#to be clear: nothing against you if you do not think weight lifting is boring!

[idiopathicsmile]

i am absolutely not making a new years' resolution to lift weights more but at the same time i guess there is no harm in just periodically dipping in to check: have we as a society yet solved what is in my mind the greatest problem with strength training, which is that it is incredibly boring? like, i know it is good for you. my dad is essentially chris traeger from parks and rec; believe me, i am very aware it is good for you. but god does my entire consciousness rebel at the notion of spending an entire half an hour just counting sets or whatever, multiple times a week, for the rest of my life.

[spatialwave]

Hi!! For the kiss prompts, I’d love to read something Reader x Viktor with the scenario ‘kisses meant to distract’ + the dialogue “i think i deserve a kiss” 🥹 thank you!!

tysm for sending this ask!!!! this was so cute to write and it healed me ahaha

➸ pairing: viktor x gender neutral!reader ➸ word count: 680 ➸ tags: mdni! fluffy, hurt/comfort, soft kissing, guilt, sweet ending, reader is in a long-term relationship w/ viktor, no use of y/n. ➸ notes: asked from this prompt list!!

Hextech was a blessing and a curse. It’s components to better society had been coming to fruition, but at the expense of Viktor’s sanity. Hexgates weren’t enough, all they had done was progress the city of Piltover. Nothing had been done to help anyone else. The people in Zaun—himself.

The pain in his body had become unbearable most days, his body frail and weakening with every passing moment.

He wondered why you stuck around all these years, staying at his side as his health deteriorated. You weren’t married, children weren’t on the agenda, and all he did was spend countless hours in his lab with Jayce and Sky.

It wasn’t fair to you.

Yet, you stayed.

Stopping by with a home cooked meal that he picked at, or offering your presence for a few hours while you silently read at the table in his lab while he studied the glowing hexcore.

There was a particular week when Viktor lost all hope. Jayce, now head of the council, had spent less time with the research–in favour of protecting Piltover. A drastic turn of events from their previous shared hopes and aspirations, a way to help rather than hurt.

He sat at one of the aqueducts that sent water from Piltover into the fissures, looking out at the skyline and holding his weight onto his cane. His eyes were tired and cold, souless.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you said calmly, causing Viktor to jolt and glance in your direction from the sudden intrusion, “Am I interrupting?”

“No,” he cleared his throat, attempting to sit up straighter with his hands still holding tightly to the handle of his cane, “needed some time to, eh… think.”

Sitting next to him on the ledge, you rested your cheek against his shoulder and a hand curved over his slender thigh.

“...about us?” Your voice was hushed, eyes watching the water stream below you.

Viktor’s eyes widened, shaky as he stared at you. You were nuzzled against him, the look of a sad pout covering your face. He could sense the insecurity radiating from you.

“About the hexcore,” he answered honestly, sighing as he pressed his lips against the top of your head, resting there as a fragile hand held the small of your back, “about hextech… I can’t seem to figure it out. It’s been weeks of nothing. It’s… it’s…”

You lifted your head up, lips twitching as you pressed a finger to Viktor’s lips, shushing him. Your eyes flickered between his.

“It’s eating you alive,” you finished his sentence, but not in the way he had intended.

Your heart was heavy for him. Any insecurities of yourself were long gone, and you understood the pain that Viktor was experiencing. It was defeat, feeling unworthy—terrified of death.

You felt terrible for even thinking it had anything to do with you.

“Kiss me,” you mumbled, the finger placed against his lips replaced by your thumb as you grazed it along his bottom lip. Your intent to distract him from the thoughts that weighed him down.

Viktor bore a quizzical look, brows knotting together as he blinked at you.

“Come on,” you murmured, “I think I deserve one. I haven’t seen you in days.”

The corners of his lips twitched, for once, his mind not clouded by thoughts of the hexcore. Instead, fixated on you and the way you looked at him so lovingly with your big doe eyes. How was he so lucky to have someone like you?

He dipped forward, your thumb dropping as his lips pressed to yours. A soft kiss, one that bridged the gap that had begun to split you apart. They moved together fluidly, one of his hands cupping your jaw, as yours pressed against the front of his shoulders.

“I love you,” Viktor murmured, breaking the kiss as your lips brushed together, “thank you… for staying.” His thanks were genuine, you could see the way the guilt flickered in his golden eyes.

“Kiss me again, and I’ll forgive you,” you smiled, closing your eyes as Viktor obliged, smiling against your lips.

[muqingfx]

can you write mu qing being nursed back to health against his wishes please. he would never admit it even if it meant dying (cough.. mt tonglu lava scene.. cough) so it's what he deserves

anon didnt specify for ships, so i did what any normal person would do. four of them. whether its platonic or romantic is totally up to you!

"Let. Me," Mu Qing struggles against Xie Lian's vice-like grip with gritted teeth "go." He swings his fist to land a blow on his friend's jaw in an attempt to break free, but his punch is deterred by yet another nuisance.

“Feng Xin,” Mu Qing hisses, vision still blurry. If it weren't for Xie Lian’s hold on him, Mu Qing would have shamefully collapsed head-first into the dirt.

“Mu Qing,” he hears Xie Lian say softly, “you just need some rest.”

“You don't get to strangle me!” Mu Qing retaliates, kicking and screaming like a child.

From beside him, he hears Feng Xin click his tongue. “We’re not fucking strangling you. And if you weren't so fucking difficult–”

“Just leave me alone!” Mu Qing finally manages to shove them both away. Are his eyes playing tricks on him again or is he swaying on his feet? “Why can't you just… let me be?” he catches himself asking before tumbling to the ground.

“Bloody rascal, how on earth did this happen?”

“I think they used a spell to weaken his body. His spiritual powers are still depleted–if might take a while for it to rise up again on it’s own, San Lang.”

“Then, what does gege suggest we do?”

Mu Qing winces when something wet presses against his abdomen. His eyes flutter open, yet all he sees is solid darkness.

“He’s waking up!” he hears Feng Xin say. “Mu Qing, can you hear me.”

Of course I can hear your, oaf, is what Mu Qing tries to say, but his voice catches at his throat.

A cold palm presses against his forehead and Mu Qing wants nothing more than to slap it off.

“He’s burning up.” Hua Cheng. The hand moves further down his face, fingertips brushing against his eyelids. There’s a brief moment of utter vulnerability, as if Mu Qing is giving up his soul for another. But then his vision clears, and he sees three very different expressions on familiar faces.

Xie Lian’s temple is creased, his mouth downturned as he stares at Mu Qing’s face. And upon glancing down, he sees Xie Lian’s hand squeezing his own. A face of unhidden concern; pity. Something dark brews inside as he processes that–being a damsel in distress, the General of the Southwest. Ridiculous.

Feng Xin is kneeling on the mat beside him, a damp cloth in his hand. His thick brows are furrowed as he scowls at Mu Qing. Strands of brunette hair fall over his face, his usually somewhat-neat bun now undone. He looks tired, annoyed. At Mu Qing. For what, wasting his time? For being so infirm and demanding attention? Nobody asked him to take care of Mu Qing, that imbecile.

And then there's the beast of a man, Hua Cheng. Hands folded across his chest, he looks as nonchalant as ever. His eyes sear into Mu Qing, bored and degrading.

Mu Qing feels the headache he had woken up with aggravate.

“Why am I being gawked at like some pathetic critter?” It comes out coarse and rough, his throat still aching and sore.

“Pathetic, indeed,” Hua Cheng sneers.

A knot tightens in his gut, the humiliation finally settling in. Gathering the strength to do so, Mu Qing lifts himself so his elbows support his weight. A sharp pain surges through him and both Xie Lian and Feng Xin scramble to grasp his arms, preventing the demeaning fall.

“Careful, Mu Qing,” Xie Lian chides. His fingers dig into Mu Qing’s skin–wait, where are his clothes?!

As if reading his mind, Feng Xin says, “Your clothes are ruined. Covered in fucking blood. We took it off so we could dress your wounds. Which are fucking bad, by the way.”

“Fuck you guys, that doesn't mean you can strip me of my robes. I’m not a doll.”

He feels Xie Lian’s hold on him weaken, a flicker of hurt passing through his eyes–did Mu Qing go too far?

“I don't mean–I… that's not. What I. You know. I’m–”

The bed dips on his right, and Mu Qing trails off. From his peripheral vision, he sees Hua Cheng taking off his own upper robe.

“If you're so uncomfortable,” he says casually, “you can put this on, general.” The ghost king drapes his red upper robe over Mu Qing’s shoulder, and his touch is so gentle, so tender, Mu Qing actually trembles.

“Cold?” he asks, right into Mu Qing’s ear. Mu Qing’s head tips forward to bypass Hua Cheng’s warm–how is it warm when he’s dead–breath. When he glances up, he locks eyes with Xie Lian, who pouts with his eyes wide like a deer’s.

“We’re not strangers.” his palms cup Mu Qing’s cheeks, and he finds himself leaning towards the touch. “We’re your friends.”

“Yeah, jackass. Stop pushing us away with every inch of your fucking life. It’s fucking annoying,” Feng Xin just has to add.

Mu Qing turns his head to glare, but Feng Xin smiles like a maniac instead of glaring right back. It’s fond and adoring and completely unlike him.

Hua Cheng scoffs from beside him. “It’s really not that hard to let yourself be spoiled, just for a little bit. You're too hard on yourself, Xuan Zhen.”

“Fucking hate to agree with Hua Cheng,” he hears Feng Xin mutter.

“Ugh…” Mu Qing hides his face with his hands, embarrassed. He’s sure he looks nothing less than a tomato.

Xie Lian’s chuckle fills the air and Mu Qing thinks that maybe this isn't so bad.

This is nice.

He might not want this again, or he definitely will want this again.

[seoulmatez]

୨♡୧ SEPTEMBER 9TH — itoshi rin x reader. sfw. fluff. happiest birthday to my forever boy! can't believe i've been obsessed with him for a year ❤︎

september ninth. you’ve made a habit of circling the date on your calendar—drawing party hats and flying scribbles of confetti on it—for the past couple of years now. you make a big deal of the day but the man you’re celebrating doesn’t share the sentiment.

if anyone walking down the street beside you two looked at rin, they’d never guess that it was his birthday. there’s no excitement radiating off of him, not even a hint of a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. as far as he seems to be concerned, today is just another day.

rin has never been big on his birthday but you do find it a little strange that he hasn’t mentioned the occasion once since you met up with him this morning. you have an excuse for neglecting to tell him happy birthday earlier in the day, having planned a small surprise for the man who claims to hate them, though, you’d like to be sure it won’t interfere with a prior engagement of his.

“what are you doing when you get home?” you nudge rin’s shoulder with your own to punctuate the question. you hope it comes off as a casual conversation starter rather than an attempt at prodding for information.

“don’t know.” he usually ignores your antics, though this time rin mirrors your action, gently bumping his shoulder against yours. your lips twitch with a threatening smile at the rare reciprocation. “probably just eat dinner and watch a movie.”

it sounds like his typical routine when the two of you part ways for the evening. on one hand, that clears you to go through with your plans. on the other hand, it feeds your growing curiosity. has he really been navigating today as though there was nothing even relatively special about it?  

again, you try not to give away too much by pushing the issue while still learning more. “nothing else?”

“no.” his feet continue on their path but the man turns his head slightly to look at you. teal eyes bore into yours like they’re looking beyond the surface, deep into your mind. it’s difficult to tell if he’s onto you. “should i be doing anything more?”

you shrug as nonchalantly as you can. “i guess not.” 

a moment passes before you’re no longer the subject of his gaze, his eyes looking forward once more. a tiny sigh of relief pushes past your lips, like his stare was a heavy weight that was lifted off your shoulders. “hey, can i join you for the movie?”

“knock yourself out.”

you grin at his words, though you didn’t think he’d decline your request. rin may seem outwardly unfriendly but, deep down, he has a soft spot and you’re one of the few people capable of reaching it. you’re about to tease him about the juxtaposition between his cold delivery and its underlying kindness when your phone buzzes in your pocket.

you and rin are stopped at the crosswalk waiting for the light to signal your turn when you pull out your phone. the screen lights up with a photo of the two of you; you with your tongue stuck out and rin holding up bunny ears behind your head. just looking at it brings back memories of the day and how much of a hassle it was to get rin to pose with you. despite his resilience, it worked out in your favor in the end and gave you your favorite picture with him to date.

you quickly remember why you brought your phone out, eyes dragging down the screen to read the notification banner. it’s a text reminder that the gift you ordered for rin is ready. you’ve been anxiously awaiting the message all day, hoping it wouldn’t arrive when he was looking at your phone. you discreetly glance up at him to see if he caught a glimpse of it, but his eyes are carefully watching the crosswalk lights.

“shoot, i forgot i have to go pick something up,” you blurt out, shoving your phone back into your pocket. your announcement gains rin’s attention and his eyebrow quirks in question. you don’t quell his curiosity, instead pointing your thumb over your shoulder in the direction you’ll be heading. “i’ll be over your place after—don’t start the movie without me!”

rin watches you rush off. he doesn’t have much time to wonder about how odd you’ve been acting before the crowd of pedestrians around him begins to move and he’s carried away with it.

you severely underestimated how hard it would be to single-handedly pull off a surprise party for someone you spend practically every waking moment with. there isn’t enough time in the day for everything you need to do. the sporting goods store and bakery are farther apart than you anticipated and it’s only after you’ve retrieved rin’s gift and cake that you realize you don’t have wrapping paper or candles. by the time you’re on your way home to prepare everything, the sun is beginning to set.

“all done!” you clap your hands together before resting them on your hips as you survey your work. the cake is still safely packed away in its box, a small pack of candles sitting on top of it. the present you bought for rin is neatly wrapped in the owl-patterned paper you couldn’t resist getting when you first saw it in the store. 

you’re sure you look a little frazzled after running around to put everything together but if you take the time to freshen up, you’ll be even later arriving at rin's place than you had originally planned. and, in all honesty, you’re too excited to wait any longer. rin surely won’t care if a few hairs are out of place on your head.

with that final thought, you gather up everything and start on your way to his apartment.

the knock pattern rin has come to associate with you sounds from the foyer, indicating your arrival. he was almost sure you had gotten caught up with whatever you ran off for earlier as it’s much later than he was expecting you. still, he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that his heart felt lighter in his chest upon hearing the familiar noise.

there’s a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue when he reaches the door, though it dies there when he’s met with your image after pulling the door open.

with a smile that reaches your eyes, you hold up the cake carton by its handle and exclaim, “happy birthday!”

rin stands silent, still, before you. if it weren’t for his somewhat parted lips and slightly raised eyebrows, you’d think he didn’t hear you. something about the look of surprise written on his face cements your sneaking suspicions from earlier.

“oh my god.” you lower the cake to your side, brow furrowing with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. rin has never been big on his birthday but you didn’t think he cared this little about it. “did you seriously forget that it’s your birthday?”

rin presses his lips together and relaxes his eyebrows, returning to his usual, calm expression. it’s true, today’s date slipped his mind. he isn’t sure why you’re making a big deal out of it, though. because all he can think is, “it’s not like it’s anything sp—”

“ah-ah-ah! don’t you dare finish that sentence.” if you could hold up a finger to shush him, you would. your hands are full at the moment so you settle for letting yourself in, gently pushing past rin and haphazardly kicking your shoes off. your eyes meet his as you look over your shoulder. “there’s still a few hours left in the day so we’re spending the rest of it celebrating.”

you leave little room for argument and while rin isn’t particularly excited by the idea of his birthday, he’s willing to play nice—only because you put so much thought into it. so, without resistance, he closes the door and follows you over to the couch.

you’ve set everything on his coffee table by the time he plops down next to you. his eyes are drawn to the rectangular box wrapped in the paper printed with cartoon owls. you must notice his lingering gaze because when you speak up, you tell him, “go ahead, open it.”

rin’s movements feel slow and awkward as he reaches for the present. if he had to guess why, he’d put his money on the fact that you’re watching him so intently. the box is weighty in his hands. his fingers carefully peel up the tape in an attempt to preserve your wrapping efforts. the name of a brand rin recognizes is revealed once he gets past the decorative wrap. he lifts the box’s lid and beneath the thin tissue paper he pushes past is a pair of cleats—the exact pair he’s been thinking about upgrading to for a while now.

“you always have the tab open on your laptop so i figured i’d just buy them for you,” your voice sounds from beside him. rin turns his head to face you and is met with your sparkling smile. leave it to you to be so attentive. he supposes you always have been, but something about your show of it now makes his cheeks warm up. to hide the impending pink sure to blossom on his face, he turns to set the shoebox behind him.

when the warmth subsides and rin is sure you won’t have any reason to poke fun at him, he meets your gaze once again. “thank you. i appreciate it.”

you nod, a small smile still tugging at your lips. rin’s voice sounds the same as it always does; neutral, maybe even aloof, but you know he means his words. 

“okay, time for cake,” you announce, repositioning yourself on the floor and reaching out to open the box. pressing down the flaps reveals the bright green matcha cake topped with fluffy cream and fresh strawberries. “could you get a knife and some plates, please?”

rin nods and makes his way to the kitchen while you begin to strategically place the candles atop the dessert. once you finish your simple design—a little smiley face, you use the light he keeps on the coffee table for his scented candles to light the ones on his cake. right on time, rin returns. he sets the dishes beside the box and takes a seat next to you on the carpet.

“happy birthday, rin,” you tell him again, deciding to spare him the embarrassment he would most certainly feel if you chose to sing. “make a wish.”

in the past, rin would simply blow out the candles to satisfy the crowd—no wish involved. he’s always found the tradition a little childish but now, looking at the enthusiastic expression you wear, there is something that rin really wants. maybe it’s silly to leave it up to something so baseless as a birthday wish, but rin still thinks the thought before blowing out the flames. 

you clap and cheer at his action which earns a real, genuine smile from rin. it encourages you to ask, “gonna tell me what you wished for?”

he shakes his head. “isn’t that against the rules?”

“you got me,” you admit through a laugh, carefully grabbing the knife to cut rin a piece of cake. as you slice out a triangle, you go on. “well, whatever it was, i hope it was good. you shouldn’t waste a birthday wish.”

rin still isn’t entirely convinced of the magic of birthday wishes, but if there is any validity behind it, he definitely didn’t put it to waste. because he wished to spend his next birthday the same way—with you.

thanks for reading! consider commenting or reblogging if you enjoyed ❤︎

[sinful-morningstar]

Spartober 2023 Day 3 Threesome (VerDaNero)

Author's note: I am very tired I'm running on 5 hours of sleep and i just finished this ,This is slightly Smutty but not a full on sex fic it is sexual but not full on in this fic, it cuts off just before penetration, so if you want a full on nakey fic its not it... but nontheless theres making out and dirty talk and some clothed handjobs (Loosley used term cause no one climaxes yet so its all just sensual..or sexual teasing) anyways i tried lol Enjoy .. Prompts by whatsanapocalae1 (I am using a combination of Spartober and Devil MayTonber prompts) {I'll write more prompts to catch up on Tomorrow I am aware of how late into October we are but lucky for me its only been a week in so i can catch up...i am determined...i have motivationi} 3: Threesome (VerDaNero)

Nero walked around the Devil may cry office as he whistled to himself, he was growing bored of having no calls and being left to his own devices, he looked in each room with a sigh, nothing interesting not even V..or Vergil’s Poetry seemed to interest him. He sighed as he sat on the couch with a pout,his mind racing wondering why he was left alone he didn't want to be seen as Dead Weight again not ever again.. just when he let his mind go down the rabbit hole, Dante and Vergil returned from a recent call chuckling and playfully teasing one another as they entered the doors. “No I had that kill” Dante retorted with a smirk. Vergil scoffed “Where’d you learn to count ? We’re Even…” Nero cleared his throat clearly offended at the pair as he glared at them both his eyes darting between them. The Sparda twins looked at the younger with a raised brow. “Hmm? Something wrong kiddo?” Dante asked gently “What's the matter son?” Vergil asked in a similar tone to Dante a more velvety touch to his voice. With a scoff Nero rolled his eyes “Really? you two go on a hunt without me? And you have the balls to ask me what's wrong?I've been bored out of my skull since you two left for the underworld…it’s died down here and the one call you get ..i'm not a part of” he asked with a whine in his voice; his eyes were like a wounded puppy. “Oh sweetheart, we’re so sorry” Dante said with a sweet tone.as he lifted Nero’s chin gently his fingerless gloves made it easier for him to feel just the right places to make Nero shiver.. Vergil sat beside Nero as he sighed “Aw look at you…How can we ever make this up to you?” He said partially teasing, he was being genuine of course but he knew how Nero played this game and they knew it all too well.

Nero smirked, biting his lip gently “I can think of a few ways you two can make it up to me…” he said with a playful tone. “Oh yeah how's that?” Dante asked as he brushed his thumb against Nero’s lip gently making the younger man blush darkly. “Yes dear boy, how so?” Vergil asked with a purr, close to Nero's ear as he leaned down to pepper kisses on his Neck making his son shiver. With a shudder, Nero gasped gently “You..You guys are going in the right direction that's for sure..” he said almost chuckling. “Oh are we now, hear that Vergil, seems we’re doing something right” Dante smirked as he moved closer leaning in “Hmm C'mere baby~” he said as he kissed Nero gently . Vergil gave a simple nod to Dante’s response as he continued to kiss Nero’s neck, gently sucking on the tender flesh leaving marks and lovebites on him. He let his hands reach down Nero’s thighs gently squeezing and massaging them. Gasping softly, Nero bucked his hips letting out small moans. He felt Dante’s hands on his chest slowly unzipping his hoodie “Mmm D-Dante..” he said breathlessly he was cut off by his uncle’s lips on his own. “Mmmph~” He whined softly as he let Dante feel him up and kiss him slowly exposing his chest feeling his toned muscular body against his fingertips.. He felt dizzy With desire as he adored just how strong and rugged those hands were against his tender skin. His eyes widened as he felt Vergil move his hands up higher on his thighs, his fingers dangerously brushing up against Nero’s growing excitement. “Ah..Ahhh..mmm” He panted softly, his lips plump and red as he blushed. Dante has broken the kiss between them leaving a string of saliva connecting their lips together. He was a sight for sore eyes, his neck covered in hickeys and his eyes blown wide with pleasure as he drooled. “P-Please..” he asked, getting heated from the contact. Vergil continued to move his hands up pulling Nero into his lap, he had his hands on Nero’s waist slowly snaking them into his jeans gently stroking him through the fabric of his boxers making him leak with excitement “Shhh..we’ve got you baby boy…Relax..Daddy’s gonna take care of you while Uncle Dante uses that sweet mouth of yours..” “Damn right..you’re always so eager to take me aren't you sweetheart?” Dante asked gently, wiping away the drool dripping from Nero’s chin. He smirked with a pleasantly surprised hum as Nero started taking Dante's fingers into his mouth, sucking on them as he gave him pleading eyes. The sight alone made the heat go straight down to Dante’s own growing arousal. “Mm fuck, look at you..so perfect for me..” he said as he heard the obscenely wet noises coming from his Nephew’s mouth. “Mmm~” Nero moaned softly he felt himself throbbing at Vergil’s touch panting and moaning gently he was so close to release and they all knew it , in the air they all felt pleasure.

Vergil stopped his movements as he felt more of Nero’s pre-Release soaking the boxers, he hummed in thought as he grabbed the belt looks of the jeans and slowly slid them down Nero’s thighs taking them off as he nibbled on his neck. “Let’s get these off shall we?” He asked with a devious grin.

Nero shuddered as he kicked the jeans off once they were at his ankles. Before he knew it he was up against Vergil's chest from behind and Dante’s chest in front of him, perfectly sandwiched between the two eldest Spardas as he legs went wobbly and he fell to his knees.

“Attaboy!” Dante chuckled softly, aware of just how weak Nero was against the duo especially in the art of seduction. He ran his hand through Nero’s hair gently pulling it as he purred “Perfect..Now let me put that pretty mouth to good use..”

With a moan Nero arched his back presenting his plump backside to his father eagerly wiggling it. He yelped as he felt a small swat from Vergil's firm hand making him shiver.

“Behave Nero..i won't tolerate any foolishness while we’re intimate..is that clear?” Vergil said as he slowly slid off Nero’s boxers, freeing his son’s erection as he stroked him gently, making Nero moan. Vergil’s hand squeezes the shaft gently to stave off any more excitement, making Nero whimper pitifully.

“Yes Daddy” Nero moaned softly.

“Good boy~” Vergil and Dante said in unison.

[holly-fixation]

Silver Turncoat Ch4

Summary: Thanks to their crash landing, the P0s might be saved. Sephiroth must decide if and how he wants to continue.

Inspired by this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

Please enjoy!

Chapter 4: Moving Forward

The wooden gate clattered open, pulleys activating with the same inserted key the trio had seen multiple times now. Three Rhadorans in white entered their cell fiercely, blades and firearms at the ready. 

“Wait wait wait- if this is it it, can you tell Rosen to make a cup for me? Since we're not going anywhere for a while… haha…”

“Glenn, why are you like this…?” Lucia huffed as the first soldier lifted her by her arm. 

“Get up.” Not a shred of mercy threatened existence in that voice. Each P0 struggled and involuntarily winced as they were pulled to their feet, some even coughing from their shifted weight alone. 

“The elders have a proposition for you.” A fourth Rhadoran stood in the open gateway, the only visible difference being the slight gray of the very same cloth all their people bore. Worn down. Used. Experienced. Another silent threat if they attempted escape.

Before Glenn opened his mouth, Lucia glared and shook her head. Thankfully, he actually listened this time.

“You took mercy on Rosen and Refu. Would you be willing to help him and our people?”

“Why would we help a people that leave a child to live on an island alone?” 

“Rosen decided that fate himself,” Matt interrupted and gained all the eyes in the cell. “It was his choice and his duty.” 

Glenn grumbled, though the Rhadorans clearly agreed with the statement.

“Shinra is planning to exterminate us. Rosen will be the last to die once those greedy bastards spot the smoke.”

“Exterminate?” Lucia couldn't contain her confusion. 

Matt shook his head. “Our orders were to find suitable land for a mako reactor and clear the area. Nothing more.” 

“And what did you think would happen when your company attempted to build a reactor in our sacred temple?”

“Sacred?” The leader countered. “Those ruins are abandoned! They’re falling apart!” 

“Those ‘ruins’, as you call them, mark the land of the greatest mana source on the island.”

“The mako concentration…” The ‘professor’ mumbled in realization.

“Precisely. And your company has no more use for you. You will die here for their greed, or you can take your chances with our word.”

It made sense. Perfect sense. Everything Rosen spoke of was true. And every assumption about Shinra wasn't far enough off. 

“...What’s this proposition?” their leader questioned. 

The gray Rhadoran held his hands behind his back. “We have reason to believe Shinra is developing a bioweapon, since they failed at creating a brute force weapon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We have a few scouts on Shinra ships. They heard rumors of a new SOLDIER class. Why do you think we sent so many of our warriors to combat three of you?”

Their eyes widened. 

“You thought they would send him… the golden child. The boy hero. The one man army. To save us?” 

“To silence us.” The gray warrior made a small gesture, and the guards restraining the P0s loosened their grips. “SOLDIER failed. We’ve turned Shinra’s former weapons against them. The next logical step is to use their so-called science department and create a weapon no one has seen before. But that’s only an assumption and a rumor. We ask you three to find out if this assumption is true and report back to us. That is all.”

“...that’s it?” The woman’s voice broke the silence. 

“Think it over.” Another gesture and the three P0s were slowly lowered to the ground. “We'll return tomorrow. Have an answer by then.” The superior glanced up to his men. “Bring bread and water. They will need their strength regardless of their answer.”

* * * 

Three nights had ended. Three suns had risen. Three days had passed since Sephiroth put his faith in this mysterious blond stranger, the man who claimed to know the location of his mother. To know a name he never heard. To know a past painful and impractical. Impossible. 

But he wouldn't deny the chance to see her. He needed to know. 

“We'll be in Junon tomorrow,” Cloud mentioned, observing the final mountain between them and the port city. The remaining hilly plains would be a breeze to traverse. The sun hung low, bathing the land in sparkling orange light. “We'll rest tonight and enter during the day. Then we'll stop for new clothes, change in a public bathroom, and bribe our way onto the ship.”

“Would Shinra notice our change of clothes? Our odd uniforms will bring enough attention.”

“Unless they know exactly which camera to look at, they won’t know what we did until we're near Cosmo Canyon. …I hope.” Shinra must have been searching for Sephiroth by now. The effectiveness of that search would be tested in the port city as well as vacation town across the ocean.

“We take the chance. If our gamble fails, can we hijack the airship in Upper Junon?”

“Do you know how to fly it?”

“...No. Nevermind then.”

“What if we jump down from the cannon?”

“If we're on the cannon, it's already too late. All of Shinra will know we are there. ”

Cloud hummed. He knew this was a risk long before beginning this task, but with their enemies so close, they could not afford a single mistake. 

“There's a cave half way up.” Sephiroth gestured. “We shouldn't risk a fire tonight.”

“...We have to be ‘very efficient’ tonight.” Cloud didn't want to say exactly what that meant. The teen knew anyway. “And we must hide your sword before we leave tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

The forested valley between the two and their shelter held many breeds of monsters. They remained deathly silent the moment any creature dared attack them for their presence, fighting fiercely and fluidly. Close but untouching, their even strength and speed felled every threat between them and their next campsite. 

Cloud saved all edible meat and useful leather. Sephiroth waited without fidgeting as he scanned the immediate area. After packing everything away, they entered the crevice. 

No fire. No light. One tent. One bedroll. No new meals. Leftovers only. 

“Sephiroth.” 

There was a pause. The Golden Child stood close to the mouth of the cave, staring ahead. He did not speak, slowly unsheathing his sword. 

Cloud understood and allowed the child as long as he needed. 

Inhuman eyes scanned every inch of the manufactured blade, manufactured specifically for him. Unique. Alone. Just like him, even within the dozens of other blades Shinra made him test. Mythril Type-0 Katana. Prototype Crimson Blade. CC Alloy Sword. Shinra Blade: Model I. Some enhanced materia potency. Some were thinner for precise critical damage. However, the weapon in his hand was simple. No special gimmicks. No secret ability. Only his own skill and his own expertise. His nameless blade could be replaced by anything, and the sword Cloud gifted him was undeniably well made. He would show his skill in other ways.

“I’ll bury this and return in a moment.”

The blond did not stop him. “Go ahead. I’ll watch your back and whistle if I see anything.”

Sephiroth nodded before leaving the cave. 

Cloud let out a soft sigh as he surveyed the area. Did Sephiroth feel joy in any moment of his life? As a child, Cloud made the incredibly wrong assumption that Sephiroth’s entire existence was filled with the joy propaganda implied it to be. How could someone be sad after a thousand victories? Of course Cloud understood now.

When the silver soldier returned, they ate their meal, the tent’s fabric door zipped closed to give the slightest perception of shelter from the wilderness. Through the noise of animals calling came the chopping of helicopter blades, most likely air traffic from Junon. Hopefully. Hopefully it wasn’t a search party for them. Cloud finished his piece first, watching as the teen took uncharacteristically small bites. The silence was deafening this evening.

“What’s on your mind?”

Sephiroth held the piece away, not daring to take another bite until he answered. “...you once said you did this to save me.”

“I did.”

“You assumed to know my life.”

“Well… I know certain things, but-”

“Did you know this was to be my first real mission?”

Cloud’s mouth snapped open in confusion. 

“I was to exterminate the people of Rhadore to make way for mako engineers. Everything needed to be perfect. Fast. Efficient. Effective. No lives lost on our side, even the P0s already on the archipelago.” He lowered his head, but Cloud couldn’t focus on his apparent grief.

“What are you talking about?”

“Shinra manufactured my achievements to sell the SOLDIER program and change their recruitment policy. Rhadore was going to be my first field assignment and they would promote everything I did there to push the program through.”

“Wait, if this is your first assignment then what about-?”

Sephiroth shook his head, cutting him off. “All lies. Every last one of them.”

Cloud stared with large mako blue eyes, bewildered and frustrated and desperate for answers to a question he didn’t mean to allow escape. “What did they do to you…?”

The silver teen turned away. 

The blond did the same.

“...I’ll take the first shift.” Sephiroth made his way out of the tent.

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive. Get some rest, Cloud.”

He nodded and zipped the tent closed behind the golden child. Guilt ate at Cloud’s mind as he attempted to rest. He was wrong. He was so wrong. He should’ve kept his stupid mouth shut. But if this was truly before Sephiroth’s first mission, then that severely increased his chances to save everything. And Sephiroth gave that information up without prompting. Was the boy… What was he trying to do?

Outside the tent, Cloud heard the softest whisper, the softest chant leaving Sephiroth’s lips, one he wouldn’t be able to hear without his mako and SOLDIER enhancements. He glanced up and tried to discern Sephiroth’s stance from the shadow against the tent wall. The silver soldier was holding something delicately in front of his face.

“Lucrecia Crescent… Lucrecia Crescent…”

Only one night until Junon.

.

.

.

.

To be continued…

Thanks for reading!

Author’s note: If Ever Crisis is going to keep delaying content then I will fill the void myself.

[batsyforyou]

Of Elves and Men Part 7

Pairing: Beleg x reader

Warnings: I refer you to part 1

Many months had passed by the time things began to get back to normal.  

Then one night you had a dream. A great and wonderful dream with Beleg taking part. In all honesty, you’d almost forgotten about him, having blocked the incident from your mind entirely. In your dream you were wandering the forest like you had dared not to since the kidnapping but you felt at peace. You saw him in a clearing standing there in a deep blue tunic and brown colored leggings. His hair had been pulled back to showcase his ears and had been let down, small pieces having been braided throughout. He faced away from you but in his hand, you saw a single red rose. 

You called out to him and when your eyes met your heart stopped. His smile had been more radiant than the sun and moon themselves. 

And you woke up. 

By noon you had forgotten about the dream but an insane curiosity to know more about your hero struck you. Most days, you find yourself staring aimlessly out your window wondering what the elf might be up to. Thomas took notice of your behavior of course, but he did not know what occupied your thoughts.

But he could guess. 

“What is the matter with you my dear? Your mind is far from you, reign it in, won’t you? There is much work to be done.” 

“Oh, yes of course, my apologies.” 

“Hmph.” 

He went back to his book, and you watched him scan the shelves of your study. You sigh, resting your head in your hand as you stare down your nose at your papers. When you made no move to lift your quill or read the text. Thomas smacked his book shut and crossed his arms.

“Alright. Out with it.” 

You flush, “Pardon me?” 

“It is far too late to pardon my dear, something is clearly bothering you and I can see that we won’t get any more work done till I fix it. So, as I said, out with it!” 

The heat runs hotter behind your cheeks, and you look away embarrassed, “It’s rather embarrassing.” 

“I fail to care. Any other excuses you want to share?” 

“It’s not an excuse! It's just embarrassing is all.” 

“Should I fetch a chair while I wait?”

“No! Its just- I- ah- well- “ 

“My goodness child! It’s like I’m watching you fall down a flight of stairs! Do not tell me you harbor feelings for Bjorn! Please, that is all I ask.” 

“No!” You venomously shook your head, “It’s the elves! I’m thinking about the elves!” 

He paused to stare at you, “Well, that’s nothing new.” 

You gawked at him. “What?” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “You have always had a fascination with the first born. I just don’t see why they’d take such a portion of your mind.” He tapped his lip, “Well, more than usual anyway.”

Clearing your throat, you took your papers and tapped them against the desk, trying to cover your face. “I admit there is only one elf on my mind.”  

He lifted a brow intrigued, “Is there now?” 

You were sure steam was pouring out your ears. Your face was so hot. “I have been thinking about the elf that first found me in the cave. Beleg, I believe he was called.” 

Thomas leaned his weight against the bookshelf. “Write to him.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Write him. If you're so concerned with his well being, you might as well. Perhaps then we could get some work done around here.” 

Your mouth hung open, shocked at his approach, but you couldn’t think of anything to say to him. With the matter settled he went back to his book. 

“Let me know how it goes will you? It’s been rather boring around here as of late.” 

“Thomas!” You paused and stared at him for a moment and he ignored you, “Thomas, what do you have against Bjorn?” 

The idea stayed with you for days after until one afternoon you couldn’t resist any longer. 

Dear Beleg, 

I am writing to you because I am soon to host an elven noble. I was wondering if you had any advice that may aid me?

You stared at the page before you ripped it out and crumpled it. Way too casual you thought. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden to King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. I am to host an elven noble and their party in my house. And I am in need of advice. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n servant to Lord Húrin. 

You paused again, this seemed better but rather blunt. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden to King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I wanted to thank you and your men for saving me from my fate in the cave. 

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. As I don’t know many elves, and you are one of the few I’ve met. I am in need of advice. I am to host an elven noble and their party in my house. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n servant to Lord Húrin. 

You sighed and scribbled everything out starting on a fresh page. 

To Beleg Strongbow, Marchwarden of King Thingol and resident of Doriath, 

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I wanted to thank you and your men for saving me from my fate in the cave. My life has been very busy as of late and I couldn’t be more grateful. I wanted to apologize for not saying goodbye to you when you left. I hope I didn’t offend you.

I am writing to you today because I am seeking your counsel. I am to host an elven lord and their party in my house. And I would like to know how I can help them feel more comfortable. 

My warmest regards, 

Y/n Servant to Lord Húrin

You read it again, biting your lip. It’d have to do. 

You let the ink dry, folding the paper, you gently shoved it into the envelope and put your wax seal on the top. You paced around your desk chewing your lip as you waited for Johanne. You couldn’t believe you were doing this; you didn’t even have an elf delegation coming to your house! And you hoped he didn’t ask too many questions or call you on your bluff. 

A knock on the door, “Y/n may I come in?” 

You jumped fumbling to grab the letter. “Yes-yes! Come in!” 

Johanne opened the door and stayed at the threshold, “What can I do for you?” 

You passed her the letter, “Have this sent to the marchwardens of Doriath, they should take it from there.” 

“Certainly. Will there be anything else?” 

“No, thank you.” 

“I’ll have some biscuits sent up with tea for us.” 

You sighed.

You waited anxiously for a reply. Your absentminded behavior getting much worse though Thomas didn’t say anything, simply shaking his head at you. 

A few weeks had gone by when you finally received a response. Johanne had come up to you at breakfast with the letter and giddy with nerves you excused yourself to your study. 

To Y/n Servant of Lord Húrin,

It gladdens my heart to hear that you are doing well. 

I too am doing well. As I sit to write this letter my companions are working to prepare the game we caught from our latest hunt. 

But that is not what you want to hear about. 

As for helping those of my kin feel more at peace in your home. I suggest that you simply treat them as you would any other. A warm bed to rest their feet and good hot food will go a long way. 

I would like to know which of the many elven lords are traveling to meet with you. Perhaps then I could be more specific in my advice. 

With my regards, 

Beleg 

P.s. Please know that you did not offend us! Our healer suspected that you’d spend many days trapped in your bed. 

Your heart dropped. 

You paced around the room, “Oh no. Oh no no no.”

Why did I add lord to it?! You thought. 

Looking about the room in a panic you shouted, “Thomas!” 

Turning from the door you rubbed your brow and exhaled deeply, muttering. “Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear.” As you berated yourself about your choice in wordaged. 

Hearing heavy footsteps thump in the hall you swung around to watch Thomas barrel through the door. “What? What is the matter?!” 

Shoving the papers into his chest you shouted, “This! This is the problem!” 

He stumbled to catch the papers and hurried to read them while you paced your office. 

“What am I to do! If I pick an elven lord and tell him that this elf is coming it won’t matter because he can just check with his King and messenger birds to see if it's true! I’ll be caught out in a lie even bigger than what I’ve already done!” 

He looked up to you and slammed the papers on the desk though you barely noticed. 

“Write to him! You said. Ha! That was a fool hardy idea if I ever heard one! Oh, why did I listen.” 

Thomas came to you and placed firm heavy hands on your shoulders to sooth you before you worked yourself further into panic. 

“It will be alright Y/n. I will take care of this.”

“But-” 

“Hush now. I will not hear another word. I assure you that I will handle this with the utmost care and will be very discreet.” 

Stepping away from you he fetched the papers and shoved them into his robes inner pocket. He stroked his beard, his eyes high above you in thought.

“Thomas what do I do?”He hummed and waved you away, “Finish your work and do not forget, you must attend your meeting in half an hour. I suggest you take this time to compose yourself.” With that he shut the door behind him and left you in silence to listen to your quick breathes. Collapsing onto your couch you buried your face into your hands. What have I done?

Part 8

Masterlist

[writtenjewels]

Adrenaline

Muscles strained as Jason and Salim pushed against the heavy door. Why the hell did these people make it so hard to go through their damn temple? There was a clicking sound behind them and Jason glanced over his shoulder to see one of the creatures crawling up out of a hole in the ground.

“Fuck!” he cursed. He abandoned the door and whipped out his rifle. “Hurry up and open the door!” He opened fire but of course it did nothing against the creature. Jason didn't dare look to see how Salim was doing with the door; he was focused on keeping the creature back as long as possible.

The sword and the shield, Salim had called them. Well, if Jason was the shield, he was going to do all he could to protect Salim and hold off the enemy. The creature finally got annoyed with the bullets and pounced, knocking into the two men and causing Jason to lose his grip on the rifle.

For a moment Jason was winded. He was quick to get back on his feet, only to see Salim struggling against the creature. Jason pulled out a knife and started stabbing the creature wildly. He killed one of these fuckers, he could do it again! The creature turned its attention on him, knocking him to the ground and making him drop his knife. His hands were up to push against the creature as it snapped menacingly at his face. Its weight bore down on him and it took all of Jason's strength to keep it at bay.

There was a yell from somewhere above him and the creature jerked. A piece of metal slid through its body, nearly touching Jason's nose. He lay there frozen, heart pounding, the creature now still. Jason managed to pull himself together and he shoved the creature off. Salim had used that weird metal pipe to kill the thing. Jason let out a soft, hysterical giggle.

“Are you all right?” Salim asked him.

“Yeah, I'm good.” He accepted Salim's hand and was lifted back on his feet. “You slew it with your fuckin' sword.”

“I did,” Salim agreed with a little smile. Their eyes met and maybe it was the adrenaline and the close brush with death, but Jason found his eyes lingering on the Iraqi's face. Salim put his weapon away and took a hesitant step closer to Jason. “Did it get you?”

“Don't think so. Why?”

“You have blood on your face. Do you mind if I use your shemagh to wipe it off?”

“I guess not,” Jason shrugged. Salim reached out to unknot the shemagh. Jason sucked in a breath having the other man so close to him. An enemy's soldier's hands were near his neck but Jason's heart was beating faster for a different reason. Adrenaline, he decided. It's just fuckin' adrenaline.

Salim began wiping at Jason's face. His touch was gentle as he ran the cloth across Jason's cheeks and forehead. His other hand cupped the back of Jason's head to keep him still, but Jason wouldn't have moved anyway. Salim took his time, touching every angle of Jason's face and even going down to his neck. Jason felt his cheeks burning by the time the other was done.

“Uh, thanks,” he grunted, clearing his throat. He reached for the shemagh, hesitating as his eyes flicked over Salim's face. “You got some, too,” Jason observed.

“If you wouldn't mind, jarhead.” Jason nodded and began wiping Salim's face with the same gentle care. He cupped the back of Salim's head just as the other did for him, even though Salim was being just as still. Jason's heart was still beating much too fast. His thumb grazed the corner of Salim's lip and his heart skipped a beat. At the same moment, he heard Salim suck in a breath. Was the other man blushing?

“Think I got it,” Jason announced. His hand was shaking as it pulled away from Salim.

“I'll tie that back on for you,” Salim offered. He did so, fingers teasing the skin of Jason's throat and brushing against the hairs on the back of his neck. When Salim was done, he delicately swept his thumb across the corner of Jason's mouth. “You look better, jarhead,” Salim commented.

“You too,” Jason returned. He could feel tingles running through his body. “We should keep moving,” he mentioned. It took a lot of effort to step away from Salim's touch. Jason picked up his rifle and pressed on, Salim close behind him.

Jason's heart still hadn't stopped beating fast. He almost hoped for another attack so he could keep excusing it as adrenaline. And that he definitely wasn't thinking of just how close he'd been to kissing Salim.

[smileygoth]

11. Cursed (WODtober 2023)

Part 11 of my WODtober story. Taking the daily prompts and trying to weave a vampire story from them! In this chapter, Imogen unlocks a key memory.

Word Count: 1187 words.

CW:  Nothing I can think of!

Image from A Bad Witch's Blog.

Find the previous chapters here!

 When Imogen came to, she was lying with her cheek pressed against the laptop’s keyboard. There was a soft clicking sound in her ear, and when she lifted her head she saw on the screen the password box, with a line of little black dots rapidly appearing inside it. She grimaced, wondering how long she’d have to hold down Delete to get rid of that. Then she shrugged and stumbled from the chair to the bed, figuring that Miro would probably know a way to do it faster.

Collapsing onto her back, she pressed a hand over her eyes and went over what Eliza had shown her. A buried tomb in a forest … She didn’t know of any forests around here; all there was outside of the city was farmland and building sites. But the tomb itself had dislodged some memories. When she’d seen it, she’d felt like she’d been there before - not as Eliza, but as herself. When? And how?

‘Come on, Imogen,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Think!’

Has that ever worked? Eliza mused sourly.

‘If you have a better way,’ Imogen snapped back, ‘Please do share.’

There was a long pause. Then Imogen had the queer sensation of someone rummaging through her mind. It was like a deep-seated itch in the centre of her brain, one she had no chance of scratching, and it was deeply unpleasant. She squirmed, opening her mouth to tell Eliza to stop, when suddenly the memory snapped into place, a missing piece in the puzzle.

She had been to the tomb. Someone had sent her an anonymous tip-off about an undiscovered burial site outside of the city. They’d given her co-ordinates, and she’d gone to investigate it with the assistance of … of…

Emma! 

Her sweet, sweet Emma - how could she have forgotten her? Imogen’s heart lurched painfully at the thought. They’d been together almost since Imogen’s Embrace - two fresh young neonates trying to make sense of the new world they’d been shoved into. Emma and her beautiful red hair and her infectious smile; Emma and her short temper and her incessant need to be active, to be doing things. She hated to be idle; Imogen hated to be bored. They’d been perfect for each other.

That night, Imogen had worked out where the co-ordinates led to and put them into her phone. Emma had shouldered their excavation gear and Imogen had carried the box that she’d hoped would come back full of interesting artifacts. They hadn’t even questioned who had sent the email - that was a secondary concern. Imogen had insisted they head out to the site right away, and Emma had not argued.  

Finding the tomb hadn’t been too difficult - some of the earth around the entrance had fallen in and needed to be cleared, and fallen leaves had obscured the rest - but a swathe in the bracken, like someone had already wiped or scraped the leaves away, revealed a small top corner of the stone lintel. They’d had the doors cleared in ten minutes, and then Imogen was examining the door. There was no lock to speak of - it seemed to rely on the weight of the stone to keep the door closed - but there was an inscription on the lintel above it, in a runic script. Imogen had expected something like it, and dug through the books she had brought until she had one that would help her translate it.

‘Do not enter; turn back or be consumed.’

As she read it aloud, Emma had shuddered and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘I don’t like the sound of that,’ she’d muttered.

Imogen was fascinated. ‘Oh, it’s no more genuine than any of the other warnings on old tombs,’ she’d reassured her. ‘And what odd phrasing - ‘be consumed’? Not ‘destroyed’ or ‘meet your death’ or something?’ She’d seen Emma’s unhappy expression and laughed. ‘Oh come on, Emma! I’ve got to know what’s inside.’

And despite her girlfriend’s objections, she had gone inside. After a few minutes of pleading, Emma had given in and helped her push open the stone door far enough for her to squeeze through. 

It had been dusty inside, the signs of abandonment clear. A small wooden table and chair stood in one corner, an empty stone bowl on the table and a cracked, overturned clay cup on the floor. Emma, coming in just behind Imogen, had stepped closer to get a better look. She’d run her finger over the surface of the table and studied the line she made in the dust, frowning. ‘Im,’ she’d said. ‘This isn’t right. I don’t think this place has been empty all that long.’

‘What do you mean?’ Imogen had muttered, looking around.

‘Maybe a couple of years at most,’ Emma had replied. ‘Someone’s been in here. Living here. Look -’ she’d pointed at the chair. ‘You can see where the leg broke and has been repaired. That new leg is nowhere near as old as the rest of it.’

‘Calm down,’ Imogen had said. ‘Probably just some squatters. It happens.’ Her eyes had fixed on the large sarcophagus at the back of the room. Approaching it, she’d squatted down on her haunches and run her hand over the carvings. They were intricate, depicting a forest scene: slender trees with delicate leaves, and woodland animals winding through the trunks. 

Emma had looked around the room with a frown. ‘Don’t see much here worth taking away,’ she’d remarked. 

‘Just this,’ Imogen had replied.

‘I don’t think we’ll fit that in the car,’ Emma had quipped.

Imogen had just smiled, rising up to inspect the lid, where more carvings depicted the tops of the trees, with birds and butterflies scattered through the leaves. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she had breathed, her eyes gleaming. Her fingers had found the edge of the lid. Curiously, gently, she had pushed, testing it to see if it would move. It did. A small sliver of darkness showed, releasing a scent like old spices. With glazed eyes, Imogen had pushed the lid further, all the way back. It had moved smoothly, tilting and falling behind the sarcophagus with a loud grating sound. Inside the sarcophagus had been a body. Not an old, desiccated corpse as Imogen had expected, but an intact and still striking woman of around thirty years old. Her long auburn hair was still thick and shining, though her skin was pale and shrunken across her face. Her eyes were closed. She wore old-fashioned clothes that seemed to be a mix from multiple eras - the twenties, the sixties, even up to the last ten years. Her lips had pulled back slightly, revealing the sharp points of two fang teeth.

Vampire, Imogen had thought. She had leaned forward over the woman, studying her face. ‘Who are you?’ she had muttered.

A strange, skittering feeling had washed over her, as if her whole body had become electrified. And then …

Darkness. Nothing more.

Imogen bolted upright as the memory ended. The woman in the sarcophagus had been Eliza; she knew it instinctively. ‘What did you do?’ she cried. ‘Tell me!’

Eliza was silent.

[wiedzmacienia]

head throbs as if a weight is boring down upon it, heartbeat rapid and chest falling and rising with an irregular war drum. this wicked form of a woman eyes her with a sadistic glint in her hollow eyes. a taunt. a temptation. a haunting call which seems capable of reaching into her body and lifting her soul from it into damnation. it's compulsion, she realizes as bile seems to rise in her throat. a gift not unknown to the darkness even if it also married with those of the likes of noah. not that he would use such a thing upon someone. she feels the blood now too, the small drops which meet her lips from above, lifting her hand to wipe it upon the mended sleeve of her dress. it had been mended to the best of the mender's ability yet had been in such a state it was clear the trauma the garment had endured. she pushes out with her mind, against the foulness which sought to creep into it like a worm to a skull. forces the creature from her insides and is met with a cackle of amusement which sets shivers down her spine.

kasia did not like the unconcerned manner in which this witch existed, moving about the snow covered ground with ease. pulling kasia shadows from her and dispersing them as if they were childsplay. as if this be but a game. as if their lives and souls were pieces to be reaped before moving onward toward the succeeding endeavor. it could be over-confidence. folly. or it could be power risen to new heights. it could indicate the true state of the woman's power, of possession of some kind perhaps too. the lengths she had gone through to be bathed in the tar of hell. kasia can not be sure for the answer sends horrified fear through her in a way she has scarcely felt before. the woman, the creature.. she desired a soul. the soul of the innocent, the soul of a child. how foul! it was the devil before them. legion empowered.

she takes a step closer to the child and ben as the witch turns toward them and tilts her horrific features at ben's statement and it is as if the air is knocked from her lungs. no. no, this is too horrific to be real. he must not give the devil a soul. he must not give it power. he must not tempt the fates to hear his willingness to sacrifice himself because once the fates heard they always remembered. and kasia realizes with a strange kind of clarity that many people may be disposable within a war as morbid of a thought such as it was to conceive. but this man, was not. not for his intelligence of value as an officer which were of value but for the boy he so clearly sought to protect. she can still remember the cold stillness of bodies upon a snow covered ground, a sacrifice to the fates-- heard and accepted. their lives for their children's. oh god, no. this was too much. it could not be allowed to pass.

she hears him, she watches him as if they be a part of some horrific stage play. why had he not taken heed of her words? why had he not--- kasia sees it, even as the witch is too engulfed within her amused glee. him drop to his knees over the vial. 'do you think your soul be pure? i think not but i will take thereof it you foolish man. and then i will take his soul too and hers. if she will not join us she will be undone by us.' the witch speaks and kasia has no time to allow her words to affect her. she steps close, so close that her legs brush against tallmadge's shoulder and her body becomes a shield for the boy who remains behind them. she does not know how this will play out, does not know what to expect in a way that makes her feel as if nothing is in control. as if one wrong move will spell their lives or their damnation.

then, with a sudden start, the screams begin, horrid and ear-piercing. flesh burns, festers, it smokes in waves off the woman-creature's skin as she recoils backward, falls to the ground with her hands upon her face. all at once kasia moves forward, knocking the man onto all fours in her effort to set upon the woman. she reaches her quickly, however her action so quick is not fast enough to see how the witch begins to recover already. how a mere second prior her screams remained but convulsion had paused. not fast enough to block the dark witch from reaching out and grabbing her by the throat and knocking her to the ground face first. her cheek hit's the cold ground with a harsh impact, breakage of bone possible, that sends spots into her vision which prevent her from seeing the grotesqueness of the witch's skin start to repair, pulling itself back together.

the boy screams out from behind her. she can hear him even if she can't see him and kasia realizes he's not praying anymore because the suddenness of what's transpired had been forced upon his attention. the boy was scared. scared for himself but scared for them too. she reaches out for the creature's face, using her nails to claw at the woman's as her shadows begin to form around her and push outward at her body. it works enough to set the woman-creature off-balance, pushing her to the side so that she is not on kasia yet not in the way her power usually was able. this witch held a darkness to her, a darkness that rivaled her shadows, that could engulf that which was the marriage of light and and an absense of it into an abyss of pure darkness. but the witch counters quickly, too quickly, her power something kasia has not seen for centuries and it scares her to her core. scares her more than she will ever want to admit.

"no!"

the witch moves with an unearthly speed of her own, rapidly, sights upon the boy and kasia's mind goes void, action pure instinct and she lets her own shadows engulf her and explode outward toward auggie. with a suddenness he too is engulfed, just before the evil witch gets to him, kasia's and the boy's positions reverse as he appears where she had been and her in his place. he screams. loud and terrified as he drops to his own knees off-balance and kasia lets out a gasp as she's knocked off balance again herself. this time she sees the way the witch's skin is still burned, repairing but not fully yet. half her face remains as it was while the other stitches back together, but her neck and top of her chest remain in some strange melted manner. a wound exposed as the witch comes at her from above and sets her nails into kasia's arm, where the mend had been done, tearing at the still recovering wound. and now she screams too, pain radiating, and she hates herself for giving the witch the satisfaction of it.

The swirling wind buffeted them from all sides, and an unearthly, bone-chilling wail shivered through the air, just as cold and merciless as the icy snow on the ground. Protective, Ben held Augustus securely beneath his chin.

"What is that?" the boy whined. "It hurts my ears!"

Tasting bile, Ben glanced fearfully toward Kasia. He'd entered battle many times -- had stared death straight in the face, in fact -- and yet nothing could've ever possibly prepared him for such evil. "Just hold still," he entreated. "No matter happens, no matter what you hear, do not lift your head."

Kasia encouraged the boy to pray, and Ben looked to her in surprise. He still couldn't quite fathom it. The Lord's prayer worked for her?

A voice materialized then, dark and sadistic, and all at once, he returned his attentions to Augustus. "Auggie," he commanded, "cover your ears. Do not listen -- cover your ears and pray, and I'll pray with you."

Whimpering, the boy quickly clapped his hands over his ears, trembling as he buried his face against Ben's chest. In a whispered rush, he started to recite the Lord's Prayer, and Ben spoke it aloud over top of him, holding fast to Augustus while the terrifying spectacle continued to unfold.

Shadows splayed out across the woods, dark and tethering around the trees, and then were dissolved by what could only be described as a sinister force. Although Ben kept up the recitation, his lungs felt tight as a figure -- a woman -- materialized before them.

The taunting began, and she...God, she was a monster! The gruesome, grotesque form the witch had taken shot a chill through Ben's spine, and holding Augustus more tightly against him, he started praying faster and more strongly.

As he spoke, Kasia dropped something into the snow. He didn't pay it much mind at first -- it merely appeared to be a vial -- but after she'd kicked almost emphatically at the bottle, and then brought up the words holy water, Ben's brow knit in understanding. The only problem was, she honestly expected him to be the one to douse it? Surely, the witch would take notice!

Though the longer the witch threatened and heckled and tormented, the more Ben's mind became made up -- he would stop her. There was no way he was allowing this creature to abscond with Augustus' soul.

"Wait!" Ben cried, alerting everyone present. "Don't take her or the boy...if it's a soul you want, then I willingly offer my own!"

When he started to set Augustus into the snow, the boy frantically clawed at his arms. "No, no, no, Mr. Tallmadge, don't go to her, you can't let me go, you can't!"

Taking the boy's face between his hands, Ben lowered his voice and pleaded, "Trust me, Auggie. Stay here and pray and close your eyes."

Bottom lip quivering, Augustus tearfully obeyed and clapped his hands over his eyes. Once Ben was certain the boy was praying, he turned toward the witch and dropped to his knees into the snow, bowing forward and discreetly snatching the vial into his hand. "Please," he begged her, "come unto me! I have no true purpose in this world -- give me one!"

The words burned his tongue like poison, and despite the shudder in his limbs, he remained firm and resolute as the repulsive witch laughed in that vile, echoing howl that swirled through the wind. Yet just as she approached, Ben uncorked the vial and lobbed it with all his might, praying that the holy water made its mark.

[hpimaginesandblurbs]

wait draco fucking his arranged marriage wife on a couch after she admitted to still seeing her ex (not knowing he has feelings for her obviously) and he’s like oh? can he fuck you like this tho?

pairing: draco malfoy x reader 

warning(s): 18+, adultery, arranged marriage, slight degradation

word count: 3.0k 

a/n: this was not supposed to be this long but it ran away from me as i started writing. this is the longest thing i’ve written on tumblr so far and i hope you all enjoy it! one of my own person favorites. 

Another day felt like another day wasted in the walls in the stuffy Manor you called home. Except it wasn’t home. And it wasn’t another day. 

No. After weeks of trying to get your husband to open up to you, you had had enough. It was an arranged marriage, and although you were no fool and had no pretenses of pretending to love him, you’d at least like to get to know the person you called your husband. 

Back in school you had always thought the infamous Draco Malfoy was rather handsome, anyone would be a fool to deny it. He was confident and popular, great at Quidditch, and seemed like the perfect gentleman - everything you could want in a husband. Turns out it was the opposite. All the feelings you thought you might develop for him were unrequited, and he ignored you at every turn. 

So you took it into your own hands to get what you were so desperately craving: physical affection. It didn’t take much, truly. All you did was send an owl to your ex boyfriend from your school days and one thing led to another until you were in his bed, wrapped in his arms, and rocked to your core with pleasure. 

But now you were back in your ‘home’, wasting away within the walls of the Manor with your husband nowhere to be found. 

It wasn’t until hours later, when you were getting ready to push yourself up from the couch to head to bed, did the fireplace flash green, signaling his arrival home. 

“Hello. How was your day?” You asked politely, hoping just this once he might fall into a normal conversation with you. 

“Fine,” he replied shortly, not even bothering to look at you as he emptied his pockets and put down his very important briefcase that was a mystery to you. 

A blaze of frustration ran through your body, desperate to get more out of this man than just one word. A crazy thought came into your head, to tell him about your day, but you pushed it aside. No, Malfoy’s wouldn’t think highly of a girl who committed adultery within weeks of marriage. But…

“My day was great,” you told him, rather impulsively. 

At first he seemed shocked that you even said anything, the conversation usually reached its end by now. But he recovered quickly, politely asking “And what was so great about your day?” 

Naturally, you could lie. Tell him you met up with your female friends for lunch. Tell him you read a good book. Tell him anything but the truth. But… 

“I reacquainted myself with my ex boyfriend from school,” you told him, daring to look him in the eye as you spoke. 

“Reacquainted? How?” He asked, a series of emotions flashing over his face that you had never seen before. It sent a thrill through you to see him showing any emotions at all. 

Again, you could lie. Tell him you met him for lunch. Tell him that you ran into each other in Diagon Alley. Tell him anything but the truth. But… 

You knew even if the truth did come out, he would have to keep it a secret. He wouldn’t dare be seen as a spineless cuckold as his wife went around sleeping with whomever she pleased. 

“I owled him a few days ago, asking to meet him,” you began, watching as his face contorted into something akin to anger. “I went to his home, for lunch, and it didn’t end with lunch.” 

You left the end of your short story rather ambiguous, wanting to see what he’d do with the information you presented him. He had barely moved from his place by the fireplace, but the look he was giving you could set you up in flames if he wanted it to. 

“So, what? You fucked him?” He asked, the politeness in his voice giving way to the anger he was feeling. 

In a sick way, it pleased you to see him angry. Gave you a sense of pride that you, the wife he had seen fit to ignore, could get such a rise out of him. 

“Yes, seeing as you haven’t even touched me,” was your spiteful reply, foolishly placing the blame all on him despite your own actions. 

“You stupid, silly little girl,” he said under his breath as he stalked over towards you, menacing in just how much bigger he was than you. “You don’t fucking understand a thing about me, do you?” He asked, hovering over you, his hands braced on the back of the couch that you were still seated on, your faces inches apart. 

“You don’t let me. You never speak to me,” you argued, ready to turn this into a fight filled with low blows if he really wanted it to go that way. 

“You think this is a fucking walk in the park for me? Having some girl I’ve barely met in my house looking terrified of me every time I come near her? Suffering through your daily attempts to talk to me, but knowing how unbearably uncomfortable you are in being here? You think I wanted this? For either of us?” He asked seamlessly, almost in a rush to get all of his thoughts out before he thought better of it. A look of hesitation passed his face for a brief moment before he continued on, more quietly now. “You think I wanted the girl I couldn’t take my eyes off for a single day after fifth year hating being in my presence? Going behind my back to fuck someone else because I’ve held myself back in case she was uncomfortable doing anything more than just acting like my wife?” 

He didn’t meet your eye at first, but when he did you saw the weight of his emotions. He was hurt, by himself and by you. He was jealous of the man you had chosen to spend your day with. He was terrified of your reaction to his words. He was furious he even had to have this conversation, in this way, in this situation. He was relieved he finally got it all out. 

“Wh- What are you saying?” You asked cautiously, not wanting to twist his words to meet your own fantasy of having a loving husband. 

He took a deep breath before he answered, but made no moves to rid himself of his proximity to you. “Y/N, I’ve been head over heels for you since the moment we met. But having an arranged marriage, I couldn’t do much more but assume you didn’t share the same feelings as me.” 

“Oh,” was all you could even say back, too overwhelmed to think of anything else. You searched his eyes for the lie, but they held nothing but the raw truth. He must have seen something in your eyes as well, because his tone shifted into something else entirely before he spoke again. 

“Now, Y/N, I think we got off on the wrong foot and I didn’t make my intentions clear with you. I intend to be a good husband, a loving husband. And yet despite my best efforts to be the perfect gentleman so far, you went behind my back to sleep with some other man. And what does that say about you?” He asked, his eyes boring into yours as he spoke. 

You were sure he could hear your heart rate from how close he was, your pulse racing at his words. “I- I don’t know,” you stuttered, willing to let him take this wherever he saw fit. 

“I’m not going to place the blame all on you, because I know I haven’t been perfect. But one might say that you’re a dumb little whore, and I might be inclined to agree. A stupid, little girl trapped in her big, posh Manor. Going out to let any guy fuck her, not even knowing that her husband can fuck her better than anyone else could.” 

“And you could fuck me better than someone I know can?” You asked incredulously, shocked at the words spilling from his mouth. But even if you tried, you couldn’t deny the way he was so sure of himself, so sure he could please you better than any man, aroused you to no end. 

He let out a dark chuckle and looked at you, amused. “Of course I could, darling. That is, if you give me the chance,” he told you in a teasing tone, before pushing himself off of the couch to walk away. 

“Wait,” you started, once again acting on impulse. You might regret your next words, but damn it if you weren’t curious. And he was your husband after all. “Prove it.” 

“Prove it?” He asked, turning on his heel to face you again, a victorious grin written across his face. When you nodded, he only lifted a brow before he continued. “Now? Haven’t you had a long day of, oh how did you put it, ‘getting reacquainted with your ex’?” 

“You talk a big game, Draco. Now I’m asking you to prove it. Scared?” You asked, baiting him. 

In a split second and a flurry of movement later, he had you laying down against the couch, pressed into the expensive fabric, with his weight on top of you, pinning you down.  

“I’ll give you one last chance to back out of this. Tell me now, otherwise I’m going to fuck you through this couch,” he said through gritted teeth, clearly fed up with your antics. 

Without even thinking, your lips crashed onto his in a heated kiss. Lips you hadn’t felt since your wedding day. You hadn’t even remembered what they felt like until his tongue was darting along your bottom lip, hastily requesting entry. 

As your kiss remained heated, he was expertly shedding you both of your clothing until you were almost bare. He had only left you in your small, lace thong in the aftermath of his destruction. 

His hands traveled your body possessively, as if trying to memorize every curve and edge of your skin. The moment your bra came off, your breasts were in his hands, easily rolling your nipples until you were gasping for air. He swallowed all your noises greedily, as if you were feeding them to a starved man. 

It wasn’t until he pulled away, his hands resting on the waistband on your underwear, did you have a moment for a coherent thought. 

“One last time, are you sure Y/N?” He asked as if it was painful for him. As if it was the case that you said no, it would be immensely difficult for him to pull himself away. As if it was the case that you said no, he’d die a painful death at your feet. 

“I’m sure,” you said softly, not wanting him to think for a second that you had any hesitant thoughts about this moment. 

As he slowly pulled down your final layer of clothing, it gave you a chance to finally look at him.

And he was beautiful. 

He looked like an ancient Greek statue, perfectly carved and crafted out of marble come to life. His perfectly defined lines, his impossible definition, his muscles in all the right places. Your eyes eventually traveled down to his cock, and your breath hitched when you finally saw how large he was. If you had known this all along, perhaps you wouldn’t have sought out another man for your pleasure. 

He seemed to be taking you in just the same. His eye trailing down your body with such reverence that you felt like an ancient Greek goddess yourself, if only for a moment. 

“You’re gorgeous,” he said softly, almost as if he didn’t mean for you to hear the words. 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” you replied, giving him a shy smile when his eyes met yours again. 

“I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time,” he told you, still in the soft tone that he had. He gracefully let his body fall back over yours, bracing himself on one forearm while his other hand traveled the length of your body. 

When he caught your lips again, it didn’t hold the same heat as before, but there was something new there. Something good. Something that could only be translated through your lips in that very moment. Something akin to adoration, worship, even love. 

His hand stopped its travels at the apex of your thighs, expertly running his fingers over your clit and down your slit, feeling for himself just how wet you were. He groaned at the feeling of how wet and warm you were, and you felt his cock twitch against your stomach in anticipation. 

He slowly opened you up for him with his fingers. First with one, then two, even venturing to three before he was content that you wouldn’t be uncomfortable. He didn’t rush the process, kept a slow, steady, predictable pace as he worked your body. And every time you got close to the edge, he’d gently bring you back down, leaving you a whining, writhing mess by the time he was aligning his cock with you. 

“Draco, please,” you begged shamelessly, more than ready for him. 

“Did you beg for him earlier?” He asked almost nonchalantly, teasing you with the tip of his cock. 

He must have seen the shock on your face, shocked that he would bring it up in this moment, because he only chuckled before pushing inside of you, a gasp easily pulled from your lips at the intense stretch. 

He didn’t fuck you gently, immediately starting with a breakneck pace that left you seeing stars from the first moment he bottomed out. You were easily rewarding him with your moans, letting him know just how good it felt without words. You couldn’t speak even if you tried. 

But he talked. Oh, yes. He ran that pretty mouth of his as if he wasn’t thrusting so deep inside of you the couch was rocking. 

“I was right, wasn’t I? You’ve never been fucked like this, have you?” He asked, right as you were beginning to climb that peak into a pleasurable abyss. 

You gave him a feeble nod in return, not trusting your own mouth to properly respond. 

“Did he fuck you like this?” He asked, biting the question out through clenched teeth as if he was dreading the answer. “Tell me, Y/N, did he?” He asked, fucking you even harder now in his frustration. 

“No,” you cried out, breaking free of your moans for a second to answer him. “He can’t fuck me like this,” you added, if only to stroke Draco’s ego, but nevertheless it was true. No one could fuck you like this. 

“Cum for me, let me feel you,” Draco said, lowering his head into the crook of your neck to ground himself, trying to fight off his orgasm until you got yours. 

It didn’t take much longer after that. He had worked you up so much beforehand that your orgasm came to you easily and came with such a force you were left breathless in its wake. Your nails carved down Draco’s muscular back, sure to leave delightful scratch marks that you could study later, as you cried out in bliss. 

The moment he felt your walls contract around him, he let himself go with a low groan. The sound was music to your ears, and only intensified the feelings you were experiencing. To have him so close, sharing in the same ecstasy you were, it was like magic. 

When you both came down from your highs, he swiftly rearranged the both of you until you wrapped in his arms, both lying on the couch. It was a strange feeling, being in his arms for the first time like this. If someone had told you this would be happening only a few hours before, you would have laughed in their face. But now here you both were, sweaty and satiated, basking in the bliss of finally consummating your marriage. 

The thought made you giggle, and when he shot you a perplexed look, you couldn’t help but explain. 

“We finally consummated our marriage,” you explained, still giggling. “And don’t worry, by the way, I’m on the potion,” you thought to add, just in case kids weren’t looming in the future for him. 

“Good to know you won’t be birthing any bastard children,” was his sullen response, clearly still hurt by the events of the day. 

You shifted your body until you were looking directly at him, but he made no moves to pull his arms away from you. If anything, he held you tighter when he felt you move, unwilling to give up the moment. 

“Look, I’m sorry about what I did today. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair to you. And if I had known even a fraction how you felt about me, I wouldn’t have done it, because I feel the same about you. I was just feeling incredibly stuck in what I thought was a hopeless marriage, and I was lonely, so I sought out someone else. But now I understand that that isn’t the case, and I can promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that it will never happen again,” you told him, putting everything out there for him. 

“You feel the same?” He asked timidly, after a moment of deliberation. There was a look of hope on his face, and never in your wildest dreams would you shut down such a rare display of emotion from him. Then again, you may be expecting more of his emotions from here on out. 

“Yes. I’ve always been attracted to you, and the little bits of you that I do know, I like. I want this to work, Draco. I want this to be a real marriage. All I wanted was a shot.” you said, just praying he wanted the same. 

“‘I’ll admit, I wasn’t a good husband to you by any means, and I probably unknowingly pushed you into doing what you did. But now that our intentions are out there, I’d like nothing more than to give this a real shot,” he responded, that newly familiar look of hope in his eyes present once more. 

In that moment, you could both feel it. The beginning of something great.

[8bitscarlet]

Witchcraft

Summary: You've found yourself falling deeper into a certain witch's spell. But no matter how strong the magic is, it seems that the two of you just keep missing each other.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Genre/Warnings: Angst/Fluff (minor cussing)

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: This is a fic for @marvelxreaderfanfictionfest writing exchange. This one is for @mrsromanoff and the prompt: "I can't keep kissing strangers and thinking they're you." Hope you like it!

*please do not repost or translate my material or claim as yours.*

________________

You never thought your three month assignment with the Avengers would've extended as long as it has. Missions went by with minimal injuries and maximum wins. You found yourself settling well into the chaos of the compound; the echoing boasts of Thor, the competitive edge of Danvers and the snark between Romanoff and Stark. When your three months were up, it wasn't a surprise to anyone that you immediately signed the contract from Stark, an official placement on the team.

Despite all of the alien blasters, Hydra experiments and Tony's benefit parties, nothing could've prepared you for a single person to rock your world. It started innocently enough; stolen glances at meals and ensuring you two were on the same mission team. As time continued, things turned less innocent; sneaking off during charity balls to suck face in the broom closet, you could recall a few times you were nearly caught in the back of the Quinjet. There was something about this woman. The way her fingers slithered through your hair, how those green eyes made your heart say yes, she stripped you bare.

You had convinced yourself it was witchcraft. It had to be.

Sitting with your cheek pressed against your fist, you find yourself doodling as Steve drones on in the background. Someone nudges you and as you turn, Wanda raises her brows when your eyes connect. With a groan, you raise the pen in your hand. Steve notices, stopping his spiel to look at you with a clenched jaw.

"With all due respect, Cap, we all got in at four this morning. Do we need a recap of the mission right now?"

Steve sighs, glancing at everyone and seeing them agreeing with you. You all had barely had time to unpack, let alone write your after action reports.

"Alright, Y/N. We'll go over how your pants tore mid-fight on Monday."

You point your pen at him, warning him as you watch his stupid smile fill his face. Bucky slaps your shoulders in gratitude, picking up Alpine onto his shoulders as he strides out to find Sam. Wanda's fingers gently brush yours as you walk side by side, sending an electric charge through your body.

"You know, when someone says 'with all due respect,' they really mean, 'kiss my ass'." Wanda glances at you with a sly smile.

Walking backwards towards the couch, you outstretch your arms with a grin, "Because that's what I meant, darling."

Chuckling, you roll over the back of the couch and plop down onto the cushions, your head landing perfectly on a pillow. Wanda lets out a scoff, knowing how many times it's taken you to actually land on the cushion and not the floor.

Flipping through the pages of her book, you watch her through half-closed eyes. A year ago you'd be asking what she was reading. A year ago, she'd curl up with you and explain it all. A year ago, you didn't have guilt eating at you.

Things a year ago were more than good between you. There might have even been a chance beyond friends with benefits. You knew you wanted that. Every time you looked at her, you couldn't stop your pounding heart or the warmth that grew in your stomach.

But you were stupid.

Chickening out every chance you had to ask her on an actual date rather than sneaking around to make her moan. You both had set ground rules, no strings attached. If it got too messy, you both had to call it quits. So, you convinced yourself it was better to quietly love her and keep her, than to tell the truth and lose her.

That was before the year long mission with Carol and Bucky. Before you realized how big of a mistake it was two months in. Before every day texts and video chats diminished to every other week, then every other month. Before you got back to the compound and saw her kissing up on some random benefactor at the Welcome Home Party. It was definitely before she started dating that walking toaster, Vision.

Luckily, he hadn't been around much the past month so watching them kiss and stare into each other's eyes was doable, mostly because you turned whenever you saw that stupid spark plug.

Four months since coming home, you've tried to fill the void the witch had created in your body, your soul. You went out with Carol and Bucky, prowling the town and the bar. Matching shot for shot some nights, waking up in random apartments other nights. Eventually Bucky did what you never did.

He asked Sam on a date and that left you and Carol. Until she started hooking up with Maria and dragged her along so you wouldn't be hitting the bars alone. You had made yourself a pity case.

"Do you need something?" Wanda cocks a brow at you, making a face at your prolonged staring.

You clear your throat, feeling the heat rush through your face, "You look a little sunburnt."

With a shrug and a chuckle, Wanda bookmarks her page as she places it down on the coffee table. Standing, she sits down on the couch, your body automatically scooting over to accommodate her. Holding out her red and glowing hand, you watch her pull off her rings, displaying the radiating tan lines running up and down her fingers. A laugh escapes you as you feel her hand slap against your chest.

"I didn't have anyone to put sunscreen on me!" She groans, "It burns!"

You guide your finger gently down her exposed arm, pressing in slightly to her warm skin. As you lift, you see the true color of her skin before it's bombarded with the glowing red of her burn. Glancing up, her green eyes watch you carefully, both of you not acknowledging the weight of her hand still on your chest.

"An aloe vera massage would do wonders," You whisper, "And I'm all out."

With a roll of her eyes, she leans back into your legs, "You really are a pain in my ass, y'know? When I tell people about you, that's the first thing I say."

Watching her float the remote to her awaiting hand, you grin, "Oho, so you're telling people about me, huh?"

"Please, check the ego there."

For the next moment, the two of you sit peacefully in each other's silence. Wanda was one who clung to those she trusted. When you came back, it was like she had superglued herself to you any time you walked into the room. It didn't help that you were still madly in love and she was taken.

Right now though, you watch her delicate fingers play with yours. Her eyes squinting with laughter as she watches her sitcoms, glancing to see if you're laughing as well.

A commercial echoes through the living room and Wanda lets out a sigh for attention, patting your thigh as she drops your hand. You don't move it as it lands atop her thigh, only gently stroke your thumb against the silky skin you wish could press against yours. Letting out a noise that you're both awake and paying attention to her, she glances over at you.

"Since you got Captain America to actually give us a free weekend, what's your plan tonight, casanova?"

You shrug, "I have early training with Bucky and-."

Wanda moves her whole body to face you, your hand slipping from her thigh as confusion spreads across her face. She lets out an unbelieving scoff,

"You're joking. You used to show up half drunk to training and still kick ass."

She's watching you carefully and you try to keep a neutral look on your face, she knows all of your quirks. Glancing up at her with a small grin, you pull your legs into you. Shifting yourself, you sit properly on the couch and run your hands through your hair.

"Just don't want to go out tonight. It's boring." You chuckle, trying to swallow the lump in your throat.

Wanda rolls her eyes, "Why, no one catches your eye anymore?"

Another playful nudge and you sigh. All this playful teasing, these light touches. She has to know what she's doing.

Trying to keep a steady and nonchalant shrug, you shake your head,

"No one out there."

And you might've gotten away with it. Instead, you fell into the magnetic pull of those green eyes that cause you so much trouble. As your eyes land on hers, you can see the dilation within her pupils. Then the realization across her face. Her playful grin falls as she stares at you, blinking slowly.

"Y/N," She says slowly, "If you're doing what I think-."

You stand up quickly, your feet taking you to the other end of the coffee table. In two days you'll be gone and you'll be back in the place you hate being in right now. Placing your hands on your waist, you look up from your tapping foot.

"Wanda, I can't keep kissing strangers and thinking they're you."

Silence meets your face. You watch her as she slowly nods at you, "That's exactly what you're doing."

Groaning, she slides her fingers through her hair, pinning it from her face. Wanda lets out a careful breath before looking up at you, "What happened to no strings?"

Slapping your hands against your thighs in frustration, you let out a scornful chuckle, "Come on, Wanda. You know those rules were bullshit! No strings means not going on exclusive trips to museums and restaurants!" You watch her eyes flicker around the room, trying to find a way to disprove what you're saying. "It means not staying up all night when the other is sick!"

Wanda stands up quickly and you can see the look on her face, she knows what you're getting to. Waving her hand to get you to shut up, she tries to get to the stairs but your words blurt from your mouth,

"It means not falling in love!"

Her feet stop carrying her towards the stairs, her body frozen in the middle of the compound. Carefully, you step towards her, leaning ever so slightly to try and catch her eyes. They're glazed over from your confession, trying to understand the implications.

"I left. I..." You suck in a shaky breath, "I thought it would be easier if I wasn't here. You were so adamant about no strings, Wands. I broke the only rule, why would I stay?"

Her head jerks back at your words, her brows furrowing deeply down her face. Without another second to keep talking, Wanda's feet pivot as she shoots a finger into your face. You jerk away from her advance, seeing the growing mist within her eyes as she shouts,

"That's why you left?"

The crack in her voice sends one through your heart.

She turns quickly, her hands violently wiping at the tears that have broken free. You clench your brows. She's angry at you? You're the one who's had to watch her prance around with Vision, you just a memory of romance. Just before she can grab her bag and leave, you call out,

"Well, you seem to have fared better than me!"

As the words leave your lips, you bite down hard and shut your eyes. A surprised choke exits Wanda's throat as she throws her purse back onto the side table, knocking over the decorative bowl of rocks. They scatter across the ground but she doesn't notice, all of her rage is pointing at you. Her fingers run violently through her auburn hair, looking like she wants to rip it out.

"You are infuriating!" She jabs a fingers at you, "Why think that?! Because I'm dating Vision? He's filling a void, dumbass!"

Her words stab into you as her stomps draw nearer, you can feel the heat of her anger. She's not done, she's not letting you off easy.

"Every time he touches me, every time he kisses me. God, Y/N! All I can see is your dumb face."

Wanda's heavy breath washes over you as she finally stops her assault, so close you can see the blue in her green eyes. Her body radiates out to you and you have to force your hands into your pocket to not grab her and kiss her. Your eyes dip to her lips but you see sadness that has quickly replaced the facade of anger. Making a small fist, she slams it into your chest as her head bows. Her arm slides down your body, hanging limply at her side as she looks to you.

"Why didn't you talk to me?"

Wanda's fingers twitch forward, wanting to grab onto you. You sigh, taking your hands from your pockets and resting them on your waist. Your confession was supposed to be more romantic than this. Instead, you brought up issues you both were trying to ignore. You were angry now at yourself, taking it all out on the person you loved. You'd spent too long with all of this pent up emotion though, and it was all pouring out in waves.

"I have to finish my requisition forms. Get my gear ready."

You don't have to look up to know what face Wanda is making at you. It's the same face she had when you left the first time. The way her brows clenched together in disbelief, the pain behind her reddened eyes that threatened to spill more tears, how her chin trembled as she tried to breathe.

Her voice barely passes a whisper but standing so close, you hear every broken syllable, "You're leaving again."

You sigh, rubbing your throbbing temples as you feel your nose stuff up.

"You drop all of that on me and you're just going to turn around and leave?"

Shaking your head, you want this conversation to end. It's obvious where she is and it's not next to you.

"Don't you have a date or something?" You ask.

Wanda's been around you too long to not see exactly what you're doing. She lets out a chuckle, a lethal look in her eyes.

"No, you're right. And that date seems a hell of a lot better than this." Without another word, she snatches her purse from the table and starts to climb the stairs, leaving your feet frozen. Just as she reaches the middle of the staircase, she stops. You can feel her stare burning into you and as you look her way, you wish you hadn't.

"You're a coward."

Those words burn into your brain, rising through your ears and torture you for the rest of the day. The only thing you could think to do was slam your fists into the closest thing. The punching bags. People came and went, eyeing you try and punch away your frustrations to no avail. When the sun finally had sunk below the horizon, one Avenger had enough of your pity party.

"You know she's right." A voice comes from behind you.

You don't respond to them, just dodge the swaying bag. They walk into the room, stopping just inside of your peripheral.

"You're an idiot, you know."

With a chuckle, you sidestep the bag, "You need to be a little more specific."

"You're losing her again."

Another punch, "Uh huh."

Carol sighs next to you, "And you sent her away on her date."

"Yup."

She steps in front of the bag, stopping its movement and stares at you with determination in her eyes, "And you're not going after her?"

Avoiding her stare, you start to unwrap your hands, wiping at the sweat that pours down your face. Stopping, you can feel the cramp in your side and the throbbing of your knuckles. Chucking the wrap, you let out a shrug,

"Is there a point?"

Carol shoves the bag into you, grabbing your attention, "I am not going on another mission with you while you sulk. Do you know you talk in your sleep? Yeah. Guess what name I heard that whole year?"

You shake you head, licking your chapped lips as you search for water, "She didn't say it back."

You hear an exasperated chuckle from Carol, "Y'know Y/N, I'm going to go on a limb and say she wasn't expecting all of that to be thrown in her face."

Shooting her a glare, she keeps talking, "I'm saying this once. If you think this is going to be some cheesy Rom-Com where she bursts through those doors and confesses her love, you're more of an idiot than I thought." A finger jabs hard into your chest as you grimace, "You need to fix this."

Carol leaves you there with your head filled with more thoughts than before. Wanda was happy with Vision wasn't she? She hadn't talked about him much but you knew she had to be. Who were you to go and screw that up?

Night turned into morning and after staring up at your ceiling, you knew you weren't getting any sleep.

Sneaking down the stairs, you see everyone is still asleep. You take the opportunity to sit in more silence and wait for the coffee machine to finish steaming. The sun was just beginning to shine its red hues into the kitchen as you stood at the counter, twirling your empty mug. Lost in thought, you failed to hear the padding of feet coming down the stairs.

"I thought you had early training."

With a quiet chuckle, you lean into the counter, "You caught me."

In silence, you watch the witch pour in her coffee. The same amount of creamer and sugar every time, the same motions every morning since you've noticed her. Turning, she sees your mindless fingers twisting and turning your empty mug. Wanda raises her brows and holds out her hand,

"Refill?"

You hand over the mug and watch her work her magic on the black liquid, turning it into the caramel drink you love. Breathing in deeply, you watch the bubbles swirl around the liquid. You furrow your brows,

"I can never make mine taste-."

"We broke up."

Her words slam into you, your breath catching inside of your throat. Looking up, Wanda stands there in the middle of the kitchen, unsure if she had truly spoken or not. She looks up at you, her mouth closing as she realizes she doesn't know what she's doing.

"What? Wands, are you okay?" You start to stand to go and comfort her, you know they had a date yesterday. Did the son of a microwave hurt her?

Wanda's hand rises, stopping you in your tracks before she takes a quiet breath, "We broke up almost a month ago, Y/N."

Nodding at your obliviousness, you knock your knuckles against the counter as you press your lips into a thin line, "We're both liars then."

"Tell me you lied about the mission," She whispers, leaning into the counter. Her fingers laying gently across yours.

Your chest constricts as you sigh, "I didn't."

You watch her sullen nod, curling hair falling out of her messy bun as you gently graze your thumb across her knuckles. She quietly chuckles,

"We just missed each other."

Stopping your thumb, you clench your jaw. This isn't going to happen again.

"Wanda," You whisper, listening to the sad hum she gives you as she glances up with bloodshot eyes, "I'm sorry. I was scared and... I was an idiot."

Wanda pats your hand with a loud sniff, "I appreciate it, but-."

She doesn't continue. She doesn't want to believe that you're leaving. The love you feel wouldn't be strong enough to survive that time apart again. There's broken support beams and one thing will send it falling down. A far away mission isn't the nurturing this budding feeling needs.

Wanda tries her best to flash you a grin, "Let me teach you how to make coffee."

Before she can turn, you grab her hand quickly, "I'd prefer if you made it."

As you walk around the counter, you gently rest a hand on her waist, watching her carefully. Her handgrips your arm tightly, words stuttering from her lips as she tries to remind you that she's not going. You're leaving her again.

Without hesitation, you press your lips against hers, feeling her breath wash over you in a sigh. You pull her in tighter, leaning your head back to speak,

"Sam's going stir crazy. He can have it."

A smile tugs at your lips as you see her furrowed brows on her face, you place a kiss at the center of the wrinkles, pulling back to see the scrunching of her nose. A scrunch just for you.

"Wanda Maximoff. I love you. And I'm not losing you twice."

Without warning, her lips smash against your as she wraps her arms around your shoulders as you hoist her up. Wanda's legs wrap around you as both of you are smiling so wide that you can't kiss properly. Feeling her cold hands press gently against your face, you look into those green eyes that complete you life.

"I love you." Wanda whispers as her witchcraft wraps around you once more.

[thrillridesz]

heart racing ▫ j.yn

in part of the adrenaline rush! collab hosted by @lucas-wongs​ + @ickjun​

⇢ pairing: jaehyun x reader (f) (ft. other nct members + twice’s jeongyeon)

⇢ genre: fluff, angst, racer!au, best friends to lovers

⇢ warnings: swearing, mentions of cheating, mentions and consumption of alcohol, alcoholism, hitting rock bottom

⇢ synopsis: once a revered member of the racing industry, jaehyun has been living at rock bottom for the past few months following a tragic accident that effectively put him out of racing. it seems as though nothing would get through to him, not even you. will he ever break out of the constant loop of doubt and start seeing things for what they really are?

⇢ word count: 8.04k

⇢ fic playlist: get you to the moon - KinaBeats ft. Snøw | Amnesia - 5SOS | You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift | Confetti Falling - Big Time Rush | Go Season - Devin Bronson (highly recommended for the racing scene) | Love Story - Taylor Swift 

⇢ a/n : unedited! also posted on this account because I’m considering merging my nct account with my tbz writing blog also PLEASE check out the other writers’ works ^^ we’ve all worked hard on our fics

“Jaehyun, you’re ruining yourself.”

The dim room reeked of stale alcohol and something mouldy as the empty beer bottles that littered the floor clanged noisily against the surrounding furniture, leaking golden yellow liquid all over. Old, worn clothes were draped everywhere, stained and darkened with murky stains while the battered television flickered weakly to live, showing nothing but static. The walls were streaked and striated with scratches, as if someone had just been clawing desperately at them and on the floor amidst the empty glass bottles, were pieces of scrap poster paper. Sunlight peeks in through the drawn blinds, giving a teasing glimpse to the bustling outside world from the sad, decrepit apartment Jaehyun lived in.

Sprawled on the couch with nothing on except a wrinkled pair of jeans, Jaehyun’s eyes were devoid of emotion - blank and dazelike. In his hand, his fingers held on limply to the neck of yet another bottle of beer, possibly his nth for the day. His usually shiny hazel brown hair was greasy with filth and his bare chest was sticky with sweat from being cooped up all day in this tiny, stuffy apartment of his. His jawline was starting to grow a hint of stubble given how much he’d completely let himself go and dark circles were appearing underneath those intense eyes of his.

Slowly, Jaehyun lifted his gaze from the floor to look at you, the first flicker of emotions that he’d ever displayed in the whole day. You stood before him, arms akimbo, your gaze sharp and piercing. He smiled, a smile that held no mirth or happiness.

“Oh, you’re still here.”

You shook your head, ripping the bottle of beer from his grasp. As you approached, the bottles, clothes and torn pieces of paper on the ground almost made you trip and you tutted under your breath.

“Of course I am. I’m your best friend who is somehow still here with you. Best friends help each other.”

He chuckled nonchalantly, waving his hand at the door. “Well, feel free to leave then. I don’t need your help.” His eyes held a hint of anger as he did, something that did not escape your notice.

“Jaehyun,” you said softly, placing the bottle on a nearby table as you dread what was to come next. “Please, not this again.”

Your words only served to fuel the fiery spark of anger in his eyes as he said in a barely controlled tone, the irritation radiating from him in ripples that threatened to evolve into waves, “Why not? I’m a fucking wreck and a loser anyways. Leave like everyone else did. Leave like…” His voice wobbled, “leave like Jeongyeon did.”

Your heart fell and it took almost a godlike willpower not to let your emotions show. Was he still thinking about her?

“Jaehyun-”

“What? Are you gonna say I’m not a loser like you always do? Cut the fucking lies. Everyone out there is saying the same thing, what makes you think you can convince me that you’re not thinking it either? Hm?” He spat, the drowsiness in his demeanour dissipating fast as red hot anger replaced it. There was so much internal frustration within Jaehyun that just seeing him like this was enough to break your heart. It was one thing to see him in this terrible state but it was quite another to see him directing his anger towards you.

You drew in a deep breath, trying to calm your pounding heart and to stop the tears that pricked at the corner of your eyes. Having been there with him every step of the year ever since the both of you were children playing and horsing around the neighbourhood, you found yourself desperately missing those much simpler times and wondering how things became so wrong.

For as long as you could remember, Jaehyun had always been interested and had a natural flair for racing. There always existed a competitive streak in him that thrived off a challenge. It didn’t matter what it was, as long as it was a game that could have a clear winner or incited competitiveness, he was all up for it. As kids, the two of you used to compete over everything, be it for the last popsicle in the convenience store down the street or past the gates of your school. It was as if racing was something he needed in order to live. It wasn’t until sophomore year of high school did Jaehyun decide to take his love for racing to a professional level. He began to dive deep into the motorsport industry, starting out as a mere rookie in auto racing. He never did apply to college, preferring instead to invest all his time into his newfound life career.

His rise to fame was quick, quicker than most. Within his first year, he had won a number of races, beating even some of the well known names in the sport. Every other month, he was winning trophies and exorbitant cash prizes which in return earned him the recognition of famous sponsors and racers. Bumper stickers from the various sponsors decorated the back of his ride and it was no time at all before Jaehyun began to don some of the most expensive sports gear on the tracks. With his smouldering good looks, he also appeared on the front pages of magazines and newspapers, all while attracting a loyal fanbase made up of both racing enthusiasts and adoring admirers.

To everyone else, he was the suave, handsome and effortlessly cool young racer who was practically born to race and to do it well but to you, he was your childhood friend… and your first love. In front of the flashing lights and cameras, Jaehyun knew his way around the crowd. He knew exactly when to flash one of his dazzling, dimpled smiles and how to work the crowd - it was just one of his innate charms. Yet, you knew that underneath that, that flashy, extravagant Jaehyun, was the Jaehyun you grew up with and had gradually fallen in love with.

As children, he was there for you whenever you needed him, always ready to lend a helping hand when he noticed that you were stuck in an unfavourable situation. You distinctly remember what had happened in second grade. It was a bright and warm summer’s day, the lovely scent of sweet peas floating in the air as the sun bore down on the earth. Pigeons flitted over the sidewalks, pecking at the cemented floor and the leaves of the oak trees that lined the streets rustled gently in the wind.

You fell with a loud and heavy thud on your bottom, feeling the leaves crunch noisily under your weight. Fear and trepidation coursed through your veins as you stared with eyes wide at your tormentors.

“Look at her, she looks pathetic. Do it, Johnny! Do it!”

A tall, hunkering boy flanked by his cronies stood over you, his dark, massive shadow engulfing you as you frantically scrambled backwards. Tears were beginning to stream down your face and a sharp pain shot up your spine with each move, owing to the impact of the fall. There were scratches on your hands as you dragged your palms over the rough gravel in an attempt to move away.

There was a malicious glint in Johnny’s eyes and his lips were curved into a devious smirk as he stared down at you, domineering and intimidating. The veins in his arms and hands were bulging angrily and as he clenched his fists, you felt your stomach sink. Your legs began to feel like jelly and your vision was beginning to blur from all the salty tears. You were struck with fear and the sense of helplessness you felt made you feel both ashamed and furious at yourself yet there was nothing you could do.

You held your hand up to shield yourself from the impending attack as the bully lifted up his fist.

“Hey! How about you pick on someone your own size?!”

The group of you turned to see Jaehyun, eyes blazing with anger as his chest heaved. His wind-swept hair hung over his eyes, a surefire sign that he’d run over and his cheeks were red from exertion. Even from afar, he was clearly no match to Johnny’s larger build, much less the whole lot of them.

“J-Jaehyun?” You spluttered, shocked.

“Who is this clown- Ow!” Johnny stumbled backwards as a rock pebble hit him on the head, promptly ricocheting off his forehead and bouncing onto the ground. His jaw was clenched in pain and when he removed his palm, a reddish bruise had blossomed and there was even a faint trace of blood. There was a split second of stunned silence before Johnny turned almost magenta with rage.

“GET HIM!” He roared and his cronies shook out of their daze, immediately going after Jaehyun who’d already ran a good distance before the reality of what had just happened set in. His mocking laugh rang through the afternoon amidst a cackle of profanities and threats yelled at him.

It was a laugh that remained in your memories all these years. It was a laugh that strengthened you, a laugh that spoke so much of willful courage and youthful rebellion which was everything you’d eventually come to associate with Jaehyun. That laugh was bright and so… him.

Yet now, you could see none of that playful mischief and vibrancy in those eyes. All that is left is emptiness.

“You’re not a loser, Jaehyun,” you began softly, “you never were in my eyes. You were a fighter.”

Those beautiful eyes you adored so much narrowed at you, his face twisted into a scowl.

“A fighter? Guess what, y/n?” He sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “I fought. I fought endlessly but did that work out for me? I threw in everything I could, every little thing. I worked hard and put in a hundred and one percent of my effort.”

You stared at him, your heart aching for him as a single tear began to roll down his cheek, tears of anger, indignation and pain.

“But did that work out? No, it didn’t. If anything, it left me a wreck. People out there call me a loser, a has-been and even my girlfriend has left me. It doesn’t matter how much effort I put in, how much I fought because at the end of the day, everyone is only here because of what they think I am. They saw me as a champion, an up and coming and the moment I wasn’t anymore, they all dropped me in a heartbeat. What are you waiting for, y/n? Why the hell are you even still here?”

His words echoed through the empty apartment and out loud, it sounded bleak, harsh and biting. His anguished voice tore at your heart and as each word left those lips, it felt like your heart was slowly breaking apart. Neither of you said anything for a moment, locked in a silent, unspoken fight as he held your gaze steadily. His eyes were cold and there was the look of a broken man in them.

“I am here because I love you, Jaehyun,” you said finally, your voice quivering. “I don’t care who or what you are and it pains me to see you tear yourself down like this because I know you are not the loser you believe you are. I don’t know how much of this I can take, seeing you ruin yourself.”

You can see the slight softening in his eyes and you gritted your teeth.

“I’m going to go. I don’t know when I’ll be back. I can’t see you ruin yourself and be able to do nothing about it. I’m not strong enough for that.”

With that, you left the apartment before he could see the tears in your eyes.

The miserable, empty can of beer clattered loudly against the hardwood floor, the sound echoing through the dank apartment.

Jaehyun barely lifted an eyebrow, his fingers growing slack without him even knowing. He stared up at the dark ceiling, a hooded look in those once bright eyes. The stench that hung around him was growing more intense by the day and it was reaching a point whereby he could almost smell himself but there was nothing in him that seemed to care.

Sounds of active civilisation outside drifted in through the windows and occasionally, he’d hear the honking of angry drivers on the roads or the laughter of children playing at the playground at the courtyard below. Normally, he loved waking up to these sounds or at least when he wasn’t off to the race tracks, when he was relaxing with a book in his hands. Now however, he found them irksome, irritating and he wanted nothing more but to block them out. He wanted absolutely zero reminder of the world outside.

Grunting, Jaehyun dragged himself off the couch. As he trudged heavily back to his room where his comfortable bed beckoned to him, he turned to stare at the large, imposing front door where moments ago, you’d slammed shut as you left him to his own devices.

Guilt tugged at his heart and for a split second, Jaehyun contemplated running after you. When you left, there was an indescribable sense of hollowness that engulfed him in a way that he couldn’t quite understand or explain. The apartment was filthy, dark and small but somehow with you around just a few minutes ago, it felt just a little bigger, a little warmer. As much as he hated to admit it, his heart was calling to him to reach out to you, run after you. The crumpled look on your face haunted him but he shook the thought from his mind.

It would be better if you left him. If you knew what was good for you, you would.

The anger in him was beginning to resurface at the thought of everything that had happened over the past few months. His career plummeting on a downward spiral right after his recovery, the exact opposite of what was predicted by his agent.

He was born to race, his family and his friends had always told him so. He knew it himself, he could feel it in his blood, his bones, his spirit. Ever since he was little, Jaehyun had known that his career would have something to do one way or another with racing. As a child, he loved running, competing but most of all, he loved riding in his father’s pickup truck on the way to school. He loved the way the vehicle would zoom past the streets, overtaking other vehicles and he loved the feeling of the wind against his face. He loved the speed and everything about cars or racing. It felt natural for him to pursue a career in competitive racing and a natural he was.

After getting signed with a racing company, Jaehyun quickly rose to fame with his numerous championships, bagging trophies, medals and cash prizes in almost every event he participated in. Sports magazines and reporters would clamour over each other to score an interview with him. People wanted pictures with him, wanted him to sign an autograph for them.

He was the golden boy in the racing world, an untouchable.

In the racing world, everything goes a mile a minute and nothing waits for anyone. After the morbid crash at the June Tokyo Prix, Jaehyun had sustained several fractures to his ribs and a severe concussion that left him in the hospital’s intensive care unit bedridden for several months. The pain was unlike any other and every single move hurt immensely but what suffered more damage than he did was his career and his relationships.

Within months, the racing career he had so painstakingly built up for himself collapsed before him. Due to long inactivity, brands and sponsors began to drop him, slowly at first then steadily one by one. He was also constantly under the media’s scrutiny for a period of time, their cameras and microphones thrusted in his face while he lay helpless on the hospital bed. The bright flashes blinded him and the loud noises made his head pound and even now, he still remembered how that experience was like, shuddering every time it crossed his mind. It had taken Jaehyun countless hours of physical therapy before he could even think of racing competitively again.

Yet when he did, he quickly realised he never could revert back to his old self, the one who got off on adrenaline kicks while zooming along the tracks at breakneck speed, the one who only knew what it was like to win. He was slower, less coordinated. His body could no longer take the pressure racing would subject it too, or at least not quickly enough for him to make a full, stunning comeback.

The tabloids and news had run wild with his fall from grace, writing up horrible, demeaning articles about him. His rivals had mocked him to his face and he could even sense the visible disappointment from his fans emanating from the stands whenever he’d lost yet another race. The thing that really broke the camel’s back however, was when his girlfriend Jeongyeon initiated a breakup.

Jaehyun had hoped that things would turn for the better, never one to give up. He’d trained tirelessly everyday, pushing his brittle body to the limit. He never let up on himself, gritting his teeth through all the physical and mental pressure he had imposed on himself. When the final text was sent, Jaehyun could remember distinctly how hopeless and distraught he’d felt. It felt like his world, the empire he had so painfully and relentlessly crafted for himself from scratch was breaking bit by bit. To add salt to the wound, the next time he’d seen her on television, her body was plastered against his biggest rival, Yuta. Her arms were wrapped around his and her lips pressing against his cheeks with no shame whatsoever for the interviewer interviewing him, no sign of the girl who’d once told him that she loved him with all her heart.

What was once determination and naive hopefulness soon devolved into anger and resentment. Jaehyun began to let himself go and the change was drastic. Where there once existed a time whereby he’d rise from his slumber early to visit the gym, he now regularly slept well into the late afternoon. His diet began to consist largely of takeout, junk food and alcohol and his apartment got more and more cluttered by the day. He’d stopped contacting his friends and family, ignoring their calls and texts, preferring to fester in his own solitude. It wasn’t long before an odour had started to emit from his place, a nauseating mixture of stale pizza, beer and pure filth from the lack of showers.

His appearance was also no longer polished, but rather haggard as if he’d aged five years in a matter of months. He was beginning to lose his fit stature, the healthy glow he’d once been prized on by magazines and gossip columns dimming. It got to a point whereby Jaehyun had begun to avoid looking at his hideous reflection in the mirror, his self-hatred growing with each day.

A poster of him in his racing gear and his race car was tattered and wrinkled on the floor, stained with ketchup and soda. Staring at it blankly with eyes empty of any emotions whatsoever, Jaehyun swiped it up and in a swift moment, he tore it up with a large rip before trashing it somewhere on the floor.

Flopping onto his comforter, he almost moaned in pleasure as he sunk into the soft sheets. Reaching for the air conditioning control, a loud smack on the ground roused him from his hedonistic haze. His hair was sticking up in all directions as he peered over the edge of his bed to see a picture frame that had fallen from his night stand.

Holding it in his hands, he looked at it with a nonchalant air.

It was a picture of the both of you a few years ago, back when he was just kick starting his racing career. He hadn’t yet made a name for himself then as the two of you leaned in for the picture.

You had on a bright, illuminating beam on your face, your eyes alive and glittering with happiness. Your hair was down, wisps of it framing your face as the sun brought out the colour and shine of it. Next to him, you’d completely dwarfed in comparison. He had his arm around you, bringing you to his side and from the picture, Jaehyun could feel a smile begin to crack on his face at the comical height difference.

He’d looked completely at ease here, carefree with the recklessness and restlessness of the soul beneath shining through his dark eyes. His hair was wavy, styled down in that ridiculous fashion he wanted so badly to leave back in high school. He had worn a dimpled smile on his face, the look of someone who knew he was destined for greatness and believed in it.

Jaehyun was about to put the picture down when something caught his eye. He leaned in closer.

There was something about you. At first glance, it would have been clear that you were smiling for the camera but upon closer look, it looked as if you might be smiling at him instead. Your smile was softer, eyes gentler from the first time he’d seen the picture. It was the sort of smile that struck him in his heart, the kind of smile that would make its recipient feel loved, appreciated.

“I want to be a racer when I grow up.”

You turned to Jaehyun, eyes wide as saucers as you popped the ice popsicle out of your mouth.

“Why?”

He shrugged, still struggling with the wrapper of the popsicle. The two of you sat on the wooden bench, side by side as the other kids ran around the park, playing rounds of tag while their parents or babysitters sat watching over them. The sun was glaring down on the earth and though it was a great day to go out to play and sweat it out, it was also a perfect day to find an excuse to buy popsicles with what little pocket money your parents had given to you two. It wasn’t an opportunity to be missed.

“I really like racing. I don’t know if there’s anything else I’d want to be,” he said simply, grinning as he finally succeeded in breaking open the plastic.

You tried to hide the blush that was beginning to creep up to your cheeks, looking away from him.

“My mom says being a doctor is good.”

As soon as you said it, you immediately regretted your words. Jaehyun scrunched up his nose in disgust.

“No way! It’s so boring. Do you want to be a doctor?”

Quickly, you shook your head fervently. “No!”

“Then what do you want to be?” He asks curiously, sucking on his popsicle.

You are quiet for a while as you ponder over his question. What exactly do you want to be when you grow up?

“...A writer.” You said finally and he swiveled around to look at you, clearly not expecting your answer.

“A writer? Hm, why?”

“I just really like reading. I want to write interesting stories that people will like,” you take a tentative lick of your popsicle, the icy, sweet taste of apple flavouring coating your tongue, “Like fairytales!”

Jaehyun broods over your answer, seemingly deep in thought. For a moment, neither of you say another word as you sit together under the warm, sunny day, enjoying your popsicles.

“I want people to like me too.” He says suddenly, his eyes shining. “People will like my racing! I’m going to be a racer and people will like me to win!”

He hops to his feet, his popsicle raised as he made his declaration. There is a triumphant, toothy smile on his face and he says it with so much hope and gusto that you can’t help but feel drawn to his driven spirit. For a boy of five foot, there was a lot of motivation and energy in him and there was just something about him that got you transfixed.

Under the sunlight, his smile seemed almost blindingly bright with the shadows highlighting the charming dimples on those round cheeks. The butterflies in your stomach were going crazy and your heart began to pound. Your words seemed stuck in your throat and you choked out, “I t-think you’ll make a good racer, J-Jaehyun.”

You thought your heart might burst as his smile grew wider, his dimples making deeper indentations. It felt like the sun might just be a little too hot since your face felt like it was positively flaming.

“Thank you, y/n.”

Suddenly, something caught your eye and shakily, you pointed at him.

His smile dropped as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“What?”

“Y-your popsicle is m-m-melting… down your a-arm.”

The elevator button made an uncharacteristic squeaking sound as Jaehyun jabbed repeatedly at it, his jaw clenched in impatience.

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,” he muttered frantically under his breath, pacing the lift lobby. The red letters above the elevator were moving at a snail’s pace and it seemed as if it’s stopped to pick up some passengers on the 5th floor. How long does it take for people to move into an elevator?

Jaehyun groaned in annoyance as he watched the number on the display crawl up slowly.

This wouldn’t do. By the time it’s here, it would be too late.

Immediately, he sprinted for the stairs instead, his heart hammering against his chest.

There was great fanfare as the rowdy crowd erupted into raucous cheers, the large, industrial sized party poppers going off with a bang, covering everyone in glitter streamers and confetti. Cameras were flashing and clicking away at every corner while throngs of sports reporters flooded the holding area, all trying to reach the champions for their coveted exclusive interviews. Agents and pit crews were all celebrating with the sound of champagne bottles popping and yells and cheers of congratulations ringing through the air.

Jaehyun stood at the top of the podium, shooting the cameras his trademark stunning grin as he posed with his golden trophy that looked to be about the size of his torso. The racing suit he was wearing was uncomfortably hot and he wanted nothing more than to strip from it but the adrenaline and euphoria he was experiencing far surpassed any feelings of discomfort.

This was it, the taste of success. It was everything he lived for, raced for. This was why he always trained so hard, from dawn to dusk. This was why he put his own body through all those hours of endurance training, gym and dieting. It was all for this single moment of true bliss enjoyed and savoured after the extreme thrill of racing. Here on the podium, towering above everyone else… He was truly where he needed to be, where he was born to be.

As he stepped off and the bodyguards swarmed in to escort him to his own holding room, Jaehyun couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. Yet another trophy for display on his shelf back in his apartment. He didn’t think he’d ever get sick of it, the feeling of winning but then again who would?

Reporters were attempting to accost him at all sides, all screaming out the same old questions he had grown tired of early on.

“How do you feel after winning the prix for the third year running?”

“You hit a record timing today! How did you train for the race?”

“What do you have to say to your rival, Nakamoto who came in second this year? By a mere few seconds at that!”

Jaehyun nodded and waved at a few of them, still wearing a smile on his face but there was no answer evoked from him. He’d kept up a calm and cool demeanour throughout but once he was in his holding room alone, the moment the door closed shut behind him, he let out a loud, jubilant howl.

“Fuck yes!” He roared out in happiness before collapsing onto the couch, laughing to himself as he held his trophy above him. He badly needed a shower but he couldn’t care less, not with the trophy in his hands. Under the light, the gold shone and even as a seasoned racer, the excitement and happiness from winning never grew old. In the empty room, the victory felt even more profound, the reality of claiming the championships for yet another year sinking in.

He was in the middle of celebrating and basking in his own victory, he received a text.

Jy: how’s my man doing? congratulations on the win honey ❤️

Jae: thanks babe, it feels fucking amazing. you have no idea… also i missed you so much

Jy: we should celebrate. together, alone. tonight at my place? ;) we haven’t done it in awhile, i miss your body, your kisses

Jaehyun stared at the text. He should be happy, excited to see Jeongyeon again after so long. He had been so preoccupied with training for the big race that he’d barely had any time for her. He had missed her yet now that they were finally exchanging texts again after so long apart, he didn’t seem to feel the same anticipation.

There was something about that text she sent that seemed weirdly… detached. He had imagined their first interaction in over a month to be one that warmed him up in the inside, brought him to a whole new level of euphoria even after winning but if anything, this reality paled in comparison to the scenario he had looked forward to in his mind.

Jae: yeah sure

After pressing send, he tossed his phone onto the coffee table and rested his head against the velvety cushion of the couch. Somehow, that very short exchange with Jeongyeon had dimmed his excitement and readiness to celebrate.

His phone suddenly rang, disrupting him from the reverie he’d found himself in.

“Must be Jeongyeon,” he thought to himself and for some reasons as he swiped to answer the call, he found himself reluctant to talk.

“Hello?”

“Jung Jaehyun! I was watching your race on television, congratulations for coming in first yet again! You were terrific out there.”

Y/n.

Jaehyun smiled, feeling his heart swell at your words.

“Thanks, y/n. I really appreciate it.”

“How about we meet for dinner tonight? I know of this amazing Italian place that serves the best lasagna, your favourite! My treat too to celebrate your win, how’s that?”

At the mention of lasagna, Jaehyun could feel his stomach rumbling and his mouth watering. The tangy tomato sauce, copious amounts of cheese and spiced minced beef with soft pasta… He would absolutely be down for some well-deserved lasagna after weeks of feasting on plain, watery salads. Dinner sounded like a great idea.

“Sure, I- Wait, I can’t,” he groaned, suddenly remembering his plans with Jeongyeon. Plans he didn’t even particularly look forward to.

“Why not?” You asked.

“I um…”

Fuck, why is it so hard to say it?

“I have plans with Jeongyeon tonight,” he said, ignoring the strange pang of guilt and indignation that hit him square in the chest.

“Oh! Oh, uh… That’s completely fine. Don’t worry about it, we can always have dinner some other day.”

“Really? That would be great! How does next week sound?”

“Sounds good to me!” Even on call, he could imagine you bobbing your head enthusiastically like you usually did and that brought a chuckle out of him.

“Alright, I’ll see you then y/n.”

“See you! Please rest well, you deserve it.”

“Thank you,” he replied before hanging up.

What is this warm feeling in him?

Jaehyun raced out of the apartment complex, his eyes searching his surroundings.

The sun was glaring and he couldn’t see straight without squinting his eyes. He must have been a weird sight to behold - scruffy, pale from the lack of the outdoors and reeking of the garbage piled up in his apartment. An elderly woman walking past him tutted disapprovingly at his disheveled appearance, holding her nose as she did but Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice her. His mind was on something else, something more important.

A boy from across the street was staring at him with his mouth agape, looking like a deer caught in headlights as he shakily fumbled in his pockets for his phone. Jaehyun let his sights linger on him, wondering if he should have at least thrown on a coat but as he turned, he caught sight of a figure hanging by the bus stop, looking miserable.

He swallowed thickly, feeling the slight clench of his heart and without hesitating a single second longer, he made his way over.

The heart monitor’s methodical beating was driving him near insanity. If not that, then certainly the suffocating atmosphere of the hospital and the bandages wrapped tightly around almost every single inch of his body would. Not to mention the occasional undercover paparazzi who would try to inch their way into his ward.

Jaehyun stared up at the white ceilings, still as a plank. Every part of his body hurt to move, he couldn’t even turn his head without feeling a painful pounding in it. Sometimes, he would get dizzy spells so intense he actually felt nauseous. His appetite for food or anything in general had since plummeted. Everything, but racing.

He yearned to go out there onto the tracks, to resume his training. The Roman Prix is coming up in a month’s time and he was so far from ready. He needed to get out of this place as soon as possible, even if it meant jeopardising his own safety. His career mattered more than anything.

Jeongyeon hadn’t called either since the day he got admitted. Jaehyun had soon grown tired of checking his messages or asking his publicist for news from her, the feeling of disappointment felt deep within him. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him.

There was a gentle knock on the door and as the door creaked slightly open, you poked your head in. Upon seeing him, you smiled softly and made your way over to him. Jaehyun watched you approach, his eyes following you.

You had brought along a basket with you, seemingly full of items. As much as he wanted to know what you’d brought, he tried not to look overeager. “I made you something special today,” you said, settling down and practically vibrating with excitement.

“What?”

“Tomato minestrone soup!” You exclaimed, uncovering the lid as the tantalising aroma of tomatoes and a medley of vegetables drifted in the air. Jaehyun almost had to restrain himself from moving, lest he shift a bone out of place somewhere.

Somehow seeing you had sparked a certain kind of joy in him. Maybe it was a sign nobody had really forgotten about him yet. He had watched his number of visitors trickle down day by day and now that it was close to a month since he’d been hospitalised, after the tragic accident, he barely got any. Perhaps three or four a week if he was lucky.

You, however, you were different. You visited him almost every other day, no matter how busy you were. You visited his bedside even if you were worn out from a long day of work, even when you had things to attend to, even when no one else bothered to. You would bring along snacks whenever you did or homemade get-well food like fish porridge or chicken noodle soup you’d whipped up yourself, though they might be far from the usual gourmet fare he was used to back when he was still active when he would go for exquisite dinner parties. Usually, you stayed for a substantial amount of time and sometimes, you even stayed the night.

Jaehyun didn’t understand why you would do all of this for a friend, a friend who never seemed to have time to spare for you at that. More than anything, the feeling of guilt in him only grew stronger with each visit yet he was grateful, extremely grateful. Your presence was like a warm ray of sunshine in this dreary hospital ward. Whenever you visited, he couldn’t help but smile even though he could not find it in himself to smile. But when it came to you, it felt natural.

“Y/n!”

At the sound of Jaehyun’s voice, you turned and even from afar, he could see your reddened eyes - a surefire sign you’d been crying. Guilt and anger washed over him in waves and he tried not to think how many times he had been the cause of your tears. If only he could turn back time, he would have shook himself for ever dismissing you so lightly like he did, before he saw the situation for what it was.

He was blinded. Blinded by his obsession for winning, fame, glory and pleasing the wrong people. In a way, it felt like a fog had been lifted before him and now that he could see, think, feel clearly… He wasn’t going to let the right person out of his grasp. The person who loved him unconditionally, not just for his fame and achievements. The person who stuck with him through thick and thin but he was just too daft to notice it. The person who always felt like home whether he knew it or not.

You.

“Jaehyun? W-What are you…” You spluttered, desperately trying to wipe your tears from your face as you stared up at him.

It took a couple of seconds for him to regain his breath, his face turning red from embarrassment and exertion. He should really start leaving those beers and junk food alone.

“I…” He panted, both out of fatigue and relief, “We need to talk.”

“Jung is getting closer, any minute now Hendery!”

“I don’t believe this! Are we looking at a potential comeback for this prix? Push, push, push!”

“It seems like we might be! Here he comes! He is absolutely mad!”

The nascars zipped along the race tracks, smoke and some bits of burnt rubber and chipped metal trailing along its wake. They were a blur of colours to the spectators, who were practically glued to their seats as they watched the race reach its climax. A massive telescreen was displaying close ups and the ranking board with huge overhead lights that illuminated the stadium. The crowd was growing wilder by the second as the racecars zoomed past them, their attention fixed on one racer in particular.

The sleek nascar was streaked in royal blue and crimson red over a metallic black base, looking almost purple and black with how fast it was flying across the tracks. The wheels were spinning so fast that the friction between the tough rubber tire and the rough granite almost lit up the tracks. It was charging forward with a steely determination and ruthlessness, closing in rapidly on a green and white nascar ahead of it.

The adrenaline coursing Jaehyun’s veins was unlike any other. The thrill he got from racing could practically send him into an all time high and a cunning grin tugged at his lips as he stepped his foot down hard on the pedal, his hands gripping tightly onto his steering wheel. Rounding around a bend, he clenched his jaw as he pushed his body weight to the left, the muscles in his abdominals and biceps flexing and straining against his racing suit as the car drifted across the tracks in a perfect arc.

“Did you see that perfectly executed drift?! Insanity!”

“Jung is absolutely on fire!”

The thunderous cheers of the crowd and the loud hum of the race cars racing across the tracks faded into the background as he kept his eyes trained steadily forward. Any time now…

“Watch out, Nakamoto,” he whispered under his breath.

Steering his wheel sharply and accelerating much to the crowd’s excitement and trepidation, his race car was now driving side by side along Yuta’s. For a split second, the two turned to look at each other through the window and even though there was no way of seeing the other’s face through that helmet, something in Jaehyun told him that his rival was angered, shocked and… Fearful.

Jaehyun grinned beneath his helmet and without a second thought, he zipped forward, leaving Yuta behind in the smoke.

“He’s going for it, he’s going for it… Wait for it… And he crosses the line! The legend has reclaimed his spot on the top!”

“And that is how you execute one of the greatest comebacks of all time, ladies and gentlemen. Jung has done what we believed to be impossible and dominated the race! I wonder how Nakamoto feels about that?”

The other commentator chuckles into his microphone.

“Well Haechan, if I were him, I’d be pissed off for sure! But I’d also be worried… So very worried.”

The crowd was absolutely wild when he’d disembarked from the car and as he removed his helmet, he was greeted with camera flashes all around him. He shook his head, running a gloved hand over his hair and he took a deep breath. The air smelled of burnt rubber, smoke and… Success.

He had done it. He had made his comeback.

His pit crew made a beeline for him, slapping him on the back, their faces jubilant and lit with pure joy. His new manager, one that he trusted and helped him inch his way back to the top step by step, shot him a thumbs up which he nodded in acknowledgement as the crowd of sports journalists, reporters and photographers began to swarm in on him.

Yet, he paid them no attention. If this was three years ago, he would have basked in the glory, the attention but now he had greater concerns on his mind. His heart was pounding now for a different reason altogether and he could feel his hands growing clammy.

Jaehyun craned his neck and searched the rowdy media crowd. Where were you?

“Jaehyun!”

At your voice, he turned and immediately almost stumbled backwards as you crashed into him for a hug. The feelings of you against him sparked a joy in his heart, a joy almost greater than winning. He enveloped you in a hug, holding your waist as he nuzzled his face into your hair. Your scent of honey and jasmine was intoxicating, alluring and a welcomed change from the smell of smoke and rubble.

The two of you had been dating for about two years now, each day together better than the previous. After he’d caught up with you that day, it was as if you were seeing a different Jaehyun from the one you’d seen in his apartment. That Jaehyun who had caught up with you at the bus stop was the old Jaehyun you’d missed and it was as if a switch somewhere had been flipped. To this day, he had never admitted what changed while you were gone for those few minutes. He had subsequently apologised for everything he’d done, even things you didn’t see a problem with. It was shocking to say the least to see the unapologetic Jaehyun apologise for anything at all, but not more shocking than what entailed a few days later.

It started with a vase of luscious red roses being sent to your workplace followed by an invitation for dinner. Before you knew it, the boy you’d loved almost all your life was courting you with a passion. It felt like a complete dream, so much so you had been afraid to wake up suddenly and realise it was all just your imagination. He’d been more of a romantic than he’d let on and many times, you had found yourself completely smitten by his stunts that stretched from learning how to make homemade chocolates for you on Valentine’s Day knowing that you liked them, even though he was well known as a terrible cook to sending flowers up to your doorstep every other week.

Within a couple of months, the two of you were dating and deeply, wildly in love.

Amidst date nights filled with laughter and kisses, he had also been steadily climbing his way back up the ranks of the racing world. After ditching his unhealthy lifestyle he had been living for the past year, the change was apparent. He’d started hitting the gym, eating healthier and before long, he was in prime condition to start racing again. Training was long and tough but he never did give up. He was more determined and driven than you’d seen him and though the old Jaehyun would have been gutted at a loss, this new, better version of him never fussed over a loss of any kind, instead learning from his mistakes.

All of his efforts had led to this ultimate moment, the taste of victory on his lips.

You noticed he had been shifting uncomfortably and you looked up, puzzled and concerned.

“Jaehyun? You okay?”

He looked at you, his ears red, a sign that he was anxious, nervous.

“Jaehyun? What-”

Your words got stuck in your throat as he knelt down on one knee, the lights overhead bringing out the sparkle in his eyes and the shine in his hair. Those dark orbs were so full of hope, anxiety and love all intermingled in one and you found it difficult to believe that those eyes were looking at you directly, the emotions in them all for you.

Jaehyun withdrew a tiny, velvet box from his pocket and popped it open. In the box, was a tiny diamond ring, glittering and absolutely regal. The diamond itself was beautifully cut and interwoven into the metal band with microfibres of white gold and it simply shone as the camera flashes went off. The crowd was going bonkers, screaming and cheering with wolf whistles.

“Y/n,” he spoke softly, his voice gentle. “You have always been there for me, always been my better half. We have been friends for over a decade and lovers for merely two but it seemed as if we always were meant for each other. It took me so long to realise that and there is not a day I don’t regret not realising it sooner. You are my everything - my past, present and future. Falling in love with you was gradual, unconscious. I guess my heart knew you the one before I even did. It started with me being in a dark, dark place where I drowned in my own self-hatred and insecurities. I was beaten, defeated and I just gave up. Where everyone did the same, you never did. You were like a beam of shining light, shining upon me and guiding me even if I didn’t notice it at the time. But when I did, you glowed even more brightly than I’d envisioned. I’d been oblivious to your beauty both inside and outside for far too long and god knows how much I fucking regret it. I’m different now though, because of you. I am the best version of myself right now because I have you in my life. You taught me how to love, allow myself to be loved. There’s no universe whereby I’d want to be without you. I can’t see myself without you in my life. I need you, I love you.”

Tears were beginning to stream down your face and the stadium had grown quieter, all tuning into what was happening.

Jaehyun looked up at you, hopeful and so full of love that you thought your heart might burst.

“So I guess what I’m saying is, will you marry me, y/n?” He asked breathlessly.

[escapingreality51]

@inloveamateursatbest who wanted nr 12 for tarlos

#12: Post-It Notes

Carlos has slept in. He usually never sleeps late but after a shift that ended in the early hours of the morning, TK apparently let him. He wakes up, eyes crinkling against the morning sun and the bedroom is bathed in light. It was one of the things that made him love this apartment after TK left; the light is amazing. It is even more amazing on TK’s face in the morning. 

Carlos shifts and puts an arm out, wanting to pull TK closer, press a kiss to his skin, but instead of TKs warm body his hand stumbles across a post-it note. 

getting breakfast, back soon. stay in bed, you’ve deserved it. love you x

Carlos can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. TKs scrawl is not easy to read but Carlos has gotten used to it, and he does as he is asked. He lies back, pulls the blankets up to his chin, and waits. It doesn’t take long for the sound of a key in their front door to bring him back to consciousness and then for TK to slide into bed, handing him a steaming cappuccino and a fresh bagel from the bakery on the corner. 

“Morning baby,” TK says, kissing his forehead. “Sleep well?” 

“Yeah,” Carlos says. “How about you, how are you feeling?” 

TK leans against the headboard and smiles. “I’m tired, but I’m getting better. I can feel the energy coming back to me, you know?” 

Carlos takes a sip of his coffee and groans. “So good,” he says. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” TK says. The sun shines against his skin and Carlos leans up, presses a coffee-laced kiss to TKs cheek. 

“Love you too,” Carlos says. He doesn’t tell TK, but he keeps the post-it. 

-

TK knows he is driving Carlos insane. It’s just that he doesn’t do well stuck at home, alone, with no people to talk to and nothing to do. Until he gets the all-clear from the doctor, he is barely allowed to work out. Walks are in his regimen but TK can only walk around the block so many times before he gets bored. 

“Babe, why don’t you find a new hobby?” Carlos asks. “One that doesn’t require protective equipment and weights.” 

“Like what?” TK asks. 

“What about reading?” Carlos asks. “You just have to find something that’ll grip you.” Of course Carlos would suggest that; he’s got a small collection of books resting on his night-stand and in the living room there are books spattered around the apartment, small stacks that not only make add to the look of the place but also makes Carlos look smart. 

Well, TK knows that Carlos is smart. Smart as a whip, even. The first time TK saw him wearing reading glasses and holding a copy of The Outsiders, TK couldn’t get him out of his clothes fast enough. 

Thing is, TK has never been a good reader. His mind feels too fast and he reads too slowly, he can’t make a story stick. He’s never found anything that grips him. 

But it’s Wednesday afternoon and Carlos has a shift and the 126 are all at work, and TK has made it through every level of Crash Bandicoot and he can’t stand it anymore. 

He walks around the apartment and finds one of Carlos’ stack of books. It is a world in which he is lost, but he takes up a few and looks through them. 

On the third book, he finds a post-it. 

Try me. 

It is written in Carlos’ neat handwriting and TK grins. He lifts the post-it and read the title - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - and, what the hell. He opens the front page and finds another yellow post-it. 

Okay, you opened it. It’s queer and glamorous and I think you’ll love it. X

TK sighs. Fine. He has to give it a chance now. 

By the time Carlos comes home, TK is balled up on the sofa, a third of the way through the book. He has forgotten to turn on any lights but the lamp beside the couch and is so engrossed he doesn’t even notice Carlos coming through the door before he switches on all the lights. 

“So, you what do you think?” he asks, grinning like an idiot. 

“Fine, you were right. This book is so good,” TK says. 

“I know, right?” Carlos grins. “Isn’t Evelyn such a good character?” 

TK sees the enthusiasm in Carlos’ eyes and grins. Maybe this is something they can share a little, too. “Yes, but I need to get back to it.” 

“Alright, I’ll cook.” Carlos says. “Fajitas work for you?” 

“Ahuh,” TK says but he is already back in the book. 

That evening, they lie in bed together, each with their own book, and Carlos catches TK’s eye between pages. He reaches out a hand and TK takes it and then they read, each their own book, but together. 

When TK is too tired to keep his eyes open, he places the second post it on the page as a book mark. 

valentine’s day prompts 

[huenjin]

unhooking a bra for dummies.

pairing: han jisung x reader

word count: 6k words

genre: smut

tw: use of swear words and name calling out of sheer affection, detailed sexual content — hickeys, breast play, nipple play, fingering, cunnilingus, clitoral stimulation, overstimulation, multiple orgasm, squirting, blowjob, deep throating, gagging, penetration, creampie.

note: this fic has been rewritten/reconcepted from my previous bts fic, the idiot's guide to unhook a bra.

The last time your boyfriend tries to remove your bra one handed, you are glad it is on your body and not his. Not with his strong history of trying to learn how to untie bras by wearing them and then snapping them only to ruin your pretty collection.

The last time your boyfriend tries to remove your bra one handed, it's on your request.

Not because you wanted Jisung to learn (not that it isn't a win-win situation) but mostly because you were so sex deprived from your boyfriend for two weeks now, thanks to his competitive arse. Thanks to his determination of wanting to learn how to remove a bra single handedly because some stupid magazine said it was cool.

Also because the movie was boring and your boyfriend seemed a lot more interesting than the movie's horrible direction.

You're on top of Jisung's lap, kissing down his neck, telling him to focus on how he's feeling and how he'd feel rather than being so competitive to remove the bra. Jisung pulls back and mumbles, "How does that work?"

"You've tried it enough for two weeks," you kiss him. "It's going to work."

"Is this a test?"

"Consider it," you sigh. "You're really killing the mood again, boy," you frown, before straightening up your spine and looking at him, "It's just a bra. Why are you so goddamn hung up over it?"

He confesses finally, "Because I saw some stupid article the day after I said everything. It told me that girls love it and that it'd make them happy."

Figures. You called out on this a week back.

You cup Jisung's face, a bit taken aback by his response, "But you make me happy either way."

"I—"

"Sungie," you press your forehead against his, smiling at how your boyfriend's eyes sparkle so brightly, "You're still going to be my star always. My sunshine."

You kiss Jisung, laughing against his lips when he coos at you. His hands are warm against that long brown sweater – way too long for you – you have always borrowed from him. He kisses you, his hands making way under his sweater, trailing slowly upwards as he draws out his kiss.

You know what he's trying to do and you choose to ignore, praying to all the gods out there that your boyfriend succeeds. He places his fingers on one side of the clasp and your thumb on the other. He moves towards your neck, peppering kisses against so as to distract you. He pinches both the sides together, sliding the right side against the left, freeing hooks from the eyelets. He pulls back from you, lips leaving your skin, at the same time your bra is undone.

"Bro," he stretches the syllable and you laugh, eyes wrinkling, commenting, "You sound like a white teenager."

"And you don't when you do?"

"Touché."

"But I did it," he screams, hugging you tight. The intensity at which he is joyous almost makes it seem like he won something great but that's Jisung for you. "I did it!"

"You did, baby! You did."

He kisses you again. Your boyfriend is so happy that he is smiling against your lips, breaking the kiss but he doesn't care and nor do you. He cradles your face in his hands, pulling back and laughs, "Hey, maybe we can sex tonight after all."

"Oh fuck, don't kill the mood. The last thing I want is Jeongin's catchphrase right before me getting hammered by my boyfriend after weeks."

"Like you haven't mentioned you don't want him around once?"

You flail your hands upwards in defense only to wrap it around Jisung and kiss him shut, mumbling against his lips, "Not today." Your lips tug onto his lower ones, latching onto it before pulling back and gazing at him. You could see how beautiful he was - his rosy lips that are parted and his nose that is good enough to bop. Han Jisung is a beauty carved from the finest and you are glad to call him yours.

"Fuck," he swears under his breath. You smile widely, eyes turning into crescents as he gazes at you, mumbling, "You're all mine, wow. I'm a lucky lucky man." You laugh, mumbling, "Yeah, you are." and lift your hand. Stretching your index finger, you poked his head, pushing it back, parietal bone hitting the bed's headboard.

Jisung gulps, his eyes turning a shade darker. You lean forward, catching Jisung midway for a kiss. You hold his face, guiding and directing the kiss, being forceful and trying to show the dominance you clearly lacked. Jisung always leads and you're hoping he takes back the reins soon.

And he does. Just as you prayed. His hands are on your hips, gripping it harder, his leg wrapping over yours in one swift motion and he has you pinned under him, hot air fanning over your face and you're giggling. Jisung frowns at you before kissing your pinna and mumbling, pouting, "You lost weight, babe. You need to eat more."

"I've been busy with this project," you respond and brush his hair.

"I'll take you out for a fancy dinner tonight after this."

"You think we could go?"

"Uh huh," he kisses your neck, sucking on the skin lightly sending tingles down your spine. "We could. I want to treat my favorite girl to some sexy food."

"I love you."

He kisses you in response not so gently, immediately coaxing your mouth open to allow his tongue inside. His hands forget all about being slow and teasing, the stress of not having you for two weeks straight sending him desperate, running all over your body, before pausing.

"This one goes off," he tugs at his sweater that you are wearing, pulling it off of you only to gasp at your covered breasts. "That bra looks beautiful on you, fuck."

He stares at the wine purple bra hardly covering your breasts now that the strap was off, ready to fall off any minute from now. Jisung gapes at how beautiful they make your breasts look before tugging it off, mumbling, "I like you better without anything though."

One of his warm hands covers your breast, fingers slowly digging into the skin. His palm squeezes your breast, thumb running over your nipple before he purposefully leans down and gives you a taste of his warm mouth for the first time that night and in weeks now. You gape open at the contact of his mouth on your nipple, teeth purposely grazing against the skin.

"I missed you doing this," you gasp for air, hand holding onto his hair for grip and to angle him slightly. Jisung hasn't bothered every time you push yourself onto him, aching and craving for more. If anything, it's always made the bulge more prominent. "You stupid boy focussed on a thing that weren't necessary like unhooking a bra when we could — ah, fuck, Jisung." He rolls his tongue over your nipple, your hand tightening around his scalp, tugging at his hair furiously. "Yes!"

He lets go of your nipple only to raise himself upwards and hover over your face. He bites your bottom lip, small kitten licks before sucking it into his mouth and you respond with a weak whimper before pulling away, breathing loud and clear and vivid enough for your chest to rise and fall.

His large hands trace along your spine, his palms trailing along your covered flesh, the figure that's carved into his head, a memory attested forever that he's glad for. Every single one of his touches sets your skin aflame with desire. Heat settles deep within the deepest cores of your abdomen, the heat slowly trailing downward stimulating your glands to release secretions that make your panties cling to your core. You moan when you feel his hardening shaft against the soft of your abdomen, involuntarily grinding against it. Your movements cause him to let out a grunt, limited and constrained, and he groans out your name.

He moves lower, tugging at the straps of your panties with his teeth, grazing the skin around it, sending goosebumps sprouting. You laugh post the rush, "You're good at this though. Like really good, Jisung."

"I know," he laughs against your skin. "Need to have you keeping me around. What if you decided a vibrator's better than me?"

You laugh loudly, hand falling on your chest, "Pretty sure a vibrator can't kiss me and love me like you do, baby."

Your mouth parts open when he kisses you, his lips brushing against the skin covering the bones and you let out a set of breathy moans, heat pooling deep within your pubic region as you find yourself growing wetter when Jisung kisses you around your acetabulum. He tugs your panties down partially with his teeth, fingers helping him out till he gets completely away from your skin.

He lifts himself up, throwing his shirt away. Dipping his head down, his attention is back on his favorite spot on your neck by your prominent jugular. Jisung kisses your neck, whispering sweet nothings into you. His hand lowers and lands on your inner thighs, goosebumps rising from your flesh and you gasp.

“Fuck," he swears under his breath. His fingers are dangling so close to your core that he can feel your arousal by your thighs. "You’re so fucking wet,” Jisung mutters, only to laugh and comment, "Maybe I should have fucked you.”

"Should have," you whine. "But guess what? My boyfriend's fucking— Ah!"

He absent-mindedly plays with strings of your arousal, coating his palms and fingers. You gasp at the sudden contact. Twisting and turning his fingers, he gathers up the dangling strings of arousal, before bringing it to his mouth and licking it clean. His gaze is still fixated on yours.

"Fuck you."

"Sure. On it, babe."

Tauntingly, he continues teasing your cunt — the tip of his finger lightly pressing against the entrance, but never enough to fully enter you. Each small action has you moving forward in pleasure as you try to push against his hand in an attempt to sink his finger into you. Jisung chuckles, kissing your clavicle, biting into the skin above and sucking furiously enough to mark you. He licks the mark before kissing down your clavicle.

He runs his finger through your core, collecting more of your juices onto his digit, before teasingly entering you barely. You find yourself hissing and bucking, your entrance twitching around the tip of his finger responsively.

“Jisung,” you whine, pushing your core further into his hand. “Please,” you implore, beg. You're desperate enough and two weeks of no contact has left you unhinged. The sensation of the pad of his thumb swiping against your swollen, needy clit causing you to buck into him, your cunt soon contracting around nothing. He pushes himself up and lowers down your body to meet your core. Your core involuntarily clenches, releasing another gush of wetness, pooling down the skin and staining his bedsheets messily.

"Your clothes—" you point, tugging at his pants. "Off, hoe," you sigh. "Now."

"Not yet," he rasps. "Need to give you that orgasm I owe you."

"Ah!" You sigh pleasantly. Jisung moans, shuddering under your fingertips. “My girl is all pretty and wet all for me," he mewls. His fingers trace small circles further into your slit, until his digits are teasing your entrance again. A low mewl falls from your lips, your hips writhing into his hand and you try to get him to push his fingers into you now.

“Jisung, shut with the teasing, you bitch,” you murmur, not even bothering to hide the want in your voice exhibiting now through annoyance, along with the greed for so much more. He laughs at your name calling, against your skin, nose brushing against your skin and with a kiss to your mound, his digits lightly push against the tightness of your entrance. He relishes and dwells himself in the way you tighten around just for him. You are just for him. A being he has been blessed with that's made for him just as he is for you. His eyes sparkle in mirth at your core clenching and unclenching involuntarily around him. You whine, “Fuck," trying to tighten around his digit as much as possible, almost as if you think your orgasm is going to rush in just by the sheer touch of your boyfriend.

Your boyfriend pushes one and then another finger into you. Your wetness allows them to slide in with ease and he gasps at how the jagged inner walls of yours feel — a memory he wishes he could remember every time. Somehow he's glad he can't because every single moment with you feels like a first time for him. The rush and excitement is unmatched. Drawing raspy breaths from you, he slowly begins pumping them into you. With each movement, you feel your entrance open and close, your eyes rolling back at the sensation. He pumps them into you, relishing every moan and swear word that leaves your lips. It's perhaps the very fact that you haven't had sex with him for so long that makes you want him more than ever, your arousal evident and dripping around, coating his finger.

He breathes in the scent of your arousal deeply, pressing kisses against your skin, softly at first before it turns into intense ones, licking and sucking on them to make a visible mark against them, staining your mound with purple and dark red hues.

“I fucking love you, man,” His voice is low, dropping a couple of octaves, and the deep sound that turns deeper every single time he whispers, thrums against your skin, before kissing against the skin again. You are so close to breaking down from just his breath against you, gripping on his hair so hard that you are worried you're going to rip his hair out. “Yes, yes, yes,” leaves your lips and letting out an appreciative groan, Jisung slides his fingers deeper into you till his knuckles touch the sides of your core and you are gasping, taking in heavy breaths of air, eyes squeezing shut.

“You're literally swallowing me,” Jisung breathily whispers against your core, pressing a butterfly kiss against your clit. His words cause you to clench involuntarily, squeezing around him tightly and then his mouth is against your core, more specifically your clit, licking on it, before sucking, inappropriate sounds hitting off the walls, eliciting a choked moan from you.

You are about to say a word before Jisung curls his fingers up into you and your back arches slightly at the rush that it sends, a moan leaving your lips loudly as you scream out, “Sungie!”

You feel him rubbing against the same spot that brings the loudest reaction from you — a discovery he makes every time all over again — before dragging his fingers back slowly only to slip his fingers easily into you again, the slick of your arousal dripping down your thighs, making a mess.

"Wet and dripping. I’ll give you what you want, baby. You were so patient with me.” He rubs your walls, his attention undivided on your enlarged clit and your hips gyrate with him, thrusting and chasing after his fingers desperately.

He lifts himself up – his hand still rubbing against your spot – trailing kisses upwards till he latches onto your mouth, tugging at your lower lip. He delves into your mouth, tangling with your tongue. The sensations are heightened, your head unable to focus on either. Breaking from the kiss, you cry out against his lips, your breaths heavily intermingling together. Jisung uses his other hand to hold your jaw and angle your head in such a way that your foggy gaze is fixed on his sharp ones and your mouth opens slightly.

"Come for me, babe," he urges. His command, along with the way his fingers rub across your clit, has you crossing off of the brink of pleasure and into an oblivion for the first time that night and in weeks. You see the stars as you squint your eyes shut forcefully, breathing loud and shallow as you chant your boyfriend's name like a mantra. You need a moment to calm down from how good that orgasm is and Jisung slowly rubs you through your high.

Skin flushing with heat and covered in sweat, you feel electric sparks jolt across your flesh under your skin as bright ecstasy rumbles in your veins all over again as your boyfriend rubs your clit vigorously. In a split second without any heed or warning, his mouth is still on you. He flicks your clit with a snap of his finger and instantly, your muscles lock up, your nerves oversensitized. Tears spill from the corner of your eyes and you tug at Jisung's hair, face falling to the side as you bite into your lower lip.

Out of breath almost instantly, Jisung hovers over you, cupping your face with one hand of his and kissing you, wiping your tears away. You breathe in his air as he kisses you, your jaw slackens sadly once he leaves. You let out a loud whineful cry as a powerful orgasm powers through you again, his hand leaving yours for a minute as you squirt on being overstimulated. Your thighs quake violently as your back raises and arches upwards slightly. Your boyfriend's other arm wraps around your back as he kisses you through your heightened orgasm, helping you settle down. Your muscles tremble and ache and soon you find your hips halting their movement as you lose yourself into pleasure, squirting slowly receding. His hand is covered in your juices, glistening in the light of the room and he chuckles against your lips after pulling back, placing you lightly on your back.

“That was so fucking hot,” he looks at you proudly, pressing his forehead against yours. Your eyes are squeezed shut post that powerful orgasm, thick rivers of tears staining your cheeks. He moves only after your eyes open, making sure you’re alright and able to breath right.

"You're a bitch, dude," you barely let out. "But I love you."

Once you collect your breath, you move down his body, overcome with the need to please your boyfriend, to please this beautiful man who just made you come twice on his tongue, overstimulated you enough to make you squirt, embarrassing the hell out of your being. You hastily grip the hem of his sweats and begin to pull them down.

Jisung pushes himself backwards instinctively when you lift yourself up. You hold his shoulders, body still trembling from the after effects of your last orgasm and ask, "On your back, please."

"Baby, you don't— It's all you today."

"Yeah, and so let me."

Jisung lays on his back on your command and you kneel between his legs. He pulls himself upwards, one arm bending to support him and the other resting beneath his head to support his head up. He watches you position yourself between his thick thighs, practically drooling at the sight of his large cock. He finally lies there completely naked, a small smile dancing on his lips at the sight of you, skin glowing in the dim light of the room, soft music from the neighbours you are grateful for, muscles straining slightly despite his relaxed state, belly button piercing twinkling every now and then as the light hits the metal.

You take his cock into your mouth, working him in small portions. You remember how intimidated you had felt the first night you tried giving your boyfriend a head. Even though Jisung was kind enough to praise you through it, cradling and caressing you throughout, it was hard. With a girth as thick as his and mouth as small as yours, it was bound to be hard. With time, you learned of the ways to take his cock like an absolute professional, though it still managed to overwhelm you at certain times, if he really wanted to give it to you good. Not that you minded. You doubt you'd ever mind it when it's Han Jisung.

You bob your head, mouth coating his skin in your saliva, as your hand works what you can’t reach yet, encasing it in your grip. Above your head, Jisung is sighing, coral pouty lips parting and clenching his jaw as he watches his cock disappear inch by inch into your pretty, pink mouth, enjoying the sight of your lips wrapped so warmly around him. He loves watching you take him slowly. Jisung loves it so much that he thinks if he could stamp one memory forever or take a picture to treasure, it is this. One of his hands slips down to grip at your hair, only holding it back loosely for now, not applying any pressure. He loves seeing you like this as much as he wouldn't agree to you directly but he thinks you know. You seem like you know. Yet again, there is nothing you don't know about him.

“Fuck, baby,” he sighs out when you take more of him in and suck firmly on your way back up, licking at the head and sucking on it leisurely, tongue lapping at the sensitive pink skin of his length. He curses once again, huffing out a heavy breath, going delirious at the sight of you bobbing on his length. The rise of his chest begins to increase its pace and his body begins to build up a sweat all over again.

He groans loudly when you go down once again, taking in the most that you’ve had so far. Your eyes are closed, hair out of your way and your tongue is at against his length. His arm supports his body and he sits up. You feel the movement and you quickly open your eyes, pulling away and moving upwards hastily. You attempt to pull him out of your mouth to see if you did anything wrong. However, he places his hand firmly to the back of your head — you feel the large hand cover most of your head, hand gripping on a ponytail he has made and fixates your head exactly where it is.

“Keep going, please,” he breathes out and your pussy practically melts at that, as you look up at Jisung, his eyelids half closing in pleasure, his grip on your hair getting tighter. He glistens in the dim light, body shining from the sweat and you press your tongue flat against his tongue suddenly and he jerks.

“Fuck your mouth is, shit—“ he pauses to groan, pushing your mouth further down and you try to fight your gag reflex as much as possible. “This is what heaven feels like, baby. This is heaven on Earth.”

He takes control of your movements now. Being the soft dominant human being he is, he clutches your hair tightly to guide your mouth on his cock as he pleases. He eventually begins to buck his hips up to fuck your mouth, the explicit stickling sound of your saliva coating his cock every time he moves, resonating and bouncing off the walls. You're gagging heavily, trying to breathe properly through your nose. Saliva is dripping down your chin because of his length which is so big that you know you'd never be able to take him without activating your gag reflex. Your eyes roll over before your eyelids shut and Jisung's controlling your movements completely now.

“Love this pretty mouth of yours, baby,” he groans, pushing your head as far down as you could go. You choke a bit, letting out a stunned noise, one out of breath but you grip his thighs in an attempt to calm yourself and relax, despite the tears stinging your eyes at your gag reflex kicking in. Jisung slows down his movements, letting go of your hair but you refuse to move. You grab his hand before he could let go of you and you place it back over your head. He smiles and guides you again.

Your arousal drips down your core again and down your thighs, and you can’t help but push yourself forward. Your rear is pushing back against nothing but sheer want and lust for the man before you and his eyes catch onto the sight of your supple soft skin up in the air while your mouth is still locked on his cock. The entire position makes him lust over this woman before him that he proudly calls his.

“You’re so pretty,” he pants, eyes fluttering for a second when you suck on him harder, tongue licking a stripe along the underside of his dick all the way to its head, taking it home. Your hand grips on his balls, carressing it lightly under your fingertips when you feel it tightening. You know he's close and so you suck at the tip of his head furiously, letting out grunts from Jisung's lips, leaving them so deliriously that it has you moving quicker, jumping your groin into nothing. He finally pulls you off his cock, still gripping your hair firmly.

You cough for a while, stained aftermath of saliva on the corner of your lips. Your eyes are teary, some spilling from the corners and your lips are swollen. Jisung somehow, weirdly likes it. He loves seeing you fucked out for him over his cock. He loves seeing your slight makeup haphazard and your entire being disoriented for him. He thinks he's a fucking masochist because he wants to make you cry on his cock — cry for his cock.

"Why?" Your voice is parched as you manage to ask. "You were close."

He pulls you close, tugging at your arm and you fall on top of his chest. He kisses your nose and smiles, wiping the tears away from the corner of your eyes before whispering, "Need to come inside of you, baby."

And he flips you over in the flash of a second and you are under him for the second time that night, ready for a million times for the rest of your life. You kiss him, your shaking hands cupping his face, rubbing small circles into the side with your thumb.

Jisung holds one of your legs by its underside and lifts it above, placing it on your shoulder. You prop your body slightly upwards, ache residing by the joints and Jisung kisses the skin at your acetabulum. He brushes his cock against your cunt and a harsh swear leaves his pretty lips. The tip brushes your clit, tingles running down your spine. Your nails dig into his hand by your side, holding onto the bedsheet and you gasp.

He slides in slowly, letting you get used to his girth and familiarise yourself with it. He pushes it in agonisingly slow and it adds further to the sensuality. The stretch causes you to curl your toes in ecstasy. With your leg over his shoulder, heels digging into the skin by his scapula, the way he is holding you allows him to move deeper, sliding in until you can feel him by your deepest parts and his thighs are pressed against your purple bruised ones. He bends forward and you watch your boyfriend.

Fuck, you love him. So much.

His face is soft and yet so affectionate, his features molded from the divine being, flawless and perfect. Jisung is panting in your ears, the grunt soft and echoing in your eardrums, amplifying on their way to your cochlea and you surround yourself in him. His muscles are tense and the words come out in a low, deep tone, "Fuck, you're swallowing me as a whole. Baby, you are so pretty."

He kisses your lips, ceasing his movements for a while in your wet warmth, whispering against them, "I'm so lucky, so lucky, so lucky—"

He pushes once more to go deeper if it's possible and you moan loudly. He watches your eyes squeeze shut and he can't believe that you're all for him, made for him just as he was for you. You squeeze around him unknowingly and he swears under his breath, his grip on your hip tightening. He knows he could come with you just wrapped around him perfectly, with all your warmth encasing him like he's lucky. He grits his teeth and pulls out. When he slams into you again, his pubic bone hitting your nether region, balls slapping against your arse, you scream. He's close already from you giving a phenomenal head and now when you're squeezing him like your life depended on it, he knows he's going to lose his sanity to you.

Jisung picks up a pace. It is fast and hard and has you gripping onto him for the life of yours. Your hips move along to match his pace and when your moans get excessive, he locks his lips with yours, owning every one of them and making them his. You scream louder into his mouth, muffled screams slipping out. You can feel him twitching against your wall and the whine that leaves you is muffled by his mouth again.

"I want to see you come again, baby," he mumbles, pushing into you, jerking you up. "I want to see you come undone because of me. All around me."

He lets go of your leg, feeling your leg move unsteadily because of the ache that rests in your joints, and moves his hand over your clit. He taps on your clit at a steady pace and you fill your mind slowly coming undone, like a pearl necklace ready to snap. His mouth is against your ear, licking a stripe at the cartilage before whispering into it, "Look at you. So fucking pretty. You're a—" He thrusts into you, hitting a spot that has you shuddering down on him fighting an urge to come undone so quickly, both you and him that Jisung has to catch his breath for a second there. "—my goddess. You're perfect for me. Need to see you come undone under my touch. Need to see you break into a vulnerable mess because of my touch. Need you to wrap around me perfectly."

Tears spill from the corner of your eyes and it's all too much. Your senses are heightened and you feel his warmth around you perfectly and in you completely. Your hand finds its way back to Jisung's hair, tugging at the ones by his nape, digging into the skin by his neck before travelling to messily hold at his scapula, arm falling over his shoulders.

"Please, fuck— please, Sungie," you cry. "Want you, need you, need you, need yo—"

Your boyfriend grunts, his grip firmer than a second before, his stomach quivering and his hips striking, picking up momentum until he's pounding you against the warmth of your bed, the bed making sounds of creeking occasionally as it pushes backwards and falls back forward. You wrap your legs around his waist, hips moving upwards wildly because you know you're close and you know Jisung is too.

He kisses you, passionate and fiery. Your brain feels fuzzy, your consciousness diminishing. Your fucked out expression is the one look that he knows he'd want to get it sketched. Your eyes hooded, cheeks flushed, face glistening in sweat, lips swollen and red and parted, with moans leaving them so softly that he knows he's ruined for. You are whining, moans leaving your lips one after another in no particular order of vocal range — occasionally screaming so loud that you know the nice lady across the hall is going to give you a earful tomorrow morning — when his cock slams into the same spot that has you losing your mind and it snaps.

"Fuck, Jisung!" You come around his cock, the white flash spreading under your eyelids and you're weeping, desperately, mercilessly. The tears in your eyes fall at that, the combination of sensations you’re experiencing right now too much to handle and Jisung quickly catches onto it with an almost sinister chuckle. Your heart swells and you feel the rushing oxytocin clouding your brain, filling you with nothing but love for Jisung.

Jisung continues thrusting into you, chasing after his own orgasm. He still whispers into your ear that makes you bloom in confidence, "There, baby. You're doing so well. That's my girl." You know that he is close and so you hold him tight, squeezing around his girth and your boyfriend moans. You kiss his neck, leaving marks on his skin as you bend forwards. His hips stutter widely and a deep groan fills your ears. You can faintly feel it as he comes undone in the sheath you are. It's pulsating, warm and hot and he holds himself in you, thrusting slowly and languidly to come down from his high, moaning into you.

His lips constantly peck yours, over and over again, lazily giving you gentle kisses as you feel his come leak out of you, once he pulls out of you, humming a soft tune against you, his voice surrounding you. He moves to lie beside you, pulling you to lie on your side in front of him, continuing to kiss you lazily as he begins to sneak his tongue into your mouth, leg draping over yours, arm wrapping around your middle to pull you closer to him and press your body completely to his, gently stroking your sweaty hair back.

The whole situation is a mess but there is something so domestic and warm about this, about Jisung just holding you in moments after sex.

You do the same, snuggling closer to him, enjoying the soft treatment and the gentle feel of his lips, your hands tracing his shoulders and biceps before going to his chest and sneakily tracing down to his belly button, poking the metal piercing. You pull away for a second with a tired giggle.

“You know,” you murmur, voice hoarse for all kinds of reasons clearly. “You’re really hot and all but this," you kiss his nose, "This is why I keep you around."

“What a bitch," he laughs. "A bitch I love a bit too much."

"Aw," you coo. "I love you too, babe."

"What's this, Jisung?"

You point at the beautiful packaged box, also tied with yet another beautiful red ribbon. It is surrounded by fresh rose petals in the side. Having known Jisung for years now, you are not completely wrong when you suspect something fishy. It's not even Valentine's.

"I swear to God, Sungie, if this is some weird shit—"

He raises his hands in defense, leaning against the doorpost, waiting for you to open the gift. He has a smug expression on his face, so ready to tease the crap out of you.

You pull the ribbon out and open the lid of the box, only to find a thong in it. A bright red colored one. You pick it up, holding the string between your thumb and your forefinger only to find the vibrator attached to it and the words, 'It Ain't Gonna Lick Itself,' on the fabric.

"You bastard."

And you chase after him, your hand stretched forward after throwing the thong back onto the bed. Jisung's already sprinting away from the bedroom and into the hall, jumping on the sofas to get away from you. You're laughing, finding the whole situation extremely ridiculous just as much as the present is; chasing after your boyfriend like you were five. And when you scream at your boyfriend as to why, all he has to say is —

"It's your fault. You were the one whining about not spicing up our sex life, babe."

"That was you!"

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

(Because - as has rightfully been pointed out - the angel needs his cuddles, too.)

--

“Crowley?”

“Nnnnh?” The sprawl of limbs dozing on the sofa shifted, resolving into six feet of lazy demon.

“Can you help me with this?” Rising up on his toes, Aziraphale gestured with the book in his hand. “I can’t quite reach the top shelf.”

“Don’t you have a stool or something?”

“It’s on the other side of the shop, and you’re right here.”

With another groan, Crowley rolled off the sofa in a strange, almost fluid motion, and sauntered across the room. “Where does it go?”

“Just there.” He pointed again as Crowley took the book, glaring at the top shelf. It was, in reality, slightly too high for either of them to reach.

Crowley stretched, standing on his own toes, one hand resting on Aziraphale’s shoulder for balance, until he could just barely get the corner of the book into the gap between two others, and shoved it hard into place.

“There. If that broke the thing, s’not my fault.”

“No, I wouldn’t dream of…thank you, my dear.”

“Mmmh.” Crowley gave Aziraphale a half-grin before wandering back towards his favorite resting spot.

Behind his back, Aziraphale pressed his own hand to where his shoulder still burned with lovely heat.

--

“Crowley? I think I could use a hand again.”

“Are you serious?” he groaned. “You going to tell me you can’t reach your own mugs now?”

Aziraphale glanced at the cupboard again. It did look too low for that, didn’t it? “Of course not. I…I think I should reorganize my wine. I need you to hold some bottles for me.”

“Why?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Some of those wine bottles haven’t moved in over a century. Why would you need to do this now?”

“That…” He felt a flash of embarrassment, quickly turned it into indignation. “That’s hardly any of your concern, now is it? You come to my shop, day after day, just to lounge about. This isn’t one of your – your ancient temples, you can’t just laze around while the human worshippers fan you and feed you peeled grapes…”

A shadow fell across Aziraphale, and he turned to see Crowley, leaning against the doorway to the little kitchen, lopsided grin on his face. “That’s a very elaborate fantasy you’ve concocted.”

Aziraphale pressed his lips together and turned back to the wine, grabbing a few bottles at random. “It’s not a – a fantasy. I know what you used to get up to in Egypt. And Greece. And a dozen other snake-worshipping cultures.”

“I was hardly—oof.” He grabbed the bottle of red that Aziraphale had all but thrust into his stomach, long fingers dragging across the back of Aziraphale’s hand, leaving behind a trail of fireworks.

“Good. That.” Aziraphale cleared his throat, staring at a row of champagne bottles. “That should go in the, er, Italian section. Tuscany.”

“You going to arrange them geographically now?”

“Of course! Region, then year, then type of grape. Perfectly logical. These are from, um, Piedmont.” He held out two more bottles.

Shrugging, Crowley put the first on the table and reached out. Aziraphale stood perfectly still, so that he couldn’t miss Crowley’s smallest finger brushing against his thumb in passing.

--

“Now what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m – I’m sweeping under the sofa. Kindly move those – those pipe cleaners you call legs.”

“You never sweep.”

“That’s entirely untrue.” Aziraphale reached as far as his arm would go, vaguely sliding the brush from side to side. Shuffled a little to the left, until his shoulder bumped up against Crowley’s calf, fire bursting through him again.

“Sorry,” Crowley mumbled, and in an instant the legs were gone, neatly folded up beneath him.

Blast. Aziraphale glanced up with feigned concern. “You better not be putting your boots on…ah.” Crowley wiggled his toes, covered in a black snakeskin sock that was a little too skin-tight and convincing. With a grin and a shrug, the demon curled in on himself again, neatly out of the way, and turned his attention back to his mobile phone.

“Right. Well. Good.” Aziraphale ducked his head, and scrubbed hard at the floor.

--

“Crowley, help me move this chair.”

“Crowley, hold this ladder while I climb.”

“Crowley, hand me that cloth, I dropped it again.”

“Crowley…”

“Crowley…”

“Crowley…”

--

“Crowley, come over here, I need your hands again.”

“Are you going to pay me for all this work?”

“Nonsense. I’m exploiting you, like any good capitalist.” He pressed his hands down on the cover of the book, sharp scent of glue filling the air. “Come along, I can’t actually go over there to get you.”

Another string of garbled syllables, and once again Crowley stood at his shoulder. “What are you doing this time?”

“I’m rebinding this book. The glue sets overnight, so I need you to hold it while I get something heavy to put on top.”

“Um.” A long pause. “I can get something heavy for you.”

“No, I need you to hold this.”

Another pause, this time the silence tinged with suspicion. “Don’t you have a – a press or something?”

Aziraphale kept his eyes firmly forward, away from Crowley. “Will you just…stop asking foolish questions and do as you’re asked?”

Two hands slapped down onto the cover, perfectly between Aziraphale’s without touching either of them. He could feel the warmth of Crowley’s shoulder, so tantalizingly close.

“Well?” Crowley finally prompted. “Aren’t you going to move?”

“No.” He swallowed. “Not when you’re holding it wrong. Look. You need to be here, in front of the book.”

“Yeah. Where you’re standing.” Aziraphale could feel the look Crowley shot through his glasses.

“Oh, fine.” Removing his hands, Aziraphale stepped back and to the side, letting the demon take his place. “No, not like that! Honestly, my dear fellow, you need to pay more attention.”

“Wha—?”

Before he could think better of it, Aziraphale’s hands shot out, carefully encircling Crowley’s waist, just above the hips. “Center yourself,” he said, nudging to the left as his arms soaked in wave after wave of heat. Not enough. “And a little closer.” An infinitesimal push, enough to bring his chest almost, almost against Crowley’s back. He ached for it, that last bit of space.

Well. There was one option.

“Good. Now. Just need to position your hands correctly.”

Leaning forward, Aziraphale placed his hands on the backs of Crowley’s, pressing against his back. His feet shifted, and now his chin rested on that black-clad shoulder, and his legs bracketed Crowley’s, his arms rested against Crowley’s…

Every part of them, together.

With his eyes closed, everything else fell away, except for Crowley, his presence fluttering under Aziraphale’s skin like a second heartbeat. He drank it in, more and more, trying to fill every empty space inside himself, but it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough—

“Angel?”

In an instant, he was back in the shop, stumbling away. “Yes. That. That should…I’ll…”

Aziraphale spun and hurried away, closing his ears to the worry in Crowley’s voice.

--

“Crowley? Can you—”

“Nope.”

“I…” Aziraphale tried to muster up his indignation again, but after the bookbinding fiasco, it was impossible. “Of course. I’ll just…”

“Nope, I need your help.”

He turned, slowly, to where the long shape of his companion sprawled across the sofa, one foot over the arm, the other dangling off the side, hands folded behind his head.

“What…what do you need.”

Crowley lifted one hand and pointed to a shelf behind the sofa. “That one.”

“I…” Aziraphale moved closer, trying to see what he was pointing at. “You want a book?”

“Mmmh. Right there.”

Frowning, he took a few more steps. “Isn’t that a dictionary?”

“Nnh? No, not that one, that one.” The finger didn’t move.

“Why…why can’t you…?”

With a snort, Crowley dropped his hand, tucked it behind his head again. “Sprained my back doing all your chores. I’m out of commission. I need a book to entertain me during my long convalescence.”

“And what happened to your clever little telephone?”

“Finished it.”

“You…you finished it?”

“Yup. Browsed the whole internet. Found the end. Lousy twist in the last chapter.”

From the tilt of his head, Aziraphale could tell that Crowley’s eyes were shut, lost in the perverse joy of his silly claims. That should have made this easier, but he still hesitated as he leaned across the sofa, rested his hand on the back. His arms passed over the top of Crowley’s head by several centimeters.

“Did you mean…this one?” His fingers hovered over a likely tome.

“Hmm. Nope. Further down.”

A step to the side, knees coming close to where Crowley’s leg carelessly hung, as if it were too much work to pull it onto the sofa with the rest of him. “This one?”

“One shelf down.”

He bent even lower, until his stomach hovered, just above—

Crowley struck, fast as a serpent, his lazy sprawl suddenly a flurry of motion as arms and legs grappled Aziraphale, constricted, twisted around to slam him into the sofa cushions, to lie there with Crowley straddling his middle, hands pressing down on his shoulders.

Aziraphale’s heart fluttered so that he could hardly breathe.

“Good. Now. What do you want?”

“I…” Aziraphale shook his head. “I don’t…”

“Yes. You do.” One hand shot up and ripped his glasses off, tossing them aside, then pressed down again on the angel’s chest. Golden eyes bore into him. “Bless it, Aziraphale, all day you’ve asked me to do everything except for – whatever it is you need! Just tell me!”

“I…” He pressed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the way his skin burned, electrified, alive. “I can’t. It’s…it’s foolish. It’s too much…”

“Angel.” Softer now, so soft it could break his heart. “Nothing will ever be too much. Just ask.”

“No…”

“I can’t help you if you don’t ask.”

With an effort, Aziraphale managed to press one trembling hand against his eyes. Tried hard to steady himself. “Crowley. I…I don’t know how to explain it. I feel…cold. Empty. Alone, even with you here. Like something inside me just…died, and left me hollow…”

The weight shifted, easing off his shoulders, and when he looked, Crowley was sitting up. Further away.

“Do you…did Heaven do something to you? When you left?”

“No.” How his voice shook! “No, I – I thought that at first, but…in truth…it’s been coming on…for simply ages.” The shop grew misty, and Aziraphale closed his eyes again. “A little worse every time I – I felt my superiors’ disappointment. Every time I failed at a task. Every…every time I visited Heaven and realized…I didn’t belong.” He tried to rub his eyes again and found they were wet. “No…no this isn’t anything but…my own…inadequacy.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true! I’m not…not strong they way you are.” His hand reached out, grasping, and found Crowley’s, wrapping gently around his fingers. It surged through him again, warmth, strength, solidity. Everything Aziraphale lacked. “I can feel it in you. It’s beautiful. And I want – want to drink it in, fill myself, but I’m bottomless, I just take, and take, and it’s not enough. It will never be enough!” He pulled his hand away, ready to flee from the sofa, to hide from his shame. Ready for his only friend to pull away in disgust at his selfishness, his greed.

Instead, Crowley lowered himself, stretching his long body across Aziraphale, head tucked under his chin, hands resting on his arms. “Is this better?”

It swept through him again and again, with every beat of Crowley’s heart. Not just heat. Something that Aziraphale had been lacking, craving, for more centuries than the Earth had existed.

Love.

A sob escaped him, pitiful, even as he drank it all in, greedily, more than he ever deserved, possessive arms twisting around Crowley as if to pull him into Aziraphale’s chest.

“S’alright,” Crowley murmured, and his hand pressed against the curve of Aziraphale’s cheek, brilliant as starlight. “How’s this? Any different?”

“Yes, it’s…” There was no hope he’d ever be able to control his voice again. “It’s stronger when…ah…when we touch…directly.”

“Got it.”

And just like that, the weight on his chest vanished, leaving him empty and cold again.

Of course.

Aziraphale sat up, trying to wipe his eyes dry, humiliated by the loss of composure. “If you want to leave,” he managed, blinking them clear, “I won’t…”

Crowley stood before him, jacket and tie discarded, fingers flicking down the buttons of his black shirt.

“What on Earth are you doing?”

“You said touching directly, right? Skin to skin?”

“You…you can’t be serious.” A different sort of heat began to race into his cheeks.

“Nrg.” Crowley shrugged, rolling the shirt off his shoulders as he did. “If it helps you…”

“No, my dear – you don’t understand. I want more than – than you could ever give me. I’d – I’d drain you entirely if I could.”

“I’d like to see you try.” He pulled off the last layer, a blac vest, then bent forward, resting a hand on Aziraphale’s shoulder. “Besides. Everything I have is yours. Our side, remember?”

Aziraphale bowed his head, fists clenched in his lap. “You…can’t mean that…”

“Angel.” He felt the warm press of Crowley’s forehead against his own. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”

Slowly, slowly, Aziraphale tugged at his bowtie, trying to remember how to loosen it.

--

Moonlight filtered in through the bookshop windows.

Crowley lay on the floor, Aziraphale curled up against his bare chest, arms around his shoulders, one leg hooked over his knees – clinging to him like a lifeline even in sleep. Some of the strain was finally starting to leak out of his furrowed brow, though he was still a long way from looking like himself.

The fingers of one hand ran through Aziraphale’s curls, carefully, rhythmically. Crowley had never seen the angel sleep before, but as soon as he’d started carefully scratching at his scalp, those blue eyes had begun to drift shut. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but if there was even a chance that this was helping him rest, Crowley would be damned, blessed, and cast into the void before he’d even consider stopping.

Everywhere they touched – which was just about everywhere – Crowley could feel something, an energy buzzing off Aziraphale’s skin. He’d felt it before, many times, but never this distinctly; it curled into him, whether he wanted it or not, flowing through his veins, keeping his heart beating.

“Y’know,” he whispered, slightly worried that the motion of the air would be enough to waken the angel. “You really shouldn’t have worried. Steal my strength? Ridiculous.”

Aziraphale shifted, just a little, pulling himself closer.

“I don’t have a blessed ounce of strength of my own. Or warmth. Solidity? Give me a break.”

A cloud must have moved out of the way; the moonlight suddenly grew brighter, and the pale angel seemed almost to glow in the silver light. Ethereal beauty.

“No. Whatever I’ve got, whatever’s kept me going, for thousands of years – it all comes from you.”

His angel shivered, just faintly, and Crowley quickly miracled up a thick blanket, wrapping it around both of them. Aziraphale sighed, fingers kneading and relaxing across Crowley’s skin.

“So you see, s’not a problem if you need it all. It’s already yours. Everything I have. Everything I am. Yours.”

--

Crowley was wrong for two reasons.

First, the warmth they felt hadn’t begun in Aziraphale, any more than it had in Crowley. It was a different kind of force, generated by their proximity to each other, and flowing constantly from one to the other, an eternal cycle. The strength belonged to both of them, and neither of them.

Second, of course, it would never run out. After all, love is increased – never diminished – by being shared.