts become more powerful, the way his veins on his muscular arms pop out, the way he imitates the moans at the same time as the vocalist’s were driving you insane and you were one step closer to just sneak your hand between your legs and play with yourself, not even caring about where you were.

After presumably making the floor pregnant, Rider changes positions and lays on his back. This time, instead of fucking the floor, he places his hands on an imaginary person on top of him and fucks the air instead, just as the song says:

You get on top tonight I'm on the bottom Cause we trading places When I can’t take no more, you say you ain't stopping 'Cause we trading places

As the instruments in the song start to quite down (signalling the ending of the song), Rider gets up and faces the audience with the most sinful grin. He teasingly pops the button of his pants and slides down the zipper, his bulgy dick expanding immediately under his white underwear. Then, he slides his hand under his underwear and shamelessly palms himself. If he wasn’t a professional who had all his angles studied, there was no way he could conceal his cock from the audience with just one hand, but he knew exactly what he was doing and you cursed him for it. 

The song was about to end and you were curious about the big finish. Whatever it was, you were damn sure it would leave you gasping for air.

Sure enough, you were right.

Just as the instrumental hits its last notes, Rider gives one last teasing smirk and as he takes his dick out of its confinement the lights go out leaving, quite literally, everyone in the dark.

“Fuck,” you cursed at the show you just witnessed and the erotic sensations it brought in you.

This was why he wanted you to come so badly? To fucking tease you? That motherfucker. There was no way you could just sit there and watch. There was no fucking way you could just sit there and go back to your normal life - and you wouldn’t.

Downing the last of your drink you grabbed your purse and made your way to the owner Maria who was currently behind the bar.

When you requested the back room with Rider to Maria you were surprised to find out it had already been booked in your name - the owner smugly telling you that Rider had booked it for you.

You were pissed. Not in a bad way, but still fucking pissed.

You couldn’t help but pace around as you waited for Rider in the back room - sipping on a glass of champagne that came with the package. Your mind was racing, thinking about how he had invited you here, teased you beyond belief and booked you the back room alone with him without telling you. He knew you were going to cave, he knew you’d want a taste and it drove you fucking mad that he could manipulate you like that.

The sound of the door opening made you snap your head in its direction.

The first thing you notice is his exposed torso, Rider only wearing the red pants and robe from the performance earlier. The second was the fucking smug look on his face.

“Hey baby, did you enjoy the show?” He asked in a velvety voice after he closed the door and made his way to you to give you a kiss - you dodged. If he kissed you now, it would be game over for you, and you needed to make him suffer just like he did you.

“What the fuck was that?” You poked his chest with an accusatory finger, but he was so strong that he didn’t move.

“Just my new routine.” He pretended that he didn’t know what you were talking about, but the look on his face told a whole different story.

“Just your new routine?” You scoffed before you continued. “You tell me to come and sit in the first row. Then, you come in dressing like that,” you look down at his outfit to show what you were talking about but immediately regret it once you notice the tent in his tight pants. “You tease me like there’s no tomorrow and then you book this fucking room for me?”

“Don’t be silly Y/N, I just wanted to show you, as one of my best clients, my brand new act.” He took a brief pause before he continued again, this time in a slightly different tone, “And if I recall correctly, you weren’t the only one I teased.”

He tried to sound breezy but you saw right through his act. If he wanted to play then that was what he was going to get.

“Is that so?” You asked in a knowing tone, him just humming in response. “Well then, if I recall correctly, you weren’t the only one who teased me. Maybe I should go book a room with Black Magic instead.”

His whole expression changed. The playfulness in him was now completely gone, only a dark jealous look remaining.

He took several steps forward cornering you into a wall, excitement pooling down between your legs. “Don’t you fucking dare talk about another man.”

Any other day and you’d completely sub for him, a look from him being enough to have you on your knees but today...today you were feeling like you wanted to put up a fight. “Or what?”

He moved in closer to your ear to whisper: “Or I’ll use your pretty little pussy like my personal cum dumpster and leave you here with a creamy cunt that didn’t get the chance to orgasm.”

You tried to remain calm but your erratic breathing gave you away, making him chuckle. “You’d like that?”

When his hand touched your knee you couldn’t help but feel startled, his touch at this point turning you on beyond belief.

“You would. My little slut.” You couldn’t see his smirk, because his face was now buried in your neck, but you could definitely hear it in his voice.

“I can just imagine you fingering your creamy pussy just to get off,” his hand starts travelling up your exposed thigh and starts playing with the hem of your skirt, making you go wild. “If I close my eyes I can already see my cum overflowing and running down your perfect little asshole.” His other hand grabbed your right breast and started massaging it over your shirt, making you release a tiny little moan.

What was happening to you? He was winning. You couldn’t let him win. You had to do something now.

With the inner strength you didn’t even know you had in yourself you took a deep breath and pushed him away, your senses immediately clearing as you no longer felt his intoxicating smell so close.

He was shocked, and his shock only gave you that more strength.

“I think you’ll find that it’s actually the opposite Jungkook.” Usually, while you were with him in the club you would never call him by his real name, but this time you felt like it gave the moment a more serious tone, and you definitely wanted him to take you seriously.

“You think you’re some big shot?” You scoffed and made your way towards him, this time you being the one who backs him up against the big red leather sofa with the big red neon sign that said “Sex” just above it. You gave him one little push and he fell back, you towering over him for a change.  

“You are here for me to use. I pay you, so…” you lower yourself down and sit right on top of his bulge, your skirt hoisting up. “...I’m gonna fuck you until my pussy gets its fill and then I’m gonna leave you with a hard red leaky cock that’s aching to be milked dry.”

Jungkook’s expression didn’t falter, but he didn’t say anything either, giving you the courage to continue.

You pressed your core even harder on his cock and started grinding, a tiny hiss leaving both your mouths. “I can just imagine your frustrated face, fisting your cock as you imagine it’s my cunt. Going at it so hard and fast that your lungs can barely keep up. Parting your pretty little lips to moan my name…”

Jungkook bucked his hips upwards to feel you even better, the sensation driving you absolutely mad. 

You looked into each other’s eyes, tension building as you felt each other up. Your hands ran down his exposed chest as his squeezed your ass. You couldn’t help but look at his lips, those sinful lips that had made you feel extraordinary sensations so many times before - he chuckled.

“You’re cute when you try to be a dom.” He grabbed your chin and forced you to look straight into his dark lustful eyes, “are you going to fucking kiss me or do I have to beg for it?”

Feeling affected that he described your actions as “cute” you harshly slapped his hand away and grabbed him by his hair, pulling him forward so his lips could crash into yours.

The kiss was erratic. Hungry. Animalistic. Needy. Everything.

You slid his robe down his muscular biceps exposing his protruding veins and sexy tattoos and as soon as he was finished discarding the garment to the middle of the room he grabbed your white shirt by the cleavage and ripped it right open throwing the destroyed shirt to the place where his robe was.

“That shirt was expensive,” you say between breaths as he frees your mouth to kiss you down your neck.

“Fuck the shirt, I want you.” He bit a piece of skin on your chest and tugged on it with his teeth as he slid the straps of your bra down, your skin forming tiny little bumps from the sensation of his fingers running through it.

“Rider…” you moaned as his mouth got closer and closer to your breasts, your hips grinding on him harder.

“Call me Jungkook.”

“Jungkook…” you moaned as he moved your bra down, the rough seam bumping against your sensitive nipples. His lips immediately claimed one of your hardened peeks, the other one being left at the mercy of his tattooed fingers.

You picked up your pace and started dry humping like a madwoman, your orgasm getting closer and closer.

“I’m gonna cum.” Your announcement made Jungkook toy with your nipples harder, twisting and pulling until you were cumming undone, his name coming out of your mouth like a mantra.

Not having any time to breathe, Jungkook picked you up and threw you to the couch, the feeling of the leather on your bare hot skin making you slightly uncomfortable. Before you even had time to ask him what he was doing, he was pulling your panties down and diving in straight to your core, your legs closing in on his head due to the sensitivity.

“Jungkook, I wanna suck your cock…” you whined as he inserted one of his middle fingers inside of you.

“Sorry love, no sucking today. I just want to be buried inside of you.” He started to suck on your clit and after working his finger in for a little bit he added another. You could tell he was in a rush to fuck you and that turned you on even more.

He curled up his fingers inside you making you moan even louder and you thanked your lucky stars the room was soundproof. You were so wet that you could hear it perfectly clear, a sound so lewd that made your whole temperature rise.

Very soon you were feeling your orgasm building once more and, this time, you could tell it was stronger than the other. “Fuck baby, give me more…”

Like a soldier taking orders, he promptly added a third finger and at that moment you knew you weren’t gonna last much longer. In fact, all it took was 10 more seconds of him finger-fucking you while flicking your clit with his tongue and you were spiralling down in pleasure once more, this time on his mouth. “Jungkook...”

You lied there with your eyes closed for what felt like an eternity - the need to catch your breath and calm your heart way too big - but when you finally opened them, Jungkook was standing next to you all naked slowly pumping his cock.

“Sssss...Y/N, don’t fucking look at me like that or I’m gonna bust-”

Feeling your dom persona getting back into action, you got up and threw him down on the black fluffy rug - its fluffy texture being much more pleasant than the leather of the couch. You placed your legs on both sides of him and crouched down. His dick was so hard it was standing straight up, almost like it was waiting for you to sink down on it. So, not being able to resist it any longer, you simply grabbed it and sat right on top of him.

“Fuck, such a fucking tight cunt for me-” You shut him up by putting your hand on his mouth and started riding him like you were at a fucking rodeo.

You were feeling drunk on sex. His cock was hitting you on all the right places (like it always did), his hands were grabbing your hips so hard you were sure they were gonna leave a mark and the sight of his bulging muscles glistening with sweat was driving you into absolute madness.

You were fucking at a mad speed, even you didn’t know where all that strength had come from, but if someone saw you right now they’d probably think you had taken some drugs. Eventually, though, your body started to grow tired and Jungkook noticed that, so he let go of your hips and pulled you onto him. Your head nuzzled on his neck and he started to fucking drill you up.

“Oh shit, shit, shit…” You moaned into his neck, a mix of his cologne and sweat hitting your nostrils.

“Fuck, I’m not gonna last long baby.”

Hearing his confession you snaked your arm between your bodies and frantically rubbed your clit so you could cum at the same time. The work on your abused clit didn’t last long though, making you cum on his deliciously hard cock, “oh Jungkook.”

“Fuck, Y/N.” The clenching of your pussy eventually tipped him over the edge, him spilling his warm seed inside of you.

After a while of you two panting on the rug, Jungkook got up to pick a couple of tissues so he could clean you up, leaving you alone on the floor.

“Fuck me…” you said in a surprising sense at what had just happened as he kneeled between your legs.

“Again?” He looked up at you with a teasing smirk and proceeded to collect his cum with the tissues.

“You know what I mean,” you laughed, the mood feeling light.

Once you got up to put your discarded clothes back on you remembered what Jungkook had done to your shirt and turned to him with your hands on your hips. “How am I supposed to get out of here with no shirt Mr Jeon Jungkook?”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he apologized as he put his tight pants back on. “I brought a shirt under my hoodie today, I can lend it to you. Might not go with your outfit though…” He teased as he looked at your pencil skirt.

“I’ll take it,” you smiled at him and waited as he went to his dressing room to pick his shirt up. 

Once he returned not only did he bring you his shirt, but a stack of bills leaving you completely stunned. “Here you go,” he said as he handed you the shirt and completely ignored the money. 

“Thank you,” you put on his shirt since you were starting to feel kind of cold and looked at him with a questioning look. “Are you paying me for my services or…?”

He looked confused for a second before he followed your gaze to the money on his hands and laughed. “Oh no, this is hum... for the back room.”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to. I’m the client and I used your services, I should pay.” 

“Yeah but...don’t look at tonight like a service. I invited you, I teased you...it’s on me tonight,” he tried to place the money on your hands but you hesitated, eventually grabbing it and giving him a shy smile.

What this meant for the two of you you didn’t know, but you sure were excited to find out.

[midnightsconspiracy]

Loved Up

Loved Up - @midnightsconspiracy

Summary: Al loves the fact he’s played matchmaker to yours and Hank’s relationship

Warnings: None

Word Count: 991

Requested: Yes!!

'I’m gonna need something super fluffy to recover from grief-stricken. Hank x reader, of course. ♥️ And here’s a prompt: “I think (she/he/they/I) rubbed off on you.” Thanks!'

A/N: I feel like the start could be a Hank x Alvin fic ;)

Masterlist

The two oldest members of intelligence had known each other for a long time. The friendship dated back to his first day on the job where he had been partnered with the man, instantly hitting it off, knowing at that moment they would have a lifelong friendship. Along the way he was introduced to Trudy as well, the duo turning into an unstoppable trio. His days were filled with action and adventure, the two of them taking down crook after crook, locking them up for a job well down. And their nights, well they were filled with drinking and laughing, the friendship so tight that they spend every second together. They were partners in crime essentially, although they were the ones fighting crime, everyone always commenting on the high success rates they attained. Things slightly differed when both men initially found love, and so instead spent their evening without each other. However, that changed nothing between them, only making the bond stronger when they did see one another at work. The nature of the police force meant they were bounced around a lot from unit to unit, district to district, but each new task saw them sticking together, the higher officers reluctant to separate them. They went through a lot together, marriage, the birth of their children, and death. When both Camille and Justin had died, Alvin was there, patiently waiting and helping his friend go through the struggles of losing a loved one. Likewise, Hank was there for him when Lexi had passed, allowing him to grieve accordingly, supporting him and Meredith however they needed. He had also been the first person Hank had recruited after he took over intelligence, knowing Olinsky would stay loyal and support no matter what.

One thing in particular that he advocated for was Hank's love life, encouraging his mate whenever there were any little advancements in it. That was especially true when it came to you. Being the newest member of the unit was always going to be hard, especially since they were such a group of tight-knit people. But Al being as paternal as he was, took you under his wing, showing you the in and outs of how the unit ran. And as your relationship with Hank progressed, so did the man's smugness, mainly from the fact he had played matchmaker in the first place.

It was weird in the beginning, dating your sergeant, something that was so frowned upon, not just by the unit's rules but also from the rest of the district. But Al had encouraged you despite all the hate, telling you that that you should do whatever felt right. You'd taken that advice to heart, allowing yourself to love Hank as if no one else mattered.

So that's what you had done, entered a fully-fledged relationship, neither of you regretting a thing. Eight months had flown by, in your own little bubble of love, spending whatever time you had together. You tried to keep the affection in private, but sometimes you just needed to be near him. So when most of the team were out on a lead, you wandered into his office, meeting him in the middle, before wrapping your arms around his neck. All you wanted was to feel his warmth and comforting voice to soothe your emotions.

"I'm soooo tired," you whined, burying your head into the crook of his neck, wanting the workday to just end.

"I know baby, only a couple more hours till you get off," he reassured squeezing your waist tightly.

"I missed you as well." His eye line had been everywhere but you that day, and you wanted him to finally see you and give any sort of attention.

"You missed me huh? But you can see me from your desk" Teasing you, he pinched your sides, watching you squirm and laugh at the action.

"It's not the same as being with you though," you pouted, looking up into his eyes.

"Sweetheart," he chuckled, knowing he was so whipped for you.

"I promise we'll do something after work, ok?" He asked, equally wanting to spend time together.

"Ok, I love you!" Pecking him on the lips, you skipped out of his office, not waiting to hear his response, knowing exactly what his answer would be.

One of Hank's C.I's had provided him with some vital information, leading him and Al to go out to find out more. Driving to the destination would take half an hour, allowing the men to catch up for the first time in a couple of weeks. Al had so much he wanted to say to his closest friend having spent the entire time watching your conversation from the safety of his desk. Matchmaker Al was coming out again, wanting to know every single detail of the relationship. You would think women love to gossip, but these too were way worst! He had set them up and he would see it through to the end, knowing they were endgame.

"So, how are things going with Y/N?" He questioned, despite already knowing the answer.

"Good, I'm head over heels Al, I really am," Hank replied a love up look in his eyes as he thought back about you.

"That's great to hear, but dude you are so whipped" Chuckling to himself, Al knew it was true, despite what his best friend said.

"Fuck off, im not like that, I just love her a lot," Hank would deny it to the end of the earth out loud, but inside he knew what his friend was saying was true. Not that it was a bad thing at all, especially in your mind.

"You've gone soft my friend, I think she's rubbed off on you." Pulling up to the house, Al had to have one last dig, before the men parted to put on their games faces.

"If you say so," Hank smirked, always having to have the last word.

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[alwaysbeliev]

I Can’t Lose You

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is for the @rdr-secret-cupid adventure this year. Thank you for the prompt, @bloodylove3 and I hope you enjoy!

summary: When Dutch asks you and Arthur to pretend you're married for a job, you're nervous that you won't be able to hide your feelings for the outlaw. You manage to keep it in line, but things go wrong fast.

relationship: Arthur Morgan x F!Reader

word count: 3497

link on AO3

“Alright, here’s where we’ll start.”

It was mid-afternoon. The heat from the sun above was overwhelming, burning whatever it touched. Not even the shade was a relief with its cover. Animals all around were burrowed underground, hiding inside of trees, splashing around in the cool river nearby, and doing their best to stay out of direct light. You idly watched a small mouse scurry through the grass, digging at the dirt every now and then before disappearing into a hole. Quietly, you wished you were that mouse. 

For the hundredth time, Dutch was reviewing his next grand plan. There was a tipoff about a decent score, something that would help the gang move to a new camp, and it would be almost easy to pull off. Almost. But he was careful to plan, detailed to a fault, and now you had to sit through another lecture about making sure you were in the right place at the right time. He stood just inside the flap of his tent as he talked. The others were in a loose circle around him and Hosea.

You felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of your neck. What you wouldn’t give to go jump in the rushing water just a hundred feet away, even fully clothed. Imagining the relief alone made you sweat more. You could feel your skin throb, your cheeks turning red, your shirt sticking to your lower back…

“Hey!”

The sharp sound of Dutch’s voice cut through your daydream, snapping you back to reality. Others were snickering as you jerked your head over and tried to pretend you had been listening.

“As I was saying,” the man continued, “there has been a small change of plan.” 

Whoa, Dutch was changing his plan? But the score was just a week away now.

He carried on, “Arthur will be playing the part of your protective, but quiet, husband. You will need to cause a big enough distraction that we can enter without tipping anyone off. Can you handle that?”

“I thought Hosea was providing the distraction?” Your mind was turning, scrambling to remember if that was the original plan or if you were suffering from heat stroke.

“As I had said before, Hosea will be needed outside. It would seem awfully suspicious to outsiders if 5 men all seemed to suddenly rush inside together, don’t you think?”

You supposed he had a point. Outwardly, you agreed with him, but inwardly, your heart was pounding. Arthur? Husband? You barely made it through the rest of the session, managing to excuse yourself as soon as Dutch was done talking. Never before had you felt the palpitations on your chest that you did now at the thought of being with Arthur Morgan. Not just being with him, but pretending to be married. 

To say that you had a crush on Arthur was putting it lightly. From the moment you had met the outlaw, the sight of him caused your heart to race faster than his beautiful horse. You could barely speak around him, let alone carry on any conversation, and you were certain everyone in camp knew about it. Karen, Mary-Beth, and Tilly had approached you just last week to tease you about the way you fumbled over your words when Arthur asked a question. Now you had to pretend to be married?

The group dispersed as Dutch finished his grand lecture, chattering excitedly about the huge score. You felt light-headed and were rooted to the spot. Dutch was right, it should be easy, you had played the actor’s role many times before, but this… This wouldn’t be acting. And surely someone was going to notice that.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

A week passed quicker than any week you’d been through before. You and Arthur had prepared a scene, practicing to get it right, and you were feeling slightly more confident. The cowboy still gave you flutters in your heart, but rehearsed lines were much easier than improvised ones, and you were positive he hadn’t seen the longing in your eyes. It was easy.

But what wasn’t easy was how inseparable the two of you were becoming. Every morning, Arthur approached you near the campfire, offering a small treat, typically a piece of chocolate or a small fruit. The first time, your cheeks had flushed hotter than the summer sun. It hadn’t improved much. You would review your plan for the score, pause for a lunch time meal, and continue in the afternoon. Arthur often seemed to have other ideas, wanting a change of scenery, and you would find yourselves a few miles from camp on some rocky outlook or on a river’s shore, just shooting the breeze while the sun seared high above. Arthur even managed to convince you to leave your horse once, riding behind him with arms wrapped around his chest, content just to be near him. 

Finally, the day arrived. The gang all arose early, gathering their tools uneasily. Nerves always ran high the day of, regardless of how much planning had gone into the score, and your stomach churned. Karen had lent a hat, Mary-Beth a beautiful dress in your most favorite color, and you felt so fluffy and over the top. When Arthur saw you, his face seemed to go slack, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“My, my, Mrs. Morgan,” he drawled, taking a few lazy steps to close the gap to you. “Aren’t you lookin’ mighty fine this mornin’.”

Pouting and embarrassed, you waved him off, brushing a tight curl over your shoulder in a weak attempt to mask the color rising to your cheeks.

“Shut up.”

“Hey, now, I’m only tryin’ to lighten the mood.” He laughed before looking somewhat sheepish himself. “Besides, you really do.”

You paused, taking in his sincere compliment.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t have time to respond as Dutch stepped out of his tent, looking the picture of graceful leadership, commanding everyone’s attention. As you turned your body towards him, you saw Arthur’s gaze lingering on your figure, the dress complementing you perfectly. You focused on tugging on your white lace gloves, trying to turn your ears where it mattered.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

“Alright, Mr. Callahan, now, here we are!”

Your voice pitched up, you pointed out the grandest building in town: the bank. Arthur guided his horse to the hitching post before hopping down, turning to help you down, your big skirt catching slightly and flouncing as your feet landed. Grinning at him, you tugged at his arm excitedly.

“Come on, darling, we gotta go get us a loan! That house ain’t gonna buy itself, you know!”

It was clear you were amusing the man at your side. Your anxiety was causing a jump in your performance, pushing you a slightly uncomfortable bit above believable, but you were pretty and young and the men were watching you. That was all that mattered.

With a grand gesture, you shoved the door to the bank open, stepping into the marbled interior with your boots clicking. The teller glanced up from whatever paperwork he was looking at. For a brief second, he studied the two of you, his eyes lingering on you in particular, before a fixed smile appeared on his face. 

“How can I help you?” he drawled. As practiced, Arthur opened his mouth to speak but you butted in before he could.

“Why, hello, Mr…?” You swept forward, extending a hand for him to shake. He glanced at Arthur in disbelief before gingerly shaking your hand.

“Mr. Monaghan.”

“Oh, Mr. Monaghan, how lovely!” You grinned widely, shaking vigorously. “Yes, me and my new husband here are looking to buy a house! Isn’t that just grand? We just got married, you know, just last week! Oh, we had the most beautiful honeymoon, didn’t we, darling? Traveled to see the ocean, oh it was gorgeous! Simply gorgeous! Have you ever been, Mr. Monaghan?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t. Not the way you planned it.

“The birds were so lovely, there were so many of them! Oh, and the food! Simply divine! Have you had seafood before? Crab, lobster, shrimp, oh it was perfect!”

As you rambled, the doors swung in again, allowing entrance to John and Javier. You didn’t spare a look for them, your energy pointed at the teller, and as planned, he didn’t seem to notice them. Your shrill voice and wild theatrics had his whole attention. You carried on as the men got into position.

“They paired the shrimp with-- What was it, my love? This wine, it was a red, wasn’t it? Or was it a white? Mr. Callahan is just hopeless about these things, you know, I’m glad I’m here to help him. Oh we had the most wonderful time together! I thought it might rain one day, there were these horrible gray clouds, but he told me not to worry, even though I wanted to, and sure enough, the sun was out by dinner time!”

The doors creaked again, allowing the last two men in, Dutch and Bill. All 5 men exchanged a look and, in one swift motion, they pulled their bandanas over their faces and drew their weapons. It was satisfying to hear the clicks of a few hammers. Your grin turned wicked and the teller suddenly realized what had happened. 

“We’ll take that loan to go, if you don’t mind.” You couldn’t help yourself. Arthur quickly stepped forward, shielding you with his body so your face was hidden, and you hurriedly moved towards the back of the men, allowing them to do what they needed. It was relatively painless and quiet, the teller moving hastily and without hesitation, filling bags with money and even allowing them access to the room with the safes. You served as lookout, casually standing at the window to keep an eye peeled for the law. Only when you heard Dutch’s signature goodbye did you turn away from it. Arthur made eye contact with you and playfully raised his eyebrows as he strode towards the door and you, ready to make for the horizon.

Without warning, the doors flew open, banging against the wall from the force behind it. Several lawmen were standing, guns drawn, ready to take out the outlaws. Instantly, shots were being fired. You didn’t know who fired first, but you dove out of the way, gripping your hat tightly so it wouldn’t be left behind. For some reason, your only coherent thought was Karen would have my hide.

Men were shouting, the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Flat on the floor, you couldn’t see anything, only heard Dutch shouting orders, police filling the streets outside, the solid sound of bullets connecting with flesh. There was nowhere to take cover. Somebody stepped on your leg and you gasped from the pain. A hand gripped your ankle and dragged you towards a wall. Panicked, you tried to scramble away until you registered Arthur’s voice trying to reassure you. 

“You boys play nice!” a deep voice bellowed from the porch. “We don’t want no hangings, now, y’here?”

“We will play nice when you play nice, Sheriff!” Dutch barked back. 

“This is a fucking massacre!” John spoke to the room at large. The men that had entered before were all on the floor, blood pooling around them, their guns laying forgotten on the wood. More were shouted outside. They were organizing to block all exits from town. There was no way you were gonna make it out now, you started to fear, and you could see the shared looks of the men with you echoing the same sentiment.

A surprised cry arose from outside as another gunshot cracked through the air. 

“There’s Mac!”

With renewed energy, everyone jumped up and sprang for the door. Feeling marginally brave, you snatched a gun from the floor, hoping you wouldn’t have to use it. Bill led the way out. Javier, John, and Dutch quickly followed, and Arthur made up the rear with you in tow, sticking to him like glue. 

The sun outside was blinding. You barely caught a glimpse of the street before you were rushed down the steps and around the side of the building. Back pressed against the wall, the pounding in your head started blocking out your hearing, and you only felt the vibrations in the air and under your feet. Even with all of Dutch’s careful planning, you were still trapped in this mess…

Arthur shouted your name. He stood, almost pressed to you, eyes burning. You snapped to attention, gun at the ready.

“We gotta make a break for it! Be ready on my count!”

It was all you could do to nod. You saw his horse in your peripheral, antsy and pawing, but waiting. You tried desperately to calm your breathing and gathered your skirts up out of your way. At the mark, you all ran, each in slightly different directions to mount their horses, spurring before fully mounted. Arthur was first and you scrambled after him, latching onto his arm and using the momentum of his horse to swing your leg over, skirts be damned. With a sharp cry, he urged his horse forward and away from town.

For a brief moment, you were free. Pounding hooves sounded behind you but were fading fast. The shouts of men continued to rip through the air, but you realized that they, too, were slowly growing faint.  And then a stabbing pain exploded in your thigh. A scream escaped before you could stop yourself. Trained well, Arthur didn’t stop his horse, but he tried to see what had happened, calling back to you with increasing desperation. You had been shot. The panic, the shortness of breath, and now the pain was too much. In a surprisingly short matter of seconds, black filled your vision and you were gone.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The rustle of the trees. The soft sound of running water. Crackling of a campfire. Low voices outside your tent. Your hair brushing your face. Dull and throbbing pain in your leg. Heaviness in your chest. And, finally, the realization you were laying on a cot and not your usual bedroll. 

Slowly, your eyes blinked open. This definitely wasn’t your tent. These weren’t your blankets. Only the soft glow from the fire and a few lanterns shone on the one canvas wall. It was enough light to see that this was Arthur’s tent, the small table with his journal and flower, his photographs on the wagon side. His smell on the blankets. You breathed in deeply.

A snort by your feet caused you to startle. Sitting up slowly, you saw Arthur slumped in a chair, his hat drawn over his face, arms crossed as he breathed evenly, the occasional snore breaking the silence. An strong and sharp pain made you hiss and, in turn, woke the outlaw from his slumber. 

“You’re awake,” he mumbled, barely awake himself as he sat up. 

“Regrettably…”

“How’re you feelin’?”

“Honestly? Not great,” you said, chuckling a little. “But I’ve had worse. Why am I here?”

“Thought you might like a real bed. Well, realer than your bedroll. We can put you out for the wolves, if ya like.” His teasing tone was back, but it was more strained than normal. He looked absolutely exhausted. 

“No, this is fine. It’s… nice.”

Silence fell again. You stared at a thread on the sheet while Arthur stared at you. Usually there was a party the night after a big score, everyone drinking and being merry. There was a strange lack of boisterous laughter, though, and you had the weird feeling it was your doing. 

“How did we make out?”

“Oh, we escaped,” he said, leaning back in the chair again. “But we’re trapped here awhile, there’ll be law crawlin’ everywhere for a few weeks.”

“How much?”

Not even your fixation on the money got him to crack a smile.

“Dunno.” Shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve been in here, makin’ sure you don’t die.”

Arthur’s behavior was bizarre. You hadn’t seen him behave this way when another gang member was injured, not even when John had nearly been lost last year, and it was starting to worry you. Was there something else you didn’t know about? Was your injury more serious than he was letting on? For a moment, you studied his face, the ache and shadows clear in the weak light, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw the barest sign of a light track down his cheek.

“Arthur…” 

It was such a soft whisper, you weren’t sure he had heard you at first. He lifted his eyes to meet yours. You tried desperately to read him for a second before finally caving.

“Arthur, what happened? Did someone not make it?”

At long last, he managed a short huff of air that might be mistaken for laughter. Shaking his head, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he ran his hands across his face, removing his hat and setting it on his wardrobe. When he looked at you again, he actually had a small smile, and relief had replaced what you had mistaken for grief.

“No, no, nothin’ like that.”

“So what’s the matter?”

He tilted his chin up, exhaling long and low towards the sky, seemingly contemplating something. It was quiet for an achingly long time. Another deep sigh and he brought his chin back down, meeting your gaze steadily.

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” he murmured. “I heard the shot, your scream… I thought you were gone for sure.”

Okay… you thought, still bewildered. We’ve almost lost people before. What makes me special?

“And I didn’t get the chance to tell you…” You had seen him struggle with words in the past, but this was different. It was almost as if his voice was physically fighting him on saying anything. “I couldn’t stand to lose you, truth be told. You mean-- That is, you’re very important-- That’s, well…”

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes as you realized what he was trying to say. You didn’t dare utter a word, hoping, begging him to just spit it out. You weren’t positive this was happening, as now you were almost certain you had actually died and this was the beginning of your personal heaven.

“I can’t lose you, darlin’.”

The tears spilled over and dripped down your cheeks. You couldn’t even feel the pain in your thigh as it felt like a major weight had been lifted off of you. Arthur was startled, concern growing once more on his face at your tears, but when you started to grin and laughter bubbled up, he relaxed and looked as embarrassed as a school boy, dropping his eyes and smiling himself.

“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me to hear,” you finally said, shaking your head at the silliness of it all. “I can’t lose you, either, Arthur. You mean the world to me.”

Slowly, the cowboy rose from his seat and approached the edge of the cot. You gingerly shifted yourself over to allow him to sit beside you, and he took the opportunity. You soaked in the other’s presence for just a moment. With the softest gaze you had seen from him, Arthur returned his attention to you. He lifted a hand to cup your face, his rough thumb stroking your cheek as he drank in your features, looking truly content for the first time. Gracefully and ever the gentleman, he tilted your face up to meet his as he carefully kissed you. It was light at first. He was testing the waters, not pushing too fast. But when you met him eagerly, he leaned in, hard. 

You didn’t dare breathe for the duration of the kiss, your heart a frightening combination of pounding and not beating at all. The taste of whiskey lingered fresh on his lips and left your mouth tingling. When Arthur pulled away, you shifted forward slightly, not wanting it to end. But, courteous as always, he pressed a lingering kiss on your forehead and then sat back again. Your eyes flickered all over his face. You were still unsure if you could catch your breath.

“Wanted to do that for a long time,” he muttered. All you could do was nod. Wow…

“Can you stay with me?” you blurted out. “Tonight?”

“O’ course,” he agreed. He tugged his boots off as you scooted as far over as you could, lifting the sheet for him to crawl into. Warmth radiated from his skin and it was like stepping into a comfortable bath as he wrapped his arms around you. You sighed into his chest, drinking in his smell with your face buried in him, hands gripping his shirt. The dull sting in your leg was in the background of your mind. It didn’t matter to you, though; you were safe here. And this wasn’t going to end any time soon.