#was. all i have is these little moments and how she treated me and the fact i liked her class

[pboogerswbb]

EARNED IT

Paige Bueckers x reader

In which reader wants a pair of shoes but instead of just buying them, Paige makes reader earn them, each orgasm bringing her $200 closer - loosely based on a request @d3arapril got and passed onto me (ty girl ily)

Warnings: SMUT (slight CNC, use of a dildo, overstim, P being a little sadistic), lowkey filthiest thing i've written so beware

Wordcount: 4.9K

A/N: SURPRISE! enjoy this little pre-game treat while I work on the prologue for So It Goes ;)

-

It had been a long day. Work had been killing you and frankly, you missed your girlfriend who had been training tirelessly in the past weeks. It was as if the only times you saw each other were when she was about to leave, coming into your bedroom and kissing you goodbye for the day, or the couple hours after she got home when you ate dinner together and went to bed. 

It was all okay, you understood the stakes, you always knew what it entailed to date the famous Paige Bueckers. That basketball was her life, that it meant a lot of lonely nights, sometimes for weeks during the season. But it was all worth it, because when she was there, you were the most spoiled, pampered girl in the world.

You could hear the shower turn off as you sat on the couch of your apartment, looking for something to spoil yourself with on your phone - you had received a bonus earlier today and thought you deserved something nice to celebrate. So naturally, almost out of habit, your finger was scrolling on the Louboutin homepage, admiring your dream shoes - the shiny leather and bright red sole of the shoe drawing you eye in. Maybe if you saved a little more, you could finally get them.

“You’d look so fine in those,” you’re interrupted by Paige, leaning over your shoulder to see what you were up to. When you turn around you find her shower fresh, wet hair still dripping and a robe tied loosely on her body. She smelled so delicious and clean you just wanted to bask in her. To throw yourself on her and have her hold you for days on end.

Paige kisses the top of your head from behind as she leans down and wraps two arms around you. Heaven is the only way to describe how that felt after days of missing her.

“Well gimme a couple months and I’ll save up,” you chuckle, tilting your head back to look at her. She smiles but scoffs a little at your words.

“I gotchu,” she laughs and yanks the phone out of your hands much too quickly for your reflexes.

“No!!” you yelp, jumping off the couch in a white top and underwear, following her around your apartment, feeble attempts to try and steal back the phone as she dodges you with ease, a smug grin on her face.

“‘S not even that much, relax,” Paige pushes your hands away gently, plopping herself down on the armchair in your living room that the blonde had reclaimed as “hers”. 

“Got that NIL money, can buy my girl whatever she wants,” she brags, leaning back in the robe that’s not doing much to cover her legs up. The sliver of white boxers on her muscular thighs electrify you, and the confident expression on her face doesn’t help when you feel the familiar ache fluttering between your thighs.

“It’s 800 dollars Paige,” you point out, sitting yourself on the blonde’s thigh, like you had so many times before. It was something about this chair that made her want to have you on her constantly. Perhaps it was the way you two fit in it just right, the way you felt small in her arms. Nevertheless, you had spent hours in this chair scrolling Tiktok, sharing a tub of ice cream, reading books or just talking after a long day.

Paige holds you bridal style, your bare legs sprawled across her lap. Her fingertips draw patterns up and down on your thighs, sending goosebumps everywhere. You loved these moments, they almost made up the fact that she was gone most days.

“That’s nothing baby, don’ worry,” Paige murmurs, already putting her card details in. 

“I’m serious P!” you groan, grabbing your phone finally from the blonde’s hands. Truth be told, you felt a little bad. Paige was always showering you with gifts, trips on your birthday, hell she had even convinced she should pay for your groceries since she was over all the time and ate most of them. She paid for every date, for gas, drove you around whenever she could. She spoiled the hell out of you and you let her. You knew she loved to do it. But still, something about it made you feel bad. To have your girl do so much for you without giving anything in return.

“I wanna earn it! I just got a bonus and if I save up some more I can get them,” you explain, the bewildered look on Paige’s face finally softening. A small grin tugs at the corner of her mouth as her blue eyes roam over your face, flickering to your lips. Her fingertips sneak further up your leg as her tongue licks over her pink bottom lip. All that was enough for you to know Paige had something dirty on her mind.

“Oh yeah? You wanna earn it?” she asks menacingly. With a confused look you nod, not quite sure what she meant.

Instead of explaining, she’s pulling you in by the back of your head, kissing you feverishly. The tension grows quickly, each kiss more passionate than the last. She wants you bad. Your hands entangle in her wet hair as you wrap your arms around the blonde. The fresh scent of shampoo, mango and guava, fills your nostrils. Paige moves her hand to your inner thighs, squeezing and caressing the soft skin, making a wet spot grow on your underwear embarrassingly quickly. 

She pulls her lips away with a struggle, attempting to catch her breath. You wince, already missing her mouth. 

“You wanna play a lil game with me baby?” She asks, hooded eyes blinking quickly as she refocuses on your face.

“What game?” Your voice is shaky from how much the ache between your legs had grown.

Paige sits up a little, clearing her throat. “Well, you said you wanna earn it,” she starts, walking her fingers up your thigh slowly. “and I really wanna touch you baby,” she adds. “How about each time you cum for me you get 200 dollars?”

The blush that sets on your cheeks is immediate, making your face red and hot. At first you want to shake your head, immediately turn it down. It felt so wrong. But then Paige’s fingertips inch closer to your core, and you can’t help but consider. She really wants to get you off after all. And if there was one thing about Paige, once she started she didn’t know how to stop.

The blue eyes roam your face, looking for a reaction. With a huff, Paige leans in and kisses on your earlobe. “Been away so much lately, need my girl,” she hums into your ear, chills taking over your body. That’s enough to do it.

“Okay,” you whimper, Paige grinning against your skin.

“Yeah? You not gon’ tap out?” She says with that arrogant lilt in her voice as your gazes meet.

“No.” 

Your tone is much more confident than you are.

“Bet.”

With that Paige’s fingertips press into your clothed core, dragging along your clit as you moan, your head already lulling back.

“You already this wet?” The blonde chuckles irritatingly, but you’re too desperate for her to do anything about it.

“Been missing you,” you whimper as her fingers rub in a circle, her lips returning to your ear as they suck on your earlobe, pulling on it with her teeth.

“Fuck I know baby, haven’t been giving you enough attention huh?” She coos, hot breath on your neck. You nod, agreeing with her, growing wetter, needier for something she wasn’t giving you yet. “Lemme make it up for you,” she whispers, nuzzling her nose against your neck. “Stand up.”

You do as she says as if in some sort of trance, willing to bend every which way for her. Paige looks up at you, spreading her legs further and reaching for your panties. With a swift movement she pulls them down, leaving you only in the tight white tank top in front of her. 

She pats her thigh, flexing the muscle there, inviting you to sit. It’s so tempting you don’t hesitate even for a moment when you straddle it. A gasp leaves your mouth when your wet cunt meets her soft, warm skin. She hisses, feeling your slick on her, licking her lips.

“Oh shit,” you whimper, Paige’s hands moving to your ass, kneading hungrily. You could already feel a fire in your abdomen, making you lightheaded. 

“C’mon,” the blonde urges you to move, her hands beginning to grind your hips back and forth. The way her thigh drags along your clit is making you see stars. Paige’s eyes are locked on the way you’re grinding on her, her cheeks turning red as she lets out loud exhales and hisses at the way your pussy feels on her skin. 

Grabbing onto her shoulders, you fasten the pace, needy for more. 

“That feels so- oh fuck baby,” you moan, feeling Paige flex her thigh underneath you, providing just the correct angle and pressure for you. Your legs are already shaking as her hands guide you, hips moving back and forth.

“Shit,” Paige whimpers as if she’s the one getting off. Leaning forward she begins to kiss your neck, sucking enough to leave a mark and a sting but it only spurs you on. Grabbing the hem of your top, she lifts it just enough to reveal your tits, eyes locked on the way they move with your body as you grind faster.

“Look so fucking good,” she murmurs almost to herself, one hand kneading your ass, the other your breast. “C’mon, you gonna get off on my thigh?” 

You nod desperately, hair falling all over your face as the coil inside you tightens, the pressure on your clit bordering on overwhelming. Your movements were turning sloppy as your orgasm approached you, desperately grinding your hips. To help you Paige’s hands return to your ass, assisting with the movements. 

“Fuck Paige, fuck,” you gasp, the burn in your core so intense it made your eyes roll back. A loud smack is followed with a sharp pain as Paige slaps your ass harshly, spurring you on.

“C’mon baby,” she groans, leaning forward to kiss your chest feverishly. As her warm tongue begins to circle your nipple, you can feel yourself starting to spill over. Hands gripping onto her shoulders, she flexes her muscles one more time, your clit rubbing desperately on her thigh as you come. 

“Oh-” you’re gasping, face scrunched up in pleasure as Paige’s hands guide your hips, soft lips sucking on your nipple to make the pleasure even more intense. Waves of pleasure wash over you as your cunt clenches around nothing, slick spilling out of you.

“That never gets old,” Paige moans as you try to catch your breath, your movements coming to a halt as the blonde keeps kissing along your neck and jaw. Your body already feels tired, worn out. But the night was just beginning.

“That’s 200 bucks for you ma,” she grins, finding your lips in a needy kiss. “You should know tho, you riding my thigh is worth a lot more,” Paige murmurs against your mouth. “Fuck, would pay millions to see that shit.”

Her words make you whimper into her mouth, giving her the opportunity to slide her tongue inside, meeting yours in a wet, sloppy kiss. Grabbing your thighs, Paige stands up from the chair and lifts you with ease, her robe falling open as she walks you to the couch. Placing you on the soft cushions, she watches you with hooded eyes.

“Wait here,” she murmurs before disappearing into your bedroom. When she returns, her robe is hanging off her shoulders loosely, chests and abs completely exposed. In her large hands she’s holding a purple, 7 inch dildo. A gift from the blonde but left unused because of how busy she had been.

You could still feel your core throbbing from your last orgasm, but the heat was quick to grow again when you see Paige holding it with a grin. As you lie on your back, waiting for her to touch you, Paige walks to the opposite end of the couch, leaning back and spreading her legs. 

“C’mere,” she says hoarsely, her fingers curling to invite you closer. Excited, you crawl to her. Paige’s impatient hands grab you and pull you onto her lap until you’re straddling her.

“You wanna put on a show for me?” She asks. Her head is tilted back as she watches you, the blue of her eyes completely blown out.

“Yes,” you whimper and gasp when her hand smacks your ass again, sharp pain following but making your pussy more soaked if possible.

“Such a slut huh?” She asks, making you only needier. Paige looks down between her thighs, holding the toy there in her hand, the plastic pressing against your stomach.

“Ride this shit,” she says, and you can tell it’s not a suggestion with the way she’s looking at you, her jaw suddenly sharper, eyes even darker. Your legs still feel shaky, but the urge to be filled up by her is so overwhelming you can’t help but lift your hips.

The tip of the toy presses against your folds, the blonde sliding it to your entrance teasingly. Your slick is already dripping down its length as you lower yourself on the tip, Paige’s hand on your hip guiding you.

A loud gasp escapes your mouth as Paige pulls you down on the length, making you take all of it. The stretch is too much, overwhelming you quickly, making your eyes roll back. However, Paige’s grounding hand grabs your jaw firmly, bringing your eyes to hers.

“Earn it ma,” she commands, leaning back and holding the toy steady with both hands. You knew exactly what she wanted.

With slow movements you begin to move up and down on the toy, letting it fill you up all the way. It feels so good it’s almost painful, and you can’t help but moan loud when it hits somewhere deep inside you you didn’t even know existed.

“Oh god,” you moan, eyes shutting in ecstasy. Paige is leaning back, watching you with hooded eyes and mouth slightly parted, moaning with you like she’s the one getting fucked.

“You’re so hot,” she groans, licking her lips. “Play with those tits for me.”

Without thinking your hands grab onto your chest, kneading as you pick up the pace, now bouncing on the toy that Paige is holding. The blonde can’t take it anymore, hand snaking around you to grab your ass hard. 

“Paige-” you gasp as she smacks your ass again, hard enough to leave marks to remind you of tonight for the days to come.

“That’s it ma, love it when you ride my shit,” she whimpers, her voice hoarse and deep. Watching you is getting Paige so wet she thinks she might come untouched, watching you bounce on the toy - what might as well be her cock. 

She can’t help it anymore, purely the way you look is getting her close enough to come. Her veiny hand moves off your ass, dragging down her stomach into her boxers where she’s met with her soaked cunt already throbbing. 

“Ah shit,” she moans as her fingers slip inside her, filling her up while you ride the toy for her. 

“C’mon, faster,” Paige commands. Whimpering and writhing, you maneuver from your knees to your feet, squatting on the toy now. Gripping Paige’s muscular shoulders for dear life, you begin to bounce on the toy, your tits in the blonde’s face.

“Such a good girl for me, shit,” she moans, her fingers pumping in and out of herself. She’s struggling not to come before you, her head lulling back and eyes nearly shutting. 

“Oh fuck,” you cry out, the burn in your thighs becoming overwhelming as you ride her, your pussy clenching around the length inside you. Leaning backwards to give Paige an even better view, you reach back to hold her thighs for support, making sure she sees all the inches disappearing inside you, stretching you out.

“Fuck baby you making a mess on my cock huh?” Paige whimpers, trying to sound together but there’s a whine in her voice that’s telling you she’s trying not to roll off the edge.

“Feels so good,” you gasp, the new angle letting the tip of the toy hit the spongy part inside you, making fire spread all over your abdomen. You’re dripping around the toy now, probably all over the couch, but neither of you seem to care.

“You like how my cock feels inside you?” Paige asks, voice breathy.

Nodding desperately, you allow your head to lull back, the squelching sounds coming out of both of you echoing around the living room. “Love riding your cock baby.”

“Aw sh- please tell me you’re close ma,” Paige cries out, her cunt throbbing around her fingers as she watches you.

“N-need to cum,” you mewl, tears filling your eyes.

“Shit- that’s right baby, earn it for me,” Paige rambles, her voice getting whinier as your pussy squeezes the toy tight, your movements on it turning rampant as you chase your high.

“Such a good girl for me, gonna make me cum,” the blonde continues, forcing her eyes to stay open as she spills over the edge so she can watch you come on her cock. All of a sudden intense pleasure takes over you, and your moans turn high pitched and desperate as you release all over the toy, the stretch making your legs shake.

“Aw fuck you look so fucking good, yeah ride that shit,” Paige moans loud as she comes with you. Plenty of high pitched cusses spill from her pink lips but you barely hear her, too focused on the ecstasy running through you. Once the feeling passes you crash onto the blonde underneath you, whole body shaking from the strain.

“That’s it baby,” Paige praises, sliding her fingers out of her cunt and carefully bringing them to your lips. They’re glistening in the light, covered in her slick. Eyes still closed and head resting on the blonde’s chest, you part your lips and swirl your tongue around them, tasting her. You wrap your lips around her fingers and suck on them as Paige pulls the toy out of you, leaving an uncomfortable emptiness behind.

“No more,” you whisper once the blonde’s fingers return to her side. She chuckles, brushing the hairs sticking to your sweaty forehead. 

“C’mon now that’s only 400 bucks,” she laughs but you shake your head. 

“It’s ok, I can save the rest,” you complain, your body sore and tired and way too sensitive to be touched.

“Well I’m not done with you yet ma,” Paige whispers. “So you might as well earn a lil sum.”

With that Paige is pushing you to your back, the robe finally falling off her body leaving her exposed, nipples hard and goosebumps covering her milky skin. Her hands grip your thighs spreading them wide and without warning, she leans down and begins to slowly drag her tongue along your cunt, taking her time.

You’re already squirming, two hands on her head ready to push her off. The two orgasms had left you sensitive and worn out. You’re not sure if you could do more. But Paige seemed to have decided for you.

She grabs your wrists, pulling them to your side against the couch. “Keep ‘em there,” she orders as she begins to lick against your puffy, swollen clit, humming contently as your body begins squirms. 

“‘S too much,” you cry out but she shakes her head, moaning into your pussy. 

“No it’s not, you can take it,” she assures, arms wrapping around your thighs to pull you closer, to hold you down. She’s lapping you up now, desperately trying to taste every inch of you. Her warm tongue swirls in your folds, moaning at your taste. If there was something Paige Bueckers loves it’s eating pussy. “Doin’ so good for me,” she praises.

The sensation is enough to make your legs tremble desperately, your third orgasm quickly building up. Every muscle in your body ached, and all touches and flicks on your clit felt heightened, making your eyes well up. You were a mess, back arching, hands grabbing the couch, the soft pillows thrown all over the floor now. Every part of you was writhing except your hips that Paige was holding down and still for her sake. She was eating you like she had never tasted you before, as if she had been starving for you.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck-” you mewl, grabbing onto her blonde locks still wet from the shower. As you yank Paige moans, watching you from underneath her long dark eyelashes. She’s watching for every reaction, blue eyes filled with lust and locked onto every movement, every expression. She can’t look away.

Paige lays her tongue flat against your puffy clit and shakes her head from one side to the other, your cunt beginning to throb immediately. 

“Just like that, shit baby,” you moan, pulling onto the blonde hair. Paige pulls back, buried so deep in your folds she’s gasping for air as she comes up. Her gaze moves from your face to your pussy, a mixture of her spit and your slick dripping out of you onto the couch.

“Aw fuck I can see this pussy throbbing,” Paige gasps and immediately dives back in, the strain in her jaw quickly forgotten by the sight of you. Suddenly she spits onto your folds and urgently leans back in to lap it all up. It was so hot, so dirty that the sight was enough for your muscles to begin to twitch a third time around this evening.

“Oh fuck, Paige-”

“Right there?” She asks, staring up at you from between your thighs, her fingertips digging into the skin of your hips. Her tongue lies flat against your swollen clit, circling against it making all the muscles in your body tremble desperately.

“Yes, yes yes yes yes!” You gasp, real tears spilling from your eyes. You’re teetering right on the edge, only needing permission now from the blonde between your thighs.

“Fuuuuckk ma, cum on my face, please,” she moans, fastening her movements and gripping you harder, her eyes rolling back when you yank on her hair hard. “Please,” Paige cries out, clearly desperate, needing to make you come.

“I’m coming, oh fuck-” you cry out, your whole back arching upwards but Paige’s hand presses you down as her tongue keeps working you, drinking up all of it as you crash over the edge. The sounds coming out of you are muffled from how hard the climax hits you, seeing stars as Paige keeps lapping you up.

“Okay okay okay stop,” you whine pulling her hair, the sensation becoming too much too quickly as you come down. But Paige only grabs your wrists tightly in one of her large hands, pinning them together and holding them against your stomach.

“I’m not fucking done,” Paige says directly into your pussy, not slowing down for a second. You try everything, squirming, pulling your hands free, but it was useless. She was way too strong, and clearly wanted you way too much to give in to your whining.

“Paige please,” you cry, eyes welling up again as the tip of her tongue moves back and forth at an accelerating speed.

“You’re not done till I say so,” Paige commands and from the tone of her voice you know - there’s no fighting if she had decided to have you.

“‘S too much.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Suddenly Paige has you flipped over, pressed against the soft armrest of the couch. Her strong hand quickly wraps around your hair and yanks on it, pulling your back flush against her exposed front.

“You want those shoes huh?” She asks with her lips pressed against your ear, a slight sadistic tone in your voice.

“Yes,” you answer weakly.

“Gotta earn it,” Paige says, kissing your neck before pushing you down by your hair till you’re bent over the armrest, ass high up in the air. Paige’s hands grip onto your ass and spread you wide open before you feel her tongue lick against your folds once, twice, until she dives and begins to lap you up even more hungry than before. 

“Oh fuck!” You gasp, completely forgetting about the thin walls and the poor neighbours next door. Nothing in this moment mattered except you, Paige and her plump lips sucking on your clit, still holding you wide open for her.

“Fucking love this pussy,” Paige groans, lips and mouth working hard, getting covered in a mixture of your mess and her spit. It’s simultaneously too much and so fucking hot, the way she’s eating you from behind, the way her nose is pressing against your entrance, rubbing against it teasingly.

Suddenly your pussy is throbbing around nothing, and it’s like the blonde can tell because next thing you know you feel a sudden stretch inside you. The toy from earlier suddenly pounds into you, making you gasp.

“Ohhhhhh shit P-” you can’t even form full sentences, the sudden sensation and the speed which Paige is fucking the dildo in and out of you with making you let out a cry louder than before.

“Ohh fuck ma, perfect pussy I swear,” Paige groans, pulling herself back to fuck the toy into you with more force, watching the way you’re getting stretched out. 

“‘S too big,” you cry, reaching back to push the blonde’s hands away. She grabs your wrists, holding both in one hand with ease and pinning them against your back.

“Don’t push me away,” she asserts, somehow finding a new angle as you crash flat against the armrest, making you take it even deeper. You could swear she’s in your guts now, and the loud squelching sounds your soaked cunt is making is only making your mind spin more.

Your whole body’s shaking as your front presses against the soft cushions of the couch, Paige pinning you down by your wrists as she keeps fucking into you. Your juices are everywhere, on the couch, on Paige’s face and hands, gushing out of you around the toy. 

“You gonna cum on this cock?” Paige asks, her voice hoarse with arousal. 

“Mmph-” you moan, face buried into the armrest. The blonde lets go of your wrists and smacks your ass, gripping it tight to fuck the toy even deeper, impossibly so.

“Answer me baby,” she groans, increasing her speed, the tip hitting the right spot each time to make you clench and throb so hard you could barely think.

“Yes yes yes ‘m gonna come fuck,” you cry, grabbing the cushions of the couch desperately.

“Yeah, you gonna cum for me just to get some shoes?” Paige sadistically says, kneading your ass. The wet sounds are becoming louder, your mess dripping everywhere.

“Yes Paige, please please please!” 

“Perfect girl, perfect fucking pussy huh? Letting me fuck your shit up just like this?” 

“Yes, please P-”

“Cum for me.”

She’s killing your shit, toy pounding into your guts. The stretch is so intense your eyes roll back involuntarily, and a loud whimper leaves your body as your pussy clenches around the toy, finally releasing and letting your climax wash over.

Paige is talking you through it, you’re pretty sure. But you can’t hear over your own moans, over the sounds coming from your body, over the way you felt like you might black out. Every muscle in your body is on fire, fingers gripping anything they could find. Next thing you’re being carried into your bedroom, Paige laying you down gently on your back and climbing next to you.

Finally your eyes flutter open as the blonde pulls you into her chest.

“What happened?” you murmur, and Paige chuckles.

“Just made you cum a lil too hard I think,” she laughs and kisses your forehead. Her hands are playing with the ends of your hair, stroking your arms and back, grounding you.

“Did so good for me,” the blonde coos, kissing your lips softly. You could still taste yourself on her. “You okay?”

You nod. All your muscles ache and the strain had made you exhausted, but that definitely made up for all the time Paige had spent away from you in the past weeks.

“That was hot,” you admit, which makes the blonde let out a loving giggle.

“Not you saying that, hottest thing we ever did I swear,” Paige praises, pressing kisses on top of your head again. “Let me go run you a bath baby.”

But as she moves you wrap your arms tighter around her waist, pulling her closer with all the strength you had left. 

“A little longer,” you whisper against her sticky skin. Paige couldn’t dream of leaving you alone, not like this, not when you sound like that - all of it makes her bend to your every whim, she couldn’t help it.

“Okay, a little longer,” she repeats. 

“And you’re ordering those shoes now,” you command, a slight shake to your voice from the prior activities.

“Deal.”

-

taglist: @thaatdigitaldiary @bueckersfive @sierrale8ne @lovegalor333 @xxloveralways14 @vamptizm @jadasogay @paigesbabygirl

[pinkslipxox]

Can you maybe write how Billie meet ivy

omggg yes i love that! Hope you like it, baby 🥰🙈💋

——————————————————————————

The mall was alive with the holiday spirit, twinkling lights reflecting off gleaming store windows, and laughter echoing throughout. Billie was casually strolling through, her raven black hair swaying gently as she adjusted her oversized hoodie. Despite her fame, she often found solace in the mundane, the feeling of being just another person lost in a crowd.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, a sudden commotion caught her attention—a small, frantic voice calling, “Mommy! Mommy!” Billie turned to see a little girl, no more than four years old, with big, teary eyes darting around aimlessly.

Without a second thought, Billie approached her. “Hey, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

The girl looked up at Billie, momentarily starstruck, her fear momentarily forgotten. “I can’t find my mommy!”

Billie’s heart melted. Kneeling down to the girl’s level, she offered a warm smile. “It’s okay, I’m here to help. What’s your name?”

“Ivy,” the girl sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

“Ivy, that’s a lovely name. My name is Billie. Can you tell me what your mommy looks like?” Billie asked, keeping her tone gentle and inviting.

“She has long hair and she always wears blue,” Ivy replied, her tiny voice quivering.

“Okay, let’s find her together! We’ll make it an adventure.” Billie took Ivy’s small hand, and together they began to search through the throngs of shoppers.

As they passed a toy store, Ivy’s gaze drifted to a bright display of plush animals. “Look! Unicorns!” she gasped, momentarily distracted. Billie chuckled softly, kneeling to her height. “They’re pretty, huh? But we should find your mommy first so you can show her.”

With a nod, Ivy focused again on their mission, her little feet following Billie’s rhythm. After a few minutes, they heard a frantic voice yelling, “Ivy! Ivy!”

Billie’s heart ached at the sound of the panic in the mother’s voice. “That sounds like your mom! Let’s go!”

As they approached, Y/N appeared, her face pale with worry and her hair slightly disheveled. The moment she caught sight of Ivy, relief washed over her features. “Ivy!” she exclaimed, rushing forward to scoop her daughter into her arms.

“Mommy! I was lost!” Ivy cried, burying her face into Y/N’s shoulder.

“I know, baby, I was so scared. I thought I lost you!” Y/N hugged her tightly, tears of relief forming in her eyes as she looked over at Billie, gratitude evident in her expression. “Thank you so much for helping her.”

Billie smiled, her heart fluttering at the sight of the love and warmth that radiated from Y/N. “It was my pleasure. Ivy is a brave little explorer,” she replied, her voice soft and nurturing.

Y/N took a moment to collect herself, composing her thoughts while looking into Billie’s eyes. “I really can’t thank you enough. We were supposed to be having a fun day out, and I… I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t found her.”

Billie felt an unexpected connection, an undeniable warmth encompassing her heart. “How about we make this a fun day after all? I’d love to treat you both to lunch. My way of saying thank you.”

Ivy’s eyes lit up at the prospect, bouncing slightly on Y/N’s hip. “Can we get pizza?”

Y/N’s lips pulled into a small smile, swayed by Ivy’s excitement. “Pizza sounds perfect,” she agreed, her gaze softening towards Billie. “If you’re sure…”

“Absolutely!” Billie insisted, her enthusiasm genuine. “Let’s turn this around. I’d love to get to know the both of you.”

As they made their way to the food court, Ivy chattered excitedly about her favorite cartoon characters, drawing laughter from both Billie and Y/N. Billie found herself enraptured not just by Ivy’s infectious energy, but also by Y/N’s warm responses—the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, and the kindness in her voice that set her soul at ease.

They settled at a cozy table, and Billie watched as Y/N playfully interacted with Ivy, a caring demeanor that made her heart swell. Between bites of cheesy pizza, Billie found herself lost in conversation, laughter blending with the mall’s joyful atmosphere.

“I’m really glad you were there, Billie,” Y/N said, her voice softening as she glanced at Billie. “You have such a kind spirit.”

Billie felt the heat rise to her cheeks, her heart racing slightly. “Thanks, Y/N. I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess.”

As lunch went on, the bond between them grew stronger. Ivy’s excitement provided an effortless backdrop for conversations filled with shared laughter and stories, while Billie found herself increasingly captivated by Y/N.

When it was time for dessert, they made their way to the ice cream stand, Ivy bouncing on her heels in anticipation. Billie leaned closer to Y/N, her voice almost a whisper. “You’re an amazing mom. Ivy is so lucky to have you.”

Y/N looked up, her cheeks tinted with a soft blush as she smiled back. “Thank you, that means a lot. Raising her on my own is a challenge, but moments like these make it worthwhile.”

In that bustling mall, amidst the chaos of holiday shopping, the serendipitous meeting blossomed into something beautiful—a connection between three hearts. Billie couldn’t help but feel she had found something special that day.

As Ivy savored her ice cream, laughter spilling into the air, Billie knew she wanted to see Y/N and Ivy again, to explore the possibility of something more. The world around them faded as the possibilities unfurled, leaving just the three of them, intertwined in a moment of pure joy and the beginnings of an unexpected love.

[hiramaris]

Kiss It Off Me

CHAPTER 9

Chapter Summary:

If she's second-guessing everything she ever thought was platonic and casual between the two of you, is this still casual? They should have meant nothing but it's starting to feel like there is something.

Pairings: Haley x Fem!Farmer

Disclaimer: I do not own Stardew Valley or any of the related characters. Stardew Valley is created by and owned by ConcernedApe. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Stardew Valley story belong to ConcernedApe.

Warning: None?

Notes:

I know, I know I'm such a horrible person for leaving this story hanging loose in the air. I've honestly had this chapter rotting in my drafts because I didn't have the motivation to write anymore, not to mention the lack of luxury with time. I just recently graduated as well so I was busy preparing for that back in July-October (I'm a working woman now, hooray! [Not 😔]) Nobody told me that working a 9-5 job (or more like 8-6 in my case) is going to be the end of me. That doesn't even include the 6-hour commute back to back. So as you can see, I'm dying here. I don't really have the time to sit in front of my laptop after hours of sitting in front of my company laptop 😔 I'm really sorry for the long wait, and I still can't promise an immediate update after this. This chapter serves as my apology to you guys. Hope you like it!

Fall 1

"Tell me. Are you and Y/n/n dating?"

Haley nearly choked on her food. Emily said it so casually that she wasn't prepared how to react properly.

So, as opposed to her usually calm and composed demeanor, Haley only managed to sputter a pathetic "what?" as she sat down her toast and reached for her glass of water in hopes to wash down the piece of damn bread she had swallowed accidentally without chewing it properly, courtesy of her sister.

"Are you and Y/n/n dating?" Emily repeated, unabashed and with her annoying eyes crinkling from the side, a look Haley knew all too well when Emily was trying to rise up something in her.

"No, I heard you the first time!" Haley exclaimed, her face turning red as she slammed the empty glass. "I mean–what the hell, Em?"

Emily raised an eyebrow, taking a leisurely sip of her coffee, acting like she was not actively ruining her little sister's evening right now.

"You mean to tell me you're not after your whole public display of affection on the night of the moonlight jellies?"

For a brief moment, the events flashed back on Haley's mind– your silent tears, quivering lips, Haley's arm wrapped around your waist in an almost protective, comforting way as you shared your thoughts with her for the first time since you came here. It was a casual and completely platonic thing to do.

She could vividly remember how fresh tears bested up on your eyes as a baby jellyfish separated itself from its group and went towards you, almost peering cautiously at the human before her.

It was beautiful, you said that night. The night was magical. and that only sank into you that you were no longer Joja's prisoner. You're here, in Pelican town, making a name for yourself, with townspeople who loved you and treated you as an equal. You have actual friends that care for you and most importantly, you found a home.

Was it casual for her to know all this?

"Y/n was feeling emotional at that moment. I was just trying to be her friend," she finally said after a moment of silence.

Yes, it's casual.

Emily must have noticed her pausing as she scoffed behind her toast. "Friend? I certainly don't kiss Sandy's forehead, and she's my best friend."

"Because you're doing way worse with her." Haley rolled her eyes at that. "Seriously, Em, get off my back. Y/n and I are just good friends."

"Okay, I'll get off your back if you can counter my arguments," Emily challenged, leaning forward the table with a mischievous glint in her eye.

She should say no. Emily's just giving her something else to bite on knowing fully well Haley's bound to bite more than she could chew.

Say no. There's nothing to counter because there's nothing to even argue about.

Say n–

"Yoba, fine, if that will shut you up." Damn it, Haley.

Emily's smirk grew and Haley dreaded the first thing that would come out of her hippie mouth.

"You don't kiss Alex on the forehead at all. You don't even hug him for Yoba's sake, and he's your best friend. You're going to tell me everything that's going on with Y/n is entirely platonic and casual?" Emily's expression was triumphant as she laid out her case.

Haley lets out a grin of her own. If Emily's going to lay out obvious bullshits like this then she can definitely handle whatever her sister's planning to throw at her.

"First off, Alex stinks—"

"Y/n/n's job makes her friends with dirt and sweat, no offense to her, but isn't that an ick already to you?" Emily interrupted, smirking.

"I wouldn't know what you're talking about because her hygiene is almost as impeccable as mine," Haley retorted, a smirk of her own forming as she took a defiant bite of her bacon.

"Okay... Were you practicing your answers before?" Emily narrowed her eyes at her, suspicious. "There's no way you're this prepared to counter my arguments!"

"So, I won?"

"Ah, ah... not quite, little sis." Emily stopped her from standing up. "How about the sunflower? That girl planted a whole yard of sunflowers in her yard and you mean to tell me there's nothing homosexual happening around you guys?"

"She's a farmer, duh. Of course, she's going to plant sunflowers at some point. They're pretty and very much profitable."

"Not as profitable as blueberries, corn, or cranberries. Plus, I've been there, it's almost half a hectare, it's crazy."

"You're kidding?" Haley's eyes bulged at that. She's got to admit, she did not see that bullet coming. "Last time I was there, it was just in her front yard."

"Half a hectare," her sister affirmed with that stupidly annoying knowing smirk. "You didn't see that coming, did you? Got no counter for me?"

"Shut up. If you're so curious about her lack of good strategy with her crops, you should talk to her yourself." Haley finally snapped, pushing her plate away.

She's done humoring Emily with her shits.

"Oh, I'll do just that." But it seemed her sister wasn't done with her either. "Anyway, moving on. How can you explain the holding hands?"

Haley visibly relaxed at that. She has some sensible explanation for that, one she's certain Emily wouldn't be able to counter.

"Female friends do that."

"Hmm... So if she were to hold hands with her best friend, Penny, that would be alright with you?" Well, shit.

That made her pause for the second time this evening.

"Of course," she scoffed. "As I said, it's normal for female friends to do that. It's a casual thing girls do. Nothing to bat an eye for."

Sensible explanation her ass. That wasn't even half-sensible, if at all

"I figured," Emily responded, expression turning much more serious now that it kind of made Haley even more nervous. "I just thought if she were this mushy with you, and you're just friends with her, then she's probably mushier with her best friend."

Silence.

Because what the fuck is she supposed to respond to that? This is a piece of information that hadn't crossed her mind, ever. She knows you're a sweetheart to everyone. It's as if it was second nature to you. It was a casual and completely platonic of you to do. Nothing to bat an eye for.

Nothing.

Still. She just hadn't considered the possibility of you being mushier to others.

Were you also comforting Penny the way you were comforting her?

So caring and protective that it felt like those warmth were exclusive just for her only?

She just couldn't imagine it before and now it's physically making her sick in her stomach. Was this still casual for her to even feel?

"She's pals as well with Leah, I heard they'd occasionally do sleepovers in their cabins. It's so cut–" Emily went on before finally noticing the turmoil in her sister's eyes cascading down to her hands. "Okay, what did that tissue ever do to you?"

Haley stopped, noticing the crumpled piece of tissue against her clenched fists. She looked up to Emily with a sharp glare and found her sister staring back at her, not even flinching away from her dissecting gaze. "Why are you even saying this to me?"

"Nothing. Just thought it would be best to talk to one of the possible sources. I heard from Abigail that Y/n/n just recently purchased a bouquet of flowers so I thought she might have given it to you."

Emily's sudden nonchalance at this conversation is infuriating her to a certain degree that she felt like she wanted to barge inside Clint's sorry-ass-of-a-shop and beat the living shit out of him.

Emily went on, humming casually as she piled up the dishes to wash them in the sink. "Hmm, I couldn't believe I was wrong. You were so close with her that I thought she'd give it to you. I guess she's been secretly seeing someone else then."

"She what?" Her stomach dropped.

Haley was so caught off guard at her last sentence that she couldn't help but rip the tissue on her hands. So much for that.

"It's been the talk of the town, you know? There are even bets going on but it's kind of hard to pinpoint who exactly, not when she gets along with all the bachelors and bachelorettes here. Some even bet on themselves, like Abigail. I mean, it does make sense. She and Y/n/n spent an awful lot of time on those mines."

That made Haley stand up from her seat, her form indignant. "So, you bet on me? Is this why we're having this conversation?"

"Of course, I would support my sister!" replied Emily, briefly looking behind her shoulder just in time to catch Haley scowling from where she stood. She went on, almost saying the words in a singsong voice as she continued soaking the dishes. "But if you want, I can always bet to myself. Y/n is a cute gal after all."

"I hate everything about you."

"You don't!" Emily readily chirped out behind Haley who had enough of this conversation and was already stomping her way into her room.

"Good night, Em!"

With that, she slammed the door to her room in hopes of finally ending this damn conversation. If she knew this was where it would have led, she would have bolted out the moment Emily opened her mouth.

She didn't need to know all this particularly if you hadn't even said anything else to her about this.

She scoffed. 'I thought we were close enough for her to share something like this with me. Afraid not.'

"I'm just saying, sis. Y/n/n is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in the valley. Anyone would be lucky to have her."

Emily's voice came once again just behind her door making her groan against her pillow. Hadn't she had enough?

Haley briefly considered running towards her dark room just to tune out whatever Emily was going to say but she stopped dead in her tracks when her sister's words next came through.

"There's going to be a competition. If you don't get your shit together soon, someone's bound to steal her heart. I just hate to see you getting hurt."

Was it casual for her to admit that hearing this news was already starting to hurt her?

This could mean nothing. Right?

****

Fall 2

A day of shopping in Zuzu City was just what Haley needed. While she had promised herself to tone down on hoarding clothes, she made an exception just this once. Shopping was one of her ways to cope with stress, aside from photography, but she had scratched the thought of using her camera for today because she didn't feel like spending her day wandering around town. With the bets on whom Y/n was giving the bouquet to, she knew the townspeople's eyes were hot on her trail.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow over the landscape when Haley stepped off the bus, her arms laden with shopping bags from her trip to the city.

She had noticed Pam looking her way since the trip began, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what the older woman wanted to hear from her. That's why when the bus pulled to a stop, Haley was quick to bolt out of the vehicle.

"Oi, kid." Haley froze at the sound of Pam's voice. So much for her plan to escape. "Haley."

"Oh." Haley whirled around, fighting back a wince at what was about to come. "Hey, Pam. What's up?"

Pam's steps were slow and deliberate as she stepped off the bus and Haley had no choice but to watch and wait expectantly for the words to finally come out.

"Are you and Farmer Y/n dating?" There it is.

Despite expecting this topic, Haley couldn't help but feel her face flush slightly under Pam's scrutinizing gaze.

"Uhm... no?"

Pam raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so unsure?"

Haley shifted on her feet, glancing down at her shopping bags as if they might provide an answer. "We're not dating," she said more firmly this time. "Why?"

"Good, then that scratches you off the list."

"Excuse me?" Haley's brows knitted in confusion.

"You see, kid. There have been bets going on about who Y/n will give the bouquet to. Of course, I'm putting all my beers on my little girl. She's the closest to the farmer, aside from you. So, if you weren't dating Y/n, then my Penny's definitely got a shot."

Haley blinked, taken aback. "And you're okay with that? I mean... Y/n's a girl and all..."

Pam raised an eyebrow, her expression turning serious. "I didn't know you were homophobic, kid."

"I'm not! I swear. It's just that… things are a bit different now compared to your—well, generation. I doubt my folks would be as accepting as you."

Pam's face softened slightly as she sighed. "Penny's father left us when she was really young. So, I don't wish for her to experience the same thing. Y/n's a good kid. Responsible and has a sense of direction. Far from my dead-beat husband. Penny's happy with her, and that's the only thing that matters to me. And it's not bad that the gal is well-off. I heard she was supposed to be Joja's heiress. But even so, that farm of hers is enough to provide for generations of her future family. I could never ask for more capable hands to take care of my kid than Y/n."

Haley couldn't help but tune out of this conversation. She didn't need to hear all the right reasons why Penny's the best shot for your heart. Penny's a sweetheart and all, has her heart set in the right direction, a characteristic that perfectly compliments your lifestyle.

But why does this feel like Emily stabbed her with her kitchen knife and twisted it for good measure just to spite her?

Wait... what did she just say?

"Joja?" She furrowed her eyebrows at this information. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From the mayor, but don't tell him I told you. I think it was supposed to be a secret or some shit." Pam shrugged. " Still... word gets around, you know? Small town and all. People talk. But it doesn't matter where she came from. What matters is who she is now and how she treats the people she cares about."

Haley nodded slowly, absorbing Pam's words but couldn't tell exactly why there was a lump in her throat she couldn't swallow.

"I guess you're right. Y/n's a good person. Anyone would be lucky to have her." Haley faked a smile, desperately hoping the older woman didn't catch her in her lie.

Pam smiled, her stern demeanor softening. "Exactly. So, if you're not interested, that's fine. But just know that I know when people are bullshitting me. I know, I know it's not any of my business. But if you really do happen to have something going on with the farmer, get your shit together soon."

"I'll..." She didn't know it was possible to have the lump in her throat grow even more, she could feel a twinge of something else she couldn't quite identify. "I'll take note of that. Thanks for the chat, Pam. I'll see you around."

"Likewise, kid," Pam replied, waving as she climbed back onto the bus. "Oh, and Haley?"

"Hmm?"

"You know what you feel, don't let fear stop you from following your heart, or else you'll spend the rest of your life wishing you had."

When even other people can point out how non-platonic and far from casual the things you and she do are, is it still casual now?

****

Fall 9

It's been an excruciating week of being asked if she was dating Y/n, and it's starting to get on Haley's nerves. Not because she was entirely opposed to the idea, but because she knew it wasn't even her to begin with, and she didn't need everyone rubbing salt in her wound every minute and every second of every damn day.

She didn't need to hear Abigail bragging to Sebastian and Sam that any day now, she'd be receiving the same bouquet she had arranged that you bought from Pierre, and how ironic it would be if she were to receive them, and how she wasn't actually opposed to the idea.

"I haven't really considered that I could possibly like a girl, but hey, it's Y/n. I'm not complaining. If she were to give me the flowers, I'd say yes in a heartbeat," she had even said. That's all Haley needed to hear to decide she wasn't in the mood to shop right now at Pierre's if she was going to hear bullshits like that.

She also didn't need to hear any sort of development you have with Penny. She didn't need to know you went with her to Zuzu to buy some school supplies for the kids on Penny's birthday. She didn't need to hear you gave the teacher and her students a tour of your farm.

She didn't need to hear any of it.

Because how in Yoba's name had she not considered your growing friendship with the redhead?

"Miss Y/n? I have a question," Haley heard one day from behind the trees by Cindersap Lake. She lowered her camera from her eyes when she recognized Jas' voice followed by yours.

"What is it, Jas?"

"You're from the city, right? How do you court someone there?"

She heard you chuckle. "Well... We go on dates, walk our dates back to their door, and then... That's when our date will decide if they still want to see us for our next date."

You paused, and Haley thought that was it, but the next words you uttered almost made her pack up her equipment and go home.

"And if we're worthy of being kissed."

"Y/n!" came Penny's scandalized gasp. "They're kids. They don't need to hear that!"

"Right, right... Sorry, Pen!"

"Ohhh." That's Vincent. "So, are you like courting Miss Penny since you're walking her home, too?"

"Vincent!" Penny scolded, sounding almost aghast at her student's blunt question.

Haley could only allow herself to breathe when you finally answered Sam's brother.

"Haha, we're walking Jas home together, remember? If anything, it seems you were the one courting her since you wanted to come with us to walk her home," you teased him.

"Ew! I don't want Vincent to court me!"

"Hey! What's wrong with me?"

"You're too childish like your brother! No wonder Miss Penny turned down Mister Sam. I bet you she likes someone like Miss Y/n. I know I would."

"Hey!" yelled Vincent, obviously offended.

"Okay, that's enough kids," admonished Penny, and Haley could only imagine the horror on her face at Jas' comment. "It's not good to gossip, Jas, and it's not polite to ask adults things like that, Vincent."

"Alright, Miss Penny. I'm getting inside. Thank you for walking me home," Jas replied, her tone still somewhat defiant.

"Bye, Jas!" you called after her, followed by the sound of Vincent sniffling. "Hey now, little dude... don't be upset. I'm sure Jas was only joking."

"I don't understand why she needs to be mean. Am I not likable?" Vincent's voice wavered.

Haley dared to take a peek behind the bushes. She watched as you knelt down to be at eye level with Vincent, your smile as warm as the setting sun.

"Anyone can be likable to a certain someone. Like you," you said, ruffling his hair. "But we can't really force someone to like us the way we want, you know?"

"But... are you just going to accept they don't like you even though you're nice?" Vincent asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

You chuckled softly, briefly looking up to meet Penny's eyes, which had been fixed on you with such fondness that it tightened the knot in Haley's stomach.

"Well... I didn't say you have to give up. Sometimes people say mean things to protect themselves. You just have to be patient, and I'm sure they'll come around eventually," you explained gently.

Vincent nodded, his big brown eyes hanging on to every word you said.

"But..." you continued, "if this person has made it clear they don't like you, then you have to accept their boundaries, okay?"

"Eh..." He pouted. "I don't get it. Adulting is so confusing."

You barked out a laugh. "Don't worry, you have plenty of time to grow up, buddy."

Vincent's expression brightened a bit at your words. "Okay, I'll try to remember that."

"That's the spirit," you said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Penny smiled, her eyes softening as she looked at you. "Thank you, Y/n. You're really good with them."

"Thanks, Penny," you replied, standing up and stretching. "They're good kids. Just need a little guidance sometimes."

"Are you feeling any better now, Vincent?" Penny asked gently. "Don't take Jas' words to heart, okay?"

"Uh-huh! I'm feeling a little better, Miss Penny! But... could Miss Y/n carry me until we get home? I'm..." He yawned. "I'm a little tired."

"Uhm, I don't think..."

"... alrighty then, let's get this little guy home as well," Haley could hear you grunt, and she could only imagine you carrying the sleepy Vincent in your arms.

"Your farm's right there, Y/n/n." Penny pointed out gently. "I can walk Vincent home. You don't have to make a detour."

"Nonsense, a little walk isn't going to kill me. Plus, I want to walk you home as well."

The redhead giggled softly. "I wasn't informed you were courting me."

"Oh, really now? I wasn't informed either," you joked, and Haley could feel herself dying a little on the inside.

****

Was it casual when you gave her daffodils every chance you could get when you barely even knew her?

Was it casual for you to have a daily mandatory breakfast with the Carter siblings?

Was it casual when you gave Haley her favorite gift on her birthday even though coconuts aren't something you can just spawn at hand when you need them to?

Was it casual that you managed to pay attention enough to actually know what her favorites are?

When you were drunk and Haley made her way outside to get you, in a greasy saloon of all places, even though she's not yet finished with her skincare, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you called her babe while you were drunk?

Was it casual when you declared you'd only allow yourself to be this close to her is in the reality you created in your dreams?

When she stayed at your place, took care of you, and cleaned your vomit-stained shirt and mattress, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you avoided her for four days because you thought you ruined her pampering day?

When she started minimizing her makeup because you told her once she's pretty even without them, was it casual?

When Haley was upset at the thought you'd be dancing with someone else, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you assured her you didn't want to dance with anyone but her?

When Haley, for once, didn't think about winning the flower dance and was focused on your endearing smile and relaxing embrace, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you were bloody and wet from the rain and the first thing you thought was knocking on her door?

When she could only focus on your wounds rather than your dirt-stained body staining the carpet, was it casual?

When Haley tried her hardest to treat your wounds despite fearing the sight of blood, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you almost died to get her a gift just because you thought she'd find them pretty enough to be the subject of her camera?

When Haley kissed your forehead the same way her grandmother used to do on her to kiss the pain away, was it casual?

When Haley forced you to take her bed because she couldn't bear to let your injured self sleep uncomfortably on the couch, was it still casual?

Was it casual when the first thing you thought upon waking up was to let Haley sleep on her bed because you didn't want her to suffer any back pain from her sleeping position on the foot of the bed even though you're injured yourself?

When Haley thought you hated her for the poisonous words she spouted on you that night and hated herself for it, was it casual now?

Was it casual when you tried your hardest to find her great grandma's bracelet because you couldn't bear to see her so upset despite your injuries?

Was it casual when you crafted a bouquet of sunflowers to make up for giving her a hated gift?

Was it casual when you planted a whole yard of sunflowers on your farm when Haley mentioned in passing that she loves them?

Was it casual when you helped her with her shopping bags even though you were obviously going somewhere else?

Was it casual for you and her to walk in the town, hand in hand? It could mean nothing.

When Haley's view of success was you beside her, was it casual?

When Haley couldn't handle the feeling of disappointing you, was it casual?

Was it casual of you to magically appear whenever she needs you?

Was it casual of you to be her number-one supporter in everything when she couldn't even believe in herself?

Was it casual when you made it your personal mission to keep her happy no matter what?

Was it casual when you made sure that no dirt could touch her not when you're around because you know how much she hated getting dirty?

When Haley no longer minds the feeling and smell of dirt, especially when you're around, was it still casual now?

Was it casual when you modeled for her despite hating modeling itself because Haley needed some new variations for her photography?

When Haley tried to conquer her fear of the ocean because she saw you once having fun with Leah swimming along the shore, was it casual?

Was it casual when you helped her conquer this fear even though you had plans for the day?

If she's second-guessing everything she ever thought was platonic and casual between the two of you, is this still casual?

They should have meant nothing but it's starting to feel like there is something.

****

The general store was quieter than usual that afternoon, with only a couple of customers browsing the shelves and the faint hum of Pierre’s old radio playing a static-filled tune in the background. Haley placed her basket of groceries on the counter with an air of casual confidence, her hair shimmering under the warm glow of the store's lights as if she had just stepped out of a magazine.

"There's my favorite blonde," Pierre greeted her with a grin, his tone far too cheerful to pass as entirely neutral. He adjusted his glasses as he began unpacking her items. "You got everything you need?"

Haley offered a small, polite smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would appreciate it though if you restocked your peppermint coffee. Winter's coming soon, and I need my coffee to survive the whole season."

Pierre chuckled, nodding as he scribbled something on a notepad beside the register. "I'll keep note of that."

The rhythmic beep of the scanner broke the silence, but Pierre seemed to drag out the process, deliberately slow with each item. Haley tilted her head, pretending to examine the jars of preserves on a nearby shelf, though her curiosity flickered with each stolen glance Pierre gave her from behind the counter.

Her patience thinned as the seconds stretched on. She crossed her arms and finally turned back to him, narrowing her eyes. "What?" she asked, her voice sharp enough to slice through his act.

Pierre blinked, his hand pausing mid-air with a can of soup. "What, what?" he asked, his tone layered with faux innocence.

Haley raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting into one of exasperated suspicion. "Nothing. It's just... you looked like you wanted to say something."

Pierre hesitated, scratching the back of his neck as a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Has farmer Y/n told you who she gave the bouquet to?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Is this about the bet?"

"Sort of," Pierre admitted, lifting his hands in mock surrender. "Come on, I gave Gus five grand. I just know my daughter caught her eye. Why else would Y/n be here every other day just to give Abigail her weird collection of stones?"

Haley rolled her eyes so hard it felt like they might stay that way. "First off, it's none of your business. Secondly, even if I did know, I'm not about to spill it to the entire town."

Pierre's grin faltered slightly, but his persistence didn’t waver. "I get it." He sighed dramatically as he began to load her bag, though his eyes darted toward her with a flicker of mischief. "She gave it to you, didn’t she? I mean, it makes total sense."

Her irritation bubbled just beneath the surface as she prepared to unleash a sharp retort, each word she'd make sure colorful enough to crush Pierre's so-called pride.

Her fingers curled slightly around the edge of the counter, her nails digging into the wood as her lips parted to speak.

But then it happened—before she could form a single syllable, the distinct scent of freshly cut grass and minted soap filled her senses. Haley froze, the small hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as warmth radiated from the figure now standing just behind her.

"Hey there, doll," your voice was soft, low, and entirely too close for her comfort—or rather, for her ability to maintain composure. Haley could feel the faint brush of your breath against her skin, and she clenched her jaw to stifle a gasp.

Pierre perked up, his eyes sparkling with newfound interest as he set the last of Haley’s items into her bag. "Well, speak of the devil," he quipped with a knowing smirk, crossing his arms. "The farmer of the hour. What brings you here, Y/n?"

"Oh, I'm just out to get Haley," you replied smoothly, your tone casual as if you weren’t practically pressed against Haley’s back. You leaned slightly to the side, catching her narrowed gaze as she turned her head just enough to glance at you. "Emily told me she'll be here."

Haley’s lips twitched, fighting to suppress the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Do you mind?" she asked through gritted teeth, her voice laced with a mix of exasperation and something she refused to name.

She instinctively took a step forward, creating a thin barrier of space between the two of you. The distance was barely anything, but it felt monumental to her frayed nerves. You noticed it, of course—you noticed everything, just as you’d noticed her avoiding you the past few days. She’d orchestrated this whole "not a date" movie outing at your farm a while back before she started this shindig of avoiding you, and yet here she was, cornered by her own choices. She knew you'd confront her eventually; she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Damn you, Emily. Haley cursed internally. Her sister's meddling defies the bound of the universe.

"Oh! Out for a date, I see," Pierre chimed in, his tone laced with playful curiosity. His eyes darted between the two of you, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

Haley's pulse quickened, and she forced herself to remain calm. She looked at you, waiting—no, daring you to deny it. Say something, she thought. Deny it. Deflect. Anything.

Your eyebrows shot up, disappearing behind your bangs as you opened your mouth, undoubtedly preparing to clarify the situation. But before a single word could escape, the bell above the door jingled sharply, drawing all attention to the entrance.

Morris stepped inside, his smug face immediately souring the air. His presence was an unwelcome shadow, sharp and intrusive, like nails on a chalkboard.

Haley caught the subtle change in your demeanor, a storm cloud rolling across your features. You muttered a string of profanities under your breath, quiet enough that most wouldn't catch it. But Haley was close—too close—and every word hit her ears like a sharp note.

It startled her; you rarely, if ever, swore in her company.

The tension in your frame said everything she needed to know. Your clenched jaw, the way your hand flexed and then balled into a fist by your side, all screamed one thing: you loathed the man in front of you.

Haley felt her blood begin to boil, mirroring your intensity. You’d never told her exactly what had happened during your time with Joja, but the bitterness in your expression now, the way your muscles coiled like you were ready to fight, painted a vivid enough picture. That, and the sight of Morris’s condescending grin, was enough to make her want to deck the man herself.

"Miss Y/n!" Morris's oily voice filled the space, louder than necessary. "What a pleasant surprise! I finally got ahold of you." His gaze flicked briefly to Haley, dismissing her with barely a glance before returning to you. "When my employee Shane told me the new farmer who’d taken over the rundown farm was named Y/n, I didn’t think it was you at first."

Haley's fists clenched around her grocery bag. Her heart thudded with protective anger, but she said nothing, instead glancing at you from the corner of her eye. The slight twitch in your brow, the way your jaw tightened, and the stiffness in your stance spoke volumes. You were trying to keep calm, but Haley knew it was taking everything in you not to snap.

"Folks kept talking about a lovely farm you've got there," Morris continued, clearly not picking up on the warning signs. Or maybe he simply didn’t care. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you’d gone from our... employee of the month to a simple farmer in the middle of nowhere."

You took a deep breath through your nose, the air between you practically crackling with suppressed emotion. When you finally spoke, your voice was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that preceded a storm.

"Morris," you said curtly, your tone colder than Haley had ever heard it. "Piss off."

Haley's eyes widened slightly at your words. She'd never heard you speak like that before, not even when you were angry. There was venom in your tone, something raw and unfiltered.

"My, my... what foul words you have there, miss," Morris said, raising a hand to cover his mouth in mock disbelief, though his smirk betrayed his true intent. "Anyhow," he continued, his voice oozing false geniality, "I received a call from your mother stating that you had AWOL'ed from your job and left the city. This only spurred me to seek out the new farmer in town with the same name as you. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, right?"

Your jaw clenched, and your knuckles turned white as your nails dug into your palm. Haley could feel the tension radiating off of you like heat from a furnace. "Shut up," you hissed, your tone low but charged.

"But you were sleek," Morris went on, as if he hadn’t heard you—or more likely, chose to ignore you. "For months I tried to get a sight of you. It should have been easy, given how small this town is, but I never caught even a glimpse of you. Tell me, were you avoiding Joja on purpose?"

Haley's stomach churned as she watched you struggle to keep your composure. She'd never seen you like this—on edge, restrained, a storm barely contained behind your eyes.

"I don’t want anything to do with Joja," you spat, your voice trembling slightly, not with fear, but with the effort it took to hold yourself back. "And I don’t want anything to do with my mother. I left Joja for good, and I have no desire to take over that hell of a company."

"Joja needs its heir, Miss Y/n. No matter how far you run, Joja will always be one step behind you." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I’ve already informed your mother of your presence here in Pelican Town, and she is beyond displeased."

Haley saw your breath hitch, your shoulders stiffening as Morris’s words hit their mark.

"You’re wasting your time," you bit out, your voice quieter now, but no less fierce. "I’m not going back, and there’s nothing she—or Joja—can do to change that."

Morris chuckled, a low, condescending sound that made Haley’s skin crawl. His smirk widened, and he tilted his head in mock pity. "Oh, Miss Y/n, you underestimate Joja’s reach. This quaint little farm life of yours is nothing but a detour. We both know that."

Your fists clenched at your sides, trembling slightly, not out of weakness, but from the sheer force of holding yourself together. Your breath came out unsteady, the weight of his words pressing down like an iron vice.

"I don’t care," you spat, your voice cracking under the strain of bottled-up frustration. "I’ve spent blood, sweat, and tears on my grandpa’s farm—making it thrive, grow, and function all on its own. Every single effort I’ve made here has been worth something. Something the company never gave me."

Haley froze, her eyes darting to you. There was a rawness in your voice she wasn’t prepared for, an unguarded glimpse into a part of you she’d never seen.

"Even if I tried—even if I died trying—my mother would never be satisfied with my work," you continued, your voice rising with every word, trembling with pent-up anguish. "So how dare she? How dare she say she’s disappointed in me, like I’m supposed to care, when that’s the only thing she’s ever felt at the very sight of me?"

Morris let out a low hum, his fingers tapping idly against the counter. "Joja is all about hard work, Miss Y/n. Maybe she just hasn’t seen it on you?" His tone was measured, almost bored, but his words were like a needle aimed directly at the cracks in your armor.

You let out a sharp, bitter laugh, the sound harsh and devoid of humor. Haley flinched at the sound, her heart clenching as she watched you unravel.

"Hard work?" you echoed, your voice dripping with venom. "Hard work means nothing to Joja. It doesn’t matter how much I gave, how much of myself I sacrificed, it was never enough. It was never going to be enough."

Morris raised an eyebrow, as if amused by your outburst. "Look," he said with an air of condescension, "the missus, as much as she is strict and calculated, is only doing this to ensure you’re capable of handling the company once she steps down as CEO. Surely, you must be aware of that?"

Haley could see the way your shoulders stiffened, your lips pressing into a tight line, and your chest rising and falling as you struggled to control your breathing. She knew that Morris’s words had struck a nerve, and her patience finally snapped when she saw the flicker of doubt in your eyes.

"She doesn’t care about me being capable," you said quietly, each word laced with bitterness. "She only cares about molding me into her image. Into something I’m not—and something I never want to be."

Haley stepped forward without hesitation, planting herself firmly between you and Morris, her eyes blazing with a fury that caught everyone off guard.

"Sorry to intrude," she began sharply, her tone like ice, "but have you even seen Y/n’s farm? That place was a dump before she came here, and now it’s practically a well-oiled machine. Her farm has boosted this town’s economy more than you and Pierre’s businesses combined. And you know why?" Haley tilted her head, her voice turning venomous. "Because of Y/n’s dedication and hard work. So don’t you dare stand there and act like you have the right to judge who’s ‘working hard’ when you couldn’t lift a finger to do it yourself."

Morris’s smug expression faltered for the first time, but he quickly recovered, his smirk widening as he saw an opportunity to strike back. "Ah, I see what’s going on here," he drawled, his tone dripping with condescension. "If you really want your fair share of Joja’s wealth, you should convince your girlfriend here to come back to Zuzu City and manage the company like the true Joja she is." His eyes gleamed maliciously. "Though I doubt the missus would approve of this... kind of relationship."

Your body moved before your mind could catch up. Stepping forward, you shoved Morris back a step, your voice low and dangerous. "Fuck off. You don’t get to disrespect her like that."

Morris’s smugness wavered, but he tried to rally. "But I—"

"I don’t want to hear another word from you," you snapped, your tone brooking no argument. "Leave. Now."

Morris opened his mouth to retort, but Haley cut him off, her glare sharper than a knife. "You heard her. Get lost."

Morris huffed, his composure cracking slightly. "Hmph. I’m not leaving until I distribute my 50%-off Joja coupons to these fine customers." He raised his voice, addressing the room. "Anyone who wants a discount, feel free to take one from me."

Before the murmurs could start, you turned sharply to Pierre. "No one moves a foot," you commanded, your voice firm and unyielding. "Pierre."

"H-huh?" Pierre stammered, clearly caught off guard.

"Everyone shopping here right now—everything in their carts, ring it up. Put it on my tab," you said decisively. "I don’t care how much it costs. I’ll stop by later to settle the bill."

Pierre blinked, stunned, before nodding quickly. "O-okay. Got it."

You turned back to Morris, your voice colder than ice. "No one here wants your fucking coupons. Get the hell out."

Morris narrowed his eyes, clearly frustrated but unable to retaliate effectively. "You can’t pay for their tabs forever, Miss Y/n," he sneered. "Not with the little money your farm is making."

A smirk tugged at your lips, sharp and defiant. "You haven’t seen the progress of my farm, have you?" you asked, your voice filled with quiet triumph. "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you never do. By the end of the year, the community center will be fully restored, and Joja—" you jabbed a finger toward him, "Joja will never taint this town again."

Morris’s face darkened, but he said nothing as you turned to Pierre and motioned to the grocery bag you took from Haley. "Please ring this up as well, Pierre."

****

"Y/n... are you okay?" Haley's voice was soft, tentative, her usual sharpness dulled by concern.

You didn’t meet her eyes, your voice steady but distant. "I’ll walk you home, and then I’ll get going. I need to be alone for a while."

Haley hesitated, searching your face for something—anything—that would let her help. But all she found was a wall she couldn’t push past. "Oh... okay," she murmured.

****

The walk to her house was quiet, the air between you heavy with unspoken words. When you reached her door, Haley turned, her expression uncertain. "It’s only a raincheck, right?" she asked, her voice almost hopeful. "You’re not canceling our movie night?"

You gave her a small, tired smile, though it didn’t quite reach your eyes. "Hmm. Maybe we can do it tomorrow instead."

Haley nodded slowly, watching as you turned to leave. "I’ll see you later, Y/n," she called softly, her voice lingering in the quiet night.

You didn’t look back, but you lifted a hand in acknowledgment before disappearing into the shadows. Haley watched you go, her chest tight with a mix of worry and something else she couldn’t quite name.

****

After you had dropped her off at her home, she moved quickly towards her kitchen, her movements deliberate as she retrieved a well-worn piece of paper. A single recipe sat tucked away for ages, something she hadn’t thought she’d use anytime soon. Yet, here she was, baking in autopilot, determined to bring you something that might make the silence a little more bearable.

It only sank in for Haley that you might have been serious about wanting to be alone for a moment when you opened the door to your farm after she knocked.

Well... No going back now.

"Hey..." she greeted hesitantly, her voice soft and uncertain. "I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I just... I thought it would be unfair that you're always there for me when I need you, and I left you alone just because you asked me to."

You didn’t speak immediately. The silence between you stretched, heavy with unspoken thoughts. For a moment, Haley worried she had crossed a line, overstepped some boundary. But before she could apologize, you offered her a faint, weak smile—a small curve of your lips, almost imperceptible, but a smile nonetheless.

"Are those cookies...?" you asked softly, your eyes landing on the tray she held out.

"Granny Evelyn's secret recipe. Freshly baked from the oven." Haley’s voice was gentle, almost a whisper. "Thought this might cheer you up."

You took a slow breath, the air between you carrying a quiet weight.

"Of course, you’re always welcome here, silly, with or without cookies," you said softly, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.

"You say that but wait until you have a taste in them first," she teased, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I'm sure they'll taste delicious. Come," you urged, motioning her inside. "It's freezing outside."

"Thanks," she murmured, stepping past you into the warmth of the house.

"These your stuff?" you asked, noticing the bags she struggled to carry. "You should have called me so I could have helped you bring them here. It must have been a tough walk from your home."

"Yeah... sorry, I know it's a lot. Had to bring my skincare, you know?" she replied with a sheepish smile, setting the bags down on the worn wooden floor.

"Heh, if I didn't know you any better, I’d think you were moving in," you joked, giving her a playful nudge.

"Shut up, goof."

"Now, now... I didn’t say I was exactly opposed to the idea, m'lady," you continued, a grin tugging at your lips. "I would love it actually. It’s getting kind of lonely in here, you know? Sometimes I even question myself why I asked Robin to renovate the house this big when I’m all by myself."

"What? So you're saying you wanted me to stay here?"

"Would it be so bad?" you asked with a playful shrug.

"Perhaps? Especially if you're supposed to be saying these sappy things to your girlfriend." Haley's tone was teasing, but her smile faltered slightly as she added, "Yoba... I just realized. Penny won't be mad if I stayed the night, right? Or would she?"

"Huh? Why would she?" you asked, confused.

"Isn't she—" Haley began as she walked towards your room.

"Wait, Haley—" you called after her, a hint of worry in your voice, but it was too late.

"Oh..." Haley paused at the sight that greeted her eyes—bouquets placed carefully on your bed, sunflowers nestled in among them. You were arranging them yourself, the soft glow from the bedside lamp casting a warm light on the delicate petals.

It took a moment for Haley to gather her thoughts. Her mind raced a thousand miles per hour, processing what she saw and the implications behind it.

"I thought you'd given Penny the—the uhm..." she began hesitantly.

"The bouquet?" you finished, your voice quiet. "What made you think so? And how'd you even know I have a bouquet?"

"I think what you mean is 'who else didn't know you'd bought a bouquet'," she replied, a sly smile creeping onto her face.

"Damn it, Pierre." You ran a hand through your hair, cursing under your breath. "Shit— you aren't supposed to see all these."

"I bought this days ago and I couldn't find the guts to give it to you. I guess I was waiting for the perfect timing or maybe I was chickening out. Shit, I don't really know..." you murmured, your voice shaky as you ruffled your hair anxiously. "All I know is the flowers dried out because I was a coward, and now I was planning to spend the whole night replacing the flowers with sunflowers instead of having our movie night because I'm mentally and emotionally unable to think straight because of what happened with Morris earlier, and now I'm babbling this to you like a fool and—"

You sighed heavily as you walked toward the edge of the bed, keeping your gaze firmly away from her. The bouquet lay forgotten on the bedspread, the sunflowers blending with the faded, dried-out petals of the original flowers.

"Breathe, Y/n." Haley’s voice was soft and soothing, her expression gentle as she stepped closer, her eyes warm and understanding. "It’s just me."

"Breathe... I can do that," you said, taking a slow breath and closing your eyes for a moment to collect yourself.

"Now..." Haley continued, a teasing smile playing at her lips, "Can you clarify the part about who you were planning to give the bouquet to because I’m a bit slow and I’m going to have to assume it’s me if you don’t."

"It's for you," you finally confessed, your voice barely a whisper. "I thought the sunflower already gave it away?"

"I..." Haley’s brows furrowed slightly, her voice softening as her expression turned thoughtful. "I thought you liked someone else..."

"And I thought I was pretty obvious," you said, a faint smile tugging at your lips.

"You probably would have if I hadn't seen you treating others the same way you do to me," Haley said, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her expression was thoughtful, but there was a hint of uncertainty behind her eyes. "I don't really want to assume."

"But I don’t treat others the same way I treat you," you replied gently, your voice calm and steady.

"Giving favored gifts to every possible living thing you can see, walking Penny home, exploring mines with Abigail, painting with Leah..." Haley paused, glaring at you with a raised brow when she noticed the corner of your mouth twitch into a sly grin. "Do you honestly want me to continue the list?"

"No, no need. I got the message," you said with a soft chuckle, shaking your head as you stepped closer to her. You reached out slowly, taking her hands in yours with a tenderness that spoke volumes. Your thumb brushed gently against her knuckles, grounding the moment in a sense of intimacy that neither of you could ignore.

As your touch lingered, Haley’s breath hitched for a moment, and the rapid beating in her heart began to slow. What was once chaotic and unsure began to calm down, her mind finding clarity amidst the confusion.

"But for you... everything is complex," you continued, your voice steady, eyes locked onto hers. There was a sincerity in your gaze, a vulnerability in your words that couldn’t be dismissed. "And I don’t mean it as a bad thing. You made me second-guess everything I do. I was afraid I was being too obvious because I was doing too much. I was afraid that what I was doing bypassed everything I thought should be normal between friends. I was scared I was doing too much that I might scare you away."

Haley let out a soft, watery laugh, a quiet chuckle that broke through the tension between you both. She shook her head lightly, realizing you were both overthinking the same thing all along.

"So yeah... everything I did, everything I said from the start—it was never casual," you finished, your voice gentle but unwavering. "Simply because I like you, Haley. I’ve liked you for a long time."

There was a long, charged pause. It probably felt like an eternity to you, but it could’ve only been a minute or two—maybe more. You weren’t sure anymore. If the roles were reversed, if Haley were in your place, she would’ve bolted in embarrassment, rushing back to her home to cry her heart out the moment you didn’t respond to her confession.

But this is you. You have always been patient. You still wore the same loving face the moment you started your confession and the moment you let out the last word. Nevermind your face is in a deep shade of red.

"You..." she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. "You fucking idiot!"

"Huh?" you managed, taken aback by the sudden outburst.

Before you could process what was happening, her fists slammed hard against your chest. The force wasn’t enough to cause real pain, but the impact was enough to send a slight jolt through you. You wheezed softly between bursts of laughter, breath escaping in short bursts as she continued her assault.

"You liked me all this time and you didn’t say it earlier?!" she demanded, her voice rising with each word.

You let out another laugh, struggling for air as her fists smacked your chest again. At this point, it wasn’t about the physical impact—it was the sheer force of emotion behind it.

You must have had enough with Haley's fists dealing little to no damage on your ribcage because the moment she lifted her hands to strike again, you caught them gently in yours and leaned down to capture her lips, silencing the stream of profanities leaving her mouth.

When your lips finally parted, a brief, lingering pause stretched between you both, the air thick with emotions you both hadn't fully acknowledged yet.

"You could have said you liked me, y'know? No need to hit me." You said softly, a teasing smile playing on your lips as you pulled back.

"I hate you," she grumbled, her expression softening despite the harsh words. Her gaze lowered, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks as the embarrassment of her outburst settled in.

"You don’t." You sounded far too smug, watching her squirm just a bit. "Emily said so."

Haley’s brow furrowed deeply as the realization dawned. Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes narrowed in disbelief. She thought back to that conversation, recalling her sister’s confident assurance. "You know about the bet all this time?!"

"Yup." Your grin widened.

She stared at you, her expression a mix of incredulity and irritation. "You asked my sister if you have a chance with me, didn’t you?"

You smirked but remained silent, letting the unspoken answer hang in the air.

"Good Yoba… Why did I have to like such an idiot dork." She huffed, puffing out a breath as her frustration began to give way to amusement. Her lips twitched into a small smile despite herself. "Come here and let me wipe that stupid smirk from your face."

"You'll do that by?"

Her eyes rolled again, but the playful edge remained as she replied with a small, amused grin. "By kissing it off you, what else?"

~~~~~~

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[paulyenvol6]

Bound by Flame (Chapter 12)

Contains: smut, dub-con, HIGHLY degrading, oral (m receiving), spanking, very submissive reader, mentions of words like whore and slut, possessiveness, angst, crying, dark content so read with caution!

Wordcount: ~4.06k

Masterlist of this story

The next day Maera and Daemon got up late when the sun stood already high in the sky.

It was a lazy morning with the two of them dozing off again only to then cuddle each other while the sunlight shone down on their lying figures. Maera almost wondered if her father would send for her soon but then Daemon softly slapped her bare arse.

"We should get up. Or otherwise you'll get this tight cunt of yours fucked sore right here and right now."

His niece smiled slyly and leaned down to kiss his shoulder but then quickly and smoothly jumped off the bed.

"Let's go then."

Daemon smugly watched his niece while she put on a nightgown.

"I shall call for the handmaidens. Do you want me to tell them they are to prepare a bath for you?" she asked and Daemon lifted his eyebrows.

"Yes."

Maera smiled and then quickly opened the door to call for the servants. An hour later the couple was ready to start the day so Daemon guided her down to the dining room. Everything was exactly the way it was before she had left the castle and yet it felt strange. How many times had she walked past the stone engravings in the hallway, had rushed down the staircases although her father had told her that it was too dangerous. How many times had she knocked at the door of the dining chamber to wait for her father's "Come."

This time the door was opened for them before Daemon was able to make a sound and when they were inside Maera spotted her father sitting by the table but with an empty plate.

"Father. Good morrow," she said and put her kindest smile on her face. She just hoped that things would finally be more relaxed between her husband and father.

"Maera," he nodded but his face hardened at the sight of his brother.

He merely tilted his head a little which Daemon took as an invitation to pull his niece with him to the table and sit down. She anxiously watched Daemon and prayed to the gods that he would restrain himself rather than provoking the king further. He caught her gaze and questioningly raised his left eyebrow. In respone Maera gave him her biggest puppy eyes and bit her lip. Please, she mouthed at him which her uncle commented with a scoff and he turned away.

She remained stiff and tense the next couple of minutes but soon the girl assumed that her words might have had an impact on Daemon. He even had started to talk about some meaningless boring topics such as the cotton trade with Pentos and how the prices had shot up over the past months and though Viserys had narrowed his eyes at his brother in the beginning, a few moments later he had actually answered him.

Maera wasn't certain whether her father's openess, if one could call it that, was caused by his manners and the fact that a good host was supposed to treat his guests with kindness or if he genuinely had the desire to speak with Daemon about this now. Either way, she felt relieved and contendly sipped on her cup while zoning out. As much as she liked this development, there was no way she could bare listening to their conversation about cotton trade at this moment.

~~~~~~~~~~

To her regret Maera learned that her son and their servants and handmaidens would need another two days until they would arrive in King's Landing and so in the noon there was nothing left for her to do but to make herself feel more homely in Daemon's chambers.

He had told her that he had planned to meet some of his old friends of the gold cloaks so Maera was alone in their chambers. Additionally her husband had told her to preferably stay in their chambers but soon she wasn't able to anymore. Being back in the red keep excited her and she just had to see her septa Julvra, the stables, the library, the armory and all the other things again. It had been a year. Things had changed during her absence and she intended to see everything.

To her misfortune Maera wasn't able to locate her septa but she promised herself she would find her in the morrow at the latest. She did pay the library a visit though and the familiar scent of parchments and leather, ink and wood overwhelmed her. There was a library at dragonstone as well but compared to the one here, it was disappointing. On top of that, there was that characteristic smell of violets, the source of which Maera had never known but it made her skin tingle.

She almost spent 3 hours browsing through books both familiar and new and she would have had lost the feeling for the passing time if it hadn't became so dark outside that the letters swam before her eyes. That was why she put back her books and decided to search for Daemon.

But just when she was walking around a corner in the dim light of the corridor someone big suddenly appeared in front of her and Maera didn't have enough time to dart to the side.

"Forgive me!" she quickly spoke and then her eyes wandered up the person's body. Her jaw dropped and a happy and exciting feeling spread throughout her body.

"Harwin!?"

The tall man chuckled and his eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"Little princess," he whispered and a warm shiver ran down her spine. He had always called her that name and when she was younger his words combined with his raspy and deep voice had made her blush oftentimes. Harwin took her hand and bowed his head to press a soft kiss on th back of it.

"I was delighted to hear about your safe return, little princess. I hope you are fine."

She had a genuine and wide smile on her face while nodding a few times.

"I am. And I am happy to be back too."

Maera had missed him a lot, she realized now. How many times had they wasted their time by the sea, flipping stone on the water's surface, laid beneath the sun though the knight originially was merely supposed to protect her. But it had been inevitable. She had liked him so much that after weeks he had become her closest friend. That was why she was incredibly relieved that Ser Hawrin seemed fine and the prospects of seeing him more frequently from now on made her insides flutter. The knight placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed her gently.

"I'm actually very busy at the moment but I'd be happy to see you soon and preferably for a longer time. Maybe you would give me the honour and accompany me on a walk through the gardens?"

She happily nodded. "It would be my honour, Ser."

With these words Harwin bowed his head and Maera couldn't help but admire the young and decent man. She was married now of course and felt drawn to her husband only but no person with two functioning eyes would disagree with the fact that Harwin was a handsome and charming man. Her eyes followed him until he had turned around a corner and then Maera finally made her way back to her rooms.

To her surprise Daemon wasn't inside and she felt disappointed. But since she didn't have anything else to do the girl sat down on the bed and grabbed a book off her nightstand to pass the time by reading. In any other case she probably would have gone to have supper preferably with her father but she wasn't hungry and also wanted to be in their chambers when he returned. Maera craved being held by his arms and just desired a lazy evening with him.

She was almost worried about his whereabouts when she finally heard steps outside and suddenly the door sprang open. Her excited expression faded though when she noticed his narrow eyes and tense mouth and the way he hasted towards her. Maera gasped for air in surprise as he grabbed her upper arm and forced her on her feet.

"You little whore," he hissed and his niece felt fear taking control of her body. She was frozen, tears welled up in her eyes and he suddenly scared her so much that her breathing was restricted. Maera couldn't even bring out a word and ask him what the reason for his fury was.

"You dirty little slut. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I was expecting to see you on your fucking knees when I return. Begging for my forgiveness."

She whimpered because her uncle had wrapped a hand around her neck and squeezed tightly.

"Stupid whore. You thought I wouldn't find out about your slutty behaviour here while I'm out? You thought you could get away with it? You thought now that your uncle is gone you can throw yourself on other men? Act like a disgusting little wench and offer every breathing creature around here your spread legs?"

Maera tried to free herself from his grip because she had to talk to him! She didn't know what Daemon had heard and why he thought she would ever do something like this but it was untrue! She never would've spread her legs for anyone that wasn't him and he should know that. She squirmed in his grip let out a moan to tell him that she had something to say but her uncle fully ignored her.

"It's really unfortunate that you can't fucking behave. How many times did I tell you that you're not to speak to any male servants or knights. And especially not Harwin Strong, this pathetic cunt of a knight."

Maera widened her eyes because she slowly started to realized what Daemon meant. But she merely talked to him and he was an old friend, an exception. Again, the girl intended to calm him by assuring him that all he had done was welcome her back in the castle but her crying and shifting didn't change anything.

"Stay still. You will have enough opportunities to apologize to me but now I want you to shut this slutty mouth until I tell you otherwise," he hissed and Maera could literally feel the anger in his voice as a brush over her skin which scared her.

Although she kept still Daemon slapped her cheek softly and then stepped towards the bed while dragging her by her hair. The prince sat down on the bed and pulled Maera until her stomach hit his thighs and she found herself bent over his lap. Panic flooded her system and she desperately attempted to slip away which Daemon replied to by smacking her arse.

"Stay. Fucking. Still," he growled.

"But I didn't do anything, please," she pleaded now that his hand had left her throat and she finally had been able to inhale some fresh air. Daemon's hand came down once more and she let out a painful whine.

"Please uncle. I swear it, we only talked. Please, believe me. He's a friend and I wanted to greet him kindly."

He chuckled sarcastically. It was a sound that didn't give her any comfort at this moment and the blood in her veins freezed.

"You will count, little one. If you'll mess up I'll start from zero again. And after each slap you will say 'Thank you' and 'Forgive me'."

She dropped her head but Daemon didn't take it as further resistance so he skillfully pulled up her skirts and removed her underwear. Her arse was bare on display for him and he roughly slapped her cheek. He listened carefully for the words he had expected to hear but Maera stayed silent and besides her gasp and the sound of skin slapping against skin he couldn't hear anything. That was why he forcefully yanked her head back so he could look at her face that was drawn with fear.

"I told you to count," he spoke coldly. "Use that sweet voice you used earlier to seduce Harwin Strong and beg for my forgiveness. I know that you can do such lovely things with your voice, isn't that right? I witnessed it myself. You will beg now. Beg like a pathetic common whore that knows her place."

With these words his hand smacked her again and this time it was harder.

"I'm sorry," she cried out and simultaneously her uncle let go off her hair so her head could fall down. He repeated the motion and Maera let out croaked 'Thank you's and 'Forgive me's and 'Please, I'm sorry's while also counting his slaps just as he had told her to do. She jumped every time his skin hit hers and soon her back was so sore that the simplest touch made her whince. Inbetween his slaps he soothingly caressed her skin, which was a great contrast to the way he was abusing her arse at the moment.

When Daemon was finally done the skin of her arse burned and ached and she wished someone would throw a bucket of cold water over her. His hand came down to her back only that this time he traced the handprints on her skin and he seeminlgy wanted to calm her but given the circumstances it was a cruel action. Tears coated her cheeks and by now Maera was a mindful mess on his lap. She sniffed and cried and felt incredibly small and degraded.

"Shh, babygirl. You know that you deserved it. Don't act like the innocent victim."

Daemon delivered one last soft slap to her arse which made her jolt and then pulled her body up until she stood in front of him. Maera anxiously watched him as she didn't know if he would finally release her but when he pushed her down to the floor she knew that he wouldn't let her get away with it so easily.

"On your knees. You're gonna make it up for me. Gonna make me feel really good, kitten."

She sobbed but didn't resist when he made her kneel in front of him. The stoney ground hurt her but she knew better than to complain.

"It's quite poetic, isn't it? Punishing your mouth that you have used to seduce Strong."

He wrapped his hand around her throat once more and pulled her a little closer until his center was in front of her face. He single-handedly managed to free himself off his breeches so Maera stared directly at his hard and large manhood. As much as she enjoyed tasting him and letting him slide into her mouth, she always felt so degraded and humiliated when she had to kneel for her husband. That was why she prefered it when he sat on the bed and Maera could crouch between his legs rather than experiencing the shame of kneeling on the hard ground while looking up to Daemon. That was what commone whores did. Not a highborn noblewoman.

But of course she wasn't in the position to demand anything at all right now so she kept her mouth shut while he guided his tip to her soft lips.

"I don't care how much you'll cry and beg. You're gonna take it and swallow every last drop until I'm content. And if you'll have to stay on your fucking knees all night. You're a little slut and sluts don't deserve any comfortability. I want you to apologize and behave and only then I'll be willing to think about forgiving you."

His hand that had previously squeezed her neck wandered to her chin and he made her look up to him.

"And I want this to hurt for you. Feel free to scream and complain, I won't care. I'm doing this to punish you and give myself a little treat. But this is supposed to hurt you. I want you to think about what you've done and what happens when you disrespect me like this. Do you understand me?"

Maera nodded because she was unable to do anything else. She was anxious about what would happen now because as much as she liked it when her uncle thrusted his cock into her throat he was so upset with her right now that she knew there wouldn't be anything pleasant in it for her. He eagerly tapped the tip of his member against her lips and gestured her to open them. Once she had offered him entrance Daemon pushed inside of her mouth and was welcomed by the familiar comfortable warmth that never failed to make his stomach tighten.

His movement was far from being gentle or patient because he immediately went all the way and didn't stop to push even with his niece was choking and using all her physical power to pull away. He had a hand in her hair which was enough to make sure that she couldn't escape and he just held her head in place while enjoying her wet throat until he backed away a little. Maera used the space to inhale greedily but it was cut off when Daemon snapped his hips forwards again and started to fuck her mouth.

He set a cruel and aggressive pace. He was able to fully ignore his niece's struggle and actually used her like a toy that merely served as a way to make him come the fastest. She knew better than to try to fight him off because he would surely just take what he wanted and complaining would only make him angrier. This was the kind of Daemon that didn't know anything about mercy. In this state he had no problems assaulting her throat until she was crying and that was exactly what he was doing at this moment.

Maera felt like she might suffocate with him barely giving her one second of peace but somehow whenever she thought she was gonna pass out now there was fresh air getting to her lungs. Without Daemon's hand in her hair she would've fallen down to the ground but he made sure to keep her up in order to use her throat to his satisfaction.

He grinded his teeth while looking down at her and her tears of pain didn't move anything in him. She deserved this. She had acted like a cheap whore and disrespected him. He could clearly remember the image of her smiling up to Harwin Strong as though she had just seen what she had been searching for for years. But she was his. His alone. This cunt shouldn't even look at Maera for a second. He wanted her all to himself and somehow Daemon felt like whenever a man had his eyes on her she was a little less his. 'Gods, why couldn't she just behave?'

The memory of the recent events fueled the fury in him again so he tightened his grip around her hair.

"You're my fucking property and I thought that I've taught you this already many times."

He could feel her trying to nod and she stared up to him with her glossy wide eyes.

"You know what I'll do next time, little slut?" His eyes flashed. "Next time I'll make him watch. You'll get down on your knees and I'll fuck your mouth until you're nothing but a pathetic mess and he will watch every second of it. Perhaps he'll then see who you belong to and that he's not to mess with what's mine."

The imagination alone made him even harder and he felt that he was about to burst. That was why he let out a deep groan while his thrusts became sloppier but then Daemon finally exploded in her mouth and his seed filled her throat. Maera had problems swallowing everything but of course her uncle wouldn't accept anything less so he kept her head in place until he was certain that she had swallowed every last droplet of his hot seed.

But Daemon still wasn't done. His hand stayed in her hair as he slid his cock out of her mouth. Her face was red and wet with her tears and suddenly the rogue prince was torn apart between his anger and the desire to cuddle his little girl. He had just released and therefore was in a special post-orgasm-state and even in his upset temper Daemon felt protective over her. But first he had to state something again and so he yanked her head back, a little softer now, and came closer to her.

"I want you to tell me that you have understood what I have told you. And that you know why I had to punish you," he hissed.

Maera coughed a few times, her voice nothing but a croaked sound but then she answered him with her shaky voice.

"I-I understand, uncle… I spoke to S-Ser Harwin though I w-wasn't allowed to…"

She had lowered her eyes to the ground while speaking but Daemon wouldn't have this so he put a finger under her chin that was covered with his precum.

"And what have you learned these past minutes?"

"I will not do it again. I swear it."

He smiled. "No you won't. Because you didn't like what I've just did, did you?"

Maera anxiously glanced at him, gulped loudly and then shook her head.

"Right. So you don't want me to repeat it, mhm?"

"N-No…," she whispered and Daemon gently caressed the side of her head.

"I don't want to do this again either. But if you'll disobey me again I'll have no choice. So you'll best do as I say or your pretty little mouth will get fucked like this again. And you don't want that."

With these words he finally let go off her and Maera sank to the ground at once. New tears escaped the corner of her eyes while she crouched on the stoney ground. Daemon observed her for a few seconds, sighed and then decided to take care of her rather than make her feel his anger for a little longer by ignoring her.

So he kneeled next to her, grabbed her under the arms and picked her up. Maera let it happen and pressed her face to his neck while her uncle walked the both of them to the bed. It had gotten late and he knew that a good sleep would calm his niece. He gently put her down on the mattress, climbed on the bed himself and then she was fast to crawl to him.

"P-Please…," she whined and gestured him to wrap his arms around her. Daemon chuckled softly but granted her her wish.

"I l-love you, Daemon, I'm s-so sorry, I didn't mean to-to upset you. Please don't be mad, please. I will be good."

He exhaled loudly and lovingly ran his finger over the area under her eyes.

"I love you too, little girl. It's good that you're sorry. And you took your punishment so I'm not angry with you anymore. But you know what happens if you are disobedient again, right?"

Maera nodded rapidly and her hands gripped his arm tightly as if she was afraid he would leave her if she didn't hold on to him.

"I know. I will get punished again. But I won't be disobedient, I swear it to you."

"Good girl," Daemon praised and gave her a genuine smile. As a reply the girl tried to move closer to him which was physically impossible but her uncle pressed a kiss on her brow.

"Please Daemon…," she pleaded.

"What is it, little one? What do you need?"

Well, if only she knew… Maera didn't know what she was asking for so instead of giving him an answer she moaned and stared at him with round eyes. He chuckled and was filled with an infinite love for his wife. If only she was always this tame. To be fair, Maera really had improved her behaviour and he rarely had to teach her a lesson like he had done today anymore but some days she still acted defiantly and Daemon found that it was just unnecessary. Things were going so smoothly when she did as he said and let him take control.

He stroke her silky hair and saw how she closed her eyes.

"Sleep, sweetling. I'll watch over you. I'll always keep you safe."

Maera hummed contently and snuggled into his arms. And then Daemon caressed her hair until she was fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@smashee0789 @classicsimpforaaronwarner @hangmanscoming @ninihrtss @coffeebooksrain18 @aleemendoza2425-blog @chiminies-noona

[slaymitchabernathy]

Naughty or Nice?

| "I'm talkin' deckin' all the halls, I'm talkin' spikin' eggnog. I'm talkin' opposite of small, I'm talkin' big snowballs. You got a new toy for me, I'm out here trimmin' the tree. I caught that holiday glee, my true love gave it to me." |

“Go to bed girls,” Coriolanus says once more, only his head pokes through the opening of the doors. He watches the girls giggle, doing their best to convince him that they’ll be on their best behavior but they probably won’t.

“If you don’t go to sleep then Santa won’t come and bring you presents.”

The girls gasp and shush each other making him grin. Lying about Santa isn’t the best thing to do but it’s earned him stellar behavior from all three of his children the past month.

The moment one of them was on the cusp of a tantrum, Coriolanus was threatening to tell Santa. Soarynn had chided him on it, claiming it wasn’t fair to hold it over their heads but he figured he only had ten years with each child before they started putting two and two together so he wouldn’t waste this precious momentum.

And the children were excellently behaved tonight. He took his family to the ballet with some good friends of theirs and then they ended the night at one of their favorite restaurants. The children ate all their food and used their best manners.

At twenty-six, Coriolanus Snow feels on top of the world. He’s doing great at work, has a beautiful home, and the perfect wife who's blessed him with three perfect, beautiful children.

Coriolanus closes the doors to his eldest daughter’s bedroom feeling very pleased with how his life has turned out so far.

His girls had begged to sleep in the same bed so they could wait for Santa and he eventually gave in after enough pouting.

He makes his way through the living room, admiring their beautiful tree. Soarynn decorated it beautifully with red garlands and golden accents along with shiny ornaments. Tons of presents sit under the tree, gifts for the family from the family.

He’ll have to slip the ones from Santa under the tree later tonight once the children are really asleep. Even if they were little tyrants tonight, there’s no way in hell he’d let any of those presents go to waste. He’s spent a small fortune on them, well, his wife spent a small fortune on them.

He was simply the one writing the check.

He walks into the kitchen and eyes the plate of cookies they left for Santa. They do look quite delicious and that glass of warm milk is calling his name.

He licks his lips, maybe a little late-night treat wouldn’t hurt. He’s just about the grab a cookie when his wife’s voice scares the shit out of him, “Coriolanus Snow.”

He jumps and turns around, giving her a sheepish smile while she stands under the doorway, hands on her hips, not looking too impressed with his behavior, “I was a bit peckish,” he explains.

Soarynn raises an eyebrow, “Those are for Santa,” she nods at the plate of decorated cookies, “not for you.”

Coriolanus rolls his eyes, certainly no one would’ve noticed if he ate one cookie. And he’s going to have to take a bite out of one before the children wake up so why not get a head start? “You don’t want to get a lump of coal in your stocking,” Soarynn tells him.

To Soarynn’s credit, they’ve had a wonderful holiday season. She’s made sure that they’ve done every activity under the sun from meeting Santa to going sledding. She’s not about to let him throw all her hard work down the drain, “Are the children asleep?” She asks, stepping into the kitchen. Coriolanus hums, eyeing the cookies one last time, “Yes darling, tucked into bed with sugarplums dancing above their heads or however the song goes.”

Soarynn smiles, but not her usual smile, no, this smile has sinister intentions behind it. “Good, because I have a gift for you.”

Oh, well that’s not sinister at all.

“Really? Well I’ll open it tomorrow morning darling,” he says, going to the cupboard to grab himself a wine glass, they might as well end the night watching a film while cuddling on the sofa.

“It’s for tonight.”

He looks over his shoulder at Soarynn who bats her eyelashes at him, “Come to our room in fifteen minutes,” she instructs. She leaves before he can ask any questions and his mouth suddenly feels very dry. Soarynn isn’t one for random surprises, no, she values routine above everything else.

He begins to think of the worst, perhaps she broke something and was waiting for a good time to tell him. Maybe she wants him to hang up another picture frame, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Or…or maybe she got another kitten.

Coriolanus suddenly feels lightheaded and grips the counter for support. His entire life is flashing before his eyes. Two cats are diabolical. He’ll have to put his foot down, simple as that. He’s the man of the house and he simply cannot tolerate two Petunias.

He might as well have that wine now. Heaven knows he’ll need it.

Fifteen minutes pass at an agonizing pace, too slow for him to handle but Soarynn won’t let him into their bedroom a minute earlier. He knows that much.

He glances up at the clock and sighs, it’s finally ten o’clock. Time to face his doom.

He finishes off his wine and sets the glass in the sink before trudging down the hallway to their bedroom. He’s so busy feeling sorry for himself that he doesn’t even notice the rose petals on the floor leading up to their bedroom. Only when he’s about to open the doors does he realize that her gift could be something very different.

He cautiously opens the doors, peeking his head in just in case and what he sees causes his jaw to go slack.

Soarynn. On the bed. Wearing red sheer tights with lingerie under the tights and a red bow wrapped around her waist. She’s wearing a gorgeous red lacy bralette as well and she looks like an absolute vision.

She’s sitting on her knees, wearing a proud smile when she sees his shocked expression.

“Come in darling,” she purrs, beckoning him in with the wave of her finger.

Like the lovesick fool he is, Coriolanus stumbles into the bedroom like he’s in a trance, shutting the doors behind him and swearing to treat this woman like the goddess she is for the rest of their lives.

“This is…this is something,” he finally says, stopping once he reaches the bed. Soarynn softly chuckles and pops up on her knees so that they’re almost at the same height, “I just wanted to give you an extra special gift, you know, for all you do for me.”

Coriolanus swallows when she goes to undo his tie, “All I…all I do for you?” He squeaks when she pulls the tie off him, “Mhm, all you do to take care of me,” she sweetly explains, undoing the buttons on his shirt next. “You take such good care of me Coryo and I just wanted to find a special way to thank you.”

Coriolanus decides right then and there that he’s the luckiest man alive.

And she looks so gorgeous. Her hair and makeup are the same from the ballet and dinner. Parted down the side with light yet perfect makeup to enhance her natural beauty.

He rests a hand on her hip and resists the urge to rip these tights right off of her. But he should be patient. Yes, patient. But he’s never been good at being patient. That’s Soarynn’s specialty.

“Well this is very nice,” he tells her, helping her slide off his white shirt, baring his chest to her, “very, very nice. Where did you get the bow?”

Soarynn smiles up at him, “It’s a secret.”

Right.

“Alright, well can I unwrap my present now?” He asks with a teasing smile, desperate to get his hands on her and more importantly, get her under him.

Soarynn shakes her head and it damn near crushes his hopes and dreams, “Not yet,” she says softly, dragging her hand down his chest towards his belt, “first, I want to give you a smaller gift.” Soarynn cups his hardened length right through his trousers and smirks when he gasps. She’s never ever been this straightforward and he can’t help but ask.

Who is this woman and what has she done with his shy, timid little wife?

The Soarynn he knows rarely ever engages in sexual activity first, she always lets him take the lead which he doesn’t mind at all. He loves being in charge and loves that she trusts him enough to do the things they do but this behavior is entirely different.

“Oh,” is all he says, his voice a croak.

Soarynn nods and slowly unbuckles his belt, "You've just been so stressed darling," she says, almost like she's pouting, "so busy with work, providing for our family. Sometimes you don't even come to bed until early in the morning."

Well, well...well, she has a point. The holiday season is always hectic with work and despite it being a "family-oriented holiday", Coriolanus always finds himself buried in end-of-the-year paperwork. Soarynn understands, of course, someone has to pay the bills but she's taking matters into her own hands it seems.

Literally.

She lets the belt fall to the ground and unzips his trousers at an agonizing pace, like she's teasing him and he's not even fully naked yet. Coriolanus feels frozen, only allowed to watch her palm his length while looking up at him with those gorgeous eyes, like a little vixen.

"Sit down," she says and he nearly sits on the floor. "On the chair," she elaborates pointing over at the sitting area they have in their room.

Who is he to disobey her?

He kicks off his trousers and walks over to the armchair he sits in every night before getting ready for bed. He slowly sinks into the chair and watches with great fascination as Soarynn slowly slips off the bed. Now that she's standing, he can fully admire her outfit and can see that she's wearing red high heels as well.

She's going to fucking kill him.

She's wearing this proud smirk because she knows, she knows she's got him in the palm of her hand.

Once she reaches him and bends down until her lips are ghosting his, "Keep your hands on the chair," she whispers, looking into his eyes with such ferocity that he almost feels scared.

He nods and Soarynn smiles. She carefully sinks down in front of him, on her knees once again and his cock is begging to be touched. Soarynn slips a finger under the waistband of his boxers, causing his breath to hitch. He is the one who teases her like this, but he surprisingly doesn't mind that the roles have been reversed.

Soarynn hums and finally pulls down his boxers, releasing his cock that's already gathered precum at the tip. Soarynn gently grabs it and starts stroking it up and down, up and down. Coriolanus clenches his teeth, it feels so fucking good. He wishes he could just grab her hair like he usually does but he's under specific orders to keep his hands away from her.

He knows what she really meant by that demand: "Stop throat fucking me you impatient, unappreciative bastard."

Soarynn never complains when giving him a blow job but he always likes to be in charge, set the pace. Not tonight though.

Soarynn finally sticks out her tongue and swirls it around his very sensitive tip. He jerks in his seat, gripping the armrests for dear life. She looks up at him, a twinkle in her eyes while he tries to compose himself, restrain himself from grabbing a fistful of her hair, and fucking her throat until she cries.

She maintains eye contact as she takes him into her mouth and it's an ungodly sight that nearly makes him cum right then and there. Soarynn would never admit this, but she's very good at giving head. She can take him all the way down which is a very impressive feat where he's concerned. Coriolanus is well aware that he's well endowed, long in length with enough girth to stretch her out every single time.

She takes him like a champ, bobbing her head up and down, licking the underside of his shaft at the same time and his breathing is becoming labored. He can't remember the last time she gave him head, he's been...well, he's been busy! With work!

And Soarynn is here to remind him of what he's been missing out on.

Soarynn plays with his balls with her other hand and Coriolanus moans, unable to look away no matter how much it kills him to do so. She's just so sexy, so fucking irresistible with his cock buried in her throat. Soarynn takes him all the way down and holds it and he cries out, "Fuck Soarynn!"

He leans forward, pushing his cock further down his throat and Soarynn lets out a gagged groan. She probably didn't think this entirely through, and he doesn't need his hands to properly fuck his wife's throat but before he can do it again, she squeezes his balls hard.

Coriolanus lets out a pained scream and Soarynn pulls herself completely off of him, gasping for air while he does the same.

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, her lipstick is slightly smudged and she has a murderous look in her eyes. "Really? You couldn't control yourself one time Coriolanus?"

He sputters while trying to come up with a proper apology or explanation as to why it's impossible not to watch her gag on his cock but she's not hearing it. "Thought you could handle it," she mutters, standing back up. Coriolanus reaches out for her, still painfully hard by the way.

"Soarynn," he calls, "darling, come back, let me try again, I'm sorry. I'll be perfectly behaved."

Soarynn walks over to the bed and bends down, looking for something apparently. He watches her with a puzzled look on his face but it fades quickly when she stands back up with his belt in her hands.

"Absolutely not," he says, shaking his head when she starts walking back over to him. "Soarynn, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you tie me up."

She feigns a saddened look and rolls her eyes, "Oh really? Because your cock is leaking and we both know you'd rather kill yourself than handle it alone."

His teeth click from how quickly he shuts his mouth.

Who the fuck is this dominatrix?

And what has she done with his wife?

She holds her hands as wide as her shoulders, making the belt go taut between her hands, "The choice is yours, darling. Finish by yourself, or play by my rules for once. You tie me up all the time and I never complain."

He does love to tie her up. It's so fun to see her whine and struggle, to see her take everything he gives her. To see her pretty eyes fill with tears when she gets too stimulated.

He's shooting himself in the foot because he's only getting harder now that he's thinking about it.

Soarynn notices too and smirks, "Choose," she tells him, "are you gonna play naughty, or nice?"

Coriolanus wishes there were a third option such as: 'beg for forgiveness' but her tone is anything but forgiving.

He swallows not only his spit but his pride too, "Nice," he mumbles.

Soarynn grabs a fistful of his hair and yanks his head back, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, darling, say it again, louder this time," she orders, a wicked look in her eyes. He knows exactly what she's doing because two weeks ago he said the exact same thing to her during sex.

He's going to have to watch what he says from now on because she's clearly been keeping score.

He glares up at her, "Nice," he spits out, "I'll be fucking nice."

Soarynn chuckles and lets go of his hair, "Mhm, you'll be my good boy?"

Well, fuck.

His throat bobs from the new petname. He's got a whole list of petnames for her when they're in the bedroom, ranging from "sweet girl" to "my little mindless fuckdoll" but he's never been called this before.

He kinda likes it.

"Yes," he says, much nicer this time.

"Hands," she says, the same way he says it whenever he ties her up. Coriolanus sighs but holds up his hands, wrists right next to each other. Soarynn tilts her head and studies him for a moment, "Actually, put them behind your back," she purrs.

He begrudgingly puts his hands behind his back and bends forward so that Soarynn can tie his hands with his belt. With his own fucking belt. Soarynn gives him a pat on the back once she's done, "There we go, that wasn't so hard was it?"

He hangs his head, "No."

She slides two fingers under his chin and tilts his face up, "What was that?"

Coriolanus wants to be an asshole, be defiant and give her a hard time but for his own safety and sanity, he remains well-behaved. "No," he says louder, "it wasn't that hard."

Soarynn giggles and leans down to press a kiss to his nose, "Exactly, now let's try again, hmm?"

It's embarrassing how eagerly he nods for her to sink back down to her knees but he does. Soarynn settles in front of his cock again and this time, he's prepared to be tortured. Soarynn takes his hardened length into her hand and strokes him up and down a few times before she sticks out her tongue and starts licking his shaft, slowly to tease him.

Coriolanus moans, throwing his head back while he fights to break his hands free but it's no use, she's tied him up very well. She's been taking notes apparently.

When she takes him into her mouth again, his toes are curling and his teeth are grinding. It feels so fucking good. Soarynn bobs her head up and down, still looking him in the eye but this time, he's truly at her mercy. Soarynn stops at the tip and swirls her tongue around like it's a goddamn lollipop and he almost loses his mind.

"Oh fuck," he gasps, sweat forming on his brow, "fuck I'm close."

Soarynn keeps a steady pace, using her other hand to pump his shaft while she focuses on torturing his overly sensitive tip. He can feel himself getting closer and closer and, "Oh fuck Soarynn," he moans, spilling into her throat.

It's strange not to be able to grab her hair or hold her head down. All he can do is sit there and squirm while he cums. He watches Soarynn close her eyes while his cum spurts down her throat, continuing to pump his shaft.

He gasps at how good it feels and leans back in the chair, riding out his prolonged orgasm. When he finally stops, he's out of breath.

"Fuck that was good," he says, closing his eyes.

He's ready for a shower, well, maybe one round of sex, and then a shower.

Soarynn starts bobbing her throat up and down again.

Coriolanus sits right back up, eyes wide with confusion as his wife keeps sucking him off as if he didn't just cum right down her throat. "Soarynn," he gasps, trying to buck her off of him, "what're you doing?" She only moans while continuing to suck him off, going at a much faster pace this time.

"Shit," he grits out, "Soarynn, I...I can't, fuck, Soarynn!"

She looks back up at him and he can see how much she's enjoying this, enjoying how he's completely helpless, depending on her for his next orgasm which he doesn't even think he can handle but that's beside the point.

Like fucking clockwork, another orgasm is approaching and Coriolanus might just die if he reaches it. But Soarynn is clearly trying to kill him. Coriolanus whimpers, digging his fingernails into his palms as he feels himself getting closer again.

Soarynn lets go of his shaft and brings her hand down to his balls and he blacks out.

Coriolanus doesn't know how long he stays unconscious, he only starts to feel his body again when he feels Soarynn's nails gently scratching his scalp. He groans and slowly opens his eyes, blinking from the bright lights. The first thing he sees is Soarynn, smiling at him which is a nice thing to see when you come back from the dead.

She's sitting in his lap and that's when Coriolanus realizes that she's untied his hands. The evil, mischievous little part of him wants to take her right here and now and show her who's really in charge.

But the gentle, and overstimulated part of him simply rests his hands on her waist and leans into her touch. Soarynn chuckles, "Good choice." He furrows his eyebrows and she kisses his cheek, "If you tried to fuck me right now, you wouldn't even be able to stand, let alone use your cock."

Coriolanus blushes, he's never seen her so confident, so sure of herself. It's like they've switched places for one night only. "That was...that was amazing," he finally says, his voice slightly scratchy, "what the fuck was that?"

Soarynn laughs, resting her head on his shoulder with a content hum, "Oh, I don't know," she sighs, kicking her feet as they dangle off the side of the chair, "I just thought you might enjoy something different, something where you don't have to make all the decisions all the time."

He runs his fingers through her long blonde hair, feeling how soft it is, "Part of me wanted to jump you," he admits, remembering how frustrated he had been. "I know," she says sweetly, trailing her other hand up and down his bare chest. "But the other part of me was so...so hypnotized by you," he says, still in awe, "you turned into a new person."

Soarynn laughs, lifting her head so she can look him in the eyes again, "You like control," she tells him pointedly, "always have, always will and I like giving it to you. But it's nice to switch things up every once in a while, don't you think?"

Coriolanus is nodding before he can even stop himself. It is nice.

"Yeah," he says, nosing her jaw, "it's really nice."

Soarynn shifts on his lap and he's once again painfully aware of how sensitive his cock is. He's not hard but he could be very quickly. "Do you wanna fuck me now?" She asks him, batting those eyelashes the way she always does. Coriolanus swallows and looks at her sexy outfit again, "Maybe," he mumbles.

Soarynn giggles and grabs his jaw in her hand, "Do you wanna fuck me from behind? And make me take it over and over again?" She nods his head for him and his cock is starting to twitch again but she's on a roll again, "You wanna fuck me until I'm crying, and fill my cunt up with your cum since I belong to you and only you?"

"Yes," he says before she can say anything else, crashing his lips onto her lips. Soarynn smiles into the kiss and rests her hand on his neck while his hands grip her waist tightly. They move in sync, knowing exactly what to do after being together for over nine years.

"Good," she whispers, slightly pulling away, "because I really didn't want to have to be on top."

Coriolanus laughs, kissing her again but softer this time, taking his time to appreciate his beautiful, sexy, smart wife who gave him a Christmas Eve to remember.

"Only good girls get to be on top," he mumbles against her lips, "and you've been very naughty."

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

| taglist: @strawberriicakes @wonderlandbound111 @villiansarehottest @thevoicesinmyprettylittlehead @kickmybark @melodyoflovee |

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 15th December ✨

I listened to so much audio drama this week and have so many thoughts!! 🫨

🌨️ @thewhitevault (15) First off all, PSA: someone has been leaving negative comments on Spotify instead of hitting pause and moving on with their life like a normal person would. I personally love the split focus between Goshawk and Cairo and really feel like we’re getting closer to finding out what is actually happening to the sites. Sure, it’s a different kind of tension, but if the show followed the same formula every season it wouldn’t be the best in the game, would it? If everyone could show some love to TWV this week, that would be good!!

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (177) damn, I’m sorry but I think Mx Wellman needs to teach action-writing because these scenes are so tense but also fluid and easy to follow! I guess we finally know who the quartet are? I think I had been hoping that it wasn’t going to be the people we knew a little as kids but . . . isn’t that just the way in life that people you knew as children grow up and join a corrupt system of oppression that allows them to perpetrate harm!! Shank remains such an interesting character, of course he’s going to go for the Sheriff’s dpt now, why not! And the actual pig memories made my heart hurt a little. 

🔎 @224bbaker (13) Had a relisten this week for the general release and, my god, there are too many banger lines in this ep to list them all but no context giggles include: “Push that down, James, it’s probably nothing.” & “balancing the egos of the hogs, you get it”. ALSO thank god for the transcript because tell me why I initially re-evaluated McMurphy as a character when I thought I was referring to his ex: “Joe Caster” 😭😂 Oops. I love Madge’s arc so far this season - so interesting to have a female lead who has some growing to do in the equality department. And a great gentle reminder for us all to stop appeasing the people holding us down xo 

🦋 @remnantspod (19) Another fantastic ep! That heart sinking feeling moments into meeting the teacher! Damn, that’s good writing!! Also, if we’re weighing in on whether someone should be judged on their own terms if they make those terms clear and exacting - I don’t think it is actually possible to judge someone without your own bias affecting your judgement. Now, the current almost-clean-slate of the Apprentice makes this interesting but immediately Sir asks him to compare Adelaide to Sid. Can one judge without comparison?? I don’t think so? Maybe the poor Apprentice was just relieved to have someone finally give some guidance on how to measure a soul. I also found it veryyyy interesting that the Apprentice chose to discard this remnant. It did come across a little bit churlish to me, as though he chose to do that to piss Sir off. But it did remind me of his reaction to Jonny in ep 2. Clearly murder is a touchy subject. . . 

🎙️WTNV (258 & 259) Listening to Night Vale is always such an easy little treat for me. Sounds like Steve is about to bite off a bit more than he can chew with a car company that’s literally called detour. 

🧋 @hinaypod (25&26) Ooough spooky dolls are spooky! My heart just about tied itself in knots hearing Donner and Mari reconnect and him realise she already had a Halloween Date. Then it froze hearing Mari sob 😭 she’s MY goodly witch and you need to stop making her cry!!! 

🗺 @tales-from-the-low-city (13) Absolutely gripping!! It might just be me, but I feel like this season is much darker in tone compared to last and this tale about a Fallen assassin fits right in. I adored the music, it added so much to the tension of the writing without being distracting. Loved it. 

🍾 @ameliapodcast (38) I love the fantastical eps as much as the plausible ones!! Truth serum, eh? I can’t wait to find out how this goes wrong 😂

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (Q+A part 1) so lovely to hear Hero AND Matt answering the questions. The chat about working to deadlines and making peace with producing lots of work that is good but, most-importantly, finished is …. Really something to think about… I also definitely noticed when Óli disappeared from the polls 😂 it was fun to make the choices more mysterious!! 

Have a good week, everyone!!

[nxzz-skz]

bound by contract (a bangchan x reader series)

Chapter 2

ᯓ★arranged marriage between nonidol!bangchan and fem!reader

ᯓ★ warnings: little bit of angst

ᯓ★ note: send an ask or comment to be added to my taglist!

๋࣭⭑────୨ৎ────⭑๋࣭

The first week of marriage was like walking on glass - painful, slow and every step precise and calculated. Mornings were silent. You both ate breakfast in the same room, but not together. The house was too quiet, to big, and every day you wondered how long you could last like this.

Wonyoung called you everyday. Her voice was a lifeline.

"Did he speak today?" she asked, chewing something on the other end of the call.

"Nope. Still the same as yesterday," you replied, your eyes fixed on the large window overlooking the garden. "He's either at work or in his office. It's like I don't even exist"

"Sound like you're having the time of your life," she said sarcastically. "I told you to poison his coffee."

"Noted," you laugh softly, the first real laugh you'd had all week. "If i go to jail, you're bailing me out."

"Duh. Obviously."

When the call ended, much to your disappointment, you wandered through the house, fingers skimming over the polished wood banisters and the cool marble countertops. It was all so beautiful. Beautiful but hollow. Just like your marriage.

A knock at the door interrupted your thoughts.

You frowned. Visitors were rare. You opened the door to reveal Felix, grinning like he'd won the lottery.

"Surprise!" he said, holding up a bag of takeout like a trophy.

You blinked, still holding the door half-closed. "What are you doing here?"

"Chan told me you were home alone," he shrugged, pushing the door fully open and walking past you without waiting for permission. He placed the takeout on the kitchen counter and started unpacking boxes of fried chicken, rice cakes, and soda. "Figured you'd eventually get sick of eating rich people food."

He wasn't wrong.

You stared at him for a moment, unsure of whether to feel annoyed or grateful. "You're...a weird one," you muttered, finally closing the door and walking over.

"People tell me that all the time." He cracked open a soda and slid it towards you. "Come on, sit and eat. I promise I don't bite."

It was strange how easy it was to talk to Felix. He didn't treat you like an outsider. Not how your husband did. He told you stories about Chan in college - how he was the guy who made sure his friends were okay, the one who stayed behind to clean up after a party.

"He doesn't seem like that now," you admitted, picking at your rice cake with your chopsticks.

"Yeah, well," Felix leaned back, eyes drifting towards the window. "Pressure changes people."

๋࣭⭑────୨ৎ────⭑๋࣭

The house was never as quite anymore. Felix started visiting regularly. Sometimes, he's show up just to nap on the couch all day, calling it his 'second home'. You didn't mind. His presence kept the loneliness at bay, and sometimes you wouldn't even notice he was there.

But Chan noticed.

One evening, he came home quite a bit earlier than usual. His tie was still neatly in place, but his eyes were colder than usual. He found Felix sprawled on the couch, in front of the TV, eating chips like he owned the place.

"Comfortable?" Chan asked, his tone icy.

"Absolutely," Felix replied, grinning through a mouthful of chips. "This couch was definitely worth the thousands of dollars you spent on it."

Chan's jaw tightened, his eyes darting towards you, who was sitting on an armchair nearby, before looking back at Felix. "Don't you have somewhere else to be, Felix?"

"No, not really." Felix didn't flinch, his smile only getting wider.

"Out." Chan's voice was low but firm.

"Alright, alright." Felix stood up and grabbed his bag, but shot you a playful wink before he left. "Call me if you get bored, Y/N."

When the door shut, Chan turned to you, his expression unreadable. "Are you seriously letting him be here all the time?"

You crossed your arms over your chest. "He's my only friend here. And he's one of yours too. What's the problem?"

"Don't be naive," he muttered, tossing his keys onto the table.

"Naive?" Your tone sharpened. "What the hell am i being naive about?"

He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "You think people are just 'nice' for no reason? Everyone has ulterior motives."

Your eyes narrowed, shocked that he views one of his friends like that. "Is that how you see me too?"

Silence.

He didn't answer, and that's what hurt more than any insult.

"Got it," you said, your voice colder than intended. "Thanks for clearing that up, husband."

๋࣭⭑────୨ৎ────⭑๋࣭

The next day, you get a call from Wonyoung, her voice frantic.

"Y/N, I think someone's following me," she whisper-shouted.

"What? Where are you?"

"I'm at our coffee shop," she said. "There's a man in a black suit. He's been watching me for the past twenty minutes."

Black suit? Your heart started racing. "Stay where you are. I'm coming."

Before you could grab your shoes and coat, a knock came from the front door. You opened it to see Minho standing there, his smile too sharp to be friendly.

"Good evening, sister-in-law," he said smoothly, his eyes sharp as knives. "We need to talk."

Every instinct inside you told you to slam the door on his face. But he stepped inside before you had the chance.

๋࣭⭑────୨ৎ────⭑๋࣭

chapter 1 - masterlist - chapter 3

ᯓ★ Reblogs appreciated!

ᯓ★ taglist:

ᯓ★ perm taglist: @cafffeineconnoisseur

[tarithenurse]

Handle with care - 5

Fandom: MCU. Pairing/starring: Bucky x fem!reader. Word count: 1014. Content: Date night! Yearning! Fluff! A/N: Let me know what you think and please reblog – it’s fuel for more! There’s a taglist too so send an ASK if you want on it.

5.

- Reader’s PoV -

Had it been summer, then you’d have worn a cute, flowy dress and wedge sandals. Not it’s winter and you have to keep a practical mindset to your outfit because December in New York is cold.

December.

Soon you’ll have worked a month at the Tower. The city has already moved on from the election and everywhere are Christmas decorations and carollers. There’s no snow yet, but that’s just a matter of time, really. For that reason you’ve chosen a warm, figure-hugging sweater-dress and tall boots.

You’re just reconsidering changing into something else when there’s a knock on the door and the nerves flare up as you answer.

He looks good. Hair tied up, leather jacket and dark jeans. His usual crooked smile that melts your heart.

“Ready to go, doll?” he asks when you breathlessly pull away from his kiss.

“Just need a coat.”

Moments later you’re down on the street and Bucky’s explaining that he’s taking you to an Italian not too long a walk away. Apparently it should be amazing, according to Natasha and Tony.

Conversation flows easily as you walk. He’s offered you his arm, keeping you close to him and seemingly trying to shield you from the wind that comes haunting from the side streets.

In contrast to the bitter cold, the restaurant looks warm and inviting when you reach it.

- Bucky’s PoV -

He makes sure to pull out the chair for her, making her giggle softly as she thanks him. Perhaps it’s not a thing that’s done any longer? He doesn’t care: treating her like a princes tonight is his goal.

“I didn’t say this before but you look beautiful tonight,” he mentions after they’ve clinked glasses. Then he realizes how it sounds. “I mean- you always do it’s just...” Oh man how can he save that?

But she grins at him. “Thank you.”

All his worries melts away. She understands him. Always does. Grinning back, he lifts the glass once more. Tonight will be perfect.

---

“Want to come in?” she asks sweetly, looking up at him with big eyes from the threshold of her apartment.

“It’s tempting,” he admits, leaning down to steal one more kiss, “but I better be a gentleman and not impose.”

She cocks her head at that, pretty brows wrinkling a bit. “Or you could be a gentleman and not decline an invitation?”

“Point taken.”

Stepping in, it feels a bit like home already because everything oozes of her: the scent, the decor. But he has little time to consider all that because she pins him against the door (admittedly, he doesn’t put up a fight) and kisses him. Greedily taking what he can get, he grabs her by the waist to pull her closer and the flushness of their bodies makes her hum softly into the kiss.

Something takes over inside of Bucky, something quite ungentlemanly. With a low growl, he spins them around, then he lets his hands slide down so he can lift her up, fingers digging into her rear’s soft flesh. She squeaks in surprise, giggling at the same time, but it’s enough to shake him back to logical thinking.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, setting her down carefully again.

“Wha-? Why?”

“Don’t want to take advantage of you, doll.”

She swats him on the arm (thankfully his right arm). “In that case I should be the one to apologize. But you’re not taking advantage of me. I want this. I want you,” she insists. But then she nods, smiling a bit sadly. “It’s okay if you want to take it slow.”

“Thank you.”

He kisses her one last time before leaving, heading back to the solitude of his flat in the Tower.

- Reader’s PoV -

You’re lying awake, the buzz from the whine long gone together with Bucky’s heat. You can’t be annoyed with him – just with yourself for wanting to rush things. Of course he’d need time to adjust. Turning, you check your phone and see there’s a message.

*Thanks for a wonderful evening, doll. B.*

Smiling into the darkness, you quickly thank him back before settling down only to be distracted by the click of a new message.

*Why are you still awake?*

You smile. *Thinking of you and tonight. Makes me happy.*

*Me too, doll. See you tomorrow?*

*I’d like that. Now get some sleep.*

---

The next morning you wake up to the snow slowly falling from a leaden sky. Kids are already trying to build snowmen down in the park – small, crooked constructions that are bound to collapse soon.

Making your morning coffee, you sit in the window and watch the layer thicken, covering the city in a bright blanket that reflects the many lights.

Then you get a text: *Snowy walk?*

And your world lights up even more.

---

It’s almost Christmas and the Tower is a kaleidoscope of decorations for every possible holiday celebrated around the world at this moment.

You’ve helped arranging for the Avengers to record season greetings and even Bucky has managed to look cheerful in front of a camera. Now you’re going through them, ensuring that the last details have been fixed so you can send them off to some of the news networks for airing as a reminder to everyone that the heroes are still there, watching over the world so Santa or whoever can do their work in safety.

“Oh, [Y/N],” Tony gets your attention from the door where he’s poking his head in, “you staying with us for Christmas or are you going home?”

You gape at him. Really, you had anticipated staying alone because you don’t really have anyone to go home to but the idea that you could celebrate the day here with them?

“Uh...I...”

“Well, if you do stay here, do you mind baking some more of those cookies? They’ve evaporated.”

You have a sneaking suspicion where they’ve evaporated to but you just nod and smile. “I’ll bring a big batch.”

“Perfect.”

And with that your boss is gone...cradling the last of the cookies.

[bwat5-blog]

Jinx: The Best Version

**Spoilers For Arcane**

In the vein of my earlier post about Caitlyn and Violet's reunion, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate this moment for Jinx. Because at the end of the day, my belief that this character deserved for us to see more of how this went down, doesn't take away from the absolutely epic impact of what we were given.

Jinx is a complex character to say the least, and while all of the main characters are fighting their own inner battles throughout this story, her pain is uniquely hard to watch. We meet this kind and curious little girl, and watch as her mind is torn apart by the world around her as Powder sinks below the waves, and only Jinx is left.

But it's her journey to find out who Jinx truly is, that makes her such a special character. We see her torn between being the shattered ghost of Powder and Silco's terrorist daughter, until she has been stretched so thin she pleads with her own sister to take her life. She is only able to begin her path toward healing, when a certain slightly feral street urchin enters her life.

Her time with Isha starts her down the road to finding who she really is. As Vi comes to see the good in her, and she is able to separate herself from the monster Silco turned her into, although it is through unimaginable loss and pain, that darkness is finally scoured from her. So in the 11th hour, when someone she believed had given up her comes to save her life, she is ready to listen.

**It had to be Ekko. I love Vi, she is my favorite character, but Jinx had to be saved by someone who wouldn't put their love for her before the truth. She knew Vi was going to be in her corner, no matter what. So in a moment where she sees nothing left in her worth loving, someone like Vi who she knows won't give up on her regardless wasn't the person to get through to her**

Vi and her forces are being overrun by the shimmer hulks (no idea what they are called just my best guess), Caitlyn is stabbed, standing alongside Mel against Ambessa herself, and "chaotic humming in distance" as the show so expertly subtitles it draws their attention.

The Queen of Zaun leads her people to war:

Arriving on her base WHICH WAS APPARENTLY AN AIR BALLOON Jinx arrives in a blast of music and colorful explosions, leading the firelights and her people to war. We see her bright colors, hear her loud music, she even treats us to one of her signature smirks while a glitchy grin ghosts over the screen, but this feels entire different. This is not the keening tension of an unstable mind. For perhaps the first time, it feels like the trappings of "Jinx" are hers to command, not ropes around her neck. Bearing the symbols of those she loves and has lost, she opens fire saving the topsiders who have hated her, and saving her beloved sister. All while Ekko and his warriors descend from on high, and the people of the undercity who refused to fight for Jayce, have rallied behind one of their own.

Finally, we see her not only reunited with VI, but at peace with one another as they are now, even in the midst of this terrible battle. And in what could be her last moment among the living she stands for her beloved sister who had always stood for her, making sure the last person close to her lives.

"There's no good version of me"...

"Everyone who gets close to me dies"...

At the end of her story for this show, the young girl who tortured herself for the deaths of her family carried them with her into battle, leading her people wo once feared her, and saved the life the person who would never give up on her. And it is this version of her, the best version, that I believe sails off into blue, ready to write her new story.

[minkieater]

FOUR ➺ the show masterlist after your fight with jeongin, you're left with unresolved feelings, clear frustration, and an option that comes with opportunity you can't say no to. a conversation with your two best friends does help make you feel a bit better, though.

if anyone wants luck closure, i have a present for u!

cheating, drinking, college kids doing college kid shit wc. 8k

“i have something to tell you guys,” yunho averted eye contact, deciding to peel at the label of his beer bottle rather than look up to you and wooyoung. thursday night at prince, a week after your argument with jeongin, you needed your two best friends. before you went over to his place to talk over your argument again, you needed the two that were solely yours – not connected to any of the others, unbiased, the two people you don’t have to worry about anything with. 

“do not tell me ivy’s pregnant,” wooyoung gasped, eyes wide, “wait, if she is, am i congratulating you or are we scared right now?”

“i think we’re congratulating, they’ve been together long enough,” you said to wooyoung who smiled, nodding in return.

“and yun’s a senior, that’s old enough to have a kid i think,” wooyoung used his index finger to point out his statement, his eyebrows raised.

“what do you mean? imagine having a kid next year,” your eyebrows furrowed, hands moving as the words left your lips, wanting to take back your statement as soon as the words left wooyoung’s mouth.

“not me, that’s all you. you’re the one who said they’ve been together long enough,” wooyoung pointed out, easily falling into a bickering match. 

yunho let go of his beer bottle, running his hands over his face before he interrupted. “ivy and i aren’t together anymore.”

“what?” you and wooyoung nearly shouted at the same time, both of your attention moving back to yunho, leaning forward across the wooden table in shock. 

“what the hell do you mean ‘not together anymore’?”

“you guys have been together longer than me and jeongin, yun. no fucking way!”

yunho sighs, dropping his hands from his face. you take a moment to look at him, really study him. he had a slight red hue to his usual clear, chocolate eyes, bags hanging dark underneath them. at first you thought it was exhaustion, figuring he probably stayed up too late reading, but this is not the kind of physical reaction from a night of reading meet me in the bathroom: rebirth and rock and roll in new york city. these were features of pain, nights spent stressed, whatever happened was clearly taking a toll on him. 

“yun, what happened?” you changed the tone of your voice, evading your shock, deciding he needs to be soothed more than anything. your heart ripped from your chest. 

“if i tell you guys the truth, i need to know you’re not going to judge me and you’re still going to be my friends. i’ve been so torn up about telling you but i have to now,” his eyes looked glassy, his voice sounding strained. you and wooyoung both nodded profusely, still leaned over the table, both focused only on yunho. 

he closed his eyes before he spoke, keeping his voice hushed, speaking way too fast, “i cheated on her. i’ve been cheating on her for a long time.”

your heart lurched, a pit in your stomach. you immediately thought of the night at the club, yunho standing inches away from the bartender. you couldn’t believe it. yunho and ivy were made for each other, she was perfect for him, the sweetest little thing you’d ever met. every time you spoke to her she was nice, you never saw her without a smile on her face, she treated yunho like he was the only person that mattered – how could he do something like that? you sat straight up, a frown on your face, bile rising up in your throat as the realization hit you that you weren’t any better.

“that night we went to the club, there was a bottle girl, i– um,” he ran a hand through his hair, “i’d slept with her awhile before that night, but i saw her again– i needed to see her again. i’m seeing her now,” he rambled, speaking far too quickly for either you or wooyoung to get a word in. “i broke things off with ivy a week ago.”

“yunho,” wooyoung said in a low tone, his eyes locked in on a disappointed stare pointed at his best friend, looking over yunho’s face searching for dishonesty, begging there to be some sick joke behind his confession. there wasn’t any. 

“okay,” you decided, letting a breath out through your lips, “it’s okay.”

“it’s okay?!” wooyoung’s eyes were wide as he stared between you and yunho, disbelief coating his features, “nothing about this is okay.”

“we agreed not to judge,” you didn’t look at wooyoung, only nodding in yunho’s direction, “i’m your friend, even if i don’t support your choices i’m not going to grill you about them. it’s your life.”

“what the fuck,” wooyoung says through a sigh, tipping his head back, looking up to the ceiling for a moment before he spoke again, “i’m your friend, yes, but i can’t sit here and pretend like that isn’t wrong. i love ivy, you guys were really good together, i can’t wrap my head around why you’d do something like that, yun.”

yunho shrugs, “i’ve been doing it for a long time, i don’t know. kinda thrilling as fucked up as it sounds, as it is, i guess, i don’t know.”

a laugh slipped out of your mouth, one you quickly covered up with your hand, eyes going wide. “it’s not funny, i’m sorry.”

“you should not be laughing, ki, what if you were ivy? and jeongin did that to you?” wooyoung slaps your arm, a light smack but it’s purpose was clear. 

your lips pursed, that’s something you did not want to think about. your guilt sat in your stomach again, begging you to tell them, to make yunho feel better about what he did because you did it, too. 

“valid point,” was all you said with a nod, “i don’t think jeongin has it in him to do that, though.”

“i didn’t think you had it in you to do it, either, motherfucker,” wooyoung cursed, lifting his beer bottle to his lips and taking a sip before he kept going, “god, yunho. what the fuck? how did she take it? is she okay?”

“i don’t really know, she moved out and is staying with her parents in staten island,” yunho says, playing with the label of his beer bottle again, “she called me a couple times crying, didn’t say much other than ‘fuck you’.”

wooyoung groaned, “and what about this bottle girl? who is she?”

yunho immediately smiled, “her name’s aera, she works at the club to put herself through med school, she goes to icahn. ridiculously smart, really funny. ki, you guys would get along really well.”

“does she know you cheated on your girlfriend of almost four years to be with her?” wooyoung immediately cuts in, not giving you time to respond. you just smiled and nodded to yunho. 

“yes and no, i told her i was seeing someone so i had to break things off with ivy before i could date her,” yunho took a sip from his beer, his limbs relaxing, the tension leaving his shoulders with each confession. 

“you’re dating already?!” you asked, shock now slipping out, “it’s been days!”

“to be fair it has been two months since i slept with her,” yunho pointed out, lips straightening to a thin line, eyebrows raised, an amusing look. wooyoung seemed to be taking this far more seriously than the two of you were.

“nothing about that is fair, yunho,” wooyoung countered after a sigh, “i want to meet her.”

“i don’t know if i want you to meet her,” yunho admits, “this is not how i expected this conversation to go.”

“can i meet her?” you ask, a hopeful look on your face.

“yeah, you can meet her keeks, you guys would get along.”

“hello?!” wooyoung near shouts, “ki can meet her but i can’t?”

you laugh, an approving chuckle that you hope helps yunho feel better. it almost makes you feel better, knowing that you weren’t the only person to go through this, to do this. it takes the shadow of guilt off of your shoulder, makes you feel a little more at ease, like you and yunho share more than you realize. it makes you feel closer to him without him even knowing, even if what he did is still worse than what you did; although you felt bad letting yunho take the heat from wooyoung as you sat there feigning innocence, it made the guilt come back just as quick as it left. 

“ki isn’t the one patronizing me,” yunho argues, a hand jutting out from his lap to refer to you, and wooyoung laughs in disbelief. 

“you should be patronized! you cheated on your girlfriend of 4 years and have apparently been doing it for a long time,” wooyoung is whisper-shouting, leaning as close as he can over the table without jumping out of his chair. 

you take a breath and swallow, deciding it’s now or never to admit it to your friends, “i did it too.”

a weight is lifted off your chest, immediately you feel ten pounds lighter even when both of the boys’ necks snap to stare at you in disbelief, wooyoung’s eyes nearly jumping out of his head.

“...what?” wooyoung’s voice is barely above a whisper, smaller than you’d ever heard it.

“i kissed mingi two months ago.” you said it quickly, your own voice unsteady as if your body was fighting the confession, begging you to keep it inside even if it also yearned to get the words out.

yunho’s head tips back in laughter, clutching his stomach as wooyoung stands and takes a lap around your table. wooyoung’s hands are on his hips, then they’re on his head, clearly in a fight with himself over what the hell to do. 

“i didn’t realize two of my closest friends were pieces of shit,” wooyoung says, and he meant it, even if his for the two of you outweighed what he’d just found out. “have you told jeongin?”

“fuck no,” you shake your head, eyes wide as if wooyoung was insane for even asking that question. “it was a one time thing, he was helping me in the studio and we started talking and i ended up on his lap. it’s not a big deal and it won’t happen again, just a heat of the moment kind of thing.”

“are you telling yourself that or us?” yunho asks, a smirk growing on his face. 

“okay, king cheater, i don’t need to hear that from you,” you huff, crossing your arms. 

“you guys are going to hell,” wooyoung whispers, sitting back in his stool. “cannot believe i’m friends with you. is there no one loyal left in the world?”

“you,” you shrug.

“jeongin,” yunho also shrugs. 

“yunho!” you scold, fighting a laugh that threatened to slip out, hand slapping over your mouth again.

“this is not funny!” wooyoung throws his arms up before sighing, “you know what, i’m not even going to say anything anymore. you’re lucky i’m so fucking loyal or else i’d be exposing the fuck out of you both.”

“thank you,” you and yunho say in unison as if you’d rehearsed it, which only makes the two of you laugh again. 

“god, what am i gonna do at friendsgiving?” wooyoung asks, raising a hand to his forehead, “first i have to keep quiet about riley and san, now i have to look jeongin in the eye and pretend i don’t know anything?”

“what do you mean keep quiet about riley and san?” you ask, lifting an eyebrow. wooyoung’s eyes shoot wide, a hand slapping over his mouth, shaking his head.

“no sir, what do you mean? tell me,” you fully turned to him, cocking your head to the side, “you can’t say that then choose to shut your mouth.”

“riley texted san the night of the club–”

your phone vibrated on the wooden table before you, loud against the smooth surface. you quickly picked it up, hongjoong’s name appearing on the screen. you muttered out a fuck before pressing the answer button. 

“hey joong!” you said, holding the phone up to your ear and pressing your free palm over the other ear. you hopped up from your stool and made your way through the crowd of prince, slipping through the front door to step outside where it was quieter. 

“hey ki, sorry for calling so late i was just reading through my emails and i realized you sent me a demo,” his voice sounded like velvet through the phone, it made you shiver. 

“yeah! did you listen to it?” you asked, picking up a piece of your hair, twirling it around your finger.

“a few times, i really liked it, i was wondering if you could send over the form with it? i want their information, i’m definitely interested,” your eyebrows perked up at that, standing a little straighter. 

“i can absolutely do that, i’ll do it now,” you nodded, even if he couldn’t see it. 

“cool, head over to my studio when you get in tomorrow, i’ll let yunjin know i’m borrowing you for a bit,” he said and you almost squealed from excitement, nodding again, but this time without a verbal answer. 

you realized you didn’t say anything after a pause, “oh, yeah i will absolutely do that, thank you!” you smiled, pride settling in, knowing you did something right even if the idea came from mingi’s mind. 

“actually, wait, what are you doing?” his voice is inquisitive, as if the idea just came to him, you could see the lift of his eyebrow in your head as if he was standing before you. 

“i’m at prince with two of my friends,” you looked behind you at the glass door as if you could see yunho and wooyoung who sat deep inside the building. 

“me and mingi are going to a show at baby’s all right in brooklyn if you want to come, i think jag is meeting us there, maybe yunjin too. there’s a band i want to check out,” he says, and your eyes widen. finally, a show for you to check out and use your new analyzing eyes, not going to a show just for the fun of it. 

“i’ll absolutely come, yes, for sure,” you nod as you spoke again, something you can’t seem to stop doing, “thanks for inviting me.”

he lets you know when to meet and you hang up, tilting your head back to stare up at the city’s night sky, letting a breath pass through your lips as you closed your eyes for a moment. you smiled at the void, letting the adrenaline run through your veins, feeling your heart rate pick up as reality sets in. you’re about to go see a show in brooklyn. you turn around and rip open the glass door to prince, passing through bodies crowded at the bar as you zipped through the space, eager to find your table. you immediately spill the details of your phone call as soon as you have eyes on your two friends, heart thumping in your throat as you spoke at a speed you’d never reached before. 

“ki,” wooyoung’s eyes are wide, his lips in a tight line, “aren’t you supposed to go over jeongin’s later to talk?”

your blood runs cold, the smile immediately dropping from your face, excitement fully depleted in mere seconds. you slowly sat on your stool again, immediately burying your head in your hands, you couldn’t help that it felt like a sign. “he’s absolutely going to break up with me.”

“he might’ve already been doing that anyway,” wooyoung says from beside you and you could see his shrug without even looking at him, it made you groan.

“but on the bright side, if he does, mingi will be there tonight,” yunho steps in, wearing a warm smile on his face when you pick your head up. “i mean, even if he doesn’t, mingi’s still there.”

“don’t encourage her yunho!”

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“i’m sorry. it’s for the label, they’re finally letting me go see a show,” somewhat a lie, but one that could possibly get you out of the situation you’re in, that was if he cared at all about your career in any capacity. 

“you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” you can hear him laugh through the speaker as you pull a stocking up your thigh, securing the elastic band around your skin. “you’re canceling a chance to talk this out, to talk about us. and for what – to go to a bar? a show?”

“jeongin, please try to understand. i’ve been trying to go see a show since i started, this just fell in my lap an hour ago,” you lean against the back of your desk chair with a sigh, head tipping back. your phone sat on your desk amongst the makeup products cluttering the area.

“real funny timing,” he paused, “whatever, ki. i’ll see you saturday.”

“jeongin i’m sor–” 

he hung up on you, deserved, you admit. you know what your priorities should be right now, jeongin should be at the top of the list, he is at the top of the list. right after how much you needed to go see a show, to prove to everyone you’re seeing tonight that you can do this, to prove to yourself that you came all the way here for a purpose, that you’re moving forward. 

you faced the mirror, quickly deciding not to call him back. you’d give yourself tonight, call him in the morning, beg him to see you after work, you’ll even leave early if you can manage it. he’ll forgive you, he has to, you have friendsgiving on saturday, after all, he wouldn’t drag out your argument and act like this in front of all your friends. 

you push your worries to the back of your head and reach for your lipliner, a mahogany color, and reapply it to your lips. you listen to the music playing through your speakers, an rnb song with elements of trap beat filling the air of your room. you put your focus into that, to the beat, to the track behind the words. a moody song, tight drum programming, spacious synth work, ethereal vocal processing. the vocals guide the track without them being overbearing, it was beautiful work, another song that made you wish you produced it – that you created it. you hummed along as you unscrewed your tube of lip gloss, applying it to your lips quickly, smacking your lips together once it was perfectly applied.

the ride to baby’s all right would take about thirty minutes on the subway – you checked the time as you slipped on your heels. you needed to leave now to make it to the station on time yet instead you sped to the kitchen, quickly pouring a shot to take the edge off of your nerves.

“where are you going, dressed like the hottest woman i’ve ever seen?” riley peeks her head around the wall of the kitchen, another head above hers beside the wall that split your kitchen from the living room. your jaw dropped as you gaped at the man above her, quickly reminded that wooyoung never explained earlier. 

“what the fuck?” is all you could say, bottle of vodka in your left hand and shot glass in your right, gaping at the two of them now. 

riley immediately looked above her and her eyes widened, she turned around and yelled at him, “san, i told you to stay over there!”

“she was going to see me either way,” he shrugged, moving around riley and fully coming into view, a small smirk spread across his lips accompanied by a pair of dimples. 

your eyebrows furrowed, still holding two things that were glass, they could not be dropped – you didn’t have time to sweep. “what are you doing here? what are you doing?”

your second question was to riley, eyes thinning as you stared her down, you could not believe the scene before you. maybe you should be more surprised, shouting in dismay, but a part of you immediately understood. agreed even, especially as san’s dimples made serious eye contact with you.

“actually, i don’t have time to listen to more adultery today. i’m going to see a show with some people from the label,” you set down the bottle and take the shot quickly, hissing at the burn as you pour another for good luck. 

“adultery?” one of san’s eyebrows shot up, looking beside himself to riley who completely ignored him.

“i thought you were gonna talk to jeongin tonight?” riley asked, leaning into san now, her head resting on his bicep. she knew that you wouldn’t share what you were seeing with anyone, not even as you glanced between the two of them with disbelief before shaking your head, taking the other shot back. 

“work called,” you screwed the lid back on the vodka bottle and put it back next to the refrigerator, turning to grab your phone and purse. the song that played from your room changed to a trap song, playing through the speakers of the living room, the kitchen. you nodded your head to the beat as you walked toward the door, trying to shake the blatant discomfort off with the last remaining seconds of hearing the song before you left.

“ki,” riley calls after you, disappointment clear in her voice as you face the front door. you told her about your argument, you told everyone close to you, you’re sure jeongin did the same – his version. frustration taps you on the shoulder and you crane your head to greet it, jaw locked.

“you have no room to talk about anything relationship related anymore,” you snapped over your shoulder, making sure you made eye contact with her before stepping outside of your apartment door and into the stairwell. you knew that you were taking it out on the wrong person, riley was just thinking of your best interest, jeongin’s best interest. it pissed you off, you knew you should be on your way to jeongin’s instead of the bar, that you should be talking things out with your boyfriend, you told yourself all of that already. even if guilt and disgust for yourself sat in the base of your spine, you needed to do what was right for yourself and your future. 

hopefully the right decision was in the middle of brooklyn, you hoped deep in your gut that tonight would have a positive outcome, that you skipped out on your talk with jeongin for good reason. you let your mind drift to riley and san – why the hell was he in your apartment? for the last two months riley had only talked about chan chan chan, never once has she brought up san or if she even missed him. you never brought up mingi with her either, never told her the truth, even if riley did know there was something between the two of you before you did. even after seeing san with her, you knew you couldn’t risk it – she’s known jeongin longer than you, who knows who she’d side with if you told her the truth? riley has been your other half since your first day at NYU, you’d gotten so close with your friend group… how could you risk losing all of them?

your skin was hot the entire ride to brooklyn, leg bouncing underneath your short skirt, sweat threatening to drip down your spine. as you made your way to the bar thanks to your phone’s maps app, you took in your surroundings, the stress about your outfit slipping back into the front of your mind as the city’s night air cooled you down. you hoped you dressed appropriately as you walked along broadway, trying to take notice of everyone’s outfits. you remembered very shortly after your first glance at a group of people your age that there was no such thing as appropriate in the city. 

everyone in new york dresses so uniquely, the fashion scene was effortlessly linked to originality. it’s been your biggest inspiration for every article of clothing you’d bought in your years of living here. you’d never been one for fashion, back in missouri the fashion scene was completely different. department stores were always stocked on the basics: denim, cotton tees, tank tops, leggings, hoodies… there wasn’t much experimenting going on in the midwest, nor were there many stores to choose from. in the city it seemed everyone experimented, from wearing loud prints to different pieces you’d never expect to go together, funky shoes and accessories you’d only see in a thrift shop back home that every one of your friends would make fun of. 

you loved the individuality of the city, how everyone expressed themselves only for themselves, not a care about how they were perceived. that’s been your biggest hump to get over so far – understanding how small you really were in a city this big. you found your confidence in clothes before you built it up yourself, blossoming into what it is now. 

you found a tall head of oreo hair in line, next to a white shack looking building that lived under a massive, green ALL RIGHT sign. you turned the maps off on your phone and took a breath, mentally giving yourself a prep talk as you wiggled your way through the line. they were quick to find with mingi’s height, he stood with hongjoong and jag, all who had their arms crossed, already in conversation. 

“you made it!” jag smiles at you first as you finally make your way through the last few people. he stood with his hair pulled back into a bun and a cigarette between his lips, his weight on one leg with the other bent outward. baggy jeans and a dark hoodie, a pair of sunglasses on his head, he was the epitome of chill, relaxed. you would think he was going to a laid back hangout with friends before a busy bar in the middle of brooklyn.

“is yunjin here?” is the first thing you ask, looking around the three men, hoping you wouldn’t be the only woman among your group. 

“boo,” hongjoong complains as he shamelessly gives you a one over, “not even a hello?”

you rolled your eyes, “hi joong, hi jag, hi mingi,” you glanced at each man in greeting before you directed your gaze back to hongjoong, “is yunjin here?” 

he showed off his perfectly straight, white teeth in a smile as he said, “she’s coming, i think, i don’t really know.” 

you pout, “i hope she comes, i wanna hangout with her outside of the label.” 

“god, how long have we been standing here?” he scoffed, looking ahead of the line, shagged haircut hugging the sides of his neck as he turned his head. in all black, an oversized tee tucked into jeans so massively shredded you wondered if they could even be considered pants anymore, he kept his rockstar persona alive. his shagged haircut hugged his neck, so long some pieces covered the piercings along his ears, he looked delectable. he stood with his arms crossed, hands tucked into his armpits, it was clear he didn’t like to wait for anything.

the four of you move up in line as if on cue and jag turns to you as you step ahead instead of answering hongjoong, “she’s fun, real piece of work. have to watch how much she drinks, though.” 

your eyebrows furrow before hongjoong laughs beside you, “remember when she came into work after going to check out that singer? the one we didn’t sign, where were we, tribeca?” 

jag laughs too, a husky sound, deep but still inviting, “man, she looked like she just came off a four day bender, never seen her look like that in my life.” 

hongjoong shook his head, still smiling as he said, “rookie mistake.” 

you had a smile on your face as you listened, not knowing what they were talking about but knowing you were still present for the conversation. you let your mind drift for a moment, picturing yourself here again in the future, in this exact position but instead an actual employee of republic records with your producer coworkers, spending a thursday night across the city to check out a possible artist to sign. excitement shot through you, outweighing everything you felt before you came. you made the right decision. 

you looked up to mingi who’s been quiet this whole time, he caught your eye quickly with a tight lipped smile. he spoke first, beating you to the punch, “you look really good, ki.” 

you fought the heat that spread across your chest, not inconspicuous in the slightest when your eyes dragged over mingi’s height. he’s gorgeous, that you already knew, but when he was in all black, every article of clothing clinging to him a little too well… you had to push your thoughts to the back of your head. you were here to work.

“so do you,” you replied with a nod, letting the exchange die there. a compliment for a compliment, that’s all it was. 

you moved through the rest of the line before you finally got inside, hongjoong making a beeline for the bar. you followed behind, your heels clicking against the floor, loud for the rock music that played through the speakers. the band wasn’t on yet, the music that played through was familiar, you knew this song. 

hongjoong ordered a round of shots before asking what you wanted to drink, you settled on a tequila cocktail, deciding to go with something safe. you told yourself you could only have two so you weren’t completely hammered, you still had a job to do.

“how are you doing in A&R?” hongjoong asks after you all took your shots, handing you your cocktail. he looked you up and down shamelessly once again, letting his eyes linger on your legs, tattoos blanketed by your stockings.

“good! listening to a lot of demos,” you nod with a smile, then sip your drink through the straw. you remind yourself to stand straight, keep your shoulders back — even though hongjoong knows you from before the label, he’s seen you at the rooftop, at prince, he’s never seen you so put together, especially not in a setting like this. you want to impress him, to make him think of you whenever he goes to check out an artist so you could be the person from the A&R department he calls. 

“how’s the husband?” he asks and you could hear the smile in his voice before you snapped your head up to look at him, eyes wide, that was the last question you’d expect him to ask.

“husband?!” jag nearly yells, immediately grabbing your left hand to inspect your fingers, looking for a ring.

“he’s not my husband,” you say quickly, snatching your hand back from jag’s grip, the action much too hasty for hongjoong not to of taken notice.

hongjoong shoots you an eyebrow, “that doesn’t sound good.”

“it’s fine! we’re fine, he’s great,” you laugh nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear with the hand you stole back from jag. your eyes glance to mingi who’s still quiet, his face is unreadable. humor in his eyes, yet the rest of his face is stoic.

“being in a long term relationship as a junior in college is fucking pointless, especially if you’re serious about getting into this industry,” hongjoong shakes his head, taking a sip from his beer. 

“i think it’s sweet, just because you have commitment issues doesn’t mean everyone else has to,” jag smacks his chest, shaking his head.

“if you think about it logistically, it makes sense,” hongjoong starts, “as an intern you’re flooded with shit to do, and it’s not even your own shit. once you get your own shit, it becomes your baby, all you think about, all you want to do. there’s no time for anything else.”

“speak for yourself,” mingi finally speaks, “you make it that way, not everyone is like that. although, i do see a lot of you in ki, so maybe he is kinda right.”

hongjoong makes a concerned face, baring his bottom row of teeth as his eyebrows raise, “if you’re anything like me then good luck and get out of that relationship quick.”

“do whatever you want, ki, don’t listen to them,” jag puts his hand on your shoulder, shaking his head, “i’m sure you and your husband are great for each other.”

you give him a timid nod with a small smile, the words sinking deep in your gut like an anchor. what hongjoong just said was basically what you said to jeongin verbatim during your argument, he was right. if you were ever going to make this work with jeongin, you were going to need to purposely make time for him; although his point might have been the exact opposite, you knew what you had to do from today going forward. you just hoped you had the willpower to actually follow through.

as you made your way over to the crowd, hongjoong kept himself close to you, ready to explain what exactly you were there for. you came to a still on the outskirts of the crowd, the four of you in a line, hongjoong’s chin tilted upward towards the stage.

“you know what we’re listening for, right?” he asked, tilting his head towards you so you could hear him better, the smell of his cologne so clear over the smell of the sweaty crowd. 

you shook your head, “i’ve never scouted anyone before.”

“i’m looking for a consistent sound – i know they’re a rock group, their sound is exciting, riveting, makes you want to join the crowd and start a mosh pit or some shit. i want you to pay attention to stage presence, make sure they hit every note, pay attention to the crowd. i want everything lively, i want the crowd obsessed, like they’ve never seen anything like this in their life,” hongjoong explains, talking with his free hand, beer in his other hand swirling in the bottle as it tries to follow the actions of the free one. 

you nodded, “so i’m analyzing the band, the crowd, the performance as a whole?” 

“pretty much, just keep your eyes and ears open,” he sips from his beer again, gaze set on the stage. the lights dimmed lower than what they were before, you could barely see the people in front of you but you could see their heads blocking your view of the stage, shutting you out from any visibility of the performers. you gave up, settling for your spot at the back just as the stage’s spotlights turned on, and everyone pushed up. 

from the drinks you’d consumed you stumbled a bit, the feet trapped in your heels pushing you into the person in front of you. a strong arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close, your back pressed to his front. your head tilted back in shock, chin jutted up to see above you, and the culprit was no other than mingi standing behind you, beer pressed up to his lips as if he’d never touched you in the first place. 

“thank you,” you mumbled, probably too low for him to hear through the crowd that was already cheering. adrenaline was still coursing through you, a heat that spread across your chest, you didn’t even know who you were here to see, you just knew to watch, listen, analyze. 

when the first note was played through the electric guitar, an exciting riff that had you on your tippy toes, desperately trying to get taller to see what your ears were guiding you to. it was magical, a group stood onstage, three women and a man, a heavier rock tune playing from their instruments. you leaned back instead, neck craned up, the back of your head hitting a wall – a hard, muscular chest that felt too much like a wall – mingi hadn’t moved.

“stop touching me, i have a boyfriend,” mingi teased, lopsided teeth protruding from his lips, making a small one immediately break out on your face. it was too easy to mimic him, his smile was so contagious, everything about him is contagious. 

“shut up, i wanna see,” you complained, turning so you could face him better instead of looking up at him from his chest. you pouted, bringing your straw to your lips to fight off the smile.

“i can just put you on my shoulders,” mingi shrugged, leaning down so he didn’t have to yell, his breath warm against your skin. you shuddered, the warmth coursing through you, from alcohol and adrenaline combined, sweat threatened to come back, daring to appear where his hand laid on your lower back. 

“we aren’t at a music festival,” you shook your head, finishing off your drink, “stop talking to me, i’m trying to pay attention.”

he stood up tall again, eyes focused on the band, and you directed your focus to the crowd instead. everyone was jumping, dancing, phones out recording, taking pictures, everyone was mesmerized. you let your eyes flicker up to the band again, their stage presence was incredible, leaning into the crowd with their instruments, passing their mic to the crowd that sang along, they were incredible. it might’ve only been the opener song, but the crowd was entranced – the crowd wasn’t just here because this was a good bar in brooklyn, they were here for the show. 

you kept your eyes bouncing back and forth between the band and the crowd their entire set, paying attention to everything hongjoong told to you: the band’s sound was consistent, they never missed a note, the crowd knew every word of their set. you couldn’t believe you were on the outside, not in the crowd, instead watching with an eye that no one here knew you were using. it was special, you couldn’t believe hongjoong did this whenever he wanted – you couldn’t wait until this was your life, too. 

“not mad at that,” hongjoong said to your group as the lights turned off, signaling the end of their performance, even the end of their encore. 

“their energy was lagging by the end of the set,” jag immediately noted, “and the guitarist missed four notes in his solo from the fourth song.” 

your mouth parted, you had completely missed that – you thought their performance went flawlessly. that’s the difference between you and jag, the man who’s been a producer for almost a decade now.

mingi nodded, “things that can be fixed – i’m into their originality, there isn’t a sound like theirs in the mix right now, feel like i haven’t heard a band like that since i was a kid.”

“the crowd seemed hype about them, too,” you added, keeping your voice smaller, “not at all lackluster, i liked it.”

you didn’t want to criticize – you didn’t have much critique, anyway – but what if you were wrong? 

“the crowd started losing stamina, too,” jag shrugged, “just like their performance.”

“harsh for what?” hongjoong interjected, “they’re young, unlike you. i’m gonna see if i can go talk to them backstage, i’ll be back.”

“i’ll come with you,” jag says to hongjoong, then turns to you and mingi and speaks in a hushed voice, “gonna make sure he doesn’t offer them a contract.”

“i heard that?” hongjoong stood a step away from jag, a hand coming to his hip, his eyebrows raised, “if you’re coming, let’s go.”

that left you and mingi, both quiet, holding empty drinks in the middle of a too packed bar. the crowd remained in front of the stage, only breaking up slightly, everyone seemed to be awaiting the DJ who was supposed to play after the band.

“so, what happened with the husband?” he asked as soon as jag and hongjoong were out of earshot, as if he was waiting all night to pop the question. he had an eyebrow raised as he looked down to you, both hands wrapped around his empty beer, fingers tangled, rings blending into a blur of silver around the glass. 

“what do you mean?” his question took you off guard, the last person you expected him to bring up was jeongin, “nothing happened.”

“you’re too quick to defend it, something must’ve happened,” he shrugs, walking closer to the pillar separating the bar area from the crowd. your heart moves itself to your throat – he doesn’t know you enough to be able to read you like this. 

“nothing happened,” your voice was edged, “how’s the brunette you were seeing?”

his eyebrows furrowed, head cocking to the side, confusion clear on his face, “what brunette?”

“the one i saw you with in the hallway of steinhardt awhile ago, when me and jeongin were leaving?” you pushed your weight to one leg, hip pushed out, your free hand coming to your hip. his eyebrows stay furrowed for a moment before his entire expression changes – a smile spreading across his face, eyes slimming as he stares down at you. you raised your eyebrows, clearly awaiting an answer as he chuckled to himself. 

“first of all, she’s blonde,” he says and his smile warped into a cocky one, the corner of his lips lifted as he spoke, “that was like two months ago. i wasn’t seeing her, we were just hanging out.”

you nodded slowly, your lips pursed, “so you bring all of your hangouts to the studio?”

he leaned into the pillar, head tilted against the structure, one leg bent across the other, “what i do with my hangouts matters to you?”

your ears run hot, standing up a little straighter, “you asked about jeongin first, i thought we were going question for question.”

he pushes off the pillar, coming a step closer to you. “sometimes, yeah, but i’m not seeing anyone, i’m not in a relationship, i’m just as single as i was the night we kissed.”

your breath hitched in your throat, staring up at him through your lashes, begging your body to take a step back, create some distance between the two of you. it didn’t listen, it urged you to step forward, press your chest against him, kiss him again. flashbacks ran through your head, his lips pressed to yours, his tongue in your mouth, his hands gripping your ass – you almost gasped as you felt sheer need shoot through your entire body, he should not of brought that up.

“tell me what actually happened between you and jeongin,” mingi said, his voice lowered, the rasp coming through more now than before – that fucking rasp, you could feel it in your fingertips, his voice was so god damn enticing, it made your body burn.

“w-we’re fighting because i don’t make enough time to see him,” you stuttered over your words, your breath shallow, heart pounding against your chest at how fucking close he was to you. the words came out too quick, as if he picked them out of your head, forcing them out of your mouth with some kind of spell. 

his eyebrows furrow, his lips scrunching as he asked, “why not? you have more than enough time, you stay late at the label for no reason.”

you shrug, “it’s not for no reason, i just want to impress yunjin, everyone, really.”

mingi shakes his head, “joong was right, you know. if you don’t make time now you never will, he’s not in our industry, he doesn’t understand.”

you shake your head, fingers gripping your empty glass a little harder, “he already doesn’t understand, he threatened to break up with me because we don’t hangout enough, don’t… sleep together enough.” 

your body went cold as ice, you couldn’t believe you just admitted that out loud, so openly and to mingi of all people. the information wasn’t for him to know, it came out of you so quickly, so easily. your body began to feel like jelly – the conversation gave you a sour feeling in your stomach. mingi is the last person who should be giving you relationship advice, he shouldn’t know anything about you and jeongin other than that you were still together. 

mingi’s eyebrows raise, he takes a pause before backing away a step, standing up straight. “haven’t you been together for two years?”

“our two year anniversary is saturday,” your lips pull into a tight line, wanting to change the topic, end the conversation as quickly as you started it. it was like word vomit.

his chuckle was sarcastic, disbelieving, “i didn’t think it was fair to talk about it in a group earlier, but you deserve better – more. if he doesn’t get it now, he never will.”

“what makes you think you know him so well?” the ice went right back to heat, the need to defend jeongin rising like bile in your throat, anger flooding you. it gave you whiplash, wanting mingi to wanting to choke him out for speaking on your relationship – he shouldn’t know any of this, but you can’t stop talking – maybe the tequila is to blame. 

“he’s a man, a twenty one year old man,” mingi shrugged, “every girl i’ve fucked outside of this industry, every relationship has ended the same exact way.”

“jeongin is different,” you spat, “it’s just a rough patch.”

“were you in a rough patch a couple months ago?” he got closer again, his voice dipping an octave, your neck craned upwards to see him as he spoke with a calculated smirk, “when you spent a night on my lap, instead of being at home with him?”

your eyebrows furrowed, his face too close to yours, wooyoung’s words ringing in your mind – jeongin might be breaking up with you, anyway. 

your breath hitches in your throat as he keeps going, “was he complaining then about not seeing you? has he ever been in your studio late at night, talking to you about everything i did? does he listen to your songs, give you advice, tell you how good he thinks you are? did he push you to get an internship? does he give you advice about your schoolwork? does he even know you’re falling behind in school? tell me.”

your eyes are wide, heart in your throat, the whiplash threatening to make you sick. you wish your drink was full, you needed a shot, you needed something to take the edge off of this conversation, to change the topic. with every word his face got closer, with every breath on your face the feeling in your gut only got worse, you couldn’t begin to decipher what this feeling was. 

you couldn’t answer him, your silence was answer enough. it was like a game of tug of war, you love jeongin, but mingi couldn’t be any closer to the truth. you felt entranced, just like you did that night on the couch of your studio, being in mingi’s presence was so fucking confusing – it was if you were in your own bubble. no one else was in the bar, there was no crowd awaiting the DJ, there was just you and mingi and his brutally honest words. 

“i thought so,” mingi nodded, his face mere centimeters from yours. if you leaned forward just a little…

“mingi,” jag’s voice was threatening – a warning. “leave the intern alone, you and hongjoong both, man. i’m seriously going to talk to the CEO and issue a mandatory STD test for everyone who works at republic.”

you and mingi both jump backward, putting as much space between the two of you as possible. you glanced to jag with wide eyes, simultaneously frustrated and pissed he broke that up – you were so close to feeling his lips against yours again, so close to selfishly fulfilling every desire that just ran through you. 

your face was hot, your ears burning at the feeling of being caught. you shook your head to jag, “that wasn’t what it looks like, mingi and i are just friends, we go to school together.”

“whatever that was is between you and god, i don’t care,” jag shook his head, taking a swig from his beer, “i need a cigarette, you horny kids are fucking aging me.”

hongjoong follows close behind, bouncing as he walked with a wide smile on his face, “guess what band is about to be signed with republic records?”

[sailingfireshipz]

Ok so this is my discourse in response to @stellariders post a while back. Linked at the end.

1. Kelly should have been captain 3-4 seasons ago and I'm tired of them using the excuses of paperwork or being behind a desk because I've seen Van Meter behind a desk & talking about about how backed up they are on cases which is PAPERWORK. When he is in the field, it's after all the "action" that they speak so highly of has already taken place & it's more so like solving a puzzle rather than running into a fire. Atp I'd respect it more if they said Kelly can't be captain because he can't be Stella's commanding officer at the same house.

2. I'm sorry. I love Hermann however I'm struggling with seeing how the hell I'm supposed to take him seriously as captain on a scene or call when they've NEVER shown him in that light. The last time I saw him really fired up regarding a call was the factory fire. Also they haven't shown an ounce of Hermann actually preparing or studying for the exam. So we're supposed to believe that the same Hermann that failed the LT exam how many times passes the captain test on the first try? OK...

3. Mouch doing more has at least been foreshadowed now for a while. The episode in which he saved that kid & Casey talked about the retirement age going up. Also, Mouch has at least been acknowledged by the CFD with a commendation back in S9 & helped out with Paramedicine. We've seen his journey & arc build a little bit more than Hermann, so even if it wasn't for a potential Stella pregnancy on the horizon, I could still rationalize Mouch wanting to do more. We've never seen that same arc for Hermann, so it makes it hard for me to get behind it.

4. The disparity in storytelling amongst the cast is starting to become problematic for me. Stella & Ritter are the main two that stand out to me in this moment, but I'm sure there are more examples. Ritter has been on this show in some capacity since season 7... there is absolutely no reason why he has been treated like a background player all this time & is just now starting to get an inch of more screen time when Carver has had MULTIPLE arcs of the course of his FIRST season & now this one. Hell Novak is in her first season as a series regular & we already know a little bit about her past & what makes her tick. Not even about to start in on Stella because yall already know how I feel about it however what I will say is Stella Kidd deserves more than 1 GOF episode a season & 1 episode where she's fighting for the underdog. All of her other stories are directly or indirectly associated with Kelly/Stellaride/ white men, causing her unnecessary grief.... Casey never had this many damn personnel issues in the 10 years he was on T81. I'll leave it at that.

5. I'd love for Squad 3 to get some new blood. Not saying I want anyone to go anywhere, but I'd love to see Kelly Severide have to navigate teaching & training someone new. Add another man or woman to the crew & let's really see how Kelly's leadership comes through.

Same for Engine 51... like i find it interesting that they gave Ritter up to Truck yet won't commit to Kylie joining Engine full-time. Like outside of Hermann, who the hell else do we now know on engine? No one..

6. I'm confused by how close Kelly & Pascal have gotten in such a short amount of time. Historically, Kelly has always been very reserved when it comes to change, especially change in power dynamics. I also find it interesting that they continue to isolate him for the other members that he's worked alongside for much longer yet have planted this Pascal & Severide relationship dynamic. We've been asking for Kelly & Violet since S11... hell the Kelly & Mouch episode we got in S11 was adorable. I'd take him, Ritter & Carver, yet we're getting him & Pascal who clearly has an issue with Stella, his wife. Feels intentional

7. If they are committed to not actually giving Stella an appropriate backstory, then they should at least commit to strengthening her bonds in the house. They did that really well in earlier seasons, like mentioned about her relationship with Enily Foster. Same can be said with Casey, Otis, Gallo, Boden & Kylie but none of those people outside of Kylie are on the show anymore. Felt like when Stellaride got married, they were like alright no more family dynamics with anyone else except for Kelly & thats so not fair to her character. She mentioned it to Boden that her real family is the house. OK, so let her actually build out more relationships with the people that are there now.

8. I know I'm a vocal Newman critic, but I also like to think I give credit where credit is due. I made a few posts ranting & raving about how S12 for what it was (short, needed to be executed quickly) was a REALLY good season. It's why I was so excited for S13, but we're 8 episodes in & i fear we've lost the plot. Like, i go into these episodes with such high hopes because the meat is THERE yet walk away from some of them wondering wtf was that. Like, I'm almost wondering if S12 was so good for her because it was shorter, so there wasn't much room for filler because it honestly fills like she doesn't know what to do with 22 episodes. Grant it, we have an entire back half of the season to go, so I could be speaking too soon. However, I don't know what to even anticipate for the rest of S13.. like i have concepts & my own personal wants, but I don't have actual faith that it'll come to life because everything she's teased thus far has been so far from expectations.

Damon had so much more potential. As a firefighter, brother, & brother in law. That baby convo could have touched on so much more of Stella's fear & what the actual cause of that dread she spoke about could be coming from. Violet could have actually apologized to Carver & explained her grief/ why that caused her to ice him out. Even if they didn't make up right away, it would have set the groundwork for what they'd work towards if they're actually endgame(sometimes i don't know). Ritter getting blown out of a window could have been dug into a little deeper. Even the blood program that Novak proposed a call linking to why it is so important would have just driven the messaging home.

I saw a tweet a while back that basically said it's not character or plot development if it happens off screen & we never see it. It feels as if recently a lot is playing in the background or off the pages that we're somehow supposed to know is going on without ever seeing or hearing it. I love this show, this cast & think if shows like the Law & Order franchise or Grey's can be on air for decades, then so can Fire. I really hope the back half of S13 kicks it into high gear & starts connecting dots for me because I want to get renewed for 3-5 more seasons! I'm simply not ready to let them go, especially when there's so much left in the tank they just need to have the right pieces in the right places to execute effectively. 😫

As always, thanks for coming to my rant session. Let me know your thoughts & opinions below. I'm always up for a healthy debate or yap session. Check out @stellariders original post here.

[panpanghost]

Part 11 of this au that we seriously need a name for. (This is a quick something because I'll be busy for months and this might be the only free time I have.)

<Where are you?>

<At Pigzy's>

<Can I come over with my mother?>

<YAS!>

_"Redson and Princess Iron Fan are coming." MK said out loud,

_"Yayyy!!!! Wait- Why?" Mei jumped,

_"I don't know. He didn't tell."

And before MK could finish his sentence, fire burned around the centre of the restaurant like a tornado. In a moment, Redson and his mother stepped out of it.

_"Redboy! It's so good to see you!" Mei held Redson up and started turning him around, he was too stund to speak,

_"Enough. There's no time for games." even though PIF said that calmly, they could feel her anger in their bones.

Mei placed Redson down and moved back... a little scared.

_"Uhhh... Please have a seat." MK said motioning to the table where Nezha and Erlang were sitting,

_"General, theird lotus prince, it's been a while. Exuse me since I won't be going into long salutations." The princess spoke glancing at them both,

_"It's good to see you haven't changed." Erlang said with a sly smile,

_"You can't add to perfection." She took a seat next to Nezha, who felt like he'll have to stop them from ripping each other's throats like before,

_"Not to be rude or anything, but it's not like you to come so suddenly, are you ok? Is there something wrong?" MK asked PIF, clearly worried as Redson stood next to her,

_"Sun Wukong invited me to his island." her words came out like curses,

_"Ummm... That's not a bad thing." Mei said nervously,

_"It's not the invitation that bothers me. It's what he said after." She will most likely kill one of them at this rate.

_"What did he say?" MK asked,

_"He said my brother has been cursed, and he wants to see me-" PIF started to explain,

_"Wait, hold up. Macaque's your brother?!" Mei wants details.

_"Yes." that was all that PIF is willing to give, then she continued: "At the end he said 'Take what's mine and I'll take what's yours.'"

_"IIIIIIIII.... don't get it." MK doesn't understand, why is that such a bad thing?

_"I wouldn't expect you to." PIF sighed, she has to explain everything for these peasants :"At one point in time, before you were born. Wukong and Macaque were engaged."

_"WHAT?!" Everyone asked in unison,

_"They were planning on getting married after the battle with the celestial army." PIF paid them no mind,

_"They were engaged?!!!" MK asking the question on everyone's mind.

_"Yes. I never approved their union. But my brother was eukh- in love. So I accepted that idiot he called mate."

_"They were engaged?!" MK, again,

_"Yes. But, as I expected, their relationship was over. Mac never told me the details. Not that I care."

_"They were engaged...." MK is still processing this information,

_"Move on from that part." PIF is not in the mood to entertain their idiocy,

_"Ok, ok, sorry. It's just- With the way they treat each other I did not see that coming. Anyway, why is that relevant?"

_"Sun Wukong plainly threatened to take my son or husband if I tried to take Macaque to the Demon Bull family palace. How dare he." PIF can burn someone with the fire coming out of her, "I don't understand... Why is Mac staying with him?" her last sentence was barely heard, it almost sounded sad,

_"Because he doesn't have a choice." MK answered,

_"What do you mean?" Redson asked what his mother wants to know,

_"The curse Monkey King was talking about. We think it's taking Macaque's magic. That's why he's staying in flower fruit mountain."

_"That can't be it. Macaque would rather die than ask that king for anything. Especially if he's defenceless. Sun Wukong is his biggest threat." PIF stopped herself from giving too much unwanted information,

_"I wouldn't say it's that bad."

_"Oh please. Macaque would have to get amnesia before-" and then it clicked, "That's why he said that...."

_"Uhhh... what?"

_"Macaque can't remember... The curse isn't just taking away his magic but also his memories. He doesn't want to leave Flower Fruit Mountain because he doesn't even know where he is."

_"And the Monkey King was giving you a warning to make sure you wouldn't say anything to Macaque." Redson is on the same page as his mother,

_"THAT MONSTER!!!!! HOW DARE HE!!!!" PIF's angre blew and a tornado started forming,

_"Please, calm down! It's not his fault. It's the crown's. It's controlling him!" MK yelled through the wind, trying to keep his feet on the ground,

_"What crown?" The princess calmed herself to hear the answer,

_"The 'Corrupted king's crown.' And it's worse than its name sounds."

_"Wait- It's not the one I think it is, right?" Her face almost betrayed her and lost its colour,

_"I'm afraid it is."

_"Oh no... And he has Macaque..." She is now visibly worried,

_"D-don't worry. I'm going to get the scroll right now."

_"What scroll?"

A little explanation later,

_"You can't." PIF tried to stop that stupid kid from doing something so Wukong,

_"I think I can still go in."

_"Even if you were to get in, that sage won't take his eyes off you."

_"I know, but I have to try."

_"No, you don't. I have a better idea. You can come with us."

_"Wouldn't that be suspicious?"

_"Not if you come as Redson's suitor."

_"WHAT?!" MK and Redson both were feeling their faces burning,

_"Oh stop being childish. It's only for a few hours. You can say you're taking Redson for a walk around the island and look for the scroll, I'll keep the king busy. So suck it up and hold hands." PIF wasn't asking, if there's a chance to save her family she'll take it, this is the best opportunity they got.

_"I agree. It's not like we have time to come up with another plan. Don't get any funny ideas noodleboy, this is only for my uncle."

_"You don't get any funny ideas! I can handle a little acting!"

_"Sure you do." Redson rolled his eyes,

_"Alright then, I'll send a reply to the king's invitation." PIF stood up from her seat, gald this is over,

"Don't fuck this up." She told both her son and his new 'suitor'

"We'll leave for now and meet tomorrow morning to head to the island. I expect you to be prepared by then. I hope we'll never have to meet again. Let's go son." She did mean these words because if she has to meet any of them again, that would mean the plan failed, Sun Wukong would come for her and her family.

A few hours later, as Wukong was reading from the scroll he got from the great library in his- their bedroom, he received a message.

_"Moon guess what." Wukong stepped inside the room,

_"What?" Macaque answered, a spoon of chocolate ice cream in his mouth, sitting on the couch watching some show the king put on the TV for him.

He was feeling overwhelmed, and the king thought this might help him feel better. Just some 'me time' and he was right. Macaque does feel better.

_"Princess Iron Fan is coming tomorrow. Isn't that great?"

_"She is?!" Macaque placed the ice cream bowl down and stood up,

_"Yes, she said she cleared up her entire day to be able to spend time with you."

_"That's great!"

Macaque smiled excitedly, his ears fluttering with joy.

So adorable.

_"I know right! Her son's suitor is coming as well. You've also met him before so don't worry about that."

_"Who is he?"

_"He's called MK, a really nice kid."

_"I don't know..."

_"How about I ask him to stay outside with your nephew? It wouldn't be rude. I know the kid, he'll understand. Actually, I'm kind of his mentor."

_"You have a student?" Does he like kids?

_"Yeh, don't mean to brag, but I'm an awesome teacher. Who am I kidding, of course I'll brag about it."

_"Do you like kids?" This is a deal breaker for me,

_"I don't like kids. I love kids. It's just with the constant attacks and all that we agreed on postponing having children until things were a bit more... ummm... peaceful." I know you love kids and want you own.

_"Oh." Wait-

_"I'll tell the others to start preparing. Do you need anything?"

_"No. And Wukong."

_"Yes?"

_"Thank you."

_"Don't- I mean, if you feel that way... How about a little thank you kiss?"

_"What?!" Did he just-

_"On the cheek! I mean, I wouldn't mind one on the lips but I think I'm stepping on your boundary."

_"Fine. But just a little kiss." That scared me for a second.

_"I miss the days when you used to give me butterfly kisses." Wukong turned his cheek for his moon.

Even though it came as a joke, Wukong does miss the way Macaque used to give him kisses when no one was around. It wasn't like that at the start, actually it started by accident, he can remember it like it was yesterday.

One day Macaque saw Wukong staring sadly into a mother giving her baby some kisses.

_"What's wrong?" Macaque asked, startling the rock monkey,

_"It's nothing.. It's just- Sometimes I wonder what having a mother felt like."

_"Silly monkey. You don't need a mom to get kisses." Macaque doesn't like it when Wukong is sad,

_"What?"

_"You can just ask me for some butterfly kisses. It's not a big deal." Macaque grabbed Wukong's sad face and showered him with kisses until his frown turned upside down,

_"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Wukong couldn't stop giggeling, Macaque's kisses were tickling him. He likes it.

I don't need a mom, I have Macaque.

Macaque would lie if he said he didn't feel embarrassed as his lips touched Wukong's face. But he can handle that to see Wukong smile.

Wukong was bought back to the present as he felt something soft on his lips, he opened his eyes in shock to see Macaque's face and ears burning red.

Did he....

_"Alright, you can go now." His moon said as he walked back to his couch and ice cream.

Wukong stood there stunned for a second, then turned a walked outside, his heart pounding like crazy.

Chocolate....

He walked all the way outside, and kept walking down the mountain, he couldn't stand still, he was too happy. He kept walking until he finally stopped, next to their tree. He breathed in and out, taking back all the memories, trying to calm his heart.

As he was finally calm enough. He sat in the tree shadow, admiring the view. Then he got the scroll out and held it his hands.

Everyone compared me to the sun, in everyone's eyes I was a star, an immortal unstoppable force, some could rely on, some could depend on. But I never thought of myself that way, never. To me, he was the sun, he was my sun, my guiding star. Sure I call him moon but that's just what he feels comfortable with. In truth, he wasn't just a moon that would comfort my darkness, no, he shined so bright he took away all the darkness in the world, even the one inside of me.

But when I lost him, it got so cold, I was never able to find my way home, and I could never see where I was heading. Somehow, it became hard to feel, it was a deadend no matter what I did, so I just stopped.

Now that I have my sun back, now that I've found my way back home, now that it's warm once more, how can I let him go?

I can't...

I don't care if the world burns, I will hold him as it does. I'll burn for him. I can not lose my sun again.

Meanwhile in Macaque's head :

WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?????!!!! WHY DID I DO THAT??!!!!!! MACAQUE YOU DUMMASS!!!!!!! WHY WHERE YOU THINKING??????!!!!!! YOU BARELY KNOW THAT GUY!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I'm not satisfied with this but it'll have to do. Sorry Xb)

[theneworder]

Moving On:

It had been a while since you last saw her. You had left her with tears in her eyes, rejected and broken. In the back of your mind you thought you could have it all, move away, fuck around in your new batchelor pad, maybe call her up in the Summer, keep her on the hook for when you were home, horny, and needed someone familiar.

This wasn’t familiar though. This was a new girl, woman, thing? Entirely. You were surprised enough to get a text to come over, “I heard you were in town”, and that the door was on the latch. But when you walked through the that door, there was no mousy, bookish, blonde, eagerly awaiting your arrival. No tearful hug, nor even the clumsy attempt at an erotic advance you had fantasised about.

No, you saw two people fucking on the couch. Or rather, you saw a tattooed slut, vaguely familiar and desperately grinding on a man you’d never seen before. A man who immediately filled you with inferiority, shame.

I remember when I saw you walk through that door. I was listening for you whilst she squirmed in my lap. I wanted to see your face when you realised. I still get hard at the thought: seeing your shock turn to defeated horror when I looked at you, laughed, and said, “sorry bro, I think I’ve made her a little feral..” I think about that moment when I fuck her sometimes.

I still can’t believe that a pathetic man like you thought you could do better than her, got sick in the head from perverted fantasies and forgot what he had in front of him. She’s not the girl you sent me photos of to indulge your pathetic cuck fantasies, but I saw this girl in her. Just like I saw a place for you, in the corner, jerking your pathetic porn-fed semi.

I knew where to find her because of you. She fell into my lap, just desperate for anyone to give her the slightest bit of love. And then I lifted her up, I treated her right: dinners, dresses, a strong arm around her, I whispered all my sickest fantasies into her confused little brain whilst she melted on my cock. A real man’s cock. I ate her cunt til she screamed and told her how much I loved her. I showed her pleasure and you just showed her how little you could give.

I took her on holiday and we laughed about you. I told her what you did, the photos you sent. And you know what? She didn’t even care. She was grateful actually, because without you, she wouldn’t have met me, known the pleasure a real man can offer. I think I broke her that night, fucking her in both holes, with a plug in her cunt, and my hands in her. mouth. When she came I think something switched inside her. She barely left my side since, and I was happy with that, I already made her a trophy.

She’s mine now, my pet, my good girl, my puppy. I think I’m going to marry her. She’s perfect, desperate, devoted to me in a way you never fucking deserved. And you, you’re just a fucking dog. You can lick her feet whilst you jerk in the corner, that might give me some pleasure. Maybe you’ll find out you’re good for something yet.

[caelmewedd]

Daemon breathed a sigh of relief that finally, after such a long time of constant fighting and misunderstanding, he would finally spend time with his brother, his beloved older brother, whom he had always followed like a little duckling in his youth. At the very thought, his heart fluttered as if some unexplained powerful force had struck him suddenly and unexpectedly like lightning on a stormy night. At last he could begin to feel loved and noticed by Viserys again. He had been vying for his attention for so long, and finally the gods (or rather, a kind soul in the form of Aevon) began to favor him and he was able to get close to his brother again. This time for good. “I'm glad that we will be able to do something together, Viserys. I thought that the blackness of the dragon glass would perfectly reflect the depth of Balerion's personality. It's imperative that we visit the stonemasons, or maybe we can first make an outline of the design of this figurine ourselves?” Daemon gave his brother another suggestion, which was just as good as the first one. Aevon also smiled as she watched the two brothers begin to get along. She felt they both needed it, especially since she already knew that Daemon often felt rejected and misunderstood, but never let on how bad it was for him. Her heart ached at the thought that even though Daemon harbored chaos and fire, from the first moment since she met him, she felt that he was a good person. She felt that Daemon loved his brother very much, even if the latter did not always reciprocate his love as he expected. Fortunately, now they had a chance to make it all right. She could see in Daemon's eyes that he wanted this very much. “Think about it some more, and in the evening we can work on a sketch of the figurine and we'll choose what you like best.” Daemon added with a bright smile, himself arranging in his head the outline of a figure sketch for Viserys.

“I'm really very pleased, Your Grace. I hope Aevon didn't make a fuss here.” Aramil replied with a grateful smile as he shook the king's outstretched hand. He immediately sensed a trace of his daughter's magic. He knew what she had healed. He also felt a trace of another magic in the air, similar to Aevon's, except that this one emanated from the purple dragon that lay at the feet of its mistress. He himself was somehow curious about Nevermore's nature, but most of all why she had chosen his daughter. Despite his vast knowledge of the various magical creatures that existed in this world, but he knew nothing about dragons. In their land, no one had seen dragons and no one knew how to deal with one. He hoped that Daemon and the king might be able to help him and Aevon, especially Aevon, who sometimes seemed to forget that she had a dragon in her care, not a cat or a dog. He had a fear that such a lack of vigilance on his daughter's part might sooner or later turn against her. He wanted to hope that this would not happen. “I believe that it is certainly as you say, Your Grace, but once again I warn you, Aevon also has a lot of spirit. She can be fierce like our pet tiger. Compared to Rajah, Nevermore seems pretty harmless. That's probably the only reason I agreed to let her try, just because she's not like other dragons.” The male mage said, gazing at Nevermore. Daemon sighed softly, then he took an empty cup from the table and a jug half-filled with sweet pink Dornish wine. He filled the cup and handed it to Aramil. “I understand that you are afraid, but I will do everything I can to help Aevon. It will be more of a pleasure than a trouble for me.” Daemon replied after which he filled a cup for himself and his brother. He should have chided Viserys for being the one who does little as a host. Their grandmother, Alyssane, would long ago have severely scolded him for his lack of good manners. A good host should offer guests a humble treat.

“And where do we start, Daemon?” Aevon asked, wondering what her training as a dragon rider would look like. Where will they start? How will they work on Nevermore? She began to wonder how Daemon would teach Rhaenyra to ride a dragon. Will it be entertaining? She had so many questions. For the time being, she couldn't answer any of the questions that were bothering her, and decided to drown out her thoughts with another slice of lemon cake, which she took from a silver tray lying on the table. “And will…this Rhaenyra…also be able to help? Won't she find Nevermore strange? Does she also like her? Will she like me, too?” She asked, swallowing hard for a bite of lemon cake. Daemon smiled more, although he himself did not know why he was still smiling. He usually did it very rarely and only towards Rhaenyra and occasionally towards other family members. With Aevon, he felt like smiling all the time. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop. “She will be delighted to meet you and your Nevermore. I'm sure she'll answer all your questions and ask a hundred of her own in return.” Daemon replied, treating himself to a piece of lemon cake. “Just remember, be good.” Aramil pointed out, knowing what his sometimes defiant daughter was capable of.

“Okay, dad.” Aevon replied, then looked at Nevermore, who looked at her and casually sniffed the hand in which Aevon held an over-eaten piece of lemon cake. The girl gently stroked the scales on the dragon's head and, in the process, combed the pink and purple feathers growing from her head like a mane. Nevermore purred loudly from the pleasure that came from the tender caress. The she-dragon, however, did not forget the piece of overbaked lemon cake held by her mistress. Gently, very gently she took the delicious sweet treat into her mouth, which was met with astonishment by those present in the room. Daemon blinked in amazement, as he had never encountered a dragon that ate fruit��and cakes. How is it possible for any dragon to eat cakes? “Maybe first I'll tell you a little about the dragons that belong to my House. I'll tell you about how we take care of our dragons. After which you will tell me more about your dragon and we will get to how best to care for Nevermore. She may require a different kind of care than my Caraxes, for example…With Viserys, you can learn from the books. As you can see, my brother here seems to have half of our castle library. You agree, don't you, brother?” Daemon replied, hoping that his brother really wanted to help them.

“But I have to admit that Nevermore is the most…unique dragon I've ever seen.” Daemon muttered and looked more carefully at Nevermore. She, too, began to stare at Daemon intensely and with concentration, as if trying to penetrate the Rogue Prince's innermost thoughts. Nevermore's large, sparkling eyes were very sharp and shining, and for a moment Daemon had the impression that millions of twinkling stars could be seen in them. “If you're sure, my Prince, that you can do it, I think you'll have a lot of fun with Aevon at the same time.” Aramil replied, hoping that his daughter's dragon training would go well and that this kingdom would not stand on its head during the process. He also hoped that Aevon did not intend to feed his dragon only cakes. Actually, dragons should not eat cakes at all. When eating fruit, for a dragon to eat cakes is an abnormality.

“What about you and your family? Do you have a place to stay?” Daemon asked, wondering how his guests planned their stay in King's Landing. Not only did he want to be able to get to know their daughter and her dragon better, but he was also very curious about these people. He wanted to find out where they came from, what their culture was like and what their land was like. He had so many questions and also wanted to satisfy his curiosity. Besides, he didn't want there to be outbreaks of panic in the city at the sight of a dragon strolling through the streets. Although the residents of King's Landing were mostly used to the sight of dragons flying over the city, he didn't know how smallfolks would receive one walking freely, even if that dragon was the gentlest in the world.

“We stayed in the upper part of the city. In such a nice old townhouse.” Aevon replied before her father had time to answer anything. “That's true, but I suspect Nevermore will quickly cause a big sensation.” Aramil added, knowing it wouldn't be easy here with a dragon living with them in a rented apartment. “Oh, I almost forgot. I got…We got a certain offer from the king. In exchange for my help with the cure, we got an offer to work and stay here in the castle.” Aevon interjected, though at the mention that the king's health had been out of order until recently, Daemon again felt a tender string twitch in his heart and a certain anxiety resurface in his mind. “Besides, I have a bill to settle here with a certain Maester. You won't believe it, Dad, when I tell you how big an imbecile and scoundrel he must be. I'm not going to leave here without telling him what I think of him and his 'treatment' methods, if his actions could be called treatment.”

“I suspect you will give him a concrete rebuke, darling. But I hope you didn't decide for me in this matter. We agreed that we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves, especially since here people may not be favorable to us for certain reasons.” Aramil replied, suspecting that the Maester (whoever he was) who had messed with his daughter might very quickly become acquainted with his daughter's fiery temperament. Daemon, who listened to what his guests were saying, didn't understand much, but still wished they could have stayed around, as he also hoped to find out what was going on around his brother and what Aevon had to heal in general. Would his brother tell him once they were alone. They were brothers, they could tell each other anything. Or at least Daemon wanted to be able to believe that they could.

“Of course not. I said I wouldn't declare on your behalf.” Aevon replied, quoting word for word what she had answered to the king when he offered her and her family a job and a stay at the royal court. As far as she was concerned, she would have gladly stayed longer at the castle, not only because of the dragon training, but she also wanted to keep an eye on the king and his wellness. It was better to keep her hand on the pulse, especially if the treatment was by magic. Aevon knew full well that any magic, leaves traces and she preferred to keep an eye on Viserys, at least for the next few days, for her own peace of mind. “I don't know that is good idea, Aevon…It's an interesting proposition, but I don't know if living in a castle is a good idea. Especially with your temperament and the dragon. Although I suspect that a dragon in the city is an equally not very good idea.” Aramil replied, wondering what he should think about all this. Although he once happened to take a jobs from Ofieri nobility and the reigning king, he didn't know if he wanted to stay in the royal court for long. The royal courts were full of intrigue, politics and general problematicness that any self-respecting mage should shy away from, and his daughter and her dragon had no bearing on his judgment on the matter. He simply hated politics and preferred not to meddle in any matters concerning the mighty.

“As for me, I'm happy to give you hospitality, and Nevermore can have a nice place in the Dragon Pit.” Daemon said, then took a small sip of wine from his cup. Aevon's brow lifted slightly as she tried to understand what exactly the Dragon Pit could be, though she suspected it was something like a stable for dragons. However, she didn't know how Nevermore would respond to the idea. She did not, after all, like dark, wet and musty caves and dungeons. Aevon couldn't imagine that a dragon as beautiful and elegant as hers could live in some musty dungeon. That was absolutely out of the question. “This probably won't please Nevermore. She will escape you again like she did today, Daemon.” Aevon replied, fearing how sad and unhappy Nevermore would be in confinement.

“I have to think it all over, especially since we didn't arrive long ago.” Aramil replied, still feeling heavy and tired after a very, very long and tiresome trip. "Perhaps we could stay, for a few days, if, Aevon has indeed cured you of something, Your Majesty. I'd just have to go into town to get my wife, son and our things…” The male mage sighed softly and savored a sip of Dornish wine.

Daemon hoped that his guests would want to stay here longer. At least something interesting would be going on in the Keep.

The little girl, Aevon shyly entered a large chamber, where an intricately crafted model of Old Valyria stood on a huge table, and elaborate dragon figurines stood next to a carved city. She carefully picked up one of them and looked at it in awe. Whoever crafted such wonders certainly had great talent. Feeling an urge to play growing in her, she began to play with the figurine she was holding, imagining that she and her good dragon were forced to defend the city from evil dragons. She played until King Viserys came along. She wasn't afraid of him, as he looked very friendly, but she watched him with curiosity. Was he the one who was doing all these wonderful things?

"Uhmm…Hello, Your Grace…Did you create this city and these dragons?" She asked quietly, carefully putting the figurines down on the table. She didn't want to do anything wrong, fortunately she hadn't broken anything, but she hoped the man wouldn't throw her out of here in a very unpleasant way.

After all, she hadn't done anything wrong. She just wanted to play.

Viserys pet project had become a full blown hobby, what started as a history project to learn about the greatest city ever built in the world had now become the elaborate stone model on the grand table in his lavish bedchambers, it had grown so that he had enlisted the best stone workers to carve the models, the buildings, the dragons, everything to the specifications he supplied them from his readings of the ancient texts.

To the king it was a historical recreation of a city the world would never see again, though to a small child he supposed it would be an elaborate playhouse for a doll. He was returning to his chambers after a council meeting, he had slated the day to be spent with his hobby after the meeting. Though when he got there he found a child in his quarters playing with the model, he stopped for a moment and just watched the little girl play. He knew that eventually he would be a grandsire and knew that eventually his own grandchildren would be here doing the same thing, however he didnt know this child.

The king smiled at the child when she asked her question, he could tell that there was some worry about her, "No I did not, but I commissioned them to be made." he answered her truthfully, he wasnt shy to admit that the detail of the stone in the model was beyond his skill. "Tell me child, who are you?" he asked her curiously wondering who this child was and who was she a child of.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Sword of Kaigen

standalone fantasy set in a rural mountain village at the edge of an empire that still holds traditional values, with families of powerful water/ice magic warriors

follows a powerful young heir who begins to question his beliefs about the empire when a new boy comes to his village from the city

and his mother, a housewife who has tried to forget her youth as a warrior and vigilante in the city since she moved back home to a loveless marriage

when there’s a violent attack on their village that they’re unprepared for, everything changes, and she has to embrace her old skills to protect her family and people

[rainingincale]

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