#we're super busy/going through some shit

[cactusdodes]

.

[autistic-shaiapouf]

Okay okay so. Thinking.

I've mapped out how I want to pay off my credit cards, which means I'll only be getting new stuff pretty sporadically, which means I need to appreciate the zero cost things in my life, like:

- the 2.5 foot tall stack of unread books I have

- the violin I might finally actually pick up again

- the 500+ drawing prompts I've been hoarding

- the list of anime I still need to watch

- the 3000+ songs in my watch later playlist

- the stickers I've been neglecting to cut

- yarn??? I have a lot of yarn

- all the pink fabric leftover from moth cosplay

- the candles and incense I also already have

In short, time to actually use the stuff that I have 😭

[bcksbarnes]

the faster we're falling

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

summary: bucky is, unfortunately, dragged to a busy club on a saturday night. he hates the loud music and strobe lights and just wants to leave, until you catch his eye. cw: 🔞 - MDNI, suggestive content

word count: 2K

it was joaquin who convinced bucky to go out that night. something about being mentally 100, but physically 30 and needing to meet new people to have fun with … blah blah blah. bucky doesn’t really know since he completely tuned him out and just said yes to shut him up. somehow sam had found a new right hand man who had just the same amount of zest for life as he did, how utterly adorable.

clubs were not his scene, though he had surprisingly been in his own fair share of them from missions that required him to stake out some hit he had who liked the companionship of the cute go-go dancers. it made him itch to think about what kind of sleazebags roamed some of those he had been to - they were mostly full of activities that no one would want to be a part of.

but, of course, the club joaquin wanted to take him and sam to wasn’t like that. no, it was a place where the lights were too bright and colorful, the drinks were a bit sweeter, and the music was too loud. it was a place that, surprisingly, intimidated bucky beyond belief.

he tried really hard to remember what his life was like before the winter soldier, he remembers having fun flirting with anyone he could, because he could. but, it had been years since then and he wasn’t sure he was capable of even doing that anymore.that was his former self, the bucky before the trauma and the bad things - the one that didn’t wake up sweating and panting through another panic attack. 

all of it accumulated into the wallflower he was now, quiet and brooding. dating didn’t come as naturally as it once did, let alone talking to someone who made his heart race, but he tried to convince himself he just needed to clean off the rust and get things moving again. 

the other thing that clubs had that scared the shit out of bucky? dancing. now, don’t get him wrong, back in the day he had his fair share of swing dancing with a beautiful partner on his arm - but the things people were doing in this century? bucky’s sure his body didn’t know how to move like that. 

“don’t be so grumpy,” sam said as three men finally settled on a spot by the bar, his hand clasping bucky’s shoulder. “you need a night out from time to time, man.”

“i do get a night out, most of them don’t require this many sweaty bodies.” bucky calls out over the loud music; a song he definitely did not know. 

“you know that getting your system updated doesn’t count as a night out, right?” sam can’t help but get the jab in. bucky bites down on his cheek as he pushes his friend playfully, tempted to curse him out, but sam’s loud cackle as he regains his balance makes any slight tension melt.

bucky wasn’t kidding though. saying the club was crowded was putting it mildly, it was filled to the brim, and the super soldier stood out like a sore thumb which inherently made his palms sweat.

“here!” joaquin called, handing back two shots and two beers towards bucky and sam before turning back around to pay the bartender.

bucky looked down at the shot glass and frowned, this definitely didn’t look like a normal spirit. despite the darkness in the room, he could still make out the light yellow color of the liquid.

“what is it?” he asks, brows furrowing as he tries to wrack his brain for anything that looks this color.

“green tea shot!” joaquin smirks as he grabs his own glass after shoving his wallet back into his pants pocket. “drink up!”

“great…” bucky mumbles as he shakes his head before downing the shot. weak. and since bucky couldn’t get drunk … tastes like shit. 

he can’t help but let out a sigh as he turns to face the crowd, the beer clutched tightly in his hands as he brings it to his lips, his eyes passing over the room. he had already taken the time when he walked in to make sure he knew where every point of entry was in case of emergency, which was good because the second his eyes land on you he’s sure he would have forgotten to check.

there you were, in the middle of the dance floor, a wide smile on your face as you swayed to the music. time felt like it had slowed as bucky zeroes his gaze in on you. it felt like a moment right out of a movie scene, your hands moving up and down your body and into your hair, the sweat on your collarbone glistening in the blu-ish purple strobe lights that line the dance floor. you looked so carefree and happy, it was breathtaking. the hairs on his arm raise, feeling the goosebumps run straight through him. 

bucky doesn’t register for a moment that his beer has completely missed his mouth, dribbling down the front of his shirt until joaquin grabs his arm.

“ah, shit.” bucky mumbles to himself, turning back around to the bar to wipe himself off. through all of it, his mind keeps replaying the moment he saw you, his body was moving on auto pilot. 

when he turns back around, you’re gone, as if you were just a ghost there to taunt him for a split second. how was that possible? how did he manage to witness the most invigorating moment of his life and then it was gone in a flash? blue eyes frantically search the rest of the bar until he spots you again, you were grabbing your friend at the corner of the bar, wanting them to come with you to dance. 

“uh oh,” bucky heard joaquin say next to him. “looks like buckster over here has his eyes caught on someone.”

“don’t call me that ever again.” bucky says, his eyes stay trained ahead of him, fixated on you. he feels joaquin hand him another shot glass, but he doesn’t bother taking a look at it this time as he downs it, the burning in the back of his throat telling him it was something a little stronger this time.

it for sure wasn’t liquid luck, maybe his brain short circuited, because soon he was pushing his away through the crowd towards you. what the hell is wrong with me? his brain was screaming at him to stop, the thoughts were loud and he felt like he’s about three seconds from a panic attack. what the fuck? what the hell am i doing? i can’t just  -

“hey.” bucky calls out to you over the music, a different song that sounds vaguely familiar but he wouldn’t be able to name. 

you’re startled slightly by the voice behind you, but by the look on your friends face whoever it is would definitely be worth your time. slowly, you turn back, greeted immediately with the chest of a man who could be a god if you didn’t know any better. your eyes painstakingly take their time to finally meet his gaze, this handsome stranger looks back at you with the sweetest look you’ve ever seen.

“hey.” you call back. “do we know each other?”

“no,” bucky says, a flicker of a smirk adorning his features. “but i’m hoping we can get the chance to.” there it was, the cog in the machine was spinning once again.

you can’t help the flip your stomach does as he speaks, the line was simple, but effective. it’s not that you hadn’t been flirted with at a club, usually it was unwanted attention. but this? this was fully welcomed. 

you give a look back at your friends for a moment, your eyes widening as your features say well damn. handing one of them your drink, you spin back around towards bucky and grab his metal hand, leading him back out towards the dancefloor you once occupied.

it takes him by surprise, he doesn’t let people touch his metal hand often nor do people seem to gravitate towards it as their initial reaction. the warmth in his body spreads at how soft your hand feels in his, like the two of you were made for this moment.

regret isn’t the right word to describe what bucky was feeling, because he didn’t regret walking up to you (even if he could see sam and joaquin pointing and talking about him from the corner of his eyes). it was more of an alarm going off in his brain that he would now have to try and dance with you, years of being an assassin definitely gave him stiff hips. 

you’re not one to judge though, instead opting to enjoy the moment as you stand chest to chest, your hands gripping his biceps as you start to sway your hips softly with the music. he looks taken aback by the forwardness of it all, the slight awkward undertones of his personality dying to get out. 

“relax! we’re just dancing” you yell over the music, your hands sliding down to grab his wrists, moving his hands to your hips, hoping it would encourage him to release a bit of this pent up anxious energy he had. 

bucky finds himself trying to move with you though it’s off beat for a moment, until a song he actually knows comes on. it has a loud bass but a slower tempo and all of a sudden the world shuts down. his eyes close as he lets the beat move through his body, his hands on your hips pulling you in closer towards him.

you can’t help it and decide to turn in his arms as he pulls you in close, so now your back is pressed against his chest. the change in song turns the fun club atmosphere into an intimate setting almost immediately. 

it’s almost as if the club is on mute, as if something shifted and time was moving so carefully that all either of you could focus on were the ways you moved together. bucky’s hands gripped your waist tightly, his flesh hand splayed across your stomach, the heat from his touch would have left burns if they could. 

your breath hitches in your throat when you feel how strong he is, the way he has the lightest touch on you but it feels like he’s enveloping your body slowly. bucky’s head bows down so his lips are level with your ear, you can hear the way his breathing hikes as you grind down on that one spot each time. 

it makes bucky’s knees want to buckle each time. he can’t remember the last time he was pressed so closely to someone like this, let alone to make his body respond. the arousal spread through his body, forcing him to remember what it was like to feel so alive again. it was electrifying.

you and bucky are hypnotized in the moment, your hand snaking behind you to rest on the back of his neck while the other rests on the metal arm he has on your waist. and despite the crowd of bodies around you, the smell of his cologne floods your senses, you were sure if you ever smelled it again he would be all you thought of.

neither of you are drunk, but both of you are completely intoxicated.

the excitement seems to run through each of you, you can feel the way he pulls you closer to him, the way your head leans back onto his shoulder. it’s all natural, happening without pressure or outside forces.

bucky’s lips ghost over your neck catching the way your pulse increases as he does so. all you can think about is ripping his clothes off, all bucky can think about is how inappropriate it would be to take you in front of all these people.

“i’m bucky.” he whispers in your ear, his nose nudging against your skin. 

fuck, he wanted you.

he listened to you breathe out your name.

scratch that - now he needed you.

[littlelovelunette]

Saturday Night

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ Vi x Fem!Reader ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

Contains tattooing r, watching porn, kissing and sloppy making out, slightly suggestive touching, groping, very slight titty groping

Vi stood by your side all the time when you got your first tattoo, it wasn't anything all that fancy. Just her name on your back, your tattoo spelled out “Violet’s Property.”

Vi stared at you with pride in her blue eyes as she held your hand, the tattoo artist was careful to make sure every little letter was perfect, straight and proper. Because, he knew what would've happened if he gave you something permanent to stick with in life, you were Vi's girlfriend after all.

You looked up at Vi, making the other woman melt. You looked so adorable with the nervousness lingering in your eyes, “Hey, it's gonna be okay,” Vi said gently, taking both your hands in hers. The tattoo artist paused to give you the time to shift before he went back at it.

A bit later, it was done, and you were checking it out on the mirror, “It's so pretty,” you mumbled.

Vi smiled, wrapping her arms around your waist, bringing you close, “Mhm, thank you, darling, you didn't really have to though.”

You sighed softly, “I know my mother wasn't all that fond of me getting the tat but come on!”

Vi sighed, “Not just that…” Vi kissed your cheek, “Just, people tend to get on them nerves about name tattoos, they say shit like ‘Y’all gonna regret it when y’all break up.’ and it's infuriating,” she nipped at the side of your neck, “Maybe I'm overthinking.”

“Vi, we're married!” You giggled, trying to push her away, taking a deep inhale of her scent. She smelled so good. Like vanilla.

“Yeah, I'm overthinking,” Vi groaned. “Let's go, get our minds off of this then, babe,” you gave her a mischievous grin.

“What you wanna do when we get back?” Vi asked as you walked to the cashier, paying for the tattoo before heading on out.

“I don't know, let's see…” Vi followed you out of the tattoo shop, quickly grabbing your hand. Vi had this thing where she couldn't be walking on the streets of Zaun if your hand wasn't in hers. It was like her little reassurance that you were still there for her even though everyone else had left.

When you and her reached the apartment, Vi unlocked the door with her key and took her jacket off. As messy as she was, you still loved her so you bit back the condescending remark rising in your throat when Vi threw her jacket on the couch.

She pulled you by the wrist into the bedroom and slumped in bed, “Today was a busy day.” She said.

“We only just got me a tattoo!” You giggled.

“Yeah, super busy,” Vi smiled at you, before she grabbed her laptop off the bedside table, “I'm bored, what do we watch today? It's a Saturday night.”

You slipped under the covers and laid on your side beside Vi, “Wanna watch some… porn?” Vi looked at you with mild shock on her face before it melted away into something else.

“I see where you're going, girl,” she giggled and opened her laptop. She swerved through the internet in an attempt of finding some good porn to watch, “Hmmmm... Some of these are just downright obnoxious,” Vi said, glancing at you to gauge your reaction.

“Yeah, baby, I know,” you leaned against her arm, nuzzling against the crook of her neck causing her to smile, she craned her neck to the side, planting a kiss at the top of your hair. As she entered PornHub, you got mrke comfortable. Your back was still tingling from the tattoo who had gotten inked onto the skin, but it was bound to hurt, no?

Vi stared at the screen with something akin to horror on her face. The two girls on the screen didn't waste time getting into it. The video was two minutes in and they were already on the floor, grinding their pussies together and the fake high-pitched moans were almost annoying. “What the actual fuck...” Vi mumbled.

“Ugh,” you shook your head, “That's so icky,” you mumbled and muted the video. “That's disgusting, and I can't believe I just said porn is disgusting.”

“No, no, you have a point,” Vi sighed, placing one hand around your frame being careful not to accidentally brush it over your fresh tat, “It's only disgusting when they do…” she looked at the screen where the girls were making out extravagantly, “... That.”

You chuckled, pushing the laptop off her land so it landed on the bed beside her. You moved up so you were straddling her thighs, “So, you're an expert at making out now?” You asked with a grin.

“Oh, is it that surprising?” Vi smirked, revelling in your teasing.

Your hand reached upto brush the tufts of cherry pink hair out of her face, “C’mon, then, mamas, gimme a kissy.” Vi chuckled, nuzzling her nose with yours before her warm lips met yours.

You grinned in the kiss, intentionally pursing your lips so Vi couldn't get access to your mouth. Vi's eyebrows furrowed, eyes closed so she let her hands wander, reaching under your shirt to grab your breasts with ease since you weren't wearing a bra. You felt her feeling up your boobs before giving them a subtle squeeze, but your lips remained shut.

Then you squeaked, jerked a little, your mouth opened and Vi took the chance to shove her tongue inside. She had pinched your nipple, and that took you by surprise.

You could feel the smugness from Vi’s demeanor as she kissed you deeper, tongue exploring your mouth as her hands continued squeezing your flesh— your hips, waist, thighs and breasts. “Fuck,” she mumbled as she pulled back just for a few seconds before she went back at it again. You giggled, she wasn't letting go anytime soon now that she had you where she wanted you.

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | eight.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 9.3k

—chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language/sexually implied content, we see prof choi in full professor mode in this chapter rawrrrr, NAS (or NSA, i know i might've said both lmao same thing!) conference is here - time for everyone to get buck wild! jk lol, san gets slightly jealous, bar scenes, alcohol consumption/intoxication, unprotected sex, cowgirl 🤠, san x oc are just super cute and sweet per usual, iono ppl are onto them tho lol, some insecurities coming to surface

—a/n: a lil hongjoong piece for those who need it <33

"San." You pick up the phone as you start packing up the last bits of necessities into your luggage. You'd be out of town throughout the weekend until early next week— trying to get the full experience of the NAS conference for the first time.

"Hey baby." You smile to yourself. "All packed up?"

"Mhm. We're about to head to the airport in a few minutes."

"Can't wait to see you at some point." You let out a small laugh, knowing it'll be somewhat hard to be with San and to stay with him during the time you're out there. But, you hope you can at least make a night or something work— San has been too busy since he's gotten there. You're barely able to talk to him unless he's back at the hotel and resting; then, he falls asleep quickly. You know he's been working hard to deliver his talks in between meeting with colleagues he hasn't seen in awhile. Preparing for his highly anticipated lecture for the NAS conference.

You're hoping you'll get your alone time with him and get away from your friends for a little bit.

"You've been busy. Gotta get ready for all that partying too, huh Professor Choi?"

—FLASHBACK

"Are you ready to present at the NAS conference?" You sit criss-crossed on the table while Sunwoo sits next to you, the both of you indulging in the hot breakfast and coffee set out for lab meeting. 

"Shit, that's a good question." You laugh. "I don't think I'll ever be."

"You'll do great." You nudge him playfully. "That's why Professor Choi is here to chew your ass out first before you present it to the public."

"You're right. I'd rather have him chew my ass out than anyone else." San walks in with a few people from the lab trailing in behind, and you instantly feel the butterflies swarming your gut. He's dressed pretty casually today— jeans, a loose fitting shirt and a cardigan, his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. His cheeks are a rosy tint, soft, black hair framing his face.

"Morning!" He says, sitting in a chair in the first row. "The NAS conference is coming up and we've got about five people from the lab presenting posters. Let's take this time to go through them and discuss any edits or changes before finalizing them." He looks over to you and Sunwoo. "Sunwoo, wanna go first?"

"Not really, but I'll do it for you." You snort, the rest of the lab chuckling in their seats. Sunwoo hops off the table and plugs in his laptop— his poster quickly coming up on the projector screen. "10 minutes?" San nods.

"Try to keep it within 10 minutes, yeah." San leans over onto his knees, focusing on Sunwoo's poster while the rest of the lab listens intently as he presents his projects and relevant data. Sunwoo is speaking quickly, but clearly, trying to cover every important point before his 10-min mark is up. Every now and then, you find your eyes glazing over San and how incredibly sexy he is all focused and in professor mode—

You need to focus.

It doesn't help any further when Sunwoo finishes his presentation and San starts going into detail about the things he should remove from his poster, things he should focus on, even things like:

"And the titles on your poster should be your results." San points up at the screen. "Cause I promise this is great, but it'll be even better if you let your audience know what the result is right off the bat so they know what they can focus on right away. If you keep it vague, you might lose them." San furrows his brows. "Can you go to the middle panel really quickly?" Sunwoo fixes the presentation to San's liking. "Yeah, I think you should add the figure that you left out cause that was the key point. That difference you saw between A and B would be the highlight. It doesn't matter if it feels small, people are gonna wanna see it because it's data. And in your case, it's data that contributes to what your end goal was."

"Yessir!" Sunwoo types away to make sure he captures all the suggestions. Others start throwing their hands up to give Sunwoo more edits that they feel would be appropriate, along with making sure small typos get fixed before then. San looks around the room once the suggestions have died down, eyes quickly landing on you [and now Belle on your other free side] before praising Sunwoo for the poster and calling up the next presenter.

"Goodjob." Belle chuckles as he plops down next to you, letting out a deep sigh.

"Thank god for Professor Choi. I dunno how I'mma do this."

"You'll be fine! You did great up there. Your poster was already good, just add the minor tweaks and it'll be even better." You add.

"My hype women. Thanks." You both laugh and shake your head before listening in on the next poster presentation. The four other presentations go on just as Sunwoo's did— 10 minute presentations followed by San's feedback, along with the lab's. You chime in a few times on coloring choices for graphs and images, pointing out typos and suggesting better titles for some panels as well. San smiles toothlessly at you while he listens, overwhelmed by eagerness to kiss you. Hold you. Show you off.

But, he settles for a nod and a 'thank you' for the suggestions. Giving you one last smile before he turns to the lab around him.

"Any other questions?"

"Professor Choi, tell us about your wild times at NAS." San laughs.

"Sorry to break it to you guys, but I definitely don't have any wild stories from NAS." 

"It seemed to be so much crazier when you and the other professors started going a couple of years ago."

"I'm not a fossil." San teases, making the lab laugh. "But, yeah. I guess you could say that. There were lots of after parties throughout the week. If not, people always bar hopped at the bars nearby. I hung out a few times, but never got as wasted."

"It's cause he had Iseul." Belle whispers with a small head tilt. "She even took his fun away. Damn."

"Belle." You look at her and playfully squeeze her arm.

"What! Serious. I still can't believe her." She does a tiny huff and sits back against the wall.

"You should probably ask Professor Bahng or Professor Song for their wild stories cause they definitely had some." San smiles back at the lab.

"Oh, come on Professor Choi! Don't be so shy!" San laughs and shakes his head before standing.

"Any other questions? Great posters, by the way. Send me the final versions by next week so you all have time to print and get it sorted out before the conference."

—END

"Oh, certainly." He playfully rolls his eyes. "I know it's been hectic, and I'm sorry, sweetheart. I keep running into people I haven't seen so I get pulled into last minute things." San sighs a bit, running his hand down his face. "I gotta get ready to meet up with Chris and Mingi. But, I promise we'll get our time down here."

"I know, that's okay. Comes with dating a well known, brilliant professor, I guess." He laughs. "Have fun with them!"

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too." It's scary how much time you've spent with San over the past weeks because now, you're getting used to carving out time and being with him. On the weekends. Slipping out late nights and sleeping over. You don't think your friends are thinking too much about the details, but you just don't know. You've been gone a lot. But, at the end of the day, it still brings you to the fact that you're starting to always long for San and want him around. "I'll be there soon."

"How are you gonna get away? Aren't you sharing an airbnb with your friends?" You nod as if he can see you.

"Mhm. They all plan to go out and do different things throughout the trip, though."

"Let me know whenever you need me to send a car to get you. I'll drop everything." You giggle.

"Send a car for your secret lover? Hot." San snorts.

"Not even, baby. I'd show you off to the world if I could." You pause and let the statement sit a bit, the reality of your situation sinking in a little more than you'd like right now. But, you quickly brush it off; not wanting to ruin the mood or cast an attitude for no reason.

This wasn't San's fault, nor was it yours. 

"I know." You respond softly. "Anyway, I should probably head to Eunchae's soon before they start trying to break down my door again."

"Okay." San softly chuckles. "Text me along the way, sweetheart. I'll be waiting 'till you get here."

"I will." San bites his tongue, leaving a small pause in the conversation before he speaks again.

"Mmkay. Bye baby." You answer back before hanging up the call, briefly double-checking everything before you zip up your luggage, grab your personal bag and head out to Eunchae's.

"I was literally just about to go knock on your door." Jiung takes your luggage from you to free your hands.

"Was just making sure I had everything." Eunchae claps and flashes her phone.

"Yay! We're all here. I called the taxi to come and get us." Your group walks out of the building to stand on the curb, the taxi pulling up in the next 5 minutes. It's a van, and it'll fit your group perfectly. The rest of the people you know are either flying out tonight, or throughout the weekend. It'll be an empty week next week, especially for the neuroscience and bioengineering community; most classes have been cancelled due to the conference.

The airport is close to a 50-min drive from campus. As soon as you get there, your group checks in at the individual kiosks, breezing straight through security since it's not during the busy rush hour at the airport. You've got an hour until your flight departs, so once you've found the gate, you and the girlies walk around to buy coffee and snacks. You text San in between, giving him the play by play of what's going on.

San can't wait to see you. He knows you two will make time and figure it out, and he truly can't wait until he gets you all to himself. It's the only thing he can think of, even as he walks around the downtown area with Mingi and Chris before they hit the sports bar to catch the baseball game over some grub and drinks.

"When is everyone else coming?" San is pulled out of his thoughts when Christopher rings out the question while looking at a shirt in a clothing store they had stumbled into.

"Namjoon and Zara are coming tonight, I think Yeosang and Jongho are taking a red eye." Mingi says.

"Yeah, he is. Then they're gonna head to our breakfast get-together like nothing."

"Mhm." Chris puts the shirt back on the rack while continuing to chime in. "Ran into Yunho earlier, so they're definitely here already."

"Tomorrow's breakfast will be fun." Mingi says with a drip of sarcasm.

"Namjoon and his plans, for real." Chris takes a thick jean jacket off of the rack and heads over to the cashier with San and Mingi in tow. "You guys have any other plans while we're here?"

"Got a few meetings outside of the conference, but nothing too major this year." San responds.

"Same." Mingi adds. "Sad they didn't bring back that investigator after party." Chris snorts.

"Because people got too fucked up last time."

"Boo." Mingi playfully boo's.

you: getting on the plane! gonna put my phone on airplane mode. see you later, maybe? 🥰

San smiles at his phone when he sees the text, fingers swiftly typing away to text you back.

san: safe travels, angel. 

"Zara texting you?" Mingi tries to peek at his phone.

"No. Cut it out." San furrows his brows at Mingi before playfully pushing him and heading out of the store.

"Then why are you smiling like that, bro?" Chris laughs. "Who are you seeing?"

"No for real, cause I know you aren't distancing yourself from Zara for no reason." San smirks and shakes his head.

"Ready to eat? I'm hungry. The game is about to be on, too."

"Woooow." Chris jokes. "Nah, it'll come out one day."

"Maybe, maybe not." San continues to tease with a big smile.

Meanwhile— when it's time to depart, you sit at the window seat with Jiung and another classmate on the same flight next to you. It's a 3-hour flight, but you brought along your book to read in between taking small naps on Jiung's shoulder. He's busy playing on his switch, fingers moving at wharp speed as he battles through Breath of the Wild. You hear the game tunes while you're in and out of sleep, checking the monitor to see how much longer you've got on this flight. The last half feels like the longest, and it's got you itching in your seat until the captain finally announces they're preparing for landing.

With any flight, getting off always feels the most stressful. You've got people standing, impatiently waiting for their turn to grab their carry-on luggages before rushing down the aisle. You, Jiung and your other classmate are the first from your group to head off the plane, waiting for the rest near the side of the gate. When you've all reunited, Eunchae takes the lead towards the arrivals terminal, calling up another taxi that can take you and your friends to the AirBnB. It's a pretty spacious house right outside of the central downtown area where the conference venue and popular hotels, eateries and shops are located.

The weather feels perfect.

And as soon as you all shuttle over to the shared AirBnB house, it's time to get ready to eat, explore and head to the bars for the first night. Which, feels like crazy work after the airport and flight chaos, but the adrenaline and hype from everyone around you gets you going. 

"We're really just gonna go all out tonight?" You fix your outfit in the mirror, throwing on a leather jacket to provide some kinda warmth [and umph to your outfit].

"Yeah, fuck it. We're here!" Jiung finishes pouring shots for everyone. "Here." He carefully slides over a plastic shot glass filled to the brim.

"Jiung." He shrugs.

"Nah, drink up. When's the last time we drank and had fun together, busy bee?" He teases, giving you a look. You playfully roll your eyes and hold onto your serving, waiting for everyone to grab their share before yelling out a loud 'cheers!' and taking the nasty liquid down your throat. 

One shot turns to two. To three. Four for some.

It's probably a bad idea that you're strolling the streets tipsy; your arm loosely wrapped around Jiung's as you stroll down a few shops, stumbling into a museum with free admissions for the weekend. You and your friends actually enjoy the exhibits, taking a few pictures along the way for the memories. Eunchae whips out her Instax from time to time, shaking the polaroids she takes before showing it off to the group. You take a few polaroids to keep, slipping them into your wallet to show San when you see him.

After spending a good time roaming around and shopping, you and your friends head to a popular, casual thai restaurant that required a bit of a walk to get to. Luckily for everyone, there isn't much of a wait and you're seated within 15 minutes of arriving. You all decide on ordering a few plates to share from, saving room for more drinks and alcohol for the bar afterwards. As the group continues to talk while waiting for food, you decide this is the perfect opportunity to pull out your phone and see if you had any texts from San.

Which, of course you do. 

He just responded not too long ago after you had sent him a few pictures from the museum and roaming around. Reading his texts puts a small smile on your face, and you almost wish you could just be with him at this given moment.

san: you're so cute.

san: sorry my baby, i've been with chris and mingi. we've just been hanging out.

san: think i can see you later tonight?

you: i'll try, sannie. we're going to the bars in a bit.

san: ☹️ 

you: promise i'll try, okay?

san: okay, but don't sweat it, alright? have fun with your friends, beautiful. enjoy yourself!

"Bruh, hello?" You hear Jiung next to you just as you peep the last response from San, unknowingly wearing a small smile on your lips that has Jiung knitting his brows together. "Who are you texting?" He laughs.

"Nobody, sorry. Was just distracted. What were you saying?" Jiung pauses for a bit because you've been acting a little different and he can't exactly pinpoint what it is. He won't dwell on it now though, he's having a good time with you, your group of friends.

"I was just saying you used to like the cheap ass vodka. We were talking about how our tastes have changed over the years."

"Vodka was not that bad. But, I definitely would not drink it now."

"Iono. Sorry, I think you're alone in this." He shrugs and you playfully hit him on the arm.

"Says you with your nasty Captain Morgan liking ass."

"Oh, come on. That was way better." You pretend to gag. "Captain Morgan brought the best memories for a lot of people." You laugh.

"Shut up."

"Seriously though, why do you seem disconnected? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I just got an email about something but it's no biggie."

"Okay, please don't check your emails." Jiung swipes your phone and you feel like your heart drops to your ass when it's in his possession. But, he doesn't glance at it and simply slips it into your bag. "No more. Let's just enjoy ourselves while we're out here." 

"You're right." You give him a small smile, knowing you should at least be present with your friends instead of thinking about San. If it's meant to happen, you'll find time for him later.

Once the food comes, the chit-chat dies down and everyone is busy getting their grub in. The group starts talking about some of the plans they have for the rest of the conference, most people planning to meet with old friends who are around. You didn't necessarily make any extra plans thinking you'd be able to sneak away with San for most of it.

It's kinda dumb now that you think about it. 

How the hell were you gonna do that?

"Maybe we should just roam around a little more. I can find some things to do." Jiung says and you quietly nod. 

"We can just figure it out later." Eunchae says, grabbing her purse. "Alright, russian roulette? Whose card are we putting down?! We gotta get to the bars!" Alas, russian roulette occurs and the waitress ends up picking Felix's card. The rest of you cheer loudly before telling Felix you'll send him your halves once the night has finished to cheer him up. All of you grab your things, making sure to check the table one last time before heading out and walking towards the first bar down the street. Your mind slips to San when you see his hotel come in view up ahead, standing tall some few miles away, but bright. Fancy. Modern. You wonder if he's still out and about with the boys, or if they're heading back to the hotel at this point.

Whatever it was, you were not expecting him to be at the same place, at the same time.

The first bar you get to is spacious, with the front panels of the bar opening out onto the street; high tables and chairs underneath umbrellas filled with groups of people drinking and playing games like Jenga and Connect Four.

You and Jurin are holding hands as you follow the group into the bar, heading off to a free section near the right hand of the establishment. As you walk deeper inside, Jurin suddenly stops in her tracks and you hear her audibly gasp.

"Oh my god." Jurin squeals. "No fucking way!" She turns to you and Eunchae, squeezing your hand. At first, you don't even realize it until Jurin nods behind her. Your eyes widen when you find San, Mingi and Christopher eyeing your group, drinking away at their beers. There's a few other people around them that you're familiar with— also bioengineering professors at other universities. He must have heard Jurin because his eyes shoot straight towards you and he has to force himself not to freeze or smile to big seeing you in the flesh.

"The students have made it out." Mingi laughs.

"Oh hey! Familiar faces!" Chris says, raising his almost empty glass of beer in the air as you all settle into the section in front of their table. San looks at you and gives you a small smirk, biting onto his bottom lip as he fiddles with the napkin beneath his empty glass. Although the chances were somewhat high, San didn't think he'd end up at the same bar with his friends.. and your friends. Truthfully, there's so many bars in the area— he just didn't think it would happen like this.

Literally just falling onto his lap and vice versa.

He's not mad about it, though. He's happy to see you. He's just upset he can't do shit about it.

You give him and his friends tiny curt nods before sitting around on the couches in front of a long table. The same kind of games sit in the center, the boys instantly reaching for Jenga while the girls start putting in orders of a mix of shots and cocktails.

Your group gets loud pretty quick.

Enough for San and his friends to watch as entertainment.

Jenga gets pretty heated, as it usually does. You and your friends are probably the loudest in this corner but you don't really care— everyone's have a good time and not causing trouble despite intoxicated. Chris even starts throwing in some side commentary as he watches the game unfold between you, Felix, Eunchae and Jiung. The tower falls as Jiung tries to slip the wooden piece from the third to last level, almost successful until he abruptly pulls it out from its spot and causes the tower to tumble with a loud crash.

"You're usually better than that!" You tease him. 

"Dude, I can't always be good at everything all the time." You laugh. "Besides, where were you?!" He slightly gets in your face, and you're having to playfully push him back by the chest.

San is so..?

He was never really the type to get jealous. San likes to think he's laid back in his relationships and maybe that's where he goes wrong. But tonight, he sees the little flirty tones coming from Jiung. You're drunk and you probably don't realize it, or San is just being dumb because that is your bestfriend. He shakes off the thought because his feelings run deep for you and he doesn't wanna run you off. Clearly, you respect him and vice versa, and not to compare, but you don't have the same mentality and attitude as Iseul.

You're like a breath of fresh air, if that paints a better picture.

He can't help himself when he slightly gets jealous simply because he can't just throw himself on the couch to join your game and tease you. He can't just swing his arm around you and kiss you in front of everyone, he can't just hold your hand and do all that cute, lovey-dovey shit. Which in hindsight, sucks. But, he has you and that's enough to keep him going at this point.

Your group continues to play and cheer loudly, providing entertainment for the professors until they find the bar getting too loud, too crowded and too.. full of university students and postdocs attending the conference— it's definitely a good time to head out.

"Let's head out?" Chris closes out the tab with his card. San's eyes subtly scan you heading to the bathroom, giving him an opportunity to see you for a second because god, he can't fucking help it.

"Yeah. Let me just head to the bathroom." The boys nod, telling him they'll wait outside in the crisp night air. Chris and the rest quickly say their byes to your group as they pass and head outside, San already turning the corner to the hidden hallway at the back of the bar that leads to the bathrooms. San lingers around the bathroom doors nervously, wiping his grubby hands down his jeans. When the bathroom door swings open, you jump at the sudden figure waiting around, the smile on your face growing quickly when you realize who it is.

"Hey you." San smiles that 100-watt, dimpled smile you cherish and adore so much, a small giggle leaving your lips when he leans against the wall and taps your nose.

"In public?"

"You think I wasn't gonna use the bathroom excuse to come see you for a quick second? Insanity." You laugh.

"Hi Sannie."

"So cute." He lets out a breath. "We're heading out, just wanted to say bye before we do." His hand falls on your hip and gives it a squeeze. "Was hoping to steal a kiss."

"We might get in trouble." He chuckles.

"By who?" He presses you against him. "C'mere." He almost whines. You tippy-toe and kiss him on the lips, leaving San to look at you dazed through hooded lids. He chases quickly for another small peck, feeling satisfied enough with the two kisses in a hidden hallway; could keep him going for the remainder of the night 'till he sees you again. "Can you let me know if you wanna come over? I'll hop in a car and come get you."

"Mmkay."

"Y/N! Bae! Are you yacking?!" You push off of San when you hear Jurin's voice echo into the hallway, tucking hair behind your ear as San turns over his shoulder to greet her nonchalantly. "Oh shit?— I mean, hi Professor Choi."

"Hey." He gives her a toothless smile. "Anyway, nice running into you, Y/N." He turns to you with a wink before excusing himself. "Be safe tonight, ladies."

"Will do." Jurin scurries off to your side, giggling while San makes his way back outside to meet his boys. "Girl, what the fuck did I just interrupt?"

"Nothing? He was just saying hi."

"In a secret hallway? Outside of the bathrooms?" She snorts. "Please. You know, I'd support you if you were getting into trouble with him."

"Jurin." You give her a look, internal temp rising at hearing Jurin say things like that.

"Okay, babe." She links her arm with yours. "Glad you weren't yacking, though. Unless Professor Choi saved you there, too."

"Oh my god." When you get back to your friends, as expected, Jurin continues to tease you about the whole San encounter. It doesn't make it any easier when Eunchae joins in, drunkly trying to convince everyone that San actually has the hots for you.

It goes over everyone's heads when the bar gives your friends another round of shots on the house. Thankfully.

When a good hour and a half passes, the group decides it's time to head to another bar. 

And another.

And another.

To drink more, to play games, to dance, to be loud. Though, all you really want now is to be with San.

As the last bar gets a little too crowded and chaotic for your liking, you start to wind down on the drinks— feeling a bit too full, too tipsy, than you planned to be tonight. You check the time, and it's getting close to 11pm, people still high on energy. The night doesn't seem to be dying down soon, but all you can think of is getting to San and cuddling up to him all night. The need to be with him is incredibly strong right now, and you don't think you'll let the night pass without being alone with him.

What can you tell your friends this time?

"I'm gonna head out." You let Jiung know, dipping close to his ear.

"What?" He looks at you, confused.

"I'm just gonna go—" He doesn't even let you finish when he's cutting you off, ready to leave with you.

"Then, let me come with—"

"No. I promise I'm good, Jiung. You stay and have fun, please."

"Who are you heading out with?" You pause for a second, trying to come up with anything that'll get you off the hook without being too suspicious.

"I'm meeting up with Sunwoo, Belle and people from the lab at another bar."

"Do you want me to at least head over with you if its close?"

"I'm calling Uber. Promise I'll be okay." He's hesitant, but he doesn't push.

"Text me when you get there, then." He gives you a look and you nod. At this point, the Uber is pulling up to the bar you're at— the driver giving you a call to let you know he's made it out front. You quickly tell Eunchae, Felix, Jurin and your other friends that you're heading out to see your labmates and luckily, no one bats an eye.

Besides Jiung, maybe. Only out of worry, you think. He's coming from a good place. Everyone else is too busy enjoying themselves, kick starting the trip on a good note. 

He just thinks it's weird.

When you hop in the Uber, you confirm your endpoint destination before leaning your head against the window. The driver's got the AC on blast, which is definitely your saving grace right now. You don't realize just how drunk you've gotten until you're resting in the back seat of this car, hoping the ride doesn't contain too many twists and turns on the side streets until you get to San's 5-star hotel.

It doesn't. Thankfully.

It's a good 15-min ride away from the bar, just a few turns and tiny hard brakes due to unexpected street traffic. But, the ride feels quick. You shoot San a text and he re-tells you he's on the 14th floor, room 1412. He asks if you need him to meet you downstairs and you say no, clearly remembering that San said the other professors typically stay at this hotel, too.

In which, you miss Yunho passing you on the opposite side of the lobby. He feels like he saw you, but wasn't confident enough to say exactly. It wasn't uncommon for students to book rooms at this hotel— it just wasn't a top choice due to price despite the close proximity to the conference venue. Yunho can't help but do a double take just as you head to the elevator, realizing it was too late to get a good look at you.

Definitely feels familiar.

You slip into an empty elevator, pressing the button to the 14th floor multiple times until the elevator doors shut. You shoot your friends a text to let them know you've arrived and all is well, giving them a heads up that you might be sticking with Belle for the night and to not wait up. No one responds, so you figured your friends were still busy enjoying themselves and they'd see the text at some point. You rub your arms at the sudden drop of temperature in the elevator, looking at your mesh shirt and your black leather mini skirt through the mirrors on the walls. Truthfully, after a couple of hours out and being enclosed in a stuffy bar, you're surprised you still look put-together. You fix at your baby hairs and adjust your skirt a bit, still feeling wobbly and like the world is slightly spinning. The elevator dings and the doors slide open, pulling you out of your thoughts as you step out and look around for the hallway that leads to San's room. It's at this moment you realize you don't have anything with you— no clothes or things to shower with— and you're praying San [or the hotel] has some extras he could spare for you. 

You know you're definitely staying the night.

1412 finally comes into view and you feel your heart skip a beat, a big smile growing on your lips as you knock on the door a few times. You hear shuffling in the background before San swings the door open, revealing himself in sweats and a white tank. 

You feel your knees buckle, core throbbing and aching for him badly.

"San!" You squeal, jumping onto him. He laughs, holding you tightly. "Finally!"

"Baby." He tuts. "You should've let me know when you were ready so I could come back out and get you."

"I made it, though! I told Jiung I was seeing Sunwoo and Belle somewhere."

"Hm." San hums. "Do you even know where Sunwoo and Belle are?"

"Nope." He laughs. "Mm'drunk." You pout as you drop down and look up at him.

"I see, pretty girl. Did you have fun?"

"I did. But, I wanted to come over already. I wanted to cuddle."

"You can have all the cuddles you want." San smiles, brushing your hair back before pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. "You look amazing, baby. Any guys slip you their number after we left?"

"Maybe?" You tease and he pouts. "I'm kidding. I'd toss it anyway."

"Yeah?" He laughs.

"Sannie." You whine, wrapping your arms around him drunkly. "You know what else sounds good right now?" He chuckles, holding you close while rubbing at your sides.

"What's that?"

"A chocolate chip cookie with ice cream."

"I can call room service again." He smiles, brushing your hair back. "Why don't you go get washed up and comfy, angel?"

"Mmkay." San presses a kiss to your forehead before grabbing you one of his shirts to change into and setting it on the edge of the bed. "Come on." He leads you to the bathroom, helping you out of your boots and your clothes before checking the water temp and getting you into the shower. The hot water feels good against your skin, almost helping you sober up a bit more as you let your body relax. San calls for room service to order your dessert, along with requesting for your clothes to be dry-cleaned and returned in the morning. San hears you drop one of the bottles in the shower, causing him to peek into the bathroom to hear you giggling. 

"You okay in there, love?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just trying to do the body wash but it slipped." San smiles to himself.

"Careful." He rests back against the headboard after hanging up your clothes on a hanger and slipping it through the plastic cover. You take another 10 minutes before you step out of the steamy shower in nothing but a towel. San turns to watch you from the bed, door cracked just enough to see you lathering up with the hotel's free lotion sitting on the bathroom counter. He has to pull himself together when the knock from room service comes, San hurriedly getting the door to grab the dessert and hand off your clothes. You hear San tell whoever is at the door to charge everything to his room before the door shuts close and he's back on the bed.

"Who was that?"

"Room service."

"Did you actually order the cookie?!" He nods.

"Yeah, and sent your clothes off for dry cleaning."

"San." You pout. "You didn't have to."

"Don't worry about it." He looks at you from the bed. "C'mere. Your ice cream is gonna melt." He has a hand behind his head as he lazily rests on the bed and against the headboard. He pats his free side, TV softly playing in the background.

"I gotta change." You walk out and sit on the edge of the bed near him, still wrapped in your towel.

"I mean, you don't really need to. I'll probably get you out of that shirt in a bit anyway." He smirks.

"Mm." You hum. "Don't say things like that, Choi San." You unwrap the bowl with a mini cookie pie sitting inside, vanilla ice cream on top starting to melt into it. 

"Still drunk?" San rubs your arm and presses a light kiss to your shoulder.

"Not too bad. Shower definitely helped. This will absolutely help." He chuckles. "Thank you." You turn to him just as you take a spoonful. 

"Course." He lets out a breath as he continues to watch you eat. "I missed you." He lays small, feathery kisses on your arm.

"I did too, Sannie. How was hanging out with the boys?" He shrugs.

"It was good. I'm just tired. But I'm glad you're here." You giggle as you look at him, his arm now wrapped behind you. 

"Want some? It's good!" You feed San another spoonful, a wad of vanilla ice cream sticking to the corner of his lips. Kinda brings you back to the first time you kissed him, except, circumstances are definitely different now.

Aka you missed San, and you've been yearning for him.

"It is good!" You smirk, placing the spoon down on the edge of the plate before coming down to lick the ice cream off from the corner of his lips. You maintain eye contact with him while you gently grip his jaw, placing a kiss to the same corner after licking off the ice cream clean. 

"I got you." You say softly, causing San to smirk wider.

"So fucking sexy, swear to God." It almost comes off as a low growl. "Uh-uh. You're not going anywhere after that." You squeal when San pulls you back down with some force, instantly pressing his lips to yours in a heated kiss.

"San—" You giggle in between kisses, letting out another loud squeal when he sits you on his lap, giving you full access to straddle him. "My towel!"

"Fuck the towel." You laugh, letting San tear off the towel from your body, tossing it aside. The kiss turns sloppy, wet; the both of you licking into each other's mouths while you slowly rut against him. He's quick to rip off his tank, chasing after your lips because he doesn't wanna waste a second away from you. The need, want, is strong; as if the universe has kept you and San away from each other for light years.

Every touch, every kiss, burned like ember— fueled by desire, cravings. Spreading quick like a wildfire: consuming, impossible to contain.

"Missed you so much, baby." San whispers against your skin as you settle back on his lap after shredding off his pants and boxer briefs, his hands caressing your back. You line him up at your entrance, slowly sinking down onto his hard cock. He nods eagerly, hazing eyes looking up at you as he relaxes again— hand behind his head while you lazily rock your hips back and forth to adjust the feeling. "Gonna be my good girl and ride me? Gonna use me like you need to?"

"San." You breathily moan, head cocking back in pure pleasure when you find the perfect rhythm to work with. Your hands rest on his abs, hips swirling and slowly working in circular motions on his rock hard cock. 

"Oh fuck— just like that sweetheart." He lets out a groan, looking up at you through hooded lids while he continues to let you do all the work. "Fuck, yes—" He moans loudly, matching your tone as you pick up your pace. He hisses in between, hearing your slickness against him while you go between bouncing on his cock to rolling your hips— clit rubbing against him so deliciously it's fulfilling that desire, craving, for San within you. San is completely taken by how mesmerizing, yet so sinful you look riding him the way that you are; pretty perked tits, beautifully shaped curves, plump lips.

"Sannie, feels so good— mmshit." You mewl, fucking him faster as your hands crawl up to his neck— gripping around the base at just the right pressure. 

"Baby. Gonna make me cum if you keep moving on my shit like that— fuuuuck." He lets out a loud, choked moan as you continue; fast, rough. Both of your moans blending into each other's, names being called like a mantra. The scene is nothing short of pornographic, loud, wet noises of skin against skin bouncing off of the walls while you continue to ride your man into the next lifetime. "Fucking me so good. So perfect. All mine." He praises you.

So pretty.

My girl.

All mine.

No one else's.

"Close. Please cum with me." You whimper and beg, hips now getting sloppier, messier.

"Yeah, that's it. Let me feel you." Your hips continue to work him, pleasure building at your core until you finally tip over the edge; stilling in your position while you moan filthily, trembling as your orgasm washes over you completely. "Yes baby, yes— give it to me." Your hands are now on San's chest to keep you steady, San roughly fucking up into you. Hearing you whine, along with the way your walls tightly clenching around his dick is enough for him to unravel; his turn to whine and whimper while digging his hands into the flesh of your hips. He groans as he releases every drop inside of you, chest heaving as he tries to regulate himself and calm down from the orgasm hitting him too hard.

"Oh my god." You pant, slowly sliding off of him when you finally muster the rest of your energy to do so. You plop next to him, San also still trying to regain some energy post-high.

"Sounds about right." He chuckles. "That was amazing, angel." San presses a kiss to your head before grabbing some napkins to help clean the both of you up.

"Was a good time using you." You tease, scooting next to him. "Before I forget, I have something." You lean over the side of the bed to grab the polaroid from your purse, turning onto your tummy to show it to San.

"You're so pretty, sweetheart." He smiles, grabbing it from your hands and slipping it into his phone case turned wallet. He slides it into one of the sleeves before setting his phone back down on the nightstand and pecking you on the lips. "Thank you."

"You're really gonna keep it there?" He nods.

"I always have my phone with me so, yeah."

"What if it slips out and falls?"

"I would never let that happen to your picture." He chuckles, watching as you fall back onto the mattress and allowing San to pull you into his arms. "You guys look like you really enjoyed yourselves on the first night."

"Mm. Yeah. We had fun. I'm just happy to be here now." 

"Thank whoever took that cute ass photo of you for me." You laugh and nod.

"What're you doing tomorrow? Any plans before or after the first day of the conference?"

"Hm. I have breakfast with Namjoon and everyone in the morning. Not sure about nighttime, but I'd carve out time for you." You smile.

"Breakfast with the group sounds nice. And god, I hope I can come over again, but I think Jiung and Eunchae wanna explore. We'll see." He nods, pressing a kiss to your head. "Wish I could just stay here, San."

"You could." You look at him and he lets out a small laugh, brushing your hair back. "I know, baby. One day, we won't have to keep planning around like this."

"I know."

"Would you travel with me?" San continues to look down at you as you rest on his bare chest.

"If I had the money to. And if it wasn't too suspicious for class and such." He nods. "You're traveling often these next weeks."

"Mhm. But, I wish you could be there with me. Wish I didn't have to leave you back there with my friends and Jeong Yunho." You chuckle.

"I wish I could too, Sannie."

"Come to the coast side with me for the Baskin conference, at least. Please?" San traces faint shapes on your side. "Students head off to conferences all the time. It won't be that suspicious for you to travel for this, too."

"You sure, babe? Cause what student can even afford to head to multiple conferences in a short amount of time?"

"I've seen a good amount. It's not that uncommon." He shrugs, and you let out a small sigh. "No pressure. But, I really want to be there with you. I'll take care of your ticket and everything. I'm sure your professors will understand, too." He gently kisses your forehead. "And.. maybe, I can take you around the world with me in the future."

"Is that what you want?"

"More than anything."

"I want that, too."

"Then, let's make it happen." You giggle against him, shutting your eyes as the exhaustion slowly takes over your body. San's warmth engulfs you as he continues to hold you close, keeping the TV on until he feels himself getting sleepy. Its nights like these that make him feel whole, that make him feel like he's on top of the world again. And god, does he love this feeling— the feeling that you bring to him, the euphoria he gets whenever he's around you.

Hugging you.

Kissing you.

Making love to you.

There's nothing more that he wants than to keep you happy, and he'll keep himself here for as long as he can. 

"Night, baby." He whispers against your forehead, leaving sweet, gentle kisses to your face until he settles under the sheets properly and keeps you close.

The next days are filled with jam-packed information from the conference, with you, Jiung and a few colleagues checking out the scheduled talks and chopping it up with vendors to see what the latest versions of supplies and equipment are. Today was San's talk, along with other keynote speeches and poster session day, so you were up and at 'em early to support your man and Sunwoo. You tried your best to not relive the weekend to avoid any mishaps or slip ups, avoiding any conversation or confrontation about it this entire time.

And you were doing good, especially since the days were hectic.

Until said tiny slip up passes by so unexpectedly. 

You were so, so close.

—FLASHBACK

"Oh, aye! She's here! Nice to see you!" Your labmates quickly say hello as they pass you in the opposite direction. "It would've been nice to see you at the bar the other night, Y/N!"

"Wait what, I thought you went?" Jiung furrows his brows at you, and you feel your palms get all sweaty.

"That group went somewhere else."

"Oh? But, you, Sunwoo and Belle stayed behind?"

"Mhm."

"Y/N, if you're hooking up with someone in the lab, you can just say so." He snorts and you playfully punch him on the bicep.

"Ew, no! I'm not, Jiung." You pout. "We just liked the bar we were at."

"Hm." Jiung hums. "Okay then." He shrugs, still not really believing you left to meet up with Sunwoo and them. But, he digresses. He'll let you open up to him when you're ready. Jiung just knows, though.

Jiung knows you haven't really been seeing your mom.

Jiung knows you didn't really see Sunwoo and Belle.

And he could probably thank the fact that he knows you so well— he knows that a lie is hard for you to keep up with. It'll unravel, eventually. It is. Slowly.

What it actually is, though, he's curious?

What is it that you can't even tell him, your bestfriend?

—END

"Where's Professor Choi's talk?"

"In the Verve conference room. I think it's on the opposite side." You pull out the venue map.

"We should go so we can get good seats. Same thing for Professor Kim's talk right after." You nod, clinging onto Jiung's arm to navigate the sea of people making their way around the venue to get to particular talks and poster sessions currently happening for different branches of neuroscience subjects. When you get to the Verve conference room, there's still some spots open, but not too many. You, Jiung and your colleagues slip into the fourth row towards the end, still getting a good view of the stage from the seats. There's still about another 10 minutes before San's scheduled to speak, but the room filled up quickly after you and your friends arrived. You spot Zara slipping into a front row seat with Mingi. Your eyes linger on her for a little longer than you'd like, seeing how she sits so prim and proper— a huge smile on her face as she patiently waits for San to get on stage.

You can't say you don't feel a little scared and insecure seeing her. You do. She's right up his alley, and one day, he could see that.

He could see the reality of this.

Before you can fall into the rabbit hole, the lights dim and the host steps on stage to introduce San. Your man steps onto the stage in black dress pants, a white button up and matching black vest and tie. He's got his rimless frames on, hair falling neatly to the sides of his face, his forehead. He kicks off his talk, his voice enough to captivate the audience from the get-go. You are truly enamored and in complete awe every time San does a talk. The stage isn't huge, but enough for him to pace around. He always has presentation slides, but his slides contain more photos and figures than words. He does a brief glance at the current slide, pacing around the stage slowly as he explains its contents in a smooth, calm manner. He has a hand in his pant pocket, while the other is used for hand gestures at the same time as holding the slide clicker. Other times, both hands are out for gestures. You know San never uses the same presentation for every talk, so it's crazy to see him discuss each point so perfectly; enough to paint its picture, but not overwhelming with details. He always scans the audience, his eyes falling on you a few times amidst the talk. He has brief pauses, speaks without slipping in filler words. When he smiles and slips in small jokes, he has the ability to make everyone feel the same energy tenfold— entire audience smiling, nodding or chuckling in response. He answers every question during the Q&A session, being able to express his thoughts and concerns freely without holding back.

He is honest, and he is the definition of passionate when it comes to his craft. 

When his time is up, he gives the audience a bow before seeing himself off the stage and down into the audience to talk to a few people. Most are heading out to catch other talks, while others are lingering to get even a second in with San. The first person that lingers around and sticks by San's side is Zara, along with Christopher. They all chat together before San is acknowledging colleagues around them— some very well-known professors from global universities, some Nobel laureates. It's crazy to see San in this environment outside of school, the lab, because it's still crazy to know he's considered young in his field but incredibly talented and sought out. 

"I'm gonna say hi to Professor Choi." Jiung nods.

"Okay. We should get to Professor Kim's talk soon, though."

"We will." You nod, leaving him behind with your colleagues who are now talking to other professors and familiar faces nearby. You waltz over to San, slowly slipping your way through while he's talking to Zara a bit more. His eyes land on you and they instantly light up, causing Zara to break and put a pause in their conversation when you approach them.

"Hi Professor Choi, Professor Cho. Really great talk you did." You shyly say to him, keeping it professional and lowkey.

"Thank you." He smiles at you. "This is Y/N, she's the rotation student in my lab." San looks over at Zara. She smiles at you and takes your hand in a gentle shake. She's sweet, you think. And she definitely still has the hots for your man.

"Yes, hi Y/N! I've heard lots about the work you've already done in Professor Choi's lab. He seems to be a big fan." You feel the heat rise to your cheeks before you chuckle and brush off the comment. 

"Oh, really? I'd hope so." You briefly look at San, who is just standing there— pursing his lips together in a fine line to prevent himself from smirking too big. But, his eyes tell all, and the brief moment Zara looks between you two; it's a little clearer to her who you might just be to him. "It's really nice to meet you Professor Cho. Your talk was great."

"Thank you. Definitely was not as major as Professor Choi's though, talk about the turnout." She looks around, then looks up at him. There's awe, admiration, probably even a sprinkle of lust if you look closely. 

Could be just you, but whatever. You know that look when you see it. Plus it's San— who the fuck wouldn't?

"Nah, not even. Your talk was amazing and had just the right amount of info. Not too heavy, flowed easily." He reassures her and you awkwardly stand there before tucking a strand of hair back and excusing yourself.

"I agree with him." You chime in. "Anyway, sorry have to cut this short, but I have to get going to Professor Kim's talk. Just wanted to pop in and praise you both for the amazing talks." You look at Zara again as she continues to stick to San's side. "It was lovely to formally meet you, Professor Cho." You give San one last, toothless smile before re-joining Jiung near the exit doors of the conference room, heading straight to the opposite end to hear Namjoon's lecture starting in the next 10 mins. As Zara returns her attention to San, she finds his eyes still lingering on you even as you leave.

And she could be reading it all wrong, but she, too, knows that look when she sees it.

"Uh, so." San says, finally meeting her eyes. "I'm gonna head over to Namjoon's in a few too, if you'd like to join me." She shakes her head.

"I've gotta meet up with an old colleague in a bit. We'll try and catch it if we can, but we've got lots of catching up to do." San nods.

"Well, enjoy yourself, Zara." He smiles. "I'll catch you around." He steps away, shaking hands and briefly greeting a few others on his way out, leaving Zara behind to navigate through the crowd on her own. She eventually finds her colleague going down the row of posters set up along the side of the main venue room, waving to her to get her attention. She jogs over and gives her a tight hug, one that she feels like she really needed at this time.

"Hey you!" Zara says. "Sorry, San's talk just wrapped up."

"Oh, you don't say?" Her colleague and friend, Yu, says teasingly. "How was San's talk? How's it been working with him? Have you two gotten closer or whatever?" She smirks at her and Zara shakes her head with a small, choked up chuckle.

"It was great! Amazing as usual." She looks at the ground. "We're just colleagues, and I'm afraid it'll stay that way. Probably best, anyway."

"What?! I thought there was a little spark?! It sounded like it was gonna go somewhere and I was so excited to hear the next episode!" Zara laughs. 

"It's fine, I promise. He's got his eyes on someone else and I think he's happy." Not gonna lie, as she explains this, all she can think about is: how heartbreaking.

Of course, she can't say for certain. She's going off of gut feelings and subtle [but obvious] actions. But even if it were true, she can't help but question: why? All of it would be so, so wrong on the surface level. You'd be dating your professor, and the both of you could ruin a lot of things for each other.

Perhaps, San sees it all as worth it. 

Zara wonders what you do that makes him feel that way. In hindsight, they could have been good for each other. It felt like it. She thought they'd hit it off from their small meetings and the way she slowly learned more things about him. They were professors well on their way to bigger things. Even though she had nothing but assumptions, she still couldn't shake the feeling she had in her gut.

Where did she lack that you made up for?

—read 8.5 here

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom @barbielibra @brown88 @choisansplushie @yunhoswrldddd @hyukssunflower @vickykazuya @lucid-galaxys-world @jaytheatiny @pommelex @thechaotictheoryy @vixensss @santineez @nopension @domfikeluva @in-somnias-world @my-atiny-kookie-rkive @mountiiny

[midnightshindig]

a platonic drabble for cecil who has a kid that’s just like him and also ends up majorly scarred while saving someone on a mission?

Cecil & family!Reader hcs

Oooooo I like this, you guys really wanna tear this guy apart

Hcs below the cut!

You're his pride and joy

literally the exact same as him like to the way you take your coffee and the way you button your cuffs

From the first time Cecil got called into the office because you "organized detention" to fit your whims

God he's so proud

You're the product of a one-night stand with a visiting alien gone very wrong, dumped at his doorstep at the ripe age of four

it's just been you and him ever since

Cut to years later, and your powers have manifested, and he's all but forced to put you in the field

"You can either send me on missions, or I'm gonna start roaming the streets to fight crime on my own."

God you're gonna give him a heart attack

and so he agrees to put you, his fifteen year old pride and joy, into the field

Donald finds him like completely hungover the next morning cuz he's just so fucking stressed

After a few good missions, though, you prove to be like him in other ways:

you're dependable, a good listener, you follow orders flawlessly and improvise like a pro

Well, he guesses you are a pro now.

You're going on missions relatively frequently, still smaller fish but your powers aren't too insanely useful, you're more like a glorified and enhanced spy than anything.

A lot like he was.

This mission is bog standard, local cult in Midnight City that Darkwing II has requested assistance with since he's too busy with Guardian stuff

And so you go undercover in this cult, robes, rituals, the whole affair

Why is it always Midnight City?

ugh.....

You're handling it like a champ, though, and Cecil's sending backup

The backup is ON. ITS. WAY.

"Do not engage, Y/n, the cavalry is coming, you did good, now just hang tight and don't cause a scene."

He can hear you scoff, not able to verbally respond due to your yknow, undercoverness

What he can't see is that this cult is in the middle of some mad witchy shit, super culty, ritualistic sacrifice aplenty and you're helpless to stop it, at least without a lot of people getting hurt.

You have no idea what's going on, but you overhear two cult members talking to one another

"So what's this ritual for again?" "The spiritual cleansing of the world, dumbass. We're going to rid this world of filthy sinners with the cleansing blood of our leader"

Oh. I guess that guy on the ritual table does look like the cult leader.

You squint from a few rows back to get a better look at him-yeah- yup, that's definitely him.

His blood flows through the grooves in the table, onto the spell circle underneath

Much to your surprise, the circle actually begin to glow a familiar glow

the magical glow of a pre-explo-

BOOM

Cecil only hears you swear quickly before his line gets cut, and its all hands on deck.

Shortly after the explosion, the backup arrives, their priority getting as much of you out in one piece

It's a similar case to Cecil, saving whatever skin they can and grafting it onto you, and offering you the choice to get it replaced with fake skin.

You can't do it, though, but not for the same reason as your father

oh my god you're such an asshole

Cecil teleports straight to the side of your bed, checking you for harm after the doctors finish their procedure on you

"Y/n- fuck- stay with me kid- are you okay? Tell me you're okay." He's a little fast talking, but otherwise he holds himself together remarkably well.

Unti he notices your face

From the bottom of your mouth curving around the left half of your jaw, and down your neck, is burnt skin

Your shoulder and hand on the same side have similar burn marks

"Why?" He asks, softly, praying he hasn't burdened you with the same guilt he's felt since his own incident.

You give him a wide grin, uncharacteristic of the stoic relationship you shared

"I did it because it looks sick as hell! Don't you think?"

Oh man, you're such an asshole.

He ruffles your hair and groans

"You pull it off"

and that's good enough for him.

he's never letting you on another mission ever again omg

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

i don’t go here often but the weird tension and watching porn together and……………. and bakugou………….

✮ tags ; parts r left vague in detail (so u can imagine tdick or other), masc!reader, gay sex, jerking off in the same room, frotting, reader is a crass jackass, dubcon-ish (bkg is into it he's stubborn tho) stupid hent tropes, premature ejaculation on bkgs end.

✮ a/n ; merc this literally possessed me KJDSHFKJSD.

"The fuck do you mean you don't jerk off?"

Bakugou flushes, throwing a pillow at you from the other side of the couch. You can't understand what he's saying to save your life.

"Fuck you. It's not that weird."

You give him a disbelieving look. "No, it definitely is. You don't like... watch porn?"

He makes a face at you that you can't identify. "No? I just like take care of it in the shower. If I get like morning wood or whatever."

"You only jerk off if you have morning wood?!"

A blush spreads up his neck, all the way to his ears. There's little sparks in the palms of his hands that make you snort. "It's not weird!"

"We're living different lives," You reply,without skipping a beat. "If I don't rub one out like. Twice a day at least, my dick will explode."

His face crinkles up with disgust. "Are you a fucking animal?"

"Dude, twice is nothing."

He doesn't have anything to say to that. You think on his situation for a while before a shit-eating grin spreads on your face. "You know what? I think I can fix you."

"Fuck do you mean fix me? There's nothing to fix, I'm going to kill you."

"Hold on," You ignore him, reaching around the arm of the couch for your backpack nearest the table. You grab your laptop and take it out of it's nice, blue sleeve - opening it up. Some short clicking sounds in the room before you set it on the coffee table in front of you both. "Here we are."

There's thumbnails of obscenities upon obscenities upon your screen - all with varying appropriate titles and run times. You look at him triumphantly, like a proud crow with shiny trinkets. Bakugou looks at you with complete disdain and disgust.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Don't be rude," You reply, not skipping a beat. "I'm offering you my curated, high quality porn stash without charge. This is the good stuff. You have to go to like... the sixth page of the internet for this quality. All HD."

"You're a fucking degenerate."

You grin. "I'm a connoisseur." You pause a bit, scrolling through your collection before glancing at him. "You got a type? Like in chicks."

"No," He says flatly, then looks at you. "Do you?"

You think on it before grinning. "Blondes."

He blushes at that. You scroll to the bottom of the first page and find your favorite video. It's a little vintage, but the main actress is a pretty blonde with a nice rack. It's NTR, plenty debauched. You click on it, setting the laptop back in view of you both before. Bakugou throws you a distressed look. "The fuck are you doing?"

"Changing your life, man. You're like a brother to me."

"And your show of brotherhood is watching fucking porn together? Don't be disgusting."

"It's not disgusting, come on. Don't be rude. This actress is super hot and this clip is hard to find. Show some gratitude."

"I'm going to leave." He threatens. You shrug.

"I'll have fun jerking off in your living room." You reply back. That keeps him glued to his seat.

The video starts playing after the intro. It's a pretty typical set-up for porn. A lonely, neglected housewife cheating on her husband with the plumber. It's nasty right from the jump though, not much emphasis on panty-shots and build up. They get straight to business in the first ten minutes of the film. You've seen it plenty by now, but your eyes remain in trance anyway. The actress is a natural beauty. A pretty face, short-blonde hair, and nice chest with pretty nipples.

Your breath hitches, something stirring underneath your waistband. She plays prickly in the film, all for show of course - but it makes the pay off way better. It's hot seeing her get corrupted.

You almost forget about Bakugou next to you until he whispers to you, low and offensive. "The hell are you doing?"

He must be referring to the hand unbuttoning your jeans. "What do you think?"

He makes a noise of protest, but ultimately can't stop you. You're hard. Always does the job this one, but you feel another layer of arousal feeling a gazed fixed on you. You glance at Bakugou, noticing a pillow over his lap and a blush over his face and grin. You think it's probably just your dick talking. The situation is so fucking obscene though.

You wonder what Bakguou sounds like when he moans. They look similar, him and the actress. Chest might be the same size, too. You let off a soft laugh. "Don't be shy on my account."

"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you."

You make a face, lazy and lidded eyes meeting his. "You want to? Dunno if you've got any lube around to make it happen though, since you're such a priss."

His eyes go wide, pinched expression suddenly twisted with anger. He goes to cuss at you again but you beat him to the punch.

"Hey. Wanna jerk off together?"

You didn't think he could look more shocked if he tried. You snicker. "It'll feel better than humping the pillow like you are right now."

"I'm not fucking humping it."

"Right. D'ya wanna?"

He clearly thinks about it, which makes you laugh. The whole situation is making your head spin. You think it'd feel good to rub against him at least. You've never done anything like that with another guy though, but Bakugou is so pretty - can't be sure it counts. You get fed up with his waiting after a minute, scooting closer and circling in. He backs up against one arm of the couch as you crowd infront of him - stood on your knees on either side of his thighs. The angle is perfect to get your dicks to touch with some effort. He makes a choked sound in the back of his throat as you gingerly move the pillow.

You pull his sweats down as well as your jeans and press the tips of your cocks together - spitting into your hand to make the tips both wet. Bakugou gasps, groaning in the back of his throat. Humiliated, he pulls back and looks at you. He's pissed, feral.

Weirdly, you think he's kind of sexy right now. You leaned down to kiss him, and he tries to pull away. You grip your hand in his hair and force him to kiss you - all teeth and tongue. He pulls back with a flush.

"Fuck," You groan, rutting up against him - your whole body shuddering and pulsating from the sensation of his dick. Hot and velvet, making your body twitch. "You're kinda sexy."

"Shut up," He replies, no real bite when his voice is so blown out with lust. "We're not even watching the porn anymore, dipshit."

"Guess not," You reply, rubbing against him again. He moans aloud, pleasing you. "You're way sexier than that."

His dick twitches in response to that. "Shut up,"

"Might be bad if I get addicted to this," You reply, sweat dripping down the crown of your head as your hips follow their own rhythm. "Let's cum together. C'mon."

He frowns at you before craning his neck up to push another kiss to your mouth. You shudder as you feel him cum against your fingers from that, laughing in amusement.

You were joking about being addicted, but you can't be sure. Not anymore, at least.

[evilminji]

Ngl, I'm kinda really big on "Accidentally Fixing Things While I Was Off, Minding My Business/Indulging My Hyper Fixation"

With a side of "huh, why do I hear jaws music?" *Og!Protagonist Approach-ith*

Cause like? Who WOULDN'T want to play around with QI? Talismans? Get REAL deep into the esoteric Cultivation Lore??! What do you MEAN "boring", native to this universe!? This shit is MAGIC! We're literally playing with MAGIC here! I can write squiggles on a peice of paper and BEND REALITY! Concentrate REAL hard and have the universe around me just... shrug and OBEY!!!

That's SO COOL!

Sweet backflips and flying swords! Mythic animals! Forget being a wizard, this is WAY better! *cackles in glee*

Imagine if a SI-OC aims for a Peak that was never even brought up in Cannon! The Talismans and Artifacts (don't get them started. Yes, it's both two seperate fields. But somehow ALSO a spectrum? And can be both at once, depending on the age of the object? No one else is quite sure...) Peak. She finds her people.

First you study the general, then you specialize.

Everyone there can info-dump for HOURS on their niche field of study! Lots of cross Peak cooperation! Half of them are never ON Peak because they can't MOVE their objects of interest! Gotta study them at location! Which, yes, includes hidden realms! AND THE CREATION OF THEM.

Their last Peak lord? Fuckin DIED to Tianlang-jun's sealing. Their CURRENT Shizun? Hates the Old Palace Master with the fury of ten thousand suns. Bastard just... just DUMPED a project like "seal a Heavenly Fucking Demon Emperor" on everybody LAST MINUTE. And WIPED OUT an ENTIRE GENERATION of Masters.

If ANY of them work with ANYONE from Hau Haun? They are DEAD to him.

DEAD.

So like.... fuck those guys. It's the formal stance of her Peak. Fuck those guys forever. *spits*

Oc agrees. Cause wtf. That sounds like it was unreasonable and deeply fucked up. And that kid of demon? SUPER dangerous! Good thing there aren't any more of them! She says... having never read the book. Either one. Granted, things KINDA sound familiar? In that her brother used to talk about a series from overseas he was slowly moogle translating to read.

But like? It's the Multiverse. Not impossible odds. Maybe her soul just clung to a Cultivation Universe that VAGUELY sounded familiar, over the countless that DID NOT. Not like she knows how Reincarnation works...

Anyway~ Back to her projects!

She's industrious AF. Exceeds her Talisman goals. Constantly. Which means she gets to keep or sell the extra (it's motivation to work hard). She likes to give some to people who look like they need um. Like that miserable kid on Qing Jing. She sees him every time she stops by to hit up their, frankly, Gucci Library. VERY fancy.

Here, kid, have some warming and protection talismans. Perimeter alert ones. Kinda weird you go through so many, but meh, I don't know your life. Want one of my practice Qiankun pouches? It's ugly af. But since our peak makes them, I gotta practice.

The kid gives her snacks. They're pretty good, not gonna lie.

He IS... kinda creepy though. Very "you should skip school tomorrow" quite kid with too intense eye contact. You... uh... you GOOD, kiddo? Wanna talk? Should... should she, like, do something about this, or.....

No, no! He insists. With the flattest, fakest smile she's ever seen outside of a Serial Killer. He's Fine™! No need to worry about HIM!

......okay, but, see, when you SAY shit like that....

Creepy™ "probably gonna murder everyone on Qing Jing" kid aside? She has a GOAL! Wants to make a MEDICAL Hidden Realm! Yeah, that's right!! See, you can dictate the "rules" of reality (somewhat) inside the Realm you create, right? SO! It occurred to her! She should make a Realm?

That DOES NOT ALLOW QI DEVIATIONS!

Something that forces the Qi inside one's body to smooth and heal! Calm and rich! Like Ling Xi caves but for healing instead of breakthroughs! It could be a lifesaving realm, where one goes to ride out a Qi Deviation or face their heart demons! In an environment that will not ALLOW them to fatally spiral!

Of course, she needs to find a whole bunch of rare and soothing legendary flowers to plant. Trees, too. A couple rare beasts, known for their intensely soothing auras. Just... REALLY stack the odds. THEN off course, she'll have to lay the ground work of the realm itself. Find a good place to PUT it!

Maybe Qian Cao Peak? Or could she connect it to to the Ling Xi to take advantage of the natural Qi and protection the mountain itself gives? She would need permission either way... she should draft a consultation request...

All this? As the immortal conference gets closer and closer. Fate LOOMS.

Only to slide wildly off the rails, as she get approved by THE SECT LEADER to make her "Anti-Qi-Deviation Realm" in the Ling Xi Caves as her final project. Her Master Work as an Inner Disciple, as it were, Proof of studies and skill. All HE saw was "anti-Qi-deviation" and thought "this could totally help Xiao-Jiu". Immediately gave the go ahead.

(And as for Lui Qinggi? This is NOT a new idea of hers. She'd long gotten Mu Qingfang on board. What luck, for EVERONE involved, he was in the caves that day. Once again looking for a good place to anchor the realm, for a maximum effect to ease of access ratio.)

She anchors the Realm. Starts planting like mad. Transferring her legendary Soothing Plants and Soothing Trees. Constructing a few buildings in accordance to the feng shui MASTER she hunted down and consulted. Requests Shen-shibo himself come and be in charge of paintings and other decorations, as he IS the master of the scholars peak.

(And most at risk of a Lords or a Qi Deviation. So would be a splendid test case.)

(Is what she does not say...)

(But they are both aware of anyway.)

And? Shen Jiu? Has... never felt so calm and safe in his LIFE. Unnatural! Doesn't like it. Disgusting. What coddling nonsense! He's never going... going... to go... *stands at the entrance and glares, like the realm personally offended him* *carefully inches back inside like an abused cat*

He stops paying attention to his peak almost immediately. Yes, he does his job. But... his brain is no longer wrapped up in it. Obsessive over it. Constantly comparing and jealous and spiteful. Don't get him wrong! He's still a petty, spiteful, bitch of a man. But...

True, restful sleep? Changes a man. The complete lack of constant minor Qi Deviations, like mini-seizures, in the night. Throughout the day. Constantly wearing him down, tearing him down. Exhausting him and hurting. That... gentleness. Calm. Escape from pain, which he has lived with for so, so long.

What was he doing? Comparing himself to brats?

Being jealous of and competitive of tiny little IDIOTS. They're morons! He's a Peak Lord. He's WON.

He starts ignoring Bingge. Noticing things he'd overlooked before, in his exhaustion. Like the fact that his daughter is, apparently, very susceptible to rumor mongering and not AWARE she is just and ONLY his daughter. (Ying-er, sweetie, Baba loves you... but sometimes you make him very tired...) (also it will be a cold day in hell, when he allows to to marry that little cretin. Chose better.)

Oc? Getting SLOSHED with Mu-shibo! WOOOOO~☆ we DID IT!!! The Realm was a SUCCESS! We're GENIUSES! We can't wait to see how this develops!!! *celebrating noises*

Immortal Conference, happens. SI-OC? Just graduated. Missed it. Meh... it should be fine. Still... here, kiddos. Her backlog of Talismans and pouches. Never know when that might be useful! Oh, hey, Creepy I mean, that Kid from Qing Jing who thankfully hasn't killed anybody yet! Still got the Weirdly Intense Eye Contact, I see! You all packed?

....that's... a little light.

Here, Talismans and Pouches, just like the kids from her Peak. Stay safe, okay? There's food and water in there. Medicine too. Some emergency blankets. Flares and stuff. Don't hesitate to use um. They are made to be used. Everybody be good!

And remember! This conference isn't worth your life!

[♡Luo Binghe Will Remember This♡]

W...why do I hear jaws music? Hello? Helloooo?

Cause like? Shen Jiu? Doesn't throw him in. He's too busy saving students he Actually Cares About. You know... like a RESPONSIBLE Peak Lord. But does that STOP fate? Ha! No. Down Binghe goes! With a bunch of pouches he begged of Talisman Peak disciples who were dropping out. Since... they didn't need them... *puppy dog eyes* c-could he steal borrow them?

He ends up in the Abyss with a small warehouse of supplies. Which is GREAT! Will get him through this hellscape!

Assuming he can protect it.

Every meal. Every night of sleep where he DOESNT have to twitch at every sound, thanks to the talisman arrays. Every drop of clean water. Scrap of medicine. It's a reminder of the One(1) Sister who was nice to him at no cost. Didn't want to fuck him, use him, in some way. Have him a part, like some sort of emotional crutch. Was just... kind. For the sake of kindness.

Saw him, not the mask he wore, and recognized he'd be strong. (Why else would she look so wary?) And he wants and wants and Wants AND WANTS.

Aren't I strong, now, Shixiong? Aren't you so very proud of me? Look how powerful Luo Binghe has become! I came back for you. Brought back the things you gave me. A little stained, but that's okay. We can make new ones. Can finally move on. No more Cang Qiong. Isn't it great? Tell me it's GREAT, Shixiong.

Please stop running. Or I'll have to burn the mountain down.

@mayfay @legitimatesatanspawn @babbling-babull @hdgnj @spidori @leftnotright

[doubleslashkarma]

Why the Keeper that Aimsey, Sneeg and Pangi have been working with isn't actually a Keeper and why they're super fucked.

A THEORY / ONGOING PANIC ATTACK

So Aimsey has been tasked to find the dragon shards "at any cost". This wording is already a bit more ominous than we're used to with the Keepers who usually try and keep up the appearance of morally good individuals. But it gets even stranger when we consider the deal for Jonnaay's death. The Keepers have been loudly anti-war and pro-peace this entire time, that's kind of their whole bit. So why would one actively encourage action that could start a war? Something that could bring the Red faction back into business, when they've already admitted that their very existence was a mistake?

If the Keeper could just take the Dragon Shard out of Jonnaay's ender chest this whole time, then why do the song and dance of murder?

Let's think about Pangi.

Pangi had a meeting with Newt, who we KNOW from Lukey's flashbacks is a Keeper associated with the main group of Keepers that we are familiar with. Newt told Pangi to hold onto his dragon shards, because someone would come to collect them soon. He'd know who.

This stuck out to me as a weird thing to say to someone who already has a liaison they've been working with (through Aimsey but associated nonetheless) on the Dragon Shard problem. We could assume Newt was talking about Aimsey's Keeper, but then why the wording? Why the mysteriousness if it was just the same Keeper they were already familiar with? Why the "they'll have to be the one to tell you" shit? They make a point to function as a unit, why would that change now? Why does it feel like they're not on the same page? Unless Newt wasn't talking about another Keeper. (He might've been talking about Lukey, in all honesty, but I don't have enough evidence to be certain about that. This possibility will come up later though.)

Almost a week ago, during Aimsey's nightmare, there was a book. That book said "Find ?" with the ? being one of those glitchy characters. Immediately afterwards, Lukey appears on screen, barely visible. This dream also very notably used the "at all costs" mantra that's been indicative of the entire Dragon Shard hunt.

We can draw some conclusions on that series of events and say that the book was meant to say "Find "L", since that is a name that a Keeper uses for Lukey.

Problem, it's one very specific Keeper. And that's Stultus, the Jester's partner in crime and agent of chaos who specifically work against the main group of Keepers (which does vaguely imply that he might be team corruption).

Stultus, who is the only Keeper who needs to be specifically given a name in order to use it. (Isn't it weird? Has the Keeper Aimsey is working with ever referred to them as anything besides "lab rat?" Why do they insist on calling Pangi "the Pangolin"?)

Why would a Keeper who is staunchly anti-corruption want to reassemble one of the sources of corruption? The Keepers fell to the Dragon, why would they want it's egg in one piece again? For "research?"

Bring LIFE? Bring LIFE back to it? You want the dragon to come BACK? INTERESTING. FASCINATING.

(If Newt DID mean Lukey was going to collect the shards, and we do know he was sent to The Realm to find a cure for the corruption based on his most recent flashback, then that would explain why the Keeper today specifically did not want Lukey to know about the plan).

I could be entirely off my rocker and there might be some evidence against this that I just don't know about from not having watched every second of every Aimsey stream but I think that there are two separate groups of Keepers trying to get the Dragon Shards off of Aimsey, Sneeg and Pangi andI think they're trusting the wrong one.

My final piece of evidence is that Aimsey would never let their character be happy ever it's not allowed. That is all.

[squid-headcanons]

heyyy would you be open to doing a Hwang jun Ho x reader one shot lots of angst but ends with fluff?? The plot can be up to you :)))

night at sea

-> hwang jun-ho x reader || squid game oneshot

-> summary: after the death of your friend during your mission to find the island, you sit on the deck to think. jun-ho finds you sitting alone and decides to join you.

-> genre: angst -> fluff oneshot

-> warnings: death mention, cursing, nothing else really.

-> a/n: thank you for requesting!! i hope that i fulfilled your request, and i hope you enjoy!! this is my first time writing for squid game, and jun-ho, so i hope i did him justice! tysm again <3

The rain pounds down against your back as you sit on the deck, watching the waves crash around you. You were part of Gi-Hun's crew to track down the island, but you sincerely didn't think something like this would happen. One of your best friends, another crew member, had been hit by the explosion on the wrong island. You tried not to show emotion, but nights like these, you had to let it out.

Tears fell carefully from your cheeks as the ship swayed back and forth with ferocity. The night sky was staring at you, blaming you for joining the crew in the first place. You knew it was a bad idea, but it was part of your job. You couldn't turn it down. But risking your life for some idiotic, probably fake island where participants play some childhood games and die in the process? You couldn't take it anymore, this was fueled by delusions and you weren't having it.

You were snapped out of your thoughts as footsteps approached you. You turned your head to see Jun-Ho looking at you with confusion spread across his face. Turning back to the dangerous view in front of you, you ignored his existence. He was the one who insisted on this trip, along with Gi-Hun. You didn't want to deal with the delusions anymore.

“Hey, why are you out here so late? You need to get rest for tomorrow,” Jun-Ho said, his arms crossed over his chest. He was a little bit worried about you, afraid that you could possibly fall overboard due to the storm.

“Can't sleep,” you muttered, your gaze turning to the sky. “There's too much to think about to sleep.”

“What's on your mind?” Jun-Ho asked, sitting down beside you. He didn't mind the rain, he was honestly more concerned with you.

“The man that you killed during your stupid operation was my best friend. The one in the body bag underneath us right now? The man with a wife and children who I have to explain all of this shit to?” you said, the tears falling even more rapidly from your cheeks. Your voice was faltering, cracking under the pressure.

“... I'm so sorry ... for your loss. I really didn't know that there would be a bomb, and I'm sorry that he was the one to open the door. None of us could've known. However, if having someone to blame makes you feel better, so be it,” Jun-Ho said softly, staring out into the night sky with you.

“Why the fuck are we out here anyway?! All I know is that we're looking for some island that probably isn't even real, based on stories of shit that sounds super fucking unrealistic! I mean, childhood games killing over 400 fucking people?! I don't get it, and I don't get why my friend had to die because of some fake shit!” you cursed at him, looking him dead in the eye as your heart spoke for you.

“... do you wanna know what I went through? The games, the reasons why I'm looking? That might make you understand things better,” Jun-Ho said, looking toward the ground. He knew the pain you were going through, he saw it every day in that damn place. He was so tired of watching people feel this way.

“Sure. Fine. Whatever you think will make me feel better, but it probably won't. Don't get your damn hopes up,” you said, watching the waves crash against the ship once more.

“... I was looking for my brother. I heard Gi-Hun talking about some island with a business card, and the same card was in my brother's room. So ... I infiltrated the facility. I followed their cars and killed one of the guards so I could take his place. Everything that Gi-Hun saw in there was real, I watched it first hand. I went through hell in that place. I was fearing for my life daily while watching the players be bet on like horses. What hurt the most, though ... was when I found out who was running the games,” Jun-Ho admitted.

“Wait ... you know who was running the games, and you didn't tell anyone? Why?” you asked, eyes wide with both curiosity and fear.

“The Front Man, the man behind the games, was my brother. He shot me in the arm and I was found in the ocean. I just ... I want to find him and talk to him. Ask him why, sit with him and just understand why he's doing all of this ... I would rather die than never find out.” Jun-Ho felt a weight lift from his chest as he exhaled, waiting for your response.

The sound of waves crashing filled the silence for a few moments. You were thinking carefully, letting what he said truly sink in. You hated to admit it, but you understood. When you looked at his face, you understood the pain written all over it. He just wanted his brother back, and you couldn't blame him. What happened wasn't his fault, your friend just happened to be caught in the crossfire.

“I'm sorry,” you said softly. “I get it. I think we've both lost a part of ourselves searching for that island. I've lost a friend, you've practically lost a brother ... I want answers too.”

He placed a hand on your shoulder, gentle and reassuring. “Let's go inside and get dried off, maybe talk through everything I know. It felt really good to get all of that off my chest, and ... it feels good to trust someone again.”

You stood carefully, extending a hand to help him as well. The ship's deck was incredibly slippery, so you held onto each other as you made your way back into the cabin. After drying off, you both sat near a wall, away from the others that were sleeping. You didn't want to disturb them, so you both spoke in hushed tones.

As he explained small details about what all happened, you listened intently, but you felt yourself nodding off. You had your blanket over your lap, pulling it slightly over your torso as you grew more cold. It was getting later and later, and the lack of sleep was getting to you. Eventually, you dozed off, your head slipping onto his shoulder.

As he realized what was going on, a red haze creeped gently across his cheeks. He let his head rest on top of yours, placing his hand on top of yours as well. You two had earned each other's trust throughout the night, and he wanted to keep you safe.

Despite everything, Jun-Ho seemed to have found a side mission.

[milkibabe]

♥ Family Camping Trip w/ Kenny ♥

✢ summary: headcanons on going on a camping trip with Kenny’s family

✢ authors note: heyy since my first post blew up i'm deciding to do all of the boys ;p

✢ gender: reader is implied to be female <3

✢ warnings: nsfw, mentions of weed/smoking

Kenny Headcanons

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT below cut!

𝒮𝐹𝒲

Begged you to go camping with him for months.

When you finally took some time off to go with him, he was ecstatic.

"We're gonna have so much fun"

Was confused why you packed so much stuff.

"What do you mean you still need to brush your teeth?"

Boy is an animal I swear, he can be so nasty.

You, Kenny, and Karen played 'I Spy' while in the car.

Kenny loves when you play with his little sister, it makes his heart melt.

"You'd make such a good mom"

Kenny just casually drops that while you're unpacking, like it isn't the sweetest thing you've ever heard.

You cannot escape his kisses, you've lost count of how many times he's kissed you.

You'll just be getting the fire wood ready for the campfire and he'll sneak up and kiss you on the neck from behind.

"There's my pretty girl"

Kenny is already rugged by nature, so camping is really his element.

When it's just you around he'll purposely be shirtless to get your attention.

Seeing him chop wood... while shirtless??? You nearly exploded at the sight.

"Whatcha lookin' at hm?"

He gives you a cocky grin that makes you roll your eyes.

Stupid, sexy Kenny.

He is a night owl. He prefers to do everything later at night with you.

He always sleeps through breakfast, so you always nag him to eat lunch.

"Only if I get to eat you for lunch" He grins at you.

You groan and push him away. Dude can be so cheesy.

Never lets you wear your own sweaters or jackets. He wants you to wear is giant, orange parka, always.

He saw you shiver and immediately draped it over your shoulders.

His parka smells like his cologne and weed.

You always tell him "Babe... you're gonna make my hair smell like weed.

Speaking of weed, boy is always offering you some.

"Babe, can we please smoke by the water?"

You look at your phone. "Kenny, it's like 3 am..."

You, of course, do it anyways. It's fun getting high with your hot, blonde stoner bf.

*Queue Moonlight by Kali Uchis*

He makes sure to bring plenty of water for the dry mouth and your favorite snackies when you get the munchies.

He loves to feed you the snacks himself, he loves spoiling you.

"I want to do this with you every night for the rest of my life"

𝓝𝓢𝓕𝓦

Everyone already knows Kenny is a horny ass man, so it was no surprise when you couldn't get him off of you.

Cannot fucking resist teasing you every second.

Would whisper in your ears in the car while you're just minding your own business.

"Can't wait to fuck your brains out"

The face you made when he whispered that satisfied him a lot.

Everywhere you went on that trip was a place to fuck.

The tent? Yep. Some random isolated place in the middle of the woods? Yup. The showers/bathroom? You betcha.

Asked you to go skinny dipping with him in the middle of the night.

You were freezing cold of course.

This dude has the audacity to say "Aw, you can come to me to conserve warmth"

Obviously, this whole thing was a ploy to hold you while you were naked.

He would instantly start to suck on your neck, while massaging your ass with both hands.

You dug your fingernails into his back and in response he bit your neck.

Your moans made him grin, he loved how easily you melted into his touch.

Turned you around so he could grind his cock between your ass.

Wrapped his arms around your shoulders and whispered into your ear while he grinded against you.

"You're fucking perfect"

When shit was getting super heated, he walked you over to an isolated rock so you could hold yourself up on it while he fucked you.

You held on to that rock for dear life while he pounded you.

He loved watching how your body looked under the moonlight.

His favorite thing about standing doggy style is being able to watch himself pull out all the way and slam back into you.

Always riles him up when you stroke his ego.

You whine out, "Ah, its too big Kenny!"

Kenny smirks and says "Aw, but you take me so well, baby"

He only fucks you harder when you whine and whimper.

Takes him forever to cum, you probably came three times by now.

That's fine by him, he enjoys overstimulating you.

You were losing your grip on the rock and your legs could no longer stand, so he has to hold you up.

Kenny knows his job is done when you are about to collapse.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum"

He finally hits his climax and he pulls out to cum all over your ass.

"My favorite sight in the world"

He's proud of the work he's done but notices you about to pass out and quickly uses the water to wash you off.

"My sleepy little princess"

After drying you off with a towel, he puts his parka on you and carries you back to camp.

"Ooh, remind me to fuck you while you wear this next time"

Dude's always thinking of the next time he gets to fuck you smh.

[crescenthistory]

heh-the anon who said i js sent my first ask and now this is my second!!!!

ok so....is there anything from the 2K event YOU want to write/expand on? like smt YOU wanna do.....cause this is me telling u to do it <3

i love everything youve written so far and i think you should write smt that you kinda wanna do....if that makes sense....not saying ur not happy abt ALL of the asks-i can tell u love ur readers-but js, smt you want to do yk?

this is SO sweet of you my dearest anon, thank you so so much<33 hahaha it's silly but you make me feel seen, thank you for daring to send asks! proud of you. in general, i want to write more drabbles for the valkyries, but i've also had magical!dealer!remus on my mind lately, so that's what we're going for !

✶・•・✦・•・✶・✶・•・✦・•・✶

i will EXPLAIN magical!dealer!remus

carina's 2k celebration

✶・•・✦・•・✶・✶・•・✦・•・✶

cw: kind of drugs but it's mostly magical, systemic injustice, wizarding war without casualties

remus who can't get a stable job seemingly anywhere in the wizarding world because he's a registered lycanthrope

despite the fact that he essentially helped save the entire wizarding world with the rest of his friends – most of which were offered honorary positions in the ministry for their efforts

not remus

he was dirt poor, burnt out and pessimistic about life and institutions

james and sirius tried to various extents to help support him financially, but he would not accept it unless he physically had to

he lived with sirius without paying rent but tried his best not to think about it – especially because after the war he couldn't really stand being away from his friends

still:

"i'm not your charity case, prongs, you have a kid to look after"

"i don't want you to use me to pay off your sins sirius"

"i can take care of myself"

i think he would angrily say "fuck this shit" for a while and work in a muggle bookshop in london while

and maybe he would even enjoy the reprieve

but he would quickly feel isolated

in the wizarding world, he feels that he is not fully understood because he's a werewolf, but in the muggle world he has to even hide the fact that he's a wizard

he winds up applying to random jobs in wizarding london again, everything from shopkeeps and waitressing to pharmacies

throughout his life, remus has used a lot of different medications, ranging from potions to muggle medication to various ~herbs for pain relief

and at hogwarts he always made sure he did as well as physically possible to "make up" for being otherwise highly unemployable

he particularly excelled in DADA, potions and herbology, for obvious reasons

at some point when struggling to pay for the super overprized ingredients he need for the next full moon at an official apothecary that had rejected his application weeks prior, i think a bulb would go off in his head

he would more or less run home to sirius and they would have this conversation:

"if i were to start a business, would you sponsor me?"

"i've been trying to shove money down your throat for years moons, you already know this"

"would you be willing to get your money dirty?"

".... go on"

remus pitches this: he opens a "chocolate store" on the outskirts of diagon alley to serve as a front for him dealing various magical and non-magical herbs, potions, medication, drugs. etc.

everything and anything that unconventional wix could need to get through life that's hard to access

whether that be other werewolves, other "half-breeds", those with permanent magical injuries/conditions that the ministry ignores, those with ptsd from the war, etc.

you need to show registrations or prescriptions to get most lycanthropy potions, pain remedies, etc. which makes it hard to get for anyone flying under the radar or too poor for medical documents

not with remus – anyone can come in and ask for anything

thus, a form of dealership

his intentions are 1) be anti-establishment and say f u to the minister 2) supply the people with what they need without the hellish and discriminatory bureaucracy of the ministry

(unless kingsley becomes the minister in this au, in which he would begin working on the problems from the inside while turning a blind eye to remus' endeavors)

i think remus would also have a designated section for helping treat addiction of different sorts

his pitch stretched on for forever but sirius was with him from essentially his first word

"hold up, i need to rope james into this"

james immediately suggests that the front store should be called "moony's delights"

"... i'll think about it"

the front store would serve as a regular chocolate shop to the average bypasser, so there would often be children stopping by getting chocolate

remus would sell regular chocolate – that i imagine marylily help bring to life – to regular customers

but his real services were to the non-regular wix, for which he's got stacks on stacks of alternative chocolates, in addition to his shelves upon shelves of ingredients and potions

i imagine remus fetches most of the ingredients and brews most of the potions himself, utilising all his expertise

for once, he allows his friends to join in because in his mind they're not just helping him but also the greater good

lily becomes his partner who helps with both chocolates and potions

molly prewett/weasley grows some of the herbs lol

sirius and james supply both any legal patents they need to put down to get a shop and then they preemptively set up a team of top notch lawyers for protection

by the time remus gets around to this, one of the best educated lawyers is their dearest order-member emmeline vance who is more than happy to help out

i believe frank longbottom could be her apprentice

the order of the phoenix remained close friends and kept an "it takes a village" mentality to everything, whether that be getting friends back on their feet or raising the little baby phoenixs

(because they fought way too hard to keep this village to not utilise it to its fullest extent)

it takes a while to get the shop up and running efficiently, of course

at first it's something you need to have heard about from a friend, but as it surges in popularity, more and more wix know where they need to go if they need a fix of any kind

within the "underworld" of the wizarding society, i believe word spread the fastest

and perhaps the knowledge that "moony's delights" sold potions and herbs specifically for various "half breeds" may be contained to just this underworld

while more everyday wix know that they can get general pain relief or help chilling the fuck out

there are so many reader insert ideas i have within this au that could be requested

customer!reader would be fun, but so would business partner!reader who is brought in by lily or emmeline and eventually falls in love with remus

in general i think little punk remus lupin would 100% open a semi-secret dealership while the marauders and co protect him

[ddejavvu]

i’ve never heard anyone talk about this but there’s an episode of cm where the bau has to turn around on the jet and aaron says “i’ll inform the pilot” sooooooooooo i’m feeling pilot!reader who’s super confident and always flirts with him PLEASE

disclaimer: i don't fly planes i don't know the process of rerouting mid-flight but i tried my darndest

--

It's not every day that a case is solved before the BAU even land, but this unsub wasn't as smart as everyone thought he would be. He'd revisited his third crime scene just in time for the police to show up, and he won't be getting out of prison anytime soon.

Derek lets out a scoff of a laugh at the man's idiocy, already reaching for his headphones, "I guess we've got our weekend after all. Prentiss, you ever gonna tell me what sin to win means?"

Aaron stands as Emily narrows her eyes at Derek, a smirk curling over her lips, "There are some questions, Morgan, that if you have to ask, it means you probably couldn't handle the answer."

Before Derek can fire back Hotch heads for the curtain, "Alright, you two. That's enough. I'm going to go tell the pilot we can turn around. They'll need to reroute us."

There's a hum of acknowledgement that circles the jet, and Aaron passes through the snack station, rapping his knuckles gently on the door to the cockpit.

A green light flashes over the doorframe and a bell chimes, the door unlocking automatically with the press of a button inside.

"Y/N," Aaron greets you, on a first-name basis from calling you to work alone. He tries joking, something he forgets to do sometimes at work, "Just kidding. We're headed back to Virginia, can you pull a u-turn in an airplane?"

You turn to grin at him, face peeking out from the side of the headrest, "What, you forget your toothbrush?"

He's glad his joke went over well, and he laughs at your own, a smile gracing his features, "They don't need us anymore. Are you able to reroute us mid-air? Or will we have to land first?"

"If there's not much air traffic we can turn," You hum, peering at diagrams and screens that Aaron doesn't understand, "But if it's busy we'll just have to land and set up another flight path."

"Understood," He nods, checking his phone that looks comically small in his large hands, "When will you know?"

"Right," You hum, analyzing the display in front of you, and checking a note you've made for yourself on a sticky note that's stuck to your seat, "Now. I think we can make it without landing, but we'll have to wait for a commercial flight to pass. Shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes to turn, then an hour to get back."

"Thank you," Aaron heaves a relieved sigh, thankful not to have to waste more time than they already have, "You're a lifesaver. I owe you one, really."

"Breakfast in bed," You decide, your shit-eating grin only widening, "Hey, next time you're on a case, we'll share a hotel room. That'll make it easy for you."

Aaron doesn't know exactly how to respond to such a bold statement. He's bold himself, but not with flirting. He feels his cheeks heat up and prays you can't see it, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he calculates his response.

"Pancakes or waffles?"

"Waffles," You laugh, "And whipped cream."

"Mm, okay," Aaron pretends to deliberate, headed back to the doorway, "Over the top, or on the side?"

"It's not for the waffles," You chime, and Aaron is infinitely glad you're turned around again to face the display in front of you, because it means you don't see him trip over the base of the doorway, "Why else do you think we're sharing a room, Hotchner?"

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

i am so obsessed with how you write the poly relationship w wolverine and deadpool, i would love to see more!!!

"Come on Peanut, we're going out!" Wade declared, throwing him his jacket.

Logan groaned and took a drag off his cigar, exhaling slowly. He'd been looking forward to a night in. To some quiet. Wade had been going out with friends tonight, going to carouse and be obnoxious. Laura was busy. Altha was out... It was going to be bliss.

Absolute bliss.

And now that was shot to hell.

"Where are we going?"

"Karaoke," Wade said, "The sweet little angel baby who lives upstairs is going. And so are all her super hot friends."

"Christ," Logan groaned. Wade's sex drive made his look low. But. If you were going at least he'd have someone to talk to. You could talk intelligently about... a lot of shit. And your sense of humor was good.

"Just remember," Wade called over his shoulder, "No stabbing in front of the normies."

________________

"Su-i-cide. Su-i-cide. Su-i-cide."

The crowd took up Wade's chant and you rolled your eyes.

"Good fucking luck, My brain is like 90% song lyrics," you caution, sipping from the pint you'd been nursing.

"That's the price you gotta pay, Angel," Wade teased, fluttering non existant lashes, "if you wanna save Logi-bear from having to sing you gotta take all the songs I want."

"You get 3-"

"7" he countered.

"5, asshole"

"Done!" he said, jumping off the stool and going to put your songs in.

Logan looked at you and shook his head. Your friends had left to go dancing and you bowed out. And for the last two hours you'd been... theirs. "You don't have to do that," he said.

"The mob has spoken. Also, even if I sound like shit they're all drunk so. It's fine. Pretty sure Wade doesn't want to humiliate me. He just wants me to sing something."

He nodded, "Probably." Wade definitely didn't want you humiliated. He wanted you in their bed- Logan was on the fence about it. Something was... wrong with you. Fragile. And he didn't know if you could handle it, honestly. Or if they could handle you.

Your name is announced along with the song and you roll your eyes. "He would. He fucking would. I mentioned this ONE TIME." But you go, Taking the mic and casually giving Wade the finger as you step up and take your first breath. Only to start 'Holding out for a Hero'.

The line up gave you a headache.

'Holding out for a Hero' 'Baby Got Back' 'I'm the Only One' 'Work it' And then to cap the whole thing off 'Lucky' Honestly, either Wade didn't know how old you were or forgot that music tended to stick around for a good long while. But You did all 5, Blind with no time to prep and did your best to kill it. And hell if you didn't need water when you were done.

"Dick," you tell him, without any actual heat, "I told you-"

"And I bow to the queen," he said. "Logan, I'm in love!"

Logan snorted. "She can do better."

"See," you tell Wade, taking the water he offered and a chair gratefully, "someone knows how to charm a girl."

Wade clutched his chest and took own seat, "Angel baby, I'm hurt. We're a package deal. And I'll have you know I can be VERY charming."

"Mhmm."

"Help me out here, Peanut-"

"Oh no, this is all you. You wanna fuck the girl, you gotta do the work."

You pause, drink half way to your mouth and clear your throat, setting it down, "Pardon me?" You'd been operating under the assumption that this was all just banter. Harmless fun. Wade and Logan were together. Wade flirted with EVERYONE. Logan was a grumbly old man but he was a softy when he wanted to be. You liked them. You knew they liked you. But you didn't know it was LIKE that. At least for Wade.

"Look at her," Wade said "She's precious-"

Logan cleared his throat. You didn't smell aroused. And he could hear your heart racing. "Sorry, kid," he said. "I thought-"

"I-uh... Excuse me for a second?" You hop off your stool and grab your bag, weaving your way through the room to the ladies room. Taking a second to take a breath. To think. You lean on the sink and wonder if you've had too much to drink. But you know you haven't. And you know no one's drugged you. Wade's beat the shit out of people for doing that- and Logan would never. They're good guys. Not creeps. Certified good guys, really. So why- this is wild.

And it doesn't happen to girls like you.

People don't want you like that. Unless it's a weird fetish thing. Or they're hobosexual. Or some other reason. But they don't want you for you. No one ever does, at least not for long. But you like them. They're friends. Will they stay friends if you say no? If you say yes what happens? Do you even want to say yes? What the fuck is happening? There are a lot of thoughts in your head. Too many.

And when you make your way out of the Bathroom, going to duck outside to get a breath of fresh air, an unfamiliar chest stops you. "You did Pretty good tonight," the oily voice said.

"Thanks, Randy," you tell him, stepping back. The Karaoke creep. You all laugh at him. He uses cash advances at strip clubs and tucks in his polos. The most divorced man to have ever lived.

"Suicides are hard. They're not for everyone," he said, picking his teeth with a coke nail. "But for a retar-"

"Hey fuckface," Wade said, "that's not a nice word." He inserted himself deftly between you and the other man and leaned on the bar, "Didn't you ever learn not to say fucking slurs?"

"Wade," you tell him, "It's just Randy it's not that-"

"She's retarded and you're fuck ug-" A crack and a clang made you help and this time it was Logan standing there as Randy crumbled to the floor.

"And he has bad hair plugs," Wade said. "Only one of us has a problem. And he paid for his."

[light-wrath-paradise]

Animorphs book club: book #6

Ok I'm late but in my defense I was busy. Anyway. Book 6.

My reaction:

Ok now for some thoughts:

Still fascinating for me that Animorphs has a level of body horror that isn't a lot less graphic than the horror audio drama The Silt Verses. Literally only like 20 % less graphic.

Ah I see we're continuing the trend of characters not really understanding one another. Jake thinking that Marco is immature and super unserious is so funny in a sad way. Like haha Marco I guess the façade you're putting on is working well for you!! Sorry about it or congrats it happened.

"Why would the Yeerks infest a hospital?" is such a question. Like yes, for one, it gives them a lot of people to turn into Controllers when they're under anesthesia. But there's the second deal as well: even if you aren't going under...even if you're just visiting...the hospital is a somber place. It's, very often, a place of pain and desperation. It's a place of grief. All those things make you less guarded, less rational. And more prone to outside influence. There is no better person to recruit into a cult than someone who is going through the loss of their loved one or someone who might soon lose their life. Scared people. Grieving people. Crying exhausted aching people. Nervous and anxious and jumpy and alone. There's no better place to get more hosts than the hospital.

Extremely funny that all the Yeerks in the hospital (logically) assumed that some roaches got inside and were just like "Ah fuck we got roaches. Oh well, there are other things to worry about." while Visser 3 is the only one whose first and only thought is "Those roaches are secretly the Andalite bandits." I mean, he's not wrong in this case but it's incredibly funny that he's paranoid enough for this to be his assumption. He's like the saying "the man who sleeps with a gun is a fool every night but one" and this happened to be the rare case time he's right (I assume that many a time we don't see him, he does claim that randomass animals are the Andalite bandits. Like come on a man who looks at a random cat or a group of roaches and immediately claims that they're Andalite bandits HAS to be doing that nearly every time he sees an animal. He sounds like this to me:)

"Someone kill this fool for me!" - completely normal thing to say. Top 10 sentences to liven up an office meeting.

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR HOST-PARASITE PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE YEEHAAAAAAAAAW. LET'S BREAK OPEN THE CHAMPAGNE YIPPEEEEEE. I'd say sorry but I refuse to apologise for being insane about host-parasite psychological warfare and about watching an alien war criminal eat shit and experience The HorrorsTM. I am collecting instances of alien parasites experiencing The HorrorsTM like they're the only vital for my survival.

Warning: this is the part where I get a little insane and also start rambling about other literature as well without like explicitly naming it but rest assured I'm talking about several stories at once which is why I use different pronouns for the different aliens in question:

EVERYBODY GIVE IT UP FOR THE MUTUAL HORROR OF THE PARASITE-HOST RELATIONSHIP, I REPEAT WE HAVE A CASE OF THE HORROR OF PARASITE-HOST RELATIONSHIP. YEEEHHAAAAAAAAWWWWW.

Anyway, yeah, I just...love it when a story features the horror of knowing in relation to being a host/parasite. Especially when it includes organisms that either are a hive mind or function similarly to a hive mind. There's horror in something knowing every crevice of you, every inch of your mind, something that is not you in any capacity and not even the physical one now has access to every thought you've ever thought, every feeling you've ever felt, every memory, every desire, every fear. You can't lie to it, you can't pretend that you don't feel sad when you do, you can't pretend that you feel angry when you don't. There's unimaginable horror in being perceived like that. It's more naked than being naked in the literal sense. It's as if someone stripped you of your skin and exposed the flesh underneath. It's the kind of naked you wouldn't want to be even in the presence of the people you love most, not to mention in the presence of a stranger or an enemy. There's horror in the thing that knows you speaking with your tongue and moving with your limbs as you can only watch.

But the thing, the organism, well it doesn't really think of itself as a thing, does it? The organism considers themselves/itself/himself as important as you are (in truth, MORE than you are), with their/its/his own goals and thoughts, and, oh, they're/it's/he's wholly unprepared for a mind that stares back. There's horror in being next to nothing, just a small little thing, that has the tables turn on it. You're on top when you're on top but the fact of the matter is you are just a fungus/worm/slug and you don't really have much of a say when push comes to shove. Your warfare is psychological and even that is flawed - you are not prepared for having it reflect back onto you.

Now, you can try as you might to say that you're not scared, that you're rational, better and smarter and colder but you seem to forget that the spotlight of perception shines in the eyes of the beholder and, unfortunately, that's where you are.

How does it feel? The fear and anger you claim you don't experience (You don't feel.) (Emotions are below your race.) (You're not afraid.).

How does it feel? The horror of the prey glaring at you and telling you "Two can play this game." How does it feel? When the antelope speaks in the lion's tongue to tell him it knows, it knows it's old and afraid of getting discarded? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?

[lizhly-writes]

staring at my sqh/yqy peak lord fiance ficlet. consider this! sqh is still consorting with demons while this happens because why not. mobei-jun still exists and is fully aware of the whole "haha i'm engaged to my shixiong and everything is so fucking weird" and sqh is muttering about this as he looks through some northern desert stuff.

it's just. come on, yue-shixiong. we're engaged, you don't have to keep chasing after your xiao jiu -- not that sqh minds!!! if you two get along, great, that's everything that great airplane god wanted! but like, it gets really awkward when you run away while you're on a date with lil ole shang qinghua, and then everyone starts feeling very sorry for sqh for having a fiance so obviously in love with another man, which, okay, sqh absolutely took advantage of to get paperwork done at first, but it's starting to get wayyyyy more awkward now --

mbj finds himself in the wonderful position of being able to give sqh dating advice. does mbj date? no. but does he know what dating looks like? hell yeah. it seems a shame that his best spy/advisor/friend(?) doesn't know the answer to this.

"hit him," mbj suggests.

"what," sqh says.

"three times a day."

and then we get into a discussion on demon courting and sqh going "haha that's nice but yqy isn't a demon" and mbj is like "i don't understand why you don't try it, how else are you going to get his attention".

"humans don't court by punching people???"

"you don't appear to be making any progress doing this the human way." and mbj says this super condescendingly, too. like hey, sqh, you're such a loser. you have no game. of course you have no bitches. how can you have bitches if you don't punch people in the face.

well, yeah?? fuck you too, my king! it's not like you've ever had a date, are you not launching a boulder while being precariously balanced on your glass peak (me: i'm paraphrasing bu-ding-talk, check them out)? sqh could totally make progress if he wants to! not that he wants to! who wants to make progress with yqy??

anyway, this gets buried until the next time yqy pays sqq too much attention and sqh had the most resigned fucking look on his face. like come on. this again?

lqg is there. sqh makes incredibly awkward small talk. like haha hey how's your engagement to sqq. good? bad? ahahaha yeah, actually, sqh didn't have to ask, obviously it's bad. look, our fiances are running away with each other. people keep telling sqh that he needs to keep yue-shixiong's attention somehow, but all the advice is weird. in fact this guy last week said that sqh should hit yqy three times a day, not that sqh is going to try that --

"hmm," says lqg. "that's not a bad idea."

sqh is abruptly reminded that he is talking to lqg, a man who probably would be more interested in people if they punched him in the face.

"is that what you're doing with sqq???" says sqh.

the answer is no, of course not, don't be dumb. but like, if sqq WASN'T a poisonous snake of a man and a decent human being, lqg would mayhaps have his interest piqued with a good fight. that's so much better than flowers and haircombs. who wants courting gifts when you can have a good punch in the face.

"hahaha thanks liu-shidi but maybe not i think yue-shixiong could probably kill me if i tried," says sqh and scurries away.

fast-forward a week or two, in which sqh is having a stressful time. maybe it's tax season. maybe it's a shitty night hunt that he has no business being on. either way, yqy is there with him and good god is yqy zoned out.

is yqy actually zoned out? eh, maybe not. perhaps he is actually fully paying attention, but also he takes a look at a stand for fans while sqh is talking to him and sqh is like "shit, is this sqq again?" exasperation turning into anger while sqh is just, super stressed, and he just needs yqy to pay attention to him just this once, and the thought occurs -- well, at least two separate people have told him that he just needs to hit yqy --

all this to say that sqh just fucking decks yqy