#what if au where it's the other way around

[peachsayshi]

PEACH YOUR BABY DADDY!SUKUNA.....

He distanced himself bc he's not a good guy, he's got a shit job, can barely pay child support but he does what he can. And he always looks after your daughter when you're busy, takes every moment to be with her that he can, even tho he knows that you're the more capable parent. You were always too good for him, and he was your bad boy fling, your mistake.

"I think you love momma more." His daughter told him, bless her unfiltered thoughts. She was probably right. Somehow, after all this time, he still found you completely stunning. He felt guilty for the way he treated you, seeing you persevere and thrive as you've gotten older. If anything, you got more beautiful with each passing day, and he couldn't be happier that his child was being raised by you, even if that meant he had to be out of the picture.

"maybe I do." He chuckled, a tinge of regret to his words. He remembered the ways he hurt you, the look on your face when he made you cry. His selfishness. It was always his selfishness that got in the way. "But I'm not good at it."

// brutally soft // III. 

baby daddy!sukuna x reader 

tags: non curse au; tension; reader and sukuna are co-parents; girl dad sukuna; mentions troubled past with sukuna; alludes to significant size different; mentions drug use and drinking; mentions cheating; sukuna being soft; unrequited love; angsty | | read this for more context & this & this

note: (I am so sorry this took me so long to respond to) but!! you don't get to leave something like this and not expect me to sweetly return the favor by meddling with your feelings the way you did mine. because holy shit, nyx, just hearing sukuna say "I'm not good at it" in a hushed, sad voice made me want to take my own ribs out.

dni if your blog is blank / ageless / or are a minor

"mama! guess what!" your daughter says. "I have a secret!"

you smile to yourself because she always has a secret to share these days. little, innocent things that capture her attention which seem worthy of keeping confidential.

"you know," you say as you help her into her dress. "you're not supposed to tell secrets when you have them..."

"but I tell you everything, mama!"

you lift her up in your arms, the weight of her body getting heavier by the day and reminding you of how fast she's growing.

sukuna is taking her to visit her uncle yuji, and she has been over the moon about it. you place her on the seat of her vanity, and proceed to fix her hair since sukuna will be arriving in twenty minutes, and you want to make sure that she's all set once her dad gets here. you giggle at her response, "okay, okay, what's the secret?"

she looks at you from the mirror's reflection and covers her mouth as she chuckles.

"hey, what's with the sly face?" you prod, holding a chunk of her hair gently between your palm.

"do you know ms. kiko?" she asks, referring to her pre-school teacher.

"mhmm, what about her?"

she giggles again. "well, she told told mrs. chiyo that she thinks daddy is cute!!"

your heart thumps. oddly.

you're not immune to the way that the women look at the father of your child. it's the same alluring, seductive energy that drew you to sukuna in the first place.

but it's been years since you've both been intimate together in any capacity, you're sure that he's probably got someone on call if and when necessary. considering he has more spare time than you do without a child running around, you're pretty sure that sukuna is satisfied with whatever situationship he's in. you've learned to swallow the discomfort of the idea of sukuna with other women. just like how you had to bury the hurt of the very one who tore your relationship apart.

you hum at her observation, your fingers idly braiding her hair.

it's not like you were single anymore either. you've been casually dating a lawyer on and off. it wasn't serious per se, but it wasn't a fleeting relationship where it made you feel like you were entirely free of the attachment.

he's even met sukuna at this point.

granted those dates are few and far between, but you were a single mother who worked full time.

trying to commit to a relationship is hard.

even though, you would love to share all this with...someone.

"anyway, I had to warn daddy to be careful..." your daughter interjects.

"warn him?" you repeat with a smile, her choice of words adorable.

"yeah! so, I told daddy that ms. kiko was in love with him, and asked him if I should tell her to stop..."

"stop?"

"being in love with him!" she responds with a grimace.

that makes you laugh. "and why would you do that, hmm?" you question gently for fun.

"because I know that daddy loves you more, mama!"

your heart thumps again, harder this time. so hard you feel it nearly knock the wind out of you. you clear your throat to ease the apprehension while your daughter kicks her legs with anticipation.

"and how would you know that?" "because," she insists, "daddy told me that he loves you more than anyone else in this world"

her words spill out of her, a glass of water that's been carelessly knocked over. you scrunch your brows as each word registers into your brain, soaking over your to do lists and mental checks.

"what?" you whisper as you stare at this little girl who has already carried on the conversation.

"after me, obviously," she presses - because no one can take her place when it comes to the love that you and sukuna both give her.

"wait-wait..." you say a little breathless, your hands suddenly trembling as you do your best to finish the job you started. "what did your daddy tell you? I didn't quite-"

"he said he loves you more than anyone else in the world..." she repeats, her focus on the rogue hair brush that sits at her small vanity. "so, yeah, that's why I asked daddy if I should tell ms. kiko to stop saying he's cute..."

"your...your daddy is just being silly..." you murmur, trying to underplay the statement. you slip the hairband around her second braid to secure the style in place.

impossible, you think. that's impossible.

so much time has passed between you both.

you buried that part of your past long ago.

left it and refused to look back-

"nu-uh. he said that I don't have to say anything to ms. kiko. that it's okay because he loves momma more, anyway. but daddy also told me once that he's not that good at it," she adds on, her fingers picking at the bristles of her bright purple brush, "whatever that means..."

"when did you and your daddy have this conversation..."

the realization hits her then, and she stares up at you before covering her mouth. "oops," she states, glancing from side to side, "I pinky promised daddy I wouldn't tell you that..."

before you can fish out anything else from her, she hops off her seat, her feet pattering away as she moves across the room towards her pile of plushies.

"who should I take with me?" she says loudly, brushing aside the fact that she said far more than she should. she stands with her hip jutted out and her finger pressed against her lips, her back facing you.

you have to lean against her closet to steady yourself. you do your best to rationalize sukuna's words, trying to decipher the pieces in this game of whispers.

your mind flashes to the horrid break up five and a half years ago. a memory that exists hazily in the back of your mind, to the moment of you standing in sukuna's dingy old apartment holding a lacy white bra between your fingers.

it was not yours.

"what is this?" you gasped, your breath straining as your chest rose and fell with unease. "what the fuck is this..."

it's the only time you've ever seen sukuna panicked.

your memory only captures his words in blurs.

of him drinking too much.

way too much.

of him not waking up alone but swearing that he thought he was was you.

of him not recollecting his own thoughts because he blacked out that night.

of him being just as shocked when he realized the warm body next to him was not his girlfriend.

he begged you to forgive him.

"Baby, I swear. I fucking swear I will clean up my act. I-I'll never fucking drink again. Fuck, I went too far last night. One of the guys was passing around these pills I shouldn't have fucked around with them..."

you couldn't.

you couldn't accept any of it.

you already tolerated so much with him.

the drinking, the recreational drug use, his inability to keep a job, and him nearly ending up in jail for causing fights.

but you saw so much more in that man - and yet, he proved you wrong.

this betrayal spoke volumes.

this betrayal proved to you that you were expendable to him too.

that you just weren't that important.

that shadow of that man doesn't exist anymore. not with this new version of sukuna in your life.

he almost makes you forget the past. this man; your daughter's sunlight. her knight in shining armor. the source of her joy.

he may not have been good at loving you, but that little girl has him in the palm of her hand.

and he loves her with all his might, it feels like his absolution.

"mama?" your daughter calls out, snapping you out of your thoughts.

she's standing right in front of you now, holding a rabbit plushie in one hand and a penguin in the other.

"can I take both?" she asks innocently, her wide eyes glittering brightly as she remains oblivious to your own personal drowning.

"n-no," you stammer out, and affectionately poke the small dimple in her cheek. "just one, my love. we all know your uncle yuji will have more for you when you see him..."

her eyes widen, "that's right!" she exclaims, "he always finds the best and softest ones!"

the bell rings, and you abruptly stand on your feet.

your throat tight, your stomach fluttering.

"daddy's here!" your daughter cheers, and instantly runs out of the room.

you pick up her weekend bag and sling it over your shoulder. you pause and exhale softly, telling yourself to relax before following in her footsteps.

sukuna's deep voice greets you first.

"look at these braids on you..."

you find them both at the foyer, your daughter already scooped up in her father's big, muscular arms. his hand is tugging at one of her braids and she's smiling wildly in his direction.

he's wearing an oversized leather jacket, the fit only bulking up his stature. your daughter is gripping his black tee between her hands, and she yanks it gently before asking: "can we go now?"

sukuna smiles and your spine shivers.

age has done wonders for him too.

"easy, princess, let me say hi to your mom first..."

your fingers grip onto the strap of her weekender bag nervously. you don't know why you suddenly feel very aware of how you look.

of the fact that you're completely barefaced and running on five hours of sleep. that your choice in clothes is a pair of unflattering sweats and hoodie which has some coffee stains on it. you desperately need to wash your hair, and are due for a manicure appointment.

sukuna turns to face you, "hey you, I didn't notice you standing there..."

you clear your throat again, "hi! sorry...I uh-I didn't want to interrupt..."

sukuna adjusts the hold on your daughter, allowing you to approach him as he couldn't take off his boots.

"she all ready for me?" he asks.

"mhmm" you answer quietly, at a complete loss for words because all you can hear is "daddy said he loves you more than anyone else in the world."

you hand off the bag to him, which he takes with ease.

"it's not too late to join us," he offers, but you give him a small smile and shrug of your shoulders.

"trapped with work unfortunately,"

sukuna glances in your daughters direction, "I tried..."

she pouts your way. "you sure, mama?"

"yeah, my love, I am sure."

you slide into sukuna's frame, doing your best to carefully not touch any part of his broad canvas. you stand up on your tip toes and place multiple kisses on your daughter's cheek.

"I love you and I am going to miss you like crazy these next two days," you state sweetly, feeling her wrap her arms around your neck to give you a hug and a kiss in return. "promise me you'll be on your best behavior..."

"I promise!!" she answers.

you find the courage to meet sukuna's soft eyes, the ease on his face doing nothing to help your shattering state.

"I guess you're both set then," you say with a sigh.

he furrows his brow at your tone, and leans forward to make direct eye contact toward you. your lips part slightly at the close proximity of his face with yours, and he tilts his head like a curious cat before asking: "you okay?"

your heat burns so naturally. your heart ready to climb it's way up your throat. you blink back in surprise at his question, and stutter out a "I-I'm fine..."

"you sure?" he presses as he casually stands upright again, like he didn't just pop the bubble of your personal space. "you seem a little off..."

"I am okay," you reassure with a firm nod, before dropping your gaze down at your feet as you shift your balance. "I-I just have a lot on my mind today is all..."

there is a gentle tap just underneath your chin, your attention lifts up to look back at sukuna. his expression is stoic, but you can see the concern in his tense jaw. he taps the space just beneath your bottom lip, your insides turning at the gesture he used to do to you countless times before.

"anything I need to be worried about?" he asks calmly, his choice of words a veil over his obvious unsettlement.

you feel like you really can't breathe then.

your mind spins to when you carelessly kissed him. to when he returned the gesture at your daughter's play.

what seemed so innocent now feels like a serious overstep.

your hand circles around his wrist and you pull him away from you. "I'm fine, Ryomen," you acknowledge politely, trying to keep your words detached but kind.

after you see them both off and shut the front door, you find yourself pressed against the wooden frame. your back weakly glides down the surface until you're sitting on the floor. you bring your knees close to your chest, shaking at the prospect not because you don't want it to be true, but because you are terrified of allowing yourself to even open your heart to sukuna again.

he broke you. he hurt you. and yet, he somehow was the only thing that healed those wounds.

he is the reason why you were able to bring your daughter into this world. he treated her with immense love and supported you in every capacity to build this imperfect little family with you.

ryomen sukuna - your dark angel. the source of your deepest pain, and the reason for your happiest joy.

the wall that you've kept between you and sukuna exists as a safety barrier. you can peek over whenever necessary, but it doesn't mean you ever have to cross that boundary.

and yet, you've caught yourself with the consideration of sitting on the ledge, or maybe even stepping onto the other side.

all it takes for you is to then see the cracks and damages of the past as a reminder of what keeps stopping you.

"get a grip of yourself" you mutter out loud.

you let go of that love. you remind yourself, and you both are better for it.

sukuna is a completely different individual now, and you are in a much happier place than you were before.

the whirlwind romance, the intense passion and addictive excitement fizzled. the sparkle having faded the moment his betrayal was revealed.

maybe your love for each other is just too destructive when intertwined so closely. but existing loosely as small strings, and tethered to the singular entity that lives and breathes because of it...

maybe that should be more than enough for you both.

and you don't know why the thought breaks your heart a little.

[stillarobyn]

I understand the intention behind this post and I don't disagree with it. I don't.

If you're writing a period piece or something with a certain dark tone, then yes, you absolutely want to keep to that, give your gruff sailor a mumbled line about not being like most other men, or your scattered workaholic scientist can say she never felt like she was missing out on anything by not having a partner while they save the world.

But do not limit the reach of fanfiction by expecting it to be held to the same standards.

Because we need both. Because the target audience for a lot of works that employ this are young, they're disconnected from community, and they're lost. They think they're broken or they don't fit or they are made wrong.

I, a millennial, didn't know about bisexuality until I read about it in fanfic somewhere around 2003 (I was 13). I didn't know any out gay or queer people growing up. It was still scandalous on tv, and my parents didn't have any problem with it, they just didn't talk about it. I can't imagine how isolating it would have felt if my parents prevented me from watching anything with gay characters or spoke negatively about them.

My first discovery of nonbinary identity was in a bandom fic I read in 2010 (I was 20, for those playing the home game). It was maybe two years after that that I began to talk with nonbinary/genderqueer/genderfluid people online. I knew a couple of binary trans people in college, and one in high school, but this was my first time meeting people who weren't a binary gender. In 2012! It took another two years for me, at this point a full-ass adult, to start describing myself that way.

All of this oversharing to say...my understanding of queer identity was not hand-held by anyone in my life, but boy I learned to accept these foreign ideas I saw in myself because I had a safe fictional environment to explore these concepts and terms.

I think it was 2014-2016 when fanfic spaces had a boom of "everyone is trans" AUs and headcanons, and they were often rose-tinted and a bit twee, but that's the point of them. I saw identities I had to look up, and when I asked in follow-up "okay, but what does a person who feels like that look/act like?" it was all crickets, except in fiction, and specifically fanfic.

"But the world is different now, not knowing is no excuse" NOPE. not with anti-lgbtqia legislation passing in the US, or in other hostile countries around the world (I'm from the US, my argument is US-centric based on my experience and knowledge, but by no means exclusionary of people in other countries), or even family situations or rural upbringing or any other circumstance that isolated young queer folk from other queer folk.

A popular live-service video game introduced a nonbinary character and I saw twitch chats full of people who were just confused and uneducated. Ignoring those who were hostile was easy, but the uninformed, especially the non-English-speakers and people who didn't come from Western cultures, were largely open to learning something they never had framework for. Made all the more frustrating in a game environment where the characters didn't make a habit of having these discussions on screen, but that's a different rant.

I don't know if OP intended this in reference to original media, or toward fic, but I saw a lot of established characters in the reblogs so I just want to address that. I'm a characterization first fic reader, so I get it. "Everyone is trans" fics aren't for me, but there's a space needed for them if someone needs to see Captain Kirk and Spock debating the application of terminology of human gender and sexuality in interplanetary cultural settings...now actually I kind of want that fic so I played myself.

Dragon Age Veilguard came under attack for daring to openly and forwardly use the term "nonbinary" in its fantasy world, as though something about the word is inherently incompatible with the fantasy genre? But the game was pretty clear in its goal to create a safe gaming space for marginalized folks when so often their experiences are erased, ignored, tokenized, or stereotyped. The narrative, therefore, had to be hostile to the unaccepting, educational for the ignorant, and validating to the vulnerable. Getting to play in a world where people are referred to as nonbinary (just like me) and where people use they/them pronouns (just like me) and where no one ridicules or attacks them specifically for this? It felt comfortable and safe and the world was ending in the game, but I felt a personal empowerment in my immersion.

More complex and nuanced discussions by characters about their queer identity add to the picture. It shouldn't be in every work because every author has their own angle and their own philosophy about it, but they have just as much a right to a seat at the table. You can have your fics where Tony Stark's sexuality is a smirk and a wink, and you can have your fics where he explains that he used to call himself bisexual but the world is bigger and weirder so he considers himself omnisexual now. And if you don't like that, scroll past it. The author didn't write it for you, but someone else needs to hear that.

Maybe this is just a personal vent that escaped containment, but I feel the need to remind some folks that some people need the LGBT center brochure version because they didn't get one in the mail. It's a tough time for everyone in this community, no need to make it tougher.

he would not fucking say that but it’s he would not fucking talk about his queer identity like he was reading out of a college campus lgbt center brochure

[aimfor-theheart]

write the ex gf vi mini skirt fanfic request and my life is YOURS

ANON YOUR LIFE IS MINE!!

wc: 1.9k bro what the hell

tags: i imagine this as a grad school au or a modern/non fantasy au. reader is femme/wears a skirt and is called 'princess'.

cw: suggestive. ex-girlfriend!vi but you're both still really into each other lol.

***

the night is young and blue. you feel good—buzzing with a little excitement and confidence. the top you’re wearing clings to you in all the ways you love, fits right where you like it to, and your skirt is cropped all short with a little ruffled edge.

its sweet. coy. flirty.

you’re out with friends at some late night joint where the food is fried and the drinks are cold. the group is rather big—over spilling from one booth into the other where people come and go, flitting from one group to the other to chat and joke around. you're all around the pool table, where you and mel have started a game of pool against jayce and viktor.

you’re having a good night despite the fact that your ex-girlfriend is here.

vi is nursing a beer, lingering beside her sister—who keeps flitting around to socialize—and ekko. they're vaguely watching your game of pool.

unfortunately, the disadvantage of dating someone in your close group of friends, is that when you split up, she’s still at every event and night out.

you both said you’d play nice tonight.

and you have been. you haven’t snipped at each other. you haven’t ignored each other, either, but tonight—

you're feeling a little bold. looking for a little trouble (much to the frustration of all of your collective friends. ekko had promised he'd keep vi on a tight leash tonight but, well, that's no fun.

you're testing your luck.)

and maybe your skirt is getting a little short.

a peek of lacy panties never hurt anyone.

(maybe except for jayce, who regards you with sibling-like affection, and whose mortified when you bend over the edge of the pool table to line up the shot. your panties, dark beneath your skirt, peak out. his eyes go skyward. viktor snickers and mel pats his arm.)

you and mel are beating jayce and viktor in your game of pool. occasionally, ekko is ribbing the guys for losing. you watch as the balls clink together, rolling around, before coming to a gradual stop. it's your turn again.

"tough luck." vi says, "winning streak may be over, princess."

ekko elbows her for the petname.

it is a tough shot. it's a bad angle.

you give her this little sneer, but it's toothless—doesn't actually have a lot bite. "you forgetting i always kicked your ass in pool?"

"and who taught you how to play?" she says, quick and easy with it. she's grinning a little, too, and you're careful not to look at her too much. your heart still stutters a little despite it.

you huff and roll your eyes and respond with a bratty little, "jinx taught me better than you."

and then you take position at the end of the table, setting your hips against the wood and leaning forward on top of it, pool stick in hand as you line up the shot. and leaned over the table like this, your top low—cleavage spilling out against the felt green, you glance up at vi.

she's eyeing you dark and hungry, watching you through the thick bend of her lashes.

you swallow, focus back on the game.

you aim, pull back, and—

the white ball cracks against the wall and then against the midnight blue one, sending it careening into a nearby pocket.

you bounce up as everyone audibly reacts around you—mel cheering, jayce and viktor in awe. ekko laughing. jinx shouts in surprise. and vi curses a little.

“you see that?” you ask her, smile curling at your lips.

she takes a sip of her beer, “i saw it, hotshot. let’s see if you can do it again.”

“just makin’ sure your eyes were on the game.” you quip back and ekko coughs a little into his drink. you turn away from vi, before you can see the look on her face, but you can feel her eyes on you. burning.

you bite back a grin.

you set yourself up to take the next shot; there's only one ball left until you and mel can sink the eight ball. you press your hips into the pool table again and slowly lower yourself onto it.

behind you, you can almost feel vi's gaze, dark and heavy. your skirt rides up, revealing a peek of your panties—

black and surprisingly delicate, the lacy pattern intricate. and vi should know there's a little bow on the front of them.

she knows because she got them for you.

(something yawns open inside of vi, cavernous and wanting; a little wild and hungry. she thinks about coming up behind you, thinks about pulling your skirt down a little so no one else gets a peek, or plastering herself all over your back.

she thinks about bending you over the pool table and—)

you sink this ball into the pocket, too, on fire.

you bounce up, cheering, as the guys start to groan. ekko says, "that's a wrap, guys."

you miss the eight ball shot, but mel, on her next turn, easily ends the game. jayce and viktor owe you both another round of drinks.

and soon after, you're sipping on a mixed drink, too sweet and too strong. cloying. it sits on the back of your tongue.

you excuse yourself to the bathroom at some point when the liquor is hitting you a little more and you're flushed with warmth, giggly from your friends. and as you're drying your hands in the bathroom, alone, giving yourself a cursory check in the mirror, you hear the door open.

you pick your gaze up and in the mirror, you catch vi's eyes.

your stomach flips, a butterfly of nerves taking off inside you.

as she approaches, her form dark and broad—shrouding yours in the glass reflection as she nears, you turn over your shoulder to say, "what are you doing, vi?"

she cages you in against the sink, thick arms on either side of you. you feel the hard press of her belt, cold and metal, against the soft give of your body. your back is almost pressed to her chest. in the mirror, you watch her tongue swipe across her teeth. you trace the shape of her around your form—your own face, lips a little parted in surprise. hair tousled. the dark look in her eyes as she takes you in, too, takes in your reflection.

she smells familiar; soft, worn leather and amber. she feels familiar, too, having her around you again.

in the mirror, you catch her eyes.

your breath hitches a little and you force yourself to turn in her arms, to face her. you tip your chin up in that haughty little way that she used to love or hate. her eyes are hooded when you say, "vi—you can't be cornering me like this. we're not together anymore."

(it's a little coy around the edges. you play innocent well.)

you feel her knuckles against your thigh before you realize she's taken the edge of your skirt between finger and thumb. she rubs at the fabric a little, admiring it. her fingers are just underneath your skirt, just barely against your skin there. your head swims—you blame it on the drinks you had.

"then why are you wearing the underwear i bought you? that little, lacy black pair?"

you feel warmth hit your face, despite it all. you try to bite back, "and how would you know?

"think i wouldn't notice?" she asks, soft and husky, eyes clashing with yours, "hard to believe—the way you're acting in this little skirt, bending over in front of me, letting it ride up." you feel the back of her hand brush against your thigh. testing. trying.

"i don't know what you're talking about." you try to turn your nose up at her, looking away, but her other hand suddenly grabs your face. a little rough. a gasp is torn from you, even as she squeezes your lips into a little pout. you shudder as she presses into you harder. a little meaner. you fuss and squirm, trying to twist away, but she squeezes a little tighter.

bares down on you like a bad dog with a little bird in her mouth. pins you in place.

(vi rarely uses her strength on you, so much so that sometimes you forget—sometimes you're a little startled with the sudden flex of her muscles.

is the room spinning? heat swarms your face, your neck—down to your chest, hiccuping a little with breath. desire is a sharp, bright flicker inside you.)

"you know, if we were still dating, i wouldn't have let you prance around like this all night." vi says lowly and she's—she's got some sort of smile lurking in the corner of her mouth.

(a sort of wild amusement, watching you. watching your eyes blow wide and dark with lust, despite the way you try to fight her.)

"we're not—" you try to get out.

"i know," she says and it's almost just a hiss, a growl around the edges, her head dipping to your jaw, the corner of your throat. she angles your head away to give her room, to hold you in place. her lips don't connect with your neck, but your pulse jumps like she does, jumps like you want her to. "and ain't that a shame? i would've taken care of you already—pushed aside the panties i gave you and—"

the door to the bathroom suddenly shoves open.

in an instant, vi is gone, almost like she was never there in the first place. your chest heaves a little, warmth sitting high in your face as you grip the sink still, leaning against it. vi is a casual distance away now, leaning against the wall near the sinks, like she's waiting for you. like you were just talking. you have to take her in—the slight flush in her face, the fever-bright burst of her blue eyes, to know that she was affected at all.

someone else walks in, none the wiser. they head into a stall.

"you comin' home with me tonight?" vi asks, gaze searing, despite the way she keeps her voice casual. to anyone else, it might sound like a friend asking.

"vi—" you warn, as you finally gather your bearings enough to head towards the door. out of the bathroom. she's on your heels.

as you exit, and walk back towards your friends, she drops her hand to the back of your skirt. she tugs it down a little, so it sits lower on your thighs. you try to swat her away, but she catches your wrist, twists it a little to press it to your lower back. it doesn't really hurt—but you hiss and whine about it.

"let me go." you bite out.

her hand, wrapped tight around your wrist, falls away and you almost miss it. for a moment, she lingers near the edges of your skirt, around the curve of your thigh, before slipping away entirely.

she grins, slow and lopsided—sharp at the edges. and you'd know that smile anywhere on her; know how it tastes, how it feels against your thighs, or along the bend of your shoulder.

know it means trouble.

all you'd been looking for all night—in the bend of her smile.

"yeah, you're comin' home with me tonight, princess."

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Ooo hii! Can I please request a (Avenger au) Bucky x fem!reader where she has been abducted/experimented on by hydra while Bucky was still Winter Soldier, and whenever they bring Bucky out of cryo for a “mission”, they usually bring her as well and pair them together. While Bucky is brainwashed into carrying out what Hydra wants, Y/n is just pushed by complete fear and threats from them. Y/n has healing powers, so she was never the one to “carry out” the deeds, but was there to heal Bucky so that they never lose their most valued “asset”. The two of them have fallen in love in their time together, and Hydra definitely uses that against them anytime they can. Anyways, when the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier goes down, Bucky takes Y/n and runs (after pulling Steve from the river). So when Steve finds Bucky in Romania, he finds him with a very jumpy Y/n as well (he’d definitely be standing protectively in front of her). The both of them being welcomed into the Avenger family?🥺

Get Through It Together » Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Pairings: Winter Soldier x Enhanced!Female Reader, Boyfriend!Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend/Enhanced!Reader

Summary: You and Bucky get through it together after HYDRA.

Warnings: Fluff, little bit of Angst (not Bucky), language, HYDRA, kissing, pet names

A/N: Thank you for the request @kpopgirlbtssvt 🩵 also, I love how descriptive you get with requests🥰

Written on my phone. My apologies for any mistakes.

Header made by @buck-star

GIF NOT MINE! Gif credit goes to the creator.

“Get the girl and bring her to the lab.” Alexander Piece says to a HYDRA agent.

The HYDRA agent nodded and went to your cell. The sound of the door being unlocked and opened startled you.

“You’re needed in the lab.” The HYDRA agent informed you.

You nodded and walked past him. The agent gave you a push, making you stumble. You walked to the lab with the agent walking close behind you. You seen the Winter Soldier sitting in the chair when you walked in there. You gave him a nod as a way of greeting him. He nodded back.

“I was told I was needed in here.” You say to Pierce, fiddling with your fingers.

“Yes.” He approaches you. “As you can see, our asset just came out of the cryo and needs to be healed.” He gestures to the Winter Soldier who indeed needs to be healed quickly. “You know what to do.” He says.

Pierce walked out of the lab, along with the HYDRA agents. One agent stood guard at the door so neither of you tried to do anything.

HYDRA kidnapped you a few years ago and experimented on you. They experimented on you so much that you developed healing powers. They expect you to carry out deeds, but you don’t follow through with them. So they just keep you around to heal the Winter Soldier when he gets wounded on missions.

You nervously approached the Winter Soldier. You always felt nervous around him. Not in a bad way, in a good way. It’s no secret that you’re in love with him. He feels the same way as you too. Even HYDRA knows it. They’ve seen the way you two look at each other.

“This shouldn’t hurt.” You say softly. “May I?” You asked.

He nodded. He knows it won’t hurt. He just likes hearing your voice. You’re the only one keeping him sane in there. You’re also the only person who knows his name.

You put your hands on the sides of his head, bright light shining in your hands. It only took him a few seconds to come to. You took your hands away from his head, looking him in his blue eyes.

“How do you feel?” You asked.

“Better knowing you’re here.” Bucky says with a smile.

The Winter Soldier- Bucky leaned forward, grabbing your wrist gently. He pulled you in for a kiss. It was a much needed kiss. You cupped his cheeks, his stubble poking your hands.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for weeks.” He breathes.

You couldn’t help but blush and smile.

You two jumped when the door to the lab opened. You two separated from each other like you two didn’t just kiss. Pierce and a few HYDRA agents walked in the lab.

“Is he healed?” Pierce asks.

“Yes, sir.” You answered. “I’ll go back to my cell if you need me.” You said.

“That’s not necessary.” He put a hand on your shoulder. “Sit down.” He says, gesturing to the chair next to Bucky.

You took a seat and fiddled with your fingers.

“What you’re going to do next is going to be different than what you normally do.” He begins. “You’re going on a mission with the asset.” He informs you. “This man is your mission.” He held up a picture of Captain America. “If either of you don’t carry out with this deed, don’t forget that we know about the little love affair you two have going on. Understood?” He says in a threatening tone.

“Understood.” You and Bucky replied in unison and obediently.

“Good. Now get suited up.” He says.

A HYDRA agent tossed a pair of combat boots, tactical pants, and a t-shirt, along with a bulletproof vest at you before leaving the room for you to change. You looked at the uniform you were given before putting it on. You struggled with putting on the bulletproof vest since you’ve never worn one before.

“Need help?” You heard Bucky’s voice behind you.

“Yes please.” You answered softly, looking over your shoulder at him.

Bucky walked over to you, readjusting the vest on your body and strapped it on you.

“How’s that?” He asks.

“Better.” You say.

You turned around, looking up at him.

“I don’t want to do this.” You whispered, your voice cracking.

“I don’t either.” He cups your cheeks. “We’ll get through it together.” He whispers back.

Before you two could separate from each other, the door opened.

“Time to go.” Brock Rumlow says.

You two nodded and headed out with the other HYDRA agents out to the vehicles.

———

Bucky hid you somewhere safe while he had to do what he to do for the mission, because he didn’t want you to get hurt. He told you he’d find you when he was done with the mission.

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes.” Steve tells Bucky- actually the Winter Soldier. “You’re my friend.” He says, dropping his shield.

The Winter Soldier breathed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut for a second before tackling Steve to the ground and threw punches at him

“You’re my mission.” The Winter Soldier growls.

“Then finish it.” Steve tells him. “Cause I’m with you till the end of the line.” He says.

The Winter Soldier lowered his metal fist, his right hand clutching the material of Steve’s suit. He stared at the man beneath him with wide eyes and the look of confusion on his face.

Why is he giving in so easily?

The glass gave out beneath the two Super Soldiers. The Winter Soldier grabbed ahold of a metal bar with his metal hand and stared downward, watching Steve plummet into the river below. Those two sentences played over and over in the Winter Soldier’s mind. “You’re my friend.” and “I’m with you till the end of the line.”

Bucky slowly came to his senses. He let go of the metal bar and plummeted into the river below. He grabbed onto Steve’s suit and pulled him out of the river, pulling him to the edge of the water. He laid him on the ground and bent down to get a closer look at Steve before walking way.

Bucky started running to look for you. His mind was all over the place that he couldn’t remember where you were. It took him a few minutes to find you. He left you in an alley before the mission to keep you safe.

“We have to go.” Bucky says, grabbing your hand.

“Where?” You asked.

“Somewhere very far from here.” He says.

You and Bucky ran far away. Bucky didn’t look back and neither did you. Both of you wanted to put that day behind you and the only way to do that is to leave HYDRA for good and go on the run… out of the country and that’s what you and Bucky exactly did.

———

You and Bucky were at a market not too far from the apartment building you two are currently living in. You two are now living in Bucharest, Romania hiding out. It felt safe for you guys. Or so Bucky thought. Bucky had an uneasy feeling, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Bucky?” You said, snapping Bucky out of his thoughts.

“Yes, doll?” Bucky says.

“Are you ok?” You asked, looking up at your boyfriend.

“I’m fine.” He says softly, kissing your forehead.

You and Bucky went back to shopping. Bucky got some plums and you got your favorite snack and fruit. After you two paid for your things, Bucky could feel someone staring at him. He looked across the street, making eye contact with the vendor who was staring at him. The vendor got a good look at Bucky before running away.

“Why did that man run away from his stand?” You asked.

“I-I don’t know, but we need to get out of here.” He says.

Bucky wrapped his arm around you protectively and you two went home. He unlocked the door to yours and his apartment. You yelped when you seen someone inside. The person turned around to see you and Bucky standing a few feet away from. It’s Captain America.

“What- What’s he doing here, Bucky?” You asked in a shaky voice.

“I don’t know, doll. Stay behind me.” Bucky says.

Bucky gently pushed you behind him, protectively shielding you with his body. One of your hands grabbed onto the back of Bucky’s jacket, holding it tightly.

“Do you know who I am?” Steve asks Bucky.

Bucky stares at Steve for a few seconds before answering him.

“You’re Steve. I read about you in the museum.” Bucky answers.

As Steve talked to Bucky, you poked your head out from behind your boyfriend. Steve noticed you and took a couple steps toward you and Bucky. You got startled and walked backwards. You ended up tripping over your own feet and fell to the floor. Your breathing became uneasy and tears were now flowing down your cheeks. Steve stopped in his tracks, not wanting to alarm you any more than you already were.

Bucky crouched down next to you. He pulled you closer to him and rubbed your back to comfort you. He whispered nothing but sweet words to you to get you to calm down. You then looked up at Steve.

“Pl-Please don’t take Bucky away from me.” You stuttered through tears.

“That’s not my intention.” Steve says softly.

Steve looked at Bucky, waiting for permission to approach you two. Bucky nodded. Steve walked closer to you guys, crouching down in front of you.

“What’s your name?” He asks softly.

“Y/N.” You answered quietly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Steve. I’m Bucky’s friend.” He introduced himself to you. “Are you Bucky’s girlfriend?” He asks curiously.

You stared at Steve with teary eyes, nodding your head yes.

“I want you to know that I’m not going to separate you and Bucky in any way.” Steve tells you.

“Then why are you here?” You asked, your voice still a little bit shaky.

“I want to help you guys if that’s ok.” He says.

You nodded your head. Steve held a hand out to you. You scooted back further.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Steve says, almost whispering.

You stared at him. Something about Steve is telling you that you can trust him. You looked at Bucky, your eyes still teary.

“It’s ok, doll. I got you.” Bucky whispers, kissing your forehead.

You looked back at Steve, slowly extending a hand toward him and put it in his. Bucky wrapped his arm around your waist and helped you up with Steve’s help. You then clung to your boyfriend.

“She’s been jumpy since HYDRA kidnapped her a few years ago and experimented on her. She has healing powers from the experiments they did on her.” Bucky tells Steve.

“It’s ok. I understand.” Steve says, giving you two a soft smile.

———

A year later, you and Bucky are adjusting to lift without having to be on the run. As Steve promised, he helped you and Bucky, along with the Avengers. They took you two in and treated like family. You and Bucky are now Avengers. You don’t go on many missions though. You only go only big missions where all Avengers are needed. You’re also slowly trusting everyone and you aren’t as jumpy as you used to be. You trust Steve a lot, because he looks like a trusting person and he’s your boyfriend’s best friend. He’s now your best friend too.

You got bored of hanging out in yours and Bucky’s bedroom and watching TV so you decided to go to the kitchen to look for a snack. You got lost and ended up wandering around the compound instead of going to the kitchen. Steve seen you walking around and looking around outside of the conference room while him, Bucky, and the Avengers were in a meeting.

“Buck.” Steve whispers, leaning over to him.

Bucky looked over at Steve and he pointed at you outside of the conference room.

“I’ll be right back.” Bucky announces to everyone.

Bucky stood up from his chair and walked out of the conference room to check on you.

“Are you ok, doll?” Bucky asks softly.

“Yes. I just bored and I got lost on my way to the kitchen.” You told him.

“How about we go out and get something to eat after the meeting?” He suggests.

You smiled and nodded at his suggestion. Bucky smiles back and pecked your lips softly.

“Can I go in there with you?” You asked. “I don’t want to get lost again.” You say.

“Of course you can!” He smiles.

Bucky, being the gentleman he is, opened the conference room door for you.

“Can Y/N join us?” Bucky asks.

“Yes!” Everyone says.

You smiled and took a seat in between Bucky and Steve. After a little bit, you grew bored and Bucky noticed. He grabbed a blank notebook and a pen from the middle of the conference table and put it in front of you. You opened it and started doodling random little figures and shapes. You then attempted to draw Bucky. Your tongue poked out of your mouth out of concentration. When you were done with your drawing of Bucky, you put it in front of him to show him. He looks down at it and smiles.

“I love it and I love you, doll.” Bucky whispers, kissing the side of your head.

“I love you too, sweetie.” You whispered back with a smile.

No matter what, you and Bucky will get through anything together and Steve and the Avengers will be there to help you guys out.

🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

-Bucky’s Doll

[jrjeremy]

what a silly little thing this is 😁😁

main account > jrjeremy/junior fraudulent: lowkey the funniest thing about this specific name is that it kinda has like lore ☝️☝️☝️

jrjeremy - i was a huge tf2 scout fan back then when i was still pretty much young, so i often use(d) the name jeremy 🫱🫱🫱at one point i started to add junior (jr) to my name cus i thought it sounded cool

junior fraudulent: heheh i remember making like a bunch of tf2 scout AUs back in the old days, pretty sure i still have like a whole list where i wrote down the names of the AUs…… but im pretty sure ivd forgotten what theyre about 😋😋😋 > fraudulent came from pretty much one of my favourite AU (and edgiest one, 🤔🤔🤔actually most of the AUs were edgy as ghell) but the reason why this one was my favourite cause it's technically the ☝️☝️☝️ 'main' or center part or whatever its called

okay i basically have no idea where to start this 😁😁 so im gonna start off with the fact that fraudulent was meant to be an…… 'alternative' class name for the scout, "the fraudulent" is basically where oh the guy is a fraud and the reason why i made this class name was cause i thought it sounded cool, like legitimately 🔥🔥🔥it just sounded cool but other than that one of the lore part is where the guy is a fraud behind uhhh everything so like tf2 scout if he was a faker ((ok i went to look at the list and turns out there is a faker AU i made for the edgy, but it's completely unrelated heeheehaw))

if im gonna be fr, the lore is technically all around the place cus you have the before backstory and the after lore 🤫🤫🤫 1 was where in the backstory the scout was sent out on some sort of mission where he plays as a spy to gather whatever information (scout if he was he was his dad i guess hehe) but that was the backstory ☝️☝️i have no idea when he was given the name the fraud (but the name might be given outside of the lore so bro probably has no idea i named him the fraudulent) or how he ended up where is he right after wwwwhich is what im gonna talk about right now;

dude got knocked into some isolated place where there are a bunch of rooms that are completely all white other than that grey door that opens to the next area, and he has to like beat up a bunch of really disfigured versions of the rest of the mercs and like their bot versions bur covered in gross flesh i guess, but apparently this guy didn't know about that (until the end after he like murdered everyone) cus the enemies look really unrecognisable > it's pretty similar to like a DOOM gameplay setting, but it was all inspired by spooky's jump scare mansion somehow hehehe

that was the main part it's like supposed to be me thinking about a game-like way for the lore, but in the after lore bro encounters a mirror at the end level, falls into a void, realises the guys he were bashing their heads in were his coworkers or something, and then spirals into insanity cause i really liked (and still like) the psychological part of all things ☝️☝️ i might say this is the craziest part of it cause bro then finds himself in some sort of black void that contains like an office, where he technically resides for the rest of his now immortal life, and that office leads to like a whole entire place of doors that lead to the rest of the edgy scout AUs i made of this guy > key aspect is that all the AUs are intended to be edgy, like every single one of them, to the point i had to make a section like a small part of the void of the non-edgy AUs i made

((extra: the guy in my profile picture (my mascot) is an alternate version of the way the fraudulent looks, yeah technically this guy is just an inspired au scout guy but i don't bring that up usually ☝️☝️☝️))

okay i think that might be it 😁😁😁 just a lore dump

other accounts aka uhhhhhhh ask blogs > the fallen pizza tower "Pizza Tower's Aftermath", the super schoolhouse

the fallen pizza tower "Pizza Tower's Aftermath" - a pizza tower AU ask blog of the fellas right after the crumbling tower of pizza, except it was meant to be like a collaboration of another alternate au with an old pal of mine (oddy 🤫🤫🤫) sounds kinda crazy lowkey

the super schoolhouse - my version of another baldi ask blog that takes place in you know 😁😁 the super schoolhouse from baldis basics plus instead of the classic schoolhouse and allat ☝️☝️pretty cool ask blog might come back to it when i have the motivation heh

tagging other guys: @fandomandangstlover (the guy who ive shared alla this back in the days btw 🤙🤙🤙) @remaking-machine @jevthejester @talikaskbbg and everyone else 😋😋 wouldve tagged my buddy too but they already got tagged hehe

Tag game🎉

Tag your moots and ask them where they got the idea for their tumblr accounts name!

For my name it was a nickname I was giving back in middleschool! One of our teacher had a system where we worked with 'wifi' eachtime we talked in class we lost a bar of the "wifi" (was a weird joke and we never held count on that) All the kids usually joked if they needed 'wifi' , they would borrow mine if they wanted to talk more. (I was incredibly shy in middle school, I only talked to like 3 people at school;^;)

They called me Ms. Wifi because of that. I just thought it would be funny if I put 'miss' instead of 'ms' because of my terrible actual wifi connection I have at home lol.

That's my story! Now moots, only if you guys want to, tell us your story.

Tags-> @slipping-lately @firequeenofficial @noagskryf @twinklstarrrr @halfbakedspuds @polterwasteist @rokushi-san @mygedagtes +anyone that sees this and wants to do this as well

[i-dared-myself]

Uncomfortable

Stray Kids x reader

Requested by anonymous: hello, ash! would it be good if i request something, pls? i was thinking of a 9th member au with skz, could you maybe write a compilation of scenarios in which the reader is made uncomfortable and how the guys help her through it? idk if you'll do this, i hope it's not too much!

You love your job, that much you were certain of. You love your fans, as well. You work so hard in every dance and every song.

So when you step out on stage your heart swells in pride to see the thousands of Stays. Knowing that your group went from nothing to this is incredible.

And they’re all here to see you.

Well- not just you. The other members are just as, if not more, important than you. 

But at any given moment, thousands of eyes could be on you.

You had done many concerts before this. You had preformed more times than you could count. It had never bothered you before, and yet here you were.

You stand there in your concert attire, makeup and hair done. You look good and you know it, but what if people online didn’t think so? What if you were being recorded right now because there was a hair out of place?

“Hey.” Felix ducks down, using his body to cover the two of you from the crowd. “What’s going on?”

You force a smile, gripping at your shirt. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

Chan says something into a microphone, and the crowd roars. You make a move to join the others, but Felix’s hand wraps around your wrist gently. He tugs you back to him and looks you in the eyes.

“You look good,” he says simply. He smiles and his freckles scrunch up in the Felix-way that makes you want to grin as well. “We all know that.”

Your voice seems to catch in your throat as you try to respond. You cough. “But… What if I do something wrong?”

“You’re won’t, first of all,” he firmly says. “And secondly, we mess up all the time. Stay still loves us. It makes us human and that’s what they love about us.”

You nod slowly and take a deep breath. “Yeah. The best memes are made when we… Yeah.”

Felix releases you. “Ready?”

You trail after him to the group, smiling as brightly as you can. After a minute it turns into a genuine expression, and you know you love your job.

The concert goes by with very minimal mistakes. You have as much fun as you hope the fans do, and the guys all collapse into a pile next to you when you’re done.

“Gimme,” Hyunjin rasps to Jeongin. The younger man gets the message and hands him his water bottle.

“Good job, everyone,” Chan praises. He stretches out his joints and groans. 

“Getting too old for this?” Seungmin arches an eyebrow teasingly.

Chan scowls and levels a finger at him. “Watch your mouth.”

You’re covered in sweat and feel sticky. You check the time and notice it’s very late. “I want to go shower at the dorms. Are we leaving soon?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Chan does a head count for some reason before guiding the group to the van. You clamber inside and pull your phone out, wanting to see what everyone thought of the concert.

“You did great,” Minho mutters quietly. His voice is low enough that only you can hear it. 

His words make your stomach tumble. You don’t get told often that you did good. Everything always what you could’ve done better. What someone else could have done better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You really aren’t in the mood for recording, but you sit patiently as your makeup is applied and your hair is manipulated. You’re given a set of clothes and once you put it on, you exit the changing room and rejoin the others.

“Uh,” Changbin begins, averting his eyes, “that’s an interesting outfit.”

You’re confused, but look down at yourself for the first time after rushing through getting dressed. It’s definitely the most revealing thing you’ve worn for recordings, and you’re not sure if you feel comfortable with that. 

You’re not one to judge those for what you wear, but this is different. This is your job. This is where you’re supposed to be professional, and you have to wear… this.

It has what can only be described as a boob window. You tug it up uncomfortably, before down again when some of your stomach is shown.

The miniskirt is just as bad, to a level where you want to hide. You’re used to having to wear clothing similar to this, but never this bad.

Changbin adjusts his T-shirt. “Uh… Are you good with that?”

You nod.

The stylists know what they’re doing, right?

It would be rude to question them, right?

You walk to Hyunjin’s side and stand in place next to him. The set of instructions for the shoot are given, and all you can focus on is your outfit.

“That’s interesting,” Hyunjin says, unable to hide his disdain. His upper lip curls before he smoothes out his expression. “That’s… Wow.”

“I know.” You swallow and fiddle with the fabric again. “Is it that bad?”

Hyunjin nods. “Yes. Very.”

You curl into yourself, shoulders slumping. “Thanks, Hyunjin.”

“The colour compliments your eyes,” he mutters once he catches the look on your face. Hyunjin hooks an arm over your shoulder to pull you closer to him. “I think you look good.”

“But she’s not comfortable,” Seungmin bluntly says. He gives Hyunjin a dirty look. “Obviously.”

“No! I’m fine!” You wave your hands in a desperate attempt to gather their attention before they went rampaging to the stylists. “They worked hard!”

“Yeah, but do you want people to see you in that?” Seungmin questions. When you falter over a response, he sighs. “Boundaries are important, even at work.”

Hyunjin hums. “He’s right. And that shirt is ugly anyways.”

Jisung approaches, scowling slightly. “Aren’t we starting soon? Where are the others?”

“In a little bit. They’re still finishing preparations.” Jeongin leans down to touch his toes. 

“Hey.” Seungmin pokes Jisung. “Give her your shirt.”

Jisung flinches back, clutching at his torso. “What? Why?”

“She doesn’t like hers.” Hyunjin pinches the material of Jisung’s clothing. “Too much skin.”

“I’m not wearing anything under this shirt.” Jisung winces and rolls out his shoulders. “Do we…”

Jeongin scoffs. “Wow. You’re not going to give her your shirt? You just want to stare at boobs, don’t you? You’re so misogynistic.”

“That’s not what that means.” You press a hand to your forehead. “Jeongin-“

“Fine then!” Jisung huffs. He strips his shirt off and flings it at you, putting his hands on his hips defiantly. “Happy? I love women!”

The staff all stare at him in confusion, while a couple of them shield their eyes with their hands.

“Jisung-“ You hold out his clothes, but Seungmin blocks you.

“Put it on!” Seungmin orders.

“But what about me?” Jisung pouts. “I can’t just be half-naked for the recording.”

“I mean, you could…” Hyunjin trails off. “Stay would love it.”

You step into a changing room, returning with Jisung’s shirt on. You hand him yours, which he struggles to put on. He keeps sticking his arms through the boob window, and Jeongin has to help him dress.

“It’s horrifying,” Hyunjin announces once Jisung is finished. 

“I think you look good,” Felix vaguely says as he walks past. He’s staring at his phone.

“Which one of us?” Jisung puffs out his chest in what’s clearly an attempt to make you smile.

It works.

Felix glances up, eyes widening. “Are you allowed to wear that?”

“They put her in it, so it’s their fault.” Hyunjin shrugs and runs his tongue over his front teeth. “What about the miniskirt?”

“I’m not wearing that!” Jisung hisses. “This is bad enough!”

“Felix!” Hyunjin sings, chasing after the other man. Felix looks back over his shoulder before sprinting away.

So when Chan returns to the group, Changbin following closely behind, he taps his chin.

“The stylists are getting very… unique,” he carefully says. Chan’s eyes flick over Jisung in your shirt, and Felix, who had been wrestled into the miniskirt. 

You frown, wearing Felix’s baggy pants. “Sorry. I can- I can put it back on if you want.”

Chan waves a hand, expression softening. “It’s fine. The camera we needed for the water scene broke anyway. We’re going home.”

Felix grumbles to Changbin about the stupid skirt as they trudge off to the van. Chan catches your arm before you can leave with them.

“And I’ll tell the staff that you aren’t okay with those clothes for filming,” he assures you softly. “Tell us if you’re ever uncomfortable with something, okay?”

“I will,” you promise him.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Long days were normal. Many long days with a lack of sleep were not. Chan usually tried to give everyone enough rest and time to themselves, but the last couple of days had been stressful.

So you find yourself with nine hours of sleep in the last three days. You have no idea how you’re even functioning, let alone cheery enough for a fan meet.

You’re seated across from a girl with curly brown hair. Her gaze keeps darting from your face, down to her lap nervously.

As you uncap your pen, you smile as warmly as you can. Considering the circumstances, that is. The lack of sleep and pure exhaustion were really getting to you.

“I- I saw the clips of your latest concert,” she nervously says. “I- You’re very good.”

“Thank you.” You scribble your signature out on what she wanted before sliding it across the table. “Anything else to sign?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I- You and Felix are close.”

Your tired brain couldn’t tell where she was going with this. So you hum. “Yeah. We are.”

She seems giddy at that. “R-Really?”

“Yeah. We all are.” You look over to your right, where Changbin appears in deep discussion with a fan about… bald eagles?

“But like… Close i-in which way?” She crosses one leg over the other.

You still can’t understand what she’s saying. It’s not wise of an idol to interact with someone and have no clue what’s happening, but here you are.

“Uh, a lot,” is all you respond with. “Do you have a favourite song, or album?”

“But Felix g-grabbed your arm the other day.” Her head ducks down again as her cheeks flush. “I- I saw videos of it.”

“Oh!” Your eyebrows shoot up with the realization. “Um- Have you ever been to one of our concerts before?”

“You l-look happy together.” She ignores your question.

“So… Chk Chk Boom?” you weakly say. “It’s pretty good, right?”

She doesn’t seem to get the hint. “He smiles at y-you often.”

“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Felix teases as he bends down. He props his elbows down on the table, some of his hair falling into his face. 

“What are you doing over here?” you ask in bewilderment. Isn’t he supposed to be doing his own signings?

“I figured you could use the company.” 

Which is code for: You needed help so I’m here.

You relax into your chair, leaning back. “I appreciate it.”

“So what were we chatting about?” Felix asks, more alert than you for some reason. You blame it on the energy drinks he chugged with Jeongin.

The rest of the meeting goes by smoothly. When everyone loads into the van, Changbin makes room for you in the seat next to him.

“You okay?” he gently inquires. 

You nod and let your eyes flutter shut. “Just miss sleeping.”

Changbin chuckles lowly. “Yeah, so do I.”

“Don’t worry, everyone will get their naps,” Chan calls from the front. “Our schedule is free for the next week.”

Jisung whoops, and Hyunjin covers his ears and whines from beside him. 

“That means actually sleeping,” Chan sternly says. “Jisung, I’m talking to you. Don’t binge an entire show in a night.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “We all know he’s going to do it anyway.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Minho ominously mutters.

Everyone side-eyes him.

“What are you going to do?” you warily question him. 

Minho’s eyes glint. “That’s for me to know and for him to find out.”

Jisung clears his throat. “I think I’m going to bed early tonight. Anyone else doing the same?”

You shake your head and sigh. “No, I have a live to do.”

The others all murmur their excuses, while Minho narrows his eyes at you. You shift nervously under his gaze.

When you get off to your room, you make sure to brush out your hair. When prop your phone up and sit on your bed, tucking your legs beneath you.

You greet the fans as they come pouring in, making sure to touch on the topic on the fan meeting. You talk for a little bit about how grateful you are for everyone coming, before moving on to just chatting.

It’s always odd doing a live by yourself. There’s no engaging with someone else, and you have to either read off comments, or come up with conversation.

You’re too tired for the latter, so you go with the former.

“Aw, my hair looks nice?” You beam at your phone, reaching up to your head. “Thank you very much.”

You read over a couple more rolls of comments on the screen before settling on another one to respond to. “No, I won’t give you spoilers. Nice try, though.”

You scrunch your nose up and adjust how you’re sitting. Everyone is going on about a new meme of Jeongin falling out of his chair. Some are asking you to recreate it, while others are asking if he’s okay.

“Yes, he’s fine,” you answer breezily. “It takes more than that to hurt him. He’s tougher than he looks.”

And time goes on. Your eyes are getting heavier and heavier, but you don’t want to turn it off. The more content you give them now, the less they’ll talk about you and Felix.

If any shipping gets too popular, you have to do damage control and-

“Hello, Stay!” Minho waves with both hands as he pops into frame. He blinks a couple times as the comments scream his name before his lips curl into a smile.

“What are you doing here?” You scoot over in case he wants to sit with you.

Minho remains standing. “It’s getting late. Do you know what time it is?”

There’s a string of people talking about air fryers, now. Others are warning you to run.

You straighten. “No, sorry. Is it really that late?”

“It’s past midnight,” he scolds gently. “It’s bed time. I already have Jisung sleeping, and it’s your turn.”

“But…” You don’t know how to voice your concerns. It feels as if speaking your worries aloud will make them true.

Minho says the goodbyes to your phone before shutting the live off. He scoops your phone up and slips it into your pocket before lifting you over his shoulder.

“Minho!” you shriek as he marches out the door. “What are you doing?”

“Rumours come with the job,” he says. He bounces you once, cutting off your protests. “The amount of times I’m shipped with Jisung is immense, but we’re fine. These things happen.”

“Yeah, there’s lots of that stuff.” You go limp and let him dump you in the bathroom. As soon as you’re on your feet, he hands you your toothbrush.

“See?” Minho raises an eyebrow. “You’ll be fine. And even if it does get out of hand, I’m sure Hyunjin would be glad to do something to get the attention off you.”

“You’re right,” you say around the toothbrush in your mouth. Minho waits patiently for you to spit into the sink before you’re back in his grasp.

“I don’t see why you made such a big deal about this,” you grumble as you change into pyjamas. His back is to you as you do so. “Why was Jisung so scared?”

He smirks at you, facing you again. “Wanna find out?”

You stare at him momentarily before sliding beneath your sheets. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Minho pulls the blankets up to your chin. He walks to the door, holding up your phone. “You’ll get this back in the morning after a chat with Chan about positive thinking.”

You groan and throw your head against the pillows. “You really are cruel!”

Minho laughs before flicking your lights off. He shuts the door softly.

Taglist:

@velvetmoonlght

[citrustan]

dating girl (jjk) #2.2

pairing: jungkook x reader

summary: you try to convince yourself that you're really okay with 'casually dating' your crush.

genre & note: college au, fwb kinda thing but more than friends ygm? angst! - here are the links for the original and the follow-up parts to be read before this one - it's giving filler chapter... 🤐

It's awkward.

You look around for a moment, trying not to feel like a loser who got ditched.

There are very few seatings available and none of them were occupied currently. You felt like even bigger of a loser because you'd be the only girl just sitting there. Nor do you want men to take it as a hint to approach you. You're rethinking coming at all.

You blow air out of your mouth as a self-soothing gesture, deciding to go grab another drink.

Suddenly remembering that you had other friends at this party, you decide to text them asking if they were around. You loosely recollect reading about their bar hopping plan on the group chat, so you're not sure. You'd have joined in if you had Jungkook to tag along. He's fun to cling to when you're drunk.

Sometimes you fake being so piss drunk that you can't move by yourself just so Jungkook would hold you up or lift you in his arms.

Thinking about this is really ruining your mood though. Because tonight, that other chick is going to enjoy his company while you act like a cunt towards your date because you can't stand up for yourself.

As you make your way back to the table, you spot Jungkook not too far from it.

Boy, is just everywhere tonight or what.

You freeze for a moment, unsure if you should approach Jungkook, or if you’d rather just stay out of his way. But before you can make up your mind, he’s already walking to you.

“Hey,” he says, lowly, as he stops a few inches beside you.

You give him a tight smile, trying to keep your tone neutral, “Hi.”

He looks around, almost as if he’s unsure of what to say next. “Mr. Tooth Fairy had to leave?”

You hum, glancing toward the door where Hoseok disappeared. “Yeah, something came up.”

Jungkook nods, his eyes flicking back to you, “I see.”

An awkward silence stretched between the two of you like a thin, fragile thread.

Finally, Jungkook clears his throat, breaking the tension, “Listen... about earlier-”

You hold up a hand, cutting him off, “Yeah, I'm sorry, I did not mean to do that. It was uncalled for."

This was too awkward. You don't know how to act around him. All you want to do it grab his head and smush your lips together.

"No, you're fine. I meant to text you back, you know?"

Right.

"Yeah, well, either way, I get the message loud and clear," you reply simply, staring him down.

"I wasn't sending any messages, _____."

"Well, yeah!"

"_____..."

"Can we not do this? I told you I hear you loud and clear. Let's move on." You were agitated.

Jungkook knows you've misunderstood his silence but he doesn't want to piss you off anymore today.

He sighs softly, tilting his head as if to study you. “Hoseok, huh?”

“Yeah,” you say, almost defensively. “He’s nice.”

“Nice,” Jungkook echoes, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, though you can’t tell if it’s amusement or something else entirely. “That’s good. You deserve... nice.”

The way he says it makes your stomach twist. You ball your hands into a fist. You wish he'd stop rubbing it in.

“Is that supposed to mean something?” you ask, sharper than you intend.

Jungkook raises his eyebrows, his expression unreadable, “No. Just a statement.”

You let out a breath through your nose, already feeling the hair on your nape stand, “You know, if you’re trying to say something, you could just say it instead of whatever... this is.” You wave a finger at him.

Jungkook’s jaw ticks slightly, and for a moment, you think he’s going to brush you off. Instead, he takes a step closer, “Fine. I don’t like him.”

Your eyes snap to his. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t like him,” Jungkook repeats, slower this time.

"Yes, you do? He's YOUR friend." You're stunned.

"Yeah, well, I don't like him around you." He'd almost seem childish if it weren't for the way he was looking at you. Like a... predator? Not in a creepy way because this was very invited.

Your brain scrambles to process his words but all you can focus on is how it makes you feel. A shiver runs down your spine.

“Jungkook,” you say finally, forcing your voice to stay calm, “you don’t get to have an opinion about that.”

He opens his mouth like he’s about to argue, but you cut him off before he can speak--- “You’re the one who wants this,” you speak a bit quieter, "-but I..." You abruptly stop yourself, biting the inside of your cheek.

"You what?"

You hesitate, but there’s no point in holding back now. “I didn’t want this,” you admit. You could hear your heart pounding. “And I didn’t have a choice, did I? Because if I said no, you would’ve walked away. And I didn’t want that either.”

Jungkook stares at you, his jaw tight and brows furrowed, like he’s holding himself back from saying something he’ll regret.

Jungkook looked genuinely confused, “That’s not fair. You can't put this on me."

You let out a bitter laugh, shaking your head. "I know. I'm not blaming you."

There's another moment of silence.

"I didn’t want to hurt you,” he says finally, his voice was more gentle now, leaning towards apologetic.

You nod.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t have started this,” you could barely get the words out.

“I didn’t think it would get this complicated,” Jungkook admits, almost like he’s talking to himself.

You almost want to ask to be exclusive. Just the two of you. You really needed to retire that kind of wishful thinking.

Jungkook looks away and chugs his drink in a go. You hadn't noticed he even had one.

He avoids looking at you, choosing to observe random partygoers instead. You want to know what he's thinking.

You glance at his hand tucked into his pocket, briefly contemplating grabbing it.

Just when you slyly begin to inch your fingers closer to his, a third hand blocks you. It links itself with Jungkook's. You can only stupidly stare at their arms joined together, while yours hangs awkwardly mid-way.

Floor open. Swallow. Into the ground. Anytime now would be great.

"Jungkook, I'm ready to go. Take me home?" The blonde from earlier begins massaging his shoulder while you stare at the couple, dumbfounded.

Jungkook looked just as confused as you did, "Now?"

She leans in closer to whisper something into his ear, at the same time, allowing her hand to freely rub his chest, letting out a sensual giggle.

It's so obvious what she's trying to do here. Putting on a show just for you. She must see you as threat.

Jungkook briefly pulls away and glances back at the blonde, "Fine. Wait for me by the door?"

Her smile drops a little but she recovers with an exaggerated pout, "I don't know if I can be left unaccompanied any longer. Like five guys have tried to talk to me already. But I told them I'm here with you." She pokes his cheek.

That wasn't a very subtle jab at you and Hoseok.

As much as you want to push her off of Jungkook, you can admit she's not wrong. He's here with her. And the man you came with has left (momentarily or not, he still left the party.)

You don't know what you're doing standing there. There's no need for you to watch them, especially when Jungkook hasn't said a word to you in over five minutes.

Even though your conversation is long from over, it was apparent that nothing was happening today. It makes the most sense for you to walk away from them before you start crying.

Feigning disinterest, you pull your phone up and shoot Hoseok a quick text explaining your absence.

The party spirit has officially been sucked out of you by Jungkook through a giant straw jammed into your skull.

Jungkook's still speaking to his date but you've forcefully tuned them out, thinking about how you're going to take a long hot shower and change into freshly laundered clothes and hop into your comfy bed.

It's only when you abruptly walk away that you hear him call out to you. He sounded almost frantic.

"Is Hoseok back?"

You pause at that, "No, I'm heading back home as well."

"We'll walk you." Jungkook offers. It was more of a statement though.

You consider it just because of how pissed off his date looked. Her smile has been wiped off and she glared at you, daring you to accept Jungkook's offer.

Well, you guess you're both going to be having a bad night now.

"You know what? I'd like that."

note: so like it's my birthday (woohoo 🎉) and this is a little gift from me to you.... 🧍‍♀️

[decojellyfish]

First. I love your work! Just the whole writing and stuff is so AAAAAAAA wonderful.

Second. Idk if its a gonna be a bother or something but i reread the Bonbon fanfic and thought if you could do a part 2. With the idea of because ghost is already a rescue price then brings another rescue home like gaz or soap.

I HOPE IM NOT BOTHERING YOU IM SORRYYYY

You're not a bother at all! In fact, I should be apologizing to you for taking so long with this! I hope it was worth the wait, enjoy! This is the official part 2 of Bonbon! (Go give it a read if you're interested :))

------

Boom! Boom!

Hybrid AU! TF141 (Retired) Guard Dog! Ghost x (Retired) Fight Dog! Soap x Kitten! Reader x Owner! Price Reader is only addressed as 'you' !!No Romance Towards Reader For Obvious Purposes!!

SFW ~ Fluff

Warnings: Occasional swearing? There’s barely any

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴: "Cute Circus - Twintail Tsundere" 0:09 ━●────────── 2:47 ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷

───♡───────────── Beginning It had been a year since you’d been adopted by Price and a few things have changed.

First of all, you had forgotten what it felt like to be starving or what you smelled like when they’d first found you. Bubble baths were a routine part of your week, and you loved playing with your toys and scratching posts. Sometimes, when you’d be mad, you would take it out on your scratching post, or if you were feeling rebellious, you would commit the cardinal sin of doing it on the couch. But you also loved snuggling. Whether it was Price or Ghost, you loved curling up on their lap under a blanket with one of your toys. Sometimes it would be the only thing that would get you to fall asleep.

Price enjoyed the extra company and finally had someone to accompany Ghost while he was gone. Price had never really taken on a father role in his life until you came into the picture. At points, he felt like the best father figure anyone could ask for; other times, he wondered if he knew anything at all about parenting. Sometimes, he felt like he was being too mean to you, snuggling with you after a small quarrel as an act of both apologizing and forgiving.

Ghost, on the other hand, felt as if you weren’t disciplined enough. He felt like you were a little brat, getting into trouble all the time with the blame usually falling on Ghost’s shoulders. You were a little angel in Price’s eyes, only to turn around and kick Ghost out of his usual spots around the house, running it like you owned the place. But only he was allowed to be your bully. Any time you, him, and Price were out and another hybrid tried to get smart with you, a kitten, Price would have to physically hold Ghost back as he barked up a storm about how he was gonna turn them into fish food by drowning them.

But all in all, things were nice. 

Then came along the mutt from the forest.

You had been playing in the yard for about an hour, Ghost was supervising you to make sure you didn’t run off into the woods. He was bored, but still kept his ears perked for any sign of danger… which he quickly caught a whiff of. He stood up from his seated position in the grass and made his way over to where the mouth of the forest began.

There was a small forest that resided in the backyard of Price’s neighborhood. You were only ever allowed to go in there under the supervision of both Ghost and Price. So when you saw Ghost slowly venturing out into the woods, you knew something was up. Your little ears perked up, your fluffy tail swishing with childlike curiosity.

So naturally, as the little kitten you were, you did the sensible thing.

You silently followed behind Ghost, not alerting him of your presence. He was too focused on finding the danger and keeping it from coming any closer to his family.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Ghost was following a certain scent, it seemed to belong to a burly one, built similarly to him. They smelled sweaty, musky, and… scared? No, angry. No, scared? A mix of both? It was a marbled mess of both emotions.

His ears twitched in one direction, sensing a rapidly approaching figure. He quickly turned his body to face the figure head-on, ready to attack. His guard dog instincts kicked in with a small snarl as he eyed the violent dog approaching. That’s when a little thing caught his attention in the corner of his eye.

It was you!

What the hell were you doing here?! How did you follow him so silently?? Probably because you were a cat, but that’s beside the point. He looked at your tiny form with wide eyes, “What are you doing here?! Get back to the house! Now-!” He was cut off when he suddenly got tackled.

The two bulky figures collided, rolling and flying across the rough ground, causing you to yelp in alarm.

Ghost let out a growl, grabbing the figure by their shoulders and forcing them away, ready to bark their arse off before something made him stop. His eyes were wide and his mouth awkwardly hanging open. The figure, another dog-hybrid, had also stopped and was now catching his breath as he stared down at Ghost with a similar expression.

It was silent for a few moments, just the two canines panting for air with their bewildered expressions. The mysterious pup was first to break the silence.

“Ghost?”

“Soap?” Ghost replied, just as astonished as Soap was.

“Ghost!” Soap rejoiced, pulling his brother from another mother close into a hug. “Oi, where’ve ya been?? How’s retirement goin’???” He had a giant smile on his face, his tail wagging so much that it was causing his hips to move side to side as well slightly. 

“Eh, it’s been good. Eventful. Why the hell are you all roughed up? They kick you out or somethin’?” “Uhh, it’s complicated.” Soap chuckled. ��Let’s jus’ say, I got roped into underground fightin’ and now I’m also retired.” He laughed a little more while Ghost looked at him slightly confusedly.

“Oh, hey! No mask!” Soap pointed out, now holding Ghost’s head and examining his face. “Aye, I knew you were a blondie!” “Yes, Soap, being retired means there’s no need to hide my identity.” Ghost sighed as he was forcefully examined by his old friend.

Soap smiled from dog-ear to dog-ear as he finally got to see the face of his good friend, looking at each scar, wrinkle, and bump his face had to offer. “You’re quite the looker, Ghost.” He smirked before he was abruptly attacked by a little thing.

You meowed and hissed as you latched onto the weird man who decided to attack the man who was like a big brother in your eyes. Your claws were tiny, but you spent a fair amount of time with your scratching posts so you knew how to hook them in. The man yowled and reached back, quickly plucking you off of him as his chipped ears pinned to the back of his head.

You kept hissing and scratching the air in his direction while he and Ghost looked at each other, Soap was obviously more confused while Ghost was trying to hold back a chuckle. “Who the hell is this??” “Uh… they’re with me, Soap.”

Soap looked at his best friend with eyes as wide and big as saucers, “...you had a kid?!” He looked at you again before looking back down, “...with a cat?!”

Ghost just had to stifle his chuckles, his head slightly shaking back and forth. He had to contain his laughter before finally telling Soap the whole story about you.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Price had finally returned home after a long, tiring shift at work. With a soft thud, he set his bag down near the front door and took his coat off.

“I’m home!” He called out, his gravelly voice laced with a hint of exhaustion. His eyes perked up at the muffled sound of you playing outside, with Ghost he assumed. Your happy giggles and squeals, an occasional shriek of surprise followed by more laughter. It made him smile knowing you were getting proper time outside despite the temperatures gradually decreasing as autumn approached.

Walking to the back door, Price opened it expecting to see two hybrids playing in the backyard but was surprised when he saw three, even after trying to recount them to make sure he wasn’t losing his mind. For a moment Price thought it was a feral hybrid who had planned on attacking his family, but realized you weren’t in any danger while Ghost was still supervising.

You were playing with the feral hybrid, and he was playing with you. He would chase you, you would chase him, ride on his back while he ran around, and laugh as he put on a show for you as he chased his tail in rapid, small circles. Still, Price was your father (in a sense) so he had to step in.

“Ghost,” he shouted at the blonde pup, “What’s all this?” Ghost looked over at the old man, offering a reassuring smirk. “Just an old work buddy, or friend. Can we keep ‘im?” He chided, his tail slightly wagging. Price only sighed, already knowing there was only one correct answer.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

So now, this is your current life. Ghost watching as you and Soap play around in the living room, lazily attempting to play with you on the couch, and Price shouting from the kitchen, as he’s making dinner, to be careful and not knock anything over.

Soap would always get this guilty look on his face when he was told this, knowing he was the culprit behind the murder of a few innocent standing vases and decor.

You loved playing with him, especially when he would play this game where he pretended you were a bomb that he had to drop (safely onto the couch, of course). He would do a dramatic countdown, “3…2…1!” and then plop you right onto the couch cushion then the two of you would chant, “Boom! Boom!”

Then, he would tickle you relentlessly until Ghost barked at him to stop because he didn’t like your little giggle-shriek sounds. Soap would stop, then make Ghost his next target by scratching behind his scarred ears. This caused Ghost to kick one of his legs uncontrollably, making you giggle.

There were times when you didn’t like Soap as much. Sometimes, he would take a bit of food from your plate without you noticing, making you through a small hissyfit when he finally took a noticeable amount. Other times, he would bark at you to stop scratching at the armrests of the couch before gesturing to all the other scratching posts you had.

In return, you would give him… the silent treatment.

Which lasted about 5 or 10 minutes until you asked him to play with you, which he happily agreed to with a small chuckle.

But the most enjoyable part of your days now was in the evenings after dinner. When you’d be curled up between Price and Ghost, your head in Price’s lap as he kept a hand scratching your head, and Ghost keeping a hand on your back or belly (depending on which position you were resting in) as he felt the subtle rise and fall of your lungs as you drifted off. 

Soap usually sat on the floor, his head close to yours, so your relaxed purrs went directly into his ear. This made his tail wag with a repetitive soft thumping. All of you were probably settled down for a movie of some sort or just stayed in the living room for a small chat. Not like you were paying any attention though, you were just there to fall asleep.

However, other times, Price would read you a bedtime story instead. With Ghost and Soap sitting by you for extra security as you fell asleep that way, still loudly purring and making biscuits out of your blankie.

They would all wait for your purrs to fade out and biscuits to slow to an eventual stop, signaling that you had fallen asleep, and now was the tricky part of tiptoeing away from your little cat bed without waking you up.

Once they were successful, they would close the door, leaving it open with a small crack to allow a little light to pour in. They all snuck one last peek at you before leaving with a content sigh or grunt.

They loved how you took them on all sorts of adventures with occasional mischief.

They loved their lives

And they loved you. ───♡───────────── End

I hope you enjoyed it, everypony!! Thank you all so much for your patience. Feel free to leave a request! (I make no promises they'll be finished quickly though ;0; I still need to go to college and make art lol) ------ Taglist: @venavanup @draculauraspage @tf141gloryhole @obnoxiousbag @chanel-princess-world @ssc7514

If you would like to be added to the taglist so you can read my latest fics, let me know! Thank you :)

[arthur-lesters-frontal-lobe]

Oh boy do i have the AU for you

Instead of facing the king in season two, Arthur decides to run away and live in the dreamlands. Trauma ensues yada yada yada and after ten years he is captured by the king one final time. He spends the next four years being tortured and starved. Eventually the King decides to put him out of his misery and let him bleed out. And well... i'll let you read the rest

“John?”

“Arthur- Arthur- you- fuck oh fuck Arthur. Oh- Arthur- you're- we need to- We need to get your bag. There has to be something to stop the bleeding. You're- there's so much blood. Arthur-”

Arthur knew he was a lost cause, he knew he'd die, but John wouldn't give up, he'd do everything he can. And- it feels nice to be cared for, it's nice to not be at each other's throats, only talking so Arthur knows what's happening around him. “Okay- where is it-t?”

“Its a few feet to your right, we need to crawl there, your legs are- they're- unusable- to say the least.” Arthur laughed, John was trying to soothe him, to convince him everything was okay. “I'm going to get us there. I'm going to get us there. Okay?”

“Okay John.” He strained. “On 3, 1.. 2.. 3..” John dug his nails into the dirt bellow, groaning as his broken hand had a full body to drag. Arthur tried to roll on his stomach so John could have more leverage, putting pressure on the femur jutting out of his thigh. He whimpered, he wanted to scream at the pressure, but he just nodded when John told him he's going to move forward. As he did, it felt like the bone shifted further out of his thigh, “JOHN JOHN- STOP STOP! PLEASE- JOHN.”

“What happened? What's wrong?”

“My- my leg- the femur. John- it hurts it hurts so damn much. I can't- we can't get any farther- it hurts. It's so painful to move. John- John- Fuck” Arthur whimpered, going back into a fetal position. He heard John gasp and try to hide a sob, as his mutilated hand rested on his chest again. “Arthur you need to stay awake. We need to stop the bleeding-”

“It's no use John- we- we both know I’m going to die. I appreciate you always caring for me, fixing me up when I do something stupid. But we both know this is it” Arthur stated.

“But there must be a way, Arthur. Arthur- please- you can't die now-” John sobbed.

“Okay. Just- give me a moment. I- I feel light headed- I’m exhausted. I'm so fucking exhausted.”

Arthur couldn't tell if it was his or John's tears rolling down his face, it very well could be both of them. This pain was nothing he ever felt before, this was hell, his skin burned as the wounds all stung like venom. He took his mask off to better intake air, but even still, it hurt to breath, his lungs pressing up against his broken ribs. “Are you okay? Is your hand-”

“I’m fine Arthur. My hand has broken like yours, and the pinky- it was ripped out. But it's fine. Its nothing compared to what you're feeling.”

Arthur felt so horrid for John, for what he had to endure. “I'm sorry.”

“Arthur?”

“Yes John?”

“You- you can sleep now. There are no more miles we need to travel. You can rest now.”

“But I promis-”

“I know. I know. And you did. But there's nothing we can do about that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Arthur.”

John situated them so that Arthur was covered by his cloak, so he was at least somewhat comfortable.

“Rest now Arthur, you deserve it. And I’ll see you when you wake.”

“Okay John.”

“Good night- friend, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good sleep, this too shall pass.”

i hope malevolent ends with arthur laying down for a nice long sleep. i want the last few words to be 'goodnight john' and 'goodnight arthur'. i hope the silence is sweet and peaceful. i dont even care if anything else goes well or not. i dont care if john gets his own body or arthur gets faroe back. i just need him to lower himself down for one last time, just for one good sleep. its the only ending i want for him.

[always-just-red]

Hello! Y'know that one line of Sylus talking about his muscles saying "They're not real. But they move." The way he casually admits to not being entirely human

Could I request something angsty where Sylus has an uncanny valley aura about him where you just FELL something's not right and Sylus is all :( cause he can't make the MC feel comfortable around him but it's not like he can fix it either

Just a quick little fic for this whilst I work on a longer fic! Realised like two paragraphs in that I had the opportunity to do the most evil thing ever, so I did!! 😇 I'm really proud of this one guys pls show it some love! And thanks for the prompt, anon! You are my co-conspirator in all this evilness, mwa ha ha DISCLAIMER: This work does not reflect the feelings of the author, who would die for Sylus! Wants to hold Sylus's face in her hands and tell him he is everything good and pure in this dark, cynical chess game we call life! 😎✨

Monster

Sylus x Reader 🩸

Summary: A Deepspace Hunter's instincts never lie...

Genre: angst oh my GOSH so much angst

Warnings/Additional tags: f!reader, AU I guess as this is a different spin on an existing scene, *passes you some tissues* here you might need these! 🥰

| Word count: 800 | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

You know monsters.

Earth-shattering. Sky-shearing. Teeth, reckless: always striving for something soft to sink into. To make a home in and to eviscerate. You’ve been grazed by it— kissed by that violence more times than you can count— and you are not soft anymore; there isn’t space for it. There are scars and then there’s armour, the kind you carry with you, the kind you couldn’t shed if you tried, and you haven’t tried, because why would you?

Horror isn’t loud and cataclysmic, it’s quiet. It’s those few seconds before your Hunter’s watch signals a fluctuation of Metaflux. A premonition, trained, or maybe just human instinct, raw and vulnerable: something is wrong, here. That prickle on your skin— the tip of that claw, raked, snaked down your spine. You feel it whenever a Wanderer lurks in the shadows, or beneath a stretch of water that’s unfathomably deep and far, far too still.

Sometimes, you feel it when you look at Sylus.

I know monsters.

Before you, a fragment of a mural tells a very old story, and beside you, a red-eyed man is thinking of flowers. It’s late, and the museum is quiet. You look at the fragment’s centre, where a female warrior is plunging a blade through a dragon’s heart. “Look,” you say, nodding at the figure with a half-smile. “My predecessor.”

Sylus hums thoughtfully. “What makes you say that?”

“Because that looks like a standard Tuesday to me. Some things never change, huh?”

But other things do. With a chuckle, Sylus draws closer to you. The rumble of his laughter is warm and familiar, and his hand is near yours as he bends to examine the mural. He wants you to take it, to thread your fingers through his like you do when you resonate, when you need his power and he needs yours, except neither of you need it now. Why, then?

You know. Of course you know.

The man is all softness, voice and gaze like an afternoon sun in late summer that lulls you to sleep with thick, golden light. Always trying to evoke a dream. It’s weakness, it’s the dragon on the mural with a split heart, bleeding, and you’ll never understand why Sylus wears his on his sleeve.

It’ll be the death of him, one day. It’s set in stone. Right here.

When Sylus touches you— when the tip of his finger catches yours and makes an honest, desperate request— you don’t pull away. Something inside tugs at you, warns you, tells you a monster without a sword in its chest is one that can bite. What colour of blood would your hands prefer? His? Your own?

Your veins are cold and something is wrong, but no, you don’t pull away, because Sylus knows monsters too. Some declare themselves with twisted horns, razorlike wings and a long, barbed tail. Others declare themselves with something as subtle as a touch, withdrawn.

When Sylus steps away from you, that gash of dread closes up inside you. Heals like his wounds: no mess, no scar, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

He’s had a long time to look at the mural, and he smiles wistfully at the woman at its centre. “Some things never change,” he echoes, and it sounds as though there’s blood in his lungs, his throat, and that he has to swallow it down to say anything at all. It must sting.

“All in a day’s work for a Deepspace Hunter,” you joke flatly. You’re not even sure Sylus hears it.

Both of you stare at your fragment of history: an execution, a liberation. A matter of perspective. “Maybe…” Sylus begins, but then thinks better of it.

“Maybe what?”

He’s seeing something you don’t.

“Maybe what, Sylus?”

He spares you a glance. “The pose,” he says, indicating the warrior. “It’s ambiguous. Perhaps she isn’t slaying the beast, she could be—”

“Saving it?”

You’re considering a new perspective. Tapping a finger against your cheek as you lock eyes with your history— that elusive dream— ever oblivious to what’s behind you:

There’s a look of sheer, infinite longing— a gaze that’s been empty of you for too long, so sick of starvation, and determined to have its fill in the few, fleeting moments it can. It’s ravenous: dangerous, sharp, and irrevocably yours, if you would only turn around.

There are teeth and claws, but they’re all of them tame, and that makes them soft, doesn’t it? You could trust them on your skin. Turn around.

You do, and you are not the girl from the mural who tucked wildflowers into his hair and who sung him a song he still hears in his sleep. Sylus’s heart aches.

You are the girl from the mural who’s slaying a dragon, because it’s the oldest story, the only story.

Your eyes harden.

“Who would pull out a sword to save a monster?”

[starlit-writer]

in sickness and in health, ch. 3 - alpha!simon riley x omega!reader

here is chapter three!!!! this chapter did NOT go the way i thought it would, but i promise we're getting to the whole simon groveling and begging and all that lovely stuff soon - i just cant seem to stop writing these two FIGHTING! as always, if you want to be added to the tag list to make sure you stay up-to-date, let me know in the replies! eat well, lovelies <3

if you want to understand more about my omegaverse au, you can look at my masterpost here, and it'll help explain all of the intricacies that may or may not be explained well enough in these short-form fics!

word count: 4,208 chapter two masterlist ao3 link

You were in a forest, surrounded by pines. Snow was drifting down slowly, coating the needles around you in light flakes before they melted from the heat of your breath as you stared up at the grey sky. You felt… at peace, for the first time in a long time. You were wrapped securely in the knotted roots of one of the pine trees as they wrapped themselves over and between the straps of your tactical vest, the wood gently resting against a sticky scarlet mark where your heart was supposed to be. You turned your head as much as the roots would allow, and you could see flames in the distance of the forest, a cacophony of gunshots and explosions ricocheting through your ears as the scent of smoking pine and wet gunpowder reaches your nostrils-

You woke up with a start, a gasp of air drawing through your dry, chapped lips sharply, the movement causing your aching ribs to spasm in a coughing fit. Your hands flew up to your chest to check for the wound that you were so convinced would be there, only to be met with the soft, warm, flesh of a massive tattooed bicep that was flung across your chest. But the everpresent scent of smoked pine, wet gunpowder, and a freshly-lit cigarette was still burned into your nostrils.

It was just a dream.

You blinked a few times, the light filtering through the blinds too bright for your blurry eyes to handle. You tried to lift your head, to move, but your body felt far too heavy and sluggish. You were reduced to your basest of instincts - you felt better than you had in months, but it felt like your omega side had completely overridden your logical one. You tried again to speak, to move, anything, but all that came out from your too-dry mouth was a cracking, reedy omega whine.

That made the heavy arm that was draped over your chest move. It quickly lifted off of you, the bed that you were laying on dipping and shifting like sand underfoot as the massive bulk next to you moved. You flinched slightly as rough fingertips gently touched your cheek, the image of Simon’s face swimming above you as a look of concern furrowed his brow. Oh. That would explain why that scent was swimming around you. If you two had been in a normal, healthy mating bond, it probably would have been easier to recognize. But after the months of distance, and neglect, you had forgotten your own alpha’s scent.

You felt it as your own face morphed into a matching expression. Where were you? Why is Simon here? What the fuck happened? You opened your mouth to say something scathing, the words nipping at the tip of your tongue, but before you could speak, the back of Simon’s hand traced down your cheek, almost reverent in his guilt.

“Shh, shh, love. You’re okay, you’re okay. ‘M ‘ere. Just don’t… don’t move, okay? I’ve got some water here for ya-” his voice broke off as he twisted his torso, keeping one hand securely under your head while the other grabbed a white styrofoam cup with a bright white plastic straw sticking up from the lid and brought it back over to the bed. You had to fight to keep your expression neutral, as the sight of the sterile-looking aerated plastic and the very thought of drinking the disgusting water contained inside made your stomach dip in disgust.

Simon could have cried when he felt your disgust through the bond, the cavernous darkness that had shrouded you from him in his mind finally lifting enough to allow him to feel you again. However, that didn’t stop your feeling of disgust, even if it was directed at the apparently devil-like cup in his hands and not at him, from lodging into his chest like the blade of a knife. He winced and quickly moved the cup away from you, frantically looking around his quarters for some other source of water. When he didn’t find one, a short curse fell from his lips as he glanced back at you sympathetically, regret and guilt shining in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I- I just grabbed this from medbay… there’s some vitamins and electrolytes and whatever else you combat medics throw in it, and I figured that that would help since, you know, you’ve been asleep for three days.”

Your eyes widened in shock. Three days? Three days!? You could vomit, and you probably would have if there had been anything in your stomach.

Simon sighed, screwing his eyes shut as he realized that was probably not the best way to tell you that information. He brought his hand - the one still holding that damn cup - up to his face, rubbing his eyes with the back of his thumb. Gods, he sucked at this. He ran his hand down his face and moved to get up from the bed. “I’ll just… yeah, I’ll just go get you some, um, different water in a different glass and… yeah, I’ll be right back.”

As he moved to get up from the bed, your hand weakly shot out, your fingers feebly wrapping around his wrist. Simon glanced down at your hand in thinly-veiled shock before he looked at you. You were just as shocked. You were still angry, at least, you knew you should be, but the only thing you could focus on was the way your omega writhed in pain at the mere thought of Simon walking away from you again.

“You need to drink some water. And if you won’t drink it out of this,” he said as he raised the cup, “then I gotta get you something else.”

You looked up at him pleadingly, an absolutely pathetic look on your face. You didn’t have the strength or energy to fight against the instincts right now. Everything in you was screaming and clawing at the idea of Simon leaving, even just to get you more water, and your instincts didn’t care about how it looked, or if it made you seem like you forgave him and were willing to forget everything that happened. You knew, logically, that you weren’t, but logic was so far out of the realm of control, the only thing reacting in your mind was your wounded omega, desperate for the proximity of her alpha.

“I don’t wanna force you to drink this if it grosses you out that bad.”

Another needy, desperate whine was his only response as you let go of his wrist, your shaking hand held outstretched to take the cup. It was a clear message - I’ll drink it. Just don’t leave.

Simon’s gaze softened as he sat back down on the edge of the bed, bringing the straw close to your lips. You closed your eyes, the moment feeling far too intimate for the reality of your relationship with Simon as your dry, chapped lips wrapped around the plastic of the straw. After a few moments of forcing down the polluted-dirt tasting water, Simon slowly and gently pulled the straw away from you, his free hand coming up to your face to brush an errant strand of your hair behind your ear. His heart ached as your eyes fluttered open, still cold and guarded even as he could feel your omega pleading for him to stay through the bond.

“Feel better?”

You nodded slowly, the movement disjointed and sluggish as you brought a shaking hand up to wipe a small droplet of water off of your lips. “Yeah,” you muttered, the words thick and gruff with disuse. The thanks that should have followed that response stayed stuck in your throat like a pill that was much too big to swallow.

Simon nodded in response as he sat the cup back down on the bedside table. He then grabbed a wrapped protein bar, and tore open the packaging with his teeth. With the unwrapped protein bar in hand, he turned back to you, holding the bar near your face. “Eat.”

A pause, a short breath leaving Simon’s lips as he realized that a demand was probably not the best way to get you to do something at the moment.

“Please,” he amended, his voice softer, gentler. “You need to get your strength up,” he added, shifting the bar a little closer to your lips.

You knew he was right, ultimately, but it wounded your ego, accepting his help after all of the neglect he had put you through. You sighed softly and shifted on the bed with a groan as your muscles protested against the tiniest of movements. Simon’s hand quickly wrapped around your aching shoulder to help shift you on to your side, and you settled back down into the bed, lifting your head up slightly to take a small bite out of the protein bar. You figured it would be impossible to swallow, as all food had been the last few months, but you were shocked to find it easy to get down. You sat up slowly, achingly, agonizingly slowly, but Simon, shockingly, was there to support you. You reached out and took the bar from him, suddenly ravenous.

Simon watched as you all but scarfed down the protein bar, his gaze softening with guilt. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at his now-empty hands. He hated himself, the guilt and regret of being so blind to you throughout the entirety of your marriage, your mating bond, eating him alive.

You froze, mid-chew of the last bite as you heard his murmured apology. You didn’t know how to respond, feeling like a deer in the headlights of his sin.

“Simon…”

“No, I… I am. Gods, angel, you have no idea how sorry I am. I was such a dick to you, such a bad fuckin’ alpha, and I know that my words probably don’t mean much, or, really, anything to you, but… if I could reverse time, do it all over again, I…”

“Simon, stop,” you croaked out, your gaze fixated on the comforter that pooled against your sweatpant-clad legs, anything to keep your eyes off of him. You couldn’t look at him. It was all too much, far too quickly, and you had nowhere to even begin to parse through the emotions and pain that still existed under your skin like a thrashing beast, even if it felt more subdued than it did three days ago. You didn’t want to think too hard on that, though, wanted to ignore the way your alpha’s presence, his scent calmed the ugly thing, if only slightly.

You couldn’t - wouldn’t - forgive him. Not right now. Sure, he had kept one promise; he had stayed with you, but in the grand scheme of things? It didn’t mean much. You smoothed your hand over the soft comforter, balling the now-empty wrapper of the protein bar in your other hand. Too many emotions, too little time. You felt like you were trapped between your base omega desires and the reality of your situation. The wrapper crinkled in your hand louder as your grip became tighter, the atrophied muscles in your arms shaking with exertion and emotion.

You felt Simon’s hand as it inched closer to you, more than likely to try and bring you comfort, but you couldn’t take it. Right before his hand touched yours, you jerked it away, throwing the wrapper into some random corner of his room in your panic. You quickly scrambled out of the bed, your need to get away from him, from the situation, much greater than any of the aches and pains of your neglected body. You stood in the center of the room, your chest heaving from the exertion as you steadied yourself on your feet, your legs wobbling beneath you.

Simon just stared at you, wide-eyed and frozen.

You stared right back. Your mind was a mess, fractured between your omega and your logical, rational side. Your omega was screaming, tearing at the confines of your skin at the very idea of leaving your alpha, but you pushed it away. You felt cornered, and you were lashing out like a feral cat.

“I- I gotta go.”

And with that, you turned on your heel, and all but ran out of the room. Simon was still sitting on the edge of the bed, shellshocked and staring at the space in the center of his quarters that you were just occupying.

–

It had been about a week since you had left Simon’s quarters. That first day, after you had left, you were violent, volatile - your own quarters destroyed as you tried to release all of the pent-up emotions by throwing anything and everything you could get your hands on before you collapsed into little more than a heap of tears in the middle of all of the broken glass and ripped papers. You had slept there that night, on your floor, but when you woke up, there was one of Simon’s sweatshirts outside of the door of your quarters with a note.

I know you don’t want to see me right now. I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be. But the bond is still fragile. Just keep this around, please? -Simon

Part of you wanted to burn it, still so full of rage and pain, but the desperation of your omega had you pressing your face into the soft, plush fabric, a small omega purr unconsciously pulling past your lips. As soon as the sound of your purr reached your ears, you threw the article of clothing onto the ground as if it was a ticking incendiary bomb. It was still there, in that corner, but it cursed the entirety of your quarters to smell like Simon, the scent of smokey pine, wet gunpowder, and the first drag of a cigarette cloying to everything, no matter how many of your own clothes you piled on top of it.

The rest of that week had passed by you like a blur. You had mostly stayed in your quarters, focusing on how to control and push down your omega desires, instead replacing them with the rage you knew you should feel towards Simon, definitely not because it was the only place that you could still smell him, certainly not. It was just that the thought of being seen out and about when your emotions and physical health were so volatile seemed like it wouldn’t be the best of ideas, and that was definitely the only reason.

But, today was the first day that you had actually gotten up and took a shower. Looking in the mirror, you noticed that your skin looked much more lively, the sickly grey of the bond sickness had dissipated, and the bruises that had covered your skin had all but faded away. It made you feel… wrong almost, to be, to look, “fixed”. The torment that you had undergone still lived and breathed in your very bones, and seeing yourself without the physical marks of it, even if they were self-inflicted, felt wrong. So, you quickly tugged on some workout gear, grabbed your keys, and left your quarters, determined to make someone pay for the grief and rage that thrummed under your skin.

You dumped your keys and your sweatshirt in a corner by the sparring ring, stretching for a moment as you scanned the gym. Plenty of people to spar with, but, more importantly, no Simon. And, before you knew it, an unsuspecting, far too cocky beta recruit was swaggering up to you. He was new to the base, you could tell. Fresh out of basic training, by the looks of it. You pushed a smirk down off of your lips, as you wanted the challenge. Wanted him to fuck up just so you could absolutely let loose. You batted your eyelashes up at him, really playing into the whole weak omega stereotype.

You ran your gaze up and down the recruit, sinking your teeth into your plush lower lip. You watched as the recruit’s eyes lit up at your actions, obviously taking them as flirtatious. Meanwhile, all you had wanted to do was knock him off his axis, get him thinking hazy.

The recruit smirked, rubbing his hands together. “Name’s Conwell. James Conwell. Need a sparring partner?”

You grinned up at him, the expression so fake and sickly-sweet as you leaned towards him slightly, clasping your hands in front of you. If it pushed your tits together, what was the harm in that?

“Oh, yeah, James, that’d be great! I might need a few pointers though. You okay with that?” The grin that the recruit gave you was downright predatory as he nodded and slipped between the ropes, bouncing around and shadowboxing, obviously trying to show off. You quickly stifled a laugh behind your hand, clearing your throat before you slipped between the ropes as well. Gods, new recruits, especially new beta recruits, were such easy marks. They always had such a chip on their shoulder, desperate to prove themselves, and certainly not above pretending to be something they weren’t to do so. And as you settled into your side of the ring, you could smell just how desperate this recruit was to be something he wasn’t.

He had sprayed fake alpha pheromones on himself. The scent was nauseating, making your stomach roll. But, you pushed it down. You’d play the part, let him get one or two good hits in, then it would be game over for the poor boy.

“How do I start this?” You asked innocently, looking down at the smooth vinyl that coated the floor of the ring. The beta’s (Jim?) grin widened as he sunk into his own fighting stance.

“Just like this, pretty girl.”

You suppressed a disgusted shudder at his words, painting that saccharine faux-innocence on your expression as you pretended to copy him, sinking into your own stance. Yours was a much stronger base, your legs spread wider to better accommodate your movement, your fists actually tucked up to your face as protection, unlike the way the beta kept his hands low over his bare chest, obviously believing the lie that you were no threat.

“You should probably swing first, you know, show an omega like me how an alpha does it.”

That did it. His eyes glinted with that repulsive possessiveness that every douchebag gets when you stroke their ego just right, when you pretend to believe a lie that they’ve tried so hard to force to be truth. And so he did, but it arched wide, giving you the perfect opportunity to dodge under and land a jab right in the left side of his ribs. You popped up, a glee-filled smile on your lips, genuine this time, as you looked at him as he gasped for air, bouncing on the balls of your feet.

He blinked, bewildered, as his head swiveled from side to side in an effort to find where you went. Once his eyes zeroed in on you, his lips pressed into a thin, angry smile, the kind that someone would give an annoying child after they spilt their snack for the third time in a row. “Wow, quick learner, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess!” Your words were bright, your eyes filled with a predatory glint that you tried to hide as you beckoned him tauntingly. “C’mon! That was fun!”

The beta growled in a terrible impression of an alpha rumble, swinging out in the exact same way. It forced you to wonder what the fuck they were teaching these kids in basic training nowadays. The velocity of this punch was slow, and you knew you had to let him get at least one punch in if you wanted this to last any longer than a few minutes before he stormed off with his tail tucked between his legs in embarrassment. Normally, you would have braced yourself for a hit that you knew was coming, but something else hit you before the punch could. Smoked pine. Wet gunpowder. First hit of a cigarette after a stressful mission. It pulled your attention just long enough to allow the beta’s punch to land squarely in your ribs, the force of the impact much greater than the velocity, which promptly knocked all of the air from your lungs. You stumbled back a little, but you forced your gaze to stay on your opponent, not allowing yourself to get distracted by the pheromones that had settled over you like an oppressive coat.

That was, until, you heard an actual alpha growl emanating from the door of the gym. It was so loud, so full of anger, that it caused everyone to stop what they were doing. You rolled your eyes, shaking out your shoulders as you sank back down into your fighting stance, but your opponent was frozen, his hands dropped as he turned to look at where the growl had come from. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who he was staring at. You sighed, your head dropping as you saw Simon’s long, purposeful strides carrying his massive bulk up to the ring. You heard your opponent get pulled from the ring, and before you knew it, Simon was in front of you, lifting your head up with gentle fingers.

“Did he hurt-”

You forcefully knocked his hand off of your chin, your eyes hardening. A small omega growl ripped past your lips as they curled up in displeasure. “Oh my gods, fuck off! We were just sparring!”

Simon’s gaze darkened as he looked down at you, but he, thankfully, didn’t touch you again. “You smell like fuckin’ shit. What, fake pheromones are what does it for ya now, huh?”

Your growl increased in volume as you shoved against his chest. The anger, pain, and guilt that swam between the two of you was almost tangible, the tension thick enough to cut through with a knife. You didn’t care. “Don’t pretend like you know anything about what ‘does it for me’,” you mocked as you put sarcastic air quotes around the repeated words.

Most of the gym had cleared out by now. Everyone knew how volatile the two of you could be separately, and when they sensed the heightened anger and emotions between you two, they quickly disappeared. For the few stragglers that were left, Simon fixed them with a glare hard enough to freeze an ocean, and they quickly packed their things and also scurried away.

“You wanna fucking punch something?” Simon growled as he took a step closer to you. “Punch me. Not some stupid prick tryna peacock around as if he’s an alpha. You fuckin’ smell like that shit ass cologne he was trying to pass off as his own.”

A downright predatory grin spread over your lips. You were pissed. Pissed that he was here, that he had taken away the one outlet that you knew you had to work through all of these emotions. So, you bit back. You knew you were playing with fire. It was one thing you were always good at, part of the reason the team, especially Simon, called you spitfire.

“Oh, is that what that was? It smelled so good, I thought it was real.”

You were lying, and the smirk that spread over Simon’s lips confirmed that he knew it too. You shook your head, blowing out a frustrated breath as you moved to step around Simon. You didn’t want to be around him right now. His hand shot out to grab at your wrist, but you jerked it away from him.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me,” you bit out as your teeth ground together. “I didn’t need you to come save me, and you had no right to storm in here like this.”

“No right?” Simon seethed lowly as he turned his head to look at you. “No right? Pretty sure that’s my fucking teeth marking that mating gland right there on the side of your neck!”

You froze, slowly turning to fully face him now. Your expression was set into a mask of absolute, unbridled rage that Simon had never been on the receiving end of. Your fists were clenched impossibly tight at your sides, and you could feel the anger rolling off of you in hot, tangible waves. You had known Simon didn’t know how to be a mate, but you had never imagined that this is the way he would deem acceptable to treat you. No matter what, you were a soldier first, more than capable of taking care of yourself, you didn’t need him breathing down your neck like some sort of denmother. It almost seemed like he was trying to overcorrect from his mistakes, becoming overbearing and overprotective. That almost pissed you off more.

“If that is how you think this bond is going to go, especially after everything you did, I will cut this mating bond out myself. Do not test me.”

You didn’t wait for a response. With that, you stepped off of the mat, grabbed your things, and walked out, not even bothering to look behind you as your hand rubbed harshly over the mating bite on your neck.

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as always, thank you so so much for the support, and keep an eye out for chapter four! tag list: @kerst666 @misscaller06 @letaliabane @sai-int @itsmeamysworld @massivescissorsthingperson @aeeliy @alkalineapparition @cringeycookies

[thatshadowcomic]

Lore/HC: Underlined text links to original post👇

[For Character answered QnA and general "asks" click here]

You're welcome to expand on my ideas in your own way, but please credit me so they don't mix up with my own HCs/design choices.

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Sonic & Shadow:

-Mobians hedgehogs "Anoit" their partners

-Sonadow children ideas

-related to the above, "WOULD sonic and shadow have kids?"

-Fave HCs/ what's it like living with rouge/ where's sonic live?

-Does shadow like/play any instruments?

-who likes to cuddle more?

-Sonic is an accidental flirt.

-Shadow's stripes will become more like the Black Arms emblem over time. His paws are already very similar... do you think his head stripes will change as he ages?

-Sonic grew up alongside Amy and other orphans/broken families. He cares for her a lot but can only see her as a sister-- the same way he sees Tails as his brother--so the idea of a relationship with her disgusts him. Maybe he sees Sonia when he looks at her?

-Before Sonic, Shadow and Rouge fell into a relationship. Shadow assumed they shared a deeper past, given how much Rouge knows and how comfortable she is around him. But really, Shadow didnt know what he wanted, assuming it just was this way. Rouge wasn't sure either, just trying to help Shadow in some way. That said, they learned a lot about themselves and eachother as they opened up-- but in the end deciding to return to just friends...Although it would take some time to feel normal again.

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Shadow & Maria:

-Shadow's has dissociative fugue

-baby shadow (shadow and maria)

-Why Shadow knows how to swim

-Maria would have been a menace

-Maria told Shadow to comb his white fur up, so he looks more presentable, teasing, "You have a little built in tuxedo! See? Such a gentle-hog." :)

-I think Shadow liked sleeping in maria's bed. It was probably of great comfort to Maria during her sicker days... He was always being watched, so when they gave him his own bed/room, it must have felt isolating and alone. Do you think he had to wear pajamas so he wouldn't leave any fur in her bed?

-Some scientists/maria used to pet shadow and fluff up his cheeks, to Robotnik's displeasure. Shadow only recently learned that's something you do to your pet... he kind of misses it though.

-This is canon: Abraham Towers (commander) and Shadow grew up alongside each other, though their time was short. Ab was terrified of Shadow, because he saw Doom helping Gerald. He would warn the other's that shadow was some kind of demon, but Maria only became more protective of Shadow. He wasn't just an experiment to her, he was a person. As she became sicker, Ab blamed Shadow. But 50 years later, he finally understands and is trying to build some kind of bridge with Shadow, even allowing Shadow to visit his baby granddaughter. Just like Shadow, he let his anger and pain drive his choices.

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AU ideas: Feel free to expand on these in your own way, just credit me for the initial idea, so it doesn't get mixed up as canon in my own HC lore lol.

-AU where Shadow is created on mobius

-Scene from the above AU where shadow is created on mobius

-Return to mobius/search for sonic's mom AU (idea)

-Return of Doom (AU where Shadow is copied and Doom controls shadow's old body)

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Other characters:

-Metal sonic in my HC

-more metal sonic HC

-Manic is Scourge, who'd been sent into a zone for safety during the first bombing, only be have been lost to the "other" Mobius. He got a little crazy after that... No one knows what happened to Sonic's sister. It's assumed she died in the first Eggman attack. (or you could go with trans sonic hc? Would be an interesting/wholsome moment between Sonic & Shadow when he reveals it.)

-Omega is basically metal shadow...

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[azsazz]

Cold Shoulder (Part 3)

Hockey!Azriel x Reader

Summary: Anon Req: please i know requests are closed but what happens after cold shoulder 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Warnings: Smut, oral (F receiving).

Word Count: 2202

Other Fics in the Hockey!Az AU: Penance, Shut Out, Out of Order, All's Well That Ends Well, Brr-eakdown Shots & Spins Sprinkles of Luck and Doubt Cold Shoulder (Part 1) (Part 2)

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“You know,” Azriel huffs, shouldering the bookshelf you have him moving into place. “When I said that I’d do anything to get you to forgive me, I was thinking something along the lines of taking you to dinner or doing some of your homework or eating you out until you accepted my apology.” Your cheeks flare hot as the image his head between your legs flashes through your mind. You carefully cross your ankles where you’re sitting on your bed. “Not rearranging your furniture.”

You’d feel bad about asking Azriel to reposition the furniture in your room, but you couldn’t think of anything else when it came to punishing him for how he’d treated you a few weeks ago in the locker room. If you’d asked for a sexual favor, he’d have been much too eager, and there’s no way you would have been able to hold yourself back from giving him something in return. So, moving furniture it was.

“Well, the feng shui is all off in here and I need better sleep,” you retort, crossing your arms over your chest. You let your eyes trail the tight t-shirt he has on, down to the light gray sweatpants that he knows make you wetter than that shower he abandoned you in. His dark hair is a disheveled mess, too, only adding to the raw sexual power emanating from him. Azriel isn’t playing about wanting you to forgive him, and he’s pulling out all the stops in hopes that you will. “Now, a little to the left, please.”

Truth is, you haven’t been sleeping well for a multitude of reasons, half of which involve the hockey player who shoots you a ‘seriously?’ look before following your direction. You bite your lip to hide your smile as you admire his backside. The few weeks you’ve spent ignoring Azriel have been long and hard, but not as long and hard as his cock, which, you can’t seem to stop thinking about in the late hours of the nights. Your vibrator in no way, shape, or length, compares to what Azriel is packing beneath those light gray sweatpants that sag low on his hips, which would reveal the waistband of his briefs, if he were wearing any.

He knows exactly where your eyes keep drifting to.

You find that you have better sleep when he’s around. Not just because he fucks you to exhaustion. It’s the nights that you aren’t having sex, too. Azriel’s presence alone is calming, and when he scratches your scalp or strokes his hand down your back, you find it much easier to forget the worries of perfecting your routine running rampant in your mind and relax in his strong hold.

“Right there!” You exclaim, grinning sheepishly when Azriel looks over his shoulder at you. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Is there anything else you want rearranged?”

You’re sure that he doesn’t mean to phrase it suggestively, but you can’t help that your mind goes to the possibility of Azriel rearranging your guts. In a good way. A really good way.

Fuck.

Your face roasts with a blush. Azriel raises that damn brow again and you swear that you see the corner of his lips twitch in amusement. Like he’s thinking the same exact thing you are. Suddenly, you yearn to see that handsome smile of his.

“Uh, no. I think that’s it,” you answer, tucking your hands carefully under your thighs to keep yourself from reaching out to him.

“You sure?” he teases, prowling closer. You’re frozen to the spot, heart picking up in your chest when he comes to a stop before you, knee to knee. The way he’s staring down at you, like he wants to press you right back into the mattress behind you, causes a full body shiver that’s impossible to hold in. His hazel eyes are dark with arousal, and to further the way you react to him, he plants his hands on either side of you, leaning down until you’re the same height.

“I’m pretty sure,” you breathe, and you’re so close that your lips almost brush. You’ve missed him. Your hands ache to touch, to trail down his broad chest, to hook into the waistband of his pants and pull. Your body yearns for his. All you want right now is for him to lean forward, place all his weight on you while he fucks you into the bed.

Azriel’s voice is husky, and it causes your nipples to tighten beneath your shirt. “You sure I can’t help with anything else? I can move the bed. It looks a little off center.” You know his words aren’t a coincidence this time. He’s making innuendos on purpose, and it just so happens that you like the sound of that.

Your thighs part and Azriel slowly eases between them. If your heart wasn’t racing in your chest before, it is when he lowers himself to his knees before you. No matter how many times you’ve seen him in this position—when he helped you with your skates, the first time he went down on you—it still sets your body on fire. You’re pretty sure your cunt wets partially because Azriel’s conditioned you, praising you with such pretty words each time he does this.

He’s so close you can feel his warmth, but he’s not touching you like you want like you need.

“Yeah, I guess it is a little off center, now that I think about it,” you whisper, loving the way his eyes darken with arousal. From the corner of your vision, you can see his cock twitch in his pants.

“Wouldn’t want the feng shui to be off,” he murmurs back, shuffling forward so you can feel how interested he is in making sure your bed is in perfect position. You inhale softly; a sound that makes him want to fuck into you with fervor. You make him lose his goddamn mind.

Azriel’s hand finds your wrists, gently pulling your hands from where they’re still tucked under your thighs. He wraps one around his shoulder, guiding your fingers to the nape of his neck where you love to pull. Especially when you’re out of your mind, drunk on his tongue or fingers or cock. His hips almost buck when your fingers curl into his black strands, tugging subconsciously.

With the other hand, he intertwines your fingers with his, holding tightly. Gods, he’s fucking missed you. He’s been nothing but a storm cloud since he walked out on you, and everyone has taken notice. Even coach, who told him to fix his shit and get his head in the game or he won’t be playing against the Flyer’s this weekend.

He wants to play, but he wants your forgiveness more.

“Yeah,” you agree distractedly, and pull his mouth to yours.

The kiss doesn’t start slow. It’s fast and hot, the both of you ravaging each other like you’re wild animals devouring a kill. It feels like it’s been much longer since Azriel’s mouth has been on yours.

Your body surges with adrenaline and excitement when his tongue traces the seam of your lips, which part for him like the red fucking sea. Fireworks explode when your tongues touch, a tentative, gentle caress, as if he’s asking you if it’s okay. Your responding tug on his hair has him moving quicker, more assured, his tongue scraping yours in a way that makes you whimper.

“Fuck,” he breathes between kisses. His hands trail down your thighs, pushing higher to dip into the waistband of your sleep shorts. He snaps the elastic and you gasp against his mouth, dragging your free hand down the rippling muscles of his heaving chest. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too,” you pant. You don’t want to pull away from him, not when you just got him back, but Azriel’s pulling at your pants and you do want them off.

Reluctantly, you lean back on your elbows and lift your hips for him. He loves that fucking look in your eyes, your lowered lids, the way you lick across your swollen lips as if chasing the taste of him. You have this fucked-out look on your face and he hasn’t even done anything yet, but he will.

Azriel helps you from your shorts and panties. Your thighs are already, trembling in anticipation, even more so with the way he caresses your sensitive skin.

Those hazel eyes are locked on your pretty cunt. Yeah, he’s missed you in more ways than one. Your taste has been haunting him. You’re like a drug he can’t get enough of, but he’s about to get his fix.

“Az,” you whine when he dips his head and presses featherlight kisses to your thighs. You need him higher and centered now. It’s been too long.

“Okay, okay,” he shushes. He wraps his hands under your legs and pulls you to the edge of the bed, right to where his eager mouth awaits.

You cry out in pleasure at the first swipe of his tongue through your wetness. Your back aches off of the bed and his hands finds your hips, pressing you back into the mattress.

Azriel’s mouth is fucking magical. You knew he was skilled with his hands, but this tongue…for someone usually so quiet he sure knows how to work you to the brink. His tongue flicks in a rhythm so fast that you can’t help but sneak your hand into his hair and grind your hips against his face. He growls, chest puffing with pleasure when you pull.

But he’s teasing you. He sucks and licks at your clit, drawing you closer and closer to euphoria before he moves away, lower, to fuck his tongue into you. He’s not going to let you have it this easily, even if he should.

“Azriel! A little to the left, please,” you whine desperately, repeating your words from earlier. You don’t know how you find it in yourself to tease right now, because the feeling in the pit of your stomach is bubbling into something that’s going to rock your world, but you manage.

Azriel’s eyes are near black when he peers up at you. You yelp when he removes his attention from your clit only to give a harsh nip at the meat of your thigh.

“My baby wants to come?” He asks, teasing a knuckle down your slit. You shudder on the bed and your neck nearly gives out at his touch. His words on the other hand, Azriel knows you love his fucking words.

“Yeah,” you gasp, and this time, when he spreads you with his fingers and licks a long, slow stripe through your wetness, circling slowly around your sensitive clit that aches for release, your neck does give out, your head falling to the mattress.

“You want me to lick this pussy until the bedsheets are soaked in your come?” He sucks, hard, and your back arches off of the bed.

“Yes!” You shout, fingers clawing at his t-shirt covered shoulders. You should have had him take it off, your nails threaten to tear the fabric.

Azriel hums against your clit, and the feeling reverberates to your bones. Your mouth parts and your eyes roll into the back of your head at the feeling. You’re so close…so so close that you can feel the heat coiling in your body—

“That’s my girl,” Azriel says, ignoring the way you whine impatiently when he removes his mouth from you again. This is just cruel, how he teases you like this. How you secretly love it. “Come for me, baby. Come all over my face,” he says, before diving back into your cunt with even more vigor.

You’re lost to his tongue, to the finger he slips inside of you. He brushes that bundle of nerves and it sends you plummeting over the edge into orgasm.

You writhe against his face, riding out the feeling that washes over you, threatening to drown you with pleasure. Azriel watches from where he’s still flicking his tongue over your clit, cock so hard in his pants that he might just come from watching you.

Your body convulses with sensitivity when you begin to come down from your high. Your thighs threaten to shut around Azriel’s head, but you know for a fact that he likes it when you do that.

“Az,” you keen desperately. He slows, sucking soft kisses against your clit, then slowly moves away when you give a soft, spent moan. He kisses the crook of your leg, your thigh, up to your hipbones. You manage somehow to lift your head to look at him, and your pussy clenches when you see the glistening of your wetness around his lips. He looks as blissed out as you feel, but his eyes suggest that the night isn’t over yet.

You take a deep breath and he watches the heat return to your gaze.

“I think the beds still a little off,” you say, breathlessly.

Azriel grins and your heart soars. “It’s about to be way off by the time I’m done with you tonight, pretty girl. I hope you’re ready.”

Fuck. You are. You really are.

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Azriel Hockey!AU Tags:

@whyonearthisyourusernamethi-blog @going-through-shit @crazylokonugget @lilah-asteria @girl-who-writes-stuff @moosemahboi @sherayuki @lyinginameadow @acourtofatboydreams @blackthorngirl @shadowsingercassia @evergreenlark @hannzoaks @bloodicka @whyshouldihaveanam3 @elle4404 @cherry-cin @quinzzelx @i-am-infinite @feeriqueivre @blightyblinders @kennedy-brooke @nyxbranwenn @dee-writes-smut @konaanaria13 @sunny1616 @lilylilyyyyyy

[siriuslylantsov]

6 string

pairing: joel miller x reader

description: in which, joel teaches you how to play a song on the guitar.

tags: fluff, established relationship, fem!reader, contractor!joel makes a brief appearance, no outbreak au, age gap, r has hair long enough to twirl but thats it for appearances, so so sweet, some singing, joel makes a dirty joke (i couldn't help myself) hozier mentioned!! and played... by a certain someone, and riptide as the song r learns, one mention of a dead parent.

a/n: my second joel teaching reader fic, this is very telling... also! should this be more frequent? my requests are open if you have any suggestions? i'm self taught when it comes to guitar, where tf was joel miller to teach me...

wc: 1.6k

“could you teach me?”

joel's head doesn’t lift up from his plans, long blue scrolls stretched across the table. “teach you what, baby?” he murmurs absentmindedly.

“a song. on your guitar,” you answer, voice small.

he looks at you now, his expression mildly shocked. you seem to have garnered his full attention, though it wasn't difficult when it came to you, he let go of the corner of paper that he had pinned to the hard surface. 

“i've been tryin’ to get you to play for months now,” he replies, not irritated but curious. “why the change of heart?”

“oh, i don't know. i just think it’d be nice to have a skill that i can credit to you.” you know the justification isn’t necessary and you know he knows that. he’ll do it regardless, anything for his girl.

a wry smile plays on his lips. “i’ve taught you plenty’a skills,” he says, not oblivious to the innuendo that clung to his statement. 

you huff out a chuckle, “not like that, silly.”

 you watch him walk over to you. his hands plant themselves on your shoulders, thumbs caressing lightly in the divots of your collarbones before turning you around. 

“let's go.”

“what? now?” you ask, although you don't stop him as he gently pushes you to the living room as he follows with his hands still on you.

“got other plans?” he sits you down on the couch, moving across the room to grab the instrument. 

“no,” you respond, smiling when he sits to your right. he's angled slightly so you can see his hands. it's how you're usually positioned when he plays you stuff so he can watch you but this time it's more for your benefit. 

“d’ya have a song in mind?”

you hum in thought, trying to recall songs he's played. they all seem difficult. “something easy?” you suggest.

“‘s a little cliche but a good beginner song,” he says as he starts to play.

recognition dawns on you, he's playing riptide. he quietly hums, a low timbre to the verse. you want to melt. 

“i love it when you play,” you murmur, dropping your head to his shoulder. 

“i love playin’ for you, sweetheart,” he replies, letting a chord fade out and handing you the guitar with a soft “c’mon.”

the instrument feels big in your arms as you rest your elbow over the base of it. it's not that you forget how much bigger joel is to you but in this instance it becomes painfully obvious. he guides your other hand to the neck, curling it around the wood. 

“okay, so riptide consists of three chords. a minor, g and c and it's the same strummin’ pattern all the way through,” he explains, moving your fingers to the first chord shape.

he places your fingers over different fret boards and you try to remember each one as he moves on to the next. you give an experimental strum to one chord and sounds with an unpleasant pitchy buzz. your face screws up and he chuckles lightly.

“you have to press hard enough so you get a clear tone, but not too much, just enough that it's firm against the fret,” he says, covering your hand with his own and pushing down.

“ow,” you gripe as the strings dig into your fingertips. 

“sorry, baby. s’gonna hurt like hell for now, need to build up your calluses for it to not.”

“it's fine,” you reply, partially distracted by how his calloused fingertips rub against the back of your hand, trailing down to allow you to try again.

you do, pressing a little harder, ignoring the pain. when you strum again it comes out a bit clearer, still buzzy, but better than before. 

you spend the next 30 minutes trying to switch chords, a feat more difficult than you thought it would be. you almost rage quit five times but joel's soothing encouragement urges you to keep trying. 

“how do you do this so easily?” you whine, leaning back on him. he's sitting a little behind you now, as you've moved to the edge of the couch. 

“playing for 20 years helps,” he says with a little shrug, rubbing your arm.

“careful, mister. you're showing your age,” you warn teasingly and he chuckles, that same warm one that you love so much.

“good to try some stummin’ now?”

“mhm,” you sit straight again. 

he crowds in behind you, arm coming to rest above your right one. he has a gentle grasp on your wrist and your palm as he directs your movements along the strings; down, down, up down up, he murmurs quietly in your ear, moving your hand accordingly.

you get the hang of it, you think. stumbling here and there when you do a down instead of an up, or the opposite. he watches as you intently strum, his fingers keeping the strings muted by touching them lightly. your hand, not on the neck anymore, rests on his thigh.

“keep going,” he whispers, kissing your shoulder. “you’re doin’ good.”

he lifts his fingers off the strings, and they start to resonate with uneven tones. but then a very distinct note rings out and you realise he's started to play the chords while you strum. it sounds good. you look at him and smile, and he shoots you an equally bright grin, crows feet deepening proudly. 

“there we go,” he spurs as your strumming stays perfectly consistent. you hum the melody as he effortlessly switches chords, pressing a kiss to your cheek as he does so. “wanna try doin’ both at the same time?”

you stop, your wrist growing a little tired. “tomorrow.”

“okay, sweet girl.” he takes the guitar out of your arms and leans it against the couch. 

he instinctively wraps around you when you curl into his side, scooting further back into the couch. his fingers play with the hair at the nape of your neck, it makes you squirm because it tickles and he laughs. the same low and warm one again, his chest vibrates with the sound as you press your ear to it. you can hear his heart beat in steady thumps. he leans his head against yours, the faint scent of his cologne lingering in the space between you. his free hand settles on your leg, his thumb lazily tracing small, aimless patterns.

“can't believe i've never asked this,” you ask, suddenly curious. “how did you learn how to play?”

he tenses ever so slightly before easing again. 

“y’know my dad died when i was young, right?”

“yeah,” you confirm, lifting your head so you can see his face.

“well, he used to play all the time and after he passed my mom let me have his guitar,” he explains, twirling a strand of your hair with his fingers. he stares absentmindedly at your shoulder, but his gaze is solemn leaving you no reason to worry.

“took me ‘bout a year to pick the damn thing up ‘cause everytime i did it reminded me of him but when i finally did, i spent days on end teachin’ myself. didn't want a teacher or nothin’. if anythin', i wanted him to teach me but i never took up his offer when he was alive.”

“sweet,” you whisper, bottom lip jutting out sadly.

“you’re sweet,” he counters, tapping your nose with his finger. it wrinkles up at the contact and you pull away to reach for his guitar. you hand it to him, perking up in anticipation.

“play me ‘like real people do’?” you request, knowing smile on your lips.

only you could get mumblin’ grumblin’ joel miller to learn a hozier song. it took a bit of convincing, to which he would reply with begrudging grunts like it was the worst thing in the word. but he learned it surprisingly fast, playing it out of nowhere later that night. 

“‘f you sing, then yeah.”

you nod and he shakes his head fondly as he begins to play. you’re not a singer by any means but you could keep a tune. 

“i had a thought, dear, however scary about that night, the bugs and the dirt,” you begin softly, nodding along to the beat.

“why were you digging? what did you bury before those hands pulled me from the earth?”

his fingers effortlessly plucks the right strings without looking, his eyes fixed on you with a reverence that makes you nervous. must be muscle memory, you wonder how long it’ll take you to get that good.

“i will not ask you where you came from. i will not ask and neither should you.”

your head tilts to the side, smiling. you bring a hand up to his jaw, scratching his beard lightly in a way you know he likes. you lean closer for the next words.

“honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips. we should just kiss like real people do.”

so naturally, you kiss him, giggling as you do so. he nips at your bottom lip when he falters, you–the distraction–to blame. 

it goes sweetly and quietly like that. you lean against his shoulder for the rest of the song, humming the melody. he doesn't mind, he just likes the sound of your voice, be it behind closed lips or not. 

when the song ends, he freestyles a bit, you don’t know what he’s playing but it sounds nice. everything sounds nice, and smells nice and feels nice, you could probably die here and you’d be happy, so long as you could take joel with you. 

“play more tomorrow?” he asks, still plucking away. 

“yup,” you chirp, inadvertently agreeing to more frequent lessons by him. even though he doesn’t suggest it, it’s implied in your own secret little way, and how could you say no to an offer like that.

reblogs and replies are appreciated :) | m.list

[theangelsheardyou]

Everybody talks abt the bakugous adopting toga, now get ready for: the togas adopt bakugou

They adopt him when he's around 5 years old, after an accident with his Quirk awakening heavily injures his mother, putting her in a medically-induced coma. His father isn't capable of taking care of a child after that, and katsuki is sent into foster care. Part of him has given up on the idea that his dad would ever take him back, but the other part is clinging onto the hope that his mother would wake up and find him. Wherever he is.

The Toga's foster Katsuki for a few months initially, which turns into a full year. Himiko, about 6 years old, likes the idea of having a new little brother.

(I've heard theories before that Himiko already had some other unnamed siblings since she's described as "the oldest daughter of the family" but to keep things simple let's just say she was an only child up until this point.)

(Also, I don't know whether this is canon or not, but while Himiko is her first name, we aren't sure if Toga is her real last name. But again, to keep things simple, let's just say that it is.)

Katsuki was a tough nut to crack, or maybe he would be if his foster parents ever really tried. From what we see in Toga's backstory, I assume they're not really there for their kids emotionally. As long as they eat three meals a day and have a roof over their heads, they've done their jobs, or at least that's what they think.

Katsuki and Himiko are left alone a lot. Maybe their folks are always busy at work or just didn't spend much time with them. Either way, the two become closer as the only kids in the house.

Now, canon Katsuki would probably be really judgemental about Himiko's gorey interests, but in this AU, he has literally almost killed his mother. He's in no place to judge and he knows that. No matter what crazy infatuation this girl has, it's got nothing compared to what was practically a murder.

Katsuki's a little more closed off at this age, kind of like in the canon storyline, but at age 5-6. Having lost his parents, his friends, and being put in some stranger's home, he's not the type to really show off anymore. He's hard to get to know, but Himiko never stops trying.

Despite everything, a bond begins to bloom.

Katsuki and Himiko are inseparable. They do little kid things like Katsuki going "watch this!" Before doing something cool and making sure his sister gets to watch, and Himiko cheers him on like he's just done the most amazing thing in the world. And to her, it probably was.

This is where Katsuki's show-offiness begins to bloom again. He loves showing his sister all his achievements. A perfect score on a test, an award from the sports festival at school, no matter how big or small he shows it to his sister who always cheers him on and encourages him to keep going. He works hard to get better at school, does well in sports, all to get his sister's attention, which she gives generously. She loves watching her little brother succeed in everything. Everyday she's so, so proud of him for something new. She's proud to call him her brother.

Katsuki's personality rubs off on Himiko, too. She starts to get a little competitive, especially when the two play against each other. Be it badminton, tennis, or even just a game of tag, these two are unstoppable. And there's never a sore loser because one will always be proud of the other no matter what the scores are.

Himiko also rubs off on Katsuki, more than she'd like to admit.

I don't think canon katsuki was ever the type to be grossed out or queasy about gorey things. He'd probably find dead animals on the side of the road and call his sister so she could check it out too. As they get older, he brings along a camera, so he can take pictures of all the bloody details for her to examine later. By now Katsuki has been legally adopted, though there still isn't much of a bond between him and his new parents. They are proud of his achievements of course, but they prefer to show him off at parties like a showdog. He prefers Himiko's way of showing her pride in him way more. It feels more genuine.

Katsuki and Himiko aren't exactly delinquents, but they do get into trouble a lot. Katsuki has grown to be a little more violent due to Himiko's influence, enjoying seeing the blood burst from someone's face when it comes in contact with his fist. After he beats someone up, he likes to take a moment to examine his handiwork. A broken nose, a black eye, a tooth landing somewhere, he finds joy in it. He's definitely more of a bully in this AU, not out of anger, but out of pure bloodlust.

At this point he hasn't heard much from his dad, but he visits his mom at the hospital now and then. He gives her updates on his new life, tells her about Himiko, and all his achievements. Part of him doesn't really think she'll ever wake up again. But another still clings onto the hope.

Katsuki and Himiko are middleschool outcasts. Weirdos. Freaks. They don't have many friends, but they have each other, and that's what counts.

Katsuki is still very into heroes, but he let go of the idea of ever becoming one. The shame from his Quirk awakening has left him afraid to use his own Quirk for almost ten years now. It's Himiko that encourages him to use it, calling it a beautiful ability that should be shared. It takes a while, but by graduation, Katsuki is dead set on becoming a hero. Not for money or fame, but for his sister.

Katsuki has also been very supportive of Himiko's interests from the beginning. In fact, he encourages her to become a nurse. After middle school she starts studying medicine, and by the time Katsuki's at UA, guess who's Recovery Girl's cute little sidekick/apprentice.

Himiko gets a front-row seat to all of Katsuki's high school achievements. She cheers him on from the sidelines as he wins the UA Sports Festival, while also treating all the poor souls who fought against him. This is actually how she meets Ochaco. A real meet cute.

She gets angry at how the awards ceremony went, and even got Recovery Girl to use her status at the school to speak to the teachers on her behalf. She's still pretty ticked off by the time they get home, and tells Katsuki to throw the medal away, but he doesn't. He keeps it in his room. It's a symbol of the first time in his life that someone aside from his sister acknowledged his abilities, his Quirk, as a good thing. Aizawa's speech during his fight with Ochaco was proof. After that, he follows his teacher around like a lost puppy, and in turn Himiko does, too. Now he's got two little blonde kids tailing him, and he just gets used to it at some point.

Katsuki's personality is a lot less angry and more a...weird kind of friendly. He got like, half a cup of bimbo-ness from Himiko, as well as a couple of her more tame friendly influences. But he does sometimes get a little too close, and asks questions very bluntly, sometimes offending or making people uncomfortable. But considering 1-A is just a mosh pit of weirdo high school kids, they all get along just fine.

Katsuki and Izuku reunite at UA. It was actually Izuku who approached him. Having missed all the middle school bullying since Katsuki was in another school at the time, the same one Himiko went to, he's a lot more confident. The two have a grand reunion and become better than best friends. They, along with Himiko and Ochaco, hang out together a lot in and out of school. It gets to the point that Ochaco gets a little too happy when she gets injured, knowing she'll get a free pass to visit the cute nurse at the infirmary. Izuku gets to join Himiko on the front row to all of Katsuki's victories, which assigns him as Vice President of the Katsuki Fan Club instantly.

I have so many more ideas for them and I kinda wanna draw/write more about it, so tell me what you think! If this gets very little attention my shyness and short attention span will probably shift me to something else😅

[zkg2318]

Blood on Fire ~ pt. 4 | PSH

A/N: this is part 4 of the BOF series (LAST part), please read part 1 for the story to make sense as these are heavily driven by plot.

genre/tags for this part ✶ MDNI reverse harem!hyung line x afab!reader, angst, smut, gore and violence, supernatural themes, (sirens, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, phoenixes, frost elves, dragons, witches, and more…), blood, verbal and physical violence, lots of murder, manipulation, murder, significant self doubt, government themes (not political), fight club au, ot7

synopsis ✶ In a city where the supernatural are arrested on sight, the only refuge for their pent-up rage is “The Enha Arena”- an exclusive, hidden venue where creatures engage in brutal, blood-soaked battles with one another. Concealed beneath the unassuming exterior of “Dusk and Dawn,” a gym that serves as the front of a totally legal business, this underground fight club acts as the epicenter for this violent world where supernatural beings not only fight for dominance and pride but for the sheer thrill of it all. In dire need of some money, you find yourself drawn into the fight club when you come across a black market job posting- an offer for a new trainer at the gym. Desperate for new ways to keep your own abilities under wraps and even learn about other supernatural beings, you accept the position, completely unaware of the dangers and complicated relationships that await you

WC ✶ 18.4

part 3

smut warnings under the cut

smut warnings ✶ monster erotica (obviously), unprotected sex, temperature play, fingering, oral fem!receiving, squirting, dirty talk, size kink, making out

The gunshot cracks through the air like a whip, deafening those around it yet not quite reaching your ears. For a momentary, blissful second, you brace for impact but don’t feel anything, making you question if you were even shot. In that fleeting moment, hope stirs within your stomach and you pray that it was just a warning shot. But reality comes knocking and you feel a crushing force on your chest as the bullet barrels into your heart, an impact so hard it slams all the air out of you. Right then, you feel the world begin to close itself in on you. 

And then the pain. 

A searing, unbearable burning sensation flows through your veins like a slow moving poison as the bullet rips through layers of your body. Each breath of yours becomes a vicious battle for more time, every inhale feeling like glass is sliding down your throat. The pain consumes you completely and threatens to swallow you whole, but you desperately continue to claw for more air as blood quickly rises in your throat and spreads across your chest.

The metallic tang of your blood floods your mouth and bubbles past your lips, painting your chin scarlet. Eventually, what was once a warm sensation quickly turns cold and you lose feeling in your extremities, like the bullet has drained you of all that you have. Coolness travels your body like a map and you feel yourself slip away more and more. It’s almost peaceful, but the world before you refuses to slow. 

K stands over your body with a maniacal smile. He’s completely indifferent to the chaos around him, laughing with a malevolent satisfaction that drips from his every breath. The necromancer's shadows move in on you, slowly wrapping you up into a void of darkness that’s colder than death itself. It suffocates you more than the bullet, and you find yourself yielding to the weight of its darkness. 

“No! No, no, no!” An animalistic scream rips from Heeseung’s throat, reverberating around the gym as the sight of you lying lifelessly on the ground tears into his soul. He shoves away the soldier pinning him down and races over to you, falling to your side and pulling you into his chest. With each broken sob, red tendrils spread further out from his body and slowly engulf you both, muffling the chaos from outside. Within his sphere, time slows down and he holds you impossibly close to his chest. He buries his tear-streaked face into your hair and sobs, whispering broken apologies as though it’d reverse your last breath. His body shakes uncontrollably, barely steady enough to rock you back and forth in the protective sphere of his shadows. 

Outside of his shadows, chaos ensues like a violent storm.

Jake lets out a feral howl, his animalistic instincts consuming him like a starved man. His eyes burn with fury and he moves to tear into the nearest soldier, sinking his fangs into their throat and clawing at their flank until there’s nothing but carnage left in his wake. Blood splatters against his face as his canines slice into the man’s carotid. The flash of red only drives him deeper into his blind rage, erasing the little instinct he still has. He bares his teeth and shoves the soldier to the ground, turning to his next victim but encounters the butt of their rifle instead, striking his face and sending him backwards as his own blood pours from his nose. With a guttural snarl and a throbbing nose, he crushes the man’s throat with his bare hands. With the soldier gasping for air, Jake then drags his bloodied fingers down to his chest and rips it open with his claws only to shatter the bony cage surrounding their heart. Eyes red with rage, he rips the man's heart out and holds it up for all to see. Blood drips from the base of the organ and draws racetracks of red down his arm. His graphic act of violence works as a warning to those that dared to approach him. 

Jay moves in tandem to Jake, making his way through the crowd with his flames dancing along the skin of his targets, scorching the air with the sickening smell of burning flesh. He pushes through the stream of soldiers with force, sending them flying backwards with the force of his fiery exhales The scales on his back glow with rage and act as a beacon for his team as he moves forward. In his path, a few soldiers manage to land a couple hits to his side and face, resulting in a cut lip and bruising eye, but it doesn’t stop him. Slowly but surely, he reaches the edge of Heeseung’s sphere and starts to fend off the encroaching soldiers, determined to protect what little was left of you.

Just beside him, Jungwon and Minnie have made their way to the center of the chaos as well, their movements hardly visible to the naked eye. They move in a blur of speed and precision, Minnie shining beams of energy at soldiers while Jungwon moves at the speed of light to disarm them of their guns. 

Sunoo is nearby as well, hanging around the edge of the crowd and weaving his hands in the air like he’s painting with water. Jets of water shoot out of the palm of his hands, attacking whoever is near. His stream moves around the people like a tail and coils around individuals with a deadly squeeze. Zeroing in on a particular soldier, he watches their body explode from the pressure of his water wrapping around him like a lasso. Blood and organs paint not just the floor and walls, but those around him as well. 

The relentless rage of the group’s efforts reduces the soldiers to a mess of lifeless bodies that litter the floor of the gym. There’s red everywhere, making it hard to tell whose blood is whose. At the same time, the air is thick with iron, leaving a sour taste in all of their mouths, the weight of murder dissolving on their taste buds. 

In the end, only K stays standing. Surrounding the tall necromancer are the bodies of his team, but he doesn’t seem to care. It doesn’t seem to matter to him that his team has collapsed. 

Jay, panting and drenched in sanguine fluids, speaks with fatigue evident in his voice, “K.”

The necromancer’s name carries in the air with a heavy burden, but K is indifferent to the void of guilt.“You fuckers are so easy,” he sneers, “ It was almost too easy to ruin you all. You didn’t even notice my cameras.” The man points upwards at a small red light that blinks above them, just barely visible as it sticks to one of the light fixtures. Letting out a deep sigh of content, he wipes at his face to clear up the blood that marred his features. “Just give it up, boys. The government’s got enough data to track you down, arrest you, and condition you to become part of their army of supernaturals.”

The malice in his words seems to reach Heeseung as he finally lets his shadows dissipate, revealing your lifeless body laying limp in his arms. The original color from your face has drained completely and your body is hauntingly cold in his arms. Your hoodie, which was once a nice lavender color, is practically black with your blood seeping from the gunshot wound on your chest. Wincing, Heeseung looks at Niki and nods in his direction, letting the youngest replace his spot immediately as he goes to stand up. Niki’s  hands shake as he cradles you close to his chest, hoping that the warmth of his body could restore what you lost, though he knew it was futile. While Niki quietly sobs to himself, Heeseung points a threatening finger at K and explodes, “This is your fault!” His words crack with his pain, “What the hell were you thinking, working with the government? They’ll kill your ass the second they don’t need you anymore.”

K only laughs again, the echo of his sounds dripping with venom. “Enough hiding, Heeseung. I’m sure there’ll be tons of vampires now that they know how deadly you are. You made for such a perfect little murderer.” He narrows his eyes at Heeseung when he says the word ‘murderer’, his eyes creasing into crescents as he smiles wickedly at the younger boy.

Heeseung’s face pales before him as the word, ‘murderer’ cuts deep through his chest like a fallen blade. His expression is full of pure horror, realizing that his past has been exposed for all to know.  A secret that had only been revealed to you, was now coming back to haunt him. K unravels his years of guilt like it was a habit. “I’m not a-”

“Save it. I know every single name of the people you killed: innocent, harmless people.” His eyes widen with a sadistic pleasure as he forces Heeseung to eat his own words. 

The group stiffens, subtle but unmistakable. They try to mask the foreign unease they harbour towards the eldest, but it doesn’t matter. Heeseung has grown to be too aware of the changes in people’s body language, just a fraction of what his guilty conscience has taught him to do. 

Practically radiating with anger, Heeseung takes a step closer to K, but Sunoo reaches a hand out to hold Heeseung back with desperate strength, keeping him grounded as Heeseung’s composure fractures. “H-how, how could you know that?” He says through tears that threaten to spill down his paled face. 

Heeseung doesn’t get a verbal answer, just a bloody cough that splashes red onto his face. He’s bruised and battered and definitely looks like he’s had better days, but his injuries don’t stop him.“This should be familiar to you, right Jake?” K’s eyes widen as he turns to the werewolf, who stands off to the side with his knuckles blanching white. “You were just a boy when everyone in the Sim pack died, right? Trembling in the corner while you were all hunted like prey. Good riddance, I always hated werewolves, dirty mutts.” 

Jake lets out an angry growl, “Keep my family’s name out of your mouth!” 

“What, are you afraid I’ll tell them what you did?” He walks toward Jake with a sadistic glare, each step echoing his entertainment, “Or, what you didn’t do? Afraid they’ll find out just how much of a coward you are? You don’t want them to know about how you hid behind a bush and watched them all die slow, painful deaths, right? Pathetic, couldn’t even protect your own blood.” K spits at the floor, a glob of red mucus landing next to Jake’s foot. “I know you have nightmares about it, feeling guilty and powerless for letting your pack die. Some things just don’t change, do they.” 

In a lapse of anger, Jake lunges forward  with his arm in the air, but his fist is caught by Jungwon, catching his strike with his palm and guiding it back down to his side. “That’s cute, always protecting your hyungs.” K’s words drip with a venom that threatens to leak into their bloodstream as he addresses Jungwon, “-But who’s protecting you? Surely it can’t be Jay. I mean, who would want to live with someone that killed off the people trying to adopt me.” 

Jungwon’s breath catches in his throat and he almost lurches the entirety of his stomach contents forward. He had confided in Jay countless times growing up about his longing for a real home, a way out of the damned community. He knew the reality of being adopted wasn’t at all glamorous, but he believed anything would be better than sleeping outside in the cold. And Jay had always reassured him, told him that being adopted wouldn’t help him live a fulfilling life, that he could be loved as long as he stayed by Jay’s side. 

Jay speaks up immediately, panic arising in his voice, “Jungwon, don’t listen to him!” He rushes to the younger boy's side, grabbing at his hand like he always does, but his expression falters when Jungwon suddenly flinches away. 

Despite the cold front Jungwon seemed to be sporting all of a sudden, he reassures his hyung, “I won’t.” It was a whisper, but his words felt hollow, K’s voice rattling him to the core. All that safety and love that Jay had provided him, had it really been genuine? 

There’s a beat of silence that follows Jungwon’s halfhearted reassurance and the group thinks that K has finished talking, but they’re wrong. He never does. “Sunghoon, would now be a good time to tell them about your night terrors? You know, the ones where you slaughter your friends- every single night.” His voice twists into something sharper now, almost light with teasing, like he’s relating to Sunghoon’s violent tendencies. 

Sunghoon screams at K to shut up, his voice shattering with despair under the weight of his vulnerabilities being broadcasted. He clenches his fist, mist coiling around them like an uncontrollable fog as he thinks about the effort he went through to keep that secret buried. All those nights he spent barricading his apartment door, just a desperate attempt at keeping his darkness inside- to protect them from himself. But when he looks around the room, all he sees is the face of shock on his members faces. 

“How does it feel to think so similarly to a necromancer, hm? You have a very dirty subconscious, Sunghoon. You’re drowning from the weight of your sick, psychotic mind. Just let go.” 

Sunghoon only screams again, this time unable to find a suitable word to express his outrage. For a moment, rage is the only thing that courses through Sunghoon’s veins, but slowly does he fall to his knees, his pale blue eyes brimming with tears now. “Why- why are you doing this?” 

“Because hiding is for cowards, and in exchange for your information, I was promised protection.” He says, smiling sadistically. “I didn’t think I’d get the pleasure of digging up all this dirty on you guys in the process.” He pauses to let out a loud chuckle, sneering down at Niki. “Your hyung’s are fucked in the head, Niki. I’d kill them off while I still can.” 

K locks his gaze onto Niki, daring him to strike, but he doesn’t move. Instead, Sunghoon crosses into his vision and a fist that’s wrapped in a shard of ice, makes brute contact with K’s face. The necromancer staggers back, clutching his face as crimson liquid pours between the crevices of his fingers. Before he can even gather his bearings, Sunghoon strikes again, but this time it’s the force of an ice blade driving him backwards. The knockback of his attack is so strong that K ‘s back slams into the body of the nearest pillar, rendering him more breathless than he already was. 

Slumped to the ground, K coughs up spurts of blood as his chest blooms with blood, yet his laughter still lingers, triumphant even. “You’ll get what’s coming for you,” he mutters before taking his last breath. 

Silence, and then, “You bitch!” Heeseung’s voice cuts through the thin string of tension and shoves Yuqi to the ground, hard. “How could you just watch her die? Huh?” Yuqi doesn’t make any moves to strike back, quietly accepting the eldest' anger like she was being scolded by her parents. “You were right there! You could’ve stopped him from pressing the fucking trigger!”

Yuqi mutters quietly, for the first time, afraid of what the boys may do, “I did this for a reason-”

“A reason?” Sunghoon’s snarl cuts her off, “What kind of sick idea made you think we’d be okay with watching her die like that!” 

The two boys' interaction with Yuqi goes unnoticed as the rest are too focused on crowding around Niki, who is still holding onto your body. “Y/n…” Jay cries, gently moving your body into his lap. His entire face is flushed and there’s snot dripping everywhere, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about is the touch of your body on his and how he’ll never feel your warmth again. 

Rather than fighting back, Yuqi just sighs and gestures for Minnie to stand by her side.“Burn the bodies, all of them. I don’t want to see a single trace of K or the government here again.” Yuqi commands, but there’s a waver in her voice.

Jake looks at Yuqi with hesitation before flitting his eyes back to you- completely lifeless in Jay’s arms. He clutches your body to his chest, talking to you in hushed whispers as if you were still alive, like you could still hear him. 

“And burn Y/n separately.” 

Niki finally speaks, fury overshadowing his grief in that moment, “Are you being serious? You can’t even wait to give her a proper burial? Who the hell do you think you are to be ordering us around!” 

“Obey me, or don’t bother coming back to this fucking gym.” She snaps at the youngest, flicking her tongue out in warning. 

Niki bites his tongue and watches Jay and Heeseung move around the gym to throw the bodies into one big pile. Jay looks back at Yuqi, waiting for her nod of confirmation. When she gestures for him to hurry up, he proceeds to  light a fire in his hand and throws the embers onto the pile. The stack of bodies lights up in flames immediately, cinching the air with burning flesh. Sunoo’s nose wrinkles in disgust and he shields his eyes from the blazing fire. 

For a few minutes, the gym is silent save for the crackling of the fire. They watch the blaze die down without saying a word, a communal mix of grief and anger residing in all their hearts. Slowly but surely, the last of the fire burns away and all that’s left is a mound of ash. “Ok, now burn Y/n.” 

Niki clenches his fist and looks to Jay, but all he receives is a gentle nod that does nothing to reassure him. Yuqi pushes him forward and he grunts back at her. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he seethes, pulling away from her. She ignores him and gestures to your body which has been moved to the center of the gym. Biting his lip, Niki flicks his arm out and a fire ascends his limb. With one last hesitation, he forms a ball of fire in his palm and drops it onto your body. 

Immediately, the flame consumes you and travels against your skin like a whisper. The inferno only grows bigger as the seconds go by, forcing the boys circling around your body to take a few steps back. As they watch on in tears, Sunghoon is the only one to notice your arm twitch, “Wait-”

Your eyes snap open, glowing with that same orange hue they always did as the flames snake down your veins, lighting your blood on fire. In an instance, your body becomes weightless in the inferno and you rise, flames spinning around you like a cocoon. And then you scream. 

In the heat of the fire, you let out an ear piercing scream as you feel the embers melting your skin off, cutting into you like knives. It’s searing in heat and scalds your heart like a wildfire. Breaking through the pain, a black shadow erupts from your chest and transforms into a spectral phoenix that spreads  its wings before quickly dissolving into a flurry of ash. The phoenix is reborn, rising from the ashes. 

“It’s working…” Yuqi whispers, stars in her eyes. 

In absence of the smoky phoenix, a solstice of light floats out of your chest, flash banging everyone around you. In a matter of seconds, the blinding white of the solstice dims and your body descends back down to the ground, embers no longer dripping off your body like molten lava and smoke curling into the air in its stead. Your hoodie is back to its lavender color and your face looks years younger now. 

Silence surpasses you as you lay still and the boys hold their breaths. Without warning, you sit upwards with a sharp gasp, “Wh- what…”

Jake trips over his own feet as he rushes towards you, crushing your body with the force of his embrace. “Y/n? Is it really you?” He trambles into the crook of your neck, disbelief washing through him as he takes a deep whiff “How- fuck… I seriously thought I lost you.” 

Sunghoon, Jay, and Heeseung crowd around you, shocked into complete silence. Their expressions vary from surprise  to relief, but there are no words that follow in explanation. Confused by the uncharacteristic quietness of the boys, you subconsciously move your hand up and down Jake’s trembling back to comfort him. Your fingers run over the ridges of his spine and to his shoulder blades and then back down. It feels good to have him in your arms, though you’re not sure why it feels like you missed out on a lifetime of hugs. 

“Yuqi, what just happened?” Sunoo speaks with a low strain in his voice, gaze flickering between Yuqi and the smoke that still remained thick in the air. 

Yuqi, who still stands separate from the group, watches on with awe in her eyes, “She was reborn, so the legends were true.”

His lips part in silence, glaring daggers into Yuqi, “You didn’t think to tell us that she’d come back to life? We just went through the five stages of grief, Yuqi!”  Frustration spills through the cracks in his voice, the weight of his emotions flooding forward. 

Before Yuqi can offer an explanation, Sunghoon turns to confront Yuqi, breaking away from the circle and tilting his head to the side. “We could’ve avoided a lot of this conflict if you had just told us what’s going on.�� 

Yuqi’s expression hardens into something unreadable, but guilt flickers beneath her gaze, a little bit shocked by the outburst, “I’m sorry, but the idea didn’t come to mind until she was staring down the barrel of the gun.” Yuqi repents, sparing Sunghoon a guilty look. “Phoenix’s can only exist one at a time, reviving countlessly until their purpose is fulfilled. I wasn’t entirely sure it’d even work, it was a long lost legend, but there was no other option. I needed to use your guys’ anger from her passing, letting Y/n die was the only way to refocus and direct us all towards a common goal: killing K.” 

Her words do little to extinguish the heat of anger coursing through his body but he doesn’t respond, just gives Yuqi a hard look and turns back to you and Jake, letting his silence speak for him. They all turn their backs on her and refocus their attention on you, who is now holding Jungwon in your arms.

He sobs into your chest and clutches at your hoodie strings, murmuring nonsense into the heat of your chest. You can’t make out anything through his incoherent babbles, but you look up to see the boys match his anxiety. “Please don’t cry, Jungwon. I’m fine, really.” You pull apart from him and gesture to your body which was free of any evidence of the last few hours. Jungwon doesn’t let up, in fact his cries only grow louder, “I think we should all just head home for the rest of today. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it’s clear from the pile of ash on the ground that there was more than one casualty tonight.” You part from Jungwon and wipe a tear off his cheek, offering him a strained smile. 

The boys mumble in agreement and help you to stand, each one giving you one final, lingering hug before calling it a night. Their embraces felt hollow, their postures hiding the strained dynamic that now drove a wedge between the boys. You shake the feeling, unaware of the context that accompanied the new change. 

In the back, Yuqi grabs a hold of Minni’s hand and squeezes it. “Did I do the right thing?” She asks with a tight heart. 

Minnie looks at Yuqi and softens her gaze, “I think- you could’ve gone about it in a better way. But all that matters is that Y/n is alive and well.” Minnie tells her, brushing a hand up and down her arm. “The boys won’t stay mad at you for long, they’re just dealing with some difficult emotions right now.” 

Yuqi stiffens beside her friend but she doesn’t speak, instead choosing to find solace in Minnie’s presence. Minnie turns her gaze to the boys and watches as Sunghoon moves to place a hand on the small of Sunoo’s back, wincing when the boy flinches away. “I- I’m sorry,” he stammers, “I just-”

Sunghoon shakes his head, like he knows what the boy is about to say. “Dont. It’s fine, Sunoo.” He speaks quietly and forces a smile on his face. Sunoo could tell it lacked genuineness, even without being familiar with the shape of Sunghoon’s smile as he was always so closed off, but it didn’t matter to him whether Sunoo could see the lie straight through his teeth. Sunghoon didn’t want to argue, didn’t want to press the issue any further. He knew what was happening. Instead of talking any more, he straightens up awkwardly and takes a weird side step away from the boy, letting the silence bridge the gap between them. 

Sunghoon knew this would happen, the slow pulling away of the members once they realized the kind of monster he really was. He had wondered how long it would take for them to see past his mask, and it looked like today was the day. The tension was palpable now, the avoidant gazes of his members leaving his heart clenching. 

He wonders if you know too, if you heard everything K said. The idea of you looking at him with the same fear he convinces himself to believe the boys harbor towards him has him spiraling. He’s terrified of hurting you or the boys, even by accident, and that fear alone drives himself to put a space between him and everyone else. His night terrors are like a relentless attack on his subconscious, reminding him that his hands were stained with the blood of the people in his dreams. He was so afraid of hurting the ones he loved, and that fear came at the cost of keeping himself at arms distance from those around him. 

He just didn’t know it’d hurt so much to see them push him away instead of himself.

With a sad look, Minnie looks away, unable to bear the sight of seeing someone she knew to be so strong and indifferent, look so pitiful. She turns around to move to Jake who was working to pack up his bag in a haste. Her expression on the werewolf is one of concern, shimmering with sadness that would’ve looked so pretty if not for the reason of her gaze. Minnie’s mind races with concern as she watches Jake withdraw back into his shell, shoulders tense and muscles straining under every movement. Jake notices the heavy look in Minnie’s eyes when he throws his bag over his shoulder and brushes her off, “Don’t give me that look,” he snaps. “I know exactly what you’re thinking of right now, and you can go shove it.” 

Jake hated the way he spoke to Minnie, but it was easier to push her away than to face the truth. He’s well aware of the coward that he is, and it eats him alive every day. Flashbacks of his packmates' blood painting the rocks while their lifeless eyes bored into his soul play in his mind like a carousel, spinning and spinning around his brain until he can barely stand. He recalls the names of all the people that died, all because he was too scared to move. He could’ve saved them, but he didn’t. He didn’t even try and that ruined him. Jake doesn’t want pity, doesn't deserve pity, especially not Minnie’s when the weight of his conscience is pitiful enough.

“I’m sorry, just- I’d like to be left alone right now.” He says in contrast to his snippy comment moments ago, his tone is considerably softer when he observes Minnie’s injured look. 

Minnie nods her head at the werewolf and then turns away, walking back over to Yuqi while feeling heavy with sadness. 

Meanwhile, Heeseung and Niki walk side by side as they approach the exit, their heads hanging low despite the bittersweet outcome of the night's events. When Niki reaches for the handle of the door, Heeseung brushes his hand against his by accident. The touch doesn’t last more than a few seconds, but it has the hackles on Niki’s neck rising and he jumps backward, hand recoiling like he touched something hot. Upon seeing the broken look on Heeseung’s face, Niki begins to stammer out an apology but Heeseung interrupts.

“You first,” he murmurs, gesturing to the door. 

There’s not enough fight left in Heeseung to care about the way the youngest member looked at him. Too consumed by his own trauma, the only thing on his mind is to go home and reflect in silence. He had tried so hard to let his past erase itself through his ignorance, tried so hard to be the opposite of reality and care for his loved ones. Never once did he want to revert back to the mindless killer that he was as a teenager. 

Back then, Heeseung had been brainwashed by his parents, conditioned to believe that they’d love him a little more if he just got rid of his parent’s competitors. Obviously, that became so far from the truth the moment he had come home that night with flesh tangled in his fangs, squirming under the disappointed gaze of his parents. Apparently, his job was sloppy and a person had escaped. But it doesn’t matter now, his parents are long gone and so is the escapee, he just wants to go home and rest. 

Niki hesitates for a moment but then walks out the door, Heeseung following a few strides behind in an effort to put some space between them.  It was clear that the dynamic between the oldest and the youngest had changed, but that was an issue for another day. 

Watching as his members leave the building one by one, Jay turns to Jungwon.“Let’s get out of here, Jungwon.” He says tiredly, running a hand through his hair. There’s no real urgency in the way he grabs at Jungwon’s hand, it’s more like a plea to escape the reality of what just happened and go home, start anew. 

Jungwon stiffens at the mention of his name leaving his best friend’s mouth and reluctantly pulls his hand away. “I- I think I’m gonna stay with Niki tonight.” He says quietly, rushing after to follow Niki who was already out the door. 

Jay’s shoulders slump, disappointment etched in his posture. He wants to argue with Jungwon and tell him he’s being ridiculous, but he knows better not to. There’s a sudden mistrust in Jungwon’s gaze and it wraps Jay’s heart with guilt. It was clear to Jay that the influence of K’s words had made its way into Jungwon’s brain, planting a seed of doubt in the echo of his thoughts. 

Jay couldn’t really explain why he did what he did, maybe he had convinced himself that a pair of strangers wouldn’t be capable of loving Jungwon the way he did, maybe he convinced himself that they would exploit him like all other humans did, he wasn’t sure. But he doesn’t regret it. He knows Jungwon would’ve been taken away from him and hidden in the confines of a stranger’s home, alone and scared. Jay wasn’t ready to lose 17 years of friendship with Jungwon just because some couple had the money to buy him out of the community. They had only gone five years without knowing each other, meeting at the age of 5. And it took only three years for Jay to slowly become obsessed with his presence, to kill off any opportunity Jungwon had at escaping the community. Things were better off anyway with Jungwon by Jay’s side, he could protect him that way. But Jungwon doesn’t know that, and he never would based on the way he avoided Jay’s gaze. 

He knows deep inside of him that lying to Jungwon was wrong and that he should’ve told him the truth, but it’s too late now. So, with a broken frown, Jay watches the back of his best friend's body disappear, and for the first time since Jungwon was almost adopted, Jay feels him slipping out of his fingers again. 

With a frustrated sigh, Jay turns to you and engulfs you in a sudden hug, ripping you away from your conversation with Yuqi and Minnie. “Oh- Is everything okay, Jay?” You ask into his shoulder, buried beneath the scent of his cologne. 

“I hope so…” his strong arms wrap around your waist and he buries his face into your neck. “K said a lot of bad things.”

You push on his chest gently only so you could look into his eyes as you said, “No matter what he said, we’ll figure out how to move past it.” You didn’t need to know what he said to know that you and the boys would find a way through it, you always did. 

Jay wears a soft smile on his lips and leans down, pressing himself to your lips in response. Memories of his night spent with you flood his mind and he lingers on your lips for a moment longer than necessary, savoring the tenderness of your contact. “I’ll see you later, Y/n.” He says before taking his leave. 

Blushing, you turn to Yuqi and feel the thrum of your pulse beat against your skin. “Come stay with us for the next few days, I want to discuss something with you two.” She says, gesturing between you and the light fairy beside her. 

Thinking about it, you’ve never once visited Yuqi’s place, or anyone else's for that matter. The idea of staying in her home feels oddly comforting, and given the fact she’s inviting you over must mean it’s not safe for you to stay alone, at least for now. . Spending a few nights with a serpent and light fairy suddenly didn’t seem all too weird. You smile at Yuqi and nod your head, a quiet confirmation that you’d stay with her and Minnie. 

Not another word is shared between the three of you and she directs you to her car. She’s parked just out front of the gym, her white sedan waiting patiently for her to return. The silence between you all stretches on through the ride to Yuqi’s place. It’s not more than a 15 minute drive from the gym, but it feels like the minutes leak into each other, the ever-pressing weight of what’s to come lingering on your shoulders. 

Outside the car, the city blurs and that in itself causes your brain to slow down, unable to focus on anything more than the fast moving streaks of light. There’s tension lingering in the small space of the car and you clear your throat awkwardly, shifting around in your seat. “Yuqi, what happened at the gym?”

You watch as she shares a look of concern with Minnie, pursing her lips and glancing at you through the rearview mirror. “K came to attack us, brought an army of soldiers from the government.” She pauses to place a hand on Minnie’s thigh, gripping it as if it provided her strength. “You passed away when K shot you in the chest… When you were dead, K had said some things about the boys that were supposedly long kept secrets, it definitely shook the boys’ dynamic with each other.”

You find it difficult to process that you had passed away, and you felt like you had cheated life. But then the legend of the phoenix comes to your mind and the pieces suddenly start to come together. “Did you know that I’d revive?” You ask her. 

Instead of answering, she speeds up the car and within seconds, she pulls into a driveway. “Let’s talk more inside.” She says, unbuckling her seatbelt and leaving in a haste. 

Your body seems to be weighed down by invisible weights, preventing you from moving. Minnie, who’s movements seem to be slowed down, clicks out of her seatbelt and twists around in the passenger seat. She reaches out a hang to place on your knee and gently rubs her thumb up and down the side.  

“Let’s go in together,” she says quietly, the glow in her eyes no longer bright. 

The two of you walk into Yuqi and Minnies shared apartment hand in hand, ready to face the reality of the situation together. She guides you over to the couch and excuses herself, saying she was just gonna change into something more comfortable. Yuqi was busy tinkering around in the kitchen, which left you all alone to be consumed by your thoughts. 

You look around the apartment and see the distinctive characteristics of each girl, yellow and white decorations with black accents scattered about the apartment. It was homey, well lived in and you saw on the side table a picture frame of Yuqi and Minnie, laughing with one another. You grab the frame and take a closer look, smiling subconsciously. 

“I think we were 14 when that was taken,” Yuqi says, sitting on the couch across from you. 

You hurriedly put the frame back, muttering an apology. You suddenly felt small. 

“Nothing to be sorry about,” she smiles at you. “So, you asked me if I had known if you would revive after being killed, and the short answer is yes.” 

You nod. 

“You were face to face with K, while the boys were scattered all over the gym. I was the closest one to you, close enough to run and intervene if something happened to you.” Yuqi clasps her hands together. “He pulled out a gun, and in that moment iI recalled the legends I had read about phoenixes and the prophecy that each bird fulfills. I read that they continue to rise from the ashes until their prophecy was completed. In that moment, I realized that it might apply to you as well, so I didn’t move. I knew letting you die would send the boys into a rage.”

“You said, ‘might.’ Meaning you let me get shot without even knowing if I’d stay dead or come back to life.” You're growing timid now, tired of people beating around the bush. 

“We were losing, Y/n! There was no way we would’ve come out of that attack alive and well unless the boys used their anger to control their fighting. You know how much stronger they get when they’re emotional.” Yuqi spits out her words in a hurry, trying to get you to see her side. 

Maybe you would if the circumstances were different, if your death had been a result of nature and not in the hands of a murderer. “Unbelievable,” you say, leaning back against the couch. 

Becore Yuqi can say more, Minnie enters the living room and plops down beside you, the fuzz of her pajamas brushing against your leg. As if sensing the visible tension in the room, Minnie places a hand on your leg and a soft glow emits from her palm, seeping into your bone. “I- I guess I understand why you did it, but it hurts that you were willing to take that risk.” You tell her, much calmer than before. 

“I’m sorry, Y/n. I really am.” Yuqi apologizes with sadness in her voice. You’re not used to this, not used to seeing Yuqi so lost and afraid. It made you uncomfortable. 

20 minutes go by before Yuqi and Minnie finally finish explaining to you what had happened in detail. You’re left absolutely shocked, jaw hanging open as you process what really happened in the attack. From Jake ripping a man’s heart out of his chest to Sunghoon driving his blade into the hilt of K’s torso, ultimately killing him. They even tell you about Heeseung running to you and shielding you both in a ball of his shadows. The whole thing seems so surreal. 

“Ok, now what was it that you wanted to talk to Minnie and I about?” You ask, forcing yourself to move on to the next topic. 

“I want to use Jungwon’s shape-shifting ability to infiltrate the governor’s office. He’ll act as their head officer, Jaehyuk and approach the governor with a proposition.” She pauses to slide an envelope across the coffee table, catching the attention of you and Minnie. “Jaehyuk is reported to be a close friend of governor Lee, so I’m hoping that will give us some leverage. I think it works out perfectly because Jaehyuk died during the attack in the gym, so we won’t need to worry about being caught.” 

Yuqi nods at you to pick up the envelope so you do, the weight of its contents making everything feel much more real. You open the unsealed flap and pull out a piece of paper that was covered in words. Overwhelmed, you skim through the contents of the letter, “Why are we asking to form an alliance with the government? They don’t even know about us, only the enforcement division does.” 

You hand the letter over to Minnie and look at Yuqi expectantly. “This letter exposes the constant abuse the enforcement division has subjected the supernatural to. It also states for how long we have lived in secrecy, lingering in the shadows and burdening ourselves to be perfect. There’s a USB in the envelope too, it’s the video surveillance from the hidden cameras K had put up, it recorded the attack in the gym.”

You lean back on the couch with your arms crossed, the weight of your own morals pressing heavily on your chest. On the one hand, the idea of exploiting the government to secure your freedom with the possibility of negative backlash seemed undesirable. If things were to go wrong, you would have no other option than to silence the governor- by eliminating him, and that in itself brought along a whole string of challenges you weren’t ready to face. But on the other hand, your long-held birthday wish to roam the streets in the daylight, unburdened by the fear of being arrested etched a scar in your heart. 

Minnie, who is sitting next to you in her favorite pair of pajamas, shifts uncomfortably and puts the letter down. “Ok… How do you plan to go about this, Yuqi?”

“Y/n and Niki will enter the governor’s office as Jungwon's prisoners. Jungwon is gonna speak to the governor, deliver the letter, and recount the stories you told him during your interrogations. He’s going to explain to the governor how you and all the other supernatural beings deserve to live like everyone else, that he had gotten to know the two of you through your interrogations. Essentially, Jungwon is going to be the advocate you never had.” 

Minnie looks skeptical, unsure. Her lips part in the way like she’s about to say something more, but she can’t seem to find the words. “And if it doesn’t work?” You press, asking the question she was too afraid to voice.

“Let’s hope it does.” 

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Yuqi’s plan develops over the next week, starting first with convincing the rest of the group to go through with it. Over the course of a few days, Yuqi painted the picture of a future they had all yearned for so long, explaining that this was the sacrifice that had to be made. Obviously, it took them time to agree to the plan, particularly proving to be a difficult task with Niki’s ego and Jake’s fear, but their dreams outweighed their doubts. 

But collaboration proved to be difficult, particularly with the hyungs and the maknaes. Jungwon frequently avoided Jay while Heeseung and Sunghoon seemed to be iced out by everyone else. And Jake was just a shell, a lifeless, poor, shell. You had bever seen the dynamics so strained. Like it was a string being pulled to its max, the sllightest tug enough to snap it in half. 

The plan was simple. Niki, someone who had taken his hours of free time to become a certified IT specialist online, hacked into the government’s email servers and forged a message sent under the name of Jaehyuk. The point of the email was to request for a meeting with the governor, the subject header titled: URGENT. Once you had confirmation that an appointment had been scheduled, the plan would move into the next phase. 

A day before your meeting, Niki wired up your typical black spy van, equipped with the latest technologies and headpieces that would establish a line of communication between you and them. Yuqi, Minnie, and the rest of the boys would remain safely in the confines of the van, waiting on stand-by in case things went wrong. At the first sign of trouble, they’d be ready to jump in and intervene, though everyone was silently pleading that it wouldn’t come down to that. The rest of the plan was painfully simple. 

Fast forward to today, you and Niki proceed to stumble forward as Jungwon, no, Jaehyuk, pushes you forward with your hands bound behind your backs. You deliberately grunt about and feign resistance against Jaehyuk who continues to shove you forward while the badges on his uniform gleam under the stale building lights. “Move,” he barks, tone monotonous. 

Passing the front desk was easy, Jaehyuk just had to show his badge to the clerk and explain his reasons for being here and he was let through. You could feel Jaehyuk’s hand tighten on your wrist, nervous by the first obstacle, but the clerk barely flicked their eyes up at him. Despite the assurance, Jaehyuk made sure to put up a show with you and Niki, moving the latter around aggressively while shooting you stern looks. It almost felt real, if not for the way Jaehyuk whispered to Niki to stop acting so dramatically. 

After a long time traversing the hallways that seemed to be identical to one another, you came across a grand oak door with a label that read ‘Governor Lee’s Office.’ Jaehyuk knocks against the wood firmly, waiting with his hand raised until a man from inside ushers them to come inside. 

Jaehyuk swings the door open and pushes you into the office first, Niki following after you and eventually Jaehyuk as well, closing the door behind him. The office is quite humble compared to what you had imagined, maybe the size of your bedroom and decorated with photos of him and his family. It wasn’t the stately look you were expecting, but much more lived in and humble. 

Before you, a middle aged man whose hair has started to gray and his face has started to crack, rises from his chair and moves to lean against the front of his desk. “Sergeant Kang, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He asks, his voice a rough mixture of curiosity and authority.

“Governor Lee,” Jaehyuk says, bowing to the man. He pulls a white envelope from out of his chest pocket and drops it to the table beside Lee. “I’ve brought you something rather unusual. A phoenix and a dragon.”

The mention of your kind being spoken into the room has the governor narrowing his eyes and cocking his head to the side in curiosity. It was a known fact that the supernatural was not something openly acknowledged by the rest of the government, its issue being a strict enforcement division subject only, but rumors spread quickly. 

“Oh, interesting.” He murmurs, taking a step closer. “This is the phoenix?” He asks Jaehyuk, to which he nods. 

He walks towards you and leaves only inches of space between you, peering into your eyes and raking over your features like a starved man. “You are a sight to behold,” he says, tracing his fingers down your arm. “Remarkable…” You tense under his touch, pressing your lips into a straight line as you inwardly cringe at the intimacy. 

Besides you, Niki bristles and bites his tongue to prevent himself from roaring at the governor. No one was supposed to touch you, not on his watch. 

“So, what is the reason for this?” The governor lacks surprise in his voice and you find yourself letting bits of anxiety creep in. 

“During their interrogations, I was made aware of the injustices that they have been faced with- and by extension, the supernatural community as a whole. They have told me about the years they’ve spent living in the shadows, yearning for nothing more but the same freedom as we humans have. Unfortunately, my due diligence with matters elsewhere have led to me overlooking the mistreatment that my division has subjected them to. So to make amends, I would like to act as an advocate for the community and propose a treaty- an alliance between the supernatural and us. I would like to stop hunting them.” 

Governor Lee raises his eyebrow at Jaehyuk, but it’s more of interest than skepticism. It seems that he has been privy to the actions of the enforcement division, aware of what lurks beneath the guise of their group. “An alliance? What makes you think I’ll agree to that?” 

Jaehyuk points to the letter, “Yuqi, the leader of a sanctuary where many supernatural beings go to find peace, has written about the specifics in that letter. Enclosed in that envelope are the details of their request, as well as a USB drive that contains footage of the enforcement officers illegally raiding their sanctuary, harming innocent beings.” 

The governor opens the letter and spends a few minutes reviewing the contents before sighing and throwing it back onto his desk. He crosses his arms, crinkling his suit. “If this goes public, the whole country will know about them. While I’m not opposed to hosting a conference to discuss this, things could go south very quickly.” 

“Yuqi is aware of the ramifications, that’s why she has stated that the limitations of the supernatural’s freedom stays within Luxta. No other cities will be put under the expectation to grant them the same rights like Luxta does, she is aware it is a lot to ask for. They want justice, Governor. They want to exist in this world without living in fear.”

The governor flicks his gaze between Jaehyuk, you, and Niki. “And what’s the catch, Jaehyuk?” 

“There is no catch. The supernatural have never posed an actual threat to the public despite my division hunting them like criminals. They’re arrests were made for their existence, not for any crimes.  The reason for our hunting was out of fear, but now, I have talked to more than enough supernatural beings to understand that they’re innocent, like all of us.”

“Ok, you’ve convinced me. I’ll let the office know to prepare a conference to discuss publishing this letter.” The governor moves to put a hand on Jaehyuk’s shoulder and smiles at him, “I trust you, little brother.” 

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To the citizens of Luxta,

For several decades, the government of Luxta has been operating a covert unit known as the Enforcement Division. The grounds for this establishment was to maintain public safety with several officers patrolling the streets and detaining individuals that were deemed “criminals”.

It is the government’s duty to maintain transparency through an open line of communication with the public. Therefore, it is within your rights to be aware of the true intentions of the Enforcement Division. At the start of its origin, supernatural beings began to populate our streets, and out of concern for the city's safety, each individual was detained without question. They were unfairly categorized as a threat and resulted in hundreds of unwarranted arrests. The safety of our citizens was our number one concern, prompting our unethical actions. 

As a result, supernatural individuals were forced into hiding and a marginalized community called The Veil was created. Through a thorough investigation following a particularly poor arrest, it has been concluded that the supernatural community poses no threats to the public. They share the same aspirations as our citizens and from now on, will be considered as such. It is with great humility and sincerity that we issue a sincere apology and announce a new era of inclusivity. 

Effective immediately, supernatural individuals will be granted the same rights and protection as any citizen of Luxta. Marking this historic shift, we introduce the Veil Treaty, our way of committing to equal treatment under the law, regardless of nature. 

Furthermore, a supernatural sanctuary has been established in order to welcome all supernatural beings. It is run by Song Yuqi who runs the establishment personally: Dusk and Dawn. 

Best regards,

Governor Lee

It’s been four days since the announcement of The Veil Treaty, and concerns were at an all time high. “So what now?” Sunno asks, placing his phone beside him on the bench. 

“Jungwon spoke with the governor following the announcement,” Yuqi says, sitting beside Sunoo. “Scanners are discontinued now, as well as nightly patrols. Additionally, the Veil is receiving government funding now, and the enforcement division has been transformed into a supernatural support division.”

“You mean the same people that hunted us down for years are now going to support us?” Jungwon baffles, looking at Yuqi incredulously. 

“No, the original workers were arrested and each position was replaced.” 

Niki shifts uncomfortably with his hands in his lap, fidgeting against each other. You glance over at him and notice the dark circles under his eyes and frown. It was evident on his face that he has faced many sleepless nights since the letter was published. 

“Niki, is everything alright?” 

The boy glances at you and you notice the shine in his eyes is absent, a dark shadow looming over his pupils in its steed.“What if the public reacts poorly? What if we’re still ostracized?”

Yuqi jumps in quickly and places a comforting hand on his back. “Legally, they can’t.” Her voice is unwavering yet it does little to alleviate the anchor on Niki’s heart. “The federal directive ensures that we are entitled to the same treatment as humans are. Any discrimination is punishable by law. While there’s surely going to be some overexaggerated articles released, that’s to be expected with anything. For now, let’s breathe. We can finally walk in the daylight without the fear of being arrested.”

“Things will be okay, Niki.” You make a lame attempt at comforting the youngest, but the words feel terribly hollow. You don’t know if they can sense it, they probably can, but your body trembles with uncertainty. There is a new spotlight on the supernatural community, one that would scrutinize every little detail you do, waiting for you to mess up. The freedom was nice, but it was juxtaposed to the restrictions you now had to set for yourself. 

You drop your gaze from Niki’s and stare at the pattern of the gym tiles beneath you. Your carefully crafted composure breaks at the seams as you think of how hard the next few days will be. Tears brim your eyes but you refuse to let them fall, you refuse to let the boys see the worries that are quickly wasting away in your body. What’s done is done, and if you had to offer them false reassurance to keep them afloat, then so be it. 

Around you, the others stand scattered near the gyms. All but Jake is present. You hadn’t seen him since the day you went into the governor’s office, but even then with his uncharacteristic quietness, he might as well have not been there. Worry tugs at the delicate strings in your heart and you question whether you should check on him. You hate to admit it, but it wasn’t until today that you really noticed his absence, too busy with everything else to worry about him. 

Jay, who was sitting beside Niki but at a fair distance, slides down the bench and pulls Niki into his shoulder, an instinct he’s done since forever ago. But the younger freezes in his hold, quickly murmuring a strained apology, but it seemed genuine, like he was desperate for any kind of comfort. “It’s fine, Jay. Just startled.” He says, closing his eyes before leaning into the older’s body. 

You feel yourself grimace at the interaction, disliking the dynamic between them. Niki was always such a sucker for physical touch, and to see him so apprehensive before Jay had your heart plummeting. 

From the little details that Minnie and Yuqi had shared with you, you were well enough aware of the situation between Jay and Jungwon. You knew he made some questionable decisions back then, but it felt wrong to treat him any differently, you didn’t see it as fair until you could hear his explanation. He had that right. 

Niki, on the other hand, as well as the other maknaes, shelled up around him, like they were worried Jay would do something as untrustworthy as killing Jungwon’s prospective parents all those years ago. They were young and inexperienced, so maybe it made sense for them to be apprehensive, but it still hurt to see Jay pretend like he wasn’t upset by it. The others, Jake, Heeseung, and Sunghoon, were too busy caught up in their own heads to treat each other differently.

But ultimately, you knew something needed to be done. The group wouldn’t last if there was so much tension in the air. 

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“Sunghoon!” Your face lights up upon seeing the familiar raven haired boy standing at your door, but it immediately slumps when you see the solemn expression on his face. “What are you doing here?” You ask, stepping aside to let him in. He doesn’t normally come over at night, especially not alone. You saw him yesterday at the gym, but it feels like forever for some reason. 

Your eyes trail after his back, watching as he walks in. His movements are slow and laden with an emotion that has your chest tightening. As he sits down on your couch, you notice his hair is slightly tousled and glistens under your lights, indicative of the thunderstorm going on outside. The imperfection of his messy hair gives him a raw, soft vulnerability, making him look so… normal. “I just wanted to see you,” he tells you, leaning back on your couch. 

“Would you like some water?” You ask, already moving into your kitchen. 

“No,” he replies to your question quickly, “Actually, I came here because I wanted to talk to you.” His voice is thick with uncertainty and you feel your body tense as you pour a glass of water anyways. You weren’t a stranger to his closed off demeanor, but hearing him speak without his usual flare of coldness has you worried. It’s not something you normally see in Sunghoon, a boy who you have grown to be so close to in recent weeks. Taking a deep breath, you walk back out into the living room and set the water on your coffee table, sitting in the spot next to him. 

“What’s going on?” you ask quietly, resting a comforting hand on his knee. 

Unbeknownst to you, Sunghoon hangs on to the thread of your touch as if it’s the only thing keeping him afloat. With a sigh, he turns to glance at you and you can already see a misty gloss icing over his gaze. “You once asked me why I pushed people away so much, why I chose to isolate myself. I had told you that things were safer that way.” 

You nod, recalling the conversation you had in the training room on your first week. His response puzzled you, but it didn’t feel like it was in your right to ask him about it. 

“If I didn’t let anyone in, then that’d mean it’d hurt much less if I accidentally killed them. I wouldn’t have this string of attachment keeping me from moving on if it happened. I could just kill them and go on with my day. But my night terrors, every night I dream about the same thing: killing them.” His voice cracks with the weight of his guilt, but he forces himself to continue. “I sleep walk during my night terrors, breaking everything around me. Every night, I barricade the door to my apartment because I’m terrified that if I don’t, I’ll find them.” 

Your hand, which was placed on Sunghoon’s knee eventually finds its way into his hands, grasping them tightly. “I’m listening, Sunghoon. Don’t push yourself, I hear everything you’re saying.” 

A rare, pearlescent tear falls from his blue eyes and you watch as it leaves a trail of opaque white down his face. “K told everyone that I was psychotic, messed up in the head. He told them that it was only a matter of time before I slaughter them, he even told Niki to kill me before I got to them first.” 

The realization of Sunghoon’s true shame  dawns upon you. Sunghoon isn’t just struggling with the fact that he has night terrors- it goes much deeper than that. He fears the moment his loved ones start to see him as a monster, someone unworthy of their worries. It made him feel alienated, vilified, but Sunghoon could endure the torment of his mind by himself, burning it under the confines of his icy exterior. But he couldn’t handle having his vulnerabilities exposed like this- he just couldn’t stomach it. 

“Everyone thinks that I hate him,” his voice cracks under the weight of his fear, a tremble that betrays his pride. “But that’s so far from the truth, Y/n. I love those boys like they’re my brothers, but I just can’t let them get close to me. Not when I’m like this.” 

He raises a hand up to his nose, wiping at the snot that’s begun trickling down. His shoulders sag under the shame that hangs heavily in the air, and it reaches you too. 

“In the Elf Kingdom, blood paints the snow more than the fresh falling snowflakes. I’ve never known more than the Veil, but it’s like my mind and soul have already existed in a place of murder and wrath. There are history books in the communal library and I would spend my time reading about the Elf Kingdom, but it felt so much like deja vu that I had to stop.”

The vulnerability of his voice ignites a part of your heart that longs to comfort him, to hold him. Listening to your heart, you reach a hand up to his cheek and let your warmth dissipate from your palm in hopes of it reaching Sunghoon’s core. “Sunghoon,” you murmur, using your thumb to caress his cheek. “You’re more than your kingdom. And you’re nothing like your kind.” 

You watch as a single, pearlescent tear escapes from his eyes, slipping down to meet the edge of your hand. It leaves an opaque white trail in its wake, a physical manifestation of the rawness of his heart. “Y/n…” he whispers, closing his eyes and leaning into your touch. “You’re warm. I- I never thought I could feel more than frost.” 

You squeeze your eyes shut, heart aching at the sight of him baring his deepest vulnerabilities to you. “You should feel proud of yourself for being so strong. You are so loved- and I know that deep within their hesitation is a love so deep that it hurts. It will just take them some time to understand, don’t let yourself go in the process.” 

He swallows down a cry of despair, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down harshly. “I don’t want to be strong anymore, I’m so tired. Tired of these night terrors keeping me up every time I try to sleep. Tired of bolting my door shut and shoving under the handle. I’m tired of being afraid of myself.”

“I can be strong for us both,” you tell him, scooting closer. “I will always be strong for you.”

Your words seem to shift the demeanor in his gaze- something that feels oddly familiar to you but you can’t quite pinpoint what it is. His eyes go from a dark haze to a clear blue that stands out even under the dim lighting of your lamps. Before you can decipher the look on his face, he surges forward, connecting his lips with yours. The feeling of his lips against yours feels desperate, hungry, every one of his vulnerabilities bleeding into your touch and acting as a reflection of the storm that stirs in Sunghoon’s heart.

He whimpers into your mouth, a cathartic emotion he so desperately needed to release through your touch. The world fades away into an afterthought and he deepens the kiss, pushing his tongue into your mouth.

The feeling of his tongue fighting against your own has you moaning, grabbing at anything and everything. Your hands fly up to his hair and you pull on it desperately, wanting the kiss to last a lifetime. He moves his lips against yours with equal desperation, finding a comfortable rhythm against your mouth. As the connection between you deepens, Sunghoon pulls you into his lap, letting his icy hands fall to your hips. There’s a desperation in his touch that acts as a tangible desire full of pain and longing. He desperately yearns to feel something more than the suffocating numbness that he’s grown so used to. 

Breathless, he pulls away and moves his head down to your neck, lapping long strokes against your skin. The wet feeling of his tongue lights you on fire, a pool of arousal seeping into your panties and leaving no question about the effects he has on you. His soft pink lips move against your neck, sucking marks down to your collarbone. “It feels so right having you in my hands,” he tells you, emphasizing his comment by firming up his grip on your hips. 

The feeling of his hands on your skin feels like fire despite the sub zero temperature of his body. It feels like an ice burn, searing and tingling. In this charged moment, the only thing that exists is Sunghoon, ice in his veins and fire in his eyes. With his hands controlling your hips, he moves you back and forth across his clothed member, swallowing every moan of yours like he’s getting drunk off it. “Take these off,” he says, pulling at the waistband of your PJs. 

He helps you off his lap and pulls down your shorts, as well as your panties. When the cold air hits your heat, he pulls you back onto him immediately, grinding your hips against his clothed member. His tip rubs up against your clit and you bury your head into his neck, already feeling overstimulated by the rough material of his pants. You shake with every movement, the stimulation of it all barely allowing you to keep up with the speed of his kisses. “Fuck- I, I’m close,” you whimper, moving your hips even faster. 

Suddenly, Sunghoon moves you to his thigh and you let out a desperate whine. Your slick stains the fabric of his pants and you blush a furious red, whimpering when he speaks again, “You’re doing so good, let me hear you. Tell me how desperate you are to cum on my thigh.” He coos into your ear, tucking a strand of your hair back all while using his other hand to guide you along his leg. 

His voice is erotic, dripping with seduction that sends shivers coursing through your spine. It wraps around you like a spiral, pulling you deeper and deeper into this heat induced haze. The sound of your name escaping his thick lips, the rasp of his voice as he grows more and more desperate to see you unravel in front of him- it only has you stuttering about in his lap, letting the fabric of his pants catch against your clit deliciously. 

You try to move faster, to match him in his movements but it seems like your body is working against you. The high that you so deliciously crave is just out of reach and keeps you working over the edge, refusing to unravel. The lack of a release maddens you and drives you to a point that tears prick your eyes. Frustrated, you let out a broken whimper. 

Sunghoon notices your frustration and pulls back to look into your misty eyes. “Don’t cry baby, you can do it.” He says, rubbing soothing circles onto the curve of your ass. “I’ll guide you, don’t worry.” 

Sunghoon moves under you and lifts his leg up abruptly, flexing the muscle. You cry out, both in surprise and pleasure as the friction becomes more intense. “So good, Y/n. So pretty riding my thigh.” 

He continues to whisper praises into your ear as he gently bounces you on his thigh. “Cum for me, Y/n.”

His words seem to act as a trigger, finally sending you over the edge. Arousal spills through you like a wave and your tears finally fall out of relief. Your movements grow irregular as you stutter against his leg, stimulating your high as far as it can go. “That’s my pretty girl. Good job, baby.” 

Finally stilling, your chest heaves up and down as you recover from your orgasm. Sunghoon looks into you longingly, gently humming as he caresses your back. When your breathing seems to reach a steady rhythm, he pulls you back in for a kiss, “Sit on my face.” he pants into your mouth. 

Hesitation rushes through you and you almost shake your head, too shy to move, but something in his voice has you moving automatically, driven by lust. He guides you to his face and lays back on your couch, asking for you to face in the direction of his legs. The position gives you a perfect view of his erection and you’re ashamed to admit that the sight of his hard member has you gushing out more slick. 

With your bare heat hovering over his face, Sunghoon sticks his tongue out and gives your pussy a tentative kitten lick. It’s wet and hot, prodding at your entrance and you bite your lip. Broken moans leave your mouth and he takes that as encouragement to begin mouthing at your cunt. His tongue flicks at your folds and he massages your breasts with his free hands, melding the tissue into the shape of his large hands. 

A gasp rips from your throat when something cold slides through your folds. You look down to see Sunghoon’s hand brought up to your core, moving back and forth. “Fuck, Y/n- you’re melting the ice right off my hands.” His lips trail around your inner thighs as he rubs his frosted fingers across your pussy. The melting of the ice as it dances along your most vulnerable bits leaves a  trickle of water in its wake, dribbling down your thighs as if it was your own essence. When the sensation fades away, it leaves you hyper-aware of what’s to come, your skin scorching with chills. “Relax for me, baby.” 

The pads of his fingers tease at your entrance for a few minutes longer, just rubbing around with newly formed frost on his fingers to get you used to the temperature. When you feel yourself relaxing, a sudden intrusion to your entrance breaks you from your haze and you let out a sharp gasp. His fingers slide to the end of your cervix with punishing greed, no amount of prep beforehand acting as enough warning. He pumps his fingers in and out at a steady rhythm, his thumb reaching around to play with your clit as he fucks you with his digits. “Beg for more, Y/n, I want to hear you.” 

“More- fuck me more, Sunghoon.” you moan, your hips taking liberty and grinding against him. 

You wrap around his fingers like a vice and cry out when the tip of his slender fingers reach the spongy spot in your cervix. Smiling, he carefully adds in a second finger, scissoring you open until you’re begging him to stop. “F-fuck, Hoonie! I’m cumming” you cry out, feeling the pit in your stomach stir with pleasure. He relieves you with a particular strong thrust of his hand and you fall forward, catching yourself in his shins. 

You catch your breath while Sunghoon takes his fingers out and you hear the sound of sucking. Leaning back up, you look down to see Sunghoon licking his fingers clean. Your mouth falls open in surprise, stunned with pleasure from the sight of his fingers shining with your essence. Before you can comment on his erotic act of display, he moves a hand down to his lap and sneaks it under his briefs. You watch as he fists his cock, seeing the outline of his knuckles past the fabric of his pants. As his hand moves up and down, he latches his teeth onto your sensitive bud. “Hoon!” You gasp out, feeling his teeth nibble on your bundle of nerves. You turn your head to the side and look down at him, ignoring the slight discomfort in your neck as you look down at him. 

His pupils seem to swallow the blue of his eyes as he looks up at you with nothing but love and desire in his eyes. “You’re so sweet- taste so good, baby.” He says while lapping at your sopping cunt. Sunghoon desperately savors the spiced honey taste of your arousal leaking onto his tongue while moaning a melody of pleasurable curses. 

Seconds pass and another moan of pleasure falls from your parted lips when his mouth attaches to your folds, licking vicariously between them. 

“God, you’re dripping on my mouth, princess.” He groans, snaking a hand back up to your breasts as you ride his mouth. “Make a mess on my face, fuck.” He squeezes the fat of your breast, drawing out yet another lengthy moan that drips with intensity. 

Sunghoon slips himself out of his pants somehow and your eyes go wide at seeing the shape of his cock beneath his briefs, straining with neglect. Your mind practically spins when you see him pull his cock  out, twisting his hand up and down the girth of his shaft while he eats you out. A sheen of precum wraps around the length of his cock as he pumps himself to the edge. 

You hear a low growl come from under you and press yourself down harder, relishing in the way his tongue warms you in ways you could never do yourself. He fists himself a few times before letting out a sound of annoyance, finally getting rid of his briefs. You gasp. 

His cock is beautiful, a pretty pink cock with a girth that easily trumps the other boys. It’s long and veiny and you practically salivate at the thought of having him in your mouth. 

Another few grunts leave Sunghoon’s mouth as he simultaneously jerks himself off while eating your pussy. Without warning, he whimpers into your heat and strings of cum shoot out of his cock, parts of it hitting your lower abdomen and the rest spurting onto his stomach. You can feel the vibrations of his moaning work through your core and you’re embarrassed to admit you’re reaching the edge again. 

Sunghoon gently taps your ass and you clumsily lift one of your legs off his face. He watches with an amused smile as your legs shake beneath you, completely spent from holding yourself up while you were wracked with orgasms. “Let me fuck you now.” He whispers, tracing patterns over your skin. “Get on your back, you must be so tired, princess.”

Your cheeks warm at the sentiment and you let out a quiet squeal of happiness. Eager to have him fill you up, you quickly get onto your back and let him fill the space between your legs. He throws his shirt off and it lands on your table lamp, obscuring the light. “Sunghoon!” You whine, slapping his arm. 

“Shush,” he smiles, leaning down to kiss you. 

The sight of him hovering above you is ethereal, you almost don’t believe your eyes. You can see the bead of sweat resting on his forehead and the way his muscles tense as he holds himself up. He is absolutely gorgeous, otherworldly. “You’re so beautiful, Sunghoon.” You say, running your hand up and down his bare chest. 

“Not as beautiful as you, Y/n. You light a fire within me that no one else can manage.” His tip rubs against your entrance, a mixture of his cum and your arousal acting as lubricant. “Relax for me,” he says before pushing the tip in. 

The intrusion is intense and you feel your hole widening in order to accommodate the stretch. You hold onto his arms with a tight grip and close your eyes as he slowly rocks out and back in, a bit deeper this time. “Good girl, just keep doing that.” He praises, sinking deeper into you. 

When his cock hits the hilt of your cervix, the two of you sigh in unison. Sunghoon feels impossibly close to you with his lips ghosting over the shell of your ear, and yet he still craves for more. “Be mine, forever.” His breath is hot against your ear and you feel yourself growing flustered by the intimacy. 

You want to say yes- yes a thousand times again. You desperately want to tell him that you’ve fallen for him. But you hesitate, caught up in the web of your own history with the rest of the boys. You realize now, with himself sheathed inside of you, that you’ve fallen for Jay, Jake, and Heeseung as well. Your body has memorized the bites of Heeseungs, the sound of Jake’s inhales, and the caress of Jay’s touch. You don’t regret it in the slightest, but it certainly complicates your feelings for Sunghoon. 

“If you’re mine, that means you’re theirs by default.” A flick of knowingness flashes across his gaze and you feel yourself flush before him. He knew. The truth of the situation lays bare between you and you feel your heart rate quicken. Of course he knew. Jake’s oversharing tendencies, Jay’s competitive spirit, and Heeseung’s blatant willingness to share you with Jake, you suddenly don’t feel surprised that Sunghoon has become privy to the fact that you’ve been with them too. 

Sunghoon, impatiently waiting now, snaps his hips forward again, each thrust pushing his cock further and further into you. He is steadfast on his decision. He wants you, no, needs you. He needs the whole of you, raw and vulnerable before him. “Y-yes, Sunghoon!” you cry in between thrusts. 

He flashes a sharp grin at you before burying his face into the crook of your neck as he continues to thrust into you. His cock drags against every fiber of your muscles and you fight to not cry out in pleasure.  “These boys didn’t do a good enough job opening you up,” he snaps forward, “Too tight,” another snap, “Too tiny.” 

His grunts send vibrations through your skin and you claw at his back, longing for anything to keep you grounded. “You’re so pretty, so little underneath me.” Sunghoon says, leaning up on his hands, trapping you between them. “I could bend you every which way if I wanted,” As if proving his point, he lifts your hips up and presses your legs to your chest, allowing him to enter you even deeper. 

The new position has you crying with pleasure and you feel a fast approaching orgasm make its way through you. It shoots through you without much warning and  you ride the highs of your pleasure, gasping when a cold gust of air hits your neck. Goosebumps quickly decorate your skin and you pull back to look at Sunghoon. “Sunghoon…!” You exclaim, the feeling of his frost somehow overstimulating your arousal and bringing you to your next high stupidly quick. 

“You like it when I use my powers on you, right?” He says with a cocky grin, licking at the frosted over skin of your neck. “Your skin looks so pretty with my ice on it.” His fingers trace the patch of ice that  spirals down your neck and lands on the little divot on your throat. He presses his thumb into the space and you feel delirious with the pressure. 

“Can you cum for me one last time, baby?” Despite the chills emanating from his touch, both you and him shine under the dim lighting of your living room, slick with sweat from exerting yourselves. “Do you have one more in you? I’m so close…”

You nod at him quickly, yearning for him to reach his high quickly or else you think you might go crazy. There’s an unfamiliar heat budding within your core and you squirm about, trying your best to hold it in. Sunghoon continues to pound into you relentlessly, practically using your hole like a toy for his pleasure. You can see through the darkness of his lust that he’s blinded by pleasure and is no longer focused on your enjoyment, but you don’t care. You’d please him however you could. 

His cock slides through your walls perfectly and after a particularly harsh thrust that pulses against your g-spot, your cunt pushes him out of you with overwhelming force. “Nngh, Hoon!”

A gush of clear liquid shoots out from your cunt with unrelenting force and sprays his torso. The sight of you coming apart and squirting onto him unravels Sunghoon completely. Working his way through his own orgasm, he quickly places a hand over his cock and generously pumps the length of it. Within seconds, he cums on your torso while the velocity of your essence slowly dies down. 

You spend the next few minutes riding out the shockwaves of your orgasm as Sunghoon drapes himself over you, flinching slightly when his softening dick rubs against your swollen entrance. 

The two of you are a mess of sweat, body’s heaving against each other as you catch your breath. Eventually, your breathing soon matches with his and you feel sleep start to consume you. “Don’t sleep yet, baby.” Sunghoon coos, gently stroking your cheek. “We gotta clean up and then you need to pee.” 

“So tired…” you croak out, letting your head fall to the side. 

He only laughs and you barely register the feeling of him lifting you up bridal style. Sunghoon walks to your bathroom and gently sets you down on your toilet. “Ok, go.” He says, shuffling through your cabinets for an extra washcloth. 

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Tonight, none of the boys’ had won their respective matches and it left a sour taste in your mouth. Jungwon, Niki, Heeseung and Jay were bruised and battered, beaten to a pulp. And now, with the four of them sitting in the gym's medical rooms, the tang of blood mingled in the air as you tended to their injuries, blending with the thick tension and wrapping around it like a snake. No one says anything, but for once, you’re ok with letting the silence speak for you. 

Jay pulls back from you when the alcohol on your cotton swab presses into the raw tissue of Jay’s cheek, a jagged cut made by a griffin. You feel the sting of the alcohol burn away the nerves in his face as if it were your own and you cringe. It was Yuqi who had told you not to use your powers to speed up the healing tonight, claiming it’d be too fatiguing, but you couldn’t stand the pain ghosting on Jay’s face as he grimaced through every touch of the clean up. 

You cup his cheek in your hand tenderly, both an act of submission and to help him. Despite the boys’ efforts to normalize the transition back to the gym after the government’s attack, there was still a lingering air of sadness that clouded your judgement. They had told you time and time again how sorry they were for letting you down, that the Veil Treaty was an opportunity for them to turn a new leaf over. Still, you found yourself run down with the burden of accepting their countless apologies and the unresolved tension that entangled the boys together. 

It’s been five weeks since the Treaty was announced, and yet the dynamics among the group have yet to return to what it once was. In place of the usual light hearted banter was now avoidant eye contact and murmured apologies towards the smallest inconveniences. The hyungs were acting as if the floor was covered in egg shells, and the maknaes did little to hide their discomfort around the elders. In front of you, they tried to act like everything was fine, but you could see through their carefully crafted fronts. You’d have to be an idiot not to see how much the atmosphere has changed. You can feel the weight of their unresolved tension, but somehow, you feel like you’re in the middle of their storm.

Shaking your head, you shake your shoulders and let a scorching warmth pass through your hand and seep into the red of Jay’s exposed cheek. You watch as his flesh reconnects over the wound, leaving no traces of the earlier match. When it heals, you move your hand down to his chest, the blooming purple that was spreading on his front beginning to fade back to its original flesh tone. Jay’s eyes are fluttered shut as the grimace on his face softens, each wound of his healed by your molten touch. 

Moving to his shoulder, you watch the glow of light travel into his skin and relieve the dislocation of his joint. Your knees buckle when it heals, a surge of energy leaving you when his bone pops back in place, but you’d go till the brink of passing out if it meant you could make Jay feel better. There were only a few more wounds left, and you really weren’t sure you’d have the energy to get through them. Still, you work your way through each of them quickly, travelling his body in silence as you use up the last of your energy to bring him back to 100%. 

Silence in the gym was becoming a new normal now. You thought things would get better after K was gone and the public knew of your existence, but it only seemed to act as a bandaid over a bullet wound. Funny, because you were actually shot. It was clear that there was still residual distaste left in some of the boys’ mouths, planted by K himself on the night of the attack. 

Yuqi and Sunghoon had only briefly filled you in on the gist of what he had said that night, and you hoped that in the weeks that went by since the attack, they would’ve found a time to talk it out amongst each other. But it seems that was just wishful thinking as they only interacted when need be. 

“-Y/n? Y/n!” Jungwon calls, ripping you out of your spiral. “Will you heal me now?” He sounded irritated almost, like he was annoyed by the attention you were giving Jay. His face tells you that Jungwon thinks Jay isn’t worthy of your affection.

Reluctantly nodding, you tell Jay he can go and he leaves the room, leaving only Heeseung and the maknaes. Heeseung stays in the corner with his head hung low as he waits his turn, still iced out by the group for reasons you wish you could fix. 

You walk over to Jungwon slowly, fatigued by the excessive  use of your powers, and begin assessing his own injuries, spreading your warmth here and there. “You should talk to him.” You say quietly, bringing a wet rag up to his lip. “You can’t keep sleeping over at Niki’s apartment.” 

He turns his head away from you in irritation. “Don’t. Jay had 12 years to tell me the truth about everything, yet he didn’t. Not until a man we thought could be trusted drops the truth on us like a bomb.” 

You frown at the boy, unfamiliar with the snap in his voice. He was rarely ever this serious, the only other times he held himself with this level of maturity being that time he acted like Jaehyuk.

“You know, Jay makes your favorite dinner every night in hopes you’ll come home. You have no idea how many curry’s I’ve had to give the boys because Jay gives it to me when you don’t come home.” You brush his bangs out of his face as you mindlessly retell Jungwon what his hyung has been up to since Jungwon’s impromptu vacancy. “It’s like every night that he drops off the curry, I learn about you and his relationship. He falls into this trance almost as he talks about you.” You wipe a warm finger over the cut on Jungwon’s eyebrow, grimacing when the energy in your body depletes further. “He told me why he did what he did, and while I can understand why you feel so upset by this, I can also understand where Jay is coming from.” 

Jungwon doesn’t speak, but he does give you a low grunt in response. It’s not much of a response, but you cling to the small glimmer of hope that suddenly buds inside of you when your gaze passes over his eyes which no longer looked hollow.  “And I suggest the three of you boys talk to Sunghoon, Heeseung and Jake. You can’t keep ignoring them.” you glance over to where Heeseung sits on the one exam table in your gym, fiddling with his fingers instead of conversing with Niki like he used to. 

“Whatever,” he quips, standing up from where he sat and hastily grabbing his things before leaving. 

Disappointed, you turn your attention towards Niki. His injuries were less severe, but they were extensive nonetheless. You knew you could only do so much for him with the amount of energy that was draining from you. To your surprise, you find respite in his silence. It was a small gesture that you knew was unintentional, but it meant you could focus your energy on his recovery rather than on words. 

When you finally finish, you can barely hold yourself. Fatigue melts into your every bone and you feel dizzy from standing, but the rejuvenated look on Niki’s face makes it worth it. Without saying a think, Niki moves to gather his things and leaves just like Jungwon, likely chasing after him to go home together. The moment he’s gone, Heeseung finally speaks. 

The long stretched silence snaps and Heeseung wiggles his fingers. “Come here,” he says gently, bringing his arms out. 

Forcing a small smile, you step toward him and stand between his legs. Your hand naturally comes up to cradle his face, but he stops you. “Don’t,” 

“Heeseung-”

“You’re about to pass out, baby. Just sleep for a bit.” He jumps from the exam bed and pats the cushion, gesturing for you to lay down. “Don’t disobey me, I’ll be right here the entire time.”

Heat blooms across your cheeks and you reluctantly climb onto the table, stumbling onto the bed. Heeseung braces your shaky body and guides your head down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. His hand brushes against your skin and you feel yourself fall victim to the safety of his touch. You fall asleep almost immediately, relief flooding your body immediately. 

When you wake up, you don’t open your eyes, but the sound of hushed whispers reaches you. 

“We need to get out shit together,” a voice says. Was that Sunghoon?

“They can’t even stand to be in the same room as us, Sunghoon. How are we going to talk to all of them?” That had to be Heeseung, his voice was coming directly at your head. You grimace at the sound of frustration evident in his tone. You didn’t need to see his face to know his eyebrows are furrowed and his jaw is clenched. 

“We’ll have them meet at Y/n’s place.” Jay rests a hand on your thigh, gently kneading the fat as he speaks. “They won’t know we’re there until it’s too late.”

A pregnant silence follows and for a second, you wonder if you fell back asleep, but a soft hand on the side of your neck tells you otherwise. 

“Will they forgive us?” Jake’s voice breaks the silence and you realize it’s his hand on your face. He always had a habit of tracing his hand down your neck, saying your scent was the strongest there. 

Heeseung lets out a long sign of resignation, “We can only hope.” He pauses, “So, Sunghoon.”

The first voice cuts in sharper, louder this time. “Y/n told me she’d be ours, but it feels like we’ve lost her again.”

His words sound tight and you push yourself to keep your eyes closed and your ears open. This was the most amount of communication you’ve heard between the boys in a long time, and you weren’t sure you’d get to be hidden in the audience again any time soon. Maybe you were afraid of meeting their grief stricken eyes as well. “It’s cuz we’re all fighting.” Jay says, stepping back to lean against the wall. 

“We can only fix that once we talk to them. We have to tell them what really happened to us.”

“Ok, then we’ll have a ‘gathering’ at Y/n’s place and when they arrive, we’ll crash the party.”

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“You’re not going anywhere.” You say with a glare sharp enough you can convey the words: sit down, in silence. Jungwon comes back to slump against your couch, forcing himself onto the couch with Sunoo and Niki rather than share a space with the other boys. “Talk. Speak. Do something!” You gesture to the older boys and they grunt in unison. 

An awkward silence falls upon you and the boys and so you nudge Heeseung in the side, silently asking him to break the stalemate. He gives you an annoyed look but bites his tongue, blowing the strand of hair off his forehead before standing. “So, things have been a bit rocky since…” he lets out a strained sigh, “-since K died.”

The looks around the room are enough to tell you that this was a sensitive subject, for all of them. Yuqi and Minnie, who are standing behind the couch, stiffen while the rest of the boys look down at the ground. You give Heeseung an encouraging nod and he reluctantly continues. “K had said some horrible things about me, Sunghoon, Jake and Jay. I- I can’t speak for them, but I want to apologize to you all for hiding behind a lie. Contrary to what K said, my adoptive parents were business tycoons who thrived on illegal business to get where they wanted. I was sent out against my will to eliminate their competition. They made me kill innocent lives.” 

The older boy looks up to the ceiling and tucks his bottom lip between his teeth. He can’t cry, not now. Not in front of them. But his strained whimpers that bubble up his throat are loud enough to be heard in the silence of the room holding its breath. “I didn’t know any better. At the time, I thought I was making them happy. I just wanted to see them smile at me.”

Minnie’s face falls as she listens to Heeseung retell his past like it’s a painful reminder of her own. She was never close to Heeseung, much more to the younger ones, and hearing this has her heart clenched and her eyes misty. Minnie rests a hand on Sunoo’s shoulders and rubs them, both an act of comforting Sunno and herself. 

“One night, I came home. I hadn’t finished the mission, not completely. There was still one guy left that had gotten away. I had to come home though, it was nearing the morning.” Heeseung takes a breath and thinks back to that night. He could almost see the rage in his parent’s faces when he told them that there was still someone out there. They looked about ready to kill him, dispose of him like useless garbage. That night, Heeseung learned there was more to killing innocent people and pleasing his so-called parents. “They screamed at me for hours, calling me every name in the book. In a fit of rage, I killed them…”

Gasps ripple across the room like a fast dripping faucet. Even you, who know the gist of his story, gasps. Heeseung’s hands clench into fists and his crimson eyes begin to glow. “I locked myself away for months after that. I was a monster. I had to change, so I vowed to myself never to hurt another soul unless absolutely necessary. But it wasn’t fair for me to live this lie of peace and serenity around you guys when I know it was anything but that.” Heeseung puts his hands up to his face, but not before you see the first few crimson tears fall from his sunken eyes. You’ve never seen him cry, so to see red streaming from his face stunned you. What made it worse was the fact that it was so obvious that Heeseung hadn’t been sleeping much. Even before today, you could see the weight of his guilt spilling into nights of restless sleep for him. “I’m sorry you had to hear this from K.”

The room falls into a suffocating silence that seems to stretch on for several minutes, but eventually, Niki speaks. “You don’t need to apologize, hyung. I think- maybe we were all a bit unreasonable to think we had the right to judge you like that. We don’t think you’re a monster, not at all.” 

Beside him, Jungwon and Sunoo nod their heads in agreement. Seeing that, Heeseung’s shaky composure shatters and he collapses to the ground, full on sobbing into Niki’s lap.

“Hyung!” Niki yelps, attempting to push Heeseung’s heavy head off his thigh. “These were brand new!” When Heeseung picks his tear stricken face off of the boy’s leg, he gasps when he sees red stain the white fabric of Niki’s sweats. 

The tension in the room briefly dissipates to make room for the soft laughter that breaks out, albeit awkward in a way. Everyone but Jake seems to lighten up. A few feet away from where you sit, Jake occupies your arm chair with his hands fiddling about in his lap. “I’d like to say something, too.” 

You experience whiplash from the way the room falls silent again almost immediately. All eyes turn to Jake and he clears his throat. “I’m sorry for kind of disappearing on you all.” 

His voice seems foreign to you, not having heard it in so long if you didn’t count that other day when you were pretending to be asleep. Jake had been becoming increasingly more absent from you and the gym’s life since the day K passed. The only time he showed his face was at matches and when you, Niki, and Jungwon went to the government.

“Jake-” Minnie interrupts, but Jake cuts her off with a sad smile. 

“No- I need to finish, I was ashamed, I hid away again after K revealed to you all about what happened with my packmates. It felt like I was reliving that night all over again. I was just a kid when it happened, when I had to watch my family bleed out in front of me. I was frozen with fear, I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t save them.” Jake hangs his head in shame. “I was scared, and I’m still scared.”

For Jake, the past few weeks have felt like he was driving on autopilot. He felt like a monotonous robot with overly tight screws. Day and night, he traced the same footsteps as the day prior, too scared to stray away from his normal. It was like he was reliving the following year after his family’s attack. The same thing everyday, same amount of eggs for breakfast, two twists of his pepper shaker in his pasta for lunch, and a plain sandwich with six pretzels on the side, because a seventh reminded him too much of the number of people that should’ve made up the group. 

Sunoo shifts uncomfortably in his seat before softly responding, “Jake, nobody blames you for being afraid.”

“I know, but I blame myself. I could barely live with myself at the time knowing that I was the only one to survive the attack. And then when K brought it up again, I felt like I was back behind that wall, watching in horror as everyone around me died. I couldn’t face myself.” 

Jungwon leans forward and rests his shoulders on his knees. “Jake, we’re a family. You should’ve trusted us to give you unconditional support and listen to what you have to say.”

“That’s a bit hypocritical, Jungwon.” Minie interjects, narrowing her eyes at the younger boy and crossing her arms. 

Everyone freezes. Minnie had always been so gentle, too soft to really discipline the boys. So hearing her confront Jungwon like this had everyone experiencing a double-take. “You tell Jake you would’ve listened to him no matter what, but what about Jay?” Minnie presses Jungwon into a corner, “You run away from him every time he enters the room. So either you’re lying to Jake or you’re lying to yourself.”

“Minnie-” Yuqi interrupts, grabbing the girl’s arm. 

“No,” she shakes her off. “This isn't fair to Jay, Jungwon. You guys are best friends, you can’t just leave him in the dust like that all because you don’t have the full story!”

Jungwon’s face pales. His mouth opens and closes but he can’t manage to find the words to respond. 

Jay, who had been quiet until now, finally speaks. “No, he has every right to be like that.” You look at Jay who was now shifting about in his spot on the couch. “Jungwon, I didn’t kill those people to keep you from leaving the Veil. I did it because I knew that the second you leave, you’d never escape. I’ve seen what happens to those that are adopted; they get locked away and turned into something unrecognizable. Who knows what could’ve happened to you? Hell, you could’ve been treated just like Heeseung’s parents treated him.” 

Heeseung stiffens beside you but he shakes it off. He knew Jay needed to use him as an example. 

“Look, I’m sorry for what I did, but I don’t regret it.” 

For a brief moment, nobody moves, not even you. Then, to your surprise and everyone else's, Jungwon stands up and pulls Jay up from the couch. When he stands, Jungwon pushes himself into Jay’s chest and wraps his arms around him. “I’m sorry- I shouldn't have ignored you.” His voice is muffled in the fabric of Jay’s hoodie, but it's loud enough for Jay to understand. “I didn’t understand what was happening, I didn’t want to understand. I just wanted to feel anger and run away from my problems. I thought I was better off not knowing the truth behind your actions and just assuming it was all done in anger, but I was wrong. I missed you…”

Jungwon’s tears seep into Jay’s hoodie but he doesn’t care. He just holds the boy closer to him while the others watch on in silence. “We’re sorry too,” Niki says, standing up to join the hug. “It was wrong of us to treat you like that.” 

Jay waves him off and pulls him by wrapping his hand around the back of Sunoo’s head. Eventually, the rest of you join one by one until you’re pressed against each other in a messy group hug. All but Sunghoon.

You notice him standing off to the side with his jaw clenched. “Sunghoon?” you call out, extending a hand to him. 

“I guess it’s my turn to apologize,” he starts, clearing his throat. “As you probably know, K mentioned that I have night terrors.”

The rest of the group breaks apart from the hug and they look at Sunghoon with expectant gazes. “I’ve had these night terrors for as long as I can remember. I can’t really explain what they were about when I was younger, just a lot of darkness and screaming. But when I met you all, the dreams became more vivid, more violent. I was forced into this world of nightmares where every night, I would kill you all.” Sunghoon physically winces when he says that out loud, embarrassed that he even has to say it. “I told myself not to get close with any of you because if I hurt any of you, I would never forgive myself. You may all think I’m this rude, apathetic prick with the ego of an elephant, but I did that on purpose. I was rude and arrogant for a reason, and yet it didn’t even work. I care about you all in a way I have never felt, and that terrifies me.”

You reach for his hand and caress the back of it with your thumb. With a shaky breath, Sunghoon continues. “Every night, I would set up my apartment so that no one can get in, and no one can get out. My windows were locked, my doors were barricaded, it honestly looked like a tornado hit my apartment. But I did all of that because I didn’t trust myself. “

Again, the room is silent. Sunghoon feels like a monster for having these thoughts, but he wasn’t sure they’d ever go away until he told them. Eventually, Sunoo steps forward and pulls Sunghoon into a tight embrace. “You’re not a monster. None of us are.” 

Sunoo doesn’t need to say much to let Sunghoon know that he’s been forgiven. The foreign skinship between them is enough of an answer. 

“Are we gonna be okay?” Sunghoon asks no one in particular, breaking apart from the hug. 

“We’ll be okay,” you tell him, placing a delicate kiss on his lips. 

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Today, the word monsters, was trending on X.

It was an awkward shift from the usual hashtag involving famous soccer players or the latest viral recipes. The word sat at the top of the trends like a sore thumb. 

Monster was not a word that was uttered anymore, not since the exposure of the supernatural community. It had been years since the word monster trended on X, but that was when the Veil Treaty was created. Now, there was no reason for that word to be trending again. 

When the public had become aware of the fact that they were living among the supernatural, fear gripped the city. “Monster” was headlining every article, every news station, and was the topic of many whispered conversations. For a long time, the public was hesitant on accepting the new community, but slowly as they were integrated into the real world, people either became accepting of the supernatural or simply forgot about them. They were just like every other citizen in Luxta. Slowly but surely, people learned to coexist with the other side. 

But now, years later, the same word reappears at the top of the timeline. 

Staring at the hashtag for a moment, she hesitates to click on it, skeptical of what’s to come. But curiosity trumps her skepticism and the girl presses on the hashtag. Immediately, a 23-second clip pops up. This is the same video that’s been circulating the internet for a few days, only a few blurry figures in the background were showing on the thumbnail, not enough to pique her interest until now. The sheer volume of comments and shares speaks volumes and drives her to click play.

When the video starts, her eyes widen. There’s a shakiness in the video that suggests that it was filmed inconspicuously, and  first, the only thing she can make out is the movement of two pairs of legs. They were in a ring of some sort- no, it was definitely a boxing ring. 

Noticing the lack of audio, the girl increases the volume. Suddenly, she can hear the sound of roaring spectators surge in the background as the video zooms out to show that the two men were in fact in a boxing ring. This didn’t look like the ring from WWE. 

She watches through her phone as the two men lunge at each other with an unnatural speed that makes her breath catch in her throat. They moved too fast to be considered human, just a blur of movement. When they pull apart, she finally sees the red scales on one of the man’s shoulders glinting under the light. 

The scene was horribly mesmerizing, unable to tear her eyes away from the video. Flames roared in the air and danced along the other man’s body as he moved around the ring. Suddenly, the one on fire jumps high into the air before forcing himself onto the scaled man. A pattern of punches make contact with the man’s face and the camera zooms in to focus on his bloody features. The scene continues on like that for a second before the video ends abruptly, freezing on a sickening frame of the scaled man slumped to the ground, gasping for air as black shadows invade his body.

Stunned, she clicks out of the video and looks at the comment section. It was almost as messy as the video above it. 

that’s obvsly CGI Are those the “supernatural” ?? MONSTERS LOL this is so fake #exposed didn’t governor lee say they were harmless? Tf is this IS THAT A DRAGON?

im sorry i didn't expand much on the hyung line relationship with yn. also, there will NOT be a next part. be honest, do you guys hate me for the ending LOL

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