#to be clear I will always support workers

[13tinysocks]

My Dead Girlfriend

The GDA scrambles to recoup losses. Relationships begin and end- badly.  [Invincible Variants x reader]

TW: I dunno. It's! Uhm! Ref, you shouldn't say that!

[Part one]  [4]  [Ao3] [6]

5 * Godspeed, Kid [8k]

"You broke my heart, 

I hope you die,

Emptier than how I feel inside,

And when you lay your head to rest at night I hope that you,

Never fall asleep when you think of all the things you do."

Plate Glass Apology - Apes of the State

        "He's not even gonna see it." Your nosy co-worker says. 

        "It's the principle." You say, pouring the milk slower, getting to the bottom of the pitcher where the thick foam sat. "Can't work up the guts to say something so," your words ebb as you delicately shake the pitcher, letting a glob of foam sit atop the caramel latte, "I'll do this until he notices." With a flick of the wrist, you strike the glob through. Leaving a heart of milk foam you hide under a white lid. 

        "Black Americano, London fog, and a caramel latte for Nolan." You push the drinks out all at once. A teenage boy slides off a tall chair at the center table in the lobby. You avert your gaze as he grabs the order, muttering thanks. You watch him walk away, feeling heat in your cheeks and butterflies in your belly. 

        He slides into the chair, passing out drinks. Not taking the lid off the cup, not noticing again. It's whatever, you're too scared to say what you want. Too shy. What were the chances anyway? Cute boy and a yearning barista? 

        His brick wall of a father catches your eye. Mustache twitching up at you before he turned to his son. He speaks low, so low you can't hear.  "I think that girl likes you, Mark." 

        Mark stiffens, going bright red. "T-there's no way you know that."

        Nolan sips his Americano. Nothing close as good to the real thing, but passable for a peaceful morning with his family. "Oh, I know."

        His mother laughs into her palm. The order printer spits out a ticket, you get back to work. 

        At some point, your manager sets you behind the register. The Saturday mid-morning rush is killing you. Understaffed, flooded with orders. The customers keep coming with no end in sight. You're the only cashier, and the people are getting impatient. 

        You can feel the waves of contempt wafting off everyone behind your current customer. Some middle-aged nobody who was currently driving you insane. "I want something hot, no, cold, wait, mmm, maybe hot." You make recommendations. "It has to be keto. Are any of your syrups gluten-free? What's the calorie count per squirt of syrup? Do you have sugar-free milk?" You try and try to steer her in the right direction but she won't listen. The line is growing and honestly, you want it to move so you can talk to the boy in line. Holding his cup, blushing, looking at his feet, then at his parents for moral support. 

        You shouldn't do it. Using your powers in public was a terrible idea, it always was. People don't much like mind-fuckers. You'd been demure using them. Controlling people wasn't right, it felt icky. You were determined to be good and very, very normal. 

        But you have no choice. She's not shutting her fat lip and you wanted to flirt. 

        You lean forward past the register, whispering, "You're gonna get a black coffee. Gonna love it so much you'll tip me twenty bucks. Then you're never coming back."

        Her eyes glazed. "One black coffee, please."

        "Coming right up!"

        He's two customers behind. You get them out of the way. Lean on the register, like you're too cool for fast food- or is it fast coffee? 

        He sets the cup down, looking anywhere but at you, "Tell me if I'm being weird or crazy or whatever but uhm..." He lifts the lid. The heart had melted into the latte. Oh, he hadn't seen it, had you just forgotten the caramel syrup? He didn't actually want to talk to you. 

        Across the cafe, his father loudly cleared his throat. 

        Mark forced himself to make eye contact. "Uh. I just wanted to say this is like, the best latte I've ever had and I uhm- wanted to give you something." He fumbled with a scrap in his back pocket. Pushing it into the tip jar. You see numbers hastily written on the back of his dad's receipt. Then he's flipping open his thin wallet, "I'm also gonna actually tip too don't worry, I'm not that full of myself."

        Your fingers fish the number out the jar. "This is more than enough for me." The words hit him like a mallet. He almost jumps out his shoes. Horrified a girl actually flirted with him.

        And that's how it started. A nudge from Nolan turned into texting late at night about shitty minimum wage jobs. Turned into his mom driving you to the theaters, to a first kiss for you both, after seeing a terrible adaptation of a comic book. Turned into wanting to go to college together, you'd never even thought about college before. Turned into him saying he'd help you figure out the money situation. You lived alone as a teenager, circumstances, life and powers you didn't tell him about. Turned into a single job for Machine Head, offering enough money for tuition.

        The funny thing was, Mark gave you his number the same day you caught Machine Head's camera eye. Hell, in the same five minutes. He'd been right behind the lady you'd hypnotized. Came up to the counter when the rush died two hours later. Long after he'd left, come back just to give you a sleek business card. His number, the address of his high rise suite.

        "If you ever wanna actually do something with your life." He'd said. And with him and Mark, you actually started to consider it. 

        ***

        He's leaned over her body, bandaged and still. Pulse slow but strong. Leg in a sling hung off the ceiling. His new mask resting on the edge of her bed. Not looking up when Cecil walked in, followed by you. 

        "I already told you, I'm not leaving her." He says. Back moving as he speaks. So much wider than when you knew it. Voice deeper, matured, and so tired. 

        "Yeah, yeah, they could come busting down the door any minute to kill her to get at you." Cecil says, "But I just hit them with all I've got and they're fine, Mark. So please, turn around and talk to us."

        "No."

        Cecil turns to you, jutting his jaw toward Mark. Telling you to talk. You already know your powers won't work on him. You were still weak from Narcan. Exhausted from being passed around and almost dying. So God forgive you if you don't speak with good faith.

        "You're pathetic."

        At that, he whips around. Brows twisting. "Who-" He stares, taking seconds to process, too long. You're almost unrecognizable. No light in your eyes. No teenage awkwardness. No smile. "If you're bringing her out to convince me, the answer's still no." He turns back to Eve. You're not important enough to look at longer than twenty seconds. There was none of the barely contained want you saw in the alternate Marks, no immediate recognition. 

        Your fists ball. You were just a chess piece of Cecil's to him? 

        "He almost fucking vaporized me with nukes and they're fine." You would play the role of pawn just fine. Your anger at the situation was genuine, leading you right into Cecil's trap. "If that won't work, nothing will. The planet needs you."

        "Then Eve needs me more than ever." He says hollowly.

        You want to vomit. All over him and his puppy-dog eyes. All over her and her pretty face, and altruistic personality- always thrown in your face on the news. 

        It had nothing to do with the current happenstance but it comes ripping out of you.

        "Do you even care that you ruined my life?" He doesn't respond. You want to hit something. Break someone's bones. You remember Seventeen falling to the ground dead. The swirl of emotions you felt. You think if you did it again, there'd only be one emotion. 

        You go on, watching for a reaction. A shoulder slump, a sigh, anything. "I owed Machine Head after the job because I didn't deliver. You threw me in jail. He protected me. I owed him more, and if I didn't pay up, he'd kill me. Do you even know what I had to do? Did you ever think about it? I never even got to finish High School, Mark!"

        He doesn't flinch. Braced for a lashing. You realize then and there. He'd must've known you'd gone back. He worked for the GDA long enough for someone to fill him in. Flew over the city all the time. Knew people who knew people. He'd have heard it through the grapevine at some point. He'd only come looking the once. Maybe thinking to himself in his stupid puppy brain that you were better off without him. That you could make your way in the world. That you didn't want to see him and weren't totally drowning and in such desperate need of saving.

        "Look at me." You try to grasp for power that doesn't come, you could make him, but you can't. Your lips wobble. Cheeks burning with humiliation. Not only because he wouldn't look at you but Cecil was there, witnessing the whole thing. You turn your mind to something more pressing, another thing that makes you so angry you want to rip off heads. "If you're gonna fuck the planet over, have the decency to look at me and tell me you're not helping."

        His head dips. Leaning closer into Eve's orbit. "No. The answer's no. I can't leave her."

        He won't look at you. You're nothing but an unimportant memory. Something in you breaks. The onslaught of Marks you didn't even know cared about you more. But what had you been expecting from him? Hope for a romance re-lit? Hope to have the balls to kill him? You don't know.

        You hold back tears. Force your quavering lip into a hard line. "Fine. You won't do shit? I will." Cecil looks at you, brow raised as if he wasn't wanting for one of you to step up.

        "I'll figure it out." You tell him as you storm out the room. Unable to hold the tears any longer. 

        ***

        You're gone. Gone. Blasted to dust. Dead, again.

        He knew the trap was coming, but he couldn't stop it and save you at the same time. He thought he could be stronger, faster, but that damn noise got him. Made his ears pulse and bleed even with the noise cancellation device in his suit. Hell, part of him hoped since the others seemed to care so much, maybe they'd stop the bombs.

        Now he's in the pit that used to be an island. Ocean water roaring down the ledge. Looking for pieces of you. But there is nothing but water and rock.

        He checks his tracker, coming to his senses after minutes of reeling. Your dot doesn't appear. Your vitals no longer showing in the corner of his lenses. 

        He wants Angstrom to appear. Wants to rip that engorged brain off his scalp. He should've known it was a ruse, a sick joke because you were dead everywhere but here, and no way in hell would he- or any of them- be so lucky as to hold you again. 

        Angstrom doesn't come. Nor do anymore bombs. The planet is out of defenses. 

        One by one the Marks give up. Speeding off the to nearest city to level or person to kill. Blaming this world for false hope. Leveling it more than it already had been. Suppose that's what Angstrom was planning. For that, he'd kill the bastard whenever it was time to meet at the rendezvous.

        ***

        There is nothing to do but wait. Cecil withheld the remaining heroes in safe houses across the globe. The ones that didn't listen, the ones that thought letting the Invincible's scourge the planet was stupid, never came back. Cecil's plan was simple, wait for it to be over. He'd tried taking them down one by one, tried en masse, tried everything but only a handful fell. The remaining were too much for any defense the planet had and the real Invincible wasn't lifting a finger to help. 

        So Cecil made every other hero follow suit. Biding his time. Waiting to launch the rescue missions rather than offense. 

        He did things where he could. Trying to contain. Remotely launching tear gas specially compounded to fuck up a supe, but of course it did nothing to Viltruimtes. Playing that awful sound that made Mark weak. Except most speakers on the planet couldn't play it at the correct pitch, so the most it did was cause a minor annoyance before the speaker was smashed.

      Psycopomp watched as you avoided everybody. As you went unpunished for your crimes, many of the same things she'd done, but shit. Making people do as you said was just immoral. At least with the dead, they couldn't feel or even know what was happening. 

        Cecil wanted Psychopomp to help. To zap her into areas under attack for her to raise the re-dead re-animen. She refused because he let you walk free. 

        Then he'd laid it on her like this, "There's only a handful of people on the planet left with a chance of killing any of the alternate Mark Graysons. She took one out single-handedly, that's not for nothing. Listen, if you help us we can think about opening an investigation on (Y/n) but as long as this lasts, we need her." 

        Psychopomp agreed. Glazing over the word think. She was sent into the field, one disaster after another raising the dead undead. Watching them get killed again and again. Being zapped back to the GDA just to be sent somewhere else in the next five minutes, rinse, repeat. 

        Day one was bad, day two was worse, and on the dawn of three the destruction started to lull. Cecil lost more employees than he'd thought possible. The hospital wing keeping Eve alive was down to three staffers working round the clock. They'd drop of exhaustion any moment and they'd all be fucked because Mark, the real Mark, would be so angry he'd finish the destroying the planet before his alternates could.

        Then there was you. 

        Hovering around the remains of the GDA headquarters like a ghost. Useless because you didn't understand military strategy. Petty gangwar bullshit didn't apply anywhere here. Nowhere else to go because there's nowhere to go, as if Cecil would let you leave anyway. Keeping you around as a last resort, plans tumbling around in his balding head. Nothing solid enough. 

        So he let you wander, let you have time alone in the one working bathroom, washing your body with hand soap and mineral thick water. Didn't bat an eye when you pulled the armor off a guard's corpse. Even down to the white tank top undershirt and shorts he wore under. Least you had the decency the put the guy's hands over his dick.

        Cecil wasn't blind or stupid. You dressing yourself in the black and green armor of a GDA solider was no coincidence. There were plenty of dead lab techs to take normal clothes off. 

        You looked for nearly an entire day for a pulse rifle that was fully loaded and still shot. Most of the dead guards fought for their lives before being cut down. You could shoot, but had no idea how tech this advanced was reloaded. Hell, just holding the rifle felt awkward compared to your six-shooter. It wouldn't be enough and you knew it. But you didn't know what else you could do. 

        You practiced firing, using guns with less ammo. It was the only thing that felt useful to do. The only thing that felt right, because marching into the hospital wing and shooting Mark wasn't an option.

        The last of the engineering staff reverse-engineered the remnants of the cuff they'd broken off your ankle. Barely. The signal was spotty, and his location was never exact but they had an estimate of where one of them was at all times. 

        It rose alarms when his signal was stopped above the Grayson household. Cecil cut to the closest working cameras he had, which happened to be real close since he had dozens of eyes on the Grayson's since Nolan went rogue. 

        The tracked one wasn't alone. Hovering over his childhood home was Mark, Mark, Mark, and Mark, and a handful more Mark's. They were speaking so far from the nearest micro-mic the sensor could barely pick up the words.

        "--s taking him so lon-"

        "How is he late? He--  -teleport."

        "Stop whini--"

        You push off the wall. You'd been waiting. Watching. Hoping a handful of them would group up again and you could kill Mark over and over and over. All you could think about these last two days was Mark. His back toward you. How long it'd taken him to recognize you. The memory of meeting at your shitty job. The anger boiled you alive. Made you stupid enough to stay with the GDA and not move into a safe house. Though Cecil never suggested you did. Part of him hoped you could do something.

        Their conversation carried on. You moved to Cecil's side, pulling the dead guard's helmet over your head. "I'm going." Your tone leaves no room for argument.

        He should argue. You're barely a real adult. So much to live for. So easy to kill in a Viltrumite's hands. But he doesn't, because he knows you killed one of them, you could kill more. Rest and rage have fueled you with diesel and you're ready to light the match. 

        "Are you sure?" Donald turns from the screen, monitoring the Marks. "There's no guarantee we can get you out once we send you in." The teleporter was fixed for a few hours, but sending in all those re-animen for the bombing? Fucked it over again. The first few times they sent out Psychopomp, she was fine, but the last trip went bad. You vaguely heard she refused to go back out into the field. That the teleporter didn't work when it was supposed to, that she got hurt by one of them.

       But at least she found Caligula while running for her life. Fuzzball came bounding up to her, happy to run beside her. She was smug when she'd come back despite shaking and being paler than an eggshell. Caligula sometimes came to you for love, but it wasn't enough to heal the chasm that'd opened in your chest. You shooed him away, no love to give. Psychopomp took the role of mommy dearest.

        Fine by you. 

        You weren't actively suicidal, just angry. Spiteful. In your wildest dreams, you thought of people praising you for bravery. Cash prizes and a penthouse. Everyone knowing Mark didn't go to the final confrontation, but you had. He let you go alone so he could be sad at his girlfriend's bedside. 

        Then again, you didn't give two horse shits about saving the planet. You knew you wouldn't live to see glory and that was fine. You wouldn't know how to live with glory. To uphold a shiny new hero status. You were bad and couldn't conceive of any other way you could be. 

        "I'm sure." You tilt your head toward the teleporter, "Are you going to let me go or not?" 

        Cecil's scarred lip twitched. "It's a death sentence." His words weren't meant to convince you away. They were a warning label slapped down for legal reasons.

        "I know." You made your way to the teleporter. The men trailing behind you. 

        You look back at the screen. The Marks chatter on. You let the rifle rest on your knee while your hand goes to your pocket.

        "You should know drugs like that don't actually enhance powers." Cecil nods to your soldier pants where you'd stuff the last two bottles of codeine atop your phone, wallet, keys, other odds and ends. As if you'd need them where you were going. Old habits, they say.

        "They do for me." Your foot hovers over the teleporter edge.       

        "We've done extensive testing on drugs combined with powers. Enhancements are always from a placebo." Donald says, robo jaw clinking. 

         You don't want to believe him, but you do. Because the 'power-up' was never consistent. You drop the bottle back into your pocket. Just another thing you had hoped for that wasn't true. "Well, thanks for ruining the placebo."

        "Doesn't help anyone if you overdose," Cecil says gruffly.

        A wry smile ticks your lip under the gray-tinted visor. "You saying you believe in me?"

        "You're the last chance we've got, so I have to." He can't see but you roll your eyes.

        Your foot comes down on the teleporter platform. You turn to the tech running the thing, "Get me close enough to shoot but not close enough to immediately die." They nod. 

        "Hey!" Her voice cuts the room, the finality of the moment. Psychopomp weaves around Cecil and the techies. Right side of her supersuit torn away. Banadages wrapped tight around the stump that came a few inches off her shoulder. Entire arm gone. You hadn't noticed, so lost in your own head.

        "You said there'd be an investigation." She says before Cecil tells her to go lay down. The medical staff barely saved her life yesterday. 

        "I said I'd think about it." Cecil says, waving to a tech to get started on powering up the teleporter. 

        She snarls, rearing on you. "So what? You're just gonna leave on some suicide mission before telling me where my brother is? Like it'll make up for all the shit you've done? You a hero now?"

        You blink slowly at her. Unbothered because so much worse had happened these last days you couldn't bring yourself to care. Around you, the machine rattles and glows. 

        "Tell me!" She snaps. 

        "If he wasn't dead before, he's dead now." Not an admission, by any means, but enough for her to put the puzzle pieces together.

        Just before you're zapped away to your early grave, Cecil says, "Godspeed, kid."

        The light around you apexes. You can't see anymore. "Fuck you."

        You hear her voice, not letting you get the last word in, "No!"

        You're shoved backwards. A hand on your arm. Then you're both gone. Leaving Cecil to care for the cat, already winding around his legs.

        ***

        Back-first, you hit the pavement. Head cracking against the ground. Armor absorbing the blow. 

        Psychopomp peeled herself up wobbily on her one arm. Shoddy supersuit no match for the unpaved road.

        She's going to scream questions about her brother. Going to call their attention to you. You do what needs to be done-  crack the side of her head with the rifle's butt before she can even open her mouth. Her eyes roll back as she goes limp on top of you. You look to the sky and find nothing. Carefully, you slide out from under her and begin to walk that painfully memorable trip to the Grayson household.

        You'd recognized it immediately on the GDA screens. Remembered making out on Mark's bed. Dinner with his family. Texting him while you were in the same room, giggling about it.

        The world around you is ashes. Most of the fires already gone out, all the houses eaten up. You withhold a, "Jesus Christ." Keeping the gun's muzzle tight to your body. You wonder from where Cecil watches. 

        You peak around the corner of LeBolt Street and Green Drive. Sure enough, the last house on the left stands on its last white legs. Car gone from its driveway, making you remember Debbie. You liked her, hoped she wasn't dead even though her son was a prick. 

        Above the ruin, they wait. You can't hear their conversation. You count, one, two, three... eleven. Fucking eleven. You took down one because the others were distracted, but distracting ten to remove one? Seemed impossible. 

        You were afraid, not in the traditional 'oh shit I'm going to die' sense, because you had felt like that for the better part of five years and it was easy to tune out. The feeling that filled you was more final, a righteous 'I need to kill at least half these people before I go to hell'. You figured it was best to start small, experimental. You hide in charcoal rubble and fire a single blast into the curbside in front of your hiding spot. 

        "Oh great, somebody left a survivor." Mohawk bitched, "No wonder he won't come, he's too afraid someone else is gonna see his fucked up head."

        Some of them snicker, most don't.

        "I've got it." A voice says, "Gotta work out the kinks in my back still, think that kid actually knocked a disc loose."

        "Who cares, just do it." Someone snaps.

        He's at the curb in a flash. Falling on his haunches, flicking at the still smoking debris. His swim-capped head gleaming from the distant sun's glow. "Alright guy, come out. I've got worlds to take over and I really-"

       You dare not speak for fear of being heard even at a whisper. Your arm comes out, fingers beckoning. He'd been looking in your direction. Lazy smile playing on his lips before the control sunk it's claws in.

        He hobbles over and crouches in front of your hiding spot.

        Before, you'd have drunk codeine and given it the credit but now? Credit was given to the rage this place brought you. Walking around this very block, talking about nothing and everything. Hope for the future. Mark's back to you. 

        You point through the charcoal of the shuddered window you'd been hiding behind. His eyes follow, landing on Scars. Your finger goes to your throat, crossing it in a slow, deliberate line. Kill him.

        You wish there was a universal gesture for 'come back when you're done so I can tell you to murder these other freaks'  but there wasn't. Unless he knew ASL, which you highly doubted.        

        He blasts off the ground. The shudder falls and you barely duck out of the way before it could pin you to the ground. You find another hiding spot to watch from.

        Someone already murmuring, "Took you long enough," at his return.

        Knowing these freaks, they'd jump on Swimcap the second he attacked. He'd be the one who wound up dead. Sex offense poster boy would be a nice bonus. Then they'd come, searching for what drove Swimcap kill crazy. You'd use them to kill each other. Make the last one standing snap his own neck- if you got that far, if your power didn't drain.

        Scars opened his mouth, "I didn't hear a scr-" His teeth clacked shut on his tongue. Blood filling his mouth as he's shot a mile into the sky. You watch Swimcap shoot up after him. Your puppet got above Scars head before he could regain his bearings and balled his fists over his own head before bringing them down on Scars' chest. He came back down to Earth like a meteor, smashing the remnants of the house. Sending shockwaves through the busted neighborhood.

        Swimcap flew down, feet extended, aiming to sever Scars head from his neck. Scars catches him by the ankles, rolls, and slams Swimcap  facedown into the foundation of the house. "Fuck's wrong with you?" He doesn't wait for reply, climbing atop the other version of himself, letting fists rule. 

        The others lower in the sky, curious. 

        "You can't double cross me, I was going to double cross you." Scars snaps between blows.

        Swimcap finally regains his bearings, catching one fist then the other. Four teeth knocked out of his mouth, blood vessels burst in his eyes, the lenses of his cap broken. Scars catches the look in his eye, the glaze of control before a knee slams into his dick. Swimcap gets on top.

        You lean forward. Smiling like it was the best movie you'd ever seen.  

        A fist is raised. Then grabbed by a red glove.

        "We're supposed to be working together, not killing each other." Omni-Mark says. 

        Scars sneers, "Like we weren't going to turn on each other at some point."

        Swimcap brings his free fist down. Snapping Scars head to the side. 

        "Stop it." Omni-Mark says, "Or I'll be forced to act on the aggressor."

        "I can handle this myself!" Scars hands come up to either side of Swimcap's head. "He just surprised me!" The muscles in his arms bulge, veins on his hands pulsing as he presses and presses and presses. Swimcap's jaw ticks, goes unnaturally to the side, eyes go redder, bleeding tears before they pop out, dangling on his cheeks. Then the top of his head pops up, brains squirting up in a pressurized blast. Chunks landing on the front of Omni-Mark's suit, much to his distaste.

       Scars shoves the body off, not minding the blood. Omni-Mark lets his limp wrist fall, holds out his newly freed hand to help Scars up. He slaps it away. "Didn't need your fucking help."

        "Really?" Mohawk's scratchy voice calls down, "Cuz it sure looked like you needed it to me!"

        "Shut up." Scars says.

        Together, the landed pair rejoin the group in the air. 

        "Any idea why he did that?" One of them asks.

        Looks and shrugs are shared. "Guy blew his load too early, I guess." Mohawk says. A minute passes. He speaks again, "Seriously, what's taking that guy so long?"

        "This would pass a lot faster if you'd shut up," Emperor says.

        "He knows he can't deliver on his promises anymore." The bald one looks from version of himself to version of himself. "He's scared shitless."

        "No way he can't deliver me more universes." Scars spits. 

        "Don't act like you weren't losing your shit when she died." Mohawk jerks in the air. Tense all over. Waiting for someone to come at him so he could hit something hard as he could.

        "I think it was fitting." Scars tone is all confident sarcasm, but he won't look at anybody. "Bitch deserved it."

        Two of them look at each other. A Mark in his old blue-yellow uniform, no mask. The other in what looked like a tracksuit with a fluttering mask covering his face. Puzzlement crossed between them.

        Mohawk was on him, fists twisted in the bottom of Scars mask. "I was gonna kill you eventually, but I think now's a great fuckin' t-"

        "Dregs! Dregs, you bitch! Where the fuck are you!?" Screeches through the neighborhood's exposed bones. So many of them go rigor mortis stiff. Then the sound comes again, "(Y/n)! I know you're here!"

        You peek out of your hiding spot. See Psychopomp shambling down the street where you'd popped into existence. Blood streaked down her pallid forehead. A snarl on her thin lips. 

        She's stupid. You think. She's suicidal. You think. She wants to get me killed.

        She throws her head back, "Come out!"

        Phantom is the first on top of her. Grappling her hard by the shoulder and stub. "(Y/n)? You said (Y/n)? You said (Y/n) is here?" Desperation pierces through the modulator. That of someone teetering on the edge of an endless chasm. 

        "Who-" She tries to slap his hands off and finds she can't. She switches gears, fighting not an option. She'd already seen what happened back in New York with the other contingencies. Remembered just who had ripped her arms off before Mercy healed them. Her voice held a quiver, "Yes, did you see her?" 

        "Obviously not." Emperor lands beside her. "You said she's present?"

        "We came together." Psychopomp breathes out. A nervous sweat shone on her cheeks, like she finally realized what she was doing. "Knocked me out and left."

        Jesus Christ, she'd switch sides if it meant getting at you.

        Lensless is next to touch down. "Uh, I saw those bombs go off like, right in her face. She's dead. You just know you can't escape without us catching you. I mean, shit, I'd do the same thing but-"

        In goes a breath, out comes a hateful scream, "Dregs!"

        You don't budge. She ruined everything on purpose. Most of the Marks had come from above the house to swarm around her. Only three remain above the house, impassively watching. The maskless one, the tracksuit wearer, the white-clad warrior. Eyes in the sky. If you even put a finger out of your hiding spot, they'd see. It was best to stay put, make her look crazy, let her die, then resume the plan.

        Except Phantom had sensors in his lenses. A sensor he used to scan the area, quickly picking out the outline of your crouched form behind a wall. He was on you. Tearing off the GDA helmet before you could attempt to shove him off. 

        It was you. Oh God, it was really you.

        The helmet falls out of his hands. He hugs you quick, almost imperceptibly so, before the other versions of himself round the corner with Psychopomp in tow. 

        "Stay where you are." The command is for them, not her, as if it'd work anyway. You had no idea how long they'd hold. You're not coming off Narcan so probably more than a millisecond. No longer than forty-five seconds at best.

         You dip down, snatching the helmet, pulling it back on over your head. But they'd all seen. The helmet was a matter of protection and anonymity of emotion. Protection that'd do little against them but still, it was something.

        The collective paused. Marks stiff, most of them anyway. A few seem unaffected, just waiting to see what would happen. Blood is already starting to pool at the top of your nasal passage.

         Psychopomp prowls closer, stopping when she sees a gun the size of her thigh cradled in your arms.

        "Where is Digby?" She demands. Ah, the whereabouts of her heroine skinny brother. That old chestnut.

        You watch the Marks for signs of a cracking hold. Look at Psycopomp, pale with yesterday's bloodloss. And run. 

        You can't deal with all of them at once. This was a one-by-one operation. You needed, "Cecil!" To get you the fuck out of dodge. You needed to regroup. Come back later. Not have Psychopomp fucking ruin everything.

        But the teleporter light doesn't consume you. You are not saved.

        You are grabbed from behind almost soon as your legs started pumping. Arms tight around your midsection. Pulpy eyehole pressing to the side of your visor.

        "Jeez, you're slow." Lensless says.

        "Let go."

        He does. But your control on the others had gone. They could converge on you whenever they wanted and "Cecil, God damn it," won't, "help me!"

        Help doesn't come. Rescue doesn't come. 

        Scars laughs, wiping bloodstains off his suit to little avail, "You're on your own. He never comes if it means his own neck." Just like Cecil had warned.

        Psychopomp moves through their ranks. Not accepted in, but so insignificant there'd be no point in killing her. They all had to wait for Angstrom anyways. 

        "Where is he, Dregs?"

        You're on your own unless you convince her to work with you. "Last our guys saw, he fell into the lava pits when Invincible fought Doc Seismic." You lie through your teeth. The first thing you could think of while tying in Invincible. 

        "Bullshit!" She calls. The Marks frame her back. Watching. Curious about you, your life, your enemies, your petty human squabbles. "He couldn't be in Washington, he couldn't drive."

        Crossed arms tensed over a red-white chest. "Keep speaking to my wife like that and your other arm is gone." 

        Psychopomp looks. Visabily shaking at the Omni-Man impersonator's presence. 

        You ignore him. "Machine Head sent him to do mule work there to pay off his debts." You go on, rolling with the story. "Best not to tell you so you couldn't bail him out again." 

        Her eye twitched. "I was the last person who saw him alive in New York, Dregs. Don't lie after you said that cryptic shit at the GDA. Don't I deserve to know- don't you still care about me a little bit?"

        No, but you don't say that. Instead, you pivot, "If those motherfuckers behind you don't die right now there'll be no justice system to help you find out what happened."

        Mohawk cackles, "Hah! That's so code for she killed that guy!"

        "Is it?" Psycopomp asks. 

        "Don't listen to them." You insist, fingers tightening around the pulse rifle. "They destroyed the planet, Psych. Don't be stupid. Work with me here."

         "If the planet's already destroyed, how is she going to take you to court? 'S better if you just get revenge right now." Scars grins. Knowing exactly what buttons he's pushing. 

        You have to tell the truth. Make her so blind with hatred that waiting years for supe-prisons to be rebuilt just for you to rot didn't even seem like an option.

        "Alright, fine." Your breaths come short and humid under the visitor. You're not sure you should be saying this. Before it'd definitely get you killed for sharing confidential business information, but Machine Head was out of the picture so who was going to punish you- God? "Digby's somewhere in the Colorado River." At that, her face falls, a single tear slipping hot down her cheek. His death had always been a suspicion, no evidence, no confirmation. No CCTV. Nothing. All set up by Machine Head's men. But now it was confirmed, after two years of searching, wondering. 

        "So he's..."

        "Dead, yes."

        "And you..."

        The sorrow is morphing, unstable, but in a state so fresh and raw you could mold it to your advantage. The only card you had left to play. "I had to. You know how our line of work is. If you want to kill me, I get it but if you want the actual privilege of doing me in yourself- help me deal with these assholes first." You knew the undead civilians would do nothing to them, but a minor distraction was the best thing you could pull out of this situation she'd forced you both into.

        She blinked. Tears coming faster, faster. "You..."

        You see one of their fingers twitch, wondering when he should step in. 

        "You can't kill me if they do first, Michelle." Her name is a slap to the face. Only passed about in private, such as your apartment air mattress. Anger reddens her. She's shaking her head, mentally trying to ward off your manipulation. Hands are flexing now. 

        "Kill you? What? No, babe, I'm here to take you home." Mohawk says loud and clear for all to hear. Taking a mallet to your plans.

        "He's lying." You say. "You saw that one," you nod toward Emperor Shoulder Pads, "had me by the throat. He's trying to trick you." Except you didn't think he was. 

        "You made me do it." Shoulder Pads replies. "But I wasn't going to k-"

        "Shut your mouth." You turn back to Psychopomp, desperate, "These people are not our allies or enemies of an enemy. They are going to finish the job and kill us both if you don't do something." 

        And Psychopomp saw right through your flimsy manipulation. "You're scared of what I'm going to do to you."

        She wasn't listening. You had to go in, hard, unnecessarily brutally honest. Full-on nuclear blast.

        "I didn't have to tell him to kneel." You say, telling the truth to her for once, "He knew he was screwed. You knew how deep in debt he was to Machine Head, but you just kept letting him use. Telling yourself he'd quit before he overdosed. He knew he'd never be able pay and never be able to stop." Her hands come up and start to glow. You hoped those zombies would be pointed anywhere but at you. "He wanted to die. He knew he couldn't give his daughter a good life and knew Shelly was too religious to abort."

        "Shelly-" She says, dimly remembering his brother's girlfriend. Remembering she hadn't seen her in years. The last time she saw her was with Digby. For awhile she blamed Shelly, then there was you. Machine Head. A tip from a friend. "-Was pregnant?"

        "Oh shit." One of them says. You don't look to see who.

        "Five months." You supply. "She didn't want to die but she walked in, couldn't be helped."

        "You killed my niece?" It was more a question than a statement.

        "Machine Head would've killed me if I hadn't, Michelle."

        "You killed my brother!" Her fingers curl, as if sucked in by the light vortexes of power in her palm. "My family!" The only she had left.

        Mouths twist into smiles and horrified frowns at your cruelty. 

        You don't know where to aim the pulse rifle. At them or her. "You can kill me when this is over. Fuck, throw me in the slammer even."

        "I don't give a shit about justice!" The houses around you stir with dead residents coming to life, "I'm going to fucking kill you- now!"

        "Listen!" You were losing control of the situation. Once the action started, you weren't sure you'd be able to escape. 

        "No! Jail isn't enough! I've seen what you can do. I've been there to see the kinda shit you make people do. There is something wrong with you, and you just need to die." She can't stop crying.

        The first of the undead shamble out of their broken homes. They aren't slow. On you in what feels like moments. You're forced to turn to fire green blasts into their heads. Stepping out of the way of their still reaching hands when they fall. 

        "God- Jesus- Damn it." You elbow, pistol whip, kick, and shoot at the growing horde but it's too much. You'll be overwhelmed soon. "Stop being stupid. They'll kill you." 

        They look like they will. Phantom surges forward to save you but is grabbed by the ankle by Scars.

        "I want to see this." He says.

        Phantom forces himself still. He must not reveal how deeply you'd infected him. So he watches, waiting for things to be dire enough to actually justify jumping in. As do the others, who felt that tickle of desire to play hero. 

        Some, Mohawk, Scars, Lesnless, watch because it's so nice seeing you kill. There were other approving glances, but so quiet and unnoticeable you didn't catch them in your panic.

        "I don't care! I don't fucking care!" The buzzed hair atop her scalp seems to bristle at the sight of you still living. Her palm glows brighter, extending her reach much as she can with the bloodloss. "Die! Just die!"

        No amount of coaxing will do it. You made a bet and lost. You had to take whatever winnings you could still scrap.

        You let decrepit hands hit the body armor. Forcing yourself through the crowd of gored families. Whacking heads and shoulders to make a clear lane for you to aim- and fire. The first shot is taken by a women with no eyes. She goes down. More zombies surge to block your shots. 

        The Marks twitch with nervous energy. Thinking of jumping in, but uneasy to show their weakness for you in front of the others. Deciding if you're not out in ten more seconds, they'll do something.

        You take a breath, steadying as your line of sight crowded with the dead. Their teeth gnawing at your arms and ankles. Weak fists at your back. And shot, once, twice, thrice through the bodies until the fourth blast goes through Michelle's head. Spitting her face from the top of her lip to her buzzcut. 

        Michelle hits the ground. Brains splattering on the pavement. Her minion's grip and teeth loosen. 

        Arms scoop under your knees, support your back faster than you can breathe. Taking off before you can think to scream. Shooting toward the clouds. The rifle falling out of your hands.

        He couldn't take it anymore. Seeing you covered in blood. Seeing you holding that weapon. You weren't supposed to be like that. Supposed to look like that.

        "I thought I lost you." You feel the rumble of his chest. Black and blue carbon fiber suit rubbing against your body armor. You have to force your head up against the sudden G-force. Mask covering all but the horror and relief in his tone. You can see the shell of your mask reflected back in those blue lenses. 

        You don't think just speak, "Let me go."

        He does. Involuntarily. Mortified that he did. Unmoving, waiting for your next command but you drop so fast, scream so loud, it never comes. He watches as you plummet five-thousand feet.

        "Catch me! Catch me now!" No one could hear you over the whistling of the wind. 

        All that fighting. Days of angsting, building up their deaths in your head. Only to kill one, then yourself on accident. Way to go, idiot.

        You see a white flash. Feel yourself stop. Your body jerks against the suddenness. Head snapping back, whacking against a solid arm. You are gone, nothing but black swimming unconsciousness. 

        "She's fine." You hear him say, Mark for sure, but in a tone you hadn't come to know. "To my understanding, humans can not withstand sudden changes in atmosphere."

        "Let me see! I wanna see if she's still breathing." Mohawk, definitely. "Hey, dickhead! You almost fuckin' killed her! You happy up there!? Yeah, you better stay away from me, pussy."

        "She is." The new Mark says evenly. 

        Another comes to volley. "We should get back to the rendezvous." 

        Green light penetrates past your closed eyes. Making them twitch and flutter open just in time to see him step into existence. Red lights screwed into his supermassive brain. Metal welded to his body. Power pooling at his feet, sustaining himself in the air. "No need." Eyes, one brown, the other milky with blindness, slide to you, "The location doesn't so much matter, as long as we have the guest of honor."

[sharptoothed-gaze]

I almost feel like the Union is vague posting about creators with the wording of their last statement in some areas. Like,, please just say what creators are saying these things and what they have said that is encouraging harassment.

If that sort of statement is legally acceptable, then just go for it. Quackity is being very quite on many aspects of this case and he says it is for legality. I don’t know the ins and outs of US law so maybe some of that is bullshit. Maybe he can be open about much more. I would appreciate if the Union, was in turn, also open about their statements if that is the case. If the law allows for more open speech then damn! I would appreciate more of it please.

Quackity hasn’t mentioned any streamers outside of himself and I don’t think he has ever said past admins are the ones causing his harassment. (If that is wrong I would like to know it.)

Also if there are creators specifically causing harm to the Union’s clients, like they seem to be implying, I would also like to know that.

[trans-axolotl]

also in regards to that last article about varied ways of thinking about psychosis/altered states that don't just align with medical model or carceral psychiatry---I always love sharing about Bethel House and their practices of peer support for schizophrenia that are founded on something called tojisha kenkyu, but I don't see it mentioned as often as things like HVN and Soteria House.

ID: [A colorful digital drawing of a group of people having a meeting inside a house while it snows outside.]

"What really set the stage for tōjisha-kenkyū were two social movements started by those with disabilities. In the 1950s, a new disability movement was burgeoning in Japan, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that those with physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, began to advocate for themselves more actively as tōjisha. For those in this movement, their disability is visible. They know where their discomfort comes from, why they are discriminated against, and in what ways they need society to change. Their movement had a clear sense of purpose: make society accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. Around the same time, during the 1970s, a second movement was started by those with mental health issues, such as addiction (particularly alcohol misuse) and schizophrenia. Their disabilities are not always visible. People in this second movement may not have always known they had a disability and, even after they identify their problems, they may remain uncertain about the nature of their disability. Unlike those with physical and visible disabilities, this second group of tōjisha were not always sure how to advocate for themselves as members of society. They didn’t know what they wanted and needed from society. This knowing required new kinds of self-knowledge.

As the story goes, tōjisha-kenkyū emerged in the Japanese fishing town of Urakawa in southern Hokkaido in the early 2000s. It began in the 1980s when locals who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders created a peer-support group in a run-down church, which was renamed ‘Bethel House’. The establishment of Bethel House (or just Bethel) was also aided by the maverick psychiatrist Toshiaki Kawamura and an innovative social worker named Ikuyoshi Mukaiyachi. From the start, Bethel embodied the experimental spirit that followed the ‘antipsychiatry’ movement in Japan, which proposed ideas for how psychiatry might be done differently, without relying only on diagnostic manuals and experts. But finding new methods was incredibly difficult and, in the early days of Bethel, both staff and members often struggled with a recurring problem: how is it possible to get beyond traditional psychiatric treatments when someone is still being tormented by their disabling symptoms? Tōjisha-kenkyū was born directly out of a desperate search for answers.

In the early 2000s, one of Bethel’s members with schizophrenia was struggling to understand who he was and why he acted the way he did. This struggle had become urgent after he had set his own home on fire in a fit of anger. In the aftermath, he was overwhelmed and desperate. At his wits’ end about how to help, Mukaiyachi asked him if perhaps he wanted to kenkyū (to ‘study’ or ‘research’) himself so he could understand his problems and find a better way to cope with his illness. Apparently, the term ‘kenkyū’ had an immediate appeal, and others at Bethel began to adopt it, too – especially those with serious mental health problems who were constantly urged to think about (and apologise) for who they were and how they behaved. Instead of being passive ‘patients’ who felt they needed to keep their heads down and be ashamed for acting differently, they could now become active ‘researchers’ of their own ailments. Tōjisha-kenkyū allowed these people to deny labels such as ‘victim’, ‘patient��� or ‘minority’, and to reclaim their agency.

Tōjisha-kenkyū is based on a simple idea. Humans have long shared their troubles so that others can empathise and offer wisdom about how to solve problems. Yet the experience of mental illness is often accompanied by an absence of collective sharing and problem-solving. Mental health issues are treated like shameful secrets that must be hidden, remain unspoken, and dealt with in private. This creates confused and lonely people, who can only be ‘saved’ by the top-down knowledge of expert psychiatrists. Tōjisha-kenkyū simply encourages people to ‘study’ their own problems, and to investigate patterns and solutions in the writing and testimonies of fellow tōjisha.

Self-reflection is at the heart of this practice. Tōjisha-kenkyū incorporates various forms of reflection developed in clinical methods, such as social skills training and cognitive behavioural therapy, but the reflections of a tōjisha don’t begin and end at the individual. Instead, self-reflection is always shared, becoming a form of knowledge that can be communally reflected upon and improved. At Bethel House, members found it liberating that they could define themselves as ‘producers’ of a new form of knowledge, just like the doctors and scientists who diagnosed and studied them in hospital wards. The experiential knowledge of Bethel members now forms the basis of an open and shared public domain of collective knowledge about mental health, one distributed through books, newspaper articles, documentaries and social media.

Tōjisha-kenkyū quickly caught on, making Bethel House a site of pilgrimage for those seeking alternatives to traditional psychiatry. Eventually, a café was opened, public lectures and events were held, and even merchandise (including T-shirts depicting members’ hallucinations) was sold to help support the project. Bethel won further fame when their ‘Hallucination and Delusion Grand Prix’ was aired on national television in Japan. At these events, people in Urakawa are invited to listen and laugh alongside Bethel members who share stories of their hallucinations and delusions. Afterwards, the audience votes to decide who should win first prize for the most hilarious or moving account. One previous winner told a story about a failed journey into the mountains to ride a UFO and ‘save the world’ (it failed because other Bethel members convinced him he needed a licence to ride a UFO, which he didn’t have). Another winner told a story about living in a public restroom at a train station for four days to respect the orders of an auditory hallucination. Tōjisha-kenkyū received further interest, in and outside Japan, when the American anthropologist Karen Nakamura wrote A Disability of the Soul: An Ethnography of Schizophrenia and Mental Illness in Contemporary Japan (2013), a detailed and moving account of life at Bethel House. "

-Japan's Radical Alternative to Psychiatric Diagnosis by Satsuki Ayaya and Junko Kitanaka

[corevibeself]

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑁𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐴𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓? (PAC)

How to pick a pile: Take a deep breath to ground yourself; once that's done, look at the images below and pick which image you feel most drawn to. This is usually the first one we pick! If you feel drawn to more than one, that is entirely possible, as there may be more messages for you there!

Remember, these are general readings; the messages may not all be for you. Take what resonates and leave the rest <3

⋆˚｡⋆୨✧୧˚ 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒆 1 ˚୨✧୧⋆｡˚⋆

𝖠𝖿𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎: "𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗋 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗒 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖾"

For you guys, I feel like there’s a need to appreciate just how much you get done and how bravely you push forward. You move through life, accomplishing so much, but you don’t always stop to acknowledge how far you’ve come. It’s like you’re running on autopilot, constantly moving without realizing all you’ve done.

I got the bee card, and I just saw the funniest thing. You guys know how bees have such a short lifespan and just fucking die once they’re done working? That’s the energy I get from you. It’s like, “My work’s done, finally—death.”

Like pause.

You are such a beautiful, sensitive, and creative soul. I feel called to tell you that your ideas aren’t crazy or far-fetched. Whatever you’ve been wanting to do—whether it’s a hobby, a career path, or just a random idea—trust it. Be more confident in those urges, in those moments of inspiration, because they’re leading you somewhere. And if you feel fear around them? That just means they matter to you. Fear wouldn’t be there if you didn’t care.

I also feel like some of you don’t fully see or appreciate your impact on the people around you. Worker bees all look the same, right? But each one pollinates a flower, helping the environment. The honey they make is so delicious it brings happiness to the world—it impacts cuisine, and even health. You have no idea how much every thought and action you’ve had has made a difference in the world around you, because I just saw a vision of someone walking down the street and smiling as they crossed a stranger, and that smile might've meant the world to them at that moment.

I feel called to say you might have doubts or insecurities about your purpose. Maybe it’s not as clear or as big as you think it should be. Maybe you even doubt whether you have a purpose at all. But let me tell you: your purpose isn’t just one thing. It’s not some huge accomplishment meant to look a certain way. It can be, but don’t expect it to be. Your purpose is you. It always has been and always will be. You’re a blank canvas meant to be painted by yourself, not by others.

I also want to say—you might not realize just how good of a friend you are. You’re kind, sensitive, understanding, and so loyal. You’re the person people go to when they feel bad because you know how to hold space for them. Not only that, but you recognize when someone truly needs support, and because you’re intuitive, you also know when something is too much for you to handle emotionally, but that doesn't stop you from helping, because I also see that some of you can have some selfless tendencies, so take care of yourself.

I saw a picture in my mind of someone laughing while everything is falling apart. Honestly, that could be your genuine reaction when things feel like they’re crashing down. But another message I got? You spark change in the people around you—just by being who you are. You might have these amazing ideas for people, and they’re like, “Oh my god, that helped so much!” And you just say thanks—but you need to fully bask in that appreciation.

See your creativity. See your determination. See the change you bring to your environment. See how far you’ve come.

My little worker bee, you are so much more than you believe you are.

⋆˚｡⋆୨✧୧˚ 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒆 2 ˚୨✧୧⋆｡˚⋆

𝖠𝖿𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎: "𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗋 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗒 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖾"

(this affirmation came out for pile 1, so if you were attracted to pile 1, there may be messages for you there too!)

First off, can I just say—you’re a literal baddie. Like, you’ve got your shit together, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Because what I’m getting is that you’re a dreamer, pile 2. You might take your sweet time getting where you want to be, but you do it with such grace that I just feel like applauding you.

What you need to appreciate is your sheer dedication to following your dreams. It’s grounded in reality because you take your time—you’re not in a rush like others. You sit, contemplate your next moves, and don’t feel pressured to move the way everyone else does. You’re independent and self-reliant, and that energy radiates. I’m seeing someone looking at you and thinking, “She’s really got her shit together.” That’s what you’re not seeing about yourself.

We live in a society that expects independence, but so many people struggle with it. This isn’t to say you haven’t faced your own challenges—you have—but you handle them so well. Some people hit setbacks and give up, but not you. You keep pushing forward because you’re a boss. I see someone who always gets invited out to parties, but you’re focused on your goals. You prioritize yourself. You set boundaries. And you do it with such conviction that no one would ever guess you’ve had doubts or setbacks. But you believe in yourself enough that fear doesn’t stop you. You are your own clutch, pile 2.

I pulled the frog as your animal card, and when I felt it out, I had this vision of how frogs eat. You know how they wait—calm, patient—letting the bug come to them? They stay perfectly still, knowing their moment will come. That tells me you make things happen even when it seems like you’re doing nothing. It could also mean that an opportunity you’ve been waiting for is about to fall into your lap. So if you’ve been waiting on something, take this as your sign!

⋆˚｡⋆୨✧୧˚ 𝑷𝒊𝒍𝒆 3 ˚୨✧୧⋆｡˚⋆

𝖠𝖿𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎: "𝖨 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗀𝗇𝗂𝗓𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝗆����𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿, 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅."

My pile 3s awhhh :( ngl I teared up.

You need to appreciate just how beautiful you truly are. This honestly breaks my heart—I can feel it, literally feel how pure you are. I know all we want is to feel worth it, to feel valued, but pile 3, you're not just some average-looking NPC (no one is). You need to stop comparing yourself to everyone around you because you're you. You’re not broken. You weren’t made wrong. You’re not different in a way that makes you an outcast or someone unworthy of love. That’s not the truth.

I love you, and I don’t even know you. So chin up, buttercup.

I know it can feel like the weight of the world is pressing down on you, but the cards are practically begging you to see your value—because you are the one with the power to change how you see yourself. No one else can do that for you. No amount of compliments will ever feel real if you don’t let yourself believe them. So what’s stopping you? Are you your own worst bully? Does self-hate feel more comfortable than self-love? Does accepting kindness make you squirm?

Pile 3, I need you to sit with that. Shadow work is calling. Because no matter how much I wish I could shake you and make you see your worth, only you can do that.

Look in the mirror—really look. The person staring back at you deserves your kindness. They deserve to hear something nice in the morning. They deserve to see a radiant, joyful smile looking back at them.

I won’t sugarcoat it—you may have been through heavy, painful experiences that shook your sense of self-worth. Maybe you’ve been bullied. Maybe you’ve seen or felt things that made you question your place in the world. But you know what’s incredible about you? Even after all of that, you still see the beauty in others. You would never judge someone’s appearance. You would never call someone ugly. Because you know how that feels.

So why not treat yourself with that same grace? Why not be your own friend?

I pulled the Peacock card for you, and the first thought I had was—you know peacocks never see their own feathers? Yet they are some of the most majestic creatures in the world.

Pile 3, that’s you. You are beautiful. You are radiant. You are fucking majestic. So act like it, dammit

______________________________________________________________

Thank you so much for reading!!!I love doing this hehehe, if it resonated, feel free to tell me all about it! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say <3

[gremlingottoosilly]

Deaf!Reader are struggling to earn money to pay off their rent and living expenses, by handing out leaflets on the street X Mafia!Konig

(one time, I was walking past the metro, and there was this lady handing out leaflets to men. I wanted to take the leaflet as well because I always wanted to help the people who were handing it out, but she looked at me super weirdly when I took the leaflet. Turns out, it was a leaflet for illegal prostitution sites (sex work is banned in Czech Republic) You just needed money. The disability payments are dogshit and wouldn't even cover half of the expenses of renting your own place - but all the other jobs are basically blocked to you on the basis of not having enough resources to support a deaf worker. You know it's just their saying, they simply don't want to hire you even for brownie diversity points - but still, the only jobs that you could get without much of an education is something as shitty paying as handing leaflets. At least you can just not read the lips of people who are clearly cussing you out for bothering them with an abysmal task of accepting a thing piece of paper. Only, the gig is just a bit too shitty. It's illegal; technically, sex work is still as banned as always - you stare at the leaflets with half-naked women printed all over, disguised as dating websites, and you want to puke over how fucking terrible it looks. Still, they were paying a bit more than usual, and cops won't bother you as long as it's not a direct sex work endorsement. The people on the streets are having weird reactions, however... Konig had a shitty day and an even more annoying night. Having to oversee a big drug deal himself because Horangi was out dealing with some transgressors, and Krueger can't be trusted with customer service, he had to stay awake at ungodly hours just to finish the deal...and now there is some dumb girl handling him a leaflet for his fucking sex business like she doesn't know who he is and can't hear that he said he doesn't want it three times already and- He notices the way you stare at his lips and ignore the yelling of other people crowding around during rush hour at the station. Oh. Konig guesses even the illegal business of his had to get more open for workers with disability...although he looks at your cute lips and just knows he is ready to promote you from handling leaflets to never holding anything heavier than his hand (and his cock) ever again. Needless to say, you were terrified when this big, grumpy man in a suit just fucking grabbed you hand and pushed you into an unmarked and clearly dangerous-looking vehicle. Of course, sometimes people are annoyed at receiving brochures, but not to the point of kidnapping...and certainly not to the point of bringing you to their lap and then forcing a hand between your legs, squeezing and playing with the flesh like you were nothing but a stress toy. Not being able to read his lips since you were pressed so closely to him, terrified you even more...although his intensions are pretty clear when you felt a kiss pressed to your forehead, and a gentle hold on your neck until you finally passed out in his hands.

[ankhisms]

It’s weird being a Toku fan in the middle of the american entertainment strike bc like. Luckily I run no risk of my favorite shows being paused or canceled. But also I am very aware it would be very good if the Japanese entertainment industry got its own major overhaul.

[everythingspokenfor]

Casually thinking about older!Bakugou . As usual, all characters are aged up 18+. MDNI.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

Older!Bakugou who is still in his early 30s, being pestered by his mother to at least get a girlfriend (and eventually settle down). She is afraid she'll never be able to meet her grandkids if this continues.

Older!Bakugou who has attended weddings of his friends, co-workers and even few of the people he had rescued. Although, had no intention of settling down anytime soon, wanting to focus on hero work because it gave him a drive, something to look forward too.

Older!Bakugou who was never really interested in any women that threw themselves at him, always keeping to himself, mellowed out with age. His friends no longer setting him up on blind dates because it was all in vain.

Older!Bakugou who hires a new support tech, because he was impressed by the work. Who meets the newbie in the hallway of the building, screaming at a rookie prohero.

"this is my resume", you shoved an open file into the rookie's face,"on page 12 it list all the things I was hired for", you pause pulling the folder, skimming through the pages to open page 12, he assumes. "Here, now read carefully, does it say 'write reports for rookies because they are apparently incapable of writing it' huh?", you slam the folder shut on the table. " Don't ever expect to do your work, rookie."

You turned around and left the hallway, not really noticing that you almost ran into Pro-hero: Dynamight.

Older!Bakugou who observes you working around the lab, fierce support tech that minds her business and prefers talking to her projects over actual people. Diligent with her work, getting her job done.

Older!Bakugou who enters the lab one day because his gauntlet need to repaired.

"they are too chunky." You don't really have a filter, already working on dismantling the whole thing, not sparing Bakugou a glance.

"You should focus on your work, kid." He was already staring at you.

"What do you think I am doing, Dynamight? This chunk isn't going to fix itself."

He is glad that your words remains same, irrespective of who you are talking to. Always stating the obvious.

"watch it, kid." He walked out of the lab.

Older!Bakugou who is surprised when the new tech remodels his gauntlets but also repairs the old ones, showing him the perks of new ones while still repairing the old ones just in case he doesn't like the new ones.

Older!Bakugou who, at 32, finds himself horrified by the idea that he might be interested, in someone, someone who is younger than him. You are 24, barely am adult in his eyes. You are smart, snarky and considerate.

You explain things to people, help around the lab, yet you are still sharp can take a joke, can make a joke.

Older!Bakugou that is nervous, prospect of asking out a girl making him sweat. He stands at the entrance of your lab, clear door doing nothing to hide his hulking frame, you are still working on something, hunched over a table with a chunky metal in hand.

"you know, I can see you, right?"

He lets out a breath, a small smile breaking onto his face, he moves into the lab. You notice he is wearing casual clothes, sweatpants and a t-shirt, carrying take-out boxes in his hand.

"I was getting dinner, thought I'd get you some too." He is already setting up on the 'not work table' in the room, already aware of what would happen if he put food on your 'work table'.

"What did you do, boss?" You voiced suspiciously, already moving to wash your hands.

"Can't even get people dinner in this economy"

"People", faux disbelief evident in your voice,"I wouldn't call me people, boss" you pulled the chair out and sat in front of him.

"Why not, tech?" He teased, handing you pair of chopsticks.

You look at him with mischief in your eyes, you lean over and play your hand around you mouth, almost as if sharing a secret,"Because you don't practice asking 'people' out, Suki."

His eyes widened,"You heard that? I thought the glass door was fucking sound proof." He let out a sigh, hours of practising and he doesn't even get a chance to say it.

"They are soundproof. From the inside tho." You looked over to him, before placing your hand over his," And I'll go on that date, also we should totally check the sound proofing of the lab tonight."

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

[p0ckykiss]

dream - lee haechan

summary -> kissing you feels like a dream to haechan

-> fluff, a lot of kissing

“haechan,” you murmured, “c’mon, I gotta go back to work.”

he ignored you, obviously.

sure, the back room of the video store wasn’t the most romantic place to make out, but you kept letting him in here, so he wasn’t going to stop coming. you were against a shelf, haechan's hands on your waist under your shirt, letting him kiss you silly despite your protests that you were employed. your hands had been travelling over haechan's shoulders and chest and neck for the last twenty minutes, but they were still now, your fingers playing with the hair on the back of his neck. haechan pulled back, though only enough to be able to speak.

“you can kick me out whenever you want, you know,” he grinned. “you like to make it very clear you work here"

“yeah,” you said, “and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“then tell me to go.” it was a challenge, it was always a challenge. you had gone through the challenge every other time you'd been back there, and one look at the scoreboard showed that haechan was winning by a mile. he added another point to his side when you leaned back in, humming into his mouth.

kissing you was a dream.

it was a weird dream, the kind that seemed normal when you were having it, but once you woke up, you realized how fucked up dream logic is. it was fucked up, in a way, that he was kissing you, and that he was doing so so frequently.

the crush had developed sophomore year, and it had been a gnawing thing, eating away at haechan every time he’d seen you in the halls. maybe it would’ve been easier to deal with had it been anyone but you. it was supposed to fade. it was supposed to mean nothing. haechan was supposed to hate everything about you, but maybe that’s what made it so exhilarating. instead, everything about��you, made haechan feel fuzzy around the edges.

he never wanted to wake up.

you cupped a hand on haechan's cheek, pulling him closer. haechan could do nothing but smile against you. he tried to keep kissing you, he really did, but the bubbling in his chest was starting to get overpowering. he pressed his forehead against yours, while you were opening your eyes. those eyes — your stupid, pretty, fucking eyes — were going to be the death of him.

haechan opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a laugh.

“what?” you asked, your own smile growing.

“nothing, nothing. just…” he paused, taking in your features, copying them down to memory in his head. “god, y/n, I’m just—” he kissed you again, softly, purposefully — “i’m fucking obsessed with you, you know that?”

you raised an eyebrow. “you’re obsessed with me?”

“i can’t get you out of my head, like, ever.”

“well, it’s a good thing I’m kind of obsessed with you too.”

maybe it was the way the corner of your mouth quirked when you said it, or the enticing look in your eyes, or just the fact that it was you, but haechan's legs were turning to jello-o, and he wasn’t sure he could support himself like this much longer.

you both laughed as you kissed, pressing against each other like the only way you could get any closer was by crawling into each other’s chests. haechan's mouth found its way to behind your ear, which resulted in a laugh from you loud enough to make haechan shush you before you fell into another fit of giggles. when your lips met again, your hands found haechan's; your fingers intertwined, and every squeeze of your hands pushed haechan's heart closer and closer to bursting.

you only stopped when there was a knock on the door, but even then, haechan distracted himself with kissing you.

“are you guys done in there yet?” your co-worker called from behind the door. “i can’t do everything out here by myself.”

you looked at haechan, who looked back at you. he knew your time was up for now, but there was no harm in trying to convince you to ignore your colleague. and let you both have another five or ten or twenty minutes alone.

“i gotta go back to work,” you said softly, an apology stuffed inside.

haechan continued kissing at your jaw. “can you come to my place tonight?” he asked, like there was even a possibility of you saying no.

you grinned. “and what would we be doing at your place?”

lowering his voice further, haechan pressed his nose into your cheek. “guess you’ll have to come over and find out.”

there was another knock at the door. “hello? I can hear you guys,” she groaned.

“better get out there before she drags your ass out,” haechan said.

“and whose fault would that be?”

“watch yourself, y/n,” he teased, “or you won’t need to wait to get to my place later.”

“i can’t even look her in the eye after this,” you told him.

with one last kiss, haechan patted you on the shoulders. “go on, then, baby”

“you’re going to kill me one day.”

“can’t wait.”

you opened the door. your co-worker stood there with her arms crossed.

“hey, haha,” you tried.

all she said was, “you guys are so gross.”

while you seemed to be letting your soul leave your body out of embarrassment, haechan just grinned, walking past both of you. “my uncle leaves for work at eight tonight, by the way,” he said, leaning against the counter. the only thing that rivalled kissing, in haechan's mind, was pushing all of your buttons simultaneously and seeing how long it took for you to explode.

“yep,” you said, still flustered, “got it.” haechan added another point to his side.

“again,” said your colleague. she stood on the other side of the counter, across from haechan. “gross.”

to him, she said, “if you keep making me work alone, I will ban you from coming in here. you’re lucky it's a slow day.”

“oh, come on,” haechan mused, “you love me.”

“enough to let you and y/n suck face in the back room, apparently,” she said, bumping him with her elbow.

“and for that, I’m grateful.”

[harmoonix]

🌌Astrology Observations🌌

Spiritual Edition

🌌 Planets in the 9H and 12H are very spiritual, they are lying deep in the heart of the Universe, the higher mind and the deepest secrets, they combine spirituality with their beliefs

🌌 Neptune/Uranus and Pluto are as well very spiritual planets beside the Moon, they all rule over your subconscious, spiritual mind, your soul/spirit and your higher purpose/higher self

🌌 Having Neptune/Uranus/Moon/Pluto in the 1H is like your higher self tries to send you messages/to guide you on your path

🌌 Moon/Pluto/Neptune/Uranus in the 9H are those type of people who know a lot of deep stuff they won't mention it to everyone, they want to discover what's hidden

🌌 Sun/Moon/Mercury/Chiron in the 12H rule over the hidden subconscious, their subconscious can be either hurt either not so awaken since the moment they wake up (When we sleep our subconscious is the most clear/awaken, that's why most people get flashbacks of the things that happened in their past before putting to sleep) aaaandddd that's why you don't always remember your dreams when you wake up

🌌 Chiron in the 1st house or at 0° degrees shows a very sensbile soul. A very kind spirit or spiritual people usually call these as "Light worker", this is very powerful if you have it in your draconic/sidereal or ascendant persona chart

🌌 Chiron in the 12H suggest about something bad/traumatic that gets to and end in your lifetime, something bad that "dies* and something good that wil rise after

🌌 Venus in the 12H has the subconscious power to dream about their lovers/partners/or those dear to them,

🌌 Venus/Neptune/Sun aspecting Uranus has the same energy as when as a star is born, something very ingenious is born, giving life to an innovative person

🌌 Pisces/Neptune in the 7H is a very beautiful placement for being spiritual, it will attract spiritual people or people who have a close relationship with the universe (Applied to Pisces Moon)

🌌 Libra/Moon in the 7H is not far from any of these, here the energy is like the feeling of goosebumps, intense yet refreshing, it fullfils your soul (Applied to Libra Moons)

🌌 Aquarius/Uranus in the 7H is like a rain of falling stars, going from a place to another yet shining/dreaming and desiring the same things at once, the native is blessed with finding the uniqueness in simple/authentic things (Applied to Aquarius Moon)

🌌 Jupiter in the 1st/7H/9H/12H are the little students of the universe, The Universe is teaching them in different ways yet in the same method, to always find spirituality within you

🌌 Moon in the 12H natives can get very many warnings or signs during their sleep/in their dreams, half asleep, half awaken in the spiritual world

🌌 Leo/Sun in the 7H blesses the native with a wwareness of always surrounding themselves with people who appreciate their own selves, like a sign to be more cautious when you find the light of your world (apllied to Leo Moons)

🌌 Ascendant aspecting the Moon is again one of the most beautiful aspects to have related with spirituality. I consider this aspect as the "night's wind" that specific type of breeze hitting you at night, reminding yourself about who you are

🌌 Neptune aspecting the ascendant is with an eye in this world and with another eye in the spiritual realm, people often think these people just imagine things when in reality they just feel it or see it with their eyes

🌌 People born on the 3rd quarter Moon (Moon Phase) are spirit kids, they may be sensible at first or influenced by a sense of sensibility, kind and generous

🌌 It says that there are 3 types of "souls" people have when they reincarnate on earth

1st type of souls are these souls who come to experience new things, who come face to face with life's lessons and teachings

2nd type of souls are those souls who come here to support or help others, to gain more humanitarian experience,to bring light

3rd type of souls are those who come like a lighting striking who "repairs" or "transforms" things into better, people into better versions of themselves and those who come to finish something from a past life

🌌 Earth and Water Placements are deep connected with the mother earth, I imagine these as a picture with a baby sleeping on ground with the stars guiding his sleep

🌌 Earth Suns are known for being capable during challenges. They are the strong ones and the ones who always have to keep their heads up

🌌 Ceres Asteroid (1) specifically in an air/fire sign is deeply connected with the mind while in a earth/water sign is more connected with the feelings feelints

🌌 "Discover yourself" is what gives Jupiter/Uranus aspecting the ascendant energy, you have something special whitin you

🌌 "Ray of Light" is what Sun aspecting the ascendant has, very calming/peaceful, just like the ocean, stable and deeply understanding

🌌 Chiron/Pluto/Saturn or Mars in the 4H don't have an easy challenge with their homes and family, they can be generational breakers

🌌 Your 9H sign can actually tell about your ancestors, if you ever wanna know more about them or wanna feel like they calling for you, try to look for your 9H ruler and their aspects 🫶🏼 for example when you have Sag in the 9H it shows your ancestors are very optimistic beings, Virgo in the 9H shows very supportive ancestors, Libra in the 9H shows loving ancestors, Cancer in the 9H shows healing ancestors, Taurus in the 9H shows provided ancestors and so on

🌌 Where Pisces is within your chart you can be the most loving about (the house Pisces is)

Pisces in the 4H about your family

Pisces in the 7H about your relationship

Pisces in the 2H things you spend money on can be the most pleasurable

Pisces in the 1st is yourself

Pisces in the 8H about your transformation/evolution

Pisces in the 5H about your hobbies/talents/free time

🌌 Asteroid Spirit [37452] tells about your soul just like asteroid Psyche (16) try to make a persona chart of it and the result is like a mirror of your soul, your planets and degrees are like your blood vessels and your ascendant is your heart, all working together

🌌 Chiron in your 7H is actually a very strong placement, you can heal others and others can heal your and romantically speaking, you try to find your half soul

🌌 Uranus aspecting Mercury natives have those fast minds who always think faster, think about the future rather than the present, sometimes they can show prophecies

🌌 Having Pluto and Neptune aspecting together is like an source of knowledge and intuition, your intuition can be so strong and so helpful

🌌 Jupiter and Pluto aspecting can help in manifesting spirituality, if there is something your heart truly wants you'll get it

🌌 Juno Asteroid aspecting planet Neptune gives "Souls don't met by accident" even if the person you met turns to be a bad one it was still meant to be like this to teach you a lesson

🌌 Powerful Degrees to have your Moon in:

Pisces Degrees (12°, 24°)

Sagittarius Degrees (9°, 21°)

Taurus Degrees (2°, 26°)

Born Moon (0°)

Leo Degrees (5°, 17°, 29°)

Capricorn Degrees (10°. 22°)

🌌 Scorpio in your chart/house can show you where you heal/transform/evolve the the most

7H - in your relationship

10H - in your career

1st - withing yourself

4H - in your family

3rd - in your thinking

11H - in your socializing

🌌 Jupiter conjuncting Saturn is a rare yet powerful aspect, grants the native with a sense of teaching and knowledge for "doing more"

🌌 When Saturn makes contact with the Moon your world can feel like is ending/sad, but you truly try to go deep into the subject you'll see is just a test for you to grow more and more

🌌 Scorpio/Pisces and Cancer Venuses, Venus has a deep lesson for all of them, in Cancer to find comfort and a safe space. In Pisces to follow their heart and their desires and in Scorpio to learn how to love without losing yourself

🌌 Taurus Juno/Venus/Mercury and Moon have the gift of grounding and understanding your surroundings, connect with the nature as much as you can

🌌 Neptune/Uranus in the 6H/10H can indicate that astrology/spirituality can help them a lot in order to fulfill their life path

🌌 Let's also mention that Sun or Moon in the 4H gives a very powerful connection with the family and your ancestors guiding over you

🌌 Shout-out to Cancer Placements especially Rising/Moon/Saturn/Lilith for being so strong and trying to keep it all together even when things may seem to fall apart

🌌 Shout-out to Capricorn Placements especially to Capricorn Sun/Moon/Chiron/Lilith/Saturn for keeping their smiles even when they had lots of stones on their heart

🌌 Shout-out to Sagittarius Placements especially to Sag Mercury/Mars/Venus and Rising who stopped listening to others and finally decided to do in their own ways, someone is not accepting you? Throw them in the void

🌌 Shout-out to Libra Placements especially to Libra Chiron/Sun/Moon/Saturn trying to keep it at peace even when their mind was overthinking ans stressing over difficult times

🌌 Lastly Shout-out to Taurus Placements especially Taurus Moon/Venus/Sun who always try to show honesty and kindness no matter how bad the other person is

Today is the day of the eclipse. A very special day in astrology so here we go this with very special post 🫶🏼🌌🫶🏼

[thedensworld]

My Woman | K.Mg

Pairing: Ceo!Mingyu x Directors!Reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship

Summary: Everyone in the building hate your leadership and start to think that you were only able to secure the position because of your husband, the CEO.

Been letting this one sitting in my folder for 6 months??? Anyway, enjoy!🧚‍♀️

Since you were appointed as the new director of Tasty Kim, a food label under Kim Group, the atmosphere in the company has been anything but welcoming. The former director, despite being demoted for money laundering from company production costs, was beloved for his friendly and tolerant nature. The staff had grown accustomed to his easy-going management style.

In contrast, you introduced a series of new regulations focused on discipline and time management. Your strict approach to auditing has caused considerable stress among the staff, who are struggling to keep up with your demands.

"I want the file on my desk tomorrow at 10," you demanded, your voice leaving no room for negotiation.

When it wasn't there, your frustration was palpable. "Why isn't it on my desk?" you asked sharply.

"You had 8 hours of work yesterday; what were you doing?" Your tone conveyed the gravity of their oversight.

"This isn't the first time, and I won't tolerate this kind of negligence. I'll be reporting you to the HR team. You can explain yourself to them."

The tension in the office is undeniable, and it's clear that your expectations are clashing with the staff's previous work culture. But to transform Tasty Kim into a more efficient and successful entity, you believe these changes are necessary, even if they are met with resistance initially.

And that's how people started to think you were only able to manage the position because of your husband, Kim Mingyu, the current CEO of Kim Group. Rumors began to circulate, whispering that your authority stemmed more from nepotism than merit. The staff's skepticism grew, casting a shadow over every decision you made. Yet, you remained resolute, determined to prove that your leadership was defined by your capabilities, not your connections.

Your professionalism was proven when you delivered your protest to none other than your own husband, Kim Mingyu, the current CEO of Kim Group. He had ordered every label under Kim Group to push revenue expectations while cutting costs. A heated debate ensued shortly thereafter. You explained to the board that cutting costs for Tasty Kim would only result in a decrease in quality.

No one knew how hard you worked for the company. Everyone just thought you were the queen of the Kim Group, a mere decoration to fill the space, a director without any competence to lead the company.

One day, you opened your email to find hundreds of hate messages, likely sent by disgruntled workers. Sometimes, packages would be delivered to you, containing nasty items that you knew were from your employees. Did you report this to HR? No, you chose to ignore everything, focusing solely on the company's needs.

But there was one person who always treated you like a human in this company. Mr. Song, the security guard, always greeted you with a warm smile, just as he had done for the past 15 years, when you still worked for Mingyu's father as his secretary till now. He might be the only person who truly knew who you were and how hard you worked for this company. Other workers had zero idea that you had been with the company since your twenties.

Mr. Song's small acts of kindness were a beacon of hope in an otherwise hostile environment. His understanding and quiet support reminded you that someone appreciated your dedication. Despite the loneliness and the endless challenges, those brief moments with Mr. Song gave you the strength to persevere.

You're not just Kim Mingyu's wife.

"You're not sleeping?" Mingyu asked, his voice soft as he entered your home office.

You turned your head to him, closing the file on your desk as you watched him approach. "Are they sleeping?" you asked, referring to your 5-year-old twin sons. He nodded.

"Still have work to do? Need help?" Mingyu offered, and you shook your head.

"I'm done. Just checking a few things," you said with a tired smile.

Mingyu sat on the couch near your desk. "Seungcheol hyung said he was visiting," he told you, and you hummed in acknowledgment.

"No, I actually called him to come," you informed him, and Mingyu chuckled.

"Just like I guessed. Is something wrong with the company? The last time I checked, Tasty Kim has been the most stable since you took over."

You rubbed your face, a gesture that concerned Mingyu. "I just need a few pieces of advice. I think I'm a cold woman."

Mingyu didn't deny it outright. "You are," he said carefully.

Your brow raised in surprise. "Really?" A pang of disappointment colored your face, and Mingyu immediately shook his head.

"No, I mean, sometimes you are. But you're a warm lover and mother."

Lover and mother. Those words echoed in your mind.

"Maybe it's been too long since I focused so intensely on the company," you murmured, a hint of doubt creeping into your voice.

"Why?" Mingyu asked, curiosity in his eyes, not fully understanding what you were referring to.

"Let's go to sleep," you told him, standing from your seat and reaching for his hand.

He took it, squeezing gently. "Alright, let's get some rest. We'll figure everything out together."

As you walked out of your home office, you felt a small measure of comfort in his words. Even amid the challenges and doubts, you knew you weren't alone.

*

Mingyu's disbelief turned to anger as he examined the photos of the gruesome package and the disturbing emails that Chan, your secretary, had detailed. His jaw tightened with fury as he realized the extent of the harassment you had endured since taking on the role at Tasty Kim.

"What is this?" Mingyu demanded, his voice laced with frustration as he glanced at Hansol for confirmation.

Hansol nodded grimly, showing him the evidence again. "These were sent to her office. It's been ongoing for months," he explained, his own expression reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

Mingyu's mind raced as he tried to piece together the implications. "Is this related to what you discussed with Seungcheol?" he wondered, his concern for your safety evident in his widened eyes.

He wasted no time in contacting Seungcheol, demanding an explanation. Seungcheol sighed heavily as he recounted the events that had unfolded over the past months.

"It's clear this is coming from Mr. Park's circle," Seungcheol explained wearily. "They've been spreading malicious rumors about her and now escalating to these actions. I've urged her to take action to track them down before it escalates further."

Mingyu's anger simmered as he absorbed the gravity of the situation. "We need to act swiftly," he declared, his voice firm and determined. "I want those responsible identified and dealt with immediately. This ends now."

Mingyu's mind raced back to the day he had to make the tough decision to fire Mr. Park. His audit team had uncovered illegal activities involving company funds, actions that nearly drove the label to bankruptcy. If not for your diligent efforts in handling the crisis at Tasty Kim—your first company role ever—Mingyu knew the outcome could have been devastating.

It had been six challenging months since you formally took the helm, but the results were undeniable. Under your leadership, Tasty Kim's performance had significantly improved. Your dedication and strategic decisions had turned the tide, restoring stability and fostering growth within the company.

As Mingyu reflected on the recent incidents targeting you, his resolve strengthened. He couldn't allow the malicious actions of Mr. Park's associates to undermine all the progress you had achieved.

Mingyu instructed Hansol to work closely with Chan to expedite the search for the culprits behind the malicious acts. His tone was resolute as he outlined the urgency of identifying and addressing the threats targeting you and Tasty Kim.

"We need to move swiftly on this. I want regular updates on the progress."

Hansol nodded in understanding, his expression mirroring Mingyu's seriousness. "Understood, sir. We'll start immediately," he assured, turning to leave the office with purpose.

Mingyu tucked the twins into bed as he always did, Han mentioned something unexpected. "Mom was crying, I saw her crying in her office," Han whispered softly, his eyes wide with concern.

Hoon quickly covered Han's mouth and leaned in close. "Mom said not to tell Dad," he whispered urgently.

Mingyu's heart clenched at the revelation. He hadn't expected to hear this, and the thought of you in tears weighed heavily on his mind. He finished tucking the boys in, trying to keep his expression calm despite the turmoil inside.

After tucking the twins in and assuring them everything was alright, Mingyu quietly made his way. As he entered your room, he found you slumped over your desk, fast asleep amidst scattered reports and documents. Mingyu's heart sank at the sight of your exhaustion, etched deeply in the lines of your face. Gently, he gathered the papers into a neat pile and carefully lifted you into his arms.

You stirred slightly as he carried you to the bedroom, your head resting against his shoulder. Mingyu laid you down on the bed, pulling the blankets over you with tender care. He brushed a strand of hair from your face, his heart aching with the desire to protect you from any further distress.

The next morning, Hansol hurriedly informed Mingyu that Chan had located the culprits and had them gathered in the conference room. Mingyu's expression hardened with determination upon hearing the news.

"Keep them there. I'm on my way," Mingyu replied briskly, his voice tinged with controlled anger.

He swiftly made his way to your company, each step echoing his urgency to address the situation. Mingyu entered the conference room where Hansol and Chan stood solemnly by the door, waiting for his arrival. Inside, the culprits sat uncomfortably, their uneasy glances exchanging silent admissions of guilt.

Mingyu entered with a commanding presence, his gaze sweeping over the group with intensity. His jaw was set, a silent testament to his resolve to confront those responsible for causing distress to you and disrupting the company's harmony.

"You've caused significant harm to this company," Mingyu began, his voice steady but stern. "Your actions have not only targeted my wife unfairly but have also undermined the trust and morale of our team at Tasty Kim."

He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle in the room. The culprits shifted uncomfortably under Mingyu's piercing gaze, realizing the gravity of their actions and the consequences they now faced.

"I want each of you to explain yourselves," Mingyu continued, his tone unwavering. "Justify why you thought it acceptable to engage in such disgraceful behavior."

One by one, they offered fragmented explanations, some stumbling over their words while others struggled to meet Mingyu's unwavering gaze. He listened intently, his disappointment palpable as their excuses fell short of justification.

"This ends now," Mingyu declared firmly, his voice cutting through the tension in the room. "Effective immediately, you are terminated from Tasty Kim."

The culprits exchanged nervous glances, realizing the severity of their fate. Mingyu turned to Hansol and Chan with a nod, silently instructing them to escort the individuals out of the room and off the premises.

Mingyu turned as he heard the distinctive click of your heels approaching. He straightened, a mixture of surprise and admiration crossing his features as you walked toward him with purpose. You bowed politely, a gesture of respect that momentarily caught him off guard.

"What brings you to this company without notice?" you asked, your tone calm yet curious, as you stood before him with unwavering composure.

Mingyu's gaze softened as he looked at you, struck by your strength and determination even in the face of recent challenges. "I needed to ensure everything was handled," he replied, his voice filled with a mix of concern and gratitude. "And to support you."

You stood before Mingyu, your expression serious yet composed. The click of your heels echoed faintly in the hallway as you spoke, addressing him directly but respectfully.

"I appreciate your swift action in handling the situation," you began, your voice steady. "However, these individuals are my team members. I understand the severity of their actions, but I believe termination may not be the only solution."

Mingyu regarded you thoughtfully, sensing the underlying tension in your words. "They have caused significant harm," he replied, his tone firm yet open to discussion. "Their actions were detrimental to both you and the company."

You nodded, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. "I agree that their behavior cannot be condoned," you continued, choosing your words carefully. "But I believe there may be alternative measures we can consider—perhaps disciplinary actions or retraining."

Mingyu's frustration was palpable as he listened to your response. He had expected solidarity in his decision, given the severity of the situation. Yet, your stance on considering alternatives to termination seemed to undermine the gravity of the offenses committed against you and the company.

"Your compassion is commendable, but these actions cannot go unpunished," Mingyu stated firmly, his voice tinged with disappointment. "They crossed a line that jeopardized everything we've worked for."

You met his gaze evenly, understanding the weight of his words but steadfast in your belief. "I agree that consequences are necessary," you countered, your tone measured. "But I believe in second chances and rehabilitation, especially when it comes to our team members."

Mingyu sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "This isn't just about rehabilitation," he argued, his voice slightly raised with emotion. "It's about setting a precedent. We cannot allow such behavior to repeat itself."

You maintained your composure, sensing his frustration but staying firm in your conviction. "I understand your concerns," you replied calmly. "But I believe we can address this while still upholding our values of fairness and redemption."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Mingyu processed your words. Finally, he nodded reluctantly. "Fine," he conceded, though his expression remained stern. "But I expect strict monitoring and zero tolerance moving forward."

You nodded in agreement, relieved that he had accepted your approach, albeit reluctantly.

After the tense discussion in the hallway, Mingyu expressed his desire to speak with you privately. Without hesitation, you nodded and gestured for him to follow you to your office. The click of your heels echoed softly in the corridor as you led him through the bustling office environment.

Once inside your office, you closed the door behind you, creating a brief moment of privacy amidst the hectic day. Mingyu stood near the window, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression a mix of frustration and concern.

Mingyu's demeanor softened when he stare at your eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and a flicker of relief crossed his face as he turned towards you. Without a word, he closed the distance between you, his arms enveloping you in a comforting embrace.

Surprised but touched by his gesture, you leaned into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his presence and the reassurance it brought. Mingyu held you close, his touch conveying both support and gratitude for your partnership in navigating the challenges they faced together.

In that moment of shared understanding and solidarity, the tension that had lingered between you dissolved. Mingyu's embrace was a silent affirmation of trust and unity, a reminder that despite any disagreements, you were a team united in purpose.

Mingyu's concern was evident in his expression as he spoke softly, his voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability. "Why didn't you tell me about what was happening?" he asked gently, his eyes searching yours for an explanation.

You met his gaze evenly, appreciating his genuine concern. "I wanted to handle it," you replied honestly, your voice steady. "I didn't want to burden you with the details, especially when you have so much on your plate already."

Mingyu nodded slowly, understanding your perspective but still feeling a pang of regret. "You're not a burden," he assured you earnestly. "We're partners, and I want to support you through everything."

You sighed softly, feeling the weight of his words and the comfort they offered. "I know," you replied sincerely. "But I thought I could handle it on my own."

Mingyu gently touched your arm, his touch reassuring. "We're stronger together," he reminded you gently. "Next time, please don't hesitate to share."

You nodded, grateful for his understanding and support. "I promise," you replied, a small smile touching your lips. "I won't keep things from you again."

With Mingyu's hand still on your arm, you both shared a moment of quiet understanding and solidarity.

*

A year later, Tasty Kim celebrated its 35th anniversary with grandeur and nostalgia. Mingyu stood proudly on stage, addressing the gathered crowd with a mix of reverence and pride. Behind him hung a large portrait of his late father, the founder of Tasty Kim, symbolizing the legacy that had brought them to this milestone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mingyu began, his voice carrying a tone of deep respect. "Today marks a significant milestone for Tasty Kim. Thirty-five years ago, my father founded this company with a vision of excellence and innovation in the culinary world."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the audience before settling on you, seated among the distinguished guests. A warm smile graced his lips as he continued, "I stand here today not only as the CEO of Kim Group but also as a son honoring his father's legacy."

Mingyu's voice filled with emotion as he acknowledged your pivotal role in their journey. "I would be remiss not to mention the woman who has been my colleague, my business partner, and the mother of my children," he said, his words carrying a depth of gratitude and admiration. "She has been my rock, guiding Tasty Kim with wisdom and grace."

The audience applauded warmly, recognizing your significant contribution to the company's success. Mingyu continued, his voice unwavering with pride, "Together, we have faced challenges and celebrated triumphs. Today, we honor not just the past but also the future we continue to build together."

As Mingyu concluded his speech, he stepped down from the podium and walked over to where you were seated. With a gentle smile, he took your hand in his, a silent gesture of appreciation and unity that spoke volumes about the partnership and love that had shaped their journey at Tasty Kim.

*

"Mr. Kim, we need to report this to the HR team," you insisted firmly.

Mr. Kim raised his hand to stop you. "No, Ms. Ji," he said calmly. "It's alright."

"I took this as feedback from my workers," he continued, his tone resolute.

Confusion etched on your face, you met his gaze. "What? This is crossing the line, Mr. Kim," you countered.

He shook his head, his expression serious. "They must have had a reason to do this. I'm glad that the people I work with didn't stay silent when something went wrong."

"Find them for me," Mr. Kim instructed firmly, his voice carrying a blend of authority and understanding. "Let me have a talk with whoever did this."

Later, you discovered it was a new security member who had incidentally seen his payments reduced due to new regulations on security members whenever items went missing from their secured areas.

"His name is Mr. Song. He has been here for five months,"

[fans4wga]

September 25: Read the WGA's email to its membership

[ID: tweet from Adam Conover @/adamconover that says, "We did it. We have a tentative deal. Over the coming days, we'll discuss and vote on it, together, as a democratic union. But today, I want to thank every single WGA member, and every fellow worker who stood with us in solidarity. You made this possible. Thank you. #WGAStrong".

Attached is a screenshot of the first part of the WGA's recent email to its membership. Conover's next tweet says, "Here's the rest of our email to members, which details what happens next:" with the rest of the email attached in screenshots.

Transcript of the WGA's email to its membership:

DEAR MEMBERS,

We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.

What we have won in this contract — most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd — is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.

We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.

What remains now is for our staff to make sure everything we have agreed to is codified in final contract language. And though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you, we cannot do that until the last "i" is dotted. To do so would complicate our ability to finish the job. So, as you have been patient with us before, we ask you to be patient again — one last time.

Once the Memorandum of Agreement with the AMPTP is complete, the Negotiating Committee will vote on whether to recommend the agreement and send it on to the WGAW Board and WGAE Council for approval. The Board and Council will then vote on whether to authorize a contract ratification vote by the membership.

If that authorization is approved, the Board and Council would also vote on whether to lift the restraining order and end the strike at a certain date and time (to be determined) pending ratification. This would allow writers to return to work during the ratification vote, but would not affect the membership's rights to make a final determination on contract approval.

Immediately after those leadership votes, which are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday if the language is settled, we will provide a comprehensive summary of the deal points and the Memorandum of Agreement. We will also convene meetings where members will have the opportunity to learn more about and assess the deal before voting on ratification.

To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket lines this week.

Finally, we appreciated your patience as you waited for news from us — and had to fend off rumors — during the last few days of the negotiation. Please wait for further information from the Guild. We will have more to share with you in the coming days, as we finalize the contract language and go through our unions' processes.

As always, thank you for your support. You will hear from us again very soon.

In solidarity,

WGA NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE

[formulakracing]

“you taste sweeter” — m.v.

pairing -> social worker!reader x max verstappen

word count -> 3.3k (oopsies!)

warnings -> cussing, slight angst, mentions of hate comments online, desperate + needy max, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, sweet moments, slight praise kink, tender max, yadayadayada

a/n -> the win in brazil today inspired me to write. it’s probably not my best work buttttt someone asked for a part ii to this fic here. i hope you guys enjoy! <3

"i'm sorry that this weekend has been a shit show."

lips press against your knuckles, carefully caressing them one by one.

"stop it," your hand darts out, cupping his cheek, "you're always so hard on yourself."

a chuckle rumbles in his chest, and you catch the hint of stars in his gaze as your eyes meet.

"i think i deserve to be a little harsh on myself. p17 is ridiculous."

you exhale, shaking your head slightly, "but you have to remember that was not your fault. you cannot control the weather, and you sure as hell cannot control what happens when the track is slick."

"i just feel terrible," he shrugs, folding his arms against his chest, "you flew all the way out here to just get drenched. you had to wake up with me at god knows what time to make it to the track. i'm supposed to be up in the fucking front and now i don't even feel like i have a chan-"

"stop it," your jaw clenches, "i wouldn't have flown out if i didn't want to be here. i wanted to be here and support you, max. there is nowhere else i would rather be than by your side."

the corners of his lips twitch into a meek smile, the dutch driver leaning in, "you're so fucking cute when you're all riled up."

"only because i hate to see you be so hard on yourself!" you protest, throwing your hands up in the air, "you are a generational talent. i wish you could see that."

"thank you baby," you can't help but notice that he's beaming now, "thank you, for being here."

"like i said," you murmur, your heart skipping a beat as you find the space between the two of you dissipating by the second, "there is nowhere else i would-"

"maxxxx! it's time for -- oh my god i am so sorry."

gianpiero's voice cuts through the space, the two of you shrinking back as he stands in the doorway the driver's room, a hand over his mouth.

"don't worry about it," max clears his throat, shooting you one more look before turning to gianpiero, "is it time?"

"it's time," max's race engineer confirms, checking his watch, "we need to get moving."

"all right," max sucks in a breath, rising to his feet, "i guess it's time."

you mirror his action, ensuring that you have your race day bag before shifting toward him. his arms wrap around your frame, bringing you in for a tight embrace.

for a moment, he's still, not moving a muscle as you bury your head into his chest. his fingers knead into your shoulder blades, strands of hushed dutch filling your ear. the words are tender, almost as if he was promising you something.

you weren't quite sure what, though.

"good luck out there tiger," you whisper, "i believe in you."

his arms pull away, the driver's lower lip trembling ever so slightly as he begins to follow gianpiero. before leaving the room, he ensures that gianpiero's back is turned, nearly bounding back toward you.

lips crash into yours, a hurried but passionate kiss. forceful enough to leave your knees buckling, yet laced with a sweetness that you couldn't quite place your finger on.

"i love you."

heat flourishes into your cheeks as he departs, looking back over his shoulder one more time before jogging down the hall, in efforts to catch up with gianpiero.

your heart flutters, a coziness seeping into your chest as you catch your breath.

max was never one to let his emotions get in the way of race day. he was always so poised, so focused on what was ahead. he was never privy to publicly showcasing his affection to you either. especially on sundays.

it never bothered you, really. you knew the stakes involved. you knew how important this was to him. you were well aware of the way people spoke about him online and in the media. lately, it had been nothing but negative energy. not only from the press and commentary, but from the fans as well.

you never overstepped. you never teetered over the boundaries he set in place for race weekends. you always ensured to keep your affection away from the public eye.

so, to witness that desperation to kiss you one last time. to hear those three words before he left. to feel him against pressed against you, reluctant to let go.

to you, that was everything.

and as voices buzzed in the air, the tension nearly electric as members of the crew paced around the garage as the rain pounded against the tarmac, max verstappen could only think about one thing.

and that one thing, was you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

droplets of water scatter about, the team rushing toward the car as a shiver runs down your spine.

max slips out of the car, nearly tumbling as he makes his way to the ground. your limbs itch, from your fingers to your toes, nearly screaming to take a step forward.

to make your way toward him.

he's drenched, the color of his suit a few shades darker as he claws his helmet and balaclava off, running a hand through his hair. his eyes scan through the garage briefly, picking through the throng.

his brow is furrowed, lips wound tight together with concentration.

you know he's looking for you.

yet, you don't move.

there was too much to risk if you approached him. in the aftermath of colapinto's crash, a red flag was issued on the track. with max's current position behind ocon and the ability to change tyres, there was a new opportunity presented before him.

the opportunity to overtake ocon from p2 to p1, therefore maintaining the lead and potentially winning the grand prix.

however, there were other factors present.

with a fresh start, the other drivers were presented with the same opportunity. lando norris in the rocketship of the mclaren would also be able to overtake as well, potentially threatening max's chance of a win. and with the current conditions of the track, who knew what would happen in the final thirty laps.

there was so much to consider. so much to speculate. so much to lose.

and because of that, you knew you couldn't interfere.

you couldn't do that to him.

to max, winning meant everything.

and to risk throwing him off over a simple hello or you're doing great? you couldn't bear the weight of knowing you had something to do that. you couldn't be the reason he lost momentum.

so, you stayed put, now blending in with the crew as they returned back into the garage, max sailing off down the pit lane, back in the direction of the track.

yet, as the dutch driver clutches the wheel, his heart thumping against his chest, he could only focus on one thing.

that bright, beautiful smile plastered across your face the moment you saw his car rolling up toward the pit.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

"come here!"

he practically barrels into you, sweeping you into his arms. tears stream down your cheeks, cries of joy bubbling up in your throat as he squeezes you.

"i-i love you," he sputters, "fuck i love you."

your head tilts back, lower lip quivering as you take him in.

his eyes are tinged pink, glossy as your fingertips trace along his jaw. there's a swarm coming any minute now, ready to hoist him up on their shoulders, jeering his name. in the grandstands, there's the dull roar of the crowd, chanting along with the crew. his suit is soaked through, leaving a wet imprint all over your clothes.

yet, there is nothing else that matters but him.

"i love you m-more, maxie," you sniffle, wiping away a tear, "y-you have no idea how fucking proud of you i am."

his mouth collides with yours, a heated, heavy kiss as the rain patters. your hand wraps around the base of his neck, tangling into his hair as his mouth opens, deepening the kiss. his tongue slides along your lip, seeking entry.

you're about to let him in before he breaks away, nearly panting. a crimson hue paints his cheeks, his chest heaving.

"fuck."

"what?" you press, your brow arching.

"nothing," he shakes his head, nearly bewildered as he studies you, "you just look beautiful. so fucking beautiful right now in the rain."

your own clothes are beginning to cling to your body, damp from the stormy morning. your makeup is still intact, but smudged slightly from the kiss and the humid atmosphere. he can sense your exhaustion, but your eyes are wide, nothing but adoration swimming in their depths. drops cling to your hair, glittering as you cock your head.

"you just won a race and you're worried about how beautiful i look?"

to max, there was no other word to describe you in this moment but ethereal. a stunning ray of golden, pure light as the clouds hung low in the sky.

not just any light.

his light.

at your sentiment, his gaze hardens, the dutch driver's jaw clenching as the pad of his thumb grazes your cheek.

"y-you have no fucking idea what you do to-"

"max!" a voice cuts in, nearly grating through all the noise, "what a hell of a race that was!"

you bite down on your tongue as christian horner comes into view, along with numerous members of the crew. max's eyes dart to you, but he's swiftly whisked away, the sensation of his warm hands merely a phantom.

however, your mind can't help but replay the kiss. the way his hands roamed, desperate to bring you in closer than you imagined possible. the adrenaline coursing through your veins, the two of you floating from the euphoria. the way you swore you could see stars gleaming in his stare as you cried, overwhelmed with pride.

pride for your man.

the man who managed to go from p17 to p1 in a single race. the man who made a statement.

the man who managed to pull off the impossible.

and he was yours.

all yours.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

"you have no idea how much i've been looking forward to this."

sweats cling to his hips as he is snuggled against you, arms wrapped around your waist. his head rests on your chest, lashes fluttering as you run a hand through his hair. you're almost underneath him, his body nearly squishing you. but you don't mind, as you were savoring the minutes.

the final hours together before you would inevitably have to part ways, saying those goodbyes at the airport.

oh, how you dreaded that moment. more than anything.

you would have to return to work, and he would be halfway across the world, enjoying a brief break before the final few races.

at least you would have vegas together.

but that felt so fucking far away, especially with the race scheduled at the end of the month.

"what are you thinking about up there?"

max's voice is merely a whisper, catching you off guard. you flinch, his head lifting, swiveling so that you're forced to meet his concerned stare.

"nothing," you shrug, "nothing important."

"hmm," he hums, leaning in for a peck, "that's a lie. you're always thinking about something. important or not, i want to know what it is."

"i'm just thinking about tomorrow," you lower your head, careful to avoid eye contact, "i just had such a perfect weekend and-"

"it's not over yet," fingers grasp your chin, "we still have the night together."

"but we have to get up early and make sure i'm at the airport on time and-"

lips connect with yours, his body shifting so that he's on top, practically pinning you to the plush mattress. a whine rises in your throat at the fierceness of the kisses, the way they send a fiery sensation burning throughout as his tongue explores your mouth.

his mouth pulls away, drifting to your jaw. instinctively, your hips buck forward, brushing against his as places sloppy, wet kisses along your neck.

"don't worry about the morning," his mouth hovers by your ear, "just focus on me, okay?"

you nod, "o-okay."

"is this okay?" his brow furrows momentarily, "i don't want to make you feel-"

you lower a hand, fingertips brushing along the waistband of his sweats, "this is okay. i promise."

at your action, max's breath quickens, the driver finding it difficult to string the words together, "i-i just can't help myself around you. seeing you after my win today, looking so fucking beautiful in the rain. i couldn't fucking control myself."

"that kiss was very unlike you," a giggle rings through the space, "i almost thought i was dreaming."

"you weren't," the corners of his lips curl into a wide smile, dimples and all, "i was right there, kissing you, wishing i could just get down on one knee right then and there."

"m-max," you stammer, the temperature of the room almost skyrocketing, "y-you don't-"

"i do," his voice is firm, "i want to marry you. i knew i needed you, but seeing you there, just waiting for me, with that gorgeous grin across your face.. it made me realize that i wanted to see that smile for the rest of my life. we don't have to rush, but i want you to know what my intentions are.

i want you to be my wife, but i don't want you to feel like you have to abandon everything to be with me. i want you to still do what you love, and i want you to still make a difference in people's lives. just how you've made a difference in mine."

"i love you," your vision is blurred, your throat tight, "i-i love you so much m-max."

"my sensitive girl," he lets out a chuckle, carefully wiping away your tears, "i love my sensitive girl. more than she'll ever know."

"i'll be your wife one day."

"one day?" he cocks his head, "is that a yes?"

"yes," you affirm, "that is a yes."

"now this has truly been a day to remember."

"is that so?"

"yes," max responds. taking your hands, he raises them slightly, so that they're on either side of your head. intertwining your fingers together he continues, leaning in once more.

"i'm going to hold on to this memory for the rest of my life. i'm going to hold on to you for the rest of my life."

"there's nowhere else i would rather be," you whisper, "i mean that."

"oh i know," his mouth ghosts over yours, "you were so fucking ecstatic earlier. it was adorable."

"i was just happy for you," your lips form a pout, "you have to remember it's been a long time since i-"

he kisses you, this time a little more hungry than the last. as his tongue slips in, between your thighs, you feel your clit throb, desperate for his touch as he deepens the kiss, squeezing your hands. his hips grind against yours, sending a shiver down your spine.

"m-max," you nearly moan, "please."

"what?" he coos, "what is it baby?"

"i need you," the words are breathy, "i really need you."

"don't worry baby," a hand begins to drift lower and lower, savoring your heated skin along your stomach and abdomen, "i'll make sure you're taken care of."

"p-please," your head rolls back as his thumb meets your clit, dragging in slow, circular motions.

for a second, he's thrown off his game, completely and utterly bewildered at the stickiness coating his index finger as he plunges a finger deep inside.

"y-you're this wet for me? i've barely fucking touched you."

"like you said earlier," you grit your teeth, fighting a whimper as another finger slides in, your walls adjusting, "you have no idea what you do to me."

at that statement, max's jaw tightens, the lust that was merely a few flames now burning throughout, threatening to consume him whole.

fuck, was he going to ruin you.

his fingers pull out, hooking the hem of your own sweats, "i need this off of you. now."

sitting up, you kick off your pants, fumbling with your tank top in the process. your nipples are almost swollen, hardened from the brisk air. between your thighs, he can catch the glisten of your slick cunt, aching for him and only him.

in that moment, max nearly comes undone.

"let me taste you," the words are nearly a beg, "please baby, let me get a taste."

you nod, almost a little too enthusiastically, "please do."

he situates himself so that he's between your legs, his hands roaming your soft skin, spreading you open. he lowers his head, hands cupping your breasts as his tongue flattens against your weeping cunt. the tip of his nose brushes against your clit, earning a groan from you.

at that, a guttural noise rumbles in his throat, his fingers now gripping your hips, pulling you closer and closer.

there was no word that could describe the way you tasted.

the only thing that came close was heaven.

sweet, sweet, heaven that coated his tongue.

your back arches as obscene, filthy noises flood the room, hands in max's hair, tugging at the locks as his mouth envelops your clit, sucking lightly.

"that's it pretty girl," the words are ragged as you squirm, his lips shining in the dim light, "that's it."

"m-max," there's a feeling pooling in your abdomen, a feeling you knew all too well, "p-please."

"what?" his mouth curls into a smug smirk, "what is it pretty girl? you wanna cum?"

"yes. please."

"well since you asked so nicely," you're wound up tight now, merely seconds away from release, "i'll make you cum."

his mouth reconnects with your clit, applying the right amount of pressure as it dances. you writhe beneath him, stars bursting in your vision as you cum, bliss crashing over you like a tidal wave.

he pulls back, his cock twitching in his sweats, begging to be set free as he admires the way your chest heaves, your thighs almost trembling, overstimulated from the orgasm.

he wants to go back for seconds, lapping away until you're crying, pleading, begging for him to stop. if only you didn't have your early flight in the morning, then he would eat your pussy for hours, going all throughout the night.

"good girl," sliding off his sweats, his jaw nearly goes slack as your hand wraps around the base, pumping slowly, "good fucking girl."

as you jerk him off, two dingers dip inside, ensuring that their soaked before pulling out.

"here," he murmurs, pushing the digits against your lips, prompting you to open your mouth, "taste yourself."

as you take them in, tongue swirling along their length, the sweetness lacing your tongue, a groan tumble from his mouth.

"oh fuck."

"you like?" batting your lashes, you can't help but feel a grin form as he nods fervently, one hand gripping the heard board while the other rests on his shaft.

"victory tastes sweet, but fuck you taste sweeter. there's nothing like the way you taste and i'm addicted."

"is that such a bad thing?"

you nearly choke on a gasp as he pushes into you, stretching you out as his hips roll. he bites on his lower lip, fighting a smirk as your head hits the pillow, eyes squeezing shut as pleasure fills you to the brim.

"not at all," he's plowing into you now, "it's not a bad thing at all."

addicted was not even the word that described the way max craved you.

it was a hunger.

a hunger that would only be satisfied by your perfect, tight cunt.

and god, was max was going to savor the way you felt. the way you wrapped around him, practically begging him to go even further and further.

if only he could stay here, entwined with you. if only he could feel like this, forever.

however, vegas was quickly approaching.

and after that, who knew what the future would bring.

but for now, he was going to relish this moment.

tonight, and perhaps for the rest of his life.

[obs3ssedd]

katsuki bakugo¡

— he can’t stop visiting his favorite support tool.

— KATSUKI // being a support tool for a pro hero was interesting to say the least. every time and you mean EVERY time he would come into your workshop your co workers would always tease you, whenever he came in with a broken gauntlet, or his belt, or anything for that matter, as soon as he would drop off his gear for you to work on they would tease you, says stuff like “I bet he likes youuuu.” said one “isn’t this his 2nd time coming today? he must really like seeing you~.” said another just smirking shaking your head working on his gauntlet.

you do have to admit, it’s nice being a support tool for a pro hero at that being dynamite. it was cool working on his stuff or even explaining your ideas for his gauntlets or even little gadgets you had in mind, like for his gloves for the winter, when you were explaining it to him you’ve never realized how much he actually listened to you keeping eye contact with you till one of your co workers said something. he doesn’t like admitting stuff but he loves when you talk about ideas that’s just for him. would nod his head in agreement everytime getting lost with your voice..”so for whenever winter comes you’ll have these!. there automatic hand warmer gloves to help you produce more sweat for your explosions. It’s still a project in mind but— dynamite?.” you paused furrowing your eyebrows seeing him stare at you, almost like he’s glaring at you??.

did you say something wrong?!. shit! you probably pissed him off..great work y/n!. while you were mentally cussing yourself out as he was deep in thought…he never liked when people talked his ear off but you? he can make an exception..he loved hearing every single idea you had for his suits or to help him. honestly he could listen to you ramble on and on if he had the chance, he didn’t even notice your panic up until you called his name getting him out his thoughts. “what?.” — “I said did I do anything..? you’re glaring at me.” you nervously chuckled, almost in an instant he cursed to himself. he’s always had this mean resting bitch face, so whenever he’s calm he still looks mad. dynamite shook his head oddly quickly, “no!— I mean no..uh you didn’t.” he cleared his throat. fuck! you furrowed your eyebrows but shook your head looking back down at the glove, “I’ll let you know when the full designed is completed.” you gave a small smile turning back around to place the glove back on your work bench.

some days your co workers would catch on how many times he’s came in, saying one day he came in three times! one was when his belt broke, two is when his gauntlet was malfunctioning and the third..? you don’t think you remember him saying anything about any of his stuff being broken. when you had asked he had this small blush on his cheeks as he tried to explain himself, grinning at him trying to find his words. at first you thought it was cute by how many times he’s came to see you but then you started to get curious, the night where it was just you in your workshop working on your project you heard heavy footsteps approach you from behind. you paused your work lifting your head up, the more the steps came closer the more your grip tightened on the screw driver. your quirk wasn’t as cool as the pro’s but it was very helpful..if a person is atleast 15 feet from you, you can feel there presence and hear their breathing.

as if someone was about to touch you, you whipped around fast pointing the screw driver at the persons neck but once you realized who it was your defenses dropped. “dynamight?.” you questioned, furrowing your eyebrows. he looked different? instead of his costume he was wearing casual attire, a white t-shirt, black jeans and sneakers. you think this is your first time seeing him wear something outside his costume, he was also holding flowers in his hand?. you felt your heart drop but you kept a smile on your face tilting your head, “what are you doing here? It’s late you know.” you chuckled as he sighed nodding his head. “yeah..I just thought I could stop by..” he was nervous. you could tell. you hummed looking back down at the flowers then him, “you’re all dressed up. you got a hot date tonight?.” you teased, though you didn’t want it to be true.

In an instant he shook his head furrowing his eyebrows, “no!. I..no. uh there actually for you..” he said quietly, you raised a brow. “there for me?.” he didn’t say anything but nod his head lifting them for you to grab. they were your favorite too..how did he..? “and there my favorite..” you smiled admiring them, “how did you know?.” dynamight shrugged looking away trying to cover the small blush, “I asked shitty hair.” of course, you shook your head chuckling softly. “dynamight—“ — “katsuki.” you paused. “call me katsuki.” he looked back at you and you swore he had a smile on his face, “katsuki..” It rolled off your tongue in a good way, “well then katsuki, why you get me flowers?.” this was the hard part. admitting he took a liking of you and wanted to ask you out on a date, he went to kirishima for advice since you’re basically his sister and he knows everything about you. though kirishima can be an idiot sometimes he’s actually really good at advice..

he cleared his throat trying to get the right words out. from the silence you gave a soft smile placing the flowers gently down on your desk, grabbing ahold of his hand squeezing it. “you know, you don’t have to tell me anything right now. I won’t force you.” the gentle in your voice could make anyone calm their nerves. it was calming his. he sighed squeezing your back, “well..I want to take you out or something.” — “like a date?.” he nodded his head, you smiled. when he didn’t get an answer he thought you were gonna decline but when he felt you kiss his cheek his eyes went wide, “I would love that.”

“I really would.”

[woso-dreamzzz]

Second Time's The Charm IX

Alexia Putellas x Reader

Summary: Your co-workers meet your wife

The new doctor is world renowned.

A titan in the industry of sports science and flawless in the realm of orthopaedic surgery.

Perhaps there was a bit of sexism in the way that all the nurses assumed you would be a man but each were pleasantly surprised when you walked through the door in your scrubs and were, in fact, a woman.

It was great in fact because male doctors always had massive egos attached and never treated nurses respectfully.

But female doctors always did.

Female doctors always appreciated the work they did.

You were one of those doctors.

If you weren't buried in paperwork or doing consultations and follow ups, you were down by the nurses station with a to-go coffee and a box of doughnuts from the café to share out.

"He took me to Naples," One of the nurses said," We took a tour around Pompeii and ate at this amazing pizza place."

You hummed, writing down something in one of your patient's charts. "Was it nice? I've been meaning to take my wife but she's so busy all the time. I don't want her time wasted if it isn't nice."

"So nice," The nurse insisted," A lot of walking around though so you're sweating a lot but apart from that, it's amazing."

"I'll put it on my list then."

"My boyfriend took me to a football match. He's a Barcelona fan so we went to see the women in a friendly last week."

"My wife was there too," You said absentmindedly," I heard it was a good match."

"Eight-nil to Barcelona," The nurse agreed," They were amazing."

You know that because Alexia came home very happy with her own performance. Two goals. Three assists.

You rewarded her handsomely.

"The women's team are very good," You replied, signing something off.

"Oh, yeah, you go to a lot of matches, right? Are you a fan?"

"My wife's a bigger Barcelona fan than me," You replied.

That was an understatement but nobody really needs to know about how passionate Alexia is about football.

"She always gets me tickets."

"That's so sweet," Another nurse said," It's nice that you care so much about her interests."

"Yeah, I love seeing Ale happy," You said," If that means I have to sit through ninety plus minutes of football then I'm glad to to do it."

The nurses learnt pretty quickly after that, just how much you adored your wife.

You brought her up with conversations that were only tangentially related to her, dropping little facts to do with her at seemingly random intervals.

Your staff now knew that you and your Ale had met at school, inseparable since that first meeting. They knew you got kicked out of your parent's house at eighteen after you married her. They knew that you were currently building a house and had taken her away on her dream holiday over the Christmas period.

You'd never shown a picture of her though and if there was one things nurses loved doing with no one around, it was gossip.

"She must look like a model or something," One of them said," Pretty people marry pretty people and Doctor Putellas is very pretty."

"I think she must be a real sweetheart," Another said," Someone really sweet and happy. I'd be happy if I was married and spoiled by Doctor Putellas. It must be a dream."

"What do you think she works as?"

" A doctor's salary like Doctor Putellas' is enough to support a family on. Her wife probably doesn't need to work."

"I heard they were thinking about adopting. Her wife might want to stay home with the baby."

"Doctor Putellas deserves a housewife to spoil. I bet her wife feels so loved all the time."

"I wish my boyfriend would treat me like how Doctor Putellas treats her wife."

A throat is cleared behind the assembled nurses and they turn around, instantly putting on their responsible faces.

Alexia Putellas stood before them, nervously threading her fingers together together as she stood in front of them.

"Erm...hello."

"Hello. Do you have an appointment? A follow up?"

Since her ACL tear, Alexia wasn't an abnormal presence at the hospital, constantly coming back for follow ups and check ins.

She'd never looked this nervous though, this strung out and anxious.

"Er...no. I'm...I'm here to see Y/n?"

The nurses all nodded.

That made sense. Alexia Putellas and Doctor Putellas.

Everyone had assumed the pair of you were related. You didn't look similar so you were probably cousins or something else more loosely related.

"We'll call her down for you."

Alexia nodded, face shifting from nervous to more stern and stoic, the face that the nurses were more used to seeing on her. She remained silent as they went back to talking, discussing weekend plans and holiday ideas with family.

The squeak of your shoes on the linoleum floor caused all conversations to grind to a half again and you turned the corner with the group of interns that you'd been talking to since one of your surgeries earlier, answering questions in such an in depth way that there was no question of why you were world class in your field.

"Doctor Putellas, your-"

"Amor!" Alexia cried out, stern and stoicism slipping from her visage as something skin to puppy love appeared to replace it," Brilliant news!"

Your own smile split your features as you took two short steps toward her until you were face to face.

Instantly, Alexia's hands went to your hips.

"What is it, Ale?"

"We've got a court date! For Maya! To bring her home!"

Somehow, you smile only widened and you threw your arms around Alexia to bring her ever closer.

"Are you serious? A court date? An actual court date?"

"The lawyers called!" Alexia continued, somehow rushing through her words but still articulating them perfectly," I was in a meeting but I was looking at my phone because it was flashing. I knew I shouldn't have picked up but it felt important so I did. And they told me! Next week! The judge will talk to us and officially approve the papers!"

You were totally professional with your nursing staff. You would banter with them and joke around but you were still so professional. You didn't overshare. You didn't belittle them. You didn't say anything too personal.

Which was why it was so strange to see you pull Alexia into a kiss right in front of them, smashing your lips together as Alexia practically vibrated in excitement.

"We're bringing our baby home," You said against her lips.

"We are, amor. We are."

Movement out of the corner of your eye brought you out of your daze though, dropping your arms until you could take one of Alexia's hands in your own as you turned to face the shocked faces of your group of interns and your nurses.

You felt a little bit awkward now as you cleared your throat.

"This is my wife," You said meekly," Ale."

Not the Barcelona captain. Not the Spain captain. Not Alexia Putellas.

Your wife.

Ale.

[fanfiction4sooya]

Helping Hand (Older S/W Jihyo x F!R)

Don't ask me why I did it, just know the thought of older sw jihyo couldn't leave my mind for a month or so. Hope you like it! Love ya'll, have fun! 💖💖💖

cw: sex worker jihyo, pussy eating, inexperienced reader, fingering, grinding, dry humping, 69, oral sex, squirting, nipple play, overstimulation, swearing, a very long story; not proofread so if you find a mistake... no you didn't mind your business.

You felt nervous.

You looked at yourself for the ninth time in the big mirror, smoothing your dress, applying lip gloss, anything that could take your mind off of the fact that you were about to have sex with a woman for the first time.

Park Jihyo.

Your friend Ryujin had told you about a client that used to go to the bar she worked at, a sex worker, Ryujin said. She was beautiful and confident and everything you dreamed to be, in all honesty.

You got a call.

"She can come over" You told the receptionist, taking a deep breath after hanging up. Your heart thrummed in your ears, a knock on the door.

You opened it, gulping when you saw that astonishing woman leaning on the door frame. Her big eyes complimented her gorgeous face, just as her sharp nose and lips; same lips that displayed this kind of relaxed smile, confident and warm. She wore a white strapless blouse and tight mini skirt; her brown hair adorned her features all the way to her waist. She looked... angelic.

"Good evening, darling" She snapped you out of that trance with that warm voice of hers. "May I come in?" You finally were able to open your mouth.

"Oh yes, I am sorry" You bowed, furiously blushing. She smiled, pressing a firm hand to your shoulder and making you straighten your back.

"You are fine sweetie, no need for that" Her warm eyes met yours and your knees almost gave up on supporting you. She was literally perfect. "I'm Jihyo" You two shook hands and you dumbfoundedly told her yours.

She entered the space not even bothering to look around, but you saw how her eyes quickly roamed around your body and how she discretely licked her pretty lips.

"So..." She started, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Ryujin told me you wanted to try with a woman?" Her voice was smooth, stable. She gave this older and thrustworthy vibe.

"Yes" You cleared your throat.

"Don't get me wrong, but why hire me?" She scanned you, her head falling a bit to the left in a slow motion as if she was hypnotizing you. "You look very pretty and you are young, darling. I know finding a girl to satisfy you would be no problem" She said and you deeply blushed. "Ryujin herself could do it..." You shook your head.

"I don't like Ryu like that..." You were fidgeting with your dress and she reached a hand on yours, almost as if she knew it would pull you back to earth. You completelly stopped and she warmly smiled at you, grazing her thumb over your hand.

"You can sit down honey, it's okay" Her voice dripped like honey and your heart pounded like crazy. You knew she was supposed to be invinting but you were surprised on how alluring she was. You sat down beside her and she motioned for you to keep talking.

"I feel like I always felt something wasn't adding up when me and my ex, you know..." You shyly said. "And I feel like trying with a girl, I just don't know who or how" You gulped, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how else..."

"Oh no baby, it's fine" She placed a hand over you bare shoulder again and you felt like you'd combust. "I am in no position to judge and actually, there's nothing to judge" She stated. "Tell me what do you want me to do" Her sultry voice lowered an octave and you bit your lip.

"I don't know, I mean..." You looked away, trying hard not to melt under her intense gaze. She placed two fingers under your chin, gently making you look back at her.

"Keep your eyes on me when we are talking, okay?" You looked back, nodding. "Good girl" Her brown eyes were shaped like crescent moons when she smiled like that, she petted your hair. "You don't know what you want me to do or you don't know how to feel pleasure?" You thought about it for a moment.

"Both. I think" She nodded, uncounsciously resting her hand on your thigh over the light pink dress. "I'm nervous" You closed your eyes and she cooed.

"It's okay, baby" She leaned closer, her arms embracing you in a hug. It felt warm, comfortable and ot felt hot having her chest pressing against yours like that. "You are okay" She said and you exhaled, your breath grazing the skin of her neck.

You felt yourself tingle between your legs, way more than your ex boyfriend ever made you feel. Jihyo smiled.

Of course she would know your body would react to her touch. She knew it from the moment you gawked at her when you opened the door. She leaned back, keeping herself still on your personal space. Blinking slowly, her eyes travelled to your lips and her breath hit your face ever so lightly. She dipped her head a bit, inviting you to her personal space, time moving slower than ever.

"I am here to teach you, hm?" She says, caressing your cheek. "But I need you to give yourself to me a bit" Her smile wasn't wide but it reached her eyes perfectly. How about we talk for a bit?" She asked, straightening her back and you nodded, biting your lip.

It was a chit chat about mundane things; college, work, friends, etc just to loosen you up a bit and it totally worked. You knew she was good but that was a pro move as she took of her boots and your shoes as well, you two getiing more comfortable in each others presence. After the conversation died down just a tiny bit you felt her stare at you, a certain glint in her eyes.

"You look beautiful" She said, eyeing you up and down as you blushed. "May I kiss you, sweetheart?" Oh that pet name made you melt and clamp your thighs.

Nodding, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes, hands gripping the sides of your dress, heartbeat quickening.

Jihyo smiled at how adorable you looked, licking her lips when her eyes travelled to your breasts and your thighs under the cute dress. Sometimes work could be quite fun for her.

Seeing your nervousness, she reached for your hand and brought it to her lips, kissing your knuckles. The contact in itself made you clench as you opened your eyes to see her brown ones staring back at you.

"Let me take care of you" She whispered, leaning close enough to your face, her lips almost brushing against yours; 'that's it, no backing down now' You thought to yourself, taking the hint and closing the small gap between yourselves.

Initially it was a gentle, soft peck. She smiled against your lips, silently praising you for your courage, her right hand finding your hair to caress it as she parted her lips, her tongue grazing your bottom lip in a light movement. You slightly parted them so her tongue could brush against yours, giving you goosebumps. The whimper that left your throat was shy, barely registered by yourself but Jihyo was well aware of it and it made her ego go higher than the clouds.

Being someone's first anything was something commom for her, but for some reason she wanted to be the first woman to pleasure you way more than anything.

She sucked your tongue and made your head spin, your hand reaching for her muscly arm to support yourself. You gasped when her hand reached for your waist to pull you to her lap. It felt so smooth you barely registered the action.

"There you go" She firmly placed her hands on your hips, smiling up at you. "It's better to kiss like this" She explained and you nodded, letting her guide you. Who were you to say no to her? She was the expert, not you.

Her hand travelled from your hips over your torso and over your covered breasts to pull you down when it reached your nape and that action made you gasp again, whining against her lips. You fully sat down on her thighs, as she pulled your hips so you would hump them very lightly.

"Jesus-" You tried saying but it was cut short when she bit your lip, pushing her tongue inside your mouth one more time. She didn't rush you but you felt how firm and urgent the kiss was, how overwhelmingly dominant she felt even under you like that.

Without thinking you hugged her strong shoulders, pulling her to you even more, lost in that contact as your muffled whimpers made Jihyo wet just like you.

You were no virgin, not exactly innocent either. You just didn't have experience being pleasured. Apparently your ex boyfriend didn't really do it for you.

"Do you wanna keep going, sweetie?" Jihyo held your chin to the side to kiss your neck and collarbone. You whimpered loudly, gulping when her hot breath fanned over your neck.

"Yes" You breathed out, your heart beating fast as you felt yourself pulse. "Yes, please" You said, finally looking into her eyes again. Jihyo felt herself clench when your hooded eyes met hers, almost melting. Her lips found yours again, but this time she smoothly pulled one of the strings of your dress down, the move barely registered by your brain. Her lips travelled to your jaw as she kissed and lightly bit the skin, then to your neck, followed by your shoulders.

Her firm hands held your hips as she adored every bit of skin her lips could reach, nipping here and there (not hard enough to leave marks of course, Jihyo was a pro after all). She leaned back just a tad bit, looking for any sign of discomfort. Your cheeks were tinted in the most beautiful pink ever and your plump lips were a bit swollen due to your previous actions. She smiled and you swore you'd faint, getting shy out of nowhere.

"Shh, it's okay" She pecked your lips, nuzzling your neck. "Do you want me to take my blouse first?" She asked and you eagerly nodded yes. Not only because you were shy in taking your dress first, but also because you really wanted to see her gorgeous breasts. As stated before, you weren't exactly a saint.

She got up, sitting you on the bed as she slowly lift her blouse over her head, her eyes never leaving your face as yours never left her boobs. You tried hard not to, but you deeply blushed when they beautifully sprung free, your mouth watering at the sight. You closed your eyes, covering them.

"You don't like what you see, baby?" Her seductive voice got closer.

"Oh- I'm..." You tried saying but your heart was racing inside your ribcage. "It's not that, I just got shy..." You said and you could practically hear her groan. She was pulsing in need of feeling you.

She walked towards you, gently holding your wrists to take your hands off of your face. You didn't opposed to it, obediently doing what she wanted you to do. You gulped, now her tits were literally a few centimeters away.

"Do you wanna feel them?" She gently asked, her eyes scanning your body language.

"Y-yes" You stuttered after a while. "Yes, please" You said more firmly and she pecked your lips, guiding your hands to her breasts, hissing when your cold hands touched her warm skin. "Sorry" She smiled when you palmed her breasts.

"Don't apologize, sweetie" Oh that fucking pet name.

"It feels so warm..." You said, eyes on her gorgeous body. She guided your hand in an up and down motion as a sigh left her lips. Her handas left yours massaging her breasts and went to yours over your dress, making you slightly jolt and close your eyes. It felt so soft, so... right. "More, ms. Park" You gulped and Jihyo almost growled at your whiny tone. "Please, more"

She hungrily kissed you; Still at a steady pace, but now it was more than clear that she wanted to fuck you. Her tongue traced yours as your thighs clasped together, your dress slowly leaving your frame.

"I knew I'd like what I see, baby" She held your chin up so you'd look into her eyes. "But jesus... You are perfect" Jihyo said and you blushed.

She leaned you down against the plush pillows, pushing your knees apart to keep herself between them. Your body was almost in full display for her, but her eyes never left your face. Not when you looked so cute all shy and with those red cheeks of yours. She kissed you again, now resting her body against your frame. The moan that ripped through your throat almost got you embarassed, but who could blame you when those gorgeous breasts grazed against yours in that delicious friction? How could not moan when her tongue slid so smoothly against yours and her heavy breath could be heard so close to you?

You were so lost in the kiss and the way her body felt against yours that you couldn't even realize your hips bucking against her abs, grinding onto them like you were in heat. She separated from you with a teasing smile, looking down.

"Looks like someone is a little excited" She said, squeezing your tits together and making you moan loudly. "God baby, keep making those noises for me" Her eyes darkened as her tongue swirled against one of your nipples, sucking it into her mouth. Your whole body twitched and you felt like you were on fire, biting your lower lip so your voice wouldn't be heard by anyone outside the bedroom.

Her hands roamed around your body as she caressed every bit of skin she could reach, swtching her lips from one nipple to the other, lowering her touches close to your pelvis. Her eyes were trained on your sweet yet lewd expression; Jihyo moaned loudly against your breasts when you bucked your hips on her abs and she noticed the coldish sensation of your wetness seeping through your underwear. She leaned back and kissed you, that steady pace feeling deliciously consuming.

"You are so wet, baby" She sat on her heels, holding your knees apart.

"Oh my god..." You panted, covering your face so you wouldn't see her hungry gaze.

You panties were soaked, so soaked it showed perfectly the outline of your aching pussy and the transparency even showed her how your clit poked from it's hood.

"No need for shame, darling..." She kissed your knee, holding it against her chest as her other hand gently took your hands off of your face. "Pretty girl" She cooed, dragging her fingertips from your chest to your tummy, then to where you needed her the most, never looking away from your eyes.

She traced the outline of your pussy, hissing when she felt how hot your cunt felt against her digits; Her middle finger grazed your clit so good you cried out her name tossing against the mattress, but her other hand kept you in place. She soon found your drenched slit, biting her lip as she saw how you reacted.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" You knew she could tell you were okay, but that tone, that safety... it made you crumble even more under her dark gaze.

"Yes, Ms. Park" You told her in a breathy tone as one of your hands reached for her thigh to hold her in an assuring way.

"May I continue?" She asked and you blushed. Oh that woman was going to be the death of you. You nodded and she smiled. "Use your words, please"

"Fuck" You unconsciously said as you rolled your eyes. "I mean y-yes" You gulped when you saw her eating you with her eyes. She resembled a lioness and you were nothing but her pretty little prey.

"Then we are going to take these off..." She said, hooking her fingers on your panties and slowly pulling them off of you. "Fucking hell" She moaned out under her breath, her eyes dark as the night. "I'll make you feel so good, honey..." She traced your wet pussy lips and you cried out, closing your eyes. "If you need me to stop you tell me, ok?" She cupped your chin so you'd look at her.

"O-okay..." You faintly said, feeling your body on fire. "Please..." You whimpered when she kissed your lips, tracing your torso with open mouthed kisses, trailling down to your lower abdomen. Gripping the sheets you covered your mouth when her breath fanned over your clit, your legs involuntarilly shaking as her arms circled your thighs to hug them closer to her chest.

She kissed the inner part of your thighs, smiling when your muffled moan reached her ears and then kissing your mound, inhalling your scent; her own wetness seeping through her thin panties.

When she first licked a stripe on your aching cunt you held your breath. The overwhelming sensation almost being too good to be considered real. Her talented tongue penetrated your drenched core and your whole body shook, your scalp tingling like crazy.

"Don't hold your breath, love" Her sweet voice brought you back to earth. You blinked a few times, trying to keep yourself present. "Good girl" She praised before diving back in.

She held you even tighter, one of her hands pushed your lower abdomen down and you went insane, almost screaming in pleasure after such small gesture. You could feel her grinding her face on the whole extension of your cunt, basking on your wetness and your taste.

"Fuck, fuck-" You cried out, tears pooling in the corners of your eyes. "This feels s-so good, ms Park -oh god" You rolled your eyes, biting the back of your hand as she sucked your clit, swallowing every bit of your juices she could, moaning against your pussy with her mouth stuffed.

You felt shy until your pleasure overtook you, now you felt hot. You looked down, one of your hands grabbing her hair to keep her in place; her big brown eyes were already staring at your face, completely lost in your beauty. Provocative and safe.

You bit your lips as you lost yourself in the most beautiful scene you've ever seen as she thought the same: from your flushed cheeks, to your furrowed eyebrows and those beautiful lips that flowed such pretty sounds.

"I think I'm gonna cum" Your voice sounded high pitched and loud, but you didn't care, the knot in your belly was quickly dissolving, your climax bubbling inside you. If you could describe the feeling of falling apart on her mouth it would be as if you were made of butter, melting in the warmth of her lips. "Oh my...-" You said before tensing up, squeezing her hand above your lower belly, gushing your juices beautifully on her chin and lips.

She wanted to stop, her mind wanted to give you some time to process what just happened but she couldn't find the willpower to do so. She kept literally making out with your pussy, your sweet taste so addicting she wouldn't mind doing it for hours and hours.

Her fingers circled your slit, your weak moans filling her ears and her pride growing inside her chest; she made sure to stare into your soul as two of her fingers invaded you, your eyes rolling back as your silent scream made her smile to herself.

"You won't ever forget me, princess" She growled through gritted teeth. "i'm gonna be your favorite first time"

"Oh fuck, please, please" She climbed up, her lips meeting yours felt so desperate, so needy and raw. Your mind was running miles, you swore to yourself you could taste colors, see smells, talk to angels, whatever was best to describe how good it felt to have her hitting your gspot over and over like that.

"You are so pretty, sweetheart" Her pace slowed down a bit. She licked your lips in an upwards motion, her left hand cupping your jaw. "open your eyes for me, pretty girl" She asked and you forced them open, your heart beating so fast you swore you could die at that very moment. "Look" She pulled your face downwards, lowering her gaze and yours to where her knuckles met your stretched pussy.

You shivered, entranced by the sight. You kissed her, hungry for contact, for her skin and muscular back under your fingertips. Teeth, tongue, saliva, lips, all in one motion, clashing together as if you were trying to merge with the older woman above you.

"Ms Park" You mewled under her, your body tensing up again as your arousal hit you like waves each time she thrust her fingers up inside you, your hips unconsciously meeting them in the middle in a delicious way.

"Oh look at you clenching on my fingers" Jihyo moaned against your lips, straddling one of your thighs just above your knee so she could grind on it while still pumping her fingers inside you. "Fuck" She closed her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing in the most breathtaking expression you were yet to see.

"Please, look at me" You said, voice hoarse due to your moans and muffled screams. That caught the woman by surprise, her eyes shooting open to meet your gaze. "Oh god" Your eyes rolled to the back of your skull as you eneveloped one of her nipples with your lips and you felt her grind even harder, chasing her orgasm in the same pace she did for yours.

You moaned against her skin, that vibration sending waves of pleasure to her drenched pussy as you sloppilly made out with her breasts.

"Fuck baby, I'm gonna cum" She pressed her lips to your forehead, holding your neck with one hand, curling her fingers inside your aching cunt.

Eyes wide open, you saw in real time as her body tensed above yours, slick coating your thigh as she shivered, also reaching your climax upon having such delicate and unique sight.

You hugged her against you as if she was a life saving jacket, tears rolling down your eyes. Jihyo kissed your cheeks and your neck, pecking your lips as she carefully took her fingers off of you after a while. Panting, she climbed on top of you and flipped you around for you to be on top of her body so she could hug you and caress your sweaty back.

"Are you alright, darling?" She said, grazing her fingers up and down on your back. You nodded. "Words, honey. Use them" She hushed when your hips met her over her skirt, getting a bit restless as you felt yourself growing in need for another round.

"Yes, Ms. Park" You stared into her eyes with a shy expression. You felt her tense under you, her eyes darkening ever so slightly.

"Was it a good first experience with a woman?" She asked in a cocky tone, kissing your jaw and you took a shaky deep breath.

"Uhm... no" You said and she stopped to look at your face.

"No?" She was truly offended. You shook your head no.

"It was just half experience..." You kissed her lips. "I need you to teach me how to eat you out now, Ms Park" You directed your kisses to her neck and you felt her hands squeezing your thighs.

"Oh honey, I won't even charge you for that class" She said and you tried to kiss her again, but she deflected your movement and you ended up kissing her cheek, frowning. "First you need some water" She pushed you to sit on top of her, pulling a towel to cover your body. "Rest a bit" Her authoritative tone made you shiver and that needy feeling between your legs grow.

"But I'm not tired..." You whined and her eyes glimmered.

"You will once I'm finished with you, sweetheart" She held your chin, a small little battle in her eyes and yours. Needless to say, you lost when you looked to the side.

"O-okay" You climbed off of her lap as she grabbed a bottle of water for you, opening the lid and handing it to you as you sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, alright?" She said and you nodded, cheeks full of water. In a sparkle of bravery you stood up.

"Can I..." Yeah, it was gone. You looked down.

"Do you wanna come, sweetie?" She cooed, her index finger under your chin. You gulped, her bare torso making you clench.

"Yes, ma'am" Jihyo smiled, tracing her finger to your chin down your neck, arm and then she finally held your hand to pull you to the bathroom.

You sat on a stool as she turned the shower on, checking the temperature. She unzipped the side of her skirt and suddenly your feet were the most interesting thing in the whole world. You heard her lightly chuckle and her get in the shower.

"Are you coming, darling?" Her voice snapped you out of the feet trance and you got up, seemingly unable to gather all your thoughts.

"Yes, I am" You held the towel, a blush creeping up your neck and cheeks.

"It's ok" She extended her hand for you to hold and so you did. "Do you want me to close my eyes?" She smiled, but the question seemed genuine. You slowly nodded. She closed her eyes as the water splashed on her back; you slowly took it off of your body, standing there in front of her.

Your curious eyes travelled around her naked form, an awe expression as you took in all her beauty, your mouth watering at the sight. Her breasts looked full and heavy, her abs were well defined along with her arms and shoulders and her pussy looked like a fresh and very inviting forbidden fruit.

You had no idea how much time had passed, but she definitely opened her eyes right when you stared and her glistening sex.

"You like what you see?" She slowly asked and you gulped as you saw her hungry gaze. You nodded and you saw her eyes shift. "I'm gonna need you to use your words" She was stern, but she seemed patient.

"I really do like what I see, ms Park" You boldly stepped closer, under the water like she was. "Ma'am?" Oh you looked so delicious with all those Ms and ma'am's flowing out of your pretty lips Jihyo felt herselg go insane.

"What is it, sweetie?" She placed her hand on your lower back, pulling you closer to her and you softly moaned as your boobs pressed against hers, your eyes unfocused for a bit. "What is it? What do you wanna do?" She pushed a bit, wanting for you to voice what you wanted.

"Can you please teach me how to please you?" Your voice sounded like a plea, a whine. Jihyo bit her lip, her wet hand holding the back of your neck to pull you in for a kiss. You pulled back and her attentive eyes seemed surprised. "Your words, Ms Park" You smiled and she bit her lower lip, amused by you.

"I can teach you, sweet thing" She pecked your lips. "I'm gonna teach you so well..." Next thing you felt was her tongue on yours.

The kiss felt different this time, sloppier; She really wanted you to eat her out and the way the kiss felt showed you exactly that.

"Fuck" She breathed out, guiding your mouth to her boobs as she pulled your hair. You latched onto one of them, mindleslly moaning against her soft skin as you sucked them hungrily into your mouth. "That's right, baby... Suck it just like that" She rolled her eyes, as your hands held her waist to pull her closer.

Jihyo pulled you back up to sloppily kiss you, both of you pulsing for each other.

"Come here, baby" She pulled you out of the shower, lightly pushing you so you'd get on your knees in front of her. "Are you sure you wanna learn?" She said, holding your face between her fingers as your eyes locked on hers. She knew you wanted to. All the times she asked for confirmation was just so she'd hear you desperately whine for her.

"Yes, please" You nodded and she smiled against your lips, kissing you.

"You can start by kissing my stomach, my thighs" She guided you. "Don't be shy, baby..." She leaned back a bit. "Look at me, I'm dripping for you" She said and you finally gave a closer look to her pussy. It was red and glistening and it looked so mouth watering you wanted to immediatelly put it in your mouth.

You heard her chuckle a bit and that brought you back to earth. The world started to move slowly as your lips made contact with her thigh in a shy kiss. She smelled amazing, a mix of peach and some expensive perfume; you boldly held both of her thighs for support, squeezing them a bit when your lips were nearing her dripping center, the smell of her arousal closer and more intoxicating.

"You can put your tongue out for me, darling" She said and you obeyed, showing her your tongue as a shiver ripped through her spine. "Now come closer and make contact with my clit" Jihyo said as steadily as she could.

You did just as she told you, your nose touching her mound as your tongue touched her clit lightly. Her legs trembled ever so slightly and you heard her soflty moan above you, giving you the ego boost you never thought you'd have in the first place.

The second contact with her dripping center felt more steady, even more precise. You dragged your tongue a bit more forcefully and you heard her gasp, her eyes locked with yours.

"Fuck" She breathed out, her hand came to gently grab your head to pull you in closer. "Like that, baby" She bucked her hips and you finally felt her taste on your tongue.

It tasted different from anything you've ever tasted. It was delicious.

You closed your eyes, eager to make her feel good, lapping up and down on her wet pussy with a bit more force and she pulled you away with a 'pop' coming from your lips.

"G-gently, baby" She swallowed, her flushed cheeks gave her this turned on look that almost made you melt.

"Sorry" You blushed. "You just taste so good..." You said with a whine and you saw her expression change, her eyes going from your pretty face to your breasts on full display for her.

She sort of mounted your face this time, her dripping slit hovering over your mouth and her hand holding your hair.

"Again" She said and you eagerly nodded, ready to shove your face back where you wanted but she stopped you. "No need to suck too hard"

"Y-yes, Ms. Park" She smiled sweetly at you and that made your whole body shiver.

How could a smile hold such power over anyone like hers did to you just now?

"Now lick it from the slit to my clit..." You did as she said, collecting her juices on the tip of your tongue to soon swallow it and she closed her eyes, throwing her head back. "Yes, just like that" Her strong hand guided your head, the free one tugging at her nipple as she bit her lower lip. "Kiss it as if you were kissing my lips, darling" She gently said, her voice above a whisper and her big brown eyes glued to yours.

And that's when you realized how good it felt to make out with it, quickly learning how to pleasure Jihyo as your tongue swirlled between her folds and your nose bumped her clit every now and then; her moans becoming louder and her hips quivering ever so slightly made your own pussy throb, your own slick oozing out of you.

"Good girl, fuck" She praised when you suck on her clit more gently than before, chin pressing against her slit. "Don't stop baby, keep going" She closed her eyes, the wave of pleasure becoming too much for her as you kept your ministrations; Jihyo leaned on the wall for support, her knees giving up on holding her weight and her orgasm washing over her as her hand kept pressing your face against her pulsing cunt, sliding it up and down to smear her slick all over your face. "k-keep your face there" It was the first time you really heard her stutter.

It felt suffocanting and oh so good to have her in that position. You wanted to keep tasting her, keep doing whatever she wanted you to do. She pulled your hair back, taking your face from between her legs and lowering hers to kiss and lick her wetness from your face.

"Good job, baby" She praised and you almost melted, whimpering while squeezing your legs. "Are you needy already, princess?" She asked, amused by your stamina.

"Yes, ms. Park" You bit your lip as JIhyo gave you an obscene stare.

"Come here" She pulled you up, kissing you and guiding you two back to bed, careful not to toss you on it as she fell by your side. "Sit on my face" She said and you stopped. It was the first time you heard a really commanding tone out of her. "Let me show how good it is to fuck a woman" She smirked, already pushing you up to straddle her face. "No, let me show you how fucking good it feels to have sex with me"

She pulled you down her face, your pussy fitting so right in her mouth you felt your brain turning into mush inside your skull. You felt her tongue in your slit as her chin bumped your clit. You couldn't tell what was your name but oh boy, you definitely knew hers.

"Fuck Ms Park, fuck - god" You babbled, completely at her mercy as you scratched the bedpost you were trying to hold on for support, both of her hands holding your asscheeks as she brought you in even more to meet her face each time her tongue fucked your dripping hole. "Jihyo, please" You cried out, eyes shut as your whole body trembled upon her, feeling this incesant need for release. Her first name burning on your lips as if it was something sacred.

"Keep calling my name, darling" She basically growled, soon latching her lips over your clit once again. You felt her circle your entrance with one of her fingers and you opened your eyes to look into hers, silently pleading for her to fuck you. "What baby? Use your words" Her voice dripped lust, desire.

"Please fuck my pussy, plea-" And before you finished the sentence, one of her fingers pushed past your entrance to make your eyes roll so far back you almost blacked out.

The squealching sounds were loud and she kept pistoning her finger inside you, soon adding one more to curl them inside your hungry cunt. Your walls squeezing them so good it was hard to move but she wouldn't stop until your orgasm washed over you, her lips attached to your swollen clit.

"Jesus christ" You babbled, feeling yourself loosening that knot inside you and suddenly Jihyo stopped almost making you cry. "Why-" You started but she was already pushing your body to the opposite direction of hers.

"I need your fingers inside me" She growled as she spread her legs a bit, her glistening cunt furiously red from all that action.

"A-are you sure?" You eagerly said.

"You wanted the full experience, darling" She kissed your thigh, hugging your ass closer to her face to pull you down to sit on it. "Now you are going to finger me nice and good, don't hold back" Jihyo went back to lapping up your juices and your shivered, a moan ripping out your throat.

You knew how to finger yourself but another woman? You concentrated yourself in doing it the right way.

You circled her slit and you heard the muffled moan Jihyo let out, her nails digging a bit on the skin her hands were placed over. She clenched and you pushed one finger inside, shallowing thrusting it. It felt wet and warm and you were sure yourself was about to cum because of that sensation and Jihyo's lips on your clit as her nose bumped your entrance.

She held your hand to position one more finger inside, pushing it in with ease.

"Fuck" You let out as she held your wrist to pump your fingers the way she wanted.

You were fucking her all by yourself after a while, knuckles deep inside her stretched hole, screaming for Jihyo as your hips moved against her lips; It was too much, you felt yourself almost blacking out as she squirted all over your hand, tensing under you as her face buried itself deeper and deeper in you.

"I can't- god please" You cried out as your orgasm washed over you violently, your arm giving out on supporting your body upwards, face falling onto the bed as your body literally shut down.

You had no idea how much time had passed but your eyelids were heavy and your body felt warm and light as jihyo comforted you, holding you close and cooing at you as you were lying on top of her.

"It's okay baby, you did such a good job" She pressed her forehead against yours smiling at you as you opened your eyes.

"My body feels so light..." You sleepily said.

"I know you are tired" She said, sighing. "Having sex with women demands a lot from your body" You nudged at her neck, your body slowly shutting down again. "I have a feeling you won't be a client for long..." Jihyo said to your sleepy form as she recalled how good you made her feel.

[drtyelvisfantasy]

SAVE YOUR LOVE

LINEMAN!RAFE X STRIPPER!READER AU

note: Thank you to all who sent in questions about my au. I really appreciated it🩷 if any of you have any more questions, feel free to send them in 😊 I promise to write some more happy stuff for this au soon lol

summary: You and Rafe finally have a baby together, but things don't go as planned

warnings: childbirth, pregnancy, toxic relationship, yelling, feelings of abandonment, swearing,

The physical changes of the pregnancy took a toll on me, leaving me feeling exhausted and drained every minute of the day. I eventually had to stop working at the strip club when my bump became more noticeable. Rafe promised he would help me find a new job. He said he knew some people down here in Vegas, and he managed to secure me a position at a construction company, creating schedules for the workers. Although the work was boring and the pay was much lower than what I was used to as a stripper, it provided enough income to support myself and the baby. The hours were manageable, and I found some sense of stability in this new job.

Instead of meeting at the hotel like in the past, Rafe started coming by my apartment. His visits were less secretive, yet a sense of unease and tension still hung in the air.

“Are you staying the night?” I asked, my voice laced with a mix of hope and hesitation.

Rafe walked over where I was sitting on the couch, his expression unreadable as he considered my request. “Yeah, I’ll stay for the night.”

“Do you think you’ll be here for the birth?” I pressed, trying to remain calm. “I think it would be good for both of us if you came to the hospital with me.”

Rafe didn’t seem happy, his voice flat. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I can’t make any promises. Things are complicated right now.”

I felt a pang of disappointment. I thought this pregnancy would make things better between us, would force him to become more invested, but clearly, I was wrong. He seemed so uninterested, almost detached from the whole thing.

“I mean, would you at least try to make an effort to be there?” I asked, desperately seeking something from him.

Rafe sighed, avoiding eye contact. His voice remained neutral, but I could hear the reluctance in his words. “I just told you, I don’t know. I’ve got a lot going on. But... I’ll try my best to be there, if I can.”

Even though Rafe didn’t know if he’d be around for the birth of our baby, at least he did his part when it came to the nursery, leaving the decorating to me. He made it clear that it was “a woman’s job.” He might’ve pitched in with some of the more physical tasks, like putting together the crib, or perhaps offering some financial contributions, but the creative aspect of the nursery was entirely mine to handle.

A few months back, when the doctor revealed that the baby’s gender was going to be a girl, I was excited. I had always told Rafe that if we were to ever have a baby, I wanted the firstborn to be a girl, and now that dream had come true. However, Rafe didn’t seem nearly as excited. His tone remained indifferent as he stated that he didn’t care about the gender as long as the baby was healthy.

-

The months of pregnancy were emotionally draining. Rafe’s unpredictability and inconsistency only added to the stress. Sometimes he’d show up, but his presence felt more distant than comforting. Most of the time, I faced doctor’s appointments and navigated the challenges of pregnancy alone.

“I have one last doctor’s appointment before my due date,” I told him.

Rafe nodded, his expression remaining unbothered. “Oh yeah, right. That’s next week, right?”

“Yeah… will you come?” I asked, hoping for some show of support.

Rafe hesitated for a moment, then gave an indifferent shrug. “Sure, I’ll come.”

“I was thinking we could do a bit of shopping before the baby gets here, you know? We can buy her some cute little dresses.”

Rafe’s expression started off indifferent, but a small sigh escaped him. His shoulders sagged slightly as he replied, “Yeah, I guess we can do some shopping. But forget it, I don’t care for all that pink stuff. You know I like the more natural colors.”

“Oh, come on, pink is essential,” I teased him, trying to lighten the mood.

Rafe rolled his eyes, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. “Essential? You’re going to make our baby look like a walking cotton candy or something?”

“Yes, and she’ll be the cutest cotton candy to ever exist,” I replied playfully.

After the doctor’s appointment, Rafe and I went to a few stores to pick up some last-minute necessities. He followed me around, slightly frustrated, bearing with the shopping trip. He picked up some items with a hint of annoyance, mostly focusing on the practical things.

“Oh, Rafe, look at this! Isn’t it adorable?” I gushed, holding up a tiny Hello Kitty onesie for him to see.

I held up the onesie, but he barely spared it a glance. “Yeah, it’s cute,” he mumbled, his tone flat and uninterested.

“I’m going to get it,” I said while walking to the checkout line.

Rafe nodded, his expression betraying his lack of enthusiasm.

-

The birth went smoothly, thanks to the epidural. Rafe had come down to Vegas a week before the due date to make sure everything went smoothly. And while he wasn’t exactly bursting with excitement, there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes when he saw his baby girl for the first time.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” I said, my voice calm but full of affection.

As Rafe looked down at our newborn daughter, a flicker of admiration sparked in his eyes. His voice, softer than usual, added, “Yeah, she is. And she’s ours.”

“I’m going to name her Margaret. A beautiful name for a beautiful baby,” I said, my heart swelling with love for her.

As Rafe heard the name I chose, he nodded, his expression neutral. But there was something in his voice, a subtle approval. “Margaret, huh? That’s a nice name. Definitely better than some of the other ones you had thrown around earlier.”

“Oh, stop it,” I laughed, rolling my eyes playfully.

Rafe smirked, a hint of teasing in his tone. “Hey, I’m just being honest. Some of those names you suggested were ridiculous.”

“Do you want to hold her?” I asked, wanting him to have a moment with our daughter.

He hesitated for a moment, his usual confident demeanor faltering. “Uh, sure. I guess I can hold her. Just for a minute.” As Rafe held the tiny baby in his arms, his expression softened. The usual boldness melted away, giving him a tender tone. He spoke to her in a sweet voice, his words filled with awe. “Hey there, little one… You’re just a tiny little thing, aren’t you?”

-

Initially, it seemed like things might improve after the baby’s birth, especially when I came home from the hospital. However, over time, Rafe’s behavior changed back to his usual, uncaring demeanor. The brief baby bliss he displayed in the hospital quickly faded.

The phone rang for a few moments before Rafe picked up, his voice slightly irritated as his usual nonchalance seeped through. “What’s up?”

“You promised you’d be here a week ago. Where the hell are you?” I asked, frustration lacing my words.

Rafe sighed, clearly annoyed by the question. His voice remained apathetic as he responded. “I told you, I’ve been busy. I’ve got things to deal with, you know?”

“You have a daughter now. I know you’ve got a wife and two kids back home, but you can’t just abandon us like this,” I said, my voice shaky but firm.

Rafe grumbled, his irritation sharpening his voice. “Abandon? I’m not abandoning anyone. I’m just handling things with my family. I can’t drop everything just because we have a kid now.”

I stayed silent for a moment, processing his words. Does he not think before he speaks? Does he not realize how much his words sting? “Okay, Rafe. Well, make sure you come by... please.”

His tone softened slightly, but his voice remained neutral. “Alright. I’ll swing by in a few days, okay? Don’t keep nagging me about it.”

Six months have passed since Margaret’s birth, and she’s growing cuter and bigger each day. Yet Rafe’s behavior remains unchanged. He continues to act distant, rarely showing any real interest in me or the baby. Rafe is at the apartment again. I thought it would be a calm visit, just the two of us, so he could spend some time with his daughter. But it seems like we can never be around each other without arguing.

“Seriously, can you just relax? You’re being overdramatic about everything,” Rafe says dismissively.

“I’m not being overdramatic! You’re barely here, it’s like we don’t even exist to you,” I snap, unable to hold back the frustration anymore.

Rafe rolls his eyes as he gets up from the floor, where he was playing with Margaret. His voice laced with anger. “Oh please, just because I’m not here 24/7 doesn’t mean you don’t exist to me. I’ve got another family back home. I can’t just ditch them for you.”

“That’s not the point!” I shout, hurt and angry. “At least make an effort to show you actually care. If you don’t want to be with me, that’s fine, but at least try to be in your daughter’s life.”

He groans in frustration, clearly annoyed by my point. “I do show I care, alright? I provide for you, don’t I? And I’ve been over here plenty of times to see her. What more do you want from me?”

“I want you to be a man,” I yell, my voice shaking with anger. “I don’t even know how you can call yourself a father!”

Rafe’s irritation boils over as Margaret starts to cry from the shouting. He shoots me a glare before shouting back in an authoritarian tone, “For Christ’s sake, stop yelling! You’re scaring her!”

“You should blame yourself for this,” I snap, my voice cold. “If it wasn’t for you, this argument wouldn’t have started.”

Rafe’s patience snaps. His frustration morphs into full-blown anger. He steps closer, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I’m the one paying your rent, so you better watch your fucking tone. ”

“Or what?” I challenge him, my heart racing.

His eyes narrow, his voice more menacing. “Or you’ll regret it. I’m warning you, don’t test me, not when I’ve got you living under my dollar.”

Rafe walks past me and storms out of the apartment, and the moment the door slams shut, I let the tears fall down my cheeks. I try to hold back my sobs, attempting to stay strong for Margaret’s sake, but the weight of the argument makes it impossible. The situation has reached a breaking point, and I can’t help but wonder how things have gotten so out of control between us.